Cuddly Doom (Chapter 2)

>“Honestly though, there’s no way you’re going to believe what I saw on the way in today, like, I just couldn’t resist coming over here to bother you about it”
“I’ve seen some truly crazy stuff in my day, let’s hear it”
>I settled into a relaxed stance, leaning against the doorframe – even if this were a half-assed story it would still be more exciting than most of what went on around here
>Crossing my arms, I tilt forward in calm anticipation
>“Okay, okay, it’s crazy, I’m actually not pullin’ your leg here, this happened just now”
“Go on man, you got my attention”
>“Alright, I was walking down the path by our neighbor’s window, you know, the two guys who live just down the hall?”
“Yeah, yeah, the two roommates - I don’t know their names but I think I know the folks you’re talking about”
>“Right - so I’m off a ways, and I can see one of them’s in his room on his phone. Reminds me that I’d been waiting for an alert on my own phone, so I look down for a minute-“
>*Clap*
>He was really going heavy on the dramatic emphasis here
>“Look up and there’s a horse in the room”
“A horse?”
>“Yeah, like this little pony, weirdest thing – right where the guy was a minute ago”
>He paused his story, unsure of what other descriptors to add; a moment later he drops his arms conclusively
>It took me a moment to process what he’d just said – it was certainly long on absurdity – I couldn’t help but chuckle at the silliness of such a punchline
>Gradually, the chuckle evolved into an exuberant laugh
“Ahaha, okay, wow, seriously? Don’t quit your day job to go moonlighting as a storyteller”
>“No, I’m absolutely serious, it was purple and –“
“I’m sure it had a horn and wings too!”
>“It… well, it did have wings…”
“Ah, that’s great, a little pony, just like in that TV show, honest”
>I tried to regain as much of my composure as I could muster, a deep cough helped do the trick
“How wonderfully magical”
>“Okay, but you follow me right, it… It was there, I saw this…”
>His thoughts trailed off as his gaze shifted to the floor
>One thing that all my neighbors seemed to have in common was a shared difficulty in laughing at their own jokes
>An unsteady silence hung heavy in the air for a few seconds
“Nah, I’m sorry man, it got a good laugh out of me”
>“No, but, I’m actually, very and truly serious here, this little purple horse was where he’d just been”
“And… the guy was gone?”
>“Yeah, far as I could tell – look, just… look at me and tell me you think I’m joking about this”
>With a strong undertone of solemnity, he made eye contact, breathing in before releasing a long, intentional exhale
>I could feel my own smile fading - whatever he’d seen, it may have been otherworldly, but he wasn’t seeking humor in describing it
>Poor guy… really thought he saw a… purple horse
>From what little I knew about him, maybe he’d gone back on his promise from last year to stay clean
>Or maybe the stress at the office that he’d been spending many sleepless nights escaping had finally caught up with him
>Whatever it was, it was serious
“Okay… Okay. I believe you. If it were anyone else I would have trouble doing so, but… I believe you”
>He kept his eyes locked, not saying anything for a few seconds to be certain I was finished speaking
>Slowly, his head started to bob in an affirmative nod
>“It… means a lot to hear that; you’re a good guy”
>I glanced behind him, if only to break eye contact – sounded as though a bunch of girls were visiting with the ‘proud new owners of the pony’ down the hall
>Well, if by some stretch of the imagination that was actually the case, good on them
>I wasn’t a particularly big fan of them, but who doesn’t love horses?
“Say, stories aside, are you doing anything this weekend? We could watch the playoffs, maybe swing by the neighbors’ place and say hello to Secretariat, Seabiscuit, whats-its-name…“
>“I’d love to do both actually, but I need to leave for the train station in a few hours”
“Oh?”
>“Yeah, going to be travelling this weekend with some-“

>“Friends!”

>His words got cut off as a chipper female voice piped up
>With both of us craning our necks into the hallway, we didn’t see anyone there
>At least, not while we were looking at eye level
>Standing just down the way, softly bathed in the light spilling out of an open doorway, was the unmistakable silhouette of a…
>A little pony
>Standing about three feet tall, I questioned how she’d gotten that door open in the first place
>As though that was the weirdest part of the whole situation appearing before us
>When I made eye contact with her, her grin became a brazen smile, a pair of wings on her back ruffling out and twitching with joy
>The late afternoon sun danced off of her glistening purple feathers
“I’ll be honest, I… I didn’t really believe you were telling the truth about that pony…”
>“You can see her too?”
>I paused, not sure whether this made the two of us crazy
“…I still can hardly believe my eyes”
>My neighbor, who was in a less paralyzing state of surprise, did his best to kick off an exchange of dialogue
>“Hi, uh… little pony… you’re a… cute friend, ain’t ya?”
>The feverish little Pegasus gasped, pausing just long enough to remind herself that sentences need spaces between words
>“Ohmigoshdoyouwant… you want to my friend too?! Just like Sky Meadows?!”
>Oh wow
>The pony can really talk too, just like a person
>She couldn’t possibly be any more adorable
>“Sky Meadows? Is that… another pony?”
>The Pegasus gave an animated nod and stepped into the hallway, followed closely by another pony
>This one was equally as small and colorful, with her lack of iridescent wings more than compensated by a brilliant blue coat
>She too sported a grin, her eyes lighting up when she saw us
>As if two ponies weren’t enough to inflict a heart attack on account of their adorableness, a third poked her head into the hallway
>This one flaunted a flawlessly pure white coat and a horn extending from her forehead – a unicorn
>I was still fawning over the adorable little ponies when the purple one spoke up again
>Gesturing with a hoof, she went down the line
>“These are my friends Daisy, Sky Meadows, and you’ve already met me, Storm Cloud!”
>I let my neighbor take the reins of the conversation – not only had he already mentally braced himself for meeting little ponies today, he seemed ecstatic about it
>Doubtful he’d expected to spend the afternoon conversing with one, but you never know what life’s going to throw your way
>“Well, Storm Cloud, I must say, it’s very nice to meet you and your friends”
>“You have no idea how happy we are to meet you! You’re going to be a great friend too – are you ready to cuddle right now?”
>“I… guess I could spare a few minutes…”
>He may have had a train to catch – later – how often did an opportunity like this come up?
>He dropped to his knees and settled into a seated position on his feet, putting himself at about eye level with the ponies
>I remained standing, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorframe again
>Even if the undeniable presence of these ponies signified the guy was indeed, not crazy, he still needed a relaxing cuddle time to himself
>The ponies, giggling excitedly, closed the distance at a brisk trot
>Storm Cloud pounced into his chest, wings flaring slightly, nearly knocking him over in the process
>She wrapped her forelegs around his neck, letting out a cute sigh as she rested her head against his shoulder
>He returned the embrace, propping up Storm Cloud’s barrel and flanks as her tail drooped over his thighs
>The other two ponies wrapped around his side, brushing their fine, soft fur against his exposed arms
>Here and there, the fine tickling would cause him to shiver
>It was an odd place for such a serene scene, and even if I couldn’t see his full expression, I could tell this was a rare instance in which the guy was genuinely smiling
>The way he was always on edge, quick, sharp breathing was often the norm… but right now? In this moment, he was at peace
>The building was quiet and calm, broken up by little more than the soft rustle of leaves beyond an open window, and the gentle flood of the late afternoon’s orange sunlight
>The orange light draped over his arms, growing more vibrant each time a pony brushed him
>Very, very vibrant…
>I shifted to get a closer look
>It was only when I stepped forward and blocked in the sun’s path that I realized the bright orange wasn’t coming from where I’d originally thought
>And in fact, it wasn’t just on his arms… his whole upper body was an unhealthy off-color
>I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but even more so, I didn’t want to stand idly by if something was wrong
“Are you feeling… alright, man? I didn’t… notice before… but your whole upper body looks… odd”
>“To be honest, my chest does feel a little… tight? Think if might be better to take off my shirt?”
“Are you sure you’re not allergic to the ponies or anything?”
>He continued to idly brush his hand along Storm Cloud’s back, refusing to give an answer
>Either he was far too caught up in cuddling with the ponies, or suddenly found some gumption and grudge to just ignore me
“I said, are you allergic to the ponies?”
>He continued to refuse an answer, nuzzling closer to Storm Cloud
>It couldn’t possibly be that he couldn’t hear me; I was right next to him
>Well, he said his shirt was bothering him and wanted it off, so if he’s going to play tough, then right here, right now in the hallway, I’ll just-
“What that HELL is that?!”
>Abruptly, I stopped reaching for the slack of his shirt, and recoiled at the sight before me
>Poking out from the top of his head and twitching around at different angles, was a pointed furry flap of skin – two of them, actually
>Ears
>Pony ears, just like those on Storm Cloud, Sky Meadows, and Daisy
>At my interjection, all three ponies flinched, falling away from him before regaining their composure
>He, on the other hand, didn’t retain his coolheadedness quite so well
>Whirling about to face me, his wings pressed against his the inside of his shirt, then flared outwards in alarm, tearing the cheap fabric along several lines
>A sharp report echoed throughout the hallway
>The tattered remains slid from his shoulders, revealing a chest dotted with small patches of orange fur in various stages of development
>Not to mention, well, his new wingspan
“What did those ponies do to you?!”
> “It’s okay, we were just cuddling – that’s what friends do! Goodness, you really startled me there with your shout, don’t do that again”
“Dude, we need to get you to a hospital! And get these ponies out of here! Can you not see what’s going on?”
>He looked down at his half-transformed body, the slightest hint of shame making itself apparent and quickly evaporating
>“I guess a part of me thought this change was like a dream or… something… it feels so indescribably nice… you don’t even know, just try cuddling for a little bit!”
“I’m not going to put up with this, we’re… we’re-“
>We’re what? We’re going to take you to a hospital and get you diagnosed with a terminal case of horse?
>Reverse the magic by getting three human girls to hug you instead?
>What was the typical plan for stopping your neighbor from being turned into a cuddly little pony that, more and more evidently, is about to meet the same fate at least one of the other neighbors did?
>Chances are one of these ponies has had experiences with at least two conversions
>I had none
>If I didn’t want to end up with hooves myself, I shouldn’t be anywhere near these ponies or anything they’d touched
>Much as I wanted to be a hero, I was out of options and took a defensive step back… maybe after they claimed his humanity, they’d be appeased and would leave me alone
>Perfect logic - I hoped the two seasons running high school cross country were about to pay off
>I pointed a finger at nothing in particular, initially not sure who I wanted to address
“Storm Cloud, why- why are you doing this to him?”
>“We just want to be his friend, that’s all. Don’t you want to see what it’s like too? Don’t worry, you will soon!”
>With that, she giggled and gave him a peck on the cheek, as a new rash of orange fur cropped up across his face
>Overtaken by a new wave of bliss, he sighed, flopped back and rolled over, settling finally on his side with the wings tucked instinctively to his… barrel
>Daisy and Sky Meadow planted themselves on each side of him, brushing the soft fur of their faces against him as the front of his nose pressed outwards and broadened
>As his teeth flattened and lower jaw bowed outwards to match, he flared his nostrils and exhaled from his new pony muzzle
>Blinking rapidly, his eyes grew to adorable proportions, a dainty row of lashes embellishing the corners
>His hair, originally cut short to keep up with the style of the day, grew inches at a time until soft waves draped from the base of his pony ears, down past his shoulders
>Storm Cloud had walked around to his feet, where his shoes and pants were loosening more with each passing second
>She grasped a shoe and sock between her teeth, tearing them off and spitting away more archaic remnants of his humanity
>Doing so for each foot revealed... what could only loosely be described as a foot
>A hardened orange toenail engulfed the end of each, the other toes ceding dominance of the limb as each foot elongated
>Storm Cloud ran her hoof along their lengths, setting in motion a wave of fur than eclipsed all the skin within seconds, from his ankle to his fetlocks
>At the same time, it accelerated the morphing of bone and muscle into its new equine form
>Within moments, calling them anything other than “hooves” would have been simply wrong
>She tugged at the pants’ ankles, sliding them off with ease, and revealing legs that were further along towards ponydom than they were human
>With nothing separating his now-exposed skin from the ponies flanking his sides, a line of growing hair raced across uncovered regions, leaving him awash in soft orange fur
>A long tail flowed out from the base of his spine, making short work of the last of his ripping clothing
>With a smile, the orange Pegasus let out a soft, feminine laugh and rose to her hooves
>The other ponies had stood as well, each displaying a grin and admiring their work
>With a subtle nod, they wrapped their hooves around their new friend in a loving embrace, and all playfully toppled to the ground, giggling all the while
>She shivered with a newfound wave of bliss, a clear marker of the exact moment she would remember as when she joined their herd
>All four stood again, their attention now fixed on me
>Show’s over
>Promptly, I slammed the door to the hallway and locked it, saying a quick prayer that it would hold
>My prayers didn’t seem to do much
>I hadn’t even taken two steps backward before the first crash of hooves launched a small barrage of splinters from the area around the doorknob

>I shuddered as the first crash of hooves echoed throughout the house, near-certain that the latch wouldn’t hold
>Whether it were a burglar or a quartet of friendship-enamored ponies, the whole complex’s security theater never inspired much confidence
>Still, now that it was being put through its paces, it was actually holding up
>A second crash sent the door lurching inward – further than the first time – and a fresh wood chip tumbled to the ground
>Even if I’d bought some time, it would be measureable on the scale of a few seconds
“Storm Cloud! Or… whoever’s kicking the door- I’m trying to unlock it but I think you might be breaking it more with your kicking!”
>I hesitantly reached an arm forward and jostled the doorknob vigorously, remaining absolutely sure not to rotate it even a fraction
>The relatively thin construction of the door was apparent by how easily the ponies’ voices pierced through
>“I don’t think it’s such”
>“Clementine Breeze, would you-”
>“Stop kicking the door, dear”
>The faint tap of a hoof against the floor signaled the definitive reception of my message
>While they stood outside at their peak patience, I just needed to divert their attention
>My mind racing, heart beating fast, I settled against a wall adjacent to the door, eyes still fixed on the menacing damage already done
“Y’know, I think I heard a couple guys just down the hall earlier today who were feeling lonely and looking for friends, try to track them down”
>It just so happened that all the other residents in this particular hallway were either out of town or at work right now
>I think… I hope…
>It was a solid plan - if I could dupe these ponies into a wild goose chase for even 30 seconds, it would be enough time to call the cavalry
>“Really?!”
>“Thanks so much for letting us know!”
>“Oh, how wonderful! You can join us in meeting them!”
>“Yeah, everyone here can be friends! It’s a great idea!”
>I could hear their smiles through their voices; it was oddly sickening
>My stomach was upset enough just trying to cope with the fact that… at LEAST one of the ponies out there was a neighbor of mine
>A former neighbor, that is
“Of course, of course! In fact, why don’t you go meet them first – I’ll sort out the door lock in the meantime”
>I gave it another rattle to sell my imitated effort
>“Don’t worry, even if you can’t get it, the door’s not too strong for us to break it down – as friends!”
>These ponies were as corny as they were persistent
“No, I think you should focus on them first”
>They weren’t buying what I was selling
“I-I don’t want to be there when you meet those new friends, and trust me, it’s better that way”
>I absentmindedly shook my palms as they started to get sweaty
>The cracks in the armor were starting to make themselves known
“Really, I’m, uh, not very good with the… whole friendship thing, yeah! You don’t want ME to meet them!”
>Shoot, that line totally validated what they’re trying to do to me, didn’t it?
“Actually, I don’t have a good relationship with them, so it should definitely be just you while I get this door sorted out!”
>I wiped my brow and gave a forceful exhale
“In fact… I don’t think… I don’t think I want to be your friends either… It’s… it’s not meant to be”
>I paused, that was enough for them to turn over in their minds
>Surging up past waves of adrenaline, a tinge of sympathy made its way through to the surface
>I felt a bit bad telling it so bluntly when their core desire was evidently just to “make friends”, but it was worthy price to pay for my unscathed fingers
>Neither the ponies nor I said anything for a few seconds
>If my thoughts could’ve risen beyond reactionary humanity-preserving impulses, I’d have made a dash for the my phone on the kitchen table
>I could’ve called the police, animal control, hell, I could’ve justified calling my buddies in the National Guard with the potential threat these ponies posed
>Instead, I was frozen in place, a few inches and one door away from a militantly cuddly horde
>A soft voice, one I recognized as Storm Cloud, spoke up
>“I know you’re probably afraid right now… Afraid of us and the idea of being our friend… Afraid of friendship and what it’s meant to be”
>She breathed a long inhale
>“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, and we want you to know, we’re here for you. The ponies who don’t know about friendship are those who need it the most.”
>Please God, if you’re listening, please tell me she’s not talking about me
>“We’ll be there for you soon enough – we’re not going to let one… measly… LITTLE… barrier… STAND IN OUR W-
>Storm Cloud hadn’t even finished grunting out the end of her sentence before another crash shook the door
>“Come on girls, we can do this!”
>I stood straight upright – especially given the extra emotional motivation I just unearthed, that last kick was audibly the most powerful yet
>And in effect, the most worrying
>A couple seconds later, a pair of crashes echoed through the room in rapid succession
>“Sky Meadows, you gotta kick at the exact same time as me!”
>With my heart once again racing faster than I’d thought possible, I channeled my feverishness into scrambling toward my bedroom
>No phone
>Might not be time to call anyone
>No weapons around, knives - useless
>Too many ponies
>Too many
>Distance!
>I just needed to create distance between us
>My ears were overwhelmed by the cacophony of my heavy footfalls combined with the sharp – and progressively better coordinated – knocks at the door
>I slid into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me just as I heard the first door explode inwards, followed by the excited pattering of hooves
>Net count of the doors between us: still one
>But considering the ease with which my bedroom door swung closed, its mass wasn’t even in the same ballpark as the front door
>Two, three hits if I were lucky, and that’d fall too
>My eyes scanned the room in a fruitless search for anything good with which to defend myself, but I finally rested my gaze on the window
>It might take the ponies a few moments to ascertain what room I was even in; this was my chance… and I wouldn’t get another like it
>Lifting the glass, I gave a solid kick to the right half of the screen, snapping out a pair of plastic brackets, but not quite clearing the way
>My second kick to the other side came in unison with another crash of hooves from somewhere else in the apartment
>The screen popped and I exited out of that window faster than a porn popup at a church meeting, doing my best to shut the opening as much as possible on my way out
>Two of those ponies had wings
>I wanted to think that for the skewed proportions of a small horse, they wouldn’t work, but nothing up to this point seemed to scientifically make much sense either
>If they got airspace, I wasn’t getting away, and anyone else looking to avoid being their “friend” wasn’t getting away either
>And from there everything snowballs as there are more Pegasi befriending more Pegasi…
>…Better to just not think about it
>The cool, gentle breeze rustled my clothes as I aimed for a modest shrub, swiftly sliding off the window ledge and doing my best to stick the landing
>After rolling out into the mulch, I instinctively took off running
>…for about three steps
>Though putting barriers between myself and the ponies had worked great up until this point, windows and locked doors were unique in that I could get through them while creating a temporary hassle for the equines
>A tall, solid wood fence surrounding this back lot on all sides?
>Not good
>I looked around for a place in the yard to hide – did horses have really strong noses like dogs? Would they be able to home in on my scent?
>The pessimist in me said I was about to find out, but I did my best to shut down the thought
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>I repeated it like a mantra – call it desperation or hyping myself up; I insistently wanted it to be true
>It’d been only a few seconds since I’d gotten out of the window, but I chanced a peek back
>If the ponies had caught sight of me by now, undoubtedly at least one of them would either be staring out the window or actively trying to turn it to shards the way they did with my door
>The coast was clear - for the moment - prompting my gaze back to the fence
>It was visibly well-built and sturdy, and stood about seven feet tall; it’d unquestionably be impassable for at least Daisy and Sky Meadows, maybe the Pegasi if luck turned my way… for once
>Dealing with two ponies was still better than four
>I was probably only going to have one shot here before tiring myself out, so I stepped up to a favorable spot on the fence, took a deep breath, and shook my arms to get the blood flowing
>3… 2… 1…
>Channeling all my strength downwards, I vaulted enough to get some momentum and a good grip on the top of the fence
>In a do-or-die scramble, my feet gradually clawed for enough purchase to get my center of mass the full seven feet in the air
>My muscles were shaking, teeth gritted and eyes pinched closed in agony
>After what felt like an eternity, I got there
>My pause at the top was brief, just enough to rest my stomach on the top plank and glance back at the window
>No ponies
>From the peak, a feeling of relief settled in as I relaxed and let gravity do its work
>Things were getting better; once I got behind the fence, I’d be able to cover my escape easily – the forest back here stretched out for what felt like miles
>Even though it was all in slow motion, the seven foot fall was a fraction of a second
>Probably just a very short fraction of a second
>The fence slipped further and further away, the horizon rolled past, and I found myself looking at the base of the fence on the forest side
>The base of the fence… where the ground should have been… where I was expecting it to be
>Fuck…
>With the sensation of freefall already gripping my body, a useless surge of adrenaline shot through my veins as the remaining eight feet of the drop came into focus
>My view was swallowed up, not by the lush bed of green grass I’d hoped would poetically conclude my ordeal, but a bed of dark grey rocks
>Dark, except for those spots where the sun glistened off their sharp edges
>In that moment it would have been fitting to think about the family and friends I’d be leaving behind, and their fate in the new pony-ravaged world; instead, only one thought made it through: “Huh. This is how I die.”
>My shoulder was the first part to hit the forest floor, accompanied by a sickening crunch and pop
>It called back to high school afternoons spent crushing empty soda cans underfoot, although the sound coming from inside me was a new, unwelcome experience
>Having never broken a bone, I wouldn’t have minded going my whole life without breaking any – or at the very least starting with the agony of a single bone before working up to a combo
>The shockwave became bored of ravaging that part of my body quite quickly, moving over to my chest next
>With a forced puff, my lungs were abruptly voided of air, and the rest of my organs reacted accordingly as they slammed against my ribcage
>My neck and legs were mercilessly whipped about, my head missing the worst of the rocks by inches
>It was all very loud for a split second, then eerily quiet
>A score of songbirds in the tree canopy went about their business, unknowing or uncaring of the scene unfolding below them
>I had a clear view of them, and was probably going to for a while
>I didn’t want to move, not now - not that I really had much choice in the matter
>Even as my breathing returned and a few of my nerves were overwhelmed by the subtle rise and fall of my chest, I begged simply to stop moving altogether
>Long, labored exhales were punctuated by sharp gasps, both fighting the nausea of shock
>The approaching dusk provided a gentle backdrop as a single drop of blood snaked its way off my face
>Meanwhile, a faint copper taste gradually made itself known in the back of my throat
>I wasn’t dead, and if that meant the ponies could still turn me into one of them, I should be moving, right?
>I should be running full speed, just like… that guy in the sports
>If I go off through the forest on a heading toward… the place… the uh…
>It’s got the blue thing, the…
>What were those questions that they asked… my friend… when he was in the… it’s the place with doctors
>The year’s… I know this one… and my name…
>I let my eyes slide closed

>It was dark… even for nighttime
>Anywhere else in town, the moon and stars might have illuminated a bit of the sky
>At the very least, on a cloudy night, scattered light from the dull yellow sodium glow of streetlamps downtown might have done some good
>A hellish and unnatural sight to be sure, but it was still some kind of sight
>Instead, the densely packed forest leaves greedily grabbed for every ray that tried to make its way through
>It would have been very useful cover in avoiding the Pegasi on my escape
>Would have, had I made it more than eight feet into the forest
>And those eight feet weren’t even horizontal – what a joke
>Still, at the base of the shallow ditch in which I found myself, the darkness wasn’t absolute, and squinting allowed me to make out a few of my surroundings
>There were definitely more than the four of them that I’d encountered trying to kick down my door
>Maybe as many as seven or eight, and that was only in my field of view
>I could turn my head to the side, distressed nerves warning me that it wasn’t a healthy idea
>It was apparent my neck wasn’t fractured, as I could raise my head enough to look over my body, feet poking up just beyond the quickly rising and falling silhouette of my chest
>I settled my head back down, but not without a long, strained groan
>They hadn’t pounced on me yet, though they had to be well aware I wasn’t going anywhere in this state
>I felt the dried blood all over the side of my face; if that weren’t an indication of my vulnerability, I don’t know what would be
>Actually, that probably was the very reason they could show patience - a trait I hardly considered feasible after hearing their frantic effort to break down my door
>I stared up at the trees, thoughts swimming in a daze as I tried to get myself up to speed on what was going on
>Maybe I could talk my way out of this, maybe I could convince that me staying as a human was better for t-
>Two dark blurry masses stepped into my field of view
>A soft glow near one of them gently grew more intense, resolving the pointed unicorn horn from which it originated, then the facial features of the two ponies looking at me
>I found myself meeting the gaze of Daisy and Sky Meadows
>Their expressions were still cheerful, but they carried more subdued, serous undertones than the ponies giddily bounding down the hallway hours earlier
>Still trying to piece together the thoughts leading to the words, sentences, mouth movements, and sounds I’d hoped would buy my escape, my mouth hung uselessly ajar
>Daisy was the first to speak
>“Don’t be afraid, I can see you’re afraid but we’re not going to hurt you.”
>At that, my breathing audibly quickened as I tried imperfectly to keep myself calm between short, tormented breaths
>Hyperventilating would do me no good in getting out of this, and at worst I tried to avoid thinking about what would happen if I passed out again and their patience wavered
>I wanted to be awake for whatever they had in store for me; it might be the only way to try and keep a grasp on “me” – the real “me”
>I wasn’t afraid of being hurt by these ponies
>Not physically… not in the way Daisy was talking about
>I could tell she had much left to say, but instead she tenderly shushed me and signaled to Sky Meadows to take a step back
>She too gave me some more breathing room, though she wasn’t yet ready to abandon her speech
>After a few moments that seemed to drag on for an eternity, steady inhales through my nose met long exhales in a well-controlled rhythm
>This was my maximum attainable level of calmness given the circumstances, and Daisy was well-acquainted with this
>“Our herd is growing nicely here, but it could be so much more. There are so many people around here with whom friendship is still lost, and I think I know just the thing for it”
“Why aren’t you going after them? Why are you waiting around for me to wake up, to calm down, all those things?”
>Nothing about this made sense
>Three of them turned my neighbor into a pony in just a few moments; these seven or eight of them would make short work of groups of people…
>And then those groups would make short work of entire crowds…
>For all I knew, it could be just after twilight, or the hour before morning already; maybe there were already herds, hundreds of ponies strong, devastating the local area
>Mercilessly and hopelessly mobbing anyone brave enough to put up a fight
>Pegasi preying on those ambitious enough to make a run for it
>Wasting time on one incapacitated human didn’t make any sense, considering the transformational power they wielded
“What’s so special about me?”
>“Friend, in a way, it’s particularly advantageous to us that you’re not able to go anywhere. Most people, even the willing ones, are often surprised at first by friendship”
>“The change startles them because they’ve lived their whole lives differently; they grow to be so used to what they can see that they brush aside the benefits of what they can’t”
>“They get so caught up on the fact that they have feet, that they forget about the importance of forgiveness”
>“They get so caught up on having hands that they forget about the importance of helpfulness”
>“We’ve all found that modesty requires a mane, honesty requires hooves, and trustworthiness a tail – that’s where the unfriendly fall short”
>“Luckily, all it takes is a little bit of affection, one hug from a true friend, and they come to their senses soon enough, all the more excited to share friendship with others”
>The way Daisy spoke so eloquently, I had to wonder whether this was the first time she’d spoken of this topic
>I shuddered to think how many ponies standing around me were once helpless people meeting the same fate during their final moments in a human body
“Please, just… please get it overwith then… I… I’m ready to be a pony, honest. I’m ready to be your friend.”
>All this, after I’d explicitly told her the opposite through a locked door
>I was never a great liar – they saw right through my deception earlier, and with my facial expression betraying me as I lay there on the forest floor, a neon sign might as well have been pointing to my bluff
>Truly, with every passing moment I became more concerned – terrified – about what Daisy had planned for me
>I thought being a pony was one of the worst possible outcomes for the night, verily comparable in consequence to death, but I was beginning to reconsider
>I didn’t want to be a pony
>I didn’t want to be a pony
>And I didn’t want to be whatever Daisy had in mind
>From the far edge of my peripherals, the subtle movement of a blue pony caught my eye
>“How do you want to do this?” asked an uncharacteristically stern Sky Meadows
>“It’ll make it a lot easier if he’s lying on his stomach; that way the wings have space to grow”
>Sky Meadows gave a nod, walking over to the side of my body with my bad arm
>I didn’t sugar coat it for myself - if she was going to be pushing that particular side of my body, it was going to hurt
>Well, pushing prettymuch ANY side of my body was going to hurt in the state I was in
>I could at least give thanks that she wasn’t rolling me the other way, which would have crushed my bad arm into an even worse shape under my body weight
>I did my best to be cooperative; at the very least, submission might make this less painful now that my fate seemed pretty well sealed
>Doing my best to elevate my arm even an inch or two, Sky Meadows wedged her head underneath and gave as forceful of a shove as she could muster
>I yelped in pain as I began to roll, and found myself resettling on my stomach a moment later
>Thankfully I’d only needed to attempt that ordeal once
>My arms were still at my side, but without looking I could feel a faint tickling sensation as the first patches of pony fur pushed out where Sky Meadows had made contact
>I groaned at the thought that my humanity was already slipping from my grasp, but also at the still-pulsing pain coursing through much of my body
>Was it even necessary, really? Who’s to say I was going to get wings growing out of my back anyways?
“How is that you know I’m going to be a Pegasus? Is it because my neighbors ended up as Pegasi? Is it something about me?”
>“Well, normally, it’s prettymuch random, but well-versed unicorns have the ability to influence the process if they know the right spells.”
“And me in particular, being a Pegasus in particular, does what for you?”
>Daisy gave an intentional exhale and looked up to the forest, not so much in irritation as in hollow hope that the answer to my question was written in one of the trees
>Without attempting to establish eye contact, she racked her brain for an answer, opting to respond with a question of her own
>“You’re at least familiar with the television show My Little Pony, or maybe some of the toys, right?”
“I’ve seen some commercials for it and I could probably name the, like, five main characters…”
>“Okay, do you know of any of the princesses, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight Sparkle later on?”
“I just recognize the name Twilight Sparkle, what about these princesses?”
>“Of course you know about what we call ‘Earth ponies’, Pegasi, and unicorns. They’re, say for example, Sky Meadows, Storm Cloud, and myself”
>How could I forget about them…
>“The princesses are kind of like a combination of the traits of all three pony types – visibly, they have both wings and a horn”
>“I’ve made a lot of friends, but none are ever like those princesses – alicorns, we call them, when they have all those traits”
>I opted to stare unwaveringly at the ground, because Daisy undoubtedly would have commented on my expression if we’d locked eyes
>My blood was ice cold, and if the suppressed fear wasn’t evident in my face, my slight, uncontrollable shaking otherwise gave it away
>The pieces were all starting to come together, and if this meant what I thought it did, I could safely say I wasn’t ready to be a pretty pony princess in any capacity
>Not that my preparedness would make much difference to her or any of the other ponies around me
>After all, I presumed none of them had been prepared to end up as ponies
>Daisy has been wanting to do this for a while, and simply needed the right ingredient for her purposes… lucky me
>“I made friends with two other unicorns recently, both of which are also quite adept at their magic – Arctic Charge, Magnolia, if you’d be so kind?”
>I made out a steady of rhythm of clacks as two ponies’ worth of hoofsteps bounded over the rocks; they halted a few feet away from me
>“Just as the plan is supposed to go for alicorns: Arctic Charge, you take care of the Pegasus spell, Magnolia, you do the unicorn spell. Oh, and first…”
>I was a goner already; I didn’t bother to even look at what the ponies around me were doing or talking about, and I certainly didn’t have it in me to fight back
>I was only vaguely aware of them tugging around my clothing – it was mostly an acknowledgement of them doing so rather than any kind of response
>My shoes shifted off and a pair of unseen teeth grabbed my socks, sliding them easily off before also making short work of everything else on my lower body
>My chest was poked a couple times as I heard a unicorn trying to cut their way up the length of my shirt with their horn
>The method was crude in the absence of scissors, but nonetheless worked efficiently; after a slight tug, the torn fabric fell away
>The cool night breeze evaporated the last drops of sweat on my exposed back, even as a rising sense of dread had flushed my whole body
>In the distance, I heard an owl hooting – one of the few sounds cutting through the otherwise still night
>After a few moments, an ominous buzz from three separate sources rose up around me
>They didn’t quite sound like bugs – more like bug zappers to be honest
>Still, trying to describe them wasn’t necessary; I knew exactly what the sound was
>All my muscles tensed slightly, and my hands formed into loose fists in anticipation of what was to come
>I felt a faint heat drifting across my body, accompanied by a dull, electric charge that caused my fine arm & leg hairs to stand on end
>A few moments later, the sensation was compounded with the soft bristle of pony fur on my arms
>On each side, a Pegasus had had rolled up against me, making contact with as much of my chest as they could
>To get more complete coverage, they also fanned out their wings across my back
>Being brushed by feathers so large was a truly unique and alien feeling, but it was also quite nice
>It all felt very cozy with them functionally wrapping me in a pony blanket; a gentle warmth came off their bodies, and I could feel their mellow heartbeats thumping slowing in unison
>It didn’t take long until any slight shift I made stopped feeling like skin-on-fur and more like fur-on-fur
>It was accompanied by a ticking sensation spread across my entire torso, and a palpable rise in body temperature as the insulating fur spread
>I didn’t crane my neck around to look, but I could feel the frontiers of fur travelling down my thighs, accompanied by warm, blissful waves washing throughout the transformed regions
>Trying to move individual fingers, I found much of my hand had gone numb
>However, they were most certainly still there, as attempts to raise and tap my hand against the rocks were met with a sharp report – hooves
>The slightest twinge of discomfort made itself known on my back as my wings began to push out from the area around my shoulder blades
>The Pegasi at my sides weren’t blind to my predicament and shifted their own wings back to their sides, giving the bones and feathers more free reign to grow out
>Still though, the discomfort was intensifying, as though someone were pinching me under the skin in a hundred different places
>It wasn’t unbearable, but it was accompanied by an increasingly oppressive heat that had wrapped itself around my barrel
>With a bit of stiffness, I abandoned the Pegasi posted at my sides and slowly rose to my knees and forehooves
“Daisy, Clementine Breeze seemed to be having the time of her life when she got her wings…”
>Daisy looked at me, horn still brilliantly aglow as she and the two other unicorns kept up their respective spells
>“What do you mean?”
“This throbbing ache where the wings are coming in…”
>“That’s not supposed to happen, that’s never happened with anyone I’ve ever made friends with…”
“Huh, I guess it m- goddamn!”
>A pair of muscle spasms gripped my wings, muscles I didn’t think I had tightening beyond what I thought was possible
>My voice became increasingly strained as a pulsing pain began to manifest beyond just the wings
“So this is… part of the process… with alicorns?”
>I was trying to speak slowly; some words were coming out more as gasps between spasms
>It was a different kind of pain from what I’d experienced after falling from the fence, but I could tell it was rapidly becoming just as fierce
>The warmth had likened itself to fire in some places; I knew it was just in my head but a cold shower sounded wonderful
>My breathing had picked up and my pulse pounded in my ears
>After a few breaths, my eyes were beginning to blur at the corner of my vision, a dull pressure apparent from within the skull
>“Well, I guess so…”
“But ponies usually make it out of the process alright, right?”
>Daisy bit her lip, a dreadful expression of her own wiping away the fragile optimism
>If it were possible to see the blood drain from the face of a pure-white unicorn, this is what it’d look like
>“I… I’ve not… It’s never been done before… I’m the first one to try it and I don’t know what’s ‘supposed’ to happen…”
>If I weren’t groaning to the forest floor in agony, I’d have given her the nastiest of nasty expressions to question her sanity
>I’d have tackled any two of the three unicorns whose glowing horns were continuing unabated
>But as the fire burning in my veins coursed with a new wave of intensity, I was as much a passive audience as every other pony there
“Daisy… please… this… I can’t…”
>“No, it has to work! It’s for the good of the herd, this is all on you to pull through, friend!”
>Every muscle was screaming at this point, and my head felt as if it were preparing to explode
>My lungs were burning at every breath, even as it felt like they were getting a tenth of the necessary air
>My mind was going a million miles an hour yet getting nowhere as it tried to keep up with the sensory overload
>I took one last gulp and a deep inhale to make a final plea
“Daisy, if I already have the wings please just make me a Pegasus! I don’t want to die!”
>I could tell I was gasping hard after that, but there was no sensory information confirming it
>My hearing had gone blank as a high-pitched ringing took over, my body was numb from pain, and my vision blurred beyond being able to recognize anything or anypony
>Daisy manifested as a white blob against the dark forest background, which was a stark contrast to the pitch black flood engulfing the corners of my vision
>In seconds, the black encompassed more and more, until all but the white blob had been swallowed by black
>Then it faded to a dot, and went away
>I awoke with blurry eyes that steadily sharpened into a view of the forest canopy; the light was dim, so it must have been some point in the early morning
>I was expecting there to be ponies craning over me to see if I was alright… where did they all go?
>All told, I wasn’t in any particular pain right now, though there was an odd sensation on my torso and legs, something brushing up against me, like…
>Clothes? I lifted my head up and was greeted by the sight of my chest, followed by a raised arm turning over in amazement, fingers waggling slightly
>Compared to the intense pain from right after I fell off the fence, and especially compared to… whatever the hell I’d just imagined, it hurt a lot less to move my arm, and sitting up wasn’t too bad either
>I was still stiff all over and trying to move any part of my body too quickly – or moving my bad arm at all – was met with a vicious response from my nerves
>Still, I could avoid doing that on the way to a hospital
>Hesitantly, I pinched myself on the cheek – surely I was actually awake, right?
>Sure seemed like it
>When I drew my hand away, a bit of fresh blood that’d just recently come from my nose dripped down, so I couldn’t have been out for more than a few minutes
>It sure felt like an eventful few minutes; looking back at the sky, it must not have been early morning – more like twilight
>A brief glance at visible pockets of the sky’s gradient revealed that the sun was concealed below the horizon in the general direction of west… definitely twilight
>Things were good - I hadn’t lost much time and could still get away to warn the proper authorities to quell this pony outbreak
>And best of all for me, I was neither dead, nor turned into an alicorn by a psychotic unicorn mastermind
>I stood up and brushed the dirt off my pants, chuckling about my good fortune
“Ahaa, get fucked Daisy”
>“Hey Clementine Breeze, did you hear that?”
>“Yeah, it sounded like someone said your name”
>As a pair of feminine voices piped up from behind the fence, it dawned on me that the nightmare was far from over

>I froze, hoping that if I didn’t make any more sound, they wouldn’t be able to ascertain that I was right on the other side of the fence
>My silent prayers were answered by an audibly forceful gust of wind on the other side of the fence, punctuated by a few bumps against the thick wooden planks
>Bumps that sounded undeniably like the hoofsteps from earlier, though a bit more methodical, more calculated
>The kind of knocking you’d hear from an unexpected friend at the door who was wondering if anyone was home, beckoning you to answer
>Through the blood pounding in my ears, I picked up the sound of another staccato gust of wind beyond the fence, this one a few feet higher than the last
>It wasn’t hard to guess what was about to peek over the top; I starting bumbling backwards as quickly as I could manage over the rocks, hoping to avoid any uneven terrain
>A slight divot caused me to slip into a seated position just as a pair of pony ears, then the head to which they were attached, poked out from the top of the fence
>As the pony’s torso began to crest into view, my mind raced to come up with a response to the rest of the pony’s body following suit - before launching into a dive and tackling me in a flurry of feathers and fur
>I held in a sigh of relief when that didn’t happen
>Steadily, almost casually, the pony settled her forelimbs over the fence and tucked her wings to her side, a pair of gentle thumps denoting her body settling against the fence
>With an unsettlingly friendly smile matched with a generous helping of naïve forgiveness, the pony met my wide-eyed gaze and addressed me
>“Wow, you’re looking a bit worse for wear! Golly, we thought we’d lost you!”
>And you’re about to lose me again ya creepy horse!
>Spinning around and lifting off the “better” of my two feet, I took off with a long stride, immediately receiving a reminder that I was far from being in good shape to do so following my run-in with gravity
>I stumbled on the first step, almost fell on the second and third, but soon regained a steady footing and found myself pushing through a patch of ferns into the heart of the forest
>My bad arm hung limply to the side; it swung wholly under the apathetic influence of gravity as it counterbalanced my running
>I didn’t think I could move it if I tried, and if I had to guess, the doctors were going to tell me I’d run through the woods with a dislocated limb
>For how much I knew something like this really should be hurting, I should be punching my ticket to start travelling with a circus freakshow
>Adrenaline’s a hell of a drug
>At no point did I even consider looking back; if the Pegasus was going to make an effort to tackle me, I’d know - either way
>I wouldn’t really have any reasonable way to respond - either way
>Even if I took a stand to fight, she’d make hoof contact, somewhere, I’d start growing fur, somewhere, and soon end up just like her - either way
>No, the best thing to do was to put all my energy into creating distance between her and myself
>Thankfully, her pleas for me to stop could be heard continuously from well above my head, fading steadily with each step I took
>At one point, a muffled, distant shout pierced the air – “PLEASE STOP!”
>but frankly, all it did was confirm to me that the pony hadn’t opted to follow
>Gradually, my fear of being pursued by two fervid Pegasi, or even just one, began to fade – though the fear never dissipated completely
>Somewhere out there, the four ponies were undoubtedly either restructuring their plans to get me, or breaking into the homes of folks settling in for an evening in front of the television
>And here I was, out for a hike
>Even as I began to tire after ten or so minutes, I kept up a steady jog at a pace quite respectable for someone who didn’t actively run
>Pushing further into the woods, I tried my best to stay on a straight path in the absence of human-made markers or trails
>Every thirty seconds the homogenous view prompted me to second-guess my navigation, as I could’ve sworn I’d just passed that same tree five minutes earlier
>The forest floor was uneven, densely packed in many places with a bed of leaves, in some places with pine needles, and with occasional puddles scattered throughout
>Here and there, a small gathering of rocks and modest boulders, or green sprig of undergrowth, would punch its way through to provide some different scenery
>The setting was a forgiving turn of fortune in a couple of ways
>To an extent, each footfall sent a sharp lance of pain through the leg unfortunate enough to be taking the impact
>Nonetheless, running through the soft forest dirt & undergrowth was at least more forgiving than rocky ground, even as the pain signals were addled by surges of adrenaline
>On top of that, a subtle scuffle of leaves covered the noise of my escape far better than the traitorous reports of shoes on rock or packed earth would
>A scuffle of leaves was a common sound in the middle of the woods; between indecisive rushes of wind and the industrious movements of the forest animals, it was surprisingly noisy
>A few leaves here, a few there – although, in time, the noise of those shifting leaves seemed to become more prevalent and refined
>It had been gradual, but over the span of the twenty or thirty minutes since I’d last seen the ponies, my perception of the sound around me had become undeniably more acute
>Undeniably more acute… and I couldn’t tell why
>Even as my heart was still racing to keep up with my rapid steps, my mind came to a halt as a worrying thought clicked into place
>I slowed to a stop next to a thick tree at the edge of a small clearing
“Oh, please don’t tell me…”
>At the same time as a very deliberate, nervous exhale, I gave a quick shake to my good arm
>I didn’t want it to be too tense for what it was about to do – above all, I didn’t want to get any wrong information
>Nervously, I reached up toward the side of my head, praying that I wouldn’t find a pair of pony ears, exactly where the first clear signs of ponydom had appeared on my neighbor
>Could it have been the dream? Maybe something else had happened while I was knocked out?
>Considering I never even touched one of the ponies, an implication that the… disease… could spread via air would be a firm nail in the coffin of humanity
>I couldn’t already be a carrier of this damned infection, could I? I was supposed to be preventing the outbreak! What if that’s exactly why they hadn’t chased me?
>I set the tips of my fingers against my cheek, slowly trailing upwards, gently brushing the scruff of my five o’ clock shadow
>They got to the side of my head and – ah, there my ear was – right where it should be!
>I breathed a deep sigh of relief as I tugged on my earlobe and a gave a gentle squeeze a bit further up the ear
>Briefly turning my head to the side, I did the same on the other ear – yup, still totally human, as far as I could tell
>I settled my good hand back to its place at my side with a slight smile, but couldn’t shake the unmistakable air of confusion
>I furrowed my brow and wondered for a moment, why would I be hearing the movement of leaves with such clarity and regularity, then?
>With my gaze focused on the horizon, I squinted, and after a moment the answer dawned on me
>Ah, of course! It was getting darker, and when people can’t rely on their vision as strongly, their other senses become stronger
>That had to be it; that made sense
>Still though, it did raise a concerning point about just how late it’d gotten
>Dusk had come and gone, with late twilight already giving way to the first dark blue shades of nighttime
>Where the leaves cast their shadows over the edge of the clearing, an even stronger darkness prevailed, with many of the scarce rays filtered away before even reaching the ground
>I’d been doing my best to chase the setting sun in an ill-considered attempt to follow a straight line out of the woods, but the more i-
>“Pssst, hey, thanks for stopping so I could catch up with you”
>My heart skipped a beat as a cheerfully innocent whisper spoke from eye-level, a few feet to my side
>I didn’t hesitate to react; my fast-twitch muscles wouldn’t waste a moment as a surge of adrenaline shot through my veins
>In a fit of panic, I swung out with my arm nearest to the unseen source, which thankfully turned out NOT to be my mangled arm
>My half-clenched fist met a tuft of pony fur, grabbing the scruff with just enough force to brush the pony from the low branch upon which she’d perched
>A loose grip followed her to the ground, sending her sprawling on her back with a solid thump
>I held her for a second as she gave a half-hearted attempt to thrash free, wings flaring to the sides in their useless attempt to contribute to ‘fight or flight’
>By this point, a gentle tickling sensation had made itself known on my hand – right on the areas where I was grabbing the pony
>As much as I desperately wanted to draw my hand back, I shifted, cupping it over the wide-eyed pony’s mouth
“Don’t scream, okay little pony? I won’t hurt you if you don’t scream”
>The Pegasus gave a rapid, desperate nod to signal her submission, doing her best to silence the instincts of her frenzied limbs
>I pulled my hand away, deciding not to look at it for fear of what I’d see
>I couldn’t let myself get distracted by a few fingers when the harbinger of the remainder of my transformation was lying at my feet
>No, no, that’s quitter talk; there’s not going to be a “remainder” of it - I’m not going to be a pony, this hand is going to get fixed and everything’s going to be fine
>I set my shoe atop the base of one of the fearful Pegasus’ wings in a firm but (hopefully) minimally painful attempt to pin her
>Squatting down gently, I could make out a few orange tufts of fur in the fading evening light, rippling with each terrified shiver as I got closer
>Between wild gasps and choked-back sobs, she did her best to keep her eyes open and meet my gaze
>“I-I-I’m s-sorry, I d-d-didn’t mean to- to s-startle you like that”
>She quaked uncontrollably with terror, tears beginning to roll unceasingly from the corners of her eyes
>“W-why are y-you s-s-still holding me here, I just want to help! Honest! We’re not out here because we want to hurt you! Please!”
>We?
>As if her rising voice wasn’t a clear enough sign, both her wings began twitching violently, a clear sign that she was rapidly becoming hysterical
>The thought flashed across my mind to put her out of her misery – hell, if there were more ponies behind her, she just might blow my cover with her shouting
>A quick jerk of the neck and it’d be done – no pain for either of us
>No…
>No. There would be a lot of people who’d be heartbroken if I were too hasty with “my neighbor, now known as the Pegasus, Clementine Breeze”
>Every problem had a solution; some of them may just take longer to get sorted out with all the desired outcomes
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>And I wasn’t going to cut someone else’s life short just because they were one
>Fully aware of the danger I put myself in by doing so, I shifted my weight off the shoe pinning her wing
>Taking a step back, I watched as her wing flexed and then swiftly clamped to her side – it was quite evident that she was adamant about keeping it there for the time being
>Even with me still looming over her, the personal space did her good; her deep inhales and exhales became steadier and more drawn out as the moments went by
>She let her gaze drift to a neutral view of the forest canopy at the edge of the clearing
>“Why don’t you want our help? I… I know it’s just me here right now, but we’re all your friends…”
“Who’s this ‘we’ by the way? And I’m about to be tackled by your friends in some kind of ambush, no?”
>She rolled onto her side, letting to legs rest indifferently upon each other while pointing a glare in my direction, visibly hurt by the baseless accusation
>“I wouldn’t lie to you! …And no, the others are scouring other parts of the woods looking for you. All four of us – you saw us earlier”
>If they were so intent on recruiting new members to the herd, why oh why were they stumbling through the woods after me specifically?
>As insistent as she was about her honesty, it was impossible to shake the feeling that I was being deceived
“Christ, all… four? But the fence…”
>There’s no way the non-Pegasi could have gotten over that fence, not to mention the cliff that had caused, and continued to cause, my innumerable aches
>As I stepped back and gave her space to do so, the Pegasus weakly rose to her hooves and ruffled her feathers proudly
>“We gave them a lift with these ol’ wings! The others are really insistent on helping you in whatever way they can too”
>That just about sums it up: there’s not much scarier than well-coordinated cooperation, not to mention when its mission statement is spreading that ‘cooperative spirit’
“Well, in that case, I appreciate your efforts… but I want you to go back to your friends and tell them I’m not interested in their ‘help’ – my herd walks on two legs”
>“No, our friendship-“
“YOUR friendship, yes. Tell your speech about what is means to you”
>“The ponies who chose to be a part of our herd-“
“Your FRIENDSHIP is all about taking away the humanity of people who DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS to build up your herd!”
>“No, please - please listen to me, you don’t understand!”
“A real friendship is all about give AND take, and all you want to do is TAKE away my humanity!”
>“But it’s about-“
“It’s about you surrounding yourself – yourself – with friends, not about those you like to say you’re helping!”
>The Pegasus had shut her mouth in a hardened frown, eyes glistening with tears as she gave a slow nod of disagreement
“You don’t even remember your time as a human, who am I kidding – but trust me when I say it’s better for us to be left alone”
“It’s not too much for me to ask, and it’s not hard for you to do”
>I should consider myself fortunate that ponies, as far as my limited experiences went, didn’t attack when upset
>The stifled sound of a sniffle escaped from the pony’s muzzle
>She hung her head low, visibly hurt by my resolve; my shouting had reached its audience loud and clear
>A long pause hung heavily in the air, interrupted only by the sound of a few steady gusts of wind and the rustling of leaves
>A rustling of leaves from a particular source that, though distant, was undeniably persistent
>I came to realize too late that the pony in front of me wasn’t the only one in the audience; a moment later, I saw her head rise and ears perk up
>Did she… did she hear something?
>A pair of dampened female voices broke through the underbrush
>“Clementine Breeze, you over here?”
>“We heard an awful lot of shouting, did you find him?”
>I wasn’t going to wait for visual confirmation as I bolted out of the other side of the clearing at a brisk trot
>Er, jog, I took off at a brisk jog
>Behind me, the hurried conversation of three, or maybe even four, ponies filtered through the trees at a steadily easing rate
>For the second time today, I felt a surge of hope as my odds of successfully escaping appeared to appreciate
>But who knows how long I’d been running before encountering Clementine Breeze… and it’s as if she didn’t even struggle to track me down…
>With despair creeping into my mind, I mulled over my options
>I was well and truly lost, miles into the woods at this point, but getting out meant I could find a hospital
>After a quick glance to confirm my isolation, I tempered my pace and stopped
>I lifted my “good hand” into view, though I couldn’t help but chuckle longingly at the fact that it wasn’t good, nor much of a hand at this point
>A thick webbing of skin had formed, closely joining the center three fingers into a solid unit
>The middle finger protruded conspicuously from the bunch, worryingly pointing me to ground zero for the hoof formation
>It was capped with a thick band of keratin, spilling out unfettered toward the rest of the bonded fingers – the beginnings of a hoof
>Moreover, what was once a well-trimmed healthy pink fingernail had taken on a deep crimson hue
>Not quite the color of a nail soaked in blood, but in a way… just as unsettling to look at
>The entire sight was unnatural… utterly foreign
>Straining to flex my thumb or pinky, the sharp decline of their dexterities was apparent
>They felt right at home tucked close against the rest of the skin, no doubt waiting their turn to be swallowed up and be forgotten
>At the wrist, a gentle bulge of bone indicated that the equine proportions were sparing no expense in consuming my humanity, bit by bit
>The entire spectacle was covered by a fine coat of hair, thin further up the arm, but becoming the dominant color as my gaze returned back up toward the hoof
>I wanted to tell myself that the infection wasn’t spreading, that it would stop where it was so long as I didn’t make any more contact with the ponies
>But I had no way of truly knowing
>I could get it amputated; prosthetics have come a long way in the past few years!
>I let out a long sigh, looking down at the untransformed arm hanging feebly at my side
>Ironically, it was the one I’d get to keep even though it were smashed to a million pieces
>But that would still mean showing up to a hospital long enough to possibly make fur contact with a nurse, a doctor, some poor sick kid who thought I was just cosplaying
>I didn’t want to condemn anyone to that; any outbreak needed to be broken off at the head as soon as possible
>I wanted it to be broken off at the head, though if my encounter with the Pegasus back there was any indication, I wouldn’t be the one to literally do it
>Maybe there was security footage back at the apartment; maybe someone else was an unscathed witness to a transformation just like my neighbor had been
>My landlord’s sixth sense was probably tingling the moment the first crash of hooves met the door; the scene left behind had some clear signs of foul play
>Someone would piece together the clues; I just needed to keep the ponies away from people while defenses got fortified
>I could do that
>They were solely focused on following me; I could do that
>They’d made some poor choices in how to grow their herd, and they were going to pay for it – I was going to make them pay for it

>Several years back, my boss had tasked me with keeping tabs on the computer network of a large consultancy firm
>It was an otherwise calm June evening when the alarm bells started to go off; a new virus had flown in under the radar and was showing its mettle
>Before my eyes, files were disappearing from computers closest to the epicenter, falling into the abyss beyond the Recycle Bin as the virus tore its destructive path
>Financial records, project files, customer data – it gave an apathetic shrug in its relentless bid to throw it all away
>Even with as many cords as we could find unplugged, routers disconnected, lines severed, nothing I or anyone else did seemed able to stop it
>First 10% of the company’s computers, then 15%...
>There was no telling how far it was going to go, but it showed no symptoms of tiring
>I sat at my desk, apprehensively rubbing my hands together
>There had to be something else, some other way…
>No… that ‘other way’ was me… it had to be
>Reluctantly, I withdrew my personal computer from my backpack and deftly set it on the desk
>Opening it and tapping the power button, I wiped my brow at the thought that I’d never see a healthy startup screen from it again
>I had all the preprogrammed code I needed to stop this monster, tuned just the way I liked it, sitting among my personal files
>And it would work – it had to
>My gaze followed the snaking line of cord protruding from the laptop’s side, settling finally on a port of the central computer
>With a click, I drove the connector into place; there was no backing out now
>The virus didn’t hesitate to take on its new challenger, sending its full might to my doorstep in a flash
>The unseen battle of ones and zeroes produced little more than a few flickers – in moments, my screen was wiped clean of icons and all went dark
>Had it worked? The dread of useless failure settled in for half a minute before an inquisitive voice in the office spoke out to no one in particular
>“It… it stopped?”
>I gave a deep exhale
>It stopped
>I leaned back in the chair, exasperated and indifferent to the celebratory atmosphere that had begun to rise up in the office
>It stopped
>The following days were spent drowning in paperwork; dozens of computers were written off, including my own
>A “cost of doing business” as my boss referred to it
>He would always smile and tell me I was damn hero or something for putting my personal property on the line in order to contain the thing
>What he never saw when he talked about ‘personal property’ were the long nights spent trying to reclaim the high scores of years past
>The lost chat logs, letters, and pictures sent in correspondence with friends that had drifted away, moved on, graduated
>The photo albums of moments that would never be relived
>Pictures of my nephew learning to ride a bike…
>Pictures of my smiling parents on the day of my graduation…
>Pictures from the last vacation we got to take together as a family before… before…
>I just tried to tell myself that losing evidence of the memories didn’t change the fact that they’d happened
>That the actions I’d taken in containing the virus were for the greater good and it was fine
>Just because I couldn’t relive the past, didn’t alter the way it had affected my life
>But how much was it really worth it? Well, if I let the business receipts tell the story, five hundred dollars was what the foundation of my sense of self was worth
>Thanks boss, some friend you were

>My swirling thoughts cleared as the rustling of leaves behind me spoke more clearly into the night
>Glancing back at the source, I couldn’t make out the shapes of the ponies through the broken underbrush, but they were undoubtedly there
>At one point I thought I could pick out the muffled remnants of four distinct voices, ranging from Storm Cloud’s energetic interjections to Daisy’s slightly deeper, yet still feminine, musings
>The gang’s all here
>It was my lot to lead these four horses of the apocalypse on a useless hunt now that we were effectively lost deep in the woods
>And I had to say, I was doing a pretty good job of it so far
>In a perverse testament to my abilities, I didn’t recognize that tree over there, had no clue about this hill we were on, or anything about wherever the hell we were
>I kept up a lively pace over the leaves and rocks - Step… step… step… Ste-
>Everything went into slow motion as I focused through the darkness on the realization that my foot was about to snag on a well-concealed root at the base of a large oak
>The sounds became drawn out, hanging in the air for a moment
>A solid thump as my shoe bumped against the offending vegetation
>A slow gasp as I felt gravity taking hold
>A whoosh of air as I accelerated groundwards
>A stretching and folding of fabric as my knee flexed outwards
>A sickening crack as the kneecap met an unseen rock
>A crumple of leaves as the rest of my body hit the ground
>Even in slow motion, I didn’t have time to process the sensations, the situation, or what I should logically do
>But, as if the other sounds hadn’t been enough, I did the most primal thing my overloaded mind could manage
>From the bottom of my lungs, I let out a hair-raising cry of agony

>I curled up on the forest floor, my protohoof clutching hysterically across my body to the leg from which the unspeakably sharp stinging emanated
>Squeezing my thigh above the offending region as hard as I could did next to nothing in my futile attempt to quell the pain
>Touching the kneecap itself, or whatever remained, would have accomplished little more than launch me into an unimaginably more intense bout
>Through fogged, tear-filled eyes and a fine layer of crimson fur, I could still make out the remnants of my knuckles fading to white as they clenched with all their might
>With every breath, a hazy black fog invaded the corners of my vision, withdrawing just enough through each tide to maintain consciousness
>With every heartbeat, the ominous red tendrils of blood vessels in my eyes consumed a more generous portion of my vision
>I wanted that to be the only red I’d see today – I wanted this to end, I wanted to go home, please… please
>I didn’t want to see any more red fur, I didn’t want to see any more blood… no more red
>My operational leg shuddered, doing its best to cope by pulling back and then flexing out at an unseen enemy, as if trying to shoo the pain away with feeble nudges
>Through it all, I was distantly aware of the noise I was making, but the signals from my leg were nearly unassailable by the auditory signals
>In a few short seconds, my energy to cope with the situation through sheer decibels waned, gradually giving way to sobbing broken up by labored gasps
>If the pain was going away, it was taking its sweet time doing so
>The tears carried on for a while, easing slowly as I began to reestablish my handle on the situation
>Even as my eyes brimmed, the tragic magnitude of the situation continued to settle in
>I was incapacitated from even wiping the tears from my own eyes – one hand wouldn’t move, and if I used the other I’d probably be looking at a pony muzzle a moment later
>Okay, just let it out, just let it out, you’re okay
>You’re going to get back up in just a moment and make you way out of here, you’re not going to be a pony, you’re not going to be a pony
>It was okay to cry here, you’re okay, you’re in the middle of nowhere and no one out here is going to judge you f-
>“He sounds really badly hurt! We have to help him!”
>“Where are you?! Please!”
>“What happened?!”
>No no no no no please, I don’t care what it takes, please stop them, please, don’t let them get anywhere near me, please!
>With every rapid beat of hoofsteps, the rustling of leaves approached closer and with sharper clarity somewhere in the concealing blackness of night
>I released my grip on the mangled leg; if it wasn’t going to contribute to my escape, at least freeing up my arm might
>I clawed out, desperately swiping for a root to which I could grab; after a half dozen frenzied swings, I met my target in firm union, hoof clenching around the bump on the forest floor
>I tugged through all the power in my bicep, coordinating with a kick with my good leg, and slid a foot or two
>For as much bad luck as I’d had, at least each usable limb was on the same side of my body
>I groaned as leaves brushed across my face and mud smeared across my loose clothing dragging upon the ground
>The progress wasn’t much, and it would’ve taken a master of deception to convince I’d evade an injured turtle at this rate
>No! I didn’t think I’d be able to get away from the Pegasi from the moment I got out the window, this wasn’t going to be the end of me, I’d come too far!
>Blood pounding in my ears, I repeated the pattern – swipe, grab, tug and kick
>Every movement - every sequence - seemed to drag out to an eternity, my breathing picking up to intentional panting through the torture
>Swipe, grab, tug, kick
>Even as my actions became more feverish, the hoofsteps behind me seemingly quieted, long pauses spanning the time between each subsiding hoof
>Swipe, grab, tug… kick…
>Swipe… grab…
>I gulped, my blood running cold as a hundred thoughts battled for dominance
>The ponies… they weren’t running anymore… so… the hunters had caught up with their prey…
>Settling onto my stomach, I choked back a deep sniffle and slowly set my hoof below my torso
>With a forceful shove consuming the last of my energy reserves, I rolled myself halfway over and adjusted into a seated position against a sturdy tree trunk
>My head lolled limply forward, and with a weak cough I raised it to face the silhouettes of four ponies clustered together in the darkness
>My breathing was heavy – whether it was because of fear, pain, or exertion was debatable, but it hadn’t been enough… it hadn’t been enough
>Feebly, I tried to gather some words - any words - I hadn’t been able to piece together in my dream
“I… I don’t… want to be an alicorn…”
>My glassy, unwavering gaze met with none of the ponies in particular
>The fuzzy, dark shapes of the their heads pivoted to look at each other
>A moment later, a soft glow from Daisy’s horn dimly illuminated the faces of herself and the ponies in her immediate vicinity
>Through tired eyes, I could still make out four confused expressions mixed with a strong overtone of concern
“Why… why?”
>Sky Meadows fretfully paced forward ahead of the other three ponies
>“Why? We should be asking you ‘why’ - Why did you have to run all the way out here? Why did you do this to yourself? Why did you have to put us all through seeing this?!”
>Her voice crescendoed before falling into silence, the pony sporting a frown pressed closed as her lips quivered
>“Why…”
“Please… I’m not going to be just another pony…”
>“But we want to help you with every-”
“I. Am. Not. Going to be just another-”
>“This isn’t about you being a human or a pony! It’s about you being a friend!”
>She gave me a pause to respond, but all I’d prepared was an exceptionally forceful exhale
>None of my talking points, none of the arguments I wish I’d had just a bit more time to form… None were falling into place
>She had to be lying, she had to be; how was I supposed to trust a bunch of ponies who valued ‘friendship’ in the way they did?
>Why would they have followed me for hours just to ‘be my friend’ when hundreds of potential ‘friends’ were peacefully at home a few miles back the way we’d came?
>“We can tell – all the way out here – you’re scared, hurt, tired, alone…”
>Well, you’re right on all four of those fronts
>“And… honest… you aren’t afraid of us…”
>I let out a long, labored exhale, its full duration shaken by my trembling body
>Sky Meadows tenderly settled her hooves onto the bed of leaves with each calm step, slowly making her way to stand at the base of my maimed leg, just inches away
>“You’re afraid of how we would change you…”
>“How you would end up feeling… after we’d become friends…”
>“And I’m sure you just think of us as a group of… senseless horses… who don’t care about you as anything more than another tally mark etched on a scoreboard somewhere”
>“I guess… maybe you think that we’re just itching to send out a telegram”
>“You know, ‘one fewer of them, one more of us’”
>Sky Meadows had been directing her gaze dourly downwards, and now lifted her head to meet my gaze, sorrow written all over her face
>“All we’re asking you… all I’M asking you, is to accept our help, please! Before this goes on any further…”
>She hastily scanned her eyes across the half of my upper body that lay in ruin, even as it retained its fragile grip on humanity
>Before looking back at my eyes, she spared a quick glance at my kneecap, a fresh patch of blood creeping slowly outwards, soaking the fabric
>Each breath was a battle to hold back tears, to some degree for the pony, but even more so for myself
>It hadn’t even been two, three hours since I was happily driving home, excited to simply put my feet up and enjoy the little things in life
>A beer or two, a ballgame on the television
>Hell, cuddling with a few huggable ponies would have been a wonderful way to pass some time, if it didn’t lead to humanity loss
>Now, the heart of the man I’d once been was beating its last pulses – it was inevitable in one way or another, these were the final minutes
>Amidst a pitiful rhythm of choked breaths, I felt a single tear roll down my cheek
>That seemed to be the closest thing the ponies had to a collective signal, as Sky Meadows slowly leaned closer, and the other three began walking toward us
>The sound of rustling leaves caused me to perk up, and I caught sight of Daisy leading the others in loose formation, compassionate eyes providing a window into her mind
>No…
>No no no I’ve seen those eyes before
>I’ve seen too much of those eyes, those are the eyes of a killer, a leader who sees the ponies around her as means to an end
>It’s a mask, a veil of deceit, no, this was her circus and she was the ringmaster!
>I don’t care what she’d convinced the others into believing!
>I had no way of knowing that the alicorn-crazed pony I’d foreseen wasn’t this very pony smiling at me
>The same pony that was a few yards away, and closing
>No, please, she wasn’t getting anywhere near me!
>Please! Sky Meadows was here, she wouldn’t let anything bad happen, please!
>I wanted to tell myself that being around the ponies had been what sucked the masculinity right out of me, as I broke down crying uncontrollably
>Please, don’t let her hurt me! Sky Meadows, please, please!
>Loud sobs echoed throughout the forest, my eyes clamped tightly shut as the floodgate of tears flew open
>All the ponies halted, and I reached my hoof across my body to the back of Sky Meadows’ neck, resting it in the soft strands of her mane
>She was initially startled, but took my cue as both permission and opportunity to subside against my body
“Sky Meadows, I-I-I… I want to be your friend… I r-really d-do. I’m just… I’m just too scared…”
>My thoughts flowed without a filter, punctuated only by a few gasps for air to be immediately spilled back out in sobbing
“Please, please, I’m too scared to do this, I can’t… I can’t…”
>I clutched the bewildered mare close as I slowly worked to calm myself
>As I held her in a one-armed hug, her mane danced across my shifting protohoof, now becoming… well and truly, just a hoof
>Trying to move either my pinkie or thumb found no response, as it became clear that they had found their final resting places deep within my arm… my equine foreleg
>The sites were subsequently covered by thick patches of pony fur pressing out of the skin, a tickling sensation seizing every affected inch
>With time, the sensation marched further and further up my arm, establishing itself all along my former forearm to the elbow
>My fingers locked together, functionally one limb, and with my final act of dexterity, I tried to give Sky Meadows a few scritches behind the ear
>She appreciated my efforts, even if my success wasn’t nearly as good as untransformed fingers would have been
>I felt a subdued smile spread across her face, cheek pressed up against mine, a warm sensation of fur softly spreading as she gently nuzzled me
>Her movements prompted my head to move a bit in kind, allowing me feel the extra weight along my face - the first stages of a pony muzzle pressing outwards
>Sky Meadows was comforting, having her there felt… almost… safe
>Safe… feeling that way for the first time out in these woods
>I could feel my breathing was gradually calming, the time between breaths growing more relaxed
>I tried to embrace Sky Meadows closer, gently wrapping my other forehoof around her neck and burying it in her mane
>Wait a moment, since when did I have two hooves?
>I uncrossed my forelegs from Sky Meadows and pulled away; she leaned back in response, not upset, but curiously puzzled by why I’d interrupted her cuddling
>I looked over the side of my body where a mangled, unmoving arm had been just a few seconds ago
>Lifting it into closer view and leading my eyes down its length from hoof to shoulder, I found a complete pony forelimb, covered in a soft crimson blanket of fur
>I took a moment to replay the scene in my mind; Sky Meadows must have been pressed against the arm during the embrace
>The fact that I didn’t feel a lance of agony – that I didn’t feel anything at all – was a surprise
>For the first time since falling from the fence, I tried to move my wrist, and the far end of the pony limb responded
>I tried to move my whole arm, the shoulder pivoting about painlessly, without a single ache to be found
>A far cry from the limb hanging limply at my side, shooting agony through my nerves at any attempt to move it, this pony arm appeared to be… completely healthy
>I tested some more neural commands and flexed what muscles I could, a visibly strong ripple answering and then relaxing back
>They might even be stronger than the arms I had when I was hitting the gym daily back in college
>Getting a better look at the once-dislocated shoulder required me to take off my shirt, which would have been magnitudes easier with at least one functional hand
>Still, with a bit of finagling and time, it came free, leaving me staring in fascination at the sight of my dull human torso flanked by a pair of brightly colored pony hooves
>“We’re doing our best to help heal you…”
>Daisy was now speaking up, standing with the other ponies in a loose circle around me, providing a few considerate yards of breathing room
>She paused long enough for me to settle my new hoof into the leaves and refocus my attention on her
>“We’re doing our best to help heal you… not just your mind but your body too…”
>Sky Meadows glanced at her counterparts, confirming silently with them that she was the best one to approach me in my fragile state
>“Is… is it okay for me to touch your leg?”
>Deep down, I wanted to argue; I wanted to tell her no as a last act of defiance against the third hoof that was probably about to come along
>Instead, I sniffled and gave a feeble nod of approval as a child might on their first trip to a new pediatrician
>Go ahead Sky Meadows, you can have the humanity from my knee too, just please take good care of it…
>She lowered her head and carefully gripped the hem of my pants leg between her front-most teeth, doing her best to leave a generous amount of slack
>As she started to gently shift the fabric, a few objectionable aches raised concerns about whether any movement in the area was unwise
>Nonetheless, even where the fabric snagged, the pain wasn’t enough to incite even the slightest peep from me
>With a familiar warmth making itself known along my leg, I had to guess that Sky Meadow’s proximity was doing some anesthetizing of its own
>Not only was the pain being quelled, that strange aberrant feeling was back… safety…
>I looked on in wonder as she drew back from the pants leg, allowing it to relax in bunches with much of my skin still uncovered, and gingerly set a hoof just below my kneecap
>Instead of a harrowing pain springing up, crimson fur began to appear, first slowly, then racing across its new land of opportunity in every direction
>At the same time, a calming warmth pulsed deep inside the knee, soon met with the visible shifts and popping of morphing bones
>Everything was where it should be – fortunately the transformation didn’t necessitate popping my knee backwards – but something about it simply looked… more equine
>To tell the truth more completely, the warmth had spread to the muscles around my knee and they had taken on a more horse-like profile as well
>I moved my head, trying to get a better look at the spectacle unfolding before me
>My lower leg was characterized by thick, lean bands of muscle, shrouded only slightly by the fuzzy fetlock beginning to drape its lower fringes
>My thigh had shortened noticeably, at the same time bulking up significantly with a mass of stored energy itching to gallop across the forest floor
>My pants were becoming tight, doing their best to remind me of my fading humanity as they strained against the development of my new pony leg, my shoe doing the same
>I swiped at each in an attempt to remove them using my forehooves, for which I’d clearly not read the owner’s manual
>Seeing my difficulty, Sky Meadows took her hoof off my leg and paced over to my kicking foot, waiting for me to stop thrashing it about
>She grabbed the crooked shoe between her teeth and effortlessly slid it off, following suit with the sock
>Doing so revealed the beginnings of yet another protohoof, the outmost toes raising a quiet protest as the rest of the foot began to swallow them up
>On the middle toe, a thickening, slightly crimson band of keratin had made its future intentions clear
>I looked up as Sky Meadows flashed a smile at me, and even if they weren’t all baring teeth in line with their levels of enthusiasm, the other ponies were doing the same
>The waves of bliss washing over me crashed for a moment, no pony close to comfortably sedate my trepidation
>A flurry of thought raced across my mind as panic began to set in
>What if this was all just part of the devious plan, I wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this, I told myself I wasn’t going to fall for this!
>I’m not going to be a pony, that’s what I told myself!
>My gaze jumped between the affectionate expressions of each of the four ponies, a sickening compassion shared by all
>I’m not going to be a pony I’m not going to be a pony I’m not going to be a pony
>My heart jumped into action as my singular human foot kicked outwards, springing me upwards and through a gap in the circle
>Stumbling over the first step on the protohoof, I realized their defense didn’t seem nearly as strong from a standing position
>Sure, even if they had the numbers advantage, I had a height advantage
>“Wait, stop!”
>“Please stop!”
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>I wasn’t going to be a pony
>I wa-
>I didn’t even make it three whole steps on the protohoof before losing the fleeting semblance of balance that I’d never truly grasped in the first place
>My pants tangled and slid off, a short, grey tail swaying free where they had once been
>Sliding softly across the bed of leaves as twigs brushed against my face, I came to rest at the edge of a modest puddle, no more than a few feet across
>That was it… that was all I had left in me… a few desperate steps
>I slowly raised my torso & head a few feet off the forest floor, shifting into a half-seated position at the edge of the shallow water
>The few quick steps I’d taken weren’t even enough to escape the soft illuminating range of Daisy’s horn, shadows drifting and slanting out ahead
>Between the glow she cast and the moonlight filtering through the forest canopy, I had a clear view of the person… pony?… looking up at me in the puddle’s reflection
>You poor bastard
>You messed up pretty badly, but got yourself healed - or better - and you still can’t manage to run away
>And I couldn’t help but wonder, come to think of it, why did I even have to?
>Well, because of the ponies of course, but that was the surface-level answer that still left so much unresolved…
>The ponies said this was all about friendship, but that’s not true, this just isn’t what friendship is!
>My human friends, even last one of them, they truly got it – hell, they were great friends!
>It’s all about... uh, hold on… listening! Yes, listening!
>I told Clementine Breeze she wouldn’t need to worry about me, that we were both better off going our separate ways, and look where it got us when she didn’t listen!
>And not just her, I told them ALL I didn’t want to be their friends, and what do they do? They literally try to kick down my door – that’s the exact opposite!
>A real friend is supposed to listen to you, respect what you have to say
>When I was studying for year-end exams during my junior year of college, I spent fourteen hours straight in the library each day, and I asked my friends not to bother me
>And you know what, they didn’t – it was me and the books for all that time, fantastic!
>The time I fell on the lecture hall steps and got a bloody nose, all my friends were asking me if they could take me to the health center
> ‘I’ve never seen anyone take a tumble that hard,’ one guy said, not to mention a bunch of malarkey about concussions
>I told them that I’d be okay, that people get hurt all the time and to stop worrying about me – and they did! No more questions about it for the rest of the day!
>For as bad as it might’ve looked, they were good enough friends to oblige, I didn’t even need to say it twice
>Whenever I got homesick, usually around the middle of semesters when the workload got to be too much, I might’ve gone down to the dorm basement to be alone
>And that was fine, a few of my friends and my roommate were the only ones who knew I was down there
>Actually several times they walked in on me crying and asked if I was okay
>I always told them the same thing, that I was fine and to just leave me alone
>And that was fine for them, they always left without probing any further
>And that was fine… that’s what friendship is meant to be…
>If you try to push people away, they let you do so, because a good friend is supposed to listen to you…
>Chasing after you for hours through the woods… feigning concern about your well-being through some kind of… fake… fake… worry… That’s not what REAL friendship is…
>And that’s fine… it’s… fine…
>The reflection of the figure in the puddle shimmered as a series of circle-shaped ripples spread across the water
>Another series of circles spread outwards from a new point a few moments later
>With a sniffle, it occurred to me that briefly before each perturbation, a tear was rolling off my cheek
>Raising a hoof to wipe my eyes, my brushes didn’t help much, vision still brimming with tears
>I tried, again and again, until I gave up, my crying now disturbing the water in a regular rhythm
>All I’d really accomplished was getting my fetlocks wet and pushing my facial features a bit further toward ponydom
>I tried to meet the gaze of my muddled crimson reflection in the water as my sobbing subsided
>Instead, when I refocused, there were two shimmering shapes – one crimson, and one orange
>As the water settled, it was apparent that Clementine Breeze had taken a seat by my side
>I didn’t raise my eyes to greet the Pegasus, but the figure in the puddle proved equally as conversational
>“I know… Maybe you won’t believe me, but I remember some things from before I made my current friends… not just things about myself, about you”
>She solemnly took a moment’s pause, not that she showed any difficulty in recalling her memories
>“You were always so fun and pleasant at parties, we watched a lot of the games together during the playoffs last year…”
>“You were so full of joy whenever we won, you… smiled… That seems so far away now…”
>“Even if it means you’ll be a pony, that’s the part we… I… want to see back more than anything else in the world…”
>I sniffled, another tear dropping to the puddle and sending forth a new series of ripples
>In the water’s smoothing surface, I could make out Clementine Breeze tenderly flexing her wing toward me, a sympathetic expression across her face
>I didn’t take my eyes off my own reflection – I didn’t want to miss out on seeing the last of my humanity leaving… regardless of whether this was for better or worse
>Clementine Breeze didn’t even have the opportunity to fully drape her wing toward me before I gently reached back with a hoof and guided her into place
>There was nothing between her feathers and my exposed skin, and for a moment I felt the alien sensation of bristling Pegasus wings
>It was strange, but at the same time comforting as I found myself settling into a docile state of mind, wrapped in the blanket my friend had provided me
>Shortly after, the sensation gave way to the familiar warmth and tickling of pony fur pushing out all along my back
>The frontiers of fur didn’t rest after growing dense and fluffy along my back, soon spreading outwards, wrapping across my neck and to the front of my torso
>The broad surface area of the Pegasus’ wing spurred a rapid transformation, the fur racing across my chest as it bowed outwards into a proper barrel
>I found the need to shift into a more comfortable, equine resting position, my legs out to the side as I rested upon my barrel and forehooves
>I flicked my tail, letting its short lead droop across the forest floor
>While I didn’t turn to look, I could feel that my legs were swiftly shortening and reshaping into pony legs… so much for my height advantage…
>My thigh muscles brimmed with energy, not so much anxious to run away from anything, but excited to gallop around with my new friends
>Feet elongated and bristled with longer pony fur - another pair of fetlocks - as my toes fused into proper hooves, a thick band of keratin hardening into my new ‘shoes’
>I craned my neck over the puddle to watch my reflection as the fur found its final objective – the rest of my head
>It creeped up from my neck, gradually engulfing the previously unscathed half of my face
>My hearing cut to a dull ringing upon it reaching my ears, the flaps of skin forming to a point and pressing against the side of my head
>They floated with the line of fur upwards to the top of my head, settling there in the form of a new pair of fluffy pony ears
>I gave each a quick flick and smiled; they were quite adorable after all
>A short grey mane tumbled from the top of my head, and with a few quick blinks, I watched my irises change from a dull blue to brilliant magenta
>I rose to my hooves, giving Clementine Breeze an unspoken signal that her work was accomplished, an adjustment of my back prompting her to rest the wing at her side
>Turning my head to the side – quite a bit further than I’d been able to do with a human neck – I noticed Daisy, Sky Meadows, and Storm Cloud beside me
>They were standing patiently at attention, each sporting their own version of a gleeful smile
“Daisy, I owe you an apology. I owe all of you an apology…”
>I looked over the three ponies before me, also sparing a glance back at Clementine Breeze
“I didn’t realize why you’d be doing so much for a friend… but I think I understand now”
“I’m sorry for putting you through all this, and leading you all the way out here, and getting us all lost… can you… can you forgive me?”
>Daisy stepped forward, setting her hooves precisely into the leaves and positioning the tip of her muzzle inches away from mine
>Her gaze was calculated and certain, but not devoid of emotion, a smile sneaking across her face despite mischievous efforts to look serious
>“What’re friends for, silly?”
>She closed her eyes and quickly leaned forward, a gentle boop between our muzzles coming as the result
>When she retracted, we met each other’s gazes with goofy smiles
>I wrapped my hooves around her in a tight bear hug, and she did the same, sending waves of bliss through my system
>My negative thoughts began to drift away, all the bad things I’d done, said, seen – they all evaporated on the nighttime breeze
>I didn’t have to worry about bills or car repairs, angry bosses or angry customers, or even the fear of not having friends, or being forgotten
>In fact, I had only one unsteady thought, and as I felt Daisy’s muscles tense, it occurred to me that she’d had the same thought
>Playfully, we sacrificed the steadiness of our firmly planted hooves, shifting off balance and tumbling into the shallow puddle
>With a bit of splashing, the other ponies trotted over to join our hug, hooves kicking up water and soaking a few patches of their coats
>After all, friends always love to share in a bit of fun, and we were all part of the same herd
>And I was a pony – and not ‘just a pony,’ because from that moment, my friends knew me as Morning Star

“Sky Meadows, if you don’t mind me asking, what makes you so sure that you know the way out of here?”
>Stepping confidently over a small rock, the mare neither broke stride nor deviated from her straight path as she glanced back at me with a playful smirk
>“Silly pony, do you doubt me? I’m no better equipped to lead us out of the forest than you – is it just taking time for you to get used to life as one of our friends?”
>She spoke in a warm manner without condescension, but it was quite clear that she was poking at the fact I’d not yet grown completely accustomed to my new body
>Even as the other ponies in the herd marched unwaveringly forward through the forest in a loose formation, I found myself stumbling over fairly minor slope changes
>It didn’t help that it was getting toward the middle of the evening, with only sporadic moonlight fighting its way through the leafy canopy in denser patches
 “No, I trust you, but I don’t understand how…”
>I slowed to a stop, settling my hooves softly on a patch of dirt that was once the bed of a shallow, dried-up creek
>A few feet away, I could quite easily discern the blades of long grass fringing its banks
>Glancing beyond them, a patch of white birch trees stood starkly against the darkness of night, still only to a visible depth of a few dozen yards
>Dim silhouettes stretched out beyond, a myriad of vertical lines that revealed little about the varied pines, oaks, and maples littering this patch of forest
>Narrowing my eyes, I tried to level my gaze at where I was pretty sure the horizon should be, carefully scanning across with a slow turn of the neck
>After a quick set of glances back to the left and right, I let out an irritated sigh
>Nothing… not even the vaguest hint of light from a city or town where we could make some more friends… What were these ponies seeing?
>The rustling of hoofsteps had ceased, the other ponies in the herd noticing that I’d fallen back a few paces
>The rhythm of a casual canter broke the silent pause as Sky Meadows turned about and approached me
>I briskly directed my gaze to the left and right of her smiling muzzle, hopeful to catch a glimpse of something, anything, before she made me feel foolish for being so blind
>“Naaaaah, what’re you looking for? Ponies have good eyesight, but it’s not quite miles-through-the-dense-woods good.”
“Okay, so how are you seeing the right way out?”
>I stretched my neck to the side, figuring I might see some previously unnoticed saddlebags or map at her side
“Do you have some kind of guide, or a compass or something?”
>Sky Meadows shut her eyes and giggled softly
>With a good-natured lunge to my side, she leaned her head close to mine and I heard a sharp flick, the muscles at the base of my ear and a few locks of mane registering the impact
>Satisfied with the firm swipe she’d made at my ears using her own, Sky Meadows leaned back and met my gaze with a thin, toothy smile
>For a second, my brow furrowed as I tried to process her wordless response to the question
>My brow then rose a moment later, the answer slowly beginning to make sense
>I perked up my ears as much as I could, flicking them independently about and catching the dull clamor of the forest at night
>The leaves rustled in every direction, a function of nocturnal animals and the gentle breeze blowing through
>Somewhere far away, an owl’s hooting broke through the night
>Tuning my radar to the space directly ahead where all the ponies had halted, I first noticed the steady tempo of their relaxed breathing
>That wasn’t all I heard though; indistinctly, a distant rumble was perceptible, still at least a few miles away
>Occasionally, the rumble would be modulated by the faint rise and fall of a car engine thundering to accelerate, pass, or make a turn
>We may have been the only ponies in the woods, but there were plentiful friends to be made wherever those sounds were originating
>Breaking from my stare, I made eye contact with Sky Meadows and silently indicated my newfound understanding – I guess we were never lost at all
>She turned to regroup with the other ponies, with myself following suit a moment later at a brisk trot
>Clementine Breeze had turned to greet me, the Pegasus evidently not fully sated by the brevity of Sky Meadows’ navigating lesson
>“Ponies are great at seeing over long distances; if you want to SEE where you’re going, you COULD always knock down all the trees – no forest, no problem…”
>Excitedly, she unconsciously twitched a few feathers on one of her wings
>“But that isn’t the kind of problem to be solved by kicking; this is a problem for flying!”
>Daisy stumbled a few steps backward to give Clementine Breeze the appropriate space for unfurling her wings in all their glory
>Feathers fluttered in the breeze as her wing tips snapped outward, bending slightly at the joints as she planted her hooves and primed her muscles
>With a powerful jump and effort behind her wings, she went airborne, launching herself skyward with a gust that disturbed all the leaves on the ground where she’d once stood
>A steady rhythm of flaps announced her ascent toward forest canopy, each wingbeat growing slightly fainter as her silhouette shrunk against the night sky
>A rustle of vegetation and snapping of branches in the treetops accompanied her disappearance from view
>I few errant leaves drifted down toward us as I turned to Daisy, who was still staring upwards with lips pursed in mild annoyance
“She’s done this before?”
>“She did once after you’d run off… She can be a bit… excitable. Especially when flying’s involved”
“Ah… I see…”
>I couldn’t blame her; if it were me I would’ve been equally as ecstatic to try out the gift of flight my friends had given me
>Storm Cloud fluffed her feathers and preened a few back into alignment, momentarily contemplating going after Clementine Breeze, but setting the notion aside rather quickly
>Daisy’s ears were on alert, perked up and flicking every few moments as she kept her gaze fixed skyward
>I pointed my attention in the same direction, picking up little more than a few gusts of wind snaking their way through the leaves far above
“She IS coming back, right?”
>“She’s just scoping things out; she flew up pretty high last time and got a good look around”
>“She might see something interesting - yeah, in the meantime we’re just standing around waiting for her to return, but it’s not all bad”
>I gave a nod of understanding – it probably wouldn’t be more than a minute or two and then we’d be back on our way toward making a bunch of new friends
>The other ponies around me showed an array of fairly neutral expressions, but I couldn’t contain a grin of absolute glee
>Hundreds, thousands of new friends - just a few miles away - and with five of us now, it wouldn’t take long to befriend them at all!
>The magnificent thought filled me with a warm feeling as I looked around at these loving members of my herd, currently complacent in gravity’s grip
>Suddenly, all the ponies swiveled their heads as a distant crack rang sharply through the air, a low drawn-out rumble echoing as it bounced from tree to tree
>The sound didn’t originate nearby, but as several pony’s eyes went wide, it was apparent that something about it had shaken them to their cores
>Daisy’s heart sank, a frantic rhythm of rustling leaves accompanying the anxious trampling of her hooves upon the forest floor
>“No… no nonono! Clementine Breeze!”
>She galloped a few paces in the general direction of the sound’s source and leapt onto a modest boulder, still woefully short of the treetops
>Her eyes were primarily fixed ahead, darting slightly to one side or another, occasionally interspersed with a moment’s glance back at the treetops
>Her whole body was trembling, tail and ears twitching without any conscious directive from the frenzied unicorn
>After a few seconds of mild shaking, she flinched, the dreadful report rewinding and replaying in her mind as clearly as the when she’d first heard it
>“We just got to be friends… please… no… please bring her back…”
>Daisy choked back tears as her soft begging struggled to be heard
>“Please come back, Clementine… please…”
“Daisy, what… what was that sound? I don’t know what to make of it… it sounded dreadful…”
>She let out a sniffle as she tried to regain enough composure to put words together, in spite of her persisting frenzy
>“I know that sound… it’s an awful lot like one of the handheld devices some people use… when they’re really insistent on not being friends… really, really insistent…”
>Every phrase seemed to draw the full contents from her lungs, her breathing now characterized by an irregular rhythm of hyperventilating
> “I don’t know exactly what kind of magic it is… but it’s very loud… it’s like little fireworks… there’s a bright flash… a brilliant light fills the room for a moment…”
>“Oh no, Clementine Breeze… please don’t… no… you can’t be a victim of that terrible thing… not you…”
>Daisy leaned back on her haunches, settling gently into a seated position on the boulder while she struggled to compose complete thoughts
>“This is all my fault… I should have stopped her… She doesn’t… She doesn’t deserve…”
“Daisy! Maybe we can help her – please, think for a moment! What happens after the flash of light?”
>With unfocused eyes, she swallowed and let out a long, shuddering exhale
>It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop as the other ponies leaned forward, desperate for any clues that would lead to a course of action
> “If the person cast the magic on you, you got very sick… and it’s not gradual like influenza or feather flu or pneumonia; it happens in seconds”
>“These ghastly metal parasites spawn in the muscle – or even worse, I’ve heard sometimes they appear in organs – and they do terrible, terrible things…”
>“I’m just glad there was a unicorn with a first aid kit nearby the last time we tried to make friends with someone wielding one of those dreadful things”
>“She found where the parasites had done damage, extracted what was left of them with a pair of tweezers, and I helped her collect the parasites’ remains in a small shallow pan”
>“They were like stout little cylinders attached to flattened flowers, mostly grey metal with some parts covered in copper, and… oh my… everything was covered in blood…”
>“The poor pony didn’t take the magic well… she was just a filly… but thank goodness, the unicorn bandaged up the parasites’ damage and stayed with her while she got better”
>“It was hard at first to be friends with the fellow who did it… but we knew it was the right thing to do, and he’s one of the nicest Pegasi you’ll ever meet”
>“And it’s… it’s really a miracle… I was sure that was going to die right there… she’d been bleeding so much…”
>Daisy wavered slightly upon the boulder as queasiness began to show its influence, her eyes simultaneously full of tears
>I stepped forward on the off-chance she’d fully lose her balance, but also to improve the chance of my question making it through the fog hanging over her mind
“Daisy, please, we have to help Clementine Breeze if she’s hurt out there; say we find her and there are parasites in her body, how will we know?”
>“I… I-I-I don’t want to want to remember much more…”
>She looked at the faces of the distraught ponies around her, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply
> “B-But if I’m… If I’m doing it for her… okay… I honestly can’t bring myself to forget the memory; it’s as clear as day…”
>“The filly we were treating… the parasites had dug holes… burrows… from where they’d spawned up to the skin, cutting a straight line through tendon, muscle fibers, you name it”
>“I guess that they did so immediately because they needed air… she said the way her ears were ringing from the noise of the magic, she didn’t even notice the parasites in her leg at first”
>“Soon, there was a fiery… agony… where they were resting, then numbness, and the filly felt very tired and weak not long afterwards… she ended up collapsing on the spot…”
>“The holes in her leg were bleeding profusely; it took some time to actually find them among her bloody, matted fur… All the blood…”
>Daisy’s voice trailed off as a new voice spoke up from the tail end of the herd
>“That sounds an awful lot like a gunshot wound – you sure you’re not talking about a gunshot wound?”
>Each of us spun around halfway to face the unseen voice, eyes going wide as they met… Clementine Breeze
>The chipper Pegasus was looking as healthy as ever, once you looked past her expression conveying an intense bout of confusion
>With a collective gasp and a round of relieved smiles, Storm Cloud and Sky Meadows tackled her; Daisy and I joined the hug with a bit less zeal a moment later
>“Clementine!”
>“Did the magic not affect you?”
“We were so worried about you!”
>There was a certain irony in how Clementine Breeze had returned from her flight unscathed, only to be crushed half to death by a pile of concerned friends
>Wriggling free from the fray in a flurry of leaves and loose feathers, she stood before us and started asking her own questions
>“Is this magic device y’all are talking about a simple run-of-the-mill firearm? Like, they shoot regular bullets, that come out of a barrel, and go into whatever they’re shot at?”
>“Nah, that doesn’t sound in line with her symptoms. She didn’t feel the parasites landing on her or going IN; we figure the magic spawned them right inside the muscle itself”
>Clementine Breeze let out a sigh and rolled her eyes; both ponies seemed quite adamant about how they thought this particular type of magic worked
>“No silly, it’s not- she wouldn’t- she probably wouldn’t feel the bullets, and I don’t mean… ‘parasites,’ going in at all considering how fast they are; a firearm can-“
>“Ohhh! I see the confusion. See, he didn’t have fire arms – it was a device he was holding, not a part of him…”
>“About eight inches long, blocky, made of a shiny silver-black metal, and it had a hole in the front for casting the magic”
>“Oh my, you…”
>Clementine Breeze chuckled to herself, having completely lost touch with Daisy’s narrative
>“You thought a firearm was literally, like, fire… arms? Flames coming off of the wrists, Rapidash-style? Good gravy, you really are an imaginative little pony, Daisy…”
>“Heh, just telling what I know – you heard that loud crack too, right? I’ve seen one of the devices that makes that sound up close; we were just worried the magic had hit you”
>“I’m… all good, no, ahem, ‘magic’ here. Morning Star, I’m surprised you’re not jumping in the discussion - years in the Marines, you definitely know a thing or two about rifles”
>Huh? Back up a sec.
>What did she even think she was talking about - why was she putting ME on the spot like this?
>Thankfully my fur was already crimson, as it helped hide the rosy flush in my face
 “Uh, yeah, yeah! Years with the… Marines… you’d think so! We didn’t actually spend much time around rifles, totally sorry. Guess what you thought about Marines was a bit misled”
>Clementine Breeze was locked into a thousand yard stare, a subtle smile of insanity accompanying her infrequent eye twitches
>“Welp… guess I better just commit myself to a pony insane asylum…”
>Daisy walked over uneasily and deftly placed a hoof on her shoulder
>“Clementine Breeze, dear, are you feeling alright?”
>“I don’t get it, I only went down to the range for a few hours each spring and fall to blow off some steam – for me, shooting was just a hobby, a hobby! I don’t get how this is happening!”
>“How… what is happening?”
>“I’m the only one here who knows the basics of what a firearm even is! And how it works! Morning Star, for a couple years you probably spent every morning cleaning one!”
“I don’t remember doing something like that… even once…”
>“And that’s what’s so messed up! You were telling me about your time with the Marines the very last time we were hanging out! I remember!”
“No, I’m sorry! I must have just been telling a tall tale; I swear I don’t even know what a ‘Marine’ is!”
>“You don’t just forget whole years of your life – think, Morning Star, think, think!”
>Clementine Breeze had gradually closed the gap between us, and was confronting me eye-to-eye unnervingly inside my private space as I frantically scanned my memories
>Daisy once again walked up and rested a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to flinch and her intensity to falter
>“Clementine, it’s not your fault… it’s certainly not his either…”
>“Daisy, do you know what’s going on? Please… why do none of the other ponies in our herd remember these things I’m talking about? I’m not crazy…”
>“I know you’re not crazy. I know. When a new friend joins a herd, good friends help them move past the things they struggle with… and it’s different for everypony”
>“I’m not sure I understand…”
>“Before we met our friends, all of us did things we wanted to forget. Some little things… some big things. We try to forgive and forget, but the hurting never fully goes away… not alone”
>Daisy turned back to face me, directly meeting my gaze with a warm expression even though she wasn’t addressing me when she spoke
>“Morning Star doesn’t have any recollection of his time with the ‘Marines’ because he wanted to put the memory in a glass bottle and toss it into the ocean”
>“And in a way, he couldn’t forget the blemishes of his past without a little help from us”
>“He just wanted a better life – to sleep more soundly and to live without his burdens – and with our friendship, that’s what we gave him – that’s what YOU gave him”
>“Clementine Breeze, you’re the angel that put her wing around him and took away that weight when you became his friend…”
>“Yes, it means he doesn’t remember the part of his life with those things – rifles, I think you called them”
>“I understand it upsets you, and I can’t ask the ‘old’ Morning Star what he thinks… but I would bet my last bit that he’s happier leaving behind the part of himself shackled to them”
>“Clementine, you’re a very generous Pegasus, and you… freed him”
>Clementine Breeze and I had both raised a fetlock to wipe our eyes, slightly embarrassed that Daisy knew this part of us better than we knew ourselves
>For a few moments, a quiet stillness filled the air except for the gentle rustle of a few leaves
>In time, Storm Cloud worked up the courage to ask a question that had been lingering on her mind
>“We don’t have memories of the bad times… Do any of you… remember your lives as a young filly?”
>She was met with a multitude of nods and approval
>“Oh, certainly!”
>“Yeah, it was such a fun time!”
>“Sky Meadows was telling me all about her schoolfilly days! Never a problem she couldn’t solve!”
>After the clamor died down, Clementine Breeze put forth the question no one else would
>“Storm Cloud, did you?”
>Storm Cloud shifted nervously on her hooves, sternly staring downward as she tried to avoid eye contact
>“That’s the thing, it’s just… I didn’t know whether it was normal… I can remember quite a bit about my parents at least…”
>“My father must have been a Pegasus too, because he always said he was flying around the country – not sure about my mom because she never went with him”
>“I can remember their faces from our time vacationing in, uh, White Tail Woods. They both had lighter tan coats – kind of funny considering I ended up as a purple Pegasus”
>“I think mom was an Appaloosa; she had a few black, blue, and purple spots on her coat; I remember them especially well during the times my father spent in town”
>“I wonder if that’s where my purple genes came from? They were odd spots; not always in the same places and tended to fade… like chalk in the rain”
>“Well, anyways, it doesn’t… seem… bad… from what I can remember. Odd that so many years – entire decades – of my life are represented by just a few events in recollection…”
>She sighed, having spent a significant amount of brainpower simply trying to recall the memories
>“…But I’m sure it’s well and truly for the best. Thank you. All of you, and especially Daisy… for being my friend.”
>Storm Cloud narrowed her lips and drew them back, still deep in a strange region of scrambled thoughts, somewhere on the borders of confusion, friendship, and faded memory
>She resurfaced back to reality with a gentle embrace from Daisy, a cuddly gesture to reassure her friend that everything would be alright
>“It’s what friends do. I did it for you, and I know you’d do the same for others”
>“Of course I would, Daisy, you know I would!”
>With a merry smile and a newfound spring to her step, Storm Cloud stepped free of Daisy’s hug and cantered off in the presumed direction of town
>“Come on guys, we got friends to make! Clementine Breeze, you see anything worthy of note while you were skybound?”
>All eyes shifted to the mildly startled Pegasus, her wings bumping outwards into a nearby tree upon unexpectedly hearing her name
>“Wha- Oh, right! Town’s a couple miles off, right in the same direction we’re already headed!”
>“Didn’t see a whole lot else; it’s a bit dark to make out much.”
>“To me, I think it’s rather late in the evening for it, but a few places were having massive bonfires and cookouts!”
>“One city waaaay off in the direction of the mountain range had some super plumes of smoke – I wish you all could’ve seen it!”
>“Probably some chef who isn’t quite used to hooves, trying to grill a bunch of veggies with too much water content – need to dry them out first, silly guy!”
>“It also sounded faintly like a ton of fireworks going off over there – pop pop pop! I wonder if they’re all celebrating a bunch of new friendships?”
>Daisy had begun to slowly walk in the herd’s predetermined direction, but spared a glance over her shoulder to answer Clementine Breeze
>“Could be! Earlier today I met a couple unicorns who said they were planning to teleport over that way and make some friends! Must’ve gone well!”
>The trot through the forest proceeded in relative silence, at least with no ponies saying anything while the leaves underhoof did plenty of talking
>Gradually, the scattered profile of the moon visible through the trees ascended higher and higher, indicating time’s incessant march toward the middle of the night
>The usually monotony of trees passed without comment, interspersed with the odd fern, puddle, or boulder
>It didn’t take long for them to become more clearly visible, for a greater multitude of them to be seen from any particular vantage
>The further we trotted, the more the air seemed to take on a soft, glowing quality, meagerly illuminating just a bit more of our surroundings
>Cresting the top of a large, gently sloping hill, I was overwhelmed by the orange light spilling from a street lamp a few dozen yards away
>Through narrowed eyes, I noticed Sky Meadows pick up her pace to a leisurely gallop, visibly eager to look at something that wasn’t just endless leaves
>She came to rest near the gravelly shoulder of a desolate back road, the other four of us joining up not long afterwards as our eyesight slowly adjusted to the glow
>We all sat without any intention of seeing anyone, but nonetheless, as our pony ears flicked about and our gazes swept across the horizon, our surroundings came into focus
>There were definitely people lacking friendship somewhere nearby, and we were going to find them and help them, as good friends!
>Still, presently, we found ourselves in the middle of the woods, the cracked road little more than a winding approach to the town proper
>Aiming my perked ears in that direction, a low rumble of bass, a smattering of vehicles, and even a racket of voices, were all undeniably present
>The lamp near us cast a dim light upon a simple road sign a few yards ahead
>Half a mile to the town center on the left road, half a mile to the university on the right road – take your pick
>A part of me gave thanks that I hadn’t forgotten how to read when I became a pony
>Reading was the source of so much pain in undergrad that the fear of losing the ability struck me as hauntingly valid
>Not far beyond the sign, the road split before veering off into the trees in either direction, the path for both becoming obscured
“So which way are we going?”
>A brief rhythm of clacks broadcast Storm Cloud’s pacing onto the road, her gaze vacillating between the two roads, then back to the sign labeling them
>“I think I know where I’d like to go… Sky Meadows and I know a lot of people at the university – from classes, parties, campus activities, you name it…”
>“Moreover, I know they’re not happy… I want them all to be happy… oh, how wonderful it’d be if we could go show them the blessing of friendship!”
>Daisy’s expression presented a small, lopsided smile and eyes with just a hint of lament as she approached the enthused Pegasus
>“Okay, Storm Cloud, I want you and Sky Meadows to go to the university…”
>She paused, the second half of her sentence hanging momentarily in the air as she gently sighed and her voice softened further
>“…because I know you two have learned a lot today, and you’ll be great at it… I want you to find your friends and show them all about friendship”
>All of us, except for Daisy, stiffened as the implications of her request began to set in
>Why hadn’t she mentioned the rest of us?
>Surely she wouldn’t suggest splitting up the herd, right?
>As the pieces fell into place, a question broke forth from each pony’s concerned thoughts
>“Daisy, are you not going with them?”
>“You’re at least going to go into town with us, right?”
>“I thought friends weren’t supposed to leave each other?”
>“You’re practically the leader of our herd, what if we have questions and you’re not there?”
>Daisy’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully in response to the barrage, her brow furrowing as she took in all the questions
>After a moment of internal processing, she walked to an ideal spot on the road where she could turn to address us all, face-to-face
>“Morning Star and Clementine Breeze, I want you to lead the way on the other road to the town center – don’t worry, I won’t be far”
>I opened my mouth in protest, but halted when Daisy made eye contact with serene, reassuring eyes
>Her expression alone spoke a thousand unsaid words, the most clear of which were ‘I believe in you’
>“I know it may seem odd, because good friends are loyal to each other and, on the surface, maybe that means they stick together no matter what”
>“But to be clear, this isn’t a definitive goodbye; this is a ‘see you later’ because very soon we’ll have cuddled with everyone in this town - shown them the value of friendship”
>“There will be much celebrating tomorrow; I know I’ll be able to easily find you amidst it all because there’s nopony else like any of you”
>“The chipper little purple Pegasus who was willing to be my friend the moment I arrived here…”
>“The caring blue mare whose tenacity and tenderness have been the stuff of picture book stories…”
>“The orange Pegasus who carried friendship miles through the woods for a hurting companion…”
>“And the crimson pony who taught us all something about accepting the help of friends, even when it may seem daunting…”
>Even though I knew it was coming, Daisy’s flattery overwhelmed my resolve not to blush
>“You’re all the best friends I could have asked for, and I know you’re each going to make dozens, hundreds of friends with wonderful qualities in their own rights”
>“You’re becoming the ‘leaders’ of your own herds, and some time – or even times – tomorrow, you too may find yourself splitting them to more effectively seek others”
>“I know it’s difficult, but it’s what we must do; you’ll find that some folks don’t want to snuggle if we’ve been in a place too long… in some ways we’re up against the clock”
>“You’ll find out a lot of things for yourself… Somewhere between the snuggly embrace of a new friend and the companionship of the old ponies in your herd, you learn a lot”
>“I certainly had to… I’ve seen a lot in the past few days… and I appreciate that you all trust me with your lives on account of that, but it hasn’t always been that way”
>“If you think I’ve always been the ‘wise pony’ I am today, I’m flattered, but considering the fact I don’t remember much from before the day I met my first friend…”
>She paused, trying to find the best way to phrase her thoughts
>“…I probably wasn’t someone I’d remotely want to return to being. Let me tell you, if that version of myself can become somepony’s friend, anyone can”
>“In the few days since then, I’ve been in a lot of places, and I mean that physically and emotionally”
>“One place had steep rolling hills and large white cottages as far as the eye could see… another had tall buildings along a shore…”
>“Whenever we ran out of people with which to snuggle in a certain place, it always hurt to leave, but unicorns do what we have to do… through joy and sadness, confidence and fatigue”
>“One moment our friends are a hoof’s reach away, and it seems in the blink of an eye we’re saying goodbye, and poof, off to somewhere else”
>“That’s how I came here and first met you, Storm Cloud. While I temporarily left friends behind to do so, I wouldn’t have gotten to know you if I didn’t”
>“I’ve cherished the time we’ve had… and the memories we have yet to make… thank you… thank you all”