Chapter 5

The third episode came to an end, and I let out a happy sigh. This was nice. Sure, Starlit might be turning me into a pony, but he was treating me more like a human being than any other person had. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad…
The lock clicked, and I looked up, actually feeling a little excited. The door swung open, and that feeling quickly faded. “You guys again?” I asked, blinking.
“You’re welcome. You have no idea how dangerous this is.” Cobalt said, rolling his eyes. “Come on, let’s get out of here, he’ll be back in no time.” The two guys moved to my bed to help me up, but I held up a hand.
“I can’t go anywhere; I’m feeling cold and dizzy, and Master wants me to wait here.”
“Astarielle. Did you hear what you just said?” Cobalt said, giving me a look that could chill a volcano.
I thought back to it, then put a hand to my mouth. “Okay, duly noted. How the hell did he do that to me?” I asked him.
“I have no idea.” Micheal replied, helping me out of bed; I shivered, and he tossed his coat around me. “It seems part of the change is instilling a sense of submission and loyality to this madman.”
“What’s his name?” I asked, looking at Cobalt. The pony merely shrugged.
“I don’t have the foggiest. I keep thinking of him as Master. Heck, I can’t even remember my own name.”
“And it’s not like we can go up and introduce ourselves. We just keep thinking of him as ‘That guy kidnapping people and ponifying them.” Tyler remarked. “Now, come on, let’s get out of here before-“
Micheal covered his mouth, putting a finger to his own lips. I could hear someone moving upstairs.
“Actually, you are paying me millions to run experiments.” A pause. “Look, give me a month. I need to perfect the formula, then you’ll get-“ a longer pause. “It’s simply not ready, I’m still showing unexpected results. A month to restructure, and I can have a prototype to you in a couple weeks.”
The footsteps moved off towards another part of the warehouse, and Cobalt urged us onward. We moved up the stairs swiftly, and I spared a glance back as we neared the exit. Starlit was walking out of the shadows again and spotted us, eyes wide. He moved towards us, and Tyler pushed me forward. We managed to stumble into underbrush, and out the other side, where there was a pickup truck waiting. Cobalt leaped into the back seat, and I followed him, the two guys taking the front.
“Angel! Come back!” Starlit Skies called out, as the truck started. Before I could look back again, we peeled away, and my last glimpse of the man was fleeting before we turned a corner, headed into town.
Cobalt pulled me down to the floor suddenly. “Why do I get the feeling of being kidnapped again?” I asked him. In response, he brushed a hoof over my arm. Well, that felt strange. First off, his hooves were really, really soft on the inside, with a rough outside. Also? I seemed to have a light coating of hair.
“You’re becoming a pony.” He said, examining my rear. “No sign of a tail yet.” He added, luckily before I whacked him over the head. “But your hair is starting to become fuller and greener. It would be better if we weren’t seen.”
I had to agree with him; people tended to freak out when they saw talking ponies in real life. I was coming dangerously close to being lumped in that category, myself.
“So, everything is set, then?” Michael was asking Tyler.
Tyler nodded. “Yep. All the stuff has been moved to my basement, and a crew just sterilized it. We should be able to find a way to slow, if not stop, the effects.” We pulled into a driveway, and I tried to peek out the window. Cobalt pulled me down again.
“Will you stop being an idiot for one second?” he hissed at me, as Tyler hopped out of the truck. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened the backseat door, holding up a carrier. Cobalt got into it, and Tyler close the door behind him. “Come on, Astarielle, but move quick.”
I followed behind the two of them, entering the house. Well, this certainly was fancy. The entire house had a very classy vibe, but clearly belonged to an extremely wealthy-was that an original painting hanging on the wall over the fireplace?
Tyler urged us all downstairs, where a small hospital room had been set up.
“Lay down, Astarielle.” Micheal said, and I did so. He went over my body, giving me a full exam. The thoroughness of it was a little unsettling.
“Don’t worry. He may not be certified, but he’s a medical prodigy. He’s been a big help.” Cobalt assured me. Oh lovely, the pony trusted him.
“Ow!” I looked over to see Micheal pulling blood from my arm. The hair was starting to get thicker, too. Now that I mentioned it, I could feel a pulling at the base of my spine. “Guys? I think my tail is starting to come in.” I said uneasily.
The three of them looked at each other, and Micheal moved up to my side. “I’d like to put you under sedation. I think it will slow the process down long enough for us to find a way to reverse it.”
I sat up a little. “Whoa, whoa, and if you can’t? I wake up as a pony.” I pointed out the obvious flaw in their reasoning.
“If he doesn’t, you become a pony, either way. If the changes are containing to progress like this, you’ve been dosed enough that the rest of the treatments are just speeding up the process, making it easier for you to accept.” Cobalt countered. “Sedation will slow all the processes of your body, including mutation.”
I sighed slightly, closing my eyes. This was unbelievable. I just wanted to go home and cuddle with Master-
…”do it.” I said, looking at Micheal.
“Excuse me?” he seemed surprised by my sudden conviction.
“The changes are happening in my head, too. If we don’t do it soon, I’ll stop wanting to change back.”
The look on his face was grim as he turned away, coming back with a syringe. “Okay, just relax, Astarielle. When you wake up, we’ll have a cure and that whacko will have what he deserves.” He injected the sedative into my arm, ice water flowing up it. A couple minutes later, the world around me faded as I slipped into blissful slumber.