//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Ponies About Town // Story: Return of the Dawn // by pchn00 //------------------------------// Chapter 9: Ponies About Town Jules it turns out is quite the chef when she wants to be. She whipped up an amazing stir fry out of a bunch of the veggies I picked up in the market. She even set some aside with beef in it for Lucas and myself. “So I’m going to head into town tomorrow and run a couple errands. Definitely going to the hardware store. Ellie has a list of stuff she wants to fix up around the place while she still has y’know…” I wiggle my fingers drawing a bit of laughter from everyone at the table. “I want to get new gardening tools and some dining room chairs that aren’t crummy metal folding ones. If there’s anything anyone wants just leave a note on the table, I’ll be leaving early.” Becky frowns a little from the sink while she and Meg work on cleaning the dishes. “I don’t know if the chairs will be necessary. In the show the ponies only sit on them when they’re at someplace fancy or something right? Don’t they usually use cushions or something?” Jake nods. “She’s right. Maybe we could find one of those low tables like they use in some Japanese restaurants?” Jules makes her way to the sitting room with Ellie trailing behind. “We don’t even know how big we’re going to be when this is all over though right? We should probably wait until we finish changing.” I nod. “Becky’s right. So I’ll scratch the chairs for now but the rest of the stuff I still wanna get. I might look into a riding mower too. Uncle Pete liked the push ones but I’m not too keen on mowing all that out there with a push mower.” Everyone in the kitchen opens their mouths at once, no doubt to protest me having to mow the lawn. “You guys can handle the back yard fine but you can’t exactly be walking around in the front yard can you?” That does a good job of silencing their protests. I get up from the table and move to the living room. Jules looks up as I enter. “What’re the chances of us gettin’ hooked up to the net? I can live without cable but I’d really like to get the internet going.” I hadn’t even thought of that. “We should probably get cable installed too. If I have them come turns us on do you think you can handle the wiring Ellie?” She nods with a toothy grin. “Yup! Do it quick though while I still have my hands. Course I could probably talk you and Lucas through most of it. It’s not too rough.” “I’ll call tomorrow then. If we’re lucky they can get someone out here early. Might be a good idea to have all the ponyfolk hide out in the greenhouse or the boat house though.” Everyone else is soon coming in from the kitchen, getting comfortable around the big television. I scoot a bit on the couch so Jake can slide in next to me, resting my head against his chest. His noticeably thinner arms wrap around my waist holding me closer. Ellie looks around at everyone before breaking into a smile. “Let’s do a slumber party! We can make a buncha the snacks Erin got and stay up all night watching movies and stuff!” Jules rolls her eyes but Meg and Lucas are both smiling at the idea. “That could be fun. Maybe Erin’s got some old board games around here?” Ellie leaps to her hooves using her wings to help steady herself. “I Found boxes of ‘em downstairs! I’ll go get ‘em!” She’s already racing off before anyone can say anything. Jake looks at me curiously and I shrug. “I’m game I suppose.” He kisses me on top of the head and slides off the sofa heading upstairs. “I’ll grab some stuff to sleep on then.” Becky and the siblings head off to do the same leaving me alone with Jules. “Sorry. She gets a little worked up around groups.” I shake my head with a smile. “It’s fine. Anything to keep everyone’s spirits up right? I got to talk to Ellie some this morning. Wouldn’t have pegged her for a child genius.” Jules snorts. “No kidding right? She’s kind of a space case but when she focuses on something I’ve never seen her not do what she set out to do y’know? It’s getting her to focus that’s the trick.” “So have you tried to do magic yet?” She looks up at her horn cross-eyed. “A little. I uh… Glared at some stuff trying to make it float. Nada.” “I wonder if there’s a trick to it?” She shrugs. “Probly. Luna or um… you know… Could probably help out there.” I nod with a little sigh. “You might be able to ask her soon. I think I’m going to quit taking the meds. I’m scared of what might happen when she gets free again but she may be the only one who can give us some solid answers. Heck she might even be able to change everyone back you know?” Jules rubs the back of her neck. She looks like she wants to say something but she doesn’t strike me as the empathetic sort. “Well hey! Worst case scenario is uh… She takes over your body right?” I just raise my eyebrows and she sighs. “Yeah sorry I got nothing. Try and look at the positives? I mean magic, flying, moving the sun and the moon is pretty cool right?” “Something tells me if I started moving the sun and moon around it might cause problems for the rest of the world.” “Mm. Can’t argue there.” She pushes herself up off the ground. “Ellie’s gonna wanna watch a movie or something. I’ll go get some popcorn goin’.” I’m content to just sit back and let everyone get things set up. It’s a little odd watching them walk about with their legs having that strange extra joint though they seem pretty sure footed on their hooves now. No wobbles or tripping like there was at first. Jake retakes his seat beside me on the couch, wrapping us both up in the thick blanket from my room. Jules is handing out large bowls of popcorn while Meg and Becky start spreading blankets and pillows along the floor. Lucas carefully settles in the arm chair as Ellie returns with a sigh. “Some water got into the box with the games. They’re all pretty ruined.” Her girlfriend smiles and squeezes her arm comfortingly. “Well we can watch movies or something right? You can even pick first. Erin grabbed tons of stuff from everyone’s places.” Ellie lets out a cheerful little ‘squee’ and starts rummaging in the stacks of videos. After a few minutes she finally selects a box, shuffling over to Jules’ game system to stick the disc in. “Well don’t keep us in suspense. What’re we watching?” A loud chorus of groans and boos, mixed with a handful of thrown popcorn greets her reveal. ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 1’.” *** I was booing along with everyone else but truth be told it’s never a bad time to watch ponies in my opinion. Even with all the changes going on with my body, something about the show just brings a smile to my face. Either that or the warm body of Erin pressed close against me beneath the blanket. That’s probably a contributing factor to my good mood as well. Everyone settles down soon as Ellie starts the first episode, for Lucas’ benefit. At first he looks less than enthusiastic at the prospect of watching such a ‘girly’ show but once Nightmare Moon makes her debut he’s obviously pretty into it. He even makes us pause and rewind it when Lyra’s in the background and Ellie started screaming that Meg was on screen. He looks from the image to his sister appraisingly. “Yeah I can kinda see it! You guys have the same hair and eyes and stuff.” Meg smiles up at him from the floor. “Yup. Couple days and we’re gonna be twins I bet. Hey there’s Ellie. Too bad we don’t have any booze. Spot the Derpy was a drinking game with some of my college buddies.” So she went to college? I wonder how she ended up out on the streets. Maybe she had to drop out. Everyone has a good time picking out the different characters. Lucas seems really interested when the Princess’ make their debut. “So your friend Markus is Princess Luna?” Jules and Ellie are lying in front of the couch, heads leaning on each other’s shoulders. “Not exactly. They’re different from us. We have reincarnated ponies in us making us pony up. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are a lot stronger so they’re sharing a body. They came through the big disaster as themselves, just without bodies.” I feel Erin stiffen against me under the blanket and frown a little. Is she cold? Or is it talk about Markus that’s upsetting her? I run a hand down her arm comfortingly and she seems to relax. “So where is Markus?” Now the girls look up at Erin from the floor. She looks uncomfortable again. “He’s uh… Sick Lucas. He’s getting treated and should be better soon.” This seems to satisfy his curiosity. “I hope I get to meet him and the Princess soon. And Princess Celestia too! I wonder where she is?” Erin tenses up again and I look down at her in concern, leaning in to whisper. “You ok?” She just nods once not looking up at me. Now I’m frowning, but I go back to rubbing her arm gently while we watch. “Hey! We didn’t see Jake? Is the pony he’s changing into in the show?” “Yup!” Ellie goes to the episode select. “Let’s see… Here we go! This’ the first one where we see the Wonderbolts.” Now it’s my turn to get a little uncomfortable. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I definitely think this whole thing is worse for me than everyone else. It’s pretty clear by now I’m going to end up just as female as the rest. It’s the episode where Rarity gets her wings of course, when Dash performs the sonic rainboom. I tune out the chatter around me as the scene where Rarity’s wings burn up comes on. Rainbow Dash hasn’t noticed her falling yet and the Wonderbolts are springing into action… *** “Unicorns! Nothing but trouble am I right captain?” I snap a glare over to Soarin. “Less yapping more flying!” He and Swiftwing are hot on my hooves as I leap from the judges box and dive after the plummeting mare. Not that I can entirely blame him. Unicorns belong on the ground, not up in the clouds. Personally I think it’s insulting that one would give themselves wings with magic. Like they’re trying to impersonate a Princess. The mare’s shrieking is audible even over the screaming wind blasting in my ears. I tuck my wings in close to my barrel and angle downward in a steep dive. I feel the adrenaline rising like it always does when I’m in the air. The mare’s flailing her legs wildly as I close. I’m about to tell her to calm down when a hoof connects solidly with my muzzle sending spots dancing before my eyes. To my horror I feel my body going numb. Did she really kick me that hard? Still it’s not over yet. Soarin and Swiftwing are… Are also kicked in the face and freefalling. I blink rapidly trying to collect my thoughts. Come on Spitfire you’re the Captain of the Wonderbolts for Celestia’s sake! No matter how much I shout at myself I can’t seem to get my wings to respond. The ground is getting uncomfortably close when a new sound reaches my ears. Groggily I look toward the sky above in time to see a spectacular explosion of color beyond anything I’d imagined. The deafening boom that accompanied it could only be one thing. Somepony had pulled off the impossible. A sonic rainboom. It was that rainbow maned filly… Rainbow Dash? That must be it. She fearlessly swoops in snagging my dazed team AND the screeching unicorn before rocketing back into the air carrying all four of us. The strain has to be insane but she’s grinning like a maniac. It’s a grin I recognize. One I wear all the time. By the time we reach Cloudsdale again there are medics waiting to rush us away. I barely get to say a thing to the pony who saved myself and my teams’ lives before we’re carted off to be looked over. It’s an infuriating few minutes before they clear us. I rush out to find the kid but she’s already left I’m told. Promising myself to find her later I sigh heading to the dressing rooms in the back. I’m proud of my uniform. Proud to wear the Wonderbolts colors but sometimes a full bodysuit gets a little uncomfortable when you work up a sweat. I don’t need to look to see who entered behind me. “Pretty exciting competition this year huh Captain?” A coy smile spreads on my muzzle as I nudge the locker shut. “This is the mare’s locker room Soarin.” He sidles closer leaning against my side affectionately. “I locked the door.” Soarin is probably one of the only ponies in the entire world to hear me giggle. He gets to hear me do it now and it causes him to get the same goofy grin it always does. Then I pounce him tackling him to the floor. “Well what are we going to do all alone in this locker room you big stallion you?” His smile turns sly as he starts to kiss down my muzzle and neck. “I’m sure I can figure out something…” *** I let out a screech of alarm as Jake suddenly lurches upright, flipping me off the couch and onto an equally shocked Jules and Ellie on the floor. Everyone stares at him with a mix of concern and astonishment, or annoyance in Jules’ case. He’s covered in a sheen of sweat breathing heavily. His eyes are wide open as they flash from face to face in the room, before he vaults over the arm of the couch and bolts out the back. Murmurs of concern start to drift around the room, but I force a smile. “It’s alright everyone. Just go back to the show. He probably had sympathy pains with cartoon Spitfire huh?” This gets a little laughter from everyone but Becky. I get to my feet chasing after Jake. He hadn’t gone far. He’s on his hands and knees on the ground sucking in deep breaths of air. Frowning I move to his side kneeling beside him. He flinches violently away as I lay a hand on his shoulder. I pull it back clenching it at my side. “Jake what is it?” He closes his eyes breathing heavily in silence. Eventually he opens them again and sits back on his heels. “I… I remembered something. About Spitfire’s life.” “Because of the scene on the show?” Jake nods. Whatever it was must’ve shaken him up pretty badly. “Was it you know… Almost dying?” He shakes his head. “After that. Me and Soarin… I mean SHE and Soarin!” He scowls. “SHE and Soarin met up in the locker room and… You know.” “…oh. Oh! Oh Jake... I’m sorry. That must have been really weird to remember.” “I knew this was coming. The you know… Girl parts. But what if it’s not just physical? What if I like… LIKE… Guys or stallions or whatever?” I scoot closer, taking his hands in mine. “I don’t think that’s going to happen Jake. All the similarities between you and your past self are already pretty obvious right? Spitfire was a stunt flier and some kind of military commander? I mean Wonderbolts academy is like boot camp right? But you definitely like women now. Unless you’re a fantastic actor because after the last few nights we’ve shared you’d deserve an Oscar.” He can’t help but smile at my absurd words. “We’ll get through this.” I squeeze his hands tighter. “And I plan to go get Markus… Soon. Maybe Princess Luna can do a spell to you know…” I wave my hand between his legs. “Make a stallion of you again.” I see a little hope spark in his eyes at that. “You think? Maybe she could even make us all human again!” I tilt my head. “Maybe. Let’s just go one step at a time huh? Even if you’re stuck as a mare, I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to. Alright?” He looks skeptical. “Really?” My smile turns playful as I tug him in closer. “I’m not some sheltered prude you know? I went to college. Did a little… Experimenting. Of course she wasn’t a pony but…” Now I have his interest again. “Go on.” We kiss as I lean back in the grass pulling him down atop me. He shivers as I speak softly into his ear. He’s more than happy to show he’s not quite a mare yet in the back yard with me. *** Time to wake up. I could almost swear my inner alarm sounds like it was giggling at me this morning. I blink awake feeling a bit stiff in the back. Oh right, we had sex in the back yard and just fell asleep in the grass. With a small twinge of embarrassment I realize Jake is curled up against me rather than the other way around. He’s actually smaller than I am now. Average height for a woman his age I suppose. I’m generally considered on the taller side and his head comes about to my chin I’d guess. I feel something warm and silky against my legs. Glancing down I see Jake’s own entwined with mine. Up to the knee… Is that called the knee on a horse? Probably not… But up to where his leg joints down to his hooves his legs are covered in a fine yellow fur. It’s spreading from his tail across his hips and from his wings over his shoulders too. His neck is slim and smooth while his face looks flat out female now. Though his nose and mouth are a bit more pronounced. I kiss him softly before slipping loose and getting to my feet. With a faint grunt I start getting dressed. Jake stirs a bit as I move around. I tuck him in with his own shirt and pants before heading around to the front porch. My shoes and socks left behind as I walk through the chilly spring morning barefoot. I’ve never been cold that I can remember. I’ve been too warm certainly, but never cold. Uncle Pete used to go nuts when I’d run out the door in shorts and a t-shirt to play in the snow. No doubt another little gift from Princess Celestia sharing my body. I’m vaguely aware of the audience peering at me through the window as I stand on the front porch leaning on the railing and watching the sun come up. Like every morning I stand nearly transfixed as it crests the horizon. Once I get the feeling of ‘you can look away’ in my breast I turn to the window sharply. A surprised Ellie and Becky flail back away from their spying place, bringing a smile to my face. I enter through the front door heading to the kitchen where the two conscious members of our little group are sitting at the table trying to act like they weren’t just peeking at me. “Good morning.” I don’t hide the dryness in my voice. Both turn very wide, very fake smiles my way. “Morning!” I fish out the box of Lucky Charms from the cupboard and sit to my woefully chocolate free bowl of cereal. “D’you have that list of stuff you need Ellie?” With a chipper nod she slides a sheet of paper my way. I eye it casually as I eat. “Do you two want to ask me something?” “Do you raise the sun?!” Both of them practically blurt out together. I roll my eyes. “Girls if the sun didn’t rise without the Princess and me, I think half the planet would be frozen over by now don’t you?” They both look a bit sheepish at my obvious logic. “W-well maybe Princess Celestia coming here made it so she needed to raise it.” “I don’t think so guys.” I rinse out my bowl. “I’m grabbing a shower then heading into town alright?” I get affirmatives from both before heading up to shower. Part of me keeps hoping Jake surprises me in the shower again; alas it’s not to be. After my woefully uneventful clean up I get some fresh clothes and head down to get my shoes. Jake’s still dozing away and I’m happy to let him. Everyone else is still asleep so I take Ellie’s list and climb into the borrowed SUV. That reminds me, I should probably call Mike sometime today and touch base. I wonder if he’s found anything else out about Discord? Funny how easy it is to call him that now. Something else has started to bother me. Now that I’m even considering going back to Bellvue to get Markus, more and more I’m starting to realize I have no idea where it is. That’s something I should ask him to check into as well. The dirt road soon turns into pavement as I turn onto the proper roads of Thilton. It’s early but the mayor’s office should be open already. I’ll stop in there first and let them know I’m back properly. Town hall is right smack in the middle of town so it’s easy enough to find it. There’re only a couple cars in the lot so I park near the entrance and hop out. There’s a younger guy I don’t recognize at the receptionists’ desk. He’s nursing a mug of steaming coffee, and looks a little surprised to see me come in. “Uh… Can I help you?” I nod. “Yes I’m here to see Mayor Arnill please.” Suddenly he starts to look nervous. “Mayor Arnill retired about three years ago. Tom Lonkin took the office pretty quick after he came back from college.” My eyes widen slightly at that. I went to high school with Tom. Last I heard he was in New York getting a law degree. “No kidding? We went to school together! He’s the mayor huh?” The young man returns my smile, if shakily. He’s almost imperceptibly edging closer to the door to the mayor’s office. It does say Mayor Lonkin instead of Arnill on the glass. His assistant is almost fully blocking the door. “I’m afraid he’s very busy.” My eyebrows rise. “Very busy? At quarter to eight in the morning? I’m pretty sure we’re like the only three people in the building.” “W-well he um… He has a lot of paperwork to catch up on!” I frown now. “Tom? Tom are you in there?! It’s Erin! Erin Rockwell!” The assistant’s eyes dart from me to the door in concern. Eventually someone answers. “It’s alright. She can come in Terry.” Frowning a little the guy, Terry moves aside. “If you’re sure…” Now my curiosity is roused fully as I open the door to the mayor’s office. The man behind the desk is definitely not the guy I remember from school. Of course the pink hair and large furry tan ears are new. Tom’s eyes are a crystalline blue as he looks back at me nervously. “Uh… Hey Erin. Been a while.” I can only nod slowly. “Y-yeah. You look… Pink?” He shrugs. “Thought I’d try something new?” I step into his office closing the door behind me. His voice is definitely higher. Smoother. He’s looking self-conscious under my stare now. “Sorry I uh… Didn’t expect this.” He looks back to his paperwork. “W-well you know… I just woke up with a cutie mark. I dunno if you watched that My Little Pony show? It’s the mayor’s mark from the town.” “I thought the mayor had grey hair?” He shrugs. “She dyes it. In the uh… Gabby Gums one?” I ease into the seat across from his desk. “I haven’t seen that one.” “No? It’s uh… It’s a crusaders episode. One of the better ones I think.” I smile trying to keep the talk casual. “My boyfriend has me watching it. I’ve got him and a few guests up at the cabin. We’re going to be staying for a while.” “Oh yeah? Well it’s nice to have you home!” His smile is genuine, as is the one I return. I glance back at the door. “So who knows?” He doesn’t have to ask for clarification. “Pretty much the whole town. It’s not just me. Remember Daisy, Rose, and Flora?” I nod. “The hippy triplets? Oh jeez that’s kinda mean isn’t it?” Tom shrugs shuffling some papers on his desk and signing a few. “Well they’re hippies and triplets so it’s not that mean. They’ve got it too. Whatever IT is that’s turning us into cartoon characters.” I now slowly. “And no one’s you know… Called the CDC or whatever?” He raises an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? We stick together in Thilton. You know that. Whatever’s wrong with us Doc Jones says he can’t find any cause for it. And we’re not hurting any, or hurting anyone else. No one’s gonna rat us out.” A relieved smile forms on my face as I lean back in the chair. “That’s… That’s really good to hear Tom.” Now he looks curious. “So this boyfriend. And all your house guests… Are they?” I nod. “They are. There’s five of them up there. I dunno if you guys have seen it but Detroit is turning into some kind of militarized zone. I thought they’d be safe up here. Lord knows I have the room.” Now he’s nodding. “The Cabin’s probly the biggest plot of land owned by anyone in Thilton that’s for sure.” “Well hey if you, y’know wanna go somewhere and just hang out with folk like… Like you. You’re welcome to come by anytime Tom. Let the girls know too huh?” He looks genuinely touched at that. “Thank you Erin. I might just take you up on that offer. If nothing else it might be nice to socialize with other pony people. At this rate though it’ll just be other ponies huh?” I shrug with a little smile. “Looking like it, yeah. I should probably get going; I was really just stopping by to say hi to Mayor Arnill. Didn’t know she retired.” “Oh! I almost forgot. You’re not the only one who just moved back?” “Oh? Who else?” He grins. “Nikki Blake! You guys were close in school weren’t you?” I nod. Best friends is more the word I’d use. After we graduated though she went off to California to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. “Guess things didn’t work out in L.A. huh?” “Guess not. She’s back with her folks if you wanna pop in.” I smile. “I just might. Thanks Tom! And really, come by. In fact you could even stop by for dinner. We have tons of food and everyone up there is really nice.” He returns my smile. “I think I will. I’ll come around tonight then Erin. Thanks. If I see one of the girls I’ll let them know too?” “Sounds good! See you tonight then.” I step out of his office, to find a concerned looking Terry blocking my way. “You’re not going to say anything are you? Call the government on us?” I shake my head. “No. I was just telling Tom I have a bunch of folks with the same condition staying with me. Are you and he…?” He nods. “Together? Yeah. Though this has kind of put a bit of a strain on things.” “Pretty understandable. My boyfriend’s going through it too so I feel for you. Best advice I can give is to stick by his side. He’s going to need you pretty soon.” He just frowns and steps aside letting me passed. I head out to the car feeling a little better. It’s nice to know we can relax, if only a little at home. Next stop is the hardware store. Dean's Tools and More has been run by Mr. Dean since I was a girl. And he was old even back then. The little bell jingles overhead bringing to mind all the times I’d come in here with my uncle. The old man’s behind the counter like always. His eyes light up when I come in. “Is that little Erin Rockwell?” I blush a bit and offer a tiny wave. “Hi Mr. Dean.” “Good grief girl. I thought you’d left for the city? What’re you doing back in Thilton?” I shrug a bit. “All this craziness about the you know… Pony thing is making it hard to live there. There’re military people and trucks everywhere now.” He nods slowly. “So you know about the folks in town?” “I know about Tom and the girls’ out on the commune.” “Weird shit eh?” I choke a little hearing the man curse so easily. But Markus probably squeezed a dozen swear words or more into our short conversation. “Very. Anyway I’m here to get some wiring to fix up the cabin. Maybe replace a few gardening tools too.” He takes the list from me eyeing it carefully. “I have all this. Didn’t know you were so handy.” “Oh! Ha no. One of the folks staying with me is. She’s going to be doing the repairs; I’m just the errand girl.” “Aha. Well lemme get these for ya. You go ahead and find whatcha need for your garden. You always grew the best flowers if I remember right.” “Well thank you sir.” I head off to the gardening section. At first hesitant at the prices of the more deluxe tools I shrug. I’m already spending Uncle Pete’s money left and right, might as well go all in. Helping myself to a collection of the nicer ones I head back to the counter. We exchange a bit more small talk before I dump the bags out in the SUV. I consider driving up to the big Wal-Mart for the kitchen table but dismiss that idea. I’ve always preferred shopping at the little stores in town. Supporting local business and all that. Which is by and large the opinion shared by most of Thilton. Honestly I’m surprised the big department store is still in business. Most of the cars in the lot belong to the employees. The smell of wood and varnish is thick in the store. I nod politely to the owner as I start shopping around. There are plenty of tables to choose from. Nice tables at that. But none of them feel quite right to me. I almost feel like it’d be doing Uncle Pete a disservice by replacing the table he crafted himself. Then an idea comes to me. The owner looks up sleepily from his morning paper as I approach. “Hey I had a question. Would it be possible for you to adjust a table for me?” He sets his paper down. “Adjust how?” I tilt my head considering how to phrase it. “I need the legs shortened. A lot. Almost to the floor.” His eyebrows rise at the request. “Why?” I rub the back of my neck. “It’s… Personal. I can pay for your time though.” Eventually he nods. “Well don’t see why not. Should be easy enough. Fifty bucks sound fair?” Having less than no idea how much something like this would normally cost, but seeing the price tag on many of these tables is a couple hundred dollars it sounds fair to me. “Sure thing. When should I bring it in?” He studies me a moment. “You’re the Rockwell girl right? Lives up at the wood mansion?” I blush at the description some folks in town have for the place. “That’s me.” He shrugs. “I’ll stop by tonight after I close up. Shouldn’t take more than an hour. You can just haul it out to the yard or the garage and I can fix it up for you.” “Thank you so much sir! I’ll keep an eye out.” He nods and goes back to his paper. So far this morning’s been pretty good. Got all my business taken care of. I guess I could drop in and say hi to Nikki. We haven’t talked in years but we were really close in school. On the way to her folks’ place I call up the local cable company and set up a time for them to come by and drop off the stuff we’ll need to get set up. They fight with me a bit about me doing my own installation and wiring but in the end they relent. Saves me a couple hundred dollars too. The Blake’s live in the small suburban area of Thilton. A few dozen houses holding most of the town’s population really. The white picket fences and perfectly maintained lawns are just the way I remember them. I remember Nikki’s address too. I even see Mr. Blake out collecting the morning paper. He sees me through the windshield and I wave cheerfully. To my confusion he looks more alarmed than happy and rushes back into the house. Slowly I slide out of the seat and make my way up the walkway to the house. Mrs. Blake was always the sweetest woman. Warm, kind, and perpetually cheerful. She’s also always been on the heavy side, and is currently barricading the front porch with her body. “Hello Erin.” There’s a strange bit of coldness in her voice. “Uh… Morning Mrs. Blake. I heard Nikki had moved back to town and wanted to say hello.” Something in my voice causes her to ease up on the icy treatment. “Oh. Well that’s nice of you but she’s in bed.” That seemed odd. Nikki had always been an early riser. Not quite as early as me of course, but still she liked to be up and attacking the day early. Usually that involved calling me and going on about whatever ‘horrible’ event in her life had caused the newest social catastrophe. “Could I come in and wait? I don’t have much to do today.” She glances back at the house. Mr. Blake is watching with a faint frown from the window. “She’s sick.” “Sick?” She nods. “Very sick. I’d hate for you to catch what she has.” Normally I’d shrug, ask her to have Nikki call me and call it a day. But there’s one thing Nikki and I, as well as most of the people I’ve met recently have in common. We shared a birthday. Same day, same year. “Mrs. Blake is Nikki sick with what Tom is sick with?” Her eyes widen in alarm and now Mr. Blake steps out onto the porch. “We don’t want any trouble Erin. We’re going to keep Nikki inside away from everyone. She won’t give what she has to… To anyone else alright?” I smile in what I hope is my most convincing manner. “It’s alright. Really. I’m not going to call the feds on you or anything. I’ve got five cases of it up at the cabin. Please, can I see Nikki?” They look reluctant but finally nod. “She’s up in her room.” I smile my thanks and step inside quickly. The house hasn’t much changed since I’ve been here last. I head up the stairs to Nikki’s room. Second door on the right. I knock softly and wait a minute. “It’s open!” I push the door open stepping into the room I spent most of my time in when I wasn’t at home. A few unpacked suitcases are stacked neatly against the wall by the closet. Everything is tidy and orderly like it always was growing up. My old friend’s new violet hued eyes widen in alarm when she sees me. Her hair and tail are a pretty gorgeous shade of silver. A dark blue horn peeks out of her forehead, ears and hooves to match it visible as well. “E-Erin?!” She grabs at the covers frantically trying to hide her inhuman parts. “Hey Nikki. You don’t… You don’t have to cover up. I’ve seen it. A lot lately.” This seems to put her at ease slightly. “Y-you have?” I nod. “Mmhm. Whole buncha folks up at the cabin with the same thing.” She scoots to the edge of her bed. “Really? Isn’t… but isn’t it illegal to hide someone with all this going on? That’s what the news said.” I shrug. “I’m rich. I can do whatever I want.” This draws a laugh from her. Though it’s a short one. “I guess you can huh?” I drag her computer chair over from the desk and settle in it by the bed. “It’s good to see you, despite the circumstances.” Her smile returns, though it’s faint. “It’s nice to see you too Erin. I didn’t expect you to ever come back to Thilton.” I shrug. “My boyfriend’s you know… Going pony. I wanted to get him someplace safe. I picked up a few stragglers along the way.” “Going pony. I had a friend in acting school who wanted me to watch that old show. I sort of snubbed her about it though. Who wants to watch a cartoon about talking ponies? I shrug again. “It’s actually pretty good. I’ve been watching it here and there since all this began.” She bites her lip. “Does it like… Tell what’s going on?” “No. No I don’t think so. But I do sort of know what’s happening.” I spend the next while explaining everything to her. She sits through it more or less without making a sound, just a soft gasp when I explain what the fiery dream means. “So… So I’m… A reincarnation of a pony? Of an alien creature from another world?” “Uhh… Yeah. That’s one way of putting it. You’re still you; just the magic in you is dangerous so it’s changing you to match. It looks like you’re Trixie.” “That name is ridiculous.” I shrug. “All their names are sort of ridiculous Nikki. I want to find my brother though. He has one of the Princesses in him. I’m sure she can help us out with all sorts of things.” “I still can’t believe you’ve had a brother all this time.” “Me either.” She frowns. “You have no idea where he is?” Now I frown. “He’s… Well he’s in Bellvue.” Her eyes widen at that. “Oh. Oh Erin I’m so sorry. I know what that place was like for you. Jeez you woke up screaming for weeks after coming back from there.” I do my best not to think about that. “Well it’s where he is and so it’s where I need to go. As soon as I can find it.” We sit together in silence for a while. “Well. Even despite all this is really IS nice to see you Erin.” I grin. “You too! What was L.A. like? Did you meet any celebrities?” She rolls her eyes. “I served drinks to plenty of them. It’s not quite as easy to break into the acting business as they make it seem sometimes. I did a commercial. I was in the background during an ad for Coke. You’ve probably seen it!” She considers for a moment. “Actually you probably didn’t. Still no TV?” I shrug. “We have a few at the cabin now?” She laughs at that. The longer I’ve been here the more relaxed and like herself she seems to be getting. “It’s nice to see some things never change Erin.” I give her knee a pat. “Hey! You should come by tonight!” She frowns. “I don’t know Erin…” “Really. Tom’s coming for dinner. And you’ll like everyone at the cabin. They’re all super nice.” She bites her lip. “If my folks can give me a lift then sure. Driving with these things is tricky.” She lifts her leg showing a hoof. “If you like you can just come back with me now. Everyone’s mostly doing clean up still. I remember how much you liked helping me in my gardens.” My grin is teasing, and she rolls her eyes. “Nothing more fun that digging in the dirt all day.” She stares at me for a moment. “Still… This has been lovely. And it might be nice to be around other people with my condition. Alright! I’ll tag along.” She starts to chatter away about what her life in L.A. was like. Personally it sounds pretty awful to me. Detroit was the biggest city I’ve been to and I have no intention of changing that. This morning in town reminded me why. The people here actually care about their neighbors. They always have a minute to lend someone a hand or ask what they’ve been up to. If I wasn’t so sure my life was about to be flipped upside down in the next couple of days I might see about getting a job at the local school. I know they’re almost always looking for help. “Hey Nikki? I need to make a call. I’ll wait for you down at my car ok?” She chirps a happy ‘alrighty!’ as I step out of her room and leave the house. I make sure to give the Blake’s a smile and a nod to let them know everything’s alright. I lean against the SUV and call Mike. It rings a couple times before he answers. “Mike? It’s Erin.” “Hey Erin. Something wrong?” “Maybe. I was hoping you could look into something else for me while you dig stuff up on Corddis.” “Sure? Whaddya need?” “I need to location of the institute I was committed to. Bellvue Hospital for the Mentally Unwell. It’s somewhere in Michigan, that’s all I really know.” “Sounds easy enough. Are you planning another daring breakout?” My pause is answer enough. “Erin, Jake’s one thing. He’s not really sick. But this is a nut house… Er… A place for crazy people? Wow that’s not any better.” I laugh. “It’s fine. Relax. It’s my brother. I think Corddis had him committed to keep him away from me. He’s not REALLY sick.” “Alright I’ll see what I can find. Don’t do anything too crazy until you talk to me first though alright?” “I’ll do my best to keep my insanity under control Officer Haggerty.” He chuckles. “So is Jake doin good?” “I think so. He’s a little down sometimes but I can usually perk him back up.” “Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” I roll my eyes. “Goodbye Mike.” I snap the phone shut and pocket it, unable to hide a little grin. A grin that widens as Nikki comes staggering out in tall leather boots with an enormous sunhat and equally conspicuous sunglasses hiding her ears, horn, and eyes. “Wow that’s not suspicious at hall.” She huffs as she gets in the passenger seat. “Shut it. Mom wouldn’t let me out of the house unless I was disguised.” “Well no one’s going to think you’re turning into a pony under all that. Maybe that you’re smuggling drugs or something, but definitely no unicorn suspicions.” She huffs and slaps my arm as I back out of the drive way. She starts her chatter back up about living on the west coast. I do my best to pay attention but Nikki always had a habit of talking a mile a minute about very little of importance. Still she was the only kid in school who would talk to me once it got around where I’d been. She may be a little vain and self-indulgent but she’d always stood by me when I needed her. Now it looks like she needs someone to stand by her. I’m more than happy to be that person.