Chapter 1 : Life As Usual

September 29th
Mary Morris’ Bedroom

Mary peeked out from under the unruly mess of her hair to look around the room. Her hands flexed tiredly from where they were tucked underneath her pillows.

Morning light just barely fell through the blinds and drapes, causing her to squint and look away with a groan. She stretched beneath the sheets, exhaling slowly, then rolled over tiredly in an attempt to get comfortable again.

The room itself was warm, but not unbearably so. Mary felt her husband roll over beneath the covers beside her, the most likely source of the heat. He was similar to a bear in that sense, among a few other things. For instance, every morning he acted as though he were just coming out of hibernation and his face was almost as hairy.

Drowsily, Mary pushed herself up and began to let out a great yawn. Even if she didn’t need to, it was a habit of hers to do so every morning and as loudly as possible. Every little bit of noise helped in the coming battle. Without looking at him, she began shoving her husband to wake him up. Often, nothing short of beating him over the head would do the trick, but she tried again anyway.

Stan Morris mumbled a half asleep complaint while rolling defensively to face away from Mary. The act elicited a groan of irritation from her, similar to her husband's. She ceased the hopeless fight, deciding that bigger guns would be needed today.

The room was quite spacious, but cluttered at the moment with various gardening magazines, quilting books, and fabrics, not to mention several plastic tubs and containers filled with even more odds and ends. Some of the clutter had come from her old home in Toronto, which they had sold rather than continue to rent it out.

She searched the room, and set her sights on the picture of her family beside the bed, one they had taken earlier this year in the summer. A small smile crept onto her face as she looked at her beautiful children and husband. His red hair was close cut in the picture, instead of tousled and long as it was at the moment. To his right, their brown haired and freckled nine year old daughter beamed merrily at the camera, and to the left was her son. You could barely see his eyes through the forest of blackish hair—it was dyed—which he had pulled across his face. Mary sighed while looking at him in the photo. At fifteen, he was at that rebellious age, and likely would stay that way for some years to come.

Beside the photograph sat Mary's clock. She looked at the time with disdain. Seven o' clock. On a Friday… Her thoughts turned the numbers and the day over slowly in her head.

…

Friday! It's still a weekday! The covers flew off of Mary in a blur of movement. "Aah!" she cried out. Why didn't the alarm go off? Did I not set it? What is the matter with me? It wasn't like her to sleep in so late, either. Her husband did enough of that for the both of them.

"Stan, wake up! You're going to be late for work!" Her husband snored his response back at her.

With one hand, she grabbed the broom stick that was kept beside the bed just for the purpose of jump-starting her husband. A slight wave of dizziness breezed past her tired mind as she readied it…

Mary shook her head to clear the fog from getting up too quickly, then raised the broom over Stan's large target of a body. She proceeded to give him a good thwack, with love.

Stan's skull gave a satisfying thunk in answer, as if returning a blown kiss. "Gzzagah-huh? I'm up, honey, mmwake... I'm awake! Wa’ wrong?" He shot upright and blearily stared around the bedroom.

Mary set the broom down unceremoniously in the corner. "The clock didn't wake me up! You've got twenty minutes to get to the station on time, love!" She gave her best ‘distraught housewife’ look and set him with a glare that could scare a rock awake; the man was essentially just that most mornings anyway.

Stan rubbed an eye, oblivious to being under her sharp scrutiny, but heard what she said. "Oh, shoot,” he mumbled, slowly swinging his legs over the bed’s side. “Where the crepes are my pants...?"

Mary smirked at her drowsy dear's awakening process, then switched her demeanor back and hurried out of the room.

With all haste, Mary rushed to the kitchen. Her bare feet glided her past the stairs even as she shouted loudly up them. "Anna! Bobby! Get up or you'll be late for school! Don't make me come up there!"

I'm going to have to change and get a shower after everyone else so they’ll still have time... The upstairs shower was broken, so they all had to share the one downstairs.

She continued past the stairwell and the still-working bathroom at a power-walk pace to the kitchen. She opened a cupboard and began pulling out breakfast. Tired thoughts struggled against the important ones seeking to get her family in order for the day, but she fought them off and stayed focused. I have to really hurry with everyone half an hour behind already.

Strapped for time, Mary hurriedly put together a lunch for her husband and son; she didn't have time to make and heat up the meal for Stan, though. Bobby's going to have to eat on the bus. The bag and lunch pail she carried out to the dining room table contained a can of ravioli and cold cuts for each respectively, with a few other odds and ends thrown in for good measure. She returned to the kitchen and pulled out Anna's breakfast—a bowl of Lucky Charms—then proceeded toward the bathroom.

Her husband was just coming out from his own quick shower. Stan hurried in the morning for the rest of them, but today was an even quicker rush for the man. Bobby, however, who should have been next in line, was nowhere to be seen.

Mary called after her husband when she didn't see him enter. "Stan! Have you seen your son up and about yet?"

Stan was half jogging back to their room, his lower half wrapped in a towel. Turning his head, he called back to her, "I haven't, sweetheart, not ye—" He cut short as his knee hit the doorway. Red flared across his face and he blew out his cheeks before devolving into a string of muttered expletives. Barely keeping himself from shouting, he managed to stumble back into the bedroom.

Mary made a pained, guilty expression for her husband, then shrugged and let out an exasperated noise. She trudged out of the dining room and up the stairs to her son's room. She stepped over several loose articles of clothing on the staircase as she went. I just cleaned these stairs yesterday… The thought came as she stepped over Bobby's idle skateboard, which had been left at the top of the stairs, again. An army of Anna's stuffed animals were covering its rear as well, which made circumventing the obstacle all the harder. Clothes and toys everywhere. I just can't wrap my head around how they do it.

Fuming, Mary pushed open the door to Bobby's room. Or, at least, she would have were it not for its unwillingness to budge. Which wouldn't be a problem if she didn't already know his friends had broken the latch a month ago. She glared at the knob-less obstruction of a door and pounded several times.

"Bobby, get up now! Both you and your father are going to be late and you need to hurry it up!" Mary paused briefly. "Answer me, young man!" The door itself was an ensemble of band posters and caution tape he'd gotten from Stan's road supplies. It almost made finding a spot to hit with her balled up fist a challenge. She heard a grunt from inside, followed by what she was sure wasn't a curse word.

Mary, a mother-on-a-mission, planted her fists on her hips in defiance of her teen son's refusal to respond. "Bobby!" she shouted.

"What the Hell, chill, Mom! I'll be right down!" There was more scrabbling inside his room.

"Robert Charles Morris, you do not take that tone, or use that language, with me! Ever! Do you hear?" Mary thought she heard a sigh from inside. But no answer. "Bobby!"

"YES! Yes, Mom, all right, just go, would you? Please?" her son's voice responded.

Mary tapped her foot in an earnest attempt to prepare to scold him, but sighed instead and went to get Anna. She pushed her daughter’s door open slowly and entered the light-cream colored room. Her daughter lay sprawled on the bed, stuffed animals covering every possible surface. It was mostly your typical fare as far as being a nine year old's room. However, the corner had an interesting half circle bench nook, with an old paned window offering a pleasantly wide view of their front lawn.

"Anna? It's time to wake up, honey. Breakfast is downstairs, okay?" The lightly snoring form of Mary's daughter ignored her plea and continued to remain immobile. "Ugh, you get this from your father…" She began nudging Anna's shoulder with one hand. "Come on, dear, we're all a little behind schedule today. Do Mommy a big favor and get up like a good girl, okay?" One eye opened to look at her.

Anna let out a huge yawn, for a girl her age anyway, and stretched after sitting up. "Okay, Mom..."

Still dreary, bedraggled and hungry, Mary let out the first sigh of relief that morning. She pecked a kiss on her daughter's forehead, while simultaneously thanking the stars she had at least one decently morning-minded family member. "That's my girl. Breakfast is ready downstairs too. We'll take you to school a little late today, okay?"

Her daughter grinned, her normal hyperactive state already beginning to show itself, then ungracefully tumbled out of the bed.

Mary paid the acrobatics no mind and instead went back downstairs, yelling at Bobby's still closed door as she passed. "If you miss the bus no ‘hanging out’ for a week, buster!" She only felt a little guilty for that, knowing she'd slept in too. But I won't tolerate that sort of attitude. Not now, not ever.

A disgruntled voice followed Mary back down the stairs. "What?" it shouted.

Grumbling, Mary tugged on her long hair—which was currently loose—without realizing it, a sure sign that her patience was wearing thin.

Straightening his county sheriff's uniform, Stan walked out of his room with a slight limp and caught Mary at the bottom of the stairs.

"Your lunch is on the table, love," Mary cooed jokingly.

Stan gave her a quick kiss while walking past her. "Thanks, Mar." The black bag that was beside the table found its way into his grasp and was shouldered quickly. Meanwhile, he also tried to grab his keys, lunch, and wallet, with admittedly some success. "I'll see you after work. Love you." He was headed out the backdoor even as he still clumsily juggled the various articles.

Mary's memory caught just as the door closed behind him, which she quickly reopened and yelled, "Don't forget to stop and go shopping after work! The list is on the dash and we're out of everything!"

Stan spun again to look back and wave while nodding, his lunch held in his teeth.

"Oh, dear, look ou—" Mary winced. Too late. Stan had run into the side of the fence gate. At least he only dropped everything this time instead of hurting himself again...

Mary walked back inside, shaking her head. She felt bad asking him to get the groceries, and felt nervous about it. That man always gets some of the strangest things aside from what is on my list. The store is on the way to the station, though... The conclusion of that stream of thought spared her from too much guilt. That, and if he didn't go, her family of unruly little monsters wouldn't have anything but graham crackers to eat until she could shop after he came back with the car. Her family did have two vehicles, but they tried not to drive Stan's truck much lately, after it had started making noises.

Mary strode back into the dining room where Anna was busy eating. The brightness in her eyes was already picking up as she continued to wake up. By the time she was at school, the girl would be a spitfire of energy. For now though, her attention was stuck to the television.

A bang announced that the bathroom door had opened, and sure enough, Bobby strode out. He paused after seeing his mother, then continued sullenly past her toward the backdoor.

"Well good morning to you too," Mary said cheerfully. She waited a moment for an answer, but he remained silent. "...Oh, shoot, I forgot your breakfast!" She looked worriedly in the direction of the kitchen. Her son rolled his eyes as if to say 'don't bother' and picked up his lunch and school bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, he left her and headed for the door.

Mary shot for the kitchen. There has to be something... Ah hah. She grabbed her fortuitous find from the box she'd brought to her last quilt meeting. It’s still good, surely it’ll do fine. She managed to get to the backdoor before Bobby left.

"Here." Mary held the confection out. "Pay attention and be good, all right?"

Bobby eye-balled what she held out to him. "A muffin?" he questioned sourly, but took the offering all the same with a neutral grunt. "I gotta go, don't wanna be late." The door swung open and he slouched his way outside, continuing the slothful gait all the way down the street toward the bus stop.

Mary frowned after him. "I love you...! Be good!" The door shut hesitantly under her grasp. Raising that boy gets more difficult every day. She massaged her head as she walked back inside, but suddenly came to a stop. Gah, I still need to get dressed and shower and everything! A glance at her watch told her the time. 7:20. That’s plenty of time.

Mary had been forced to forgo a shower. Somehow, the water had conveniently stopped working after Bobby had gone. She braked and came to a stop at the intersection that would take her to Anna’s elementary school. It was late September, and school was still in its early phases of the school year. Beside her in the truck, Annalise bounced, watching the sparse, rural countryside pass them by.

"So, Anna, do you know what you'll be learning about today?" The light turned green and Mary shifted the truck into second gear. It growled forward across the road, gaining speed weakly. The vehicle burped after they made cruising speed, then produced that strange clunking noise and rattled. The mother looked down worriedly at the stick shift as she drove on, then shifted her attention back to her daughter.

Anna, meanwhile, tried to look like she hadn't heard anything from her, and paid close attention to the window.

"Anna?" Mary prodded.

"Noooo, I dunno..." Anna twiddled her thumbs as if to try and dodge the question.

"Oh, well what have you been learning lately, sweetie?" Mary spared the girl a glance from driving to get her attention. When no answer came from her 'preoccupied' daughter once again, she continued. "Anna, you have been paying attention in school, haven't you?"

Trees from the thinning west coast forest gave way to the flat of a field used by the school, and then the parking lot. This all gave way to the school, which came into view from around the bend.

Silence continued to reign in the old pickup truck as they approached.

"Anna, it's very important you pay close attention in school, okay? If you ever need help with anything, be sure to ask the teacher or myself when you're home." The truck came to a stop in a spot close to the side door of the school, creaking as it did. "Annalise?" Mary asked again, her daughter kept staring out of the truck's window.

After a moment, Anna answered. "Yes, Mom, I know." With the curt reply finished, both girls sighed as one.

Mary turned and smirked down at her daughter in response to the jinx, but Anna had noticed she didn’t react. She frowned and made to stroke her daughter's hair comfortingly... but stopped, deciding instead to just keep her hands on the steering wheel. Anna always sounds so mature, despite that silliness of hers... Herbert's probably to blame for that.

Stan's father, Herbert, was a very carefree spirit, to put it lightly.

Lost in thought, Mary peered out across the field outside the edge of the parking lot. The flowers waved in the wind there. The wild flowers around these parts were wonderful, even as the year slowly turned to autumn. A distant smile curved in her mouth as she became more distracted.

Anna opened the truck door and hopped out, but stopped short of shutting the door. "Hey, mom?" Anna began fiddling with the zipper on her coat while she waited for her to respond. Her mother just kept staring ahead with that distant look though, so Anna tried again. "Mooom?"

Mary popped out of her revery and looked at her little girl. "Oh, yes, Anna, I love you too. I need to go now, sweetie, Mommy's late for work."

"But, Mom, this is super-duper important!" her daughter groaned at her. "It's about the ballet stuff. I decided I don't want to do it anymore."

Mary blinked, having been caught off guard by the statement. Hurried as she was, she wasn't sure what to think. But Anna loves ballet practice. "Wha— Why's that, sweetie? I thought you really enjoyed ballet. Is it the other girls or—"

"Robert says that only little sissy girls do ballet, Mom." Anna flopped her arms against her sides, the gesture putting emphasis on her words. "I can't be a police officer or a soldier like dad if I'm a wuss!"

Mary grimaced. "You just ignore your brother. Don't listen to a word he says against what you do with your life, okay? You can be whatever you want to be when you're an adult. Hobbies don't change that, and you'll understand when you're older. But, pick something a lot better than a... soldier. Like a doctor! Just study hard and—" She caught the time on the truck's clock out of the corner of her eye. It informed her that she had precious few minutes to make it all the way to work on time. "I'm sorry, Anna, I need to dash, all right? We'll talk more about it later."

"But, Mom—"

Mary pulled the door shut. "No buts! Get to class! And I love you!" The rusted red truck backed up rapidly as Mary shifted it into reverse, and, then, the engine stopped.

Mary stared languidly out the window of the tow truck which had come to get her. She sighed, thinking briefly on the irony that she was now sitting where Anna had been a moment ago in her own truck. The stale-smelling vehicle rumbled down the road, until they finally came upon her destination: Green Thumb Gardeners. It was an independent business, and a small one, but she got to enjoy one of her favorite pastimes while working towards her master's degree: gardening.

Sighing yet again, Mary turned to thank her impromptu chauffeur. "Thanks, Mitch, I appreciate the lift to work."

The old hayseed she spoke to looked like a truck driver crossed with a lumberjack... and maybe a dash of Quentin Tarantino as a result of his big forehead. Mitch looked over and nodded to her thanks with a broad grin. "It's mah pleasure Mrs. M. I'll let you know first thing when I figure out what's wrong with yer baby, all right?" He tipped his Yuengling baseball cap at her smartly, a cheerful smile on his face.

Mary stepped out and shut the rickety door to the old tow truck. Despite how gentle she'd been, it slammed from its own sheer weight. The door startled her, causing her to jump. She held a hand to her chest to calm herself, then looked in over the rolled down window at the mechanic.

"My baby—? Oh, the truck, yes, thank you. I'll let Stan know that it died on me right away; he might swing by on his way home. Is that all right?" Mary chewed on her lip nervously, the reality of how late she was bubbling back up to the surface of her thoughts.

Mitch nodded, assuring her that was fine without a word.

Mary stood on her tiptoes and waved, calling after the slowly reversing tow-truck over the crunching noise its tires made on the gravel. "Alrighty, then. Thanks again for the lift, and take care... and say hello to Margaret for me too, would you? ...And tell her that I'll see her Sunday!"

"Sure thing, will do, Mrs. M!" Mitch chuckled, and waved a final goodbye as he finished pulling out of the gravel driveway that led up to the gardening store.

The store itself was located just off a highway exit and was the only stop besides a gas station, a Dunkin' Donuts, and Bart's Bed and Breakfast.

Mary started up the driveway to the entrance of the main building. As she went, she passed by garden ornaments large and small, some of which were of quite the exotic design. There was also pottery, a few pieces of outdoor furniture that were placed out for the nicer weather, as well as the plants themselves. The store's owners had all manner of garden tools and machinery in stock as well, but those were kept inside.

A stout, slightly portly woman stepped out of the front door to the establishment and regarded Mary with a knowing smile and one raised eyebrow. She spoke with a distinctly Irish accent. "Good morning, Mary. I take it from seeing that Mitch drove you in that you and that old, beat up truck Stan dares still call a vehicle had a bit of a falling out. Am I right?"

Mary returned the smile and hugged her mother-in-law good morning. "You could say that, Mom. It worked fine yesterday until that racket I told you about got even worse somehow, and then it just stopped all of sudden this morning. I wouldn't be as upset if the engine light had bothered coming on, but it didn't. It happened while I was taking Anna into school no less."

Agnes Morris was the establishment's co-owner, alongside Herbert. She gave the younger woman an appreciative nod. "Well, it's more than all right, dear, these things happen. Now, this is your third strike, though, so I'm gonna hafta letcha go you understand..." She stopped and set Mary with a grim stare, which Mary replied to with a surprised look.

After a moment, the stare broke into a rampant snicker and then a kind laugh. Mary deadpanned back at her for several seconds.

"I'm just kidding, girl. Honestly, you still really need to work on your sense of humor something fierce. Come on, we've got some new inventory we should trade out, and more plants and things that need to be winter proofed." Agnes shook her head, still chuckling, and turned to lead Mary back.

Mary followed her mother-in-law into the shop, rolling her eyes. She'd been grateful for the part-time job from her husband's folks after immigrating to America, but they were a great deal more down to earth than she was used to. This is going to be a long day, I can tell. She tiredly rubbed the back of her head as she set about going to work.

Lunch time had rolled around, and Mary was busy being preoccupied with putting mayonnaise on two pieces of toasted bread just as the phone in the kitchen began to ring. She looked out and around the house, but she already knew that both Herbert and Agnes would be outside or at the store. Shrugging, she picked up the cordless phone to answer it.

"Hello, Morris residence. Who, may I ask, is calling?" Mary asked the phone-line politely. A very familiar voice spoke to her through the phone.

"He WHAT?" Mary gasped and held a hand up to her mouth. Not that the school counselor that was on the other side of the phone-line would have seen it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. Bobby's really gotten into another fight?"

The voice reaffirmed what she'd said. "Yes, Mrs. Morris... We're unsure who started it, but we believe that Robert was one of the instigators. Nobody was badly hurt, but we'll need to see you or your husband after school."

Mary held the phone against her forehead for a moment in anguish. How do these things continue to happen? Leaning back against the kitchen counter, she put the phone back to her ear.

"Mrs. Morris? Are you still there?" the high school counselor spoke doubtfully into her receiver.

Breathing out slowly to compose her voice, Mary answered, "Yes, Mrs. Wilsmith, I'm still here. I'll let my son's father know... what's transpired. Is there anything else?" Mary laid more lettuce onto the sandwich and spread some mayo over that as well, not noticing how... tall her sandwich was getting.

"Hm, no, Mary, that's all I think... Oh, your cell phone's turned off, I believe. I couldn't reach you on it." Mary felt her jeans pocket to pull out the disorderly phone.

"Oh, well thank you then for... Shit." On the other side of the phone, a certain counselor's eyes widened.

"No no no! I meant, er... I left my phone in my truck this morning, I think. Heh..." Mary face-palmed and spun once on the old kitchen's tiled floor in frustration at her slip. Dammit— I mean, darn it. I haven't been in the service for years. She squeezed her eyes shut and shadowed banging her head against a wall.

"It's... all right, Mrs. Morris. Have a good day." The counselor hung up, her disapproving tone still ringing in Mary's ears.

The winner of the best mother of the century award goes to… Not me! Mary dejectedly set the phone down on the countertop and leaned back again to stare at the ceiling for a moment. One. Thing. After another, this week. She felt behind her for her lunch.

Normally, I'd feel like I would regret saying this... but the hel— heck with it. It can't get any worse today. Mary was ready to sink her teeth into her now finished bacon, lettuce, and tomato toasted sandwich, only to discover she'd built her sandwich twice its normal size and was unable to even pick it up.

Mary sighed, looking at the triple decker BLT, then set about dispersing the ingredients. "Just had to jinx myself, didn't I? Guess I'm having two sandwiches."

The rest of the work day went slowly for Mary. It was just a craft and gardener's shop, though, so it was always slow. In fact, it was more of a hobby for her, too, barely a job at all. But, it was also an excuse for her husband's parents to help them out financially, and they did need help at the store.

Even in the midst of so many surrounding farms and green obsessed wives and families, there was only a smattering of business. The fact the closest Home Depot was fifty or more miles away probably helped the most...

Mary stared up at the cloudy blue sky through the window tiredly. With all the bad luck weighing on her mind, the sun almost seemed frozen in the sky to her. She sat behind the counter, slouched lazily, with her hand pressed against her cheek and holding her up.

The door chimed suddenly, then in stepped Herbert, Mary's father-in-law. For whatever reason, he was carrying the ugliest, most bizarre statue she had ever seen.

Mary grimaced at the sight of it. "What is that ugly thing, Herbert? Please don't tell me you're going to try and sell it." She looked at what he brought in from the corner of her eye without moving otherwise.

"No, actually, I was going to put it outside the front door." Herbert grinned widely, then frowned when Mary failed to return it. "What? It's not so bad, it has plenty of appeal, and I think it's funny."

"You think everything is funny, Herbert," Mary replied flatly.

Herbert guffawed. "I most certainly do not!"

"We almost had to take you to the hospital last year because of a pun," Mary replied, shaking her head.

Herbert frowned in thought, then broke out into giggles. "The eggs-cellent omelet!" On seeing Mary's frown, he promptly coughed and calmed himself. "Ahem, well, either way, I like the statue."

To Mary, the thing was just an ugly old woman holding up an empty sign. "Explain to me how that's funny? Where did you even get it?" She grimaced at the woman's sneering face, which seemed to stare right into her soul. Creepy, her thoughts decided.

"An old antique shop, of course! Maybe it's cursed, eh?" Herbert gave a chuckle, then continued. "Wonderfully carved, though, isn’t it? And look at this!" The lanky old man grinned and pressed something on the sign.

Mary read out loud the message that appeared, "Far be it from me to rush your purchase, but I'm not getting any younger." She raised an eyebrow from where she sat leaning on her hand to give him a deadpan look. "Really, Dad?" she asked incredulously.

Herbert frowned slightly and scratched the side of his head, reaching for more to push the credit of his lucky find. "Well, there's others; look, if you press this one it says—"

Mary fell into her arms and moaned in exasperation.

"Aw, come on. What's got you down now? Usually you love my gags." Herbert crossed his arms sternly, putting on a rare look of seriousness. "This about Stan, or just the truck?"

Mary peeked up at him from under one long bunch of hair. "It's several dozen things, Dad. For starters, that house is falling apart, as nice as it is. Was. Could be."

"Oh, well we can fix whatever is wrong; the plumber's coming tomorrow about the upstairs shower, isn't he?" Herbert set down the ornament and scratched his head. "After that, there's just your house's siding that needs to be replaced, the stumps and overgrowth in the back gardens that need to be pulled... uhm, the electrical that went bad in the garage and the basement... Your new washing machine's on order too, right?" He tried to put on a reassuring smile.

"There was a mix up; that particular machine was out of stock. We need to go back and look for another." Mary mumbled into the counter. Fed up thinking about it she sat up and stretched, arms behind her head. "I appreciate the effort, Dad, really, but I just gotta soldier through all this; talking about it won't help any. Except..."

Herbert took on a serious look. "Bobby?" he asked her.

Mary nodded, regretfully. "How'd you know?"

"Oh, it runs in the family, trouble-making does." Herbert chuckled and leaned back on the counter. "Stan was a right creature from the black lagoon when he was Bob's age. Didn't grow out of it ‘til he joined up with the Army, neither. Sometimes it takes a hard lesson, or a harder head, to smack some sense into a man, Mary. I—"

Mary stood up and smiled at the old fellow. She interrupted him by putting a hand on his arm.

"Dad, I can't wait for him to learn the hard way." Mary's smile melted and turned in a worried look instead. "What if the worst happens? He picks fights and skips class. He's only in the ninth grade; he'll just get worse if I leave this alone. You can't make it in this economy without an education anymore!"

They both stayed quiet, during which Mary looked at the clock; it read half past two.

"I gotta go, it's time for me to get Anna and Bobby from school." Mary thought Herbert looked to her like he wanted to say something else about her son, but she continued. "Thanks, though, Herbert. You're sure it's completely alright I borrow your car?"

Herbert smirked and nodded. "'Course, I only take her out to get my schnapps and whiskey. You stop having places to go at my age." Chuckling, he dug into his coat pocket to search for the rogue car key.

Mary frowned at the wall. "Dad, alcoholism isn't funny; you should really go to a meeting about that or something..."

Herbert snorted and waved his other hand at her. "Too old. Besides, I'm not an alcoholic, Mary; I'm a drunk. Alcoholics go to all the meetings, while drunks go to parties." He gave her a wink, which managed to pry a laugh out of her. "Now where is that— Ah-hah, here yah go." Herbert held out the key to Mary, then shifted to a knowing smile.

Mary took the key and sighed. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Dad."

Herbert paused for a moment, studying her. "Mary, if you do need to talk, Agnes and I are always just down the road."

Mary paused at the door, then took a step back and hugged him . "I know, Dad." She managed to give him a warm smile on her way out. "And thanks again!" She returned the wave Herbert gave her, and made her way out into the sunlight.

The rest of the day, thankfully, moved quicker than it had been doing.

Mary picked up Anna at school, and afterward, she was again faced with her daughter's complete refusal to go to ballet practice. That in itself wasn't an issue; she didn't want to stop her daughter from exerting her own freedom of choice, within reason, but it did mean Anna would have to come along to the high school while she picked up Bobby.

Once at the high school, Mary left Anna alone in the car with Styx playing on the stereo.

Inside, Mary tried her best to simply conclude the whole affair as quickly as she could before she got a headache. The counselor informed her that some of the other students had all confirmed that Bobby had initiated the fight along with two of his friends. She vowed to see him punished, and apologized for the trouble. Bobby had tried to make a smart remark in the school office, but was scared into submission almost immediately by a stare of doom from Mary. Thus, the wayward son and his mother were also told that he was to be suspended for two days. This was because such a fight had happened twice since the recent start of the school year.

The whole speech almost pushed Mary into holding her temples between her hands right there. They drove home in silence, except for Anna singing entirely off tune to “Come Sail Away”.

Mary pulled in at almost the same moment that Stan had also gotten home.

Stan stood at the side of the driveway, having stopped from entering after spotting the familiar car that approached.

Rolling down the window, Mary waved back and parked as he jogged up to them.

Stan bore a look of confusion on his rough face. "Mar? Why do you have Herbert’s new Chevy?"

Bobby beat his mother to answering him. "Mom broke the truck, Dad."

Mary glowered back at him, daring the boy to say another word. "It died this morning, Stan. Your father let me borrow the car to pick up the kids. The truck should still be at Mitch's. Also, Bobby has something to tell you when we get inside."

Stan raised an eyebrow, then set his son with a disapproving look, which in turn caused Bobby to look further away.

Finally parked, Mary got out of the car along with her two children, who moved with varying amounts of speed. They all started to head inside. For his part, Stan was already interrogating Bobby. "All right, so what did you need to tell me, Bobby—?"

Mary interrupted him. "Oh, wait a second. Stan, did you bring the groceries in yet, or do you need help?" She looked to the other car that was parked next to her father-in-law's.

Stan's own confused expression appeared again and then became blank.

Mary waited, then said, "You forgot."

Her husband nodded slowly to her and apologized.

Mary could feel that headache coming on...

Author's Notes:

So, I would like to explain what drove me to write this story, such as it is. No ponies yet on a pony website? Madness...

It does not follow a pony to start with. It follows a mother and her family that undergo incredible circumstances. It starts rather early in those events, as well. So, for a little while there won't be so much interesting happening. Emphasis on a little while.

When I write, I take an approach to stories. I want to immerse you all fully, not take short cuts, I don't skip motives, and I try to cover everything that I possibly can; every single angle that might tie in. (I'm not perfect, but that's what I try to do.) So, for a little while, you see Mary's home life, and what she faces from day to day, before things get... interesting, so to speak.

Keep an open mind, enjoy, and most importantly, pony on, my fellow bronies.

Chapter 2 : Where Were You

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In spite of the delayed arrival of food, the Morris family had managed. Stan ordered a pizza by way of apology to the kids despite Mary's plea for another option.

After all, Mary was concerned with Bobby, who was supposed to be getting punished. Otherwise, the night went by normally, with the couple's two hellions providing the usual amount of chaotic racket from within in their lairs.

Around eight—unusually early for her—Mary donned her nightgown for some much needed sleep. Once settled, she let her head fall down swiftly onto the pillow, and languidly stared up at the plaster ceiling. The pitter-patter of the rain drowned out her son's blaring heavy metal music, but only a little.

"Huh, I didn't know it was going to storm tonight," Mary mumbled to herself, just starting to doze off. She remembered the weather report crystal clear; it was a distinct part of her daily rituals, which hadn't changed at all in some time.

Mary rolled over, putting the strange weather out of mind. So, tomorrow first thing, I need to check in on the truck at Mitch's. Then I need to go grocery shopping... After that, I should swing by the home appliances and check out a different lau— Somehow, she managed to yawn big enough to make her thoughts pause briefly. Laundry machine... she trailed off, her consciousness fading into an exhausted sleep; running through the list of chores had knocked her right out.

Overall, the day ended for Mary on something of an emotional low note.

Later on that night, after the family had settled in for the night, a foreboding little thunderstorm rolled in, perhaps marking the end of summer. Storm clouds gathered overhead, deep and thick, accompanied by fierce thunder, lightning, and rain.

The only member of the Morris household that lost any sleep from the noise was Mary.

From the side-table, the alarm clock gave its steady trumpet of beeps and buzzing into the room as normal.

Mary woke up, and the first thing she noted was Stan's absence. She leaned up on one arm as she always did, yawning. Today, however, the act was greatly sedated, mostly because her husband's absence did not require the extra noise just to get him up.

The ache of a restless night thrummed behind Mary's eyes. She already had the feeling she was about to zombie her way through Saturday, which should be her day-of-respite from the normal work week. Still tired, she dragged herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

A silence reigned throughout Mary's house. It went unnoticed by her as she tried to turn on the faucet tap. When nothing produced itself from the sink, she let out a resentful groan.

Oh, that's right, Mary reminded herself scathingly. The entire plumbing system went out yesterday morning. Annoyed, she trudged her way back out the door. I hope I don't have to shower again at Mom's place... She recalled that fortunately the plumber should already be coming about the upstairs shower later on.

Where is Stan? Mary went about making herself breakfast. All that was left after several days of shopping neglect was coffee and cereal, which she poured for herself in a melancholy state.

The sound of the backdoor opening and closing came from nearby and surprised her. She poked her head out the kitchen door in time to catch Stan walking into the dining room. He smiled back at her after making eye contact.

"Morning, Mar." Stan seemed chipper and devoid of any tiredness one would expect from somebody in the morning.

Mary was confounded as to how her husband was such a morning person, and yet so incapable of getting himself up. Perhaps, she supposed, the extra laziness saved up additional energy for him to use when awake or something.

"I've got good news." Stan walked in and draped his coat over the back of a chair. "The mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the truck. Mitch called really early this morning and said it runs great for something its age. So I went in and picked it up." He leaned over the chair and smiled warmly at her from across the table.

Mary's expression hadn't shifted much from 'disparaging'. For her, all that 'good news' he'd given had done was confirm that her luck was indeed worse than below average. By that, she figured it was hovering around 'had walked under a stack of ladders' to 'shattered an entire fun house at the carnival’.

"That's great, Stan. So no more trouble then?" Mary asked.

Stan shook his head in answer. "Nope, plumber should be here soon too. Might wanna get dressed unless you plan on staying like that all day." He poked a finger at her pajama-encased form and smirked. The front door's bell rang. "Ooor you might not get the chance. I bet that's them now." The big man straightened up off the chair, and walked out of the dining room and into the living room toward the front door as it rang again. "Just a minute, hold on."

Mary rolled her eyes and walked back to the bedroom. She'd change and then eat. "Hey, Stan." She stopped by the bedroom's entrance.

The tall man paused at opening the front door. "Hmm?"

"Are the kids still asleep?" Mary rapped her fingers on the door frame absently.

Stan shook his head again. "No, I took Anna into practice this morning. Bobby's still in his room, but I think he's up..."

Mary slapped her forehead. I forgot about Anna's ballet practice; she has a recital coming up too! Groaning, she shut the door to the bedroom with a bang. Mary had been surprised her daughter had still gone, but the frustration she felt at that moment drowned the thought out completely. She heard Stan call out from behind the door after it had slammed, but she didn't answer. I need a vacation... she thought tiredly.

Mary put on jeans and a long sleeve shirt—it was getting chillier as the year went on—while Stan let the repairmen in. She stood in the doorway as the two men worked, at least until it became apparent they were going to take quite a while.

One had asked, "I ain't ever seen a system abused this badly. How old did you say it was?" Of course Mary didn't know, Stan had bought the house and moved to Idaho to be closer to his parents only a few months ago. The rutty building itself had been built in the sixties, so it wasn't an ancient place by any means... They had also mentioned, "Oh, and we're not electricians by any means but... we saw the pipes downstairs leaking on your electrical there. Ah think it might be why the lights won't work, probably."

Well, that's a big help. News that I need to get more 'professionals' to come poke around the house. Mary thought she could already feel the money flying out of her pocket book. "Why couldn't Stan have figured that out?" she asked herself, then paused and decided that probably wasn't a fair thought of her to have.

Mary opened the back door and stepped outside. I'm glad Anna still went to practice after her complaints yesterday. Honestly, she's worried about something as silly as being considered effeminate? I need to talk to Bobby about the way he's been acting... She passed her two flower beds, giving them a passing glance as she did; they flanked the house, and were mostly bare except for a couple varieties of flower still stubbornly clinging to their stems even this late in the year.

The gate that she opened led to the outer yard. Their home had two yards, both of which were bordered by chain link fence. The larger of the two was also surrounded by another tall green board fence, which gave it a casual sense of privacy. The town they were in had very few homes making it up. Only a few dozen at most, but they had their own volunteer fire department despite the small size. Of course, their house lay a ways from any other by at least a mile or two anyway.

Mary walked briskly to the garage’s door, unlocked it with a pocketed key, and pulled it open.

After a flick of the nearby switch, the lights aggravatingly didn't come on. Right. These are out too. If water damage had broken the basement lights, maybe the garage had a leak somewhere? Mary walked in the dark of the garage over to the truck, which had been parked in its usual spot. She carefully stepped over and around a few random objects and garden tools that lay leaning against the wall and in the aisle. Beginning to cough from the cold stale air, Mary hastily opened the door and looked inside...

Mary's goal wasn't to take the truck shopping or to get Anna; no, she had to find her cell phone still. "It's too dark, great." She pawed around with one hand while leaning in to try and find her phone.

It's gotta be in here somewhere, Mary thought she felt her hand brush over the top of it just then. Ah-hah. The phone was under the seat after all.

"Yeeowch!" A pinch against the palm holding her wayward phone had turned into painful shock without warning.

...

Mary leaned out of the truck and stared at her hand, despite not being able to see it. All right, what shocked me?

"Everything all right?" A gruff, older man's voice asked cheekily from out of sight.

"GAH!" Mary half jumped into the truck's driver seat. An earthy chuckle reached her ear from outside the vehicle. She leaned out to match the voice of Herbert to a shadow leaning over the hood of the truck in the garage's darkness.

"Dad, what the hel— heck." Mary stammered the words, the sensation of her heart beating from the surprise keeping her from trying to give him a well deserved smack. “What the heck is what I meant.”

"Still having trouble not cussin', I see." Herbert grinned in the dim light across the vehicle's front.

Mary harrumphed. "What? No! Well, recently, I’ve been slipping... I don't know why." Mary leaned back over into the red truck again to where she thought her phone had been.

Herbert hummed and called out to her from around the truck, echoing his voice slightly in the empty garage. "Weeell, I think I might. You're stressed out, Missy."

Finally, Mary managed to close her hand around the little cellular device that had been so unruly to her. The troubled mother pressed down on the power button with one thumb, thankful to see its typical blue light bathing the truck's interior.

Mary sighed and pushed herself up off the floor of the vehicle. "Dad, I'm no— Okay, I'm terribly stressed. It's not like I can do anything about it, though. I just need to wait for all of these… moving pains to get fixed and run their course. Hey, so what are you doing here, Dad?" Hopping out of the truck, she started for the door with him leading the way. He coughed his answer back to her over a shoulder.

"I'm sorry, what was that...?" Herbert asked back at her for confirmation.

Mary raised an eyebrow at him, detecting that he was going to try and play dumb. Dad doesn't really think that's going to work, does he?

"Dad..." she began to say in a warning tone.

"Oh, well you know, Stan mentioned you were going shopping, and that you were getting some steaks... So I thought maybe I could coerce a barbecue, even if it is later in the year—"

Mary stopped him there. "No, Dad, it's not a good time."

Herbert gave her a sulky frown. The taller man knew what that would mean: he also wouldn't be allowed to hang around and drink either. Stan and Herbert had a tradition of getting together whenever they could and enjoying a nice, quiet evening together. At least whenever Mary couldn't stop them from it.

Herbert groused immaturely, folding his arms. "Party-pooper," he murmured, puffing out his bushy mustache for emphasis. "Well, I'll just step inside then and say hello if that's all right. I was just on my way back to the house anyway."

Likely as not, that had been the excuse to drop by, Mary thought to herself dryly. "No beer." She said the words with firmness in her voice, strolling past him.

Herbert reacted quickly and appropriately. "What? Aw," he moaned, then stared after Mary as a kid who'd just been told he wasn't getting a new toy might.

Mary called back without looking as she walked out to the driveway from the garage's side door. "You heard me, no beer. Also, don't give Bobby any of your random gifts. He's grounded right now for picking fights again, and doesn't deserve them." She wasn't too worried about that, knowing from experience that Herbert usually needed a few in him before he'd give her son random early birthday presents, like cash. It never hurt to not chance it, though.

"Well all right, Mary, you take care driving! The roads are still wet from this morning's left over drizzle." Mary waved back halfheartedly and climbed into her car.

Mary noticed that Herbert's car was there too. Stan must've worked something out with him to return it and get the truck this morning. The car started and she backed up out of the driveway onto the mostly gravel road. It ran alongside their house, connecting it to the main road. It had probably been paved at one time, but Mary doubted it had been in recent memory.

She headed into town, admiring the changing colors of the autumn season. Strange, it was usually her least favorite season as well. The thought of plants half dying to survive an unforgiving barren snowfall were her usual thoughts on the time of year. Spring and its colors and flowers in full bloom were her heart's favorite. But all the colors of fall were nice too after all.

Mary parked her car next to the grocery store's entrance. Hopping out, she felt like her body was going to wake up after all for the day. She walked down the store isles after obtaining a cart and set out to gather things as normal, and then face-palmed momentarily, realizing she'd forgotten her own list somewhere. Likely as not, Stan still had it in his own wallet.

Mary sighed. Oh well, I'll just wing it. After all, I know what we need anyway. In most cases, she just preferred having a list to go off of.

In twenty minutes of shopping, she'd gathered her bounty of grocery goods: cheese, microwavables, vegetables, fruit, more cereal, and Bobby's breakfast sandwiches.

Mary decided not to get more chicken. Or fish. Nor ham or steak. She hadn't felt like getting any this shopping trip. Stan would probably throw a fit, but he needed to eat healthier, anyway. She had, however, retrieved bacon; she couldn't say no to bacon.

With her groceries gathered, she put the various soups, snacks, grains, and other food groups onto the conveyer at the grocery checkout and hummed to herself quietly.

A voice addressed her from behind the counter. "You seem chipper today, Mary. What's up?" It was Margaret; she went to her quilt meetings on the weekends occasionally. The upbeat older woman didn't show up very often, though; even less than Mary.

Mary looked over her way for a split second, then sucked in a breath to speak. "Oh, not much. Though I guess things have been worse than ever lately. At least, it always seems like that." She regarded her purchased produce briefly after finishing. Hm, I hope I didn't buy too many greens. Be a shame if some went to waste or spoiled.

"Really?" Marge tilted her head and smirked, busily swiping items over the bar code scanner. "I don't know, dear, your demeanor says otherwise. You're a Capricorn, aren't you?" she asked. "Your horoscope was an interesting one today, you know."

Mary rolled her eyes. She'd just been reminded that Marge was one of those, as far as believing in the superstitious and the occult. More often than not, she would try and encourage all the girls to buy into or take part in her strange interests. At least she did a good job of not being pushy about it.

"No, Marge, I didn't read it. You know I don't believe in that stuff." Mary paid the Margaret and accepted her card with a friendly tone.

"Well, it spoke of some stormy waters for you; not to mention that nature is more your friend than ever today! Also to be sure and keep your family close." Marge smiled at her and helped her put the bags into her cart as she relayed her message.

Mary gave her a smirk and raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty vague and normal sounding for a prediction, Marge." She started for the door. "Really, if I needed a fortune teller to remind me that the sun would rise the next day, I think I'd have to commit myself."

Marge gave her a nervous laugh. "Well, still; you should watch out! Have a good day, Mary!"

Mary rolled her eyes with her back turned to Marge, but waved back briefly to be nice. After she had rolled her shopping cart outside, she headed for her car to pick up Anna.

"Sooooo," Mary began.

Anna looked up at her mother from the passenger seat.

"What made you change your mind?" Mary gave her daughter a winning smile without looking away from the road. In truth, it was a smile of triumph over Anna changing her mind.

Her daughter huffed quietly and crossed her arms. "I didn't..." Mary's smile faded a bit. "I'm going to finish the recital, that way at least it wasn't a total waste of time." Her smile had become a straight line by now. "I mean, I don't hate ballet; dancing's kind of fun... kind of, but Dad said since I don't want to do it anymore, he'd sign me up for karate!"

Mary's face was stark consternation while she drove in their home's direction down the interstate. Karate...? Terrific. Now she'll grow up to be a violent hooligan. She took a slightly shaky breath. "W-well if that's what you want to do, sweetie... Are you sure you wouldn't rather take up singing lessons instead, though? Or maybe a sport." She tried to give her an encouraging grin from the driver's seat in an attempt to sway her daughter.

"Moooom watch the road, please!" Mary jerked the wheel to the right a little. She'd been going over the line.

"Sorry, it's fine, but don't you change the subje—" Squinting her eyes shut, Mary took another deep breath. This conversation's already lost.

Mary and Anna carried the groceries in together. They felt rather light despite how much had been bought; it must have been from not getting as much of the usual. All the same, where are the boys? They should be helping right now; not goofing off or ignoring that two girls are carrying all the— Mary grumbled and set the bags down at the family room doorway.

"Anna, go ahead and take those into the kitchen and put them where they belong." Her daughter nodded up at her. The three boys in the family room turned around at the sound of her voice from where they sat on the couch. She raised her eyebrows at all of them and drew her face in a fake smile that didn't touch her eyes.

"Oh, Mar, sorry. I didn't hear you come in." Stan grinned at her warmly from where he sat on the furniture.

"Or pull the car in it seems." Mary bent and picked up a bag of the groceries again. "Stan, Dad, help me put these away please?"

"Sure." Stan answered. Mary left for the kitchen, leaving the three to look at one another in front of the frozen television screen. "You too, Bobby, come on." Stan set the remote controller for the game console down and headed toward the remaining groceries in the doorway.

His son set the controller down with a sigh before responding. "A’ight."

Herbert tossed a hand toward the TV in protest. "Awww, but we're about to get to level six! I've never seen past five before..."

Stan paused at the door long enough to chastise his father. "Herbert, we'll get right back to it. Let's go help Mar, she seems like she's in a mood."

Bobby crossed his arms as he followed behind his father. "Dad, she's always in a mood. I don't know how you put up with—"

Stan hid his brief scowl, staring straight ahead. "Bobby," he started gruffly, "don't talk about your mom like that, all right? When you're a parent, you'll understand how stressful it can get, and your mom's had a double dose of it recently."

Herbert, bringing up the rear, laughed aloud. "You mean a triple," he joked. "She puts up with you two after all, doesn't she?"

In the kitchen, Mary spotted them as they came into the room with the remaining groceries. She turned toward Anna briefly. "You can go ahead, Anna, they'll finish it up. Oh, uhm." After a thought, she quickly looked around the kitchen for a distraction. She hadn't anticipated Bobby coming in as well at all, and pulled her car keys out from her purse on the kitchen counter. "Bobby! Please go lock the car, would you? I forgot."

Bobby looked up flatly, then shrugged and walked back outside of the kitchen without any other response.

Mary and the two men began to put the produce away until Mary heard the backdoor close. Glancing at the other two distracted adults, she took a deep breath, then slammed a block of cheese on the counter.

"Really!" Mary shouted abruptly.

The men were caught by complete surprise by the nearby eruption.

Mary set them both with a stare and continued, "Stan... Bobby's grounded. Do you know what he did at school yesterday? And here you both are playing video games with him? Video games," she repeated, waving the block of cheese around in the air like a scepter. "Really? Also, unless I'm mistaken, I saw beer out there. Am I mistaken?"

Stan began to explain as calmly as though he were a placid water brook. "It was my beer Mar, we'd never give any—"

Mary's arms became stiff as rods at her sides as she interrupted Stan. "I would hope not! I told Herbert no beer, Stan. It's barely two in the afternoon anyway!"

Herbert made calming motions with his hands and bravely stepped toward what was in his eyes: the level twenty raging house wife.

"Now, Mary, be reasonable. I didn't pass that along to Stan, and it's his day off too. I mean, he has his one weekend a month next week, right?" Herbert glanced at Stan, who vigorously shook his head up and down. "Right! So he should enjoy himself a little this weekend." Mary made to speak again, anger still painting her face, but Herbert was a step ahead of her. "And! About Bobby, he's just at that age. Grounding him and keeping him indoors is one thing, but taking away any sort of distract—"

Mary huffed loudly and broke back into the conversation. "He could be doing his school work! Goodness knows he's behind enough in it to need to spend a couple weekends studying. All he does is goof off, and you both facilitate it! You two are the worst role models imaginable when you come over on the weekends and drink alcohol!" Her fists were firmly planted on her hips as she berated them.

Stan glanced over at Herbert, who had backed away again. "The last time you came over was the barbecue in July I think... right, Dad?"

The older man hummed, then nodded while trying to look away, absently scratching his chin. "I think so; I don't come over every weekend after all..." Herbert replied back.

Mary threw up her hands, unable to believe what she was hearing, then stormed out of the room.

Mary idly flicked a spool of thread across her work table in the den connecting the family room and her bedroom. She'd picked it as hers for the big sunny bay sized window that faced the sunset and the open field beside their house.

"Are you alright, Mar?" She hadn't heard anyone come in; it was Stan. The man could move around surprisingly quietly, despite his bear-like size. He was an even mixture of his mother and father as Mary saw it, Herbert's height and Agnes' wider frame. It certainly came in handy in his line of work as Mary understood the situation. Now that she thought of it, his job had her producing gray hairs a great deal as well— "Herbert's sorry, love. I am too... Mar? You have that face on again, like you're thinking of things to bug yourself with... Come on, talk to me."

Without moving her head, she peered up at him with just her eyes from where her head rested on her arms upon the work desk.

"Well, that's a start. Come on, cheer up some. After all, the water at least got fixed while you were out." He grunted a forced laugh. "That's one thing off your list." Smiling weakly, Stan sat up on the desk's corner so he could at least half make eye contact with his grumpy wife. "I've never seen you like this, Mar; not this much anyway. I dunno, maybe it's a big mistake on my part for even coming to you about it... You should just know that..." He paused and leaned forward in front of her. "Thur do be a time, lass, when ye should spehk yer true feelings to tha' world an’ yer loved ones. Onley when tha' world or them ignore yah ye'll truly be sure yer fooked fer sure!"

...

She couldn't suppress the snicker with his face grinning inches from hers. Sliding off the desk, Mary hid her head in her hands. "Cheater, your fake Irish accent is terrible, you know that."

"I can’t believe you'd accuse me of a fake accent. That was my best Scotsman by the way, not the Irish. Although I'm sure you'd also confuse that with the cockney English accent somehow as well, dear." He raised an eyebrow and smirked down at her. "I have Scottish and Irish on both sides of the family don'cha know! Now quit dodgin' me reasonin' fer bein' 'ere. What be the trouble?"

She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. I'm not sure if I even want to talk to you about it if you need to ask, Stan. The look she gave him was tired and flat, the momentary humor already gone.

"Stan... it's..." Mary ran a hand through the top of her long hair down the back of her head, reaching for the right words. Or even the right topic. "Well, it's you. It's Bobby, and it's Anna. It's everything that's going on in our lives right now!" Looking off to the side of the desk, she looked for something subconsciously to distract her from meeting his green eyes. "It's me... I can't pin any one thing down. The quilt guild, Anna wanting to quit ballet, even Church tomorrow! Not to mention everything else arou— uggh I sound like such a broken record. You have no idea..." She slapped a hand over her eyes while fighting off the déjà vu from saying the same things to Herbert the day before.

With difficulty, Mary continued. "You know, there's a lot going on that's been a hassle for us. These things just never get a hard conclusion; it's always one more thing, I guess. Most of it, though... Honestly, it's always been your pursuing a military career, and ever since you started in law enforcement..."

It was Stan’s turn to bare a strangled and struggling look. "But you've always been supportive about that stuff; you never even once said... Hell—heck, I mean—you even told me I'd be stupid not to on more than one occasion." One of his hands found its way to scratch the back of his head.

"I know! I know... But there it is. I guess I didn't think I would mind then. I suppose I was getting more emotion than I bargained for when I decided I could handle that about you. Same thing with the kids... don't take that the wrong way, darn you, I see that look. I love them with all my heart; I always have always will. It's just worry... Lately it's been worse." Mary sighed and leaned forward on one arm looking up at her husband who towered over her sitting on the desk's corner. "I guess it'll seem a lot less so when they're older and we're worrying about licenses and college tuition, huh, Mr. Viking?"

"I'd rather not dwell on that this early, thanks..." Stan shook his head, and smiled, trying to dislodge the thought of Anna wrecking his vehicles. Stopping, he removed himself from the desk.

Mary took his hand in hers as he did so. "Stan, we have to crack down on Bobby, you have to take things more seriously! You need to think about this stuff ahead of time. You do great by them and me by planning it all out financially, but you need to be more hands on." Her frown deepened as she spilled her concerns to him. "Joking around with him and acting more like his big brother than his father isn't the answer. I know you see it; you live it every day." This hadn't been her first talk about this with Stan, but she was pulling out all the stops to make sure it would be the last. Relenting, she let go of his hand and rested her head on the chair's arm, sighing.

"Don't be weepy now, lass, yer faithful Thane's here to keep true to his word after all,"

"Stan, don't you dare make this a joke." She felt a smirk creep up the side of her face.

"I swear by the sun, stars, and the moon, your desire most deep is my pleasure to fulfill fer yeh,"

"This is serious; I'm not kidding!" Unfortunately, her darkly set idiom was failing her. Laughing, she tried pushing him away as he picked her up by her arms out of the chair.

"Oh aye and no joke am I making of this at all, my lady love, this is a pressing concern after all. To be addressed at once certainly, right after..."

Mary hummed to herself quietly with a smile on her face as she stirred the boiling pot of mixed vegetables slowly. She added some light seasoning to it. Not that her kids would even notice, assuming she would even manage to get them to eat them in the first place. Bending over, she opened the oven slightly to look at the lasagna she'd started cooking. It wasn't the fanciest dinner, but it was easier to make and made for an impressive show once on the table despite having come in a cardboard box. Plus the lasagna she had bought was the largest the grocery store carried, promising to feed six. Or in her family's case three and one hungry bear.

"Stan!" She called out over stirring the mashed potatoes. "Hey! Go get the kids! Supper's almost ready!" Mary walked across the spacious kitchen to the drawer with dinner ware and grabbed four plates. Understandably, Herbert had gone earlier during her... admittedly rude and sudden overreaction. Though she didn't like admitting it. Still, she was glad that Stan had agreed in her conceding the point she'd made. He knew, for whatever reason he's just been avoiding it.

Problems like this won't fix themselves, though, Stan, you gotta grab your son by the scruff of his neck and shape him up! I swear, if I ever end up dealing with him knocking up some poor girl... Or worse, breaking the law and ending up in jail! Mary pulled her thumb out of her mouth from chewing it nervously. Frowning from the oddity of the new nervous twitch she continued setting the table. She realized that during her worrying Stan hadn't answered her. Wasn't he just in the den?

She looked around the dining room nervously and listened. Something was missing... Something very blatant too. Calmly she strode through the dining room, living room, and into the den that her husband practically lived in during his off time.

He wasn't in his office chair, and was otherwise nowhere to be seen. Mary realized with a start what she wasn't hearing: Bobby's heavy metal racket from upstairs. That's... sadly a first on a Saturday afternoon. Unless... She knew what no music usually meant. It meant no Bobby. Today though that also meant he was out and about, not being grounded.

Mary began storming upstairs, before stopping after a thought and taking several deep breaths. "All right," she started to say to herself. "I really need to take a step back and stop acting like such a b-bad mother." She pulled her hair over her shoulder so it fell down her front and calmly composed her emotions. Afterward, she finished walking up the stairs, and was pleased when she found it had been cleaned, as had the stairs themselves. Well... that's lovely. Did Bobby do that?

Mary walked the length of the hall and reached Bobby's door. Quietly, she listened for anything making noise inside. After not hearing so much as a peep of noise, she knocked. "Bobby, supper's about ready!" she called out, but there was no response. She squinted her eyes shut but forced them open and smiled. He must be sleeping. Yes, that's it. She pushed the door open.

Suddenly, the room beside Mary, Anna's door, exploded open and banged against the wall.

Anna looked around briefly, wide eyed. "FOOD?" she yelled at, then charged past Mary as if she were an invisible phantom.

Mary was plastered against the far wall, her body rigid from shock. Slowly, she let go of her heart and blinked until she had regained her bearings.

"Hi, Mom," Anna said.

"AH!" Mary jumped and spun around, gasping.

"Dinner's ready?" Anna smiled innocently.

"Ah..." Mary swallowed hard and exhaled shakily. "Y-yes, dear, we've got lasagna ready to be put on the table. Why don't you go set it out while I wake up your brother?" She gave Anna a weak, but kindly smile beneath her shocked and twitching eyes.

Anna nodded, then stopped abruptly while turning around. "Wake up?" she asked, her face looked confused. "Who, Bobby? He went to Corey's house, Mom." Without waiting for a response, she began thumping her way downstairs.

Mary stood there for a moment, certain her ears had heard Anna wrong, then ran to the stairwell railing. "Are you sure, sweetie?" she called down them.

Anna paused at the bottom of the stairs and nodded quickly. "Yup!" she called up, before then letting out another happy cry for her dinner.

Mary moved back from the railing slowly, then turn toward Bobby's bedroom, which seemed very likely to be empty. In that moment, the color red she was seeing painted the room a lovely shade for her.

The table was completely set, and Mary had doled out her family's food portions before she heard Stan's truck roll back into the driveway. She got up from her plate. Anna gave her a questioning look.

"Mom?" Anna put her fork down and made to follow her.

Mary turned to her smiling sweetly. "Finish up, Anna, and leave a happy empty plate, all right? I'll be right in with Daddy and Bobby."

Anna looked back at her plate full of vegetables, frowning. Her head filled itself with schemes of how to do away with the torture devices being forced upon her.

After waiting at the backdoor for a moment Stan poked his head in. "Oh, Mar... Hello, is supper ready yet?" The door opened all the way, and Bobby walked in behind him with a couple bags of groceries. He made to go around his mother, but she side stepped in front of him, arms crossed.

"What gives, Mo—?" He flipped obscuring locks of dark hair out of the way of his eyes.

"Don't," Mary interrupted curtly.

Stan blinked. "Mar, what's wrong?" he asked.

Mary took in a deep breath and shifted her gaze towards her husband. "I said don't, I meant you too." Her husband looked back at her uneasily, but didn't move other than to set down his own groceries.

Stan spoke up again, however. "I took Bobby out to get some stuff you hadn't bought this morning; you forgot the fish, steak, roast be—"

"I said don't, Stanley!" They both flinched back from her and Mary swallowed hard. "Bobby is grounded, right? So why was he at a friend's house? In fact, a better question might be why on this Earth are you trying to help him hide that he disobeyed us— No, that he disobeyed me."

Bobby gave his mother a wild eyed look and scowled. "Anna told you, didn't she? I don't believe it. I don't fu—"

Before Bobby could even finish the sentence, Stan leaped over and cut him off. "Upstairs, young man, we'll talk later." Stan began pushing him away, not allowing even the slightest rebuttal. "No, not another word. Just go right this very moment if you ever want to have a hope of leaving the house again."

Bobby stumbled over his own words until he was out of dining room. He glared back for a split-second, and then turned to run upstairs.

When the footfalls faded Stan sighed and turned away from the doorway he'd pushed his son out of. He spotted Mary, who hadn't budged from her spot.

"I'm not mad," Mary declared sullenly. She wanted to yell again right then and there too, but didn't.

Stan couldn't see his wife's eyes from where he stood, but he imagined what they looked like right at that moment. "Mar," he began quietly, which wasn't a volume suited to his deep voice. "Look, he's young and a lot like me at that age. I was just trying to—"

Mary spun around and interrupted him. "You were covering up for him is what you were doing." Her frown felt a lot deeper than she wanted it, but it couldn't be helped; she was too upset. "But it's fine; you obviously know what you're doing or you wouldn't have gone behind my back and snuck out to get h-him." The sentence took on a quavering undertone, and her voice weakened at the end. "Like I said, I'm not mad."

"I didn't say you were, Mar... I..." Stan's sentence floundered, unable to form the right sort of sentence he knew he needed; the Hail Mary kind that came out of the left field during a blue moon and a simultaneous solar eclipse.

"Dinner's on the table. We've got church early tomorrow. Sleep on the couch tonight. I'm going to bed." He stood aside while she walked defeatedly past him.

Stan knocked on the door. "Open up."

After a moment of waiting, Bobby's door creaked open. The darker haired boy looked at his father through a mess of longish hair. He wore a t-shirt a size too big for him with some 'screamo' band on it that Stan never recognized. He pushed the door open slowly, and backed his son into the dark room.

Stan took a seat in the recliner in one corner, and his son collapsed onto his own bed. "You had to go and try to blame Anna didn't you?"

Bobby glared back at his father. "But sh—"

Stan raised one finger and his son fell silent immediately. "Boy, let me finish. Beyond that, it's specifically the way you tried to blame her which did you in. The F-bomb? Really? I know we just talked about swearing and curse words two weeks ago." Stan leaned on his knees lazily from the chair, his son's stare locked with his own. "You need to learn better control of yourself or you're in for a long difficult float down the real life rapids, son." His emotionless face fell into a sad frown.

Bobby fell back on his bed and sighed. "I'll apologize to her," he relented back, though his tone was flat.

Stan studied his son a moment before he spoke. "To who?" he asked solemnly, raising one eyebrow.

"To Mom..." Bobby muttered back, not meeting his father's eyes.

"You darn right you will," Stan answered back without pause. His hand scratched the stubble that had allowed to grow over the weekend in thought. "And, boy, you had better make it good. I was going to inform her all about you sneaking off, but the way she found out combined with how you set her off has screwed the whole family's pooch. You're in deep water no matter what. So if you don't want to drown, you'll be on hands and knees tomorrow." Stan paused a moment as a thought occurred to him. He stood up slowly. "And you had better be on your best behavior at church tomorrow too. I don't doubt even the Lord knows He couldn't save you from your mother if you slip up again with the way she's been stressed out lately."

Stan strode out of the room and pulled the door behind him.

Bobby called out from inside the bedroom. "Dad, wait, what about dinner?"

"No dinner tonight, Robert. Starting today, you earn your supper around here, understand? There's gonna be some changes." Stan stopped and looked at his son. "If I ever catch you giving me or your mother that look right there ever again, you'll earn something else too. I mean it, boy. You're on thin ice on the edge of a cliff balanced precariously over the frying pan and the oven. You understand me?"

Bobby's face finally took on a submissive quality. He also muttered something too quiet to hear.

Stan inclined his head slightly. "What was that?" he asked.

"I said yeah, Dad... I'll fix things." Bobby turned, moving his face mostly under the curtain of scraggly hair he'd worn for years.

Against his willpower, Stan smiled at his son. "Good to hear. Bed early tonight; we're up at dawn tomorrow."

Mary fingered a lock of hair carefully in the dim light of the bedroom. It looked to her like she could almost watch the gray hairs forming on her head. Sighing, she let her hand drop and stared up at the ceiling. That was becoming a routine for her. Stare up at the ceiling and think and mope and fume.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to apologize. This has got to stop."

Chapter 3 : The Hair Twist

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Mary peeked out from under her unruly mess of loose hair to look around the bedroom. The blanket was pushed to the foot of the large bed, which had stayed empty save for herself throughout the night. Still, the room was cold, and the absence of her husband beneath the covers beside her brought back memories of yesterday's events and emotions quickly.

Mary tiredly pushed herself up, and began to stifle a yawn that didn't quite make it into being. She paused looking at her hand in the clouded sunlight; then looked around at the room. The realization she was getting a strange feeling arose.

Deja vu... again? Mary sleepily wondered. It seemed to her as though she were forgetting something.

Without first looking, she hopped off the bed, and her feet met the wooden flooring. After mumbling a still half asleep complaint over how cold it felt, she then continued to start her morning. No morning light peeked through the windows today; as far as mornings went, it was shaping up to be a dismal one already.

Mary heard someone awake and already over in the kitchen, as well as the sizzle of bacon; the welcomed sound caused her to smile. Stan's cooking? she thought appreciatively. Even if neither of them deserved an apology from the other as she saw it, he seemed to be making one all the same; the man knew how to go about doing it, too.

Mary paused and called out to Stan from the bathroom door. "Good morning, you. Making breakfast in there?"

Sure enough, Stan's shaggy red head of hair and unshaven face popped around the corner. He replied to her with a brightened look. "Morning Mar, how'd..." He paused, oddly, and his expression became slightly surprised. "Uhm, how'd you... sleep?" His eyes were bagged, and made him look as though he'd had a restless night. He rubbed them both and blinked a few times after he finished responding.

Stan must still be tired, Mary thought. "I slept great. There was so much room last night I was thinking about making it the norm..." She gave him a coy smirk, and was glad when he began chuckling back, though it sounded a little nervous.

"I see..." Stan said simply.

Mary laughed in return. "I'll be in the shower, then!" It was early, but she was feeling energetic nonetheless. Probably from going to bed early, she mused.

"Uh, Mar, I have to ask you something..." Stan was frowning at her now, and squinted his eyes despite her joke to let him know she wasn't angry anymore.

Oh no. Is he about to say something stupid? This early and already? Mary sighed from knowing her husband so well. It's alright, dear. I'll save you from myself, this time. Rotating her hand in the air, she gave her most of the time too serious hubby a big smile, waving his question off. "No time, dear, I must hurry, shower, then wake up the hell raisers! I'll talk to you about it later..." Another smile replaced her first after she was done speaking. This one was calm, while her eyes were schooled to soothe over last night's bruises; she hoped, anyway.

"But Mar, you don't understa—" Stan began stepping out of the kitchen, one hand raising up slightly, as if to hold her there.

Mary frowned and began edging her way into the shower-room. Alright, now he's pushing it. "Stan! Later." She made a nervous laugh. "Please, at least let me shower first." The door clicked shut behind her, the sound of Stan speaking again became muffled.

"Honestly..." With her oddly behaving husband now evaded, Mary found herself free to perform her hygiene and shower in peace. She turned to the bathroom mirror and pulled one eye lid down before pulling up her tooth brush. "At least now I'm free to-"

There was a knock at the door, to which Mary looked over. Stan... I— Wait a second. She did a double take back towards the mirror standing before her. Her mind came to a full stop.

Stan's voice, muffled by the door, called out, "Mar, I think you're misunderstanding me, I wanted to ask you about... the..."

Before he could finish, the bathroom door flew open, where Mary found her husband standing outside, his broad arms crossed. She practically ran into him, her face drawn down in an eye twitching, frozen look of disbelief.

"Stan!" Mary paused, mouth agape before she managed to croak out anymore sound. "Wha... What. Is wrong. With my hair." Her hands each pointed up to her scalp, one index finger apiece extended.

Her husband's face took on a very rare look of surprise and confusion, looking at what she pointed to. Those two weren't common emotions that he wore at all. Most of the time, he kept himself stoic and quiet; the few exceptions to this usually did occur around his wife, admittedly.

Stan only managed to stutter, "I-I, uhm—" His eyes were glued to the bluish color and cream streak that now adorned his wife's head in place of her old, dark brown hair. "So, you didn't just dye your hair last night?" he finally managed to ask.

"No!" Mary's eyes hardened angrily, while her stare burrowed into him. The rage she felt building was quickly replacing her confusion. She took several deep breathes, shoulders heaving. "Stan, so help him, if Bobby did this—"

Stan bravely raised his hands in a calming motion, interrupting Mary. "Now, I really doubt Bobby has anything to do with..." He paused, then looked up at the ceiling in thought, before shutting his eyes and sighing. "Let me talk to him, I'll get to the bottom of this, Mar..."

Mary wasn't paying attention to her husband. Instead, she was holding up her undone hair in front of herself, wearing a scrutinizing look of consternation. She was certain her own eyes were themselves lying, that she was seeing things.

"Mar?" Stan asked her again. After a moment of waiting for a response, he decided it wise to simply step away and go find Bobby. He left, backing up the stairs quietly.

I need to wake up Bobby and Anna anyway. Stan concluded, shaking his head. That color didn't look that bad, though. It would be unwise on his part to let her know that first hand however, but he allowed himself a chuckle at his wife's plight.

With her husband gone, Mary let go of the length of hair she held onto and turned back into the bathroom. She felt as though she were in a daze. It's gotta be spray on. The unbelievable idea that she had slept through such a prank occurred to her, along with other ways it could have been possible. She knew she wasn't that deep of a sleeper...

Mary's eyes locked onto the mirror again. Oh my God, it's absolutely hideous. Disbelievingly, she picked up her hair from either side of her head while looking herself over. It fell in a multicolored wave, and every single strand was either a thick stripe of creamy beige, or the peculiar light blue that accompanied the warmer color. It's almost a sky blue I think, just a bit too pale for it- Mary shook her head and let the rest of the hair go.

"I need to wash this out, and quick!" Mary exclaimed, eyes wide. Her thoughts already shot to what others would say if they saw it. "I won't give that little monster the satisfaction of seeing his handy work..."

Pulling the curtain behind her open, Mary took a quick shower, during which, she cursed and scrubbed the offending mane of long hair. She had a great deal of pride for her hair and its health, as well as the care she put into it; that made her thankful for the fact that it did not seem to be at all bothered by the dye that had been used on it.

Split ends, frizzing and tangles were the least of Mary's worries now. She dwelled on the fact her family still had church to get to in less than an hour. They did not go often, something she had been trying hard to push them back towards doing regularly. In fact, the last two weekends they hadn't gone, something Mary decided to make a point of not allowing to happen again today.

"Come on..." Mary growled with ferocity. Her hands busily ran themselves over her hair again and again, determinedly working to rinse out the hair color, but after several minutes there was no change. What is this stuff!? Her eyes bulged, looking at the rich blue hair still in her hand. How!? A moment later, her wrist watch beeped, and drew her attention away.

Mary sagged back against the shower wall, looking in despair up at the ceiling; she was out of time, and the soap and water was doing nothing against whatever was in her hair. The shower, which had blessedly worked today, shut off. The steam's dispersion into the modest bathroom slowed as Mary stepped out, furious that the dye had persisted despite her best efforts.

Mary's face was scrunched in anger as she wrapped herself in a towel, then wiped furiously at the wall mirror with a washcloth in her other hand; the steam cleared away from the glass surface. She leaned back off of the countertop to look at the sopping mat of pale blue and cream hair that had simply appeared that morning, and still remained.

The color of her hair within the mirror was completely unchanged from before, not even a little faded.

Mary stared flatly at her reflection, then cheerfully said, "I'm gonna kill him!" all the while thinking fondly of her own flesh and blood.

Mary's hair still dried easily, and without the frizziness that accompanied dyed hair as she knew it, as well. For that at least, she was thankful. Stepping out in her bathrobe she spotted Stan at the kitchen table, the sounds of the shower upstairs once again working and being used came down the stairwell.

"Well?" Mary asked angrily.

Stan looked up from his breakfast, wide eyed, before relaxing to meet her furious gaze. "Oh, Bobby," he acknowledged in understanding, scratching the back of his head absently. "He swears he didn't do it Mar... Didn't sound as though he were lying, either... Odd as that sounds." He stuck another fork of eggs in his mouth while keeping his eyes on her.

Mary exhaled through her nose, scowling. "Hair doesn't just turn technicolor overnight for no reason, Stan! It just doesn't; it's impossible." Her fists planted themselves on her hips as she argued on. "Are you covering for him?"

Stan shook his head. "Of course not, and I'm aware hair doesn't, I'm not suggesting it did... I dunno, honey, you'll have to talk to him for yourself, but he seemed completely clueless to me." Shrugging, he reclined back some some in his seat, then slowly added, "...Hey, it looks good thou—"

Mary threw back her head, groaning, "Augh!" then stormed out of the room.

In her absence, Stan thought he heard her mutter about men this and men that, and couldn't help but smirk at her leaving; despite the fact she was already gone, he casually hid the amused look behind his cup of coffee.

Mary decided to hide her colorful new look since she couldn't fix it back the way it was. If this is a permanent dye, I'll need to buy some of my own to change it back tomorrow. Her hair was put up into the best bun she could manage. She was a little out of practice doing that, but it worked; she made further plans for a sunhat, as well.

Dressed and done with all the extra effort in her routine, Mary made for the breakfast that was prepared for her. At the stairway she found Bobby already heading there, as well. With everything that had happened, she had briefly forgotten why she was upset with him, but it came rushing back. At the same time, her son's eyes locked with her head full of bright, technicolor hair.

Bobby paused in his lazy descent of the stairs. "Woah," he exclaimed, using both hands to pull aside his long bangs. "Dad was serious? Nice hair, Mom." He let his disbelieving stare linger a second longer, then continued walking to the kitchen nonchalantly.

Mary, however, stood still and watched him go; it wasn't until he reached the fridge, grabbing orange juice from inside it, that he noticed she was still glaring his way.

"...What?" Bobby asked slowly. He watch warily as his mother approached from all the way in the living room.

Meanwhile, at the dining room table, Stan huddled lower to his plate the moment Mary entered the room. Bobby turned to his father to shrug, and raised a betraying eyebrow of worry as his mother drew closer.

Mary stopped just short of reaching Bobby. "What do you mean what? That's it? Is that all you have to say about... about this?" She pointed at the Easter themed hair bun for emphasis.

Bobby rolled his eyes and, striding past Mary, walked over to the dining table to sit by the plate set out for him. "What else do you want me to say? I kind of figured you were headed for a nervous breakdown sooner than later, Mom, or something like that?" His tone was easy-going and disinterested for the most part.

"Thin ice, Bobby..." Stan grumbled wearily across the table.

Mary's expression had darkened several more shades as her son spoke, and she gave Stan a warning glance after he spoke, too, as if to say "don't help him".

Bobby, however, did take the hint, and coughed. He schooled his voice to a more decent and apologetic tone. "I didn't do it, Mom, I swear. If that counts for anything right now. Also, I'm really sorry for yesterday, for sneaking out and swearing; I won't do it again." He even pulled his curtain of scraggly dark hair out of his eyes to speak to Mary face to face.

Mary's breath held, a little surprised by her son's apology, then relaxed after a moment. Calmed, she took her seat with her family and pulled her plate towards her. "Apology accepted, Bobby. I'm not going to pretend to know what might've caused you to act that way." For the moment, bringing up yesterday's drama took precedence over her bad hair day.

Mary continued. "But please, don't do it again? Especially not towards your sister; she's the only one you've got, you know?" While talking, she poured herself a glass of the orange juice Bobby had brought out. After a pause, she continued talking towards obtaining an explanation. "Are you really saying you had nothing to do with... this?"

Mary didn't make any move other than to point her son's very brief glance at her in the direction of her hair.

Stan took the opportunity during Mary's pause to voluntarily take the carton and put it away in the fridge.

Bobby answered his mother as he almost always did: with a monotone drawl. "Nope. It wasn't me at all. After last night I just stayed in my room."

The bacon was cold, Mary grimaced at that; it tasted a little funny, too. Stan must've used too much butter, she decided.

Tiredly leaning on one arm, stirring her own scrambled eggs with a fork, Mary looked across the table at her son. Is he telling the truth? No way, you gotta do better than that mister. To her mind there was no other explanation, as surely Anna couldn't have done it. Stan wouldn't dare, she knew, and no one else had keys to their home except...

Another explanation did, however, come to mind. Okay, Herbert would definitely do something like this, Mary concluded; he had once painted clown faces on herself and Stan at a reunion that got a little wild years ago. Still, it seemed doubtful that her father-in-law was the culprit she was after.

Mary came to a decision. If Bobby doesn't want to come clean, and it was him after all; I'll let it go... this time. My hair isn't ruined, after all.

"Uh, Mom?" Bobby asked, leaning back somewhat with a worried look.

Mary snapped out of her slight daze, realizing she'd been staring at her little miscreant son while in thought. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Now, make sure you're ready to go soon. We can't miss another day of church and still hope to save face with Father Conrad." Smirking, she inwardly relented and decided to let him win this round. Next time, though... she thought quietly, stirring her food slowly. Next time there will be baby pictures, she decided. No more getting angry. Just getting even.

Off towards the kitchen, Stan abruptly strode in, marching stiff-backed past the table, all the while adjusting his tie into its desired form. "Ready to go, you two?" he asked, trying to grab his family's attention. "Everything's settled?"

"Yes, yes," Mary answered, standing up. She smoothed her dress with two hands, and hoped that one of her sun hats would suffice to hide her newly colored hair.

Bobby shrugged in answer to his father, then rose and walked past them. His attire was a bit casual for church, not to mention his hair was always a sight, much like Mary's was now minus the odd colors. Still, both of his parents knew there was no use fighting him over that... Black slacks and a button up shirt were the best the couple could hope to stuff him into.

Mary blinked, picking up her purse, and noticing something was missing. "Oh, where's Anna, Stan?" She looked around quickly, expecting to see her daughter somewhere nearby and ready to go as they all were.

In response, Stan's eyes widened, then calmly, slowly shut. He hissed out a breath through his jaw, which was set rigidly.

Bobby started to laugh as his father jumped up to climb the stairs with surprising grace, obviously to fetch his overlooked daughter.

Mary sighed in exasperation. "I'll go start the car then, I suppose." Her thoughts did their best to say upbeat. I'm sure we won't be late... again.

The two trailing members of the family of four, Stan and Anna, piled into the car hastily. Anna had chosen that day to live up to her lineage by refusing to get out of bed.

The quick drive into the denser portion of Belsdale began without a hitch. They had gotten out onto the road a little later than Stan would have liked, admittedly, but there was no more delay in sight. One minor setback wasn't so bad for them.

The car ride was going by smoothly, quickly, and the day was looking up, as they weren't yet late.

In the passenger's side-seat, Mary began to fan herself. She waved her gardening hat rapidly, while beside her Stan continued to drive calmly towards the Church. It was oddly hot; she tried to get her mind off of what was certainly just nerves.

Mary thought briefly on the peculiarity of the religious shift in her life. Years ago when she was brought into the Morris family and married Stan, Mary had been an atheist for all intents and purposes. Her parents hadn't been deeply religious, and eventually the three of them had ceased attending. It hadn't been a big deal in the slightest as she had seen it.

For Stan's family it was sort of the same, but on the other side of the river as far as attending. It was likely that which had caused her to become a little devout again, that his family was so relaxed in their piety. Herbert had put Halloween decorations on his front lawn's crucifix for that holiday last year. Agnes had torn them off upon seeing them, however. Mary snickered under her breath as she recalled the incident.

Church was for her family if nothing else, it was a good way to spend time together. At least as she saw it. It worked just as well to get her two kids out of bed at a decent time on the weekend too. To a lesser degree, it also offered her a bit of calm. Mary never really bought the whole idea of an unseen all powerful creator. But, it didn't hurt to enjoy the comforts and friendliness of organized religion in the slightest. Though doubtful, she also held out hope that some vestige of the Catholic Church would instill Bobby with something positive.

So far, she thought all he had learned was how to sleep with his eyes open. She wiped a hand across her forehead, surprisingly there was a slight dampness there. The cause of which she realized was sweat. "Ooh..."

"Mar? You okay?" Stan glanced over from steering their car down the side road which lead to the church.

Mary looked up from where she now sat fanning herself with her hat. "Yes, I feel fine... It is a little hot in here, though, isn't it?" The power windows rolled down as she spoke, letting in a wind that felt too warm to her.

In the backseat, the kids shivered and loudly stated complaint, both immediately whining together against the apparent cold.

Bobby groaned in protest, "Geez, Mom come on. It's like, fifty degrees out."

"Mooooom, close the windooooow," Anna cried, then made a mock brrr sound for emphasis.

"Kids," Stan began sternly. "Leave your mother alone, a little cold won't kill you." He gave his wife another glance, then refocused back on the road.

Mary frowned slightly, feeling guilty. "Sorry kids, uhm, hooow about I make it up to you both? If you behave and pay attention, we'll get something for lunch. How does that sound?"

"Deal," Bobby offered quickly, while his sister had a louder, more excited reaction.

"Gasp!" Anna said aloud; the promise of an unhealthy meal immediately got her chattering about any number of fast-food places out in town.

Mary had to smile from the one-eighty shift in their demeanor over the obvious bribe. Still that was a bit of a cop out on my part, parenting wise. It was just the heat getting to her, she decided.

The family's car pulled into the parking lot of the church quickly.

Stan didn't have to make use of his emergency vehicle driver's training to get them there on time, but he had been pushing the speed limit a twinge. "Alright, everyone inside quick, but don't run." Arriving late, he also had to park the car on the street, rather than the already full parking lot.

"Do you want us to be quick or not, then?" Bobby asked sarcastically, chuckling.

Stan grunted back at his son, but focused for the most part on keeping Anna under control, and Mary calm. Together, the quartet hustled out of the car and inside the Church, with only a brief shooing motion by the kids' parents to get them inside.

Mary sighed relief upon seeing the crowd of Church goers still hanging around outside the big double doors. Thank goodness, she thought, all but racing up the stone steps to the entrance. That means we won't have to embarrassingly walk to a pew in the middle of the eucharist; or worse, the homily. Still, I doubt Father Conrade would have started that so soon. The Church usually starts out with a few choir songs, a quick bible reading and then-

Mary stepped inside with her family, and her internal monologue was promptly interrupted by the jeering, amused voice of an older woman. "Oh my Looord, Mary! My stars, it is you. What have you done to your hair?"

Mary realized immediately that her hat wasn't covering her hair, the way she had planned it to. Oh no. She reacted swiftly and appropriately, thinking, Oh God, please kill me now, and hurriedly stuffed her sun hat back onto her head, then retied the shawl she'd brought with her around it.

Every eye that had been in hearing distance was staring at Mary and her family. The brim of her hat proved to be insufficient protection against the attention. Why me? Why me? Oh, why me...? Quietly, she pretended that she hadn't heard anything.

The speaker had been clear across the room. She was well known throughout the town, though not by virtue of a good reputation or her neighborly demeanor, no; Faith Johnson, was the leader town gossip. Just who I needed to spot me with my hat off, perfect. Mary thought acidly to herself.

Faith leaned in, smiling at Mary. "Come now, dear, you simply must offer us an explanation for that. It's so out of this world, after all..."

Condescending didn't even begin to describe the woman's tone, as Mary saw it; one of her eyes twitched slightly under the brim of her hat.

Beside Mary, Stan put a hand in front of Bobby, who'd looked like he was about to open his mouth. The county sheriff had a keen sixth sense when it came to his son and what was going on in his head. There was no telling what he had been going to say. So, he spoke up, instead. "It was just a prank gone wrong, Faith." Slowly, Stan ushered his family through the group of women, barring their way forward. "If you'll excuse us, thank you."

Mary breathed a sigh of relief, leading Anna into the now cleared double doors.

Stan went on. "Absolutely nothing worthy of note I assure you." He finished, already well passed them.

Behind herself, Mary could hear the hens, busily clucking already. I'm going to be hearing bout this for the next ten years now, great... It was things like this that made her hate living in what may as well be the countryside.

The main room of the Church had seats open everywhere, even in a town with only the three, a Baptist, Methodist and their own. It wasn't packed, and they were one of only a few families there as well. Mostly the elderly and a random smattering of others filled the pews.

Mary did spot Agnes though, towards the other side of the long rows of benches, seated at the left-most side. Waving to them, she smiled broadly; oddly, Herbert wasn't with her.

In truth it wasn't that odd, Mary admitted to herself. Herbert's preferred method of worship was, as he put it, to "make offerings for the great porcelain altar". She sighed, recollecting her goofy in-law's life style choices. How did Agnes put up with him for so long? At least Stan's quiet and mature... After a moment she adjusted the thought. Most of the time.

Mary sat on one side of her kids, smirking to herself, while Stan took a seat on the other side of them. There was less chance of either raising a fuss or disappearing that way. Playing hide and seek during the middle of a ceremony had been one of the least favorite activities from the younger days of Mary's motherhood.

As the Church began to go into session, the room was cold all of a sudden for Mary. She rubbed a hand over her forearms as she began shivering. Oh, come on, this is ridiculous, she thought, and saw Stan lean forward to raise one eyebrow at her from where he sat.

Mary rubbed her arms vigorously, then smiled back and waved casually, trying to play it off. Faltering however, her teeth chattered for a moment before she could stop; she made them stop quick. Am I sick? I feel fine though! Again, casually she played it off; by not looking in his direction at all. She turned away to study the stained glass windows instead. What is wrong with me...?

Abruptly, everyone in the hall stood. Her attention jumped back to the service and Mary followed suit, also standing. She did so after even her kids, who were anything but enthusiastic about participating. I need to pay more atten- A wave of dizziness overcame her, cutting even her thoughts short..

Someone called out her name... Then it happened again, she was certain she heard her name.

"Mar!"

"Hm, wha-? Hello, who's there? Kids we're going to be late for church I need you to.... I need to get dressed and go get ready and..." She felt a hand cup her face and abruptly, she shuddered. Her eyes fluttered open to take in the light of the Church's main hall.

"Mary, are you with me?" Stan was taking her pulse.

Mary sat up, feeling lucid now, and became aware of several onlookers, as well.

"Hey," Stan started to say, supporting her still with one arm. "How many fingers am I holding up? Are you okay? Any pain?" Behind him, Bobby wore a shocked expression and Anna was crying. Mary didn't recognize the elderly woman watching from over her daughter's shoulder, further down the row.

"I'm fine, yes, I'm just fine. What happened?" Mary asked, realizing she was seated in a pew still.

"You... passed out, can you walk?" Stan's face was full of worry as he spoke.

Mary studied him for a split second, uncertainty and confusion still running through her. She nodded in response, and Stan helped her to stand up.

"Where are we going?" Looking around the room, it was clear the entire service had come to a halt. She saw Father Conrad standing by the doorway with a phone in hand.

"We're going home, or to a hospital." Stan's voice was plain, but his expression still told a different story.

Mary shook her head at him; she didn't need a hospital, she felt great. "But..." She faltered. Did I really just pass out? Behind her, the elderly woman was walking with her kids.

The Father spoke to Stan as he and Mary strode by. "Do you need the ambulance, Mr. Morris? Is there anything else we can get for you two?"

Mary smiled gently and shook her head all the while be lead past him. Father Conrad wore an understandably worried expression, she supposed. "No, thank you, Father. I— Stan, slow down—" Behind her, she heard the distinctive sound of Faith's voice, nattering loudly already. It may have been her imagination, but she thought she heard the words “drug” and “abuse”, too.

They reached the front door, with Mary protesting the whole way. It was only just beginning to hit home that she was being taken outside. The door to outside opened, bathing them in the grey dismal day which had persisted into the later hours of the morning.

"Mom... Are you alright?" Anna's asked from behind Stan.

Mary turned to face her daughter, who had spoken and was still being ushered by the stran— She was shocked to realize it was actually Agnes. I didn't recognize her? The thought was more confusing than worrisome that she hadn't noticed something so mundane. I really did pass out...

Mary answered Anna in a rush to make up for her pause. "Yes, dear, I'm alright. I just got dizzy and... sat back down I guess. I-..." Unsure of what else she could really say, she just let herself be led to the car. Once there, she sat on the seat, with her door open to the sidewalk. Her husband knelt beside her.

Stan's eyes were filled with concern. He spoke low enough that he must have been trying to keep their kids from hearing. "Hey, do you need to be taken to the hospital?"

Mary understood why he was whispering, the last thing she ever wanted to do was scare her kids. Still, all she did was stand up too quickly, it seemed. "I feel fine, Stan! Really, I think... I just stood up too quick in there." Grinning at him, she leaned out and patted his cheek.

Mary turned to face her kids. "I'm sorry, you two. I really didn't mean to frighten you, but I'm fine, really."

Anna's cheeks were wet, but she stayed quiet, standing just in between Bobby and Agnes.

Mary looked up at Agnes next, and tried to give a reassuring smile. The older woman had a relieved look on her face, but her eyes still contained a fair measure of doubt.

"Are you okay, Agnes?" Mary added as a question.

Agnes shook herself, nodding. "Oh yes, don't mind me at all. I was just concerned... Are you sure you're alright?"

Mary nodded again, smiling, just as Anna jumped onto her for a hug. Amidst her oof of surprised, Agnes continued speaking.

"Well then, I'm going to head back in there and run damage control a little. I think I heard everyone's favorite mockingbird crowing nonsense already." Agnes gave Mary another quick smile, then turned to Stan. "Well, this was an eventful day at Church. Take care of her, Stan. I will call later to follow up and make sure you're both alright."

Stan looked up from where he was knelt beside Mary. "Oh, Mom, you don't need to-"

Agnes wagged a finger at him from where she stood, interrupting him. "I'll talk to you tonight!" She waved goodbye, and gave Bobby a pat on the head despite his being slightly taller than her. He scowled at that and tried to duck away from her hand.

Stan stood up, one hand resting comfortingly on his wife's shoulder. "Well... You sure you're alright, Mar?"

Still holding Anna, Mary leaned her back to wipe some tears off her daughter's face. "Yes Stan, I'm just peachy, I promise you. I can't say that enough. If I start feeling weird at all I'll speak up." She smiled at him, and he returned it just before circling to the other side of the car.

It wasn't lost on Mary that Stan was definitely going to be worried no matter what she said, even though all she'd done was faint. Her hat had also fallen off at some point, she noted agonizingly. Great, now everyone knows I look like Bozo the Clown... I should've stayed in bed. She sighed in defeat, shaking her head slightly over just how colossal of a bad day it was becoming.

Mary looked down at Anna, who was still clinging to her. "Come on, hop in the back with your brother, okay?"

Anna looked up warily. "So you're okay, Mom?" she asked, optimism in her tone.

Mary smirked and nodded, then booped her daughter's nose. "Yes, I'm definitely fine. I'm really sorry for trying to take a nap standing up like that." She laughed a little when her daughter rolled her eyes in response.

Bobby walked over to the back door but paused; he looked at his mother over the top of the car door. While grinning, he said, "Thanks for getting us out of Church by the way, Mom."

Mary looked over and frowned. "I could always let you stay and ride home with Nana, if you'd like that Bobby? Actually I think that's a good ide-" Beside her, Anna burst out giggling.

Bobby shook his head and sunk down into his seat. "Nooo, that's alright."

"Alright," Stan jumped in. "That's enough, guys. Your mom needs to get home and rest."

"Yes, yes." Mary said, and heard Bobby mutter further words to Anna as he got into the car. She stifled a laugh of her own, helping Anna into the car after him, then climbed in as well. Tiredly, she undid the up-do her hair had been put in and let it fall. Mussing the colorful hair with a hand, Mary brought it around herself and over one shoulder. She must look ridiculous, she decided, Stan was even staring at her out of the corner of his eye.

The car started, and Stan squeezed her hand briefly before starting the drive home. I'm sure I'm just fine... she reassured herself.

On the trip home, Bobby suggested that if Mary felt fine as she claimed, they still go to eat. Stan still insisted they should just head home, though; so, they did.

Anna, ever the diplomat, however, at least talked him into keeping to the promise of fast food. Mary regretted making that very promise only a little after hearing Anna's explanation for how well they'd behaved. Her reasoning sidestepped the fact they had only been in the church for perhaps fifteen minutes, of course. Her kids were vacuums, they were fine with eating junk food right after breakfast, especially Anna.

But, the hungriness was out of the ordinary for herself. Strangely, Mary felt absolutely famished, even with breakfast only a little while past. After eating her own meal, she was still starved, too. She didn't say anything alluding to the sort, though.

Stan, for his part, grumbled quietly over how stale his food tasted, placing it back in the bag.

"Well," Mary spoke up, seeing an opportunity. "If your high police standards don't like it, Stan, then give it here." With that, she fished a hand greedily across her husband's face and towards the food he'd stored away from her.

Stan, not looking away from driving, used his other arm and poked her in the side.

Mary's eyes widened and she squawked in protest. "Ah! No fair!" She cringed back in her seat, successfully fended off, for the moment. Behind her, the kids were taking interest in the adults.

Stan smirked, still without peeling his gaze from the road. "Hands off, don't distract the driver, honey."

Bobby leaned up front. "How come you guys can fight, but we just get yelled at whenever we do just that?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." Stan put on a smug look and Bobby sat back, harrumphing.

Mary's stomach rumbled loudly, interrupting the entire trade between the father and son.

Eyes widening, Mary looked over sheepishly at her husband, who had looked from the road this time. "Oh, uhm, excuse me." She slowly faced away and busied herself with looking out the window. "Ahem."

Mary changed as soon as she got home, convincing Stan that she had been healthy enough to manage on her own had been an exercise in irritating. Her kids had dispersed immediately; Bobby locked himself up and the banging of metal and guitar music streamed down the stairs, only barely muted by the walls, ceiling and his door. Anna asked if she could go down the road to play at her friend Megan's house. A phone call after, and she took off on her bike. Of course, she'd known enough to ask her father first when getting permission for something.

Another phone call, but this time calling in the other direction, bounced the receiver in Stan's office. The noise got the attention of one of the two adults near enough to hear it.

Stan leaned from his desk to grab the office phone, then answered it, just as Mary walked in; she had entered the living room from her own bedroom.

"Hello this is the Morris reside-" Stan was cut off by a cheerful voice, panged with worry in its tone. "Oh, hello Marge," he greeted.

Mary froze mid-step, hearing the name her husband had said aloud. He was now reaching to meet her gaze and get her attention.

"Yes, hold on. No she's fi- Right, one second." Leaning back in his office chair, Stan held the phone behind his head. "Mar, it's for you!" he called out. "It's the occult kook!"

Mary tossed her eyes at the ceiling and sighed at his lack of tact. "Stan, she can hear you. Honestly." She accepted the phone and pressed it up to her ear. "Hello, Margaret! How are you?" She cradled the phone and walked farther away from Stan, lest he think up any more comments.

"Mary! Oh my goodness, I heard about what happened. Are you okay? Are you still coming to the quilt meeting tonight? Oh please say you are, I still have that new pattern to show you. So are you okay? What happened?" Mary calmly waited for her older friend to finish her rant; she'd learned better than to try and cut her short from talking years ago. Stan still hadn't picked up on the futility of that, though, and mostly just got short with her.

In order, Mary answered the disorderly batch of questions, except for where Marge had repeated herself; that happened often. "Yes, yes, Margaret, I'm just fine. I simply fainted from standing up too quick, nothing terrible. I... Yes, I think I'll still make it. I know I've been skipping out on things too much lately. So how did you hear about it? I know you don't go to church except to tease the priests." She smirked to herself, pacing in the dining room absently; Marge had an interesting friendship with the pastors through their wives, and was known throughout the town.

Marge laughed at Mary's truthful joke, then went on. "Oh well, I heard from Lucile, but she'd heard it from Faith... The rumor's going around that you’re abusing drugs, Mary! As well as... well, you know that one about how old you were when you had your son. That's come up again it seems, too."

Tiredly, Mary sat down on the stairs leading to the second floor and sighed. She couldn't believe what counted as news these days to people. It was as remarkable as any of the nonsense that showed up on television having to do with pop-stars or politics.

"Well, is that it then? Nothing else to report, Marge?" Mary smirked, the thoughts of when she had Bobby stirred up memories of her short lived military career. It had been years since she had chosen to move from Canada to start a family with Stan, and his hometown still seemed to find it fascinating.

On the other end of the line, Margaret snickered. "No ma'am, nothing at all! Although... Well, I knew it was a lie as soon as I heard it, but, Lucile also said your hair had been a periwinkle blue! With a creamy stripe running through it. Now why would they make up something like that, honestly?" Marge burst out laughing on the other end, and Mary thought she heard something spill. "Oh, spirits be damned... Dropped my tea. Well, I need to go now, Mary, so glad to hear you're alright. Tah!"

The line clicked and Mary lowered the phone slowly.

Her hand picked up her hair again and she stared at it for several minutes. I have to get to the bottom of this... The hair couldn't be connected with everything else, could it? Mary realized she was still hungry, as well. This was the oddest string of symptoms she'd ever heard of for a sickness; that was for certain.

"Mar? What're you doing?" Stan's voice asked from nearby.

Mary looked up from where she was crawling on the floor around the dining room. She sighed, then stuck her head back underneath the furniture; the flashlight she held illuminated the underneath of the dining table and a nearby curio. Rotating the flashlight in her hand, she pointed it under a bookshelf as well. With a huff from her failure at spotting anything, she stood up and dusted off her knees and hands.

Stan walked over and folded his arms, before raising an eyebrow as she faced him. "Is something wrong?" he asked again. "Did you lose something?"

Mary cast an angry look around the room, then tossed the flashlight onto the kitchen table with a clatter. I've looked everywhere. Where in heaven's name could it have got to?

Stan was still waiting for an answer, and craned his neck to try and get in front of her gaze.

"Yes," Mary finally replied, impatience and frustration edging her voice. "I lost my stupid cell phone, Stan. Again. It's absolutely nowhere that it should be." Sighing, she ran a hand through her still regrettably technicolored hair. Her keys and everything else had been in her purse where they belonged, but her cellphone was unaccounted for. It was the only thing holding her up, as she had been about to go out and buy some hair dye; her hair couldn't stay the way it was.

"Ah, I see," Stan answered wryly. "Or rather, I don't see." He allowed himself a congratulatory smirk over his lost-phone humor.

Mary was quick to respond. "That was terrible, dear. Stick to your day job." She shook her head and gave the dining room one more once over. "Maybe the kids took it? I'll have to ask them..."

Stan's deep laugh started up. "Anna did take it once before. To use as a communicator, remember?" The laughter stopped after a moment though, sharply ending. "Hm, that had been an expensive month... I'm gonna call Megan's parents, be right back Mar."

Mary rolled her eyes at her husband's deductive reasoning. The phone bill incident had been when Anna was five, if she recalled correctly. She spoke after her husband, hoisting her purse up on her shoulder. "Alright you have fun then, I'm off!"

Stan turned around after reaching his desk, which was on the other side of the house, through the living room, and in his den. Wait a second, he thought to himself, then quickly strode back the way he came after Mary. He caught up to her at the backdoor, and placed one, big hand on the door knob. "Are you sure you're okay to drive, love?"

Mary looked up at Stan, surprised. His square face was creased with worry for her sake. Her surprised look melted into a warm smile, just before she kissed him smartly. "I'm fine, really! It was nothing, Stan." Her husband smiled back down at her, before hugging her tightly.

"Alright, if you say so," Stan trailed for a moment, then continued. "If by some chance what Faith is passing around is accurate, you should share some though." Mary shoved him off of her and smacked him on his shoulder, she swung again as he dodged away from her.

"Grow up, would you!? You big oaf." Mary groaned and swung the back door up, her feet placed just so she could swing at Stan again in case he got too close.

Resonating with his usual, deep chuckle, Stan kept backing further into the house to evade anymore attacks. His laugh's infectious nature got to Mary it seemed, finally and she smirked lightly back at him.

Mary exhaled, half out the door. "I'll be back soon, crazy, love you."

"I love you too Mar, I'll start a roast alright?" Stan grinned and waved her off.

The car ride Mary took was quick; the general store wasn't too far away from her countryside home. Pulling her vehicle into the parking lot, she abruptly recognized one big mistake which she had made already. Oh no... she thought regrettably, staring at her reflection. I forgot a hat. Her rear view and side mirrors insultingly reminded her of her multicolored plight.

Mary nervously began speaking to herself, fussing with her loose hair. "It'll be fine, Mary. They're just a bunch of strangers in there whom you likely won't know anyway." She took a deep breath and gave up, finding it impossible to hide her hair at all. "I mean, sure it's a small town where everyone recognizes everyone else at a mere glance." Her car booped at her, saying it was locked, and she made her way towards the store. "But you don't care at all what any of them think or say, do you? Nope, you don't, not even a little bit."

As soon as Mary walked through the automatic door, an elderly couple, just on their way out stopped in their tracks in front of her. Their eyes shot wide open, gawking at her and making no attempt to hide it.

Stay strong, Mary... Wincing, she continued to tell herself what she hoped she needed to hear to get her trip over with quickly. Your hair will soon be back to its proper shade! She set about finding the solitary item she had come to get: hair dye. Then, all your troubles will be over.

Unable to help herself, Mary laughed weakly at her own out-right lie. A cashier glanced over at the sound of her laughter, then began to stare openly in the direction of her hair. The man missed placing a bottle of salsa into a grocery bag, sending it careening to smash on the floor. A small crowd off people at the register all gasped at once.

Wincing, Mary picked up her pace and bee-lined for the hygiene and hair products aisle. "Oops..." she murmured, but kept going. As quickly as she could she found her holy grail. Nabbing the dyeing product, Mary hurried to the checkouts.

Mary noticed Margaret wasn't at the register as a cashier today. Thank gravy. For that matter, she didn't recognize any of the cashiers. They seemed to be high-schoolers working for the weekend. She was thankful for that, and offered up a quick prayer for her good luck to continue. She would have hated to have to explain her hair color before the quilt guild later tonight to her friend. The young girl that was manning the register, however....

"Oh woooow... Your hair's beautiful, miss." The girl stared star-eyed at Mary's locks. "What dye is that?" she asked breathlessly.

Mary coughed and muttered a thank you to her, but didn't respond otherwise. She slid the brown hair dye she had picked out towards the girl, then picked up a gardening magazine that caught her eye and tried to act distracted.

The girl picked up the hair product and began to ring it up, but stopped. "Oh no!" she exclaimed in despair. "Please don't tell me you're taking out that color? It's so beautiful!" The look of sadness the girl put on could have put an end to a war.

"O-Oh, uhm..." Mary hunched her shoulders up and tried her best to disappear, but smiled back nonetheless. Behind her in the grocery line, others were echoing what the cashier had said.

What a day... Mary thought glumly.

Mary's car cruised quietly to a stop in the driveway. She parked it in the open space outside the garage; which it usually occupied beside the beaten up rust red truck. She killed the engine, and right after the car seat fell back, with her in it. Her hands slapped over her face in shame and embarrassment. It'll be fine Mary, just go in there, dye the hair and you'll never have to wade through a sea of random strangers asking if they can touch your head ever again.

Of that, at least, Mary was certain she could be sure of.

Extremely exhausted from the emotional trauma of all the earlier, bizarre attention, Mary opened the car door and made her way inside. In a moment she would be safe within her kingdom of solace and privacy. I'm gonna dye this stuff as soon as I get in there... she reaffirmed to herself.

Sliding the key into the backdoor, Mary stepped inside, eager to just rest. She stopped before getting inside though, finding something odd and out of place.

Bobby was standing by the washing machines, folding laundry.

Mary stood, staring in disbelief at the boy who stared back blankly. After a moment, he turned back to what he was doing. The door stayed open as she struggled to find words.

Bobby spoke first, and in little more than a mumble, "Don't get too excited, Mom, Dad's just punishing me."

Mary let out the breath she was holding. Oh, well that makes sense, then. Still, she smiled and sidled up beside her son to kiss him on the cheek, catching him by complete surprise.

Bobby reacted in a flash of movement. "GAH! Gross, get away from me! Fold your own dam-... dang laundry." Her heavy-metal-shirt-clad son let the towel he'd been working on fall to the ground, then ran off, likely to his own sanctuary upstairs.

Mary couldn't help but smirk after him; she heard him start up the stairs, then Stan's voice stop him, and imagined the conversation was now going something like, "Hey, boy, did you finish doing what all I told you to?" and her son replying "Uuhh..." before Stan said, "Get back in there!"

Mary snickered as she saw her son's head poke around the corner in the dining room as she hung up her purse on a hook. It's good that things don't change around here. I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything really did change.

"Stan, no. No, no, and no. Also?" Mary paused, glaring back at Stan, then finished, "No!" Her husband sat in his leather chair in the living room, sulking with a flat look on his face. It was early yet in the year, but he had a fire going in the fireplace; a small one, anyway. Stan sighed and turned his sad look over to her. After a moment, he used what she was sure he considered his secret weapon at this point.

"Aw, but lass, yer hair do put the god's and their grandest creations to shame it do." Stan's voice held hints of sultriness and allure, not that it sounded convincing. "Surely... you could find it in yer heart of heart's to let yer poor ol' Scotsman bask in its radiant beauty for just a single night longer!" His shoddy act was given away by the snickering that followed.

Sighing, Mary turned away from her normally stoic husband, and started towards the bathroom. His accent followed her for a moment, but stopped after it was clear she was ignoring him.

Stan had been pestering her all afternoon and into the evening to leave her colorful hair the way it was. What started as just one more hour, turned into another, and then another... After Anna had come home it was dinner time, and they ate the roast he'd prepared. Cleaning up quickly, and getting ready to leave for her guild meeting, Mary had realized that she'd let Stan talk her into leaving her hair as is, far past when she needed to dye it.

Now, it was a case of going to her quilt guild looking as though a bucket of paint had been upended over her head, or just not to go at all... Regrettably, she had of course called Marge to relay that she wasn't going.

That was an hour ago, and it was getting late now. Bobby's music was booming overhead as usual, and somehow Anna was likely already asleep despite it, also as usual.

Mary flicked the bathroom light on, and began opening the dye box.

"You know it's not a bad look," Stan said from the doorway.

Collapsing into her arms on the bathroom counter, Mary let out an exasperated groan of anguish. The thoroughly badgered wife shot back upright to glare at her boorish husband, who was smiling warmly at her. Stan's eyes were relaxed, but his eyebrows waggled when she stuck him with her don't say it look for too long.

"Stan! I can't- I can't keep my hair like this. It's insane! It's weird! I look like... I look like I'm having a nervous breakdown." Mary let out another deep breath and wore a serious expression, despite lighthearted nature of the jabs at her.

"Ooh, I dunno about that... I think it's rather empowering for your image. Maybe you could try out a fire engine red next?" Stan grinned, taking a step forward.

Mary reached over and pulled on his thick arm hair for that.

"Hey, ouch, no fair." Chuckling, he entered the room and made as if to scoop her up, but was evaded.

Mary deftly side-stepped away from him, utilizing years of practice. She shook her head, dodging away further into the bathroom when he tried again. "Stan, this is serious! I hate it!" She realized that had been a mistake though, because now he was going to make a game out of chasing her. Widening her eyes and pointing at the hair in disgust, along with her statement did little to deter him, though. He simply glanced up to where her finger led and put on a thoughtful face.

"Not to belittle your prior 'do m'lady, but yer as gorgeous as ever if I do say so meh'self. More so, even."

Auugh here we go... Mary thought despairingly. Her husband's face broke into a broad grin. Ah, and he thinks that he's won already too, big mistake buster. He closed more distance with her, just before she socked him in his stomach.

Stan let out a decidedly surprised Oof!

Just as quickly though, he wrapped his arms around his wife, trapping her.

Mary let out an exasperated wail. "Aaaugh! Come on, Staaan. I've been in the midst of a dozen crises the last few days. Can't a girl just relax and color her hair how she wants?"

"Well of course." Stan paused and just held her there, half a foot off the ground. "You work with my parents though, what's the harm in keeping it a week? You've already shown it off to the world." Grinning, he nudged the offending hair with his cheek for emphasis. "I meant it when I said it looks beautiful on you, love."

Leaning her head on his chest, Mary wrapped her arms around him back, returning the embrace he'd trapped her in. She sighed defeatedly, relenting that he had a point. It's not a good enough point for me at all, but... If the nut likes it, who am I to argue? "Alright, fine. But just tonight, and only because it's too la-"

Mary was interrupted by the kiss that met her lips.

A strange thing happened that night. A warm violet glow pooled over the walls within the bedroom of Stan and Mary Morris. Neither awoke from the disturbance.

Author's Notes:

Gosh I am entirely overwhelmed, I love all the comments guys. Eeeeven the ones expressing more than a little issue with the way the story's written ^_^'. Look at it this way, you can grumble over it being different, or you can grumble at it being different. Err... Okay lemme try that again. It does take place during events in Equestria. It does tie in with the universe! But I would have to post the story almost entirely in full for it to have any connection at all! (Though more ponies are on the very near horizon. This is the last set up chapter.) And I'm writing seven stories right now alternating between each! I have a full time job too, you know. :P

Now I'm aware not everyone is going to enjoy the story or the writing, I'm not perfect, I'm regular; to paraphrase a very funny SwedishChef. But for those of you that do enjoy the story and want more rest assured, I have quite the tale to tell you.

So please sit back my fellow bronies,
believe me this story's far from being phony.
Mary's plight is near at hand aaaaaand!

I plan on making it anything, but bland.

Chapter 4 : Mary Is A Mare

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October 2ndMary's eyes fluttered open weakly; strands that had come loose from her still-braided hair were scattered chaotically across her face. The hair stuck to her face further obscured her already hazy vision. It tickled her slightly, forcing her to give her nose a wrinkle and her head a shake. The act also shook loose some of the sleepiness. There was a damp quality to everything as well, making it clear that she had been sweating profusely overnight.

As was usual, Mary pushed herself slowly off of the bed, her hands sliding over the sheets as she did. She noticed they felt funny, but did not think twice about it, instead focusing on waking up.

The bedroom was dark instead of dim. Glancing over at the drawn blinds and pearl white drapes, she confirmed her suspicion that it was still too early in the morning for the sun to have yet risen. A satisfied sigh escaped her as she looked around the room in the twilight—it was pleasantly familiar, as always. After a moment, her gaze settled on the digital clock that lay beside her bed on the corner table; it bleeped quietly from four-forty-four in the morning to four-forty-five.

On a Monday morning, that meant Mary still had at least an hour to sleep. Waking up prematurely like this wasn't something she minded though; in fact, she usually loved to wake up briefly just to go back to bed. There was something calming to her about drifting back to sleep just after dreaming peacefully. That, and she could never forget constantly being woken up during her short time in the Canadian military.

This time was different from usual, though. The bed felt absolutely gross from the sweat. She, or possibly Stan, had sweat so much that the bed was simply uninhabitable. On top of that, the movement from before had woken Mary right up, even to the point of stifling her usual morning yawn. So, going back to sleep wasn't the order for right then.

Mary prepared herself to get out of bed and start her day. Absently, she smacked her lips and felt around her mouth. The all-too-familiar tangy blanket of morning breath was there... But more than that, her whole mouth felt weird, teeth and all. She thought back, trying to remember if she and Stan had anything to drink the night before. No, that's not it... she considered. Though the evening had been eventful.

Mary glanced at the dim outlines of family pictures adorning the walls, all while trying to jog her memory of the day before. She decided she was definitely getting a bizarre feeling—that is, besides the sweat she could feel drenching the sheets beneath her. In fact, she recalled the feeling as the same one she had gotten the day before.

Again...? Mary wondered from her spot on bed. Deja vu... She felt as though she were forgetting something. Hmph, what else is new?

Mary put the oddity out of mind, moving on to frown over just how incredibly warm the room still was. It's like a furnace... did Anna turn up the heat last night? With one foot, she kicked the blanket further off of herself, leaving it to drape over just her left leg. It must have been stuck, her leg had felt odd, or stiff, when she had done that.

She felt her husband roll over beneath the covers beside her, before mumbling from the movement.

Hmph, Mary thought. First he overheats the bed until it's a sauna, and then he sleeps on the covers. Just like a man to do that. The thoughts forced a tired breath out of her. I gotta get up before I bake alive...

As Mary sat up, a distinct and foreign feeling of discomfort arose in her back. She could have ignored that, unlike Stan's shifting about, but trying to stretch or crick whatever caused it didn't work. After several attempts, the feeling of strangeness wouldn't subside; it didn't hurt, just felt... very strange. A niggling in her mind began to addle her as a result of the feeling.

Mary let her head fall back against the pillow with a thud; beside her, Stan harrumphed in his sleep. He was still asleep though—she could always tell. Years of practice made her a proficient expert in predicting his sleeping habits. For instance, there were times when he couldn't fall asleep or find rest easily. That came and went, but on occasion it caused her to worry—she always believed it to be linked to his occupations. Either way, now didn't seem to be one of those times.

Quietly, Mary rolled over so her eyes could linger on the dark lump of blankets which made up her husband. When he was prone and unaware like that, she usually just wanted to jab him with something. What causes that, I wonder? she pondered absently, just on the verge of amusement, and smirked to herself from the thought. Instead of quietly chuckling in accompaniment, she surprised herself when a sniffle came from her nose.

Mary loved her husband, despite what he occasionally put her through, almost to the point of tears—even at five in the morning.

What would I do without you, Stan? Humming contentedly, Mary ran a hand over his shoulder.

She stopped, and frowned. That didn't feel right... Still frowning, she pushed herself up on an elbow, then tried again. She couldn't feel the sheet this second attempt either. Her eyes squinted through the darkness, straining to see what she was sure she should be feeling—the warmth of Stan's broad shoulder under the bedspread. The lack of sensation in her digits definitely made it seem... as if they weren't even there.

It seemed, that for some reason which Mary couldn't identify, she could not feel her fingers. She touched Stan's shoulder a third time and felt... nothing.

Puzzled, Mary reached up and ran her hand over her own face.

Mary's breath caught, and her other arm moved up to join the first. Still somewhat drunk from sleep, she was unable to process properly what she was feeling. Her fingers, it seemed, had really ceased to be there, or were stuck in balled up fists. The moment she had thought of the possibility, she concentrated on what it obviously was: a dream.

So, why am I dreaming about having rocks for hands...? Being sleep addled, the thought came to her without much clarity. Mary blinked several times and looked around the room again in an attempt to focus. She decided it was incredibly real for a dream. Even after her eyes became better adjusted, she couldn't make out much in the room though. Her palm hovered right before her face, but her hand was little more than a vague outline. Even wiggling her fingers, they didn't cast a shadow for her to see. It was unsettling that she couldn't see them, even if it was obviously just the dark to blame.

But it didn't help that she couldn't feel them, either.

Alright, Mary, there's an explanation. You're obviously having a very freaky, vivid dream. Just pinch yourself and wake up. Pinching always works, you'll wake right up. Mary concentrated on making the reassurances to herself sound convincing. Reaching down, her entirely-too-numb hand found her leg and gave it a pinch through her night dress.

After a moment, when the pinch from her fingers never came, Mary growled angrily. Her hand still felt too solid, and very smooth on her leg, not like her hand should. She swallowed and focused on the alien sensation, unable to understand it; she quickly gave up trying to.

Darnit! I want to wake up! In irritation, Mary reached up and whacked her own head soundly—it didn't matter what she had to do, she just wanted to escape. The strike proved to be sharp and painful, as if with a baton, just like she wanted. Unwanted, however, was the effectiveness of the self-infliction.

Mary whimpered and gingerly touched the punished spot on her brow. The act had told her something, at least. That was definitely real. she wondered, still wincing with half of her face. So I'm not dreaming, what's wrong with my hands then?

Mary tried to think of explanations, and one idea rang with some truth: it had to be that she had fallen asleep on her arms. Doing so would, in fact, make her whole limbs go numb. Moving them or feeling anything with them would be impossible. She frowned in the dark and started shaking her arms to work feeling back into them. I've never fallen asleep on both arms, before... and why can I only not feel my hands? Infuriatingly, the strange sensations which she couldn't identify around her palm refused to go away, and her digits remained rogue and unresponsive. Flexing her hands proved fruitless, as did running her hand across the bed spread. Oddly, there were no telltale pins and needles, either.

There has to be an answer! While Mary thought, Stan groused sleepily next to her once again.

Mary licked her lips while contemplating things; a moment later, she half realized that she had felt something odd. Sticking her tongue out again, she licked her upper lip. A fuzzy texture presented itself from the act, causing her tongue to suck back into her face in an instant, shock adorning her face. Why is my... lip... like that? Her hands rose up in the midst of this new distraction, simultaneously trying to work out the unanswerable conundrums that kept popping up. Unconsciously, she decided that a heavier touch was needed to get sense back in her digits.

Mary tried tapping them together, while also working out the lip mystery. I've never ever had to wax my face before, so what could it b— Her thoughts came to a full stop, cut off by her other experiment, which had made a loud clop sound of some sort.

Mary gasped and looked down at her hands. The resulting noise had also caused her to fall back onto the bed while looking down in panic at her vaguely defined limbs. Hurriedly, she sat back up to stare through the void of shadows at them, confused beyond all reproach.

While her mind still sat on the noise her hands had made, she picked up on yet another abstract sensation, that her center of gravity was off...

No... Mary thought. It's completely and entirely out of whack. What is going on with my body!? Hesitantly, she raised one arm up to feel around her very oddly, weightless chest. She stopped short though, instead, and put the numb appendage back onto the bed sheets. Nothing feels right, anyway, so why should I bother? I must be incredibly sick, which... figures. She sighed, thinking about the implications of being so sick she was feeling strange sensations. We can't afford ridiculous medical bills right now... Somehow the thought of life's recent miseries actually helped her focus. At least that was normal, she decided.

Her tongue licked her lip again briefly, reminding her of its strange texture.

"What the hell- heck? Alright, just stay calm, it- it's time to get up, anyway." Mary's head shook from side to side while she reassured herself aloud. She felt the braid left in from last night hanging off the back of her head. It offered some small comfort to her thanks to its familiarity. A few quick breaths were inhaled, then exhaled, before she finally swung her legs off the side of the bed, her nightgown shifting around unbidden as a result.

Huffing impatiently, Mary tugged at the stubborn clothing that fought to lag behind; her frustration was building quick. Stan if you don't get off of my gown I'm gonna... She managed to put her leaden hand down on the clothing before lashing out at her unconscious husband. Of course, it didn't grip the article as she willed it to, being numb. After a quick, slightly frantic idea, she quickly wrapped her hand up the dress, then gave the cloth a good yank. It came free without a fuss; in fact, it felt like it hadn't been stuck, anyway.

Instead of being stuck, Mary realized, her clothing seemed too big, or loose. It dangled well past her legs and over the side of her bed. She kicked her legs a little; she was practically swimming in the gown's length.

Mary didn't wait to figure out or think of why her clothing had changed, or at least felt like it had changed. Becoming anxious, she slid off the bed, ready for the expectantly short drop to the floor; she wasn’t short, it was just an annoyingly tall bed fit for accommodating her tall husband. "I really hope that something from over the counter stuff will—"

Rather than an easy landing, Mary fell face first on the floor, letting out a squawk of surprise. Her elbow immediately flared up with pain from hitting the hardwood floor.

What on Earth— What happened? Mary thought angrily, completely surprised. After she had hopped off of the mattress, her body had somehow pitched itself forwards. Her hand had, of course, shot up immediately to stop herself, but with nothing working as it should, it hadn't helped. The long distance to the floor had mysteriously appeared, and felt... very jarring, not to mention there was no sensible explanation for it at all.

"Oww..." Mary rolled over and winced in pain, cradling her arm. What was that all about? The bed isn't that tall, did I m-miss...? She pushed herself up to her apparently useless knees, which now felt like everything else: inexplicably weird. Do... Do I have shoes on or something? Her mind reached for something to explain the sensations. Reaching back, her hand touched something solid and clunked audibly. She angrily realized her toes were just as numb as her hands. Oh my- Is this some kind of sick joke? First my hair, now this. She leaped up to her feet, getting fed up.

Mary's stance was stable for a moment, then, she wobbled. Everything felt very unstable and wrong all of a sudden, and she began to tip over for no reason that was apparent. Her arm found the bed's side-table and caught its side, supporting her body to keep from falling a second time.

That was too close... Mary let out a relieved breath from preventing another fall, but more sensations continued to crop up. What the hell? does my head feel strange too? Or is that my neck? The pieces to her body felt almost out of place. Despite this, they went on unbidden out of necessity, eager to get some medication or somewhere in the light.

Mary leaned forward and awkwardly pushed down on the door handle to her bedroom, opening her last obstacle. Leaning more on the table in an attempt to keep herself steady, however, caused her rock-like hand to slip without any warning. "No-!" she cried out quietly, then fell unceremoniously into her workroom. Several quick steps were taken in an attempt to catch herself, but proved useless. She fell forward toward the floor... and landed in a half standing, half leaning on the ground sort of position.

Her hands, somehow, hit the floor with a thunk. Oh thank... goodness?

The stance Mary was in all of a sudden felt uncomfortably... comfortable, to her, almost as if it were natural. That didn't make sense at all, because all four of her limbs were now on the floor. It didn't make any sense at all; she knew that people just couldn't stand on all fours the way she was right at that moment.

Mary gulped with some difficulty, and realized she was nearly panting now, likely from her building panic and the constant stream of night time oddities, this one topping them all. She ceased thinking altogether and began trying to force her body to try work in some way that was familiar; trying to stand up again took considerable effort.

One thought managed to form, though, while she swayed in her attempt at standing upright. "Have I been drugged?" Mary asked aloud to herself, shaking her head. Meanwhile, she succeeded in standing upright, but only just. Panicking isn't helping, Mary. Just get to the mirror and figure things out. She needed light, she realized, and no semblance of reality was going to present itself shrouded by the dark. Her neck turned and looked around at the shadows while her breathing remained unsteady.

The nightgown was too big, she realized; her eyes confirmed it—in the darkness her clothing stood out like a white glow.

Mary did her best to hike up the veritable sheet engulfing her legs, then took a step. Adding to her escalating fear, the leg didn't quite move the way it was supposed to. In fact, it sort of pulled upwards and kicked out, as if her knee or perhaps her hip had been disfigured; something felt different, but she couldn't figure out what.

"Is every part of my body on the fritz?" Mary questioned the night air angrily, while also wondering if she should have gotten Stan up to help her. Thoughts of the day before and all of the strange health symptoms she had been exhibiting floated into her mind. "God, what is wrong with me?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, marching stiffly through her own home.

Mary staggered forward with success out into the living room, her arm reaching out for anything close enough to help her support her wobbling body. I don't feel sick, I'm not dizzy, is there something damaged in my spi-? The thoughts sliced off at their very tip. The hall light from upstairs allowed her to see something for the first time since she had awoken that morning, something more than just a dark blob.

Mary entered a state of shock, while her sights locked onto two lightly colored things hanging out from below her gown. If she was crazy, and she wasn't she would have told anyone that asked that her feet looked like hooves. Perhaps odder still were her arms, which were a matching color, and looked as though they were covered in fur.

After a minute of wide eyed staring, Mary ever so slowly looked up again. A reaction to what she had seen was not forthcoming in her head.

The strangely cream-streaked hair Mary had been cursed with had fallen forward and covered her vision. She didn't brush it away; it was actually all that kept her from screaming—even as new and alien as the hair was, the streak itself was something familiar, something concrete.

Mary shuddered out the breath she'd been holding, and once again picked up her staggering gait. I need to get to the mirror, she thought with fervor. It was either through sheer will or perhaps transcendent disbelief that enabled her movement at all.

Mary touched her “hand” to the bathroom's closed doorknob.

No, that isn't my hand. What is on my arm!? Mary couldn't get the knob to turn, her not-hand was useless. The breathing she managed became heavy and ragged, hysteria edging in to replace shock. The door defiantly remained shut despite her efforts, so she leaned against the obstacle for leverage.

Mary almost collapsed despite the support, her feet sliding beneath her on the hardwood floor. One hand wasn't enough, she realized, and let the rest of her bunched nightgown fall from her shaking grasp. Both of her “hands” wrapped around the door knob with difficulty.

Finally, the elaborate clicks of a small and simple mechanism became audible. There was a loud bang from the door finally swinging open, followed by the sound of her body thumping against the bathroom floor.

The body parts at Mary's command were driving home in earnest how unfamiliar they actually were. Frantic as she was, her thoughts and mind were blank. She bent inward on her body, suddenly sobbing and shivering. Her stump-ended arms reached down to feel for toes that weren't there.

Mary opened her eyes, not even aware that she had even closed them, then looked down. Her arms jerked up the nightgown. The distant light, coming from the second floor, cast itself over two, misshapen legs, covered in fur, which were in place of her normal, long, smooth ones. Her eyes hazed over with tears as she took in the sight, but couldn't manage to look away.

I'm dreaming. Mary turned over shakily and pushed herself up. I know I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. As Mary stood up, her front legs banged against the marble counter-top in the bathroom, which was somehow much taller. This isn't real, whatever is going on right now, it's a prank. Bobby's pulling a prank with Herbert, like the time with the honey and— Her clunky hand found the light switch; the room was bathed in a clear, white light, while her eyes quickly sought out the mirror.

...

Mary stared at her reflection.

Twenty minutes passed, with Mary staring at herself, willing her reflection to change the entire time. The only change, however, was that a little more of the sun's presence had come through the bathroom's window. Motes of random house-dust floated through the morning light, which in turn glowed off of orange fur covering her face.

In the reflection, Mary's gown hung slightly askew over one of her thinly furred shoulders. She began to stare at it, but didn't scream, though the urge to hung in her mind like a sticky note reminding her to pick up bread. In fact, Mary hardly blinked at her reflection. Instead, she merely looked back at the creature standing just as she was, sharing the bathroom with her. It had the same eyes and braided hair as her. Everything in the glass was the same as it was around her. It was odd, she thought, that she couldn't see herself anywhere in the mirror.

After so much time had passed, Mary's cheeks twitched slightly; her mouth curved at its very corners into a slight smile. For the first time in the brighter light, she looked down. Her nightgown lay flat against the furred chest in front of her eyes. On the floor, it pooled slightly around where her feet should be. She was shorter, somehow, it seemed, which further drove home just how surreal everything felt.

Somehow, she realized, what she was seeing was real.

Mary took a deep breath. When she couldn't fit any more air into her lungs, she still pushed more in, and held it. The pressure built in her head and her vision dimmed. With her eyes clamped closed, she slowly let the anxiety ridden breath of air escape through her nose. She wanted to cry, but instead, she just kept her eyes shut while she stood there. It hurt a bit around her hips. Well of course it does dear, you're a- No, no, no, I'm not going to finish that thought. She avoided thinking anything that acknowledged anything since she had woke up.

In fact... Mary began to consider...

It isn't true, it's just a funny idea I must have come up with after I woke up. This entire thing is made up and none of it is real. A small smile made its way onto her expression, while her eyes stayed shut. I am Mary Morris, maiden name Fontaine. I'm a person. A person who in fact lives in the real world. Somewhere that nothing crazy or inexplicable ever happens. The thoughts were working, building some confidence within her. Nothing except for maybe a few things, like legends and ghost stories or even religion... But those can't be proven. They exist on faith, not like a woman suddenly waking up as a... weird animal, she concluded. Which is something that cannot, under any circumstance, ever happen.

Satisfied, Mary nodded to herself, her eyes still clamped shut. ...It has to be drugs, bad ones. Her mind couldn't conjure up any other explanation, but she felt somewhat relieved all the same. Drugs will wear off, eventually...

Satisfied, Mary finally, and slowly, opened her eyes. At once, they looked again at the mirror and saw the same image of an orange looking horse-thing, as they had before. They also took in just how real the image seemed.

Hearing stories about drugs, Mary had always imagined there would be more swirling colors or distortions—maybe the smell of purple wafting in the air. Cautiously, she winked, and the image returned to her the closing of one, over-sized, dark green eye. It was so remarkable she at once thought she had imagined it. Next, still leaning on the counter, she reached out a hoof to tap the glass. The reflection copied her still, while the feeling of a solid, hoof-like thing touching glass made its way up her arm.

Mary resisted gasping and instead addressed the situation appropriately. "Oh God, this is nuts." At the same time as she spoke, the slightly jutting, rounded mouth on the creature moved as well. Her gaze lingered quietly for a moment on the mirror, then she hastily proclaimed, "I gotta get Stan and tell him to call poison control."

As Mary took a single step back from the counter, her left hoof thing clicked on the tile in the bathroom. She winced and looked at the source of the noise on accident, then regretted her eyes glimpsing the sight and immediately shut them, muttering a curse. "It's not there... Not really there..."

Finally, after Mary tore one last disbelieving look from the mirror, she started for her bedroom, and for her husband. Clothing hiked up once more, she watched her legs and their footfalls carefully, not at all confident with them while under the effects of powerful, mind altering substances. It was difficult enough walking around drugged without her gown getting in her way, but looking like a weird animal made it all the worse.

Am I actually crawling? Mary thought, taking another careful, shaky step. Is that why my dress is longer? She pondered what might actually be happening outside of her skewed perception during the short journey to her bedroom.

Being quiet wasn't easy, but Mary didn't want to wake or worry the kids, so she tried her best. However, as she drew near to her room's entrance she called out in a frightened tone without abandon. "Stan!?" Despite the light from behind her, it was strangely dark inside the bedroom. Half limping, she fell towards the doorway; her left hoof caught herself from falling flat completely. Now leaning against the door frame, she blinked rapidly and called again. "Stan..." The room was dark before, but upon Mary's return it seemed to have become a literal pit of blackness. Her vision must have darkened it further; her eyelids felt really heavy all of a sudden, too.

Stan lifted his head after something, probably his wife, woke him up. "...Hm? ...Mary?" He called out quietly over his shoulder, but didn't get an answer right away. "Are you alright?" Looking behind himself, he saw the vacant bedspread that should be occupied.

At the doorway, dizziness and nausea came over Mary without warning, and she fought the new feeling in order to remain standing. She called out again, hearing Stan, while the feeling of sickness got worse. "I- to you call need... poisnnn..." Slurring, her voice faded out, and she collapsed into a heap in the doorway.

Stan heard his wife's voice again, sure enough, but she sounded really quiet. Just afterwards, he heard a thud, and flung the sheets off himself without waiting to call out again. His bare feet hit the cold floor and he ran around the bed. "Are you alright!? Hey-" He stopped, finding that there was a dark shape in the doorway. "Mar-?" He reached out to his wife's shape, fear already building. "What the!?" His hand met fur, and he jumped back in surprise; it was an animal, for certain, except they didn't have any pets. "Mary! You out there!?" he called out over the shape. "...Love?"

While Stan spoke, eyes locked on the floor, his hand slid under the bed spread and found the side-arm, a forty-five, that he kept there. "Are you alright?" he called again. After a moment, he still didn't hear a response, but he swore he'd just heard her voice just a moment ago. Still confused, the man considered if it had been a dream. Could I have dreamt that up? he asked himself.

Stan called out a third time, knowing his first job before anything else was to keep his family safe. "Mar, there's a critter that's made it into the house! Just stay in the kitchen!" He looked down at the bedside digital clock at the same time that his hand found the magazine under the side-table drawer. Without looking away from the shape, he carefully clicked on the light for the room and undid the combination trigger lock on his pistol. She's gotta be here somewhere. Whatever it was on the floor twitched slightly, prompting Stan to level the gun down at the shape. What is it, a dog? His thoughts were sleep addled and his vision a little blurry from the coma-like rest he usually undertook. He reached up to rub his eyes, one back of a hand trying to rid them of the handicap.

Mary steadily slid her eyelids open and saw Stan backing up to the end of a bed post. She tried to speak. "S-Stan?"

"Mary? Hey, go back! Get into the kitchen or go upstairs and check on the kids, there's a wild animal in here!" Stan tried to catch sight of his wife, but couldn't and figured she must have been around the corner of the den. From the edge of his vision, he saw the animal on the floor shifting its limbs under its head, as if trying to get comfortable. He crouched and moved to keep his eyes locked with it this time. There was no telling how dangerous it was. It's big too, too big to be a dog... Wait, is that a... a pony?

After a moment of quiet study in the yellow bedroom light, Stan added to his last thought. ...That is the weirdest pony I have ever seen in my life. His eyebrows raised as they evaluated the strange creature's body further.

Stan had raised a horse in his youth on Herbert's farm, chickens too. They weren't farmers, and it had been a hobby just to keep from buying eggs all the time, but as a result he became no stranger to what he thought of as normal animals. This one, however, looked nothing like what he remembered. On the floor, the bizarre creature looked up at him suddenly, its too-human mouth lolling open drunkenly. Its eyes peered at him, but it did not stare like an animal. No, there was too much... character, evident in its expression; it almost seemed human.

Mary slowly got her eyes open, then smiled weakly at the sight of her husband. He'd been speaking, she thought, but she couldn't focus on it. "Oh... thank heavens, I need... you to..." Her world dimmed again, then her body sagged despite her best efforts to rise. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, refusing to move anymore, too.

Stan's eyes widened, watching in disbelief as the strange animal before him spoke. Calmly, he thought about what he'd just seen and heard... what he had heard was his wife, Mary. Somehow, the animal had spoken with her voice. Could have been her still in the den talking, he told himself. Just oddly timed... But, it was what he had seen which shook him, and no explanation popped into his brain as he watched the slumping pony's head fall onto the floor. The animal was smiling at him; it was his wife's smile, calm and tranquil as if the world's worries couldn't touch her. Stan could never mistake that smile; it always filled him with contentment and a twinge of sadness. Nothing else made him feel like that smile did, and Mary only smiled like that when she looked at him.

Stan stared at the once-again still shape on the floor for several minutes. Its hair matched his wife's and it was wearing her nightgown, too. Every part of him felt that this was the most elaborate prank that anyone had ever pulled on him. Probably Herbert, he thought. But, he didn't really think his father would have gone to such lengths as putting a farm animal in his wife's clothes, just to boggle his mind like this.

Stan knelt, trying to get a look at the thing's face from a safe distance. It certainly didn't look like any horse he had ever seen. Its face was round and flat across the front, a great deal like a person's. The muzzle only protruded slightly, and the face and eyes held the undeniable vestige of a readable expression. Overall, it lacked all of the qualities anyone would expect from an animal; it was something he had never seen before.

Warily and with caution, Stan slowly made his way over to the mystery animal lying in the doorway. He stayed crouched, slowly moving closer, then poked it with his pistol.

The odd looking creature didn't move.

Stan looked up wearing a frown, then rubbed one hand over his short beard. With one hand, he poked the animal's shoulder, unable to believe it was even real. After it didn't move, he shouted, "Mar this isn't funny! Answer me and let me know you're alright!"

Mary's voice answered him quickly, and from much closer than he expected it would. "Mmm, fine... tirred... c-could I get a glass of water? I don't feel so good... floor's cold... too..."

Stan's eyes widened; while sustaining his expression of shock, he panned down to look at the animal.

Mary's breath came heavily, and she was dimly aware she was on the ground, but confused as to why. "Stan...?" she asked weakly. "What's wrong?"

The air around Stan suddenly felt very oppressive while watching the animal talk up close. His own chest tightened after it stopped speaking; it was definitely the source of his wife's voice.

But how? he thought, blinking, then noticed in the dim light that the colorful pony had his wife's new hair color, in addition to everything else. What was happening had to be a dream, Stan decided, a very real one. The pony's eyes closed, again, and it breathed raggedly. You're dreaming, Stan, imagining things. He reached a hand down and poked its chest; things certainly felt completely real to him and not dream-like at all.

Stan Morris thought of himself as a practical man, a very grounded man, if not quite a paragon of human sensibility. Still, he didn't hurt others unless it was to protect himself or his family, and when it came to being a father, he always did what he felt was best. He didn't entertain flights of fancy in that equation, either. He dealt with the real: Drill and Ceremony in the military, paperwork and court in law enforcement, but not dreams or anything that qualified as one. So, put frankly, he didn't know what to do.

What Stan could do, however, was get up and walk into the kitchen. He put on his pistol's safety and stood up to get a glass of water for the... What is it, a dream representation of Mar? He didn't know how to answer his own question.

Stopping at the refrigerator tap, Stan filled one glass, then after some hesitation he poured himself one as well. I'm not dreaming, though. His face remained stern and unchanged as he left the kitchen. The liquor cabinet loomed off to his side in the dining room, and after glancing at it for a moment, he dumped the second glass of water out on the floor and refilled it with scotch instead. All the while, his pistol hung heavily from one finger by the trigger well. Walking again, he stopped to look at the stairs. I need to check on the kids. He thought on doing so for a few moments, but decided against getting them involved. They'll be fine.

Stan had a feeling that whatever was going on, it was complicated, but very real. I'm not dreaming and my wife's voice was... I would know if I'm dreaming. Sure enough the dim shape, half fallen in his bedroom, was still laying there around the corner. He had been half sure in his gut that it wouldn't be there by the time he got back; that it shouldn't be there. I also know I'm not on drugs. A part of him wished he didn't possess the background to tell for certain whether or not he was hallucinating in a drugged state.

Stan reached, and began to crouch next to the animal in his bedroom. "Mar...?" he said quietly, then stopped his descent at a kneeling posture after hearing himself. He had just addressed the horse-thing with his wife's name. Squinting his eyes shut, he tried to think everything through. A part of himself half expected to be back in bed when he opened them.

The shape answered him, instead.

"Oh... Stan, I just had the weirdest, and I mean the weirdest dream." Mary kept her eyes closed and drug her arms up under herself. Whatever her head had been resting on, it was rock hard.

Stan watched the pony answering him back, paying attention as its mouth moved in time with the words. It was truly an exercise in staying calm for him. He sat with a plop beside it and his pistol clunked on the ground next to him. The danger apparently nonexistent, the situation was now simply his own confusion. What should I do next? His eyes searched the room and his face turned to worry. Those thoughts he'd had before ran over the fact that he had already concluded this was all... real. All he managed to do was gulp.

"I got you your... water," Stan said calmly.

Mary smacked her lips absently and pushed herself up. Strangely, her head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. Wait, why am I on the floor? The floor felt really uncomfortable.

Mary could see Stan out of the corner of her eyes; they turned with the rest of her head towards him, the memory of drugs returning in a flash as she did.

"Oh God, Stan, listen to me!" Her hooves, which were obviously a hallucination, came up and pressed against her husband's chest. Wha- why would he flinch back? she thought. Her breathing became panicked, mostly from just how frightened he looked. "You need to call poison control, honey. Just stay calm. I'm alright. Now, I know this is going to sound weird..." She lowered her head to look down at one upheld hoof, "But I look like a... a... Well you wouldn't believe me if I told you. God, how could this happen...? Stan? Did you hear? I think I've been poisoned!"

Stan sat there as the pony spoke with perfect clarity, pressing him back against the doorway. His mouth hung open in disbelief until he finally answered, "Mar...?" His question hung in the air.

Mary's breath caught. Oh, Lord no. She sat back letting her weird front legs fall to the floorboards with a clop. Doing so felt like the weirdest posture, ever. "Ye-yes Stan, it's me," she said, quietly answering her husband. Getting scared, she watched his eyes search her face in disbelief. His hands were shaking; she knew his hands never shook. One of them reached up to her face and cupped it gently.

To Stan, her face felt... Soft. Silky. He ran his hand up passed one strangely shaped ear and his fingers intermingled with the braided hair. It was a little damp, as if she had been sweating. Again, like before, it was his wife's hair. "You... You look like a pony," he mumbled, and reached down cautiously for the glass of water beside himself. Carefully, he held it up to her.

Mary stared with a dumbfounded expression at the clear glass of water her husband was holding out to her.

After a moment, her face smiled weakly, and she guffawed. "S-Stan, that's not possible," she said matter of factly, stumbling just a little over his name. "How do you know that? I didn't tell you what I thought I looked like." Her husband stared down at a glass of something without looking up or answering.

"Oh, great," Mary exclaimed in understanding. "I'm still dreaming! This all feels so real, too. I can't believe any of this. What's causing it-?" She stopped short, spotting something dark on the floor in the corner of her eye; she turned to face it. "Stan, why's the pistol out?" Stan followed her eyes to look down at his side-arm along with her. After a moment passed, she almost thought he wouldn't answer her with the way his face looked.

"Mar," Stan began to respond. "You're not dreaming. I know I'm awake, at least."

Leaning over, Stan set down the water, since Mary hadn't taken it, then picked up the weapon and stood up off the floor. He cut to the chase and gulped his scotch down in one go, too; he didn't have to work later, anyway.

How could that be Mar, though? Stan's face wrinkled in thought. "I had the pistol out because I thought you were an animal that had gotten inside the house." Despite his best efforts, he could not directly look at his wife. Speaking to her while looking like... that, was disquieting.

Mary tried to work her mouth and get a word in, but couldn't make a sound.

Stan continued. "And we aren't poisoned or on drugs... not by any kind I know of."

Mary stared silently, unable to do much else. Absently, she realized her head only came up to Stan's waist, and that she was still sitting down on the floor. Shakily, she lifted herself off the floor to stand up, her hooves pressed against the door's frame for support.

"Stan, this has to be a dream!" Mary exclaimed, slightly hunched from the difficulty of standing up. "What else could it b- Ah!" She got up too fast and her dress caught under her step, pulling her back down. Just before she hit the floor, Stan's arms had clasped under her front legs; he hoisted her up to stand up straight. "Oh, thank you," she murmured breathlessly. Even with the help from Stan, she felt unsteady, even doing her best to keep balanced.

Together, they stood there in an awkward silence. One of Stan's hands slid down Mary's arm. It wrapped around her hoof gently, and gave it a squeeze. She watched him do so and gritted her teeth, she could feel the panic and fear from earlier, gushing back towards her.

"This is real, Mary," Stan said darkly.

As he spoke, Mary started crying.

"I'm not dreaming and neither are you," Stan went on.

Mary felt her strength give out, and she dangled there from her husband's arms. Him holding onto her was all that kept her from falling. After a moment, she pushed her head against him and wrapped her front legs around his stomach.

Stan could only stare down at his wife in disbelief and worry. Even as the words left his mouth, his mind reeled. He stroked her hair and held her tight, as best as he could. She inhaled and choked out sobs, words were muttered here or there. He could make out pleas, explanations and more, but nothing that sounded convincing. His own thoughts were a tangle, too, barely allowing him to understand.

They stood there, together, Stan half out into space with Mary clinging to him as though he were her lifeline.

Mary was stilling leaning against him when she spoke; her face felt damp and matted, likely from tears, she thought. "What am I going to do, Stan? What's even happened to me?" Her voice sounded surprisingly steady. "Am I being punished? Is something like this possible and we've just never heard about it?" She pushed away from his grip, but he kept holding onto her arms. "What about the kids? Stanley... oh, my God. I just... I don't know." When she didn't say anything else, he pulled her back.

"I... I don't know how to answer any of those questions, Mar. I do know, however, that you have never done anything you could ever be rightfully punished for. The kids'll be fine, we just need to not... panic. Maybe there's a weird hallucinogen in the area or something? I dunno... we'll watch the news. I'll check in on the kids too, actually." Mary squeezed him tighter as he spoke. "So, no panicking. I'm here for you just like you're here for me. We always are." Stan let her down and she slowly let go of his torso. She wavered but managed to keep standing.

He continued. "Are you going to be alright? I think you should wait here, just in case. We don't know what we're dealing with, Mar. Let's just try and play things as safely as we can." He tried to keep his face and voice sounding sure of himself, but he could still feel his face wrinkle in confusion as he tried to think of what to do.

Mary stood there, upright, and supposedly was listening. After a moment, she let out an exasperated breath and fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Stan moved forward to catch her legs again in a flash, but only made it as far as crouching; Mary had already landed on her front legs. Frowning, she looked up at him with a sad look. "I-it's uncomfortable to stand up..." she said, stuttering. "Standing upright, I mean." Quietly, she gulped and ceased meeting his worried eyes. It was difficult for her to bare any sort of acknowledgment like this, even from her own husband. Instead, she looked at the clock.

Even in her current emotional state, Mary felt a twinge of familiar panic from having to get everyone where they needed to go on time. It was currently six-twenty-five in the morning, making it well past their normal start routine.

Stan followed her gaze and eyed the clock, too. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke until it bleeped into claiming it was now six-twenty-eight.

"You and the kids will be late, Stan." Mary spoke with a flat expression, her throat dry. Absently, she recalled the glass of water, still on the floor.

"Right...” Stan replied, “I'll go take care of everything. I'm gonna call in, today. Just... wait here in the bed, Mary. I don't think you should be up and about right now, just in case." Her face and appearance were the most distraught that he had ever seen them.

On the inside, Stan realized just how badly his words implicated the worst. He didn't want to take any chances, though, for this whole situation was beyond belief. "I'll be right back. Just call if you feel like you're in any pain, Mar. Or anything, at all. I'm going to shut the door... is that alright?" He got up while talking and finished speaking as he stood in the doorway. For a moment, he just lingered. Normally under an umbrella of despair like this one, he would kiss his wife. Or at least hold her again.

Mary stared up at him from the ground. "Yeah... I'll be right here, Stan." She looked around at the room that was seemingly to be her prison. The defeated expression she slowly began to wear drooped, until it settled solemnly on the floorboards.

Stan's own hands twitched in indecision before he slowly turned and walked out of the room. There was an urge in him to say something, comfort her, do anything. Instead, he slowly clicked the bedroom door shut behind himself. I gotta figure something out. Settling on a decision over what to do wasn't easy, but he decided to get the kids out of the house so he could think. As quickly as he could without causing an earthquake, he bolted upstairs to get his kids up and ready; ensuring they weren't late for school wasn't a large victory, but it was something.

Gently, for Stan anyway, he knocked on his son's door. After a few seconds of unresponsive silence, he opened it and poked his head in. "Time to get up, Bobby. I want you to make sure your sister gets up, too."

Bobby's disheveled head arose with a groan from a sea of blankets. "Dad, I don't have school today. I was suspended, remember?"

Stan stared at his son; he'd forgotten about that. Recovering, he answered Bobby without pause.

"I know, but you're still getting up so I can find something for you to do." Stan pulled the door shut to prevent any protesting or arguing, then headed back for the stairs at a quick pace. I gotta come up with a way to get Bobby out of the house. Maybe take him to Agnes'...

Stan strode barefoot across the living room to his den and picked up the phone. The next thing he needed to take care of was his own obligation to work. Hurriedly, he punched in the number of the county police station, namely the desk sergeant's office number. His deputies wouldn't be in to the station for a while yet.

The phone rang a few times before a flat, obnoxious voice answered. "Yahp, who's callin'? Make it quick, I'm busy."

"Dan?..." Stan asked in utter confusion, recognizing the voice. "Dan, why are you at the desk? Where's Merrill? She's supposed to be on duty over the weekend."

The County Police and Sheriff's departments were in the same building and worked together closely. Typically that ended up causing a lot of... interesting hijinks.

"Lost a bet. Who's callin'?" Dan replied in a short tone.

Stan could hear him playing some shooting game on the other end; the phone tightened in his grip. "It's your boss, Sheriff Morris." Dan was, in fact, one of his Deputies. The man was brash, and held little attention for anything that didn't have to do with women, trucks or the MMA. Despite this, he was also a good cop. "Is that a video game I hear in the background, Dan?" Most of the time.

"Oh, crap. Uuh, morning, Sheriff, didn't expect to get a call from you on the public line... This early." Stan could hear the clatter of a controller, cups, and papers scattering in the background. "What's the problem?"

Stan let out a slow breath. "First off, I know we've talked about distractions on duty. You can read a magazine, other than that, your eyes are glued to the equipment. Second... Mary is... not feeling well. I've gotta stay back today and keep an eye on her. Tell the Judge and Chief for me."

The sound of footsteps came down the stairs and Stan turned to see Bobby already dressed, and with his hands in his pockets. He slouched his way into the dining room without seeing him, or Bobby was ignoring him.

Stan raised an eyebrow, then greeted, "Good morning."

Bobby waved over his shoulder in answer to him, then went into the kitchen wordlessly.

Sighing, Stan took his hand off the receiver and refocused on Dan speaking.

"Well, I'll tell them Stan. But... you remember that the court hearing for the Jenkins' case is today, right? I don't think you can get out of that." Stan groaned quietly and clamped his eyes shut remembering the case. Jenkins had been growing several acre's worth of pot in the forest behind his house.

He could get one of his Deputies to stand in for him, maybe not Dan, but that wasn't an option he liked. "Just do it, Dan; tell them it's a family crisis."

"Yeah, sure thing, boss. I think he's in his office right now." Stan waited for several minutes. Nearby, he thought he heard more clunks of wood coming from his relatively nearby bedroom. He stared worriedly at the door until Dan returned.

"It's no bueno, Stan." Dan sighed out a defeated breath over the phone, admitting his failure. "They said you hafta be there; your name's on all of the forms. His exact words were like, 'Stan's gotta be there, his name's on all of the forms! Blahblah, I'm fat and smell like an old person's outhouse!'"

Stan stared flatly at his desk for a moment, reflecting on Dan's colorful personality. Over the years, Stan had found it best to just ignore it as much as possible. It was best just to ignore him period, actually, and hide the guy from public eyes as much as possible. Still, he was professional enough that Stan turned a blind eye to how casual he usually was, to some extent.

Dan continued. "Eh, how bad is it, though? Maybe they can work something out. Is she in the hospital? Lemme tell them what's wrong. If it's as bad as you're making it out, then maybe this could get rescheduled or some crap."

Dan didn't sound too sure, and Stan knew why; it was a big case. Everyone had been working on it for some time. He began tapping a finger angrily on his desk, trying to think of a solution that would work for him and his family's recent... development. "That won't work, Dan," he resolved.

There was no chance he could be upfront about what had happened to Mary.

There needed to be a better solution.

Mary tried to stand up twice more on her own, and using the bed too. The once simple acts of standing on two legs, however, were no longer so simple. It was easy of her to stand up with something to lean onto, but without it... Her legs just didn't move right; standing was all she could barely manage, let alone walking.

Mary wilted and glared at her body. I'm helpless like this. What even is this? She gestured to herself angrily amidst her own thoughts. Her dress caught under her hoof again as she tried to take another step. She growled and cursed. Its too-wide neck slid down and over her shoulder, getting stuck. Despite the suddenly constrictive and now obstructive clothing, she remained upright, along with her temper.

"I've had it, with this stupid, God d-... With this dress." Mary struggled with the nightgown. Aggressively, she wrenched it up her body, then with the sound of some fabric tearing, off and over her head. The clothing landed, balled up, in the far corner of the room.

"Better..." Mary growled in satisfaction, then frowned down at her horrible body. It was covered from head to toe in fur... Head to hoof. Grimacing at the unbidden thought and tossed her head, groaning in frustration. She felt her hair's braid whip against her back, and it gained her attention.

Mary reached over her head and brought the long tail in front of her where she could see it. Dangling there in her hooves it looked just as it had when she first laid eyes on it—minus the color of course. Her mind was filled with how she had looked, with how she still wanted to look, as if just that could change her back. She was in too much shock, or disbelief to cry at the moment though. Her hooves began undoing the braid; it would need to be washed when she showered, and she needed one still. Her nose wrinkled at herself. A strange thought occurred to her, except, perhaps it wasn't under the circumstances. I smell the same at least, thank God. Uggh, I hate horses, too.

The door clattered all of a sudden and Mary jumped. Her eyes darted between it and her braid, still held in her hooves. As quietly as she could, she released her braid and lowered herself to the wooden floor.

A young girl's voice came through the door. "Mom? Are you awake?"

Mary's eyes squinted shut, immediately misty. She tried to cup her mouth with a hand, but all she had was one sorely unwelcome hoof. After biting her lip until it hurt, she then bit her furred limb, instead.

Anna spoke again, still unable to enter the room and see her mother. "Mom? I can't reach the cereal and Bobby's being a butt-head."

Mary opened her mouth to tell Anna she would be right there, on instinct alone, then closed it slowly. She stood there motionless, her mind racing for something, anything to say.

"Mom?" Anna repeated.

Listening to her daughter made Mary choke out a sob, and she began backing away from the locked door. Oh, baby, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I am sososorry I-I can't, I just can't... God why...

Soon, her daughter's footsteps quietly left the door.

Stan knuckled a hand against his forehead in order to control his temper; there were too many thoughts going on in his head in the midst of trying to find a solution.

The sound of Anna walking up behind him halted his rising anger from having to go in to work, and away from Mary. "Hey, Dad? Where's Mom? I can't find her."

Stan nearly jumped, his nerves on edge. "Wha- Oh, Anna, what's wrong?"

Anna continued. "Mom's door is locked. Why is her door locked, Dad?"

Stan glanced towards the door itself. How did I not notice her walk behind me? Girl's a regular shadow. He shook his head. "Mom's not feeling well right now, sweetie. Go and get yourself something to eat. It'll be time for school soon." Managing a weak smile, he turned his daughter gently towards the dining room and gave her a gentle nudge with a hand. Once she was out of listening distance, he went back to speaking with Dan about the situation.

"Sorry, Dan. That was my daughter. What were you saying?" Stan sighed and leaned back against his office's wall once again, still as distraught as when he had started.

Dan grunted in acknowledgment. "I was saying, if she's not in the hospital and you can't say what she's sick with, then I don't think he'll buy her life being in danger. Are you sure you aren't taking her to the hospital, boss? Can't yah at least friggin' tell me what it is? I mean, what's worth keeping a secret like this? Is Mary actually doing drugs?" Stan had throttled Dan a few times before; he'd concluded before that the guy wasn't just tactless. Clueless fit his profile better; somehow he just acted like he didn't know any better. A poor choice of words just seemed to pour out of his mouth as surely as the sun rose.

"Where did you hear that, Dan?" Stan asked calmly.

"...It's going around a few places. I heard it from Merrill." Drugs were actually a big problem in Belsdale. Even if it was just town gossip, it was insulting. Dan went on. "You want me to try asking if you can stay home, again?"

Stan's eyes clenched themselves shut in defeat. It was obvious to him that wouldn't work. "No, I gotta go in today, he's right. Even if I'm not going to be needed except for paperwork. Hey, if you hear anyone passing that around again, Dan? Get in their face. I don't care who it is, I won't let slander about my wife like that get passed around." His fist was clenched at his side. Normally, his calm never faltered, but his nerves were at the end of their wick.

Dan answered him cheerily. "Can do, sheriff! I won't be held accountable for my actions." Laughing, he continued speaking over the phone line. "So, you'll be in soon?" he asked.

Stan drew in a breath and let it out tiredly. "Yeah, I'll be there soon. Just, yeah, I'm on my way." The phone clattered onto his desk's cradle in the same moment he glanced at his watch. There was about an hour until he had to take Anna in to school. "Hey kids," he called out. "Hang tight a moment, I'll be just a minute!"

At Mary's work space, Stan stopped.

There was a huge blanket, half finished and draped over the room's cloth rack. His wife was a good seamstress, and enjoyed her quilting hobby; it was one of the few breaks from parenting that she got.

Stan rested a hand on his wife's unfinished project, then slowly looked up at her door. The last half hour had allowed his thoughts time to get a hold of themselves, but not entirely. What he had seen still wasn't any more believable now than it had been earlier, after all. His mind simply couldn't wrap around the idea.

Absently, Stan clutched the fabric beside him, still staring at the door, separating him from Mary. She's right though, what are we going to do? He steeled himself to go back in, and knocked. "Mar?"

Stan heard the latch unhook on the other side of the door. His hand wrapped around the doorknob and he pushed it open. The first thing he was was his wife, who no longer wore her nightgown, and was subsequently wearing nothing at all.

Stan stumbled, and tried to retreat back out the door. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were—"

"Just get in here..." Mary answered to him, then scowled and looked dejectedly down at the ground.

Confusion creased Stan's face. His wife was standing in the buff behind the door. Is it nudity? She's covered in fur I guess... Well, this thought is never going to not be weird, he painfully surmised. He turned when he heard his wife curse. Behind him, Mary fumbled with her hooves half standing to latch the door again.

"Here, let me." Stan smoothly reached over to help, standing beside her.

"No!" Mary cried. Stan looked down at her, surprised. "I can do it, darnit. I can do it." The latch banged over roughly. She repeated the mantra sobbing. "I can do it..." Mary sniffled and turned away. She walked on all fours from the door and further away from him. The pony that was actually his wife huddled in on herself next to a recliner. She was facing the corner, shoulders and head drooped.

"Mary—" Stan started to say to her.

Mary interrupted him. "Stop looking at me like that, please... Or at all, just... I know you are so don't look at me." Her voice was scathing and angry.

Stan's expression remained stolid, but he complied and turned around as Mary had asked. On the inside, though, his pain was twice hers. He felt her pain from loss, he was living it with her, even if he wasn't the victim. His wife was suffering, something that cut into the rigid man like a metal spike cracking a solid rock.

Mary addressed him once again, after a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound... I'm sorry Stan, I shouldn't have..."

Stan's arms wrapped around from behind Mary, he had swiftly crossed the floor and knelt beside her. She couldn't hold him back, but one of her hooves rested over his hands. Noisily she inhaled and cleared her throat before speaking. "Stan, what if this is contagious? What if we can't fix it? My God, what if I'm stuck like thi-" One thick finger rose and pressed gently against her muzzle.

"Mary, you've already done enough worrying for the both of us, so pay close attention to what I'm about to say: Worrying won't solve this. If it did, then everything would already be as it should, again. What I need you to do is stay calm. All we can do is look for solutions." Stan didn't like towering over her, he was grateful to be kneeling as he spoke. As he continued, Mary turned herself around in his arms to face him. "One thing at a time, love... There's no rationalizing this. Really, there isn't," He paused, his wife's strange new eyes glued to him. They were now a dark green, no longer were the two orbs the rich brown chocolate that he had fallen in love with all those years ago. "I... I don't think we should call anyone about this." Stan kept talking, but he was drowned out by Mary's internal thoughts.

But we have to get help! We have to... But what help could anyone possibly give me? Something made Mary want to argue against keeping this a secret all the same, but fear kept that quiet. She moved forward, ready to put her hands on his chest from the shock of what he had said. Only, a new realization dawned on her: she didn't have hands, she had hooves. Mary Morris was a pony and had hooves.

Instead, she stopped just short of his chest, one leg raised between them, her mouth open agape in a horror-filled expression.

I'll never be able to hold his hands, again...

The fear had come from nowhere, but it was painful nonetheless. Mary unintentionally whimpered, causing Stan to trail off. He had been speaking about the possibility of others meaning her harm. "I-I'm so sorry Stan, that this happened. I... I'm sorry that this happened to—"

"It isn't your fault, Mary, don't think that, please. Whatever caused this, it wasn't you." Mary looked up at him in anguish.

"But look at me Stan! What is this!? What am I!? How can you be so calm? How can you still even bare to look at-" Stan cut her off. She'd been becoming frantic and hysterical so he stopped her forcibly. His left hand pulled her head towards his, and he kissed her deeply; right there next to the recliner. Sobbing she tried to pull or turn away, but he held her. A hoof pressed against his chest which tried to push against him futilely. Slowly, she stopped her fight. He let go when she did, and didn't give her a chance to speak.

"I'm looking at you, I will always look at you," Stan said to her with conviction. "You're Mary, my wife. I'm calm, and the only reason I am is because despite this, you're safe. You're here in my arms, and nothing shy of God himself, not even magic is going to change that." Her head tilted, and she visibly calmed.

Mary was stubborn, but grounded. Of course all that's true, I'm such an idiot, Stanley.

"Stan..." Mary sighed and flipped her braid behind herself. Stan gave her the room he could tell she now wanted, and casually leaned back off of her. He sat on his butt on the oak floor.

"Yes, Mar?" Stan asked and smiled, she was acting in charge again, as was normal. It was the best thing he'd seen in a long time.

"Thank you, I... I know you'll always be there. I love you." After taking in a deep breath she grimaced at the floor suddenly, Stan's eyebrow quirked up at the confused face she had put on. She continued after a moment. "But please don't kiss me again while I have... fur. That felt reeeally weird."

Stan chuckled in response and nodded.

Gotta admit, never thought I'd kiss a horse. Wisely, he kept that to himself. Mary laughed too, the situation defused, momentarily. He made his face stern again, she managed to keep her smile though. It was still beautiful, he decided. "I've got to go into court hun, I tried to call in but... Circumstances with the Judge won't allow it. So I have to be there. Hey," Stan squeezed her leg with one hand. "I'll be back though, as quick as I can. I'm going to bring Bobby with me too, the house will be empty." Her eyes saddened as he spoke, but her smile didn't falter. There's nothing more you can say Stan, just be there for her. "Will you be alright here? I can just stay, the case be dam- danged."

Mary harrumphed. "Just go, Stan. I'll call if something else happens, like I grow a horn or something stupid. You're... You're right, as usual. You really are, worrying won't help me, or us. Go in and don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." She put out one hoof onto his hand, looked sadly at it, then back up at him and smiled again.

"I love you." Stan spoke resolutely.

"I know, you big-lug; I love you too." They held their gaze for a few seconds, before Mary spoke up again. "Stan...?"

"Yeah, Mar, what is it? Do you need anything before I go?" Sighing and rolling her eyes Mary got up and strode to the dresser, her four legs clunking raucously on the floorboards.

"No. Actually, you need to get dressed still. You're in your underwear." Stan's eyes looked down at himself and his white briefs and t-shirt in shock, then swore on impulse. What's more, the clock buzzed seven-thirty.

He was late.

Chapter 5 : It's Just A Cold

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Stan had left for work some time ago. The sound of him, along with Anna and Bobby leaving the house, echoed in the bedroom.

To make sure they really were gone, Mary looked around once, twice, then a third and a fourth time. As an added bonus, the nervous double-checking kept her from looking at herself, too. She was alone, she knew, but staying seated there on the floor without moving somehow kept her calm. Her arms, or what used to be her arms, were wrapped around herself.

The thought that her legs were wrapped around her other legs as she sat there cradling herself occurred to her. ...That's just all kinds of wrong. She clutched her eyes shut briefly, then re-busied herself with studying the room.

It was two hours later before she actually wanted to move. The familiarity and boredom of the room wasn't distracting her anymore from thinking about the... problem. She still wouldn't face it though; not yet.

Her legs shuffled around to reposition herself on the floor. Her back felt stiff, and her butt had long since fallen asleep. After the pins and needles showed up from moving around, she settled with lowering herself onto her side, instead of sitting in a fetal position. It was surprisingly comfortable laying like this, even on the floor.

Something in the corner of her eye flickered, on reflex and impulse she looked at it, unable to help herself.

"Oh gah, no... just..." Mary buried her head down into the former arms now adorning her front. She started to cry from what she'd just seen in the bedroom lamplight. The urge to smash that light came, then went, and was replaced with more tears stemming from what had caused the movement. In a flash, she tried to further escape it, just her legs weren't enough to hide her from it. The pony shaped human jumped up onto the bed and dove under her covers.

Behind the mare, a blue and creamy tan tail chased closely after her.

It had taken several attempts in order for her to successfully turn off the lamp. Mary had desired nothing more than to just stay under the covers at first, but it got too hot, and quickly. Even with the drapes drawn, and the bedside light off, the room was still bright enough to see in. The light was a curse, it felt as though every bit of darkness helped her cope.

Mary lay there for the next few hours, letting time slip by. As it went she fought off her own thoughts left and right, schooling her mind to blankness. Occasionally, optimism or denial would resurface. Maybe it will wear off? or Perhaps... It's just a REALLY real seeming dream? were regular visitors. Even so, she imagined that of the five stages of grief and loss, she was amidst several of them, not just one. Her denial of the change was clear as day, not to mention anger and isolation. As for stage three...not much I can actually bargain for is there...?

Mary laughed drunkenly. "How exactly could I bargain myself out of this? Oh doctor, not too much, but could we look into making my nose a little smaller?" She giggled a moment, before stopping sharply. She pulled the blanket around herself again, having cooled off some. Now wrapped up as she was in her blanket, she could barely feel her individual body parts. She took deep breaths, and found solace in the touch of the thick fabric against her, rather than herself. It's like a cocoon of safety from reality. She thought. Her face stayed plastered to her pillow.

Distantly, Mary knew she had to fight, wallowing probably wasn't helping the situation. Or maybe she should even run from this thing... No matter what, I should do something, shouldn't I? Feeling tired, she stretched her sore muscles, before recoiling back in on herself and clinging to the blanket.

I wonder what time it is... Mary thought, exhausted. The digital clock buzzed some unimportant number behind her. She rolled over to look at it, instead, her eyes met with the dark green irises of the pony in her mirror. Inexplicably frightened, she clutched tightly against herself from within the blankets, without looking away from the reflection. Maybe I should ask Stan to get rid of that mirror... Or maybe I can stare it down... She fought a yawn down, not breaking eye contact from the mirror.

Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Bobby's feet were kicked up on the office desk in the small room. On the side of it, the cover of a book entitled Uncle Tom's Cabin glared at him. He stared tiredly at it a moment, before letting his head fall over the chair's back. Why do schools have to pick books like that. No one likes them.

His dad had forced him to bring his school work. Which was fine, he didn't have to do it or anything. His dad was busy sticking some guy in prison or something. Why lock up a guy for selling drugs anyway, and marijuana even? They're legalizing that everywhere. The government was stupid, he couldn't understand why his dad had wanted to be a part of it.

His neck cricked, it had started doing that lately, was kinda weird. He wondered if it had something to do with how tall he was. In the last year he'd grown another three inches, putting him somewhere around six feet. Not as tall as his dad, but he'd probably end up that tall eventually. He barely worked out too, and he could see already he'd be as strong.

That day couldn't come soon enough either, he'd probably be old enough to get the hell out of that house by then. He wasn't a wuss, not in the least, but...just dealing with his parents was unbearable and pointless. As soon as he could, he was getting a job. Jake and Blake said I could work road construction with them, and they're making money hand over fist. Wonder how long it'd take to get my own car...

Hastily, he raked a hand through his stringy hair, struck with inspiration. If I could get enough to get a good guitar and an amp, we'd be that much closer to starting that band... The grin he wore as he sat up and leaned forward was dark, but eager.

What's dad's deal anyway, he never gives a crap about me, then all of a sudden friggin' school is important enough to drag me here? The guitar he'd been envisioning evaporated into the mahogany desk sitting in front of him, reality reminding him where he was currently stuck for the moment. That's a retarded word...mahogany. Holy hell, what is taking so damn long in there anyway, what time is it?

The clock on the wall read eight past ten, in the morning. Fffffffu-

Stan rapped his fingers on the desk repeatedly, lost in thought. The hearing was taking forever, and he was all too aware that he was not needed. His presence was entirely a formality. After talking face to face with the judge, twice—both times he couldn't divulge what exactly was wrong with his wife or why it was urgent—he'd been asked to knock it off, tactfully.

Stan sighed and leaned back in his chair, resisting the urge to set his feet up on the long desk, which he sat behind with the chief. Focusing on the trial didn't help any; his thoughts were filled with what he'd seen and lived this morning. How the hell was that real, just...how. What am I even going to do about it? He didn't know any witch doctors, the whole thing was like a plot to some horror movie. Or a sick comedy. Tiredly, he combed his cropped red hair back, he needed a haircut. At the word hair, his wife's current state filled his mind, causing him to groan and massage the bridge of his nose.

Absently, he thought of what his father would do in a situation like this... Son, I know why you and Mary are worried, but think of it like this. We could save tons of money on special effects making our own sitcom!

. . .

Stan wasn't sure what was sadder, that he'd probably hit the nail on the head with that thought, or that Herbert would likely say something even more insensitive if he found out. Should I tell them? Hell, what about Mary's parents?

A shoulder nudged him, followed by a cough. He looked over at the chief quickly, then noticed that everyone's eyes in the court room were on him. "Shi-... Sorry." His feet came down from where they had hopped up onto the desk, without him noticing...and he hunkered himself lower in his seat. He tried to meld with the surroundings better. Usually, he was good at deciding when he was the center of attention, despite being tall as hell. Was I that loud? Getting frustrated wasn't easy for him either, but he was now. After a moment, he managed to let a ragged sigh escape him, getting some of the frustration away.

Suddenly, a disturbing thought came back to him. Geez, I hope it's not actually contagious. Stan stared nervously at his hands for the next twenty minutes, until Dan nudged him this time, bringing him back to the court room. He mouthed some explicit words at him and gestured to the judge, who was busy tapping one finger against his own desk.

Mary dreamt of various things, all of them terrifying for her. Worst of all, in all of these dream-scapes, she was alone. In the corner of her eye, a shadowy miasma floated, and always she felt as though she were being watched. Labyrinthine mazes and hallways stretched out around her at one point. At another, she was afloat in the sea, struggling against the waves. Distantly, she was aware something was wrong with her body, here though, she was human. For a long time her emotions and thoughts from the day played out before her for a second time.

Her eyes dragged open eventually. Still shaking and quaking with fear, she tried to lean up. Oh, oh it was just a nightmare. Thank the stars. Something was restraining her. The blankets with which she had sought protection still engulfed her, and had become a tangled mass. She struggled to pull them, but it proved difficult. "Get. OFF!" In an immediate fit of retaliation and anger, she ripped them off of herself. Then, she flung them to the other end of the bed.

Panting, she looked down at herself sadly as she spoke. "But not all of it was a nightmare..." The pale orange fur still covered her from top to bottom. Is it bad, that I actually expected this to be here? That thing which shared her hair's color was still plastered to her butt, too. The tail flicked slightly. She dragged the blanket back over that part of herself, in response.

Abruptly, a ringing noise filled her ears. Mary's ears popped up to full mast and her head turned to peer around the side table at the door. The phone! Should I get it... She decided that bed wasn't the answer, at least this offered a change.

Scrabbling to her hooves and throwing off the blanket—Mary nearly tumbled off the bed. She hadn't bothered to check the clock. Upon landing, she slid slightly, then thumped into the door. "Come on! MOVE!" The door lock clicked finally and she pushed the handle down, opening it with a bang. The phone bleeped another series of noises across the expanse towards her, beckoning her. After the quick dash across the living room, she slid over the next hard wood floor in Stan's office, despite trying to stop immediately. Do I really want to answer it?

The phone was hanging up vertically on the wall. Immediately she tried to stand up unassisted. After wavering there a moment, she failed to do so and fell back onto her hindquarters. It wasn't that she was heavy, balancing in such a way just didn't feel natural anymore. I'm not letting this thing screw with my life, dammit! She tried again on her own, but it just felt weird. It's just impossible with this body!

"Oh, for Pete's sake." Her eyes searched the room, after a moment she found the perfect standing aide. She put her front legs up onto the computer and used it to push herself up quickly. Once standing, she was able to take a couple unsteady steps over to the phone. Her hoof closed around the phone.

I miss my hands. She stared woefully at the hoof, that in fact, merely laid over the phone and refused to do what she had wanted—simply because it couldn't. Angrily, she tried to push the phone up and out of the rack, before it stopped ringing.

Wah! No! Mary's eyes widened as the entire cradle came off the hook set into the wall. In that moment, she also fell, having under-balanced herself for the hasty action. Bracing herself for impact, she landed on her shoulder, her hooves flew up over her head to cover it a second later. The phone crashed next to her and bounced.

Timidly, she raised one leg up to look at the shattered electronic device. She stared at it for a moment, it was silent, in addition to now being in more than one piece.

Mary tried to inspect the pieces, the cordless phone looked okay, but the cradle was in two separate chunks, exposing its innards. She tried to gather up the pieces, to no avail. Instead of attempting to carry them, they were merely pushed out of the way, up against the wall. It was difficult to comfort herself over the broken phone, but she tried. I wouldn't be able to call anyone even if I wanted to, I don't even know where my cell phone is. Putting her mind back together she turned around and began the trek back to her room. It was probably just a telemarketer, anyway...

As she walked passed the computer, the keyboard glared mockingly at her from its annoyingly high perch, which was at eye level with her head from up on the desk.

She growled at it. "I can't belie- Ouch! What the?" Her walk back to the bedroom from her failed excursion, had been halted. Looking behind her at the source of the pain, she spotted it immediately. The tail was caught up under the wheel of Stan's office chair, somehow. "... I just- Wow." She curled around herself, carefully turning so as not to tug on the cursed thing, and pushed the chair off her newest extremity, and away with her head. It rolled a few inches over her tail, looking as though it would release it. "NO! NONONO!"

The fiendish chair had wrapped the tail's long fine hairs further into its clutches, rather than release her. Mary plopped onto the ground and her hooves hovered angrily over the untrustworthy thing. Her teeth clenched as she stared daggers into its being. "This... This is..." She just didn't know how to explain things of such an incredulous nature.

Carefully, she wrapped her hooves around the chair's base, and lifted it. It was light enough, so this was easy for her. Next, she stared at the tail itself. "Alright, now get out of there." It twitched in response to her concentration, as her leg would. The wheel spun and tugged at the tail's resistance, but yielded Mary's unwelcome new friend back to her. A couple hairs remained stuck inside of the furniture though, trophies of the struggle.

Mary grunted approvingly, No big loss. then reached over her head, pulling back her braid out of sight, which had fallen in front of her face. I need to take that out... She considered, her hair would get ruined staying like that.

While Mary walked back into the bedroom and locked the door for safety's sake, she realized she probably wouldn't even be able to unbraid her own hair, either.

The bed loomed above her. "How the heck did I get up there earlier?" She slowed herself down so as not to act too quickly. Her eyes scanned the long breadth of the bed for a way up, the blankets and sheets lined its side providing a slippery climbing surface. A look of despair and dismay scoured across her face.

She stood up using the bed itself for support, but her attempt at lifting her hind leg up to the bed's frame proved impossible. Her knee, leg and ankle bent differently, even if they weren't placed differently, so to speak.

"Grr, fine." Backing up away from the bed Mary crouched, and leaped skywards. Surprisingly, it was easy, and it worked! She cleared the entire side of the bed and landed in its middle with a whud. After giving herself a satisfied hum, she looked back at her strangeness curiously. Her tail swished behind her once again, seemingly of its own accord. Why the hell does it do that? Irritated, she clicked her tongue at herself for slipping again, even if it had just been a stray thought. The mirror mimicked her tail's sapience, and she watched the reflection again for a moment. The strange animal's eyes followed her own movements, then, she let herself slip, and made eye contact.

The reflection of herself stared back at her. "OH! Just, GO. AWAY!" The feelings of accomplishment evaporated.

Mary's head fell into her own hooves full force.

I have hooves, she thought in disbelief.

The reality of things had sunk in to their fullest; she wasn't dreaming, she wasn't on acid, and it wasn't all just some elaborate prank being pulled by Herbert. Her life had already been in an unwelcome downward spiral, nothing outrageous or home breaking, but not at its best either.

The day was moving at a crawl for Mary. Her kids would be home soon, as well as her husband. He was getting them today. Obviously she couldn't, she wouldn't. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, which wasn't easy with hooves. Getting used to not having hands was not something she wanted to do, and it didn't seem it would be easy.

The thought of her kids coming home and possibly seeing her like this scared her. Her eyes flickered to an fro, studying her sheets. What am I going to do? She briefly looked at things in the room to occupy herself, as long as that thing wasn't her.

Mary flopped back onto the bed, once again enshrouded in her impenetrable blanket where she could continue to languish in her self pity. It just isn't fair, she told herself for the thousandth time. Why couldn't this have happened to anyone else? Why me?

Mary's stomach growled up at her; she hadn't at all eaten all day, she realized. Stan will get home and I'll have just sat here all day. Oh God, what did he think of this? He's out there right now, knowing his wife is... disfigured beyond recognition!

Mary glanced down at the dim image of her form under the blanket, then winced again, as if physically struck. What if he leaves me... He wouldn't, there are the kids to consider... Oh Lord the kids. Her thoughts were making circuits, repeating themselves over and over. They had been doing so throughout the day, left alone as she was for now. Ideas had come to her; a desire to look for a cure, find a solution, or some professional help. If this happened to me, surely it isn't unprecedented, then?

Mary's hope for an end had all shattered when it became perfectly clear to her that typing or using a mouse was impossible. I couldn't even pick up the phone to answer it earlier... Her eyes began misting for the thousandth time as her thoughts hung over her new disabilities.

I'll have to move into a petting zoo. She giggled. I'll become a circus attraction. Her hooves wrapped around her head.

"Everyone come see Mary, the talking pony, the freak and eighth wonder of the world!" Mary stood up as she cried out the words, along with all of her frustration releasing itself. She raised her legs above her head in a flourish, then glared at the mirror against the opposite wall.

Mary's reflection glared back at her. Tears ran down her face; she could see the damp fur lining her eyes clearly. The dresser mirror beside the bed she and her husband shared gave her a clear view of the impossibility in her life; her own body.

Mary shuddered at the very sight of herself, and cringed back. She fell back onto the bedspread, sitting down on her haunches in defeat. This can't be possible, she thought plaintively. It just can't be.

"M-mom...?" A child's voice called out.

Mary's pupils contracted in terror at the sound of her nine year old daughter's voice. She audibly gulped and began to wobble, despite sitting securely on the cushioned surface. Already panicking, she didn't bother to stop herself from falling over unceremoniously into a tear-soaked heap. Of course, doing so also caused a lot of noise.

"Mom?... Was that you?" Anna called out through the door. "Are you okay? We're all home now. Dad said you were sick and I shouldn't bother you but, I wanted to..." There was silence for a moment.

Mary picked herself up enough to lean off the bed; her neck stretched towards the securely shut door and Anna's voice. She wanted so badly to hold her daughter, only, she couldn't. At least, that's what she was telling herself.

"Ah... I'm fine, Anna... I just have a cold is all." Mary bit her lip after she spoke, the multi-hued creature in the mirror stood in front of her on the bed as she spoke. Sighing, she sat back onto its surface and her head drooped.

Her daughter answered her, still in a worried tone, but tinged with happiness. Anna was trying to make her feel better. "Oh... Okay... I just wanted to talk to you really bad, I tried this morning but, dad said you were sleeping. Your... Can I come in, mom?" She squeaked the last words through the door.

Mary gulped. Anna's really worried about me, could she know something else is wrong? It made sense, she realized, images of herself fainting at the church, of her almost always being the one to take Anna to school, and pick her up too... She couldn't recall the last time Stan had had to take her to school. Catching herself she backed away from the door, she had been ready to open it, she certainly wanted to. That... Wouldn't be a good idea. The pony hadn't even realized she'd hopped off the bed.

Instead of opening the door, she lied. "I've come down... with a cold sweetie, it's a bit early for the cold season, I know. But I guess I shouldn't have had the window rolled down yesterday, huh?" She laughed nervously from where she'd sat on the floor. "I don't want you catching it Anna, I'll be..." She stifled a sniffle quickly, and kept her voice schooled to calmness. "I'll be better soon though, okay? Mom just needs her rest."

Anna thought her mom sounded a little funny, and yet healthy. She didn't sound like she had a cold at all...

It didn't cross Anna's mind that the other oddity was that her mother was now half of her normal height, sitting on the floor as she was. There had been a strange clunk, too. Her thoughts were solidly on her mother though, not odd sounds. The young girl was in truth, scared for her mom, from recent events. Dad was acting so weird earlier, and mom, she is never sick. Only dad and I get sick! More than that though, she wondered, could this be her fault? People can get sick and faint and stuff when...when they're tired or sad. Things had been a little strange around the house the last month, she at least knew that Bobby was to blame for most of it, he had to be, he never listened! She didn't know why, but she felt guilty. Is it my fault...?

"Anna? Baby?" She hadn't answered Mary, who struggled to keep her voice calm. Her daughter's voice came through the door again, after a moment.

"Okay, I'll let you get better mom," She trailed off briefly, before picking up her voice cheerily again. "Uuh, I'll bring you dinner too! Alright?"

While she looked on at the door, Mary thunked her head against the table to rest next to it. "That...sounds lovely Anna, thank you." Suddenly her thoughts recovered from the shock of her daughter's voice. "Oh, and could you go and get daddy, sweet pea? I need to talk to him."

Anna answered, once again quiet and worried sounding. "Okay... Uhm, mom, I'm going to stay in ballet, maybe. I thought about it, but dad said you wouldn't be able to go to the thing...it's not because you're mad at me, is it?" Mary had to resist the urge to open the door again.

"N-No Anna! Not at all, what got that idea into your head?" Mary cleared her throat, she didn't want to sound harsh. She had been a bit of nag lately... Suddenly, her instincts took over, and her hoof pressed against the door—without her even noticing it. Hesitantly, she withdrew the strange appendage she'd been saddled with. I can't even talk to my own daughter face to face, because of these stupid things...

"I dunno... I just thought, maybe-" Mary thought about what she had said more carefully.

"It's alright sweetie! Don't think that your decisions are wrong just because I don't like them. You have to learn to make your own good ones, after all... But no one's going to be upset with you wanting to play a sport or drop out of ballet. Even... Karate." She managed to keep her sigh miniscule.

On the other side of the door, Anna's smile covered her entire expression. "I'm totally going to kick the most butt then mom! I'll even beat up Bobby when he gets stupid, like usual." Mary buried her face in her hooves, that hadn't quite been the reaction she'd hoped for. "But..." Anna continued. "I will finish the dance thing...the recital this weekend, I guess, for you mom."

"Anna? Are you back he- Heeey kiddo, you shouldn't be bugging your mom, she's really sick right now." Stan crossed the workroom's floor in an attempt to appear calm, inside his senses had all peaked at seeing where his daughter had gone. The door was still shut, though. "You okay honey?"

Mary glanced back at the tussled bedspread. "Yes, I'm fine." She answered flatly. On the other side of the door the sounds of Stan talking to her daughter in a hushed voice leaked back through to her. A moment later, and the door was knocked on.

"May I come in?" Mary began the ritual of propping herself against the table and using the door itself to stand up, then unlatched the lock.

"Enter, if you dare!" She smiled weakly as her husband tread into her lair. Backing up on all fours, she looked up at him. She was barely half his height on all fours, which felt... sickeningly unnatural to her, and Stan was six foot five. He pulled the door shut behind himself, glancing back through the crack, then it clicked.

"I got back as quick as I could," Turning around he knelt down to her level. "How are you feeling? Any more... episodes?" The look he wore was flat, likely Stan just didn't want to add to her worry.

She answered briskly. "No, I...broke the phone in your office though, trying to answer it." The memory made her wilt a little.

"Oh, well that's fine, phones can be replaced. I'm glad you're alright. I was worried when you didn't call actually, but I figured it was a case of 'no news was good news...'" Stan tried to smile but it didn't stick. He and Mary stayed there in silence for a while. In both of their minds, they weren't sure what to say next, Stan hadn't thought of anything helpful, and Mary had slept most of the day.

"Dad! Bobby won't help cook dinner!" The father looked back at the door. Mary's breath caught.

Oh no, how am I going to cook!? Stan looked back at her, and as if reading her mind gave her a reassuring smirk.

"It's alright Mar, we can handle dinner for a while, until this gets sorted out, alright? And it will, too... Anyway, I used to cook plenty before we met." That was a complete lie, he'd been in the military after high school where they'd met. And the only thing Stan knew how to cook was steak, roast and cold cans of ravioli. He won't burn the house down certainly, but... There was a good reason Mary had learned to skillfully keep him away from the stove after they'd become married. Everything he made was edible. But not much past that...

Stan had played it safe, for dinner. "How was it?" Mary scrubbed a napkin over her mouth, ridding it of a trace amount of pizza sauce. The affair that had been eating her first meal as a mutated pony like creature had been... Annoying. Not the least of which because Stan had done a poor job hiding his amusement.

"It was...tasty, very well done." She'd meant it to sound sardonic, but they both laughed, instead.

"Well, that's good." He gave her a satisfied grin at the half compliment. Her own demeanor shifted to a more morose tone.

"Are...you sure? About the trial?" Mary asked quietly. Stan grimaced, and absently cracked one knuckle. He'd gotten into a shouting match with the judge, that hadn't happened in a long time.

He shouldn't have accused me of trying to cheat the dang system. The trial would go on another day, at least. Tomorrow he wouldn't be able to get the day off, either. Maybe not Wednesday, either. "Yeah, I'm sure love. In the mean time just hang in there? We'll get this fixed... We'll fix this thing, don't worry. Just gotta... think of something first." An awkward silence followed Stan's pep talk.

Mary tapped her hoof against the floor in idle thought of her own, after a moment she felt her eyes fall shut. "Gah, I'm awake." They sprang back open to watch Stan, watching her. Smiling back weakly, she realized that she felt tired still. Earlier, her body had felt on edge all through the morning, until she'd fallen asleep. After that rest though, and now... A hoof pressed against her mouth to cover it as she yawned, cracking her jaw. "Oh, wow."

Stan gave her a sideways look, not quite looking worried. "Tired? We can get you in bed if you'd like."

Mary looked up at the bed from the box they'd shared. "Do you think it's safe...?" He followed her eyes to the bed, absently, he knew she was thinking of a connection to it and...what had happened.

"...I dunno. Want to split the couch?" Stan scratched his beard in thought.

Mary had another one of her own, though. What, and have Anna or Bobby walk in and see me!? No way... She didn't want to consider that scenario at all... Not yet. Hopefully, she would never have to. "No... I'm just tired..." Sighing, she laid down there on the floor.

"Well, alright, it wouldn't do if the kids walked in anyway, right Ma- Mar? Maaar." His wife's head lay behind the box, curled in against herself. He peered up and over the makeshift table to look at her face, and then heard the telltale whispy snore she sang while sleeping. He smirked a moment, and frowned in the next. Her tail was swatting at the air around her. This is never going to stop being weird. Gently, he picked her up, she seemed to weigh the same, at least. Carefully, he placed her on the changed bedspread he'd set up for them.

Mary would never admit it to him, but she was a heavy sleeper too, just of a different sort. It was like she knew when she needed to wake up. Stan got himself ready for bed, then clicked off the light.

Finally, Mary heard the back door slam closed on the other side of the wall. After Stan had left the bedroom, much like the day before, a few simple things happened. Firstly, she waited in the bedroom for her family to head out and start the day, leaving her there, horrifyingly and yet blessedly alone. Unbeknownst to her, the ears now adorning her head twitched at the sounds of Anna's laughter and Stan's ushering both of her children out to the car. She hadn't heard Bobby at all. Secondly, she had once again taken to staring in disbelief at herself, this time in the bedroom mirror atop the dresser. In desperation she bit her arm twice, just to make sure she really wasn't dreaming... Thirdly, she had begun to try and get dressed. This third undergoing, was just simply not going either—period. In any case, it wasn't producing any results, other than a building pile of clothes.

Several dresser drawers were pulled out of their home only to fall onto the ground. At first Mary had been calm, but after five minutes of simply trying to find some way to open them without fingers she had... Lost her temper. She now struggled to try and replace one drawer into its receptacle.

That's it, I give up. She just couldn't maneuver or manipulate the drawer sufficiently. It rejoined its two brothers, which were leaning against the furniture. Still scowling, she retook up the search for wearable clothing over her slimming options. A bra wouldn't be of any use anymore in her current state, she wasn't sure how she felt about that. The pain of the unbidden change, which was a match to all of the others, was certainly there, however. Thus far it seemed as though pants would be an impossibility as well. She searched through her clothes, one hoof stirring the unfolded options over one another. Trying to find more than a handful of articles that may yet fit her was seeming more and more unlikely.

Mary held up one pair of pants over her foreleg. The jeans did not seem likely candidates at all... She was... Or had been, a slim figure. That of course left little wiggling room in them. After a few fruitless struggles to test if they were viable, she gave up the wrestling match with her own pants in defeat. A steady anger gilded in frustration was already building within her.

...How am I even going to get anything on? I can't grip anything, let alone the clothes I'm trying to fit into.

Her eyes shifted slowly towards another daunting piece of cloth in her new found reticence to even get dressed. The mountain that was pants she decided, would be climbed when she got to it. The true first bluff still loomed before her, and that bluff was underwear. She let the pants fall onto the building pile of clothing and stared flatly at the pair she had set aside.

This is so embarrassing, I'm so fu- very glad, that Stan isn't here to see this. Eying the bottoms uncertainly, Mary shut her eyes and muttered a prayer. After a moment, she gave getting dressed her best effort. She decided to put the underwear on from the safety of lying on the floor, and an obstacle very quickly presented itself. That obstacle was brightly colored, like the hair on her head, and nearly as long.

From where she sat on the floor, Mary's gaze locked with the strange new limb that cascaded over the varnished wood beside her. The brightly colored strands twitched slightly at her command.

Mary sniffled, then coughed, emotion washing over without warning. Her eyes watered up as she tried to look away from tail, which was more difficult than she thought it should have been. She scrubbed at one eye gently with a leg. Come on Mary, keep it together. It's just... It's just a tail.

After a deep breath, Mary reached down and tried to pull the bottom up, hooves hooked on their inside. I mean it could be worse, what if you had cancer? Oh God, what if I have cancer? The disturbing thought was admittedly a lot less impossible than what she now faced, even if there wasn't anything suggesting as much. But there was nothing to ever suggest you would wake up looking like this either, now was there? She shook her head and proceeded, ignoring the useless, morbid thought.

She rolled over in the middle of lifting them up her legs to get them all the way on. Doing so squashed her face against the floor. In response to the acrobatics she growled irritably. The lingerie made it on, although, they also pressed against the tail. I won't ever consider it 'mine'. I won't! And, it was in an uncomfortable fashion to boot.

"This isn't going to work! Augh, but I am not walking around nude, I'm not an animal!" Her reflection passed in front of her mind's eye. "I'm not." She tugged downwards harshly on the wavy tail with her two hooves, pulling it straight. It was more than a little uncomfortable alright, but she didn't care. "You can beat this thing Mary, just stick with it." She stood up on all fours, something she really detested, and regarded her butt for a moment. This is hopeless. Her head hung in defeat, the sight of the undergarment on her was simply ridiculous.

For a while she just sat on her hindquarters and swished the affronting tail behind herself, watching it. It felt strong, she thought. Certainly strong enough to keep my pride from ever recovering. She cringed away from it as best she could.

After the brief mourning of her dignity, Mary plodded over to the other two articles she had set aside from the piles. It had taken quite some searching to come up with anything, she primarily owned work and formal attire. Neither of which were compatible with her at present. Obviously, the jeans weren't an option. They were too long and too tight in parts. A large pair of gym shorts, which she saved for playing games in the summer, seemed to be her best bet. Over those, lay a large itchy sweater. They were an ugly match, to be sure. And all the more reason they're absolutely perfect on me right now... Hah. She couldn't help but ruefully smirk at the self deprecating thought.

Wearily, Mary left the bedroom, she couldn't help but feel nervous without the sturdy lock separating her from the rest of the home, vacant at the moment as it was. I need to... I need to do something, though. I can't just hide in my room, can I? No... I need to do something, anything! Maybe there's someone out there that can help. I don't care who. Briefly, she glanced down at what had once been her two slim arms, now they carried her weight along the ground as any other pair of legs would. I hate walking like this. The last thought was simple, but carried a great deal of hate.

Mary trod past the shower on her way to Stan's computer, which caused her scowl from looking at the strange legs to deepen. It would have been nice to have remembered to take one, Mary... She abruptly sighed. Then again, no way I'm getting dressed a second time... The thought that she may have to get dressed again in such a manner the next day was thrown aside the moment it revealed itself. Along with the oddity in the equation of having hooves or fur in the shower...

The evil and demonic computer chair rolled back on the hard wood floor a few inches to make room for her to take a seat. Or try to. She frowned confusedly at the now daunting and wobbly seeming furniture, which was no doubt unstable and poorly made as well. The once simple act was now quite the challenge.

"How exactly am I supposed to sit!? I jus- Come on... Isn't anything simple anymore?" The house remained silent, and Mary unanswered. The chair didn't move. She let out a tired breath. Turning around, she took a couple steps back and tried to sit normally. It wasn't a very tall office chair, her rear reached up past the seat itself at least, just barely.

I'm pretty dam- dang small for a horse, she suddenly pondered. The line of thought wasn't pursued or continued though.

Irritatingly, the chair rolled away on the hard wood floor from her first attempt to be seated. She whirled around and glared at the renegade opponent. After a couple more breaths, this time to keep her calm, one hoof hooked the armrest and she pulled it back towards the desk. Walking on three of her legs was almost as difficult as walking on two.

I can't believe it, I'm going to have to learn how to walk again. It was a terrifying thought, having to learn something as simple as how to walk again—made more so by the fact she had done it earlier almost without thinking. And a chair is actually causing me grief! That thought was less terrifying, but equal in its own annoying fashion.

Mary licked her lips to concentrate, and to prevent herself from swearing. I need to remember to stop that... I can't even shave to get rid of the stupid feeling. Keeping her eyes locked on the sneaky wheeled thing and leaving the awkward thoughts behind, she tried again.

It squeaked away from her second attempt to hop herself into the seat as well. "For f-... Just, stop!" Catching her slip she looked after it sadly. I'm going to have to relearn how to do everything!

After stamping one hoof, she approached the chair again and this time pushed it up against the desk itself. Repeating her previous maneuver on the now stationary chair, she was able to get her rear up and seated. Success!.. Kind of... Her brow furrowed in thought as to how she could proceed, and hopefully with more dignity than what she previously had.

At the moment, she was only half in the chair, the rest of her was still stuck on the ground. Her forelegs held up her front. Now, the difficulty was turning the office chair around, and then getting it in front of the computer. Not to mention sitting up...

Without trying to put the rest of herself into the chair, Mary used her front hooves to pull the wheeled contraption around and up to the desk. This is so degrading, what did I do to deserve this? Am I such a terrible parent I deserved punishment? Am I a bad person? After placing it correctly, she grunted and struggled herself upright into the chair. She let out a sigh of relief, and looked at her awkward positioning.

Her legs dangled off the end. They reached the floor, but they seemed to want to hang and float off of the ground, instead of resting like a person's should. She ignored it though.

Thunking loudly, her hooves hooked under the desk and pulled herself closer to the keyboard. With a careful motioning of her leg, she tried to move the mouse. It did so at her command, and more easily than she'd thought it would. She wasn't an expert on horses or anything, which is what she had guessed she kind of was, but her hooves didn't seem to be anything like theirs. The clicker selected the little Mozilla Firefox icon.

"Huh, well would you look at that." Next, she decided sternly, the keyboard...

Chapter 6 : Fixing The 'Problem'

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The permanent marker raised up and went down rhythmically; it clicked the keys one at a time this way, and in painfully slow fashion. Mary sought answers now, and forced herself to ignore the worries ebbing from deep within her mind. Most of them said that there may not be any answers to even be found. She was determined to press on though.

At first, Mary had tried to click the keys with a pencil wedged between her hooves. Getting the pencil to roll to the side of the desk where she could pick it up, had been a quest in itself. The pencil, however, and the hoof method of typing weren't cutting it. The annoyingly wobbly chair didn't let her stray from it's seat much besides that, and wasn't helping any in the least.

To her surprise, she discovered an unlikely new method of typing, one that didn't make use of the useless blocks that had replaced her dextrous hands. While leaning onto the desk for stability she had hit a key with the pencil's replacement.

Then she hit another, the marker typing deftly from her mouth. This works pretty well, actually. It was still slow, but it felt better and a little natural. Her head leaned lazily on one upturned hoof as she typed away. She tried not to think about how her legs were just as, if not more flexible than her arms had been before. It helped cope though, at least, thinking about the similarities.

Alright, time to figure out just what kind of freaky farm animal I've been turned into.

Mary decided blunt was best in this situation, she typed in randomly turning into a horse, into Google. "In all honestly, I expected about as much," she said in a dark tone to herself. The screen had several links, all of which obviously wouldn't offer her any help. There were Youtube links, something about Shrek, a link pertaining to The Sims, and several others. The pictures tab showed, also obviously, pictures of horses, and strangely what she hoped was a Photoshopped image of a man riding atop a giant rooster/horse hybrid... Although she wasn't really sure if it was, given present circumstances.

She scrolled through a few more of the pictures section, one struck her as very odd. There was a white and yellow horse with wings that was bordered with a black background in the picture. It was just a drawing, though. Mary sighed and moved the mouse over to another tab, then searched for something a bit more specific, and scientific. Being vague hadn't shown her anything useful, just weird stuff.

This search didn't yield any answers either, though. Ideally, she had hoped for a link leading to a college research page, or some health warning site. Maybe she could search for those specifically next... But this particular attempt just turned up what appeared to be fictional writing, and icons of what she guessed were horse burgers from the scandal in Europe. As well as, of course, more unhelpful pictures of horses.

Navigating this stuff was slow, but Mary decided to keep it up a little longer, maybe at least search a medical site or two. Briefly, she searched through a few indexes of known diseases and afflictions. Anything in reference to what she sought came up empty, even in amongst the animal viruses. I should have expected as much... This just doesn't make any sense! Am I the first case of something like this ever happening? Are all the legends and myths and mad science we've made up just fake, except for me? She stared at the screen after having searched for two hours, defeated. Or... Have things just been kept secret really well, and for a long time. Am I really alone in this?

Mary didn't believe in conspiracy, at all. Obviously, the government had copious shady dealings... But, it didn't matter she supposed. The internet is the only possible source of answers I have...

Frowning, Mary blinked and retraced her last thought. The only source I have... magic and legends... Oh, right... She groaned to herself over what she was going to do next.

Her eyes looked out across the house towards her goal in the dining room, another phone. Looks like I'm calling Marge... The idea already filled her with a sense of dread. Getting down from the chair was easy, she just turned it with one hoof and plopped out, onto the floor. I can't really be considering this, can I? Marge wasn't a bad person by any means, she was simply... a tad eccentric, and maybe not all there. That and the thought of asking about the supernatural in earnest, even under the circumstances was just... unsettling.

As if there were an invisible wall in front of her, Mary suddenly stopped. Her head craned ever so slowly to the right. The door to the bathroom stood there. She'd seen herself for the first time as she was in that room. You can't hold an aversion to bathrooms, Mary... She was aware she had to go, however. It can wait... A few more steps and she was at the kitchen and away from the risky venture.

After a moment's hesitation while pausing at the kitchen doorway, she attempted to stand, using it as support. She managed to walk up it with her front legs easily.

Margaret dropped the last of the canned food into her Gila Monster's cage, then closed the top. "Aww, I swear you get cuter every time I see you, Francis." The reptile ignored her while devouring the food, except for a swipe of its tail behind it. A timer buzzed behind Marge. Oh! Chili's ready. The sounds of animals in the atrium-like room buzzed around her, as she made her way to the kitchen. Humming the tune to 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', she made her way over to the stove. She'd always loved that movie, ever since high school.

"Mitch! Foooooood's reaaaaady!" she sang cheerfully into the living room. Her husband didn't call back to her. Hm? Now that isn't like him, that man wouldn't miss lunch for the world. Where is he? Upon her inspection she found the TV was still on. It was boringly turned to the history channel. She huffed and crossed the small home to the garage door, and peered into her husband's workshop, which was bigger than the rest of the house combined.

"Hey, gear head, food's done!" Her finger prodded the prone man in his stomach. Mitch's head rolled out from under the raised car along with the rest of him. With one hand he took off the pair of headphones clasped to his head.

"Sorry, what'd yah say Marge?" he asked, wiping one greasy arm across his brow.

"Chili, it's done, yummy yummy come put it in your tummy. Or I'm feeding it to Francis instead, you jerk." Marge rested on the hood of the car and looked down at him with one raised eyebrow.

"Gah! Don't lean on that! Or give away my food, I earned that." The older woman began thinking of a retort, when the phone rang suddenly.

"Ooh, who could that be." Margaret said casually, while Mitch picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his motor oil stained overalls. "I'll get iiit!" She continued in her usual, oddly cheerful demeanor. The phone bounced off the mechanic's garage cradle and into her hand deftly. "Hello?"

"If it's a telemarketer, just hang up!" Marge rolled her eyes—Mitch had said that every time they got a call, and had for the last decade without fail. She strained to hear what had been said over the phone, the person on the other end was garbled.

"Yes, Mitch, I know. Go eat, my threat still stands. Hello? Could you speak up please?" Mary's voice finally came through the line to reach her ears.

"Sorry, I forgot to put it on speaker... Uhm, hi Marge! It's me, uhm, wow, it's actually great to hear your voice, I mean... Not that it wouldn't be I've just been..."

A bit of an awkward silence ensued.

Huh, now when was the last time Mary called me, and not vice versa? Oh well! She grinned to herself, being more curious and happy than confused at hearing her acquaintance's voice. "It is? Well that's great! Did you want to join our little chanting coven after all? Oh, or is this about the star rea-" Groaning, but not so loudly that she could hear, Mary cut her off from the other end of the line.

"No! No, it isn't about... any of that, Marge." Mary glanced down at herself, it was bizarre speaking to another person... looking as she did. Even like this where she wasn't face to face with them. Thankfully this was just on the telephone, she looked back up at the speaker hanging from the kitchen doorway. "It's just... nice to talk to a friend is all." She cleared her throat and sighed, the atmosphere of the conversation felt about as awkward as it could get for her. Like a clown accidentally walking into a funeral...

"Oh certainly, certainly, isn't it just? Did you just want to talk, Mary?" A toolbox made its way next to the work table with the phone at Marge's bidding. Sitting down, she leaned her back against the desk. She was getting an old, familiar feeling, like she was speaking to someone in dire need. The house wife on the other end sounded distressed, nervous, worried, and above all, confused. I wonder what she's trying to cook this time? My guess is... soufflé.

"Uhm, yeah... yeah, I kind of do, Marge," Mary really wasn't sure what to ask now, she'd hoped to ask the question after some casual banter and chit chat, hopefully making it seem like an idle curiosity about her Wicca or something. It was like she'd forgotten how to talk though. Her throat felt welded shut, and her thoughts wouldn't form into words that could even half decently pass for subtle. Instead, her mind just kept wandering. She has no idea I look like this, what would Marge do if she did? Actually, Marge would probably try to pen me up and make me a pet... She shuddered at the thought. Still, at this juncture, she could only banish the creepy ideas, and try her best.

"Well, whatever about, girl? Go on, spit it out." Margaret twirled her blonde, slightly greying ponytail as she spoke.

Mary took a deep breath, resolving to simply plow forward. "Is... is the whole Wicca thing real? Like is magic real? Have you ever really seen anything?" That was vague enough to be safe, she decided.

Marge's eyebrows shifted in surprise, she looked around the garage as if searching for an answer. What brought this on? she wondered.

"Uhm, well... I dunno, it's as real as any belief structure, Mary." It wasn't taken seriously by most people, Marge knew that, skeptics and the mainstream just ridiculed it most of the time. Although, to her, it wasn't any more unbelievable than any other religion.

Mary verbally struck back at her dodge. "That isn't what I meant Margaret, level with me here! Is it real, or not? In the seeing, touching, tasting sense of the word real." The woman on the other end of the line was curious now.

"Whyyy do you wanna know?" Margaret was leaning forward on her knees now, a predatory look on her face. Do I detect a convert? Whee!

The tone her friend used was a little unsettling, but she didn't want to back off now. "...I might be cursed." Mary kind of regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. The other end of the line was pure, hysterical laughter. "I'm serious! Margaret... Marge." Mary scowled and pressed her hooves against her head when it only continued. "KNOCK IT OFF!" The laughter from the wall bound phone slowly settled down.

"Sorry, Mary," she continued to chuckle. "I just never thought I'd hear those words come out of the biggest skeptic I've ever met, is all. Well, why do you think you're cursed?" Mary hadn't been sure if Marge would be any help, now she was almost positive she wouldn't be.

"I guess you don't think it's real then. Never mind, sorry for bothering you." Mary began the laborious effort of standing to hit the phone's thankfully wide off button. She was getting better at standing though.

Mary paused when the older woman's voice came through again. "Nono! I'm sorry! It isn't real," Marge continued, "not from what I've seen, at least. It's just fun, and it's something to believe in, which I do. But, in the way you're talking about it, it doesn't exist, not that I've seen at least. Took a few dozen scams for me to learn, too... But, I've been around long enough now to know the difference, I think... Being at it so long though, why quit now, right?" she asked rhetorically. The work desk and the floor vibrated with her tapping them both in tandem. She got nervous when speaking seriously, and she'd never said that to anyone else.

But, Mary was just a little special to her. "Anyway... Is this about all the bad luck you've had lately? Mitch told me about your truck breaking down, even though it checked out to be perfectly fine. What's happened that has you so curious?"

Mary grimaced at the hoof she'd stretched towards the phone to hang it up, then lowered it and herself to the floor again. She decided to keep talking. "...Honestly Marge, I can't tell you, I just... Just don't tell anyone else about this call alright!? I'm... confused right now."

The line was quiet a moment before an answer came. "It isn't really drugs, is it?" Marge said quietly. Mary would have clenched her fists if she still had them. Instead, she swiped one sweater covered foreleg up at the phone and her face twisted in anger.

"For the—" Mary clenched her eyes shut and regained composure, then spoke again, calmly. "For the love of everything... it isn't drugs! I'm getting sick of hearing about that! From everyone, especially Stan telling me about others saying it. How does hair color even start that rumor up again? Augh, no, just listen, I'm... I'm... Darnit. Look, could you do me a huge favor, and just research curses and maybe them actually happening?"

Marge didn't mind helping, it was an odd request though. Made odder by her friend's behavior. "Sssure. What about, though? You don't really think you're cursed, do you? You didn't answer my question is all... What's happened? Don't tell me the curse won't let you say. That'd be horribly cliche of that curse, you knooOoow." She sang out the last word rather than just saying it.

"...I know I'm cursed, Marge. Also, no, I just... I gotta keep this a secret until it's fixed..." Mary didn't want to say as long as possible. "I trust you though, okay? So please take this seriously, please keep it confidential, and above all please don't ask what it is!" Mary sighed and rested her head against the wall, looking up at the phone cradle from beneath it. "As for what it pertains to... Look for changing or swapping bodies." Mary wanted to give her information to help a search, but didn't want to clue her in about the what. That was the best she could do, she guessed. Absently, Mary squirmed and stood up on all fours as her anxiousness built. "I know what you're going to ask, but just don't."

"Well, okay. Yeah, I'd love to help out then. But, Mary... well now I'm curious! What is it? Are you sure this isn't a prank? I still remember when Herbert—"

"Marge, I'm sorry, but I gotta go! Call back if you find anything scientific and real, okay? Byebyebye and thanks!" Mary fumbled with the phone for a moment, a curse forming on her tongue before she finally managed to end the call. "Thank goodness that's over with. Could I get any more awkward? Stupid, stupid, you're stupid, Mary." She clunked a hoof against her forehead—though softly—to emphasize her feelings.

Mary carefully reached over her head and hung the phone back up where it belonged on the wall then exhaled and slumped against the wall; there were plenty of times in her life when she had been grateful to end of conversation with someone, but since her change it seemed like she had that feeling with just about everyone. She also had a feeling of something like guilt from evading further conversation with arguably her only friend in town, and after she had asked a favor of her, too.

Mary stood there a moment, thinking about any repercussions her desperate requests for help might cause. No, Marge won't be any trouble... as long as this stays on the phone, anyway. I don't want to think about what would happen if she actually saw me! Still thinking, she absently began trotting towards the first floor's facilities.

I wonder if she'll actually find something? Mary put on a slight frown at the thought. What if she actually does find something, and it's really bad? Or, what if this is something top secret that could get traced to her and then to me and—

Mary's chain of panicked thoughts stopped as she found herself faced with a more pressing issue: how to open doors. "Oh, come on! Who left the restroom door shut?" She groaned, unsure how to open it easily. She had opened one before, yes, but she could scarcely remember how.

Mary groaned, her legs wrapped around the door knob in desperation as she grappled with it. They slid off and her legs—covered by her sweater—gave no result.

"For Pete's sake! Open!" Mary leaned back, then slammed her hoof into the knob head on, turning it ferociously. The door knob, surprisingly, turned and clicked! The effort had been quite easy, too, actually.

Mary stared at her hoof as she walked into the restroom. "How on earth did I do that?" It had kinda felt like the doorknob had just... don't what she wanted and turned with her hoof, but that was crazy.

In Mary's confusion, she forgot another logistical issue, and came to a confused stop before the toilet itself. Oh, right. So, in this body... How. Do. I. Use. It? For that matter, how would anyone expect to while wearing pants on a body like this? It was a stupid thought, she knew, seeing as she was in an animal's body. Obviously they don't wear clothes except maybe for Halloween when their owners force them to. The unbidden thought of herself in a bumble bee costume made her wince; it was getting impossible for her to take herself seriously anymore.

"There, got it, now— Ah!" With a cry of surprise, Mary tripped over the leg of her shorts and landed face first on the floor. Shuddering, she slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows. Still staring at the floor, she proceeded to let out the biggest sigh she'd made yet in her life.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Mary stepped out into the dining room pathetically. That was easily... my least favorite life experience... of all time. She hadn't bothered with the underwear when redressing, this time, it had crimped her tail and made it sore. I'll have to sew holes in all my... how am I gonna sew!? Without warning, the raucous sound of the phone beeping from being left on the line filled the room and Mary's ears. She had been completely oblivious to it amidst her thoughts. "Augh!"

"It's not all that bad though Mary! At least washing hooves is easier than washing your hands!" She chortled while grinning maniacally, before resetting her expression to flatness.

The phone being off the hook filled the house with its infernal beeping, Mary quickly approached the cursed device and managed to get the phone back on its hook. The sound cut off immediately, thrusting the rooms back into blissful silence.

Mary was getting better at standing up, it had been a simple matter of pushing up with her front hooves and using her weight to counter balance the momentum, while flexing with her back. The ease with which she pulled it off to hang up the phone, pressing the button, actually put a smile on her face. Standing still was another problem though. After only a few seconds she wobbled and fell back forward, her hooves impacting the wood floor with a thud. "Easy come Mary, easy go... well, what now."

The dining room was pretty cluttered, she noticed. Maybe I should just clean up around the house, I'm almost certain Bobby's room is a wreck...

The sound of a door opening and slamming shut caused her to freeze where she stood. Her chest tightened, and her mind ejected all cognoscente thought out of pure undulating terror. The instinct and need to stay hidden just wasn't innate enough for her, the pony stood stark still for several more seconds without attempting to flee.

AAH! I gotta hide! she managed to think. Immediately, she looked around, the only place to go was the kitchen though! She could already hear footsteps coming from the back of the house towards her!

"Hellooooo! I'm here! I brought your favorite! Who wants a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiiich." It was Agnes, her mother-in-law.

"MOM!?" Mary shouted in terror, already she was jumping through the kitchen doorway. There was nowhere to go, it was a dead end. She spotted a cupboard and began opening it. Openopenopen!

"Oh, you're up and about, shouldn't you be resting? Or are you playing hooky? I knew Bobby got it from your side of the family! Hah, how are you feeling Mary?" Her mom was in the dining room now, every second Mary could hear her getting closer. The cupboard finally banged against the wall harshly, her hooves managing to pull the door out and open by its sides.

"Mary?" Agnes called out again.

The cupboard was the one filled with pots and pans! Dangit! Mary scooped her arms into the stacks of metal cookware, tossing them out behind her in a clanging heap.

"What's going on in there!? Are you okay?" Agnes called out once again.

"M-mom! Please don't come in here! Please!" It was too late, Mary looked behind herself. Everything seemed to happen at once.

"What are you talking about, what's wro- AAAA-aah? AH!? OH MY G- W-what are you!?" Cried out Agnes, the bags she had carried in fell onto the kitchen tile, and she half recoiled behind the counter top.

At the same time Mary screamed, "NO! DON'T LOOK!" Her hooves flew over her head, and she hid as best she could beneath them. Half of her body was in the cupboard, but with the remaining articles still within, this was as far as she could go.

Mrs. Morris, senior, wasn't sure what to make of the sight before her, it was a furry little orange animal, the size of a big dog. It seemed to be trying to force its way into the space under the counter. Pots lay everywhere. Mary was no where to be seen. Her voice was present though, and coming from the creature. It shook uncontrollably, after watching for just another moment, it became clear that it was crying.

So, Agnes did the only logical thing that came to mind.

"Oh wow, I never thought I would ACTUALLY end up on television! Oh my gosh, is Herbert watching right now? Where's the cameraaaa, hah!" She looked around the immediate vicinity giggling as though she were a school girl. "Oh, darnit I dropped Mary's sandwich." The bags were just full of some random things for a cold. The paper bag containing the sandwich was deposited onto the counter. "Mary? Are you in here? You may all come out now, I think you overdid it with this one!" Still laughing, she kept looking around for signs of anyone. No one came though, a clatter banged under the sink. The strange looking animal with hooves was gone.

Mary curled into a ball as best she could. "Thisisn'treal,itisn'treal,thisiscompletelyandtotallynotreal." Her mind just wasn't ready to handle this. It could've been anyone to come in that backdoor, and her mind knew that. The thought of a stranger seeing her was terrifying. In her head, worries she'd been ignoring played out through her. Government experiment? I don't want to go away!

The door beside her opened up a crack, and her mother's head was on the other side. "Noooo, it's not fair... just go away." Mary whined and gasped out a sigh. Her body tensed as Agnes just kept watching her. Then... Mary just relaxed, and sat there. Her head hung limply to one side. It's best to just ride this thing out and get it over with...

Strangely, no exclamation of horror, or even words came from Agnes. Mary wasn't going to be the first to make a move though, she didn't care anyway... On impulse, she listlessly looked over at the older woman, it felt like she was wearing the most pathetic heart wrenching face she'd ever put on.

"Mary," Agnes said calmly. "when your mother told you you could be anything you wanted when you grew up, I don't think she meant a pony." Mary's mouth dropped open.

"You're JOKING about this? Seriously? You think this is funny!?" She exploded out of the cupboard. Or tried to, her legs caught the sides and she tumbled out, instead. Landing nearly knocked the wind out of her.

Agnes' hands moved from the top of her head to her mouth to her cheek and back as she spoke. "Hey easy, uhm, Mary. Is that really you? Oh my-, this is real? Is that really you, Mary? It sounds like you. It is you isn't it? This isn't some new fangled trick with a bunch of mirrors? Oh, if this isn't real, then I must look like the biggest doof ever right now. I knew I should've kept up with those magazines Herbert kept getting me-" Agnes finally kept her hand over her mouth and stared in awe at her daughter, who abruptly interrupted her tirade angrily.

"YES! YES, it's real! I'm a freak, I don't know how, or why. But I'm a horse now, go figure! If I had to compare this to some of the most unexpected things ever happening in the entire world, it would be somewhere between Stan making the first move on our first date and dad being serious during our entire wedding! Do you believe that this is me NOW mom? HUH!?" Her lungs worked to suck in enough oxygen to make up for the yelling rant.

"...Mary? It is you, why-" Agnes began asking questions, and the like.

Mary didn't hear a word of what Agnes went on to say, she was seething already. The outburst had caused her to stop and think though, she had done all this before, and she had just yelled at Stan's mother in anger. My life is so out of control.

"-ary? What happened? Are you alright? We should get you to a doctor, or... maybe not, actually..." Agnes was picking up on her daughter's mood, which was understandable to her, she guessed. The situation was slowly coming into focus. Mary was glaring up at her now. "Dear? What's wrong?" She stretched out a hand to Mary.

The pony's hoof suddenly swatted away the hand which Agnes had stretched out. "What's wrong?" Mary asked acidly, and in a mocking tone. "What's wrong is I'm in the middle of a crisis, and you're cracking jokes..." Talking about it just brought emotion, and emotion brought tears. "I'm not gonna cry again, I'm not!" she whispered to herself weakly.

"I'm sorry, how should I react to this," Agnes' hands spread wide at her sides, emphasizing her confusion... "I don't even know! You really aren't sure what did this? Oh..." This was a lot to take in, she reached for one of the kitchen table's seats. "I need to sit down..." The chair creaked as she sat, but it was an improvement over standing. Agnes looked up in time to see the pale orange pony trotting out of the kitchen, away from her.

"M-Mary? Dear, come back, just where are you going?" The pony had Mary's hair color too, she realized. It truly is her.

Mary's heated voice flew back at Agnes. "To stay in my room, I want to be alone, preferably until this blows over or..." Mary trailed off as she kept her curious four legged walk going.

"MARY!" Her daughter-in-law stopped cold in her tracks, and turned her head to look over her shoulder at the source of the snapping voice. The tail she now seemed to have that matched her hair, flicking rapidly in the air. Agnes scowled at her. "Come back here, right now. Hiding... hiding from your problems won't make them go away, eventually they find you. I don't know what this one is all about, but talk to me; you owe me, Ms. I'm-going-to-yell-at-Grandma."

Mary chewed on the inside of her lip and tensed with every word. Agnes was right of course; Mary knew she was right, but the mood Mary was in didn't want to admit that she was right.

"Also, if you don't come back here, your sandwich is going to get cold." The smile Agnes gave the mare didn't hold a trace of insult or mockery. It was warm and inviting.

The act wasn't easy, but Mary turned herself around to face her, although what she really wanted to do was stand up. It wasn't comfortable for her to walk like this, not on the inside. It made the journey back into the kitchen all the longer and more tiring, but she made it. Agnes stared at her sagely the whole way. Mary looked up at her mother sitting in the chair, her hands folded in her lap, and couldn't hold it any longer.

It was an awkward position, but she fell into on Agnes' lap all the same, she didn't care. Mary cried harder than she'd ever done so before. Tears from the day before had been long and drawn out, but these were hysterical. Agnes smoothed the matted hair adorning Mary's technicolor head, frowning.

"Dear, you're a big girl. You're a grown woman, you're stronger than this." Agnes spoke matter of factly in a flat tone.

"No, you're wrong I'm- I'm not even me anymore!"

"Mary..." Agnes began darkly. "Shutup and listen to me. That isn't true, not in the least bit. You're the same still, alright? No one was ever treated different rightfully, just for looking apart from everyone else. As long as you have your family to help you, you never will be treated wrongly, either." The older woman sighed and looked down at Mary, her huge eyes were green now, strangely, and glistened with tears. "Now tell me already, everything that has happened, from the beginning."

Somewhere, not so far, far away, Herbert felt a disturbance in the force. "Huh?" His eyes searched around the greenery of his establishment and home. Nothing there... What was... A shudder ran through him, he got up and set down his tools quickly.

"I gotta stop using so much dang hot sauce." He sauntered off at a quick pace for the lavatory.

Mary had felt like she had shared a life story. It hadn't even been two days yet, though. Agnes stared off towards the far wall, behind Mary. Two cups of fresh brewed coffee steamed and sat untouched on the dining room table. Mary held hers between her hooves, despite the heat.

"I wish you had both told me right away, Mary..." Agnes looked at her peculiarly shaped relative with worry. "I'm glad you're alright though."

Mary shifted the coffee on the table absently, staring into its depths. She had the urge to denounce that statement. "I'm sorry we didn't... Besides telling you I was sick, we didn't even think about you... and I'm glad I'm safe too, mom." But she didn't denounce anything, in truth, she felt a lot better now. Almost kinda like the worst of it was over. She was still a whatever it was that she was, though... It was almost maddening, oddly enough her grip on things was solid. Agnes always has been a great anchor though, guess she'd have to be to keep the likes of the boys in check all these years...

Agnes nodded to herself, and shared Mary's stare into the coffee which she held. "Well that's all in the past. Just remember Mary, no matter what the future holds, you're still here with us, and that's what matters." She gave Mary a warm smile, then took a sip from her coffee.

Mary on the other hand saw a flaw with her philosophy. She jumped into a full speed retort. "What if I'm not here anymore though, mom! What if this kills me! Or I'm turned into a sideshow attraction, what if the governme-?" Her hooves pushed her up on the table as she spoke, until Agnes put a stop to it and spoke over her.

"What if a giant meteor careens out of the sky and kills me faster than I can blink!?" She stared back wide eyed and pursing her lips in a mocking expression. "Hm? What then? What if Genghis Khan conquers America from beyond the grave and enslaves everyone!?"

Mary exhaled and leaned back in the chair. "I'm talking about things in the realm of plausibility mom! Stuff that could actually HAPPEN!" Mary glared over at her from her seat across the table.

"Oooh, okay. Possible stuff only huh, you mean like say, turning into a bright and colorful miniature horse? Hm?" She raised her eyebrows as high as they would go and stared down her daughter-in-law smartly.

Dang... Mary thought, surprised. She really shouldn't be however, she supposed. Score one point to mom...

"Alright... You've made your point, but what can we do. I don't want to stay like this Agnes, I can't stay like this! The kids don't know yet, I mean-" Mary was interrupted by a mild slapping sound.

Agnes had facepalmed, then took a deep breath which spoke of impatience. "Girl, you are running around in circles at a hockey rink expecting to find a spot where you won't slip and fall on your arse."

Mary flinched from her mother-in-law's tone, her ears bent back onto her head without her realizing it.

Agnes continued. "This isn't about the kids, Robert and Annalise will be just fine. From the sounds of it, Stan said about as much to you already, Mary." She gave Mary a concerned look from the side of the furniture.

Mary eyes searched Agnes' expression, trying to think of how to respond. "It hasn't happened to you, though. I have to know, what are we going to do?" She swallowed, trying to show confidence . Instead, it came out as a scared whimper.

Agnes met her eyes with a level look. "No, it hasn't. We can't know what you're going through, the incredibleness about this aside. It's still a family crisis, and the family's here for you, Mary." The elderly woman paused for a second, staring out the window. "I don't have an answer for your question either, other than maybe buying some new clothes..." She raised an eyebrow at the gaudy sweater Mary wore. "Things. Will stay. The same. Now, no more questions."

"But-!" Mary started, eyes widening.

"Nope, not another word about it, drink your coffee." Mary's hooves clunked heavily to the table surface. Grimly, she looked down at the dark liquid before her. The cup vibrated in her grip as she tried to lift the cup to her mouth, ever so carefully she was able to sip some out of it without pushing it away from her grasp. The cup was empty soon, Mary troubling herself and her mind with thoughts all the while. The only one that seemed to make sense though, didn't help her.

This conversation isn't fair.

Agnes' coffee cup clinked onto the table, also empty. "So," she spoke up, matter of factly. "I think you need a bath, dear." Mary's ears shot up in fear. "You smell simply awful."

Mary hopped off of her chair causing it to clatter on the floor and backed away towards the living room door. "Mary," Agnes started to say, laughing and smiling. "Are you really going to be so immature about this?"

"Immature!? I have fur, Agnes! FUR! Think about it! How would I even wash myself with these hooves?" She hopped up on her hind legs long enough to wiggle them at the grey haired woman. Wow, she thought. I'm getting good at that, gah! "No water, Agnes! None!" She reinforced herself with conviction.

"Well, I'll help of course. But do you really think Stan will want to keep hanging around you if you smell like a stable? Love's a powerful force Mary... But so is that odor coming off of you." Her mother-in-law wiggled a finger at her and wrinkled her nose for emphasis. Mary relented, wilting to the floor in a heap.

"Oh... Fine, let's get this over with... My God, this is so embarrassing." Agnes got up from her chair and frowned down at Mary.

"Mary, you may be a pony at the moment, but that doesn't mean you can take the Lord's name in vain. Honestly, you weren't raised in a barn." Mary groaned loudly at the terrible joke. She face hoofed at that one, and scowled up at Agnes.

"That was terrible, mom. Oh God, no horse puns please, I can't take that." Agnes let out an exasperated sigh and flopped her arms against her sides.

"What did I just say? Fine, no more puns, let's just get you in and out before I feel the need to wash out your mouth, too."

She wouldn't dare, would she? Mary got up from the floor and considered the threat carefully. "Or before everyone else gets home..." She continued Agnes' sentence for her.

Agnes tsked and pushed the bathroom door open, while simultaneously beginning to tug at the sweater covering Mary. "Nonsense, there's no reason for them to be back before noon. I'm sure they're still hours away from coming home, dear." The statement filled Mary with dread.

Knock on wood. She thought solemnly.

Suddenly, the cold spray of shower water crashed down on her, causing her to gasp.

"COLD! MOM! COLD!"

"Oopsie, sorry."

"...Mom, what are you doing back there?" After the shower-bath and a very irritating toweling, they had gone to the family-room by the back door. The wide windows had their shades and drapes drawn, at Mary's request. It made sense to Agnes that she would want them that way, even if their closest neighbors were a full two miles down the road. After that, the town and suburban area began, the rural shifting smoothly into a forest of small houses. Mary sat beside Agnes on the couch, and the television was flipped to a local station. They didn't have cable, Stan said it was a waste of money. "Mom?"

"Hm? Yes Mary?" Agnes had convinced Mary to let her re-braid her hair. She was currently wrapping the damp locks around one another deftly.

"I asked you, what are you doing back there...? It doesn't feel like your braiding my hair." Mary tried to turn her head, but Agnes pushed it back once, then twice, causing Mary to snort in offense.

"Hm? Oh, I'm putting this adorable red ribbon I found in your work room into your hair. You really do have lovely hair, Mary." Mary tried to jerk forward in response to the coddling comments. "Would you sit still!" Agnes' hand pushed her back down roughly.

"Mom, I'm not a pet to be dressed up or decorated!" Mary whined over her shoulder.

"Oh don't be silly, I know you did this to Anna on more than one occasion, this has nothing to do with your... pony related problems. I will admit though, you're easily a hundred times more adorable than your cutest baby picture of Bobby." Mary winced at the words and tried to squirm away, which only earned her a pinch in return.

"Gah!? What was that for?" Her head finally came loose, and she spun around on the couch and glared at Agnes.

"Well you weren't listening." She began to chuckle. "Oh my gosh, we need to get a picture of you, that is just precious." Agnes tittered uncontrollably, with one knuckle covering her mouth.

"Mom!? How can you laugh at this? This isn't a time for laughing at all! Hey, would you listen to me?" Agnes scratched her neck absently, still chuckling, and looked around the room. Mary continued to stare at her face incredulously, until she noticed the older woman pointing at the wall mirror besides the television.

Agnes broke out into a fit of laughter again, falling back on the couch this time.

In the mirror, that same green eyed stranger met Mary's gaze. Only this time, she had two ribboned tails falling forward, over her ears, and one wrapped spray of hair sticking straight up above her head, through the use of a scrunchie. It was horrifying, in a style that would make Dr. Seuss cringe. But she couldn't help herself.

Mary joined her, after a moment. They laughed together, happy tears falling casually.

Some time had passed, and things had calmed down a little bit more. The two moved to sit lazily on the couch, Mary in more of a lying position. Agnes had gone and reheated the previously ignored sandwich, which Mary now chewed on absently. She didn't care if horses were herbivores, it still tasted delicious.

They watched television and talked about normal things, the events of earlier somewhat forgotten. They joked about Herbert getting caught in his own zipper that morning, about Anna and her ballet recital, and briefly about how Mary wouldn't be able to go to it any longer... They also talked about Stan and his job, and Bobby and school.

During a lapse in conversation, Mary readdressed her guilty conscience to Agnes.

"Mom?" The grey haired mother looked over at her, smiling. "I was just... just thinking... Maybe it doesn't make any sense, mom, or maybe things won't work out... But you're right, that isn't what's important. I've just been stubborn lately, even with things as they are I guess that isn't an excuse. Huh? I'm sorry." Mary looked down at the carpeted floor, she swished her tail absently beside her. Agnes had worked a ribbon into that somehow, too.

"Mary," Agnes began. "Think of it like this, I can tell you're still upset. You're right to be! But find peace, too. Life isn't about just waiting for the storm to pass." She gently rested a hand on her daughter in law's shoulder. "It's about learning to dance in the rain. Tragedies happen, we learn to cope."

The room was quiet for a minute, while the words spoken sunk in.

Mary hugged herself and shivered. "...Will you help me break this to the kids, mom?" She wasn't cold, but despite trying to be brave inwardly, it hurt. How many people are going to see me like this? The thought was filed away.

Agnes merely smiled at her, and nodded. "Of course, dear."

She hummed suddenly, and tapped a finger to her lip, a flat look crossing onto her face which tilted up at the ceiling.

"Something wrong?" Mary inquired, she looked as though she were deep in thought.

"Oh, nono, not at all... I was just thinking though. You and I could definitely get Herbert back for all those years of pranks, now..." Mary's eye brows climbed up her face, she'd never heard Stan's mother laugh evilly before, but she was good at it.

Chapter 7 : The Plan

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The truck pulled into the driveway smoothly, it really had been running like new lately. Bobby hopped out and Anna kicked the passenger side seat forward, in an attempt to usher him out of the way quicker. "Hey, watch it brat!" The highschooler spat back into the truck at her.

The eagerness which Stan felt to get inside to Mary was being combated by the knowledge that the court case was still ongoing. This isn't fair to her, I know I said we would wait this out as long as we can before trying to get outside help, but...God, how are my folks gonna react? His bet was still admittedly on Herbert wanting to start a sitcom, somehow.

"Why don't yah make me, Bob Chuck!" Anna stuck out her tongue and rolled away from the backpack Bobby swiped at her. She jumped out the other side of the truck behind Stan, while calling out her rebuttal to her big brother's attack. "Jerk-butt!"

I mean...what if it gets worse, what if she's an actual horse by the end of this!? Stan shuddered. Tribulations so far aside I just don't know if- Stan walked in a trance past the garage and through the back gate. His kids danced around him in mortal kombat.

"Dad! Anna's throwing rocks at me. Dammi-"

"That's nice Bobby, no cussing around your sister..." The sun shone brightly off of the back porches' white siding, but at the moment it looked like the portal to some hellish unreality, to Stan.

One thing at a time I guess...I'll break the news to her again, and then insist we at least tell mom and pop. Maybe they know something... What they could honestly know that would help was beyond him, but then so was the whole situation. If nothing else maybe more family can ease the tension...

Stan went to unlock the back door to the house. It was already open however, leaving only the screen door closed. Mary wouldn't have left it unlocked... He turned to his son. "Bobby, did you leave the door unlocked?" Who was busy fending off a retaliatory assault from his sister.

"Knock it off, mosquitoe!" The two siblings swatted at each other with schoolbags while their father nervously peeked inside. He was wary as he entered, so wary that Anna dove under his arms and into the house in a mad sprint for freedom, before he could react. Bobby shrugged when his father glared back at him. "What? She hit me first, I can't be expected to put up with abuse from all three of you..." He picked up his bag off the grassy back-lawn and pulled his hair behind his ears. "Did you say something about the door?"

"Nevermind." A shout came from inside, and Stan jumped in after his daughter.

"GRANDMAAA!" Anna flung her backpack aside in the manner someone would throw away a forgotten piece of refuse.

"Oooooh! Hello pumpkin! How are you? Crepes you're getting big aren't-cha?" Stan slid to a stop at the exit to the mudroom, his mother and daughter were merely in a familial embrace.

You gotta relax, Stan... The big father said to himself.

Agnes set her granddaughter down with a thump. She quickly took notice of the rest of her other family coming in. "And good afternoon to you too, Stan. Bobby, come give your gran a hug!" Anna was already scampering off to the back of the house as Agnes attempted to sweep up Bobby in an endearing embrace. "How was your day? Do well at school today?"

"Was fine." He intoned drearily. Agnes did all the hugging, Bobby stood there and suffered through it. "Could've done without Anna being... Anna." Bobby paused for a second, eyes shifting. "School's fine too."

"Well, you be good to your sister Rob, even if she is a handful for everyone around here." That earned a smirk from him, afterwards he was released and he continued towards the stairs lackadaisically.

Stan walked up behind his son and watched him go, then spoke when he was out of earshot. "He didn't actually go today, boy's suspended. You know he's the handful right? Not Anna."

"Well of course dear, anyone with two cents worth of sense can see that. But he has your sense when you were that age, so he doesn't see it. But, it's best not to rub it in. I think he's going to have to figure things out the hard way, and on his own. You young men have a way of being stubborn for no good reason at all."

Stan crossed his arms and breathed the words for his response out tiredly. "Mar worries about him day and night, she doesn't want to...let him 'figure things out' on his own." It had been easy to see that Bobby had just sat in his office earlier that day, eating the snacks from the lounge. To Stan it certainly didn't seem like the boy was in the midst of any personality breakthroughs or epiphanies...

Agnes nodded at every word he spoke, then stuck a finger up under his nose. "Oh, I know, but he's her son too, you see. What she does is up to her, whether that's ask for advice or try to corral the boy. One thing I told myself I wouldn't do is stick my nose where it doesn't belong." Briefly, she put on a thoughtful look, then added. "I do think some hard labor would straighten Robert out though, she should try bringing him over to the shop sometime."

"That didn't work with me, Agnes, prolly won't for him either..." She opened her mouth to interject, but Stan continued. There was a more pressing concern weighing heavily on his mind. "How is she?" He asked solemnly.

"Mary? Well, last I saw her, she was covered head to tail in fur, oh she actually had a tail too, and she was busy making 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not' seem like a joke." Agnes crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Stan.

Her son sighed and leaned his back against the doorway, also crossing his arms. "Agnes, I'm being serious here..."

"Sorry, and call me mom for Heaven's sake..." Agnes made a thoughtful sound, then pressed on. "I was just trying to lighten the mood, it's doughy enough in here to use it as a pie crust for a pastry..." Stan's forehead wrinkled at his mom's latest comparison of worldly drama to baking. "Mary needed cheering up earlier, certainly, I forget how tough you like to be, though." She reached up and shook his cheek roughly, his face remained stiff, and devoid of emotion as it underwent the mistreatment. "We talked, she had a little break down, which is completely understandable, but she's doing well in my opinion. Mostly we made plans and such..." She trailed off, as if unsure where to continue with the exposition.

Stan scratched a hand through his beard, though it was secretly to sooth the ache his face had now accrued. He spoke when his mother didn't continue. "So you saw her then after all, I take it, she'd asked me to wait before we...acted in any way. Sorry for not saying anything, I think she hopes it's temporary, the change I mean. God send that it is..." Agnes' face had taken on a pained look, no doubt despite her wanting to be a pillar for him. "Did she call you over?"

He considered his own words for a moment, and if this changed his view on the world at all. Mary didn't believe in religion or an almighty, they'd talked about it casually a few times. Do I anymore?

"Mary was kind of hard to miss, Stan." Agnes answered quaintly. "Admittedly, she hadn't been expecting me, so no I just came over expecting to make some soup for her and then be on my merry way! When you told me she was sick I...I just assumed it was a cold." Agnes flourished one hand in the air for emphasis, the day had turned out pretty differently than what she had imagined it would, certainly. Even she was a little on edge, but it was something that she sorely didn't want to show to her family.

In answer, Stan's gravelly voice rumbled a response detractedly... "Well, I'm actually really glad you came over. I shouldn't have been leaving her alone, even if it's what she wanted. I was...scared for her all day, to be honest. I dunno if I can leave her again tomorrow." His fist balled up a little before he released it.

"Well, me and Herby will stick around if she wants us to, there's no use crying over spilled milk Stan. Everything happens for a reaso-" Stan cut her off sharply.

"Are you really suggesting this happened for a reason, Agnes? What possible fu-" Stan bit his lip and turned away to look at the ground, unfortunately for him his mother was short enough that looking at the ground brought her into view perfectly. It was a terrible way to avoid eye contact, as it turned out. After she stepped up closer to him, she wrapped him up in a gentle hug and patted his shoulder. She had to stretch her arm up though. "I'm sorry..." He muttered. "What are we going to do?"

"It's okay. Well," Agnes continued. "I've only had half a day to think on it... But it was simple enough to arrive to a conclusion, at least for your wise ol' mother it was." She smirked up at him, stepping back. "We'll cope, be there for one another, discreetly find a solution. I'm going to make her some clothes I think, the one she has won't do any longer. I've already thought up a few designs, myself. She can still come over and work at our place certainly, I think she should, too. Waiting here isn't good for her, Stanley..."

Stan began to respond, before she raised her voice after another thought hit her. "You know! A better question would be... What caused this? I thought about it all day, too, some government experiment or something? How is this possible, hm?"

The question caused Stan's brow to furrow, it had been crisscrossing his mind all day, too. One of his biggest fears had been coming home to an empty house or a ransom note. Briefly, fear shot through him as he realized he hadn't even seen Mar yet, but it abated after remembering that Agnes had been here all day.

He gave his mother a hesitant answer. "It isn't possible, mom... but somehow this happened anyway."

The pictures were scattered across the floor in front of Mary. She hadn't meant to simply dump them out like that, but she found that now they were on the floor that picking them back up was an impossibility. Photographs of her enlistment to the Land Force Command lay at the top presently... Although it was now called the Canadian Army. Those were some happy times. An image of her and Stan playing Texas Hold 'em overseas was on the side of the pile, she couldn't remember who'd taken it.

From her bedroom, Mary heard the back door to the house bang open resolutely, and the sounds of shoes beating the floor. On instinct, she double checked the little latch that kept her door locked. The pony took several deep measured breaths to calm herself, even though they had decided not to reveal her condition just yet...the idea had her nervous all the same. What am I going to do tomorrow though?

The plan was to have everyone home the next day, then break it to Herbert and the kids. True, Bobby had already missed two days of school... I guess I could just wait for the weekend...

It had been the only thing they had argued over. Mary just wanted to reveal it to them right away, get it over with... This was still her life, leaving on hold just..wasn't an option. Even if it's not the same, it's still mine. Her hooves rubbed together idly as she considered the plans.

Agnes thought waiting at least a day would be better, maybe longer. She'd said that it could still run out or whatever, Mary hadn't relished the false hope. I mean yeah, it could, but I've spent two days fretting over this and letting it...just letting it eat me up. What Mary wanted was progress in some direction, it didn't matter what.

There was a steady knock which filled the bedroom, and her head craned from the direction of the back door to face the source of it. The quiet sound of her daughter's inquisitive voice followed it.

"Mom!" She called through the door in a harsh whisper. "It's me! I'm back, are you better yet? Can I come in, please?"

"Hey sweetie...no mommy's still really sick." Instinctively she hunched her shoulders and pawed the ground with one hoof, without noticing. Don't worry about me Anna...I'll be out soon, I just hope you'll still see me as...me.

"Okay...I'm sorry I didn't bring you dinner yesterday, dad was a stink butt and wouldn't let me..." Mary heard her daughter sigh and thump against the door, likely sliding down it to take a seat. "Have you felt better at all today, mom?"

Mary shook her hoof at noticing the groove she was starting to dig into the floor. Darnit, stupid hooves...

"Uhm, that's alright Anna, I don't want to get you sick too, after all. I-I have been feeling a little bit better...I might be able to get back to things as usual, tomorrow." The words felt really hollow, and forced to Mary. Anna was likely able to tell too, she thought. There hadn't been much effort put into making them sound convincing... The plan was to simply explain things to the kids, and Herbert tomorrow, then take the day off. Foolproof, yep.

She thought of the days that were likely to come. It was obvious it wouldn't be a good idea to dwell, but it was hard not to consider who this would effect besides her. Our son will probably take it the hardest... They had thought about sending the kids away, to her parents, or maybe Agnes', to keep herself safe, but that didn't sit well with her. No one would believe them anyway really. Oh this is just...woo sa, Mary.

"Mom? Are you still there?" Mary returned from her revery. "I'll come back and talk to you if you're lonely..."

"Oh, that..." Her eyes searched anxiously across the room for what to say, she decided it couldn't hurt. "Would be lovely, Anna. Thank you."

A laugh came through the door, followed by, "Don't worry, mom! You'll be better in no time!"

Mary deadpanned at the painted oak barricade, listening to the sound of her daughter retreat away on the other side. I really hope you're right, Anna.

The night was young, Agnes had stayed and made dinner, Bobby had left to sit in his secluded room, which left Anna to share the big table with her grandmother. The parents, once again shared a box to eat their meal on top of, hidden away at the back of the house.

"This is obscenely more difficult than eating the pizza, Stan," Mary lamented. Precariously balanced between both hooves, was her fork.

Stan grimaced at his wife's attempt to hold the whole steak upright between her hooves atop her utensil. "I know... that's why I offered to hel-" His wife glared at him from where she sat on the floor across from him, her glare piercing and serious. He clicked his mouth shut under the scrutiny.

"Oh no, I've got this, you just keep your keester put, right there." Mary opened her mouth wide and furiously assaulted the chunk of red meat. She managed to wrench off a piece of the juicy protein, and without spilling it onto the improvised table. "There," she said around a mouthful. "Nubbin' 'o it."

Stan stared a moment, wondering if he should say anything, then coughed. "Mar, are you sure you should be eati-"

Mary groaned in response to her husband's repeated question. "Honestly, probably not Stan, probably not. I had bacon earlier too, that didn't kill me though. I want my life to be as effected by this as little as possible." Mary took another, smaller nibble at the side of the dinner.

Stan sighed out his rebuttal. "I mean, you're not even that big on meat, you hate how often we make steaks...we can adjust, love." Mary shook her head stubbornly in answer.

"Only...only if we need to." The steak clinked along with the fork back onto the plate. "If we can keep things normal...we will." She nudged the steak itself with a hoof while she continued. "You know, it's funny babe, I was in a state just a few days ago about hair color and utilities." She gave a short, bitter laugh, then whispered. "I miss last week..."

Stan gave a consoling look to his wife, his hand covering his red beard and scratching through it absently, it was his tick for nervousness.

"I was upset you know, a little angry, mostly I'm just scared, now."

Stan leaned forward and put one giant hand on her shoulder, smoothing it. "It's alright to be, we're all scared together."

Mary laughed again and put a hoof up on his cheek, pursing her lips. "D'aw, you are such a sap when I'm in distress, it's cute."

Stan's brow creased and he scowled at her. I am not cute.

"Oh yes you are." His mouth almost fell slack when his wife replied to his thought, even in the right tone. Mary laughed from the telling expression he put on. Stan tried to deflect the topic immediately, she got weird when she was like this.

"So, how does the steak taste to you, any different?" Stan's eyes stared at the brutally mutilated slab of meat sitting on her plate.

"Tastes kind of funny...kind of...pale, but at the same time it tastes the same. Does that make sense?" Mary was successfully drawn off topic. Her face took on a look of consternation and confusion from her own words.

Stan answered her dryly. "Pale isn't a taste dear."

"You know what I mean." Her hoof collided with his shoulder, knocking him off balance to fall over from his crouch.

The food in front of Agnes was stirred absently under her spoon, not really tantalizing her appetite. She still felt guilty about making steak, it hadn't occurred to her that it might not go over well with Mary's condition. At least the very least the girl hadn't seemed to mind much.

"Gramma." Anna's feet kicked under the table lazily as she turned her head sideways, but towards her older guardian. "What exactly is wrong with Mom?"

"She has a-" Agnes paused in the act of lying, it occurred to her that if they were going to break it to them tomorrow as Mary had wanted... maybe she shouldn't perpetuate the story. Calling it a cold just wouldn't do. "well, Anna, your mother has a very... unique illness. But she's fine."

"Moon-eek?" The word struck the young girl as odd. Oh wow, that does sound really bad...I didn't know mom had a scared cold...that is bad. I wonder what she's afraid of?

"You-neek, dear, unique. It means different from any else, or very special. Mary has..." Agnes realized she probably should have just changed the subject, oh well too late now. "So, how's your ballet been going Anna? Having fun with the other girls?"

The granddaughter gave Agnes a funny look. "Eeh... I can't wait for it to be over, but it's okay. Mom likes it or whatever, so... Will she be better from the unique by Saturday?" Anna pushed the half eaten plate away from her with one hand and leaned on the table.

Agnes looked up in surprise, then diverted her attention to her own plate. "Uhm..." It would be too bad, but Mary couldn't go out in public the way she was, certainly. It wouldn't do to get Anna's hopes up, she decided, either. "Probably not, pumpkin. Are you finished, is that all you want to eat?"

Anna shook her head up and down vigorously, but had an upset look plastered to her face already. "Are you kidding me!? I only stayed in it so she would feel better!...This sucks."

"Anna! Language." Agnes reached over and tapped her hand.

"What, Bobby says it all the time and he doesn't get told not to. What makes him so special..." The chair scooted away from the table with a wooden screech and she hopped out of it.

Agnes called after the girl making for the stairs, and at mach five as always. "I promise you, your brother isn't supposed to be saying bad words either, Anna!" she called out, then huffed coldly. Her fork replaced her spoon and she began to stir the food on her plate once again. "Herby better have some whiskey left somewhere when I get home..."

Stan waved goodbye to his mother, she'd come to their door and told them the coast was clear, and that she was headed out. She asked Mary again if she was sure that she wanted to go through with things.

I can't believe she hadn't told me any of that, I was wondering what Agnes had meant by 'plans'. I'm not sure if this is a good idea at all... Maybe the kids won't tell anyone or it wouldn't matter if they did. But, this could be trouble. Stan didn't like it one bit, but, he supposed there wasn't anything to like about this. Except maybe watching Mar try to eat, heh. The grin split his face remembering his wife chase a slice of pizza with her mouth from the night before. It's a good thing I keep these thoughts to myself.

Stan came to the stairs and headed up them, his son's bizarre obsession with heavy metal made itself known more and more the closer he got to the room. The sheriff had decided, if this plan was going into action tomorrow, then Bobby at least needed to be spoken to. His balled up fist thumped to the door loudly so as to be heard. It opened quickly, and on the falling note of some metal singers ending scream to a song.

"Sounded like a good song." Stan began.

"You hate my music, Dad." Bobby flipped back the ridiculous growth of hair he insisted on keeping on his head.

"I sure do, can I come in?" His son left the door open and trudged over to his usual position in the corner, and Stan sat in the old recliner. It creaked under his weight in protest, the thing would probably break eventually as much as he came up here. "This is about your mother Bobby, and the family... and you."

Two shoes thunked onto the ground noisily in the rare quiet of Bobby's room, he looked up from the pillow he'd thrust his head into. "What's wrong with her? What's it got to do with me...?" He was quiet for a minute, while Stan chose his words, deciding whether or not to talk about certain things... Quietly, Bobby added. "Will she be okay?"

Stan interlocked his fingers and rested his arms on his knees. "After a fashion. It's uh... Not easy to explain Rob, not that... easy at all. The important thing I just wanted to tell you though, is we're all in this thing together. I know... I haven't been around much till recent years. It shows, and that's my fault. We need to stand together now though, we need you to stand straight, too. We need you to be a better person starting tomorrow."

Bobby was quiet for a minute, his eye twitched at certain sentences, and his hand flinched at others. The finishing coup de grâce his dad ended the talk-to with, vibrated in his head. He clicked his tongue, and answered Stan Morris.

"Yeah."

"I mean it Bobby, we really do need you." Stan said humbly.

Bobby was nodding his head rhythmically, half listening. He answered him though. "I know, yep." His son exhaled and fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I suppose this next part is where you offer me ten bucks to cut my hair again and tell me I need to stop beating the tar out of the jerks at school-"

"No, that isn't it at all, you're not going to school tomorrow, either." Bobby raised his head again, and a curious eyebrow.

"Dang, I fu-" He gave his dad a weary look. "I screwed up that bad this time?"

Stan smirked at his son. "No, but..." His tone darkened, to match the topic. "Mar is... your mother really is that bad off." Pushing with his hands he got back up to his feet and started for the door. He always kept it brief with Bobby.

"What's wrong with her? Isn't it just a cold?" Bobby was getting up to his own feet, half following Stan.

"You'll see, tomorrow, get some rest, Rob." Stan shut the door slowly, then started back down the stairs.

...

Anna poked her head out of her room after her dad was gone from the upstairs. Then, her head poked once more through another doorway, that of her brother's. The music was still off, and judging by what she had heard something serious had been said this time.

"Bobby?" A shoe flew at the wall beside her. "Hey! I just wanted to know what he saaaid."

"Mom's dying and we aren't going to school tomorrow, now buzz off squirt." The words struck a chord deep in Anna, so deep that nothing showed. The door clicked shut, and she walked in a trance back to her room.

Chapter 8 : Procrastination

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It was late in the evening, Stan didn't know exactly when; his mind was heavy from the secrets he now kept. A chill ran through him as he stepped into his bedroom. On the bed was his wife, sleeping soundly, and curled up at the head of the mattress with her tail draped over herself. Mary's... back leg kicked absently in her peaceful sleep.

Reacting to the sight, his lungs filled with air and his throat tightened. It was as close to losing it as he would allow himself, what the man really wanted was to yell from the tallest mountain he could find. I'm gonna fix this for you, Mar... somehow. He turned around and walked back out of the room with his heavy thoughts in tow. If I can't... then... I will make sure you have everything you need. I won't let anyone hurt you. His eye twitched at the very idea.

Stan's solemn journey through the living room, into the dining room and then back towards the mud room, eventually led him to the most sacred part of the house—to him, at least. Amidst the coat racks in the mud room, as they called it, was a locked door. It went down to the basement, his sanctuary. It stayed locked, unless he had guests or as was the case now, life proved to be really stressful. The lock clicked obediently and he opened the old, creaking oak door.

Descending the stairs took a moment, his chamber was set low into the earth. The light clicked on, illuminating a cool, earthy toned room. A small bar with mugs hanging above it flanked one side of the basement, a couch was on the other and a pool table sat in the center. The back corner beside the stairwell had a work station not much unlike Mary's sewing setup upstairs.

The difference however with his desk over his wife's, were the models. On every shelf and much of the ceiling hung a model ship, plane, boat or tank. Stan took a moment to look over his old hobby's fruits in the dim studio-like lighting. He breathed out a sigh and trudged over to the work table. A small, 1:18 scale and half painted Russian KV sat on the surface, scornful at him from being ignored for over a week. He sat down, clicked on the work light, and picked up a brush.

Stan built models when he was stressed out, he'd picked up the hobby in his youth. Though he had never told anyone... It was a big reason he was who he was today, or so he thought. Building a model took patience, it took precision, it took calm, or it would never be seen through by the modeler. Somehow, all of that had stuck, and transferred into his demeanor, after almost a decade of causing trouble.

It really does seem to run in the family... he briefly considered, thinking of his son.

Herbert had given him a box of the things a long time ago, they had been antiques almost, and had belonged to Stan's grandfather, Herbert's dad. That had made them significant, and important to him. Goat-man should've stuck around a little longer... he thought solemnly.

Something hard poked him in his ribs from behind. Stan turned around to see what it was.

"Hey." Mary stood on all fours, her bath robe draped over her and tied around the middle. It obscured her tail and most of her body. Her orange fur matched well with the dark tones in the room, actually.

"Hey." Stan answered back. On instinct his hand reached out, and smoothed her loose hair back over her ear. He kept from flinching when his hand came into contact with the new swiveling addition to his wife's head. The floppy ear sprang back up immediately.

Mary's eyes shut and she leaned into his hand, forcing him to keep it there.

"Are you going to stay down here...?" she intoned quietly.

"All night?..." Stan asked. "It hadn't really crossed my mind, no. I'll be up soon I think." More silence, then Mary pulled away and sat down on the ground in that way she could now.

"Mind if I wait until you come back upstairs?" A short smile flickered over her face, but returned to flatness just as quick.

"Of course not, you know I love company, especially yours." His own smile was almost a smirk, but was broad enough to break the definition just barely. His eyes were amused though. "Things have been so terribly boring these days, you know?" I'm not a comedian Mar, you know that, but I'll try to cheer you up as best I can.

"Ha ha ha..." Her laugh shot out playfully, and she raised an eye brow at him demurely. "Oh, I do, despite being such an anti-social lug with strangers, you're completely content to bore your friends and family with your pastimes."

"Fishing is not boring..." Stan turned away and hunched his shoulders defensively.

"Aaw, did I hurt your feelings-" A warm presence wrapped itself around him from behind in a hug. Stan hadn't expected that. He flinched when his wife's head came up over his shoulder...accidentally. Mary released him before he could say anything.

Beside him, she shuffled a bit, then quietly said. "Sorry..."

Stan looked back at her, words already trying to form, but she was facing away from him now. It caused his thoughts to stumble, until it seemed too late, and he didn't say anything. That was probably a lot worse. He didn't want to admit to himself that the stumble had been because of her...condition. The love they shared was unconditional, after all. Right?... Dammit, you oaf. Mary slunked over to the couch, then hopped up onto it without a word.

After watching her go, Stan finally spoke to her. "You just caught me by... It was just cop reflexes, Mar."

His wife didn't answer him, she just stared at the nook's blank television from her seat on the couch.

The brush clattered onto the desk table and he spun around on the bench. After a moment more, he pushed himself up to stand, then crept across the thick carpet to the couch. Mary's eyes remained straight-faced and stubbornly set forward. Mar- Come...come on, I didn't mean to. Her tail moved over to cover up the empty spot on the furniture... Now you're just being sullen...say something to her blockhead, it's just nerves. He continued to frown at the blue and cream colored hair, slightly obscured by her bathrobe, and draped over the end of the sofa.

There wasn't a time before in his life that he could think of right then, when he'd felt stage fright this bad.

"I'm sorry..." Stan's fist stayed clenched at his side, he wasn't angry...but what he could do that he had not already just wasn't clear. She knew he loved her. She did, but an insult was an insult, accident or not. "Not sure what to say, I can't really take back that. It's not how I really feel, Mar... It-" He crushed the bridge of his nose in his hand thinking of something better to say. "Doubt I could joke the thing away either..." The irony of him telling jokes, had always been the laughable part, of course.

"I don't want to laugh Stan..." Her eyes clenched a moment, and she took to harshly rubbing her left leg with her right in thought.

"I don't even want to feel better, I just want you to want me. I want my body... I don't... I never thought I'd be a burden, not like this. Not until I was old and our children had grown up, anyway, not that I think about it mu-" Mary clicked her mouth shut and continued to glare at the blank TV. "I sound like a broken record. I'm sorry, I'm being so stupid. I already said I'd stop that, too." The mare on his couch laughed bitterly, then grinned up at him wistfully.

Stan blinked, surprised by his wife's apology. What? But I- His stonewalled state of mind didn't have a chance to recover though.

Mary's tail swept away from the empty space on the couch, and her eyes stared up at him sideways. "So, I'm sorry, for running just a moment ago and then guilting you. Sit with me already? You big wool head...?" Her husband's wide-eyed look finally relaxed.

The couch sank slightly as he added his weight to the empty spot. Stan began to speak with his usual fail safe. "Well lass, I canno' rightly sa-" Mary's hoof popped into his open mouth with a click. She stifled her laughter over his renewed look of surprise. Wolfishly, her head shook from side to side, saying no to his traditional accent, which was used in their stressful, private encounters.

"I can't say I wouldn't have acted the same way just a little, either, if you were in my shoes Stan... Not that I wear shoes anymore." Mary coughed, then put on an even more thoughtful look and smiled down coolly at the carpeted floor. She leaned over onto his arm.

Stan's face was again its usual stolid form. He gladly wrapped his arms around Mary, pulling his wife in close. Her head found a spot to rest on his chest, and his hands held her tightly against him.

"Well, at least this isn't too uncomfortable." She leaned up briefly to grab a blanket off the back of the couch with her teeth, then covered the both of them with it.

"Still miss the girls..." Mary nipped at his hand, getting a surprised yelp from the complacent sheriff. They laughed, before snuggling tighter together on the pillowy couch, and falling asleep.

The pine furnishings in the room gave it an earthy cabin-like feel, which clashed horridly with her own Victorian-like furniture and nick-knacks on the shelves. A trio of fat, furry cats lay sprawled about at odd intervals in the big bedroom. One particularly odd example lay on its back, fast asleep at the foot of her bed. She poked its tummy causing it to shoot its head up and growl, before seeing who it was. Agnes smirked and moved to her side of the bed, next to which, Herbert was reading.

The bed's mattress springs creaked as the old grandmother slowly sat down on its side. Her house slippers were left behind on the floor, and beside her Herbert sat upright with the bedside light on. His bespectacled face was looking over the contents of a Green Lantern comic through his reading glasses.

The thin comforter came up over them both as Agnes got comfortable, then sighed. Herbert now received a sour stare from her, and she continued to deliver it to him gravely until he finally reacted.

Herbert looked over once, then did a double take. "What? Whatever it is, it wasn't me." His eyes resettled on the comic book, determined not to pay her mind this late in the night. His wife groaned in disgust and pulled the magazine away from him. "Hey! I was reading that, easy, it's a collector's item."

The new stare she set him with was still deadly serious, but more searching as she looked at him closely for his reaction.

"Mary turned into a mare." Herbert's eyebrows sprang up above his reading glasses, while the rest of his face remained still. Agnes handed the magazine back to him slowly. "I am also, not, counter pranking." This caused him to take his reading glasses off slowly, without blinking, to stare back at Agnes.

"A mare? What like a horse?" His face twisted in pure incredulity, before shifting to reveal what he really thought of this strange news from his wife, who was apparently also telling the truth... "Did she get super powers?"

"No powers..." Agnes rolled her eyes. "And yes, as crazy as it sounds." Agnes rolled over to lie down on the bed. "It's strange, she looks a bit like a person still, kind of like Sonic the Hedgehog or something... She can still talk, by the way. It's just so strange... Well, we're going over tomorrow morning, early. Mary wants us to help break it to Bobby and Anna. It seems they don't know yet, Herby."

A five minute pause in the conversation occurred before the aging comic book nerd answered his wife. "Hm, well that's out of left field." He reopened his magazine, and turned a few pages slowly before he resettled his eyes onto them.

"Ironic, too." Agnes sighed again and faced away from him, the comment forcing her to fight down a bemused smile. Herbert casually re-raised the magazine back in front of him, and replaced his glasses.

"Pity..." Herbert mumbled.

Agnes nodded in reply. "Mmmhmm."

Great bursts of lightning flashed through purple clouds. Darkness in the distance swallowed the light instantly, and thunder seemed to rumble all the way to her ears from hundreds of miles away.

Mary looked everywhere at once, but there was nothing to see. Until...one of the blots moved. It was different from the rest, but no less indescribable. The presence seemed to shift about, sweeping one cloudy limb from side to side. Maybe it was looking at her? If that made any sense...

"Hello...?" It was unmistakably a nightmare, a molded cast of one's darkest fears...and it was never a good idea to interact with your fears. If you did they would seem more real. The feeling of floating, the strange breeze and the fog that roiled everywhere all had her on edge anyway. As if it really were real... A part of her was able to recognize it for what it was, just like any other night horror.

She wasn't afraid.

An ethereal voice echoed out and washed over her. It was strange, the dream had such defined clarity, but she could still tell that's all that it was. The ghostly voice greeted her, responding to her greeting with one of its own...

"...Hello," it spoke simply.

Mary hadn't ever expected to actually get one, the cloud only vaguely looked like a shape.

"Are you afraid?" it said, continuing to speak. The voice seem to coil in the air in front of her, as a snake would, adding to her unease. On top of that, the entire conversation felt like it was taking place a thousand feet above the ground, in the midst of the worst storm that Earth had ever seen, and they were in the eye of it.

Mary felt she could do little else but answer. "Yes..."

The voice was preceded by a low rumble of thunder, before it answered for a second time.

"You have nothing to fear, you are surrounded by those who care for you. These hard times you face... will pass. All things come to an end; the good, and the bad..." Mary hugged herself while she floated there at the thing's mercy. Despite the monotone, maybe even somewhat soothing voice it used, this was by far one of the most vivid and stressing dreams she'd ever had. Last night had been a drowning dream, too! her memory reminded.

The voice seemed to be waiting for something, or a reply.

Mary managed to stammer out, "I don't thi-think that this thing's going away a-any time soon, thanks."

The echoing voice whispered another reply out to her, and a question. "I wish to help, in whatever way I may. Tell me, what is the trouble that harms you so?"

Mary thought... it sounded kind of like... she couldn't put her finger on what it sounded like as a voice. Before she could answer, a new noise entered the arena of symphonious weather racket, loud and annoying, like a bell of some sort. She tried to ignore, and think about what was so interesting about the weird dream-voice.

It spoke again, though it was difficult to hear now. "Hello? Are you still there?" The message was still clear though. The other noise Mary kept hearing was threatening to drown it out, though. Whatever was banging in the distance obscured the quiet sounds of the thunder, too; whatever it was, it was unbearable.

Mary groaned, being overwhelmed, and shouted in confusion, the voice and its message forgotten for the moment. "What's going on-!?"

"-on?" Mary gasped and sat up on the couch. Her wide-eyed stare leaped across the basement room in every direction, while her left hoof scrambled to find Stan. It plonked on his behind, causing him to growl a protest in his sleep, loudly. His cell phone was blaring into the bedroom from beside her, yelling a morning waking ritual in a vain attempt to wake up Stan. He must have set it to get himself up for work, or rather, get her up in order to get him up for work...

Oh, it was the alarm I heard over... over what exactly? Mary shuddered, and the breath that she had held finally made it out of her, shakily. Oh well, just a dream.

The sound of footsteps thumping down the staircase bounced down into the basement.

The sound of...

Hide! Must hide! Mary knew she only had a moment. But there's nowhere to hide! Her searching, panicked eyes looked everywhere, then finally shut tight. The knowledge and quick thinking about the basement's lack of hiding spots barely saved her. Instead of diving for a corner, she threw the blanket that she and Stan had shared through the night over herself.

Mary did her best not to shiver in fear, and huddled in the corner of the couch, squirming her hooves into the back cushions to get smaller.

"Hey dad, you down here?" her sons voice asked from far too close by.

It's Bobby! Oh pleasedon'tseemepleasedon'tseeme. Mary pressed her other thought to the back of her mind. It was the one saying that she was supposed to show him...show him how she looked now, and this very morning! But another fought for dominance. No way, I can't...I- Her breath was panicked and near hyper-ventilation already, she tried to stop it and keep quiet. The couch began to rock slightly, Bobby was trying to shake Stan awake right next to her! aaah.... Suppressing a whimper was almost too difficult.

"Dad! Hey, wake up would you?" Bobby kept pushing his shoulder, until finally the man's eyes opened a tiny crack, and looked around the basement.

"zz-hah? Oh- what." Stan's hand wiped across his face and drug his eyelids down attempting to open them further. "What is it Bobby? What are you doing up this late?"

His son's eyes rolled and he pointed at the small clock hanging from the wall. "It's almost six, dad. Grandma and Herbert are upstairs, they just got here, I guess." Bobby yawned and scratched his side absently in the dim light. "They woke me up when they couldn't find you and no one answered the phone. He looked over at the still shrieking cell phone, trying vainly to report someone had called.

Stan's eyes hardened, and he glanced down at his side. Mary was gone, immediately his hand began to push himself up, when he froze. It had found something under the blanket, not unlike a body. Bobby, meanwhile, picked up the cellphone and put an end to its noise.

"I think they're worried or something that they can't find you or mom. I told them I didn't know and they called the hospital too, I think. Where is mom?" Stan could feel himself begin to sweat, ~~the lump~~ his wife quivered beside him under the thin covering. "I thought we were doing some kind of like, intervention or something today." The withering look Stan gave him spoke volumes about the thoughts he had about what his own son just implied.

"I. DO NOT. DO. DRUGS!" The blanket churned violently and Mary's voice erupted from underneath it. Stan moved swiftly to lay across his wife, holding her down.

"What the- Mom?"

"Bobby, go wait upstairs." The greasy haired boy wore a bewildered look from the sight of what seemed to be his father wrestling down his mom. All the while Mary was shouting objections. "We'll be upstairs in a second..." When his son didn't move, Stan tried to think of something to get rid of him. Bobby merely gave himself and the blanket enshrouded pony a skeptical look. Stan added, "Your mom's naked, alright? As well as peeved at what you just said."

Bobby made an immediate look of disgust and ugghed loudly, before all but sprinting up and out of the room. "Grandma I found them! They're in the basement being disgusting!" Stan frowned after his son, but at least he'd gotten rid of him. I didn't call that girl he brought over two months ago disgusting...

Mary's head popped out from under the blanket, nostrils flaring. "Stan, I've had it! I'm strangling Faith, you hear me?" He opened his mouth but promptly shut it again as his wife's face all but pressed up into his. "No! My personal life is entirely ruined! Not only can I not live normally in secret, but now even my kids think I'm some kind of junky! Next Bobby's going to be all 'hook me up with somma dat sick magic crunk yo' and slamming doobies left and RIGHT! I can't handle that Stan, turn me into a dang tea cozy next, but. I. Cannot. HANDLE. THAT!" She breathed heavily, her forehead pushing him nearly off the couch and her hooves pressed into his sternum.

"...Better?" Stan gave a weak smile, then gulped.

"Mary? You down here dear?" Agnes called down the stairs in a hesitant voice. "Are you both...decent?"

Stan was the first to answer her, "Yeah mom, we're decent, it's safe to come down!"

Mary's previous frown turned into a scowl, and then an embarrassed look upon realizing certain assumptions that may have been made. I can't believe that Bobby thinks I'm doing drugs, and now he thinks... Aw heck why do I even care. She groaned and hopped off the couch, her mother was walking down the stairs by herself. The pony shook her body as if she'd just climbed out of a river, then combed her hair back with a single hoof. It had become a tangled mess and she could feel it.

"I take it Bobby didn't see yo-" Mary cut off Agnes sharply.

"No, Stan...diverted his attention. However I would very much appreciate it if someone would go and speak to him about how his mother DOES. NOT. DO.-" Stan's hand carefully cupped over her mouth and muffled the last shout. The older woman had straightened in shock where she stood at the foot of the staircase, still holding the rail.

"Likely as not Mar, he can hear you now, with the way you keep yelling. Would you calm down?" The husband let go when his wife shook her head from side to side, then she jumped away from him surprisingly quick.

Mary looked quickly, back and forth, to and fro between Stan and Agnes. "I'm calm! I am so calm!" Her face was smooth, but her eyes were contrasting by being maniacally wide and staring. "Also, I am not ready to tell the kids! Nope. I don't think I ever want them to know, either. I'll just... speak with Anna for the rest of her life through the door... and call Bobby at his wedding from seclusion... and-"

"Mary!" Stan and Agnes both called out together. The pony's mouth hung open slack jawed, and her head sagged a little on its long neck.

Agnes smiled and tried to break the tension, or at least shock her into a different state of mind. "I told Herbert last night Mary, like we talked about." Agnes continued, before Stan could say anything himself. "...You won the bet, he asked if you got super powers from this."

Mary opened and closed her mouth twice, then placed a hoof calmly to her forehead and sat down in the middle of the floor beside the pool table. An answer to that for the mare, wasn't forthcoming, she'd been joking when she had made that bet with her mother-in-law...

A big, rigid hand laid on her shoulder. Mary looked up into the calm eyes of her husband. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Mary sighed outwardly, now slightly calmed from the confusion of Herbert's weirdness, then added. "I don't do drugs..."

I'll have to find out what her stigma with drugs is one of these days, not a word about it in fifteen years and then suddenly- Stan's thoughts were cut off by his mother.

"Yes dear, we know." The three of them stood and sat and knelt there respectively, until finally Stan stretched, his back cracking.

"Eh, the couch wasn't a great idea for me, it seems. Thank you for the company though, Mar." He smiled down at her calmly. "I'm...going to go and get ready for work." He glanced down at his wrist watch. "I'm sorry I can't be home for this..."

Mary's face melted to a despondent visage in an instant. She tried to make up for her unbidden descent into the doleful look. "Ah, right, well I'm sure we'll have everything under control here Stan... We won't tell the kids until this weekend I think, we'll all be free that way... Hm they can still go to school this way at least..."

Her husband nodded to her gravely. "Whatever you want, Mar. I'll see you after work, as soon I can get free again. I'll have time off as soon as this mess is finished...alright? I'm...gonna go shower."

Mary smiled up at him, looked uncertainly at the ground, then jumped vertically. Her back hooves caught herself and splayed out slightly, keeping her steady. The pony held her arms out for a moment, gaining her balance, then hugged the surprised Stan Morris around his stomach.

"That sounds great, love. I'll be here." Mary knew it tore him up to leave, but it was important to her that he was okay to leave her. That he wouldn't worry about her. Like Agnes had so thoroughly thumped into her head the day before... She was a big girl, new body aside her emotions were controllable.

"Uhm." Mary looked over to Agnes holding up one finger pointed to the ceiling. Stan pecked a kiss on Mary's forehead, and eased her back down to the ground.

"Yes, Mom?" Mary said absently to the grandmother, trying to gain her attention. "Thanks... Stan." The pony let a hoof linger on his leg as he backed towards the staircase to leave.

Stan nodded down to her, smiling. After saying another goodbye to Mary, he headed up the stairs, one hand scratching the back of his head absently. He whispered grimly to Agnes as he walked past. "Take good care of her, Mom."

Agnes diverted her attention from her thoughts and Mary long enough to answer back with her own reassurances that she would. After Stan left, Agnes hurriedly looked back to her daughter-in-law still seated on the carpet, her own mouth stuck hanging ajar.

Mary thought she looked as though she was having trouble finding the words for something. "Mom? What is it?" Mary turned her head slightly, curious.

"Uhm, well you see..." Agnes kept looking up at the ceiling for some reason...

A sinking feeling began to settle in the mare's gut, her eyes began to follow Stan as he shut the basement door, then they re-centered on Agnes. What is she trying to say? "Just spit it out, Mom, what is it?" The cream and blue haired mare stood up on all fours to assume an impatient posture.

"I told Herbert to preemptively explain everything to them! That is, about...you...right now." Her mother-in-law twiddled her thumbs distractedly in front of her, while giving Mary flickering looks over them.

Mary's rump thudded on the ground as she sat down. Her eyes trailed upwards to where the dining room sat above her. The goofy looking ears that matched no pony or horse she'd ever seen strained to hear something eliciting from the room above her. The room was shaking, no, her shoulders were and it was bouncing her vision.

Agnes was kneeling beside her, smiling reassuringly. Her hand rubbed Mary's back, the bathrobe the pony wore going slightly off kilter from being too big... Anna and Bobby's mother opened her mouth to speak.

"..."

Only a squeak made its way out.

Chapter 9 : The Big Reveal And The Aftermath

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Anna and Bobby sat beside one another on the couch of the family room, their grandfather Herbert, paced idly in front of them with his hands folded behind his back. His demeanor displayed openly that he was deep in thought. Bobby poked at his cell phone, hardly paying attention to the difficult expression on his face, or Anna for that matter—who was unbeknownst to both of them, trying to not display anything.

"So," Herbert said with sudden vigor. "What I am about to tell the both of you, is top secret. Need to know basis only kids, I mean it! It does concern your mother, sadly, but no crocodile tears. I promise you that she's fine and in high spirits! Now-" A small spatial anomaly breaking the sound barrier suddenly encircled his leg with the force of one thousand kilotons.

"Mom's not gonna DIE!?" The heart broken eyes of Annalise bore up at Herbert doubtfully.

Immediately, Anna and Herbert began trying to talk over one another, towards each other and at Bobby—who rolled his eyes, hunched his shoulders and tried to look completely enraptured with texting. "W-what? No Annabelle! Of course not, and don't tell me you kids already caught wind about this?"

"YOU DEADBEAT! You told me she was DYING!" screamed Anna, directing all of her anger towards her brother.

Bobby covered one ear, before resuming with his texting.

"She's not dying, Anna," Herbert reinforced. "She's fine! I think anyway..."

"You think!?" Anna cried pleadingly back at him, her voice becoming a high pitched squeak.

"I mean she's fine! Why do you think she's dying anyway, kiddo? Bobby, what'd you do? Bobby? Hey put that thing down, this is serious." He took a step towards Bobby, but was cut off.

"I'M GONNA TELL MOM YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS DYING!" Anna flew across the floor to kick Bobby in his shin, hard. Her brother looked up to glare, then sighed and tossed his cellphone onto a side table.

"Come on, Herbert, just tell us the truth. Dad wouldn't act so serious or have even talked to me yesterday if she wasn't really sick, and where's she even been the last few days?" Bobby folded his arms and stared rigidly at his grandfather.

Meanwhile, Anna yelled right into Bobby's ear again. "SHE'S NOT DYING!"

"She's not dying, Robert," Herbert repeated as well.

"Alright fine! Fine!" Bobby threw his hands up and fell backwards against the couch, all while exhaling an annoyed breath. "Look, I don't care anymore, she's not dying!"

"Unless you call getting super powers dying..." Herbert contemplatively tapped his chin and looked at the ceiling.

Both kids went silent and studied the old gray haired man like he was crazy. Finally, Anna spoke up. "Grampa, have you been in your adult drink stuff, again?"

"Grandpa, you know mom hates it when you're drunk over here."

"What!? Kids, it's like seven a.m. I have not been drinking!" He looked wearily between them. "You wouldn't tell Mary if I had been though, right?"

"Something tells me this conversation got way off topic..." Stan interrupted, he was rubbing his face with a small wash towel, fully clothed in his uniform for the day.

"DAD IS MOM DYI-" Anna shouted immediately at him from across the room.

"No, Anna, no she's not..." Stan had wearily dressed as quick as he could while listening to this entire bout of lunacy. I wish I could stay here for this and keep things orderly... "Something did happen though, now look I can't stay..." I could... probably get away with just hanging around for a bit... He had been late the day before though, two days in a row wouldn't make his life any easier. "Just, both of you give her, and your grandparents an easy time, alright? This is gonna be stressful for all of us, especially your mother. It...changes a lot." Anna gave him a look of stark worry and fear, Bobby picked up his cellphone again, and stared irately at it.

"Yeah, all that's happened is she turned into a horse, apparently." Herbert grinned around the room proudly, hands on his hips. "What?" The three sets of eyes stared at him incredulously, Stan burying his face in a hand before turning to leave the room. "Aw come on Stan, you gotta agree that this sounds a little nuts! I'll admit getting my wife to 'play it straight' was a good touch. But! Even with Agnes on your side all day, I'm gonna be a little skeptical."

"Come on dad," Bobby called after Stan. "Tell us the truth, what's killing mom. Unless you really are just tricking us for some reason or whatever, then I don't care." Herbert turned and frowned open mouthed at Bobby to say something, while Stan and Anna spoke first, beating him to the punch.

"Bobby your mother is fine-" The father began.

"MOM'S NOT DYING AS-" Stan skillfully shifted his stare towards Anna and her interruption. "butt-hole...I was gonna say butt-hole." His young daughter murmured.

Stan shook his head defeatedly, and turned to go one last time. "Boy, it is the d- truth. Alright? Just give your mother a chance, and remember what I've been telling you. Dad, call me if anything goes wrong... Actually call me anyway." He paused slightly at the doorway, giving Anna one last reassuring look. "I'll see you all after work, have a good day."

Herbert spoke up and smiled to himself, after Stan left the room entirely. "I mean if it had been too ridiculous to even consider it was fake, like a lemur? Or a pegasus!? Hah! Now that I wouldn't doubt for a second." His two grandkids stared at him, confused.

"You want me to go up first Mary?" Agnes asked. The pony in front of her stared at the basement door as if it were a viper.

"...No." Mary answered. "I'll just head in, and get this over with. I think they'll be too flabbergasted anyway to react much!" She laughed nervously and felt her eye twitch just a little.

Mary's hoof-falls on the basement steps made dull thuds as she began to ascend them. They were as a dirge to her, which sounded her promised doom near at hand. Her eyes ran over every surface of the house which she and Agnes passed, the mudroom's bookshelves and coat racks, the wash room and backdoor... They lingered on nothing longer than a second—until she took one timid step into the family room. Her children's eyes locked with her own the moment that step landed. It occurred to her that Agnes had run up ahead of her, and asked her to wait in the dining room, there had been quite a bit of shouting. She'd gone in anyway.

"Mom...?" Anna asked inquisitively, before taking a few steps towards her. Bobby began to blatantly stare bug eyed from where he stood by the couch, his grandfather, opened a cellphone and took a picture.

FLASH!

"...DAD!?"

"MOM!?"

"HERBERT!"

Thud

The pony, landscaper, nerd and ballerina all turned to look down at the young man laying on the family room floor. "Huh, must run in the family." Agnes said thoughtfully, before waltzing over to Herbert and smacking the back of his head.

Herbert carefully rubbed the back of his head and nursed the welt he could feel reddening underneath his scraggly gray hair. At least she didn't go for the face... he thought in a thankful manner. Wow, she can still hit hard. He considered his wife's surprising tenacity as he watched the three generations of girls before him attempt in vain to rouse Bobby. Me? I'm getting that beer after all. He decided on the spot. Before he turned to go, his eyes locked with a frantic looking, orange colored mare. Can't believe that's really Mary...

Anna's own attention flickered from her grandmother, waving a hand over her stupid brother's stupid face, to her new pony-mom, and then to Bobby—who was drooling to one side into his own hair with the dumbest expression ever. That'll teach you... The happy thought Anna had was brief though. Her hand carefully reached out to touch the blue and vanilla colored hair on her mom's head, who didn't take notice. The little girl's face began to shift from jubilant joy, to worry, and then to confusion, before repeating the circuit once again.

Mary glanced up and stared speechlessly at Anna. Eventually Anna giggled, and poked her mother's nose. "Aah-Ahem, hello... Anna." She let out a nervous laugh under her daughter's scrutiny, while trading even more nervous smiles with her, in between attempts to nudge Bobby awake. Agnes looked up to see what was going on.

Flash!

"Herbert!" Agnes glared at her husband again, phone once more in hand.

"Hey, it's not every day your daughter turns into a horse." Herbert let out an exaggerated laugh that slowed gradually. "So you guys really weren't kidding." The older gent leaned on the stairwell rail and took a sip of his drink.

"Dad! It's like seven in the morning, no beer!" Mary got up to her hooves and paced over to her father-in-law, who raised an eyebrow down at her. On top of that distraction, a sudden weight appeared on Mary's back. "Gaah, Anna? Hey! I am not- Young lady get off of me right now!"

Herbert also responded to Mary by taking another sip of the beverage and hiding it behind his back. Yep, that's Mary alright.

Annalise let out a disappointed aaw, but instead of removing herself from her newly acquired method of transportation, she leaned forward and hugged her mother's neck. "Mom, is that really really you? I have a pony for a mom! My wish totally came true." After which, she giggled and squeezed her bewildered mother tighter.

"Wait, wish? You wished for this?" Agnes had given up on trying to rouse Bobby, and Herbert was resisting the burning heat of Mary's glare as he tried to ready another picture of the Kodak moment unfolding before him. Mary's own thoughts took a stumble. Could Anna have done this? Why can't I just have some normalcy again! I hope Bobby's alright... Staaan, I could really use your help right now... Just what caused this? Her monologue to herself only served to confuse the situation which lay before her even further.

Anna spoke calmly in Mary's giant ear as if it were a megaphone. "Well, no, but I totally should have wished for this. This is so cool, you're the best mom ever, Mom!" Anna bounced on her mom's back, causing Mary to make a decidedly pained and surprised face.

Flash!

"Herbert, so help me I'll break your phone if you take one more picture." Mary aggressively stated.

Agnes snatched the phone away and pocketed it, causing Herbert to aaw himself. "Thanks Agnes, Anna get o-..." Her daughter was busy burying her face in her hair above the bath robe. Mary sighed in anguish, and looked up at her mother-in-law. "I suppose this could be going worse." Some beeping and mumbling caused Mary to look behind her. Bobby was looking at his cellphone raised over his head, he pushed himself up off the ground with a dazed look on his face.

"Huh." Bobby said, and looked up and down from his phone. After a moment, he leaned over and smashed his hand against the hard wood floor, and winced along with the other family members. Agnes made her way towards her grandson to try and help him up.

"Bobby? Anna get off me..." Mary started.

A vulgar outcry from Bobby came next.

"Bobby, get back in there, and apologize to your mother." Herbert took a step towards Bobby and uncharacteristically deadpanned down at him.

"HOW CAN THAT BE MOM, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Whatever, you know what? I don't care. Once again, everything's about her and she isn't dying, this day off, everyone being here...Herbert this is retarded." The highschooler hadn't said much in the family room, merely cursed, stared at a frightened looking cartoon character, then left. What the hell is going on? At seeing no one else in the midst of a panic attack, it just made it worse for him.

"That's grandpa..." Herbert growled in an old voice like a bear's. "Or pops to you, boy, until you grow up it always will be." He snatched the back of Bobby's shirt. "In my day, kids weren't pampered like you, now you aren't mine but I can certainly see about-"

"Herbert, let him go!" The older man did so at once. Agnes was standing just behind him.

"Am I the only sane one around here?" Bobby shrugged harshly out of the iron grip and stormed towards his room, casting an angry look behind him as he went.

Agnes grimaced at his going, and spoke to her husband. "You don't need to compound this... I'm sure he'll come around, this is just an excuse for him to blow off steam."

Herbert flared his nostrils, huffing. I haven't gotten my temper up like that in a while. A long while...

"Well, Mary does look pretty ridiculous, admittedly. Definitely not what I'd imagined from your description." Herbert stroked his mustache thoughtfully, his scowl still on his face. Agnes had told him everything she knew that morning, which wasn't much. "Well, you're right I suppose, but still, no son should treat their own mother that wa-"

"He doesn't know what to believe." Agnes laid a hand on his shoulder, which was a feat given his height advantage. "Come on, let's go back."

"Hey." Both grandparents turned, surprised to see Bobby standing at the top of the staircase, walking down at a quick pace.

"Mom how'd this happen?" Anna stared wonderingly at one of her mom's colorful hooves.

"I don't know baby, remember that day mommy didn't come out of her room?" Anna shook her head up and down slowly. "Well, I'd woken up like this... Daddy and I really can't explain it. J-just know this doesn't change anything with us as a family okay? And also just!... Remember what I said, don't tell anyone, because this isn't normal." Mary's body was rigid as she explained things to her daughter, who still hadn't relinquished her seat on Mary's back.

Anna nodded while now wonderingly looking at her mom's funny ears. The girl was somewhat oblivious to the difficulty her mother was having in explaining things, or speaking to her for that matter. "Just..." Mary said for the thousandth time. "...Just, remember I love you Anna."

"Mom, are you crying? Moooom don't cryyyy!" Anna got off her mother's back and knelt on both legs in a blur of brown hair. She looked up at her mom's drooped face and uncertain eyes comfortingly. "Is this about you being a pony, or Bobby? Ignore him mom, he's a jerk-butt! That's what you tell me to do... Or is it about being a pony? Mom this totally makes you so cool! I'd be a pony too, if I could...Mom?" Mary stifled a laugh and more sobbing, embracing her daughter instead.

"Thanks Anna, that means a lot..." Mary sniffled again before holding her out at leg's reach. "I swear if you ever grow a tail though, you're so grounded, pleeease stay normal Anna." Her daughter grinned while giggling, her eyes studying her mom's face in pure bliss. "Earth to Anna..."

"Oh, yeah sure Mom. Aaaw yeah! Can I have a ride around the yard!? Oh my gosh please oh please oh-" Anna's explosion of begging was interrupted.

"Mary? Sorry, I hope we aren't interrupting anything..." The sound of the back door opening and closing came from behind Agnes. Then it happened again, Agnes winced at both door slams. "Bobby has asked to go to school, would it be alright if Herbert took him?"

The mother looked at Anna and back to Agnes before dropping her hooves back to the room's floor. "He-" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's fine Mom..." Her pained look swept over Anna, who emulated how she felt. "Baby, would you be alright if I left for a minute?"

"Huh? Where are you going Mom?" Her daughter's brown hair bobbed as she turned her head, the expression she wore was a confused one. To their side, Agnes was also befuddled.

"I'm gonna go drop Bobby off at school."

Mary had bolted from the back door before Agnes could stop her, luckily the back door had another lever instead of a door knob. Door knobs were still an issue unsolved... She ran up to the side of the car before it could pull away, her bath robe slightly dragging in the dirt and gravel. The window rolled down to reveal her father-in-law.

"Mary-" Herbert began.

"Dad!-" Mary shot back.

"No!" Herbert countered, getting back on the offensive. "Look, you can't go out...like that."

"Dad, get out right now, I'm taking my son to...to..." She had stomped a hoof, then trailed off after looking down at it distastefully, and a little shocked to see it there. The outdoors felt strange to her, it was the first time she had even been outside in days.

"You definitely can't drive, alright? Head back inside, and-" Herbert continued vehemently.

"Don't let that thing, in the car." Herbert's eyebrows drew in low at hearing Bobby's mutter, and unlocked the vehicle's doors.

"Mary, I changed my mind, hop on in pony girl." He said jovially, mentally noting to never give Bobby another hand out so long as he lived. "But I'm still driving."

"Fine, you can drive... And dad, don't call me that." Mary drew her mouth in a line and stared off with an incredulous look. Unperturbed, she set a hoof on the car door handle causing it to thunk, and open. Before getting in, she stared at the handle itself, then at her hoof.

"Mary, you coming?" Herbert called.

The door swung out after Mary shook her head to clear it, and she stepped inside. Bobby was looking over the shotgun side seat darkly, and she flinched. "Hem..." She looked ashamedly down at her front hooves where she tried to sit. The strange pony style wasn't suited for the car seat, so she attempted to sit normally, fidgeting with the bathrobe to keep it over herself and get comfortable in some manner. Her tail seemed to be flexible enough that it went to the side of her without any fuss, other than that it just felt a little strange.

The car was nearly silent while she fumbled in the back, Herbert gave her nervous looks over his shoulder, while also studying Bobby. Who didn't make any protest or say anything intended for them to hear. At most, Mary could make out a few hushed 'nononos'. Whatever was going on in the boy's mind, was anyone's guess...

They waited until Mary finally fumbled the seat belt in the back over herself with a click, Herbert had been about to ask if she needed help. "Alright!" she finally chimed in a faux cheerful fashion, "All set to go back here."

Herbert nodded, and the car crunched its way out of the driveway and onto the road. All the while, the air itself in the cabin began to solidify.

Surprising both of the adults, Bobby was the first one to speak. "Why'd you follow me, Mom?"

"I heard you say- I thought I wasn't your mother?" Mary's voice was steady as she found her footing in the debate, which came as a surprise to her. "Bobby I know this is incredible and things haven't been, well, their best lately, but-"

Her son groaned and kept his eyes glued to the window. "Well, you sure sound and complain like she does." Bobby glanced at Herbert, "I just wanted something normal to take up my day, why'd you have to let her come? She's bad enough when she isn't...isn't..."

Mary languidly finished his sentence. "A freak?"

His head craned around to look at her dourly. "..." He turned back around, only looking long enough to convince himself what he was seeing was definitely real. "You know mom, they said doing drugs would do stuff like this."

"Hah," Her face turned grim with that drop of a coin. "Bobby I brought you into this world I can take you out of it, too." Mary tried to lean further forward, but the position she was in wasn't very suited for much movement, and the seat belt didn't offer much give.

Herbert gave the road a nervous look as he continued to drive, while trying to be inconspicuous. Should've let Agnes drive him. So much for that heart to heart. Actually didn't Stan say he'd given him one the other day? This boy's going to have a stigma against...adults... He looked over with a studying look at the young lad talking to the pseudo horse in the back seat.

"Well, ruling out a government experiment what else could have done-" Bobby's train of thought was interrupted by his more course driven mother.

"Robert, that isn't what's important here. Not in the least, I mean, okay I understand this is beyond weird. But do you really, truly think it's an excuse to-"

"I JUST WANT TO GET OUT!" Mary and Herbert blinked from his outburst. "Of that house! Out of all of your lives, alright!? Just give me some space, ALL of the space, and stop caring about what I think or do, it isn't any of your business, because I don't want it to be. All this friggin' attention from you and dad," He glared at Herbert. "trying to make up for something neither of you did. Her," he jabbed a thumb back at Mary, who had recoiled against the backseat with her hooves held up in front of herself. "Trying to direct my God cursed life, like I'm a sports car she can steer around where ever she wants. I don't. Care. About this, at all. So just go about being a mutant and leave me alone."

It hadn't really been clear to Mary these last few years, what it was that had started this. Or when it started, for that matter. Her son hadn't just slipped more and more away as the years went, he'd never really been there at all. It was strange, when she had been a kid, she'd been fun loving, energetic, and when she'd spread her wings and left her own parents, she'd been daring with what she wanted to do. But not in such a hurry, what made Bobby hate them so much? Was it really hate? Most of the time he was decent, he even put up with going along with things... that she... made him do.

The car ride fell back into silence for the rest of the short drive, Herbert's grip twisted a bit on the steering wheel, but he'd decided this was Mary's bout. Come on girl, say something already... He's gonna notice if I take anymore wrong turns on the way to the dang Highschool.

Mary tried to gather her thoughts into something viable to say as they closed with the school. She recalled when he had apologized to her Sunday morning. That had probably been forced by Stan... Christmas last year when he wouldn't get in the family photo and then there was... So he feels like his life is ruled by us? But we're his family, we do things together and are happy while we do it. The school parking lot was filled to the brink and bustling.

"Eep!" Mary dove down behind the driver's seat when a couple kids looked her way from the sidewalk. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. She gulped. Now or never Mary. "Bobby—" She didn't even get past his name.

"Save it, horse. As far as I'm concerned—" Her son opened the door quickly and jumped out at the stop sign. "—this is God's way of saying you can't tell me what to do, anymore." The door slammed, leaving Mary huddled behind her father-in-law in hiding.

"Hey dad, pull over here please, will you?" Mary sat half laying down, she had decided to just do away with the seat belt.

"Hm, why here Mary? It's just a big open field." Herbert looked out over the grassy clearing half heartedly, there wasn't anything remarkable about it, just a few trees.

"Just do it would you, I... I dunno, I don't want to go back yet." The car door felt like a barrier between herself and life at the moment. Or getting her mind off of it, at least. Herbert finally slowed the car down to a stop on the side of the nearly always abandoned side road. Mary had a thought, and placed her hoof over the door handle with her eyes closed, then pulled it back. The handle went with her hoof easily, as she'd thought it might. At her gasp, it snapped back out of her...grasp, or whatever it was.

"See? Super powers!" Herbert chimed in. "So you can grab things? That might just come in...handy."

"Yeah..." Mary spoke back, only half listening. "Dad, what's happened to me? You know about this stuff." She pushed the door open with a hoof and it swung outwards.

Herbert made a disappointed face that she hadn't picked up on his joke...

Mary hopped out into the grass, it was brown from fall and winter approaching. "Could it have really been done by the government, like Bobby said?" Her voice was blithe as she called back across the car to him.

Herbert got out of the car as well, not wanting Mary to stray too far. "Well, if this was a story I could tell you all kinds of possibilities Mary. But...it isn't, there's no cliche plot at work here and a cooky villain behind the scenes with a curly mustache. I mean, why would the government have something that could, or even want to turn a random middle aged mother into a brightly colored, miniature pony? If that's even what you are, there is tons about you that is blatantly human, the first of which being that you can still talk."

Mary's attention clung to the nature waving in the breeze before her, as Herbert finished talking she turned around on the soft ground to frown at him. "It's impolite to say a girl's age, dad." Her tongue stuck out wryly, the older guy's voice—even when it was serious—had a way of cheering people up, it bordered the magical. I wish he had something I haven't thought of yet to say, though. "Hey, do you hear that?"

The old codger leaned back onto the trunk of the car, and turned his ear up to listen. "Mmm, nope, unless you mean the wind. What am I supposed to be hearing, Mary?"

For Mary and Herbert, the wind made the sort of roar it typically did while running in off the ocean at sea, or as was the case now, a big open field. Mary's ears and head turned frequently though, trying to hear another noise. It was inaudible, or nearly so, like the echo of an echo hitchhiking on that breeze to whisper to her. She thought it sounded like laughter... Or crying... Or talking?

Herbert was standing beside her now, she realized. "Your mane's getting to be a mess in this wind." He stated nonchalantly.

The hoof Mary used to try and get her hair under control enough to glare darkly at him, only half succeeded. "Hair dad, it's hair. Come on, you can't tell me you don't hear that." She couldn't make it out anymore, either, actually. Her eyes widened slightly in the brightening morning sun, while searching the distant shrubs and treeline, trying to find it again. Herbert said something else, and she cantered out farther from the road, his voice lost to the wind.

What's gotten into her? Herbert absently scratched his head, at a loss for what to do. The pony kept trotting further out, then began running, which ended abruptly. "Mary!?" He was relieved to see she hadn't actually fallen though, instead the bath robe was shaken off by the tumbled orange shape. He guessed the robe had tripped her. After that, her run resumed, he thought she might have called back that the clothing was getting in the way. Well, what the hay?

This feels great. Mary thought, her legs pumping to gain more speed. It was inexplicable, but to deny that she was feeling a measure of bliss just running, would be lying to herself. She began to tire quickly, though. Phew, I don't keep up with my fitness the way I should, just swimming and...and... Behind her, a trail of green had spread across the brown grass in her wake. "Oh-kay... DAD! I'M READY TO GO NOW!"

Chapter 10 : The Crazy Has Been Doubled

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Thursday 6:09 PM

It was a warm and sunny day. Outside of the kitchen window, birds that had not yet flown south for the winter hung around a bird feeder. Mary watched them placidly while stirring the crock pot of chili, thinking things over.

Herbert and Agnes had not come back today, they had asked if they could. But...she wanted as many normal days to herself as she could manage. If they were here constantly, it would begin to feel to her as though she were an invalid. Not only that, but they had their store to watch. If they keep it closed up until winter, they have that much less business until spring! She shook her head and huffed while kneading her braid between two hooves, and began to pace around the kitchen tile. It was the first day she'd worn her braid since Monday, her hooves' strange ability made the task possible, if not overly simple.

"MooOoom." Annalise's voice called out from somewhere in the house, indicating she had arrived home again from dance practice. Bobby had been in the house for some while now, he didn't do anything after school. Mary's son was merely up in his room with the music going...

She clearly heard the back door shut behind her daughter's approach.

Oh no, Anna's home, what am I in for now? Mary thought dourly. On instinct, her eyes were drawn down to her pink bow ridden tail, which her daughter had had a field day on as soon as she'd gotten home from school. Well, you let her do it, Mary. Despite the affrontingly pink thing she was staring at, her smile was big enough to crease her face. It wasn't that often her daughter took such a big interest with her. She leaned on the counter to sigh and stare out at the birds again. She's so young still too, am I really that boring? The thought was sobering, neither of her kids had ever paid her much mind. There's some time before she completely outgrows me though, like Bobby...

"Mooom, where are you?" Footsteps charging through the house let Mary pick out just where her daughter was.

The powers that be send that she never starts acting like him though, yeesh. Is she running through the living room again? Mary's ears swiveled behind her before the rest of her could, they faced out of the room. "I'm in the kitchen! And Anna don't you run through there, if you tripped into the antiques you'd break every single one and yourself." It was a positive of her predicament—if a small one which she only grudgingly accepted—that her ears were a great deal better at hearing things these days.

At the moment, however, she was also experiencing her most disliked negative of the body's condition, aside from actually looking like a pony that is... Mary stood facing out of the kitchen standing on just two hooves, her arms—because that IS what they were—propped on her hips in usual chastising fashion. The problem was just how difficult her favorite, disapproving stance had become. Leaning on the counter behind her provided the necessary support she needed to not waver, at least.

Anna charged into the kitchen, smiling and giggling, and halted immediately at the familiar sight of her mother, standing in what she had long since identified as a dangerous battle stance...

Mary almost allowed herself a congratulatory smirk. Hah, still got it. Momentary stares between mother and daughter waged war amongst the kitchen's atmosphere. Then, her daughter sprang forward in a classic, and smooth counter attack. Anna feigned blatant ignorance and purposely failed to respond to Mary's warning to not run. She charged into the kitchen after that brief pause, smile replastered to her face. "Hey, easy Anna I'm cooking in here!" Mary called in warning. One of her hooves had to abandon its station and again support her from the counter top.

"Momomomom!" Anna jumped up and down gleefully with double fistfuls of her apron.

Begrudgingly, Mary admitted to herself that she'd lost this round already. "Yesyes! What is it Anna? Calm down you, what's the commotion for!?" Her own smile flew at full mast as she tried to calm her little girl down. Honestly, you'd think she hadn't seen me in months or something.

Anna ceased her bouncing and put on a confused expression. "Oh, I dunno. Just glad to be home, I guess!" She chirped merrily. The pony rolled her eyes, unsurprised by her daughter's silliness.

"Sooo," Mary began, "how was practice? Are you ready for your recital on Saturday? You're still going...?"

"Oh yeah, I'm gonna finish still. I... haven't made up my mind if I'm staying in. I mean, karate just sounds so cool..." Anna scratched a hand behind her head absently, ruffling her brown hair. "Anyway, will you still be able to go Saturday? Please Mom!?"

Mary frowned slightly. "That might be asking for a bit much, Anna. I know I promised to go, but we talked about this already yesterday, people can't know about-" she trailed off slowly from explaining her situation again. Her daughter's attention had noticeably shifted rather dramatically to something else...

Anna's nose wrinkled as she visibly caught wind of the cooking smells in the room. Mary raised her eyebrow bemusedly and suppressed a smirk at the cuteness of it.

"Oooh wow, is that chili!?" Anna asked, a smile creeping onto her face. A wave of steam curled out from under the lid of the cooking pot as Anna lifted it. "Is it ready!?" She looked over, big round eyes meeting Mary's own, even larger peepers. Hers weren't quite in the same state of shocked jubilance, though.

"Yep, and yes it is," Mary confirmed, chuckling slightly. "It's yours and Dad's favorite, 'extraextra' mushrooms. It... wasn't easy to make admittedly... but..." In her head, she pushed the images of spilled tomato sauce and beans away fiercely. I'll have to see if we can get an automatic can opener, she reflected back. That whole tribulation wasn't pleasant at all.

Despite the issues Mary had experienced, the chili was ready, and after being set up and cooked for much of the afternoon. "Well, never mind that, Anna. Here you are, don't eat it right away now, it's hot." She began ladling a portion out for Anna, who was obviously hungry, and who would no doubt want some immediately.

"Whoa, Mom, how are you doing that?" Anna's eyes had become glued to Mary's hoof as she took the bowl from her, then set it on the counter. The nine year old's eyes were somehow wider than even before from sheer amazement.

"Hm?" Mary looked down, then spotted what her daughter was talking about. "Oh, it's nothing, really." Sheepishly, she hid the offending limb behind her back, along with the spoon which seemed stuck to it solidly.

The day before had shown her a couple more interesting things which she had to learn about herself and the changes she faced... The other big one from yesterday had been... Mary shuddered at the thought of it, the memory of the grass growing up around her was unsettling. At least it had stopped after she screamed, and hadn't happened since. That whole day had just been bad, but that made it downright scary.

"Well I think it's cooool." Anna poked at the spoon and Mary's hoof behind her back, she'd moved quick enough that the pony was taken by surprise. The wooden spoon clattered to the floor. Mary spun around, keeping another hoof on the kitchen counter.

Anna gasped and took a few steps to get out of the away.

By the counter, Mary spun too quickly. She faced Anna now, who was already holding the spoon up for her to see, but behind her a waterfall of chili poured out of the bowl. Her hoof had planted right in the very middle of it trying to catch herself. The spicy food gooped its way over the kitchen tile like a small tub of gack.

"Oh..." Anna began again. "Sorry, Mom, geez..." Her eyes traced the outline of the former dinner and looked up worriedly at her mother.

"Nono, it's alright!" Mary looked frantically around for the paper towels, and she would need another spoon to scoop the chili back into the bowl and... She let out a defeated sigh. "Could you help me with this, Anna? I'm sorry, that was my fault; stuff's just a little harder to do because of, well you know. Just scoop that up and put it in the bowl, Anna. We'll clean this, and then I'll get you another serving."

"Uhm, Mom?" Anna began, her mother was busy grabbing the paper towel roll by the kitchen sink.

"Yes, Sweetie?" Mary responded, rinsing her own hoof off in the sink, first.

"Eeeh, you just dragged your tail through my dinner." Anna grinned up at the ceiling innocently, trying not to giggle uncontrollably at watching her mom walk around. The pink bows were still there too, she had noticed.

Mary craned her head around to see a trail of chili dragged across the floor. Her eyes and expression narrowed. Consarn it.

Stan blew carefully on the spoon full of the delicious morsel his wife had cooked, it had surprised him to say the least, finding dinner all set and ready to go after getting home with Anna. It tasted delicious as always too.

It would be rude to say, but he was glad her cooking finesse hadn't been effected by the change. He allowed himself the guilty thought, if only because she was so incredible at it. A fact Dan reminded him of every chance he got at work. After sharing food with him at the office, once, Stan had made sure to never do so again, or even mention Mary. To do so was an invitation for some comment or smart remark from him. It was best to keep Dan's means of making those to a minimum. I'd hate to hear what he would have to say with Mary the way she is now for that matter-

"Like it?" Mary was seated across from him, one of her hooves daintily holding up her own silverware...somehow. And how she managed to appear dainty at all he couldn't rightly explain, either.

That had been a strange thing to accept, the hoof thing. Whatever it was, it worked like magic...and that wasn't even taking the other magic into consideration. Stan rubbed his hand over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. He thought back to when Mary had told him about what had happened after she'd dropped Bobby off. The story with the grass, that had been hard to accept.

Mary sighed and stared across the table at her husband, who was doing whatever it was he does when thinking. She tinged her spoon on his bowl, reaching across the table to do so. "Hey, Earth to Stan."

The noise snapped Stan's attention back to the here. "Oh, sorry Mar. My day was great, how about yours?"

"...I asked how the food was, Stan." Mary's attempt at a deadpan became a smirk when he blinked in disbelief at her.

"Oh, oh! It's delicious, mmm, you've definitely still got it Mar, that is to say..." Stan coughed into his fist and eagerly took another bite of his food.

Mary hummed thoughtfully, her eyes locked with the bowl in front of him. "About Bobby..." Her husband looked up at her absently. "Mm, never mind."

"Yeah?" Stan watched her with a concerned look, while Mary replayed the quiet drive home which she had shared with Herbert, in her mind's eye.

"No, Dad! Wow, don't even joke about that, I have enough on my plate as it is." Beside her, Herbert laughed uncontrollably. Mary had her hooves crossed and a scowl firmly set at the car's driver.

"Well, crime fighting is a big decision. You should really consider being called the green thumb though, I think the irony would keep your villains from reacting right away in a fight." He laughed until the last streetlight to Mary's house turned green, at which point he merely grinned, waiting for his daughter-in-law's response. After he made the last turn, and she still hadn't answered, he looked over at her from the corner of his eye, slightly worried. She was looking pointedly out the window, her mane was still a mess from the lack of a morning routine... I wonder, should I think of it as hair or a mane? Hmm... Mary spoke while he was considering the conundrum carefully.

"Look Herbert, don't tell Stan about... about what Bobby said? It's..." Mary slouched more in the car's side seat, it wasn't a very comfortable seat for her any longer. Beyond that, her son's words still stung, making the position feel appropriate. "I just don't think it will help anything, especially since he'll be away this weekend. He needs to focus on his job." Her voice was tired sounding. Beside her, Herbert merely flattened his expression and kept his eyes on the road.

"I thought you might decide on that approach." The old man scrubbed a hand over his unshaven white stubble. "Bobby's a kid Mary, he won't be happy no matter what you do. Don't let him scare you off, he needs authority."

"Maybe... I mean I know, I just... for now at least I'll back off a lot." She sighed, and propped her head up with a hoof to look out the car window. I miss having palms, this is way less comfortable. Her fingers would have been tapping irritably right now if she still had them. "Maybe leave him alone for just a month, I dunno, I need time to think about things." While talking she held her other leg in front of her, its orange fur and hoof a constant reminder that things were complicated.

Mary looked up from the bowl of chili at Stan. "Well, Bobby didn't take... me that well, when we showed him yesterday. I told you about that." Her husband nodded, and waited for her to continue. "I guess we should..." It wasn't easy trying to come up with a way to put her worries to rest.

Stan picked up from where she trailed off. "We'll do things however you want Mar, you've been close to him his whole life. I agree with what you said last week, you should know best, if you're up for it of course." He gave a brief frowning nod to her hooves indicating what he meant.

"Yeah..." Mary said doubtfully.

I hope I really do, she thought, once more in the present. Or this could be a mistake... How much trouble could he get in though, really. Other than school...and a few other things... He's been fine...ish.

"You look deep in thought, love." Stan was frowning at her slightly, balancing a spoonful of chili over his bowl absently. "Should I be worried?"

Everything will be fine... Mary thought confidently. It's like Agnes said, he'll learn the hard way, eventually. "Ooh, just thinking about how I'm going to manage to cut your hair for this weekend, is all. Today's that time of the month for you, isn't it?" She grinned maniacally at Stan and waved a hoof at him. It was his one weekend a month this weekend, and like the trial, it wasn't something he could miss.

Stan choked on his food laughing, then cleared his throat. "Yeah, that's certainly one way of putting it, dear." He gave her an incredulous look while shaking his head. Mary hmmed and tilted her head innocently. "Will you be fine, by the way? For the whole weekend...? We could ask Agnes if she would stay over here, certainly..."

Mary had of course kept the worry of being home alone with the kids all weekend to herself. Stan wasn't blind though, he'd picked up on it. But she'd be perfectly alright, she wasn't helpless. Maybe his folks could stay over after they closed up the store, though...

"I'll call them if I need to Stan. Actually, I've figured out it's pretty hard to do that, use the phone I mean. You should probably buy me one of those speaker phones with the giant buttons..." She did her best to keep her tone chipper, but talking about making preparations to stay like this...a strange miniature pony, was never something easy. Her husband nodded weakly, giving her a consoling look as well.

A strange thought occurred to Mary. I wonder if I'm the only one? For some reason, she got the feeling there should be others. But that didn't make any sense... nor did the feeling that she didn't belong inside the house for that matter. She'd been getting that one since the day before. I felt so in my element outside, it felt great. Other than being terrified by the crazy grass thing... This whole unexplained phenomena deal has me on such an edge. Her hoof began to tap on the side of the table as her mind wandered towards the strange. And then the strangest.

Stan watched her intently, waiting for whatever it was she was thinking to be spoken.

"Think I should talk to Marge, Stan? I haven't heard from her since I called her a few days ago..." Mary stared pensively at the empty bowl of chili in front of her, she'd made her own portion separate, without telling anyone. The steak from the other night before last...had its consequences. So her food didn't have any meat in it, if she was right, then that was what had been responsible.

"I still think it's a bad idea to include her, Mar." He rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair, making no secret of his opinion of the woman.

"She's not a bad old gal, Stan! I mean, you like Mitch and they both get along great. Sure Marge is a little strange... but they're good people." Mary nabbed the bowl of chili from in front of him, and carried it away.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that, thief." Stan frowned and stated in protest of the action.

"Oh? My mistake..." Mary held the bowl along with hers in the crook of one front leg. Walking on three hooves was still a great deal easier than two, especially while wearing her bathrobe.

"Mary, I never said they weren't good people. Marge is just a fruit, and do you really think she knows anything about this to begin with?" Stan followed his wife into the kitchen, bringing some of the other things from the table to help out and make things easier.

"No, not really, but I didn't even tell her or show her what the issue is Stan, so it can't hurt. We're certainly no experts, you know? Any help I can get... I'll take it." While speaking to Stan over her shoulder, Mary stood up next to the counter with her free hoof hooked into the sink, and carefully deposited the bowls into it. The cups and silverware followed the two ceramic containers after he walked up beside her.

"I know," he replied calmly. Standing up, Mary wasn't much shorter than she had been, but it was a little noticeable. One big hand rested on her shoulders in a comforting fashion. "We'll get that help, too, if it's there... You're doing alright, by the way, right Mar?"

Mary huffed a sigh in response and nodded a few times. "Yeah, yeah, I'm in good spirits, I guess. Other than Anna still expecting me to go to her recital like everything is normal, or Bobby fainting at the sight of me. Perfectly peachy."

Stan laughed and shook his head at the notion of six foot Bobby fainting. "Well, you could probably still go." Mary looked over at her husband like he was crazy. "No, I mean it, not in the theater maybe, but you could just use a video call on yours and Agnes' cellphone." He flourished his hands and raised his eyebrows to mock her, as if he had just arrived at the conclusion and had an epiphany. "This is 2023 you know, we live in the future."

That...isn't that bad of an idea, actually. Mary thought. It isn't perfect, but Anna would be happy, I bet. Wait a sec... She tapped a hoof on her husband's chest, realizing something herself. "Hey, just where is my cell phone?"

Stan looked around himself for a moment, then shrugged. "A better question is when are you taking those ribbons out of your...tail." He quirked an eyebrow at the offending topic.

"Oh well, you know, I'll get around to it..." Mary hid the tail further under her robe, thinking of a better explanation wasn't easy. Time for a distraction. "I'm gonnaaaa, go look in the living room? It might be in there." She took a few stumbling steps out of the kitchen, then huffed and grudgingly dropping to all fours to canter away in hasty retreat.

Wherever her cell phone was, it must be dead, because after calling it and walking around the entire house three times Mary couldn't find the darned thing.

"Hold still darnit! This is a lot trickier with these big clunky things." Mary had her tongue stuck out slightly in concentration. Under her careful hooves, Stan gritted his teeth, praying that his wife wouldn't nick him with the barber's tools she now wielded.

"Sorry, you make me nervous is all. I could still just go into town you know, it's not too-" A clump of his red hair fell onto the towel wrapped around himself. "late..." He watched the orange pony standing beside him wearily.

Mary clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "I've got this, don't you worry."

Stan grunted in response, and tried not to think about the fact that his wife could barely stand straight, let alone maneuver the clippers well. "So...you're sure that you're alright with me being gone? I dunno how, but maybe we could bribe a doctor to diagnose you with something for- gah!"

"Mmm, hold still." Mary droned, busy concentrating on her usual monthly husband hair trimming task. He had already shaved his beard again. "I really can't get in the way of you and the Manticores, Stan." She said the name of his guard unit with a slight twist, hinting at mockery. It is a silly name, though. "Also, you know it wouldn't be good to lie, Stan. If this really does need to come out into the open sometime... well, we should just keep it as quiet as possible and come clea-"

"Mary, I don't like that idea- ow. Darni-" Stan was only just able to resist flinching from the pinching that the clippers caused.

"Hold still; well why not?" Mary asked plainly. "We haven't done anything wrong, I just... turned into a colorful pony somehow." Her expression went from exasperated to dour as she replayed her own words through her head. Cynicism aside, it wasn't a helpful statement for her case at all. When Stan said nothing, she tread forward. "Look, in the end it should be up to me right? Anyway I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. I'm still kind of banking on this actually being a glitch in the Matrix, and any day now Keanu Reeves is going to smash through our window and whisk me away!"

"...What? Ow!-" Stan did flinch that time, but an orange hoof pulled his head back to its prior position.

"Hold still, I'm almost done." Mary smirked to herself for successfully ruffling his feathers. "Aaaand, done. Go brush all that off and shower, you." She pulled the towel off of her husband as he stood, and smacked his bottom to usher him on.

Stan craned his head around while slowly leaving the room, a look consternation set in cement on his face. He carefully watched his orange wife trying to hold back her giggling. Okay... what's gotten into her? he thought.

The rest of the night wasn't very eventful.

Stan at one point, yelled at Bobby to "shut off that racket", and Mary spoke with Agnes on the phone with help from Stan. It was an easy day, one that had helped the poor mare to build up some resilience, despite everything.

Mary ran through the long hallway as though her life depended on it, for it may very well. The luminescent glow of the lights overhead played across her face in spurts and spans. The mix of white and black in the corridor forced her to hold her eyes shut every time she passed a new set. What now? The thoughts she could entertain in this nightmare were few, she just knew she had to run.

Her footsteps made dull slapping noises on the tile floor, the walls and doorways flanking either side of her threw the noise back tenfold, echoing in her ears. Where am I? Despite the dream-wrought thought, she couldn't recognize her surroundings, nor could she stop. Something was chasing her.

For a brief time, all noise ceased in the hall. Her footsteps became quiet all of a sudden, but Mary was still running. The cool white walls were gone without warning, replaced instead by a grisly metal. The thick feeling her hooves made on the brick covered ground was unmistakable. Her feet were gone, she wasn't Mary Morris any longer, she didn't know what she was, just an animal. No. Nonono! The breaths she struggled to take became labored, her sense of urgency increasing the more these oppressive surroundings were even around her. No! This isn't me, why did this happen? Why did it even happen to me? WHY ME!?

More hallways and intersections and stairwells began to show up everywhere, narrow shadowed things. Where ever Mary looked, there were paths to take, but no answers to her questions. She skidded to a halt at one such crossing only to look, terror-ridden, from corridor to corridor. No one direction looked like any better a choice than the next, even the dim path she'd been on only seemed to get darker. I ca- I can't do this. Her multicolored head felt heavy, and she let it hang in defeat. The four hooves she'd been cursed with stood solemnly beneath her, a little dirty, and completely out of place.

...There were shouts behind her. Her ears and head picked themselves up, and she ran on pure instinct. The orange mare, on the run and fearful of everything, looked behind herself in horror. The corn stalks from the town's countryside rose up on high and towered over her on all sides. In the distance—shrouded in the gloomy midnight air—the flickering of torchlight crested the nearest hillside down the wagon trail. You've got to be kidding me.

Everyone from town was in the mob. Mary could see Faith and her posse, Marge and Mitch... Her hooves felt heavy in the thick mud, it slowed her more and more, as if the land itself were her enemy and wanted her caught. There was Father Conrad... that jerk Deputy, Dan... Mary could even see Agnes and Herbert. "Stop! It's me!" she cried behind herself and spun around to face them, only to break back into the clumsy gallop in the other direction. "Guys, stop it! Please, I'm scared I- I know I look different, but it's me! I swear to God!"

They didn't listen though, they seemed to only gain on her. Their snarls and curses were prolific and hateful, scathing and acidic. She spared another look behind herself.

At the front of the mob, Mary saw her husband, walking solemnly, but staying in the lead. Beside him, was Bobby, too; grim faced and with dark rings under his eyes.

That was all Mary could handle. She tripped on her unfamiliar legs. Gasping, she stumbled muzzle first into the slick ground. "Ahha, no-" She coughed and choked, sobbing. A downpour began to fall from the sky, and her fur became matted from the damp. "Please! Stop it!" She raised her head and shouted to her pursuers. There was no way for her to tell if she was actually crying, or if it was the rain that crashed around her.

The dark shapes of everyone were suddenly around her; they all cast shadows from their torches. One by one the lights extinguished slowly. The tallest shape amongst them took a step forward; it was Stan.

Mary looked up at her husband. "Baby... please, tell them! Tell them I'm me! I just need help." Her voice was a whimper, barely audible over the rumbling thunder. Her husband leaned down on hands and knees to bring his face down to Mary, he opened his mouth to speak and...

Mary blinked, her eyes were clear suddenly, the sky was bright and sun filled mysteriously. "Huh?" Everyone was gone. As were the corn stalks, the hallways before that... suddenly her mind felt as though it were in perfect clarity. One of her hooves reached up to wipe away her tears, to fix her hair. But the tears and rain were gone, her blue and cream colored locks in a neat braid.

Mary realized she had been dreaming. Still, despite that, everything, even the ground felt so real now. A light breeze swayed the grass and meadow weeds around her. "Where am I?" She asked the wind.

"You're in a dream, of course. Although it had been a nightmare, of the worst kind as well from what we could tell. We apologize for not helping sooner... it is... difficult to enter your dreams." Majestic, that was one word that came to mind when Mary looked at the creature before her. "Are you well now? The atmosphere was easy enough to clear up." The horse sat gracefully and gestured up at the sky with one fore hoof. "Your mind however, was a little flustered, we did what we could." The smile she gave was warm and motherly. She... looked just like Mary—the sparkly maned myth in front of Mary sounded like a she, anyway. Although, her body was much bigger and had of all things...wings and a horn.

Mary could only stare, she knew her mouth was hanging open, but she had no desire or even thought to close it. The midnight blue...unicorn's expression slowly became questioning, and then worrisome. It did seem as if she was waiting for Mary to speak.

"Are you... well?" The winged unicorn leaned out and pawed one of her hooves in Mary's direction. "We don't mean to pry, my subject... but, what were those creatures chasing you? You need not worry; they're gone now, your Princess has-"

"What are you? Or should I be asking who are you? Hah," Mary interjected, smiling peculiarly. She stood up quickly and walked around the tall shape, her eyes spotted the twinkling in her hair and stared. Princess? she wondered at the title briefly, then noticed the tall horse-thing was wearing some silly looking regalia and jewelry.

Mary shook her head. Wow. This is the scariest... weirdest dream I've ever had. Maybe I should see a shrink... While thinking, she glanced at herself, and was happy to see she had her bathrobe on after all.

The tall horse put on a very indignant look and peered down her nose at Mary, who had gone back to watching the sparkly hair.

"Do you know not who we are?" the horse asked her.

Meanwhile, all around the wind gusted the hypnotic creature's mane and the surrounding wheat; it was like nature itself was trying to show off.

"Nuh uh, should I?" Mary curtly and sarcastically responded. She continued to stare openly, her gaze still mesmerized by the constellation filled hair. Pretty... they look like stars.

The horse-thing stuttered for a moment. "How is that even...? That is no way to address-!" Her dream trailed off, then the expression she wore became sad and worried again. "We are a Princess of Equestria, to put it simply. Our name, is Luna." After turning to face Mary—who had paced around her twice by now—she smiled again and held out a hoof to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms...?"

Mary stared at the offer in surprise, before blinking a few times and dumbly holding her own out. Luna wrapped the end of her leg around the returned gesture and shook it once. It felt very natural. The orange mare stared dumbfounded at her hoof until a cough broke her out of the dreamy trance. "Oh!" Luna was watching her calmly. "Uhm, I'm...Mary." She couldn't put her finger on it, but something made her feel a sense of awe towards this Luna person. That crazy hair, maybe? The more she was there, the more inferior Mary felt. The midnight blue apparition had to be at least a foot taller than her, perhaps that was it.

"It is good to meet you Ms. Mary." Luna gave her a slight nod of her head, which Mary jerkily returned.

This is so weird, everything seems so real... Mary grimaced slightly at the ground in response to the deja vu.

"Is everything alright?" Luna caught Mary's attention, who had also begun to pace again.

She looked up at the winged unicorn's scrutinizing expression. "Are you...really talking to me?"

"We do not understand. What do you mean Ms. Mary?" One of Luna's eye brow raised up at her.

"You're a dream, this is a dream. I was just being chased by a mob I- Oh geez...I just want to wake up." Her hooves pressed into her forehead in defeat. She took in a deep breath and tried to focus on feeling the sheets and the bed beside her, for Stan beside her. She felt...the comforting warmth of a blanket. "Huh? WAA!" Mary reeled towards where Luna had been. She skidded up to two hooves from the speed of her retreat. There had been...Luna had had her wing across her back.

The dream named Luna gave her a sorrowful look in return to the panting Mary. "We are sorry, it is obvious you have been through a lot, we only wish to help, my little pony. Rest assured though, we are the true Princess of the Night. We are no mere apparition or night haunt, and we are here to help you with your troubles, whatever they may be." Her wings flapped once absently and ruffled themselves before settling.

"Ooookay..." Mary's mind wasn't in its best form, but she did her best to try piece together what she was experiencing. My mind is coming up with some crazy stuff as a result of this pony business. Oh my gosh maybe it was all just a crazy dream!? I just need to wake up now and... She began hitting her left hoof furiously with her right.

"...Mary what art thou doing? We understand this is a dream but-" Luna scratched a hoof behind her head, confused at the sight—Mary interrupted her.

"Why do you talk like that?" The orange mare struck herself one last time. Drat, still stuck here... She looked up at Luna skeptically. There's no way this is real too, is there?

"Hm, it is simply Royal tradition, my little pony. While we do scorn the use of the Royal Canterlot voice with our subjects and their modern ways, we do prefer to speakest Royally still. But if you would like... I could speak more normally, as a favor."

Mary had deadpanned at the onset of her explanation, but the woman... or horse, whatever, was very sincere and calming. Not to mention nice. "Uhm, that'd be great, Luna...heh." She gulped uncertainly.

Why am I so nervous, it's just a dream, isn't it? Mary reminded herself of how terrified she had been just a short few moments ago before her rescue. A shudder came at the memory. "Well, I appreciate the offer...your highness, heh, but I just want to wake up now. There's nothing bugging me, really. Sooo, I'm just going to try and do that now, wake up I mean." Her hoof came up again, prepared to make the attempt to wake herself once more.

"I... see, I must apologize then, I had thought you were in mortal distress. Hm, I must be out of practice I suppose..." Luna winced as Mary struck herself across the face, once, then twice. "Ah! Please Ms. Mary, allow me? I shall alleviate you of the painful memory of your nightmare." The fantasy horse gave Mary a motherly smile again, and the horn atop her regal head began to glow.

Mary ceased her barrage, which irritatingly inflicted no pain...and her mouth again fell open in amazement at the light show which had begun before her. Weirdest dream ever. Another thought also came to her right after the last. "Oh by the way, it's Mrs. not Ms." The weird blue horse blinked, then nodded appreciatively.

"I should have guessed that, Mrs. Mary. May green fields and cool water always be yours, and congratulations!" The midnight blue pony grinned happily and waved goodbye.

A cool light enveloped Mary's vision suddenly, interrupting her attempt at understanding what Luna had meant. "Hey, wait, what's going-"

"-ON!?" Mary gasped and sat up out of the bed. Her crazed stare leaped across the room in every direction, her left hoof scrambling to find Stan. It plonked on his behind, causing him to growl protest in his sleep loudly. The alarm clock was blaring into the bedroom from beside her, yelling its morning ritual faithfully. It was Friday.

She shuddered and the breath that she had held finally made it out of her. An orange hoof thumped the over sized button atop the alarm clock, she stared at the stump briefly, wonderingly...

Yeah, if anyone ever knew about these dreams, they'd think I was on drugs for sure, alright. Uggh... Well, at least...I found something normal to be thankful for. Her gaze switched from her limb to her husband. "Hey Stan, I can still hit the alarm button without a hitch." She smiled through the fading haze of sleep at him, but, no answer came. Stan snored softly from where he lay dormant.

Mary sighed, then scooted backwards on her rump to lean against the bed's headboard. Her front legs crossed in front of her and she drew one side of her face down in a thoughtful frown. It was that voice again, I just know it...I'd forgotten completely about it. Just what is that voice? She could only remember bits and pieces, but they were vivid...and terrifying. That voice had been...friendly sounding though. Why the idea that the voice had been something other than just her own conscious was even there, was surprising. Even with as real as it sounded.

"H-hey, Stan? Wake up?" She nudged him softly, and heard a mumble in response. "I-I... know this is going to sound nuts... but, I think... I spoke to God in my sleep?" She said questioningly, as if testing the words for herself. They didn't sound right, it was probably just a dream, a really crazy one, crazy like everything else lately. "Anyway, wake up, I wanted to tell you since it isn't the craziest thing to consider since this all started. Speaking of which... thanks again for being there for me and-"

A loud, long snore from Stan cut Mary off, and made her look up angrily; the snore had made Stan sound like he was getting ready to hock a loogie.

"Eew, gross," Mary complained, and cringed back, then pushed him over the side of the bed with both hooves.

Chapter 11 : Wardrobe

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Mary stretched her hooves and yawned widely. From the side of the bed, a ticked off Stan glared at her. She smacked her lips and looked over, innocently, towards him. "Hm...?"

The displaced husband raised an eyebrow at his mischievous wife.

"Oh, good morning, dear. How did you sleep?" Mary fluttered her eyes at him mockingly.

Stan pushed himself all the way up with the help of the bed's side, eyes studying his orange furred wife's half hearted attempt at a casual greeting. "Don't think that just because of present circumstances you can get away with anything, Mar." She giggled as her only response, then lowered those strange hooves that she now had from behind her head, and slid off of the mattress. "Where are you going?" He thought he probably knew already, but wasn't quite sure yet.

"Uhm, to wake up the kids?" Mary replied; Stan had guessed right. His legs pushed him up to stand as Mary fell out of sight for a moment, then reappeared on her own hind legs, slipping on that bathrobe she wore so much. Mary all but lived in that thing now, he'd washed it yesterday to help out.

"Not to mention getting breakfast ready...making your lunch..." She smirked at him under stern, knowing eyes, because yesterday, he hadn't woken her up.

No, he'd turned off her alarm and used that inexplicable military super power of his to only wake up when he wanted to, and gotten things finished himself. Now, she wasn't upset by the sentiment, that had better be what it had been...and not protecting his defenseless wife from the rigors of every day life.

Well, I'm not going to sit back on my butt all day, Mary concluded stalwartly. Doing that every day until I'm back to normal wouldn't feel right. It's not an option...

So, for the mom now made mare, it was very simple as to what she was going to do now. She half pranced, half hopped out of the bedroom away from her irate husband, and in the direction of the stairs. The sound of him asking if she "was sure" trailing behind herself.

Mary cantered spiritedly up the flight and then down the hallway, still smiling from pushing Stan off the bed. I've always wanted to do that... She mused to herself, and laid a hoof over the now shoulder level door knob to Anna's bedroom door, a smile still plastered to her face. The mood had even made her forget about having hooves for a moment.

"Annaliiiiiise, time to get up little girl!" Mary reared enough to get her front hooves on the bed and nudged her daughter until signs of life showed themselves. "Breakfast in twentyyy." She sing-songed on her way out, smirking from the mumbling her daughter made.

Mary stopped outside Anna's room, and her cheer faded immediately upon looking at her other child's lair. The blue and tan tail she had swished erratically as she watched Bobby's foreboding door. Her hesitation to go in lasted long enough for her to notice the swishing...

A hoof stepped back on her tail to assist in stopping it, while her frown merely deepened the longer she waited outside the room.

Mary let out a defeated sigh, then knocked twice and winced. It sounded louder than she'd intended with hooves, that would take some practice too apparently. Still, no answer came, so she tried calling. "Bobby?" Nothing. "Boooobby, it's time to get up and go to school. Are you awake?" Her son didn't respond though, even after another, slightly more controlled knock. She scowled a little and opened the barrier to peek inside. The floor was a mess of clothes which her eyes immediately took note of, there were dishes stacked on the desk too, and every surface seemed occupied by something.

Well this is a sty... she thought irritably, a disgusted grimace forming.

The clock on the wall tocked quietly as Mary took a few careful steps inside, trying her best not to step on anything but carpet. The unmistakable lump in the bed at the corner of the room had to be none other than her rebellious son. "Heeey," she called out in a sweet voice. "Time to get up sleepy head." The mound of blankets didn't move though.

Mary's eyebrows drew down in confusion. She bit the end of the blanket, then pulled it off of the bed with a sharp tug.

"Gah!"

"Oh, sorry dear..."

"What the hell, it's not bad enough you-?" Bobby's voice lowered into indiscernible grumbling and muttering as he flung the covers back over himself and rolled over.

"So you were awake." Mary said irritably.

Bobby refused to answer again.

The orange mare stood at the end of the bed with a solemn look and heaved a weak sigh. Her eyes searched over the comforter and surroundings absently. "Well," she began, unsure if she had actually hoped he'd be kinder today, or if her happy mood had just been denial all along. "Alright, breakfast will be..." She bit her bottom lip in thought. Should I not make him anything or... In the end—after another lengthy pause—she simply said, "don't be late getting up Bobby..."

The lump responded callously to her. "Go away, and don't come in my room."

Mary drooped, and left the room. She didn't want to simply leave, but it wasn't in her to fight back anymore. Why did it ever have to come to fighting... The door remained open as she walked back downstairs. "I could've said something about him talking back, or his room, or the other day, but I didn't...what should I say...?" If only I could just cheer him up, or win him back. Hah, not likely as long as I'm stuck like this. Her scowl took in one of her orange shoulders, then she huffed her way into the kitchen.

The shower was going as she passed the bathroom and the table was still bare. Alright Mary, you can do this, no problem. It shouldn't be terribly more daunting than usual, getting breakfast ready. Although, she almost needed a stool to reach the cabinets, if only just. Standing as tall as she could and stretching she just managed to slip a hoof into the nudged open pantry and pull out the cereal. Yesyesyes, yes! You're amazing Mary, next you need to learn how to drive...again. She tried to pinch the bridge of her nose and laughed harshly at her own silly encouragement. In the end, all her hooves could do was rub the top of her muzzle.

Mary fixed toast, eggs and made Stan's lunch. During the normally mundane process, she had to relax on all fours before finishing. One hoof massaged her back legs while she made a pained, but quiet hissing noise. Stupid legs...

Once victorious against the routine, she sat down at the dining room table. Or rather, climbed up front hooves first, making carefully sure that the chair was close enough to the table before doing so. "Alright," she leaned forward onto one arm, coffee in hoof, "so breakfast is out. Next I would shower and get ready for work...I wonder how I'm going to steer the car." She chuckled a little at the idea, she did want to drive, though.

The sound of footsteps from behind made Mary point her ears around to face them. Strange new things she had begun to get used to aside, that was still a very weird feeling. Stan took a seat across from her, a tired look plainly worn on his face.

"Mar, come on, you and I shouldn't even be planning or considering things like that." It took a moment for her to realize he was answering what she'd said to herself. "We should only focus on getting you back to normal, right? I don't doubt you could drive, if anyone could without hands it'd be you, certainly." Stan watched Mary's ears lay back at the statement, her big eyes flickering to her arms' ends and her mouth working as if about to speak. "We can't risk this getting out, you need to stay here, inside."

"Well true," Mary tapped a hoof on the table while her face heated. I know that, I don't want to be ridiculed for worse than I already am... "But...that doesn't mean I should just give up those things, does it?" She bit her lip before continuing. "I don't want to be helpless, Stan. I certainly don't want to just sit around the house all day, every day, either. If I want to go outside, or drive, or go to the supermarket, I will! Agnes agrees I could still go to work for her...so how else would I get there if I don't drive?"

"Mar, promise me you won't actually try to drive or go out like that. It's just a bad idea...and work? How would you talk to the customers?" Stan wasn't really awake enough to argue, and he tried his best to keep his tone soft.

"Well I wouldn't, obviously..." Mary replied in a heated tone, looking at the floor. "I would just plant, and move things, restock... I was practicing writing the other day, my hooves worked fine, but I had this thought about trying to use my-"

"Mary...Mar, please just," Stan visibly worked to find the right way to convince her, tactfully.

Mary's face wilted, and they were both quiet for a moment. She shrugged and kept her eyes on the tablecloth. "I know," she muttered. "I just don't want to give up more than I have to Stan..." Her face buried itself behind the cup of coffee she held, trailing off.

Stan wore a grim expression and stared into his own coffee. He opened his mouth slowly to speak, and apologize, when Anna appeared, walking sleepy faced towards the table.

"Morning mooom." Still rubbing her eyes, Anna walked up and hugged an already awkwardly seated Mary.

Mary managed to curl one hoof around her daughter's shoulder from the chair. "Morning sweetie, how'd you sleep?"

The sounds of his family talking were a distant buzz for Stan. She doesn't really think that things can go on normally, does she? He tried not to let it show, but that just made his face angry. Worry bent his still tired mind. This coffee needs to kick in... Mary had actually been...pretty happy yesterday, and seems to be today, too. That actually made him more irate instead of glad, irritatingly enough, as if his subconscious had decided that with her being alright, that it was his turn to crack. The red haired man stared absently at his guard uniform while in thought. He didn't want to enforce anything on her, far from it. I have to keep her safe though, and I won't be here yet again, to do it.

Stan had been wracking his brain over his jobs, and whether or not he could work on quitting one without bankrupting his family...

A half an hour passed by, and then it was time for Stan to make the drive further into the state towards his unit. Bobby rode the bus, while his father dropped Anna off at the nearby school.

Mary stood on the back porch waving to them as they pulled out of the driveway, a smile cheaply hung on her face. She stood there a moment and didn't move, just looked around frowning, her family now gone once again.

"I need to get, like, a dog or something," Mary huffed out. "I hate being left alone." She flipped her braid in irritation and went back inside.

The unwieldy cardboard box slid noisily across the dining room floor as Mary pushed it, her head planted firmly against its side. She grunted as the container caught on the lip on the mud room doorway. Her face peered around the side scowling, and she reached over it to pick it up an inch.

"I should have done this a month ago..." Mary's back legs shook as she set the heavy magazine laden box back down. "I wouldn't have to do this without hands then." I cannot believe I'm moving these on my own though. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but it seemed that her body was a lot stronger than it had been. Sure it was still annoying without hands, but she wasn't straining herself at all moving the heavy boxes.

Mary walked around the box as it slid to a halt by the back door, and opened it. Now the tricky part...getting it down these stairs. It was the last of the things she'd organized and needed to move out to the garage. Everything else had been shelved or put away elsewhere. Her bedroom hadn't been so clear in months.

After casting a wary glance down the little path that led past their garage to the driveway, Mary proceeded forward. They didn't have any immediate neighbors, but she couldn't help but be cautious. The last thing she wanted was people finding out about her. Or do I? I don't want to live in secret forever, I bet Stan thinks that's what I should do if we can't fix this, judging by this morning... Oh, I so hope it just wears off. And maybe it would, she certainly didn't know.

Mary's eyes shifted to look out across the backyard while she pushed the box with her head. Her gardening boxes and vegetable garden needed tending to, everything was past due to be picked and things needed sheltering for the winter. She thought she could feel adrenaline building in her legs from looking at the greenery, it had been doing that all morning. Fortunately nothing weird had happened this time, she'd even sat down by a potted plant and stared at it earlier, trying to make it grow. I'd say that I was just going crazy... but Herbert saw it too. Also, I'm a four legged orange ball of fur at the moment, there isn't much that can top that.

The garage was dark, the end of her tail flicked up and hit the light switch.

Mary smirked back at it and continued to push the box to the back of the small building. From weird to weirder every day. Her expression sobered up and let out a sigh, she usually managed to kill any positive thoughts about her curse quite easily.

Using the wall to slide the box up and over her head, Mary pushed it to rest on top of the other two cardboard containers she had already put into the garage. She blinked in the dim light up at them, then flexed one of her front legs appreciatively. I'm not even sure if I could have lifted that back in my military days.

The door shut with a click, and Mary walked back, hooves clicking on the stone path leading to the house. The clicking stopped, and her eyes were scanning the field behind their house again, past her garden. She looked around the spacious area, then snorted derisively. "Oh, what the hell, why not?" The snort had caught her by surprise, but she continued unperturbed. "Stan won't know."

Mary tightened her bathrobe ready for the run, then hesitated a moment after a couple steps. She considered if she could get away with taking the clothing off altogether, it would probably get in the way on a run... Well no one's here... and the whole point is to stay unseen, anyway... She looked around nervously at the idea of what was for all intents and purposes, being naked. Meh. The robe was shrugged off and her hooves took her out into the field at a sprint, a grin creeping onto her face.

The tall weeds whipped at her harmlessly, and her legs navigated any uneven terrain with ease. She hopped over scraggly shrubs and even the back fence without a hitch.

With the fun Mary was having, bursting out into laughter was unavoidable. She did cast a wary glance behind herself though, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, nothing was there this time. Grin replastered to her face, she focused her attention ahead of herself once more, giggling and pushing herself to run harder without abandon. I swear, I haven't laughed at anything like this since I was little.

Why is this so much fun...? Mary had finally begun to trot her way back to the house, having run nearly to the woods in her elated state. It hadn't quite been an hour... she thought. Now I'm just worried if this has changed my brain or something, too. Augh, I just want to do something about this besides worry for a change. A sigh escaped her. At least I felt better while I was running... Her grimace changed into a smile as she spotted a familiar face on her back porch.

"Hey mom!" Mary stood up onto two hooves and waved one leg at her. She was holding what looked like a set of clothes.

"Heeey, look at what I've got! It looks like I brought these over not a moment too soon, too." Agnes chortled out, leaning over the side of the porch. She raised an eyebrow questioningly above her smile.

"Aah... yeah." Mary fell back on all fours quickly, and scrunched her legs closer together. She shuffled the rest of the way up to the building. "I was running and, well I've been cooped up...the bathrobe I've been stuck with was kind of...you know." She frowned down at herself, and at her tail which was somehow instinctively covering her shame.

"It's fine Mary, you are covered in fur after all so I guess it's not really public nudity, right?" Agnes started laughing harder than before while holding the articles over the railing to display them. Mary could see that what she held was in fact some kind of clothing. "So, what do you think?" The older woman asked intently.

Mary looked over the short sleeved shirt and strange sort of skirt curiously. The skirt was particularly odd, it swallow-tailed at her hindquarters, making the back portion of it a lot longer than the front. Her hooves clopped on the wood steps as she made her way up to her mother-in-law.

"Where'd you get these?" Mary lifted the fabric with a hoof and inspected it more closely.

"Well I made them, of course. I haven't sewn in such a long time, but you need something other than a bath robe to wear so... tah dah." Agnes laid the outfit over an arm and opened the door to the house. "I guessed about your new measurements, but the styles are pretty loosely fitting so there was a lot of room for error. I brought my tape measure as well, we should take those measurements while I'm here." She beamed a look of anticipation down at Mary as she walked into the house, Mary herself wearing a nervous grin, followed after her.

"Well, thanks mom really this is great... but, this better not turn into when you and Anna played with my hair, I mean it." The previously accosted pony said up at her flatly, and wearing deadpan expression.

"Oh you thought it was funny too, stop trying to play the victim here." Agnes waved a hand dismissively and laid the clothes on the couch.

Mary squinted her eyes derisively. I am the victim! Making light of the situation certainly doesn't make me any less of a victim!

Agnes held up a small box in front of Mary's nose, making her pull back. "I got this for you by the way, I think you mentioned breaking one."

Mary took the object in both hooves. "It's empty?" As she turned it over in her grasp, she could see the picture on the side of the box was a phone.

"Already set it up, you were out there having fun for a while." Agnes chimed. "So, would you like to put these on now?"

Mary could tell she was anxious to see her clothes put to use. "Heh, uhm, let me shower real quick mom. I think I just ran ten miles back there." Her mom's eyes widened at that. "Be right back."

Mary played idly with the tail of her new dress. Is it a dress? Yeah, it's a dress. It looked a bit like something you'd see in a very old timey retro picture from the fifties, the ones where the mothers had their hair up and the family standing by their two cars was utterly perfect. Automatically, her mind pictured her current figure standing beside her kids and husband. She suppressed a shudder and cringed.

At least her new homemade clothes fit well.

"So, how've you been holding up, anything new?" Agnes was calmly rebraiding Mary's still damp, dual-colored hair, both were seated on the couch once more.

"Well, let's see," Mary began contemplatively. "I think meat makes me sick now, that or I've had a really wimpy flu lately... I've been thinking about how to adjust living indoors mostly other than that, I need to call the guild and tell them I have to quit. Hm, I should probably tell Father Conrade we can't come anymore either, though I'm really not sure what explanation would be believable and tactful for that." She drooped her head forward a bit, and Agnes' hand pulled her chin back up from behind, then resumed braiding.

"Oh just tell them you're all too busy, Mary. Honestly you have bigger things to worry about than others. For instance, we should figure out how we're going to take Anna out to eat after her big night tomorrow!"

The braid finished, Mary stood up on the couch and circled around to face Agnes, laughing at her mother-in-law's sarcasm. "I think we'll have to skip that dinner, mom." She blew a strand of hair away from her eye as her expression sagged a bit, now recalling that morning. "Besides, Stan said I shouldn't think about leaving the house, that's...kind of a depressing thought, I'm practically a prisoner in my own home."

Agnes clicked her tongue and frowned at her. "Dear, you're not a prisoner, and I'm sure he's just thinking about your safety. If Stanley's being pushy about it and you really want out for a bit we'll think of something, and I'll put him in his place." She crossed her arms and gave Mary a confident look.

The mare smirked sheepishly at the stout woman's moxy, then frowned again and continued. "Well, yeah, I know that mom. But... I mentioned driving and he was completely against it, and when he suggested watching the recital? I think he meant from here at the house, not in the car. I didn't bring it up but... He's probably right, I shouldn't risk it. Doubt I could drive like this anyway."

Agnes frowned down at her daughter-in-law. "Mary, this thing's only got you beat when you give up. There'll be some adjustments, I mean this is pretty out of the ordinary, but you're still a Morris, that makes you a fighter too. If you want to drive or work there's no reason not to try, understand?"

Mary's expression was flat, before working into a weak, reassured smile. Her mother took that as a response.

"Good, so what's next!" Agnes clapped her hands together and rubbed them searching across the room as if the problems were tangible and needed clobbering.

Mary rolled her eyes from the show before her, then the biggest weight on her mind—next to her current ponydom—reared its head in response to Agnes' question. "There's always Bobby." Her son was always a concern. "Did Herbert tell you anything about that?" she asked tiredly.

The room went quiet except for a hum from Agnes, searching for a good response.

The new phone rang abruptly, almost as if to end the awkward silence before it somehow made the air in the room stale.

Mary looked towards its home beside the couch, where she could reach it easily. "Oh, it's Marge! I actually needed to talk to her." She blinked, confirming the number, address and name flashing on the newly installed phone.

"What about?" Agnes asked casually.

"Uhm..." Mary held a hoof up to her face and kept from looking at the older woman. "Well, about this." She gestured at herself, waving with one hoof.

Agnes' face became more serious.

"She doesn't know though, I called her a few days ago!" Mary reinforced. "It seemed like a good idea, she's big into the occult, I thought... maybe she'd know something helpful? I know it's a long shot but..." The french braided mare trailed off, gaze hovering over the beeping phone.

Agnes made an understanding face and patted Mary's wrist. "Do you think she'll have anything?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Oh, never mind me! You'll find out in a moment. Well, go ahead then, dear. While you're talking I'll take your measurements, actually. That way I can get started on making some better clothes when I get home."

"Aw mom, you don't have to..." Mary's smiled wanly at the sentiment, it felt really nice to have the support from family.

"Nonsense, I completely do, now answer the phone before your friend hangs up." Agnes was already straightening a tape measure from her purse.

The orange mare clicked the now all too easy to press answer button without any fuss. "Uuh, AAH!" Only to immediately dive off of the couch and onto the floor.

Marge's face looked up from a bowl of what appeared to be macaroni salad. "Hm? Mary you there? Stan? HelloooOOooo." Her face leaned over and pressed against the her phone's screen. "Agnes? Is that you?"

Mary was prone beside the couch, and hissed up at Agnes. "It's a video phone!? Really mom?"

"Ooohooo, I know I just heard Mary! Where are you girl?" Beside the couch the pony gritted her teeth, even knowing she was safe. "I'm sure you hair's fine whatever color it's ended up this time, come on out! Oh, Agnes how've you been?"

Agnes smiled across the couch at the video. "Oh just peachy Margery, you know how it is."

Mary groaned and buried her head in her hooves from where she was on the floor. "I can't believe you're just going to ignore me."

"I'm not ignoring anything dear, I'm just trying to speak with Marge...normally." Agnes shrugged at Mary, then smiled back at the phone. "Sorry though, I just looked for big buttons like you'd asked for the thing, didn't realize the panel was a video."

"Do they even still sell normal phones? It's getting so hard to find what you want in stores these days. Half of it's cutting edge and the other half is junk recycled from decades ago."

"I know, the world gets crazier every day, those stupid wars, the government mismanaging everything, all the riots and-" Mary interrupted her mom, she was picking up speed on the current events and that never ended well.

"Agnes, please can we see why Marge called?" Mary stood up and gestured to herself with a flourish.

"Oh, right. Where are you though, Mary?" Marge raised an eyebrow at Agnes.

"I'm here...let's not talk about it, please. Uhm, so what's up?"

"Just calling to see if you'll be coming to the quilt meeting love!" Marge said cheerily around a mouthful of food.

"I... I can't Marge. Uhm, my curse, remember?" Mary asked pleadingly.

"Your what?" Her friend replied, now watching television.

"The curse! I asked you to look stuff up on transformations? The hair color thing?" Mary almost jumped in front of the little screen, her anxiousness and incredulity at her friend's cluelessness building quickly.

"Ooooh, right, I looked into that. Sorry I forgot, I half assumed you were just kidding around actually, too." Marge looked over again at the phone, but there was still nothing to be looked at.

"Maaarge." Mary rubbed her hooves against her temples.

"Well, I did. But you're not very funny so I looked some assuming you'd just lost a screw or two and were serious about this."

"And?" Mary ignored the insult, and scowled at Agnes who started snickering.

"Aaaand, I don't know what to tell you, there's a million things that are obviously fake about the subject. What you told me was just too vague, show me what's wrong maybe? Oh, I did find something about a lard bath that supposedly cured a man's paralysis though. Either he'd faked being immobile for a decade or that thing really did fix him up-"

Mary sat back against a chair and let out a sigh, tuning her out entirely. She's entered into a rant again. The orange mare pawed absently at the tail of her new skirt-dress thing, entertaining an annoyed thought. I should have been friends with a mad scientist, apparently magic is failure.

The clock on the nearby wall's minute hand ticked over to one o' clock sharp, noisily. The classroom was quiet except for the older woman speaking at the front of it, pointing every now and again to some figure up on the board. The other students around Bobby were as quiet or detached as he was, with only two or three actually looking up at the speaker.

A couple were talking though, albeit quietly, one of them had even just addressed him.

One of the students, a short fellow with grimy, blonde hair, finished speaking, then sent a wicked grin across the isle.

"What are you talking about, dude?" Bobby sighed quietly, looking at his friend through the corner of his eye, and tried his best to ignore the look he was getting.

"I mean, why do you look more depressing than a three legged dog?" Following up the question, he jabbed Bobby roughly on the arm with an intrusive finger. "Seriously, you about to start crying right here in class?"

Bobby formed a fist under his desk and raised an eyebrow back at the other kid. "Yeah, you're funny." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Cory, I don't wanna talk about it." The much bigger of the two crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, glaring up to the front of the classroom.

Cory tilted his head in a questioning manner. "Why, what's up?"

"I said it was nothing, dude," Bobby repeated.

"Oh, okay." Cory paused for a split second, then continued. "So what is it?" he asked again, persisting.

"Dude, I just sai-" Bobby let out a tired sigh. "It's just crap back at home man, same as usual."

"Oh." Cory looked back forward, making sure the teacher still didn't care that they didn't care. She was watching them now. "So, your mom's still being a-"

"A nag?" Bobby smirked at the pun, not that Cory would get it, which kinda killed the cleverness of it.

"Uuuh, not what I was gonna say, but sure." The other punk scratched the side of his face and leaned lazily on one arm to look as though he were paying attention.

"Yeah, she is..." Bobby grimaced at the thought of his mom, period. What the hell has even happened to her, nothing dad said made any sense at all.

Cory smiled across at him and poked him again. "Well cheer up dude, your dad's gone all weekend right? We should ask your mom if we can use your garage again, it's got way more space than mine."

"Yeah I don't think that's likely to happen man." Although I guess she wouldn't be able to stop me... Bobby considered the thought, which grew into another one promptly, finally, he just said it aloud. "Hey, dude, we also got a new pet."

"Yeah? Cool."

"Not really," Bobby replied from under his stringy hair. "It's kind of...annoying as hell."

"Hm, that sucks." Cory had begun half answering him, only slightly vested in the conversation any longer. He didn't much care for what was being said, just getting a reaction out of his friend.

Bobby leaned forward and stared down at the desk angrily. "Yeah, I can't stand the thing, kinda wish I could do something about it."

"Well, why don't you?" his friend responded absently.

Bobby looked over at the scrawny teen, not following him fully. How the hell am I supposed to do something about mom? Oh, right, pet. "What do you mean...?" He asked, slowly.

Cory grinned at him again. "I mean, if you don't want the thing then just...call animal control or something, maybe that'll get the hint across to your folks?"

Chapter 12 : Ballet Betrayal Pt. One

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The night was at the apex of its darkness and a new moon starved the cold air of any light. Swift moving clouds rolled high above the urban skyline, and below, the flickering lights of cars and buildings created a dim glow together. Outside of one small, out of the way hotel, a single room light on the third story remained on.

Stan Morris' tall form sat in the one armchair, restless. His old Nokia cellphone—which he had stubbornly held onto for over half a decade—was held lazily between his thumb and index finger. "Hello?" The dialing tone had ceased finally; this was his second call.

"...Stan?" a somewhat garbled voice finally answered through the device.

Stan finally relaxed fully, releasing the stress built up from both work, and having his mind entirely dedicated to worrying about Mary for the day's entirety.

"The one and only. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Stan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

On the other end of the call, Mary smirked. "Sorry about that, It took me a moment to reach the phone and I've got a heat-tick asleep in my lap right now. Or, what passes for a lap these days..."

Mary stroked gently at Anna's hair, who was fast asleep and using her mom's side as a headrest; the book she had been reading was pushed to the far end of the bed. She gave an unspoken thanks to Stan for calling when he had. I was about to hurl that book across the room... Turning pages with hooves is impossible!

Stan smiled down at the dark hotel carpet, picturing his girls resting easy. "Anna has taken this all pretty well, hasn't she? Unless that's Bobby you've got sleeping on you over there." He grinned when Mary's short, incredulous guffaw came through the cellphone. "Seriously though, I think she's even kept it a secret at school. At least, I haven't heard anything."

Mary made a slightly defeated look. "Well, she's probably too young to understand the gravity of the situation. This pony secret thing has got to be a kind of a game to her..." Secret this, secret that... Her brow creased a little with the thought. "So, how was your day Stan? Terribly stressful, or the usual tedium? Please, tell me all about it so I can once again be thankful I'm a civilian." A smile replaced her somber look as she repeated the old mantra-like words.

"It was the same as it's always been." Her husband chuckled bitterly. "Tell me about yours. Did Bobby... talk to you or anything yet?" He didn't know much about what his son's reaction was, just that he wouldn't speak to his mother unless he had to. I should've spoken to him.

"Sheesh," Mary's eyes widened and recalled the little there was. "Let's see, so much of terrible interest happened. Where do I even begin...?" She relented in smoothing Anna's hair and put a hoof behind her head to rest back on. The young girl murmured in her sleep, but didn't otherwise stir.

Stan gave the hotel room wall he faced a weak smile. "I'm sensing some sarcasm here."

Mary giggled as she spoke. "Some stuff did happen, I guess." She sobered up and coughed, then continued in a more relaxed tone. "Bobby won't even look at me for more than a second... Mom dropped by though, and she brought me some things too. They were nice... gifts."

"What did she get you?" Stan asked, his voice sounding plain from the other end of the call.

"Hm, a replacement phone for the one I broke, and a set of clothes she made for me. They're really nice; I couldn't even tell she'd done it by hand." Mary's ear twitched in thought over how tired Stan had sounded. I'm surprised he called with how late it was getting, she considered.

Stan's reply was upbeat. "Oh, well that's good. At least now you won't have to live in your house robe until you're back to your old self."

"Heh, yeah, at least there's that." Mary wore a weak smile and her eyes took in the dark bedroom nervously.

Stan paused just long enough to pull his foot out of his mouth. "Sorry..." He frowned and scrubbed a hand behind his head, angry at himself for not being more delicate with her.

"No no, it's alright, dear," his wife came back over the line. "It is what it is, after all. I really can't wait for when we do figure something out, though, and until then clothes are a necessity. Likely, there are some other adjustments we haven't thought of yet, either. Best to prepare for the worst!"

Mary's expression was a ghostly impression of cheer at the self directed pep talk. Watching Anna resting soundly gave it some feeling of legitimacy for her, at least.

"Still..." Stan mumbled, and let his head fall back over the top of the chair defeatedly.

"Quiet, you," Mary interrupted soundly. "I'm not done talking about my day yet, you had your turn." Mary stuck her tongue out mockingly at her husband—old habit. He would apologize for something or another that he really shouldn't and leave it for Mary to lighten the mood again. "I spoke with Marge again, and she was no help whatsoever. That gal just insists on having to see what I'm talking about if she's going to help..."

Stan made a pained grunt into the phone and frowned. "I tried to tell you."

"Yeah... she doesn't mean any harm though." After exhaling a weak breath, Mary continued. "So there was that, and I tried growing some plants again out of morbid curiosity—"

"...You did?" Stan looked at the wall with a mixture of vexation and shock.

"It's not a big deal—"

"...We don't know that, Mar." Unable to keep still, Stan stood up and walked over to the hotel window. He saw the cloud filled night sky, but stared out into space.

Mary's own expression was a frustrated one. I guess there isn't a good reason that I did, but it couldn't have hurt, could it? Her right hoof fanned her hair out while she was thinking of a quick response. "Well, I'm sorry... I was just bored, and curious...and for some reason it kinda seemed... You don't think it's dangerous, do you?" She put on a worried look, recalling when the grass and flowers had sprung up around her legs a few days ago.

"I don't know, but that's the only reason we have to be cautious Mary. Simply put, we don't know." Stan leaned against the window with one hand, continuing his search of the dark landscape. "I... nothing dangerous has happened yet is all, so we shouldn't do anything to invite it into our home."

Mary smirked.

"Because, if you leave your door open in the woods, the bear won't know you aren't inviting it in for dinner." They chorused together, Mary let out a sigh and tilted her head lovingly. "Yeah, I know Stan. I won't try to grow things then."

Stan nodded absently, still smirking himself, before speaking. "That's the smart girl I married."

Mary rolled her eyes over on her side of the line. "Oh, would you like to do our video call like always, Stan?" She smiled coolly into the dim light of her bedroom again, happily recalling memories of video chats and phone calls past while he had been away for one thing or another.

"Video call?" Stan leaned back from the window and paced back into the room. "Didn't you lose your cell phone? Did you find it?"

"Oh," Mary scooted further back in her bed and gently shook Anna. "No, it isn't that, although I do need to find that blasted thing... No, the phone Mom got us has video, I guess it's standard these days. So would you like to? I need to get Anna up to bed anyway." The girl in question herself looked up and smiled at her mom, mumbling hello. Mary smiled back and shared the plan with her daughter.

Stan paced across the room, completing a second lap. "You don't need to do that Mar, stay comfortable."

Mary was already making headway getting upstairs, following Anna closely as they went up the staircase. Walking alongside Anna was only a little awkward for Mary, being so much closer to her daughter's height while on all fours. Stairs on two legs would probably never be feasible in this state. "We always do video on our calls though." She gently declined Anna's request of a story, and agreed to come back up to tell one if she was still awake then.

Stan could hear the quiet noises his two girls made walking through the house, and sighed, staying quiet.

"Besides, I'm already up after all." Anna promptly rolled over under her bed covers, and Mary could've sworn she was out like a light already. The mare had a weak smile as she juggled the phone in one hoof while tucking in her daughter, whispering a goodnight.

"If... you're sure."

Mary hopped onto the couch, and set the phone back in its cradle, a hoof hovering over the video request on the device. "...Do you not want to, Stan?"

Stan's eyes widened, then sent the request and answered her. "No, I mean yes I do. I just didn't want to make you get up. You have to jump to make it onto the bed so..." He hadn't meant to make it seem like he didn't want to see her.

"Are we going to talk face to face or am I going to stare at your ear all night?"

Stan blinked, and looked at his phone with a shocked expression, which relaxed soberly at seeing his wife illuminated by the cool but bright light of the screen on her end. "Hey Mar." Her fur was orange, her hair light blue and tan.

Mary stretched her legs one at a time, behind herself, and over her head. Anna had bounced her way into her room early asking to play, which had taken Mary by complete surprise. Well, me one, video games two thousand... She was in her night gown, the looseness of it had been taken care of with a couple innocuous safety pins.

She yawned and scratched her side as she made her way through the house, and into the kitchen in order to make some coffee. Without it, she wasn't doing much of anything, weekend or no. Her hooves brought her to rest by the counter where she stood up, and tiredly scooped some of the life giving grounds into the miracle machine.

Beside her on the window sill, a potted plant that happened to be double its normal size, sat idly.

Mary's head and eyes glanced at the thing, then resettled on her goal... then double-taked back. "...GAH!" Her hooves slid out from under her, causing a racket and a thud when she landed on her butt. She stared wide eyed and swallowed from seeing the spectacle. "I don't believe it." Blinking and scrubbing her eyes didn't change the facts. "Uggh, coffee first," she declared, "weirdness second..."

Anna had already been awake and was goodness knows where. Mary caught sight of Bobby though, already dressed with his hoody pulled up over his head. It was nine in the morning, normally, neither he nor Mary would be awake yet on a Saturday. She chewed on the toast hanging out of her mouth and let the latter half fall onto the plate in front of her.

Bobby stopped in the doorway jerkily, seeing her, then shrugged the bag he carried on harder.

"Good morning!" Mary put on a smile, but her son wasn't looking and was blazing towards the back door. "Hey, where are you going?" He scooped up his skateboard from the mud room wall. Mary hopped off the chair and followed after him, tail swishing in her night gown. "Bobby, Bobby!"

Her son finally stopped with the door half open. "What?"

"...If you're going out for the day, just tell me where you'll be so I know." Mary looked at him forlornly.

"I'll be at Cory's." He answered emotionlessly, not angry or impatient.

"Hey, be home by five okay! Call if anything is wrong, please?" Mary stared after her son as he opened the back gate. Her eyes followed him as he threw his skateboard on the ground and jumped onto it. Holding onto the railing of the back porch, she hung off the ground, her head craning around the corner of the house, looking after him. Finally, she sighed and fell back to the wooden planks. I hope to God he's alright...

Mary hoped she wouldn't regret not stopping him later, either.

"Mom, can I have friends over!?"

The orange mare nearly jumped out of her skin, she suppressed a shiver and turned to face Anna, a hoof held to her chest to calm her heart. "You scared me half to death Anna- What? Oh, no sweetie we can't because of...Mommy's condition, we have to keep it a secret, remember? We talked about this for three hours yesterday with daddy." The look of sadness her daughter gave her could have made stone cry.

"Alright...but I can still go to their houses, right? You didn't say I couldn't do that." Anna hopped once and had her hands clasped pleadingly.

Mary sighed and led her daughter inside with a hoof on her shoulder, she thought about one of Megan's parents coming to pick up her up, but thought better of allowing that to happen. I should call mom over, Anna could get a ride to a friend's house then, at least. "Wouldn't you rather stay home with mommy today Anna? We could...make cupcakes! Doesn't that sound like a great time? I have hooves right now, after all, so I'd need a lot of help from you to get the job do- Anna? Put my tail down."

"Aw," Anna let loose of the blue and tan hairs struggling to free themselves. "I think I'd rather go to a friend's house, mom. Even if I can't show you to them..." The girl rolled her eyes and gave Mary an innocent smile. "Could you call grandma and have her drive me over?"

Anna's been negotiating weekends for too long, Mary thought gravely. She thought about a way around me not being able to drive before... She trailed off, the orange mare thought over the thought, thoughtfully. No, even if I do end up trying to drive again, it isn't going to be with Anna in the car. Maybe I could get Herbert to come over and we could practice... Her hoof tapped against her chin.

"I heard Dad say you can't drive yesterday, Mom..." Mary blinked and looked up at Anna, who stood with her arms crossed and a coy smile on her face.

"Young lady were you spying on us?"

"Noooo..." Anna slowly backed out of the room, speaking quickly as she went. "Igottagetmythingsberightback." The girl dove out of sight...then her head poked back around the corner. "Andthanksforcallinggrandma!" Before diving back upstairs to the tune of thunderous footsteps.

Mary deadpanned at the thin air now in front of her. "I'll go call your gracious grandparents then, I suppose." I swear I don't know where she gets that sly, underhanded demeanor from...

"Agnes!? Hey, did you call for me?" Herbert leaned forward out of his recliner to look across the room.

"Hm?" The old grandmother poked her head into the living room of her farmhouse. "No, why-" The phone rang suddenly. "Oh, I'll get it."

Herbert turned his head thoughtfully, then shrugged and snapped his newspaper back open.

"It's Mary," his wife called back into the room. "Says she needs one of us to drive over!"

Herbert coughed and looked the other way slightly. "Aaah, I'm not getting out of this chair." He tried to keep the grave expression Agnes came in and gave him out of his sight.

"What?" Herbert asked defensively. "I'm comfortable is all..."

Bobby rang the doorbell to the beat up house and stood patiently, waiting for his friend to answer it. The sound of Corey's pit bull in the background clashed with the otherwise quiet morning.

"One minute!" A voice from the second story called out of a window. A moment later, the short blonde kid opened the door, admitting Bobby entry. "Sweet, you're freakin' early though, man. The guys probably won't get here for another hour."

"Yeah, I kinda figured, I tried getting out before...mom woke up. I still got out though so whatever." Bobby frowned behind his friend's back as he followed him to the garage.

Cory himself was laughing. "Geez, hah, you've got no freedom at all man. Well, whatever, let's set up while we wait."

Bobby reached into the mini fridge in the small garage and pulled out a beer. "Dude, you've gotta get your brother to buy more."

"Man, I know you pay for it, but chill. It's like ten in the morning, not even."

"If I don't have one this instant I won't get away with it four hours from now. Some of us actually have parents that don't disappear randomly. Oh wait, parent, I mean." The can popped open with a hiss. "So, shutup and pull out the amp and your dad's guitar, I want to try something I thought of like, a week ago. It's been making my brain itch like crazy." Bobby strode across the garage, ready to jam.

His arms pumped furiously, rhythmically, around him the other non-commissioned officers were starting to slow down, the count down now reaching the end of the first minute.

Stan felt like he could go faster though, and worked on starting a new rhythm. His hands gripped the dirt and grass, squelching the soft damp ground. A hand placed itself on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" He looked over at the counter's face. I didn't do anything to disqualify myself, why'd he stop me?

The older man's face was bewildered. "Stan..." he began slowly, "It's..."

Stan grew grim, listening, then stood up in a flash, jumping to his feet. "What is it? What's wrong?" Oh Christ, is it Mary? His thoughts feared the worst. He hadn't taken notice of everyone standing around him.

A young soldier off to the side from another platoon spoke up, breaking the stunned silence. "Holy shit, you just did two hundred push-ups, Sergeant."

"Two hundred and eleven, and I didn't count that one where he went half way before kickin' it into over drive." Corrected the first, older looking NCO.

A moment later, the group over soldiers taking their monthly physical exam began clamoring around Stan, clapping him on the back and trying to ask him an insurmountable plethora of questions.

For Stan's part, his mind was reeling from thinking the silence was from ill news, and more so from the explosion of noise and cheering around him. Soldiers claiming to have gotten it on camera and others—likely the senior officers and NCOs—tried desperately to calm the younger men down.

Eventually, someone yelled at ease, and that shut everyone up.

Bobby flipped his head back and jumped, slamming both feet back onto the black chest he'd used as an impromptu stage. His three friends sat transfixed, eyes wide and jaws scraping the filthy concrete floor. The electric guitar roared riff after tasty lightning etched bolt of music into the small space. He started his big finish again, the one he'd started perfecting earlier that morning. Finally, the last echo of the jam rang off the garage walls, fading slowly.

"That. Was. Amaaaazing!" Corey threw his hands into his hair and shouted as loud as he could.

Sweat coated his arms and face from the exertion, but Bobby was smiling all the same, panting heavily. Jace and Burt yammered endlessly, hammering Bobby with questions and exclaiming their disbelief over his performance.

"Dude, you were nowhere near this good last time we practiced! What happened?" Jace poked at the guitar idly, figuring it had to be rigged or something.

Bobby finally got a word in. "Guys I already told you, talent like this is just natural. I couldn't stop thinking about music since last month, and voila." His cocky grin took in the room, sweeping over his two friends and Cory, who was busy scrutinizing his drum set. "So, you shit heads wanna try and keep up or should I just relax and coach you all?"

"Man, there is no way in hell we could jam next to that. I just picked up this thing three months ago." Burt hefted his bass with a scowl. "You sure that wasn't a recording? It's a bit late for April fools you know." The scowl shifted towards the amp and the other pieces of second hand equipment they'd scrabbled together.

"No," Bobby strummed randomly for a few seconds with only a little concentration. "It's definitely just me, no need to be jealous guys, if I can do it with a little focus I'm sure you can manage it."

His friends looked at each other. Neither of them looked terribly sure about the sentiment.

Jace flipped his bleached hair back over his red hoodie and strolled over to the mini fridge. "On second thought, I need that beer," he muttered.

Mary stood up and waved her hoof towards the driveway, Agnes had just pulled up. She leaned on the porch railing and caught a glimpse of herself. Standing up, she almost looked a little normal in the dress. The feeling made her once again thankful for the comfortable set of clothes her mother-in-law had gifted her.

"Good morning," Agnes walked up the path and drew Mary's attention from the clothing. "How are you, old girl?" She smiled and reached her arms out for a hug upon making it up the steps.

Mary smirked and obliged her in the gesture. "Well enough, I guess. Bobby's off causing me all kinds of heart ache and worry, Stan's at work, and Anna's been an even bigger ball of energy than usual, and I seem to be the target of it ninety percent of the time." She let out a tired sigh as she heard her daughter running through the house, once again. "Well here she comes-" The door shot open and out tore Anna.

"Hey pumpkin," Agnes managed to say before the girl ran past her.

"Hi grandma, come on, lets go!" Her step was springy enough to give her considerable lift off the ground.

Agnes stared after her grinning, then turned back to Mary. "Hm, I see what you mean, but it's no more than usual, I think?" Her eyes widened as two little girl arms encircled her from behind.

"Forgottohugyou, come on grandma, let's gogogo!" Anna bounced up and down in front of her bewildered grandparent.

"Anna, don't be rude, and take it easy." Mary prodded a hoof at her daughter and frowned. "Be more gentle," she looked up at Agnes placidly. "Thanks again, Mom."

Meanwhile, Anna giggled and glided back down the stairs.

Mary sighed, watching her daughter sprinting out of the yard. "I'll call you when she needs picked up, if that's alright? Don't forget her recital at the school is tonight. I imagine she should be back around four to get ready."

"Oh sure, and you're positive you don't want to come?" Agnes stared after the girl making a b-line for her car. "We could get some food...and just eat in the car, you don't have to just sit and keep Herbert and I company at the house."

Mary thought of the idea, which was more than tempting, she didn't want to stay home after all. Being alone wasn't her favorite thing, after all. "No, it's okay, Mom. I... promised Stan that I'd stay here, at least for now. I'd rather not go back on his trust."

Agnes put on a knowing smile, then leaned down and hugged Mary again. "You're too good for that brat, Mary." She started down the porch and waved back at the beaming mare. "Oh, and I'm not fragile just yet, for your information, either." Chuckling, the gray haired woman walked down the path to the driveway at a quick pace, in order to catch up with Anna.

Mary smiled and turned to go inside, one hoof on the door knob, before turning back around and looking into her garden. She hummed and took a few steps down the porch, a slight whistling picking up in her ears.

After a couple blinks she looked over to the car slowly rumbling out of the gravel driveway.

"Bye mom!" Anna whistled again, waving furiously out of the car window, her grandmother could be seen pulling her back in just behind her.

Mary smiled and waved back before calling, "Be good!" Sighing, she turned again and walked towards her gardening shed on the other side of the house.

As Mary walked she grimly took in the sight of her garden, which was sorely under maintained. A few years past when they had moved into the house, she had envisioned a sprawling series of bricked off garden patches, each with their own theme. However, weeding and tending so much had turned out to be too large of a project for just her. The ten minutes she could get Anna to focus long enough each day to help wasn't a contributing factor at all, either. Bobby had helped a little at first, once, but he had ceased last summer.

"Oh, sugar." Mary's eyes stared at the shed's lock. She didn't used to lock it, but Stan kept trying to store things in it that he was too lazy to bring into the garage. So, she'd started locking it and hiding the key.

It was irritating having to tell someone to constantly stay out of her shed. "Now where did I put that key..."

Mary's eyes searched over the flowerpots sitting idly by the door, and reached to pull up the correct one. "Ah," picking up the key was simple with whatever strange voodoo made things stick to her hooves. However, this didn't quite extend to the use hands offered. Her eyes squinted in concentration as she tried to fit the key into the padlock, every time it came close, it would get pushed off of her hoof's weak "grip", as she called it.

"Aw come on," Mary picked up the key for a third time, she had to hold the lock, and the key. This proved too much for her digit-less capabilities. The key ringed again on the ground, the mare growled and picked it up once more, then jammed it in between her teeth. With both hooves on the lock, she managed to get it open. "Hyesh! Phoo-" The lock smacked onto the ground.

The last beer can from the fridge hit the floor with an empty clang. "Dude, dude, we are going to be the greatest God damned band that ever existed." Cory held up Bobby's arm triumphantly. "Cause of this guy right friggin here!"

Burt and Jace whooped and let a few chaotic and ear wrenching melodies flow out of their instruments.

The group had attempted to play a few songs, and admittedly, with Bobby pacing the other three they had done a lot better than their last attempt at making anything close to what some might call "music".

Jace howled a few random lyrics and finished with a beer-buzzed back flip off the wall.

"Jesus, Jace you're an animal." Bobby leaned back, then cackled madly at their singer's performance.

"Ah well, you would be too if you hadn't stopped at one beer dude." The older teen slung himself back against the couch and put his arms behind his back. "Lemme guess, you gotstah go home at some time cause your Mommy worries aboutchoo." Burt chuckled from across the room while plucking a few strings.

"Yeah, that's the half of it." Bobby sobered up immediately, the joy and euphoria he'd felt a moment ago leaving in a rush. In its stead, were the thoughts about his mother and her current state.

"Hey man, you alright? You ready to jam some more?" Cory waved a hand at the unresponsive Bobby.

"Maybe he's getting home sick." Burt nodded seriously.

"Can't stand the thought of living without your mom asking about you all the time and making you go to church, eh Bobby boy?" Jace danced to his feet and twirled once, laughing.

Cory sat tiredly back in his dad's recliner, having given up on snapping Bobby out of his daze. "Dude, come on, when are you going to make your parents stop pushing you around? You should just stay and hang out for the night like a normal damn kid."

Bobby grunted and shot a glare at each of his friends, but it did little to quiet their hysterical laughter. I'm the biggest out of these idiots, why the hell should I take this kinda crap from them? He paused, thinking on it again for a moment. And now, I'm the best one out of them all, too.

"Listen up," Bobby stood up, and grabbed their attention. "It doesn't really matter what you guys have to say about me, and don't think for two seconds I care about what my parents think about me." He paused, letting his seriousness sink in. "But know this, if any of you have shit to say about me, or my family, I'll still crush your damned neck."

Jace oooed obnoxiously and leaned towards Bobby. "Big Bob's got a temp-" The seventeen year old's collar got wrenched over and he went wide eyed. Bobby's hand gripped tightly around the fabric.

Both kids had their fists cocked back, as Cory rocketed up, grinning wildly. "Prove it!"

Burt frowned from where he held Jace's arm back, and Bobby flicked an eye over at Cory for a moment.

"What do you mean, prove it? Prove what? I'm about to prove this asshole's face all over the wa-" Shouting erupted as Jace made to hit Bobby again, the four teens all scrabbling to either hit one another or stop the brewing fight.

"Not that!" Cory shouted, once again ending the altercation. "I meant prove that you don't care what your parents think about you." Burt and Jace looked at each other, puzzled.

Bobby released Jace's collar and straightened his black hoodie's waist. "Dude, I don't have time to do some stupid-"

"Get rid of that pet." Cory said plainly, but still smiling.

"What pet?" The other two asked together.

The blonde headed punk strode over to a cork board and nabbed a yellow stick-it-note. "His folks got some pet Bobby isn't fond of, if you're cool with them thinking whatever of you, get rid of it. I have the number for animal control right here... How about it?" He held waved the note back and forth mockingly in his hand.

Bobby looked hurriedly from the other garage band members to Cory, then strode over to the phone hanging on the wall.

"Aaaw, wook guys, he's calling fo' a wide home!" Jace grinned wickedly, before belching loudly.

"Shut the hell up Jace, Cory, read me the damn number."

Dun dun DUH!
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Chapter 13 : Ballet Betrayal Pt. Two

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A robin alighted unto the branch of a small tree which sat at the center of the stone-ringed garden Mary currently had her hooves dug into. The mare lifted the cold-sensitive plant out of the earth gently, then lowered it into its new potted home. She wiped her forehead with the back of, what she considered to be, one freakishly flexible pony leg, and looked up at a bird that had curiously come so close to her. It was surprising, the stereo only a few meters away played some classic rock music rather loudly, and she herself was none too quiet either.

Mary smirked up at the creature that tilted its head one way and then the other at her. While looking, her hooves dusted themselves off soundly. She frowned down at the pitiful job of it they had done. Note to self... she thought, irritated by the remaining soil, dirt clumps onto fur.

Her breath caught when the robin hopped off of the tree and down to the ground right before her. "Hey there little guy." She couldn't help but grin down at the creature that cocked its head to and fro at her, as if getting a good look. "You live around here?"

"Eh, sorta lady, I kinda live where ever I want, I hate getting tied down to one spot. You know how it is, I'm sure. You don't strike me as the one guy kinda gal, if you know what I'm sayin'." The robin hopped, wings fluttering slightly as it spoke clear as day.

Mary's disbelieving smile quivered, one eye twitched, and her brain had shut down entirely.

"Wh-what?" she muttered. Had standing on two legs still been her default, she would have fallen over by now.

The bird roughly added, "What, you deaf or somethin' toots? I said-"

Mary gasped, and her head shot entirely upright. Bewildered and panicked eyes looked around the back of the house's yard, desperately trying to regain their owner's bearings. Slowly, the near hyperventilated breathing slowed, and her mind calmed itself. It was just a weird dream, nothing but a dream, Mary. She let out a relieved breath. That was a really weird dream... Even weirder than that one a few days ago with the...that other pony thing.

The warm afternoon sun beamed down from between the clouds overhead, so much so, that she had fallen asleep and taken a nap, apparently. Her legs all reached out and quivered as she stretched, then reached forwards so that her back could do the same. She frowned a moment, then cricked her new neck as well. "Ah, that's better." A search began as she surveyed what she had been doing.

A few bulbs and plants ready to be stored were at home in a few pots, and the decorative shrubs and trees that needed covering had finished plywood awnings over them.

They had all been re-used from last year, except for one. Mary wore a satisfied smile as she recalled setting it up. Whatever her hooves' trick was, it wasn't strong enough for the likes of a tool. She walked placidly up the back porch stairs to go inside and get another drink, just thinking about it made her taste the old rubber handle of that hammer again.

Mary hummed a happy tune to herself as she walked to the fridge, an idle thought playing through her mind. I wonder if those dreams mean anything.

The van rumbled up to the front of the out-of-the-way country home to the tune of heavy metal. The side of the vehicle read "Wayne' Cart" clearly in bold black lettering, the s faded out of existence. Bordering the old van's insignia, were simple animal silhouettes. The passenger side door slammed open furiously, menacingly.

A black booted individual lept out from within.

His hands strummed an air guitar without abandon. The tallish man was grinning wildly and had a head of salt and pepper gray, shoulder length hair, pulled back and contained in a pony tail. A second man with faded, blonde hair that curled chaotically, hopped out of the driver's side, more reserved but with no less of a wide grin on his face and converse on his feet. Both men also wore the grey jumpsuits signifying their station as Animal Control. Emblazoned on the front of each uniform, were similar markings as those found on the van.

Still strumming, the first man rocked his way to the back of the van, and opened the doors to reveal several cages and tools of their trade. His mp3 player continued delivering music, while he and his partner picked up a catch-pole each. They closed the doors, and approached the side yard from the front of the house.

The blonde man spoke in a serious tone to his colleague. "Okay dude," His brow drew down in a determined manner. "The customer said that the little intruder was in the backyard, you ready for this?"

The taller of the two's eyes widened, then he pulled out his headphones. "Sorry, you say something, man?"

The blonde man rolled his eyes. "Dude, I said the little dude said, that the mutated dog was in the backyard. We gotta focus, we'll never enlighten the world with music if we can't even pay rent."

"Ooh, yeah." The taller man let out a chuckle, and tucked his headphones away, then put on a look of deep concentration. "How much longer you think until our music brings universal harmony to the world?"

His friend shrugged. "Gotta be any day now. Let's do this, you ready?"

The gray haired rocker put on an age old smile and turned to face the entrance. "Totally."

Together, they kicked in the wooden palisade that was the fence to the remote country home.

Mary stepped out of the kitchen, cold lemonade beverage in hoof, when the sudden sound of the side gate opening up made her ears twitch. Who could that be? She thought in response, her mind turning over a few possibilities. After a moment, she shook her head and reassured herself. Don't be silly Mary, you don't have any friends that would just show up, and we never get visitors, it's probably just Agnes. I bet she decided to come back to keep you company. Smiling at having relieved herself of the worry, she trotted to the back door and began undoing the lock to go outside and see who it was.

The door creaked open, and who she did see surprised her.

"Herbert? What are you doing here?" Mary smiled and used the doorway to easily stand on two hooves, immediately being wrapped up in a hug as she did so.

Herbert chuckled and bent over to get his arms around his daughter-in-law. "Ah well you know, thought I'd come over, shoot the breeze, keep you company...have a beer." He winked at Mary who rolled her large pony eyes in response. "Oh, actually thanks, don't mind if I do." His gnarled old hand plucked the lemonade still held in Mary's grasp. "That is a fancy trick you've learned there missy. Still thinking over becoming a super heroine?"

"H-hey!" Mary scowled up at the old timer as he took a sip. "Why am I not surprised." She sighed, then made room for him and trotted into the house. "Well, come on in you old goat, and take your shoes off I can see the mud on them. Also, no," she gave him an incredulous look over her shoulder. "I am definitely not putting my powers of inconvenient home life towards fighting crime."

Herbert's expression looked disbelievingly down at his footwear. "Sorry, I did a bit of work before Agnes would let me take off and play hooky." Then, he gave her a sinister grin. "Ah excellent, now my league of evil shall arise unchallenged!"

Herbert smiled warmly over at Mary while she shook her head, laughing despite herself. Her laughter finally died about the time Herbert managed to get his work shoes off.

"Heh, so where are those clothes Agnes made, by the way, Mary? I was looking forward to seeing you in them."

Mary blinked, then looked over the bathrobe she'd just donned in order to answer the door. "Oh, they're being washed, Dad. I love the outfit but I still need to clean it, it's the only one I have so far."

Her father-in-law nodded sagely and walked further inside slowly, absently continuing to survey the floor and absence of clutter. He observed that the floor itself was impressively clean enough to eat off of, Herbert considered for a moment if that would be a good prank... "Did you just clean?" He grinned while looking, and handed the slightly molested lemonade drink back to Mary. "These floors look good enough to-"

"Dad, please don't eat off the floors. It wasn't funny during Christmas and it certainly won't be if you try it again." Mary set her drink on the kitchen's counter, then popped the fridge open to frown at the beers hidden in the can rack. Her hoof was just a little too big to fit into the small slot and work its magic.

"Did I do that last year?" Herbert frowned and his mouth hung open slightly below his mustache. "Huh, my memory must be going, I don't really recall that at all." He shrugged, and spotted Mary tapping something in the kitchen. "Guess I'll have to do it again sometime and try harder to remember it."

A strange sight caught the old guy's eyes, beside the doorway to the kitchen was a very, very large plant haphazardly replanted into a small plastic trashcan. "Mary, was your Philodendron always this big?" Herbert leaned over and curiously lifted one of the over sized leaves up.

Mary took a break from her frustrating attempt at grabbing a drink for him. "What dad? Oh, that thing, uhm..." She gave him a hasty explanation of what she had done, and how the overnight phenomena had come to pass.

"So you can control it now?" The old fellow's eyes lit up.

"Dad I swear to god I will buck you in the side if you even try to suggest what I think- what I know you're about to." Mary sat and crossed her front legs, staring up at the tall man darkly, before turning with a sigh back into the kitchen.

Herbert chuckled and went back to poking the plant. "Alright, alright I'm just kidding about crime fighting anyway. Still, if you can grow plants like this, that's a gardener's dream come true you know." The sound of a clatter from the fridge and muffled cursing made him raise his head towards the kitchen.

Chuckling, the old guy stepped up behind his daughter and peered at her around the open fridge door. "Having trouble?"

"No!" Mary huffed out a breath, then turned around while smoothing her expression. Her hoof was caught in the can tray of the kitchen appliance. "Kinda, I'm a little out of sorts...like this."

Herbert gave her a warm, fatherly smile, then reached in and helped her out, as well as obtained his beer. "How've you been managing Mary?" He opened it quietly and leaned back on the counter, taking a sip from the ice cold can.

"...Too well, honestly. It has me more scared than I want to even think about." Mary's rump plonked down on the tile floor. "Aside from some difficulties with these damned hooves," she paused for a moment, scowling, then continued. "I feel right at home, I even go running like it's the most natural thing in the world to me like this."

Herbert's face grew serious as she went on, except for one moment where his eyes widened briefly in disbelief. "Mary, you swore." He nodded appreciatively and took another sip.

"Dad, to Hell with the swearing, I don't feel like myself anymore! It's... scary, you wouldn't understand." Mary shook her orange head on its longer than normal neck, her ponytail tied mane swaying gently from the motion. "I don't think I'm changing anymore, nothing like that. Thank God it isn't that serious, but, I tried to remember what it was like to grab something with a hand yesterday. I don't think I'd know how if I had them right this instant...all I can picture in my mind are these stupid magnetic hooves." Her expression twisted in disgust for a moment, before she sighed and outwardly cheered up in an instant. "Well never mind, time stops for no one after all."

It was quiet in the kitchen, until one tired voice again broke the silence.

"A friend of mine..." Herbert began slowly, solemnly. "Not to guilt you now, understand. A friend of mine, lost his legs...towards the very end of our last tour in Vietnam." His mouth drew into a line as he recalled the memory—gunfire and smoke accentuated by a familiar voice's scream of pain. Mary tilted her head up and couldn't help but sigh at having made her favorite gardener recall his war. "I remember, one evening we were enjoying a nice, cold bowl of ice cream."

Mary quirked her head. Not beer?

The old man continued, "And without warning he suddenly spoke to me, 'Bert, I know it's the craziest thing I'll ever say. But, I am damn glad those gooks took my legs right now. You know why?'" He chuckled and grinned down at Mary, who gave him a nervous smile back. "And I answered him, 'No, why the Hell is that?' To which he replied...'Because, if I still had those damned things, you wouldn't have just had to be the one to go buy this bottle of scotch.'"

Mary stared flatly with her smile focused up at Herbert a moment, before replying. "You two were drunk."

"Yeah, we were drunk as skunks, but that's not the moral, Mary. The point is, be happy for what you still have, but ah, you know that, you're just venting to me. Sorry for bringing the mood down a notch." Herbert waved a hand and started retreating out of the kitchen, when a hoof caught his flannel sleeve.

"Don't ever apologize for trying to help me dad, it's always welcome. Thank you." The blue haired mare smiled lovingly up at the old goat, who returned it with no less heart. Then, he reached down and booped her nose.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Herbert apologized, smirking.

Mary scowled up at him. "DAD!" she shouted in protest.

"That most definitely did not go well." The curly haired control worker steered the van lazily and wore a despondent expression as he turned his vehicle's wheel.

"Well, we had the wrong house, dude." The graying man intoned quietly.

A ball bearing squealed noisily as the van pulled up to another, remote country home. Both men leaned over the dash and stared at the front of the home, it looked quiet, and like Wayne had said, no one was home.

"So we're positive this is the place this time?" The driver asked doubtfully.

The taller man hung himself out of the window before falling back in. "6200 Harmony Ave. bro, most excellent, this is it." He paused a moment and nodded sagely to his friend. "To be fair, we should have double checked the address last time."

"Alright dude, you ready to do this?" the first man asked.

"Most definitely, my most bodacious amigo," answered the second.

Mary's legs began to twitch, she frowned at them over the brim of the book she still fought to try and finish, despite her appendaged handicap. Her back legs stretched over the recliner's footrest, but to no avail, they complained adamantly about being idle for so long. "Hey Dad?"

"Hm?" Herbert looked over from where he sat on the couch watching the television, it was playing an old super hero movie, Spiderman. "Did you want to play horse shoes after all?"

Mary stared flatly across at him. "Nnno, actually I think I'm going to go for a run."

"A run?" Herbert looked thoughtful for a moment while he watched the screen. "Didn't that end badly last time?"

"Yeah, it hasn't happened again though, like I said, it seems to only do it when I want to now, and not in the same crazy way." Mary hopped off of the chair and made her way to the backdoor.

"Alright, sure. I might come out and watch you, a little sun never didn't do a man some good. Be nice if Bobby learned that." Herbert added in a thoughtfully sad tone at the end.

Mary rolled her eyes. "It'd be nice if he learned a lot of things." A sudden thought occurred to Mary, that came along with her running. "Ooh, uh Dad, actually could you wait in here?"

"What for?" Herbert looked back at her with a puzzled face, mustache twitching.

"Ah well, I don't have anything to run in so...I kinda do it... Well, you know."

Herbert blinked a couple times before comprehension settled in. "Ooh, well what the hay Mary, you're covered in fur."

"Yeah, I realize that Dad, thanks. Just wait in here, I'll be back in a minute!" Her legs were practically vibrating as she hurriedly made her way to the back door, eager to let loose. "And no more beer, I don't want you to have to stay the night because you can't drive home later!"

Herbert listened closely to the sound of the back door opening and closing quickly, then leaned back on the couch finally and sighed, blowing out his scraggly mustache. Well, nap time.

Mary let out a drunken giggle of anticipation as she scooted out of her bathrobe in the warm sunlight. At hearing her own anticipatory voice, she coughed and straightened her expression, frowning, before the grin resumed itself only slightly hindered on her face. Her legs ached for a run, and Herbert hadn't professed to mind if she took the break.

She took one, final deep breath, then launched herself out into the field behind her house.

Mary's breath had started to become labored, she would never have been able to sprint like that as a person. It had been what, ten minutes? Twenty? She jumped up, a single breathless laugh escaping her, and she slid into a tall patch of grass near her house, finished with burning her inexplicable energy. Still, despite the brief euphoria that came with running, it gave her a slight twinge of caution towards itself, if only because it was a change that had appeared with the others.

The mare steadied her breathing, and resumed just taking in air through her nostrils. The sound of footsteps behind herself made her look up and towards the house.

"Herbert? I thought I told you-" Her voice caught and stuck in her throat.

There were two men, both looking for all their worth as if they were trying to sneak up on her, and they had. The pair looked over at one another questioningly as they approached, but didn't slow. A noose like apparatus gently lowered over her neck.

"That's a good doggy..." The blonde one leaned over and whispered to the other. "Dude, Wayne wasn't kidding when he said it was a mutated dog."

"This is the gnarliest dog I've ever seen, dude... Just look at its eyes." The two continued to stare at her with bewildered faces.

Mary's mouth hung open, her throat felt as if it had itself clamped shut, keeping air from her lungs. She couldn't speak, she didn't even know if she wanted to let them know she could speak. This could very well be the end she realized, she'd been seen, found out, everyone would know. Wh-what do I do!?

Everything that happened next was a blur, the two people had moved once again, and Mary had done so as well. Her breathing was uncoordinated and panicked as she thundered away from them across the backyard, the wooden pole slapping the ground as she ran. Ohgodohgodohgod! Her eyes searched everywhere for a hiding spot, only to come to the realization there wasn't one out here. Oh God! The late autumn grass stretched in every direction except towards her home and the road.

Mary looked back at the house and the strangers, one of them was getting off the ground, while the other was already chasing after her. Legs shaking and mind in full retreat, a clear route of escape wasn't clear to her. The man was getting closer, and both of them were between her and the house, her sanctuary. I need to make a decision.

Without another second to lose, she streaked towards her truck.

Herbert leaned up off the couch and stretched his tired arms above himself after the nap. A whispy breath escaped him while he thought about his daughter-in-law and her misfortune absently.

True, he had taken the change in stride, but only outwardly, only for her and the family. One more person, or anyone panicking over something really, never helped.

His eyes glared at the wall while he wore a tired, searching expression. What's really happened to you, girl? The wall didn't answer him, to which his mouth's corners declined more as his reply back to it. I wish there was someone or something that could shed some light on all this pony business. He let out a soured laugh for the phrase he'd used, and leaned forward to stand up. Fat chance of that, it's never that easy in comic books. I guess we just need to wait for the villain to show up before we get an explanation. His tired old body took him up the stairs, trying to find something to preoccupy himself with.

Bobby's room upstairs was completely empty, which caused Herbert's eyes to widen. At first, he'd thought he was seeing things, but the room was definitely as clean as polished crystal. "Huh, well I'll be damned." He frowned after a moment, concluding that Mary herself had probably done the cleaning for the kid. "Probably got tired of looking at it." His hope had been to talk to him, but it seemed he wasn't home after all.

The door clicked behind Herbert as he made his way back downstairs, his thoughts once more on Mary. A smirk formed on his face, realizing—and not the first time that day—that something unexplainable and fantastic had happened in his life.

"Just wish it hadn't been at Mary's expense." Herbert's intrigue and joyful curiosity faded in the bitter thought's wake. His shoeless feet took him to the family room of the house once more. "And why a cartoon looking horse creature?" The spoken thought tickled a memory. "I can't imagine what kind of thing would have a good reason to hurt that poor girl." A gnarled hand grasped the handle, and opened the back door.

"Whoa, they trained their dog to open doors?" The man with the gray pony tail stared disbelievingly at the rusty red pickup truck, which was currently home to their quarry.

The blonde gave his gray haired companion a stupefied look. "Don't be ridiculous man." His friend looked back at him, confused. "Wayne said that thing was reported as wild, obviously, it taught itself how to open doors."

"Ooh right, radical." The friend replied back, grinning.

Mary clicked the doors of her truck locked and huddled between the seats. The thing around her neck was getting in the way, but she managed. It wouldn't come off, anyway. Alright Mary, that'll slow them down, but this is a temporary solution at best! She could see the two walk through the back gate and into the driveway, and her teeth clenched in fear. Shit, shit! Her hooves scrabbled at the glove compartment, unwilling to work as they normally would; there was a set of keys in there.

Maybe Mary thought, I can get away long enough in the truck for them to leave. A shuddering breath pulled itself into her as she calmed down. "Focus, calm..." After a moment, her hooves finally obeyed, and the compartment clicked open. Yesyesyes!

Mary frantically searched the compartment for the spare keys. "No! Nonono! Where are they!?" They were nowhere to be found, though. I swear if Stan took them I'm biting him so hard on the...

A tapping came on the glass door, and Mary's breath caught. She looked over into the confused, but insultingly happy eyes of the strange men. Her gaze took notice of what their uniforms read now, Wayne's Animal Control. Oh god, this is fubar. Gulping loudly, she looked at the other side of the truck, sure enough the other man was at that door. Ah! I gotta get to Dad, he can help.

"Come on little guy, we don't want to hurt you." On secretive instinct, she tried her best to look the part of a stupid animal, the twinge of pain she felt in her mind coming from doing so.

Although, I've probably already ruined my chances of that after getting into the truck... Mary squeezed her eyes shut, thinking about just how royally she had screwed up. Darnit, I just need to get to Dad. Her hooves set determinedly on the passenger-side seat of the truck, ready to burst the door open. She got ready to make a run for it again. No one's taking me from my home.

Herbert stepped outside into the expansive, open air of Idaho's rural beauty. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air and then popped open a new, freshly obtained beer. Assurances had already been made to himself that it would be his last one. Curiously, he thought he heard something. His eyes scanned around for Mary, the only other person that would be here. Huh, where is she? The question was quickly answered.

"HeeeeEEERBEEEERT!" Mary was galloping across the field at an unbelievable speed.

"Wow, you go girl." Herbert nodded appreciatively, then shook his head and cursed. Darnit, I forgot she wanted to run out here in privacy. "Sorry! Sorry Mary, I'll head back in, you enjoy yourself as long as you want!" He bit his lip ashamedly and opened the door to retreat back inside.

The sudden clatter of hooves and something else came up behind him though. Herbert gasped as an orange blur shot past him and into the house. Not to mention Mary's frenzied voice. "Closethedoor, closeitcloseit!" The door shut, and Mary leaned up against it long enough to lock it as well. Her breathing was frantic, and her sides heaved.

"Mary...?" Herbert's eyes were questioning as he looked down at her. His hand picked up the wooden pole attached to her. "Is this what I think it is?"

Mary managed to choke out a simple response. "...Yes." Before resuming her breathing and choking. "People, animal control, outside."

Herbert pulled the device off of her.

"Please, get rid of them Dad." Mary backed up further into the house, tears visibly forming to go with her frightened voice.

The door unlocked and opened once more.

"Hello." Herbert's eye peered out the doorway cautiously.

Two grinning animal control workers greeted him. "Hey old dude." The two men on the back porch made as if to come inside, as if they were expected to, but were stopped fast by the taller man in their way. "Uh, we saw-"

Herbert interrupting him by handing the younger man his catch-pole. "What do you people think you're doing here?"

"Oh, well see, we got called about-" Again, the two men were cut off.

"Not by anyone that lives here, who exactly was it that called you?" Herbert all but glared at them, he wasn't sure why they were there, if they knew about Mary, or if this was the beginnings of some cliched plot. But he wasn't taking any chances.

The two men gave each other blank looks, then stared back at Herbert. "Ah, we can ask Wayne man, but there was just a complaint about some orange dog, man, that was like, seen around this house? They did say they didn't live here...dude." The blonde man gave a nervous chuckle as he patted Herbert's shoulder comfortingly. "Is this like, some big misunderstanding then, or like, you have some neighbors that wanted to get back at your for borrowing their lawn mower?" He nervously laughed again and shrugged.

"Possibly..." Who would have called about Mary...Anyone driving past could have done that. Herbert kept his eyes shifting between them warily, uncertain if these two were being serious at all. He tried to recognize them from around town, but couldn't. "Are you fellas new in town?"

"Oh, yeah we actually just got this job." They both nodded, laughing. "By the way, dude, that is the craziest dog-"

"Look I'm not going to waste your guys' time. I'm sure you're really busy, but you've been pranked, alright?" Herbert reached out and tentatively shook the closer man's hand, banking on them not being secret government agents or some such. If they were....then they were masters of getting in character. "Trust me, I would know, I used to want to open a joke shop, as it is though I own and run Green Thumb's Gardening supplies over off the highway."

The two men's eyes widened in recognition of the name. "Oh, alright, cool dude. Huh," the blonde man's jaw hung open, slack. "Well, if it's cool, then could you not tell our boss that we tried grabbing your circus dog?"

The graying man of the two gave Herbert a pleading look. "Yeah, we kinda need this job bad, if you know what I mean broheim."

Herbert gave them both thoughtful looks and smiled coolly, his shoulder twitched when he heard sobbing coming from behind though. He realized he needed to wrap this up. The older man burst out laughing suddenly, eyes held wide. "Well, rest assured fellas there's nothing wrong or out of sorts here at all, and no hard feelings are here to be had either." He handed his untouched beer out to the grey haired man. "Here, have a beer on me for the trouble, I've gotta go inside and calm the poor dear down, have a good day!"

The two men put on shocked looks, and nodded dumbly as the door closed quickly in their faces.

"Dude, we can just never get a break. This was the right house, right?" The blonde man scratched his head and tried fishing the beer away from his friend, who batted him away.

"I'm positive man, just face it, this whole day's been a complete bummer." The two companions sighed as one and walked around to the front of the house.

...

"By the way, dude, was it just me, or did I hear that dog talk?"

Herbert turned around from the now shut door slowly, in the corner of the room was a shuddering sobbing heap. That heap just so happened to be his son's wife...

"Mary...hey Mary, are you okay?" He knelt down and laid a hand on his daughter-in-law's sniffling head.

"N-no, I'm an animal. That's all I am, how could I be okay? I j-just got chased, by pest control!" Mary's green eyes stared up forlornly at Herbert, two rivers of tears matting her fur. "Oogh...I need a shower, I don't feel so good."

Herbert helped her up. "Yeah, sure thing." His arms helped her up to her feet...hooves, and he followed her to the bathroom in silence. This was definitely something that didn't need to happen to this family. The old man's thoughts reflected sadly.

Bobby sang the lyrics to the song his band was trying to put together, sans any of Jace's yelling or screaming of the words. His skateboard made the same, familiar age old racket as it sped down the last, small hill towards his house which was at last getting close. Either side of the road was just open field with a few trees though, so he'd seen it as far back as a mile away. A grin was plastered to his face as he recalled every adrenaline filled, thrilling second of his performance back at Cory's house.

The skateboard kicked up into Bobby's hand as he reached the gravel driveway, and started walking towards the back door. As he went, his fingers on one hand flexed slightly, they were sore from how long he'd played for. The watch on his phone had said it was past five, he'd been surprised that his mom...that Mary hadn't called him to tell him to come home. Usually she got on his case about that shit.

Bobby stared a moment at the car in the driveway, one of his grandparents' vehicles sat there behind the pick-up. It was Herbert's, he shrugged, sighing at being reminded of his family and their presence. The back gate swung open easily and clanged shut noisily behind him. Wish Cory had let me borrow the guitar, I want to play again, already. There had been a moment back at the garage, one singular point in time, when he thought the world had frozen for a split second... It had been incredible, he hadn't thought that playing music could give someone that kind of a rush.

The sound of crying reached his ears first as he pulled open the back door. Great, Bobby thought, already annoyed. Mary's at it again. Then his eyes widened a little, and he froze in the doorway, realization dawning on him. He had called animal control, on his mom, who looked like an animal. His skateboard found its home in the corner beside the back door while he stood there a moment, mulling over his thoughts.

Eventually, Bobby made his way to the living room, following the sounds. Sure enough, laying on the couch was his mother. She was leaning over Herbert's shoulder, who was gently patting her back.

Bobby licked his lips subconsciously, making sure once again he didn't taste any alcohol. Oh shit, oh shit... No, they won't know. His fear over being caught had already been crushed by his friend's, but he was having doubts again. He hoped his nervousness didn't show on his face.

Mary turned around suddenly to meet his eyes, and let out a final, choked sob. Bobby stood in the living room doorway, unmoving, his eyes were wide.

"Hey sweetie." His mom wiped her weird face with one arm...leg-thing, and leaned off of Herbert to sit normally. His grandpa took notice of him as well finally, he had a defeated expression. "Y-your sister and grandmother have already left for her recital, I'm sorry I didn't call I...forgot you were out."

Bobby flinched when his mom's voice shuddered and she blew her nose on a tissue. He had completely forgotten about the phone call in his euphoria and walked right into the aftermath. At least she seems fine...not that I care. There was a good chance that he could get the blame. He bit his lip and walked into the room, his eyes flickered over the stairwell that lead up to his room, and safety.

"No, uh, that's fine I made it back alright." Bobby looked from Herbert to Mary, both of them were looking at him somewhat intently. Overplaying his part could spell doom, he considered. "Is Dad alright?"

Mary's eyes blinked, and she looked over to Herbert with a shocked expression, before calming and letting out another pent up breath of air. "Oh," she began to reassure her son that wasn't what was wrong. "No, Bobby-" She swallowed the lump in her throat, and a pain faced Herbert picked up for her.

"Some men tried to grab your mother, kiddo." Herbert laid his hand on Mary's back again. "They seemed pretty clueless though, I think we're in the clear..."

Bobby let out the breath he himself had been holding, then approached the couch and sat down next to his mom. "...Are you alright?"

Mary blinked away a couple more tears, looking at her son, and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine." She wrapped him up in a hug, her hooves encircling his chest. "I'm just so glad to still be here, there was a moment when I thought I'd lost you baby, lost everyone."

Bobby had one big hand on his mother's multi-colored hair and a shocked expression on his face. He looked down at her, while she quietly buried her head into his hoody. Herbert laid a hand on his shoulder over Mary, a sympathetic look on his face, while realization caught up with the teenager.

I just got away with it... The teen stroked his mom's sobbing form absently, not sure how to feel.

Mary sat with Herbert, laughing uncontrollably at the joke the old codger had just made.

"Dad! That doesn't make any sense! What the-" Mary tried talking over her own frenzied giggling, her back hooves kicking in the air in front of the sofa. "Hah!"

"No it does, it really does just think- just think about it!" Herbert collapsed over onto his side, clutching at his aching stomach. Nearby, a couple more beers sat, empty.

Mary sniffed. "Oh my gosh, you're terrible. You're a terrible, terrible man, you know that? What did Agnes see in you?"

"Oh, well if you wanna know about that, it wasn't so much what was in me, as what was in my-" Herbert was cut off mid sentence.

"Aaaugh, grandpa no, what the hell." Bobby made a disgusted face and reeled further away from his grandparent from where he sat on his dad's recliner.

Mary frowned and smiled over at Herbert at the same time. "That's a little graphic Herbert-" The television beeped suddenly, and began to ring. On the screen Agnes' name and familiar cellphone number bleeped.

"Oh, there's mom! Quick, Herbert answer it, answer it!" Mary grinned excitedly and bounced on the sofa. She caught a weak smile from her son in the corner of her eye, which made her settle down, but feel better at the same time, too.

The recital that she'd been waiting to see for over a month was about to begin. While Anna and Agnes had been home, she'd steeled herself and cheered her daughter on. It had taken almost too much time, but she had re-assured her daughter that she really couldn't see it in person, though Herbert had suggested some pretty zany ideas to try and sneak Mary in...

Mary had been a mess on and off for a few hours, but after Bobby showed up...she'd felt better. The fact that he had stuck around since he got home, which was arguably the most she'd seen of him in a while...helped. Maybe he's over the shock of what's happened to me... She stared silently at a hoof for a moment, then looked back up at the TV.

The television clicked on, bathing the now dark living room in light, Herbert's receiving cell phone was plugged into the side. The screen showed a concert hall, and the hushing sounds from a crowd of people washed in from all around. Agnes herself was telling them it was just about to start.

The curtains pulled away suddenly, revealing a line of girls. All of them were standing, ready to begin.

All of them except for one.

The three family members squinted at the screen in confusion. The music had yet to begin, and yet there was one young ballerina already spinning and maneuvering the stage like an acrobat. Not only that, but she was doing things that no nine year old should ever be capable of performing.

Mary's mouth dropped open in awe. Is that Annalise?

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I put Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in this story, what of it?

So you guys voted for option E. Which was the "what the f-ck" option. Ooookay then, I honestly put that one is as a last minute joke, because I hate not having an E on multiple choice exams. Why? I have no clue. So anyway here it is, what you all just voted for. Which was Herbert and Beer. *shrugg* cause why not.

In case anyone is wondering, the big difference between the choices was in fact story tone. An example of those being an adventurous theme, a darker capture scene, or confusion. The end result was the same for each with only a few minor deviations. An example would be if she'd driven her truck, she would have started driving, and if she had run for help, a few neighbors would have seen her. But none of that happened now! So everything's still left to mystery. *sinister laughter* Poor Mary...

Note: I really do laugh like an evil villain when I get my ideas.

Chapter 14 : The Curious...The Question

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The covers wrinkled and bunched up in Mary's hooves as she drug them over Anna. The mare's smile was comforting and her eyes spoke of a softness and adoration that only a mother could truly have. But...there was a glimmer behind her wide, light green eyes—it was for an unconfirmed fear. She recalled her daughter's explanation of the recital and her impromptu improvisation... That she had simply looked out over the audience, and wanted to dance right away. Not only that, but she couldn't explain where she'd learned half of what she had done. It sounded as though she had in fact, improvised. Amazingly, the instructor had had to bow her out to even put a stop to it.

Mary leaned down and kissed Anna goodnight, her daughter giggled and hugged her neck lovingly in return. "Goodnight dear." The little girl mumbled her reply and rolled over, already undoing the blanket where Mary had tucked her in carefully. The orange mare backed up off the side of the bed, and walked on all fours out of the room into the dim hallway light. A worried look creased her face as her thoughts dug deeper over the night.

Earlier, just after the end of the eventful recital, Stan had called, and told Mary about something that had spooked him. At the time, Mary had thought; what could possibly have Stan upset? Immediately after the fate-tempting thought, he had told her of his day. That he had run a ten minute two-mile. That he had more than doubled his maximum of push-ups and sit-ups during his fitness examination.

He'd never run less than thirteen, even in his prime, Stan's a big guy... Of course, watching her own daughter, Annalise, and her performance (which was already on YouTube somehow) a growing suspicion entered Mary's mind. One that was undeniably warranted given the connection between Stan and Anna's increased...talents.

The orange mare paused, biting her lower lip in worry. She stood outside of her other child's room—outside of Bobby's. It could still be a coincidence...perhaps they're just extraordinary athletes? They are very fit and very active. Her head shook as she tried to dispel the worry that plagued her. "Well, if Bobby starts doing cartwheels around the house, I suppose then I'll worry."

A relieved breath escaped her, the concern she'd had momentarily lessened. But even if he hasn't done anything of the sort, what does it mean if it is connected somehow? Oh Lord, please don't let this happen to my whole family, please don't...Please, spare them. A single tear welled up in Mary's eye as she thumped her way down the stairs, eager to just move quickly, as if running away could solve the problem.

The harsh clip clop noise which Mary's hooves made on the home's old wooden floors still made her ears flinch. Not for the first time she reflected on her body's changes again, if there might be a time when they didn't bother her. She cringed at the thought, but the wiser part of her knew she couldn't hate herself like that if she hoped to keep her life together.

That she would have to adjust, somehow.

The bedroom door squeaked noisily as it opened, bringing about a wince as it did so.

Mary trod as sneakily as she could to her bed, then stood up on two hooves as she checked on her sleeping father-in-law. It hadn't been easy, but in his tipsy state she'd convinced Herbert to take the bed over the couch. After all, he was much too tall—like all of the males in his family—for a couch. Also like all of the men on Herbert's side of the family, he seemed to need constant looking after.

A sigh escaped Mary as she fell back onto the floor quietly. So you get the bed, and I'll relegate myself to one of our smaller sleeping arrangements. Just like a man.

While rolling her eyes, Mary bared her teeth and pulled the blanket—which Herbert had somehow managed to kick off of himself—back over his shoulders. Her hooves were well suited to most tasks true, but she was still forced to use her teeth occasionally, much to her dismay. In this case, she needed both her hooves on the bed to keep from falling over... She suppressed a couple angry thoughts over the lack of hands, then made to leave the room. Her own restful sleep was beckoning her incessantly.

The pale orange mare found her way downstairs and into the still air of the basement. It was easily the most relaxing part of the house, the feeling of being so far underground and surrounded by the earth yet still in the comfort of home...was nice.

Mary momentarily considered putting in a movie on the television, but a yawn interrupted the thought and decided her evening for her. She hopped up onto the couch, and plopped her behind down abruptly to sit there in idle thought. If I were a person right now, I'd lay down on my back, and stare up at the ceiling. Her eyes looked up for a moment, tracing her thoughts. Unfortunately, as she saw it, her body was shaped correctly and small enough to curl up onto the couch without any trouble, rather than lay in a normal fashion.

Mary grunted and pulled a blanket off of the couch's back angrily. She settled into lying on her back anyway, despite the comfort the other position might offer. A breath of relief escaped her as she nestled herself in between the cushions and looked across the couch and into the room's dark. "Actually, this isn't too uncomfortable at all." In the dark, she pictured Stan, sitting where he had been earlier that week. A grim smile formed as she recalled her man comforting her, despite...everything. "I can't believe it's almost been a week. It feels like I've been stuck like this for...months."

A silent tear leaked from her burning green eyes, a flare of anger coming up, then extinguishing under the veil of sleep taking her.

Mary had once again awoken a great deal earlier than normal for a weekend, not to mention already finished with a day's starting routine. Which included thanks to having clothes now, being dressed. Impressively, it hadn't taken too much longer than she thought it might have, despite having hooves.

Her blue and tan head of hair was in a simple pony tail, with a scrunchie again holding it all together at the end. In front of the mirror—and after frowning down at it for a time—she had placed one on her tail as well while getting dressed. It was simple, efficient, and best of all it made her feel like less of a horse, so all in all it seemed like the right thing to do for the mother. Still, she hadn't mastered the skills needed with her hooves to set up her trademark braid on her own.

A knock at the back door made Mary's head bolt upright over her bowl of cereal. Her eyes were immediately wide, because she was certain that Herbert and the kids were still asleep, and also that Stan wouldn't be home until late tonight... Who could it be? Her tongue licked nervously over her lip, picking some dribbled milk that hadn't made it off her spoon correctly.

Mary spoke to herself in a hushed voice. "Okay, keep calm..." The mare's emotions were already in flux though, just yesterday she had almost been abducted, and she had probably been discovered. "It's probably just the mail man...or maybe Bobby ordered pizza for breakfast again..." She gulped as she tried to come up with other reasons for why someone would be here.

Mary did her best to keep her hooves as quiet as possible as she approached the back door. I need to invest in rubber horse shoes. She snorted at the degrading thought, as if she would ever do such a thing. Her eyes also looked at the bizarre limbs that ended in what only barely fit the description of hooves to begin with. Mary's 'hooves' were soft, and covered in thin fur almost to their end, not to mention they were orange like the rest of her.

The mare's mind resettled on the task at hand with a shake of her head, tearing her eyes from the unexplainable anatomy. She ever so carefully pushed herself up, and with the momentum began standing with little effort. It had taken time, and practice, but after a week she had finally gotten the art of being upright as a pony down pat. It still hurt her sides after some time, but there wasn't anything she could do for that.

Mary's hooves gently rested on her side of the back door, she could just barely reach the peep-hole to look outside. What she saw made her gasp, and almost fall backwards, hooves flailing.

"Mary...?" An all too familiar, all too inquisitive and nosy voice called through the doorway. The sound of another woman talking behind Faith came clearly through the home's sealed portal to the outside world.

"Mary is that you dear? I hope you don't mind that we showed up unannounced, it's just that myself and the girl's at the guild and Father Conrade are...concerned." Faith grinned at having heard Mary's gasped surprised, it was certainly her, and the reaction spoke of some legitimacy to the rumors she herself had started. "Now, I don't presume to trouble you on such a fine day or stay long... Joyce and I were just hoping to give you a care basket and a get well card to show we care and miss you." She could hear the sounds of someone scrabbling about inside, but she resisted the urge to peek through the window. She stood and waited patiently.

Stars and differently colored lights danced in Mary's vision and she tried to calm her breathing, she leaned back on the dryer for support, still in a standing position, but no longer even remotely stable. She gulped as she listened to Faith continue to talk from the other side of the door. Just calm down, keep it together, the door's locked. You're perfectly safe, there's no way that she would be able to see you right now... Her panicked look shifted quickly to an aggressive one as she pictured what Faith might do if she did see her in her present state.

"We understand that you might be having some...problems is all, Mary, and we just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in this. We heard from Marge that you wouldn't be coming to the guild tonight Mary, nor Church, any longer. For the foreseeable future as well!" Faith held a hand up to her mouth while putting the appropriate emphasis on her speech. "Now, we don't know what could have happened to cause this, but whatever it is, whether it's Bobby, or the stress of things, you always have us and the town to look to for help."

Mary ground her teeth from behind the door and shut her eyes, a blush of red creeping up her orange complexion. You're the one who needs help, a helping kick right in the- She couldn't believe the gall this old bat had. And to bring up my son!? Annoyingly enough, one of her hooves had started scraping at the floor aggressively, which she quickly put an end to, despite her blood still boiling. Oh, you just wait Faith, when I have them again and I get my hands on you- Her thoughts stilled at the sound of another gentle knock on the door.

"We're going to go now, Mary. I certainly hope you consider getting the help you and your family needs, this will certainly get you on the right track!" The old woman turned, smiling contentedly on her side of the shut door, and motioned her friend to follow her.

The sound of heels clicking on her stone walking path lessened, until Mary heard the sound of a car crunch its way out of her driveway. Her head was almost throbbing with fury, and it took considerable effort from the mare to not pound her head on her home's wall. The back door flung open in her rage, and her eyes immediately settled on an obnoxiously decorated basket, the coast was clear.

Mary lunged at it...then stopped. Her breathing still rapid, she look at the topmost pamphlet, sitting beside a few pill bottles.

"..Detox numbers? Vitamins?" Teeth clenched into the basket's wicker handle. The entire thing was up in the air in a flash, and Mary's back hooves connected with it solidly, sending the container and its cargo flying a hundred feet across the backyard and the field. "YOU-! I OUGHTA!" Her head tossed and her expression contorted into several different faces of rage, cheeks puffed. "RRRRRGG!"

Finally, Mary reared back, and her hooves stomped powerfully on the back porch, bringing form to her anger. The sound of crunching wood brought her rage to a halt. She blinked, then looked down at the two hoof shaped indents in her property. A contemptuous sigh escaped her, and she sat down to stare at the damage tiredly.

"Mom, come on, I already told you that Stan said-" Mary bit her tongue as the old finger of a certain gardener stuck up under her pony-nose.

"Oh, I know what you told me dear, and I already told you, that I spoke with Stanly on the phone. He might not like it, but that's his problem. Now look, today is the one day out of the week when there won't be anyone over at the store, not that we get too many customers anyway... But, we don't want to let this opportunity slip past. Now, are you going to get in the car, or will I have to hog tie you and drag you along?" Agnes firmly planted her fists on her hips and raised one eyebrow challengingly at Mary, who had a weak, disbelieving smile on. She couldn't understand the lengths that Agnes seemed to be going to. The older woman was certainly trying her best in order to cheer the misfortuned mare up.

In truth, I'm just worried about a repeat of...yesterday, Mom. They hadn't had any clue as to how that had happened, and it had them worried. But it had turned out alright, despite being a close call... Mary remembered the feeling of knocking over that man, it had been easy. If it weren't for the odd new animalistic strength her body had... She suppressed a shudder at the thought.

Anna giggled from where she stood by the back door, already wearing her backpack filled with her game console, and raring to go. "Can I get the rope?" She leaned around the corner into the house, an eager grin adorning her face.

Mary's eyes widened at the implications of actually being dragged to her mom's house against her will. "Alright, alright I can see I'm not getting out of this, and I do want to go." A weak laugh bordered her words, and she gave Agnes a relieved, grateful smile—one that also spoke strongly of her desire to get out for a bit. "Should I bring anything? What about Bobby?"

"Staying." The target of mention strode out of the kitchen wielding a plate of hot pockets, and a flat expression. He looked blankly at his family members from across the dining room and paused at the door. "I'll be...here."

"Oh then why don't-" Mary cut off as her son stepped around the corner and went upstairs. Agnes and Mary sighed together looking at the empty doorway. "Well, let's get going then." The sound of Herbert beeping his car's horn supported the decision.

"Anything?" Herbert poked the pine tree absently.

"Sigh, no, Dad..." Mary frowned a moment, having actually said 'sigh' out loud. Am I really reaching that point of stress in my life...? I wonder if I can get gray hairs as a pony monster... Her dress had been exchanged for another outfit Agnes had put together, this one was obviously put together in a great hurry, but that was alright given its purpose. The retooled jean overalls fit a little snug on Mary's form, but they fit the bill as far as work clothes go. There was a t-shirt that went with them, but she had opted to not wear it.

"How about now!?" Her daughter beamed at her from not a foot away, as though if she blinked she'd miss something.

"Sigh, no Anna, still nothing, I promise!" Darnit, I did it again... Mary had to focus not to frown at her family, well meaning and simply just curious or not... Sweat was starting to form on her brow from concentration, despite the chilly autumn air.

The afternoon had progressed normally enough, the store was closed on Sundays, so that left Mary and her family enough space to casually walk about outside. Although, Herbert and Agnes had had to coax her out of their house at first. The part that made her the most uneasy was that the store was just off a busy highway exit, after all. Even though it was a great distance, she was somewhat exposed. Her father-in-law had made convincing arguments though, and plenty of assurances she would be alright.

Almost wish I'd stayed at home, I would have if I'd known I'd be subjected to this... The thought was only a little bitter though, Mary wore a smile while she concentrated on the three foot Christmas pine, which for some reason hadn't grown as it should for the past two years. She was still glad she came, despite Herbert and Anna being silly.

"Would you two leave her alone? Here, I brought-"

"SANDWICHES!" Anna leaped up from where she had taken to lying on the paved ground of the store's outdoor lot. She immediately bounded, spun once, and skillfully snatched a plate from her grandmother on one out stretched hand. Giggling uncontrollably, she continued to hop up in a single bound onto one of the stacks of bagged mulch and plopped down to sit, despite everyone's immediate shouts to be careful. Except for Herbert, who was clapping and nodding in an impressed fashion up at his granddaughter.

Anna grinned down at them from her perch, then made a face. "Icky, Mom, I think I got your sandwich." Her grimace continued and she held the plate down towards Agnes, who snatched it away from the manic acrobat with a frown.

"Anna, come on," Mary called up to her daughter, "could you do your poor mother a favor and not do stuff like that all the time?" She took the traded plate from Agnes—who was in the middle of sighing herself—and felt her stomach rumble at her hungrily.

The family settled down at a nearby porch set, and dug in. Except for Mary.

"Something wrong there Mary?" Herbert said around a mouthful of his turkey club.

The mare looked up doubtfully from the meal that sat before her, despite the rumbling of her stomach. "Oh...well, not really." She sighed and looked longingly at the sandwich. "I mean, I've eaten bacon like this before, and it seemed fine...but I had a steak once and I got...ridiculously sick later that night. I'm pretty sure it was connected, but I dunno."

Agnes gasped quietly and smacked her forehead gently. "Mary, I am so sorry I didn't even think about that, I just made your favorite out of habit..." She began to pick up the plate, but one of Mary's hooves stopped her.

"It's okay mom, I think I'd like to have it anyway... Even if just to be sure, maybe I won't get sick this time?" Mary smiled over her mother-in-law, who shrugged.

"Mooom, ponies aren't supposed to eat meat." Anna leaned on her hands and frowned across the table at her disapprovingly.

"Don't make yourself sick now girl," Herbert chimed in as well. "I need you to figure out how to grow giant plants and make me rich." He smirked, and winked at Anna, who giggled at him and his showiness.

Mary and Agnes for their part deadpanned at one another tiredly, and the BLT absently made its way between the mare's hooves.

Stan pulled open the door to his home with more strength than necessary. Ever since Saturday, it seemed like he needed to focus to keep himself in check, he hadn't been this strong two days ago. That much unsettled him to no end, he recalled his worries from earlier that week... "Nah, there's nothing like that going on, it's just your imagination, Stan."

The sound of hooves fast approaching made him set his things down on the floor preemptively.

"Schmoopy Doopy!" Mary's legs flung up around his shoulder's, impressive considering the jump she'd made to get up that high.

Stan grunted and laughed at the same time, catching his wife skillfully and returning the hug he was already receiving. "Haha, hey, did you miss me or something?" He leaned back and instinctively made to kiss Mary.

Both parties' eyes widened while on the brink of their lips meeting. They stayed that way a moment, stunned looks trading between them, Stan's eyes ran over her face and her hair during the pause. He began to mutter an apology.

Mary ducked her head up without warning and pecked him on the mouth, smiling. "You can forget what I said before, come on, dinner's waiting for you." She settled back on the floor and pulled him by his coat a few steps, a look of surprise still on Stan's face.

They made their way through the dining room in the dim glow that filled their home, looks of contentment on both their faces.

"Wait a sec," Stan stopped and looked disconcertingly after Mary. "Schmoopy Doopy?"

"...They what?" Stan had been sitting quietly, calmly, for a long time while Mary told him about the entire weekend. She had just past by the part about Animal Control, and Faith. He had been a little upset with her about going to Agnes', but hadn't said much about it. His mother must have said something convincing... Now though, his fist clenched around the mug he held so hard that she thought it might-

The sound of ceramic shattering and crunching in his grip made Mary jump in her seat.

"Oh geez, Stan are you alright!?" Mary took one frightened look at what had happened and dashed off to grab a towel. "Wait right there!" Her husband cursed and apologized all at once. Hooves beat against the floor as Mary returned hastily, then without wasting time used his knee to reach his hand. "Honestly, what was that for?" A cheerless look covered her face as she looked from him to the damage.

"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry Mar... That was a nice mug, too." He frowned at nothing while Mary wrapped up his nicked hand.

"Well..." Mary sighed and looked up at him. "I don't think you'll need stitches, just a band-aid... Stan...?" She gave her husband her best worried look, trying to get a response. It was true, she was still seething over Faith and yesterday herself, but she didn't want him to actually try and...and do anything about it. I mean, what could he do honestly? She didn't actually want to answer her own question at the thought.

Finally, without a response forthcoming, Mary spoke again. "Are you alright?"

The man's blank expression changed and glared angrily at the table. "Yeah, I'm fine, just wish we could get them for harassment." One of his big hands—the one that wasn't bleeding—came up and gently ran over her hair. "It isn't likely though, and we want less attention anyway, not more. In that regard, I'm doubly worried about those two men that you say saw you, and maybe heard you as well."

Mary's sad look deepened as he went on, she didn't want to think about having to be secretive. It was getting to be even less liked by her than the fact that she was in a strange body. Not that I have a choice about it... Her voice was weak, but steady. "I'm sure it'll be fine...come on love, let's go to bed." The day had been a pretty long one, all things considered, and yesterday's worries had bled over into it. She hopped off his knee and slowly made her way towards the doorway, exhaustion creeping up on her. "I just want to sleep, and with you close by."

Stan's eyes met hers, both of them looking twice their age in that moment, the stress of things was certainly weighing on them. He nodded, and smiled in an attempt to alleviate some of it. His thoughts were still on the issues at hand, though. His eyes, for instance, had shot open in surprise at finally seeing the recording of Anna's...performance. I need to ask Bobby if anything was out of sorts with him this weekend when I get the chance...

"Yeah...yeah, lets turn in. It's been a long week, I'll be right there just let me clean this." Stan kept up his weak, but reassuring smile while he spoke.

Mary was already under the sheet and dressed for bed in her safety pinned night gown. I gotta get Mom to adjust this thing for me... Stan was changing himself while she tried to get comfortable. Her eyes just so happened to spot something—just by chance—that was very new and peculiar about him, while he did so... Mary stopped and her thoughts came to a crashing halt as she began to watch her undressing husband intently, eyes locked with his body. Her eyes blinked slowly as she continued to take in the target of her attention in almost a daze, a small smile crept up at the sides of her lips.

Stan paused while in the middle of taking off his uniform's trousers. He looked back at Mary questioningly, a disconcerted look trying to meet the eyes of his spaced out wife. "Uh, Mary?"

Abruptly, Mary's gaze with his bottom broke and looked up at him, her Mary pressed a single hoof to her in order to suppress a sudden urge to giggle. "Stan..." The mare started slowly. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting a tattoo...?"

Stan turned his head to look over at his wife again, a confused look on his face. "Huh?"

Mary smirked, and crossed her front legs. "I mean, not to sound bossy, but you could've given me a heads up. Why pick something so silly, too?" Her eyes stayed locked with the colorful depiction of what looked like a green shield and a pair of handcuffs laid over it. She could only see the top of it, the rest was obscured by his briefs.

Stan—still not registering the claim—merely saw his wife staring surreptitiously at his bottom. "Hey, can a man have a little privacy in his own home?" He said in a coy tone, grinning. His body turned as he made his way around the bed.

"Okay, what's the deal Stan, one tattoo, fine, but two!?" Mary exclaimed loudly and leaned up off the bed, jutting one hoof at her husband's side. The man finally looked down.

Stan blinked down in disbelief at himself, and spoke simply, the positive demeanor he'd had melted away. "But I didn't get a tattoo..." His fingers poked at his sides, and then he traded confused looks with Mary before looking at his other side and cursing. "The hell? I sure didn't get two, either."

Mary smirked at her husband, but it became a little more worried given how serious he was being. Wouldn't he have felt a fresh tattoo? Those things hurt...not that I would know. She coughed, realizing she'd just defended an old mistake she'd made in her youth to herself. "Well," the mare asked aloud, "did you and the guys go out drinking? Maybe they did it...?" Mary looked doubtfully at the mark her husband now scrutinized. "Is it real?" The idea that it might be a fake seemed like a reasonable explanation, but Stan was already scraping at the mark, which seemed almost like a part of him.

"Yeah, it's real, and no, we didn't, we don't go out drinking anyway, it's not professional." Stan's eyes squinted, trying to puzzle out why on Earth a tattoo would just appear out of nowhere.

Mary was at a loss as well. "So, what is it?"

Unfortunately, no straight answer or reasonable explanation came, and the pair went to sleep that night, just a little bit more worried.

Chapter 15 : We Need an Explanation

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The bed's really warm these days. Stan thought, half asleep. It was around five AM at the moment, and he lay awake, just staring up at the ceiling. A sudden snore, which had oddly sounded a liiittle like a whinny, caused him to look over at Mary. Her hair fanned wildly over the pillow beside her and all the way onto his own side of the bed. Her breathing became quiet again, and were it not for one of her ears flicking every few seconds, she would have been the very picture of peaceful.

Abruptly, Stan grimaced and reached over to pull out a lock of hair that had become trapped in her mouth. Mary held onto it while he attempted his rescue of the tan portion of mane. Her unconscious stubbornness caused him to roll his eyes and tug it hard once in order to free it. A little smile appeared when she began to frown, then rolled over while mumbling something about crepes. Well, you're definitely still my Mar. The smile became tinged with some sadness from the thought. Yeah...definitely still my Mary.

The tall man pushed himself up off the bed to sit up, a wave of dizziness overtook him for a moment, and left just as quickly. It didn't register to him as a problem, Hmph, sat up too fast... Stan was uneasy as it was and restless too, despite being on the move all weekend at work. He just wanted to start his day, rather than sleep. In the recesses of his mind he was worrying over their funds once again, considering what he would need to do to leave the service. Things are crazy all over the world right now, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and took a step. If I got activated...Mar wouldn't be able to run the house without me now, I can't afford to-!

"Wha-!" Stan's thoughts cut off as he pitched forward into the wall from his side of the bed.

An angry grunt escaped him as he turned around and used his hand to rip off the sheet that had tangled around his foot.

"Stan...what're you doing?" Mary's hooves rubbed at her eyes, while the rest of her leaned up off the bedspread. "Are you alright?" She stared worriedly at him.

"Sorry for waking you up Mar, yeah I just tripped is all." Stan scratched his head annoyedly as he walked around the side of the bed.

Mary looked over at the clock, then groaned and rolled over back under the covers. "It's early Stan," her voice muffled out from under her pillow. "Get back in bed."

Stan grunted back again in reply, but continued out of the bedroom. His eyes looked down as he walked towards the shower, searching out the unexplainable tattoo that now adorned both of his sides. What the hell, that is friggin' embarrassing, I hope Dan never catches wind of this...or anyone for that matter. The water that began pouring from the faucet was blessedly hot, reminding him of the few other things that could use fixing. Well, it's too late in the year to fix anything, maybe I could... He paused as something brushed against the back of his legs.

"What the-?" The sherriff's hand pushed back at the shower curtain that tried to raise into the now steaming shower stall. "I should install one of those shower doors, I hate curtains."

Stan's mind jogged a moment, then managed to get back on track with important matters, made all the easier at finally being fully awake. I need to check on Bobby and Anna right away, if they've gotten these...things, too, then we could be in trouble. He resolved to get Mary to do so during breakfast. If things get anymore interesting around here I'm going to...dammit, I actually still don't have a clue what I'm going to do.

Mary looked up from her salad (she tried to stick to greens most of the time, just to be safe) and lingered on staring at Bobby from across the table.

"...What?" Bobby looked up from his breakfast and creased his brow, looking around himself. His eyes shifted as though looking for what it was that happened to be out of the ordinary. "There something on my face?"

"How've you been feeling, dear?" Mary leaned forward and rested a hoof on the middle of the table, her son stared down at it absently.

"...Fine." Bobby re-busied himself with his pop-tart.

Mary took a quiet breath, stumbling over how to appropriately begin the conversation. It's okay Mary, he's your son after all...just...act natural. She grimaced at her hooves and tucked them under the table, out of sight. "Bobby, your father has gotten a tattoo." That got his attention, her son looked up at her, eyes widened to their fullest.

"You're kidding." Bobby started grinning across at her. "What did he get?" The grin shrank quickly though, and he looked back down at the table just as fast. His long hair obscured his face, but his mother guessed that he was probably scowling...

"It's...a shield with handcuffs, but that's not what's important. We think that..." Mary bit her lip and looked around nervously before continuing. "We think that it might have something to do with the strange things going on. That is, the things that happened to myself and what Anna and Stan are suddenly able to do..."

Bobby looked up and scowled deeper while she spoke, until Mary trailed off and stopped talking. Why does he look so angry? Oh, please don't blame me... She winced as her son stood up quickly and began walking away. "Bobby please, I just want to know you're safe." He walked around the corner and up the stairs wordlessly. "...Sugar." The mare let out a sigh as a result of her son's expedient retreat.

A moment later, Stan walked in from the family room, his civilian jeans and a red t-shirt on.

"Stan, why aren't you in uniform? You have work..." Mary trailed off as he walked around the table and sat down beside her, smiling.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot to mention, I didn't have any trouble getting the day off this time. So, I'll be sticking around, I thought we could spend some time together. Maybe we could have a barbeque or something, too...eh, no meat, if you'd like." Stan made a thoughtful face, then frowned down at the table at her salad.

A giggle escaped Mary and she reached up to pat his cheek gently. "You can't have a barbeque without meat dear, that's very sweet of you though."

Stan smirked back and held her hooves together. I actually haven't taken time off from work to just stay home in...years. In fact, he realized he hadn't acted quite so husbandly as he had of late, nearly so often in quite the while... A frown creased his face as he thought that over. I should have been here more...can't believe I was taking things for granted so much. The odd looking animal-like love of his life rubbed his shirt with one of her hooves, garnering his attention.

"Stan, are you alright?" Mary peered up at him from under her loosely tied hair.

"Yeah, I've never been better." Stan exchanged the frown he'd put on by accident for a smile, then briskly rubbed back at her leg with a hand. He leaned away and let out a tired breath while summoning the courage to deliver the news he'd learned. "Anna said she has a mark too, Mary. If you would, could you confirm that? Girl says that it was a big, spinning white heart." He raised his head from where it had leaned back over his chair and grimly looked at his wife. "With wings."

"Oh God." Mary held a hoof up to her mouth, eyes wide. They began searching around the room, until the large man seated in front of her leaned forward again and hugged her fiercely. "What does it mean Stan!? What are they?" Her hooves tucked themselves defensively over one another in between the couple, cradling herself.

Stan's expression saddened while he calmly smoothed her hair. "I don't know Mar, I don't...whatever they are though, they won't tear us apart, alright? No matter what happens we're a family first, and we'll be there for one another." He held her tighter as she sniffled once and pressed against his chest. "I gotta ask, does this mean Bobby didn't have one?" The sheriff felt a glimmer of hope at that.

"...He wouldn't tell me, I brought up the subject of you and Anna doing those extraordinary things and...he stormed out for some reason. I guess he's angry about getting drawn into this. He was being an absolute little pill about it...I almost can't blame him though, given the circumstances." Mary pushed off of Stan and met his eyes. "There aren't too many mothers that might accidentally rob you of your humanity, after all-"

Stan shook his head fiercely, interrupting her. "It's not gonna be that way, Mar, don't think like that... On that note, did something happen with you and Bobby?" He asked intently, meeting her hesitant gaze. "The boy's been...out of it, lately. Not to mention really cold towards everyone since this all started. What's going on?" His wife's ears drooped before him, a dead give-away that he had hit the nail on the head, he supposed.

Mary's expression wilted while she thought back a few days, after waiting a moment, she spoke. "I don't think he's upset about the pony thing at all, Stanley, he told me as much a few days ago." She frowned and looked up at him coolly. "Embarrassingly enough? Bobby's been upset that the attention has been on me, I think. At least, he as much as said so when he exploded on myself and Herbert a few days ago..." I won't tell him just how bad he did, though. She ran her hoof over Stan's hand, feeling the strange sense of the act absently while she continued. "I get the feeling he doesn't know why he's really angry at us though...and he's just reaching for things. Any mother can figure this out with a little time, I just wish I'd been a good enough one to see it a lot sooner..."

"Mar, don't say that, you're the best any kid could hope to have." An uneasy silence passed between them, Stan reassuringly massaged his wife's shoulder, expecting her to continue. When she didn't, he answered what she'd hinted at. "You meant us, the multiple jobs and when we had to leave the kids at Mom and Dad's for a couple years."

Mary nodded limply, "I never really imagined anyone that young would be so angry over that."

"We did the best we could have Mar, don't dwell on it, please." Stan shook his head and stood up. "I'll talk to him," Mary opened her mouth to interject, but he continued. "Bobby's not entirely unreasonable, it's just been a crazy week is all. It's over now though, we should move on and...persevere." He gently smoothed her hair again, doing his best to hold things together.

Bobby stared blankly down at the strange marking that adorned both of his hips. ...What the heck does this or playing the guitar have to do with turning into a horse? His teeth gritted angrily as he remembered the realization that his talent, might not even be his. It's aaalways gotta be you guys.

"Hey."

Bobby looked up from where he sat on the staircase, listening intently to his parents conversation. His sister looked over the railing at him from the second floor.

"Whatcha doin." Anna smiled, leering at him from on high.

A growl answered her. "As if that's ever been any of your business."

The girl leaned forward, resting on the railing with her arms. "Well excuse me mister grumpy pants, just cause I got to get a tattoo and you didn't, doesn't mean you need to be all angry about it." Anna looked at him smugly, then frowned when a reaction didn't come.

Bobby rolled his eyes and stood up from his improvised seat. "Ah huh." He began walking up to his room to grab his bag. "Nice try brat, I got one too though, lucky me..." It does look pretty bad ass, actually. "I wouldn't brag about that at school by the way, they'd probably call child services and take you away after they find out Mom's turned into a horse."

Anna blew her cheeks out, then relaxed as Bobby strode passed her. "I was just trying to joke around- whatever, you aren't worth my time, jerk." She turned away from him and sprinted past the top of the stairs.

"Yeah well...neither are any of you." Bobby threw on his bag and trudged downstairs, he could already hear Anna's obnoxious voice telling his scheming parents about his bizarre mark. ...I wish things were normal again.

"Mom, I really don't like this!" The son shouted at his steadfast, older parental figure.

"And I already told you that you can't treat her like that! She has needs too you know." The mother firmly planted herself on the porch, glaring for all she was worth at what she saw as a disobedient child.

"This isn't fair..." His eyes squinted back at her, and his arms crossed themselves defensively.

"Well bucko, life isn't fair. Now, are you coming, or are you going to stay here by yourself and mope about it, Stan?"

Stan sighed and relented to Agnes. "Fine, I'll come too," he looked down at a sniggering Mary, doing a poor half-attempt of hiding it.

Their kids had already been dropped off at school by Stan, while a surprised Agnes who had come to do just that, had shown up while he was out and had tea with Mary, instead.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea, Mom?" When Stan arrived home, he was taken off guard by his mother's insistence that she was also there to bring Mary to work, as well as to see if she could drive...

Agnes sniffed and headed down the stairs of the porch towards her car. "Probably yes, probably no, what I do know is that this is what she wants."

Mary trotted after her, and Stan followed closely at her hooves. "Well Agnes, I am kind of sort of reconsidering..." Mary looked up sheepishly from under her lopsided ponytail at the matronly figure, who stopped at the gate and looked back. Her eyebrows climbed from hearing this. "The other day with Faith, I mean...what if the wrong people did find out about me? What could we tell them? I've thought about it a lot, most of the people in this little town would probably hide, even help me. But...we can't be sure."

The older woman leaned down and smiled warmly. "You just let me worry about that sow, Faith, Mary. I convinced Stan here that forcing you to stay home was out of the question, I think I can tell off some busy-body like her." Mary and Stan traded glances, both smirking somewhat from the older woman's bossy attitude.

Mary admitted to herself that Agnes had in fact done as she'd said. Sighing, the mare continued after the old woman and approached the car door. After standing up and opening the car's door, a hand settled on her shoulder. The mare turned to look over at her husband.

"If you would like..." Stan started to say and trailed off, "that is, if you are up to it...you could give driving a shot, Mar."

Mary's face was flat for a moment, before she held her hooves up to her face and her eyes lit up. "You wouldn't mind? Oh, do you think I can!?" Her forelegs flung themselves around Stan's middle, while the man himself wore a worried smile.

Stan wondered to himself if the simple means with which he had just cheered his wife up were worth the possible consequences.

"What's going on out there, hurry up you young people." Agnes rolled down the window from her side of the car, which Mary poked her head into.

"Move over mom, I'm going to give it a shot and drive." Mary grinned wildly over the door, while her mother-in-law put on a guarded look and double checked that her insurance was up to date.

The car rolled backwards out of the driveway steadily, while Stan sat beside his wife up front with Agnes seated in the back.

Mary had the seat pulled all the way forward, which was thankfully enough to allow her legs to reach the pedals. She had realized immediately the biggest difficulty, and perhaps the only one to driving as a pony, would be the lack of feet. In her old body she only need to move her foot to accelerate, now her whole leg had to shift with precision. She also needed both hooves to put the car into drive, one to hold the button and one to shift, but that was minor. They were small changes, but changes nonetheless.

The steering wheel whirled in front of her as she turned it with years of practiced, innate skill. Her hooves grasped it easily enough, and let go of it just as quickly as her hands would have had she still had any. The car ceased moving in reverse, then with both hooves she put it in drive. The power steering corrected the wheel and the car began to pull forward onto the main road, leaving the crunchy gravel of her home's driveway behind.

Oh my gosh, I haven't been this nervous driving since....heck, my first mission over a decade ago I think. Mary gulped as she approached the stop sign. Although I'm not worried about bombs here, just anyone seeing a pony driving an old Ford Fusion.

"I think your new arms might be more flexible than a person's..." Stan spoke suddenly from beside the furred driver.

Mary looked down at herself, then over at Stan and grinned weakly. "I noticed that too, it really makes things that much more confusing huh? I might look vaguely like an equine, but I'm nothing like any that we have on Earth at all." She resettled her eyes on the road, concentrating on navigating the almost straight shot to the highway exit, and the Green Thumb nursery a few miles from it.

"Equine?" Stan asked, "What's that?" Behind him, Agnes began listening out of curiosity.

"It means to resemble a horse, basically, it describes something related to them, I guess... Equus is the Latin word for horse if I recall correctly. While I was looking around online I learned a bunch about horses and ponies themselves. Nothing useful I suppose, but there isn't much I didn't print off and start reading about our versions of them." Mary turned at a green light, ducking her head slightly as another car drove by in the other direction. "Which reminds me, we're still no closer to finding an explanation for this, are we?"

Stan sighed and shook his head from beside her, one of his hands came over to rest on the hoof Mary had draped onto the transmission. The two shared a quiet moment between them.

"Our versions?" Agnes spoke of questioningly from the backseat. "Are you suggesting you've turned into an alien, Mary?" She smiled, but it was fleeting as she considered the possibility. "I wonder why Herbert hasn't suggested that yet..."

Mary suppressed a smile at the thought, then shrugged and glanced back. "That makes about as much sense as anything else, Mom... I dunno, these markings we've gotten might be a clue though, we should try looking up randomly appearing tattoos."

"Tattoos? What tattoos?" Agnes leaned forward more while asking.

Oh, we haven't told her about that yet... "Well Mom, remember when Anna did that breath-taking performance on Saturday...?" Mary traded a nervous glance with Stan, then began to brake after catching a speed zone coming up.

Agnes muttered a yes and Mary continued. "Well, it might be linked to these strange markings that have appeared on...everyone's hips, Stan's, Anna's and even Bobby's. Weirder yet, they're all colorful and cartoony depictions of things they're good at." She gave a short description of her family's butt markings (as Anna had referred to them, mostly to Bobby) to Agnes, who wore a more and more confused look.

Agnes blinked in confusion. "That certainly is strange, I'm not sure I've ever heard of such a thing, at least not appearing randomly... But, if you don't have one, then maybe it's something else and not related?"

Stan let out a sigh and leaned against the car door. "It would be our luck for two completely unrelated, supernatural, cosmic jokes to befall our family. Are we sure Dad didn't just piss off a Leprechaun or something?" All of the family members in the car briefly put on thoughtful looks as they considered the possibility.

They drove for a minute in silence, Stan glad to see that Mary truly hadn't had any trouble driving thus far. I guess I was being a little too overbearing...maybe we should think about getting her a disguise or something at least, or tinted windows in the car... He knew that they weren't illegal in his state, so it was a definite possibility.

Mary spoke up again. "But yeah, there wasn't anything online, so we need to look elsewhere for some answers."

"What exactly did you find? There had to be something..." Agnes frowned at the cup holders from her backseat, trying to piece together an explanation to this for her family from anything she had heard.

Mary sighed, "I mostly found cartoon pictures and other nonsense. A bunch of really poorly done photoshop images were all I came up with, granted I did only look twice..." She turned the wheel and began driving up the short road to the landscaping store her in-laws owned. "The pictures did look vaguely...familiar..." The mare trailed off at the sight of three vehicles parked outside of the store, and she gulped. The car rolled to a stop before making it to the gravel parking lot.

Stan rubbed her shoulder and stared forward. "I don't see anyone, they're probably insi-"

Mary's rushed breathing and squeak of a voice interrupted him. "This was a bad idea, let's go back." Her widened eyes peered over the top of the steering wheel fearfully, while the rest of her hunched down.

"Do you want to?" Stan looked seriously at her. "It's your call Mary...Whatever you decide, we're here to help." He turned his wide shoulders and looked back at his mother, raising one eyebrow, as if to say I told you so.

Agnes chimed in as well. "You really shouldn't stay cooped up Mary...but whatever you want is what we want." She said sagely, and quoted her argument that she had fought with Stan a few days earlier. "Just remember, it's a big place, you'll be fine and out of sight in the store or at the house."

Mary calmed down and stared at her hooves a moment, deep in thought. She'd already worked up the courage to get herself over here in an attempt to maintain her life... Is living as though nothing has changed worth it? Is not letting this beat me so important that I'd put myself at risk? The question poked at her thoughts, and not for the first time. Maybe Stan was right, maybe I am being too stubborn... She frowned down at her back hooves instead, which rested idly behind the cars pedals. Buut, I am now the first pony to ever drive a car... A smirk built on her face at the fortifying thought, and she raised herself up in the seat.

"Mary?" The car shifted into drive, and it began to pull around towards the back of the store. "Alright, I guess we're staying." Stan said defeatedly.

"Oh, don't be such a big baby. If anyone comes after me, just arrest them or threaten them with a ticket." Mary grinned over at her husband and patted his leg coyly, while Agnes laughed from the backseat. "I'm already wearing clothes and eating steak and driving, I might as well continue going to my job like a peoples, too." She put the car in park, and hopped out beside the back of the store. Nearby were the pallets of soil, Herbert's construction vehicles and forklift as well as their other outdoor stock. "Heck, I just gotta switch to online classes and maybe I can still finish my degree."

Mary turned and stood confidently in front of Agnes and Stan, both of whom gave her reassuring smiles in return.

"Well dear, you have our complete and utter support." Agnes knelt down and hugged Mary, chuckling.

Stan's eyes were heavy and worried...but warmed with the love and concern he felt for his wife. "Whatever you want Mar, it's yours, all right? You have my full support, too." He took a step forward as Agnes stood back up, and brushed her hair back over one of her giant ears. Their eyes locked for a moment, in heart clenching love for one another...

When the store's backdoor burst open behind them.

"And you have my axe!" Herbert grinned from around the screen at the rest of his family, then began laughing. Although he was the only one laughing, and the other man and two women were groaning at the tasteless interjection.

"Good morning, Dad..." Stan welcomed his father bitterly. The older man chuckled and walked forward to shake his son's hands. After that, everyone began talking amongst one another. Except Mary, who looked on wanly for a brief moment.

Well, it isn't the life I'm used too...but I think I'll survive. Mary sat on her rump on the dirt, then grimaced when she remembered her overalls didn't cover her tail. Looking back at the thing, she saw that there was now dirt clumped onto her freshly blue and tan hair. Dangit. Her hoof batted at the loose soil. I'll get used to it I guess...I just hope this doesn't last too much longer.

Chapter 16 : Day by Day

View Online

October 29th 2023, Sunday

Morris Family Basement

Mary spoke in a careful voice, mincing her words before saying them aloud. "Things are... peaceful, for the most part. There is of course the same household drama that there used to be. Which oddly enough... I'm very thankful for on the inside, I think. I don't tell anyone that though you understand, encouraging Stan or Anna is a veritable death wish in terms of distractions or obnoxiousness." She let out a strained, tinkling laugh at that and trailed off.

The sound of someone going 'mmhmm' on the other end of the phone line bid Mary to continue, so she did. A tight smile creased her muzzle while she paused, choosing her words. "At least, it is with Anna. That only used to be the case with Stan..."

"I see... And what do you mean, exactly?" The person she spoke to asked, almost too eagerly.

Mary looked to the side of the phone for a moment, then answered. "Stan seems to grow more and more dour with each passing day. He enters these bouts of quiescent dwelling. I don't know what he's thinking, but he won't tell me. Annoyingly enough it always stays a secret. He acts like he's doing no such thing but I..." Her hooves rub together as she speaks, growing more anxious by the minute.

"I don't know for sure. Whatever it is taking up my husband's thoughts isn't clear... I've been coming up with my own ideas, but that only gets me so far in talking to him." Unfortunately for Mary, she hadn't been able able to produce all that many of them, either. "There... are other changes too, of course, that's just the tip of this iceberg. Fighting to maintain normalcy as best I can has been an uphill battle."

The scribbling of notepaper and the clicking of computer keys came through the phone, but no immediate answer.

Mary shifted uncomfortably on the couch continuously, unable to feel as though she were really in private right now. She knew that the feeling there were eyes watching her, merely came from talking to someone new and nothing else. All the same, her skin prickled from the unease as a nervous sweat began to build. It could also be that the new outfit she wore was too hot though—Stan had the heat turned up for the cold evening.

"I see... and Mary, I don't want to press the issue I have with this, but you seem very stable and settled based from our previous talk. So I'll ask one more time, are you certain you wouldn't rather have these talks in person? I know you said that your desire for privacy was unrelated to these problems you're facing, but the impersonal nature of this could effect both you and your family's coming to grips with things. Now, I don't promise a sure-fire feel good mantra that will fix your problem, only to listen and help you work through things." The counseling psychologist finally stopped pitching what was her second attempt to meet in person...that day.

Mary had nearly chewed the pencil she had in her mouth into two pieces. Oh yes doc, you're right, how could I have been so silly? I'll just go hop in my car, bring the family, and knock on your office door with my hoof in no time! She sighed and flopped onto her back on the couch.

It had been just shy of a month since... the event. Mary didn't like remembering that day, even this much later it remained one of the most terrifying days in her life.

"Mary? Are you still there?" The psychologist prompted her with what Mary suspected was a faux worried tone.

"Yes, I'm here." Mary flipped around and laid back on her stomach facing the phone. It was by far one of her least favorite positions, but hate it or not she inevitably ended up using it again and again.

"Alright, I take it that was a no then?"

A slight blush crept up Mary's face; she realized she might have been a bit too loud sighing...

"Uhm, yes, I'm sorry about that, doc. I didn't mean to sound rude. I just don't want to repeat things is all." I'd simply much rather use the limited amount of time I have to talk to you on myself, rather than you backtracking. Mary frowned at the phone and let the thought go unspoken, true though it might be. Paying for a psychologist was expensive, after all.

"Well alright, let's continue," the voice said merrily.

Yes, let's! Mary rolled her eyes and thought acidly.

"To surmise and interpret what you've shared about Mr. Morris, it seems as though something is troubling him very deeply as well. Is it safe to assume it's the same issue that you cannot speak of? Or are you trying to hint to me subtly that you suspect something more? Perhaps something of a marital persuasio-?"

"No! I mean, yes, but no!" Mary facehoofed and scowled at the thing after for the pain it caused. "I know what you're getting at, there is absolutely zero chance of Stan having an affair or anything of the sort. That's not at all what I'm concerned about. I don't know what's really bothering... him, but it probably is that thing I can't talk about..." Mary let out another tired breath and settled onto staring at the floor.

The rest of the phone call progressed much as it had since Mary had begun seeking the help in the first place. She had reached out seeking answers, or a more educated view point.

Mary was no more at ease as the phone call ended than she was when it had begun, which was the entire purpose of her having them. Her confidence in these so called 'professionals' was dwindling though, along with the budget she'd set aside with Stan for it. In her mind, he was a knight in shining armor for doing so much for her, but his darkening mood still hung around them like a shroud.

The only time it wasn't there was when Mary confronted him about it, in which case he would do his best to act as if nothing were wrong. The problem she had, and as a result used a lot of her time on the phone for, was that she couldn't figure out why he was acting that way. She had ideas, there was the obvious possibility he was worrying over her, or their kids, maybe even finances or simply that crazy theory about the strange marks they had all gotten mysteriously.

...

Mary had the flickering, fearful suspicion though, that it had everything to do with the way she looked now, and the changes it had brought into their lives. It probably didn't mean much, which made her fear silly she realized, but she still wanted to help, if that were the case.

Truthfully, everything had changed, everything, really. Her family no longer tried to fit in around town, they didn't go out anymore, in fact, they hadn't even so much as gone out to eat. Not that it's our fault, as if that could ever happen given the circumstances...

Mary snorted a burst of laughter at the thought of herself in formal attire as she was. A nice night out with her family was certainly not a possibility. "That would certainly be something to give Faith and those buzzards to talk about..." Her hooves thudded as she hopped a short distance off of the basement couch, she paused a moment at the pool table and groused inwardly at the sight of pizza boxes left on top of it. How did I miss that? The mare rolled her eyes and vowed to get Stan down here to clean up his mess, then clopped her hooves loudly on the hardwood stairs as she climbed them.

A lot had happened in the last almost thirty days. It was October twenty-ninth, the school year progressed normally enough. It was still too early to tell really, but Bobby was obviously paying even less mind to things than last year. Stan had also ended up replacing the windows in the car for new ones that were tinted, expensive though it had been. Mary considered it her early anniversary gift, it was nice being able to get around still. Not that she had anywhere to go really, except her mom's home.

They had gotten closer, since the big change. Mary would stay over some nights and would talk for hours with her husband's parents. They had always been polite and well mannered with each other before, but now they were definitely what she would call close friends, on top of family.

Stan though...he'd distanced himself a little.

The days that Stan would randomly, spontaneously romance Mary seemed to be well in the past, which was alright and probably for the best. I knew a day would come when we would be to old for that, anyway. She thought placidly. The basement door creaked shut behind herself as she trotted through the house to the kitchen. At least he still makes earnest attempts to act the part, if not follow through. The idea of that happening brought a cold sweat to her skin. Point in fact, neither she nor he had even spoken about it. It made perfectly perfect sense to her that he felt the same way.

So, Stan brooded on, the silence he would enter every day seemingly going on to grow, more and more. He would break it long enough to cheer Mary up, though, so all was not terrible on his front. It simply begged the question in Mary's mind, what is he thinking about?

Mary frowned slightly as she stood up and reached for the cupboards—she couldn't reach the top shelf without a chair, which had led to some reorganizing. Her hooves pulled out the box of popcorn and pulled a bag out.

Anna, had been even more joyous and hyper since the... ponification—at least, that's what Herbert called it—which was a very good thing in Mary's mind. She was more than happy to see at least one of her children doing great in school, making friends and having a great time no matter how dark things seemed to get from time to time. Her other offspring, Bobby...he had became dreadfully unattached ever since she had changed. Ever since that day he had found out, he barely spoke, to anyone.

The dim yellow light from the microwave popping the movie snack glowed over Mary's coat and mane, giving it a mystical appearance in the dark evening.

Mary watched the bag spin slowly in the kitchen appliance absently. Here I am, something that shouldn't exist, probably the only example of something besides a human that acts...well, human, sitting in the dark and making popcorn. A ding told her the salty treat was finished. And all the while, I could care less about that. I just want to keep my family. Once again she hopped up, placing her front hooves to rest on the counter top and opened the microwave.

The popcorn bag ripped open between Mary's hooves, then poured out into a big bowl. The mare laid her thoughts to rest for the night, deciding instead to focus on what was important. There will be plenty of time to worry later... She thought confidently.

Mary carried the plastic container by its very edge in her mouth towards the family room. It was easy now that she had gotten used to her body. A few days ago she had concluded that all men were part pony, judging from how much more she liked salted snacks now, just like they seemed to.

The flashing of blue and red in the room welcomed Mary, along with the cheer of her ten year old daughter. Anna's birthday had been last week, that had been an interesting day.

"Popcorn! Popcornpopcornpopcornpopcornnnn!" Anna cheered the words in rapid succession in a way Mary was sure no other person could. The girl began to bounce on the couch, her eyes lighting up in the television's glow at the sight of the surprise. "You're the best Mom!"

Mary smiled at the sight before her, which included Anna's antics and a comatose husband. Stan was quite obviously dozing in his recliner, or he would have already asked her about how bad the phone call had gone. He worried about her to a fault.

Anna reached out for the bowl as Mary made her way onto the upstairs couch and sat to watch the old film with her daughter. It was a cute movie called 'Wreck It Ralph' that was about a video game arcade or something...

"Awwww," Anna cried out as Mary leaned away with the popcorn still locked protectively in her jaws.

Mary grinned over the brim of the bowl. "Nooo, mine!" she replied jokingly, only to gasp a second later in surprise alongside her daughter.

"Waita go, Mom..." The popcorn had spilled over Mary's front and across the couch, nearby Stan snorted awake from the sudden increase in noise.

Well, I never said I was completely used to this body... Mary grimaced down at the wasted snack she'd made for herself and her family, which had spilled everywhere. The bowl tumbled and continued to roll across the floor.

Mary was quite unsure of what exactly she was going to do.

Bobby lay on his bed staring tiredly up at the ceiling as he usually did. There wasn't much for him to distract himself with at home, so this is what usually filled his time. Sadly enough, anyway, he replied coldly to himself. He had tried to go out that night with a girl and some friends to see a movie, but his Mom, Mary had gotten in the way of that.

I thought that plan would've worked perfectly, too. Earlier, Bobby had tried to convince her by asking if she could drive him there. Sure enough, he'd watched her face light up at the suggestion of getting out of the house...only for her to shoot him down anyway, preaching 'not until we see better behavior' this or 'if your grades were better' that.

The boy rolled over and stared flatly at the wall. Whatever, I'm a self-made man now, it's just a matter of time before I can get out of the house. It was no surprise that his popularity at school had sky rocketed, practically everyone was his friend now, or at least eating out of his hand. He knew none of them were really his friends, but that didn't matter.

The cell phone resting on the table beside his bed began to ring.

Bobby reached over in a flash of movement and picked it up, saw that it was Cory, then answered it. "Hey."

"Duuude, you missed a great time." His friend's voice was mixed with that of several others in the back ground.

Bobby grunted and stood up, irritation at being stuck at home and out of sight building. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know, Twig." The nickname wasn't a very nice one, but it worked in a pinch for when Cory was trying to get on his nerves, which is what he must be doing if he only called to brag.

"Hoho, ouch, alright, guess you don't wanna hear the good news I got then." Cory's voice was partially drowned out by about six other voices screaming into the cellphone beside him. They cried various versions of 'I love you' and 'you rock!' He could clearly hear Cory slap them away and move further from the group afterwards.

"...What good news?" Bobby asked hesitantly.

"What? Oh, aw man, you won't believe this, but Jace's brother Mark is in from Germany, you know what that means?" Cory's voice was elated from the excitement instilled by his own words.

Bobby's perpetually grim expression lit up with a wicked grin. He knew exactly what that meant.

The two young men spoke in tandem. "College party."

"Damn straight. It's in two nights man, don't miss it!" Cory responded, pleased as hell with himself. Behind him, other voices cheered loudly at the mention of the party.

Bobby frowned again, a thought coming to him. "Dude, why would they let us hang out there though? I mean, Jace wouldn't be left out, but what about us?" He could practically hear Cory shaking his head on the other side of the phone.

"Dude, I asked Mark already if we could band for the party, he was totally cool with it after I played one of our music files for him." Bobby grinned again at their luck. "You've gotten us VIP tickets brother, hell, he's even paying us if we do a good job."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Bobby grinned over the appropriately confident words, they felt right to him. "Well alright, that sounds great, thanks for brightening my mood man."

Cory answered him smugly. "Hey no problem, what are friends for, right? Just make sure you don't miss it brother! Talk to you tomorrow with details, I gotta go!" The sounds of his friends getting rowdy in the background was unmistakable as the cellphone call ended.

Bobby's proud grin melted into a tired, irritated frown. Sure, his friends could probably get away with going to the thing no problem, but he was the youngest out of the group, even if he looked like the oldest. Just what are my chances of getting away to show up at this thing? He knew the answer wasn't even between slim and none, it was somewhere on the fringes near 'Hell no' and 'Hell no, go to your room'.

The cellphone clunked onto his side table while at the same time Bobby deftly kicked the guitar he'd borrowed up into his hands. The stand it had rested on spun a little from the motion. He'd talked Cory into letting him borrow it to practice after all, which hadn't been hard, it was just a piece of junk, when all was said and done.

The memory made his face twist angrily as he recalled his parents essentially laughing at him after he politely asked if they'd get him one of his own. It's not like I asked for something top of the line, just one that wasn't twenty years old. You'd think they'd at least negotiate a little after I said I would pay more attention to those embarrassments the school system calls teachers. Instead of that, they'd brazenly and selfishly demanded that his grades show some improvement, first. He had agreed, he didn't have a choice, but he knew he didn't have time for that crap, not anymore.

Bobby's thoughts stuck on Mary now that he'd mulled over getting stuck with the ancient instrument he now held. It had been one thing that he'd gotten away with ditching the 'pet', as he'd told his friends he had succeeded in doing. It was another that they'd ask him nonstop if Mary could 'hook them up'. The situation made his teeth grind, the whole thing was like a double pronged attack on his patience.

First, there was them talking shit about his family, which he didn't care about...really, it was just irritating. Second though, he couldn't shake this stupid nagging feeling he kept getting every time he thought about her. It was like a bad taste in his mouth that he couldn't get rid of.

Bobby absently stared at the Fender guitar—which was older than he was—while his mind ran over how he'd get Mary to let him go. It only took a minute before he came to a solid conclusion. Yeah it's not gonna happen. He sighed as his hands ran through the motions of several chords while he barely paid attention. So I guess the real question is, do I have someone drive out here to get me or do I skateboard the entire damn way over to Jace's house? Oh he was still going, this just meant he would sneak out and not say anything. So, it wasn't that far, not really, he would probably end up skateboarding.

The guitar swung over Bobby's big shoulders and landed smoothly back on its cradle. The teenager moved towards and sat down at his desk, he'd hardly ever used it until he started playing music. Now, he spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of the art. If I'm going to be playing for a crowd, even a drunk one, I'll have something ready for them.

For the rest of the night he worked tirelessly trying out ideas, hoping his drive for success at what he wanted to do would inspire him.

...It didn't—after a couple hours and nothing to show for it on paper, Bobby ended up falling asleep at his desk, restless.

October 30th 2023, Monday

4:00 PM

The instructor's mouth hit the floor as Annalise easily ran up the concrete wall barefoot, then back flipped back onto the practice mat. She landed lightly on her toes and fell down smoothly into the form she had practiced all day, showing off her skill and balance as she did so.

The other students that were still there applauded quietly and spoke amongst themselves.

"That was amazing Anna," Ms. Kenly clapped her hands along with everyone else while Anna grinned boldly and bowed to her peers. "I can honestly say that I'm very impressed, but don't let it go to your head. Still, we're all glad you joined our little dojo family and are sticking around."

The other students had begun to chatter at Anna, drowning out the teacher. "Thanks Ms. Ken! AH! Guys thanks, uh, really it was nothing!" Anna thanked her sensei all the same, doing her best to smile everywhere at once as others made their way onto the mat, crowding her. She had joined the dojo just a few weeks ago, but she was already a yellow belt and well on her way to the next tier. Not to mention popular as a result...

I really wish they all wouldn't be so nice just because I'm good at something. It's kinda...uhm, shallow? Yeah, shallow. She sighed and began chatting with another despite her apprehension at being the center of attention off of a stage, being polite. Anna had a thought seeking escape from the small crowd. It's getting late, where's Dad?

As if on cue, Anna heard a buzzing from her gi and other equipment. She managed to wriggle politely past the other kids and teenagers towards the mat's edge and picked up her phone.

At the same time, Ms. Ken grabbed her attention as well. "Anna, your father's here!" She looked down, and sure enough she had a message from her dad's cell phone. Oddly though, it wasn't the usual, flawless grammar that he always used. Instead, it was a mishmash of vowels and random capitalized letters.

They very roughly said, "Hi Anna! I'm waiting in the car outside." What it actually said was, "hi ana1 in witing on te car utsid".

Anna cringed back from the atrocious sight. Yeesh, even Bobby can spell better than that, what's wrong with Dad? Her eyes widened and she shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. The phone found its way back into her gym bag—which was almost as big as her—as she made her way to the front door, waving goodbye as she left.

Once outside, she stopped and stared at the her Mom's car, parked by itself at the far end of the parking lot against another building's side. She knew it was her Mom in the car though and not Dad, because Dad wouldn't use the car anymore, not since the truck had decided to not be old and Mom needed the car in case of an emergency...

Anna blinked in confusion and looked around to make sure the truck wasn't around, then shrugged and approached the car. She looked at the license plate, yeah, it's definitely my Mom's... Just for good measure, the car beeped twice at her. She wasn't sure if she should be smiling or frowning, Mom's only supposed to drive to work, I hope Dad didn't fall down the stairs again or something... The back door opened first so she could put away the gym bag, then she carefully opened the front door and closed it just as quickly.

"Hey Sweetie!" Mary greeted Anna warmly as she hopped into her car. Her daughter was wearing an impressively dumbfounded expression as she climbed into the car, then strapped in without looking away from her once.

"Uh, hey Mom, why are you here? Where's Dad?" Anna settled into the seat and strapped in, but didn't look away from her mysteriously appearing parent. She briefly looked down at what Mom wore though, a white blouse with crisscrossing straps in order to hold it up despite her different build. Oooh, that's a new one, Grandma's getting creative! She giggled as two hooves briefly pulled her into a hug from across the center of the car.

"Well gee, I'm happy to see you too." Mary laughed bitterly and smiled at her daughter. "Dad's running late at work, so I came and got you!" She put on a winning grin and gestured proudly at herself with one hoof, but faltered when Anna raised an eyebrow at her.

There was a long pause in the car until Anna acted on the irresistible opportunity before her. "Mooom, you know you're not supposed to be out unsupervised." She grinned mischievously and poked Mary's shoulder, giggling afterwards and spoiling her joke.

Mary's face and smile thinned under the snickering ridicule of her daughter. She let out a tired sigh and popped the car into drive with both hooves.

Anna, seeing this, put on a faux frowning face and pressed on. "Aaaaww, don't be sad Mommy! I was just kidding," she stuck her tongue out smirking and leaned in front of Mary so she got a good view of her antics. "I mean it though...a little... What if someone else found out about you!? Then I'd have to gear up with Grandpa and beat up the Men In Black to rescue you!"

The fortifications on Mary's face crumbled as she giggled a little at the thought, she is right though, Mary. "I guess I could have called Grandma—" she began.

Anna jumped in and interrupted. "Should have, Mom! Should have!" She half leaned across the car, eyes wide in order to drive home her point.

"Anna sit down, don't distract the driver." Mary batted a hoof over at Anna in order to get her to behave. Her daughter had been a lot braver as far as behavior since her change. She imagined it was entirely due to her being a technicolor pony these days. Then again, I imagine I would take my parents a whole heckuva lot less seriously if they turned into ponies, too. A thoughtful smirk appeared at the idea, despite herself.

Beside Mary, her daughter's arms crossed as she pouted in the passenger seat. "Oh, so you get to make up rules and stuff but I still gotta listen to them, huh?"

Once again, Mary found herself surprised at how well Anna managed to switch between acting like your typical, ten year old, to a more sensibly minded person, then back seamlessly. I wonder if it's something we're feeding her... She thought questioningly.

"Anna, I'm not disobeying anything, besides I'm perfectly safe in the car!" Mary didn't feel the need to add that she hadn't disobeyed anything, not really, sure Stan would take issue with it but he didn't make the rules of the house. Her smirk at the conversation became a grin as her car past the last light out of Belsdale and out towards the rural part of Idaho, where they lived.

Anna's resolve broke and she giggled aloud after a moment with her Mom.

The sound of a police siren behind them on the country road broke them both out of their revelry.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!" Mary felt the blood pumping in her ears, which were plastered to her head in between flicking up in a frightened manner. "What do we do!? What do I do!?" Her eyes were widened to their utmost as her mind raced for some way out of the position she'd found herself. Why did she pull me over!? Was I speeding!? No, I wasn't speeding! So why, is my tail light out!? Oh god, oh God, oh God!

Mary realized after another minute that panicking wouldn't help, she thought of just what was going to happen instead. Okay, they might not even be giving me a ticket, grr, but that's not the problem! No matter what, they're going to at least check my license and registration...and that means they're going to seeee meeee. She buried herself in her hooves on the steering wheel, briefly grinding her face against them in desperate denial of the situation. Okay, get a grip Mary...solution, think of a solution. Any minute now the trooper would get out of the car after running her license plate and make their approach, at which point she knew she was done for.

Anna was completely silent behind her, looking intently over the back of the car seat at the patrol car.

"Anna get down, don't look. Oooh, what am I going to do!? We can't run...we...of all the things that could have happened, this is the, worst, possible, thing!" Mary gritted her teeth and shut off the car, letting out a depressed sigh after her dramatic outburst.

"You mean...what are we going to do, Mom." Anna laid a hand on Mary's hoof and drew her mom's eyes from the car keys. "Come on think, we have options here, like, why can't we run?"

Mary blinked disbelieving at how calm her daughter was being. "W-what? It's illegal Anna! We-" The thought clicked in her head. Actually, I guess we could! Mary began to consider getting out of the car and making a break for it across the open field. "I could carry you, then the car could just get reported as stolen!" Both mother and daughter began to smile jubilantly over the break through.

"Alright! My other wish totally came true!" Anna grinned so hard her eyes shut as she thanked Santa for getting the pony-ride of a life time.

Mary deadpanned back at her daughter, then sighed and undid her seat belt. "I'm not even going to respond to that, come on Anna we don't have mu-"

The sound of a knock at her tinted window drew Mary's eyes behind herself. Oh no! Why is he here already!? Did he not run our license plate!?

Beside her, Anna started breathing heavily and tugging on Mary's sleeve. "Mom, come on let's go, let's go Mom I don't want them to take you! Come on!"

"Sshhh, it's okay baby calm down it'll be al...right?" Mary heard an unmistakable voice outside the car. It wasn't Stan, if only I should be so lucky she thought cheekily. It was far worse, possibly even more so than a policeman that she didn't know.

A muffled, obnoxious voice came through the car's window. "Hey Mary, Mary! Open up chica I ain't seen you in ages!" The sound of a giant, meaty fist tap tapping on her car window made her shrink in the car seat. All logical thought escaped her mind as her previous fears of discovery were replaced with annoyed apprehension at having to be around the infamous Dan.

Mary blinked as another thought came to her. Oh this is perfect actually, I could just sock him in the face, then leave and I doubt I would get in any trouble at all. This thought didn't come about because Stan was Dan's boss, Dan was simply that annoying in the small, rural town. He was rude, crass, short tempered, slovenly, violent and worst off all, loud.

"Come on Mary, I haven't seen you in months, I just wanna say hi! Also, your tail-light's out." His fist stopped its assault on her car window, Anna had likewise calmed down and looked worriedly from the window to Mary continuously.

"Oh, well if that's all Dan then, hi! I really gotta go though so, if...it's alright I'll just do that and be out of your hair then!" Mary let out a nervous laugh, her hooves bent up in front of her as the chuckle made her eye twitch slightly. Just leave damn you, leave! Nervous and frightened didn't even begin to describe her right now. "Lord, if you're listening, I will never, ever sneak candy from Anna's stocking or Halloween bag ever again if you let me go..."

"Hey!"

Mary blinked, then bit her lip as she realized she'd said that aloud. "Not now dear, Mommy's talking." Her daughter rolled her eyes and sat back.

"Come on Mary, you know I'm on camera right now. It's not like I can just let you go, I need to at least check your license and registration to make sure it's up to date. That's just procedure." Dan rested his hands up on his patrol belt and frowned down at the darkly tinted car windows. The glare of the sun made it impossible to see through them, even this up close. I always hated tinted windows on a stopped car. He thought absently.

Mary had to restrain herself from banging her head on the steering wheel. Great! He's going to see me, and I can't run away now! Great, just great! Even if she ran, Dan now knew that she'd been in the car, so claiming it had been stolen now wasn't a very good bet. Her jowls chomped down on the leather of the steering wheel angrily. "Anna, pass 'eh 'dah 'icense 'nd 'egistra'ion, 'lease."

Anna frowned at her Mom, half opening her mouth to speak, but didn't and opened the glove box.

Mary took the documents in one hoof from her daughter and frowned down at them, then tried her last gambit.

The car window rolled down, but only a crack, she crouched and slid the license out, resting on top of the car's registration.

There was a pause from outside of the vehicle, and Dan didn't answer or take the papers immediately as Mary had hoped that he would. "Mary, come on girl, you gotta roll the window down."

Mary cursed and swore at herself inwardly. For- God- Is first name basis not enough for this jerk!? She exhaled and almost just rolled the window down in her fury, ready to go 'boo!' "Look, Dan I'd love to, but I'm a mess right now, I don't even have any make up on, please?" It was true, she didn't have make up on. I haven't worn make up in almost a month now. She thought smugly, hoping that he bought it and just let her be.

"Mary, look, your husband wouldn't want me to cut corners for anyone else I know, he wouldn't want me to do favors for folks he knows either. That means for you too, not just my own friends. Not that you aren't my friend or anything, you're just my boss' wife and all so I can't exactly invite you over to watch the game, you know?" Dan let out a rumbling laugh and shook the car from where he was leaning on it.

The documents pushed back into the vehicle, causing Mary to eep and scurry her hooves about trying to catch them.

"Pleeeease Dan! Don't make me do this..." Mary pleaded with her best girly voice, then gasped at that exact moment. After she had ended her final beg for mercy, the car door had opened.

"Hey lookit that, your car door was unlooooo-" Dan trailed off after laying eyes on the sight before him. He stood in the doorway with his Aviators reflecting gleaming sunlight down on the pony, which sat in the driver's seat of Mary Morris' car. It was clutching what looked to be Mary's drivers license and vehicle registration to its chest, looking up at him with fear-filled, huge eyes. He felt his mouth drop open at the very sight in disbelief. Costume? The eyes blinked, holy shit, not a costume. Its mouth was likewise hanging open as he knew his was.

Dan reached a hand out slowly and poked the creature's forehead with one finger. It felt like a thin coat of fur that was certainly real enough. The bewildering creature still didn't move though, he was certain he'd gone crazy somehow. Its hair was a pale blue with a tan, almost cream yellow stripe, while its body was a washed out orange. These were both what Dan knew were impossible colors in the wild, for what looked to be some kind of miniature horse.

...

A miniature horse with impossibly big, misshapen alien eyes, thick, tube-like legs and a human-like expression of fear.

...

Both of the adults didn't move an inch for almost a minute.

...

Mary felt a finger poke her side, and almost jumped.

"Mom, let's just go, I think you broke him." Anna's voice was barely more than a whisper, but Mary heard it easily.

The mare nodded in a daze as she closed the door slowly. The sunlight that had peeked into the car was completely cut off once it finally, blessedly shut. Mary just sat there for a second, then numbly shifted the car into drive.

Author's Notes:

Whelp, Dan from Mrpocket's Duality is back for another short cameo. It's fun writing fanfiction, because you can do whatever the heck you want like let your friend's characters in a little cute appearances like this when you need random characters.

So hey, whoa lookit that, the whole family isn't a pony herd. (yet? who knows!) I also time jumped, it's a full month almost later from PD1 (Ponification Day 1).

The story is chugging along quite nicely, don't you guys think? ^^ Look forward for another update sometime this week!

Also, every state trooper's face in this situation.

-EDIT! The wonderful efforts in the picture you see above are by none other than
Balthasar999!!!! I can't thank this fellow enough, I've never been so touched in my life. MY FIRST FAN ART! XD

Chapter 17 : The Party and The Pony

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October 30th 2023, Monday

4:17 PM

Dan stood still for a while, perhaps three or four minutes. The occasional car on the country road blurred past him in a rush of wind, but he remained right where he was.

Eventually though, his typically slow and presently frozen brain remembered that he was on the job. A few trickles of normalcy and thoughts that dealt with things of the everyday variety and responsibility started poking and prodding at him.

I gotta... I gotta call in. The desk is probably trying to get a hold of me by now, and I just let a car drive off without stopping it, were the most prominent. His feet carried him slowly backwards until he reached his vehicle.

Once the solidly built officer got to his door, he leaned in and took his seat jerkily. Now in the safety of the squad car, however, his mind began to try and foolishly tackle what had happened.

There was a tiny horse, driving that car.

...

How the heck did it hold the steering whee-? No, that's not what's important, what the Hell did I just see? That's the question here, where and when did reality shit out fricken cartoon monstrosities? Dan's thick hands pressed against his forehead. "What is this, Roger Rabbit? Is Toon Town around the corner!?"

The radio croaked at Dan. "Unit ninety-one, over." His eyes looked down at the dim, flickering lights on the patrol car's device. "Unit ninety-one this is-" The other officer began to repeat herself, causing an irate Dan to slam his hand onto his hand mic and key it.

Dan tried to speak into the mic, but no words came. The button released in his grasp and he pressed the mic against his forehead, groaning. After gathering his thoughts he made his response.

"Yawp...this is unit ninety-one, radio, send it over." With the encounter against the desk Sergeant begun, all Dan could do for the next several seconds while he waited—to continue what would no doubt become the most awkward conversation of his life—was lean against the side of his car and contemplate what exactly made him lose his marbles.

"Unit nine-one, radio, you okay over there? We were about to send someone out, what's your status? Over." Dispatch asked, then the radio crackled silent once more.

Dan's face had again become rigid, and emotionless. Did I take a blow to the head at Krav recently or something? No way, I'd remember that. "Roger...no, everything's... fine. The stop went... fine. Gave them a warning and let it-" He blinked and corrected himself automatically. "Her go." Thinking of the stop sent his mind reeling back towards the shallower end of the sanity pool again.

A curt response answered him. "Well, alright ninety-one, are you alright though? You sound a little hoarse, over."

Dan stared at the radio, and his eyes squinted suspiciously. "No... I'm fine." Then he added, "ninety-one, out."

The trade was over and the desk Sergeant had bought it all the same, although Dan thought she'd been suspicious that he hadn't said anything snarky back at her. In that regard, the whole station was pretty friendly and tight-knit, so they all knew each other—which was probably the only reason more questions hadn't been asked of him. Even despite that, Dan still prided himself on getting away with as much as he could inside that circle.

Crisis postponed, Dan's thoughts stewed once again. He half expected this was some kind of prank now, but... He didn't really know what to think. There's no way something that looked so cutesy and gay could actually be real. He tried to feel some kind of belief in his own, text book and reassuring words. Right now though, all he felt was the five o' clock shadow on his chin, his hand endlessly running over the scruff.

The sun began to dip across the nearby wheat field, casting a red glow over the flat landscape of southern Idaho. Even though Dan was almost off of patrol, he sat parked for another ten minutes before finally roaring his state-bought Impala to life. Stan better have an explanation for this good enough to convince politicians global warming exists, or I swear I'm finally gonna shove my foot so far up his...

Mary's hooves kneaded the quilt's fabric continuously, never ceasing their nervous assault on the as-of-yet-unfinished fabric piece. In times of extreme duress or being upset, Mary would lose herself in her own favorite hobby, much like Stan with his models. Hers though, was quilting and sewing.

Unfortunately for the mare, she found it quite a bit more difficult to practice the calming motions and skill needed to do such a thing in her current form of body. Certainly not in the state of mind she was in, either. She was shaking far too much to so much as attempt threading a needle with her mouth.

So, Mary had merely wrapped herself up in the protective warmth of the half finished piece of fabric and carried it with her down to the basement. There was an inescapable urge in her to hide as well as she could for the time being. Meanwhile, she did what she could to try and ease the fluctuating worry that her...earlier encounter had given birth to.

Anna had been told to go up to her room, and that everything was going to be fine, that she shouldn't worry. Obviously, the daughter had been fully aware of what her mother had been referring to, and hardly believed the reassurance. Still, she obeyed, wisely understanding that the best she could do was stay out of the way for now.

What Mary's daughter had not picked up on, was that the local law enforcer which had seen Mary, hadn't had a negative reaction. He hadn't had much of a reaction at all, truth be told. Though Anna might not have picked up on this, Mary knew that particular outcome was probably the best that could have been hoped for, worry-ridden mind complete with uncertain consequences of even being seen and all.

Other than hide in order to feel safe, Mary had only known for sure to do one thing. I need to call Stan about this, immediately. Now, wits gathered, she stilled her hooves from rubbing methodically over the quilt and looked to the phone. Her hoof shook after every dial of the over sized buttons on the device, normally intended for use by the elderly. It still rang successfully after the messy attempt.

Mary's husband didn't pick up after that first attempt, the phone continued until it hit the answering machine. So she left a message, and afterwards, called his desk again; which was unsuccessful as well. A third time followed the second and first right away. While dialing each time her tail lashed frantically behind her.

Every phone call Mary made left a slightly more...nervous message. Not slowing down, hesitating, or even a little deterred when no one answered, she called a fourth time. The final try to contact and warn Stan was dialed, she was so focused as her hoof buttoned the number again that the handy redial feature on the phone went unnoticed.

Eventually, one of his coworkers had finally answered the fourth phone call... That is, after forty three rings—Mary had counted—and said that Sheriff Morris wasn't around at the moment.

"But, maybe you could tell me where he is? Or get a message to him?" Whatever was keeping him late, was also keeping him busy, it seemed. Mary didn't recognize the officer's voice, but they assured her that he would be back soon, suggesting that if she were in such a hurry to call his cellphone.

That's going to be a little difficult... Mary frowned down at the phone, but had thanked the officer politely and hung up.

The orange mare now lay on her back in a gloomy mood, stretched out on the couch in Stan's basement room, staring at his borrowed cellphone wedged between her hooves. Her white sundress lay haphazardly pitched on the ground nearby. At home, she often took to less clothing, her fur didn't seem to agree with it under comfortable indoor conditions and while in private... Well, either way she was too distraught at the moment to spare it a second thought.

A dainty sigh escaped her lips while she held the cellphone above her head. She still didn't know where hers was, so it needed to be replaced. This happening was perfect proof of that, regret sank in about talking Stan out of buying another one now. The conversation had gone along the lines of saying he was always at work anyway, and she could just use his. Well, I can't just call you if you're off gallivanting, now can I you big lug!?

Mary's anger and regret on the matter stabbed randomly at the phone she held and the models of planes and ships above her head.

Time passed, the quilt was pushed onto the floor despite the deepening cold of the room. Mary patiently waited and waited. Eventually, an exhausted breath, too big to be called a sigh broke the silence of the basement. As fear shaken as her mind was, she had tried to think of something else to do, but couldn't come up with anything. I can't do much else. I am after all, pretty much alone in this.

Mary's hoof tapped absently at the cellphone's screen, it didn't work of course, she needed a stylus or to embarrassingly use her nose to get any effect. The latter of which was a little awkward and slow to do, but worked, much to Anna's or any of her family's glee really when she did it.

It's not fair, why did I have to be the only one cursed to be unbearably cute and helpless with cellphones? Mary scowled mockingly up at the device, as if it would answer her psychically. The line of thought offered her a new direction to take, at least. I do have my family... I guess I could call my parents, I mean, Agnes or Herbert.

Sidetracked, Mary thought about what her own mom might have to say about her now. "Mary you wild cat, when I said you could be anything you wanted to be when you grew up, I didn't mean a darned farm animal." She chuckled at imagining it...and could have sworn she felt a bit of deja vu come about from doing so.

The middle aged woman exchanged her scowl and smirked, rolling over on the couch to get more comfortable in her darkened state. It had come up a few times, but she wasn't sure how to break it to her biological Mom. There was the definite possibility she might have to if she couldn't make progress in getting changed back, in which they all had absolutely no luck in doing so far...

The last couple of weeks had been spent almost entirely adjusting, which wasn't bad, the cursed human decided. Mary considered quite often that for a freakishly deformed wife—her family life at risk as a result—that she was coping rather well. After all, one ostentatious thought grumbled, in a world perfectly devoid of any and all hard evidence pointing towards the paranormal or magical, what else am I to do but just cope? She sighed and pushed the cellphone away from her with one orange hoof.

The internet had been a dead end, Marge wasn't any help, either. I still can't believe I actually tried that lard bath cure-all she suggested... Mary's ~~mane~~ hair and fur had stunk and felt soiled for the rest of that entire week after that fruitless endeavor. I need help, from someone, anybody, I don't care who. Her muzzle and head fell to rest on her forelegs, obscuring half of her face. Two big green eyes began to stare once more at the silent form of the cellphone.

I'm...I'm starting to think that help doesn't exist though.

Stan's truck rattled slightly after he hit another pothole in the dark road. He only half noticed, when driving you don't usually pay attention to the things you've gotten used to. Some things were an exception to that rule, but there weren't many for him. The big one was of course, Mary, she pretty much ruled his mind twenty-four seven. He'd explored every possible venue for helping her without bringing a lot of it up to her.

There isn't any point in continuously getting her hopes up, after all... The thought grated against Stan's resolve.

So far none of it, no matter how close it got him to getting thrown into the nut house, had paid off. It had gotten him asked a few questions now, though; today being the worst yet in regards to that. Apparently he'd gotten careless and gotten on their radar...somehow. He'd talked his way out of it, although, why or what they suspected him of to begin with wasn't clear anyway.

The old pickup he drove—he really needed a new truck, it looked like death—crunched over the driveway's gravel and parked jerkily after a hasty stop. Stan glanced at the time before shutting off the vehicle: nine twenty two. "Pretty late, hope Mary hasn't worried for my sake." If she started worrying over him, he thought, then their combined worry for one another would probably physically attach them at the hip.

To Stan, it seemed Mary had asked him a lot of questions lately, most of which he wasn't sure how to answer. Everything seemed alright though, she was very happy, after all. While he tried to fix things, there wasn't much else he could ask from her.

The back gate clinked open and he began the final approach to his house down their cobblestone path. Even in the dark he could see the various flowers—a product of Mary's free time—in full bloom, despite the late fall chill.

Stan stopped and frowned down at a clutch of some deep blue flowers that ruled one side of this particular flower bed. They had some strange name that he wasn't sure he could recall, aster amellus? That sounds close enough. Their nickname was 'blue queen' or something, he tried to recall.

Mary had littered the backyard with them. Even going so far as to begin planting the things around the man's barbeque pit. Shifting his gear bag on his shoulder, Stan took one last look at the well lit yard which extended out into an open field, then went inside. The door clicked shut behind him, the room lights were on, so Mary was probably still up.

"Mar, I'm home!" Stan called, locking the door behind as normal and continuing further in.

There was nothing on the dining table greeting him, hearty meal or wife. Stan's stomach grumbled at him in protest, it had been a long day, after all. Still, there was probably something left for him in the fridge. He set his bag down and began looking for Mary, first. The living room was empty, no one was watching television either. Upstairs, the muffled roar of Bobby's stereo reared its ugly head through the ceiling.

"I can't believe Anna puts up with that." Stan said, for the thousandth time.

"Mary?" Stan poked his head into the the bedroom they shared. "Are you awake?" The room was dark, so he turned on the light; the bed was empty. He frowned slightly, and ran a hand over the cold bedsheets. Huh, wonder what she's up to. It wasn't likely she'd stayed at his folks' house while been gone. So she was elsewhere in the house. All the same, he had fully expected his diminutive equine wife to be laying sprawled and snoring loudly, sound asleep in bed. Mary wasn't the late night type, not since their younger days, anyway.

Stan took a moment to recall those days while he searched, she'd been one unstoppable woman back then. He smirked at the recollection, remembering how she'd swept him off his feet, literally. There had been a day at the gym over seas where he'd made the mistake of accepting a challenge to face off with her. She'd kicked his big legs out from under him before he could even close the gap, and gone down like a ton of bricks. Never did live that one down. He thought, wincing at the memory.

The last room to the house's first floor came up empty. Where is she? Stan wondered, looking around blankly at the room he was in. He had a pretty good idea, probably downstairs, she could be upstairs too though, reading to Anna or playing. Likely as not Bobby's music would have been forced off though, he decided, were that the case.

So, Stan took the next logical course of action and picked up his heavy legs one after the other, marching towards the basement door and his personal refuge, which Mary had taken over as of late. At least she hasn't filled it with midnight blue flowers. He grimaced at the very thought of such a thing happening. His boots clunked on the stairs noisily despite his best attempts at keeping quiet, the lights were off.

Every so often Mary would sleep by her lonesome down there, it seemed likely to Stan such was the case now. Sure enough, he could hear the gentle rasp of her breathing, coming from the direction of the couch. A few random lights cast light haphazardly around the darkened area gave just enough illumination to let him find his way to the furniture without banging his shins.

Stan's hand reached down and met the soft mane of hair his wife had always possessed. It had changed lengths over the years, but it had always been the same, otherwise. He found an open spot on the couch and sat down gently beside her, making sure as not to settle on her tail or a stretched leg. Settling in, he felt her wiggle slightly beside him, detecting his presence in her sleep. Schooling his breath he remained quiet, doing his best not to wake her.

Mary snorted slightly, and Stan felt her head lift up away from his leg. "Stan?" She asked into the darkness.

Well so much for that. "Yes?" Stan replied, he let his voice be coy. Mary was easy to mess with when she was really tired, and he wasn't above teasing her. Though not so much anymore, he just focused on being there for her, making sure she was taken care of...and above all trying not to let on he was doing so to such a degree.

"Mrrf," Mary wiped a trail of drool that had apparently materialized in her sleep. "You're finally home, what time is it?"

Stan started to answer her, but suddenly found two hooves pressed against his chest, and a furry mouth pressed squarely into his personal space.

"STAN! Uugh, where were you!? I tried calling all day! Something terrible has happened and we need to-!" Mary's panicked, close-proximity shout was cut off abruptly by Stan's hand. She muffled a few more words and tried to shake it off, meanwhile Stan clicked on the light at his end of the couch, then let go.

"Alright calm down, what happened?" Stan looked over at his distraught wife, who seemed to breathe heavier every second that passed.

"What hasn't happened!? That's the better question!" Mary glowered at him, to which he answered silently with a raised eyebrow. "Never mind, Stan, I was seen! Worse, I got pulled over!" She sat and pressed her hooves to her face, misery creeping in at the thought of being on that car's patrol camera. Don't be silly Mary! Heh, you never got out of the car! The imagery of her in hand cuffs against the trunk of her car made her leg twitch.

Stan leaned forward, the gravity of what she'd said immediately finding sway in him. "You were seen? How? By who?"

Mary gritted her teeth and fell backwards against the couch's arm. She searched the ground and furniture cushions for the words to explain what happened. When she finally started, it was a disjointed jumble.

"I-it was Dan, your deputy. I think my tail light was out, I... I was just driving home with Anna and he stopped me." Her eyes looked up and met Stan's own, which were still and focused. "I didn't let him see me, he just opened my door and-! Stan, okay..." She took a breath and sat up again, focusing. "It was just Dan, no one takes him seriously unless he's writing a ticket, anyway, but he still saw me. Did he say anything at work?"

Stan, for his part, had mixed feelings in him the moment he began to comprehend what he'd been told. His immediate thoughts were how quickly he could pack up everything he could and get his family up to Canada.

Alright, calm down Stan. The burly man shook his red-haired head and ran a palm down his face slowly. He was tired, but he needed to think clearly. "No," he answered Mary, first. "I didn't see Dan at all today, I was...busy outside of the station most of the day." He hoped he wouldn't have to explain why he hadn't been where he almost always was at work.

Mary made to bite her hoof out of nervousness, gnawing slightly before speaking again. "What do we do then? What if he asks to see me Stan? Or tells others and it gets out and people come by looking for me!? This is a catastrophe! This could be a beginning of the end!"

"Now, Mar, that's not the case here. If the worst happens we'll take you over to Mom and Dad's an you'll just lay low for a while, like we planned out. This is way too small scale still to freak out over it, sure this is the first time it's happened outside of our family, but the best thing we can do is not panic. Like you said, it's Dan, he's an alright guy besides, even if he doesn't want people thinking that." Stan laid a hand comfortingly over one of Mary's hooves while he spoke, the latter of which had begun to shake.

Mary began again. "But—"

Stan saw the look of fear still on her face. He whispered her name out soothingly. "Mar, we'll be alright, no matter what, okay? I promise you." His hand rubbed her shoulder affectionately, nudging her towards himself.

Mary took in a calming breath and scooted the short distance across the couch under the guidance of Stan's coaxing. "Okay, okay...you're right. I'm sure you'll talk to him, he'll just make fun of us and start making jokes constantly that no one else will get anyway. Insufferable, but not dangerous..." She began to bite her lip in thought after sitting beside Stan, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Atta girl, we'll be fine Mar, it's not like you broke down outside an alien seeker's convention hall." Stan received a hoof to his ribs for his trouble over that, but managed to laugh a bit at the weak joke. "Feel better?" He asked, quieting the chuckle to bring stillness back to the basement room.

Mary sighed, staying silent otherwise and remained in thought. Her stomach was aching again, as was usual for almost the entirety of her time as a pseudo-pony. Ignoring that, she had been overly frantic, she considered, thinking only about the worst possible outcomes... "Yeah...I feel better, little sick, but okay." Still, those outcomes were worth worrying about. "If Dan comes here and says I have a face like a horse though, I'm kicking him." Her head turned up to regard Stan seriously from under her multicolored mane.

"I'll do a lot worse than that if he thinks he can get away with-" Stan quieted as a pair of lips came up and kissed his own quietly. The couple stayed together for a minute in the embrace, enjoying one another's simple presence.

Mary leaned away from Stan and blinked slowly in the yellow lamp light. Her husband's hand stroked a lock of her mane away from her face gently, giving the mare a full view of him. They remained quiet and studied one another for the simple pleasure of doing so.

The touching scene was interrupted by the sudden growl of a certain sheriff's stomach. Both adult's eyes widened and looked down in surprise and admiration of the deafening roar that had filled the room.

"Ah, I don't suppose there are some left overs upstairs with my name on them?" Stan laughed a little nervously and stood up.

Mary made a worried look, recalling perfectly that she had almost immediately begun trying to call her husband upon getting home, and then had fallen asleep. No dinner was made earlier. She grinned sheepishly up at him and hopped off the couch without looking away from his eager expression. "Uhm, sugar..." This meant the kids had probably also fended for themselves.

Mary flinched back from the iron barred gate slamming in her face. "NO!" She cried out, reaching out towards the guard through the gaps in the thick metal cage with her hooves. "Please, I'm a person! I haven't done anything wrong, AH!" Her hooves were smacked with a newspaper, causing her to pull them back into the cramped jail she was now in. All around her the animalistic cries of wildlife filled the air.

"Funny, you don't look human to me, you don't even look real. What are you? An experiment, a mutation?" The grisly voice grew quieter against the onslaught of noises from all around until it faded entirely. The footsteps of the guard's passing were soon gone as well.

Mary cried after them. "Come back! COME BACK! NO! Stan!? Where are you...?" The orange pony wilted in the filth that made up the cage floor she found herself laying on. More and more the cage seemed to shrink around her. "Stan!?" Moving became difficult the more she sobbed, and the surroundings grew darker the longer she waited for her husband to answer her calls.

The feeling of a dark presence in the room entered the recesses of her mind, adding a clammy aspect to her skin as a cold sweat settled in.

"No, I know— I know what this is! It's a dream! It's just a dream! I need to wake uuup." Mary tried to pull herself out of the cage, or do anything to get away, but nothing changed. Her wailing continued, eventually becoming a whimper after minutes of struggling.

The cage was barely big enough to house her now, and she couldn't move except to look around the chamber, which was now empty... The sound of caged animals disappeared altogether, she was alone in a vast, black void.

"Hello...?" Mary's voice echoed, growing distant more and more the longer she listened. "Oh my God, what is...this is the worst nightmare I've ever had."

A sickly voice, like crackling leaves and the snapping of tree limbs spoke, right next to Mary's ears.

"Is it? Is it really a nightmare? Is it really just something that will disappear with the light?"

The orange mare let out a shriek the moment the voice began speaking so close to her, and it lasted well past when the voice became silent. Somehow, she'd heard its message despite her own screams.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME GO! I j-just want to go home..." Mary sniffled into her hooves, hiding her head from the darkness around her. It was even darker with her eyes shut, but now she couldn't see anything that might be there this way. It can't hurt, nothing can hurt me, it's a dream, I'm home in bed, I'm safe, I'm safe...

"Mary? Mary are you alright? We came as quickly as we could."

Mary heard a familiar voice, like a calm stream running over smooth rocks in a forest clearing. I...I-I know that voice, who is that? The memory of that first, horrible voice was still fresh in her mind, she couldn't speak or dare to look anymore, lest this be a trick. I just want to go home...

"Mary...?"

The soothing voice cooed Mary's name once more, and she felt a hard object lift her chin off of her hooves. A sudden peace entered her mind, the pain of the cage and the nightmare melted, becoming distant thoughts. Her eyes blinked up at a familiar sight.

"You!" Mary scrabbled onto her hooves and backed away from the form of the winged unicorn that she'd seen weeks before. "What are you doing here!? This is your fault, isn't it!?" Tears that had completely disappeared along with the dank that had been in her fur moments before, returned.

The midnight blue coated mare stared back at her, a bit of confusion beneath her soothing expression, as well as concern.

"Oh, what am I talking about, you're just a stupid dream, I'm losing it. You're losing it Mary!" Mary let her body go limp in defeat and fell backwards onto the ground in anguish. Immediately, the white poof of the fluffy surroundings enveloped her, catching the mare by surprise.

Luna raised one hoof, deciding to try and get a word in. "Mrs. Mary, if you—"

Mary's panicked outcry at being overrun interrupted the royal figure. "AH! Help, it's got me!" Her hooves flailed in the air wildly.

"STILL THYSELF!" A loud bellow, strong and resplendent with power...and impatience, filled the air and vibrated the strange ground the orange mare lay upon.

"Sorry." Mary squeaked, her eyes became glued to the dream creature once again. After a moment and remembering it was all a dream anyway, she tried to recall the creature's name, but couldn't. Shoot, what was it? I had it the other day...

The winged and horned horse-like creature—though it had a much flatter, nearly human-like face—smoothed its features. "We... are sorry for yelling," it apologized. "Controlling ourselves is not something we're the best at. Still, we cannot help you if you are not calm, so our point rests."

Mary stared blankly at the dream talking to her, unable to quite form a response. I have no clue what is going on right now, was all she managed to come up with.

"Now," Luna pressed on, satisfied with having Mary's attention. "First thing's first; you merely find thyself on a dream version of the clouds my little pony. There is nothing to fear, we assure thee. We suppose while they are very calming to us, we should have guessed they might catch one of your tribe by surprise." She looked down sadly at their surroundings. "That oversight is our fault, please accept our apology for that, as well as our use of the Royal Canterlot Voice."

Mary blinked up at the regal figure, sitting peacefully on the cloudy surface in front of her. It was clear now, they were in fact clouds, at least in appearance. She righted herself by rolling over onto her side slowly, and continued to watch Luna warily. Was she that evil voice? Or did she rescue me again? What did she even rescue me from that first time... I can't remember, another nightmare? This can't be a coincidence. Criminy, what did I eat to cause these weird nightmares? A few stray droplets lingered around her eyes, keeping her face damp.

"Mary," Luna began, watching the orange mare opposite her while she attempted to gain her attention. The stranger, however, only stared into the nothingness of the dream which stretched into the distance.

Mary, was herself lost in thought. I guess there's no way to know for sure, uggh, what happened last time I saw this thing...? I remember I couldn't wake myself up for some reason, and she'd said she would calm my dreams and ease my pain or some mumbo-jumbo like that, whatever that means. Well, she did a poor job of it tonight! That was the single most terrifying nightmare of my life...

A shout stirred the cloudy material around the two lone forms in the dream realm.

"MARY!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot voice a second time, trying to seize the rogue earth pony's attention.

"Gah!" Mary jerked her head up and looked towards Luna. Her dream talking to her so... resolutely kept catching her by surprise.

"Pay attention, please, this is important. I'm not here merely on your behalf this time. I would like to speak with you about-" Luna raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly at Mary, who had raised a hoof in question. "Uhm, you have something you wish to know my subject?"

Mary wore a skeptical look while she spoke to her dream, not really wanting to take it seriously. "Yeah, no offense dream horse, but I forgot your name, kinda. Was it Lulu? Loofa? Leeloo? I'm bad with names, sorry. Also, you said you would stop with the 'we' thing last time."

Luna knew breathing was unnecessary in the dream realm, but she couldn't help taking in a deep, calming breath through her nostrils. "My name is Luna, my little pony," she answered curtly, suppressing her tail's urge to flick in irritation. It was fine, she considered, that the mare did not know of her as The Princess of the Night, many ponies still did not after all. "And I have pressing concerns that we need to ask you."

Fewer knew of her reclaimed charge to guard their dreams, but she had resolved that would change. What was not fine, was her insufferable rudeness. Nevertheless, Luna concluded, I will treat her with the respect due to any of my subjects. She's still no worse than some, all considering.

Mary watched the winged creature flap her wings several times while speaking, as if agitated.

"I should have spoken with you sooner, your nightmares had us... concerned, we'll say, to begin with. Such things are not normally what a pony would have in any sort of fashion, in severity or... topic. Alongside other recent events that have come to light, I suspect that your terrible nightmares may mean something, may be a clue for us to follow. You see, there are these other ponies that have gone missing-"

"Oh no," Mary leaped up to her hooves and stormed up to the taller pony defiantly. "You listen to me, fever dream. I've just lived through the most horrifying, surreal experience of all time. Somehow, it feels like I'm awake right now! I just want to wake up, get on with my life, and never be bothered by you, or anything else that even has to do with...with ponies, winged or horned or not! Ever! Again!" She stamped a hoof and breathed heavily, even though she didn't feel out of breath. "I just want to go back to my family, live my life as close to being a human as possible and forget that this ever happened!"

Mary shook her head, letting the tears that had lingered and returned with every thought of the cages fling themselves onto the cloudy ground. She felt sick to her stomach from the ordeal.

Luna was taken aback by the outburst, no one had ever struck back at her verbally so. I could help her with these recurring horrors, but she does not want to listen nor understand. She held a hoof up to her mouth, distraught, and completely unsure of what to do. If Tia were here, she would know how to help Mary, how to speak with her. I'm no good with things of this matter, not like Tia... Her hooves shuffled while she considered what to do, put off by things as they were.

With any other pony, they would at least listen to Luna once finding out who she was, whether it was by cowering or bowing in awe. To the princess, Mary was different though, somehow. Not much unlike Twilight and her friends.

Luna pondered silently nearby the weeping pony she so desired to help, as well as pry for information... But, if she truly does not wish for help, and is happy, who am I to pry into that? I do so terribly wish to know her story though...

Observing the pause and wane in the other mare, Luna spoke softly to her. "You... are happy? With these, humans you speak of? With your family? They do not hurt you?"

Mary deadpanned at the mythical being dumbly, then sprang into a response with fanatical zeal. "Yes! Just yes! Of course I'm happy with the humans. No they don't hurt me, they're all I've got left!" She gestured with her hooves and said the name sarcastically, it felt silly to specify.

The tall horse-like creature facing her nodded sagely to Mary, but didn't say anything.

Mary let out a ragged sigh and scraped a leg over her eyes. "I'm going crazy, I'm talking to my dreams..." The memory of the strange voice came again, reminding her of something it had said. Or maybe they aren't dreams, she asked and confided to herself. The rasping of that voice she'd heard, the one that had scared her echoed in her head, but her fear of it was lessened. What had that voice been? Maybe Leeloo knows.

Mary looked up to see the soft glow of blue light coming from the creature called Luna, just in time to blink.

"I am not one to deny your wishes Mrs. Mary, but I would very much like to speak with you should you change your mind... Civilly, however. Please consider this an offer to meet again should you so wish it." Luna dropped the pretext of using the royal 'We' as she made her farewell, and the strange mare disappeared from the dream realm. She sighed and materialized a chocolate sundae to tend her beleaguered mind. "I need a holiday."

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

8:00 AM

Halloween

Stan sighed as his truck parked itself outside of the station. The old building housed both the local police, and his Sheriff's office. Belsdale and the surrounding area were pretty isolated, small and therefore, 'required' a very small budget.

The night before had ended smoothly and uneventfully, Mary had made soup as an impromptu meal, although Stan had opened the cans. Canned food seemed to be the bane of hooves, one of them, anyways. It had been vegetable soup, Mary had all but cut out meat from her diet in an attempt to stop getting sick. They had a theory that perhaps 'human food' as Herbert had put it once, just didn't agree with her one bit.

The kids had been asleep, and both parents had gone to bed together, same as they always had for the last decade and a half.

Night had turned into morning quickly, but it abandoned the calm that had concluded the evening before.

When Stan had awoken shakily, it was next to a crying Mary, who had said she didn't know why she was in tears. It was probably that she'd woken up thinking about losing the kids, Stan guessed. Today had probably been the worst start to a morning he'd ever had, there had been about three of those this year so far.

Thus began his, and every other law official's least favorite day of the year.

Halloween night.

It hadn't been the most cheerful start, and Stan guessed it wouldn't pick up anytime soon. Next, he needed to speak with Dan, which should be interesting, he guessed. Assuming that didn't go horribly wrong he also needed to get through the nearly twenty four hour shift he was likely about to embark upon.

Stan waved to the officer behind the front desk and walked down the back hall to his office at the other side of the building, pausing to get a cup of coffee along the way. I'll just play it by ear with Dan, the rest I'll just have to stomach myself. Hopefully, he'll just leave it be. If Dan gets curious... well, time will tell. He did his best to remain neutral about the situation, nothing to do but wait, he decided.

Stan told himself it would just turn into any other day and there was nothing to worry about, Dan was a friend, after all. He's the kind you want to beat the snot out of as often as shake hands with, but I guess some would argue those are the better types of friends. His reassurances to himself managed to make a small smirk as he unlocked his office door and went in.

. . .

Five minutes later, the door to his office slammed open, then slammed shut, jerking Stan upright from leaning over his coffee.

Dan walked in, hands already raised over his shoulders and clasping the top of his head. His uniform was untucked in the back. Stan guessed the other man had likely rushed putting it on. The Sheriff also thought he could see stubble where Dan hadn't shaved.

So it begins. Stan leaned back in his chair and waited.

"Alright, so..." Dan stopped his pacing to rest his hands on his hips and stare up at the ceiling. "I pulled over Mary yesterday."

"Yes... she told me." Stan interlocked his hands and continued to calmly watch his deputy.

Dan turned his head to look at Stan, his expression was of the sort a piece of granite usually wore, sharp and coarse. The bags under his eyes confirmed that he might not have slept much last night. Following the swivel of his head, the rest of the other man turned, then laid his hands on the desk separating them.

"Sheriff." Dan set him with an unblinking, dead serious stare.

"What's on your mind Dan?" The expression Stan returned to the other man was blank and unassuming.

Dan looked to be struggling over what to say, going stare for stare with his boss. Finally, he sighed and sunk his shoulders. "I'm taking the day off, I'll be in tomorrow."

"Alright..." Stan didn't want to let anyone go for the night, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. "Is that all?" He added.

Dan looked up at him and crossed his bulky arms, his frown deepening at the question asked of him. "No, what-" One of his hands scrubbed over his mouth before he spoke. "Alright, whatever it was, it was a prank, right?"

Stan blinked, then separated his hands and took a placid sip of his coffee. "If it was, are you going to drop it?"

What came next didn't surprise Stan. The exhausted looking law enforcer facing him down stared a moment longer, then turned and left without asking anything more. That was Dan to a T usually, if it didn't effect him directly, he would avoid or ignore it. If it didn't fit into what he considered normal or enjoyed, he would make fun of it.

I guess this is so far out of left field that it falls under category A... Stan thought absently, he then took another slurp of his coffee.

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

4:14 PM

Halloween

It was around four in the afternoon. The sun was up and shining brilliantly in the mid-fall weather, it was a pretty beautiful day all around. Mary was outside in her overalls and had a straw sunhat on, her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. The slight breeze that flowed over the field behind her rural home fluttered the flag on their back porch and made her collection of wind chimes tingle and ring to the beat of mother nature.

The very... traumatic and confusing memory of her night was a haze, she remembered Luna and that nightmare still all too vividly, but didn't want to. She had awoken crying and stayed in Stan's arms for what seemed like hours. That... Mary had never done that for as long as they had been married; even after her humanity was ripped from her she hadn't. It was clear to her, being seen yesterday had gotten to her to be seeing things like that in her dreams. What does Luna mean though, how does she fit into this? That nagging worry in her remained, but she did her best to push it away. Maybe she has something to do with me being... this way. I guess I shouldn't rule out nightmares as being a cause of this.

Mary shook the fears and doubts loose from her thoughts, she instead did her best to just focus on enjoying the beautiful day to her utmost.

Earlier, Bobby had told her that he was going to Cory's house. He usually would whenever he could, she'd given up trying to get him to study more for the time being... Stan hadn't by any stretch, but given circumstances Mary stuck to the hands off approach a bit more, relying on her husband.

Mary had been gardening with Anna since she had come home from school, just to pass the time. It was far past when someone should be doing any sort of landscaping that involved plants, but she seemed able to circumvent the rules of nature thanks to her... 'pony plant powers', as Herbert called them. Still, she doubted they would last through the winter, no matter how much she willed it. So for now, it was just wonderful to keep the flowers in full bloom until they stopped, despite her efforts.

Even her mind was settled somewhat, Stan had called and relayed that Dan had merely taken the day off, even if he hadn't asked and simply left, it was a good sign. Overall, it was a great day.

"Hey, Mom!" Anna called from across the yard to her pony mom.

"Hm? Yes sweetie what is it!?" Mary looked up from where she was kneeling beside the house. She was beside the last, long ignored flower bed they had, a hoof-full of weeds secured in her grip. Her clothes were a set of sturdy denim overalls, made specially for her by Agnes, and a tasteful green t-shirt.

Anna ran and jumped as she approached her mother. "There's something weird going on with your plants over here, Mom. Come look, come look!"

Mary got to her hooves and trotted after Anna, who was already blazing ahead to the other side of the house.

"See? Look, these ones don't look so good. Did you use your magic on them yet?" Anna was crouching besides the first garden that Mary had began 'poking' at. The flowers in this section were wilted, and dried in appearance.

"Huh," Mary leaned down and regarded them. "I was sure I'd given them some attention just the other day..." She lifted one stem of a particular dull flower, and gasped when it crumbled under her touch. "Oh wow." She stared at the sight a moment, thinking it over. It was enough for her to have an inexplicable control over plants since her change, in the moment she saw the flower die, she actually felt a little grateful that it wasn't without its limits.

"Aw, no... poor thing." Anna looked sadly at the blue flowers sitting before them in the garden. "Can you save them Mom?"

Mary sat back and held a thoughtful hoof up to her mouth. "I think my interfering is what caused it dear, I may have over done it trying to get them to grow faster." She pressed a hoof to the earthy dirt, she didn't feel anything like always, but she usually thought that she should feel something. "Well, it can't be helped, maybe I'll give the other beds a break for a while. Either way, it's past that time of year that-"

The sound of the back gate slamming open startled Mary. Her head whipped around along with Anna's at the sudden presence of another person.

"Hey." Bobby slouched his way towards them from around the side of the house.

"Bobby!" Mary said sternly, scowling at her son. "Could you give us a little warning? You scared me half to death." Clambering up to her hooves she glared up at him disapprovingly as he skirted the walkway around her towards the back door.

"Huh? Ah, right, forgot you're in hiding and stuff. Sorry Mom, anyway, I don't feel so good, I'm going to go sleep, okay? Don't wake me up for dinner or anything I'll just make some hotpockets if I get hungry..." Bobby trailed off and leaned over more, one hand on his head as he made his way up the back porch stairs.

Mary's expression changed over to a concerned one just like that, her surprise melting away. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that baby, let me know if you need anything!" She called after him as the backdoor closed, frowning slightly at not getting a response back.

Anna sighed from where she stood behind her, then mumbled, "What he needs is to be locked in the attic."

Mary grinned and looked over at her daughter. "Anna, don't say mean things about your brother like that." Her tone didn't make her words very convincing for the little girl, though.

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

7:51 PM

Halloween

With Stan being out late for the entire night, and Bobby being sick, Mary had decided to have a girl's night along with Anna. Her daughter seemed to love every minute she got to spend with Mary, which honestly had her on the verge of tears when she thought about it in private. If there was anything that had made the last month bearable, it was her family.

Mary checked the oven, oh, goodness those smell good. The cookies baking within were half done already. She trotted around in a circle in the kitchen absently, thinking on things.

With two less mouths to feed for the night, Mary and Anna had also ordered out early. So, with a selection of pizza, cookies, and more stuff that was bad for you on order for the night, it was shaping up to be a delicious evening. Of course, Anna paid the delivery boy while Mary remained around the corner.

It had been an interesting day, Mary recalled. She considered that she was trying to get away with too much all the time, but it was almost as though she were having fun enough that she couldn't resist making the attempts.

Life certainly wasn't this... exciting before. As... strange as it felt for Mary to think it, she was definitely having way more fun with her situation than she probably should be. I mean, I could certainly do without the lack of fingers, but overall... I don't miss Church, I don't miss those old crows and 'friends' at the quilt guild, and I certainly don't miss... Her thoughts petered out as she trotted through the house. Apparently she'd come to the end of her list abruptly. Now, she unfortunately began thinking about what she did miss. A shake of her orange head later, though, and the reactionary thoughts were thankfully dispelled.

Mary began ascending the stairs to get Anna for the movie they had planned to watch, or possibly a game on their ancient Wii. It wasn't easy per se, but she could at least play some of the games on that console. Personally, she had begun to prefer the newer Playstation Six. Granted, that was before her current predicament.

A knock came from the front door, making Mary stop in her tracks on the staircase. Her head craned around slowly to look at the front door, darkened by the absence of light in the connected living room. Another few, soft knocks tapped on the home's entrance once again.

"Anna, someone's at the door, I might need you!" Mary blinked, already running over ideas in her head of who it could be this late at night. Actually, what time is it? Looking over at the clock as she trotted towards the door it read near eight o' clock. So not terribly late.

Mary reared up on her hind legs and was just barely able to look through the peep hole of the door by standing on the tips of her hooves. She couldn't see anyone outside, which gave her pause for a moment. Her neck began to cramp and she had to lower herself. Then, the knock came again. Well what the hell? She frowned at the door and was tempted to open it to see what was going on.

"Did you say something, Mom?" Anna flew down the stairs in a rush of feet behind Mary.

Mary looked back in time to see her daughter use the stair rails to swing out into the living room a good ten feet, her hair a tangled mess behind her. She landed with a thump.

"Anna! Don't do that, you could hurt yourself, and yes. Someone's... at the door. I don't know who though." Mary glanced up at the peephole a moment, then looked back at her daughter.

"Weeell, didja ask?" Anna quirked an eyebrow and smiled, which grew bigger when her mom hesitated and shook her head. "HEY! Who's out there!?"

Mary's eyes bugged out and she held a hoof up to her mouth trying to quiet Anna. "Sweetie, we don't know who it is, what if we needed to pretend we weren't home- Oh, nevermind." She sagged her shoulders and relented against the giggling and happy form her daughter presented.

A voice came from the other side of the door, that spoke one simple name. "Dan."

Mary and Anna's eyes blinked in tandem, and they looked at one another. Both mother and daughter began to back away from the door.

"Look I'm not here fer," the sound of the man belching loudly in the middle of his sentence was unmistakable, "nothin' or tah cause trouble. I jus' wan' know if yer real, is all. Caush I don't appreciate being made fun of and not getting filled in." Just as unmistakable, was the slur in the man's words.

"Uhm, Anna, please go upstairs okay? I'll be right up." Mary turned to look at her daughter comfortingly, but left her eyes grave and serious above her smile.

"But mo—!"

"No, just go. Everything's fine, this is adult business now." Mary shook her head and kept her voice schooled to the practiced parental tone she'd used by default for years.

"Mom, you're not an adult though, you're an adult pony! You need my help!" Anna begged her mother, almost making to get on her knees to do so. Her plea had the opposite desired effect against Mary, however.

"Anna, don't argue, go upstairs and let me handle this." Mary didn't address the case Anna had presented, doing so with your child was usually asking to have the argument continue, no matter how well behaved they were. She knew well to simply repeat what she said and apply pressure, even when what they said was a good point.

Anna's face wilted in sadness, and obvious worry, but she turned and faced towards the stairs. She hesitated a moment and looked back, then ran up them in a flash.

The sound of Dan crying out a few random hellos behind Mary, turned her around to again face the door. She just needed to get him to go home, somehow. Simple as that, really, and then she and Anna could watch the movie that had been picked out.

"Dan, what are you doing here, don't you have the day off? You go drinking on your days off, you can't do that here, silly goose." Mary said the words in a pleasant, neighborly tone. If he was drinking, that's usually the way you wanted to talk to someone under the influence.

"Yeah, I needed to straighten shum things out, but I'm not here about that, Mary, if that ish who you are." Dan paused and there was a loud thud a second later, the sound of someone falling over on the porch. "Hello sky."

Yikes, he's tanked. Mary wore a concerned look up until Dan's greeting the upper atmosphere, at which point she rolled her eyes. "Dan, how did you get here?"

"Drove." Dan's waning voice answered after nearly a minute.

Mary peeked out a crack she made in the door, Dan was laying face down on the porch. Beyond him, his truck was pulled up onto their front lawn, still running and the headlights on.

Great. Mary considered two options now, seeing as telling him to leave was just not in the cards. I could never try and make him leave like this, uggh, dammit Dan.

The two options were either call the police, and possibly have to deal with them, or leave Dan on the front porch until Stan got home in about twelve hours at the crack of dawn. There was a third option she guessed, bring him inside and wait for him to sober up some... but she surmounted that wasn't the wisest decision.

Mary took in a deep breath and pressed her hooves against her head, she didn't want to involve anyone else in her 'little secret'. Least of all someone like Dan, he was less than helpful.

The addition of the sound of snoring to the otherwise quiet night air settled Mary's decision for her. She swung open the door a little and peered out, the cold wind rushed in the door and made her shiver, despite her coat. It was frigid out.

Mary groaned and closed the door again softly, angry over the the addition of the weather to the equation. Her hooves shifted uneasily on her side of the door.

Well, Dan's still a friend of the family... Hesitantly, the door clicked open again. I guess you're sleeping over then, big guy. She added a final objection aloud as her hooves grabbed at one of the fallen drunk's legs. "Augh, curse you conscience."

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

9:01 PM

Halloween

Bobby wrapped up the solo he was using to finish the song that him and his friends had just unleashed upon the crowd. They had used his solos to wrap up most of what they played, actually, since it helped offset the other members' shortcomings. The other three had gotten better, but were nowhere near his prodigal guitar playing.

The crowd themselves hadn't been intensely into the music, but after a few songs even the people that hadn't looked like the type to enjoy their style had started to get into it. Now, every time they got up on stage and played the older crowd gathered up and cheered them around the open doors of the huge garage. It was practically a concert, especially with the hundred or so people gathered around, eagerly partying as though tonight was their last one on Earth.

This was Bobby's kind of crowd, his kind of night, and lying about being sick had been just the ticket to get him here. The surroundings were a buzz from the alcohol, giving him the perfect swagger for the party raging around him.

The song finished, he unslung his guitar, and triumphantly got off the stage. He had already high-fived so many people his hand was beginning to hurt, but that wasn't important.

"That was awesome man!" Burt shouted as loudly as he could from his drum set at Bobby, barely audible over all the voices even with the music over with for now. Fist bumping, Bobby grinned and nodded back as his only answer. The highschooler made his way over the the far table where the drinks were kept, peering out from his shoulder length tangle of hair every few feet to navigate the crowd.

Bobby cracked his neck, and leaned against the wall with a fresh drink to catch his breath. Playing that hard really got his blood pumping, right now, he never wanted the night to end. I could stay up on that stage forever, he mused. A hand ran sensually down his arm, his face came down to meet the eyes of a cute girl staring up at him. I guess I'd have to come down eventually though...

"Dude!?" Cory's voice jerked him away from the cute girl that had started talking to him.

"Huh? Twig, man, what? I'm kinda busy here." Bobby smiled back at the shorter girl, who was probably still older than him, like everyone here. Not that something like that mattered. I wonder if-

A hand pulled him sideways to face Cory. "Dude are you listening to me at all? I said my bro wants us to play another one, get out of lala land." The room buzzed again while yet another hand pulled the beer that he'd picked up away from him. "Hey, you listening?" Cory said forcefully.

Bobby looked up to glare at his friend. "I've been playing all night Twig, hell, I've been running this show all night. What the hell are you guys doing up there, slamming your fingers in a door?" The girl beside him giggled, and he grinned over at her.

Cory nodded his head slowly at his inebriated band-mate. "Haha, call me Twig one more time I swear God—"

"You'll what, huh? Take it easy, Twig, gimme ten here and I'll be back up there in a jiff to show you all just how it's done." Bobby slung an arm around the pretty girl beside him, grinning proudly at his lanky friend.

A small circle had begun to form around them, Cory looked around nonchalantly at the thrill seekers and chose to back off. "Yeah, alright." He hadn't liked the smell of the situation, and turned around, ignoring the laughter that chased him.

Cory stormed into the house, his temper beyond its boiling point. It didn't last, after a fist swung through the empty air in anger he calmed down, a few people were already watching him from his dramatic entry. "Hey what's up, great party, huh?"

Getting in a fight with Bobby wouldn't work out in his favor, he knew that. Something else might though, he considered his options and settled on a good one. His goal was inside, sitting on a desk in the back of the house. He picked up the phone and called Bobby's phone number. His home, phone number.

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

9:09 PM

Halloween

Several jabs of Mary's hoof had confirmed that Dan was definitely out cold. How he'd managed to even get to her house in the first place was nothing short of a miracle. She'd grumbled over having to deal with him at all, but given that in a way it was all sort of her fault, Mary decided to at least try and be gentle while dragging him downstairs to the basement.

The stairs thumped rhythmically to the sound of Dan's head bouncing off of each stair. He would grunt after each one, but had not awoken. The basement had been the obvious choice for where to put Dan, given that it was out of the way and had a sturdy lock on the door. The man groaned softly from his stupor.

Mary's mouth let go of Dan's pant leg and she sighed once the bottom of the stairs was reached. I could probably get him onto the couch... Her eyes looked over at the furniture briefly, before she turned and cantered up the staircase cheerfully. But, the floor won't hurt him. The door clicked shut behind her. You owe us for this, Dan. Sighing again, she shook her head and made her way towards Anna's room to resume their night and explain things.

The phone began to ring, however, putting an end to those plans.

Now what? Mary's expression was immediately painted with the impatience growing in her, breaking into a short gallop she clopped into the living room and answered the phone. The sound of distant music and the voices of a hundred people seemed to crowd through the speaker. She made a confused face and prompted an answer.

Mary's greeting was hesitant and wary. "Hello?"

A youngish voice answered, they used a very exaggerated tone though. "Oh wow, is this Bobby's Mom? I just gotta say lady, your son is the greatest guitar player we've ever heard in our lives. Thanks so much for letting him come to this college party to hang out so he could play for us! This thing at Cory's house would totally be twenty percent less cool if he wasn't here leading guitar." The sounds of a party in the background continued uninterrupted for a moment. "Hullo? Anyway, wow can he funnel a beer-"

Mary slowly reached a hoof out and hung up the phone by clicking the appropriate button. A few moments later and the dial tone switched over to the alert that the phone was still off the hook.

If Mary had hands which she could in turn ball into fists, she would be flexing them right at that moment. Even without them, her hooves did their best to try and follow the complicated signals her brain was sending to them, not quite catching onto what was going on outside. Her tail picked up the slack though, twitching every few moments behind her, hinting at the building rage that was moving closer and closer to boiling over within her.

If there had been sufficient light in the room, her pale orange coat would have surely been a vibrant red to any onlooker's eyes.

Two Minutes Later

Okay, the Morris family car cruised swiftly through the cold night air, ten miles per hour over the speed limit. So, recap, Stan didn't pick up. That's fine, I hadn't expected he would be in the office... we really need to get another cell phone. Uggh, why didn't I think about that this morning, he could have borrowed Anna's.

The car's steering wheel spun in her hooves after slowing slightly at a blinking yellow light, then turned deftly onto the adjoining street leading into Belsdale. What are the odds that two stupid worst case scenarios would happen back to back!? Her eyes shut in frustration for a moment while she briefly recalled Murphy's law.

"What am I even doing, how am I going to get Bobby if he's in the middle of some party?" Mary bit her lip and looked worriedly out into light of her car's headlights. I already called the police and reported there was probably underage drinking going on over there, I should just wait at home for Bobby to get brought back. Initially, the thought hadn't even occurred to her, this was the first stroke of common sense in regards to that she'd had. The car slowed down momentarily as her hoof lifted off of the accelerated and a defeated look crept up into her tired eyes...

A moment later though, and after entering a lower speed zone, her hoof slammed back on the pedal beneath it.

Oh $%#^ it.

Chapter 18 : Nightmare Night

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October 31st 2023, Tuesday

9:31 PM

Halloween

Bobby felt pretty great all things considered. Sure, the surroundings were a steady roar of random noises, but it was a steady roar that he was a part of, and shared in. That was thanks in part to the cute girl he had his arm around. All in all, he found overlooking the distractions of a party were pretty easy when you yourself were contributing to it. The setting definitely felt like he could get used to that. The noise seemed to dull occasionally, the people yelling, people drinking, dancing, making out...it was all a buzz in the background.

There was a sudden, new source of buzzing, however, that pulled his mind away from the dreamland. Bobby leaned back from talking to the girl who had grabbed his attention earlier. He reached for his cellphone on reflex, wondering who it was. While clumsily trying to hit the keys on the phone he thought, I wonder what her name is? That really hadn't seemed important a minute ago. It was a party though, everyone might as well be a stranger. More so with all the weirdness here. The Halloween theme of the party didn't extend to many of the participants, but some took part.

The poetic thoughts Bobby was having about the night all flew out the window after he managed to read the message on his phone. His eyes would have bulged, but it came as too great of a shock, he stared dumbly down at the text. It read, "bobbe yu gut the hel ut ere right now111!".

Bobby felt a steady groan of anguish grow in his throat at the orders laid out in front of him clearly. Without a doubt, the jig was up, the number was from his Dad's phone, which he knew Mary had.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The light touch on his arm that he'd come to associate with pure bliss returned.

Bobby looked up and over at the girl beside him. She had an ironic costume on, that had been slightly off putting after he noticed it. That lasted of course, until she'd kissed him anyway, what seemed like forever ago. He had been trying to get her to do that again...even with the simple costume ears she wore that bore a striking resemblance to his mother's.

"Huh?" Bobby said dimly, he coughed and raised his voice so it could be heard. "Oh, just got a really depressing text is all." He put the phone into his pocket and leaned back, sliding his arm around her again. "I'll just ignore it, where were we?" The smile he put on got one in return as he'd hoped. Unfortunately, instead of the kisses he'd come to await from the pretty stranger, he got a nod of her head.

"So, is that your girlfriend then?" Her smile was casual and her tone wary.

"Woah, what?" Blinking rapidly, Bobby tried to keep his mind on the up and up of everything, for some reason it seemed to be slowing down. He threw his hands up defensively, "No no no, that was just my mom, here look, see?" With some difficulty he fumbled the phone out of his pocket again and pulled up his mother's number, along with a picture of her. Before she was a pony, that is.

The girl laughed weakly. She didn't look at the photo right away. "Oh, I didn't mean anything by it, just curious... I just like to know is all." Still, the girl gingerly took and peeked at the picture on the phone.

His mother's brown eyes and darker brown hair from when she had...been normal, stared up at the strange girl.

"Wow, that's your mom?" she asked, a suspicious quality to her voice. "She's pretty..." The girl paused a moment, looking at the phone for longer than he had expected, then handed it back. "She looks so young, old picture?"

Bobby flicked his hair back and sat against the couch, talking about Mary period soiled his mood. "Pheh, no, she just married at like, eighteen. She's still got the nerve to try and rule my life though with mistakes like that in her past."

The girl crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Lame..."

Bobby shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I know, I don't get what her deal i—" His companion interrupted him though.

"No, you misunderstand, I mean you. You're lame, I mean." She said pointedly.

Bobby looked over and pulled the length of his hair that got in the way back.

The girl scowled. "Oh don't look at me like that, you've talked about yourself all night and acted like a jerk to everyone. For the last hour you've kept telling off every member of your band." She stood up, towering over Bobby's seated position. "It's too bad, you seemed cool, from a distance anyway. But it's pretty easy to tell you're just a spoiled jerk on the inside." Tossing her hair over one shoulder, the girl sighed into the noisy atmosphere of the home. "Whatever, you're probably too wasted to understand a word I just said, so later, say hi to your mom for me."

Bobby stared after her confusedly while she made her way out the side door without another word. What the hell just happened? He blinked in disbelief when her head popped back into the room.

"Oh, and that tattoo you were showing off to everyone? Totally the gayest spot you could've gotten it, loser." The door slammed behind her.

Bobby was vaguely aware of people around the room laughing and making 'ooo's in his direction. The room glided around him while he tried to control the burning in his face. Embarrassment wasn't something he was used to. His eyes were drawn back to his phone as it vibrated again. "Bobbt if yu dnt get ouut ere ight no you are grunded for te rest of frever!"

How the hell did she know I was here? Dammit, somehow I just know Anna has something to do with this, what'd I do wrong? I locked my door and left my music playing when I left... Thoughts continued to turn over the situation Bobby suddenly found himself in while he stayed on the couch. That is, until a random couple that could have both very well been bearded—judging by how much hair was wedged in between them—fell onto the couch he occupied.

"What the hell!?" Bobby jumped off the furniture in a moment of clarity. The two party goers didn't notice him, or his further protests about them though. After a moment, he gave up.

Whatever, I'm gonna go find...whatever her name was, where did she go? He decided if he was screwed, he'd make the most out of the night anyway, Mary couldn't very well come inside after all. It had taken him a moment to remember that, but it was reassuring when he did. As quick as he could, he moved steadily to the doorway his friend had taken. A table and a couple other rude people in costumes got in his way, but he managed to navigate around them.

The cool chill of the October air was a huge contrast to the sweating warmth from the indoors of Cory's home. The back of the house was empty except for a couple lights, everyone was probably around the garage.

"Uggh, that's him right there, he followed me..."

Bobby saw the girl's pretty form look back from where she stood at the corner of the house. Calmly, he walked up to her, thinking carefully about what he could say to get her good graces for the rest of the night. It was so easy at first, what the hell even happened? His brain reported back it didn't have a clue. Alright just, play it cool, maybe she'll pay attention if you play another song? She mentioned the band at some point.

The girl sneered at him before he could get a word in.

"Hey, woohoo," a hand snapped in front of Bobby's face, "over here."

"What?" Bobby blinked disbelievingly for the second time that night. Two hands grabbed his shirt, then shoved up against his chest. He stumbled, rolling in a heap into the side yard where they'd thrown him. His wits left as quickly as his feet and stability had. Just as quickly, he felt himself get hauled back up.

"Jake, don't hurt him, just make him go away!" Bobby wondered how the pretty girl had gotten pretty far away... She sure could move.

"Listen jerk," a finger from someone at least half his height drew Bobby's eyes down. "You obviously aren't that great at taking hints, so listen close. Jenna doesn't want to see you for the rest of the night. Beat it." The guy had a really bad gorilla mask on.

Bobby raised an eyebrow at the shorter guy, he had an obnoxious goatee that was already getting on his nerves, along with his attitude. I just wanted to talk to her, what the hell, who does this guy think he is? He felt his body sturdy up, the initial surprise gone.

"No," Bobby started. "You listen close, man..." His words came slowly, calmly, "There are a lot more polite ways to tell someone to get away from your girlfriend. I don't mind leaving, but still I owe you a little something first."

The powerful right hook Bobby sent at the guy missed, somehow. Then something hit him back, dead on in the stomach. A rushing feeling ran up his esophagus.

"First, that's my sister. Second, now I'm gonna kick your %$^ from here, all the way to the street." The man's voice was calm, and a cracking noise accompanied it.

Bobby vaguely thought it might be the man's knuckles... however, he was at that moment busy trying to empty his guts.

October 31st 2023, Tuesday

9:31 PM

Halloween

Mary rubbed her two hooves together methodically... In fact, it would be more accurate to say that she ground them together fiercely. The sound her two instruments of mobility made was prevalent enough over the chaos booming into her car from the nearby house, that the outdoor noise was almost the dull roar it should be. That wasn't the case though, it was a veritable mob, something she had not seen coming upon her arrival.

Do we even have this many people in Belsdale!? Looking back at the crowded scene surrounding the garage caused the thought to come automatically to Mary. Honestly, where did they all come from...

Mary had been parked in the driveway, the car now sat on the side of the road opposite the house. After it had become clear what the situation was, simply honking her horn until he came out obviously wasn't an option.

A few other kids had been what she expected while driving out to Cory's, where all these others had come from she could only guess. They had all looked older than she expected too, which was more unsettling to the bad news she'd already gathered.

Ignoring the worry over being seen, the mare's mood was somewhere between putting Bobby up for adoption and a fourth trimester abortion.

Mary shook her head, trying to focus. All of that wasn't what was important right now, she needed to come up with something. The window she had given herself after calling the police was small, even on a busy night like this. Okay, it had been obvious that whoever had called me, wanted to out Bobby. Of course, the reason hadn't particularly mattered at the time, did it Mary? I should've got their number... Beside her, the cellphone sat idly in the cup-holder, seven messages sent and no response had come.

While in the midst of Mary's thoughts, two people grabbed her attention, and she watched them carefully like a rabbit watching a wolf. They probably couldn't see her in the car, especially at night. One of the two party goers stepped up onto the hood of her car and hopped over the other side, both of them laughing drunkenly.

I'm gonna kill Bobby, I'm gonna... With a sigh, Mary crossed her forelegs over herself and leaned back to huddle in the corner of the car. I don't know what I'm going to do... She made a disapproving tsch sound. When do you? Asking herself why she was so bad at fixing things seemed like it was where her life was at, certainly.

Another man slapped noisily onto the hood of Mary's car, which made her look up in alarm. She stifled the scream she'd felt try to get out. The sound of him retching a moment later made her cringe. Ew-heeew?

The man rolled until he collapsed in front of the headlights, making Mary sigh and roll her eyes at the disgusting show of what humanity's youth had to offer. Something caught her attention though, that gave her an idea. Seeing what could very well be Bobby at that moment sparked enough desperation in her to decide it was foolproof. On the hood of her car, was a white sheet, with eye holes cut out of it. Less importantly the sheet also had a very prominent and well detailed buttocks painted on the bottom... That wasn't going to hurt the costume's ability to hide her though.

Looking around to see if anyone else was nearby, and confirming no one was, Mary opened her car door quickly. In the words of Dad, thank you deus ex machina... Her hoof reached over her car door and grabbed the white sheet the man had left on the hood.

The costume wasn't puke ridden—for which Mary uttered a silent 'thank you' to God—and was glad to find it had some wire at the head to hold it steady. Yeah, this'll work. Hesitantly, she donned her impromptu disguise, then stared a moment longer out her car window. The shapes of the young adults enjoying their nighttime revery, and her present state, placed a very unsettling worry in her gut. It'll work. You can do this, she repeated to herself.

Mary slid carefully out of the car, locking it, while adjusting and fidgeting with her impromptu disguise. The crowd nearby increased in volume drastically as she crossed the road towards it. She stayed on all four hooves for now, but carefully stood up as she got closer. Just act naturally Mary, you're a drunk college girl...pony, you'll be a natural at this without the knack for standing on two legs! Her faux cheerful attitude only went so far as to make her angrier rather than ease her worry.

The garage seemed the most likely place to find Bobby, the house...probably wouldn't be a good idea she decided right away. There was light in there, not to mention hard to navigate closed spaces and unfamiliar interior design. Furthermore though, the distinctive sound of the 'heavy metal' Bobby loved and worshiped was coming from that direction. Accompanying it, were quite a few 'boo's that numbered in the dozens at least. The noisy style of music always made her ears cry out in pain, more so since being a pony, but what she was subjected to the closer she got to the garage and the crowd seemed worse than usual.

Mary stopped at the front of the house and peered around the side to look over the scene. Beneath the sheet her face contorted in fear and worry. Okay... I have no hope of pulling this off. The crowd of people before her was dense, there was no way she could get up to that stage on two legs. You have to try Mary, your son is here somewhere... She turned around and sunk against the side of the house. Dammit Bobby... Her hooves pressed over her eyes angrily.

The fact that everything could be at stake for Mary didn't escape her, but abandoning her only son didn't cross her mind as an option. She got up and steeled herself. "You can do this Mary, you can do this you can do this, oh lord... You can do this. EEP!" The sound of a door banging open nearby made Mary wheel around and dive back into the bushes in front of the house. Nopenopenope!

Mary's sheet caught caught halfway out of the greenery, causing her to immediately begin trying to free the costume. Her hooves struggled to pull it into the shrubbery, even as a familiar voice reached her ears. It was almost imperceptible before the musical backdrop, but she heard her son speak. She heard Bobby.

"No, you listen close, man... There are a lot more polite ways to tell someone to get away from your girlfriend. I don't mind leaving, but still I owe you a little something first."

Maybe twenty or thirty feet away, was Bobby. Mary watched, shock freezing her, as her son swung at the person standing in front of him. The man barely had to move to avoid her son's attack, which was answered quickly. Bobby took a solid hit in the stomach, and keeled over a second later.

"First, that's my sister. Second, now I'm gonna kick your %$^ from here, all the way to the street."

Mary had time to wonder how she had gotten across that yard so quickly, but nothing else. One moment she had been crouched outside of the grabby shrubbery, the next, she had been sprinting across the ground, sheet long forgotten. Her hooves were wrapped over the boy's neck, the one who had hit Bobby. Behind her she heard a scream, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep..." Mary growled and hissed the words out at the figure who's struggling was already at an end. Her forelegs knocked the man out in seconds after cutting off his circulation. Years of idle housework hadn't made her forget how to do a simple rear naked choke. She had heard a cracking sound, which made her start, but it didn't sound dangerous.

Mary's hooves hit the ground as the boy's legs gave out beneath him, and she laid him down gently. She looked up to see Bobby, squinting at her in the dim twilight and glow from the garage.

"Mom?" He mumbled, shakily standing up.

Mary paused long enough to feel relief that he was okay, then wheeled around, remembering the scream. There had been a girl. She saw a slim shape sprinting towards the garage, and already heads were turning.

"Come on Bobby, Mommy's taking you home." Mary's hooves wrapped around his hand and began dragging him towards the car. Anxiety and panic were already welling up in her, adrenaline fading.

Bobby nodded weakly and managed to comply. "Yeah, kay..."

After nodding to Mary, and just before she turned around, Bobby collapsed into a pile of heavy, unconscious teenager. Behind him, several people were running out to see what was going on.

The moment he collapsed, and thus became a giant, dead weight, Mary felt she could've screamed in frustration. In fact, she would have yelled at the crowd itself, if it weren't for the fact she was already hoisting Bobby up onto her back. Her hooves could have turned her around on a dime, they practically gave her flight, and she was crossing the road seconds later.

Okay, Mary opened the car's back door and shoved her son inside. I'm calling it a night mister, also, you are so grounded. Turning around, she saw that surprisingly, no one had followed her. It became clear though, that this was in part due to the several other cars that rolled up silently, and were now blaring their sirens.

The pony's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Oh...no..."

9:37 PM

Stan's squad car rolled closer to the alleged frat party that had migrated for some odd reason into his lovely little town. The college they had all seemed to have come from was only twenty miles away, so this sort of thing happened at least once a year. He imagined it would go as it always did, stop the cars trying to make a run for it... Charge the hosts for providing alcohol to minors... All in all it was standard really, they weren't here to get everyone of course, that just wasn't feasible. With the local cops in tow though, he sure intended to get as many as he could.

"Alright," Stan began to say over the radio channel, "light 'em up guys."

The blaring sound of five police vehicles engaging their sirens all at once, then pulling into the remote house's driveway echoed into the landscape. The crowd in front of Belsdale's finest immediately began to disperse, a lot of the kids and college goers taking off in random directions or towards town.

The sound of squealing tires almost right after his patrol group turned on their lights, drew Stan's attention immediately. Huh, must've already been at their car, that was fast.

A local cop came over the net as soon as the car peeled away into the street. "Alright, who wants to go catch this one?"

Stan picked up his mic and smirked, saying, "I'll pass, I've got a wife and two kids to think about."

A couple laughs came through the radio in response to him, last communications before everyone got out and got to work. Stan himself was already out of his squad car and making it towards the crowd, anyway.

9:39 PM

"Daaahahammit, Why me!? Why!? I want to know!" Mary was almost in hysterics, just enough that she was laughing while swearing, but still able to focus on the road and escaping. "Where would they even put me in prison? I imagine I would be fed moldy hay or the like." The flashing blue and red lights in her rear view mirror were closing distance quickly, she wasn't likely to get away, even speeding and taking confusing turns as she already had.

Distantly, Mary heard Bobby sliding around in the backseat. Wear your seat-belt, dear. She let out a groan of frustration and continued glaring as hard as she could at the lights that rounded a corner and began gaining on her again. Even if I got away, once they get close enough they'll see my car! Darnit, how many brushes with the law do I need to do to complete my week!? The thoughts weren't helping she knew that, but what could help wasn't presenting itself to her.

All Mary could do was try and outpace the law that chased her relentlessly, and glare at them...

"When did my life become this crazy?" Mary's eyes burned and and her brow drew down at the policeman behind her. "When I find out what did this to me." The flashing red and blue came closer, the headlights almost reaching close enough to touch her bumper. "And made my life into a big joke." It wouldn't be long now before she would have to stop. "I don't care if it's a god. If it IS God! I. Am going. TO KICK IT IN THE FACE!"

The lights behind Mary's car stopped immediately in the road, accompanying it was the sound of crumpling metal and snapping county property. The mare jumped in her car seat, and a gasp shook her body. She stared back at the quickly shrinking lights behind her. Eyes blinking, she stared at the rear view mirror until there was nothing but the dark of the night behind her on the country road. What-?

"Uggh, Mom, slow down, you're going like, eighty." Bobby leaned into the front of the car.

Mary craned her head slowly over to face him while easing on the brake. Words tried to form but nothing came out right away. Instead, she turned to face the road again, the first thought she had once her mind restarted was, where am I?

9:49 PM

Stan and two other officers stared down in disbelief and confusion at the sight before them. Well, the other two men stared in real disbelief and confusion. Stan was faking it, he had a pretty good idea what had happened, even though he didn't know all the details...yet.

Wrapped around every wheel of the squad car were arm thick vines. The chassis of the poor car had been torqued beyond any hope of repair, and the axles had all snapped. That was just what was obvious looking at the wreck. After he and every other law enforcer had gotten the frantic call for help due to "killer plants", Stan had made sure to get here first.

"Hey Bob." Stan scratched his stubble while listening to the two men that had been chasing...what he assumed had been his wife.

"Yeah Joe." The other man said, still staring down at the sight that stretched across the road from both sides. The lights from Stan's patrol vehicle illuminated at least fifty feet of tangled wilderness.

"Think I'm going on vacation this next week, thinking fishing..."

"Eeyup, think that sounds like a good idea."

Stan tried not to groan from the building emotions that played through his head right that moment.

11:31 PM

It was almost midnight.

Mary had kept driving, lost as she was from the chase that had taken her randomly through Belsdale and out into the countryside. She figured out where she was, eventually. After some looking that is, but the escape lead her in the opposite direction of home. To play it safe, she was driving Bobby and herself back carefully, through the long way around town.

The car was quiet.

The gentle buzz of the engine made Mary's ears twitch periodically, her body was still in an elated state after being pushed so hard. Her feelings of course, didn't share that. She felt, for lack of a better word, tired, at the moment; calm, but tired. The cruise control that she had come to use constantly helped a little, her hooves didn't have to work so hard thanks to that handy feature. All the same, there wasn't exactly much in the way of positive other than that which would explain her calm.

Maybe, Mary thought, I'm calm because Bobby's out cold again. It stood to reason she supposed, that her distantly bubbling anger would want to wait for him to be awake. Am I overreacting? I mean, most kids do crazy stuff when they're younger all the time, right? Her tail twitched up enough to slap her shoulder.

"Well what's that supposed to mean?" Mary asked angrily. "I don't speak tail." The tail swished side to side in response. "Uggh, you're useless."

Bobby groaned from the backseat, a moment later his face appeared in the rear-view mirror.

I probably shouldn't have come to get him, stupid maternal instincts. Mary's mouth drew across into a wide frown as she looked at her confused and dazed looking son. I don't regret having you Bobby, never have, even with all the heart ache and trouble you cause. I mean that, dammit. Her hoof reached up angrily and pulled out the hair tie, hair fell free of the loose pony tail around her shoulders. But I also mean it when I say I wish I could go back at and smack myself for going so easy on you.

"Mom, pull over. I'm gonna be sick again." Bobby leaned forward as he spoke.

It was close enough that Mary could smell the stale beer and various liquors on his breath. Her muzzle wrinkled at the burning sensation it seemed to cause. From her stomach came a grumble of disgust.

"Alright, hold on one second." Mary pulled the car over quickly, the tires crunching slightly on the loose pavement and the breaks squealing a bit from being well used.

Not a moment later Bobby lept out the side of the car and began hurling over the grassy ditch on the side of the road.

Inside the car, Mary winced as she felt her own stomach turn over from the sound of it. Uggh, just hold on girl, you're almost home after all. Despite the soothing words she gave herself, this time she didn't think she could hold it in. Her hoof pulled the door handle and pushed the car door open quickly. The cold air helped for a moment, she took deep, gulping breaths trying to steady her unruly digestive system.

The second wave of icky, splashing, retching noises from her son made Mary's eyes squeeze shut. "Oooh crap." She leaned over where she'd stood on all fours to try and catch her breath, vomiting onto the pavement herself. "This is all your fault Bobby!" The words managed to slip out before she began getting sick in full force. It was probably partly the chase and the nervousness from evading so many lifestyle threatening events, but the vindictive words certainly didn't seem out of place to her.

Mary felt a big hand lead her over to the side of the road a minute or so later. She was dimly aware that her own spell of sickness was less the torrent Bobby's had been, and more of a coughing choke.

"Are you okay Mom?" Bobby was kneeling beside her, his voice somber and steady. Surprising, with all the circumstances considered.

Mary nodded, unable to speak.

The quiet night air prevailed for another minute, except for the mother's well spaced nausea.

Bobby quietly intoned the words he spoke next. "I called animal control, Mom. That was me, three weeks ago."

Mary looked up after spitting foul substance on the ground, her eyes painted with disbelief.

"I kinda... I mean I knew, it was the most screwed up thing a guy could do to someone...his Mom." There was quiet again except for the car purring gently behind them. Bobby fell back and sat in the grass with a thud. "I can't say why I did that, just wasn't thinking I guess. Lame, but it suits me, maybe it's ironic cause this is the drunkest I've ever been. Yeah, I drink..." In some part of Bobby's mind, a siren was going off, fully aware he was signing his own death warrant at the moment. "But, right now's the first time I think I've been aware of just how little thinking I do."

Mary stared at her son, wiping her runny muzzle with a foreleg as she sat back herself to join him. His face was mostly obscured by the night, but she could make out his features from the side. It might have been the exhausting night, or her overly hopeful imagination... Bobby looked regretful, though.

"I see." Mary's voice was even and flat. "Wow." She swallowed, unsure of how to continue, then grimaced from the nasty sensation that unthinkingly swallowing bile had gotten her.

Bobby jumped back in, a desperate quality clear in his voice. "Mom, I'm sorry. I don't think I've ever really been sorry for shit before-"

He paused when Mary scowled and pointed a hoof at him. "Language," her shoulders sagged a second after and she sighed, "sorry, nevermind, go on."

"...You'll probably never forgive me, I dunno. What I said...what I did." Bobby's features sunk as he spoke. "I don't think I'd deserve it, to be honest." He looked up at her, a hand combing his long, ratty hair back. "Yeah, I don't know what else to say. I tried to hurt my own Mom, what does that say about what I'm worth?"

Six foot or not, when the boy wrapped his arms that matched his father's around his legs, he made a pathetic sight.

A foreleg wrapped around Bobby's back, and Mary's head pressed against his chest in a motherly embrace.

"You're worth every star in the sky, Robert." Mary squeezed him tight, "You don't have to say anything. Your choices are your own to make, son. I'll tell you now though, I love you no matter what, and you'll always be my baby boy." She got a little satisfaction at feeling him wince from that, despite the moment they were having.

Mary continued, not yet finished speaking. "That said," she began again, calmly. "You can be my son from six feet under just as easy as you can from above ground."

While speaking, she'd taken a few steps in front of Bobby, and stared him in the face. From Bobby's angle, it looked like two pools of emerald fire were staring into his soul.

Mary's expression softened. "I love you, Bobby, we all do wrong sometimes, it's not always forgivable either, despite what those preachy movies they make nowadays say..." She laid a hoof on his hand and finished curtly. "But I can forgive you. It might take some garden work for the rest of forever... But I can forgive you. You owe everyone else an apology, too."

Bobby had a weak, worried smile on after listening to his mother. It felt good to him, coming clean.

What came next though, didn't feel very good at all and surprised them both. It was a bit like the scene from 'The Exorcist' as Bobby hurled over his mom, a green river of slime coming up from his stomach and taking all present by surprise.

Immediately after, Mary jumped back, eliciting disgust at being covered so. A moment later and she joined him, unable to hold back the renewed efforts of her own stomach to empty themselves.

It was an interesting way to bond between mother and son, certainly.

Eventually, they made it home. There wasn't much talking, both members of the Morris family were exhausted. The car pulled in slowly and stopped. It stank, of course, too. Mother and son all but dragged themselves inside.

Anna was asleep on the couch, beside, was a giant bowl of crispy, blackened lumps. They vaguely looked like the remnants of cookies. Probably, Mary thought, the cookies that she had not taken out of the oven before she had left the house. She facehoofed, and silently thanked Anna for her diligence.

Mary would have woken her daughter up right then to put her to bed, but she needed a shower, first. She would put her to bed as soon as she was done.

Bobby went upstairs to do just that for himself as well, and afterwards fell into a deep sleep of his own.

A long, steamy, cleansing of blissful running water later, and Mary felt human again, so to speak. Her hooves clambered out of the bathroom tub and landed on the towel laid over the floor. She pulled another towel from the door's rack and began drying herself, something which took a good ten minutes longer than it used to before her change. Her hoof steadied herself from where it leaned on the counter, being that at the moment she was standing upright. As was usual, she looked over and saw herself in the mirror, and she stared at what she saw for most of while she dried off.

"Well, you're home once again Mary, and you're now a wanted pony on top of it all." Mary gave herself a rueful smile at hearing the silly words. A sigh heaved out of her and she leaned on her forelegs to stare more closely at herself, up close. Behind her own eyes, she could see those of the only other pony she'd ever seen. Those teal orbs that belonged to the dream creature stared back at her through the mirror. "I gotta get to the bottom of this."

"Hello again, Mary..." The voice calling out was calm and melodic, but edged with a hardness, as though it had more it was eager to say.

Mary hesitantly opened her eyes to the dream that awaited her.

Author's Notes:

The fight scene depicted here by Bobby is dedicated to the rapscallion in the picture getting eyeballed by Pinkie Pie. He was my teammate over in Afghanistan and during our deployment I heard all kinds of great stories from him, one of which was pretty similar to Bobby and fighting a couple College students over a pretty lady. The details themselves are vastly different, but that alone is what birthed this scene about eight months ago while I was conceptualizing My Little Marriage! So all in all told, this chapter has been a long time in the making.

So yeah, I wrote that ^ author's note before I lost 75% of this chapter. Anyway, I rewrote it this morning, in about two hours. I didn't proof or edit it as usual, but I get the feeling my unbridled rage has steered it mostly towards being decent. I gotta say after I lost this emotional chapter (having worked myself up to staying serious long enough to write it.) Was Annoooooying.

Either way, I hope ya'll enjoy it! Not sure when I'll get to ATL, it is the weekend, but I also game on the weekend.

This chapter may be the last for MLM for a month, I need ATL to catch up, or I can't get into anything nitty gritty that you ponies want to read. I could do Slice of life and filler, but we want the plot to move forward right guys!? Cause we love PLOT! Okay I'm going now.

Chapter 19 : Hello Again

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Luna sullenly stared straight ahead at the clouds that surrounded her. Close at hoof, sat the formerly most ill-mannered, now the most confusing mare this side of Tartarus. Still, she thought calmly, Patience is required, for whatever reason she does not know of anything to do with Equestria... This raises a whole batch of questions and where to begin to answer them, I do not know. This particular mare, however, was well beyond stubborn as well, or had been. This made the process of puzzling things out even more difficult for her.

Luna grimaced briefly while still pondering. Surely I am not so difficult to fathom as she is saying? Perhaps I should speak to Celestia once again about this. The memory of Mary's greeting—after so vehemently trying to get in touch with her—was still fresh in her mind.

Luna had desired and planned to gain the upper hoof if she bumped into Mary again, and when it had had happened she immediately began a well prepared speech. Things hadn't gone according to the plan though.

*~*

"Hello again, Mary...We hath heard thy call, my little pony, doth this mean that thou wish to speaketh of—"

"I-I'm sorry, I need a moment." The earth pony sitting across from her stated curtly. She rubbed at one eye with a foreleg, while the other scrutinized Luna. "I can't believe this worked, you are real. This means you're real, right? Oh my God, are you like my fairy godmother? Or have I gone crazy....I've gone crazy, haven't I? That explains all of this, I knew it. I can't go crazy, my kids haven't even gone to college yet!"

Luna tried to reply and it came out as nothing much more than a stutter. "Er, yes, I mean no, we assure thee we are no-one's 'fairly mother', we—"

The other mare interrupted her again. "You're doing that thing where you talk like my father in law when he thinks he's being funny, again, by the way."

Luna took a pensive breath and continued. "Mary, please, I don't understand fully the gravity of the situation and I need your cooperation in order to figure things out. Can I count on you to help me with this?"

The strange mare which she had found, floundering in the dream world nearly a month past, stared up at her with a bewildered expression. Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah, I-I want to know what's going on. I'm sorry I've been a complete basket case, I just can't believe my dreams are talking to me... gosh, you are real."

"Again, I am no mere dream, I am Princess Luna, my little pony." Luna's features relaxed, the sure signs of making progress showing themselves to her.

"Oh, right, I do remember that." The blue and tan haired mare scrunched her muzzle in thought. "Huh, well let's get started then, do you know what exactly I am? You keep calling me a pony, I guess that means I'm not some kind of irradiated horse?" She quirked an eyebrow and began examining her hooves as if they were the strangest thing to ever exist.

Princess Luna facehoofed.

*~*

For the last couple of minutes afterwards they had sat in relative silence—except for puzzling out a couple things. Mary now busied herself with inspecting the dreamscape, once Luna had informed her that she was, in fact, a pony of Equestria. After learning that name held no recognition with the strange mare, Luna began considering carefully what to do next, and what exactly everything to do with this strange orange earth pony meant.

It must be severe amnesia. Perhaps more ponies besides the Elements have gone missing after all? From the corner of her eye, Luna watched the other mare, who had not moved from where she had begun idly pushing around tufts of cloud, entranced by them. She was seemingly fine with treating Luna as though she were furniture. At least she has warmed up to the clouds since our last meeting, I guessed correctly after all. As an earth pony she would find the cloudscape dream fascinating. The princess allowed herself a smirk of triumph, before her eyes fell once again on the strangest of oddities.

So, where is her cutie mark? Granted, it was obviously a subconscious or pointed decision of the mare in question that it was hidden. Luna theorized over the secrecy, Perhaps it has to do with human worlds lacking them, as Rarity has shared. Could cutie marks not exist outside of Equestria? No, that can't be right, Pinkie Pie's is preserved, as are the others... She couldn't help but get sidetracked by one of the things that had made Mary seem so different to her.

Despite bigger issues at hoof, Luna was still curious and decided that it wouldn't be too rude to ask about it. Point in fact, it would be tit for tat as I see it, at the very least. "Mary, I must ask you and please do not be offended, but why have you chosen to conceal your cutie mark here?"

Mary looked up from the ground, a fluffy white beard of cloud hanging from her face. "My cutie what?" she asked.

"...Your cutie mark, Mary." Luna gestured back to her own side with one hoof. On it, was emblazoned the sigil of her special talent, her gift to raise and lower the moon of Equestria. "It would be a marking of the one thing that you are particularly talented with, or a symbol representing the same. All ponies of Equestria, whether they be unicorn, pegasus or earth pony bear one. I'm asking what is yours, if that is not too imprudent of me to do so." She tilted her head and wore what she hoped was an eager, interested expression that would garner some flattery from Mary. When her own ability to take the situation seriously wavered, she then removed the distracting cloud-beard Mary wore with a thought.

The recognition or thoughtful hesitation which Luna had expected from Mary, did not come. Instead, the mare wore a confused look, that only after nearly a minute sprang into familiarity.

"They're called a cutie mark!?" Mary burst out with suddenly.

Luna had to resist the urge to face hoof once again.

"That name's ridiculous." Mary went on, "So they do have something to do with this curse? Oh nooo." Mary buried her head under her hooves on the cloudy ground, seemingly done with her confusing slur of random words.

Luna couldn't make heads or tails of what the strange orange mare was talking about. Curse? Ridiculous names? One part made sense, though, and raised a massive amount of alarm in her the moment she heard Mary say it. How can she not know what a cutie mark is!? "How can you not know what a cutie mark is!?" She shouted out of the blue. Her genuine surprise raised her voice several decibels higher than normal. After shouting so on accident, she promptly clamped her mouth down and refolded her now outstretched wings.

"Ow! Not so loud..." Mary's ears pressed down and leaned away from Luna's royal outburst, Canterlot voice or no. "No, I've never heard of a 'cutie mark'. You act like I should have or something." The grimace she gave over the noisy offense made Luna's face heat.

It has to be amnesia. I wish Tia could dreamwalk, she's much better at speaking with our subjects than I am... Despite her floundering, Luna took a deep breath pressed on. "It is one of the single most important events of an adolescent pony's life, it is unheard of for a pony to lack one." She sat back after a quick glance at her own, satisfied with her explanation. The response she received caught her off guard.

"But I don't have one, it's my family that has them, and they aren't supposed to have them!" Mary stood up and squared herself towards Luna, her eyes focused against the princess' teal ones.

"Your family," Luna began carefully, matching the other mare's determined stare. "The humans?" She recalled the details of their last, confusing encounter. Thus far, this meeting was panning out to be the same. "Interesting, I have never heard of another race but the three pony tribes possessing one. Strange indeed..."

"That's the least of the strange going on around here..." Mary muttered, relaxing some but not looking away. "You say you're not a dream, that you're a princess of some crazy sounding country that doesn't exist. That makes you the strangest thing so far. Following closely in second, is my turning into this!" She stood up on her two back legs and pointed her front hooves at herself, looking up with an indignant face for effect. "And after that would be what's happened to my husband and children!" Her breath panted out. "I want to know, can you actually explain any of this?"

Luna maintained her regal posture, unwilling to bend while being spoken to so challengingly. So that is it then... Things were starting to click, but she only had pieces thus far to her puzzle. This is far, far different a situation from one of my little ponies suffering amnesia, isn't it?

"No." Luna answered simply to Mary.

"Great, I knew it—"

"But," Luna began again. She stood up gracefully while at the same time walking closer to Mary. The other mare fell back to four hooves and turned sideways, away from Luna, who loomed over her. "I can give you my help all the same. Maybe with time, I can also give you answers, too. I just want to talk Mary, for I may also need your help."

Mary could feel how fearful her eyes must look from the nervousness she felt. "My help? What could I do to help you? I can't even help myself."

"That is to be seen, my little pony." Luna smiled calmly and sat again. Not a moment later and a tea table and set appeared adjacent to the now closer pair of dream-borne ponies. The cloudy carpet in the immediate vicinity was replaced with a superbly carved marble floor, ringed with gilded stand lamps glowing with a pretty ambiance. "Please, join me for tea, Mary? This blend is my absolute favorite and I think you'll like it." She gestured to the table with one hoof casually as she spoke. "We should be much more pleasant with one another, for we are allies, I believe."

The regal manner in which Luna was successfully progressing things was not lost on her. Hah, I can so do this, she thought, just managing to keep her calm smile from growing too wide at the end.

Mary groaned and shook her head from where she still sat. "Just what is going- Okay, I'm calm, I'm sorry, too." She cast a wary glance towards Luna, before facing away from her and towards the dream's sunny horizon. "I... When I first awoke like this, I wanted to believe nothing more than that the real world was a dream." Her laugh was short and bitter. "Now, I'm in a dream, and I can't accept that it's real. When will things stop throwing me for a loop?"

The never-ending sunset on the horizon was something truly beautiful to behold for Mary. Her intentionally exasperated sigh became simply a sigh at what had suddenly taken away her attention. She tiredly turned back to Luna, having almost forgotten what she had been saying. "Simply put, uhm, Princess... I don't know if I should trust you." She wiggled nervously on the smooth, cool floor and looked elsewhere than the lunar pony out of sheer nervousness.

Mary studied the tea and crumpets on the new furniture, still bewildered by them. The momentary shock of having a tea set poof beside yourself had faded though, and she continued. "But, I don't have a choice... I'll believe that whatever has happened, and that all this, isn't your fault." Her head drooped from the weight of her uncertainty with things.

Luna frowned sadly while the depressed sounding mare wilted in front of her. "I assure you such is not the case. Although, perhaps you should enlighten me first as to what exactly it is you speak of, Mrs. Mary. Again, I am-" She had been about say, 'your princess, and I mean you no harm.' Instead, she simplified it. "I mean you no harm, ahem. That we promise to you."

Mary looked up, then heaved a sigh and shuffled herself closer to the tea set. "Sorry, I've never imagined that fantasy is real, let alone changing bodies." The tea and snack smelled really good, enough so that it wrinkled her nose with its pleasantness alone.

Luna's brow furrowed momentarily over the looming conundrum that had been offered to her, and in more ways than one. I really need to get to the bottom of this, now, She thought resolutely, but continued to be patient for poise's sake.

"Speaking of," Mary continued, "How did you do this?" One pale hoof touched the steaming cup of tea, then raised it up to her mouth to give it a shot. Oh wow, She thought, eyes blinking. That is so good. The liquid was quickly slurped into submission. What is that? It's like... the greatest thing I have ever drank in my life. It held hints of cinnamon and honey, but something else, too.

"The tea? Oh, practice, it isn't hard really once you're aware of the dreamscape." Luna gestured around herself. "You only need concentrate and you can shift the way things are perceived here quite easily. At least... it is for me. I've molded this dreamscape twice now to a great extent while you were having those horrible nightmares, for instance." She paused long enough to give Mary a smirk, then refill her cup quickly. "Now, shall we get to business?"

"Hm?" Mary took a deep whiff of the tea again, smiling stupidly before sipping it once more. She stopped when she realized she was being watched. "Oh, I guess, and thank you for stopping those nightmares by the way... Where do you want to start?" She pondered what Luna said about dreams in general while the other being spoke.

"Before I inform you of the severity of my own plight, please answer me this, Mary." Luna added at the end, then continued over Mary's head jerking up to stare at her again. "I would be most appreciative if you told me more about yourself in kind, as I have done for you, before we continue. You said that you... changed into an earth pony of Equestria? You are not one naturally, then?"

Mary felt the heartbeat in her chest quickening. She felt relief over finally getting answers, whether it was from a hallucination or not, storm into her head. "You're right." She said with dead seriousness, gulping one last time. Her hoof was shakily able to set down the tea cup in time, its curious fragrance forgotten.

"I'm not a pony!" Mary all but shouted, then calmed her tone. "I'm a human being. I'm a thirty-five year old, white Caucasian woman of French descent with two children a husband and I have no idea what's happened to me, what I'm going to do or why my life has turned into this!" She panted for a splint second, her limbs shaking from the adrenaline that had flooded her. "You're like me, I mean, me now, gah, you know something about this, you're why this happened, aren't you!? You know about humans, are you some kind of fairy, why-" Light headed, Mary sat back. "Why—"

"Be easy." Luna was by her side in a moment, a steady hoof lending the mare stability. "You need to remain calm here." She herself was having trouble remaining calm. Perhaps she has nothing to do with Twilight, but, she is a human! This could be the link we need, whatever the reason for its existence.

Mary blinked. "I'm fine, I'm fine now." Her head was clear again, the shakiness and pumping sensation in her veins gone. She took a few steps away from the taller... pony.

"In the dreamscape, emotions are far more... tangible, than when you're awake. Fears can give birth to illusion, and anger can spark things that are real. You are safe as long as I'm here, but it's important that you try to remain as calm as you can Mrs. Mary, lest you bring harm to yourself." Luna circled the table again and sat once more. "It sounds as though you've been through a lot, and that you are in fact... human."

"Yes, yes I am." Mary instinctively moved closer to the table and Luna, her orange hooves clicking on the marble floor. Answers, finally, oh my God, please don't let this be a dream. The irony of her shift of opinion regarding things wasn't lost on her. "I'm sorry for bursting on you like that. This whole," she looked down angrily at her hooves. "Thing has all but ruined my life." Looking up, she spotted the dark blue pony looking sadly down into her tea cup. Her own had somehow been refilled.

Well, that's not quite fair to say, Mary. Mary frowned while her thoughts explained her guilt back to herself. Other than a few inconveniences and close calls, you haven't lost anything. She frowned deeper. Yeah, except hands and a simpler way to wipe, she retorted with a snort.

"I see," Luna spoke up suddenly, garnering Mary's attention. "I profess, Mrs. Mary, to answer your earlier question, that I do not know how such a thing has happened to you. I have never heard of another creature just... becoming, a pony." She straightened up having found her stride in the conversation, and met Mary's eager stare while sipping at her cup. "Mmm, to answer your other... accusations and questions in full, I do know about humans, but only recently discovered their existence at all. You see, several of my frie- subjects, have gone missing. My sister and I as well as half of our kingdom search for them now, but we'll get to that..."

Luna paused a moment, thinking of what to move onto next, before settling on something. "As for being a fairy, which you keep calling me, I have never heard of such a thing. I am a princess of Equestria." That has to be the third time I've said that, at least, hopefully it sticks this time. "Finally, no, I had no hoof in this. What has happened to you is in fact a mystery, one that I am willing to help you solve, however. Now, I have but one question at the time being for you, Mary, as you are the first human I have ever been able to contact in the dream, nay, the first other creature apart from ponies." She added one final thought, but left it unsaid. Well, and Discord, but I'll leave him out of this.

Mary blinked hesitantly, taken aback from suddenly becoming a part of the conversation. She was also becoming aware of just how much bigger everything in this plot was than her, how much more serious. Whatever was going on, didn't just include her. "Yes?" Her voice managed to not tremble, but only just.

Luna's calm expression broke. "Have you seen a little, purple unicorn, at all? Anywhere in Ancelstierre or wherever it is you are from? In fact, tell me, is Ancelstierre a great nation of your world?" She drew in a shuddering breath and brought her hooves up to rest on the table pleadingly. "Please, say all that you can. She's very special to us, and we can't find her. I can't find her, not even in the dream. We at least know the others are safe, to a degree... but..." The dark blue mare cleared her throat and straightened, sniffing one long, hard time. "It is of the utmost importance that we find her, Mrs. Mary. Have you any news to lend of her? Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and she has a three toned mane and tail with rosy stripes. Her cutie mark is a resplendent series of points which represent a proficiency for magic."

Mary watched while Luna's pleading eyes searched her face, perhaps for clues themselves of the person she was looking for.

"I... No, it's just me that I've seen so far. I was worried that my family would change—like me—but, so far they've just gotten marks on their butts. No purple unicorns though, I'm sorry." Mary felt the instinct to laugh at saying such a thing aloud, but the conversation had become far too dour. "Also, I'm from Canada, er, on a planet called Earth? Though I live in America right now, with my husband and kids." When no lights of recognition lit up in the princess's eyes, she continued. "There's nowhere called Ancelstierre that I've ever heard of though..."

Mary laughed nervously, before falling back into the mood that hung in the air. "I'm... I'm sorry, she's very important to you all, isn't she?"

"...Yes..." Luna hung her head sorrowfully. Silence remained between the two ponies, until Luna finally also whispered out, "There is no country by the name of Ancelstierre? This means that your world is yet another mirror to add to the maze, then."

The Princess of the Night considered carefully the implications of everything she had thus discovered. It is possible that Mary has simply never heard of it, but Rarity said that Ancelstierre was the largest nation, making that unlikely. Likewise, Fluttershy has moved through several worlds—or times. There is no telling where she is at all... She set her face in stone, remembering the hopelessness of things, then looked up again.

On the table sat something new. It was an ornate, blown glass bottle by appearances. The cork on top popped off, and container and cork alike floated into the air, bathed in a sparkly, dark blue aura.

Mary's eyes widened slightly, then she looked back at the princess questioningly. "What's that?"

"Tell me Mrs. Mary." Luna said in a stately, dreary tone. "Do humans imbibe a substance known as 'alcohol'?" Two shallow glasses appeared on the table as well, with no pretense of show or flash just as the bottle had done; they were simply not there one moment and there the next.

"Uhm, yeah, I'd say so. It's practically a national past time the world over, the men in my family can't seem to get enough of the stuff." Mary briefly recalled Bobby sicking up horribly what seemed like days ago almost, but laughed like a school girl all the same, caught up in the wonderment of everything. This is so bizarre, she said she'd help me though. No, this is like a kid's dream come true... Ooh, Anna will hate me if I ever tell her that I got to have a tea party with a pony princess. What is that tea? She couldn't help but giggle while the glass in front of her filled with a purple liquid.

"That is good. My subjects do not, at least, for the most part. Our world is far more confusing than it would appear at a glance, so much black and white but no gray in-between." Luna took a demure sip from her glass, stared at it, then downed the remaining contents and filled it once more. "Ms. Rarity—one of the other missing unicorns you see-"

Mary nodded absently to the speaker whilst studying the glass on the table before her, and wondering if she should have a drink while in a dream. She stayed tuned into Luna though.

"—has informed me of a great deal about humans. They- er, you, are a very interesting species from what she has told me, going on in particular depth about their amazing sense of fashion for clothes." Luna paused long enough to roll her eyes before taking another swig, then continuing. "The unparalleled adorableness of their fillies is something else oft made an important topic. Apparently she spent some of her time in the company of a great many of them at a school." She sighed and looked across the table at Mary, who was poking at her glass with a single hoof while scrutinizing it.

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm listening." Mary grinned sheepishly.

"I know." Luna affirmed to the other mare simply. "Take no offense Mrs. Mary, I pause merely to prepare for what next I am about to say and ask, as it strikes me as important."

Mary picked up on the serious tone things had again taken and sat back, holding her glass between her front hooves. She waited for the princess to continue.

"One of, and perhaps the most glaring, and worrisome things that Ms. Rarity and the others have informed me of, is the human's penchant for violence. I believe them, and I have seen what some races can be capable of, at least those around my lands, anyway. That my little ponies are stranded amongst such atrocities is horrible, but I can do nothing for them as things are. It is simply beyond mine and my sister's power, at least until we figure something out..." Luna mumbled begrudgingly at the end, then resumed. "As we- ahem, I said moments ago, my ponies are white and black in their dealings. Humans, are far more 'grey' in theirs, from what I've gathered... I suspect that Twilight's disappearance might be tied to your own... change. If this is the case, could she be... would the... could the worst have happened to her, in your world? Perhaps, near you? Yes, near you, as I do not quite readily believe you to be the culprit."

Mary almost dropped her glass and began fumbling with it in her hooves."I— Wha—? No! No of course not, I mean, I have never seen her." She swallowed, then re-began. "Could I turn into a pony simply from her dying near me?" The question was blurted out.

Luna felt herself flinch as Mary said the 'd' word, something she wasn't ready to even really consider at all. She had to focus to keep her glass of spirits aloft in her magic. "No, of course not. At least, that isn't possible as far as anything I know of. As I said, her presence near you is only a theory... our plight and yours could very well be unrelated. I merely have to ask... for her sake. Mary, I have no right to request this of you, but when you wake up, could you look for her? Whenever it is... prudent for you? I can't imagine she would be hard to find in a world sticking out the way she surely is. Twilight was never exactly subtle about anything, either... In return, I promise to do whatever I can to help you with your own predicament."

The ears atop Mary's head gave her the distinct sensation of rigidness as they perked up upon hearing what they did. "You'll help me!?" She held her hooves up to her mouth in a mix of shock and delight. "And this is real!" She repeated the thoughts from earlier blissfully. The somber mood had been shattered in one quick stroke. "It's not a dream! Okay, it is a dream, but it's real!" The sound of a shattering glass broke her out of her elated state and interrupted her mad bout of giggling. "Oh sorry—"

Before the other mare could finish her statement, Luna had already bemusedly fixed the glass back atop the table once again. Mary grinned sheepishly from where she jittered across from Luna, and seemed quite unable to sit still.

"Mary, please be aware, I promise my help, but not a solution." Luna smoothed her expression, leaving a hint of serious edged with hesitance and doubt. "I'm a world away from you, with no way of touching your real body anymore than I can my lost subjects."

Mary blinked and sobered up quickly while taking in Luna's words. She responded when it was appropriate, trying to maintain her optimism despite hearing the disclaimers, such as they were. "I understand, it's just... Luna, you have no idea how good it is to know what might have caused this, that there might be hope, that... I'm not crazy, probably." A light bout of laughter made its way out of her and she shuffled her hooves anxiously. The feeling that she couldn't resist moving from the excitement hadn't left her yet.

Luna managed a weak smile herself. "I am glad that I have brought you at least some relief then, Mrs. Mary." She heaved a sigh and picked up where she had left off at. "If we manage to replicate what Twilight did to leave our world, or possibly follow the paths of the other Elements, then I will contact you again. If you need speak with me, then only wish it upon falling asleep, and I will hear you."

Luna's head turned and an almost sterile look of interest flashed onto her face. "I should have realized a month ago you weren't one of my... a pony. Your dreams were far more difficult to enter than those of anypony I have ever tried to- What is so funny?"

"'I'm sorry," Mary batted a hoof at the other pony and ceased her snickering giggle. "It's your pronouns, you say 'everypony' instead of 'everybody'. It's silly, well, I think it's cute, actually." She smiled across the table warmly, friendlily.

"I... see, it is not something I would notice I suppose." Cute? Luna considered the strange word, she didn't hear it often. "On our world it is important often to distinguish between its various races. I suppose your world does not have ponies as the one that Rarity is upon does?"

Mary glanced off to the side while she listened to the in-depth analysis. Oh gosh, I'm playing ambassador with a mystical talking horse! No, pay attention Mary. Having fought off the constant battle she was beginning to have with whimsy, she swallowed and straightened up. "Oh we do, but ours don't talk... we don't really distinguish parts of our language for any other species because... well, we're the only intelligent one." Hesitantly, she re-picked up the alcoholic beverage she had yet to partake in from the table.

Luna blinked at her for a moment, then held a considering hoof up to her chin. "Ah, yes that is like the world upon which Rarity's on, not like Fluttershy's though... Curiouser and curiouser." She shook her head smartly and stood up again, poofing the tea table out of existence.

Luna paused a moment over removing the other mare's drink as well. What was I thinking? Alcohol is terrible for ponies. I should have assumed it was for humans as well. It wouldn't be good for her in any circumstance given her state. "Well, we have covered quite a lot today, Mrs. Mary, and I thank you on behalf of all of Equestria for your help and cooperation. I do sympathize with you, I do. But these are stressful times for us all. Please accept my humble apologies if anything I said or did was not exactly, hm, polite, in human eyes." She inclined her head ever so slightly towards Mary.

"Oh." Mary's eyes widened while her hooves found purchase on the ground with nothing left to hold, unsure of what exactly to do in return to the gesture. "It's no trouble, I wish I'd clued into you being a magical, uhm, being from another world way sooner. I should be thanking you, if anything. I probably would have clocked me with one of these hooves or that bottle you had a second ago if one of my own were missing and some clueless jerk were in the way." She chuckled a little, and grinned up at the princess—whose eyes were widening by the word.

Mary continued. "Ahem, I guess, you're leaving then? But you'll be in touch?"

Luna blinked away the shock from the mare's...brazen attitude. Interesting behavior, certainly like the griffins. "Yes, we will- I will certainly be... 'in touch', as you say." She returned a reassuring smile towards the human.

"Alright, so um... Oh, one last thing, if this missing purple unicorn is in my world, how am I supposed to find her? Wave around a salt lick till she comes running over?" Mary chuckled weakly, after realizing of course that the horse jokes Herbert often made at her own expense were probably not the best thing to be using in the presence of actual ponies, as they were called.

Surprisingly enough, Luna sat again with a thoughtful look. "I do not think Twilight ever indulged in salt, now that you mention it. Anything is worth a shot, I suppose, but you were jesting I detect." She smirked and squinted an eye ruefully back at her. "It is good then, in a way, that your equines are not a match to us. Twilight should stick out even more, now that I think on it. Some things you could look for include her affinity for reading to an almost addictive level. Perhaps you'll find her in a library somewhere?"

Mary smiled more calmly and felt the embarrassment she'd gained fade as Luna spoke on. "Okay fine, a salt lick and the latest Danielle Steel novel." She answered coyly, deciding to keep up the jokes. When Luna only hesitantly joined her laughter, she explained. "Danielle Steel's a very famous author in our world, she has over eight hundred million copies of her novels and books sold. I'm not a fan really, but my mother was-"

"Eight hundred million!?" Luna exclaimed suddenly, her eyes the size of dinner plates. "My... word." That is so many. Easily more than the entire population of equines our world over. Double? Triple? She held a hoof up to her muzzle in wonderment. How vast is their world to support so many? Didn't Rarity say they ate meat? Gulping, her wings found themselves flapping absently behind herself until she stilled their nervousness.

"Uhm, yup, it's a lot alright." Mary flicked her own strange limb—namely her tail—in response to the princess' sudden, showy flappantry. She frowned back at the thing briefly that she usually just wanted to forget existed. "Did... you want to talk some more? About humans?" The question came out hesitantly for a cavalcade of reasons, which ranged from her doubts of whether she was qualified to talk about her entire race to even if she was, should she?

Luna regained her stoic demeanor and coughed. "No, that is to say, not at the moment Mary. I have many, many things to see to, actually. Aside from the other ponies whom I try my best to visit every night, to keep up their spirits you see, I have matters of the kingdom which I must also see to. A princess' job, is never done when her subjects are in turmoil." She gave Mary a wan smile.

"Oooh, okay." Mary nodded as one might to a cashier in a hurry to shorten the line at the mall. "Well have a nice day then, Luna. I'll be sure to stay in touch alright, how often can I talk to you? I will probably think of a million things as soon as I wake up." She had that feeling of excitement building up in her again. It was almost overpowering in this 'dreamscape' place she noticed.

"Time works oddly here, I've theorized it may have to do with one's perception of things or the individuals themselves, but what could be several hours here may be as long as a day while awake, or perhaps even take less time. I try not to dally as a result, usually..." Luna didn't feel the need to mention the liberties for breaks she would take with her gift, at least when Equestria wasn't in the middle of a crisis.

"Oh, well I don't want to keep you then. How do I go about, uhm, leaving?" Mary stared around, there wasn't exactly an exit sign hanging from a nearby doorway, although after thinking about it she squeaked when one suddenly appeared less than ten feet from her.

Luna looked up at it in surprised then let out a hearty laugh. "I'll send you on your way, Mary. Perhaps I will have time to teach you some things about dreaming as a pony some time in the future. It is not something easily done, even after being made aware of it. A pony must have a natural talent for it, so to speak." She smirked briefly before going on.

Mary raised an eyebrow, but gave a fake nod of understanding, not wanting to hold Luna up.

Luna continued. "Alas, I cannot see if you possess such a talent right now. Things in Equestria are... busy." Her horn began to glow blue, something which Mary remembered well. "Oh, one last question Mary."

The orange mare shifted her eyes from gawking at her horn to answer. "Yes?"

"Magic, in your world, could it in anyway return Twilight to us? Should you find her?" Luna held the short spell that would release Mary from the shared dream.

"M— Uhm, as far as I know my world has no magic. It's just not real as far as I and any sane person has always been concerned." Mary shrugged earnestly, then waited.

Luna swallowed hard, unable to make sense of what she'd heard. "Not real? I... don't understand."

Mary reaffirmed what she said. "It's as simple as what I said, magic isn't real. I think what happened to me is the first real case of it ever happening to be honest. I could be wrong, there are legends galore of it around the Earth... but nothing concrete." She tapped a hoof against the pearly white floor for emphasis.

"That's... That's silly," Luna hissed. "That doesn't make any sense, either. Magic holds the fabric of reality together and preserves harmony itself. Why, without magic nothing could exist, physics would be nothing but weakened shadows of their former selves and-" She bit her lip, realizing that if it didn't exist where Mary was from, everything she said would be akin to gibberish.

Mary, for her part wore a mixture of confused and skeptical on her face. Perhaps a little worried, too.

"I apologize, Mary. Perhaps we should speak again soon, after all. I'll make sure to prepare for that encounter as well." Sighing heavily, Luna fixed the mare with a now calmed expression and smile. "For now, rest. Coming here negates sleep, and I'm sure I've taken much of yours up from you already."

Luna's horn again lit up.

Mary straightened and readied herself. "Alright then... good bye Luna, and thank you aga—!" The feeling of what waking up would be like never came for Mary, just as their other encounters, it was like a sudden change rather than anything detectable.

Luna stood still and watched thoughtfully the spot which Mary had just faded from. It was a moment of quiet, self appraisal and thoughts over everything that might have changed with the problems at hand. "Oh, yes," She realized she had almost forgotten one small detail about home, as well. "Tonight was Nightmare Night, as well. A pity I won't be visiting any cities this year." Saving the girls comes first.

Author's Notes:

I highly suspect a great many of you are going what right now. Well, here's a slight disclaimer, this fic has for quite some time been connected to two, then three, and now four other fics. Now I know what you're thinkin' 'Why?'. Well, my intent was to make all the stories enjoyable on their own, but if you want more, hey there's more. So you don't need to, but hey there it is all shiny and everything if you're still hungry.

It was a secret to start with, as I desperately wanted somepony to discover this on their own and 'squee' aloud jubilantly over having 'figured' it out. Seeing as this never happened I gave up and am now shaking the proverbial dog treat under all of your noses by having disclosed it all.

So, on my account page and in several blogs (in case you missed them) I wrote in detail exactly which fics and what not are now a part of this Madness. Most are on my account but I've enlisted the help of another author as well. Feel free to message me I suppose IF you cannot puzzle it out, but I assure you one look at my account should reveal all.

Now, why did I do this? I wish to say it here (already said it there too, so if you read that, then ignore this). I did it because when I read a great fic or story, like anthropology (yesyes these are just my opinions not fact) I will often want MORE. Yes, MORE PONY! NOT ENOUGH PONY!. So, I built an extensive overly mysterious story from the get go all the while singing the mantra Go big or go home!. I tried this with my first story and by 80k words I had somehow decided it wasn't big enough. So then this mess happened.

Well, that's all for now, enjoy everypony! Welcome to crazy town, population, you and me.

-Cheers, Merlos the Mad Miser of Magic

Ps. If any of you guessed that the most important plot reveal in this chapter was in fact... that Luna is not a mother. You are correct.

Psps - Yes when I said Flappantry in there it was a play on words with Flippant, I do that stuff, I don't know why.

Chapter 20 : My Little Reveal

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November 1st 2023, Wednesday

Mary leaned up out of bed abruptly, a hoof held up to her face and searching for some sign that said she was definitely no longer asleep. The sensation of going from a dream to being wide awake was jarring. One of her solid ended arms smoothed her hair back and felt around her face until she was satisfied that she was, in fact, lucid.

I don't believe it. Mary looked over next to herself at the rest of the bed for Stan, but he wasn't there. I just really, really don't believe it. Except I do.

From the experience Mary had just gone through came the sense of excitement and adrenaline once again. She frantically replayed exactly what had happened and what she had discovered in her thoughts, simply by sleeping. Imagine, finding out that things you had grown up with your entire life, but had been told weren't real, turned out to be just that. It's like some cruel party gag where you're left all alone, but then, everyone just leaps out at the end and yells, surpriiiise.

After a glance, the clock at the bedside claimed it was around seven in the morning.

Mary hurriedly untangled herself from the sheets wrapped around her awkward pony legs, and stumbled out of the bed. She was anxious to do something, anything really. The first semblance of progress towards the goal that she had set a month ago, namely, becoming normal again, had appeared.

"Stan, are you home yet!?" she called out, and dashed through the house, grinning excitedly.

Stan Morris cruised down the rural road, flanked by two empty fields, with bags under his eyes and an exhausted feeling weighing his body down. He had been working for a good eighteen hours, when it had been extended just a little bit longer by certain events during the year's most infamous night for law enforcement: the one before Halloween.

Stan groaned quietly and not for the first time. "Mrrgggh." It was somewhere around seven in the morning; he didn't confirm the time, since even looking over at his truck's clock would require more energy than he had to spare at the moment. His jaw cracked when a sudden, massive yawn overtook him.

"What a night." The words were brought about not only by the unexplainable that had happened, but also from the knowledge that the unexplainable also resided back at his own house.

Just what were you doing out yesterday, Mar? I can't wait to hear the explanation for... The thoughts trailed off and his eyes widened as he saw what was clearly a strange pickup truck in his driveway. After a moment, he recognized it vaguely as Dan's truck. What?

Stan jerked the wheel of his vehicle sharply and pulled in, tires skidding slightly on the gravel as he roared to a halt. "What the hell is going on?" he muttered. "Mar, you'd better be alright, have an explanation, and all of this better be a freak accident."

The worried look Stan had worn almost the entire way home deepened into a scowl, now very concerned over discovering if something had worsened about his wife's condition. Please be alright, Mar. The truck door slammed with the weighty heaviness that often accompanied such vehicles, and he jogged swiftly to the backdoor. He nearly forgot about Dan's vehicle as he unlocked his home.

It was locked, he noted. That's a good sign, at least. The house being secure was a welcome discovery.

Stan's footfalls in the entry hall were heavy, thanks to his thick work boots. "Mar!?" he called out immediately, hoping for a quick response. "Mar, are you awake yet?" After a moment, he called out, "Are you alright?"

The home was lit, all of the lights seemed to be on, and that meant someone was awake.

"Mar—!?" The dining room opened up before Stan as he hurried towards his bedroom, but he stopped there.

"Yikes, not so loud, babe. I've got one hell of a hangover, and it feels like I got kicked in the head by a horse..."

Stan's patrol bag slipped out of his hand and thudded onto the ground beside him. His mouth hung open slightly, while his brain in its tired state tried to process why Dan of all people was actually sitting at his dining room table, eating waffles of all things.

"Morning, boss, so how was work— HEY, WHOA!" Dan flew out the the chair he was seated in, tipping it over. He threw up his arms in a gesture for mercy, to no effect.

The scuffling noise of tipping furniture and Stan crossing the space between them in a blur filled the room. The taller man's hands closed around Dan's button up flannel shirt, then slammed him against the wall he had backed up to. It all happened in the space of seconds.

"Easy, easy!" Dan cried out frantically.

"Explain. Now." Stan growled out, holding the other man against the home's surface. The words he'd managed were all he felt were necessary to be said.

"Ah—" Dan seemed to struggle with coming up with anything like a good explanation, possibly from being held several inches off the ground. "Mary... invited me over for french fries and gravy?" His weak laughter was strangled when Stan hoisted him higher up the wall. Both men were bulky, but Stan had a big height advantage.

"Alright alright! Just a joke! I'm sorry I'm here!" Dan gasped and kicked his legs from the pressure put onto his throat. He didn't want to fight back necessarily, after all he wasn't there to cause trouble, but things were starting to get painful.

Stan eased up ever so slightly.

"I drank too much yesterday, and god dammit Stan, I saw her! I know what I saw! If that thing—" Dan's voice was cut off again as Stan returned the pressure. "Gak—!"

"Careful." The bulky man warned the other, slightly less bulky man.

"Alright! If—" Dan panted, talking while fighting for breath. "I know that was Mary, there is no if, that was her voice. I dunno man, I just, I couldn't help but figure I could just drop by and find out. It was bugging me, I shouldn't have drank so much, I'm sorry!" Suddenly his tip-toes were no longer fighting to keep him steady, and he was back on the ground with a thud. "Jesus."

"God dammit, Dan." Stan backed up and ran a hand over his head, still wearily watching his friend. "So what, that excuses you trespassing?"

Dan looked up from where he bent over panting. "What? No, no that's not it man. I don't remember anything. Heck, I passed out on your lawn as far as I can remember, then I woke up in your basement. Dang... sorry about the door by the way, it was locked and I had to use the bathroom bad."

Stan deadpanned down at his deputy and suppressed the urge to just strangle him again. Maybe it was how tired he was, or maybe it was that his wife could've been in serious danger, or even that he was learning about property damage, but he was still a twinge upset. "Alright," he glanced over briefly at the half eaten waffles on the table. "So you made those? You haven't seen Mary?"

The room became quiet. Stan looked over at the deputy that wasn't answering him to find the other man looking up at him seriously.

"Yeah, I was hungry for waffles," Dan replied. Another long pause entered the room. "Stan, what's going on?" he asked finally, in one of his incredibly rare moments of seriousness.

"It doesn't include you, brother. Do us both a favor and just get out of here." Stan sighed heavily and leaned back against his table, folding his solid arms sternly.

Dan stared back at his boss for another few seconds, then shrugged. "Whatever, it isn't any of my business, sorry for going back on the understanding we had the other day. You know how I am after a few beers," he heaved a sigh of his own. "Alright, well—"

Stan watched as Dan's eyes widened into a semblance of horror struck surprise, and heard the sound of something solid thundering through a nearby room with a steady clop clop noise. He had—over the last month—come to associate that noise with whenever his wife was coming nearer in the house.

"Stan, are you home yet!?"

"I don't believe it." Dan's jaw dropped, at the same time Stan turned around and grunted his dismay at the sudden turn of events.

Mary was standing in the doorway, "Oh good you're home, and Dan's still here I forgot about that. Excuse me."

Stan watched Mary back up slowly without pretense for any kind of a reaction at all. His own body failed to react as well, to be fair, except for the sweat that immediately began to coat his hands; he looked back at Dan.

Dan was doing his best impression of an angler fish. His eyes slowly slid over to stare at Stan's, the look of disbelief he wore not fading. The two stood there staring at each other, neither moving or trying to speak again just yet. The sound of Mary screaming obscenities for a brief moment made them flinch, though.

In the two men's minds thoughts paraded through each, and they were serious ones. Stan considered just what his deputy would do, and didn't exactly know if he trusted him. When the average person that knew Dan was asked whether they trusted him, they would typically answer, 'not as far as I could throw him'.

As for Dan—who had been driven to drink after his last meeting with the little dream horse—he was entertaining a myriad of thoughts of his own. They ranged from why Stan had married a horse, true to his humorous side, and if he was going completely insane.

Herbert strode past them both, yawning, and carrying a twelve pack. "You statues going to kiss or what?" The older man nonchalantly entered the kitchen the two law enforcers half blocked.

Stan blinked and looked over at his father.

"Who's that?" Dan asked, leaning further back from Stan.

"Father," Stan answered simply.

"Oh," Dan muttered. He tried and failed to back further away from Stan. "Seriously now, can I just go?"

Stan settled his grim stare on Dan, but didn't speak.

"Oh, if it isn't little Daniel!" Agnes strode up and pinched Dan's cheek roughly. "Hello dear, so nice to see you again, it's been a while." She laughed, then confronted his bewildered expression. "Well don't tell me you've forgotten Stan's mother!?"

Dan massaged his bruised cheek. "Ah, no, how could I forget."

"What are you doing?" Stan didn't break his stare at Dan. "For that matter, what are you all doing here at all?"

"What am I doing? A better question, is what are you doing?" Agnes tsked and took up a stance with her hands on her hips. "And we're here because a patrol car wrapped up in trees or something was on the news this morning!"

Stan grunted and glanced over at his far shorter mother. "Mom, he saw Mary-"

"He's still a guest in your home, comere." Agnes made to tug on her son's ear, but couldn't reach and settled for his arm. Her son reluctantly followed to stop a few feet away. The old grandmother whispered in a hiss up at him, "Staring at Daniel like you're going to bury him in the backyard isn't going to help anything, Stan. Obviously we shouldn't just let him go either, but as long as he's here too we might as well fill him in."

"And what if he goes to the news with this? What if this is the end?" Stan sighed the words out, his mind felt like a lead weight from the rough night. The things at stake were the only crystal clear picture he could hold onto.

"It won't come to that, but if it did, I imagine we'd run." Agnes scowled up at him. "I'm not going to entertain your downbeat thoughts kiddo, we bring him into the loop and go from there." She rubbed a hand on her son's shoulder and glanced at the deputy.

"Can I go now?" Dan quipped from across the room, noting the way Stan stood in front of the doorway. A hand tapped his shoulder, and turned to see an old man holding a beer up standing behind him. "..."

Agnes and Stan returned their attention to one another.

"Stanley, I don't know Dan, you do. If you think letting him go will be a big problem, then we'll go and get things ready..." Agnes leaned her head on one hand and looked up at Stan sadly. "Or is bringing him into the loop plausible?"

Stan remained quiet for a moment, then looked over at Dan again, who returned the stare with an equally cold look. "No, you're right, we'll play it by ear." He walked through the house and went to find Mary, who he guessed was probably in the bedroom.

Mary shouted back out of the door. "No, I'm not opening it!"

"For Pete's sake Mar, just let me in." Stan leaned tiredly against the door, and nearly fell when it opened suddenly. He caught himself on the doorway and looked down at Mary, who was enshrouded in a sheet.

"I screwed up Stan, I should've just put him back out in his truck, and now he's seen me, again! And-" Mary cut off and bit her lip forcefully.

Stan had knelt down and put a hand on her neck, smoothing it soothingly. "It'll be fine Mar, you did the right thing I think... Complicated stuff like this was bound to happen sooner or later, regardless." He shut his eyes for a moment, feeling the weighted heaviness of his exhaustion pressing on him.

"Hey, I have really good news though, too. Oh...and really bad news now that I think about it..." Mary tapped her hooves against one another, thinking carefully about how to share everything she had learned. "Uhm, first though, and it kind of ties into the bad news, but I don't think Bobby should go to school today."

"Why's that?" Stan asked warily, already he'd formed a few theories about why Mary had trashed that patrol car.

"It's a long story... More importantly, I have a lead about what caused all this." Despite still being tired, not yet showered, and plagued by bedhead, Mary smiled widely and pressed her hooves against her face blissfully. "I know it sounds crazy, but listen to this-"

Stan held up one hand to his head. "I... That's great Mar, I'm sorry though I've been awake forever right now I'm running on fumes. Can I go get some coffee first, and sort out Dan at least?"

"I'm not going out there." Mary frowned and began shaking her head vehemently at Stan. "At least, I don't want to..."

Stan chuckled, "I'm not asking for you to do that, suffice to say I still don't think Dan cares that much. I walked in when I got home and he was just sitting there, eating waffles..."

Mary squinted one eye and raised a confused eyebrow. Who does that? "Okay...well, once he's gone I'll bring everyone up to speed, I guess I'll take a shower first and...uhm, oh I'll let the kids sleep in I guess." She knew that if either her or Stan didn't wake them up they'd not question it and would stay in bed regardless.

Stan straightened and stood up, "Alright then, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." His tired thoughts trudged through the fog around his brain. "Oh, Mom and Dad are here, too. I dunno they just showed up, I guess your stunt last night is on the news."

"My stunt? Uhm, what stunt?" Mary asked earnestly.

Stan raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Were you not out last night? A squad car got torn up like a tin can by some plants, I don't know many x-men around here, so what happened last night? For that matter, are you okay?"

"Oh, oh!" Realization dawned on Mary. "Yes, I'm fine, but noo, of course that wasn't me." She put on a smarmy grin. "By the way I read an article the other day about how ornery those grape vines can get around this time of the year, strangest thing."

Under Stan's darkening look, the pony smiled sheepishly back up at him, ears laying back against her head. "Mary..." Stan folded his arms and gave her a worried look.

Mary sighed and sat down on her rump defeatedly. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you found out about that, yeah I- I didn't mean to do it. Was anyone hurt?" She nervously watched her husband.

"Some bruises and a sprained wrist, a wrecked patrol car too, but that's great considering how old ours are getting." Stan smirked at Mary. "So that was you, and Bobby had something to do with it. He was at that party last night?

Mary hesitated, then nodded solemnly. "I don't know all of the facts myself, yet, but we'll have to talk about it."

Stan got the feeling he was going to be doing a lot of talking, and at the moment all he felt like doing was a lot of sleeping.

"So..." Dan scratched a hand over the three day stubble his face sported.

"So!" Herbert replied, a cheerful tone in his voice. He folded his hands over one another and grinned across the table at the younger man.

Dan shrugged and held up his hands. "I give, am I going to get an explanation or not? It's not a really big deal either way. I get the feeling you guys don't want to say, actually."

"What makes you say that?" Herbert quirked an eyebrow and smiled wider.

"Well," Dan began, shifting his eyes over to Stan as he walked back in, then to Agnes who was sitting at the other end of the table. "Stan just about killed me when he saw me, granted this is the first time I've ever been inside his house, but it wasn't the kind of reaction I'd expected. Mary's the reason for it, not me, right?" He sighed and looked over at Stan, not wanting to ignore the elephant in the room, so to speak. "Look, Stan, I owe you a lot, I probably wouldn't have a job right now if it weren't for you and anyone else wouldn't give me nearly as easy a time as you do." Standing up he walked over to his boss and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I don't say nancy crap like this often, but if you need me to keep this a secret you can count on it, I'm over how freaky it is. Also, that paranormal nerd shit isn't for me anyway so I don't really care anyway, it's your business brother- Is he asleep?"

"No I'm awake." Stan inhaled deeply and opened his eyes again, the bags that were under them were nearly an inch long and as dark as soot. "It was a long night, Dan. Giving you the day off meant someone had to cover the radio for a few hours. That someone was me."

"You should get some sleep, dear." Agnes started, rising up out of her chair.

Stan shook his head, then Dan's hand. "In a minute Mom-" He cut off when a voice called out from the hallway.

"Everyone look away, I'm going into the shower!" Mary's voice came around the corner as an angry warning.

Dan blinked in confusion, but turned away, only catching a glimpse of a pony in a bathrobe from the corner of his eye. This is too weird, whatever she caught, it better not be contagious.

Stan sighed again and started anew from where he stood between Dan and the doorway. "Dan, I'm glad to hear all that, but just listen for a minute, okay?" At his deputy's nod, he continued. "It's my wife, my wife. You know how big that is, right?" Another nod. "Then you should listen to what happened, what we've gone through the last month."

Stan paused a moment looking solidly at his deputy's face. Dan had a growing look of concern on his own. "I do trust you, I'm not worried about that, but I want you to understand it isn't something that effects anyone but us. You catch my drift?"

"...Not really?" Dan crooked his mouth and scratched his head. "Boss, use smaller words."

"He means that Mary isn't radioactive and a danger to the good citizens of Belsdale, Dan." Herbert added in, sipping his drink. "Your beer's getting warm by the way."

Dan cursed and leaned over to snag his drink. "Shoot, actually I hadn't even thought of that. Stan I'm not the type to worry about this sort of thing. I have two things on my mind, getting paid and tail-"

Stan stepped in again. "That's my other concern, I'll just throw it out there, Mary could be worth a lot to the wrong people like this."

The room grew quiet, A bead of sweat trickled down Dan's face. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

Agnes piped in with a consoling voice. "Stanley..." The three men looked over at her. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Are we handling this right?"

Stan made a look of fixed frustration and surrender. "Well what else am I going to-" The tall Irishman grunted and leaned back against the doorway, exhausted eyes stuck on the floor.

"Aw come on, this isn't a big deal is it, you guys make it sound like you want to off me so I don't go to the news." Dan shrugged, laughing nervously and raised both eyebrows at Stan. "That's ridiculous, everyone knows no one believes anything the news says anymore!"

"Daniel we would do no such thing." Agnes put a hand on the deputy's arm.

Herbert cracked his knuckles and coughed. "I dunno, he drank the poison in that beer already..." The other three people in the room all looked over at Stan's father, after a moment of silence the older man burst out laughing. "Joking, just joking."

Dan gulped, then set the half empty beer down on the dining room table. "Look, no one would believe me anyway. Besides-" He scrubbed a hand behind his head, at a loss for what else to say. "Dammit, I'm no good with words, boss. What the hell else do you want me to reassure you with?"

Stan thought the request over for a good minute, until he finally made a decision.

"You want me to what?" Mary asked through the bathroom door, drying her mane and coat furiously with a bath towel.

Stan leaned on one arm again against the door and repeated himself, a little louder than before. "You heard me Mar, I want you to come out here and tell him some stuff about what we've been through. He's already seen you, we need to make sure he's on our side."

"No! Why— That's silly, he already said he doesn't care so shove him out the door already." Mary huffed and threw done the towel before re-wrapping herself up in the tailored bathrobe. "You don't really think he would, do you?"

"Tell someone? Maybe when he's drunk, but I dunno. It could help to have someone else in the loop though, Mar, even if it is Dan." Stan glanced back at his parents and Dan, who seemed to be eyeballing another beer that Herbert was handing to him. "Speaking of which Dad's busy bribing him right now, too."

Mary cracked the door open and poked her pony nose out. "Well good, let Dad bribe the oaf and let that be the end of it. I still need to tell you about Luna and her little ponies!" After the words escaped her mouth she felt how silly the sentence had been in the air itself.

Stan pushed the door open a little wider. "What?"

"My dream last night Stan, and we need to talk about Bobby too." Mary frowned sadly at Stan with the new topic in the air.

Stan gave his wife the most serious look he could. "Alright we will, after you talk to Dan though. I know him Mar, he's a lot less likely to say anything if he hears this from you." The two stared at one another, a scowl forming on and wrinkling Mary's muzzle.

"Eerg, you are insufferable, you know that!? Fine, but I'm getting dressed first- LOOK AWAY!" Mary stormed out of the bathroom past her husband. "I want a BLT too, or no deal." She walked on her hind legs, stomping her path all the way back to the bedroom.

Behind Mary, despite being told otherwise, Dan had stared, in a rather disbelieving fashion. In the quiet, he looked over towards Herbert and whispered, "Was she like that before? The attitude I mean."

"I heard from Stan that she locked him out of the hotel room during their honeymoon because he brought his sidearm with him to clean it," Herbert whispered back through clenched teeth. Dan snickered back, failing at not being heard throughout the room. Agnes rolled her eyes and walked away, busying herself with making Mary a tasty bacon riddled sandwich.

Mary took a deep breath, then stepped out into the dining room towards what she hoped was going to be a very simple affair. Just explain things, make the sob story good and then shoo him off. She looked up at Stan who was waiting at the doorway.

"You alright, Mar?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, peachy." Mary managed to smile, the sight of her beleaguered husband made her heart melt a little. It made going along with his admittedly logical idea a little easier, being able to feel sorry for him. She popped up on two legs briefly and smoothed her sundress, kneading the wrinkles out nervously. "Let's just get this over with dear."

Mary's hooves carried her into the dining, where waiting to stare at her was... no one. Her face scrunched into a heated look. "Ahem?"

Dan and Herbert looked over, the father-in-law spoke first. "Oh, hello Mary."

Stan's eyes narrowed at his father. "Dad, take it easy on those."

Herbert waved a hand, "Tell that to your friend, I said these beers were poisoned and he's still had three of them."

Dan nodded gratifyingly to himself. "Yeah, it's only eight in the morning too, new pershonal best."

"Exactly," Stan plucked the drinks from the table. "It is only eight in the morning, also, how exactly do you plan on getting home, drunk? Mom, why didn't you stop them?"

Agnes poked her head out of the kitchen at hearing insane amounts of giggling from two grown men and her name. "What? I've been in here Stan, weren't you watching them?"

Stan groaned, then glared at his father. I didn't think I had to.

Mary watched on from the doorway, halfway between ready to just leave and halfway towards wanting to gallop up to the two blockheads in her dining room and buck them both in the side. "Now look," Everyone did. "I have put up with the lion's share of crazy the last twenty four hours, and have just been drug out here to try and convince someone who's somehow already drunk that I'm worth keeping a secret! Is anyone going to take this seriously?" She finished by trotting up to the dining table and taking a seat at it, glaring at Dan.

"Hey, I'm not drunk, it was just three beers, yeesh." Dan leaned back and folded his hands on his stomach. "I don't think I need to hear anything, Mary." Dan glanced over at Stan. "You have my word I won't say shit to anyone, it's not my business anyway. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was coming by yesterday to apologize for not giving you your ticket."

Everyone stopped and thought about what Dan had last said for a moment.

Herbert spoke up again first. "Well that's drunk logic for you-"

"Helloooo, is anybody home? Sorry I let myself in, it's just me, Marge!" A sing songy feminine voice called out from the front of the house. "Tonight's the day after Halloween and I read online that for curses, if you-" The sound of a piercing squeal as the woman's eyes locked onto the frozen orange mare filled the house. "It's a PONY!"

Mary growled and stood up out of the chair, then shrieked out, "WOULD SOMEBODY LOCK THE FREAKING DOOR!?"

"So, Stan's wife has been cursed somehow to look like a multicolored miniature horse?" Dan drawled out disinterestedly, the bouncing and constant giggling coming from the fat older woman beside him proving to be a great deal more distracting than the cursed horse woman sitting across the table from him. "And apparently you also met a horsey dream god that looks like you, has wings and a horn, on top of possibly being involved in this somehow?"

Mary nodded slowly to Stan's deputy, they had spoken at length about Dan keeping things to himself, as well as Marge. The older woman who had just arrived however, was having trouble remaining calm enough to give off any semblance of actually paying attention. Suffice to say they had just gone ahead with explaining everything from there.

"Princess Luna! That was Princess Luna!" Marge cackled out in response to Dan's summary.

Agnes poked the other woman in the shoulder for the eighth time. "Would you act your age? We'll get to you and why it is you know all of this already in a minute."

"I told you! I told you, it's because it's from a TV show from a decade ago, 'My Little Pony'!" Marge couldn't help but keep her eyes glued to Mary the entire time they had been together in the same room.

"Shush." Agnes clapped a hand over Marge's mouth. "Honestly." She sighed and shook her head, then let go. "What would a TV show have to do with this, anyway?"

From the other side of the table, Herbert suddenly groaned, then scrunched up his face in a thoughtful look. He bent over to the side of his chair and reached into a bag, returning with a notepad that seemed to have a copious amount of writing on it. He flipped through it until coming to one page, then tore it out and crumpled it up into a ball.

Mary frowned, looking away from the woman that had found her way into her house uninvited. "What was that?" She asked Herbert, confusion painting over her frustration.

"List of theories about what caused this, suffice to say you jumped the shark on this one, though I did have alternate universe and a few gods on here—" Herbert got as far as tossing the ball of paper into a nearby waste bin before getting interrupted.

"Dad, I'm being serious here!" Mary thunked a hoof on the table, causing Marge to grin again and stare at it.

"So am I!" Herbert shot back, throwing up his hands. "Heck, I've been so serious about things I've even been hunting a physician we could trust that would be open to having a look at you." He stuck a serious look at Mary.

"I— Really? What for?" Mary blinked in surprise.

Herbert traded looks with Agnes, then the grandmother sighed and spoke up. "It's just in case Mary, Herbert brought up some good points, we don't know what's happened to you, but we know things keep happening around you... He went looking for what he said would be, 'a doc that was nerdy enough' that could help if we ever did have any complications. Could you imagine if you broke a leg and we had no one to turn to?"

"Mom," Mary shook her head and scoffed. "I'm easily four or five times as strong as I used to be." She let out a laugh and flexed, "Stan even tried wrestling me the other week and got more than he bargained for."

Agnes raised an eyebrow over at her son.

"What, she started it." Stan crossed his arms and leaned back defensively in his chair. Mary responded by sticking her tongue out across the table at him.

Herbert chuckled. "Ah, wrestling, is that what the kids call it these days?"

The room was silent, until Dan broke out laughing from where he'd been relegated to the corner.

"DAD!"

"Herbert!"

"Dad..."

"Donkey!"

Herbert grinned around at his family after answering them, then sighed when disapproval was still glared his way. The man looked up absently at the ceiling, reveling in the gasps and shouts detailing his poor taste in jokes from his family. It took a minute, but they finally calmed down enough he could speak without talking over somebody. "What? Why's that a big deal? She's still my daughter-in-law and your wife, Stan."

Stan pressed his hands against his eyes and repeated himself. "Dad..."

"In the eyes of God, do you think she's any different now than she was?" Herbert asked seriously, a light smile on his face.

Stan rolled his eyes. "That's not the issue at all. Can we just not talk about that in public?" There was no question on anybody's mind about what Stan meant by say 'that'.

Stan put a hand on Mary's shoulder, who was busy trying to melt under the table and hide the blushing that had engulfed her face.

Herbert waved a hand and sighed. "Alright, alright, I just don't want you to waste your youth is all, kiddos. Why, if I still had a few years of it left you can rest assured that—"

That had probably been the final straw for Agnes, because she'd stood up at planted a fist down on top of Herbert's head forcefully. "That's enough out of you, dear." When he protested she pulled one of his ears as well.

A heartfelt 'aaaw' from Marge broke the silence that was left in the room by Herbert's shenanigans. She looked around, surprised when everyone turned towards her. "What? It's adorable, true love despite insurmountable odds! Eeee, and Mary's adorable too! Mary, can I-?"

"No." Mary replied simply. "You can't." She didn't want to chance what the question had been about to be. After a moment she leaned forward on the table, steepling her hooves and peering over them. "You can get to explaining what 'My Little Pony' has to do with this, though. I remember that show now. I remember people in the military carrying around the little dolls of it even."

Stan raised an eyebrow over at her. "What, downrange?"

"Yeah, I didn't get it either." Mary shrugged back at her husband.

Agnes sighed and leaned on one arm over the table. "You know, I remember My Little Pony, but that was way back in the eighties, wasn't it? Why, I used to have a box full of those little things—"

Marge was waving her hands vehemently and looked as though she were about to burst from what she was trying to say.

"What. Marge." Mary sighed and asked finally.

"No! Not that one, this was way newer, only thirteen years ago or so. I don't know what it has to do with this, but everything you just described down to some of those names is from the show! I promise you." Marge grinned around at everyone in the room, except Dan, who was pointedly trying to ignore all of what he considered to be fairly pointless.

This is the one time I regret having a drink. Maybe I can sneak out... Dan eyeballed the doorway. Dammit, where are my keys?

"You're serious?" Mary said, a lighter tone entering her voice. "So I may have turned into something from a TV show, what's the connection?" Stan groaned, from where he stood beside his wife. "Stan, go to bed. I'm fine on my own, now."

The big man shook his head and squinted into the room's blindingly bright lights. "I don't need sleep just yet..."

"Mom, put your son to bed already, Dan's too drunk to go anywhere and Marge is more likely to pet me than ruin our day." Mary's tail began to flick erratically behind her, while Agnes managed to start dragging Stan away from the room by pinching his sides, despite the man's protests.

"Oh my gosh, can I!?" Marge's manic grin returned in a flash at the very thought, while Dan's protests of soberness sounded off just beneath that.

Mary glared across the table at them both "No! To you too, Dan. You're lucky you didn't crash last night, go start a barbeque if you want to do something. At the rate we're going we'll be here all day anyway." Glancing at a clock, it was already lunch time. I should probably go wake the kids up...

"Oh, I like that idea." Herbert took his feet and propped them up on the dining table. "What?"

"Dad, come on, you're not helping." Mary felt as though she were herding cats. I think I preferred the nightmares, this is way more unbearable.

Herbert harrumphed from his side of the table. "Anyway, I can't believe we didn't catch that there was something that might explain all of this. Mary, didn't you say that you researched this, looked through the internet several times? It sounds like you gave up too soon."

Mary through up her hooves and growled. "Yes! I told you, all I found were a bunch of fictional stories and absolutely nothing about this happening in real life. Real. Life. Not fiction, nothing fake could help with this!" A heat bloomed in her cheeks while Marge and Herbert raised eyebrows at her.

"You should've shown me this a month ago, dear." Marge chided, laughing and standing up. "Now, can I pleasepleaseplease touch your mane? Just once!?"

"No!" Mary leaned away from Marge further and tried to fend her off with a hoof, until finally her chair toppled over sideways; the room erupting into a plethora of curses and shouting. Most of the curses came from Mary.

Chapter 21 : Time Moves On

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Mary held her head up off the patio table with the barest remnants of her remaining willpower. It figures, she thought, I get a storm of possibly good news and maybe even some super parent progress with my delinquent son. Her head turned on its long neck to glance across the table at Bobby, who was chomping away boredly at a hamburger, only to have it stricken away by these boobs.

Mary's contemplation referred to the news of Luna in her dream the night before. Despite how momentous it had seemed to her at the time, it had been largely forgotten in the wake of more recent events. Still, she desperately wished to be in bed with Stan right then, who was sound asleep from his work the night before. The urge to speak with Luna again was driving, after all, the strange creature had left abruptly, and true to what she had suspected, a million questions had formed during the course of the day.

Mary sighed and took another bite from her salad-laden fork, only to barely avoid snapping when a series of giggling teehees came from next to her.

Sitting beside Mary, after ever so much begrudging hesitation on her own part, was Marge. The middle aged woman hadn't so much as taken her eyes off of Mary since first seeing her. A loud clatter came from over by the barbecue next, the sound of a drunk Dan tipsily taking steaks from the grill and placing them on a plate while chatting with Herbert.

"So we're clear then, right Marge?" Mary once again picked up the conversation that always seemed to derail at the other woman's behest. "You can't tell or show anyone anything to do with me." She stared solidly at the pair of eyes glued to hers, fully aware they were probably miles away again thinking about prancing in a field of flying with 'pegacorns' or whatever she had called them. Her hooves clopped together loudly right in front of Marge's face. "Marge! Hey, did you hear me?" She could feel her tail lashing behind herself despite how hard she tried to make it stop. "You. Can't. Tell. Anyone."

"Anypony," Marge said reflexively, then looked to Mary's side to stare at her tail. "Well alright if you insist, I won't tell anypony." She entered another fit of laughter, still staring at every part of Mary without shame. "So what's your cutie mark, I can't see it under that outfit. Oh, and you should definitely watch the show if you-"

Mary groaned and let her head hit the table, clunking it hard enough that Bobby and Anna let out complaints of surprise. The act also interrupted Marge successfully. "Marge, the less you know, the better. As for the show thing, we'll get to it I promise, if nothing else it's something else to look into, I guess. I'm not watching it with you though." The other women let out an immature aw of disappointment, causing Mary to glare over at her friend. The stare was hard enough to finally quiet the older woman. "This isn't just me we're talking about, this is my family, please take this seriously."

Marge coughed and leaned back in her chair from the equine, taking a sip of lemonade. "Oh you're right and I would never do anything to endanger you like that, Mary." She held a hand up to her mouth and let an expression of wonder build on her face again, contrasting from the look of pure excitement she had worn all day. "It's just incredible, I guess I should apologize actually."

Mary's ears twitched, again despite trying to hold herself still, and stood up. "Apologize, what for?" She pulled her mane back behind her shoulder, taken aback by Marge's sudden coherence and seriousness.

"Well, for just walking in like that, I was just so curious after nearly a month of you... beating around the bush so to speak." Marge shrugged and smiled at back Mary. "I can certainly see now why you turned to me for help." She let out a couple more chuckles of laughter and managed to reach out and poke Mary's hoof. "This is definitely out of my league, but if you ever need help with anything please feel free to ask. It's just like before really, but now you don't have to worry about me finding out that you're not feeling quite yourself."

Despite Marge's added snickers, Mary still found the sentiment to be refreshing.

"Who wants brauts?" Agnes strolled over and lowered the plate onto the table, to which everyone mumbled some acknowledgement or another, except Mary, who felt her stomach turn at the sight of the things.

"Uggh," Mary leaned away from the sausages. "I'll stay inside for a bit I think, Mom." Her hooves clunked onto the wooden porch noisily as she clopped her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Marge and Agnes asked at the same time, Agnes turned to frown down at the other woman, who made a nervous smile back.

Mary called back out the door, "I need to do some searching for... something, on the internet," Then closed the door behind herself.

I can't believe I didn't find anything useful. Actually, no, I definitely can. Mary grumbled and kicked back at Stan under the covers of the bed. He was still dressed from work, having conked out as soon as he reached the bed it seemed. She thought he was sound asleep, just hogging the bed on instinct. But a muffled outcry from him proved her wrong.

"Hey, ouch," Stan protested in his deep voice, then pinched back at his wife. "Not with the hooves. Those things are dangerous."

Mary peeked over at him from over a pillow. "Oh, you're awake? Well, knock off with the bed-hoggery, then. I'm trying to fall asleep. So hush..."

Stan had been asleep for most of the day after his marathon at work, while Mary was eager to fall asleep as soon as she could to see Luna. Her search of the purple unicorns on the internet had—as she had been afraid it would—been fruitless. Although thinking it over, she supposed that could be a good thing. If this 'Twilight Sparkle' was in the spotlight to the degree of being in the news... that could be bad. Or, maybe... she would completely revolutionize humanity's view of the world and usher in an unprecedented era of peace and good will towards everyone's fellow man!... Yeah, fat chance of that. Uggh, but where the hay do I look for a little horse on a planet where she could be anywhere!?

Stan chuckled at her while he got out of bed, ready to spend some time up and awake now that it was nearly evening, which promised that his sleep schedule would be skewed until work the next day. His voice flattened while he spoke over his shoulder, hesitating on the bed's edge. "So Marge left? Good, I'm worried about her knowing, how did Dan get home?"

Mary answered without opening her eyes. "He seemed well off enough to drive, he only just left. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried too, but they're okay people. I'm safe." She cracked an eye open and rested it on her husband's broad back. "Hey Stan, you don't think of me any differently, right? You kind of... give me more attention than you have in recent time. I don't mind it at all, but you don't need to."

Stan nodded to the floor and hummed his response.

The room kept silent while Stan kept to himself in thought, and Mary waited.

"Wait, what?" Stan turned around and met his wife's emerald shaded eyes.

Mary watched him back, not picking her head up from the pillow, hoping she wouldn't have to repeat the questions. Part of that hope was because she was sure she would say 'never mind' instead.

"...I just don't want you to feel like this mattered at all to me, Mar." Stan would have rested a comforting hand on his wife's hoof, but sitting turned around as he was made it an awkward position. "I love you, whether we can get you changed back or not." He managed a weak, reassuring smile that he hoped looked happier than it felt.

"Hmm..." Mary hummed and closed her eyes again. "Alright, I was just starting to get suspicious you liked me more this way was all, farm boy." She barely kept a roguish grin that might give her away from forming.

Stan blinked, confusion painting his face, before a smile bloomed in its place. "Ooh, I see," he slid off the bed and walked around the end. "Well lass, that fear's not unfounded, after all, what man could resist a flank," his hand came down hard on his wife's tush, "as lush as this, eh?"

Mary gasped and sat up on the bed in an instant, face blooming red. She rounded on and glared at her husband's uncharacteristic grin. She felt her own angry look shift to match his jovial one. "Jerk."

"Ach, 'tis a lie, ah'm the gentlest of gentlemen. Especially to my lady love Mary." Stan folded one hairy arm across his front and gave her a slight bow.

When his head came close enough, Mary swatted a hoof in his direction and managed to barely nick him.

"Hey." Stan winced but chuckled again, putting a hand on his scalp to rub at the pain. "What'd I say about those hooves?"

Mary laid back down and raised an eyebrow at him, her tail swishing unfavorably. "All's fair in love and war, love." A satisfied smirk curved her short muzzle up at one end. "All right, you're off the hook. I was just teasing you." She sighed and let her head fall to the pillows with a thud, still staring up at Stan. "Just pointing out that I noticed it I guess, I like it too." Just before he answered her, she added. "Maybe you could keep it up when I'm normal again, hm?"

Stan bit back what he had been about to say, then smiled and answered his wife. "Aye, ah can do that." He knelt down and cupped her slight chin in his hand, stealing a kiss skillfully. His face sobered up as he pulled away, taking in the details of Mary's contented expression and strange new looks. One of her ears flicked, something he still hadn't been able to figure out the meaning of. "I'll let you get to sleep then."

Mary snagged him by his pants.

"...Maybe you could stay until I fall asleep." Her tone didn't exactly leave room for it to sound like a suggestion.

It hadn't taken very long for Mary to find sleep in Stan's embrace. When the fogginess of drifting to sleep disappeared in a rush and she opened her eyes to full awareness, she knew that it had worked.

Mary looked around and was quickly brought to a total loss for words or thoughts.

The plane which stretched forever in every direction was flat and white without definition. In fact, if it weren't for her standing as though the ground were completely flat and smooth, she would not have been able to tell if there were a floor.

Mary turned her head in every direction, large eyes blinking, then called out to her surroundings. "Luna? Uhm, Ms. pony princess? Hello?" She looked up, down, around, tossing her blue and tan mane in every direction while trying to spot the strange horse she had come looking for to continue her quest for answers. The ground didn't make any sound while her hooves walked over its surface, she thought that it probably should be making a loud clip clop like a normal ground.

When the sound of Mary's hooves making noise jumped at her without warning, the rest of her did the same. She gasped, then landed after hopping up and scurried back to where she'd been. A tense breath escaped her while trying to calm down. "Okay, that was weird, but I guess it makes sense." This place goes way beyond the definition of weird, after all. "Luna!? Is this your idea of a joke?"

Mary's frowned, turning in a three sixty as if chasing her tail, then scoffed at the nothing angrily. Her hooves kicked up into a gallop and she sped off towards the horizon, impatience and nervousness building. "LUNA!?" There was nothing to tell if she was even moving really, which made her brow furrow while she the rest of her became increasingly distraught. Worse, she had to deal with the annoying racket that her hooves were... no longer making. Upon wishing away the noise her pony body made on the strange ground, it vanished.

Mary slid to a halt, frowning at the ground while she did so, then sat on the ground hard. A defeated look replaced the flabbergasted one, and she looked up at the blank sky. "Okay, this is creepy." I wonder if I should try and wake up. The worried thought hung in her mind, while her tail swished behind her, adding as it always did to her irritation. Well this sucks.

The terrain remained the same while Mary began to feel a little more at ease with each passing second, if a little annoyed that the princess wasn't showing up. "Okay, so I'm in the 'Matrix' now instead of the 'Dreamscape' thing maybe?" She asked aloud to herself, then looked around again a tenth time to be sure nothing changed. "Tank, I need instructions for how to salvage my life, stat." No answer came.

A short laugh escaped Mary while she stood up and began to try and think things through. Alright well, this is definitely the same kind of I'm awake but not awake thing I was in before. Maybe without Luna it's just blank like this? She sighed and stopped walking, realizing it was pointless with no frame of reference.

"I kinda miss the clouds." Mary sat again and decided to begin trying to wake up... and double-taked at the ground.

The immediate area around Mary had become the fluffy white cotton balls that a child would have imagined clouds would be like from the night before. She stared at them in disbelief, before dipping a hoof into them. Sure enough, they held the same jello-like consistency as before.

"This is so weird." Mary continued to stare at the ground, until an idea came to her.

A moment later, and a juke box popped into reality just off to the side, just a few feet away.

"Hah!" Mary grinned as much as she could and trotted over to the old-timey music device her grandfather had owned. "I take it back, this is so amazing." While a bit of music from an older era came on from her hooves navigating the buttons, an idea popped into her head. I control things here... I thought that Luna was the one controlling things. Is it because this is my dream? Her pony head turned on her long pony neck to look back at the patch of clouds. Can I just do anything, then?

A stand mirror appeared before Mary at her whim, and suddenly she was herself.

Mary's face was expressionless while she looked over her old, human body, staring back at her.

"That's a bit anti-climactic actually." Mary frowned and turned in the mirror, just looking at herself and failing to feel fulfilled after getting just what she wanted, sort of. This couldn't change me back home, could it? The hopeful thought was a last ditch effort to try and coax some emotion or happiness out of seeing her old self again. It didn't quite work.

Mary's hands were what captivated her the most, she had missed the simple pleasure of just flexing them, feeling what they were capable of. "It's funny," she intoned, content to study the lines in her finger's prints, "you fail to really appreciate the things you have until they're gone." A heavy sigh escaped the middle aged woman, and she fell back onto the cloudy cushions to stare at the sky. It transformed into a starry night after a thought from her.

"Lunaaa, I made cookies, come out." Mary called to the princess halfheartedly, but a plate of cookies did appear much to her surprise. She stared at the plate that had simply materialized by her head. Don't eat strange dream cookies Mary, you don't know where they've been. Despite the thought, she picked one up in her hand, admiring the rough texture, then took a bite.

Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty.

Mary began to toy more with things, such as admiring how pretty she could get the stars to be. With some practice, she was even able to design some funny constellations. All the while, the silence stretched on as she tried to figure things out and wait for Luna.

After time continued to stretch, an odd feeling crept in; at least, it was odd in Mary's eyes given that she was already asleep.

A yawn cracked her jaw from an intense feeling of tiredness. Uggh, "uggh," she thought and spoke simultaneously.

Mary hopped down from the back of the black horse she had brought to life and stared across at the various things she'd made. The horse nickered and tossed its head at her.

"What?" Mary smirked. "I don't know either, buddy. Nobody tells me anything." She laughed and patted its neck, while another yawn forced its way out of her mouth. "I think I need to go, though. It looks like Loony Luna's a no-show for some reason or another." She said she would answer me if I called her, too. A frown creased her face, while she poofed more of the various items away.

A Ferrari; three penguins; a couch which she had tried to make the most comfortable thing in existence, to name a few. The couch had been a failure, she decided. While comfy, it hadn't exactly felt otherworldly to her, as hoped for. Likewise, the animals didn't really seem... real. She gave the things one last look, until just her cloud patch and the night sky remained.

Mary felt her eyes close, the tiredness getting stronger, her body fighting to lay down on the soft ground. Well... this... has been... waste of time... Her thoughts became sluggish while the rest of her drifted unconscious.

Most of the lights were turned down low for the evening, while oddly enough the upstairs was uncharacteristically quieter than usual without music pouring from Bobby's room. The company present in the downstairs of the home included Mary, and Stan, both sitting at one end of the dining table facing each other.

Mary turned up the glass that Stan had poured for her, gulping down a healthy swig before lowering it back to the table. I can't believe I was asleep for almost a day. A tired, throaty sigh escaped her while she stared at the table, enjoying the reassuring squeeze of her husband's hand around her unwelcome hoof.

"And you're sure you're alright?" Stan asked warily. He had been about to try and wake her up himself, for dinner no less and a little after he had gotten back from work.

"Oh yes, just surprised is all, but it makes sense I pittled away so much time there waiting for Luna. It didn't quite feel like an entire day, though..." Mary paused, thinking over the time spent in the dream thing. "Oh well." She leaned her head on one upturned hoof and stared across the table at Stan.

"...I'm still sort of having trouble believing all of this." Stan muttered, he looked up to meet Mary's stare. "I do believe you, of course. It's no less incredible than anything else, after all." A grunt escaped him while he leaned back and folded his arms, a compromising look of thought ruling his expression. "Dreams... Any clue why she didn't show up?" He didn't exactly know what to think of Mary's explanation for things, so he merely helped by sticking to the sensical side of things, speaking as though it were just your run of the mill missed appointment.

"None, I'll try again tonight, I think." Mary replied, when Stan gave her a look, she added, "I'll just look for her this time, Stan." She smirked back at him, "It was nice seeing myself though, my old self I mean." Her hoof turned up in front of her while she brought up the tale again. "I have so many questions to ask her about all of this, I need more explanations, so she had better show up..."

Stan relaxed hesitantly, deciding to trust Mary with things, then hummed and took a sip from his own glass. What else can I do but just be supportive? He thought, it seemed like things were involving him less and less. "You trust it though, this... pony princess thing?" He said the phrase with as little credibility as he could, reflecting his thoughts about it. It sounded ridiculous in general conversation.

"She's not a thing, Stan, she's real. I'm pretty sure, anyway. And yeah," Mary sighed again and slid out of her chair to pace the floor. "I trust her, sort of, as much as you can trust a stranger anyway. She seemed pretty nice, all things considered." She suppressed a twinge of embarrassment from how badly she realized she had been treating someone else. That wasn't my fault, how would I know what's real and what isn't, and in a dream of all places?

Stan watched his wife pace across the dining room floor. "Alright, good luck getting a hold of her tonight, love. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Mary stopped pacing and smiled up at him. "Oh I will, but you've done more than enough for now." She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, then stood up on her hind legs and leaned on the table whilst smiling. "Took the kids to school, picked them both back up," Her head tilted to its side slightly while she listed things. "Had dinner ready, are helping your cursed wife deal with her cursed life and a dream horse princess." She smirked and rested her head on her front hooves again, this time staring up at him. "And after working two jobs for ages too, you should get father of the year."

Stan smirked back before replying quickly, "One job."

Mary blinked from where she was on the table.

"I didn't continue my contract with the military, things are heating up again, and well... I'd be fine of course, but I can't chance leaving anymore, can I?" Stan's expression was seriousness mixed with the continence of a rock. "I'll be sticking around on a permanent basis, Mar. A little less money won't be the end of us, or I could do something else local, maybe. In any case, we'll just have to be better about keeping the lights off." He frowned and ran a hand over his mouth. "Sorry for not telling you. Didn't want you to try and talk me out of it." His eyes studied her, flicking up and down. "Are you mad?"

Mary slid off the table and walked around the table, then hopped up and wrapped her forelegs around Stan's chest. "Like hell I'm upset. Congratulations, dear." She leaned back and grinned up at him. "When will you be done?"

"Next month." Stan nodded pleasantly to her.

"Hm," Mary frowned slightly. "Well, that's too late in the year to make any fun use of the extra time off while it's nice out. Which is a shame, we could have had that vacation or camping trip after all if it was sooner."

Stan smirked, but also raised an eyebrow and patted Mary's shoulder. "I dunno, Mar, I think the flight attendant and airline would have something to say, that or they'd want to put you down with luggage." He couldn't resist putting on a satisfied toothy grin with the joke, chuckling. "Camping might have been possible, though."

Mary blinked, then looked down at herself and ugghed aloud. "Right, darnit I always forget." She pushed herself off Stan and trotted a few steps away. "You just had to spoil my good mood with your teasing." Her voice coyly remarked behind herself, tail flicking back at him. The tail thing wasn't on purpose.

"Is that was I was doing...?" Stan replied, then leaned over to support his head on one hand. His eyes locked onto the length of blue and tan tail hanging out of the back of her clothes. "So does that mean it's upset at me?" he asked, referring to the movement.

Mary stopped just before walking into the living room and looked back at her accursed appendage. "Huh? Oh, harhar. I guess it does, and I'm about to join it for real now that you've reminded me of its existence a second time."

Stan began laughing outright. "Does that mean I'm to be relegated to the dog house tonight, or is it the stable?" He slapped a hand to his knee and began coughing from laughing to hard.

Mary harrumphed and sat down by the doorway. "More like the couch if you keep it up. That's so mean Stan." She pouted her bottom lip and saddened her face, looking back at him.

"Oh geez," Stan clutched a hand to his heart. "Don't do that Mar, it- it's overpoweringly... adorable!" He coughed and fell forward out of his chair to thump onto the floor. "No, stop, too much!" The smile and chuckling he entertained gave him away though, as well as his leaning on one knee and while reaching up to the ceiling.

Mary walked over and pushed him over with one hoof. "You're lucky I love you. It's hard to think I was dumb enough to believe you were mysterious because you're so quiet all of the time. Now I can see you're just as bad as your father when it comes right down to things."

"Ouch, harsh." Stan replied, staring up at her from where he'd stayed on the floor.

"You guys have weird conversations," Bobby's voice said absently from somewhere nearby.

The two adults turned to face the doorway to the living room.

Anna's voice joined in next. "Yeah, it's no fun to eels drop if you guys are just going to be confusing and not talk about something fun, you should talk about us going to Disney World again!" She peeked around the corner, before pulling back again, her giggling giving away that she'd stayed.

"They never said anything about Disney World, and it's eaves drop, not eels."

"What's an eaves?"

Mary traded a brief look with Stan, then made to look around the corner of the doorway at her kids. "How long have you two been sitting there?" She quickly ran back through her conversation in her mind, double checking that nothing compromising had been said.

"Too long." Bobby glanced over and droned, he was busy leaning against the wall.

"Hah, that's what she said!" Anna exclaimed loudly.

Bobby made a disgusted look, "You don't even know what that means, shutup."

Anna jumped to the bottom of the stairs and turned around. "Do too!" She shot back.

"Bobby, be nice to Anna, and both of you stop sneaking around." Mary heaved a sigh and walked back into the dining room in time to see Stan pick himself up up off the ground. She tuned out the sound of her children's bickering while stepping into the kitchen for her breakfast. A relieved stray thought crossed her mind while she pulled out the leftovers from the fridge with her mouth. At least things ended up staying the same; where it matters, anyway. In some ways, things have gotten better. She set the container on the counter and peered out of the kitchen, listening to Stan yell at Bobby and Anna. In some, anyway.

Almost Two Months Later

December 22nd 2023, Friday

Mary Morris' Bedroom

Mary groaned and rolled over, the alarm clock blaring loudly beside her bed. Morning, already? Nooo, I don't want to go to work. She buried her head deep beneath her pillows and slammed a hoof over onto the alarm clock. "Shaddup," she muttered sleepily. Her throat felt scratchy and dry, and gave her voice a quality that made her sound as if she smoked two packs a day.

The warm bed and comfortable sheets around Mary began lulling the mare back to sleep while she put off doing what she told herself everyday to do. It wasn't going to work though, saying that had been instinct. What she was putting off was far more frightening than being near random customers while stuck in a pony body while hiding.

"Mar, are you awake?" Stan's voice came from nearby, possibly outside the bedroom.

Mary answered him with a muffled, random bout of garbled words and mutters. She didn't want to get up.

Stan chuckled. "Does that mean you want to sleep in today?"

Mary peaked up for a fraction of a second. "Yes, but I need to call... her."

Stan frowned and let a short pause ensue. "...It's alright if you want me to talk to her, Mar. You don't need to go through with this you know." His hand rested on the lump under the bed's covers that was his wife. "Just tell her we can't make it..."

Mary's blue, orange and tan head popped up out of the pile of fabric and craned over slowly to look at her husband. Her large eyes were just barely cracked open, and beneath them hung the bags of someone who had missed sleep consistently for some time.

Stan watched his waking wife calmly. "No luck last night I take it?" He asked, changing the subject. He was referring to word of Luna, who hadn't spoken to or been seen by Mary again for nearly two months.

"No," Mary's voice croaked out. Her head fell back against the pillow a moment after.

"Ah, shame." Stan sat at the foot of the bed slowly and heaved a deep voiced sigh. He believed his wife completely about the outlandish claims she made about spirits and dreams, even if he couldn't see them. "So, are you getting up to do this? Did you get enough normal sleep last night?"

"Hmm..." Mary answered, then thought over things.

It was strange, it seemed as soon as the winter in Idaho had set in, she had gained weight. That was just the beginning of her problems that had sustained themselves and started over the last few months.

For starters, Luna had yet to reappear, lending a significant amount of tiredness to Mary's sleep schedule. It seemed whenever she tried to seek out Luna using whatever the freaky pony powers were that she had, it made her tired as if the sleep no longer counted. There had also yet to be any sign of the unicorn, as Luna had called her. After a little digging, though, they had found libraries upon archives of videos and fan related works that had to do with the strange pony show that somehow tied everything together.

Beyond that, Marge had been beyond intolerable and unhelpful. Even after watching the entire show with her, twice, and the movies, the woman seemed to just get more enthused over ponies in general. Worse, Anna had taken to loving the entire thing as well; like a fish took to water. Somehow, from someone, she had gotten a giant stuffed animal that looked like one of the ponies from the show, too.

Mary had a sneaking suspicion it had been Herbert... Christmas wasn't for another few days, but that hadn't stopped Stan's father from getting presents and handing them out before that. Other news included Bobby, who was doing better in school; a lot better actually, considering he had been only just getting by with his grades before.

Finished with dwelling, Mary decided to just get up, even if she was still tired. I can't hide forever. The covers flew off of her as she abruptly sat up in the bed and stretched. "Yeah, I had better." She replied to Stan, then set about starting her day. Her hooves thudded on the wood floor loudly while she got out of bed.

"Alright," Stan said in his usual, gravelly tone. "I'll put some breakfast on." After a moment of studying his wife's strange form, he added, "What would you like?"

Mary stood up in front of her stand mirror and inspected her apparent winter layer of warmth which she had somehow grown. She grimaced at herself, regretting eating so much more since her change. "Just some toast... I'm not hungry." She listened absently to her husband's footsteps while he acknowledged her and left.

First, she decided, a shower, then she would eat breakfast, and right away after that... she would follow through with what she had been putting off for weeks; calling her parents. Not Herbert and Agnes, Stan's parents, but her birth parents. She typically visited them in Canada for Christmas along with the rest of her family.

Amidst worriedly considering how exactly she might tell her mom that she had grown a tail, Mary gave her middle another disapproving poke, then turned from the mirror. "And after that, the tread mill again."

Mary sighed and trotted towards the bathroom, already trying to decide for the thousandth time if she should tell her mom before, or after she arrived for the rapidly approaching holiday... Or if she should just call it off and avoid her. The latter was starting to sound more and more appealing.

Chapter 22 : Hello...?

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December 23rd 2023, Friday

Mary Morris' Living Room

Mary chewed her food mechanically, watching the news on the television with a bored expression. She had a blanket laid over herself with the intent of keeping the cold out. It was winter, and they didn't keep the heating turned up constantly in an effort to cut back on expenses. They weren't as far north as say, Canada, but it was December, and Christmas was just around the corner.

Heaving a tired breath, Mary adjusted her sitting position from that of a normal person, and laid on her side instead. It wasn't how she liked laying, but lately anything else was plain uncomfortable. Her stomach ached when she didn't.

A dark sense of foreboding crept into the back of Mary's thoughts without warning. Her gaze flung from watching the television and cast itself around the room quickly. It didn't seem as though there were anyone else there, however. Shrugging, she leaned over her plate and picked up another peanut butter smeared piece of celery, chewing it contentedly. Afterwards, she placidly and calmly washed it down with some water from her glass.

"Mommy!" Anna cried out, arms flung out to her sides, and eyes locked onto their target.

"AH—!" Mary didn't know where her daughter had come from, or how she had somehow entered the room without being heard, but she was suddenly leaping onto her like a ninja appearing from the shadows, bent on scoring their next kill.

"N-no—!" Was all Mary managed to get out, before oofing loudly as her daughter landed awkwardly on her side. "Anna, what- You could have hurt me, are you crazy!?" She struggled to turn her head around enough to see her daughter, but the young girl was in her blind-spot, nuzzling her neck and hair. "What have I said about horseplay, Anna?" Her eyes tracked some of the footprints on a nearby wall, something that had been cropping up over the last few months.

Anna looked up sheepishly, a wide grin splitting her face. "...Not while you're the horse?" she hesitantly murmured out, then began her hugging once again.

"Exactly, what would you have done if you hurt me, Anna? Or much worse, yourself?" Mary watched her brown haired daughter's head rub affectionately against her, resisting the urge to 'aaw' aloud and remain stern in the face of cuteness.

The girl took a great deal of enjoyment out of snuggling with her far more hug-able as of late mother. "Hurt you?" She lifted her head and gave her mom a skeptical look, then began nuzzling again anyway, her dark head of hair obscuring her face. "Naw, you're way tougher since becoming a pony, Mom, and way, way warmer." Her arms wrapped around the longer neck her mom had gotten and rested against its side contentedly taking up a resting position. "Whatcha watchin'?"

Mary's expression thinned until she was glaring from the corner of her eye at her daughter, snuggling contentedly on top of her. "Anna..." She began warningly, "I'm not a personal radiator, get off of me."

Anna look up with a desperate, heart broken look. "But Mooooom." The look quickly reshaped itself back into unmistakable, unrestrained cheer. "I'll leave if you let me open one of my presents, right now!" Her hands clasped in front of her as she began chanting please over and over.

A hoof that Mary had managed to work to her side booped Anna on the nose. "You'll climb off now, or you won't get the present that you always get the night before." She continued over another disappointed sound from her daughter. "Please, dear? Mom's still not feeling well."

It had been a long, eventful transition, but Mary was content with where she had ended up as a parent. Minus the... pony part of the equation, and in no way would she ever thank her becoming a pony for it. Regardless, both speaking to, and negotiating with her children had become a great deal easier since early fall, when everything began... A few months ago she wouldn't be asking her Anna to hop off, but telling her. In a way, it was almost as if she had acquired a new talent for speaking to them.

Anna sat further back on the couch, no longer invading her mother's personal space. A solid pout fixed itself onto her face. "But it's cooold upstairs and you make enough heat for the whole room! Can you take me to Megan's house? Her parents keep the heat on at least."

Mary looked from the TV and flashed a level look to Anna.

At times like these as a parent, a person sometimes realizes there's a chance that you were being played from the beginning, just because you don't know all the details of what was being said.

Mary considered that on one hand, Anna had immediately made to butter her with affection, then nonchalantly request that she go to a friend's house; after presumably losing a battle. This, in the terms of warfare is a classic feint, and something that Anna was an expert in executing. On the other hand, she was right, the house was cold, and Mary had just insisted that she not lay atop her and steal her heat; this, in turn, created a sense of both pity and guilt from the mare.

It seemed, to Mary, that the break down of everything was simply that Anna could have approached with the full intentions of trying to coax a ride to a friend's house through the snow. It also stood to reason, however, that the conclusion could have been made by her daughter after being denied the snuggles.

Mary wasn't above being outsmarted in the field of family combat, but for the time being she was sore, and did not wish to rise long enough to don her pony shaped winter clothes. Thus, she decided a compromise was in order.

Mary let out a sigh and gave Anna a smile. The next response would tell her exactly what Anna had originally set out for in the first place, whether it be to guilt presents out of her, steal heat, or negotiate a ride to her friend's house.

She mused on one last thing, much as she did nearly everyday since having her firstborn. There's never a dull moment, with Motherhood. "Come here, baby, I'll make room and you can sit with me under the blankets, okay? But no laying on top of Mom."

Anna remained where she was, watching as her mom shifted and pulled herself up to lean more on the couch's armrest. Her expression shifted from the blank look of anticipation, into a twinge of soured disappointment.

Mary caught that from the corner of her eye as she resettled into watching the television. Hah, I still got it. She wanted presents or a ride to Megan's this time. In her head, she pictured herself blowing the smoke from the barrel of a gun in victory.

"Nooo, it's okay, Mom. I'll just put on a sweater. You're watching the news anyway, I wouldn't get caught dead paying attention to that tripe." Anna stuck her tongue out, and giggling, lept from the couch.

Mary's jaw dropped as she watched her daughter vacate the premises. "Hey! Young Lady- Where..." She trailed off, unsure of exactly what she was going to say. "Where did you learn the word tripe?" She hadn't been sure if that was actually a moment to say something parental, or be confused. After stuttering, the right thing seemed to be going with the latter.

Anna slid to a stop at the doorway and hummed in thought. "I dunno, oh- It was Grandpa." Grinning innocently, she sidestepped out of view around the bend.

Mary sat on the couch motionless for a moment longer, then slumped back into a more comfortable position. Well, at least she's learning new things. Her head shook, jostling the mane of hair that was tied in her favorite, trademarked french-braid. It had taken her nearly three months to get the hang of hooves enough to do it on her own, and it wasn't perfect or easy, but she could tie it once again.

Still, usually when Mary wore it, Anna had a hand—or two—in helping to fix the hair up properly. The help was very useful and welcomed by Mary, too. She had never quite gotten used to the way her hair grew a littler further down the back of her head, just like a mane would.

The braid tossed itself from behind Mary's head to lay over her shoulder, catching her eye. She regarded the length of multicolored hair, draped just so that it lay across her chest. Using one hoof, the braid drooped in her grip as she lifted it, then laid it back behind herself.

Mary rolled over on the couch, exhaling a breath and putting the past behind her once again by pushing it out of her mind, and trying to keep it there. There were bigger things in front of herself that required facing; namely, well, herself... That is to say, her stomach. She stared at the spot where it lay, well concealed under her shirt and the blanket. There was hardly any noticeable difference, not to anyone else at least. But, she noticed, and it had gotten her thinking.

God, I just had to get cocky and start shoveling ho-hos down my gullet. Mary groaned and flung her head back, letting it hang off the edge of the couch a full minute until she felt blood rushing to her head. When she brought it back up, she stared at the stomach again, and angrily. She had made the mistake of ceasing to care about her diet some time ago. After all, as a pony she didn't exactly have a figure any longer that needed watching, or so she had thought.

I just don't get why I can't get rid of it, maybe ponies get blubber during the winter no matter what? No, that would be stupid. Uggh, still, you would think after hundreds of daily sit ups the thing would give up. She winced and looked at her snack, the celery and peanut butter, thinking desperately how she didn't want to cut out even that little concession, too.

Mary's mouth thinned and her brow creased into a determined, slightly angry look, staring at the food on the side table. I have to give up my social life, my love of bacon, normalcy, fine. But I refuse to budge an inch on my diet any more than that! Her teeth launched forward determinedly and snatched a piece of delicious, savory, crunchy-peanut butter covered celery, crunching it in her mouth with gusto and fervor. Once finished, she let out a contented sound and laid her head back again on the couch's armrest.

"Mom?" A youngish voice entered the room.

The velocity at which Mary simultaneously squawked and rolled off of the couch would have impressed anyone with an eye for speed or moving quickly. The blanket and her momentum saw to it to land her squarely on her stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of her, tangled up as she was. A pained grunt and a couple groans of discomfort coughed their way out of her as she shakily rose up to all fours.

"Yes, Bobby?" she asked the prodigal son behind her.

Mary's son stared back at her from the top of the stairs, making his way down them slowly after she looked up. "Uh, nothing... nothing at all, Mom." His look of confusion melted into one of mirth as he got closer to the middle, sitting on the railing and sliding down the rest of the way in a show of recklessness. "I'll be in the garage, actually, had an idea for a new song, if you wanna listen."

Mary scowled, watching the wood of the old stairwell bend and wobble under Bobby's sixteen year old weight. She set her sternest look on her face and popped up onto two legs. This way, she at least came somewhat close to his height. Even standing like that, however, he beat her by almost a foot. The boy was getting taller every year, too, likely destined to be as tall as his father one day.

"Robert, what have I told you about sliding down the railing like that?" Mary put her front hooves on her hips and stepped carefully over the blanket, now on the floor where she'd landed. Her head shot up again as soon as the obstacle was cleared, and she raised an eyebrow quizzically at her son.

Bobby, inhaled slowly and gave the railing a contemptuous look, in order to avoid giving it to his mother. "Not to, cause it could break." His shaggy head of hair turned back to face her, a sincere grin making up his expression. "I'll take that as a no about listening to the song then?" He was already making his own way around the corner.

Mary took a brief second to reflect on how little she cared for her son's preferred preference of music. She loved all kinds of music, without much exception... just not the kind that sounded more as if it had been weaponized with the intent to kill, like what her son played.

"No, I think I'll pass, dear. Dinner's in a couple hours so come back inside when you're ready to eat." Mary knew telling Bobby to come and get food was a little pointless. He hadn't sat at the table to eat with them as a family in years.

Although, he did, actually, a couple of weeks ago. The memory came back to her, as much a surprise then as it had been when it happened. A happy smirk replaced the dark look she'd taken as her son vacated the room. He's going to be impossible to control once we let him have his license, though...

Mary straightened her shorts and t-shirt some, then turned around and fell back down to all fours, the position which she loathed but begrudgingly had to admit was far more comfortable for her. Especially, as of late.

If turning into a pony initially had thrown off Mary's sense of stability and balance by a huge margin—what with the addition of a new counter-weight on her butt and the loss of two others on her chest—then what she was experiencing lately was a pittance compared to that. Still, she was aggravatingly trying to reacquire the skill with which she had begun walking on two legs just a few short weeks ago.

Mary glared at her shirt again as she bunched up the blanket and laid back out on the couch, the television still yammering in the background. She thought the culprit of her latest balance issues was obvious enough, but didn't want to admit that eating without prejudice had been the cause. Honestly, it wasn't that much! Just a few things to help me cheer up on bad days... The ice cream had been especially good, and Stan had bought all she wanted.

Mary's expression saddened as she turned to watch the TV again. It didn't last, her eyes drifted back down, unbidden, to the curiosity at her middle.

Mary looked around, ensuring the coast was clear, then rolled over onto her back, gut pointed up. A sheepish hoof poked it.

It was just her stomach, a little bigger and slightly furry, but nothing special. Bah, it's just water retention coupled with the love of sweets. Rolling her eyes nonchalantly she rolled back over with a huff and refocused on the TV. I gotta admit though, it freaks me out seeing how much I kind of but don't really look like a person. I'm starting to think this would be a lot less freaky if I didn't look so much like that cartoo—

The phone rang, loudly and suddenly, cutting off her thoughts.

Mary groaned and stared into the dining room where one phone hung, ringing away with a perceived evil delight at making her get up. I just laid back doooown, she moaned internally, slapping a hoof gently against her forehead. That was one thing she'd gotten the hang of almost day one; being careful with your head when hooves were a concern.

Mary's hooves fought their way out from underneath the blanket once again and landed a moment later on the plush carpet. She expediently made her way across the floor and towards the electronics device, eager to get out of the chill that December had descended onto her house.

After propping herself up against the wall, one of Mary's legs worked its weird magic and grabbed the phone off the cradle. She held it against one large, tufted ear.

No one spoke immediately on the line.

"Hello...?" Mary called to the caller. She listened more and more intently to the phone, the silence coming through the receiver stubbornly remaining.

Static began to pick up suddenly, in both volume and intensity just before Mary began to hang up. Her expression twisted into a confused look of irritation.

"Ow!" The mare grimaced and pulled the phone away from her fuzzy ears, both twitching in pain. The phone had burst with a loud squelching noise. She glared down at the thing, and began hanging it up again.

"Hello? Mary?" At the last second a voice came through the phone and reached Mary, just before it clicked onto the cradle. It was vaguely familiar.

Mary brought the phone back down to speak into it. "Hi? Who is this?"

Another long, pregnant pause held in the air, until the speaker responded back. "It's Marge silly! Sorry for that, my cellphone is one of those old iPhone things. It needs upgraded badly. Speaking of which, wasn't that weird when Microsoft finally bought Apple? Boy a lot of strange things happened that year now that I think about it—"

"Marge," Mary leaned back against the wall, a reluctant and faint smile edged with tiredness on her muzzle. "Just get to the point, girl, was there something you were calling about?"

"Oh, why yes! Yes there was, actually, a few somethings. Several in fact! Shall I just get to the point then?" Marge's voice was its usual, sing-songy tone. Somehow the older woman managed to sound as though she had scripted everything she said ahead of time, adding in bits of melody to her voice where you wouldn't expect it.

"If you'd like," Mary responded back in a kindly voice. "Of course, if this has anything to do with those 'fan-fiction' things you keep insisting might hold the key to my becoming human again, then you can just hang up right now and save us both the trouble of me sitting through that again." She listened smugly as the woman on the other end of the line let out a depressed sigh of defeat and misery.

"But Mary, did you at least read the ones I marked as recreational? I really think you would enjoy them! What about Project Sunflower? It's uncanny what kind of similarities you have with—"

"Marge—! Marge, look, listen, whatever is happening, isn't something to do with that stuff. I get it, I sort of look like them, and the thing I dreamed about months ago was... admittedly uncannily like the princess in the show. I hope I dream about her again and wasn't being delusional or something because of a childhood memory of her. But for my sake and my family's, I gotta stay focused on my life, and getting to the bottom of this comes second. It's just... it's crazy, you know, and that means dangerous, too." Mary had gone over this talk with Marge once or twice already, but the other woman was incorrigible, not to mention dedicated to the old 'following'.

Marge hummed from the other side of the line for five seconds straight. "Alright, Mary, I'm sorry. I just think that they're good is all and might give you another perspective on things. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the thousands of stories about humans turning into ponies was actually similar to—"

Mary stamped a hoof in aggravated frustration, her temper at its limit. "Marge—" She bit her lip though, stifling the curse she had been about to spew. Gently, she inhaled a slow breath and brought a hoof to her chest, then extended it out just as slowly as the breath had left her. The symbolism of the act had proven to be useful since she learned the trick, admittedly, being one useful thing a certain show had given her.

"So, moving on," Mary began, an overly wide smile on her face. "How's your husband doing?"

"Mitch?" Marge responded questioningly. "Oh, as well as you would expect any old grease monkey like him to be doing. It's almost zero degrees in his stupid garage and he still insists after twenty years to be elbow deep in an engine, tinkering of all things. Sometimes I wonder why I married him, putting me through stuff like this."

Mary laid her head back against the wall, grinning knowingly. "Love will make us do crazy things, dear." She felt her back starting to go numb from standing upright too long, even leaning against the wall. Begrudgingly she let herself fall back to all fours.

"That it will." Marge acknowledged, her voice taking a measure of wan thoughtfulness through the phone. "Oh! By the way, the other thing that I wanted to tell you. There was the most peculiar thing I heard the other day at the quilt guild, I'm not sure what Faith meant, but—"

The other line began to ring, the phone letting Mary know that there was another call, patiently waiting for her.

Oh thank you deus ex machina. Mary breathed out a sigh of relief and stood back up on two legs. She didn't hate talking to Marge, but she was at a stage where any break from speaking to the woman was instinctively perceived as a joyous occasion. "Hang on, Marge, there's a call on the other line... can I get back to you later?"

Marge responded in the same placid, merry tone. "Sure thing, hon! Whenever you'd like. You don't need to though, that thing with Faith isn't serious, I think. Anyhow I know you'll be busy with the holidays just like me, I'll be out of town myself. I called up my mother the other day and she had actually forgotten to invite me to the family reunion! Hah! Of all the things... I swear she gets loonier every year—"

Mary grounded her teeth, grinning coolly to maintain her calm. "True! True-" she finally interrupted. "I've got a lot going on after all. Talk to you soon, and... please don't bring up those things again, or anything to do with ponies, unless it really is a cure, okay!?" The other end of the line sighed, but acknowledged the mare's terms.

After a quick trade of goodbyes and well wishes, thankfully free of Marge's ADD that time, Mary switched the phone to the other line, and the incoming call. After a few seconds of waiting, the other end remained quiet.

Mary groaned in dismay, certain she had missed the called, but, there was no dial tone.

"Hello...?" The orange mare called out tentatively. "Is there anyone there?" Huh, must have been a wrong number. Well, whoever you were, where ever you are, thank you. Smiling widely, she reached up to hang the phone up.

Just before hanging up, a strained, hurried sounding voice responded. "H-hello? Hello? Are you still there?"

Razza-frazza-grr. Mary shifted where she stood in the kitchen doorway, exhaling a breath. Standing up for so long was beginning to take its toll on her. "Yes, may I ask who is calling?" She called out in her sweetest sounding of voices, cooing the words lovingly to whomever had called her. She held up one of her hooves and inspected it idly while listening to the stranger on the phone. Oddly, the voice didn't sound like anyone she knew; it did sound familiar, though.

"Uhm... I'm just somepony who needs to know something. Are you... Mary Morris?" The voice asked.

Mary blinked and looked up from inspecting her hoof idly. She stared at the phone, holding it out at leg's length as if it were dangerous. Tentatively, she put it back to her ear and repeated herself.

"Who is this?"

Author's Magic Node

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Greetings! This Magic Node is an informative sign post, a way point if you will, to guide and assist you along the way of Merlos The Mad's calamitous story environment.

As you may have noticed (or may not have noticed,) this story is one of five stories that all happen at the same time!

Here are the other four.

So Many Wonders
A Twilight Landing
Abhorsen
The Mane Two : Contrail

Now, my advice to you (and I'm an information sign, so this is good advice) is to read the others as well, simply to stay on the up and up, stopping when you come across a message like this to see what it says.

All five stories are self contained, and will not spoil one another, up until a certain point, of course. You will see events and other things that give hints or flat out give away facts to the other stories if you continue. For this story, My Little Marriage : Mary is a Mare, that point is now. You must go and read A Twilight Landing if you do not want spoilers when you read that story at a later date, or the other three. If you only plan to read this fic, though, then continue on.

You do not need all of the fics for this story, or the rest of it, to make sense. Eventually, they will all converge into a separate fic altogether from the five. Some things will be confusing I imagine at that point, possibly, but we'll write that sixth story fresh so as to keep everypony in the loop.

Again, I repeat you will get a complete story by only staying in this story and its continuity, but the others have pieces from the other girls and their point of view, too.

That concludes this message from the author! Thank you everypony for your patience and support, and please, enjoy!

Chapter 23 : When Ponies Call you on the Phone

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"Uhm... I'm just somepony who needs to know something. Are you... Mary Morris?" The voice asked.

"Who is this?"

Is she with the school? Who would be asking for me by name? Annoyingly enough, the speaker on the phone did not answer Mary’s question right away.

Instead, the line became muffled for a second, and Mary heard what sounded like other voices in the background, possibly arguing. Well, this is odd. Bobby, what did you do now? The squeamish voice reappeared after a moment, sounding a little flustered now.

“Oh, uhm, my name. I’m… Amelia? I go to… school with… Robert. I am calling about him. Yes.” The stranger on the other end of the line sounded unsure about that, or perhaps nervous. There was a loud, slapping noise in the background.

Mary didn't notice that so much, though. Instead, she stood up off the wall; her back straightened and her ears twitched furiously atop her head. Could it be… A girlfriend…!? she thought. Her mother senses were tingling.

“Alright,” Mary responded tentatively, in a very calm tone. She believed the stranger, after all she hadn’t been given a reason not to. However, it seemed like this call might be between the girls on the line and her son. The question is, what is this about? “I take it you’re calling to speak to my son then, Amelia?"

"Er... yes... I'm trying to talk to Robert about... stuff. Is he home?" They also, Mary noticed, sounded a little too old to be asking for her Bobby.

Mary's eyes narrowed a little. "Yes, he’s home. What did you need to talk to him about?”

The voice returned, oddly sounding a bit more confident now. “Oh, nothing super important.” They laughed, again sounding a little nervous, then continued on, once again suspiciously confident. “I just needed to ask a question about an assignment is all."

Mary frowned at one side of her mouth and held out the phone to stare at it. After a moment, she shrugged. Bobby, you better be behaving yourself. “Give me one minute, dear. I’ll go and fetch him for you.”

The voice on the other end brightened and replied happily. “Great! Thank you so much Mrs. Mary-” There was some squabbling on the other end of the line, then the voice came back with, “I mean, Mrs. Morris.”

Mary smirked and looked at the phone with an amused look. “Of course, dear.” She replied, then set it down up on the counter. Well she sounds cute, Mary thought while trotting out of the dining room towards the back door. Bobby had definitely better be behaving himself... I wonder why mystery girl was calling him Robert? Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions...

Stan was surprisingly not in his recliner or office despite not being at work. He was taking full advantage of his meager three days off for the Christmas holidays. On top of that, his rust red beard was coming in strong once more; to keep him warm for the winter, he had claimed to her several times.

“Hey, Mar.” Stan called and looked up from the couch as his wife entered the room. “Did you just get off the phone with mom?” The man was, of course, referring to Mary’s mother, who lived in Canada.

Mary frowned a little, swallowing, then continued past her husband. “Er, no, love. I’ll get to it, I said I would. In fact, I’ll call her in just a moment.”

“Oh,” Stan responded, perhaps with a little too much disappointment in his voice. “Like I said, I could talk to her if you would like-”

Mary interrupted him, tail swishing and a hoof waving towards him. “No no, it’s quite alright, love. I’ll get to it.”

Stan shrugged, still looking a little downtrodden. “Alright then, I’ll stop pestering you about it. What is up, then?”

Mary paused at the back door and tsked in irritation. Not from her husband, but from the fact she was about to brave the cold outside in just her shorts and t-shirt. She still mostly wore just shorts and a t-shirt. Getting other clothes on was typically a bigger hassle for her as a pony. True, she had a fur coat, but it didn’t seem to help too much.

“There’s a girl on the phone for Bobby.” Mary responded simply to Stan, eyes locked in a staring contest with the cold wind blowing flurries of snow outside. It was an impressively white Christmas this year.

Stan stared at Mary’s back, the words she had spoken dawning on him after a moment. “Oh,” he said, wondering if he needed to say anything else, or if his wife was already thinking what he was thinking. “Uhm…”

Before Stan could say anything more, however, Mary opened the door, letting in a blast of cold. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

Stan chuckled. “Well alright, this’ll be the final straw if not, though.” He heard his wife return his laughter on her way through the door, just before it shut with a clatter.

Outside, Mary shivered in the sudden drop of ambient temperature. “Freezing freezing freezing…” She repeated the word over and over as she danced slightly on her hooves towards the garage door, only a short distance from the house.

Behind the door was the unmistakable sound of Bobby’s out of control electric guitar. Admittedly, it was very professional sounding, Mary thought. At least, as professional as that sort of music could get. At least on occasion Bobby did tone it down and play the instrument in a much more placid fashion, often creating some very interesting sounding tunes.

Those less ear wrenching sounds, however, were the rare exception only.

Mary sighed and hurried her way into the garage. This fur is useless, useless I say! It really was, she considered. It barely kept her any warmer than she thought she would probably be without it. I guess I would look quite silly without the fur, though. Sillier than I already do, anyway.

It was only just warmer inside, rather than out. Standing in the far corner beside a space heater, along with his birthday present, a guitar, was Bobby.

Mary thankfully didn’t have to yell or anything over the music. Her son ceased playing as she stepped inside.

“Hey, Mom.” Bobby straightened up slightly and killed his equipment. “What’s up?” He used one hand to pull back the long, wild hair that grew to either side of his face.

Mary tried to keep from frowning, and answered plainly. “Bobby, there’s a girl on the phone asking for you-” She blinked and stood back from the door, shocked, as her son dropped his brand new guitar and shot past her like a bolt of lightning.

“Thanks! I got it!” Bobby responded simply on his way past.

Mary continued, still in shock. “-her name is Amelia and she’s calling about… oh, nevermind.” Her son had already exited the one car building and was taking strides up the back porch stairs.

Teenagers, Mary thought simply, then sighed. She gave the garage a glance, then shut the door and made her own way back to the house. I swear that boy is a walking disaster waiting to happen. Maybe I should talk to him about girls… She didn’t exactly relish the thought.

Mary opened and quickly shut the back door, then paused at the floor mat to shake the snow off of her fur.

Stan spoke up from where he was still seated on the couch. “Mary, don’t forget to call mom. Also…” He trailed off, and Mary paused in her own furious mixture of shivering and shaking to listen. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Mary took in a breath. “I will, Stan, don’t worry. I’ll do it now, in fact. What did you-” Before she could finish, and after giving her head and coat a quick shake, she heard a few giggles from nearby.

“Mom, you looked like a doggy.” Anna was watching Mary from the opposite doorway, and carried her giant pony plushie along with her.

Mary’s expression darkened a little. “Anna, dinner is in just a little bit, go clean up okay? We’re having… shoot what are we having… Meatloaf?” She looked over at Stan, who shrugged then glanced to the television. Her daughter moaned in complaint, and rather than whirling about to leave or do what she had been told, entered the room and approached Stan.

“Aw, but mom,” Anna whined, then tossed the giant, cyan colored plush toy on the couch. “I don’t want meat loaf. Also, it’s really weird when you eat meat. Can’t we have-”

Mary thought about standing up to confront her daughter, but instead trotted past. “Anna, go get cleaned up. Mom’s diet is her own business, okay? And take… Pinkie Pie back up to your room. You always leave her lying around.”

Anna must have forgotten what she had initially complained about, because she instead targeted the subject of her stuffed toy. “Mom! She’s not Pinkie Pie this is Rainbow Dash! Rainbow. Dash. Do you know how upset she would be if you didn’t get her name right?” The little girl’s protests raised an octave on and off as she went on, stating with fervor the issue she had taken with her mother’s lack of interest in the closest thing they had to clues. “How can you possibly get them mixed up they looked nothing alike on the show!”

Mary heaved a sigh and paused at the doorway, looking to her husband for help. She had fought this battle too many times of late. Stan, unhelpfully, was busy eying the giant toy with scrutiny.

Seeing she would get no aid, Mary moved on and trotted towards the kitchen. “Dinner in an hour, sweet pea. Put Rainbow… Uhm, put Rainbow Flash upstairs-”

Anna cried out in complaint. “Dash! Mom, her name is Rainbow Dash!”

“That’s what I said, dear.” Mary continued saying, and saw that Bobby wasn’t near the kitchen. “Put your pony back in your room.” She spotted what she was after, however. She put the kitchen phone up to her ear while waving a hoof absently to her daughter’s begrudging response.

Rather than catching her son’s conversation, however, Mary heard the dial tone. Drat, she thought and replaced the phone back on its hook. I guess I missed it… Whatever it was, anyway. Bobby you had better be behaving… Huffing out a breath of withheld air, Mary stood up and leaned back against the door frame, forelegs crossed in front of herself. Now what was I about to do?

After giving herself a moment to think, Mary remembered that Stan had been saying something. Hm, what was he going to say… Oh, right, I need to call mother. She sighed a bit at that. Her mom was a little difficult to talk to. She worried, after all, a lot, and telling her the truth about what had happened to her just… didn’t seem like an option.

Mary blinked while frowning at the floor, then looked at her front two hooves. They were odd things; pale orange beneath the thin fur that covered her entirely. She had considered time and again how to go about telling her mom about them. After all, every time anyone had found out about her the plans she had made never exactly worked out.

In the end, Mary resolved to at least try and keep this secret from the rest of her family a little bit longer… Not forever, if it came to that, but a little while longer… Her mom could be angry later if she wanted, or cared.

Mary picked up the phone of the cradle again and dialed the number for her parents house.

“Hey, Mar, I—” Stan walked in as the phone began to ring. “Oh,” he said, then lowered his voice. “Sorry, I’ll talk to you in a moment.”

Mary furrowed her brow, still waiting for the ringing to be put to a stop. “Stan?” She recognized that look on his face, just before it had disappeared. He seemed to have been worried over something. “Stan what’s—”

“Mary!” The outburst of an elderly woman’s voice through the phone interrupted what Mary had been about to say.

“Hi, Mom!” Mary turned around and spoke into the phone immediately with the happiest voice she could muster up. “How are you? I’m so sorry I didn’t call again sooner, things have been—”

Her mother finished the sentence for her. “—crazy, yes. You’ve been saying that a lot lately, Mary. I worry so much though that you won’t tell me why, and with Stan out of the military now I— Are you sure it isn’t about money? You know your father and I don’t mind—”

It was Mary’s turn to interrupt her mother. They did this, finishing things or adding points back and forth tirelessly. After all, if one of them didn’t, the other would keep going. “Mom, no, it’s not money, I promise. I can’t tell you though, not yet, it’s—”

Her mother jumped in. “And your husband’s parents are alright? Is it Bobby then? I know you said he’s been doing better in school but—”

Mary squeezed her eyes shut and returned fire. “Mom, no, everything’s fine! Better than fine. In fact, everything’s looking up lately, I think. I know I was calling you a lot just a little while ago but stuff has really, really gotten better… for the most part… There is a complication, but it’s nothing we can’t handle-

Her mother gasped. “Child, you are starting to sound like you did when you were expecting Anna. Are you pregnant again?”

Mary thumped her head against the door frame and spotted Stan out of the corner of her eye. Where is he going? The man had walked backwards out of the room as though he thought he was being stealthy.

“No, Mom,” Mary replied wearily. “I am most definitely not pregnant. You know I can’t get pregnant anymore.” She sighed and leaned against the wall, then slid down it until she was seated on the floor.

The position was a little uncomfortable, so her hind legs dragged themselves underneath herself so she could sit ‘pony-style’ as Herbert had put it. Anna had called it doggy-style but that had to be put to a stop for obvious reasons.

Mary’s mother heard her daughter’s sigh. “Well, I know, but this still sounds very suspicious. So, what’s the matter then, Mary? I wasn’t born yesterday you know. Please tell me?”

Mary bit her lip. “It’s nothing, Mom, really. Forget I said anything, pleeease,” she begged. Before her parent could jump in, she continued on strong. “Before I ask how Dad is, I do need to tell you though, we can’t make it up this year… I’m sorry. No it’s not money or the plane tickets. I know this is last minute, but it can’t be helped.”

A sigh answered her from the other side of the phone-line. “That’s too bad. Herbert told me to surprise Anna with this giant toy… horse thing, and I was really hoping to see her reaction to it… I’ll mail it down though, alright? Or should I hold onto it?”

Mary slapped a hoof to her forehead, briefly forgetting her own rule about not doing face-hoofs because of how much they hurt. Darnit, Herbert, she thought angrily to herself. “Just hold onto it for now, Mom. We’ll be up soon, okay-! I promise we will, just not for Christmas.”

The phone line was quiet for the briefest of seconds.

“Alright, dear. Just bear in mind we’re here in case you need us,” Mary’s mother replied. “Would you like to talk to your father?”

Mary exhaled as quietly as she could, already feeling the stress of the ordeal melt its way out of herself. Her left hoof began twisting in the air absently, wrapping her ponytail around itself. “No, mom, I don’t think so. I was just calling you to let you know we can’t come this year. I gotta go, too. I need to start dinner now or I everyone will start losing their minds.” She chuckled some, and was joined in by the kindly voice on the phone with her.

“Okay, you take care of those animals you keep in that barn of yours, Mary,” her mom replied jokingly.

Mary smirked and stared flatly at the ground. “I will, Mom… Yes… okay… I love you too. Yep… Okay, bye now. Bye.”

She sighed as the other end of the line hung up after a moment. Well, that wasn’t so bad. I’m glad I didn’t wait another day to do that.

“Hey, Mar?” Stan’s voice piped in all of a sudden.

Mary looked up from where she was still seated on the floor. “Oh, Stan, could you hang this up for me?” She held up the phone to him from where she sat. “I told mom, just like I said I would. It went a lot better than I thought, too.”

Stan’s eyes widened as he stepped forward slowly and took the phone. “You… told her?”

Mary blinked at him, then stood up quickly. Her hooves clattered on the bare wood floor as she did. “Oh, no no no, I didn’t tell her. I told her we couldn’t make it up, is what I meant.”

The tall man had stood motionlessly where he had taken the phone. He finally let out his lung full of held air. “Oh, alright then,” he chuckled, obvious relief in his tone. Afterwards, however, he coughed and followed after Mary. “Listen… Mar… there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you today.”

Mary was humming to herself, trotting calmly into the kitchen to get started on that dinner she had mentioned earlier. She opened the freezer up to fetch what she had in mind for her family. “Oh?” she asked her husband without looking up.

Mary grabbed the box of meatloaf in her teeth, then set it on the stove. A few seconds had passed by, so she turned around. “Stan?”

Her husband was standing still in the doorway, still holding the phone in one hand.

Stan shook himself after a moment of being stared at, and hung up the phone with out looking. “Uhm…” he paused, while Mary watched, until his eyes flickered over to the counter.

“Oh!” Stan exclaimed, then laughed heartily. “Meatloaf! That’s right, you already said that in the family room. It completely slipped my mind. Sorry, I was just wondering what was for dinner.” Smiling, and walking slowly, he stepped into the kitchen towards Mary.

Mary raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Well, don’t get too excited, big guy. This is nothing compared to what I have in store for Christmas day.”

Stan stopped at the counter and continued to eye the box of frozen meat. He didn’t reply to her.

Is he alright? Mary poked her husband’s side, putting on a slightly worried look. “Hey, space cadet, you in there—?”

Suddenly, Stan growled and turned to face Mary, making her shriek in surprise. The taller being picked her up, flipped her over on her back, and held her aloft. His arms formed a wide cradle beneath her, with one arm on the back of her neck.

Mary’s eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates the moment she had felt her hooves get tugged from the safe, welcome feel of stable ground beneath them. Still, the more welcomed sight of Stan’s eyes meeting hers replaced it.

After a moment more of growling, Stan began chuckling, instead. “Ah, lass, why is there no’ yet food on your thane's table? We fightin’ men canno’ defend the hold on an empty stomach ye’ know.”

Mary managed to take a breath, now calmed down, and put her hooves around his neck. “Cute. Very funny. Hysterical.” She said each word pointedly, moving her head a little closer each time she did so.

Stan hefted her once, getting a better grip. He chuckled again, his reply a bit more restrained. “I realized I hadn’t picked you up in… a while.” He smiled warmly, one of his hands stroking her shoulder.

Mary blinked, then looked down at herself. “Yeah, years actually.” She turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

Stan furrowed his brow. “Well it’s… I don’t know, you didn’t seem like- and…” He sighed, then laughed. “Does that mean you won’t mind at all if—” He was interrupted.

Mary kissed Stan, rather than let him talk his way into something he wouldn’t be able to figure out. Dumb oaf. She pulled away, and winked happily. “I don’t mind anything at all.” After a moment, she added, “Within reason, of course.” After all, she thought. You are your dad’s son…

Mary continued and gave him a lick on the nose. That, at least, had actually been one of their things before the pony incident. “Can you put me down now? I have to cook so you don’t all starve and this home can remain sane.”

Stan smirked, “Aye, lass.” He gingerly lowered her to the ground, then let her slide down onto the tile floor.

Mary’s hooves met the floor again with a clop.

“Anna!” Mary shouted at the sight she could not believe she had just seen. “What have I said about cartwheels in the house?” In her hooves she held a carefully balanced assortment of food for the dinner table. Bobby had been nice enough to set the table.

Anna gave her mother a hurt look and shrank back. After having cart wheeled all the way around the table to her seat on the other side, of course. She gingerly pulled out her chair with an ashamed look, that may or may not have been legitimate. “...The same thing about backflips?” she asked slowly.

Mary’s eyes narrowed some at that answer. “Anna, no acrobatics, of any sort at all, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt or break anything. Rough housing is not allowed, missy.”

Anna groaned and flopped into her chair unceremoniously. “But it’s too cold to do it outside anymore! And it’s sooo cooool! Mom, my cutie mark says that it’s what I’m good at, and-”

Mary set her daughter with a renewed look that said she wasn’t playing around. “Anna—!” she began.

Bobby interrupted her. “It is pretty cool, Mom. Dad, you think it’s cool, right?” He grinned smugly at his plate.

“Bobby…” Stan began warningly.

Mary straightened up after making it to the table and set the last thing of food on the table. She inhaled and exhaled once before speaking. “Alright, this isn’t the mess with mom hour, guys. Anna, I don’t care about… Sweetie, you’ll be good at whatever you want to be and pursue, don’t let your… anything else determine what you want to do in life but yourself.”

Anna opened her mouth to protest, but Mary continued. “Bobby, I appreciate you being nice to your sister but it’s time for dinner.”

Bobby scowled. “I was not being nice to her, I was—”

Mary ahemed loudly and rang a spoon held by her hoof against a dish. “Now, if everyone, Bobby.” She paused and gave him a flat look. “Would please give me a moment, I have a couple announcements. First, we will be staying here for Christmas, as I’m sure everyone knew.”

Anna awed aloud, while Bobby did not react outwardly. Stan was staring down at his filled plate.

“The second,” Mary continued. “Is that you will be going to Church on Christmas Eve, as normal, with Grandpa and Grandma, but without me.” She kept a close eye on her two kids, waiting for some sort of reaction.

Anna folded her hands in front of herself. When she spoke, her voice was carefully measured parts of both cute, and endearing. “But Mom, if we’re at Church for so long we won’t be able to be here and enjoy the holiday with you! Christmas is supposed to be about family togetherness.”

Mary smirked. “It’s tradition, darling, and thank you for thinking of me, but it’s just for two hours.” She looked across the table curtly to Bobby, ignoring the grumbling of defeat that Anna went on with. “Now, that’s all I had, so we can say grace and eat,” she concluded.

Bobby groaned aloud, unsure if being promised his driver’s license for eating at the table was worth it.

“Which will be said by Robert,” Mary added promptly.

Bobby’s expression sunk. “Aw come on, that’s not part of the deal.”

Mary turned her chin up slightly at her son. “Oh yeah?” She jokingly began. “Well, I’m the mom, kiddo.” She grinned across the table at her husband.

Stan, for his part, looked to be on the edge of interjecting, but stayed out of things, good natured as they were; at least, for his family.

Bobby grumbled, hunched over some, but folded his hands. Before he could begin though, Mary raised a hoof towards him.

“Ah, actually, Bobby. I have a little deal for you.” Mary had put on a mischievous grin.

Bobby looked at his father, who glanced back without moving otherwise. Finding no help there, he moved on. “A deal?” he warily asked his mother.

Mary nodded and hummed. “Yes, a deal. If you tell me about this girl you talked to, then I’ll say grace tonight.” She smirked, and was surprised when Bobby burst out with laughter. “Uhm, am I missing something?” She looked at Stan, who shrugged.

“A girl actually talk to him? Without running away?” Anna snickered and shrunk away slightly from the death-glare she got from her older brother.

Bobby went on to fold his arms, and replaced his amused expression. “I didn’t know her, Mom. At first I figured she was just some girl from school, or something. I’ve been pretty popular lately thanks to how good I am with my guitar.”

Mary continued to listen, while Stan continued to eye his plate of food, stomach rumbling.

Anna, however, interjected with another crack at her sibling. “You’re only good because of your cutie mark,” she grumped, looking at him darkly.

“It’s. A tattoo,” Bobby replied with conviction to his sister, then cracked his knuckles under the table. “And I got good on my own, alright? I’ve been practicing for five years so-”

“Bobby,” Mary simultaneously prompted and warned her son. “Please continue. Anna, it’s rude to interrupt.” She gestured across the table with a hoof.

Anna sighed and set about stirring her peas with a fork.

Bobby flipped his hair back and sat up, then went on. “Right, well, turns out she wasn’t from my school, that wasn't hard to figure out. So, like, I thought maybe I met her at a party… er… like that one a couple months ago, which is the only one I’ve ever been to, by the way…” He continued passed that subject, not meeting Mary’s suddenly withering gaze. “Anyway, and I was going to tell you about this later, Mom. I just sorta forgot is all.”

Mary let the first signs of confusion replace the interest she had felt over the matter. Her son was rarely open about things, but he had seemed rather intent on just… telling her. “What do you mean?” she asked, leaning forward onto the table.

Bobby shrugged. “Well, I figured it was a prank because someone figured something out… about, well, the Halloween thing.” He saw the worried looks his other family members were growing, and shrugged.

“Bobby, go on.” Mary could feel her nervousness rising as certain conclusions began to draw inside her head. She was already wondering if she would need to flee the state, or get out to another relatives house.

Bobby nodded slowly. “Right, well, this girl that called me was asking about if I had seen any… uhm... ponies, lately...”

The room was silent for a moment.

Stan coughed, loudly, and got his son’s attention. “What next?” He too, was drawing conclusions.

Bobby nodded again. “Here’s where it gets weird. After I tell her I don’t know anything, and to just drop it, because apparently there’s a video of that night, Mom-” He cut off as Mary let out a short, breathless gasp. “I know…” he went on. “I didn’t know about that, either, by the way. Anyway, like, she said that her name was… Star… Twinkle… Dusk Shine…” He scrunched up his face and tapped the table top with a solitary finger. “Light-bright? I dunno, but she was asking about that night. I told her I didn’t know anything and to not call back, Mom. So, yeah, don’t worry.”

The sound of one of Mary’s hooves clunking a little on the dinner table was the only thing that filled the room.

Stan leaned over the table and grabbed her hoof. “Mar? Hey, it’s gonna be alright, I’m sure they don’t know anything or-”

Mary interrupted her husband. “No!” She shook her head. “You don’t understand.” Her green, pony eyes searched around the table and her kids before facing Stan, then went back to her son. “Bobby! I-” she thunked a hoof against her head again. “Nevermind!” With that, she clambered out of her chair and onto the floor.

Her other family members all called out in their own way, or gave chase.

Mary whirled about once she reached the phone. “No, everything’s fine! It’s-” she growled, furiously trying to hit the call-back button on the phone without pressing any others. “I recognize where I’d heard that girl’s voice before!”

Stan slid to a stop and traded a confused look with Bobby. It was Anna that gasped next, and spoke alongside with Mary.

“It was Twilight!” the two shouted at the boys in tandem.

Side Story : A Very Mary Christmas With Erin

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For Christmas of 2013 myself and a fellow author of pony fiction, Hoopy Mcgee, wrote a collaborative work that included his OC from the story Sunflower Project, and my own from this story, My Little Marriage. It was a fun little thing to celebrate the holiday season with. It isn't strictly not canon, but it won't effect the story directly, either.

Please enjoy!

A Very Mary Christmas With Erin

Chapter 24 : Tea and Hot Cocoa

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Stan and Bobby traded confused looks. "Twilight?" they asked aloud.

The older man's rougher features were scrunched up in deep thought. Alright, which one was that? Twilight was the one with the gems on her butt, right?

Bobby stood by, slightly hunched as usual, and rather than begin thinking on the revelation along with his mother, began frowning at his sister, who was busy lapsing into a giggling tirade in front of the two taller family members.

"Twilight! Yeah! Princess Twilight! From the show." Anna had begun running on and off while jumping excitedly around the room. Her dad tried to calm her down, but she couldn't; the situation called for celebration. "She's real she's real she- Oh my gosh, I have to tell everybody at school!"

Mary was still busy trying to punch the call back button with a hoof, eyebrows drawn down in concentration, when she nearly dropped the phone upon hearing her daughter. "No!" she all but shouted, eyes wide, and in the midst of her family all chattering at once.

Stan and Bobby looked over from trying to calm down and ignore Anna respectively.

Mary went on now that she'd gained everyone's attention. "Anna, you can do no such thing. You treat this exactly like the secret about me. Just because she's a different pony does not mean you get to tell the world about her- Oh, goodness-" Other thoughts were already parading in her head.

Mary blinked and her jaw slackened. She did drop the phone then, letting it fall on the kitchen counter unceremoniously. "Stan," she took a few two legged steps towards him. "What if she's been discovered? How are we going to help her? She's a bright purple magical unicorn! Those aren't easy to hide-"

The room had been filled with escalated emotions from all of the developments.

Stan met Mary mid-way and wrapped her up in a hug. "Now, Mar, I'm sure if she was able to track you down you're the one we need to worry about. I'm also sure that Twilight's fine. She seemed pretty smart on that... show, after all-" He was cut off before he could continue reassuring his wife.

Mary began again. "This means Luna wasn't a hallucination after all. I mean, I really have been having weird dreams, too, but lucid dreaming is a thing still and-" Her eyes bulged after something else clicked. "Oh God. I was tracked down! There's physical evidence that I'm- I'm-! A little pony! No-!" She looked up and shook Stan's shoulders. Her teeth clenched themselves as she spoke, eyes widening in a half crazed fashion. "Stan! It's on the internet! Once something's on the internet, it never goes away!"

Anna and Bobby traded slightly worried looks while it seemed like Mom was going crazy.

Stan inhaled quietly while he raced for some words to calm down Mary. He hoped there were a few to actually be had and sprung into action. "Mar, it's obvious she's been looking for you, though." His voice was calm, and he kept one hand resting on her shoulder while the other made a settling motion. "I'm sure no one but... Twilight, thinks it was anything but a Halloween party stunt, alright? Leeloo probably got a hold of her and that's how she knew to look for you. Shoot, this is a good sign that we're only just now hearing about this thing, too. Let's calm down and think this through."

Mary's worried look didn't settle, but she broke her gaze with him and rested her head against his chest, which Stan took as a good sign, for now.

Anna piped up. "It's Luna, dad, Luna. Geez..."

Bobby scowled, rolling his eyes. "Nobody cares..."

Stan shot a look over at his children, still holding Mary securely. "Kids, go back to the dinner table and eat. We need peace and quiet for this, okay?"

Anna gave an immensely disappointed look to both of her parents. "What? But-! This is so important! And Cool! I don't want to miss anything..."

"Anna..." Stan started to say.

Bobby, for his part, shrugged, but gave his father a nod. "Come on squirt, you're in the way again." He attempted to corner and motion her back towards the other room.

Anna backed herself up into a corner and glared her brother's way. "Well you're in here, too, so you're just as in the way."

Mary had let herself be held still long enough, and backed up from her husband. "Y-you're probably right, Stan..." she managed in between deep, calming breaths, then looked over to her kids. "Kids, sit down and eat your dinner, alright? Your father and I will take care of this." Her legs had begun to shake slightly, whether that was from standing in a way her body wasn't meant to or because she was scared, she wasn't sure. "Stan, please go hit the call back on the phone? I was... having trouble."

Stan nodded, watching his two children bicker in equal amounts at one another. "Mar," he spoke flatly, then turned to face his wife. "Should we be calling that number back right away? I think I should investigate from the station. If we call back now and they aren't who we hope they are, that will look suspicious." He had thought of the concerns almost immediately, but with a hectic family like his it was difficult to keep even the staunchest ideas in order.

Mary replaced the phone on the hook; it had gone on to the dial tone from sitting too long. She stared into space briefly after hearing what her husband had said. "Stan, if she saw this video already, and knows about me and where to call... I'd rather call now and just know. It's been months, I can't wait any longer." Rather than look over, she rested her eyes on her right hoof; her other picked up the phone again.

Mary continued speaking while again trying to press the call back button. "I'm sure whoever this is has been watching us if they're not Twilight and that means there's no point in being cautious anyway. I also don't think that's the case though... Maybe I'm just desperate, but..." Her hoof accidentally squashed two others as well.

"Darnit," Mary cursed, then hung up and began to try again; something dangled just in front of her stubby muzzle made her stop and look up. "Is that a tablet?" she blinked at the over-sized device, then looked at Stan.

Stan shrugged, still holding onto the device. "It's a phone, actually, with an extra-large pony sized screen." He smirked, turning the device over in front of his wife. "There's a stencil for the screen on the side, too." He held the phone out, hesitating from letting go even after Mary touched her hoof to its side. There was something about magic ponies that you never really got used to. He briefly remembered the unicorn variety and was happy that he hadn't had to adjust to Mary floating things around like a poltergeist. Though, he did consider that it would have made decorating the Christmas tree a bit easier.

"Anyway," Stan started to say. "Call using that. At the very least we can talk to them first without being immediately traceable."

Mary smiled at her gift; she hadn't seen her other phone for quite some time. "Thank you, Stan, for the phone and especially for going along with this."

Stan chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Well, I suppose the only way to get to the bottom of this is to keep going, after all. The sooner the better. I'm going to go grill Bobby for more details about that phone call."

Mary nodded. "Alright. I'm not going to mention myself, just ask about a missing pony named Twilight. I want to know what the reaction of the person that says she's from Equestria will be. If this is just a stunt... or Marge being crazy..." she trailed off, letting that sudden thought hang there. Sure, Marge was obsessive and out there, but she doubted she'd pull a prank like this, all things considered.

Stan paused at the doorway and nodded. In his head, he visibly pictured what his wife had briefed back to him. "Sounds believable enough to me. I think I should be the one to call, though."

Mary frowned and tilted her head, one ear raised and one lowered; not because she meant to, they just did that. "Why?" she asked.

Stan was half out the door. "Just wait until I get back. Bobby might know something important." After a split second he added, "Can you handle dialing or should I?"

Mary rolled her eyes and turned, flicking her tail in his direction as she did so. "Just hurry up," she sighed, and ignored her husband's chuckling. Her ears listened to his fading footsteps and claim to return quickly while she dialed the number anyway.

Better to ask forgiveness than permission, as Herbert says. Mary felt sure that she could handle the call. She wasn't sure why she proceeded, despite what Stan had requested, but she briefly mused it was probably that quip about dialing the phone for her.

Oh, well that's interesting. After transferring the number from phone to brick sized cell phone, Mary noted that the number wasn't from in her state. That rules out Margery, then. Or anyone else from town...

Full of hopeful confidence, she paid close attention to the ringing. Surprisingly quickly, the phone call was answered, and by a rather surly voice. That came as a surprise to her; she had almost expected an overly acted Tara Strong to pick up despite her optimism.

"Yeah, hello? Who is it?" the stranger was being short, and was probably in a foul mood, it seemed. Mary became a little worried, and withheld from cutting to the chase as she had planned.

"Uhm, hello. I may have the wrong number... whose phone is this?" Mary asked, then almost face-hoofed from how stupid she thought she must sound. "Sorry," she added as a last minute apology, alongside a weak laugh. Only the memory of how painful striking one's own face with a hoof kept her from going through with it.

"Who's asking?" the voice responded gruffly, then continued, but quieter. "Gah, Twilight, warn me if you're going to walk around like that! Come on, Twilight- No, just- get dressed in the bathroom, the bathroom. Not out here..." Mary almost dropped her new phone-brick. The stranger returned to talking directly into the phone. "I'm sorry about that, who was this?"

Mary swallowed. She looked up, searching for Stan and his advice. Oh... I should have waited.

"Hello?" the voice called from the phone.

Mary held it back up to her face with both hooves. "I'm here! I'm here, heh," she responded quickly. "You called my house earl- er, that is to say... I'm looking for a... pony, named Twilight Sparkle. I might have heard from a friend that someone was looking for another pony." After stumbling slightly and realizing she hadn't yet thought of what to say very well, she found her footing, so to speak. Her voice was calm while she delegated the information she wanted the stranger to react to. "So, is she there? If so, I would like to speak with her." I should have anticipated someone other than Twilight to pick up... she thought guiltily.

The voice came back slowly after a too long pause of quiet. "Uh, I see." After that, another long pause began.

Smooth, Mary, real smooth... Mary squirmed where she stood leaning against the doorway. A finger poking her side made her jump. "Eee- Stan, don't do that!" she hissed.

"Sorry, sorry," Stan apologized, then held his head down at her level as if to listen along. "I see you called already. Bobby didn't have much to add, anyway." He frowned briefly and heaved a breath, but made no other moves against her. "So, did they say anything?"

Mary was interrupted before she could respond to her husband. She had begun to worry if perhaps they had been found out, or that it was something else entirely, but the excited voice that replaced the first was something completely out of left field for her.

"Hello!? Who is it?" The other voice was still there, now slightly quieter than the new one. "Twilight, tell them your name. Also, calm down..." The first voice returned. "Oh, uhm, this is Twilight Sparkle! Is this the pony? Hello?"

Stan and Mary both stared at one another, slightly wide eyed.

"Excuse me." Mary said into the phone. She held it down to her front with one hoof and stared at the wall a moment.

"Mar?" Stan moved in front of her and gave her a concerned look.

Mary responded tightly. "I recognize her voice. This is the girl from earlier, the one that asked for Bobby. She sounds just like the show."

Stan's features were serious. "Alright," he responded simply. "You took the lead, keep going. Try and find out everything you can."

Mary blinked, then nodded to her husband. "Right... Okay." Once she had regained her bearings somewhat, she raised the phone again. Her hoof tapped against the wall in front of her while she thought. Mostly, she just considered the likelihood of this being a trick. After all, the first girl on the phone had been a bit stand offish.

"Hello? Are you there still?" Twilight's voice asked with a decidedly desperate edge.

Mary addressed the speaker once again, but more casually. "Sorry about that." She knew what the person on the other end of the line had said, but still couldn't believe it was actually the truth, not yet. However, the voice's sound, which had been ingrained in her memory thanks to the likes of Marge, still rang in her ears like a bell. "I was just curious," she paused a little.

Twilight's voice spoke in the given pause. "Yes?" she asked in an eager sounding voice.

Mary took a shallow breath before continuing. "Is this really Twilight Sparkle? As in, actually from Equestria?"

The question felt so poorly thought out and terrible Mary felt like crying as a result. Worse, there was a pause that felt enormous thanks to its awkwardness. Stan saw the upset look on her face and patted her back.

The voice that was supposedly Twilight, returned, and with a question. "Is that you, Mrs. Morris?" it asked.

Mary's jaw locked and she thumped her head against the doorway. She recognized your voice! Stupidstupidstupid. "Oh, uhm, no I'm sorry. I don't know anyone by that name."

Stan buried his face in his hands right in front of her.

Mary spotted the ashamed move and turned away from him angrily, but managed to speak through her nervousness. "I have heard that you were looking for a... pony, though, Twilight. I might be able to help you with that." She looked over at Stan, who looked up and nodded after a moment's hesitation, though his face was expressionless.

Twilight replied immediately, and very loudly. "Oh my gosh! Can you take me to her? Could we meet? Are there others!? Please, anything that can help at all would be-" The voice cut off for a moment. It sounded as though the other were speaking to the strange girl again.

Stan took the pause in the phone chatter to voice a suggestion. "If you want I can finish the call, Mar." His tone held more than a bit of concern.

Mary frowned and gestured with a hoof in a shooing motion. "I already convinced them I'm not me... I think. Everything's fine."

Stan frowned back. "If this were a military operation we'd both be hearing about how badly we executed this..."

Before Mary could argue back at him, or better yet, bite him, Twilight returned, cheerful and contrasting.

"Sorry about that," Twilight apologized quickly and with a chuckle. "My friend is just concerned for my safety. Uhm, how about you just tell me where the pony is? I imagine that she's lost just like I am and needs help! If not, I'm hoping that she has a way to get home- Jo? What is it?"

Mary raised an eyebrow over at Stan, then whispered to him. "If this is an actress, she sounds very convincing. Do you think this could really be staged?"

Stan hummed, but shrugged. "Seems unlikely. I mean, we're acting suspicious like Herbert would. I think that means we're thinking too hard about this."

Mary guffawed, then bit her lip and put on a sheepish look.

Stan smirked, but went on. "What do you want to do?"

"Invite her over," Mary declared, while pressing the phone back up to her ear. The two on the other end seemed to be continuing their argument.

Stan took a step and stared at her, mouth slightly agape. "Mar?" he questioned, but didn't say anymore.

Mary turned slightly away, and found purchase with her explanation of what she had decided. "Just hear me out. They already knew about Bobby, somehow, so that means they know where we live. Thus, the house is a good meeting place. They don't know about... me, though. We invite them over, and after we see a unicorn, then we'll know for sure. If not, well, I'll be out of sight and safe. How does all that sound?"

Stan grunted as his only response other than folding his arms. He stared at the phone as if it were dangerous itself. He began to speak, but Mary shushed him when the phone came back.

Mary sighed and rolled her eyes. "Stan, I've been a tiny little pony for months now. I want to be me again." when she didn't get a change in the big man's expression, she tried a different approach. "How about this. I'll be at Mom's place when they get here? Hm? That way I won't even be near them. The house here is the best place though, it's our property and we have to stay discreet."

Stan's eyes narrowed somewhat, but he nodded.

Mary stared longer, her face a wall of seriousness. "Stan, we have to stay discreet," she repeated.

Stan held up his hands in defeat and nodded. "I know, I know," he muttered.

Mary smirked back at him, just in time for the first voice to return on the line. "Hi, it's me again," they started simply enough. "Listen, Twilight's not from around here. So, sorry about the super straight forward and completely trusting thing. Look, we came looking for you guys and you're guarding that Equestrian, so I'm going to assume you don't trust us at all. I can promise you that we're the real deal. I get it, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot. So, here's my idea."

Mary and Stan looked at one another again, but listened intently. "Go on," Mary prompted politely.

Jo spoke again. "You may pick the location. Where ever you want, and as a gesture of good faith, we took a room at the motel just off the highway. Some place called... Bart's bed and breakfast." The gruff sounding girl added a twist to her words which were heavily indicative of distaste; she obviously didn't care for the name of the old three story country motel.

"You—" Mary struggled to speak, surprised. She immediately recognized the name of the place. "You're in town?" she managed to say, then looked over at Stan.

Jo quickly responded to her obvious concern. "Uuuh." Suffice to say, she seemed a little thrown off balance. "Oh, well, yeah," she went on. "See, we only just found out where your house was. By the way we know where your house is... sorry."

Mary had to make settling motions to keep Stan from leaving, but he also looked as though he wanted to keep listening along with her.

The stranger, Jo, went on with her explanation, which, Mary considered, had thus far been about as awkward as everything else. "Maybe I should put Twilight on? She can explain better than me."

Mary looked again at her own phone, double checking the number. They are definitely using a cellphone, then, she concluded. Stan looked as though he'd calmed down now, mostly "It's alright. I understand now, and that seems reasonable..." she replied tentatively, then proceeded in a more confident manner. "I still would like to proceed and find out if that really is Twilight with you. Meeting sounds like the idea... but I actually would like to propose that Twilight and yourself come to see us here if you do know where my family lives already." One issue with the Jo's proposal, was that the motel was right next door to the house that Stan's parents owned.

Mary continued. "I appreciate you being so upfront, though. I think maybe we're both being overly cautious, a little. As you can imagine this entire situation has been incredibly stressful for us; beyond belief, really." She gave Stan's worried look, no doubt from the approach she was now taking, a wan smile to calm him.

Jo spoke again. "Yeah, you can say that again..."

Mary coughed and rubbed a hoof behind her head. She was quite certain that she wanted the situation to be true, but it still seemed too good. "I just have one last question, Jo, and I need to ask Twilight. I've had it in mind for some time, and if she's the real thing then she'll know the answer..." The question she had in mind might not be something Twilight would know, but she decided at the very least the person's response might help. "Could you put her back on?"

There was a brief second of muffled noise in the background talking before Jo responded. "A question? Oh, something only ponies would know. Alright, sure, here she is." The phone traded hands with some thunking sounds and then the voice claiming to be Twilight reappeared.

"Hello again, Mrs. Morris," Twilight greeted politely. Mary resisted face palming, it seemed whoever was on the line was quite sure of who she was, which ruined any chance at secrecy.

Mary sighed aloud. "I guess there's no point in hiding it, yes, I'm Bobby's mother."

Twilight ah hahed aloud, to which Mary put on a slightly indignant look. Then again, it seemed in good humor, though given the circumstances that didn't strike her as very appropriate.

Twilight spoke soon after her outburst. "Ahem, I mean, sorry, I meant no offense. I was quite sure of it, though... Uhm ahheh, moving on..." Mary rolled her eyes briefly, but listened carefully. "I just wanted to start off by saying thank you very much for protecting one of my fellow Equestrians like this. I forgot to before. She and I were both very lucky mares it seems to have made such great friends after coming to be here."

Mary blinked in surprise. She hurriedly looked over at Stan and mouthed a few words quietly. "She thinks I'm, er, that is, that the pony is an actual Equestrian and not a human turned pony." She didn't know exactly what that meant yet, but noted it. On top of that, she noted just how earnest and well meaning both of the girls sounded, even if the one named Jo did seem a bit rough around the edges.

Stan quirked an eyebrow. "I thought she thought you were you."

Mary looked at Stan angrily. "Honey, if you're not going to help go eat dinner with the kids."

Stan put on a look as though he weren't at some sort of fault, but stayed quiet on the matter.

In the background, Twilight continued. "So, with that said, please ask your question, Mrs. Morris."

Stan raised an eyebrow at Mary, unsure of what his wife had in mind exactly. There were several things she could ask, he supposed.

Mary returned his questioning look with a smirk, knowing full well what sort of curiosity was going on in his head; she saw it often enough, after all. "Alright, if you're Twilight Sparkle, then you should know this." She took in a deep breath and straightened up. Her throat was a little a tight, and briefly she considered just why she felt so nervous. Then again, she thought, it wasn't nervousness, it was suspense, and a bit of excitement. This would be something tangible other than herself, and an ally, if things worked out.

Everything came down to this one... solitary question, she realized.

"Twilight," Mary began. "What is Princess Luna's favorite sort of tea?" She waited. After meeting Luna, that's the one thing I know for certain about Equestria...

The line was quiet, and Mary furrowed her brow in confusion. There was a bit of muffled talking in the background... and her hopes quickly began to seem as though they would be dashed. Her thoughts searched aimlessly for direction.

"Uhm," Twilight returned finally, and Mary perked up, ears and all. "Could I have another question? I don't actually know the answer to that one." She laughed a little sheepishly before speaking again. "I am curious how you know the princess' preferred brew of tea though. Do you know Rarity or Princess Celestia's, too? I know theirs, at least."

Mary clenched her eyes shut. I thought for sure Twilight would know that! She groaned quietly while Stan stood up and leaned away from the phone long enough to crack his neck. "What now?" he asked.

Mary waved a hoof at him quickly and shushed, to which he frowned briefly before leaning in again. "No, that's alright. I don't know those... I mean, the pony doesn't know them. I have another question, then."

Twilight laughed on the other end of the line. "Okay, ask away Mrs. Morris."

Mary scowled, purely at herself. She could practically feel a nervous sweat building from pure stress. "Okay, here's one. Are pony hooves magnetic?" she asked simply, then waited patiently. She didn't have to wait long, as a response to the question came immediately.

"No!" Twilight pronounced.

Mary took on a look of sadness quickly. It's not her, she thought defeatedly. "Oh?" Mary's voice was almost a croak. The surrender was interrupted by a quickly proceeding Twilight from the other end of the line.

"They're not magnetic at all. Magnetism is a completely different force in Equestria altogether, as are many other forces that either lightly or even directly correspond to those here in the human world." Twilight's voice had taken on a very scholarly tone by the end of the statements. "As for the hooves themselves, the forces they use are, in fact, magical, not magnetic."

Mary traded a bewildered look with Stan, and both of them huddled beside the phone again. Truly, she had been taken off guard by the explanation, but it wasn't enough, she realized. Anyone could say things, and she needed something that dealt with what she herself knew was fact.

Mary's tail was flicking from two parts confusion one part renewed hope. "And?" she asked through the phone.

Twilight responded with a hint of surprise. "And?"

Mary groaned and held the phone out at leg length. "Can ponies pick up things with their hooves just by thinking about it or not!?" She shouted into the phone, and enough to make her husband wince away with a hurt look. She huffed and held the phone back up to her ear, then put on a worried look. "Uhm, sorry..." she apologized, feeling it was a little bit too late.

Twilight came back after a second, a very consoling tone evident in her voice. "It's quite alright, Mrs. Morris," she said calmly.

Mary had to resist shaking from the nervousness running throughout her body. "S-so, can ponies pick things up with their hooves? Just by thinking about it?" she repeated, but with her inside voice.

Twilight responded quickly, with just a hint of surprise in her voice. "Oh, well, of course. That was even in the show, however, so isn't that question sort of an obvious answer?"

"Well," Mary started quietly. "I don't know how right about things the show really is... and what I do know is very little."

Mary sighed and realized her own folly in asking her authenticity test so directly. What else do I know about ponies that I could ask? It seemed to her as though things were going badly now. She heard more talking in the background while she herself reached for something else.

"Mrs. Morris?" Twilight asked, sounding very patient all considering. Mary felt a bit of guilt for being so frantic. "I don't mean to put more undue pressure on you or the Equestrian, but Jo over here is- What?" Twilight's voice became quieter briefly, sounding as though she were talking into the room rather than into the phone. "Why shouldn't I say your name? Are you embarrassed? Oh, sorry, Jo. Oh, sorry again. Right."

Mary watched while Stan left long enough to drag a chair of to the office's doorway. He placed it quietly behind her.

Mary looked up at him, accidentally lowering one ear in a questioning way.

Stan spoke plainly. "You looked like you needed a seat," he admitted. His eyes shifted over her in a studying fashion.

"Oh." Mary blinked at looked at the chair, then made to sit up on it by scooting backwards somewhat. "Thank you, Stan." She was used to the method of taking a seat, though feeling her tail get dragged along under her butt had gotten old months ago.

Stan nodded and helped her into the seat a little. There was an odd look in his eyes, but Mary couldn't place it. She focused back on the call when it seemed Twilight was back.

"So, as Jo most certainly didn't tell me to ask you, could the Equestrian answer some questions for me? That would prove to us that she's actually there!" Twilight sounded happy as a clam as she asked the request, but it filled Mary with a measure of dread.

"Uhm," Mary began, eyes shifting. "She's not actually here right now...?" The excuse sounded lame, even to her, but it would have to do. Without having anything else left to fire, she resorted to plan B: exasperation. "Actually, this is getting a tad ridiculous, Twilight... Are you sure you don't know Princess Luna's favorite tea? It's literally the only thing we know right now about Equestria for sure..."

Mary listened to Twilight hum along, obviously interested. She continued. "Unless Luna spoke to you recently, Twilight? Then maybe we could ask something else."

Twilight's voice became curious. "Spoke to her?" She laughed for a brief second. "Well, I would if I could, but I don't think the princess is here for me to do that. If she is, that would be rather great, though. She isn't here, is she?"

Mary had a thought, and decided to pursue it, brushing past the barely heard question. It was clear Luna wasn't, after all. "What about dream walking? Or... well, I don't want to give too much away to ask a good question," she stated honestly.

There was a bit of random chatter in the background. A long pause ensued, leaving Mary to wonder if something was wrong for a moment. The chatter resumed, however, and then Twilight returned. "What did you mean by dream, Mrs. Morris?" Twilight asked after the pause.

Mary frowned. "Never mind... What about... Cutie marks... no wait... Pony magic. You're an expert with magic, right?"

There was a quiet slapping sound, which was followed immediately by an excited outcry.

"Am I!?" Twilight exclaimed quickly. If there had been misgivings from the deteriorating investigation they were clearly forgotten. "Well, not that I'm at all bragging, but my entire life I've been studying magic in all of its forms! Magic is my special talent, and it's just the greatest thing there is! Though, I guess I am biased towards thinking that. Though, I must admit I pride myself on spellcraft and to nearly the same degree, the history of magic. So little is known from before the age of Discord's rule, but I—"

Mary had begun to hold her breath after the alleged unicorn exploded into her lecture-like rant. She could almost picture the little pony from the show standing up behind a podium and getting down to her life's story in front of an audience.Finally, though, she interrupted.

"Twilight, that's great, uhm, really," Mary began, laughed a bit uneasily. She gave Stan a sideways look; he had begun to appear grimmer as things went on. "I meant something specific. Say, growing plants very quickly, perhaps? See, the pony here is very good at growing them and-"

Twilight broke in quickly. "What's her cutie mark like? I noticed she was an earth pony from the video. It may be presumptuous of me, but if she excels at growing plants I am willing to bet that she's a gardener of some kind."

Mary and Stan shared a brief frown. "Yes, she's very good at growing plants quickly—" Before she could get to the topic of the cutie mark, which she assumed she would have to lie about seeing as she didn't have one, Twilight gasped loudly.

"This has to do with those vines? Doesn't it?" Twilight marched on with her excitement through the phone. "I read those police reports and the news coverage extensively. That sort of magic is incredible! The Equestrian— Oh, what's her name, by the way? I can't just keep referring to her like this." She let out a cheerful, almost exaggerated sort of laugh.

Mary groaned again, if quietly. Things kept moving towards the more and more specific because of her fumbling. Things she both did and didn't want to get too specific on... Why can't this just work out without road bumps? They always do in movies. This conversation is a nightmare! She felt Stan's hand rub her shoulder consoling and she leaned into it somewhat.

"When— If we meet then I'll tell you her name, Twilight, no offense... sorry," she apologized.

"Oh," Twilight responded cheerfully and without a hint of impatience in her voice. "That's okay! I understand completely." There was a brief pause, likely Twilight gathering her thoughts, then she spoke again. "So, you were asking about the vines, Mrs. Morris?"

Mary took in a shuddering breath. "Yes, it seems you've read about them, then... But once again it also seems I can't come up with a good question..." She looked to Stan for help, but he shook his head. "I think we should just meet, then."

Mary was loudly interrupted by an exclamation of pure, unadulterated excitement from beside her left ear.

"Is Twilight coming here!?" Anna cried.

Stan whirled about quickly and hoisted the little girl skyward. "Pumpkin, stay at the dinner table."

Anna pawed a hand towards Mary and the phone absently. "Aawww..."

Mary gave her daughter an indignant look, with only a hint of sympathy. "Sorry," she laughed to Twilight. "That was my daughter."

Twilight laughed back in return. "That's quite alright. She sounds like a hoofull."

Mary blinked at the phone for a brief moment, then rolled her eyes a little and readdressed the matter at hand. "As I was saying, I apologize for not being better prepared." After a brief second of consideration, and curiosity, she asked, "You have my address already, don't you? Jo said you did."

"Yes! Sixty-two hundred Harmony Avenue if I remember the phone registry correctly." Twilight chirped, and Mary thought she heard a distant, slapping sound in the background of the call again. A bit of chatter went on again in the background and Mary waited. She wasn't upset that her address was known by this person. If they had identified her son in a video through the internet, it was reasonable to assume that it had been easy for them to find her after that. Stan even used the tactic quite a bit in his profession, though, for him it was his job.

Twilight then continued. "Jo suggested that we should apologize for hunting your address down the way we did. I of course, agree, and would like to offer our apology for that. We have an explanation for invading your privacy, also. I can certainly see how we were in the wrong... but we were desperate. So, I hope you can forgive us." she paused briefly, before then launching into a very succinct explanation, all considering. "You see, Jo and I came out here because, well, as we haven't found news about the pony in the video for ages, and we were getting really worried. Rather than let the trail go cold we... sorta drove all of the way out here to start going door to door."

Mary quirked an eyebrow, then looked at Stan, who shrugged.

"Sounds about as fine as anything else they've said so far, Mar." Stan seemed to be as confused as he was wary by this point.

Mary exhaled a breath and shrugged back. "Fair enough," she muttered, then readdressed the phone. "That's more than understandable under the circumstances, I guess." Mary continued. "We don't mind. Uhm, please continue, Twilight."

Twilight coughed from her side of the line. "Right... it's just, not to sound vindictive or anything, but Bobby had told us in so many words that there was no pony whatsoever at your residence, and he knew nothing about it. Well, we knew that wasn't true because of how he worded it, though I don't blame him for lying! We found several cracks in his explanation which basically confirmed for us that he knew about Equestrians and the video was correct. It was a very noble lie, really."

Mary smirked and chuckled while nodding, despite being on a phone. "I see... I'm sorry if he acted untoward either one of you. He's still young and has some growing up to do yet... but he's getting better. Still, it's no trouble at all, really."

"Thank you!" Twilight responded back promptly.

In the brief window, Mary continued, feeling rather impatient over the whole dialogue and trying her best to hide it. Her furry condition was, of course, solely responsible for that impatience. "Should we discuss how we should meet now? I mean, I did think asking what Luna's favorite tea was pretty clever, but realistically there isn't anyway around us doing this..."

Twilight chuckled in return. "It's alright, really! Although, Princess Celestia's favorite tea was a delightful cinnamon blend. Maybe her sister enjoyed the same thing?"

Mary paused for a second, her jaw set and forehead protruding slightly.

Stan leaned in front of her worriedly. "Mar?" he asked.

Mary deadpanned over at him, then decided to slap a hoof to her forehead whether it hurt or not; she felt like she deserved it. The fact that she could have just easily asked what Celestia's favorite tea was, which just so happened to be exactly what she had hoped to hear about Luna, made her feel like a complete fool. Maybe I'm not thinking this through enough, she considered... then shook her head.

"Twilight," Mary started, rebuilding her confidence.

"Yes" The voice asked, none the wiser.

Mary took in a pleasant breath, and suddenly became aware of just how adrenaline filled she was over everything. "I know it's Christmas Eve tomorrow, but, well I'm guessing you're able to, so, how about you, and Jo, both just come and meet us tomorrow?"

There was a bit of chatter in the background, mostly from Jo it sort of sounded like.

"Yes! That sounds perfect, Mrs. Morris!" Twilight finally exclaimed and in a perhaps too loud voice for a phone. The sound of Jo voicing her complaints as well were heard.

Mary smiled weakly and laughed. "That's... great. By the way, you can call me by my first name, if you prefer, Twilight."

"Oh, sure. No offense, but human names are so confusing..." Twilight paused a moment before continuing slowly. "So, is that all then? We're to meet, and after you are completely convinced that I am who I say I am I can meet the pony? And we'll discuss everything? Because... you have no idea how incredibly anxious I am to consolidate my information!"

Mary couldn't help but laugh at that, though she hard pressed to make it not sound terribly worried; she did have a lot on her mind though. "Of course, yes. Please show up tomorrow around noon," she replied as nicely as she could to Twilight, then turned to Stan at the last second. "Noon?" she repeated to her husband, just checking that the time was alright; when he nodded she spoke back to her soon to be pony-guest. "Noon, yes. We'll see you then."

Twilight answered her, but, surprisingly, not to merely make her final goodbyes as Mary had expected. "Oh, Mary, I'm not done yet, actually," she said in a serious tone. "I have something to say, uhm, about Bobby... if that's alright."

Mary blinked looking at Stan with a wary expression. "Oh?" she acknowledged, trying her best to sound inconspicuous. Why is Bobby involved, now? She did her best not to jump to any worrisome conclusions about her son.

Twilight coughed, then spoke politely. "Yes, you see, the way he went about talking to us was a little rude... He did call me a prostitute at one point, but I guess it's alright since that lead to his unknowing admission of what he knew."

The line and room Mary were in stayed quiet for a moment until Twilight slowly continued. "It is not my place to comment, but I thought you should know," she finished curtly.

Mary had begun to blink and gape like a fish out of water after hearing Twilight's admission about her son, and what he'd done. She quietly shut her mouth, then looked over at Stan; Stan, for his part, had overheard the information. They held each other's attention for a moment, before both leaned over slightly at the waist, looking out into the dining room.

Mary spotted Bobby, sitting quietly while ignoring Anna. Her eyes narrowed, and she snorted; she wasn't even overly upset that she had done so without meaning to. Her back turned itself to the dining room for a quick moment, while Stan had already stood up to make his way over. "I see, please hold, Ms. Sparkle. I'll be right back..." she murmured absently into the phone.

Twilight came back quickly with, "Oh, please, just call me Twilight."

"Mmhm," Mary responded, only half hearing, then leaned backwards, turning her long neck around completely at a one-hundred and eighty degree angle. Her eyes locked onto Bobby, each one holding a murderous, perhaps even mad, glint. "Bobby," she called out simply, just loud enough to be heard over in the next room.

From where he sat, Bobby looked up through his long hair, and spotted his dad coming back to the table. "Yeah?" he replied back to his mom, then froze after spotting the look he was getting from across the house. The slightly larger size of his mom's new pony eyes gave the angry expression she had on an even more menacing shadow than he could recall in recent memory.

"Uhm, Mom? What's up?" Bobby asked; he swallowed, and pulled back from where he sat beneath his curtain of scraggly hair. He was really familiar with his parents being upset with him, but this... reaction, he wasn't overly familiar with.

"Bobby," Mary repeated. A lock of her hair slid off the top off her head, while the rest of her remained completely still. "Did you call a girl... a name?" She set the phone down on Stan's desk and hopped off her chair, the one Stan had fetched, then trotted towards the other room.

Bobby looked to his Dad, who gave him a flat look that made him feel as though there were no escape. "A name? Oh," he stuttered. He could feel a sweat building up all around him underneath his clothes, as well as the eyes from the rest of his family all bearing down on him.

"Specifically," Mary went on after reaching the dining table. "Did you call her," she paused, inhaling, before shouting the thing she could hardly believe she'd heard; though, she did believe it. "A prostitute!?"

Anna snickered and elbowed her brother's side. "Busted," she whispered.

Mary was curled up in front of the fireplace, laying still beneath a blanket. One of her legs was thrown over the edge of the couch, while the rest of her was sprawled lazily. She had stayed that way for a couple of hours, considering among other things how best she would introduce herself to Twilight the next day. One of the 'other' things included the words she had repeated from Bobby around Anna; that had been an oversight on her part, certainly.

All in all though, excepting Bobby's punishment of hard labor sentenced to shoveling the driveway without use of the snow blower for the rest of the winter, the day had been a rather unexpected, and welcomed surprise. In fact, Mary was tempted to call it a Christmas miracle; the only reason she resisted saying it aloud was to keep from jinxing herself.

Twilight was apparently showing up the very next day, along with one guest. The Twilight Sparkle, a princess from another world; at least, Mary hoped it was really her. Other than hope, she really didn't know what to think. Twilight, on the phone, had sounded just like the television show, and now that she thought about it, had behaved just like in the television show, too. The facts all put her thoughts in a jumble.

Though, despite her rampant glee and excitement that she had succeeded in the mission-like request Luna had given her, she was still hesitant to let herself become too giddy. Things weren't exactly all sunshine and rainbows just yet.

After all, Dan was now attending her family's Christmas get together to provide security, something Stan had arranged. Dan ever coming near her house was typically bound to be a sign for doom. Still, other than Herbert and Stan, he was the only sort of protection she had.

Mary sighed and prodded a mug of cocoa sitting before her with a hoof, one she had made for herself earlier and not even touched. I don't like needing to be protected... she reminisced. The fact was though, that in her condition, she did need to stay hidden. Becoming a public sight was not something she ever wanted to be even remotely a possibility. For that matter, it seemed she would still needed to confess to Twilight that she was a human herself, and not another pony. She hoped it would not be a big deal, but wasn't sure how much the hope was needed.

After all, Mary considered, though she may not understand what the entire situation was, if the primary dilemma was Twilight's misplacement from Equestria, it was bound to be likely that her own condition may just be a side effect of that. Luna had professed to have never heard of anything or anyone simply becoming a pony through any random means at all, but Mary couldn't think of any better explanation than Twilight being directly responsible.

Even if that was the case, though, Mary had told herself she would not accuse or be angry with the mare; after a little talk and convincing from Stan, that is.

The next day was Christmas Eve, and her family would be gathered for the holiday. At the same time, a veritable fantasy alien from another world was paying her a visit, simply because she refused to wait a second longer than she had to at a chance to become normal again.

The situation had weighed heavily on her thoughts for hours, and her thoughts were anything but helpful.

Mary ran two hooves up the side of her head in a vice, then back over her mane, trying to relax and pretend she knew that everything would just work out. When it didn't work quite the way she wanted, she looked over to her side for something that might.

Beside Mary was Stan, asleep in his recliner. After a quick glance, she noticed her husband was still, in fact, snoring to himself beneath a blanket of his own. She wanted to discuss more on the day’s events, but had managed to talk him to sleep earlier, instead, much to her chagrin. Briefly, she entertained the thought of waking him up to go over her thoughts on what to tell Twilight, should the princess be offended for the deception.

There was a lot to consider, but she honestly thought she could handle things. After all, it was just Twilight that she had to deal with. At least, she hoped. God, if all six of them are here... I shouldn't have read that stupid story Marge gave me. Now I'm going to have nightmares... She shuddered, regretting Marge ever finding out about her being a pony at all. In fact, she had already sworn to keep Twilight a secret from the crazy old bird.

Mary reflected, briefly, on just how secretive her life had become; her whole world was essentially just her own house. She hoped things changed soon, and for the better. I shouldn't dwell on things. Her thoughts were tired, like the rest of her, and she considered going to bed finally.

Instead, Mary's eyes rested on her husband again.

Mary lifted herself off the couch, her blanket held over her back with one hoof, and proceeded towards Stan's unmoving form. She stopped in front of the chair and listened to a snore escape his from underneath his scruffy red beard. Aw, well isn't that just adorable. Smiling, she began to carefully climb up the front of the chair and into his lap, careful not to wake him up.

A grumble escaped from underneath her hooves, despite how careful she had tried to be.

Stan cracked one eye open. “...Mar…?” he mumbled groggily.

Mary leaned her head down onto Stan’s chest before responding. “Go back to sleep, you.” The blanket now settled over the both of them, she snuggled in against Stan's chest.

“Oh… s'alright.” Stan slurred in reply.

Still alone with her thoughts, but now comfortably in her husband's embrace, Mary attempted to drift optimistically, for a change. I might actually get my body back soon. A smile creeped over her features and she did nothing to stop it. It had been months since any solid leads to a solution had come up, and now that she was going to see Twilight, the idea that things would go back to normal was finally looking to be more than a dream.

Mary closed her eyes and imagined holding Anna and Bobby as a human again, and being held by Stan. All the little things that had been lost to her since the unfortunate turn of events drifted through her head. She would no longer be a prisoner in her own home. Walking normally, going in public, it would all be possible again, and she relished the thought of it.

Mary drifted off with the image of herself tightly embracing Stan.

“Anna! Please, stop running!” Mary yelled. Completely ignoring that plea, her giddy daughter continued her charge through the house. She was too busy leaping, jumping and running to her heart's content around the living room.

The morning had started off so well, too, Mary thought remorsefully, wrinkling her furred face in anger while galloping after Anna. She had woken up to Stan stirring beneath her just as his parents had arrived, with plenty of time to ensure everything would be in order. Food, cleaning the house, Dan proofing the kitchen, everything was ready. It seemed, though, that things were determined to go horribly wrong no matter what she did.

Herbert had insisted on waking up the kids right away, of course. From there, things had been undeniably going in a downward spiral of chaos. Dan had shown up just an hour ago, late, but Twilight was going on an hour late herself, as well. As a result, Anna had become more and more out of control as time went on.

Mary slid around a corner and into the living room. “Anna, please behave!" she called out, half spinning across the wood floors in hot pursuit. "This is no time for rough housing!”

The sound of beeping interrupted Mary's chase, and her ears swiveled towards the kitchen. She gasped. "Dah! The food! Anna, you-" She groaned, defeated for now, and trotted towards the kitchen. "Stan! Knock some sense into the kids!" she called out in desperation.

Stan, in his office, leaned out the doorway. "What?" he called back. When no answer came he shrugged, then stood up to investigate.

Anna spun around, leaving her mother in the dust. “But Twilight’s coming, Twilight's coming!” she chanted as she made an obstacle course of the living room furniture. Her own course shifted slightly mid-stride, spotting a target. “Bobby, think fast!” Anna shouted, just before she pummeled her brother with her large Rainbow Dash plushie while running past him.

Bobby took the over-sized doll to the face, and glared angrily straight ahead after Anna nimbly cartwheeled away, doll still in hand. “That’s it, I’m going up to my room," he remarked aloud. "Call me when the circus is done with,” he groaned, and stood up off the couch, making a bee-line for the stairs.

Anna giggled as her brother left without retaliating; the giggling increased as her father bumped into Bobby at the doorway and stopped him.

Stan was looking for Mary, but immediately recalled that his son still had a punishment in store for him. “Oh no, you've got a mission already you still have to do. Since you're so intent on leaving, you might as well get out there and start." He ignored the grumbles of complaint Bobby was already giving. "Go out front and shovel the snow from the sidewalk and driveway,” he suggested. "I think our guests will appreciate it."

Bobby dejectedly looked around himself, but didn’t argue. “...Alright, fine.” He grabbed his coat off of the rack and made his way for the front door.

The door opened before Bobby could reach it, letting in a frigid Agnes. “I’m back! Dan says thank you for the hot chocolate, Mary.” Agnes gave Bobby a smile and ruffled his hair as he slipped thru the door behind her. “Now, Mary, are you sure you want to be here when ‘Twilight’ gets here?”

Herbert shouted from over where he was seated in the next room over. “Yeah, it’s not like she wouldn’t notice the pink elephant in the room! Eh?” he let out an exaggerated laugh, making sure everyone heard him. “Oh, sorry, I meant to say the orange pony!” He chuckled softly at his own joke, and was taken by surprise as Agnes slapped across the back of his head from behind. "Hey-!"

"Would you behave?" Agnes implored him. She got a grin in a return and a promise that he already was.

Mary trotted into the room, spotting the trade Agnes and Herbert, the latter seemed to be trying too hard to look innocent of something. “Yes Mom, I’ve made up my mind," she finally replied. "If the girl on the phone really was Twilight, there's no point in hiding this from her. I really get the feeling it was her... but I'll be inside in any case.” Her words were just barely not convincing enough for herself, which resulted in her standing still a moment while she controlled her breathing.

Nearby, Anna glided into the room, then used Mary as a sort of obstacle which she jumped clear over.

Mary caught sight of her daughter gliding overhead and stomped a hoof. “Anna, settle down!” she shouted.

Anna let out a sad sound, then stepped down from the top of the couch where she had ended up rather than leap from the top. “Yes, Mom…” she murmured.

Herbert blew out his mustache, deep in thought and heavy contemplation of his own current situation. “Mary, not to be a bother, but do you have any rum? This eggnog would be great with a bit more of a kick.”

Mary turned slowly to face him. “Dad, it’s only mid afternoon, can’t you wait until later?” she asked dourly, face deadpanned.

Herbert harrumphed back at her. "Probably, but I figure if I'm going to start seeing pink elephants, or in this case, purple unicorns, I might as well be drunk, too."

Agnes heaved a sigh. "You already said that, dear."

Herbert looked up at his wife. "Hm? Oh, no I said orange ponies before-"

Mary groaned and stormed past her father-in-law, hooves stomping loudly on the floor. "Dad! Come on, we have a real Princess coming here. You are not allowed to misbehave while she's around, alright?"

Herbert bobbed his head, shrugging. "Alright, alright... but I'm still using the 'She blinded me with science' line if I get the chance."

Mary regretted ever letting Marge tell her family about the show that reflected the existence of Twilight. "F- Fine, that's fine, just promise you'll behave and do nothing but!" Her voice as she spoke was full of exasperation. She sighed, stopping at a doorway, then nearly jumped out of her skin when Stan's hand came down to rest on her shoulder.

Stan settled her quickly. “Whoa, it's just me." He smiled calmly. "Mar, I was thinking still, Mom is right. You don’t have to be here.” Stan looked as wary as she did, but not at all panicked.

Mary shook her head once. "Nope, my mind's made up. I'm staying. I have too much to worry about just with getting everything ready, in any case!"

Stan watched Mary speak back, trotting in a circle as she did. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, if you're staying, then at least stay calm, too. I'm sure everything will be fine, Mar. You've thought of everything."

Mary looked up and tried to smile back, but it quickly turned into a frown, then a scowl which she directed at the floor. "Oh yes, Stan, I've thought of everything. Give me a moment and I'll just wheel out the red carpet as the finishing touch." She turned about to start pacing again and spoke even louder. "You blow the trumpet! Meanwhile, I'll just finish cooking the ham I have in the oven! For the royalty of sentient herbivores! And more importantly, a pony, Stan! We're eating meat! Oh God, this is going to be a bigger train wreck than our wedding..." Mary made to rub her temple with her hoof, but ended up smacking her head on accident when a light knocking started on the front door.

Everyone in the room fell silent as they turned their attention to the door. Stan was the first one to act, and peered out the window. He couldn’t make out whoever was at the door directly, but he could make out two young women standing and talking with Dan. Further out was Bobby, still just getting started on the driveway and the walk.

Stan looked over to his wife. “Mar, I think they’re here."

Mary was looking out the same window from where she had slid up under Stan. She gulped, but continued to stand up on her hind legs to look out the window for herself. "Where's Twilight, though?"

All she could see were the dark haired short girl, and another girl, obviously human, with bright purple hair...

Dan thumped his boots noisily by the front door's entrance. "Stan!" he yelled out, despite the fact the recipient of the call was already fast approaching him. "They're here. It's her, too. I think, anyway. She did some crazy magic stuff in front of me with some kind of rock. It's the girl with the crazy hair."

Stan approached him and eyed the shut door. "You're sure?" he asked simply.

Dan began nodding. "Oh yeah. Never thought I'd see anything that would make me believe in aliens and that stuff, but when I get home I'm making myself a tin foil hat I can tell you that much."

The look Stan turned towards the other man was disparaging. "Ah huh," he muttered. "How did she act? Suspicious or anything?"

Dan blew out his cheeks and shrugged. "They're both weird and totally into this pony thing, Stan. I asked them everything you both asked me too, and then some I think. Overall they at least didn't seem up to anything. I don't know, the short one's a fire-cat, though." He paused a moment, then smirked at the other man. "I think I might be in love. Girl's got spunk."

Stan blinked, then wiped a hand down his face, not believing what he just heard. "Just hang around a bit longer and try not to start a war or something. I'll let you know when you can leave." Once he'd finished speaking, he pulled open the front door and stepped outside, blocking the entrance with his body.

The sounds of a young woman greeting him, that sounded positively thrilled about something, leaked into the house.

Dan chuckled to himself, walking further into the warm of his boss' home. "I'm not sure if I want to if those girls are sticking around... I don't even care if they are normally horses-"

"Dan," Mary interrupted, trotting up to the policeman. "Tell me everything, right now." She sat in front of him, staring up with a deadly serious look.

Dan swallowed what he was going to say and regarded Mary. "Oh, uhm, well I think it's really her. She is fine, by the way-" he cut off when Mary gave him a disgusted look and recoiled slightly. "No no no! You don't get it, she's a girl right now, like, human, with long legs and a face like-"

Mary rolled her eyes, face-hoofed, and shouted to interrupt him from saying anything else. "Okay, okay! I get it. She's human right now? Really?" She peeked around Dan into the next room. She could just barely make out the door cracked open. I don't believe it. Why didn't she mention that on the phone? "And you're sure?" she asked Dan, a bit of a frantic tone working its way into her voice.

Dan nodded. "As sure as I am of anything. She used magic right in front of me, and then went on about how she had disguised herself or something." Next, he rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, then chuckled. "This is really something, huh? Just wow..." His voice was either appreciative, or mocking; it was hard to tell even for him.

Mary listened to the conversation outside just a moment longer. Once she heard what she thought was her husband introducing himself, she couldn't take it anymore. She swallowed hard, then galloped full speed up to the door.

"Twilight—!?" Mary called out, then proceeded to squeeze her way out through the opened door and around Stan, who half barred her way. Move over you big oaf-! She froze once outside.

Standing in the doorway to her Idahoan home, was a tall girl, perhaps five foot ten judging by the way she towered over her. The girl wore very thick winter clothing. Pouring out from either side of her fuzzy, poof-topped wool hat, was a wave of purple hair. A streak of rosy pink, or perhaps violet hung on her bangs and peaked out from the front of the cap. The girl's face was pale, but very cheerful, almost comically so.

An infectious, bright smile appeared on her snow sprinkled face.

Mary felt her own mood lift itself up, and she began to speak, letting every thought she'd had over the last couple of days, and last few months, jumble out at once. Unfortunately, everyone else present had the same idea, it seemed, and likely as not she was to blame for that.

Chaos ensued. All at once, Stan began chastising her as near as Mary could tell, while the short girl looked ready to faint and began talking as though she were seeing things, while 'Twilight' began exclaiming about Equestria from the sound of it.

"Alright quiet! Quiet! Quiet!" Stan shouted the words until finally the other two women quieted down. Still, it was clear to Mary, excited as she was, that everyone was on the edge of their seat with things to say. Regardless of this, her husband turned angrily to her first. "Why did you come out already? I was two seconds from making sure everything was safe, not that it matters no-"

Mary cut him off, her voice sounding a good deal more gruff than she meant it to. "Oh, stop, I've been losing my marbles all day about Princess Twilight," she gave the purple haired girl a smile, "showing up, she's here now, you're out here interrogating her, and Dan just got finished telling me about how he already interrogated her; I'm taking over the situation, dear!"

Stan put on a defeated look and replied to her in a very familiar, pleading way. "Honey, please, I was trying to make sure you were safe-"

Interrupting Stan, however, was the shorter girl, whose eyes bugged out as if by remote control. "Dear? Honey?" she balked, still looking down at her as if she were a leprechaun.

"Is that really Twilight out there!?" It was Anna, of that Mary had no doubt. Worse, she sounded as though she were trying desperately to come outside. "Hi Twilight!" she shouted.

Mary smirked for a split second. I'm not sure exactly how she would react to see Twilight while not a pony.

From inside her house, Mary could also make out Herbert and Agnes working in a fruitless effort to corral Anna. It seemed she had caught wind of Twilight's arrival finally.

Mary turned around, unable to keep her tail from swishing. "Anna, behave," she called back inside. Uggh, this is horrible. Now what did Twilight's friend say? She turned to face the shorter girl present. "Huh? Yes, yes, he's my husband. Now, I've heard that magic has been confirmed, Twilight's here, though in disguise, that's good enough for me and-"

Before Mary could continue, the two girls exclaimed together, "Husband!?" Both of them stared openly at her and Stan, their eyes shifting from him, then back to her. She felt vulnerable all of a sudden, even with her baggy clothes on, hiding the majority of herself.

Mary fought to not shrink to the ground and to regain her composure quickly. A nervous laugh on her part almost undid that work, though. Gah, there's so much to catch them up on. She began slowly and with a quick apology. "Oh, hah, sorry. There's a lot I have to come clean about." Might as well confess everything now, I guess, she thought to herself. "Maybe I was abrupt to come out already... Oh well, now we can get it out of the way! You see—"

The shorter girl interrupted Mary before she could continue further. "Yeah, apparently." Her jaw was slack and she had been forced to support herself with the railing by the looks of it. She definitely seemed to be a little worse for wear.

Mary briefly considered asking her if she would like to sit down inside, until more speaking continued the confrontation.

Twilight, meanwhile, had been the one to speak up next. Her voice was a little shaky, but the excitement in it almost seemed to make up for that. "I'm just so relieved you are actually real!" the girl exclaimed, and she was definitely a girl, not a unicorn. In her hands, not hooves, was a lumpy looking purple rock which she seemed to be fidgeting with.

Mary wondered what the object was, but stayed focused on speaking and grinned up at Twilight. "Ah heh... Yup, I'm certainly real all right." Her own voice shook a little. She wanted to do her best not to show too much reaction to the idea of a fictional character proclaiming something's realness, especially if it was her own that was in question.

Twilight returned the grin, but in obvious earnest. "I've been so stressed without any sign of home and... I mean, I knew you were real from that video, I just knew it." She cleared her throat gently and smoothed one hand down the front of her coat. When she spoke again, her voice was measured and calm. Mary considered that she very well did sound quite royal. "I, am Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and-"

Without warning, the same speaker interrupted herself with a gasp, then spoke again quickly. Without warning, she asked, "What's your name?" Kneeling down brought her to eye level for ponies.

Mary reeled somewhat from things, but forced a smile onto her face. Alright, I guess she didn't figure out who I was before... I wonder how she'll react to the truth. She smiled at Twilight calmly, though it felt rather deflated as she spoke. "I'm Mary," she replied quietly. Let's see what she—

Twilight clapped her hands without so much as a pause at the confession.

Mary raised an eyebrow, incredulous of that, and listened as the girl began to ramble on.

"Oh my goodness!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "Did you hear that Jo? Her name is Mary! Huh, what an interesting name..." She looked over at the other girl accompanying her, who still seemed to be fading into shock.

Mary felt her expression begin to thin as the apparently air headed unicorn princess failed to connect the dots. Oh dear... Well, I'll get to it soon, I'm sure. No need to rush things. Hm, so that other one's Jo after all, she thought to herself.

Laughing a little, Twilight gave her friend a nudge with one arm and continued. "Hey, come on, Jo, everything's fine now! We can talk, go in, and I'm sure Mary has some hot chocolate we can all enjoy-"

Mary, decided to butt in, and interrupted as cheerfully as she could. "Yes! I do! And let me just say that for the unicorn that can help me out, I have all the hot chocolate she could ever want." She followed her offer up with a hearty laugh, hoping to urge them all inside. Even if other distractions were inside, she was eager to talk about everything, literally everything.

Twilight, grinned, and turned to face the doorway again. "Oh, I meant the other Mary. As in, Mrs. Morris..." she trailed off, then, and Mary smirked, thinking that maybe Twilight was finally 'getting' it.

"Uhm," Twilight began to say slowly, holding a hand up to her cheek in thought. "There are two of you, right?" she asked. "A human Mary and you?" She was staring openly, an sounded understandably curious about what she had noticed.

Mary struggled to put it out plainly. "Well," she began to say, and paused. She sat down and rubbed a hoof behind her head timidly, drumming up some confidence. Wow, this is the first time in a while that I've even spoken to anyone other than my family. "Not... Not so much, no," she started with. "I'm Mary Morris, and I used to be human." She met Twilight's gaze, which was filled with confusion, while she filled her own with determination. "I need your help to make me human again, Twilight."

Twilight stared back down at her blankly, stretching a tense silence for nearly a minute. When she spoke, her throat croaked twice, but finally made coherent words. "I- I didn't plan for this... Let me check my notes." Oddly enough, she began rummaging through the bag she held off to her side, searching through ringed notebooks.

Jo, Twilight's friend, now completely leaned on the porches' railing. Her eyes were glued to Mary, and she muttered, "Great Scott..."

Stan surveyed the two girls briefly, but had calmed down along with everyone else. He heaved a sigh from where he still stood in the door. "Can I get anyone a drink, then?" he offered.

Immediately after, Mary burst out again. She couldn't help herself as a bit of panic welled itself up inside of her. "W-wait, you can, right? Dan said he saw you use magic. Surely if you're human right now it's easy for you to turn me into one, too. That's what he said. That you turned yourself human as a disguise!" She stepped towards Twilight, desperation growing. "Please! I mean- I don't want to sound... I mean... I've been stuck like this and-" she reached Twilight, and touched her hand with a hoof, trying to get the girl's attention.

Twilight, who had set her bag down, had also begun rifling through her notebooks. She was desperately trying to get her references for the wilder speculations she had thought up during her free time. She was having difficulty doing that and balance on the icy ground, though. "Mary, just a moment, I-" she began to say, but was cut off.

Mary had reached her hoof out, and it came into contact with Twilight, just as she was speaking back to her.

A brilliant purple flash bloomed out across the front porch to the home, washing out over the snow and surrounding fields.

Author's Notes:

Mary? Twilight? Uh oh.

In other news, my writing style is in a state of upheaval. Sooo, I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. Too wordy in some places... mostly everywhere. I'm going to try and turn up the dialogue dial and turn down the other more innocuous dials in the future. Still, it means that work is slower overall with all this thinking too much on my part.

Ah well, More as soon as I can get it out, though. I'm quite eager to tell my story after all.

I found the art randomly, but credit to whoever the artist is. I chose it mostly based on the fact it just so happened to be similar to what I was writing. Also, the girl looks identical to how I imagine Mary. The man? Uhm, similar, but more like a sports star and less like a burly lumberjack as I describe Stan.

Chapter 25 : Memories

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Mary was unconscious.

There wasn’t a sound that reached out, on Earth or any other world to make her stir or wake up. Minutes stretched on into hours for an unmeasurable amount of time.

Brief sensations reached Mary, but only for fleeting moments. A tingling here, or the odd, cool breeze there, building slowly like a glass filling with water overtime. Still, there wasn’t so much as a single thought playing its way through her head.

Absently, unconsciously, she was aware that she was asleep. On instinct alone, she tried to reach out to her dreams, to Luna. The act had been trained into her after weeks of trying to find the pony princess again. Her will strained itself, but came up empty.

Now, as it was then, there was no response from the strange, magical creature she had met over a month ago.

So, the silence stayed its course; until, that is, Mary thought she heard something, and felt herself begin to wake up, ever so slightly.

“Hello?” The sound called.

Mary thought she felt her ear twitch, or maybe she imagined it, and also became aware of her own breathing. Whose voice was that…? she thought, but only after a second or two of time.

Next, Mary thought she felt her shoulders being shaken, if weakly. The same voice repeated itself, too. “Are... okay?” After a brief pause, and perhaps more shaking, it added, “Could... wake up, please?”

Mary tried to answer the voice, but she couldn’t quite manage to wake up. She thought she managed to mumble something, though still under the veil of sleep, but wasn’t certain.

Mary waited for a response, which did eventually come.

“Miss?” The voice said yet again. “I... to disturb you, but... sort of lost right now…”

Mary wanted to shout, to say that she was right there, but couldn’t quite manage it. She waited for more words, or perhaps a slap to her face, but it didn’t come; afterwards, she felt herself drifting again, despite trying to fight against it. The feeling briefly reminded her of trying to resist the gas at a dentist’s office for as long as you could, only to fall under its effects without realizing it had happened.

The moment didn’t last long, and then she was entirely asleep again.

Mary had flashes and images cross her vision which were unlike the dreamless, blank sleep she had been in before. It took time, but slowly, her surroundings became clearer, and she found herself standing in a bright, overly cheerful looking field of grass.

Overhead was a bright and warm sun. To her left, a babbling brook with a happy pink bridge run over the top, and even amongst the grass itself were hundreds of pretty looking flowers.

Mary tilted her head left and right, then looked down at her hooves. Great, she thought. Still a pony. Actually, wait, what was I before? She tried to think about it, but couldn’t immediately remember. Eh, whatever. I guess if I can’t remember it isn’t that big of a deal… She yawned, patting her muzzle with one hoof, then trotted towards what looked like a nearby town.

Mary stopped in her tracks and furrowed her brow until it was almost a scowl. Oh, God, that place looks ridiculous. Her eyes ran over the silly looking design of the buildings she saw just up the dirt road.

“So what’s this place?” Mary asked the question out loud, as if hoping to get an answer. Funnily enough, and almost all to conveniently, she glanced over and came face to face with a welcome sign that read ‘Welcome to Ponyville’.

“Ponyville?” Mary asked in a confused tone. “Why does that sound so familiar. I- Oh no.” Her eyes widened to their fullest, her jaw crept open in a look of horror, and suddenly she was completely aware of where she had heard that name before. “Oh, no no no no! Not Ponyville!” Her teeth gritted, and she looked all around herself in dread. All at once, the memories had returned, memories from Marge, and Anna, all of them about pony this and pony that.

Mary huddled down somewhat, fearful already of what was in store for her. It was almost as if she knew already what was about to happen. “Why me?” she asked, then repeated the question louder. “Why me!? Why couldn’t this happen to someone who actually likes horses-” a sound caught her attention and cut her off. “What was that!?”

Mary’s shouting and confusion was quickly interrupted by a distant rumbling, and she looked down at the ground. There was a pebble there, laying in the road just before her hoof; it was bouncing and jumping slightly in the dirt.

“Oh no,” Mary breathed again in dread, then looked up.

There, creeping up the near horizon, was a cloud of dust, climbing into the sky between the eaves of the buildings in the town named, annoyingly enough, Ponyville.

Mary’s fur stood on end, her ears rose, and her tail swished in panic. No no no no no, her thoughts screamed, all the while she knew exactly what was coming, even before she heard and saw them.

“One of us! One of us! One of us!” sang a chorus of voices, all growing in strength and loudness.

Mary hesitated long enough to see the horrible, frightening, candy colored faces of hundreds of cute, cartoon animated equines, all racing towards her. It was an entire herd, a literal army of stampeding ponies.

“Nooooo!” Mary screamed, and whirled around on all four hooves to charge in the opposite direction from her chasers. “Leave me alone! I just want to be normal!”

Even as Mary galloped away hard as she could, she knew it wouldn’t be fast enough to escape. Sure enough, a pink pony, the spitting image of the one from Marge’s and Anna’s cartoon show, came up alongside her, but in a canoe rowing through the dirt, that was somehow moving fast enough to keep up on land.

Mary sobbed and repeated herself. “Go away! No more ponies! No moooore! I just want to be normal!”

The pink pony smiled, and answered while laughing. “Silly! You are normal! Just like us! Come on, let’s go back into town and party!”

Mary shook her head and mane, her ears picking up the sounds of equines all around her, matching her speed despite her best effort. “No! Go away!” She looked up, and the flying miniature horses were everywhere in the sky.

“One of us. One of us!” the flying horses sang down to her.

Mary shook her head harder, her limbs began to feel sluggish for some reason, and she felt a pony grab her shoulders. For some reason the world began to fade, even as she fought to be free. “No… No…” she mumbled.

Mary struggled to sit up. “Uggh… ponies… no more… ponies… get them away from me...” she continued to say.

From out of nowhere, a voice that was as clear as day spoke up, and got her attention. “Miss? Miss, are you alright?” She felt a breeze of wind, like a fan over her face. “Could you wake up, please?” the voice pressed on.

Finally, after what had felt like an eternity, Mary cracked her eyes open, and took in the blurry sight of someone sitting over her. Oh god, was I having a nightmare? She couldn’t remember much, but the weird face of a pink pony with fuzzy hair had stayed burned into her eyes for some reason.

The blurry form sitting over her seemed to speak again, louder this time. “Oh, uh, hello,” she greeted simply, then sat back away from Mary somewhat.

Mary struggled to speak; her tongue and mouth felt leaden. “Ooh…” she groaned, and quickly began to feel a pounding in her head that steadily grew in strength. Her next choice of words, which seemed entirely appropriate given how she felt, were, “Are you an angel? Am I dead?”

Mary widened her eyes more, taking in the colors that played over the blurry woman’s face. They held a very pretty, almost magical quality. I must have died. This place isn’t my home.

The blur leaned away from her slightly. “I— Uhm, I don’t think so... That is, you seem very much alive to me,” the blur said, soundly dashing what Mary had already begun to assume.

The blur paused for a moment, appearing to consider something. “And I’m no angel. I am a unicorn normally, though, and those are quite mythical where you’re from too. That is, assuming you’re from Earth…”

Mary gasped and leaned up quickly. “Twilight?” she asked, staring in shock at the blur. Slowly, through her narrowed vision, the blur began to resolve itself into a familiar, purple-haired, pale skinned girl, that was also wearing a thick sweater.

Twilight blinked back at Mary and touched her chin as if she was considering something. “Mary? Is that you?” she asked slowly.

Mary paused, studying Twilight in closer detail to make sure it was her. “Yeah,” she finally answered, “it’s me.” Her voice and throat felt hoarse as she spoke. She winced, leaning up in an attempt to sit, and became even more aware of the pain that began to fill her senses, particularly around her eyes. “Ooh, my head…” She put a hand on her temple reflexively.

Twilight helped support Mary as she leaned forward, both hands on her shoulders. “I thought it was you. Easy, you were out cold for a while there… When I woke up I had a really bad headache, too. It should get better soon.”

Mary grunted and squeezed her lids shut, trying to dull the ache. “That’s good to hear… Where are we now?” What happened back there? “I remember that there... was something purple…” Squinting, she looked around at the surroundings while standing up. The entire area was definitely not her quaint country home’s back porch.

Darkness stretched in every direction, including up and down, and made her a little sick to her stomach just by looking at it. Curiously enough, shiny lights, like windy disco-balls were interspersed every so often, just hanging in the air at various heights.

Mary tried to keep herself steady while looking all around, and simultaneously trying to puzzle things out. “What’s going on now, Twilight?” After remembering just who she was talking to and dealing with, and remembering the TV show that told her everything she needed to know about the unicorn, she added, “Did you do something?”

Twilight looked taken aback for a second, then shook her head jerkily in response at Mary.

“No!” Twilight exclaimed quickly. “I didn’t do any of this. At least, I don’t think I did.”

Mary frowned slightly and gave Twilight a withering glance, then look back at the shifting scenery briefly. Somehow, I doubt that, and now things have somehow gotten even weirder… When I get back I’m yelling at Herbert for saying this would happen. Sighing, and finding the lights were just making her headache worse, she turned to face Twilight Sparkle herself once again. Maybe it’s Herbert’s fault for jinxing the universe.

Meanwhile, Twilight continued speaking. “Well, I guess it’s more accurate of me to say I didn’t do anything on purpose...” She laughed a little, admittedly sounding very embarrassed. Her eyes were darting from one side to the other, noticeably avoiding Mary’s gaze.

“Great… just great,” Mary muttered, and held a hand up to the side of her head. What does she mean purpose? That she doesn’t know what she’s doing? She looked up to find Twilight making eye contact with her. My luck never ceases to amaze me. She kept the thought to herself, but only just.

Twilight had on an obvious look of curiosity over something, even as she spoke. “Mary, why are you human now? I thought that...” She trailed off, seeming unsure of herself.

Mary stared back, blinking, and not not understanding the other woman at all. She raised an eyebrow, then looked down. Once she had, she found her hands and arms, but no hooves or forelegs at all.

Mary felt a scream of joy build in her throat, but it came out as a startled gasp, instead, then died quickly altogether. “I- Oh…” Her excitement was very short lived. “Huh.” Sadly, she turned her hands over at waist level, and felt her expression sink once again. I can’t believe I let that surprise me. I’m just dreaming… She looked up and around herself at the ribbons of light, feeling sure she knew where she was. “Here again…” she mumbled dourly.

“Wait, ‘here again’?” Twilight asked, and stood up as well, coming to stand at roughly the same height as Mary. “Do you know where we are?” she asked; there was a hint of confusion in her voice, which didn’t bode well.

Mary frowned and looked over at Twilight. If I’m dreaming, how is she here, too? Her thoughts were already turning over the situation, as well as everything from before. She had questions, and wanted answers, first and foremost over Twilight’s initial reaction to a certain confession she had made…

For now, Mary addressed Twilight’s response over their whereabouts. “You mean you don’t?” She blinked at Twilight several times, expecting for a mistaken reaction, hoping that the other woman would laugh and leap into an ‘egghead’ explanation about everything over where they were.

Mary continued when she didn’t get an explanation right away, but hesitantly. “Well, I think I do, anyway… It feels about the same.” She looked up and down between her hands and Twilight, feeling confused. “Okay, I was speaking to Princess Luna about this and she called it a ‘dreamscape’—”

Twilight’s eyes widened to their fullest in an instant. She reached out and grabbed Mary by her sweatshirt’s collar. “Luna!?” she all but yelled.

“You’ve spoken to Princess Luna? How!? When!? How? Wait-” Twilight paused abruptly, then went on hesitantly, her eyes squinted suspiciously. “Is this some sort of roleplaying thing? Because while trying to convince people I was real I ran into that way too often…”

Mary’s own expression was wide with surprise, but not over Luna. Roleplaying!? she thought in shock. Growling, she proceeded to shrug out of Twilight’s grasp, and put on what she hoped was an indignant look. She got a sheepish, apologetic one from Twilight, in return.

“Heheh, sorry,” Twilight apologized, and scrunched up her shoulders in an ashamed look.

Mary stared at the strange, purple-haired girl for a couple seconds, trying to think up whether or not she should say anything over the rough treatment. Instead, she sighed, then responded curtly. “I’m positive I don’t know what you mean by roleplaying, Twilight, but my private life is confidential-” While speaking, her thoughts were fixated solely on why a magical unicorn would ask about, or even know about such a thing, that is until she realized what she must have actually meant.

Mary blinked. “Oh, wait, you mean that fake acting stuff Marge keeps talking about?” She thought she could recall Herbert talking about the term in the past, too. “No, Twilight, it isn’t that, and in any case, I mean the real Princess…”

A swirl of colors whipped around suddenly in a flash of movement, just behind Twilight’s head, and made Mary jump slightly.. “Luna…” she finished, and stared in surprise. It was behind Twilight, and different enough from before to have caught her attention.

Mary began to stare openly, watching as the colors mixed together and flowed into a big, blobby kind of bubble. What is that? she thought, more than a little worried.

“Mary?” Twilight prompted out loud to her. “What is it-”

Mary was vaguely aware that Twilight had turned around to watch the scenery with her, but didn’t answer. All around, colors were moving about and putting on a light show even more impressive than before, shifting and flashing briefly; the entire thing put any fireworks show she could remember to complete shame. She turned, trying to watch as many of them at once as she could.

Despite the incredibleness of it, Mary couldn’t help but think of how beautiful it was.

Soon, the colors shifted again, and began gathering to form what looked like great pools, each hanging in the sky at different angles; the pools were shiny, like the surface of a mirror, or rays of sunlight streaming through water.

Mary gasped along with Twilight, just as one of the pools exploded outward silently. The colors resettled just as quickly, pulling back inward and strangely, beginning to look as though they were gaining definition, and shape.

At the same time, Mary reached out and clung to the other woman’s arm on impulse. Surprising her a little, Twilight returned the embrace without any obvious hesitation.

“Twilight, what is this?” Mary started to huddle down towards the floor a little, eyes glued to the chaotic and ethereal light show. She wanted to be small, just in case it was something she needed to actually be afraid of, and not just startled from. "What's going on?” she asked shakily, and then again said, “Twilight?”

Twilight's eyes were unblinking, her head panning to search around. "I don't know,” she responded, and in a tone that wasn’t very comforting. “I really don’t know what's going on, Mary. Didn’t you say you knew where we were?"

Mary decided right then that Twilight’s expression and tone were decidedly worrying, uncertain, and not at all what she wanted to hear or see from the pony that was supposed to have all the answers.

“N-No—” Mary shook her head furiously for a few seconds, then stopped. "Oh, wait.” She realized she hadn’t yet mentioned where she thought they were, and resisted the urge to curse over forgetting. “Right, I think we’re asleep, actually."

The pools continued to shift from angry reds to eerie greens and more, but Mary risked braving a glance in Twilight’s direction, breaking her staring contest with the shifting surroundings.

Twilight visibly paused, then exclaimed, “Asleep!?” Quickly, she flashed a worried look in Mary’s direction. “What do you mean?”

Mary answered, but shakily. “Well, I don’t know anymore! It’s different! I—” She bit her lip and held her own words back, feeling an unmistakable sense of frustration building up inside. In truth, it had been there ever since she had woken up. Briefly, she reflected why she hadn’t tried to wake up, and did just that.

Mary found she was still there, standing beside Twilight. Her eyes widened, then clenched shut, and she tried harder. Come on! You stupid- Shen she opened them again, same as before, nothing had changed. You have got to be…

Mary scowled, then, began to vent her frustration, a sense of powerlessness working its way through her. “Darnit, I’m supposed to be home, raising my kids and fixing lunches!” Not getting caught up in crazy fantasy! “Not here in this! This is crazy-” The absurdity of her life and everything that had happened to her up to that point washed over her, and all in a rush. She didn’t want to be there, or anywhere but her home.

Mary surprised herself when a sob worked its way out of her, and a slightly feeling of dampness cropped up around her eyes. Great! And now I’m crying! What is wrong with me!? She scrubbed an arm of her eyes angrily.

“Mary!?” Twilight piped out of the blue after staying quiet for nearly a minute. “What’s wrong?” The other woman had on a consoling look, a kindly look that held a strong measure of understanding and willingness to help.

Mary stared at Twilight, sniffling and feeling at a loss, then sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not supposed to be here!” she nearly screamed. Unfortunately, it came out weaker than she wanted, and her voice cracked.

Mary panted and shook herself, pressing on. “That’s what’s wrong! I’ve- I’ve had to live the last several months of my life looking over my shoulder in fear that some random neighbor or car would see me!” Her eyes clenched themselves shut briefly, and she had to rub another hand over her eyes. Dammit- Dammit!

Mary continued, trying to keep her voice steady, and not slowing down. “I’m a freak, trapped in some crazy b-movie plot with talking animals! Have you ever seen Rock-A-Doodle? Or Brave? I have! Neither of them lasted four months!” She took a step back from Twilight, but kept her attention focused on her, not looking away for an instant. I want answers-

Twilight’s worried looking expression only deepened, annoyingly enough, and worse, she moved closer, too, giving chase. She took Mary by the arm with one hand, a measure of desperation appearing in her voice. “Mary! I- Look I understand that things have been hard, but now isn’t the time to—”

Mary’s emotions shifted gears from shocked to angry in a flash, and she interrupted Twilight. “Oh, you’re right about that, Twilight!” she began, raising her voice steadily. “It’s been plenty hard having your hands turned into hooves-” She stepped up and poked Twilight in the chest, keen on getting her point across. It felt harder than she’d meant to, but kept going. “-Having your son denounce you as his mother, your husband look at you with eyes like you were already dead.”

Mary let out a terse breath, trying to catch her breath. Her throat and eyes burned, and worse, the headache from earlier had returned with a vengeance. “Yeah, it’s been hard, and now here I am in Wonderland, torn away from my family, probably about to be scooped up on some stupid quest to destroy the ring of power and slay the Jabberwocky—”

“Mary!” Twilight interrupted suddenly with a shout, and loud enough to get her voice over Mary’s rant. “This is not helping! You’re doing the opposite of helping!” Her voice sounded strict, with an edge to it, but she wore a pleading look. “We could be in real trouble right now and need to work together.”

Twilight looked around herself at the colors pointedly.

Mary stared back with an expression of shock. Her head wasn’t filled with any full thoughts, but she reeled from just being told off by a younger woman, something that had never happened in her entire living memory, and worse, by a woman that she knew was actually a cute, lavender pony princess.

Twilight continued, her wary expression returning after glancing around the area. “Look,” she began, and in a calmer tone “I am really sorry for your ordeal, and I mean it-”

“Good!” Mary balled her hands up and shouted the word, desperate to get control back. “Because all of this is probably your fault,” she went on, and flung a hand out towards the colors Twilight seemed so focused on. “Not that sorry gets me my life back, Princess Twilight!”

Twilight recoiled back, and seemingly speechless. The expression she wore looked like it was searching for something to say, but was coming up empty.

Mary shuddered, taking deep breaths. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so angry, confused, and upset. But, she did know it had been about the time she became a tiny, miniature horse.

Mary built her resolve, and organized her questions into demands. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, and get some explanations right now—!

A scratchy, confident sounding voice broke through the relative silence that had started up. “I can clear these clouds in ten seconds flat!” the words rang in both the mare’s and human’s ears.

Mary looked around in confusion, while Twilight spoke up first, answering the strange voice. “Rainbow, not now, please,” she chastised, then began to speak directly to Mary right away, catching her off-guard.

“Mary, you…” Twilight trailed off, wearing a stupefied look, then went stiff backed and whirled around in a flash to face away from Mary. “Rainbow Dash!?” she cried.

Twilight was searching all around, apparently for the source of the voice. “Rainbow!?” she called out again, cupping her hands and yelling.

Mary frowned deeper, and in the short break, since Twilight wasn’t looking, wiped the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her eyes again. The anger that had built up was strangely gone in a flash, replaced again by mostly despair. Alright, calm down, Mary. You’re acting like a jerk… Not that she doesn’t deserve it. I mean, augh! she doesn’t deserve it though, does she?

Mary frowned, realizing she wasn’t terribly sure if she knew the answer to that at all. Meanwhile, she watched Twilight, suddenly intent on finding something and no longer paying her any attention. What is Twilight doing? Was that her friend’s voice?

Mary looked around a little as well, and quickly spotted the nearest bubble. There was a familiar looking, cyan colored pony with wings in it, resting atop a cloud and surrounded my old-timey looking buildings. The voice she’d heard matched up with the colors of the pony’s mane, she realized.

What was her name? Mary tilted her head, thinking hard to remember. Rainbow Splash? I should have paid better attention to that weird cartoon show, I guess. She looked between Twilight and the strange color orb, then thought she had figured it out. Twilight was looking for her friend, but hadn’t thought to look in the bubble.

“Twilight, look up.” Mary took another breath, further calming herself. “Do you see that?” she pointed a finger at the glowing bubble, and waited for Twilight to pay her some attention. Her own voice still sounded angry, she was aware, and she did still feel angry... but it was the best she could do.

Twilight, in a blur of eager movement and purple hair, snapped her head around, then followed the gesture upward. She stared at the peculiar phenomenon, along with Mary.

Both Twilight, and Mary focused on what was unmistakably the image of a blue pegasus, hovering at the odd bubble’s center.

Twilight spoke up again first, and in the form of a happy cheer. “Rainbow? Rainbow Dash!” Her face lit up with excitement, and she sprinted out until the swirl of colors was directly above her. “Hey, down here! Can you see me?” With one arm, she waved up at what Mary remembered was one of her friends.

Mary raised an eyebrow at Twilight, trying to talk to the strange orb. She glanced around herself at the others, and wondered why there were so many. The sounds of other, distant voices from them just barely reach her.

“Twilight,” Mary began quietly at first. “I don’t think…” She was cut off by Twilight, but it wasn’t the Twilight. Instead, the voice had come from elsewhere.

“Prove it,” Twilight’s voice said.

The actual Twilight stopped jumping up and down; her arm froze mid-wave. “Huh?”

Mary continued to watch the scene overhead, as well as the expressions from the pegasus. This is familiar. And I think I know why… This really is just like the cartoon just, well, real. Sure enough, the colors and pony floating in the bubble were nothing like the cartoon, but actual flesh and blood, and somehow, surprisingly believable; they looked just like her back on Earth, sans the rainbow mane and blue coat of fur, of course.

Mary looked around herself quickly, trying to think back to everything Luna had ever told her, only to come up a little empty. Unfortunately, the first pony she had met was her only clue as to what was going on.

“What’s going on?” Twilight spoke up abruptly, still staring upward. “Rainbow?” she asked again, then paused, and began watching as the pegasus in the bubble flew around in the sky at what was obviously incredible, and utterly impossible speeds.

Mary gaped openly, her eyes widening slightly. The stunt show was such that she began to walk closer towards Twilight and the bubble, even without entirely realizing it.

Twilight continued, her voice still tinged with curiosity. “Wait a moment,” she murmured, “This is…”

Mary closed her mouth and came out of the mild entrancement. That pony can really fly… she marveled, then faced Twilight and spoke, knowing the answer. “A dream,” she said, reasonably sure that it was right, or at least close.

Twilight looked over, surprise etched all over her face. “A dream?” she repeated, then continued, obviously beginning to catch on. “You- We’re dreaming? And asleep?”

Mary nodded twice, slowly, and looked back up at the bubble to avoid scowling again. Didn’t I already say that? she thought at herself. Calm down, Mary… Still trying to fight to keep from scowling, Mary answered Twilight. “Yeah, a dream. I met your other princess in one kind of like this, but she could control it, and told me I could as well just by thinking.”

Mary vaguely recalled the tea, and table sets, and even the full sized horse that she had seen materialized with just thoughts alone in Luna’s ‘dreamscape’. She continued speaking, a twinge of absentness entering her voice. “Though, I figured most of it out on my own because she disappeared…” Two months of trying to find Luna, and she still hasn’t picked up the phone yet.

Mary moved past the angry thought quickly, trying her hardest to stay focused. “I wanted to know more about things, like the weird ‘Earth Pony’ magic I’ve been saddled with-” Her train of thought cut off the second she uttered the pun, and she stumbled. After growling in frustration and hunching her shoulders up, she muttered a curse for the one responsible. “Dammit, Herbert.”

Mary huffed a sigh out and looked up at Twilight, only to find the younger woman still staring up at the bubble in a daze. Mary’s own expression softened a great deal, at that, almost immediately. Annoyingly enough, she even felt her eyes hazing again slightly, and she found herself looking up at the strange bubble in an effort to drain the breaching tears back.

“She really is a good flier.” Mary spoke in a soft tone, softer than any she had managed yet so far.

Overhead, the pony, apparently named Rainbow Dash, continued to perform an impressive show of aerobatics. The pictures blurred somewhat, moving back and forth across the sky as they seemingly tried to follow the speeding movement of the winged pony. Her voice could barely be heard, too, as she called out her flying moves while making them. “Loop the loop around, and wham!”

Mary witnessed the end to the performance, it seemed, and spoke again with the next thing that came to mind. “I’ve watched your show, and I always wondered how a horse with wings would ever be able to fly at all. She’s more like a humming bird up there the way she moves.” Mary felt like she should try and find some kind of common ground with Twilight, even if it was something she knew little about. “More magic, I’m guessing,” she finished.

In just ten seconds, the bubble’s images moved on until Rainbow Dash landed on the ground with a smirk. “What did I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I’d never leave Ponyville hangin’!”

In the corner of her eye, Mary spotted Twilight turning to face her.

“I’m not an expert on pegasi,” Twilight began, a definite lecturing tone in her voice. “But in truth, just about everything in my world involves magic… so technically speaking, yes.” After a moment, she added, “and yeah, Rainbow’s one of the best.” She spoke the latter quietly, almost in a sad way.

“Haha. You should see the look on your face,” Rainbow Dash’s image jeered. “Hah, you’re a laugh, Twilight Sparkle! I can’t wait to hang out some more.”

Mary frowned, feeling worse as thoughts caught up with her. She distracted herself by watching Twilight’s friend as she flew backwards lazily through the air, somehow. She had seen the scene once already, she recalled, but it had been in the form of a children’s cartoon show.

Mary frowned and bit her lip. I should apologize. She sort of knew why, but also sort of didn’t know why she had yelled at Twilight, at all. On one hand, she had developed a temper over the years, somehow… but she had never yelled at a stranger, and Twilight was a stranger, someone she didn’t know.

Somepony. The thought flickered in Mary’s head, and she smirked sarcastically for a second.

Twilight spoke up, and grabbed her attention away. “This is exactly how I remember that. It was the first time Rainbow and I met.” The ex-pony’s voice was regretful sounding, almost mournful, perhaps from seeing happy memory. “I’m pretty sure this is my memory, actually. Not a dream.” After a moment’s pause, she added, “So we’re in my head right now?” She looked over again, one hand held up to her chin now in a thoughtful looking way.

Mary considered the question carefully. Well, there are other memories out there, and I think I actually saw one of mine… Not waiting, she decided to bring up her thoughts.

“Or mine, maybe—” she had begun to say, but was cut off by a sharp gasp, which also took her by surprise.

Twilight had apparently had a thought, and words literally streamed out of her mouth in rapid fire, the gasp having been the only warning of what was to come. “Wait, Mary! You said you spoke with Luna in your dreams—? But this can’t be a dream, can it? We’re wide awake right now! Unless…” she trailed off.

Twilight hummed for a split-second, then began to seemingly talk to just herself. “Perhaps this is some sort of advanced spell of telepathy? But who cast it and why? Did Luna?” She paused again, for even less than a split-second, which was ages considering how quickly she was speaking. Still, it ended all too quickly.

Mary frowned and raised a hand, trying to speak, but was unable to even get a syllable out.

“No, that doesn’t make sense!” Twilight exclaimed; she was tapping a finger against her cheek quickly, and scrunching her face up in a way that looked painful. “Maybe the crystal acted as a conduit between both of our psyches? But how? Why?”

While Twilight went on, Mary tried to keep up with the questions. At the same time, she looked again at the surrounding bubbles. They were definitely scenes that she recognized as containing humans, she realized.

Nearby, Twilight was still in full swing. “—What do dreams have to do with this? How were you talking to the princess in a dream?”

Mary rolled her eyes, and tried to answer at least one of the questions, which she assumed was intended for her, but was not surprised when Twilight kept going, still not slowing her rant down. At least, Mary considered it a rant. Was she always this bad in the show?

“The crystal’s reaction couldn’t have simply been caused by our mere proximity with one another...”

At that point, Mary heaved a breath out and began to inspect the closest bubble, the one still overhead. She’ll figure it out eventually. Her eyes were a little glazed over, calmly watching the scene above of Twilight’s memories. It was different now, and Mary began trying to figure out if she recognized it from the show, the only real thing she had to go on besides a couple, brief encounters with Luna. The scene playing now certainly looked different now from the one before.

Twilight was still talking. “Does it have to do with your being a pony mysteriously?” she asked, in curious voice, almost beginning to calm down. “Mary you’re such an unknown. How did what happened to you, happen?”

Mary blinked after a few seconds, surprised to hear Twilight actually stop entirely. She just waited until I happened to look away, I bet… Still, she continued to stare upward, her thoughts trying to actually think of the answers Twilight had sort of asked for.

“Mary?” Twilight repeated. “Hellooo.”

Mary resisted sighing, and instead feigned like she had been the one that had drifted off. “Huh, oh, yes, I’m here,” she said back, and briefly looked over long enough to meet Twilight’s gaze.

Mary continued speaking, looking back up. “Hey, there are more bubbles now, Twilight.” With a gesture from her arm, she pointed out towards the surrounding blackness, sparsely filled with what looked to be random deposits of color. “They all look like memories to me… A couple of them are definitely mine, too. I saw one of when my hair first changed color, and another of the day before that.” She briefly frowned over at the bubbles, then added, “None of them go very far back, though. Not as far back as yours do, anyway. Is that important?” Twilight’s memory, if she had understood correctly, was at least a year old or something like that.

“Important?” Twilight repeated first, then continued in an interested tone. “Uhm, Maybe. That is very… that’s amazing, and interesting, if odd.” After the brief, fascinated tone, her voice picked up again in the excitement department. “Perhaps my hypothesis about a psychic bridge between our two minds was accurate after all!”

Mary scrunched her forehead up at that, and tried to think back to what exactly Twilight had been talking about; there had been too much for her to keep track of. “Your hypothe-what?” she blurted out, partially on accident.

Twilight hummed again and responded. “Though, it being a spell or caused by the crystal makes no sense whatsoever. Even less so now.” She must not have been listening, because the response was hardly an explanation.

Mary looked over with a frown, and found the other girl blabbering to herself once again.

“Items rarely cast magic on their own, or randomly, unless they’re designed to, at least as far as my studies have ever shown.”

This is getting silly… Mary concluded, and decided that it was time for a direct approach again. Stepping quickly, she walked on over to the other woman. “Twilight.” She said the girl’s name first, a little forcefully, but not too much.

Twilight was looking up at the bubble, but gave no indication of paying attention. “And that crystal was a byproduct of my arrival!” Her eyes held a sparkle of wonderment, as though she were witnessing the resolution of something right before her eyes somehow as she spoke. “I guess Luna could have cast such a spell, but she isn’t on Earth, is she—?”

Mary growled and waved one hand furiously in front of the other woman’s face. “Twilight!” she shouted, and stomped a foot, too, for good measure.

Twilight took in a sharp breath and stepped backward in surprise. “Ah! What? What’s wrong?” She looked around, settling her look on Mary, as if she hadn’t realized she was even there a moment before.

Mary deadpanned a moment, then rolled her eyes. “You were in your own little world, present situation notwithstanding." She looked around, too, considering carefully what exactly to say that wouldn’t set the cartoon librarian off on another rant, then went on. "Anyway, how about we figure out how to get out of here, first? Then we can talk about your shiny rocks and the…” She struggled briefly for a polite word, and ended up having to make do. “The other stuff. Like making me human again.”

Twilight was quiet a moment, with a flat look welded in place. When she did answer, it was first with a nod. “Right, right! Priorities are important in a situation like this… and…” She looked at the ground after trailing off, and the hesitant tone that she seemed to use a lot returned. “That means I probably owe you an apology then, Mary, for dragging you into this place.”

Mary turned back towards Twilight, taken completely by surprise over what she had heard.

Twilight continued, and while giving a soulful look, her head tilted downward in an ashamed fashion. “I’m really sorry,” she muttered quietly.

Mary felt her jaw working, trying to speak, and finally managed to stop by saying, “Apology?” She realized she sounded as confused as she felt, and wrinkled her brow as a result. “What-” Realization struck her next, quite sure she knew what Twilight was talking about, that the other girl thought she was responsible for everything. And, Mary guessed, she had quite soundly shoved all the blame off on her, even without knowing anything.

Mary tried to sound apologetic herself. “Oh, Twilight… look, about that, I’m the one that owes you the apology. I-I don’t know what came over me back there and…” She began to trail off, a renewed sadness welling up, and out of no where. Then, she surprised herself completely by hiccuping slightly.

Mary’s eyebrows climbed, and quickly scrubbed an arm over her face again. Oh, come on, this is ridiculous. What is wrong with me? She sniffed, harder than she meant, and found that like before she was inexplicably, or almost inexplicably, on the verge of tears.

Fighting it back, though, Mary managed to continue. She wasn’t sure what to say at all, but words worked their way out regardless. “I used to think I was unshakable years ago. If I had turned into a pony then, I could have just blamed that for how I feel right now, or how I’ve been acting.” She used the tip of a finger to wipe the corner of her eyes. “It’s funny how my life was just falling to pieces even before that. So, I guess even if this was your doing, you aren’t to blame for anything worthwhile.”

Mary turned towards Twilight, her back straightened. She looked at the girl, standing there across from her; she tried hard to picture a pony there, what she had been envisioning her as since waking up, she realized. She’s not a cartoon. She’s a living thing. A living person, and not at all like that cartoon… She also isn’t indebted to you.

Keeping her voice steady as best she could, Mary went on. “You’re not at fault in the least, Twilight. We’re both in a serious situation from the sounds of it, and me taking my… half of it out on you isn’t helping at all. I’m an idiot.” She took a quick breath, having gone without stopping for one yet. “I’ve been an idiot a lot lately,” she finished, and began a staring contest with her feet.

Something thumped against Mary. “Twilight?” she exclaimed in sudden surprised. Without any warning whatsoever, Twilight had raced up to her, stopped, then tossed her arms over her into a fierce hug. Mary had to hold her breath, her eyes bugging slightly from her middle being squeezed so hard.

“Twilight,” Mary fought to get her words out but coughed when Twilight squeezed tighter. “It’s alright, I- you don’t need to hug me…” A surprised thought ran through her head, along with a noticeable increase of blood flow being pushed upward. Wow, she’s strong for a book worm.

Mary could have sworn she heard a sniffle before she received a response.

Twilight’s head was draped over Mary’s shoulder as she replied, “Oh. I’m sorry you… you just sounded so sad.”

Mary remained silent a moment before she answered. “Well… I’m fine now, Twilight.” She tried to force a smile onto her face, then found it creep on easier than she would have thought. “You didn’t need to… but thanks.”

Twilight let out a strained sounding breath. “I have studied humans a lot, and I haven’t got everything about your culture down yet… but I can only imagine how frightening it must have been trapped in a strange body here. Er, no offense to you or your race, but-”

Twilight’s assurances, particularly the crushing hug part, were having a decidedly different effect than what Mary thought was intended. She coughed again, more loudly this time. “A-Actually, Twilight,” she started, while a nervous laugh shook out of her throat involuntarily. “I meant to say that, you’re sort of a stranger, even if I did watch you in a show, and… you can let go now.”

Twilight seemed to freeze up for a split-second, then backed away from Mary in a flash, her hands folded behind her back. “Ah heh heh, sorry…” she apologized, and wore a sheepish grin.

“It’s okay.” Mary forced the same smile she often used after scolding Anna out of habit. “Like I said, I’m the one that owed you the apology, Twilight, but thanks.”

Twilight’s expression lifted somewhat and she nodded. “Apology accepted.” She took a deep breath and visible relief washed over her features. “So, first thing’s first, Mary. Since you seem to know something about… all of this, how do we get out of here?”

Mary stared back appreciatively, glad to finally be getting the ball rolling in a manner that involved her, took her turn to freeze up. Her eyes widened, and she quickly began waving her hands back and forth defensively. “Twilight, no no no, I ran into Luna in my dreams. At least, that’s what she told me, and all I know is what she said.” She swallowed, briefly considering just how little she actually did know and how very in the dark she was about everything.

Mary went on, laying a hand on her front as a self-gesture. “I could have been having a schizophrenic episode for all I know...” She looked around at the bubbles hanging in the sky, squinting nervously up at them. “But I kinda doubt that, I guess. This is completely different, and to be honest I don’t know that much or think I understood anything anyway...”

Twilight looked like she was about to say something, but instead held back to search the ground.

Mary sighed, and decided to wait, not sure what else to add. After brushing back some of her hair with one hand, she folded her arms and looked back up at the darkened sky to distract herself

The bubble still hung overhead, depicting an orange pony with freckles and a hat.

Mary thought she recognized the mare as ‘Scarcity’ or something to that effect. The bubble was still playing through Twilight’s memories, it seemed.

“Huh,” Mary tilted her head in a thoughtful looking way. Just wanting to stir up conversation again, she addressed Twilight about the memory. “Hey, I think it changed, Twilight. It’s playing a different one, now. This one has your orange friend in it.” Uggh, come on Mary, think… what was her name? She frowned, feeling insensitive for not remembering. “Uhm, the southern one obsessed with clothing that always wears the hat.”

Mary nearly growled in frustration, getting angry over not being able to come up with the name, but was saved.

Twilight spoke up, walking a bit closer. “Applejack?” she asked aloud, then looked up alongside Mary. As she did, she began giggling suddenly, as well as talking. “Oh, yeah, that’s Applejack.” She had to pause a second to laugh and take a breath. “But Rarity is the one obsessed with clothing.”

“I can’t believe you got those two mixed up.” Twilight laughed some more, smiling over broadly. “Wow, they would either laugh or get really indignant about you mixing them up.” Her chuckles subsiding, Twilight seemed to manage standing straight up again, her head craned back to regard the bubble.

Mary smirked along with the other woman’s giggling, then turned as well. After, she harrumphed soundly, frowning a little, but not really meaning it. “I guess I didn’t pay that much attention while Anna watched the episodes,” she admitted.

Twilight continued to smirk, then oooed in recognition over the memory. “I remember this!” she began, sounding excited. “This was my talent potion.” There was a twang to her voice on the final word.

“Talent potion?” Mary asked, but was spoken over by a voice from above her.

Overhead, the voice came from the bubble, though the only thing that could be seen in the view was of various, floating vials and different liquids. The cone of vision then panned over to the right, and a pony, unmistakably Equestrian, came into full view. Behind the orange mare were a few windows and the cozy looking interior of a curious looking building. A couple bookcases, seemingly built into the walls could be seen, as well as an impressive mess of random items all over the floors. Food, splashes of liquid and more all seemed mixed on the ground.

Mary heard Twilight, laughing sheepishly, and assumed it was due to the state of her home in the image. She briefly wondered how much Twilight and Bobby may have in common given their similar lack in house keeping.

The mare in the bubble, Applejack, muttered something, and in a southern accent. “I’m not sure that I am followin’ you, Twi’.” She wore a skeptical look, perhaps tinged with worry, and was scratching a hoof through her mane while tipping her hat back slightly.

Twilight’s cheerful, slightly manic sounding voice piped up next. “Applejack, you look tired. I take it that you’re still harvesting the apples in your orchard around the clock?” She was obviously talking towards something with her questions, seeing as how she’d entirely ignored what Applejack had said.

Mary was struck with a brief sense of deja vu, but kept listening and watching through what for all intents and purposes seemed to be Twilight’s old day to day life.

Overhead, Applejack shifted on her hooves, and uncomfortably by the looks of it. “Well… yeah, I've been workin’ all mornin’.” She paused for a second, her eyes looking around slightly, then asked, “Is it really that obvious?”

The other Twilight responded quickly, and excitedly. “No, not at all…” She trailed off, then spoke again. “Well, maybe just a little bit,” she admitted. “But that’s not the point. I meant, are you feeling fatigued? Exhausted? Jaded?”

Mary felt a twinge of discomfort as a thought occurred to her, and looked over. “Hey, Twilight,” she started, trying to get her only source of company’s attention.

Twilight pulled her sights away from the image long enough to look back. “Yes?” She smiled, her gaze flickering between making eye contact and watching Applejack continue to speak.

“I don’t know about that there last one, or what it means for that matter, but the first two for sure,” Applejack went on. “Mah legs feel shakier than Fluttershy around a crowd full of stallions.”

Mary continued, having waited a moment for Applejack, though the pony wasn’t technically present. “It feels a little odd just looking in on your memories like this…” she confessed; in truth, watching the memories felt like an invasion of Twilight’s privacy. “We can try and find a different spot if this is too personal or something. I don’t want to intrude on your privacy, is all.” She smiled a little weakly, before glancing around for a possible blank spot between bubbles.

Twilight responded to her, an absent tone coating her voice. “Oh, no it’s fine, Mary. I don’t mind at all. Uhm, let’s just watch this one, and then we can stop..." She trailed off with a hint of a smirk on her face, and not sounding at all as though she minded.

Well, even if she is alright with it, it feels strange to me… Mary stared for a second, then shrugged. “Okay, but we should speak about what we’re going to do soon.” I would ask right now, but I really don’t even know where to begin! Briefly, she mused, I guess I could ask about making me human again… but I guess this might not be the best time. Uggh, come on Mary, patience, and stop thinking just about yourself.

Mary looked up and over at Twilight again, who was well and truly sucked in by the events overhead. The way she was looked, Mary could tell Twilight felt pleasantly at ease from the sight of the pony in the memory. For a moment, she considered the possibility that Twilight might be going through a few problems of her own during her stay on earth.

Overhead, the memory continued. “Well then, allow me to help you…” There was a ding from nearby, then the cone of vision turned to face the desk again, where it began to stir something, which looked to be held in a familiar, purple magical aura.

Applejack continued speaking from out of sight. “Twi’, please, I don’t-” but was quickly cut off by an interjection from Twilight’s voice.

“Applejack, just hear what I have to say, please?” The other Twilight began to fade out slowly, becoming quieter. Soon, the memory became blurry and dissipated until the bubble became a darkened orb.

Twilight let out a disappointed sound. “Aw, it didn’t even get to the good part! Or… actually,” she trailed off, looking down in a thoughtful way. “I guess it wasn’t that great of a part.”

Beside her, Mary hummed in acknowledgement, then spoke. “Well, seeing your memories is interesting, Twilight, but it doesn’t really get us out of here…” She looked over, hoping to get back towards the productive side of things. How would we even get out of here? I guess Twilight might know a spell… She eyed the unicorn turned human a little nervously, considering just what more questionable pony-witchcraft might do.

Twilight began to nod in return. “You’re right. We should exchange more information to figure things out some… Let’s start with all of this.” She spread her arms out in no real direction across the area. “Both you, and Luna, could control things in here…” She appeared to struggle in thought, as if trying to come up with something. “I guess we’ll call it a normal dream? But in this one you can’t-”

Mary interrupted; she had been pretty sure of what Twilight was trying to say right away. “-can’t will myself awake or get us out of here,” she finished, nodding. “That’s right. I could change what I looked like before, too, and make things up if they weren’t too hard to do. In here though, it feels weird.” She briefly recalled the experiments she had tried before, and their unsuccessfulness.

Twilight’s eyes widened with a look of rapt fascination. “That sounds amazing! It-” Her face locked up in a confused expression, until she went on slowly. “I have never encountered a book about this before… I wonder why that is.” She held a hand to her chin, humming and starting to pace. “I will have to speak to Luna about it I-” She stopped talking abruptly, falling silent. Her face flashed through a look as though she had realized something important, which was quickly followed by a frustrated one instead.

Mary decided to wait, raising an eyebrow slowly as the other girl’s pause began to continue for quite some time.

Twilight suddenly thumped a hand into her palm. “Mary, you said you spoke to Luna, and before that, when we were talking about meeting each other over the phone, you said that you were looking for me.” She briefly ran a hand through her hair, correcting herself. “Or, well, that the pony was, but you’re the other pony so…”

Mary smirked a little, feeling a twinge guilty over the deception she had pulled, and a little bit amused that it had even worked.

Twilight paused for a split second, then added, “Also, it’s occurred to me that this entire situation is crazy, by the way.”

Mary blinked flatly, her smirk gone. You sure said it, sister… she thought dourly, then nodded. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried that you think that, too.” Her words were frank, a bit like how she felt after hearing the very familiar opinion.

Twilight laughed lightly, and appeared to force a quick smile. “Maybe both…” she suggested. Her expression became serious again before she continued. “In any case, back to my point, you were looking for me. Does that mean Luna told you I was missing?” Her face held a very expectant look suddenly.

Mary thought carefully how to answer, then nodded. I wonder why Twilight wouldn’t have been able to contact her if she still has her magic? “Yeah, actually. Uhm, which brings me to that other—”

Twilight’s mild cheer cut off Mary before she could start. “Yes! Of course, I knew they could find me. The princesses are incredible.”

Mary gave Twilight a weak smile, just the slightest movement of her features, but raised her voice to get another word in. Rats She quickly filed away the question about her humanity for later. “Yeah, Twilight, I don’t want to get your hopes up… The last time I was able to speak to Luna was over… two months ago?” Her eyes scanned the floor a moment before she nodded. “It was back during Halloween. I’ve been trying to call her again ever since, almost every night, but it hasn’t worked.” The princesses need an answering machine… hmph.

Twilight brought her cheering to a halt, stopping mid hop. “It hasn’t?” she asked. Her confused look deepened. “Why not?”

“I’m not sure,” Mary responded quietly. “I don’t think we can do anything about it here, though…” She regarded Twilight solemnly. The news sounded pretty bad when she thought about it, and made her feel a little guilty that she had just rattled it off so nonchalantly. She tried to pick her next words better, as well as make them sound more thoughtful.

Twilight opened her mouth, as if to speak more on the subject, then closed it again and looked around herself. The colors from the memory overhead, as well as the others in the distance all played across her complexion and winter clothes in the relative dark.

For a moment, Mary did think she saw something regal about the flighty, eccentrically behaved girl.

“Yeah…” Twilight finally murmured, staring off at a nearby bubble. Her stare intensified and her face screwed up into a look of total concentration. The look dissipated after a sigh, then she asked, “We aren’t trapped here, are we?”

Mary frowned, looking at the ground, wearing a darkened look. “I was going to ask you that…” She took a deep breath before speaking again. Earlier, she had tried waking up, but it hadn’t worked. Then again, she considered that she had already tried for a moment, and while angry. “I… I might be able to get us out of here, I guess. Maybe I just need to concentrate on it. I haven’t tried really hard yet.”

Mary frowned a little, a thought coming to from the way things had started. After looking around again, she surprised herself, adding, “This started because I touched your hand, didn’t it?” Looking up, she gave Twilight a stern look, though she tried to keep her eyes soft.

Twilight looked back at Mary quickly; her lips pursed on the edge of answering before she eventually spoke. “Oh,” she began slowly. “I, uh… I think it did, actually.” Her confession definitely sounded as if she herself wasn’t sure.

Mary stayed quiet for a moment, and looked away at the ground to think. So, Twilight brought us here somehow, but on accident without even knowing what this place is… Well, this might not be a movie, but if it was, then this wouldn’t be some kind of weird coincidence… Then again I’m not exactly the expert on pony voodoo. Sighing, she looked up at the bubble, not yet wanting to face Twilight again; Mary’s eyes were partially lidded. Why do I get the feeling that we’re connected somehow, though?

Mary saw Twilight seek out the bubble overhead as well, not speaking either. I wonder what she’s thinking about. Is she hiding anything? Probably not… why would she? Twilight’s a really nice girl, for a pony… but I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Mary smirked, shifting her stance from one leg to the other, still stuck in her thoughts, even as the bubble overhead began to transform and shift. She didn’t take notice of the changes. After all, Twilight is a character from a kid’s show. Then again, seeing as how that ‘Invader Zod’ cartoon was for kids, too, I guess that doesn’t say a whole lot… I wonder if she knows how we have a cartoon of her? I swear, if she tells me why and it turns out Herbert’s idea about stupid alternate realities is right, I will throw a-

Twilight’s voice piped up from nearby, and seized Mary’s attention quickly.

“Mary, this is your memory?” Twilight asked in an interested tone.

Mary looked over blinking, and hummed in acknowledgment. Shoot! I wasn’t listening at all, was she talking to me?

Twilight smiled briefly as their eyes met, then looked overhead for some reason. “Interesting,” she went on. “We could learn a lot about each other just watching these, huh?” She tilted her head again, in a sort of curious way, as though pondering a mystery.

What is she talking about- Mary followed Twilight’s gaze and looked up. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Overhead, centered in the memory bubble, was the unmistakable features of her husband, though they were darkened by the shroud of a room without lights. Still, Mary immediately recognized the hutch in her bedroom, and the plain colored paint of their walls. There were clothes scattered around, and the plastic tubs that held old clothes briefly panned through the cone of vision as well; it seemed as though the person moving in the bubble, which was obviously her, was not sitting still.

“Stan?” Mary asked dumbly. She quickly blinked away the surprise, having figured out what was going on, then replied to Twilight. “Huh, yeah I guess it is a memory of… mine…” She trailed off, in thought, thinking back to her earlier worries about Twilight’s privacy. The same thoughts now switched, but to her own privacy. I mean, I don’t even know if ponies need privacy. They’re cartoons, but—

Mary’s breath caught, suddenly recognizing which memory of hers must be playing overhead, or at least, one of many that it could be. “Uhm, Twilight...” Her voice had a wary tone to it. Overhead, her own giddy laughter rained down around her ears, like a doombell ringing in warning.

Twilight’s voice, still curious, and obviously oblivious, answered, “What’s wrong, Mary?”

Mary gulped, and tried to stay calm, as well as not hyperventilate. “Uhm, Twilight, not to alarm you, but is there a way to turn this off?” She began circling around the looming bubble, a look of dread on her face, even as the scene continued to play out.

Mary thought she could hear a belt unbuckling from in the memory. “We need to turn this off right now!” she shouted.

Twilight answered her back, but not with what Mary wanted to hear. “Hm, there might be a way,” she began in a studious, interested sounding way. “Since we’ve established we’re likely in a kind of mental simulation...”

While Twilight was still speaking, overhead, a large man leaned into full view, bare-chested, then leaned in to filled the view of the bubble.

Mary could feel a nervous sweat begin to build, and she risked a fearful glance over at Twilight. Though, amazingly, the other girl was still talking.

“Didn’t you say you control things here?” Twilight asked, also still looking up. “Oh! We should probably test-”

In the middle of considering a mad dash over to Twilight to avert her eyes, Mary heard the thing she had been dreading since the moment she had put two and two together.

“Mmmm…” A low, happy sounding voice interrupted Twilight, and made Mary’s eyes shoot open to their widest in fear. The groan was unmistakably her own voice, and could be easily discerned from the image over head. Her mouth opened in a look of embarrassed horror. Not in front of the stranger! Not in front of the cartoon pony stranger!

Twilight spoke again, quickly, but with a hint of dread in her voice now. “Mary, what was that sound?”

Mary face-palmed with both hands, hiding behind them. She knows!

“Ah!” Twilight cried out, seemingly aware of what was happening now. “How do we turn it off!? I don’t want to see this!”

Mary shot an angry look over at the other girl, then began trying to do just that: shut it off. “Why do you think I wanted to turn it off!?” She waved her arms up at the images, jumping up and down trying to reach them, but her best efforts seemed to have little effect on the scene playing out overhead.

The scene was escalating quickly as the man’s head pulled away, bringing his hairy chest back into view. From her own, past self’s view, Mary could see herself exploring the man’s shoulder through a mirror on the wall. She was being carried, she realized, the last time she could recall that happening had been the night before her change.

Suddenly, the view was jerked toward the ceiling as Stan, just as she remembered, hurled her down onto the bed.

Twilight cried out again over the noise of creaking bed springs and happy sounding laughter; very happy sounding laughter. “Please, Mary, make it stop!” The other girl hunched forward onto the ground and covered her eyes with her hands.

Mary floundered in her efforts to will herself up to the bubble so she could smash it. She tried making a crane appear, or a bazooka, but nothing seemed to work the way she wanted it too. “How!?” Mary cried back in desperation, still waving her arms, and was caught by surprise a moment later as Twilight grabbed her hand.

“Mary, I think we should run away from it.” Twilight stated matter of factly, with no unevenness to her voice. “No offense to you and your husband, but—”

“Wait wait wait,” Mary replied hastily, her attention focused entirely upward. Please stop, please- It worked? She took a moment to making sure the view hadn’t just been her closing her eyes or something, then looked at Twilight. “There, it’s gone. I just- I just had to think really hard on it.” She exhaled a huge breath, her hands leaning on her knees once she got the one back from Twilight.

Overhead, the bubble was now a cloudy grey, no longer containing any discernible colors or shapes at all.

Twilight shuddered and leaned on Mary’s shoulder with one arm. “Oh,” she breathed, relief evident in her voice. “Good, very good. I’m… glad. Thank Celestia...”

I can’t believe that just… Oh my god. No one must ever know. Mary looked over, frowning slightly. “Sorry about that, Twilight.” She tried hard to think of the best thing to say, and decided just not bringing anything up would be the best choice of words. “That whole thing was… strange.”

Twilight looked up and quirked an eyebrow in a skeptical look. “You think so, too? Huh, maybe the personal relations humans share with one another isn’t universally thought of as normal and—”

Mary hissed in protest once she understood what was being said, and waved a hand at Twilight. I don’t want to talk about it! her thoughts shouted, while verbally she said, “I don’t mean the memory, uggh. I mean, I’ve been trying on and off to do things since I woke up here with you leaning over me.”

Mary blinked briefly, then resisted the urge to scream. Dammit, Stan! I don’t know how, but I’m convinced this is all your fault! She pressed her palm over her face, trying to hide the look of embarrassment she felt there. “That came out wrong,” she muttered.

Twilight spoke up, but still using the half interested, half clueless tone she seemed to love. “It did?” she questioned, tilting her head slightly.

Mary peered up at Twilight through the cracks between her fingers, then rolled her eyes. “Never mind…” She sighed slightly. “Let’s finish solving Davinci’s code.”

Twilight paused a second, still looking lost, then muttered back, “Hm, that book was awfully convoluted…” She had her arms folded over her front in a guarded way, her shoulders hunched up.

Mary frowned a little. I hope that didn’t traumatize her. Would cartoon ponies even… do that stuff? She blinked, then shook her head, sending her hair tossing from side to side. No, Mary, bad thoughts, bad thoughts- During her minor fit of mental helplessness, she was addressed.

“So,” Twilight began. “To sum things up, you were taught briefly how to change your dreams, but haven’t been able to do so easily in this instance?”

Mary was thankful for the question’s distraction, though, after trying to answer it immediately, realized she needed to think about it for a moment. Well, Luna did more of just saying I could do it, then because she sort of abandoned me, and after saying I could contact her whenever I wanted, I had to figure it out all on my own… Before she could share her thoughts with Twilight, and in a slightly less direct manner, she was interrupted.

“Perhaps because we’re not in a dream, so to speak,” Twilight suggested abruptly. She was pacing and staring at the floor, with one hand planted firmly in a fist at the base of her hair. “We have been seeing memories. I guess this supports the bridge between us theory, so to speak…” Her pacing stopped during her pause, and she looked out at nothing with an intense look of concentration smoothing her features.

Mary frowned a little, waited, then when the girl didn’t seem keen on including her, she looked up absently.

The same memory bubble was overhead. Cursed thing, Mary thought angrily, and wished she could kick it. Something caught her eye though, something odd and different from before. The colors were back, rather than a movie-like replaying of one of their memories. What was strange, were the patterns that the colors shifted through, like a kaleidoscope cranked up into overdrive.

Mary felt her eyes unfocus slightly staring up at them. Pretty… she thought, then tried to get Twilight’s attention. “Twilight.”

Mary continued to watch, waiting in a distant way for a response. It occurred to her that the situation probably meant staring at the colors in the way Bobby, as an infant, used to stare brain-dead at a television, was probably a bad idea, but she still didn’t look away.

Twilight’s voice from nearby briefly caught her attention. “Mary, I have a quick question for you,” she began. “Could you answer it for me quick before I go on? Because I have something really important to say.”

Mary continued to stare upwards, her jaw hanging open slightly. “Yeah?” she responded absently, only half hearing what was said. Did she say something about something important? Overhead, the colors began to flash dark, then light again, but never changing their pattern. She thought she heard the sound of rushing wind growing in volume, too. What is going on up there? Is this one of Twilight’s memory’s? When did she on Mr. Toad’s wild ride?

Twilight coughed, and continued slowly. Rather than an indignant tone, though, she used a calm, consoling one. “What was the date you turned into a pony, because I became a human… er, that is, I landed on earth about the start of October… If you turned into a pony about then, I think I am directly related to the incident...” Twilight’s confession hung in the air.

The bubble overhead was being distracting, and had Mary’s full attention. It changed suddenly from colorful sort of screensaver, into a clear blue sky. She continued to stare upward, as she answered back. “Oh, yeah, I did. I guess you’re right.”

Mary tilted her head, confused, but curious, then just as quick it was all swallowed up by shadow in a frightening way. There was something else odd that appeared, but only for a moment, like some sort of frightenly misshapen animal. All the while, she thought she heard two voices, but they were distorted, if clearly different.

Mary shook herself, still trying to make out what was being said. Okay, this is weird. Wait, what’s Twilight saying? She told herself to listen this time and pay attention, but still watched the bubble for more changes.

Twilight continued. “Alsooo, I’m stuck as a human, just like you’re stuck as a pony. So, I can’t actually turn you back yet, because I don’t have access to my magic at all and I lost my horn… I have a theory that because I’m human, my body contains no magic, and as my hair grows out, it's begun changing to a human shade, and right after I landed, which that supports my theory.”

All while Twilight spoke, an orange glow began to grow, melting the shroud slowly. At first, Mary didn’t know what to make of it, but the sounds of scraping rock appeared soon after, followed by what was unmistakably fire, and a lot of it. At the same time, Mary had been hanging on Twilight’s words, each of which made her want to turn and address in detail, but, was unable to bring herself to do so.

Mary’s eyes widened further as the memory grew brighter, and the sound of panicked breathing finally rose above the rest of the scene.

“Mary,” Twilight continued, obviously not aware of what was going on right above her head. “I just want to say, before you get upset, that-”

“Twilight,” Mary broke in, very much intent on getting her only companion to see what she was seeing. “Shut up and look up, please.” Quickly, and after remembering that Twilight had just confessed to not being able to do the one thing Mary had been hoping for, she added, “I really want to yell at you right now, but there’s… a thing. And it’s on fire.”

A noise louder than thunder washed over both women as Mary finished speaking; it was a sort of deep rumbling, accompanied by a distant, rushing sound, like wind.

Immediately following it was a voice, surprisingly audible over everything else vying for attention. The voice said, "Twilight... Sparkle." It was loud, almost a rumble itself, and difficult to discern the gender.

Mary continued to stare and listen, her thoughts all but frozen. Oh my God. This is Twilight’s? After a moment, her face took on a worried, fearful quality. This place looks like… She didn’t want to think the word. The brief realization struck her that she had never really believed in such a place, that a place like the one she was looking at could exist. The thought that Twilight herself was from an entirely different world struck her, and that in reality everywhere might not be so nice as what she knew.

The scene overhead continued, not waiting for Mary’s thoughts to get ahold of themselves.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” the voice rumbled again, all while surrounded by the rushing sound, which actually was, Mary noticed, fire. The entire scene that could be made out overhead was unreal. An ocean of lava and distant mountains stretched out to the distance. The sound of magma and the crash of rocks filled the air in a muted way, leaking out of the bubble.

Briefly, Mary had a thought of movie night with Herbert. It’s like that movie with that villain that’s kind of a superhero… shoot, what was it?

Twilight’s voice cried out suddenly from overhead, interrupting Mary. “Who’s there!?” It was only slightly distorted by the strange phenomenon it came from. The cone of vision in the bubble shifted left and right, looking around themselves.

The voice from before answered, slow and measured, as if making a point. “Who. That’s a good question… Who would do this to you. I might tell you, if I could.”

The hurried, panicked breathing from the Twilight in the bubble increased. Her vision panned around again, then looked down, and caught sight of herself. She seemed to be held aloft in the air above blackened rocks, suspended by nothing.

“Tell me who you are and release me-! I- This isn’t-” Twilight’s past voice trailed off quickly, replaced by rapid breathing, and was interrupted by a sound of wonderment from Mary, standing just beside the actual Twilight.

Mary winced more the longer she watched, and stole a worried glance at Twilight. I take it back, this way worse than any movie. She wanted to speak up and tell Twilight they should leave, but the other girl, surprisingly, was paying the memory rapt attention. Her expression was confusing, almost curious.

“Wow, you really have seen some amazing… places, Twilight.” Mary gulped, and tried to go on. “W-Who is talking to you in this? Uhm, if you don’t mind my asking…”

Twilight looked over to meet Mary’s gaze, her almost blank look shifting to a very worried one in an instant. “I don’t know! I don’t even remember any of this.” She made to look back up, but stopped. “Maybe these aren’t just memories like we thought?” A quick shrug hunched her shoulders up.

Mary opened her mouth to answer back that she wasn’t really so sure, but before she could answer, the rumbling voice spoke over them again.

“You are so afraid,” it said. “You have only been trapped for a few, measly seconds, yet you are so afraid.” The voice held an air of calm, and disinterest, as though thinking, but the effect was ruined by its ferocity. “But I guess the decor I chose is what has you so afraid, or perhaps it is because I captured you? Or both? It must be both… I don’t understand these things myself, no more than I think I understand much of anything other than… anger?”

Mary furrowed her brow, a spark of anger filling her. Who the Hell is this creep? Who even talks like this? The rest of her expression built up into a scowl that was almost a snarl. This must be one of Twilight’s old… villains. She gave Twilight a glance, and then remembered what Twilight had already said. Maybe she has a bad memory? she thought doubtfully.

The voice of Twilight from the image rose in protest again, obviously just as upset about what she said as much as being where she was. “Listen, you! I was in the middle of a crucial experiment! I don’t care who you are anymore, but you will release me right this instant. I am the personal student of-” A zipping sound cut off Twilight’s voice.

Mary tilted her head, wondering what had happened.

The bodiless voice continued after what might have been a gentle roar, or possibly a sigh. “Much better. I apologize, but I really just want to talk at you, not so much talk with you. I am more used to talking at things. Rocks, ice, lava… mostly rocks.” The voice grumbled a sigh again, more discernible this time. “I am wandering in thought. I am sorry for that. Time is of the essence, and I am very used to having all the time in the world. This is such a strange feeling I- I rather like it. Much like talking to you, Twilight Sparkle.” The voice began laughing the moment it stopped speaking, but only for a split second.

Mary made an abrupt observation. Is this thing senile? then frowned, still trying to figure out what she was looking at. She wanted to talk to Twilight again, but not if it meant interrupting the memory.

The rumbling voice continued, its laughter already finished and replaced by the disinterested tone again. “That is enough of that, I think that—”

A second voice interrupted the first, coming out of nowhere. Mary recognized it though, it sounded like the whispers she had heard just minutes before.

“Time. It is running shorter than planned. The spell weakens. We suggest you hurry so we can finish.” This voice was completely different, sounding both far and near at the same time, like the echo of an echo, or a wind blowing over several twisted instruments.

Mary’s eyes narrowed a moment later. No, I’ve heard that voice before. She tried to think of where could have heard something like that in the past. Before she could come up with an answer, the scene continued.

The rumbling voice spoke, answering the newcomer. “Yes, yes, thank you.” It drawled slowly. “We will hurry. I just… want to enjoy talking to her as long as I can.”

The second voice returned in a rush, surprisingly, almost shouting. “There will be more to talk to!” After a second long pause, it whispered, “Speed, quick. I must change what the unicorn sees. This wastes my strength.”

The bubble’s image’s shifted, or rather, it began to melt. While the bubble maintained itself, the fire and mountains that could be seen faded away, and was replaced by a familiar view of a few, random pockets of color and darkness.

Mary’s eyes could go no wider, but they tried, realization creeping in immediately at the familiar scene. They were here? She stole a quick, fearful glance out into the blackness around her. Where even is here!? Isn’t this just a brain link like Twilight said!? She spotted Twilight, looking around just as she was. Her face had desperation and confusion painted all over it. She looked pretty afraid overall.

The rumbling voice spoke up again overhead, still talking with the other. It sounded genuinely upset, and for just a split second, it held a decidedly feminine sounding quality. “Truly, you can not maintain it? Very well… I apologize for making the request in the first place. I wanted to share my whole story with the first thing I spoke to after our escape. Wanted to show it what I have… lived through. Wanted to so badly…”

The echoing voice whispered again, replying, “Do what you want. You still can. Hurry.”

Mary let the words sink in, still watching Twilight. The other woman was staring up at the bubble again. Not waiting, Mary walked over, recognizing someone in need of comfort. “Twilight, what is going on up-” She was cut off by a sharp shushing noise from Twilight.

Mary’s eyebrows climbed up quickly, then she put on an indignant look, then harrumphed and looked up again. Alright, tough-girl, I’ll just leave you alone then. I was entirely joking before, but that is exactly something Bobby would do.

“Acceptable. Alright. Hurry…” The rumbling voice continued to speak. “Very well then. Twilight, you may speak once more. I want you to see me now.”

Mary’s eyes widened a little. Wait, what did I miss? Augh! Why wasn’t I paying attention!

Meanwhile, overhead, a great, scaled claw reached out of the darkness in the bubble, as if from a thick mist, and placed itself on the ground. “And I want you to know the things that will befall your world.” A second claw followed after the first, settling onto the ground and spreading out some. “I don’t want this because you have wronged me.” The two claws worked together, moving forward, towards the eyes of whomever Twilight and Mary were looking through. “I want this because you all wronged me.”

Mary’s breath caught in her throat. Without even realizing it, she was forgetting to breathe.

A horned, reptilian face emerged out of the darkness then, shadows creeping back along its long face. Soon following was a long, spined neck, and then a massive body, two great wings draping themselves down its sides. The creature’s maw was a nest of thick fangs, while spines and spikes covered and accentuated every inch of its face and body. However, despite every aspect working towards making the beast look fearsome, it all held a quality of age; the horns and teeth were cracked, the yellow colored scales and webbed wings were tattered and ragged.

The dragon inhaled deeply, and leaned down some, seemingly peering out of the window to a past event. “And they will all… pay,” it finished simply.

Mary gasped, or tried to, and instead silently brought her hand up to her mouth in shock. Beside her, Twilight did gasp, loudly, into what became a short, shrill scream. On reflex, Mary raised her other hand again and laid it on the girl’s shoulder.

There was silence, for a moment, before the dragon murmured, “You may speak.”

Overhead, Twilight’s voice responded to the dragon, full of strength. “I don’t know who you are. Either of you… B-but it doesn’t matter if you… it doesn’t matter what you do to me, the princesses and the Elements of Harmony will stop you!”

Mary blinked. You go girl. She briefly considered that she would probably be crying uncontrollably if a thing like that was facing her down.

There was a long silence as the other Twilight’s opposing remark faded slowly.

The dragon leaned down somewhat after the pause. One of its eyes widened slowly. Eventually, it almost looked like it was scrutinizing the bubble itself, or looking out of it..

On reflex, Mary retrieved her hand from Twilight’s shoulder and clutched both her arms to her front. “Good gravy,” she whispered, then looked over fearfully. “Twilight—” she tried to say, but was cut off.

Twilight shushed Mary, her eyes glued upward.

Mary put on a pleading look. Oh come on! What if it sees us? Her attention was grabbed away by the voices from overhead, still going on without waiting for her.

"You seemed so smart,” the dragon rumbled, sounding superior. “But you have a simple mind, I see. Only focused on pointless somethings. Smarter would it have been to try and get information, helpless under our power as you are.”

The sound of Twilight’s hurried breathing and fear sounds increased. “You’ll never get away with-!” Her voice cut off, the muffled sounds of speechlessness returning. The cone of vision, Twilight’s sight, began looking to and fro around the dragon.

“That’s enough,” it interrupted back. “If you did not hear, we haven’t much time. Now then, there is much I wish to share with you, regardless. If you were regretting your choice of words, do not worry, it did not matter what you were going to say, only that you listen. I only intend to share what I can, once.” The dragon’s expression, if one could call it that, softened, and its eyes closed. “So… this is awkward. I’ve waited thousands of years to talk to another living creature, and here I am, forgetting what I wanted to share.”

The dragon groaned loudly and sat. One of its large, clawed talons came up to rest on its head. “Existence is so woeful… My apologies, little pony, I’m scattered, but my anger keeps me driven. Perhaps I do not sound angry. This is because I have been such for so long that it doesn’t show any longer.” The rumbling deepened, somehow. “And I am, always angry.”

After a short, suspenseful pause, made more so by the dragon’s glowing eyes, it plainly said, “You may ask me something now.” The dragon made a gesture, a flick of one claw, and then a gasping sound came from Twilight’s voice.

"W-Why are you telling me this?" the other Twilight asked shakily.

"Why indeed," The dragon breathed out, smoke curling from the mouth and nostrils; there was a hint of a chuckle, as well. "Use that impressive brain of yours, Twilight Sparkle. I told you I've been locked away for a long, long time, didn't I? I told you that, and you still wonder why I would want to simply talk? I'm not made of stone, you know." The voice chuckled again, deeper this time.

“Discord?” Twilight’s voice echoed, alongside another.

Mary was vaguely aware that Twilight had said the name from beside her at the same time as her past self. Discord… Wasn’t she the black skinned pony with the bug wings? She tried to think if that was right, but didn’t have time to figure it out.

The dragon answer the other Twilight quickly. “Trapped in stone after his escape… that was very interesting.” It growled afterward, or perhaps inhaled deeply. A moment later, it answered, “No, not Discord. I’ll ask you once, to not mention the fool’s name before me. And I will only let you live after doing so because I did allude to him first.” More chuckling followed, accompanied by a plume of smoke. “What do you suppose all this means, Twilight? What was that place that I tried to show you? To let you experience for yourself?”

From the bubble, a louder version of Twilight replied to the dragon, murmuring, "Tartarus."

At the same moment, from beside Mary, she heard Twilight say, “Tartarus.” Mary looked over, blinking in disbelief. Tartar sauce? I thought that was Hell. What does… oh, Tartarus. She looked up again, biting her lip fearfully. Isn’t that Latin for Hell or something?

Mary must have missed something, because when she looked back up the conversation had moved on.

“—The current queen chose you as her pupil.” the very second it stopped speaking, a laughter, booming and loud briefly shook the bubble’s vision, before cutting off quickly.

Mary gritted her teeth, having nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise.

The dragon exhaled, its calm returned in a flash; the exchange between emotions gave it an air of craziness. “Apologies.” it murmured. “We’re having a polite conversation here. If I remember correctly, it is rude of me to laugh at your expense.”

Twilight’s voice shouted again, “I don’t know how you escaped Tartarus, but if you were there, it’s where you belonged!” Her tone shifted from an overtly defiant tone, to one that clearly emphasized determination, and confidence. “My friends will stop you,” she finished.

“Did I belong there?” the dragon asked in a drawl. “Honestly, I don’t remember. I really, really don’t… I don’t feel like I did. Maybe I did.” It was difficult to discern what emotions its voice held.

The dragon’s voice chuckled in a low rumble before speaking again. "And please, spare me your baseless optimism over your friends." The voice turned into a growl before continuing. "Your friends will be doing no, such, thing." The smoke curled out from the pitch black and enveloped other Twilight again, sending her back into a fit of coughing. "Two of them are neither alive nor dead, another is torn between worlds and will stay lost forever and soon, the last two will be sent so far away they will never be able to return. You should all count yourselves lucky. Being the Elements of Harmony, it is safer to banish you, rather than kill you. You will be the sole survivors of your world."

Mary felt her body relax, suddenly feeling like she understood. I don’t believe it. Her mind flashed through brief disbelief over actually being caught up in such a fairy tale, and then a myriad of other things, ranging from guilt for blaming Twilight, anger towards the jerk hovering twenty feet over her head, and the indescribable urge to hug Twilight; she had been through a lot, it seemed.

Twilight’s voice cried out overhead again, desperation in her tone. “You don’t need to do this! If you’re from so long ago, maybe things are different! Think about it—”

“Irrelevant.” As the dragon spoke back, its jaws snapped like a cracking whip, accentuated by a snarl. Then it continued. “It is funny which memories one holds onto after so long, Twilight Sparkle.” Two great claws shifted across the ground, scraping as if on stone, until one of them turned up in a showy gesture. “Take me, for example.” The dragon laughed once. “I cannot even remember my name. But… I remember all of my hate, and what I want. The ones I want to destroy, first...”

Twilight’s voice returned, putting a pause in the constant, heavy panting from her. “And-” She swallowed audibly before continuing. “That is the princesses?” Her voice was shaky, and full of evidence that she was fighting to not be afraid now.

In response, the dragon answered, “No. Not, the princesses. Your two rulers, the false sun and moon, were not even born yet in my time. I am sure a few have come and gone since my time...”

Twilight’s voice answered in return. “They aren’t false! They’ve been- Well, Celestia has ruled for over a thousand years! She’s always controlled the sun. Ever since-” Her words cut off with a strangled sound.

For the first time, the dragon sounded unmistakably female, and screamed back, “I AM THE SUN!” The words became a roar, loud enough that even if the ground didn’t move, it still felt like it.

The dragon continued, its eyes now alight with fire. “I extinguished the everlasting night. I brought order to a dissonant world,” it continued to shout. “But what was I repaid with? Hm?” A claw dragged itself across the ground, sparking and eliciting a shrieking squeal. “Disloyalty. Rebellion. My rule was overthrown by whelps that wanted it for themselves, and by the so-called ‘Elements of Harmony’. I was sent to Tartarus to join the very loathful, wicked creatures I spent so long putting in their place.”

The dragon reclined back, breathing hard, and spewing forth smoke. It continued to pause for a moment, then added, “No offense intended, of course,” It dryly muttered the apology off to the side.

The echoey voice from earlier briefly returned, superseding the rumbling of the dragon’s. “None taken,” it replied. The wind-like words continued on hurriedly, not pausing. “I didn’t want to interrupt you, as this was our deal, but I cannot hold on much longer. You must finish your end of the spell. Hurry. Only minutes remain.”

“Truly?” the dragon replied, almost sounding sad. “That is… very unfortunate.” She continued slowly. “Well, Twilight, it seems our time together is at an end, but I will confess, I think I enjoyed every second of it. I will think fondly back on this moment for a long time.” A short bout of laughter preceded its next words. “Yes… The memory will be second only to killing my descendants and destroying the world.”

Twilight’s muffled attempts at shouting returned, but were drowned out quickly by more of the dragon’s laughter, which quickly became a smokey sort of wheezing.

“Excuse me…” The dragon apologized, coughing. “Ahem, you may speak, if you wish.” It gestured its claw again, and Twilight’s voice gasped immediately.

Twilight immediately answered the dragon. “You’ve made a big mistake if you think you can beat us.” Despite her words, her tone didn’t share their strength; she sounded unsure. “Telling me all of this just means that I’ll be able to stop you. It doesn’t matter where you send me, or the girls. I now know that you can’t harm us. So we’ll stop you from hurting others. We’ll come back.” Twilight’s other voice laughed then, though it sounded forced.

A long silence settled in.

Mary briefly glanced at Twilight, then the bubble, then Twilight again. She tried imagining how someone, anyone could go through what she was seeing. When the loud, rumbling beast’s voice returned, she forced herself to look again, determined to finish watching.

Overhead, the dragon tilted its head slightly, studiously, seemingly looking through the film of the bubble. “Oh, apologies,” it grumbled again, then laid down, its head coming right up to the bubble’s surface. Visible waves of heat could be seen around its teeth and snout. “I am getting on in years. Yes… Do not trouble yourself with returning, Twilight. I’m making sure that you will not be capable of doing any such thing, though I doubt you would be able to manage it in any case...”

It sent her to Earth. Mary thought, confirming her suspicions for herself. That much was obvious, at least. But why make her human? Her brain clicked a second later. So she couldn’t use her magic. And I… I got it somehow? She kept watching.

The dragon raised a claw; at the tip of one, blackened talon, an orange glow began to grow, and spread across its scales. “I merely wished to tell you my story, not give you a fighting chance. You will not remember anything of our encounter. You will not possess any means of fighting back. You will be long gone, and I will soon be laughing over the graves of everything you hold dear.”

The bubble exploded in a flash of white, and red, then popped.

Little sparkles of light and motes of glitter shimmered towards the ground, where they settled on the darkened floor.

Mary watched as Twilight walked towards them, her boots clicking slightly on the black, endless floor. She stared at the remnants of light, all glittering on the floor. Her face was full of shock. With one hand, Twilight reached out to touch them. They disappeared before she could, all of them fading into the pitch black floor.

Twilight fell down onto her knees then, quiet.

Mary’s featured thinned in sadness, a hand held over her mouth. After a moment, she stepped quickly towards the other girl, and knelt down to bring her into the tightest hug she could manage. I know what I said about hugs, darnit, but this… this is different. She felt tears fighting at the edge of her vision to come out, but she wasn’t the one that needed them right now.

“Twilight- I…” Mary began to say, but trailed off. What do I say? Her family… her friends could be- She wasn’t sure what she could say.

Twilight sucked in a shuddering breath, and laid a hand on one of Mary’s arms. She stayed like that for a time, until she managed to work a few words out.

“I need to get home, Mary,” Twilight finally murmured back. In a flash of movement, Twilight turned to face to other mare, holding her hands in her own.

Mary blinked in surprised, but released her hold and sat back.

“Mary,” Twilight started, nearly choking on her own voice. “Tell me everything, and if you can, try to get us out of here. But first, tell me everything you know. About Luna, about anything since you became a pony. I need to know everything. After, I can tell you what I know… and… and…”

Twilight visibly struggled for a moment, but Mary already felt quite sure about what was coming, but still felt surprised by the confession. “I can’t turn you back into a human, Mary. I don’t have any magic.”

Mary felt calm as she answered Twilight. “I know, I heard you before.” She breathed out slowly, briefly recalling the last instance. Her voice had quavered slightly, but she pressed on. “I sort of knew since our meeting on the porch. I wasn’t too certain that you could after that, I guess. I mean, I assumed you could. You just seemed like a genius, and that stupid show’s literal embodiment of endless solutions…” She choked a laugh out quickly. “Well, I can’t really be upset about that now. It… wasn’t your fault.”

Mary smiled, then leaned forward and hugged Twilight a second time. “I… This whole thing is crazy, Twilight, but… I don’t know what to say…” Maybe we can get a fighter jet to Equestria… Brushing past the consideration, and realizing that they probably couldn’t get there at all, she continued. “I really don’t… if there’s anything I can do for you, please ask. I mean…” She trailed off again, thoughts all a jumble.

Twilight was quiet in Mary’s embrace, but did answer. “Thanks, Mary… and thank you for thinking so much of me... but that show, by the way, greatly exaggerates things. I think our problems are one and the same, now.”

Mary leaned back and smiled. It was a little surprising, because it wasn’t forced, despite the fact they were talking about her condition back on Earth. Still, her eyes wandered, sliding down to face the ground to Twilight’s side. “So, and I know this may not be the best time to ask…” I have to know… “But can I ever be fixed if you get your magic back?”

“Oh,” Twilight said sounding very surprised. In a cheerful voice, she quickly answered, “Of course, that shouldn’t be hard at all, assuming I had magic.” She shifted her consoling expression to a confident one instead. After taking a moment to lay a hand on Mary’s arm, she added, “I will get you changed back, Mary. Just like I’m going to find a way home.”

Twilight leaned back, smiling broadly. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a hint of the desperation remaining, or any of how afraid she had looked from before. “Let’s figure this out, and start with day one… and then try to get out of here, alright?”

Mary stared, then sniffed in return; tears cropped up around her vision, despite her best efforts, but she at least managed to nod. “Okay,” she replied, then, shakily said, “Well, to start… I didn’t run into Luna until much later. And, I don’t really know what turned me into a pony, either. There was no really noticeable flash of light or anything like… earlier.” She sighed and briefly looked at her hands. “I just, sort of woke up with hooves, a tail and a mane…”

Mary did her best to share everything she knew. Still, her mind and thoughts were distracted, and wandering. She would drift topics every so often, not meaning to, but was brought back quickly anytime Twilight asked a question. In return, Twilight eventually told her story back to Mary.

All the while, though, the voices that she had heard hung in her thoughts, as well as the dragon’s face.

Chapter 26 : Sleeping Beauties

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Bobby squared his feet parallel to one another, making sure not to let himself slip, and again pushed the snow shovel across the driveway. This sucks. It sucks. Oh my God, this sucks. It seemed like all he could remember or think about in recent memory was shoveling snow, and that he’d been stuck outside doing it for an eternity. The flakes that fell where he had just cleared seemed to be mocking him with their very existence.

He exhaled an angry breath and hurled the shovel full of snow as hard as he could over his shoulder. The sound of it landing with a satisfying thump across the street made him feel a little better.

In truth it had probably only been ten minutes, rather than even an hour, much less an eternity.

Still, as much as he didn’t want to be getting stuck doing lame work for no gain, which he already was, he refused to quit, either. Sure, his parents were probably too busy to notice if he did, at least right away, but he didn’t care much to just stop. It made sense to try instead to weather things as they were. That, and maybe nail his dad with a snowball later and blame Anna…

Smirking to himself, Bobby took a break and looked down at his mp3 player. The cheap little device was pumping a steady stream of heavy metal into the ear-buds for him to revel in. His head bobbed a few times, and mistakenly, he looked over at the porch to his house. He could see everyone standing around, including the two girls that had shown up; one of them apparently claimed to be Twilight Sparkle of all things, from Anna’s stupid, new favorite show.

Bobby stared at the taller of the two girls' back, scanning up and down her figure; dark blue or maybe indigo hair reached almost to the bottom of her overly poofy winter jacket. For a fictional character though, she’s pretty… pretty hot, even. He nodded in satisfaction at the thought, recalling the memory of her as she strutted by, all bundled up in winter clothing.

Meanwhile, everyone up on the porch seemed to freak out after a moment, and it was obvious as to why; Mary had walked outside and revealed herself.

Bobby grunted, frowning, then shrugged and turned away again, increasing the volume of his music. I don’t want to get involved, I don’t want to get involved… Not even a little bit. I mean, unless they need my help… maybe, but whatever, I doubt they’ll ever need it.

After Bobby turned, his eyes laid themselves down on the girl’s car across the road, which, he realized, was also where he had started hurling snow. “Great, fantastic,” he muttered, and scratched his head through his glove in frustration.

The weird, silver car that the two strangers had arrived in had snow and slush smacked against the windows and all over the side.

Bobby recalled the satisfying thumping he’d heard while shoveling, and frowned in understanding that said thumping had been the car. Shaking his head at his own mistake, he trudged across the street, then began dusting the snow off with one arm. “That short girl looked crazy, too. I better not get yelled at-”

For a moment, there was a flash of light out across the field.

Bobby looked up, blinking, then down both directions of the road. “Okay, that was weird,” he muttered, though he still couldn’t hear himself over the music. Shrugging again, he continued trying to hide the fact that he’d pelted the stranger’s car with snow. It had been an accident, after all.

Stan watched the happy discovery of one another between Twilight and Mary quickly turn just a little bit sour. His own hope had plummeted alongside Mary’s, which was far more obvious, the moment that Twilight expressed cluelessness over their plight. He felt every ounce of distress in his wife’s voice as she approached Twilight. The strange girl hadn’t yet admitted she couldn’t help, either, but it was easy to see Mary already assumed that to be the case.

Stan began to take a weighted breath, which turned without warning into a strangled yell, and then an angry shout.

Light from somewhere bursted out over his property, blinding him. Strangely, the only sound was a single other voice besides his own, and two thumps that shook the porch.

“What happened!?” was the first thing Stan thought to say. He pressed his back to the door on instinct to get his bearings. “Mary, are you alright?” He tried to look around, but blurriness from a purple after image kept him from seeing anything.

“Twilight!?” yelled another voice. A couple more voices from indoors raised up to join in.

Stan grunted, and continued to try and clear his vision. “Everyone, stay calm!” There was no answer from who he wanted to hear yet. “Mar? Are you okay?”

He waited a split second for an answer from Mary, but instead, the stranger’s voice answered again, sounding like a mixture of exasperation and indignation. “Twilight? What did you do?”

Stan kept blinking, fighting until his eyes just barely focused enough for him to see somewhat clearly. They immediately rested on two motionless bodies; one was unmistakably Mary’s orange, furred body, while the other was the strange girl calling herself Twilight. Both of them were lying on the snowy front porch’s floorboards.

“Mary?” Stan blinked again, hoping to see his wife pick her head up. Was that more magic? It was obvious it had been. Just what kind of magic was that? Did Twilight do this? Why would she? He looked at Twilight’s still unmoving form warily while it came into focus. One thing was certain, he definitely believed her now.

A thump against his house’s wall made him look over quickly. It was the girl introduced as Twilight’s friend, though she was human originally, not another pony in disguise. Stan couldn’t immediately remember what her name had been, or if she’d even been introduced.

“Hey. Hey, what happened?” Her expression was scrunched up into a scowl, eyes squinted as if she were looking up at the sun.

Stan frowned, likely as not he had the same look on his own face. So she doesn’t know what happened either.

“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly, and kneeled down towards Mary. “I’m guessing you don’t, either.” His hands gently cupped his wife’s shoulders, testing for response. He dearly hoped that her eyes would open straight away, that she would look right up. “Mar, hey, wake up, please.”

A lumpy flake of snow floated out of the sky and landed on Mary’s nose, where it quickly began to melt, but otherwise, there wasn’t any movement.

Stan’s thoughts weren’t focused on the strange occurrence, or an explanation, not yet; he didn’t waste them or any time thinking about what to do, either. Quickly, he pressed against Mary’s neck, searching for a pulse. Her body was different than a human’s, and he wasn’t sure exactly where to look for a pulse on a pony, but he managed to find one right away. Strangely, despite being knocked out, her pulse was racing.

Stan let out a relieved breath, then leaned over towards Twilight to do the same and repeat the process.

The short girl standing beside him spoke up, and asked, “Are they okay-?” While at the same time, Stan heard his daughter race outside to join the commotion, and interrupt everything.

A flash of movement, which resolved into Anna bolting out of the backdoor of the home appeared as if by magic right beside Mary. “Mom? Twilight?” she asked aloud, then screamed, “Oh no! They’re dead!” Her fists were balled up at her sides one second, then reaching up and taking two handfuls of her brown hair the next.

Herbert came out just after the little girl, and sighed, laying a hand over his face. “Oh, here we go,” he said in response to Anna.

“Anna, not now.” Stan strained to keep his voice calm. He also reached one hand up to cover his ear, a bit taken off guard by his daughter’s screech of panic. “They’re both fine, now go back inside.”

Agnes’ voice carried out from the house. “Who’s dead?”

Behind Stan, Herbert leaned back in the house and yelled back to Agnes. “It’s fine dear, no one is dead!” He moved again, intent on seeing what had happened, but instead rested his eyes out on something that simply couldn’t be ignored. “Holy cow, is that a DeLorean!?”

Stan let out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes, unable to help it. Hello pony royalty, this is my family. Please, welcome to my home. He frowned over at Twilight. She is unconscious at the moment, I guess.

Herbert’s snapped his fingers in understanding. “I knew it. Time travel!” His thoughts all clicked into their rightful places. Ponies do take over the planet in the future!

Twilight’s friend joined the building clamor as well. “What? Twilight better not be dead... I...”

All around Stan, it seemed everyone was deciding to add their two cents. Anna continued to freak out, while his father seemed excited about the car Twilight had come in. At least Agnes seemed to be trying to calm people down from the doorway, but it only added to the noise.

The entire scene devolved into a myriad of panic and shouting.

Not waiting for the noise to end on its own, Stan raised his voice, shouting over the rest of the people around him. “Enough!” he yelled. “They’re not dead. Everyone, calm down.” He gave a pointed look to each of his family members present, and barely thought he heard Dan laughing from inside. “One weird thing happens and you all lose it.”

Line up your priorities and execute… What’s first? Quickly, he continued speaking, looking at his father. “Herbert, before you ask, something happened, but we don’t know what. Just help me get Mar inside, and… Twilight, too. Both of them are breathing just fine. Agnes! Come get Anna, please!”

Stan looked up at Twilight’s friend next, considering that she might want a say in things. “That’s fine, right? That we take Twilight inside, too?” He waited a moment, then frowned when it became apparent she wasn’t listening. The other girl seemed a million miles away judging by her glazed over expression. “Hey, are you there?” he asked again.

The shorter girl, Jessica or something else with a J, blinked and looked up, confirming that she had only sort of been paying attention. Still, she gave a suitable answer. “Oh, yeah, that’s fine. I- I can help, too,” she offered; her voice was shaky.

Stan studied her a moment, then nodded slowly. I guess she’s surprised by this, too. I wonder how deep in things she even really is. He was well aware that he likely knew even less, but then again, it was better not to make assumptions. At least she wants to help.

He continued, satisfied and not wanting to wait. “You and Herbert can get your friend, I’ll take care of Mar.”

Herbert gave Stan a nod of acknowledgement, which is what he had been waiting for, then hurriedly saw to Mary. She was limp, and snow was clumped against the fabric of her sweat clothes all along one side of her, but she was easy to pick up.

Mary’s body curled in on itself as Stan lifted her up; he was careful to mind her tail.

At the same time, Herbert gave a welcoming smile for Twilight’s friend. “Hey there, little lady, you can call me Herbert,” he greeted cheerfully. Sure, the situation didn’t look great, but first impressions were important as he saw it, and Twilight was spoken of Mary’s best hope.

“Uhm, right, I’m Jo,” the girl returned, after a short pause. She seemed upset.

“Ah, well, nice to meet you.” Herbert hesitated from going on, but nodded and knelt down to grab Twilight’s arms. “Alright, I’ll get her arms.”

“Yeah, sure,” the girl half responded, half murmured, and moved to grab Twilight around the knees.

Behind them all, Anna’s worried sounds dissipated, being led away by Agnes, who offered the younger girl gentle reassurances that everything would be fine. It sounded like Anna was protesting not being able to help, too, and that adults always said that, whether or not it was even true.

Stan sighed, Mary clutched to his chest, and waited to make sure Herbert and Twilight’s short friend could manage on their own. At first, the girl’s stature had almost made him think that Twilight Sparkle had arrived with a girl, rather than an adult. What with her being from an old cartoon show he had thought of a few odd scenarios… though to be honest he wasn’t completely sure of what to think overall.

Stan paid close attention until the short girl and Herbert were ready to move. When they were, he quickly stood up, eager to get inside where hopefully they could puzzle some answers out. At the moment he was just grateful that the porch was less crowded now.

The three of them lifted more or less at the same time by coincidence, but their efforts were quickly impeded.

Stan took the lead to show the way, almost; he entered the doorway easily enough, only to be tugged back by something.

Ready to cuss out Herbert right there for whatever he was trying to pull, Stan turned around, only to swallow the words before they could even form. His eyes locked onto his wife’s hoof, and then Twilight Sparkle’s hand, which was latched onto said hoof.

The short girl and Herbert were also scrutinizing the oddity, varied looks of confusion on everyone’s faces.

“Looks like this girl’s got a death grip on Mary,” Herbert piped up with a chuckle. “I don’t blame her, I always did tell Stan that he’d made quite the catch-”

“Dad!” Stan shouted and growled at the same time, “Not now!” He growled more, then faced Jo. “Hey, what’s going on here, Jill?”

Twilight’s friend looked up, wearing an indignant expression that flashed into being the moment she was addressed. “It’s, Jo! And like I would know, anyway! I don’t know anything more than you do about this magic pony stuff!” She paused, frowning.

Stan blink slightly in surprise at the outburst, taken aback. He felt compelled to apologize, but didn’t get the chance.

Jo was staring with an intense look of thought at Twilight. “That’s really weird...” she muttered, in a much quieter tone.

Stan looked at the sight as well. Whatever, nothing that a good tug won’t- He gave his wife and Twilight another pull, only for the action to jerk Herbert, Jo, and Twilight after him a second time. Won’t solve… He frowned at Twilight’s grip on his wife’s hoof a second time.

“Easy, muscles!” Jo frowned, nearly falling over.

Stan shot over a brief frown, then looked at Mary again worriedly. “What in the world? Are they really stuck together?”

Herbert shrugged back, not pretending to know.

“Hold on,” Jo spoke up, then placed Twilight’s legs down on the ground. “I’ll just…” She grabbed ahold of Twilight’s wrist and Mary’s fetlock and started to pull, trying to get them apart. “What the… they’re really stuck together. I mean- There’s no way Twilight’s grip is this strong.” She paused for a second. “I think that this glow might be-”

Herbert chuckled, interrupting, and knelt down after releasing Twilight’s arms. “Hold on, let me try, Missy.”

Jo moved back, not really having a choice. “Hey, wait, I think this is something magical, guys. Uhm.” Her brow furrowed as she spoke. “Look at her wrist. It’s glowing.”

Stan got a closer look for himself. I was afraid of that…

Herbert grunted loudly, trying his hardest to pry Twilight’s fingers open. “Well, this is embarrassing. Failure to perform!” he laughed, looking around and up at Stan and Jo with a silly grin. He then gave Jo a quick look of confusion. “What was that about magic?”

Stan groaned in disgust and laid a hand over his face, then moved in to try and give it a shot as well.

Jo knelt again and rolled her eyes, muttering something, though they couldn’t quite catch what. After a breath that seemed like her patience was a bit thin, she continued louder. “It’s glowing. I think something magical is still happening,” she pointed out, repeating herself.

Stan was busy giving the act of separating his wife from Twilight a shot with one arm. After several seconds, he finally gave up. “That’s just great. More magic… Just… Just keep close and be careful. We still can’t leave them outside.”

Jo gave him a hard look, but nodded, and retook her hold of Twilight along with Herbert. Together, the three of them moved the two limp women into the house.

Stan led them inside, taking the unconscious Twilight and Mary first through the foyer, then the laundry room. The house branched there, into either the dining room or living room, and they took the right towards a place the two women could be situated comfortably.

Inside the living room was warm, a fire going for Christmas in one corner. It was empty for the most part, that is, except for Dan, who was planted at the dead-center of the room’s couch.

Stan guided them all towards the couch, taking careful steps to make sure no one tripped over anyone else while they were carrying Twilight and Mary.

“Dan, hey.” Stan called out, doing his best to stay calm. “Get up and make room for Mar and Twilight.” Despite years of training, and being put through stressful situations, his own wife still managed to make his heart live up in his throat nearly twenty-four-seven.

“Sure,” Dan responded in a flat tone, and without looking up. He seemed to be watching football on the television, as well as drinking a steaming cup of coffee. “So what was all the commotion about? I asked Agnes if you guys needed an ambulance and-” As he turned, standing up, he cut off and went wide eyed. “Woah, what happened? Are they out cold?”

Stan nodded, laying down Mary on the couch, her foreleg trailing up and hanging from Twilight’s grip. “Yes, but they’re both fine as far as I can tell…” He trailed off, eying the girl attached to his wife. “I have no clue what happened, but it wasn’t normal.”

“I see.” Dan seemed to pan his attention over the entire scene.

Stan took even breaths, focusing on ordering his thoughts; there had to be something he could do, maybe even a solution available. Deep down though, he knew that he was probably as helpless as his wife was asleep. Absently, he heard what sounded like Twilight’s friend and Dan going at it over something.

Stan’s brow furrowed. Dangit, Dan, shut up, I’m trying to think. And leave the poor girl alone or you’re gonna get clobbered again… What was I thinking? Come on, there’s gotta be something I can do here...

Dan spoke up, interrupting the train of thought further. “Well, this might be a bad time to ask, but can I take off now, boss?”

Absently, Stan realized Dan had actually addressed him. “Yeah, Dan, go ahead, and thanks for your help,” he responded in rush, then hesitantly turned to look away from Mary.

Dan continued once they made eye contact. “Great, I’d stick around if I could…” He paused, looking elsewhere. “But duty calls.”

Stan nodded in understanding. Dan didn’t mind working the holidays, for whatever reason, and he still had the rest of his patrol shift to handle.

Dan chuckled, going on. “Let me know if you need help again, and assuming I’m still invited, be back in time for dinner!” Still laughing, he backed towards the door, tipping patrol hat he had perched on his head.

“Yeah, you are.” Stan smirked, recalling how Agnes had invited him to join them for his help. He didn’t mind that, either. Maybe he was even a bit ashamed he hadn’t thought of it himself. “Thanks again for the favor; we’ll let you know if there’s trouble, but I’m pretty sure Jo and… Twilight aren’t here to hurt Mar or kidnap her.” He turned to face Mary as he spoke.

Jo looked up, wide-eyed. “Wait, what?”

Best way to make friends fast is full disclosure, eh? Stan made a tight smile without looking. “I don’t mean any offense by that,” he replied. “We were just being careful, and I think it’s clear, at least with the purple flash in consideration, that your girl here is who she says she is.”

He didn’t know how tight-knit Twilight and Jo were; he didn’t know them period, but he did know he wanted them on his side, for Mary’s sake.

The sound of Twilight’s friend exhaling tiredly made his ear twitch.

“Alright,” Jo said, “So what do we do now? The misfits are all together at last it looks like.”

Stan felt a little wave of relief wash over him, glad to know the one conscious stranger wasn’t upset.

Herbert was leaning over the back of the couch, standing beside Stan. He spoke up first, eyes widening as he did. “I think you would know better than us, little lady.”

Jo’s brow creased into a scowl as she turned towards Herbert.

Before his goof-ball relation could ruin things, Stan decided to step in. “Dad, let me handle this.” He cleared his throat, intent on two things, getting everyone to relax, and getting answers.

“This unexpected turn of events not included, didn’t Twilight share her plan for once she got here?” One of his hands smoothed Mary’s hair idly as he spoke. “Sorry if I’m making assumptions, but we’ve been entirely in the dark about what happened to my wife, as you can imagine.”

He thought he was conveying what he wanted to know well enough to get at least a hint of things. It didn’t really seem like Jo was about to keep secrets.

“Holy crap, Mary’s your wife,” Jo burst out unexpectedly. She covered her mouth with a hand, her eyes glued to Mary.

Stan almost quirked an eyebrow, but nodded solemnly, instead. “That’s right,” he answered simply.

He exhaled a breath, considering things might be more difficult than he’d hoped to figure out.

Stan gave Jo an earnest, open look as he spoke. “I guess you two are in the dark about us then. That’s too bad, I was sort of hoping you might already know the whole story...” He put on a somber look, turning to face Mary’s best hope of normalcy. “I guess to answer your question, we should probably just wait for Twilight to wake up, unless there’s something you haven’t thought of yet.”

Jo was quiet for a long moment, and Stan almost looked over.

“No,” she finally replied, in almost a growl. “I can’t think of anything.” She faced Twilight again, who looked as peaceful as if she really were just asleep. “Shouldn’t we take them to the hospital… or… something?”

Stan heard the H word and started shaking his head right away. If only a hospital could help. “We can’t take either of them anywhere with Twilight stuck to Mar like that. Twilight might have been alright going to the hospital, but as it is...” He briefly tried to pull Twilight’s fingers open again, but not too forcefully. “This is definitely not within our realm of knowledge and understanding.”

Stan settled his eyes on the shimmer of purple where the two were connected. I should have sent Mar to my folk’s place first… Something like this was bound to happen.

Herbert frowned as the room grew more quiet, and decided to make a suggestion. “We could get some smelling salts?” It had been the first thought in his mind, but he hadn’t wanted to get in the way of the kids.

The room was quiet another moment, with Jo blinking over at Herbert, until Stan sighed, and stood upright. “That might work, I guess,” he admitted, sounding somewhat open to the idea.

“But if it doesn’t,” Jo spoke up. “Then we just wait?” Her voice held a measure of doubt, and spoke aloud what everyone else was thinking.

Both of the two men turned to face her and nodded. Herbert and Stan were used to waiting out problems until it could fix itself, or a solution arrived, and both of them possessed a healthy helping of patience. The key was knowing when to use it.

Jo continued, frowning. “Well, great...” Patience didn’t seem to be her own strong point, because she leaned forward and began to pat Twilight on the side of the face repeatedly, her frown deepening.

Stan studied Jo a moment, interested in what her whole story was. Twilight was still more important due to circumstances, but if Jo had truly just helped a magical unicorn out of the blue, which he assumed for the time being was the case, then she must be a pretty unique sort of person. He’d met a lot of people over the years, and he knew more than a few would take severe advantage over a situation like that.

Then again, Stan thought, I bet Twilight would likely be able to hocus pocus her way out of situations like that…

Stan noticed Jo’s focus begin to drift away, still poking Twilight, and his own thoughts were not far from doing the same, until the unmistakable sound of a little girl entering the room caught everyone’s attention.

“Mom!” Anna’s raised voice pierced the room’s general quiet, just before she charged in. Like an uncageable wind, she rushed past Stan and Herbert.

Stan almost made to leap across the floor to catch his daughter, lest she hurt Mary, Twilight, or even Jo on accident; she had been engaging in a great many extraordinary acrobatic feats around the house lately.

At the last second, Anna diverted her course slightly over the carpet, sliding with both knees up onto the couch cushions harmlessly beside her mother.

“Mom! Mom! Mom? Moooom, wake up now. Mom!” Anna chanted on, trading between shaking Mary’s shoulders, yanking on her tail, and patting her side.

Agnes’ head poked in from the same doorway Anna had entered through, looked around, then settled on the girl with a relieved look. “Sorry, Stan,” she apologized right away, exhaling a little. “She wanted to see Mary.”

Stan gave his mom a quick look, with a ghost of a smile in it, then knelt beside his daughter at the couch—who was now busy tugging on Mary’s ears—and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, easy, your mom’s fine, Anna. Whatever has happened it’s temporary, okay? It’s just some weird kind of… friendship magic mishap.”

Anna looked over at her father, a doubtful look creasing her young features. “Really?” she asked.

Before Stan could answer, Herbert spoke up saying, “That’s right, this is all magic based. Maybe she needs a kiss from her one true love?”

Stan picked his head up, already frowning, then panned around to stare at his father darkly.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Herbert as well, each wearing a different type of expression.

“What?” Herbert asked believably, a grin creeping up his face. “This is magic we’re talking about.” In truth, he was half serious about the suggestion. You never knew for sure, after all.

Anna answered her grandpa first, exhaling in exasperation. “Grampa, what happened to mom and Twilight is probably serious, stop telling jokes.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Herbert managed to say weakly, studying his shoes.

Stan blinked, then chuckled. “Anna’s right, Herbert. Maybe we’ll try that if nothing else works.” The suggestion for a solution jump started his own thoughts once again. “For now, I’ll be right back. I think I have some smelling salts somewhere.” He turned to the one other remaining person in the house with some sense about them. “Agnes, come help me look?”

Agnes raised an eyebrow at him, to which Stan gave her an expectant look in return. Finally, she nodded hesitantly.

Stan walked out of the room just behind Agnes, sparing a quick glance behind himself towards where Mary lay on the couch. He left Herbert and Anna there in the room along with Jo and Twilight, hoping that Jo could keep Herbert and Anna out of trouble without his supervision. Hm, maybe I should have warned her… Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Shrugging, Stan continued towards the dining room for a bit of privacy.

“So, what did you really need me out here for, Stan?” Agnes asked. She walked until she came to the dinner table, which was already set entirely with plateware and Mary’s good china, or what little remained of it. Half of the plates were similar looking replacements, their ancestors the casualties of war with her hooves.

Stan let out a breath. “Well, I do need help finding the salts. We haven’t used them in a while.” He tried to remember briefly when the last time had been, and decided it likely had to do with his dad at some point.

“But,” he went on. “I also wanted to talk to you about maybe taking the kids and going.”

Agnes raised both eyebrows this time. “Really?” She looked out in the direction of the family room. “Do you think it’s really that serious?”

Stan tapped a finger on a nearby hutch, the top of which was crowded with candles and Christmas decorations. “Something we can’t explain or hope to understand that might very well be dangerous just happened outside my house, on my property. It could be serious, but we don’t know…”

He paused, frowning seriously at the floor. “Maybe this stuff happens all the time in cartoons and stories, but this is our well being at stake, and I don’t think we have too many options.” Looking up revealed Agnes with a similar look of thoughtfulness as the one he wore, sans the frown.

“Yes, that does seem like a safe assumption,” Agnes admitted, nodding slowly. “If that’s what you want to do, dear, I can go warm up our car right now. I don’t mind having Bobby and Anna over until… whenever.” She shrugged slightly, but turned a dour look towards the dining table. “It would be a shame to let this spoil things, but I guess they’re already spoiled as it is.”

Stan joined in, staring at the table. Eventually a weighted sigh escaped him. “I was really hoping for that Christmas miracle, you know?”

Agnes looked up, smiling. She hadn’t expected the admittance. “You might still get it, Stanley. None of us are an expert, but Twilight is here now, it seems, unless I overheard everything wrong. Which reminds me! I need to pop the rolls in the oven.”

As Agnes toddled past Stan, chuckling, he rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Moms, he thought, amused. “So, you don’t think this is going to turn out to be a bad thing?”

Agnes looked over her shoulder, turning around while donning an oven mit. “Do you? I mean, I didn’t say I didn’t think that. Honestly, I don’t think we should make assumptions either way. Taking the kids might be the safe thing… but it does seem like the damage has already been done.” She hummed, sliding a pan full of doughy looking bread rolls into the oven. “You would know better than me, I think. I will point out though, if you have us take Anna… and Bobby, too, I think that they won’t like that.”

Stan blinked, a mildly surprised look appearing.

Agnes leaned up from closing the oven door, smiling. “Perhaps the fact it’s Christmas isn’t so important, but I don’t think taking them from their mom will go over easy.” She hesitated, then continued with a wry smirk. “And I’ll add in that if we do go now, all this good food will go to waste.”

Stan chuckled a little and shook his head. “So, your completely unbiased opinion is that I keep us together, then.”

Agnes hummed, smiling. “Well, if we all do turn into little ponies at least we’ll all be together.”

Stan’s expression turned to sheer horror, watching as his mother began to laugh. “Don’t joke about that, Mom.” He shook his head, feeling his blood turn to ice at just the suggestion. His words stuttered, almost not able to continue. “If Mary was awake to hear that she’d have a panic attack.”

Agnes kept chuckling. “Oh, I was just kidding. Sorry if that changed your decision, I was just joking. Still, Herbert was taking bets on what would happen and that was one of his.” She strode past Stan, still smiling. “I just won an unbelievable amount of house work out of him.”

Stan stared a moment while Agnes began pulling things out of the fridge, then slapped a hand to his forehead. Dangit, dad. He looked up at the feeling of someone patting his shoulder consolingly.

“Don’t worry just yet, Stan,” Agnes continued, laughing slightly. “I think it’s still too early to assume the worst.”

Stan sighed, leaning back against the counter. “I guess you’re right.” He looked in the direction of the living room again, and Mary. “Taking Anna away for her mom right now would be more difficult than getting Bobby out of his room on the weekend.”

Agnes chuckled again, still moving about kitchen objectives methodically. “Well, if you’re letting them stay then I suggest you try waking Mary and the princess up. They might still just have fainted, right? I heard something about magic from Anna, but I’m trying to keep my nose out of things.”

Stan shook his head, getting back on track. “Ah, that’s right. This could all just be nothing…” After a moment of consideration. “Somehow, I doubt that, but let’s hope.”

Agnes looked up from her cutting board, smiling. “Hope can always offer strength to those in need.” She held her son’s gaze a moment, then chuckled and looked down. “Those smelling salts are on the bottom shelf of the bathroom cupboard, by the way, just behind the pepto.”

Stan blinked, and it struck him that Agnes had seemed very content as they had spoken together, saying everything with a knowing coolness. He raised a hand to speak, but stopped.

The old women continued to hum, moving about the kitchen in what looked like an absent way.

“Uh, thanks, Mom,” Stan decided to say, and slowly backed out of the room. “I’ll go get those salts.”

“Anytime, dear!” Agnes called back. “Dinner’s in just over an hour, call Bobby in if he doesn’t try to sneak out of shoveling! Also, you should probably check on him, just in case!”

Stan blinked at the suggestions, already stepping into the bathroom. Hm, that might be a good idea… He found smelling salts right where they had been mentioned, then made his way back out to Mary. I hope Herbert didn’t say anything stupid… Well, I hope he didn’t say anything to get himself hurt, anyway. I guess I should only hold out hope for one Christmas miracle at a time, though...

Another thought came to Stan, and he made his way back towards the kitchen, just close enough to yell. “Mom, if you catch a break, can you come get Anna, please? I don’t think Mary or Twilight need to be bothered in their current state…”

A yell of affirmation that she would be right there came back, and Stan silently gave some thanks for having at least one other helpful adult in the house.

Approaching the other end of the house revealed a great deal of laughter, which wasn’t too surprising, but it was a little reassuring. What was surprising, was that he thought he heard Twilight’s friend amongst those laughing.

Well, I wonder what got her to lighten up. Stan wasn’t sure if Jo was just upset over Twilight or not, but she did seem to be the stony type.

Reentering the living room, he announced himself with a smirk hanging alongside his beard. “What’s with all the laughter going on in-” He stopped short, quickly spotting what seemed to be everyone in the room gathered around Mary.

Stan scrunched up his expression, still walking closer. “Anna?” He quickly caught on to what was likely going on, which seemed to include his daughter messing around with Mary.

Sure enough, Anna seemed to be pushing Twilight’s head around with Mary’s hoof, like some slightly more tame version of ‘stop hitting yourself’. At least, that’s what he assumed at first; Anna could get a little rough sometimes, which was surely a defense mechanism developed against Bobby over the years.

“Anna! Stop playing around with your mother,” Stan reprimanded. While marching on over, he also noting Herbert’s chuckles of amusement, and shot his father an unapproving look as well. “Herbert, you stop encouraging her.”

Anna and Herbert each looked over, caught with their mitts in the cookie jar, so to speak. “Awww,” they simultaneously let out sadly.

Stan shook his head in wonder, and walked up to Mary and Twilight. “Alright, let’s hope this works,” he murmured, and waved the smelling salts beneath Twilight's nose, then Mary's muzzle.

After a moment of waiting, and another wave of the salts, neither of them stirred.

Stan frowned as a result of the failure; smelling salts could wake up someone from the deepest sort of natural sleep. Nothing short of a coma should be keeping his wife under, or, as it seemed the case was, magical shenanigans.

“Well,” Agnes piped up in exasperation. “If that doesn’t wake them up, then they aren’t waking up until they’re good and ready.” She turned towards Jo, then. “Miss, are you sure you aren’t aware what’s happened to them?”

Jo looked up from frowning at Twilight to give a shrug. “Not a clue, I’m just trying to help out where I can, but I won’t pretend that I understand half as much as Twilight there does.”

The room was quiet for a moment, with Anna pulling out her mother’s cheek using the bound effect from Twilight’s palm.

“Well,” Agnes spoke again first, clapping her hands and facing Stan. “Christmas dinner is almost ready. This does put a damper on things, but maybe we’ll get a miracle and they’ll wake up soon.” She smiled gently at Stan and patted his shoulder, then began walking towards the room’s doorway.

“I’ll get back to preparing things, then!” she went on. “Anna, come help me, please?”

Anna’s expression drew down, looking regrettably at Mary.

“Oh.” Herbert began stepping lightly out of the room after Agnes, giving chase. “I’ll come along. I’m just in the way out here.” In truth, he was intent on ‘sampling’ the food ahead of time.

Anna also replied, yelling over her shoulder. “I’ll be there in a minute!”

Stan was looking at Mary. “I hope they wake up soon, too,” he murmured, mostly to himself, then continued louder now that the room was clearing out. “Jo, I guess it goes without saying you don’t want to go until Twilight wakes up. You’re welcome to stay as our guest, and we were planning on inviting the princess here to dinner as well… So, there’s room for you, too.”

Jo blinked in surprise. “Oh, uhm, thanks. If it’s alright, I’ll wait out here with Twilight… Also, heh,” she chuckled, seeming to be considering something amusing.

“Twilight says she isn’t a princess like in the show. Bummer, right?”

Stan furrowed his brow at the information, then shrugged. I guess Mar was pulling out her hair over nothing, then. I guess that’s good news, at least…

Jo went on, smirking. “I recommend you don’t bring that up. She carries around the notes she’s taken on that thing everywhere she goes, and even mailed a dozen complaints in while out on one of her walks-”

A shrill gasp from Anna filled the room. “Not a princess!? Noooo,” she cried, both of her hands to either side of her face. She gave Twilight a despairing look. “But it’s in the show, it has to be true!”

Stan frowned at his daughter, not surprised she had objected to the news about her newest favorite show. “Anna,” he began warningly. “Come on, there are more important things to worry about right now…” Quietly, he thought ill of Marge for opening her big mouth about the show in first place, even if it had given some possible clues.

Jo chuckled a little and apologized to Anna. “Sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news. I was a little disappointed about it, too. I used to watch it as a little girl myself. But, yeah, Twilight has all kinds of ideas about her world’s relation to ours. She’s insanely worried by anything from after Discord’s first appearance, because almost everything is different from then on in the show, with only a few things she recognized.”

Anna crossed her arms, frowning over Mary and Twilight towards Jo. “Worried? But she’s Twilight, and she’s like, unbeatable! She never loses or can’t figure something out. Why would she be worried?”

“Well,” Jo started to say, still laughing a little. “Her biggest concern is that it could all be future predictions that haven’t happened yet, and that what has happened to her might have ruined them.” She hummed, then continued. “Although, she sort of dropped that idea somewhat after that story arc in season three with the ponies made out of crystal.”

Anna blinked at at Jo skeptically for a moment in silence, then turned towards her father. “Dad, this can’t be the real Twilight. I think they’re spies.”

Stan laid a hand over his face. “Spies? Anna, that’s ridiculous. Head into the kitchen and help your grandparents, please.” He continued in his gravelly tone over a whining complaint from Anna. “Come on now. Jo here and I need to share some things with one another over this whole ordeal.”

“But-!” Anna started to protest, but was cut off by a hardened, serious look of parenting from Stan.

Anna let out a groan of annoyance, then thumped her way out of the room as requested. “I never get to help with anything important around here…”

Jo raised an eyebrow at Stan once he turned back to face her. “Cute kid,” she muttered.

Stan sighed, sitting in a recliner near the couch. “Yeah, she usually is. She’s also a hot head, like her mother.”

Jo hummed in acknowledgement. “Who does Bobby take after?”

Stan smirked. “Me, actually,” he responded.

Jo made a surprised look, as though she hadn’t expected the answer. “Oh,” she answered, then quickly recovered, giving an appreciative nod.

Stan hid his amusement as best he could. Jo didn’t seem like she was a mother or had kids herself.

Another silence settled into the room, bringing with it a twinge of awkward.

Jo coughed and spoke again. “So, I guess this is the part where I tell you everything that’s happened so far on our end, huh?”

The abruptness of the statement caught him off guard, but saved him the trouble of being the first one to ask for some answers. Took the words right out of my mouth. Stan leaned forward intently, arms resting on his knees, then gave the stranger a simple nod.

Jo took a breath before she spoke, her face becoming deadly serious. “Alright, well, it started a few months ago… There was this storm, and-”

Bobby shoved the back door to the house open roughly, the thing having frozen shut. “Hey! I’m done shoveling!” The house’s warmth washed over him and brought immediate relief. He had shaken most of the snow that had attached itself to him outside, and threw his coat onto a chair absently, quickly heading to warmer parts of the house.

A pleasant smell filled the room, even as far away from the kitchen as he still was.

Awesome, food’s almost done I bet. Bobby heard voices speaking, and stopped from following the smell to poke his head in at the living room. He stayed quiet, observing in silence what was going on. I wonder if mom’s back to her old self already.

Everyone in his family of course had high hopes that Mary would get fixed by the Twilight right away, assuming that she was real. The fact the stranger’s car was still across the road meant that she probably was; Dan had confirmed that much to Bobby.

However, the fact that no one had come rushing out yelling that everything was back to normal, likely meant that his mom hadn’t been so lucky.

Bobby spotted confirmation of that fact, apparently slumbering on the couch no less right beside the cute girl, Twilight. Oh, dang, that sucks… I hope she’s not pissed about still being a pony. Maybe they’re brewing up a potion right now or something. Absently, a whiff of the air confirmed there were no strange smells accompanying the delicious scent of roast ham.

Bobby hesitated from stepping away, listening absently to the sounds of the older woman that had showed up too, and his dad, both of them talking with one another. Other than the fact Twilight was apparently the actual character from Anna’s TV show, he didn’t know too much about the situation. His ignorance on the entire matter was mostly voluntary, though.

Sighing, he turned away to get up to his room. As long as I don’t get involved with this I’m happy. No doubt everyone would fill him in around dinner, whether he wanted to know or not...

Stan listened intently as Jo shared her story, starting with Twilight’s destruction of her house’s backyard. Apparently, as they came to realize, Mary had become a pony around the same time as Twilight arrived, crash landing on a stormy night. They both put two and two together right away, but all Jo could do was speculate with him, it seemed, over whether or not there was a connection.

Stan didn’t press the issue. If the girl didn’t know anything, there was nothing he could do about that.

The fact Twilight was still out cold made him restlessly tap his hand against his leg as he listened, all the way up until he shared his own side of things about Mary.

Retelling a few months worth of events concerning Mary, and any sort of information that might help had taken some time. It had been interesting, actually sharing all of Mary’s odd developments with someone else that wasn’t family, though he thought a silent promise that Jo would be the last person to know if he could help it.

Explaining how Mary could use magic to some degree had gotten an interesting reaction, but he guessed that was normal considering Jo was just along for the ride, as she had put it.

Unfortunately, nothing Stan had to share back, from the cutie marks on everyone to Mary’s strange nature magic donned any look of recognition on Jo’s face. Surprise, yes, especially over the cutie marks… but nothing that resembled her knowing any answers.

Stan flexed his hands every now and then, staying calm, and stewing in the fact that it had been hours, but nothing immediately valuable had been learned. Twilight was from another world and lost, or stranded, rather, but Jo couldn’t say much more than that; at least, that’s what she claimed.

Stan thought maybe she was holding something back at one juncture or another... but wrote it off.

Jo had been a bit unsure about what magic Twilight could do, it seemed, and focused mostly on the crystals. Her admittance that Twilight could fix Mary had come after a slight pause, too.

Stan had questioned and interviewed people a hundred times over through the years, and knew uncertainty when he saw it. What that meant, he wasn’t really sure.

His trade wasn’t a sure science, though, and he could only trust Jo, regardless. She seemed like a nice girl, too; rough around the edges as she was, she did seem friendly, certainly towards Twilight.

Herbert had come and gone a couple times, showing his serious side for once; likely because the situation was serious.

Stan kept glancing towards Mary, hoping her eyes would be cracked open each time he did, but the most he ever got was to see her let out a snore; at least she looked peaceful.

Several hours passed by in what seemed like the blink of an eye, because Agnes came by and cut the story telling a little short, trying to usher everyone into the dining room for dinner.

Stan had fended off the invitations from both his mother and Dan to join most everyone else in the dining room, and, in the end, remained out on the couch with Twilight, Mary, and Jo, who also didn’t want to leave them alone.

They ended up eating in silence, having shared each other’s details of the whole situation already. Occasionally either of them prodded Twilight or Mary for a response they hoped would come soon. Overall, the night was quiet, and likely a fair bit more sedated than the family had likely thought it would be.

Anna kicked her legs idly under the table, stirring the dressing on her plate without really taking a bite. Everyone at the table was in the middle of digging in now that grace had been said, which Agnes had managed to convince Bobby to tackle. The thanks that Bobby had given sufficed, mostly, though he repeated a full sentence twice and mumbled for the most part.

Before that, Dan had begun eating right away, but got smacked with a wooden spoon on the hand by Agnes for his trouble.

Overall, except for the occasional jolly banter between Dan and Herbert, the cozy home was quiet. Anna was sedated and distracted, Agnes was distracted, even Herbert was a little down, and Bobby was… Bobby.

Agnes studied Anna sadly for perhaps the fourth time, watching as she poked at her plate without really eating much. The plate itself was devoid of any of the Christmas ham, steaming slightly on the table, just in case Twilight woke up. She hadn’t said so much as a peep since sitting down, and that was very uncharacteristic of her. She also had on a thoughtful look, too, as though she were thinking hard about something.

“Anna,” Agnes spoke up, and smiled the little girl’s way when she looked back. “Don’t worry, your mom’s going to be fine. Mary’s always been a lot tougher than she looks.” After a brief pause, she added, “And… that’s a really good thing, because honestly as a little pony she doesn’t look all that tough at all, even when upset.”

Agnes snickered, and hoped for a similar response from her grand daughter, only to be disappointed when she looked up flatly instead, a tired look edged around her expression.

Anna, in truth, fought against rolling her eyes, having been told repeatedly the last few hours that her mom would be fine. Instead, she quietly answered, “Yeah, I know. Nopony ever really gets hurt in the show.”

Bobby let out a terse breath from across the table, which Anna pointedly ignored, fully aware it was for her.

Oblivious, Agnes blinked, frowning a little, then leaned over and rubbed Anna’s back consolingly. “What’s the matter then, dear? Just not hungry?”

Anna frowned at her plate, and looked for something to change the subject. “No, it’s not that… I don’t want to talk about it.” She hoped the dodge would be enough to discourage her grandmother. “I just want mom and Twilight to wake up soon, is all.”

Agnes raised an eyebrow, a bit curious, but nodded. “I’m sure they will soon, dear.” She wondered what it was exactly Anna didn’t want to talk about, and thought was worth hiding.

Anna resisted sighing, and kept her eyes on her plate. Yeah… she thought to herself. But you don’t know that for sure. Besides, things never go this easy in the show… I bet Twilight can’t even help mom. Her face scrunched up into a pout, not able to fight back the emotions building up for a brief second. After a moment, she reinstilled calmness to her features. Come on, Mom…

In the back of her mind, she just hoped that Twilight would have some way to help out. Judging by what Jo had been telling her dad, which had been overheard thanks to a little eavesdropping… things didn’t sound too good.

A fire crackled nearby at one end of the living room, and the Christmas tree lights were on for the dark of evening; Stan was preoccupying himself by staring at Mary, who still slept soundlessly beside Twilight Sparkle, unmoving except for the occasional twitch of her legs or tail.

The sight did a good job of hammering the reality of things into Stan’s head, both the continued condition of his wife, and the presence of a fictional cartoon pony in the shape of a human sharing his couch. It made him uneasy, and unsure; it wasn’t something he knew he could handle.

Stan sighed, and decided he couldn’t sit still anymore for the time being. “I’ll be right back.” He stood up suddenly and reach for both his plate and Jo’s. I’ll go check on the kids… and see if Dan’s still here. I better-

Jo interrupted the train of thought, looking up from staring at the floor. “I can get it,” she offered weakly.

Stan blinked, then shook his head and kept going. Old habits over being a good host taught to him by his father, ridiculous though he was, surfaced immediately. “Nonsense, both you and Twilight are guests…” He briefly glanced at the other two occupants of the couch. “I guess we should move her and my wife to someplace a little bit more comfortable than the couch, actually…”After a moment of consideration over what the choices were, he settled on the best one that was available. “We’ll put them in our bed, I think.”

Jo glanced over at Twilight, who had slumped once again atop Mary without warning. “Yeah, I guess so...” She set down her beer, then leaned over to help her sleeping friend back to a sitting position. “Uhm, I still have my room at the hotel, but-”

Stan interrupted, hesitating at the doorway. “You can stay, if you want. I assumed you would want to. There’s a fold-out couch in the basement you’re more than welcome to.” He hadn’t expected Jo would want to leave.

Jo nodded, though only half listened past hearing that she could stay. “Cool. I mean- Thanks.” Her response was somber, probably because of the condition her friend was in. Alien-pony from another world or not, Jo seemed pretty attached to Twilight.

“We’ll move them soon… I’m going to go check on my kids real quick. When they’re quiet like this for so long it usually means trouble’s coming.” Stan chuckled at the joke, trying to raise the girl’s spirits. He exhaled a moment later, his heart not fully in the attempt.

On top of that, Jo was leaning over, staring at the floor, and didn’t answer. In fact, she almost looked like she was falling asleep.

Stan watched a moment, frowning thoughtfully, then turned to go. He studied the floor on his way back through the home, absently listening to what sounded like Christmas music playing on the stereo in the next room.

The sight of his family, in addition to Dan, all enjoying a peaceful evening should have cheered him up a great deal more, but, there was a missing piece to the scene, and it fell short.

Bobby looked up as Stan entered the room, almost making to stand up. “Dad, hey, is mom better yet?”

Stan stopped a moment, the eyes in the room all swiveling over to look at him expectantly; Anna especially, definitely looked ready to somersault over the table towards the door.

Would if I could deliver some good news, for once. Stan took a breath and shook his head slowly. “Not yet,” he answered. That’s right, I hadn’t even spoken to Bobby about it yet. Did I forget anything else? As he walked by the table Herbert patted him on the arm.

Stan continued into the kitchen, listening to the sounds of various chairs being pushed out and scraping across the floor as he left.

“Hey, Stan, how are you doing?” It was Herbert’s voice.

Stan laid the plates he still carried in the sink before turning around, heading back out to Mary. “I’m holding up, Dad, thanks for asking. Sorry the holidays turned south like this.”

Herbert chuckled and shrugged at the same time, also standing in the doorway. The positioning forced Stan to a halt. “Well, that can’t be helped… Still, you shouldn’t let yourself get too down in the dumps. It worries your kids, and I get the feeling that Mary’s going to be just fine.”

Stan briefly frowned, eying the room beyond his elderly father. Why do parents always do that. Tell their kids that everything’s going to be fine if he doesn’t know? He raised an eyebrow at Herbert, then sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. How are they holding up, by the way?”

Herbert looked back out at the dining room. Somehow, everyone had vacated at the same time. It was almost as if they had all been waiting for some news before leaving that table. Agnes remained, stacking plates and organizing the mess left.

“They’re holding up,” Herbert answered plainly. “Bobby’s been takin' it pretty serious, and Anna quieted down a while ago, strangely enough… I think they both just went upstairs.”

Stan nodded solemnly, waiting for his dad to step out of the way. “Alright, that’s probably for the best until we know more… Anyway, I’m about to go move Mar, actually. I think we’ll put both her and Twilight in our bed, since they’re stuck together.”

Herbert nodded flatly, then a grin started creeping up his face.

Stan narrowed his eyes at his father. Surprisingly, the look of amusement, a sign of him about to make a too easy sort of joke, melted away. “I’ll go get Bobby, and we’ll help you carry her back.”

Stan stared a moment as Herbert stood aside, smiling cooly. “Thanks, Dad.”

Herbert smiled wider. “What for?”

Stan shrugged. “Being better at this than me,” he answered, moving on past.

Herbert deadpanned. After a moment, he burst out into laughter, both shoulders shaking hard.

Stan frowned. “Dad.” he tried to get Herbert’s attention. When that didn’t work, he raised his voice louder. “Dad, I was being serious.”

Herbert continued to chuckle, and looked up from where he’d keeled over some. “Heh, ever hear that old saying that the grass is always greener, son?”

Stan put on a confused look, that slowly dawned into wariness. “Is this going to be another joke about Mary being a pony?” he asked, deadly serious.

Herbert’s eyes bugged for a moment. “I hadn’t thought of that! Hah.” Laughing more, he patted Stan on the back, giving him a reassuring smile before he began a hunched over walk towards the upstairs. “I’ve taught you well, it seems. I’ll be right back with reinforcements!”

Stan stared blankly for a moment, watching as his old man chuckled his way out of the room, then finally cracked a smile of his own as he turned to go. Crazy old guy… After a moment, he added to his thoughts. I want to say he has a point, but I’m not even entirely sure what that point is. He chuckled, and began to make his way out to the living room to check on Jo, and get a move on with Mary and Twilight.

Stan made his way through the house, almost to his destination, only to bump into Dan.

“Whoa, easy there, big guy,” Dan laughed, having nearly careened into his boss.

Stan blinked away his surprise in just a second, and found himself shaking his deputy’s hand. “Hey, Dan, are you about to take off?” He’d almost forgotten the other man was over, usually he was the center of attention.

“Yeah, I’ll be right on my way out pretty soon. Thanks again for inviting me over, by the way.” Dan was grinning, and he had that old, telltale look of eagerness in his eye.

Stan raised an eyebrow, but nodded, wearing a slight smirk. “Anytime, brother, and thank you for… helping us like this. I don’t exactly have many options when it comes to help.”

Dan had been about to keep walking on, but paused instead and sucked in a breath. “Ah, shoot, it’s nothing, really. I’m glad to help. It makes me feel like I’m actually doing something useful or whatever... Ah, never mind, see you in a couple days.”

Stan watched Dan stride past quickly. “Hey, Dan, the exit’s over that way.” He pointed a finger, raising one confused eyebrow as he watched his friend go.

Dan smirked back at him, but kept going. "I’ll be right on my way out. I just need to talk to Agnes for a moment, and say smell you later to Herbert.”

Stan scratched a hand behind his head, a little confused. After a moment, he shrugged, chuckling. Just Dan being Dan, I guess.

Stan moved towards the family room, forgetting the oddity, and thought he heard Jo talking out loud as he entered the room. He spotted the reserved woman sitting where he’d left her on the couch.

Jo sounded like she was speaking.

“Are you talking to someone in here, Jo?” After Stan asked the question, he thought too late that maybe she was talking to her unconscious friend. “Are they awake?” He doubted the latter, but thought he’d ask anyway.

Jo looked up jerkily, maybe surprised, and with one hand pressed over her chest. “Hey,” she responded first. “No, they’re still both out cold. I was talking to… Dan, and then myself, I guess.”

Stan’s eyes widened above his beard. Uh oh. That’s what that scoundrel was doing… Dangit, Dan. “Dan? Really?” He hummed, hiding his worry about the idea of Dan poking around, and eased back down into his chair. “I hope he wasn’t too abrasive,” he continued.

Jo raised an eyebrow in return, then shrugged. “Not really,” she said simply.

Well, that’s a relief… and a surprise. Stan hummed again in response, then spoke on in his gravelly voice. “Well, Dan just took off for the night. I think my folks will be leaving soon, as well.” He nodded to himself, thinking of the day overall. “In any case, Herbert and my son should be here in a moment. I told them both to help us. We’re going to move Twilight and Mary over to my own bedroom. I think I could carry both of them myself, they aren’t that heavy, but it’s just to be safe…”

Jo looked as though she were thinking over the news for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, that sounds good.”

“Hopefully they wake up soon, in the morning maybe, if they don’t, we’ll need to look into getting them an I.V. and…” Stan trailed off, frowning and tapping a finger against his chair’s arm. “We’ll get to that if-”

Two voices entering the room and footsteps interrupted Stan. “Hey, Dad, we’re here,” called Bobby.

“Reporting as ordered,” added the second voice, belonging to Herbert.

Stan looked up from Jo to his two kin and exhaled. “Well, we’ll get to that if it comes to it,” he finished, giving a smile that faded again quickly. “Alright, Bobby, Herbert, both of you be careful while-”

“I’ll carry Twilight,” Jo interrupted.

The three guys, each roughly the same height, looked over, each with a different look of surprise on their face.

“By yourself?” Stan asked plainly, already positioning himself to pick up Mary. He did so with what looked like relative ease. Luckily, as a pony, Mary wasn’t heavier, not until recently, in any case. But that was a different concern of Stan’s entirely.

Jo scrunched her face up in a frown for a moment. “Maybe Herbert can help.” She added the last amendment a little too quickly, and shot a quick glare towards the teenager.

Herbert, meanwhile, began chuckling, and elbowed Bobby in the ribs. “See, boy? You should follow my example more. The ladies still can’t resist me.”

Bobby rolled his eyes from where he stayed by the doorway. “Herbert, I know Agnes will still hit you if I tell her you made that joke.”

Herbert put on a fake look of surprise, then chuckled.

“On second thought,” Jo added, continuing on. Her expression had shifted to become a bit offended by the look of it. “I can get Twilight by myself…” She began to lift Twilight up, as claimed. After a moment, she grimaced, and her eyes bulged a little.

With an oof, she set Twilight back down.

Stan almost made to help her, but his arms were full with pony, at the moment.

“Not so easy, is it?” Bobby asked, smirking. He watched, a little amused as the stranger was forced to set the cartoon character made real back down.

Jo looked up, her face eerily expressionless.

Herbert knew an angry girl when he saw one, and also knew his grandson’s skill with tact. He began moving over to help Jo, despite what she had said before.

“Everyone, take it easy.” Stan hesitated from moving, then after he witnessed Herbert take a hold of Twilight's arms without any fuss from Jo, continued. “Let’s just get them situated and we can all put today behind us.”

Bobby let out a monumentally exaggerated sigh. “If I’m not needed I’ll be upstairs, then.” He shrugged and turned on one foot in one smooth motion, slouching his way out of the room.

Jo frowned at Bobby’s back and exhaled stiffly. Still, she seemed determined to focus on lifting Twilight, which she did by cradling her arms together underneath the other girl’s shoulders; this was made a little awkward by Mary’s nearby hoof, which was apparently the last connection point; it was stuck squarely to Twilight’s upper shoulder.

“It’s best if you don’t pay him too much mind.” Herbert spoken up, smirking over to Jo as the three of them lifted Twilight and Mary.

Jo gave Herbert, then Stan a regretful look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do… I won’t cause any trouble. I’m still upset over what he said about my friend, is all. Am I that obvious?” She waited for an answer, the three of them getting underway by moving through the first doorway.

The manner in which they were carrying the pair of unconscious persons was a bit awkward, to say the least. Mary’s front left hoof was plastered to Twilight’s shoulder, and was for the most part in Stan’s grip under one arm. He kept shifting his wife about, too, though he mostly carried her beside Jo. This put Stan and Jo astride one another, with Jo walking backwards, Herbert walking forwards at Twilight’s ankles, and Stan walking somewhat sideways.

Herbert snorted some laughter, shuffling carefully after Jo and Stan in the lead; he had a good grip by the look of it. “Not really, Bobby’s just a little punk sometimes, especially lately,” he answered to Jo with a toothy grin. “It’s not that hard to notice when he’s acting like a brat.”

“Dad,” Stan began, voice lowered. They were moving through a doorway now, and most of everyone’s focus was on shuffling through with the little room they had to spare. Herbert was wiry, but Stan’s bulkiness forced him to turn sideways in order to fit while carrying his wife’s unconscious pony body.

“Well, he does,” Herbert answered back. “There’s no use hiding it. I will admit though, he’s been getting better since that whole thing with Mary at the…” Herbert paused, looking at Jo.

“That Halloween thing Stan told me about?” Jo smirked, and took a deep breath after. She seemed to be getting a little winded from carrying Twilight and taking so many shuffling steps. She went on when Herbert widened his eyes back. “Stan told me everything,” she admitted, smirking.

“Oh, right-” Herbert began to say, but was cut off when Stan backed up into the door frame, thumping his head hard, judging by the sound of it.

“Gah-” Stan winced, one eye clenched shut. Sonuva b- More carefully, he slowly moved onward.

The three of them were just barely squeezing through the doorway once again, while trying to shift Twilight more as they slowly moved out into the dining room. Crouched down slightly, with Mary over her head in Stan’s grip, she suddenly spoke up.

“I don’t know why I didn’t say this already,” she muttered, and paused to get both Stan and Herbert’s attention before going on. “Hey, we don’t have to move them like this, you know. Set them down a moment.”

Stan and Herbert looked over, the doorway now behind them. “Huh?”

Jo breathed out, waiting there hunched over with her friend’s weight trying to pull her over. “We don’t have to carry them like this, with them stuck together leg to shoulder like that. We could, or rather, should probably re-arrange them so that they’re less awkward to…”

“Oh,” Stan said in understanding. “Right, so long as they have one point of contact, if I heard Herbert right earlier.”

“That’s what it looked like to me,” Herbert added thoughtfully. “So get them further from one another?”

“That would work better,” Jo agreed, and began setting down Twilight and Mary with some help.

“It’s worth a shot, anyway.” Stan was already putting theory into practice, setting down Mary.

Herbert and Jo followed suit and laid down Twilight as easily as they could manage.

Stan was the first to try and reorganize the napping duo. He tried to remove Mary’s hoof from Twi’s shoulder, only it wouldn’t move. Grunting, he shifted another of Mary’s hooves at random so he could move the first, and attached it to Twilight’s hip. “Maybe attach Mary’s foot, er, hoof to Twilight’s foot, or leg, or…”

“Maybe,” Herbert rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way, looking over his son’s shoulder. “The fairy magic connection works through Twilight’s clothes, put Mary’s hoof on Twilight’s snow boot?”

Jo shook her head angrily. “No, no, look, yes it works like that, but just make it easier on us and attach their hands again-”

Stan grumbled, being shifted over as Jo tried to skid Mary across the wood floor.

Jo moved Mary’s freed up hoof to Twilight’s hand, then removed the other two that had found their way to becoming plastered elsewhere. Once this was accomplished, Stan hoisted his wife, his arms under her barrel. “Alright, that was much better. Good head-work, Jo.” He felt a bit ashamed he hadn’t thought to do that, himself.

“Actually,” Stan paused to readjust and heft Mary before speaking, “What sort of work do you do?”

Jo smiled as she watched, then pulled Twilight up before carrying her again. “Oh, uhm, just some web design. It pays the bills… and makes sure I don’t have to talk to too many people.”

Stan stared a moment, thoughtfully, or at least as best as he could with everyone facing a different direction. He gave a sound of acknowledgement shortly after.

With their grip renewed on her unconscious friend, the backwards walk towards their destination seemed much easier. The next few doorways were cleared with ease, with everyone now walking in a line and each passenger stretched between them.

They passed Agnes along the way, who waved with a cheerful smile, looking very much aware of the struggle the three were going through, but there was little other incident. Anna seemed to be asleep, or just missing. Stan hadn’t heard a peep out of the little girl in hours.

Jo took one last deep breath as she cleared the final doorway into what was obviously a large bedroom with a cozy bed big enough for two. “You know,” she panted. “You would think that a dramatic manifestation of magic like that purple flash would make me feel different than this.”

Stan hummed. “What’s that?”

“I mean all this.” Jo set Twilight down on the bed with Herbert’s help, and straightened up, placing her arms in the small of her back to stretch. “I’ve been housing a magic talking horse for months now—well, someone who claims to have been a magic talking horse. You’d have thought that sort of arrangement would be a lot more—magical, you know? The most magical thing she’s ever done is figure out how to blow up my microwave.”

Stan lifted an eyebrow at that, glancing down at Mary, cradled against his chest, then back at Jo. He didn’t say anything, but his thin, overly amused looking smile spoke volumes.

Jo looked away, brow furrowed and stuttering a little. “I didn’t mean Mary at all, uhm, just Twilight… I- I just meant that of all the possible things that a magic unicorn could do, passing out, and getting stuck to someone else is probably the last sort of thing I would have expected. I don’t really feel like this is anything special… At least, not like learning another world exists should. I dunno...”

“Aaah,” Stan intoned in an understanding way. “I know exactly what you mean.” He looked over at Herbert, and they shared a knowing look between them both.

Jo raised an eyebrow, watching at Stan laid down Mary as well. “Alright, what is it?” She looked between them both expectantly. “Am I not seeing something obvious?”

Stan smirked, laying Mary down alongside Twilight. “Well, maybe not.” He traded another look with Herbert. “It’s a conversation myself and Herbert have had a few times. I’d be willing to bet one day I’ll have it with my son, too.”

Jo blinked. “Is this one of those philosophical parental talk things? I’ll pass if it is...” She smiled in what she hoped was a friendly way, not wanting to sound rude.

“Fair enough.” Stan chuckled, and traded a quick handshake and goodbye with Herbert. It took a moment, but when he was finished he turned to sit down in a recliner that was in the room.

On his way out, Herbert waved goodbye happily to Jo, which she returned with a somewhat less enthusiastic version and an eye roll.

Jo sighed, then looked around the room. “So, can I wait in here with you?” She spoke to Stan, but her eyes settled on Twilight. “I… know this isn’t my fault. But I’d feel like a bad friend if I left her now.”

Stan nodded. “I thought you might ask, heh.” He stood up, and offered his chair.

Jo shook her head. “That’s alright, I can go get one… Uhm, that’s fine, right?”

Stan nodded again. “Yeah, sure.”

Once Jo had left, the room was quiet once again, the sounds of her talking to someone just reaching the bedroom.

Stan didn’t pay it any mind, and instead kept his eyes glued to Mary, both of them lilting somberly. An absent thought from earlier that day crossed his mind, then, and in the moment of privacy he leaned forward, then kissed his wife, sound asleep as she was.

Stan opened his eyes and waiting, hoping hers would open alongside him.

Mary snorted a bit a breath in, but continued to sleep.

Stan sighed, and moved back towards his chair to sit down tiredly. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

The bedroom was quiet, and calm. Except, of course, for the occasional snore from Mary.

Upstairs in the Morris home was peaceful, which was very rare. There was no heavy metal playing, nor any laughing aloud or stomping.

Bobby was heading back upstairs, while his sister was already locked inside of her room.

Anna rolled over under her covers, wearing a sad expression. It melted a little bit though, trading out for a look of wonderment as she pulled a large, purple hunk of rock out from underneath her pillow.

She had meant to give it to Twilight, but she wasn’t awake. Instead, she wanted to wait until she could return it to her first hand.

The cool stone glowed at the slightest touch, lighting up the bedroom in a soft, purple glow.

Author's Notes:

I've never really been so unpleased with a chapter before, I think. In hindsight, a really bad idea to make chapters in your story not contain the main characters.

All I can say is things are going to liven up next chapter, fellas, in both mlm and atl. The next two chapters are going to be pretty great, in my book, anyway.

Also, I'm a little overwhelmed, yes, but I'll get through this eventually. I've somehow found myself at one of those junctures where everything I write I get stuck on and unhappy with. If you've written before and encountered it at some point, you know what I'm talking about. So, I thank you all for your patience with myself, the trouble I'm having getting things organized, and my stories.

There's some good news though, check out my blog here and take a look.

Chapter 27 : Screw Fairytales

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Stan felt himself nodding off more and more. He’d done a great deal of standing guard for hours on end before, and had likely spent a year’s worth of time or more doing just that in his line of work.

Still, that never made it easy, less so in the comfort of his own home.

Letting a sigh out, he stood up out of the recliner in his bedroom and stretched. It was dark for the most, a dim glow from the near hall added the little ambient light that there was.

Mary’s and Twilight’s silent forms could be seen as shadows, the two of them laying still where they were. If it weren’t for the slight snoring, which Stan easily recognized as his wife’s, he would be more worried by how little they moved. Carrying them earlier that night had been akin to moving limp marionettes, rather than people.

Well, a pony and a person.

Stan paced for a moment, making sure they were alright. When he stopped he raised his wrist up to his face and checked the time. Almost time to switch off. Jo’s turn to keep an eye on the pair was coming up.

Staying up through the entire night had been his plan; he was surprised a little when Twilight’s friend had demanded to be woken up to help out.

Jo wasn’t directly involved, though. Or maybe she was; maybe she had a tail or a cutie mark and was hiding it. Stan hadn’t asked. As far as he could understand it, Jo was just another someone that was caught up in everything, not someone that knew Twilight beforehand or anything. Whatever he thought about the women—Jo or Twilight—he supposed it didn’t particularly matter in the end. Together they were his only clue to getting Mary, and maybe even the rest of his family, back to normal.

After making his way around the bed, Stan gently shook Jo’s shoulder.

Jo’s head raised up in a jolt, and she mumbled a strange word, or possibly words. “Hrmpfrfgr?”

Stan lowered his voice at first, but remembered that with Twilight and Mary asleep it wasn’t needed. He used a normal tone in its stead. “Hey, it’s your turn, Jo. Did you still want one?”

Jo’s tiredness was evident in the sluggish way she moved. “F-wha—? Oh, damn, yeah, yeah.” She stretched, and the sound of bones popping noisily surrounded her. “I forgot where I was for a second there... I guess they haven’t woken up, then?”

Stan shook his head, then answered as well. “Not a peep, unfortunately.”

Jo fell backward into her chair, seemingly going limp. “Damn,” she intoned.

“Mmhm,” Stan agreed wordlessly. It didn’t seem fair, really, that things seemed to keep happening that put him in a position to feel helpless. Somehow he was never the answer to a problem, or much help at all. “Do you want anything from the kitchen, maybe?” Just once, he wanted a problem he could actually do something about to show its face.

Not magic. Not a stranger.

“Nah, that’s okay.” Jo looked up groggily at Stan. “But thanks for askin’.”

Stan couldn’t tell if the strange woman was being short, or just tired. “Alright,” he answered back simply. The recliner caught his weight as he tiredly sat back down. Its surface was still warm, and partly compressed from having supported his bulk all night. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

Jo’s head swiveled over briefly from the other side of the room. “...Yeah.” She had answered him slowly.

Stan waited for more, but eventually closed his eyes; they burned from staying open for too long.

He considered talking out some things with the stranger. Like, for instance, what they were going to do if Mary and Twilight didn’t wake back up… It seemed prudent to him to make that plan, just in case. But, he didn’t want to consider what few options they had in the matter again. There were a lot of things left that he probably should speak with this Jo girl about. But he didn’t want to think...

After a second thought, an idle worry crossed his mind, and Stan dimly thought of something that had to do with Mary and Twilight both. In a way, it was the most important thing, and he hadn’t asked about it. Maybe he’d been afraid to; at the very least he’d been apprehensive to.

“Jo,” Stan spoke suddenly, breaking the night’s quiet anew. “Mind if I ask you a question?” He could just make out Jo sitting a little straighter and looking over.

“Huh? Oh, sure, go for it.” Jo responded in the sort of casual, off-handed way that she seemed accustomed to speaking with.

Stan nodded, though the act was mostly to himself. “If Twilight wakes… When Twilight and Mary wake up, Twilight can make my wife as she was before, right? Return her to normal?”

A short moment of silence answered him. He didn’t see her move, either, and wondered if she’d heard him.

“Oh,” Jo’s voice held an edge of relief to it, as if thinking of something, then became more even and uninterested sounding. “Yeah, she has often told me that as long as she has magic, she can change… uh, forms easy.”

“Really?” Stan felt himself relax somewhat. The story that Dan had told him about Twilight being shape-changed made sense, then. He couldn’t make out Jo in the darkness, but out of habit alone he tried to lean forward more out of interest.

Jo cleared her throat noisily. “Yup, Twilight’s still the best authority when it comes to magic. Without a doubt.”

Stan wanted to ask more, but after another idle thought, decided that was all he’d needed to hear. “That’s good to know, thanks. All of this stuff is… well, it was something I’d always considered make believe.”

Jo gave a quiet sound of acknowledgement.

Stan thought of what more to ask. Perhaps about what Jo’s time spent with Twilight had been like. They hadn’t spoken much on that, just a few scattered details. It seemed like Jo didn’t know much, oddly.

While thinking about it, however, he relaxed, and was asleep before he knew it.

Mary jolted her head up at the sensation of something coming in contact with her shoulders, and the sound of her husband's voice. But strangely, the faint image of Twilight calling out filled her vision for just a moment.

"Mar, are you awake?" Stan repeated. Not losing a moment, he wrapped up Mary in a hug, which created a noise of surprise. "Oh, thank goodness. Are you alright?"

“‘ow ‘any days has it bin?” Mary yawned, hanging from her husband's grip slightly off the side of the bed. "What? Of course I’m alri—" In the middle of answering, she yawned again. “What’s wrong?” She thought back to the unexpected circumstances under which she and Twilight must have collapsed unconscious. “Is everybody okay? How is—”

“Everyone’s fine, just you and Twilight were…” Stan smoothed some of her hair absently. “You both, uh, fainted is the best way to put it.” His brow furrowed above a worried look. “Do you remember anything? How’s your head? Are you thirsty?”

Mary felt her ears twitch, maybe a sign of irritation, but definitely a sign to herself that she was okay. She shook her head, a smile growing. “I’m fine, Stan.” Besides being a little tired, something Mary was getting used to, she felt normal. Not normal, as in, human, just normal as in not having grown a second tail or something.

That was unfortunate, but there was at least the relief on Stan’s face to be had from the news.

Mary thought back to the thing responsible for all this concern, and recalled the meeting back on her doorstep. "Did you see that purple flash as well?" she asked.

Stan released his embrace with Mary and leaned back. "How could I miss it? We all saw it. You and Twilight both lit up like the Fourth of July. When the smoke cleared, you were stuck to one another and… unconscious."

Mary opened her mouth to go on, but closed it again. “What do you mean ‘stuck’?”

Stan paused for a long moment, then shrugged and nodded towards the other side of the bed. At the other end was another person, Jo, sound asleep in a chair with their head down. “I’m guessing the explanation involves more…” He paused again to curse under his breath. “Magic, I think, because after whatever happened, happened, we couldn’t pull either of your apart. We got you and, uh, Twilight? We got you both settled in and took turns keeping an eye on you.”

Stan paused to give Jo a slightly disapproving look. “She had the last shift. I guess posting up over an objective needs to be left to the professionals.”

Mary’s eyes had widened a little at the explanation. We were...? Well that sounds awkward. She looked at the bed, where the covers were thoroughly disheveled; but there was no Twilight. “Where is she now?”

As if on cue, a distant, excited voice could be heard, likely from a certain little girl that had recently become obsessed with ponies.

Stan nodded again, smirking, this time towards the rest of the house. “I woke up and heard her in the other room. I saw you asleep still and...” His hand ran over Mary’s shoulder, then came to rest on her back. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Mary tried to dispel his worry and smiled, raising one eyebrow. “I said so, didn’t I? Relax, dear.”

Stan chuckled. “I haven’t been able to relax properly since before I met you, let alone lately.”

Mary put her hooves on her hips. “Oh, so I’m the one to blame, huh?” She’d gotten him to relax a little, but now she had to deal with his snarkiness. “I’ll have you know that you-”

“Twilight!?”

Stan and Mary nearly jumped off the bed at the startling outburst. They looked over to see Jo leaning on the bed, frantically looking around the room.

“Oh crap, I fell asleep! Is—”

Stan spoke up, raising his voice. “She’s fine. Twilight’s in the other room, I think, talking to our kids judging by the volume.”

After a moment, understanding and relief visibly washed over Jo as she slipped back into her chair. “Oh, good. Phew, that’s good to hear. She’s okay?”

Mary maintained a calm look. “She was okay last I saw. I’m just glad we got out of there. Actually, were we only out for one night?” She looked over at Stan for an answer. “It honestly felt like ages while-” The confused looks her husband and Jo made caused her to trip over her words. “Uhm.”

“Out of where?” Jo asked first. “What even happened?”

Mary suddenly found herself confronted by two very expectant expressions. “Oh that. I- It’s… complicated.” She rubbed her hooves nervously against one another, and could already tell that wouldn’t be a sufficient explanation. The real one wasn’t easy to put together, though. How do I explain living through something crazier than a drug trip? Not that I’d know I guess, but-

“The dream place again?” Stan asked out of the blue.

Mary looked up, then nodded once she understood what was said. “Yeah,” she affirmed.

At that, Jo looked ready to ask more questions. “Dream-what?”

“I’ll try and explain,” Mary began again quickly. She sucked in a large breath to ready herself. “To sum things up this whole situation has turned ‘Disney’ on us, as dad would say, because we learned that Twilight was probably cursed to be a human and made to forget about it ever happening in the first place and by a dragon no less. Yes, I’m positive that’s what it looked like. Whatever happened, it sent us to where I met that princess horse, er, Luna, and we saw some of what Twilight thought were her memories.”

Mary took a breath of fresh air and waited.

Stan’s expression stayed blank, hardly shifting, although perhaps it inched just a hair towards skepticism.

Mary didn’t really feel she could blame him for that look. If she hadn’t seen those things herself… lived it herself, she knew she would have never believed it in a million years.

Jo, however, soon sported a pair of bugged out eyes.

Mary had to wonder just what she’d seen to be an instant believer of such things.

“You have got to be kidding,” Jo stuttered out, and held a hand up to her head as if to keep her sanity from tumbling out.

Mary sighed, working over her hair with both hooves absently. “I’m not kidding in the least. I couldn’t make that up if I tried..."

Jo stared at the floor a moment, until finally her stunned look traded for an angry looking one; though it was impossible to tell what she was angry about. “What the Hell,” she blurted.

Mary coughed a brief moment later. “Ahem.”

Jo looked confused, then seemed to catch on and shook her head. “Sorry,” she apologized, and her expression softened. “There was really a dragon? Like Smaug?”

Mary nodded to her appreciatively, then raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Jo deadpanned momentarily. “The Hobbit? Tolkien? Arguably the founder of modern fantasy.”

Stan leaned towards Mary briefly. “Dear, she means the movie with Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortenson.”

Recognition flashed over Mary’s face along with a broad smile. “Oh, that old thing! I love those movies. Was Smog the bad guy in the armor?”

A half disgusted look flashed over Jo’s face, before she recovered. “Not really, but never mind. More importantly, are you sure about all that?” Under her breath, it sounded like she whispered, “Dangit, Alice.”

“You can go double check with Twilight, but I don’t think I just hallucinated it all. I would be so lucky.” She chortled bitterly for a moment at that. “Actually you probably should speak to her. She was…” Mary thought back as best she could to the thing she’d lived through with Twilight. “What we saw was a lot to handle.”

Jo looked unsure, but nodded. “Alright. I’m going to go talk to Twilight about all this… this stuff you mentioned, then.” She stood up and quickly strode around the bed, and towards the door.

Stan raised a hand, though, postponing her. “Oh, Jo, if it’s not too much trouble could you coax her back in here? I’d actually like to get this uh, well, you know, our own big problem taken care of first if we can.” He chuckled a little, and sort of gestured with his head towards Mary, before facing her with a smile.

Stan brightened up along with his tone. “Now that Twilight’s awake, it seems the next order of business is for her to make you up a cure. Right, Mar?”

Jo had stopped by the door, just before stepping out, and now seemed frozen to the spot.

Mary straightened up upon realizing what her husband was saying, and found her eyes locked with Jo’s; she saw clearly the well of panic that was hiding behind the other woman’s expression. Stan doesn’t know. In an instant, she understood that Jo must not have filled him in.

Stan continued on the same. “Or is there some big long procedure for, uh, that pony magic to actually work?” He let out a big breath, then grinned. “Hah. It’s incredible to talk about this stuff, but I guess if I hadn’t seen it already these last few months—”

Mary sat up on her haunches quickly, which just about brought her to eye level with Stan. She looked at him briefly open mouthed, then turned towards Twilight’s friend. “Uh, Jo, would you go on and please talk to Twilight? What we saw was… well, she’ll tell you. I’ll catch my husband up.”

Jo looked confused for a moment, before the tension in her visibly lessened. She must have figured out that the news brought up had already been broken. “Sure. Knowing Twilight she’ll probably want to rattle off theories to someone right away… I’ll- uh, I’ll be around.”

Mary watched as the short woman hurried herself the rest of the way out of the bedroom. She turned to face Stan again, and found her husband already staring at her. He didn’t look confused, or speculative as she would have expected; he looked drained.

“I—” Mary started to say, but Stan spoke at the same time. They ended up staring at each other quietly for a few seconds as a result.

“You go ahead,” Stan murmured.

Mary’s neck lowered a fraction. Suddenly she wasn’t sure what she had been about to say. How do I tell him? She’d had hours to accept what Twilight had said, and it had taken nearly all of it for her to even look at the pony that had stolen her humanity, even if it didn’t seem like it was her fault any longer...

“Twilight can’t use her magic.” Mary said the words flat out. They weren’t strictly what needed to be said, but they gave away the logical conclusion. The lump in her throat kept her from saying anymore.

Stan’s eyes closed slowly, and a tired look crossed over it. His face said it all. “Ah. Well, don’t I feel dumb.” His voice was level. “I probably should have guessed that on my own.”

“I’m sorry, Stan,” Mary started. She shuffled some across the top of the bed towards him. He was a couple feet away though, so trying to make contact threatened to deposit her onto the floor. “I was going to tell you right away, but with everything that just happened I hadn’t had the chance yet. I can’t become human again… yet.”

She continued, rubbing one foreleg against her other. “Twilight explained everything to me, and it sounds crazy even coming from her, and even after seeing so much proof. Even after going through everything we have over the last few months it still did…” She breathed out, maintaining her calm. “We were so close… I’m so sorry, Stan.”

Stan stood still in the quiet left by his wife, before stepping up and wrapping his arms around Mary in a hug that made the one from earlier seem like nothing.

Mary struggled slightly, more to keep from being crushed than anything. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe… Don’t care, though, she thought.

Stan released his hold. “You don’t need to apologize, Mary. I- don’t understand, though.”

Mary struggled enough to wriggle free so she could answer. “It’s... It's complicated, dear. I don’t think I get all of it either, but… whatever’s going on it isn’t just about us. From what I can tell, we just got really unlucky and wrapped up in this stupid, magical power struggle.”

Stan frowned. “You can say that again... So, what, you said Twilight has no magic? And is stuck as a human? Then how is she going to...”

Mary could practically see the gears turning in his head, and the moment when he came to the same conclusion which Twilight had.

“So she can’t get back to wherever she came from, either?” Stan asked flatly. “Like what Luna told you?”

Mary shook her head. After, she paused and looked up. “Well, that’s true, but she’s been focusing on trying to fix that the most since she got here. She hadn’t even known about me, and hoped I was some kind of clue to get her home.”

Stan held a hand up to his head. “I… see.”

Mary smirked. “Confused?”

Stan frowned back at her. “No. A little… And for someone still stuck with four hooves you seem to be taking this in stride.”

Mary blinked, then threw on a scowl. “What’s that supposed to- Well excuse me for not letting hopelessness get the best of-”

Stan’s expression panicked, and he hastily waved his hands in a defensive gesture. “Wait, wait, I didn’t mean- I meant to ask if there was an upside to all this, Mar.”

Mary still had her brow furrowed as she studied her husband a moment. She harrumphed before going on. “Well, Twilight’s been talking to some NASA scientists or something about her getting home problem. Her plan has nothing to do with magic.”

The relief on Stan’s face slowly traded out for disbelief. “Is that even possible?” he finally asked.

Mary held up both her front hooves and shrugged. “Heck if I know. It sounded to me like she had it all figured out, just no way to actually make use of her plan.” The untold scientific terms that Twilight had been using the night before during their talk with another almost threatened to send her head spinning again.

Mary sighed, and shuffled about some on the bed. “Honestly it… wasn’t all that comforting to hear about, despite her confidence. She was very honest, and I’d say it all sounded about as likely as winning the lottery, or less so.” Her short muzzle scrunched up, showcasing the doubt she felt.

Stan clear his throat quietly in response, and opted to stare at the far wall. “That doesn’t sound like good odds… Mar, I’m sorry this didn’t-”

“Oh, forget the odds,” she broke in rowdily.

Stan raised his eyebrows.

“We need to help Twilight now, right? She’s the key to all of this! Even me.” Mary had nearly flopped back onto the bed in the wake of hearing the news a second time. She didn’t want to lay around, though. She hated feeling afraid or helpless, and wanted to go do something.

“I think I’m going to get dressed then. Today’s probably going to be exceedingly busy now that we have a magical pony stuck as a human around here. It’s actually Christmas too, isn’t it?” Having resisted the powerful urge in her to mope, she hopped off of the bed smoothly.

Stan blinked in surprise at his wife’s sudden shift in priorities. Other than the change in topic, she acted less focused on herself, too. “Alright, but how exactly are we supposed to help Twilight—”

Mary’s hooves clunked loudly on the floor, just as her legs simultaneously buckled out from under herself. The whole act of minor acrobatics gone wrong turned into a loud thud, and Mary sliding slightly towards her dresser and Stan’s legs.

Neither Stan nor Mary had time to gasp or cry out before it was over, and Mary slid to a stop, only letting out a surprised, “Oof!”

“Mar! Are you alright? You just landed on… your stomach.” Stan was helping her back to her hooves in an instant, kneeling beside her.

Mary held a fore hoof across her front. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she hurried back. “My stupid legs just gave out is all…” She shook her head briefly to get her loose mane out of her eyes. “Don’t worry about it, I just should have been more careful.” A disgusted look crept onto her face. “Uggh, I’m a wreck on top of being cursed… great.”

“No, no you’re not,” Stan affirmed. He clearly saw the emotion on his wife’s face. “I’ll see about getting you a step for the bed or something-”

At the sound of a near growl from Mary, Stan cut off. The dour look she’d sported had shifted to a scowl.

“No stool,” Mary grumbled and tossed her head. “Now if you’ll excuse me, dear, I’m going to get dressed and make this the best Christmas I possibly can.” After a second she added, “For the kids.”

Stan was taken aback again, but nodded slowly. “Okay. That sounds good,” he agreed offhandedly. He paid close attention while Mary began rooting through a couple dresser drawers for clothing, but without looking like he was. Years of past experience told him that she didn’t want to speak at the moment, and that meant the conversation was done for the time being. Still, he had to make sure she was alright.

Wordlessly, Stan began to change as well, but over on his end of the room.

Meanwhile, Mary stayed busy, struggling her way out of the clothes she’d slept in and into a near matching set, the only difference being a magenta color.

Her coat was matted a good deal, and would need seeing to later. One of her least favorite parts about her body’s condition was, in fact, the fur and the effects clothing had on it… Perhaps Twilight could give some advice on the matter.

Mary eventually found and pulled out the clothes she needed. She’d never worn so many baggy clothes in her life before, but the workout sweats fit her equine body better than anything else she owned, or even some of the outfits Agnes had made.

It was during her attempts to don her pants that a strangled sound came from her husband.

Mary scowled anew and sighed. She was currently laying on her back and in the middle of struggling on the clothing. “Don’t laugh!” she growled, and looked up at Stan angrily. “You try doing this without hands. I bet you couldn’t even—”

Stan wasn’t looking at her directly, but at something at her side. “No, it’s not that, Mar.” He stumbled over the words, his eyes as wide as they could possibly get.

Mary turned her head sideways to get a more right side up look at him. “What? What is it?” She raised an eyebrow, honestly unsure of what Stan could be talking about. A heat filled her cheeks. He couldn’t be talking about the weight I’ve—

Her own thoughts came to a crashing halt as soon as she saw it, and gasped. “What is that!? Haaa— What—?” In a flash she stumbled up to all four hooves.

Stan swallowed, watching his wife get up and begin to dance roughly in a tight circle; her eyes were glued to one of her flanks one moment, before switching over to stare at the other. All the while she frantically gibbered out half-words and nonsense.

“So you see it too?” he asked starkly. His deep voice was little more than a mumbled, disbelieving question.

Mary whirled around again and stared daggers at him. “Of course I see it! How could I miss something like… this!?” Her hoof jabbed at her hip, pointing at the spot that drew both of their respective attentions. “What’s it doing there!?”

Under the tip of Mary’s hoof, nestled on her fur, was a rosy colored marking with six points, and surrounded by five, white sparkles. It was a cutie mark, unmistakably, and vaguely resembled a star, but was identical to something else Stan and Mary had seen before.

Mary groaned in despair and collapsed onto the wood floorboards, her pants still only half hoisted up her rear. “I just got done getting over everything that just happened. Why, fate? Why can’t you at least give me a breather before dumping even more things on me!?”

“Mar?” Stan questioned from nearby.

Mary felt a hand rest on her back, and she sat up tiredly to see Stan looking at her. Her own expression was just as dour as his.

“I have a cutie mark, now,” Mary sighed out, then quickly pulled up her britches in one final motion. It hid the mark, but did nothing to halt the oppressive feeling her hindquarters were now giving her in spades. “But how? Why now?” Somehow, she now had a mark, just as the rest of her family did. “Where did it come from? Why do I—”

Mary stopped speaking, and a completely blank look flashed into being, her muzzle hanging open. She looked up in time to meet eyes with her husband, and simultaneously blurted, “Twilight?”

“What did she do?” Stan thought hard about the subject for a moment. As he understood it, the marks appeared during a special activity, and had something to do with a ‘talent’ that the owner was profoundly skilled in. Whether the mark is what made the person good at the thing or what, he couldn’t figure out. His daughter seemed to think she was the expert on the matter, but he wasn’t sure how much he trusted the knowledge that was mostly from a cartoon show.

Mary shook her head violently. “I don’t know! Nothing! I think...” Frowning deeply, she craned her head around to look at it again, though it was covered now. “This is bad, I think. It must be...” She wasn’t sure of the implications of Twilight’s cutie mark on her own body, but they couldn’t be good at all.

“Well,” Stan started to say. “As far as random marks on your bottom can go, I guess that’s not a terrible one.” He tried to manage a smile, but it just sort of fell short and looked as doubtful as he sounded.

Mary looked up, her brow furrowed. “Stan, this is Twilight’s cutie mark. Don’t you remember from the show?”

Stan blinked, and looked briefly at Mary’s covered flank. The haunting memory of hearing that show’s theme song in his home for weeks on end returned.

“It is?” he said, and put on a thoughtful expression. “You’re right… Sorry, I’d forgotten.” The show hadn’t been terrible, but most of his attention had gone towards looking for clues to help his wife. The rest had gone to Anna, for the most, who had loved every minute of it.

“It’s fine…” Mary groaned and wiped a hoof down her face. “I’d be willing to bet this thing showed up because we made contact earlier.” That sort of made sense. She couldn’t think of another reason why the thing was on her hips all of a sudden, unless Twilight’s cutie mark was related to sleeping instead of performing magic.

“Well, I’m going to show her this, it may be a clue,” she stated plainly. A clue of what, she wasn’t sure at all.

Stan scrubbed a hand over his beard. “Is that a good idea?” One particular memory of the Twilight he knew about from the show, and a few different mental breakdowns she’d suffered flashed in his thoughts. “Is this the sort of thing that would get her upset? Do we want her to be upset?”

Mary began to speak against the question, but hesitated. Maybe she would… “It’s possible, Stan,” she answered. “I spoke to her a lot, though… she’s… nice.”

Stan exhaled slowly, frowning at the floor. He’d almost forgotten Mary must have had hours to talk with Twilight, if her dreaming story was to be believed. “One thing after another,” he muttered, and thought of how to go about things. “Well, nice doesn’t tell us how she’ll react.”

“Maybe not,” Mary replied tersely. “But it’s obvious that we’ll need to cooperate with her fully if…” She paused, biting her lip. “If we want any hope of a resolution. I’ll tell her soon… when I get the chance.” Sooner rather than later seemed like a good idea.

Stan nodded simply. “So, did anything else happen while you two were out?”

“Hm. No. There was no Luna, either. Twilight did tell me a good deal about magic though.” Mary briefly felt her head pulsate, likely in memory of the information dump the incredibly nerdy seeming woman had tried to share in such a short time. “I could have sworn my head was going to burst from that… I think you’ll want to ask her yourself.”

Stan smirked briefly, and shared a brief chuckle with Mary.

Meanwhile, Mary studied her hooves for a moment, their orange, peachy color almost a match for the varnished floor beneath them. At the same time, her ears twitched, and she could with definite certainty hear Anna approaching. Earlier, she’d thought she’d also heard what sounded like her yelling at Bobby.

“Well.” Mary looked up at Stan in a flash, and wearing a large grin, too.

Stan blinked, a little surprised.

“If I know the kids, then they’ll be wanting to-”

A rapid pounding of the door from outside filled the room, followed by a loud cry from Anna. "Hey, Daaaaad!” Anna’s voice came in from another room.

Mary smiled up to Stan, then turned to walk towards the door; in her wake flicked her tail, swatting Stan’s side. “Am I good or what?” She chuckled, trotting to the door.

Stan raised an eyebrow, then harrumphed a laugh. “The best, dear.” His wife seemed to be in high spirits, at least, in spite of everything. He guessed dragons and cutie marks were nothing compared to what she’d been through already… that, or she was hiding how she felt. Or maybe it was something else.

The door swung open, and in charged Anna. Immediately, she wrapped up around Mary’s neck, nearly hanging from it, and began speaking in an absolutely incomprehensible manner.

“Whoa, Anna, slower words!” Mary wrapped a foreleg around her daughter. “I’m glad to see you, too.”

Anna jumped back, revealing teary eyes. “Are you okay!? What happened? I—”

“Ssshh,” Mary hugged Anna tighter. “It’s fine, I’m fine, too. It was… well, I’ll explain later. The important thing is that everyone’s okay, and so is Twili—”

Anna interrupted. “Oh my God, Mom! Twilight, the Twilight is out there!”

Stan shook his head. Same old Anna…

Anna continued. “And— Oh, dad, Twilight needs your help!”

Stan looked up in surprise, then at Mary, who shared his confused look. “She does? What with?”

Anna began nodding rapidly. “She needs to computer! The computer! Something about nerds. And she told us about a dragon- Or Miss Jo did. And oh my God! Dad!? Are you gonna fight a dragon!? Please say you are! Please! It would sooo cooool.”

Stan and Mary slowly looked at each other. They could each see plainly what the other was thinking while Anna continued to go on and on about things she must have overheard. Both of them were forming plans to dissuade her various fantasies, or to at least distract her from them.

Eventually, Stan took the initiative and let out a sigh, looking up towards the door. “Anna? Why don’t you go lay out some presents and get your brother, I’ll be right there. And I’ll go help Twilight real quick first. How does that sound?”

Anna gasped, “Presents!” Then, she tore back out of the room. “I almost forgot it was Christmas! Best Christmas eeeever!”

Mary called after Anna hastily. “No running! And take off that hat! You’re indoors!” She heaved a sigh, happy to see at least some things never changed.

Mary began giggling, and Stan joined in with a deep chuckle a moment later.

“So, you got the kids, and I’ll get the food and handle our house guests?” Mary flipped her head as she spoke, using her hooves to finally pull her hair under control. She put it into a simple pony tail in seconds; it wasn’t easy, but she’d gotten better at manipulating it with just hooves. Anything more complicated was still beyond her, though.

Stan nodded, then raised a finger. “Actually, are you sure you wouldn’t like me to get something started inste-”

Mary narrowed her vision up at him. “Stan, I may be stuck in what is essentially the body of a miniature horse, but you still can’t cook worth a darn.”

After a moment, Mary smirked, then stood up on her hind legs to press her husband’s nose with a hoof like a button, producing a surprised look. “You open the gifts with the kids, I’ll see to our guests,” she repeated. “I’ll need to talk to Twilight again about… recent developments.”

Stan smirked. “Sounds good…” He held Mary up by her front hooves, keeping her upright, and their gaze locked in that natural way that just sort of happened.

He went on. “I’m glad you’re back, by the way. Please don’t do that again. I worried about you.”

Mary stared back at him. One of her ears lowered. “Did you? Well, I missed you back.” She inclined her head slightly as she returned the sentiment. “And I certainly worried about the house falling apart while I was gone, myself.” In an exaggerated manner she looked around the room, wide eyed, as if right then the ceiling and walls would just fall outward comically.

Stan guffawed, looking affronted. “Oh? You thought I’d let everything fall apart in one day? Well, sorry to disappoint you.”

Mary smirked coyly, then, buried her head against her husband’s chest. “Mmmhm. Not so much disappointed.” After a pause, she added, “Still, I’m glad to know I was missed.”

Stan held her, thinking twice about her words. He wasn’t sure immediately what she’d meant. “Of course you were,” he replied. “We’ll get there, Mar.” He knew there was no need to say what “there” was. “And if not, I’ll be happy either way.”

Mary nodded against him. “Thank you.” She heaved a breath and pulled back. “As long as I have you, I will be, too.”

Stan stood still, taking in his wife’s eyes, which sparkled with their own light.

After they stood like that for another moment, the angry yells from their son, likely directed to Anna, reached them vaguely, and reminded them of how busy things still remained.

Mary sighed and made to go. “Alright, let’s get to-”

Stan held on a moment, and took a step along with Mary. “Uhm, wait Mar, there was something else.”

Mary raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Did I forget something? There’s so much going on I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.” She laughed a little, though it held a hint of a nervous quality. She could certainly do with less interesting things in her life.

Stan looked around, as if thinking. “Well,” He let Mary go, and she thumped her front legs back onto the floor while he thought. Still, he hesitated a good while before finally speaking.

“I guess, just, will you be alright?” He looked over Mary quickly, his attention mostly directed towards her middle. “That was a really bad… fall you took. Did you-”

“Stan, I’m fine.” Mary responded before he could continue, grinning confidently. “Don’t worry, I’m… definitely tougher than I was… before, as we’ve gone over.” She shrugged, making a light-hearted expression. “It’s not much of a silver lining, but I guess I’ll take what I can get, heh. You can even talk to Twilight about it, she was talking to me about how fragile we seem to be compared to ponies.”

Stan made a doubtful look at that. Whether it was over his apparent fragileness, or believing Mary that she was alright, she couldn’t tell.

Mary went on, smiling to try and reassure her husband. “I’ll just get some food started for everyone, assuming the kids didn’t help themselves… and then we can hopefully speak with Twilight in private.” She smiled despite the stern tone of her voice.

Stan frowned for a good few moments, before the burrowing look Mary was giving him finally won over. He sighed, and crossed his arms, defeated.

“Alright, alright, you’re fine, like you say,” he relented.

Mary brightened up and nodded appreciatively. “Good, I’ll let you know when you can worry about me!”

Stan looked dour for a moment, before donning a smug look. “So,” he started to say again. “Chicken and waffles for breakfast?”

Mary blinked a few times, then rolled her eyes and fell back to the floor. “No. Also, you are so your father’s son sometimes, you know.” She swatted him with her tail again, for good measure.

Stan chuckled a little. “Ouch, that hurts. The insult, I mean.”

“Good!” Mary called back over her shoulder, moving hastily out of ear shot; at least for her husband, considering how much better her hearing happened to be. As she went, she spotted Twilight and Jo talking idly in the dining room. She avoided them, for now, and wondered how exactly she’d break her current secret to Twilight.

As Mary trotted across the floor, she thought idle thoughts over the sound of her noisy hooves. Well, at least I go into this knowing Twilight can’t turn me into anything strange… It was a small consolation, but at least it was comforting to know.

I really hope this whole thing works out in the end… The lone, desperate thought seemed weak to her. I mean, fairy tales always work out, and we officially have a villain, don’t we?

Mary paused, pulling a frying pan out from under her kitchen drawers. “Bah, screw fairy tales.”

Chapter Divided by 0: April Foal's Day

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Mary bit her lip, full of tender anticipation for more of the attention she was finally receiving from her husband. "Ohhh... Yes, yes... yes! Right there. That's the spot, don't stop." Her back leg kicked idly, jiggling in air in an erratic pattern that almost matched her hurried breath.

Stan rolled his eyes, smirking. He'd never seen his wife like this before, but he didn't particularly mind it in the least. Before, when she was human, she had been miserable as of late, and cheering her up had always taken a great deal of effort. It was only since her transformation that things, funnily enough, had changed. And he had to be honest with himself, he was a little amazed by some of the changes in his home's atmosphere that had come with it. Still, while fascination and acceptance were two widely different animals, he would do anything to keep his wife happy.

He was a good husband, after all, and that extended to the strange requests she had begun making. At least, strange compared to how things used to be.

Mary groaned again and rubbed her neck up against Stan's arm once, then twice, dragging herself slowly over his bicep in a half trance. "You have no idea how good this feels."

Stan exhaled tiredly, but kept up the work. "Well, I'll take your word for it."

Mary opened her eyes slightly, half acknowledging that she was listening. "Mmhmm?" she intoned. "Oh, yeah, right there. That's the stuff."

"Would you hold still?" Stan's deep voice rumbled. "This isn't exactly easy when you're constantly shifting around like this, you know." He gently tried to slide Mary closer again after she'd begun scooting away from him, seemingly without knowing it. "It's hard enough to do two things at once as it is." Once again, he set himself back upon the task at hand.

Meanwhile, Mary just giggled at his expense, then hummed in pleasure and contentment. "Sorry, Stan. I really do appreciate this, though. Thanks for understanding. It's just way too difficult to manage it on my own, you know?"

Stan nodded his head absently. "That makes sense, all considering. I'm just happy to be here to help-"

Before he could finish speaking, Mary made a sudden sound of discomfort. "Ow—, Stan, pay attention! Not so rough I— Ow! Okay, stop, stop. Just pull it out if you're going to mess it up that bad." She winced, enduring the sudden discomfort as best she could.

Stan frowned, trying to fulfill what was asked of him. "Alright, just hold still and I'll—"

Mary tried her hardest not to cry out. "Ah! Stan, be more careful! This thing is sensitive—"

"Don't you think I know that?" Stan shook his head in exasperation, continuing on. After a moment more, he looked up in a mild panic. "Uh, Mar, I think it's stuck."

Mary scowled and craned her head around to look at her husband. "It's what?"

"I said it's—"

"I heard you the first time!" Mary clenched her eyes shut, suddenly beyond frustrated; even more so than she had been before. "Just keep trying."

Stan did as he was told, but after a minute of struggling, and a great deal more discomfort on both of their parts, he was unable to manage. "I don't think I can get it out... Should I go get some scissors?" He looked around at the other various tools that were left laying about, wondering if any of them could perhaps help in dislodging his wife.

Mary's eyes widened in horror. "Are you kidding? Don't be crazy, Stan. Sure it hurts, but it's not worth ruining it over."

Stan raised an eyebrow, then looked down in an unsure sort of way. "So you actually like this thing?" A wry tone snuck into his voice. "I've never really gotten that impression from you before." He chuckled briefly, recalling all of the misery that his wife usually displayed when the current topic of discussion was ever mentioned. "After all, you usually just curse and swear at it nonstop-"

Mary interrupted, a new fire suddenly burning in her eyes. "I do not curse! Often... And so what if I like it a little bit...!?" Her expression darkened further as she went on. "And if you can't get it out, I'll go and get Twilight to help. I'm sure she's an expert with this stuff, anyway."

Stan put on a wounded look, watching as his wife made to leave. "Twilight? But you barely know her."

"Why should that matter? We're both girls." Mary turned her nose up.

In the other room, Twilight raised her head from the computer, suddenly filled with a sense of dread.

Back in the other room, Mary went on with berating her husband. "Anyway, you missed out on your chance to be useful, mister."

With that, Mary hopped off the couch, the brush hanging from her tail's tip clunking onto the floor unceremoniously. "You can just sit there with this smart attitude of yours and think about things. Maybe when I come back, I'll forgive you. Hmph."

Stan watched her go, then shrugged, sighing to himself in a confused way. "Mares," he muttered, smirking a little, then unmuted the television.

Herbert finally couldn't hold it in any longer, and exploded into a mad laughter. "I— and you— she— Do you even know what you both just—" He began kicking his legs out from where he sat on the other side of the couch, and devolved into senseless wheezing.

Stan looked over, arcing an eyebrow. "Dad, would you relax? And what's so funny?"

This Next Part brought to you by the illustrious Hoopy Mcgee!

Later that night...

Stan stood up from the bed, and for a moment Mary's heart broke. Did this mean that he didn't find her at all attractive?

"Just a minute, I thought of something," Stan said. He grinned at her. "I think... yeah, I think it will help."

Mary's heart leapt as Stan ran out of the bedroom. She couldn't help wondering what it was Stan was going to get to "spice up" their first attempt at lovemaking since she became ponified, and she started mentally reviewing different possibilities.

Is it food? she wondered briefly before shaking her head. Nah, he's never been much for eating in bed. Her stomach rumbled. Though, I wouldn't mind some strawberries or something...

As the minutes passed, Mary waited. At first with a nervous and fluttery anticipation, which was followed by a bored curiosity, which led straight to a frustrated impatience.

"Where the hell is he?" she muttered.

A moment later, Stan came bursting back into the bedroom. He had a piece of paper in one hand, and what looked like a tape dispenser in the other.

"Alright," he said. "Sorry that took so long. The printer was acting up. But I really think this will help."

"What's that?" Mary asked, pointing at the paper,

Stan flipped it over. "Ta-da!"

"That's... that's a picture of my face. As a human."

"Yep!" said Stan as he took a piece of tape off of the dispenser.

"And what—"

Mary froze as Stan leaned forward and pressed the paper against her forehead. A second later, she felt him press the tape firmly down.

"Yup," said Stan as he straightened up. "That should about do it."

Mary heard a zipper, followed by what sounded like denim hitting the floor.

"Okay," Stan said. "Let's do this thing."

Mary scowled where she sat, so hard that her face hurt. Not that Stan could see it.

Happy April Fool's day from The Madverse!

Whelp, that's all for now folks! Thanks for reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6_5Kra98mQ

Chapter 28 : I'm What?

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Mary started off with putting on the coffee, then followed it up quickly by starting some assorted breakfast for everyone, herbivore and human alike.

It struck her as a little ironic that the vegetarians present in the home were all humans.

The Morris family kitchen was soon filled with the sound of Mary’s cooking. The gurgling coffee maker, the sizzling eggs and bacon on the stove top and the ding of the toaster were each an instrument in the balanced breakfast orchestra.

Mary herself helped with some light humming to accompany the ever present clip-clopping of her own hooves on the linoleum tiles. She was in her own little world at the moment. At times like this, her life was almost normal again, even with everything that had happened recently. It was easy for her to forget how long it took her to relearn the simplest of tasks, like for example, buttering toast.

Mary paused in mid-swipe with a knife to admire how far she had come, and chuckled at how quickly she could go back to business as usual. Well, the more things change, the easier we adapt…, she ruefully thought with a lopsided smile.

Mary’s ear twitched at a sound, and she turned her head just in time to see Stan stroll into the kitchen with Jo following behind.

Stan smiled and took in a deep breath. “How's it coming along, Mar? Need any help?”

“No, thank you.” Mary glared while plating a few eggs, staying balanced with practiced ease on her hindlegs. “It’ll be done soon enough; I’ll be just a few more minutes.” She nodded to Jo before continuing. “I hope you two are hungry.”

“Oh we are, and thank you so much for—” Mid-sentence, Jo took note of the nearly complete pot of coffee and made a beeline. “—everything! And that coffee smells great. You don’t mind if I...?” She teetered off, motioning toward the coffee with one hand and shooting Mary a hopeful smile.

Mary gave a knowing smirk before nodding her head towards a cabinet to Jo’s right. “The mugs are up there, and the cream and sugar are already out. If you need anything else, our home is open to you.”

Mary and Stan shared a chuckle while Jo helped herself to the pot with fervor, muttering, “Come to me, precious.”

Stan leaned against a counter and seemed content to watch Mary pace back and forth in front of the stove. “We really should get to the tree soon, Mar. The kids might end up ripping into each other instead of their presents if we take too much time.”

“Alright, but I’m sure they’ll be fine—” A shout, followed by a crash, came from the living room and cut Mary off.

“Where did you hide my present, twerp!?”

A tense silence filled the kitchen as the three adults listened to the thumping of running feet from across the house.

Jo spoke up after an exaggerated slurp from her cup. “Great coffee, by the way.”

“Thank you, I ordered it online from Tim Horton's." Mary replied almost automatically before clicking her tongue. “I wish those two would get along better…”

Stan glanced at her, and then to where Jo was looking. “You get used to it after a while. I hope they aren’t too big a bother.”

Jo chuckled. “It’s fine. I had a younger brother growing up. He’s a pain to this day.”

Mid-stride while crossing the kitchen, Mary noticed that Jo was looking at her hooves.

When Jo noticed that Mary had spotted her, she shook herself in response. “Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to… stare. I’m just still a bit in shock about the stuff that Twilight said actually turning out to be true. Believing is one thing, but actually seeing is...”

“Another thing,” Mary finished for Jo as she trailed off, smiling. “It’s quite alright, and I’m quite used to the attention these get thanks to Anna.”

Jo chuckled nervously, not wanting to sound rude, but feeling as if she was managing the opposite. “Yeah, and honestly I’m finding your hoof noises to be far more distracting than anything. Even more than the rough-housing going on over there.”

“W-What?” Mary’s cheeks brightened as she came to another stop during her trip across the kitchen tiles, while Stan barked a laugh.

“That took me a bit less time to get used to.” Stan gave Mary a warm smile, patting her back.

Mary, for her part, did her best to hide her embarrassment by biting the side of her cheek. “Speak for yourself, dear. It still drives me crazy every now and then. I’m considering having the kitchen carpeted at this point!”

Stan and Jo laughed along with Mary at that before Jo took on a thoughtful look. “Why waste the money on new carpet when you could just get some new socks?”

The remaining laughter died away, and Mary slowly gave Stan an affronted look. “Why didn’t we think about that sooner?”

Stan just turned to Jo with a frown. “Look what you did, you’ve gone and ruined the Christmas gift from Agnes… and Marge, if rumor is to be believed. Although they’re not socks, they’re more like slippers with special little grips on the bottom so—”

Mary did a double take. “Y-You already thought about this?” she sputtered.

“Surprise?” Stan offered with a meek shrug.

Mary sat back on her haunches and sighed amidst a smirk. “I'll pretend to be surprised. Now, why don’t you go keep an eye on the kids? I’ll be out as soon as I’m done fixing food for our guests.” she suggested before smiling in Jo’s direction. “If you go take a seat in the dining room, I’ll have your food out in a jiffy, Jo.”

Jo smirked, and gave a meek thanks as she exited the room.

“Need any help first?” Stan offered, hesitating at the doorway.

Mary sighed again, then headbutted Stan’s rear while laughing. “Would you just go already, silly? I’ve got this.”

“Alright, I’m going,” Stan laughed back, fighting weakly against being forced from the kitchen. “Oh, hold on. Twilight would like some coffee with extra sugar.”

“Order received. Now shoo!” Mary watched him go, smiling. Her pleasant look, however, shifted to being more thoughtful. She could have sworn there was something, maybe apprehension, on Stan's face.

I must be imagining things. Mary shrugged, humming pleasantly as she set about finishing up with buttering Twilight’s toast.

Mary yawned, still tired from her dream filled night, as she trotted swiftly through the house while searching for Anna. Apparently her daughter had hidden one of Bobby’s gifts and then herself, as well. Where could she be? Usually she’s the one begging everyone else to hurry up. She passed by Jo, giving her a friendly nod as she did. Well, at least I have a pretty good idea where she went.

Mary poked her head into Stan’s office, the place where Twilight was currently working on something she’d said was pivotal, and quite important to their cause.

“Anna?” Mary smirked to herself as she immediately located the errant daughter she was seeking with her very first guess. “Oh, there you are! Hey, slowpoke, we’re opening presents over here.” She raised an amused eyebrow and smirked. “Your brother’s got smoke coming out of his ears being forced to be social, so hurry up!”

Instantaneously, Anna whirled around and rushed past Mary, causing her to blink as she momentarily saw two Annas.

“Whoops. Gotta-go-Twilight! Remind me to tell you after presents!” Anna jumbled out, almost as quickly as she raced out of the room. “And I got questions I want to ask! So many questions and… and, and-and—” With what seemed like an immense amount of struggle, she clenched her eyes shut and dove out of the room. “Bye!”

Mary briefly stared after her daughter in shock, then resumed her smirk.

Just a moment after, she met Twilight eye to eye, and stumbled over forming a practical greeting. Instinctively, she wanted to ask about last night’s events and if everything was alright. Not to mention she still needed to broach of subject of a certain cutie mark...

A little forcefully, Mary smiled and tried managing a simple hello, but Twilight beat her to it.

“Good morning, Mary,” Twilight said, and quite cheerfully. After the night before, it sounded almost odd coming from her voice. “Heh, your daughter’s very cute, like you said. And smart, too.”

Mary shook off her calculating thoughts, and gave Twilight a consoling look. She then smiled in the direction Anna ran off. “She certainly is, though I don’t know from which side of the family she got her smarts from.” She chuckled, then looked at Twilight again. “Well, we’ll be over in the family room out of your way if you need anything. Oh, but I nearly forgot. I’ll be right back with your coffee!”

Twilight gave Mary another friendly nod as they parted ways.

As soon as Mary was around the corner, she let out the tense breath she’d been holding in without even realising she was holding one.

“Blurgh… well, that felt awkward.” Mary softly face-hooved as she trotted back through the house to fetch Twilight’s coffee. Oh well, Twilight seems fairly understanding. I don’t think she minds much whether I’m nervous around…

Her quickened pace took her past Jo, who seemed to be entirely invested in her coffee and breakfast.

“Need a refill there?” Mary stood up on her hind legs to peek into Jo’s cup, trying her best not to get so close as to be considered rude.

“Oh, please!” Jo, looked as if she had second thoughts and started to rise. “Er, if it’s not a hassle. I can get it myself.”

“No no no, you’re a guest and I’m far from helpless. I mean that, really.” Mary clicked her tongue derisively as she trotted into the kitchen. “I mean, if ponies can manage adventures like what Twilight told me about I think that I can pour a little bit of… coffee.” She noticed Anna, who was in the kitchen rather than at the tree, as she stepped in. “One moment, Jo.”

“Oh, hi mom.” Anna grinned sheepishly upon noticing she had been spotted, a powdered donut in her hands.

“Anna, no sweets. You’ll ruin your breakfast.” Mary made to reclaim the treat, but was stopped fullforce by large, begging eyes from her daughter.

“But mom! It’s Chriiiistmaaas. Please, please please please can I have one?” For emphasis, Anna dropped onto her knees and half begged, half cuddled her mom’s side, eyes still turned upward in a pleading fashion. At the same time, powdered donut residue from Anna’s grubby child mits covered Mary’s coat.

“Well…” Mary looked to the ceiling, as if deep in thought on her answer, and just barely managed to hide her smile. “Alright, Anna. But only because it’s the holidays. Now hurry up and get out there! I’ll be right out behind you after I give our guests some coffee.”

“Yes!” Anna celebrated by taking a huge bite out of the treat. “Thanks, mom!”

Sheesh. Mary rolled her eyes, breaking from the embrace to instead see to her guests.

As Anna began to skip from the room, Mary saw one last thing that needed to be addressed with her daughter.

“Hey, you, and take off that hat indoors! I won’t ask again.” As her daughter raced from the room, Mary reached over without waiting and snatched the offending woolen cap.

Anna gasped, skidding to a halt. “Mom, no!”

Mary harrumphed, the hat clenched in her teeth. “Anna, ‘here’s ‘o ‘ay on Earf you’re—” frustrated, she spat the hat onto the counter, “—cold with how warm your father runs the… heater?”

“Mom, I can explain. Uh, I think.” Anna had her hands covering her head, but they did a poor job hiding the absolutely eye-wrenching yellow mixed in with pink and beige stripes; and it was certainly very straw-yellow, not merely a normal blonde the likes of which quality hair dye would provide.

Mary stared wide eyed at her daughter, caught completely off guard. She blinked, thinking it would go away. She struggled to speak, or yell for Stan, but no sound could get out of her muzzle.

Before letting things go any further, Anna broke her silence, while keeping her wounded look. “Mom, please don’t be upset or freak out, okay? It’s not what you think it is.” She put on a thoughtful look, then shrugged. “Uh, probably?”

“AH!” Mary’s eyes were already at their widest, but they fought to go further. She raced over to Anna and, with a hoof on either of her shoulders, jerked her daughter’s scalp to where she could get a closer look.

Mary still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “A-Anna!? What happened to your hair? It— Why— How—” She found herself nearly choking for air, and had to stop in order to breathe.

“Tssh! Mom, no!” As Anna sshhhed her own mother as she tried to cover her mouth with a hand. “Please, not so loud! I was going to tell you, but don’t make a scene. It only happened last night, and I don’t want anyone else to know! Please!”

Mary scowled at her daughter, mustering her very best ‘I’m very disappointed in you’ face. “Anna, explain this, right now.” A hundred confused thoughts were in her mind right then, but a very desperate one surfaced ahead of the others. “And please tell me that you somehow just dyed your hair like that to impress Twilight.”

Anna looked sadly at the wall, then the ground; anywhere but her mother. “No… I didn’t, mom. I’m sorry, but it isn’t Twilight’s fault, either! After last night… Twilight dropped her crystal and… I held onto it overnight because she was out cold. I swear I was gonna give it to her right away! I just gave it to her, in fact! But, when I woke up my, uh… my hair was all colorful like this. I haven't told her about what it did yet eithe—"

Mary’s eye twitched. “—like a pony’s,” she finished, a determined look dawning on her face.

“No, mom, listen!” Anna jumped in front of her mom, who had begun to trot briskly out of the kitchen. “I already talked to Twilight, mom. She said it’s not like that. The crystal literally can’t do that! It just made my hair all… vibrant, I promise! Although, I still haven’t told her this happened… Please don’t get mad at her.”

Mary stared up into the most soulful, heartfelt puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen. After a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head, and came to a resolute decision, even if it didn’t quite clear things up for her. “Anna, sweetie, please put your hat back on and go join Bobby by the tree. I need to talk to your father, and then we’ll be right there.”

Anna stared back at her, obviously taken aback from the lack of either outrage or panic. “But mom, what are you—”

Mary held up a hoof to her daughter, which summoned immediate quiet. “Sweetie, please, I believe what you said, but this is important. No more buts. Now come on— Oh my goodness, Jo.”

Jo nodded jerkily. “Yes, that is me. Uhm, sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Mary face-hooved, having completely forgotten the guest seated at the dining table. “As you can see, we have a lot of strange goings on in this house. I’m really very sorry.”

“Oh no, no no no, it’s okay. Uhm, do you want me to go tell Twilight, or...?” Jo trailed of, shifting her uncertain look between Anna and Mary.

Mary's response was curt, but snappy. “No! I mean, please, if it’s alright I’d like to let Twilight finish this important business she has, first.”

Jo shrugged. “Sure thing. Just let me know if you need my help, Mrs. Morris.”

“Thank you.” Mary chuckled nervously as she walked around behind her daughter, then started casually nudging her out of the room with gentle nudges to her back. “And just Mary is fine. Anna, come on now.”

Without further pause, Mary trotted on ahead into the living room, with Anna scampering close behind her.

“Wait here with Bobby, Anna. Stan, come here please. We need to talk.” Mary stood in the doorway and watched solemnly as Anna went to sit, and Stan traded a glance with Bobby before standing up to approach.

Everyone seemed to understand the mood of the room simply from Mary’s tone, and said nothing for the time being. Except for Bobby, anyway.

“Ohhh, what did you do now, twerp?” Bobby raised an eyebrow at the scene playing out in slow motion.

Anna hissed at her brother, “I didn’t do anything. Shut up!”

Stan turned back. “Kids, behave.” He then faced Mary, and searched her expression for some clue of what had occurred. “What’s wrong, Mar?” he asked quietly, and followed her into the hallway, and into the seclusion of the laundry room.

Before saying a single word, Mary looked around in a cartoonish fashion, then waved Stan closer. When she did speak, it was with her ears pinned back, and in an absolute whisper. “Stan, we have to talk about… something new and big that just came up.”

“Oh geez.” Stan, following Mary’s lead, crouched down. “What is it now?” His tone was serious and filled with concern.

Before speaking, Mary considered all the implications of what had been learned. She was certain that Anna wouldn’t prank her like this and it probably wasn’t Bobby’s doing, either. At the very least, Anna’s claims of an explanation from Twilight over the sudden hair color change offered some comfort.

Still, she wanted to break this as calmly to Stan as she could, and broached the subject gently.

“Well...” Mary poked her front hooves together nervously. Just thinking about the news, and trying to come up with a way to talk about it was making her nervous. “It’s… quite troubling to say the least. Twilight will have to know about it. I’m hoping she can help somehow.”

Stan blinked in surprise. “It’s that bad, huh? Uhm… I have an idea about what it might be, then… but honestly I hadn’t brought it up yet because of everything that’s been going on, Mar.” He rubbed a nervous hand behind his head and looked away.

This time, Mary blinked. “What? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.” Stan put a hand on Mary’s shoulder and gave it a comforting rub. “I mean, there’s about a million things going on right now. I’d hoped you and Twilight could at least get settled before throwing one more thing on the pile… even if it is really important, I wouldn’t have kept it to myself if I thought it was pressing news. For starters, the kids still need to open gifts.”

Mary heaved a breath out. “Okay. Okay… I understand. Well, don’t do that anymore. If you suspect something then tell me about it, okay?”

Stan’s nervousness and apprehension was clear on his face, but Mary supposed that made sense since this was their daughter they were talking about.

Mary nodded to herself. “Alright. So then what are we going to do about Anna?”

Stan’s expression shifted from worry to confusion in an instant. “Anna? I thought we were talking about what I’d noticed about you?”

Mary spluttered. “What? No!” Her voice almost carried above a whisper, and she re-hushed herself and leaned in closer. “Wait, what did you notice about me?”

Stan mumbled something, but it wasn’t at a level that Mary could understand.

Mary groaned. “Stan, you’re being quieter than yellow bird-horse from Anna’s cartoon show. Speak up.”

“It’s… I noticed that you’ve been putting on a little weight, and—”

Mary deadpanned at her husband, and a sudden primal urge to swat him on the head, hooves or no, filled her.

“N-Not like that, Mar! I mean… It’s not just that, and I’ve seen it twice before already so I think I would know, but… I think you might be having another baby.”

Mary stared starkly at her husband for moments on end.

Stan waited patiently, and thought he’d reached ten by the time he got a reply.

“Seriously? That’s what you thought?” Mary started chuckling and shaking her head. “No, you’re mistaken, and I know it. That couldn’t possibly be possible. I can’t have children anymore, for starters! Not to mention— Well, anyway, we need to focus on Anna because it’s actually—”

“But, Mar,” Stan began, carefully raising his hands up as if to calm a dangerous predator ready to attack.

“No, Stanly!" Mary thudded a hoof against the ground, her emotions and opinion on the matter displayed clearly for her husband to see by her stone-set expression. "That. Is. Unacceptable! I am a miniaturized, multicolored, horse. I cannot, and will not, be pregnant." Her volume had steadily risen, but she once again whispered, almost calmly, with the exception of the warning undertone her words carried. "Do. You. Understand me?" At this, she squared herself where she stood on the ground, hissing up at the man towering over her equine body.

Stan jerkily nodded his head, concern covering his expression.

Mary sank in on herself as if Stan had given her a signal with his acquiescence. “Oh, goodness. Look, we’ll look into it later, but for now let’s make sure our daughter is alright, first. Okay?”

“Okay.” Stan moved in and hugged his wife, who returned the gesture immediately. “It’s gonna be alright, Mar. One thing at a time.”

“And one more thing just keeps popping up, doesn’t it?” Mary mumbled into his chest. She raised and lowered her head multiple times, then, thumping it against his chest repeatedly while groaning in frustration. “Every. Single. Time.” She punctuated each word with a thump.

Stan winced each time Mary slammed her head into his sternum, his face curling in pain, but like a dutiful husband he weathered the storm nonetheless. “There there, it’s alright,” he quietly said, both wishing to calm her for her own sake as well as his.

Mary sighed. “It never ends, honey.”

“Yeah, it sure seems like that,” Stan agreed.

Mary stayed there for a moment longer before pushing away and getting straight to business. “Alright, so Stan, did you notice that Anna is wearing her wool hat?” Her ears airplaning out as she spoke. “Well… it’s because her hair has become vibrant and pastel, much like mine.” Behind her back her tail flicked back and forth, making her stress levels easy to read.

Stan’s eyes widened, and his expression took on a dark composure. “Did Twilight do somethi—”

Mary gasped. “Stanly. Don’t even suggest that. Twilight hasn’t done a thing and I’m sure of it. Besides, apparently Anna had picked up Twilight’s gem-thing. She was going to return it but… this happened before she could. Anna said Twilight told her the crystal couldn’t have changed her hair like that, but I’ll need to ask her myself.”

Stan put a hand to his head. “Hoo-boy. You were right, this is a lot.”

Suddenly, a chorusing chant from the living room interrupted their secret council.

“Presents! Presents! Presents!” came the chanting of two kids waiting patiently in the other room. Or, as patiently as any kids with a pile of gifts staring them in the faces could be.

“Okay, okay… you go talk to Twilight. I’ll just tell the kids that you’re helping her with some important pony stuff.” Stan’s worried face relaxed a bit, and he gave his wife another quick hug.

Mary grumbled. “Alright, but Anna won’t be happy about it.”

“Only because she won’t be involved, but she’ll understand why.” Stan stood up, and spared a glance towards the still chanting son and daughter in the other room.

The pair’s eyes met for a moment, and with a wordless nod, like so many they’d shared before during their long marriage, they each set off on their own missions.

Okay, first thing I’ll do is bring Twilight that coffee I promised… what, twenty minutes ago? Mary’s hooves clunked noisily as she reentered the dining room, and immediately found that Jo was nowhere to be seen. Okay, first thing I’ll do is find Jo. After reaching the kitchen, she found that Twilight’s friend was busy refilling her coffee cup.

“Oh, hey Mary. Is everything alright?” Jo sipped her coffee with a smile. “This coffee is great, by the way. Twilight always burns ours when she tries to make it. I didn’t even think that was possible with modern coffeemakers, but she found a way…”

Mary had to consciously resist the urge to give the younger woman a withering stare, and forced a smirk instead. “Well, it could be better, I must admit.” She shook off her resentment for Jo’s cheerfulness, and hastily poured her own much needed cup of coffee. “And that is impressive… Well, speaking of Twilight, I’m about to go fill her in on some things. Hopefully she’s finished talking to those scientists she mentioned last night.”

“The nerds?” Jo piped, and chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not too sure what to think about them, but Twilight’s convinced they’re okay.” She shrugged and picked up the cups of coffee she’d prepared from the counter. “And I think she’s got me beat in the judgement of character department.”

Mary offered Jo a consoling look and followed her out. “Well, if it’s any consolation, Jo, understanding others seemed to be her job or something where she’s from.”

“True. Well, at least I can cook for her while she figures this all out.” Jo chuckled while shaking her head in wonder. “Sometime I’ll have to tell you how Twilight accidentally set my microwave on fire, for science.” Jo concluded with another hearty chuckle.

“Remind me not to let her near ours, then,” Mary joked. “Oh, here let me bring that coffee to Twilight, you finish your breakfast. I have to talk to her about something anyway...” She reached up and carefully took Twilight’s mug of coffee from Jo’s grip.

“Are you sure?” Jo asked hesitantly, smiling at Mary’s confident smile and nod. “Alright, I won’t say no to more free bacon. Thanks!” After seeing Mary just stick both of the mugs to one hoof, Jo hesitated in her retreat. “Whoa, how are you holding those with hooves?”

“To be honest, I have no idea,” Mary muttered in her concentration, staring at the two mugs of coffee that ultimately looked as if they were just glued to the bottom of her hoof. “It’s definitely magic, whatever causes it. Well, that and my concentration.”

Jo leaned down to look closer. “Wow.”

Mary nodded, grinning and feeling a bit of what might be called pride in her strange horse-magic abilities. “Yup. Well, if you’ll excuse me, Jo, I’m going to go try and broach several new subjects to Twilight that need her attention.”

Mary maintained the grip with her raised hoof as she crossed the house, and nudged the door to the office open with her head. She found Twilight sitting in front of the home computer, just as she expected. Before she could announce her arrival, Twilight looked over, smiled, and muttered a quick, “Hold that thought,” before swiveling in the office chair to greet her.

“Ohhh thank you so much!” Twilight swept up one of the offered cups and immediately took a grateful swig. “Sweet delicious caffeine.”

Mary was caught off guard by Twilight’s reception and laughed. “I don’t think I’ve seen someone that happy to have coffee in years.” Well, then again her friend had a similar reaction… I can’t imagine what these two ladies have been getting into.

Mary put the thought out of mind and focused on what Twilight was doing, instead. She hoped Twilight had some sort of good news to share that would balance out the bad that she had to report.

“So, what is it you’re doing on the computer, Twilight?” Mary sat back on her haunches and regarded Twilight with a friendly look.

Twilight idly sipped her coffee with a lost look on her face as she stared off into space. “Hm?” She blinked a few times, answering once she seemed to process the question. “Oh, I’m actually trying to make some headway in getting back home by speaking with one of those friends I mentioned.”

Mary raised an eyebrow. “Already? Wh— That sounds great! Do you really think they stand a chance? And I thought you said last night that they weren’t being particularly cooperative?”

Twilight sighed. “Well, maybe, and not as of late they haven’t, no. Apparently it’s complicated… but I think things have a chance of working out. If they do… well, I’ll give you details in a moment, Lex is about to go, actually.”

Twilight turned to regard the screen. Mary allowed her curiosity to sway her gaze towards what she first assumed to be the picture of a surprised man frozen on the screen. She was about to ask Twilight what the picture was for, when the girl spoke up.

“Oh, that’s right! Introductions. Lex, this is my new friend, Mary. You haven’t met her yet but I told her all about my searching for a way home and the help I’ve gotten from everyone up until now. Oh, I have so much more to fill you in on by the way. And Mary, this is Lex.”

Mary’s eyes widened in time with her growing horror when she saw the man on the screen blink. Twilight’s words felt like gunshots to her poor heart when she realized the man on the screen was looking directly at her. She found herself frozen on the spot while her mind shut down.

Powers that be, what did I do wrong? Please, tell me. Mary gulped, and it felt like she was trying to swallow a sharp rock.

Lex, in turn, seemed to practically have half his face pressed to the monitor on his end of the call.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at them. “Guys?” she asked, the gravity of the situation not quite registering in her eyes.

After a minor tilt of her head and a slow blink, understanding flashed across Twilight’s face. Slowly, without any sudden movements, she put a hand over the webcam atop the computer screen. “I probably should have mentioned earlier I was going to be on a video chat with my friend. Er, so you wouldn’t walk in while, well, you know.”

Mary stared open mouthed at the frozen man on the screen. “I-I…What, Twilight—” Her breath was catching, her heart felt like it was ready to burst from her chest and she felt the panic gnawing away at her thoughts.

Twilight looked back to the screen, but kept her palm over the camera. “Lex? Lex are you alright? And it’s okay, Mary! Lex is a friend.” She gave her most convincing smile, but it looked as uneven as her voice had become.

“Oh, of course,” Mary replied emotionlessly, unconvinced in the slightest. Mustering what little composure she had left, she finally managed to turn around and briskly trot out of the room, her grip on her coffee loosening and sending little splashes here and there as she set about to the important task of distancing herself from the computer.

As she retreated, Mary adopted a mantra in her head. Stay calm, Mary. Stay calm, Mary. Stay calm, Mary. She repeated it like that quietly, passing Jo in the dining room, who once again gave her a curious look. Stay calm, darnit! Ignoring her other house guest, Mary entered the kitchen, where her concentration finally seemed to leave her, and her coffee mug dropped to the floor.

Mary gasped at the sudden noise and jumped back.

“Everything okay in there, Mary?” Jo asked.

“Y-Yes. I’ve got it.” Mary took a deep breath, fetched a dish towel, and then sat. She stared at the shattered pieces of kitchenware and splattered coffee all over the linoleum floor. “On the bright side, if I had put carpet in here, the mug would be fine. But, then my new carpeted floor would also be stained.” She exhaled the breath she'd taken.

Strangely, the coffee mug and the spilled coffee vaguely looked they were in the shape of something, Mary thought, but she couldn’t quite figure out what.

Or several somethings.

Mary’s ears twitched as she heard the rapid approach of footsteps. That would be Twilight. She thunked a hoof against her head, trying to get herself to think about what was important. Come on, Mary. Anna, you, crystal, Twilight’s friend, focus.

Mary looked up, and was both surprised and immediately upset to see Twilight already cleaning up the spilled coffee on the kitchen floor.

“Twilight,” Mary said in her best no-argument tone of voice. “You are a guest in my home, and I will not have you cleaning up after my mess.”

Twilight began to stammer an apology, but Mary had the sneaking suspicion it wasn’t about the mess. “Mary, I’m sorry, I just—”

Mary’s brow furrowed for a moment, her thoughts becoming somewhat scattered again before old habits helped her calm her mind. She forced a calmer expression before cutting off Twilight’s apology. “Twilight,” she let out in a sigh. “It’s fine, really.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have told you that…” Twilight trailed off when she realized Mary had already responded. “Oh.” She thought for a moment before asking, “Wait, about the coffee, or Lex seeing you?”

Mary snorted a laugh, before shrugging and replying, “Both, I guess.”

Twilight rocked back on her heels before falling onto her butt. She sat there on the floor watching Mary clean up the mess in silence, until she finally managed a soft, “Really? I mean, I’m sure you remember my explanation about him and that I do think he’s trustworthy. I told him about myself, though I don’t know if he really believes. Although… I guess he probably does, now. Maybe I could convince him you’re some sort of machine, if you’d like?”

Mary paused in her labor to look up and meet Twilight’s gaze. “No, it’s okay, Twilight, what’s done is done. And besides, I doubt telling the scientist a lie would work.” She spoke with an unexpected calm that surprised herself. “You do trust him? Lex, right?” Twilight nodded in answer and she continued. “If both him and those others you described are really everything you’ve sold them out to be, it shouldn’t hurt if they know about me. Especially if they can help us both. So, seeing me was inevitable, right?”

Twilight scratched a hand behind her head, giving the ground a serious look. “To make an analogy, Lex spotting you was the equivalent of us playing our ‘hand’ of cards prematurely.”

After dumping the shattered mug in the trash, Mary began to trot in a tight circle around the kitchen floor. “It’s just ‘Lex’ that’s seen me, so let him vouch for you to his friends and question his own sanity for now.” She paused long enough to study Twilight’s lingering worry. “So, how did speaking to him go?”

Twilight flashed a smile at the change of topic. “Good.” After a moment, she added, “Sooo, when he asks, may I tell him all about you?”

With a wince, Mary facehoofed slowly, still pacing. “Even though he saw me, I’d really rather if you avoided the subject, Twilight…”

“But—!” Twilight cleared her throat. “It’s just, you said it’s fine if he knew, because no one would believe him. He may as well know the full story so he doesn’t get the details wrong. Well, not the ‘full’ story, exactly, but you get the idea.”

Mary could feel the cringe come unbidden and had to stop her pacing to hold her head. With a great internal sigh, she felt the last bits of her resistance crumble at Twilight’s tyrannical logic. “Alright! Twilight I’m trusting you on this. I just… don’t know what to think about this situation, it’s too crazy for me.”

Twilight took on a nostalgic seeming look. “Not to brag, but I am pretty familiar with crazy.” She placed a hand on the stressed out mare’s shoulder. “And I’ve encountered waaaay crazier stuff than this, let me tell you.”

Twilight let out a small laugh that Mary felt grateful for. Mary’s poor stressed mind latched onto the reassuring words, and she had Twilight in a tight hug before she could stop herself.

“Thank you.” Mary squeezed her harder. “For being real, and showing up, and for helping, and—”

“I could say the same to you.” Twilight returned the hug, and gave Mary a few comforting pats to boot. “I actually thought I had imagined being a pony for a little while, you know. Though, admittedly it was mostly Jo trying to convince me of it, and the magic crystal phenomenon and crater I’d made were pretty good evidence to the contrary… but you get the idea.”

Mary pulled back from the hug and settled back on the floor, regaining her composure and reasserting her caution. “Alright, I don’t really like to have anyone else involved in this little… problem. If it will help you, then do what you have to, Twilight. Just please keep my family and I in mind.” She took a breath. “I just don’t want to talk to him myself. Okay? ...I don’t think I could do that.”

Twilight gave a firm nod in reply. “Alright, Mary, you can count on me. And I’m sorry again I wasn’t more clear about what I was doing over there on the computer.”

Mary snorted a laugh as several embarrassing occasions came to mind with that sentence. “Oh, it’s fine. I’ve caught Bobby doing far worse things on the family computer, so believe me I’m used to it.”

“Caught?” Twilight tilted her head at that, giving Mary a searching look. “Caught how?”

Mary chortled a bit more, though weaker. “Oh, you know. Boys at his age and the internet what with… the… You know, never mind, Twilight. It’s just occurred to me that you probably aren’t aware of some of the darker parts of the internet.”

Twilight’s back, it seemed, went rigid at the mention of that. She even rested a hand on the near kitchen counter for support.

Mary raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Twilight’s sudden reaction. “Twilight? Are you oka—”

“Fine.” Twilight murmured, then said again, “Fine!” a bit more forcefully.

“You’re sure?” Mary adopted a somewhat unsure look.

Twilight’s head bobbed its vehement assurance. “I’m sure, yes. Uh, now where were we? Oh yes! I was about to go finish organizing our best chance at getting you changed back and myself returned home.” She inhaled a fresh breath as she turned to slink back toward the computer.

Mary also thought she said something else, but it was barely a whisper. “I… didn’t catch that last part, Twilight.” She trotted up to stand just behind her, ears still straining.

Twilight turned, wearing an all too unconvincing smile to go with her forced sounding cheeriness. “Oh, it was nothing. Uhm, I’ll be finished shortly, and then Jo and I can get out of your family’s hair.”

Mary stopped short at the doorway, she felt there was a story somewhere in that topic, but decided to relent and leave the poor girl her sanity. “Well, alright. And I guess good luck!” She gave a little wave that Twilight took as her signal to leave and was out of sight in a blink.

Mary felt a bit of her anxiety give way as an exaggerated sigh knocked her on her haunches. “Oh, darn it all.” She slapped a hoof against the floor as soon as she remembered that she was supposed to talk to Twilight about a hundred other things, still. "Well, I guess it can wait until Twilight smooths things out with Lex."

A sigh escaped Mary and she reclined further against the wall. One thing at a time, Mary ol’ girl. You’ll make it. She rested a hoof against her stomach briefly, before jumping back up to all fours and trotting quickly out to the living room to join the rest of her family.

Author's Notes:

Soooo, this has been a long time coming. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words right now over how long out this update proved to be. I guess I'll start by saying sorry to everyone. I had had a feeling I was on the verge of writer's block back then, but holey cow this was no ordinary writer's block. This was writer's block on a scale of the Great Wall of China. There are a few reasons it happened, I think, but the contributors other than general laziness and distractions on my part would have to be the show's changes and my own trouble deciding how to present the story itself. Writing dual perspectives in such a way that it's still good and interesting proved challenging! But I think I've got in under control now.

Well, here's to updates on a weekly basis from here out, everypony! Wish me luck.

Oh, and a thousand apologies I didn't get this out around Christmas time like I'd original hoped... three separate times. ^^

And before anyone comments on Mary's condition, just know I have confirmed nothing yet! It could still be a food-baby for all you know! : P And also, I am soooper nervous about all these updates this last week. Yeesh.