“I don’t think I got your name yet,” Jubilee stated, taking a seat on a comfy looking chair set low to the floor. Cassy followed her example having to scrunch down a little bit in order for the small chair opposite the pony to accommodate her taller form.
“Right, sorry,” she apologized, clearing her throat. “My name is Cassy. Well, it’s actually Cassidy, but most of my friends just call me Cassy for short.” The mention of her friends brought melancholic feelings upon Cassy, making her wonder how they were doing. For that matter, she wondered how her family would cope with the news of her being gone.
She shook her head, putting the thought out of her mind in favor of taking in the interior of Jubilee’s home. It was rustic and well kempt domicile, with picture frames taking up almost available space on the walls. A fireplace constructed of quartered stone was the main focal point of the living room, and the scent of cinnamon lingered in the air. Everything conveyed a feeling of comfort and peace, putting Cassy at ease somewhat.
That ease was kept tempered however by the knowledge that she was under heavy scrutiny from Jubilee as the mare seemed unwilling to take her eyes off the woman for more than a few seconds, something that Cassy was unfortunately all too aware of.
“Cassy, eh? Sounds nice,” Jubilee said, the compliment sounding a little disingenuous. “Now then, if you don’t mind, would ya be so kind as to explain a few things to me? Like where you’re from, and what you’re doin’ here?”
Understanding that it was probably going to be an uphill battle in earning Jubilee’s trust, Cassy nodded and proceeded to explain her situation, being sure to stress the point that she was not there to cause any trouble. She considered including the fact that she was not exactly the right species, but chose to leave it out for now in favor of being succinct. When she finished her abbreviated tale, Jubilee remained silent for a good long while, a hoof placed to her chin in thought. Realistically only a minute or so passed while the mare considered Cassy’s words, but it felt longer to the woman as she waited anxiously, nervously wringing her small hands in silence.
Finally, Jubilee seemed to come a conclusion as she flashed Cassy a sympathetic look and said, “Well, I don’t know what exactly I can do to help ya with that whole. . . lost your home business and whatnot. But I suppose I can a least let ya stick around here for a bit while ya figure that out. Ya seem an honest sort.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, the last little bit of Cassy’s tense nerves loosened, and she began to thank the mare for her assistance, to which she responded, “Eh, you probably have Chamomile to thank the most. She and I go back a bit, so if she’s comfortable enough to refer ya to me by name, then who am I to turn ya away.” She paused for a second, then added, “Even if you’re a bit strange lookin’.”
Cassy shrugged, unable to argue against the observation. “So, what should I do in the meantime?” she asked, hoping for guidance. “I mean, I’m more than happy to sleep out in my car, but I’m just not sure what to do tomorrow.”
“Ya want my advice?” Jubilee began. “Take a stroll around town for a bit. It’s just a quick trot away from here. Introduce yourself to folks, let ‘em know that I vouched for ya. That way you’re less likely to start a panic if you make a familiar face of yourself.”
Cassy dipped her head in understanding. Truthfully however, she was unsure if she was at all comfortable with the idea of walking around in broad daylight for all to see. Again, her interactions with those two ponies just a short while ago sprung to mind, making her increasingly hesitant to heed Jubilee’s advice. Even with Jubilee’s insistence, she was not too confident in her ability to convince any of the residents of her trustworthiness.
A yawn escaped her lips, interrupting her thoughts and replacing them with a weariness that she did not know had been weighing on her until now. She had been so distracted just trying to regain some semblance of control over the errant turn her life had taken, that now that it was no longer such an immediate concern Cassy felt ready to pass out from both mental and physical exhaustion. The change in her demeanor did not go unnoticed by Jubilee, who flinched upon bearing witness to Cassy’s splayed fangs before glancing at the clock hanging above the fireplace.
“I uh, I take it ya might want to rest up for a while,” she suggested, to which Cassy dipped her head, suddenly unable to arrange her thoughts in a cohesive manner. “I suppose I should let ya go then.”
With that, Jubilee guided Cassy to the front door, parting with a quick, “Come see me again if ya have any questions,” then shut the door after the woman exited the home, making her way to her microbus. Overhead, the sun had sunk low into the horizon, gradually disappearing behind the distant mountain range. She considered moving her vehicle to a different place where it would not be as conspicuous, then decided that it could wait until the morning. For now, she was too tired to do much than fold the back seats down and break out the blanket. By the time she finished the sun had disappeared entirely, and a field of stars appeared in the darkening sky above. Before laying her head down for the night, Cassy realized that she was still dressed in her new red rompers.
With some fiddling with the buttons, she exchanged them for her spare shirt and undergarments, tossing them off to the side. A she undressed she took the time to inspect her changed body, as the brief onceover she gave herself earlier had not been enough to satisfy her grin curiosity. Although she was already expecting to see drastic changes, what she found still left her feeling a sense unease at seeing her body replaced with a thin torso covered in hardened skin akin to chitin. She ran a hand down her midsection, her pointed fingers scratching across purple flesh.
With a shake of her head, Cassy threw on the spare shirt. She removed the bows from her raven hair, undoing the pigtails allowing her hair to fall in a wave down her back. She laid herself down, using the discarded rompers as a makeshift pillow, dragging the blanket over her thin frame.
Just as she was about tp close her eyes, she noticed an oddly shaped shadow resting next to her. Think she might have had a spy on her hands, she looked up. She found a spider, no bigger than a golf ball, had planted itself firmly on her window, rendered a dark silhouette by the rising moon.
“Hope you enjoyed the show, you little bastard,” Cassy muttered bitterly, rolling over so she wouldn’t have to look at it, and closed her eyes. Despite how tired and worn out she felt, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get any rest that night.
Cassy awoke to the din of something crashing in the distance, stirring her from her rest as her bleary black eyes blinked open, only to summarily shut tight the moment they were exposed to the blinding sunlight. She moaned in irritation, desiring nothing more than the sweet release of slumber, but was denied the luxury as the crashing sound persisted at regular intervals, drawing her further away from the realm of her dreams and forcing her to confront the day.
When Cassy finally gave in and sat upright, she did so with no small amount of complaining as a headache throbbed within her skull, unaided by the clamor outside.
Blinking in confusion, it took Cassy a moment to recognize the interior of the microbus. It took another moment for her to remember exactly why as the events of the past day resurfaced in her memory, leading to her uttering an exasperated sigh at knowing that that it was not some strange dream. No, it was all very real, and demanding that she address it.
Scratching at her head and rubbing the remaining dregs of sleep from her eyes, Cassy noticed something odd. Well, odder. Her hands felt strangely tacky, like she had been sweating profusely despite it not being that warm throughout the night. She glanced down at her palms, finding them covered in some filmy substance. "What the. . ?" she said under her breath in confusion, until she realized with a jolt what it was.
Webs.
And they weren't just on her hands either. The thin layer of thread extended down her arm, past her elbow, across her torso. Throwing off the blanket, a quick glance confirmed that they had enveloped her thin legs as well.
Cassy felt there was only one appropriate reaction to the development.
Kicking the door open, Cassy burst out of the microbus in a flurry, rapidly brushing herself down while uttering, “Ew ew ew ew ew get it off get it off get off!”
After much shouting and hollering most of the webs were removed, leaving Cassy panting wildly and standing miserably in her shirt and skivvies as an involuntary shudder creeped up her spine. She quickly took notice of a pony a short distance away. He had been in the middle of pulling a midsized wagon full of red and yellow cherries, but apparently had arrived at just the right time to witness her antics as he looked on with raised eyebrows and a flustered expression across his muzzle. She recognized him as one of the ponies she met yesterday.
“The hell are you looking at?!” she hollered at him, feeling her cheeks heat up in anger and embarrassment. In response the stallion jumped in startled mortification, and promptly continued on his way, taking the wagon with him.
Cassy rolled her eyes, patting herself down and removing the last little bits of thread from her person, wondering where it all even came from. Did. . . did it come from her? Cassy glanced at her hands, noticing thin strands glinting in the sunlight, still attached to the tips of her fingers. She pulled at them, feeling an odd sensation run through her appendages until she had at least a foot of the stuff dangling from her fingertips. There was no question, the webs were of her own doing. The revelation left Cassy feeling all sorts of uncomfortable, making her shudder in distaste.
Having no desire to dwell on the matter any further, Cassy hurried to get changed, sequestering herself in her vehicle. A few minutes later she reemerged, having donned the rompers once more, sans the ribbons in her hair. Leaning against the side of the microbus, she absentmindedly nibbled away on a portion of dried apples, contemplating what to do with the time she was given as her thoughts turned to Jubilee’s advice.
As much as Cassy disliked the idea of walking around in an unfamiliar area, she couldn’t deny that it was the best way for the locals to become accustomed to her presence, as well as for her to become accustomed to them. She had a feeling she was going to be seeing a lot of ponies in her future. Not to mention, she was not too keen on the notion of simply sitting around with nothing to do but twiddle her three pairs of thumbs.
Just as Cassy was about to finish her breakfast, another crash sounded off, startling her a bit and nearly making her choke on the fruit. “What the hell is that?” she said through her fit of coughing, starting to become fed up with the noise. Looking over to where it seemed to be coming from, she saw that the tops of one of the trees was shaking rather noticeably before going still. All was quiet for a few moments, before another crash echoed through the orchard as a different tree shook from the impact.
Cassy tilted her head, wondering what in the world was going on over there. Eventually her curiosity overrode her need for caution as she stored away what remained of her breakfast and went over to investigate. Did Jubilee have vandals or something?
As she approached, Cassy noticed the other pony from yesterday trotting up, pulling a wagon like her companion had been. With an extremely sour look plastered across her muzzle, she seemed to take no notice of the spider lady as she muttered darkly, “Stupid farm mare and her efficiency. Thinks I don’t know how to buck a Celestia-damned cherry tree. Stupid new-hire ain’t got no right to tell me how to do my own job.”
This and other obscenities, some that Cassy was unfamiliar with, flew from the mare’s mouth as she stomped past, passing her by without so much as a glance.
Cassy scratched her head, her list of questions ever growing before she once more became distracted by something impacting on solid wood with a thunderous crack. Following the commotion, she soon found the source of the disturbance: a mare with sunset orange fur, blond mane and tail, and a Stetson hat atop her head. Standing before a cherry tree, the mare pivoted onto her front limbs and gave it a hearty kick, resulting in the same crashing sound that had awoken her earlier and somehow causing numerous bright red and yellow cherries to be knocked off their stems and fall into a cluster of empty baskets below.
“Wha. . ?” Cassy mumbled quietly with narrowed eyes, unable to quite process what she was seeing as her brain performed the mental equivalent of a blue screen. She saw it. She saw the results of it. But she didn't understand it.
With a few more kicks that should have left enormous gouges in the bark, the baskets were filled to capacity with cherries, whereupon the mare proceeded to grab the handle in her mouth and drag them over to a waiting wagon. Her emerald eyes flicked over to Cassy. She seemed not to pay her any mind however as she went about her business in loading up the wagon.
Barely a moment passed before the mare paused in her work as her body went rigid, her ears standing up on end. Slowly, her head turned to stare at the newcomer, her eyes as wide as saucers and her pupils shrunk into tiny pinpricks.
Swallowing the lump that had inexplicably formed in her throat, Cassy slowly raised a hand, giving a little wave.
"Hey there."