//------------------------------//
// 95 - Every Channel 
// Story: Perchance to Dream 
// by David Silver 
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I decided to back away from the door a little. Spotting a unicorn staring at them just inside might slow them down, or so I figured. A nurse approached hesitantly with a bundle of papers. "Here you are... sir?" 

I took them with a thought. "Thank you." They were the discharge papers. I scanned quickly. Admitted for blood loss and other medical jargon. Is now... male and healthy. Great, perfect. I folded the paper and tucked it just under my bow.

My mother, father, and cousin were marching on the building with hopeful expressions that were laced with concern. I would have been too, if I were on the other side. I took a slow breath, waiting for them to come inside before I stepped out with a little clip-clop. "Mom, Dad, Cousin. Hello."

All three came to a stop. Mother was the first to react, "Dear god in heaven, what did they do to you?!"

Dad squinted. "You're telling me this is our little Linlin?"

My ears fell without my asking them to. "I stopped being a 'little Linlin' a while back, dad, but, yes, I am Linda Frohein. I don't suppose you have my phone with you?"

My cousin shook his head. "My boy and your friends have it, actually. They're the ones that found you. They didn't mention, you know, this?"

I smiled at that. Great, my phone wasn't lost. "I'll call them then. For now, we have to get moving. We are on a time table and every moment makes a difference. Can I count on you three to be on my side?"

Mother frowned at me. "As if you need to ask. Look, let's get out of here. Just being in a hospital where this kind of thing can happen makes me nervous." That didn't stop her from stepping up towards me, reaching with shaking fingers to examine my snout. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it even comes with a few perks, but we'll cover that later." I nuzzled her hand, which she seemed to like. Who doesn't like horse nuzzles?

Father was already moving for the door. "Let's get moving. I want answers, and I know you. I won't get a word in until you get what you want."

Bless his heart. That was exactly what I needed. I rose up and followed, with my mother and cousin trailing behind. That was when mother noticed what was clearly evident. "You really are a... man?"

"Stallion?" offered my cousin in an attempt to be helpful.

I looked over my shoulder. "Mom, tell me you have my birth certificate at home."

"In the drawer." As if it were extremely obvious which one. "You need that?"

"And my identification, preferably. We'll have to call the girls to see if they have that."

We emerged into the light of day. People gaped and scrambled out of the way of the horse emerging from the hospital. Good, the more the merrier. I didn't talk to them, but I kept talking with my family. Let there be more people seeing a magic talking horse. There was no going back and hiding, so forward at full speed was the safest course. "Dad, do you watch the news?"

"Once in awhile, why?"

"Happen to know where the closest station is, physically?"

Cousin fished out his phone. "Nothing Google can't answer for us, but why?"

I loved my cousin, I really did, but perhaps there was a reason he didn't get that promotion. As we marched across the parking lot, I turned my head towards him. "You don't think this is newsworthy? Lawyer found near dead at the beach, wakes up with with a sex swap? I think it is."

Dad pulled open the door on his side of the car. "Not mentioning being a horse?" He slid inside without waiting for an answer.

As it turned, ponies could squeeze into cars and sit like people did. It wasn't the ideal for comfort, but I could, and did. I was in the back with my cousin, with Mom and Dad taking the front seats. I had opened the door with a thought, and closed it much the same. Mother had noticed, I was sure, but didn't say anything just yet.

"Found it." He was holding his phone up. "Closest major station."

Dad pulled the car free of its spot and started towards the road. "Linda, you want to do that now, or get home first?"

"Drop me off. You and Mom go get all of my documents and come back for us."

My cousin got the hint. "We'll do what we can. You really want to start screaming?"

I smiled at that. "In more ways than one. It's not every day you wake up as a stallion." Come to think, for me, it was every day. I didn't need to mention that.

A short drive through town had us in front of the news station. I willed the door open and slipped out onto the sidewalk. "Thank you, all of you. See you all soon."

"See me right now." My cousin had scrambled out the same door I had opened. "Let's go."

That reminded me. "Can I borrow your phone?" He surrendered his and I gave my lawyer a call. "Hey, it's me again."

"Linda! Look, I'm doing the research and there just isn't even the start of a legal code for species reassignment."

"Forget that. Focus on what there is precedent for. Sex change and disfiguration. Those are both facts. I went in a woman, came out a male that looks nothing like what I started as. I'm borrowing my cousin's phone, so I can snap a few shots and send them your way. I have the discharge papers, I'll send a snapshot of that too, it has the pertinents."

"They have the details on the discharge? Great, that'll make this a much simpler case."

"Let me send it all to you, so expect them. Thank you for being there."

"You know I'm in your corner."

He hung up and I got to snapping pictures of the discharge papers on each side, then I gave the camera back to my cousin. "Time to show off your photography skills." I gave an equine smile. "Be sure to get my good side."

He looked quite uncertain a moment, but soon had his phone up and I could hear pictures being taken. "Do you want some from, uh, that back end?"

"I did say the good side." I shook my bare bottom. "Go ahead."

As he circled around me, I could see people were staring, pointing, and otherwise ogling us. I was a unicorn, with a bow. I had been floating things with a glowing horn and now I was posing for photographs. A news van pulled up and parked right where my parents had been a moment before. This was not too surprising, considering we were in front of their building, but I couldn't help but smile at the timing.

A female reporter stepped free of the van. She was not rushing for me. She looked as confused as everyone else. She was probably coming back from something and didn't expect me to be there. She caught on though and waved her cameraman over and pointed at me. Soon I had another recording device capturing me in all my chiseled equine glory. Good. I decided to escalate.

Approaching that secretary on three hooves, the last raising to wave at her, I called out, "Hello there."

I could see her fingers clutching the microphone she had just gotten into place all the tighter. "We are... here, in front of the studio, with..." She held out the microphone towards me. "Care to introduce yourself?"

With pleasure. I leaned in towards the microphone. "Hello. I am Linda Frohein. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I was a woman. Now, I am not."

I could see doubt and confusion play across her face. "You'll excuse my doubts, but our viewers undoubtedly share them. You appear to be a... horse."

"Whatever I am, I am Linda Frohein. My parents are retrieving my documents right now. They are human, just as you are, and I am. This isn't about... that, not specifically. I am sueing the treating hospital. Under their care, I have had my sex changed and have been disfigured severely, both without request." I pulled free the discharge papers and held them up, floating there in the air in my magic. "Here are the papers, as written and signed by the hospital itself."

She reached forward hesitantly. She didn't want to touch the magic glow, but she didn't want to let go of such obvious evidence either. I set the paper down on the ground and it stopped glowing. She seemed more comfortable plucking it up then. Her eyes quickly scanned for the most important bits. A most unwholesome swear emerged from her. "Thank fucking Christ we are not live right now." Her eyes moved to my cousin. "Sir? Are you with her?"

"She's my cousin," he replied with a smile. "I'm here to support her." He held out his phone where I could see it and I got to sending all the pictures to my lawyer without taking it. I could press the buttons without 'holding' the phone, so I didn't bother. "We just picked her up at the hospital before we came here."

"How are you... feeling?" She smiled awkwardly. "Are you in any pain?"

I shook my head. "I am perfectly functional. I am clear of mind and completely mobile." I lifted each hoof one at a time. "This isn't about that kind of injury. I presume you would not wish to awaken looking like me if you were taken to the hospital for an unrelated condition. Now I need to update my driver's license and deal with coworkers, friends, and even family not recognizing me when they see me. This is unacceptable."

"Unacceptable is the minimum." She waved to her cameraman. "Would you care to come with us inside?"

I looked to my cousin. "Wait for Mom and Dad and escort them inside when they get here, alright?" He nodded, and I passed that nod to the reporter. "Let's go."





Tod considered his options. He had to give Trixie, pony Trixie, a dare. Horribly inappropriate options likely went through his mind, but he settled on something more appropriate. "I'd like to see some magic, do something I couldn't do, a real show of magic."

Trixie laughed softly. "Is that all? That is something Trixie happens to specialize in." She looked around the room before settling on the remote. "Teacup!" With a burst of magic, they had a teacup remote, with its sides and bottoms made of fine porcelain, but its top still plastic and holding the buttons it needed to function. "Ta da!" She looked down to the spinner and grabbed the can in her magic. "Now she gets a turn." Round and round it went, stopping on Night Heart. "Ah, our newest guest."

Night smiled nervously, ears quivering up and back in her failed attempt to look brave. "A-alright?"

"Truth or dare?" challenged Trixie dramatically, a little cackle to go with it.

"O-oh, um, truth." She bobbed her head. "Truth please."

Trixie stuck out her tongue. "Oh, fine, take the boring way out. Mmm, what was your first kiss? We want details."

Night's ears fell. "D-does family count?"

All the heads that were not hers shook. Trixie rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

"Alright, so, first kiss..." She sat up on her haunches. "There was a colt in school. He stole it. He was trying to prove to his friends that he could kiss, and I was the lucky mare walking past at the time. So all of a sudden, there's a colt attached to me." She became more red by the moment. "I shoved him away so hard, the poor thing bonked his head on a bench and passed out. The other colts panicked and ran off, leaving me with their unconscious, bleeding, friend. I was angry, but not that angry. I couldn't just... leave him, so I did what I could and..." Her blush got worse by the moment. "That was how I got my cutie mark, helping a stupid colt not die from kissing a filly without asking."