//------------------------------//
// Me, Myself, and I 
// Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. 
// by Symphonicdysonince 
//------------------------------//

I never got my nap. My thoughts kept chasing themselves around my head. Was biting Thunderlane overkill? My first thought is a resounding no, but I know that is wrong. But I don't think I was in the wrong. But, as a rational being, I know that there were other options. So why did I default to violence? But I didn't, I gave him fair warning. Didn't I?

All too soon, Rainbow had finished her nap. She didn't say anything, but I could still feel her disappointment. I hung my head the whole ride home. Rainbow made good on her fishcake promise. It wasn't until we were getting ready for bed that she finally said something.

"You know what you did wrong. Be glad that Thunderlane was as understanding as he was."

I did, and I was. So why don't I feel bad about it? The thought swam through my head as I fell asleep.



I walked through some bushes lining a wide trail of hardened dirt, relishing in the breeze as it blew through my fur. I went on my merry way, the red and yellow fish I ate prior settling nicely in my stomach. My ears twitched as I heard a noise coming from ahead of me. Curiosity peaked, I ran forward, listening as the sounds grew closer.

"We(ə)r is hē?" The sound was coming from the trail. I nudged a branch out of way to see a large two legged, mostly furless monkey with pale skin pacing back and forth. What little fur it had looked shorn short with dedicated care. It never left the confines of the trail. I shrunk back in fear, as it seemed to have bloodlessly torn the top of a long-eared, tan dog's head off and placed it on its own. "(H)wät ko͝od bē ˈtākiNG him sō läNG?"

The monkey used its elongated, brown, odd looking hoof to kick a loose rock into the far bushes. "Itz bad iˈnəf T͟Hat  ˈlēō'z ˈēgō hazˌdisəˈpi(ə)red  ī dōnt nō (h)wī ī po͝ot əp wiTH T͟Hat imˈpəlsiv fo͞ol." It seemed to sigh. "Hēz ˈōnlē gotten wərs sins T͟Hat dam ˈmiSHˌmaSH ˈdevəl moved in." It saw another rock, teasing it from the dirt. "T͟Hat THiNG haz taken kənˈtrōl, and T͟Hē ˈəT͟Hərz e(ə)r lāt fər T͟Hē riˈzistəns ˈmētiNG!" 

It kicked the rock at the bush I was hiding in. I yipped as the rock flew past my head. I bolted in a panic. I only stopped when I tumbled from the bushes. I lay on a patch of short grass trying to catch my breath.

A black paw stepped into my field of vision. I looked up to see a black and light grey dog. His red eye's glared down at me. I quickly got up, ready to fight or run. That's when I saw the smaller light grey dog hiding behind his leg.

"Umm, hi?"

The elder canine smiled, giving off a feeling of welcoming. I relaxed as he tilted his head to his pup. Both the pup and I leaned forward to get the other's scent. It wasn't long before the pup was bounding around me with excitement. 

With a smile, I turned back to the elder. "Thank you for letting me stay on your range."

Yellow light glared over the shortened grass. The three of us bolted to the bushes lining the grassy area. We each ran to different sides. I looked to the light source to see a family group of those odd monkeys. The larger male (I think) was pointing at me, directing his young's attention to me. The two pups were staring at me in awe. I glanced at the bushes the other canines ran to, but they had left completely.

I decided to follow their example and turned and left. I made my way through the woods, looking for a place to sleep. I soon spotted a cave. That'll do. I thought as I trotted inside. I made my way to the back, knowing that I would be safest there. I would also find any other occupants there if this cave was already owned. I turned the last corner and stopped, zipping back around the corner. I looked cautiously around the corner to confirm my fears.

The monkey from the trail was there.

It wasn't until I got a third look that I saw the differences. This one's fur was longer and more scraggly. It's coverings were torn and had holes in them. And it was chained to the back wall. It's eyes glared at the corner I was hiding behind. "Yə kəm bak tä glōt, yə ˈbastərd?" It struggled against the chains. "Kəm out and dō it tä mī fās, yə ˈfəkiNG 
ˈkou-ərd!"

I waited until it had calmed down. Once it did, I tentatively stepped out to get a closer look. It was chained to the point of immobility, so I felt safe.

Its eyes softened. "ō, ˈēgō. (H)wət did T͟Hət ˈfəkər dō tä yə..." It's eyes snapped up to glare at something behind me. "Stā əˈwā frəm him!!"

I heard laughter come from behind me, before I felt a sharp pain burst from my chest through my back. I looked down at the claws jutting from my chest in shock. I coughed some blood out onto them.



I jerked awake from my dream. I lay in my bed, panting heavily. I got up once my heart had calmed down. I needed to find Yomega. I crept my way out of the house. Once paws touched dirt, I ran to the library. I squirmed my way through the nearest tunnel, then quietly walked up the basement stairs.

I paused as I passed one of the side rooms. I could hear muffled voices from within. I decided to ignore them and made my way up to Twilight's room as quietly as I could so I didn't wake up the sleeping mare. I poked my head in to see if I could spot Yomega as well as anything I might trip over. It took me a moment to realize that no one was there.

I made my way back to the room I heard people talking in. For all I knew, Twilight could be late going to bed again.
I tilted an ear towards the cracked open door as I approached.

"Ugh, no, that still doesn't taste right."

"Still too bland?"

"Yeah." I gave the door a quick scratch. "... I'll get it?"

I saw Abes' paw hook the door's edge before he swung it open. Behind him sat Lulu and Villhiem with three cups between them. "Oh hey, Leo. What are you doing up?"

"Lookin' fer Yomega." I mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Abes placed a paw on my shoulder, "he's over at Applejack's. Twilight, Moon Dancer, and Rarity are having a sleep over. I think they have one every couple moon's or so."

" Oh..." My ears and tail dropped. I turned to go. "I'll see him tomorrow, then." I murmured.

Abes' paw tightened its grip. "Hey, we might not be him, but you can still talk to us."

I heard a snort from Villhiem. "Especially if it's just a bad dream."

I let myself be led into the room. They sat me down between them. I curled my tail around me as I shrunk in on myself. I watched as Villhiem tore a small chunk of tail-leaf off and dropped it into one of the cups. Lulu held a paw up, staring at it in concentration. I watched as the paw seemed to bubble and warp as steam began to rise from it. Once it was bubbling at a frantic rate, she dipped it into the cup. Pulling her paw back, I could see she had left a cupful of hot water that began to become discolored.

Pushing the cup to me, Abes spoke. "So, what has got you so down?"

I looked to each of them, before focusing on the cup. "I... I think I may have a problem." I mumbled to the liquid. I missed the shared look the evolved forms had.  "Have ya been told about Thunderlane from earlier?"

"Yeah." Villhiem nodded. "He got bitten earlier and spent most of the day talking to Moon Dancer about...." He trailed off as a look of horror spread across his muzzle. "That was you!" I nodded dejectedly. "Why?!"

"I was bored, an' frustrated at being bored, an' thinking about winter, an' wanted to be left alone!" I wailed. "And Thunderlane wouldn't stop poking me, an' I tried to give him hints to fuck off, an' he wasn't listening! I didn't even notice that I used my move until I tasted blood!"

Abes gave my cup a nudge. Taking the hint, I took a small sip. I could feel the spores taking affect, relaxing me. "... This is very bitter." I mumbled before taking another sip.

"We know, darling." Lulu assured. "But, to bring the topic back to the matter at paw, you obviously feel bad about biting him, so-"

"But I don't!" I stressed. "I feel bad about not feeling bad, but I couldn't care less about the bite itself. I feel completely justified about it. Which leads to my problem..."

"You don't want it to happen again?" Villhiem guessed.

"No!" I shook my head. "It's more... complicated than that..." I trailed off.

"Don't leave us in suspense." Abes pressed.

I glared at him. "I'm tryin' ta form the words!" I took an angry slurp of tea. "This is very effective tea." I said as I relaxed again. I took my time to put my thought's in order. "I feel like I'm losing myself. Like I'm not being 'Leo' and becoming the 'Eevee'. Like... " I paused. "Like my actions are not 'mine'. Like I'm running off of instinct. Just by the fact we were brought here, I've lost the most." I gestured to my groin. "I feel like I'm losing more of who and what I am to the form I've been forced into...."

The evolved forms shared another look. I missed the subtext to the look, and I figured that I wouldn't for a long while yet. Abes placed a paw on my shoulder again. "I feel that this is an outside context problem for us. But, tell you what." He pulled me into a hug. "We'll keep an eye on you, and try to stop you if it look like you're going too far. And if you need to talk, we will listen. Okay?"

I nodded, taking another sip of the tea. "Okay..."

I guess that's the best I can hope for....

... this really is good tea...