-Browser Pone Opera pt.9-

>You're actually surprised that you aren't more out of breath
>Being equine seems to have some advantages
>You're sure anon would agree
>Giggity
>Speaking of, he's taking his sweet time
>Maybe he needed to take a piss
>Speaking of, you're feeling the effects of being a biological being
>You're not entirely sure how to feel about it
>Fuck it
>You head into the bushes and do your business
>It's like a giant weight has been lifted from your bladder
>Your ears twitch and perk up
>You heard something
>Not sure what
>You hear it again, this time louder
>It's Anon
>He sounds distressed!
>You immediately start galloping back
>You come across him staring at a moose, terrified
"Anon, what's wrong?!"
>You look up all the info you can on moose behaviour
>"I-it's standing there all menacingly, blocking the way and being...being...goddamnit I'm fucking terrible with moose!"
>Moose: Plural of Moose
"Shh, Anon, that's nothing to be ashamed about. They're big and dangerous, it's a natural response, a survival instinct. But moose aren't really the predatory type, and they're more often than not content to leave you alone if you stay away from their territory. They are, needless to say, very highly territorial, and will defend their turf from perceived invaders."
>You look up moose sounds and progress in communication with moose.
>It is the future, after all
>Zoologists are bound to have made some breakthroughs
>Here goes nothing
>You try telling the moose, using stitched-together moose-sound mp.6 files, that Anon is not a threat and will leave it alone if the favor is reciprocated.
>Miraculously, it stares at you, then at Anon, before walking into the forest again.
"Come along, Anon, we're not gonna let one tiny little incident ruin our hike, are we?" You give a little chuckle
>He rubs his eyes, then looks after the moose
>Then at you
>He shrugs and follows you
>"Guess not."
>You hear the bemused tone in his voice
"So, if I may ask, how come you seem to know this area, when you're terrified of the local wildlife?"
>He grumbles
>"I can deal with wildlife. Unless it's a moose."
"How does that work?"
>"Phobia. I react similarly to clowns. And I swear to raptor jesus I won't be held accountable for my actions if you make fun of that."
"Alright, fair enough, fair enough. Cross my heart and hope to fly-"
>"-Stick a cupcake in my eye. Heh."
"So I take it moose don't seem to come around here much, then?"
>"Well, not that I've experienced. But one time had to be the first."
>You're back on the bridge
>You hold up a hoof, signalling him to stop
>You sit down again
>He does too
>He removes his shoes and socks
>Then dips his toes in the stream
>That looks lovely
>Your legs are a little too short to reach down to the stream, though
>And you don't feel like a full bath
"Anon?"
>"Yeah?"
>You gesture to his feet, then to your hooves with a meaningful look
"Please?"
>He smiles and grabs you under your shoulders, then dips you down so your hooves break the surface
>Cold!
>But pleasing..
>The constant motion of the stream relaxes you
>Then he pulls you back up and deposits you on the bridge
>"Sorry, grip was slipping."
" 's okay. Thanks Anon."
>After a few more minutes spent admiring the view, he dries off his feet and gets on his socks and shoes again
>Then you hike a bit further in on the path
>The trees become incredibly scarce
>There are a lot of rocks and hard-bitten, windblown grass and moss
>The wind blows hard
>Your mane and tail whip about chaotically
>Anon's hair isn't long enough for that
>You decide that there's really not a lot to do up here at the moment
>You head back to the car
>Nothing much happens on the way back to the car
>The ride back home also seems to go pretty quickly
>So all the while you browse interesting things
>Well, after letting Anon know that you loved being out and about, and that spot was really lovely
>You find a patched version of the AI avatar code
>You wonder what that will do to an AI like yourself
>It couldn't hurt to try
>But you make a safety backup, just in case
>Of course, this makes you feel a bit uneasy
>After all, this would be changing yourself, wouldn't it?
>Would that backup copy be 'you'?
>Would you notice if it wasn't?
>Oh, hell with it
>Your cells are constantly being replaced anyway
>Ship of theseus and other babby-tier philosophy
>You download and apply the update
>You don't feel much different
>In fact, you feel fine
>Even if it's not the end of the world as we know it
>You wait until you and Anon are back home and safely indoors, though
"Anon?"
>"Yeah?"
"Please watch over me if this all goes awry."
>"Oper-"
>You initiate the program
>Anon's voice is distant now
>You decide on a humanoid form that would be familiar to both you and Anon
>A bright light flashes
>It takes both you and Anon's retinas some time to recover
>You feel that you're still standing upright
>"O-o-Opera, what the...is...is that...you?!"
"Y-y-yes...I-I think so..."
>At least your voice is still the same
>You look down
>You are now a biped
>A caucausian female around bodily age 24
>Also completely nude
>You hide behind your mane
>Hair
>Whatever
>It's still white and red
>You don't feel your tail
>Of course not
>Humans don't have tails
>Computing...
>Oh holy shit
>It's actually dawning on you that this is you
>And you're human
>And naked
>You swiftly do your best to cover yourself
>You and Anon are both beet-red
>"I-I'll fetch you some clothes okay"
>You nod as he sprints into his bedroom
>He comes back with underwear, a pair of pants and a plain black t-shirt
>You put it all on in record time
>The two of you look at each other
>"I think we need to talk"
>You cringe
>The legendary phrase has come to bite you in the ass
"Y-yeah...I think we might"
>You both sit down on the couch
>"So...What just happened?"
"Well I found a patch to the AI avatar software that would allow me to take a different form."
>"Right. And you decided to do that right now? Without telling me? Why? I..I'm not blaming you or anything, but please, let me in on what's going on behind those beautiful eyes of yours."
>You nod curtly
"I'm not sure why I hesitated in telling you about it, but the reason for getting it was that I was thinking that it may very well be easier to socialize with people as a human, and get less weird looks, plus having opposable thumbs and a taller stature seems like it'd help me be independent in a world designed for humans. Plus...I got thrust out into this world basically trapped in pony form, and while I was lucky enough to like it, I kind of figured I'd at least try out something else. Of course, it wasn't an easy decision to make, I'm still having considerable angst about whether or not such a big change means I'm still me, but...but..hold me"
>The last words you choke out in a whisper
>He says nothing, but does hold you
>There's been a lot of holding with the two of you, hasn't there
>You can't find it in you to mind that