Show Ponies

---This isn't an actual story, this was just an idea dump that I might flesh out into a proper story later----


>Be Anon
>Be the idiot roommate of three.
>The other two were crazy smart, bioengineers pursuing their PhDs.
>You hadn’t bothered with college in fear of lifelong debt from the cost of tuition.
>Your roommates, for the most part, hadn’t seemed too bothered by it in the past.
>That was until recently, when they were forced to front the costs for the next semester, and were left utterly broke.
>Apparently pursuing your doctorate is infinitely more expensive.
>Who knew.
>That left you with being the more financially stable of the three.
>Sure you made more money than them working as a manager at an Old Navy in the mall, but the extent of their intelligence was intimidating.
>You’d happily sacrifice every cent you’ve earned to know as much as they did.
>It wasn’t uncommon for them to unintentionally ‘third-wheel’ you, which left you feeling like a moron for how oblivious you were.
>Sometimes with something as simple as droning on about scientific nonsense at dinner.
>Other times it was weekends away at science conferences, leaving you and the house all by your lonesome.
>You only wish you had a clue as to what was running through their brains even a fraction of the time.
>Luckily, though, much of that was about to change.
>Or so you hoped.
>You were… reluctant at first, but with some serious persuasion on their end, you eventually caved.
>If only for the terms.
>It really wasn’t a bad deal.


>You see, ‘ponies’ were kind of a big thing these days.
>Not your average ‘midget horse’ looking earth pony.
>I’m talking about crazy smart, multi-colored, sometimes able to fly type of ponies.
>Some even rumored a type of pony that could perform magic, but one had never been seen in person before, so the idea was quickly brushed off.
>No one knows where these creatures came from, but it didn’t take long for the world to glorify them like some sort of collectable.
>Very rare, almost impossible to find one available for adoption.
>And if you did own a pony, it was more a show of class if anything.
>That world had seemed so distant to you before, and aside from the occasional front page reddit post of a cute pony picture, you really never paid it any mind.
>Until recently, of course.
>Like you said, your roommates were having a hard time with finances, and well, they claimed to have achieved something that only they had the knowledge to do.
>Something that they were afraid to release publicly in fear of the consequences that might follow.
>Something that could change the course of human history as we know it.
>They could alter living flesh.
>We’re not talking cosmetic surgery.
>We’re talking: taking a rat and making it a frog.
>No, you weren’t lying, they showed you. You saw this happen right before your eyes.
>These guys were nothing less than freaking geniuses.
>No one knew about this, except for you of course, but only because you were part of the deal.
>Which brings you to your next point, their idea.
>Pony shows.
>Since ponies had garnered such massive amounts of attention from the world, ‘pony shows’ quickly skyrocketed in popularity.
>From an outside perspective, they looked very similar to what you mind find at your traditional dog show, but pony oriented.
>However, that was far from the case.
>Since these ponies didn't have a variety of breeds like dogs do, they were often judged solely by aesthetics against all other ponies in that show.
>Held to the standards of all ponies, not just one breed.
>It was dumbed down a lot to make it easier for the average viewer to enjoy.
>That’s how it was explained to you, at least.
>There were a variety of different shows, though.
>Agility shows.
>Obedience shows.
>Even shows that catered to pegasi only, and vice versa.
>These events wore the face of a ‘dog show with ponies’, but functioned much differently.
>The thing is, since they'd become so popular so fast, these shows had huge prize pools.
>$1,000 on the low-end.
>And that’s just from home-town stuff.
>You should see the amount of money they shell out for regionals.
>Are the gears turning yet?
>Their idea was to, as odd as it sounds, turn you into one of these ponies, and use the advantage of having a pony with the knowledge of a former human win these competitions for them.
>Then, once they had enough money to pay their tuition and debts, they would change you back and split the earnings.
>And all you had to do was just pretend to be a well-behaved horse.
>Easy.