The tattoos on our legs were of the same quality as Dominic's. They wouldn't let themselves be rubbed off, no matter how furiously I tried to.
"So... are we going to be transforming as well? Getting a mohawk and all?"
Dominic pondered a bit. "I guess so. But like I seem to be transforming into Thunderlane, so we could go by the other cutie marks. For example, I know that Cynthia's tattoo here belongs to another background pony. It's Carrot Top, although I can't remember how she looked."
Cynthia looked at him, baffled. "Dominic, really. You don’t know what Carrot Top looks like and you still call yourself a brony?"
Dominic got a little ticked off again. "Oh sorry, miss. I'm just a little distraught from the... recent events that have occurred. You know, like this?!" He pointed to his mohawk.
Cynthia retorted. "Alright, I'll admit that. But still, she's even shown in the season finale, where Discord completely razes Ponyville and destroys her garden."
I was surprised, Dominic had the same reaction. I started. "Cynthia, Discord razes Ponyville, that's true, but the last scene shows him destroying the office of the local geologist, Cerulean Sapphire. He says that everypony who still supported the royal sisters would be banished from Equestria so he wouldn't have any trouble ruling. Then it ends."
Dominic stepped in. "Both of you are wrong. In the final scene he's seen as he burns Cloudsdale, which I find very ironic, then, in the distance, he fights with Rainbow Dash and banishes her. After that, he comes back to the destroyed Cloudsdale and expatriates almost everypony else. He does say something along the lines of what you just told us, Anon. Then the episode ends."
Cynthia and me looked at Dominic like he was crazy. I raised an eyebrow. "What are you making up, man?"
Dominic didn't understand. "I’m not making it up, that's really what happens, I swear. I can show you the series finale to prove it to you too."
I answered. "Uh-huh. Okay then, let's watch it, but I still stick with my ending."
Cynthia quickly looked the episode up on YouTube and clicked the link. 22 minutes and a horrible ending later, all of us sat there, baffled.
Dominic, on the other hand, was furious. "They cut it out! Why did they cut out that scene? That was the most most detailed and best scene in the episode by far! And then they had to replace it with this lame Twilight scene"
I was irritated too, but I was already thinking. "Hm. I swear I could remember that scene. Is this a version of the episode where they put in this other scene?"
Dominic was searching for an answer. "I guess so. Anyway, that's not important right now. I have no idea how we got on this gigantic tangent, but we have a far bigger matter to be concerned about." He pointed to our thighs and to his head. "THIS! This is horrible! I've already started transforming and you seem to have started. So what now? Should we wait until we all turn into ponies?"
Cynthia answered. "Well, I don't think that we will make good decisions if we are making them in absolute hysteria, so let's all just calm down. My nana always said that when fear takes hold you should lay down and think about what you are doing. Just... relax and we’ll be sure to figure out a way to fix this.”
Dominic reluctantly agreed. “Alright, but promise me that when we put our heads together after the rest, that you guys will help me find a solution to this.”
I was a bit miffed. “You know Dom, as far as I know that what happened to you is also happening to Cynthia and me, so we’re not helping you, we’re helping us.”
Dominic blushed. “Oh yeah, sorry.”
Cynthia threw herself on the couch. “Alright guys, time to take a power nap!”
I chuckled and promptly laid down on the mattress that was provided for me. I turned my head to Dominic who hadn’t done anything and was still standing in place. “Hey man! Earth to Dominic, is somepony there?”
Dominic snapped out of his trance. “No, no, I’m fine. I was just thinking.” He looked worried.
“Thinking about what?” I asked.
“Well, it’s nice and all that you are here with me, but what if we don’t find a solution to this? What if I... sorry, what if we completely turn into ponies? What will happen then? I mean, this can’t be a prank anymore. Or...” He pointed an accusing finger at me. “YOU tattooed these on me and dyed my hair and made it grow longer and put in contact lenses and...” He realized the stupidity of his theory.
I tried to calm him down. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. I did NOT prank you, and neither did Cynthia. Just lay down and relax like she said, okay? And just so you know, you're not the only one weirded out by this."
Dominic went towards his mattress and hesitantly laid down. “See you in a bit.” And with that, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. I laid down, yet I couldn’t sleep, Dominic’s statement was floating around in my mind all the time.
What if we do turn into ponies? And how? Magic?
“Nah, this can’t be. Magic doesn’t exist.”
But Dominic’s hair grew back into his head. How could that happen?
“Okay, maybe it does exist.”
See? And now, referring to my original statement, what if we turn into ponies?
“Stop it! I’m talking to myself here, I just want to go to sleep.”
I forced my eyes shut and slept. I once again had a pretty detailed dream. I was in Ponyville, but I almost didn't recognize it. Most houses were destroyed, the ones still standing were burning and... one house was burning with ice.
"What? Fire and ice? That doesn't make sense!"
Suddenly, a voice rippled through the air, making my hair stand on my neck. "Oh please, what fun is there in making sense?"
My muscles tensed. "Show yourself, Discord! What did you do to all of my friends!?"
Discord only chuckled in response. "Why are you so angry? Look at all this beautiful chaos!"
My rage built up more and more. "This isn't the end! Even though Celestia is gone, There are still ponies that will help to stop you! And I am no exception!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why does everypony want to be this complicated? Oh well... For Five score! Divided by Four! Your memories removed, your bodies confused! For your insolence you must pay! Cast off to a land far, far away!"
My world turned upside down, I barely had time to say: "Whaa?" before I found myself in a white void. It got darker and darker, until it was pure blackness. It felt like I was underwater, but somehow I could breathe. Suddenly, I saw a white light in the distance. I swam towards it, and when I reached it...
I woke up and looked around me. I was on the mattress, in the room. Everything was okay. Apparently none of my friends was awake yet. I looked at the clock. It showed 8:07pm. I had slept for about three and a half hours. Wait, what? This was supposed to be a nap!
“Guys, guys! Wake up! It’s already after eight!”
Cynthia and Dominic slowly stirred. “Hm? Eight o’clock? Wait, is it really eight o’clock?”
I nodded. “Exactly. We should have eaten long ago. What will Alfonse say?”
Dominic mumbled something. I turned toward him. “What did you say?” Dominic said it again, this time loud and clear. “My butt hurts.”
I burst out laughing at that statement. “Your butt hurts? Really?”
Dominic looked at me with the most poisonous look I had seen from him in... ever. “Yes, it does. No need to make fun of it.”
Cynthia stepped in before anything bad could happen. “Stop it, guys. Dominic, why don’t you show us your butt and we’ll take a look at it.”
I rolled on the floor, my sides beginning to hurt. “Oh god, that’s priceless! I’ll gladly look at your ass, Dom!”
Dominic continued his poison look and slowly pulled his pants down. “And? Is there something?” His expression turned into worry as he heard that my laughing had suddenly subsided. “Guys? Is there something? Please answer me.”
I tried to formulate a sentence, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. Then again, the thing on Dominic’s butt wasn’t possible either. I finally managed to push out some words. “Dude... you... you... Cynthia, am I seeing this? Or am I dreaming?”
Cynthia stuttered. “Anon... I see it too. This is crazy. There is no way this is real.”
Dominic was getting twitchy. “What? What is it for crying out loud?!”
I looked at his body to see if there was anything else. My eyes scanned the body until they reached the top of Dominic’s head. No way. This couldn’t be. Dominic had large equine ears on his head. They were even covered with black hair, or fur, in his case. Another step towards looking like Thunderlane. I swallowed. “Dom, which news do you want first?”
“What do you mean? The good news and the bad news?”
I shook my head. “Nope. The bad news related to your head or the bad news related to your butt?”
Cynthia asked me quietly: “Anon, I still can’t believe this. How did this happen?”
Dominic’s ears swiveled towards Cynthia’s voice. “Wait... did my ears just swivel? How...” He raised his hands up to his head and felt the ears. His face got chalk-white. “No. No! NO!” He got up and rushed to the nearest mirror. When he saw it, he sank down to his knees and sobbed.
Cynthia whispered to me. “He sure isn’t taking it well. I can understand him though, with the transformation and all. Do you think we should tell him that he has a tail too?”
She immediately regretted what she said. Dominic stopped sobbing, having heard Cynthia, and turned his head to his bottom. He saw the tail, tugged on it, then let it sink to the ground. “No. Please god, no. No! NOOOOOOOO!”
And with that he dropped onto the floor. I was speechless. Not only did Dominic grow fur-covered ears and a tail, it was most likely that Cynthia and I would grow them too in our respective colors. I stammered a sentence in Cynthia’s general direction. “Is... is that tail real?”
Cynthia went towards Dominic and carefully tugged on his tail. “It seems to be. Hey, Dom. Are you there?”
No response. I snapped out of my trance and ran to Dominic’s body. “Okay... how was that in first aid? Um... Oh right! Check the pulse.” I put two fingers to his neck and was relieved to feel a steady beating. “Whew, he’s okay. I’m pretty sure that he’ll wake up in a bit, but we should give him a pillow or something. Anyway, we should go and eat, or else your parents might get suspicious that we won’t come.”
Cynthia looked to me. “Not really, no. They’re fully aware that we are supposed to be having our party in my room, so they won’t care at all.”
I sat down on the couch. “Well, at least we’ve got that. But... I still can’t believe this. Cynthia... Dominic grew a BUCKING TAIL. What if he actually turns into Thunderlane? What if we turn into ponies? We’d have to...”
Cynthia sat down next to me. “Anon, stay calm. This nap should have helped us concentrate, not give us more hysteria. We’re going through this together, and like we said, we will find a solution to this. We know that it has something to do with us getting woozy on our 25th birthdays."
I scoffed. "Because knowing that will surely help us. Also, I've been having really weird dreams ever since all this started."
Cynthia looked at me. "Weird dreams? What kind of weird dreams?"
I shrugged. "Well, it plays in Ponyville, and it's mostly the scene that I thought was in the finale."
Cynthia sat there, the gears in her brain visibly grinding. "I had a dream about Carrot Top's garden being destroyed by Discord. The same scene I thought was in the finale. Do you think this is a coincidence?"
I scratched my head. "Maybe, maybe not. I guess we'll have to wait and let this situation get out of hoof even more." I had said 'hoof'. What?
Cynthia smiled. "Hey, cheer up. We're in this together, after all. And anyway, how bad can it be to become a pony anyway?”
I thought about that. “Well... If Dominic really ‘goes all the way’, then he will get wings. Pretty cool. I’ll get a horn and you...” I made a pathetic attempt at a joke. “You get nothing!!! You'll be an earth pony. But if we transform, how will we explain this to our families and friends? 'Hey mom, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be turning into a cartoon pony from a show for little girls that ended five years ago, bye'"
Cynthia took that into consideration. "Well, I guess that's right. But think about it: you're still their son, and if I know anything about your parents, I know that they care for you. They'd never stop supporting you."
Now Cynthia, she knew how to pick people up when they were down. And that pep-talk picked me up. "You're right! Mom and Dad will..." But it didn't last long, as I realized another depressing thing. "Cynthia... Again... Do you really think that we will transform fully?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Well then, be prepared to live a life secluded from any contact to the outside world. After all, from all I heard, cartoon ponies are a pretty rare breed. If anyone finds out about us, what do you think they'll do?"
"When they find talking pastel ponies? They'll call the police, I guess?"
"Most likely. And then?"
Cynthia's voice got shaky. "What then?"
My face turned grim. "They'll lock us up and study us. Perhaps even dissection. I think I should quote a favorite fimfic of mine. 'When humans want answers, they tend to ask pretty hard.' And because Dom has kinda really disproven any logical theory towards all this, my mind is searching for all of the outcomes of this situation. Also, it is almost ready to say: 'Fuck everything and be a pony'. But just almost."
Cynthia tried to comfort me. "Come on, it isn't that bad. I'm sure our parents wouldn't let them dissect us. Also, I now see that your nap hasn't really helped with your concentration or calmness."
I laughed. "Well no shit. I just want this to get right, it's all just so freaky." I could hear Dominic stirring from his unconsciousness and shuffled. I sighed. "I'm going to call them tomorrow, I want to tell it to them."
Cynthia interjected. "Hold your horses there. You are their son, but do you honestly expect them to believe you?"
"Well, no. But if we wait, the things that happened to Dom will happen to you and me. The manes of the ponies, the eyes and, most importantly, a tail that we can control with our will. If it happens tomorrow, they will believe me, I have proof then. Also, Dom.”
Dominic walked over to us. “So... this is really happening. I have a tail. I can control it freely. I have ears that swivel. And I still can not believe it. I’m going to bed. I have to digest this.” And with that, he laid down and closed his eyes.
I smiled weakly. “Well, let’s follow the leader. I, for myself, don’t have anything better to do.”
Cynthia chuckled. “Neither do I.”