The Eleventh Day (Burger Time with Twilight Sparkle)
I opened my eyes.
I looked around to see myself in a weird blueish purple void of sorts with no real landmarks to be seen. I was seated in a wooden chair, my back standing straight up. My body was human and it looked like how it was before I left for the clinical trials. It was a dream, so that wasn’t too unusual. What was unusual was the table that was seated in front of me.
The table itself had an assortment of food and condiments laid out before me. It was all very delectable and wonderful, like a Thanksgiving dinner. That alone wasn’t all that unusual. It was when my eyes started to wander farther away from my plate that I started to notice some unusual foods and sides that I had never seen before.
For starters, there was a bowl that seemed to be filled with nothing but an assortment of flowers. Normally, I would think that it was simply a table decoration, but then I noticed a pair of salad tongs stuck in the bowl as well, implying they were meant to be eaten. The placement of salad dressings next to it seemed to confirm my suspicions that it was being served up as some kind of salad. I glanced over to the other side of the "flower salad" to get a glance at the dish that was behind it. Upon first glance at the plate, it looked like it was filled up with something resembling veggie burgers but with hash-browns as the patty. However, upon further inspection, I saw it was actually hay between those buns and not potatoes. The odd buffet continued as I saw some cupcakes that seem to have shards of crystals in it for some reason and a large jug of Apple Cider, one of the only normal things on that side of the table.
The obvious explanation for this bizarre befuddling brunch was that all this food on the other side of the table was not meant for me. Rather, it was probably for the young mare sitting across from me. There she was. I recognized that purple mare from my dreams. She was either the mare I was watching from afar or someone who’s body I would unknowingly possess. Now that she was sitting there she seemed so...normal. Our eyes locked and after a brief moment of awkward staring, she finally spoke up.
“Uh, Hello there!” Twilight responded to me.
“Uh, hi Twilight,” was all I managed to utter out before an awkward silence filled the room.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to her, given the bizarreness of the whole situation. This was really the first time I was able to “talk” to Twilight as a separate entity. Up until now I had either been watching her, I “was” her or was otherwise indisposed. There were so many things I could ask her and so many different things I could learn from her. Maybe I could even learn about why this transformation was happening to me. But there was one thing that was on my mind most of all.
“Uhm, what the heck is going on with those burgers?” I blurted out, unable to get any other question to come out of my mouth.
“Oh these?” Twilight held up the burger with a hoof. “This is what’s called a ‘Hayburger’. It’s like a normal hamburger but obviously instead of a meat based patty that's made from cattle, it’s a grass and herbaceous based patty filled with all the vitamins and nutrients a pony might need. Though...it’s kind of embarrassing, but I like a lot of ketchup on it to the point where it sometimes drowns out the flavor of the patty!”
“Ah,” I exclaim softly, not expecting such a detailed explanation. That was a dumb thing to ask. I should have just talked to her about this whole situation and why she’s here. I figured an icebreaker would be a bit less awkward. Well, regardless, I decided to get right to the heart of the matter.
“So, here we are finally. You and me.” I say with slight wonderment. “I’m not entirely sure what to say to you. I have no idea if you were involved with my transformation at all, or if you’re just along for the ride. There’s no doubt you’re connected to me and my condition. The real mystery is why you’re connected to me. But before all of that, I think we need to get proper introductions out of the way. I’m Penn.”
Twilight grinned and nodded. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, though I suspect you knew that already.”
I nodded and gave a small smile. I pressed on. “Well Twilight, that brings me to my next question; Who exactly are you, Twilight Sparkle? The obvious answer is ‘A purple talking unicorn who likes to over explains things’ but I realize there’s more to it than that.”
“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed followed by a whinny of frustration. “I make sure to fully explain ideas and concepts to make sure they’re fully understood! I would much rather be accused of over explaining than leaving something out that could be vital to the discussion.” She huffed a bit, clearly very passionate about her methods.
“Alright, okay. I’m sorry.” I apologized. “Still, it would be nice to know more about you in...well...a reasonable amount of time.”
Twilight gave a slight sigh. “Well, I guess I can give you an abridged history of my life and my accomplishments.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Ever since I was young, I had an almost insatiable desire for books and learning and the subject I loved learning about the most was magic. I learned so much about magic and spells that my parents enrolled me in a school dedicated to magical learning. This avid quest for knowledge came at a price; I had basically no friends.”
“Boy, I understand that feeling.” I idly comment.
”My teacher Princess Celestia told me that I needed to make some friends and that it would help me with my studies. At first I didn’t believe her and I even bemoaned the idea of having to make friends, thinking that it was a waste of time. But I soon came face to face with a threat that I was unable to tackle alone. That’s when I came to know five of my closest friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. It’s not so different from how you formed friendships with the people in this facility.”
“You mean my friends from the Magic Meeting Room?” I asked.
“Heehee, yes, exactly. It’s a humorous name, but I think it's also very fitting. From what I’ve seen, the friends you’ve made are similar to the ones I have. Those friends helped me become the mare I am today and helped me out through thick and thin. However, while I’ve explained the history of Twilight Sparkle, I haven’t really explained the history of who I am.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Well,” Twilight let out a sigh. “I’m Twilight in terms of personality, memories and intelligence. However, I believe my consciousness only began when you were injected and I was “put inside” of you. Basically, I think that I’m a Twilight Sparkle, but I’m not the Twilight Sparkle. Does that make sense?”
“I guess it does. You’re along for the ride and these changes are the vaccine’s doing.” I plainly state.
Twilight then shifts in her chair, a frown forming on her muzzle. “Hey, I have a bit of a personal question to ask you. Do...do you...hate me for what’s happening to your body?”
I sat there in silence for a moment. That was a pretty big question. I took a deep breath in and let it out before continuing. “I’ll fully admit this...I was very scared about the changes at first and I’m still a bit cautious about what is happening to me and what the end result will be. I was definitely angry at losing my human body at first since it was something I was accustomed to for so long. It's the body I was born with after all. Do I hate you for it? No. No, I don’t hate you. You didn’t ask to be put in here. You didn’t have a say in changing me. You’re stuck in this situation the same as I am.”
Twilight let out a sigh and smiled. “Ah, that means a lot. I was worried that you hated me for that.”
Well, this was the moment for me to ask the big question. All the other questions had been nice to know about but they all distracted from the big mystery question that was at hand. I took a deep breath in and out and then asked Twilight the big one.
“Twilight, do you know why I’m changing?”
The smile faded from Twilight’s face and she turned away briefly. She turned back, closed her eyes and put her hoof to her chest. She took a deep breath in, and breathed out pushing her hoof out towards me. She then opened her eyes and looked at me with a friendly but stern gaze.
“The short answer to that is a ‘No’ and the long answer is ‘No, but...’ though that isn’t exactly an answer to your question.” Twilight began. “As I’ve said before, I’m basically a part of you and as such, a lot of the knowledge I gain is from your perspective. So because of that, I’m in the dark on a lot of these things, same as you. However...that doesn’t mean I don’t have a theory for why you’re changing.” Twilight explained.
“Hmm, alright, what theory do you have?” I asked.
“My guess is that the vaccine was made by gathering from a strong source of magic. Franklin said he sourced the parts for the vaccine from a ‘compound with amazing regenerative properties’. Whatever he has, it’s got a lot of magic in it and it’s being used as a cure all. While it certainly can work and I think that's a noble cause, I think there is a distinct lack of understanding on the scientist’s part and that’s why some of the patients are transforming.” Twilight finished her explanation.
“Hmm, I knew whatever they had was probably pretty unusual, but it helps getting a second opinion on the matter. Hopefully, we can find whatever it is they’ve been using.” I utter with determination.
“What will you do when you find what’s causing the transformations? Will you try and find a cure and fix things?” Twilight asked in a somber tone.
My initial instinct would have been to blurt out “yes” almost immediately, but after this conversation with Twilight, now I wasn’t so sure. A part of me wanted to be selfish and just say that this was my body and that Twilight was just an invader who didn’t belong here. But I just couldn’t bring myself to say that.
No one “asks” to be brought into this world. I didn’t ask to be born but I was. Twilight didn’t ask to be formed inside my head from the vaccine, but she was. All this time I thought she was some invasive presence, some kind of unwanted influence or a parasite but now...she was just like anyone else. She was like a friend. A friend who would always be there.
“I don’t feel like you’re something that needs ‘fixing’ Twilight. If there are others that want to change back and become human again, I won’t stop them. If there’s a way to make my body human but keep you in here, I might consider that. But if any of those choices asks me to destroy you, I don’t think that’s a choice at all.”
Twilight beams at me, tears starting to form in her eyes. She reaches over the table with a hoof, wanting to reach out to me.
I reach out my hand to meet her hoof.
We reach out to touch and-
There’s a loud crash as I fall out of bed.
The Eleventh Day
I was sprawled out on the floor, my head still aching from the fall. So much for reaching out to Twilight. Still, my worries about her were much less prominent. I don’t think I should reject her but rather I should embrace her. Hopefully, I’ll dream about her tomorrow so I can get another chance to talk to her again.
I gathered myself up off the floor and shook my head. I should talk to James since he seems to be the pony to go to for dream advice. There was also the matter of finding out more about that shapeshifter person. Maybe they’d be able to answer all the questions that have been brought up.
I stretched my limbs and walked over to the mirror. It was time to go through my daily ritual of checking myself for changes. The fear from the previous days was gone and replaced with curiosity. Heck, I almost felt a sense of excitement. I was curious how much of that was me and how much of that was Twilight talking. I dismissed that thought for now and focused on what my reflection in the mirror.
The first thing that caught my eye was...well, my eyes. They were still very large in proportion to my human head and they made me look very...cute? It was certainly pleasant to look at for sure. Moving out from there, I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any trace of humanity left on any part of my head. From the neck up, I was a dead ringer for Twilight.
Looking down to my torso, it was still a mishmash of human and equine anatomy sprawled all over. It was a patchwork of purple fur and human skin, though the amount of purple was increasing. I twisted my body to get a look behind me and the wings that were growing back there. They looked bigger, but they didn’t feel fully grown. I doubt they’d be able to sustain my weight right now and even if they did, the idea of flying around felt a bit intimidating. Maybe I can observe and look at one of the pegasi patients and see them flying around and learn from them.
I sighed as I looked over the rest of my body and couldn’t really find any other significant changes. The changes today were pretty light overall, but I felt that was more likely a result of there not being much left to change. I was becoming more and more comfortable with myself and my body. I just hope others would be receptive to the changes as well.
I turned over to my clothes, specifically the new set that Nathan had made for me, complete with spots for my wings to stick out from the back. It was a bit bizarre seeing back slits on otherwise normal looking clothing. I started to imagine what Twilight might look like in one of my outfits. I pictured her in a polo shirt and khaki shorts. It was a pretty ridiculous image that made me giggle slightly.
I got dressed and looked back to see how I looked. Nathan’s outfit fit me perfectly and it accented my colors pretty well, but I felt something...off about seeing myself in an outfit. It felt like...the outfit was unnecessary? Twilight wasn’t wearing anything in my dream so I’m guessing she wasn’t all that concerned about being nude. I furrowed my brow. Maybe I was feeling that too? Well, I’ll only give that a thought when I’m fully changed.
I sighed and moved over to the door. I should go and talk to James about my dream with Twilight. Given his connections with people’s dreams, he might be able to shed some light on this. I pushed open the door and headed down to the cafeteria.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I went down to the cafeteria at a slow trot. I didn’t really need to rush myself and it was giving me time to think. Over the past 10 days, I’ve done almost nothing but thinking. It’s not like I could do much more than that, given the current circumstances, but I felt like that was going to change. Once I was completely changed, I could focus exclusively on answering the burning questions sitting in the back of my mind.
I pushed open the doors to the cafeteria. I looked around at the different people sitting down and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyrell and Julius sitting at one table. Memories of using my horn for the first time flooded back into my mind. If I was going to find out more about what was going on, I’d needed to master the abilities I had and they seemed to know the most about how my horn worked. I walked in and noticed that they were sitting with James as well! That’s right, James had done some testing with them too. I guess I’ll be able to feed two birds with one scone.
I pushed through the line at the cafeteria to see what to get for myself. I got a nice salad, a veggie burger and some fries. I was about to leave the line and grab a seat, but I stopped dead in my tracks. I whipped my head back around at the food line and that’s where I spotted it. The small bowl was calling to me, begging me to take it. The temptation was immense and I was only able to get out one audible response.
“P u d d i n g.” I bellowed, entranced by the delightful dessert.
I quickly grabbed it and put it on my tray. I smiled to myself. The pudding was mine. Today was going to be a good day. I soon waltzed over to the table containing the three familiar faces.
“Room for another?” I asked in a chipper tone.
“Ah, sure.” Tyrell said, with a surprised look.
“Heh, well then,” Julius grinned looking over at me. “How’s that pudding smell?”
My smile faded, replaced with an embarrassed frown. Did I say that pudding part too loud? Oh boy.
“Good day,” James greeted me, unphased. “I hope you slept well?” James winked at me.
My brief embarrassment faded and I nodded at James. “Ah, yeah, I did have a pretty good dream last night. I’ll tell you about it later. But first…” I turned over to glance at Tyrell and Julius. “I haven’t seen you two for a while. I’m guessing you’ve still been doing research and trying to find out what makes us ponies tick.”
Julius nodded. “Yeah, we’re doing a lot of important work and researching how your abilities work. Levitation is a pretty cool thing to see and we wanna know how it works. I would love it if you could come by so we can take a more detailed look into those abilities. There’s just so many things we need to examine.”
I nodded. I wasn’t exactly on board with Julius’ fanatic zeal in regards to research given that he tended to ignore the fact that he was working with a living, breathing, sentient being. That being said, he and Tyrell did know a lot about my abilities and I knew I could learn a lot if I worked with them.
Tyrell shook his head. “Don’t worry, Penn. I won't let Julius get away with unchecked science-y shenanigans.”
“I’ll have you know that I am the best at science-y shenanigans!” Julius jokingly growled. I knew he meant that as a joke, but still felt a bit uneasy about it. Still, these two seem to know at least a little bit about my powers.
I decided to focus on eating my meal, listening to what the others had to talk about. Tyrell sensing a lull in the conversation, decided to speak up. “So, I got news about when the guard is supposed to come by. They’re gonna be here in three days. I’m worried they might end up doing more harm than good.”
Julius shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just another hurdle we’ll all have to leap across. I don’t think they’ll be a serious problem. Plus, last I checked, the guard is deployed in times of crisis, yeah? Well, I can safely say that the country is in crisis at the moment. Still, I get your concern man; A buncha trained armored people with guns surrounded by talking ponies that can levitate stuff? That could be a recipe for disaster.”
“We will not harm anyone.” James suddenly interjected with a defiant proclamation. “Humans might see us as a threat, but I assure you, we do not want to harm others.”
"I believe you, James." Tyrell gave a solemn nod.
“Hey now, I never said you guys were at all violent.” Julius defended himself. “Interesting powers, yes. Violent? No. I haven’t seen any of you become violent and I don’t think you guys will. There’s almost a calm harmony about you guys. It’s very relaxing, I’ve gotta say.”
“Well, we ought to get back to our lab.” Tyrell stated, standing up. “The doors to our lab are open to you two. I’d like to see you guys there more often. We considered the idea of making visits mandatory but Franklin put a stop to that. He said he didn’t want you guys feeling like you were an experiment. Anyway, have a good day you two.”
“Later Penn, Later James!” Julius waved goodbye as he followed Tyrell out the door.
“Hmm, Franklin didn’t want us feeling like experiments, huh?” I muttered to myself.
“Penn,” James said, interrupting my thoughts. ”I suggest we meet up with the others. I suspect we’ll all have a lot to talk about.”
I turn to face James. “Oh? Did you see into my dream? Did you see Twilight and me there?”
James nodded. “While I did not venture into your dream proper, I did take a glance at what you were dreaming about. And while I am not at liberty to discuss what everyone else dreamed about, I can say that many of our friends had similar dreams last night. This is why I feel we should all discuss this in the Magic Meeting Room.”
I nodded at James and cleared the table. When we were all finished cleaning, we both trotted out of the cafeteria. The dream was now back on my mind. I thought about what James had said about everyone else having similar dreams and it made me curious.
“Hey James,” I begin.
“Yes?” James replies.
“I know you said that everyone had a similar dream to mine last night but I’m curious; Did ‘Princess Luna’ ever come and talk to you?” I inquired.
James gives a small gasp. He was not startled by it or even angry, but he seemed surprised that he was being asked.
“I...well…” He stumbles over his words before taking a deep breath in and out. “Yes. I did indeed have a dream with Princess Luna. I had a dream about her much earlier than everyone else. While the others had interactions with their pony selves last night, I had an interaction with Princess Luna very early on.”
“Really...what was that like, if you mind me asking?” I pushed further.
“Well,” James begins. “She told me about how the dream world functions and what I can do with my abilities. She was a very reserved pony and she didn’t really want to talk about herself. I surmise that she may have had a troubled and unhappy past that she does not want to talk about. I do not blame her for not wanting to talk about that. Though slowly, I have been able to get her to open up more to me. My hope is that eventually we can come together and discuss what terror haunts her so.” James looks off into the distance, a frown plastered on her face. “Ah, I apologize, I talked at length about that. Excuse me.”
I shake my head. “No no, that’s fine. I like hearing about relationships...and I suspect Twilight does too.”
The two of us continued to chat about our dreams as we ventured up the hallway.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I threw open the door to our own private domain to see the plethora of colorful faces staring back at me. A week ago, we were just regular people but now we are these new creatures that the world had never seen before. It was both exciting and mysterious. I made my way over to my seat and sat down.
“So,” I began. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I had a pretty interesting dream last night.”
“I’m guessin’ it involved a small pony talkin’ to you in your dreams, yeah?” Darnel asked.
“Yeah, it did.” I replied. “I’m guessing you had the same thing happen?”
Darnel grinned and chuckled. “Heehee, yeah, I had a nice cowgirl named Applejack talk to me about family and honesty. She also talked about how amazing apples were which was a bit odd. Then again, her name is Applejack. Regardless, we had a wonderful conversation.”
“Well,” Will interjected. “I didn’t so much have a conversation as I had a heart pounding race with the fastest Pegasus I have ever seen. Then again I’ve never really seen a pegasus until now. Her name was Rainbow Dash and she was pretty awesome.”
I nodded then turned over to look at Juan. I knew that he was always worried about losing his sense of self and his identity. If there was anyone who would be hesitant about this, it would probably be him. But when I examined his face, he didn’t seem worried.
“Hey Juan.” I leaned in to talk to him. “Did you have a conversation with a small pony last night?”
“Oh uhm, yes! I did talk to somepony. Her name was Fluttershy and she was wonderful.” He gives a small smile as he talks about his dream. “We were sitting in a field filled with a bunch of different animals and she started talking to them and well, it was weird but I was able to understand them too.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You could understand them?”
Juan nodded. “Yeah. Fluttershy told me it was her ‘special talent’ and she guessed that because I was starting to look more like her, I was starting to gain her talents as well.”
I tapped my hoof to my chin. “Alright...and you weren’t at all scared by this development?”
“I won’t lie, I’m still a little scared about this situation. But I don’t think I’m scared about transforming anymore.” Juan nodded. "Fluttershy helped me deal with my fears."
I smiled. “That’s good. I was worried about you since you’ve shown some hesitation towards anything relating to transforming. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Ohmygosh! I had an AMAZING dream!” Meghan exclaimed. “There I was walking along a pathway when suddenly there was a HUGE picnic blanket filled with all sorts of pastries and treats! And then I met Pinkie Pie and she and I went bananas over all these banana splits and oh my goodness there were SO MANY DIFFERENT TREATS! I think I had like 4 dozen doughnuts, 5 gallons of ice cream and like 10 whole pies!”
“...I think I got diabetes just from hearing that description.” Nathan groaned a bit. “I should point out that I also had a wonderful conversation with a pony last night. She was an off-white unicorn named Rarity and she was a delight to talk to. We discussed many topics from fashion to design and even business. She’s a wonderfully intelligent woman and one I hope to converse with on a daily basis.”
“Ah, that’s good.” Cadence spoke up. “I remember when I spoke to Cadence. It was a pretty fun conversation all things considered.”
“Eh?” I piped up. “You had a conversation with your uhm, ‘Pony Self’ as well?”
“Yes, I did. I guess I was just more receptive to Cadence’s presence so we connected quicker. Ah, that’s not to say that you guys don’t have a strong and wonderful connection with your pony! But I think you guys got a little bit of help with that.” Cadence grins as she turns her gaze to look at me.
“Wh...what me?” I say, puzzled.
Cadence nods. “From what I’ve seen, every patient that’s been changing seems to have a special ability that’s unique to them. This can be something mundane like being amazing at cooking, or something fantastical like Luna’s dream walking or my empathy. From what I’ve seen, I think you have an amazing ability, Penn. I think you’ve got the power of friendship.” Cadence remarked.
“That full on sounds like something out of an Anime.” Will snarked. “But it DOES explain how Penn was able to forge friendships with all of us so quickly and bring us together day in and day out. You’re a pretty cool guy, Penn.”
I blushed. I don’t think I did that much. “Eheh, thanks.” I meekly reply. “I’m glad we’re all doing better than we were before. This will make things much easier in finding out more about this shapeshifter person.”
The tone of the room shifted as I brought up the specter of the mysterious being.
“We still don’t know much about this person.” Nathan commented.
“No, we don’t.” I replied. “But if what Cadence is saying is correct, then we probably have a patient who’s also tapped into their abilities. Namely, the ability to shapeshift.”
“Ooooh, are they like Mystique from X-Men? That’s pretty cool! If I had those kinds of powers, I’d sneak into the cafeteria and snag aaaaaaaaaall the cupcakes.” Meghan started to rub her hooves together and began to chuckle.
“Well, if this person is using abilities to move around and sneak into places, I figured we need to find out more about our own powers.” I stated.
“How are you plannin’ on doin’ that?” Darnel asked.
“Well, there’s those two scientists named Julius and Tyrell. They seem to know a lot more about us and might be able to help me unlock my potential. I already know them and I might be able to share some of the knowledge I get with you guys.”
Will narrowed his eyes. “Can we trust them though?”
I sigh and frown. “Probably not, but I don’t think that we have much choice.”
“Well, we will be here to support you in your endeavor.” James assured me. “We must find out about this shapeshifter and if they know anything about what’s going on in this facility.”
I firmly nod. “Yeah. I’m gonna hone my abilities and hopefully, we can find out more about what’s going on around here.”
I knew what I’d be doing tomorrow. My friends and I soon moved on to other subjects and topics of discussion, but that spark of determination stood in the back of my mind. I would need to learn more about my new body and I would need to know more about Twilight if I ever wanted to get to the truth about what’s happening here.
One thing is for sure; tomorrow was going to be important for me.
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Mission parameters set: target defined, let's get em, girls!
It's good that they're thinking about trustworthiness already, but not jumping the gun and backing themselves into a corner of paranoia. The fact that they're trying to be more aware while seeking the changeling (is there only one?) could easily slip that slide...
Keep going! ;)
Wonder how much Penn-Twilight is going to nerd out over things...will be interested to see them all learning their new talents. Sneaky buggos, smart buggos too.
I wonder which change-ling it is
10327189
Chrysalis I wager
I wonder if this changeling is working for the scientists, or is using their abilities to snoop around and find out what exactly is going on.
And contact has been made with Twilight! Sorta. Kinda. Looks like my mental construct theory was a good one, even if it does not answer why she and the others have memories of Equestria. It's not as if the people in this story have seen a certain show to work from.
Is it a drone or maybe chrysalis
Also yeah it is kind of strange how the pony characters have full-blown show personalities without any connection to the actual show.