● Starlight Glimmer's Herd:
"The Pony-Up Amulet," Sunburst nervously smiled, looking over at the Television audience. Eagerly listening to his every word. He just imagined he was in a lecture hall, instead of an interdimensional television studio. "Is actually based on a Ritual, invented by Princess Twilight Sparkle. Who reverse-engineered the magics Discord used, to alter a wizard's animagus form.
"Unfortunately, the Ritual hurt quite a bit. So I simplified it, and used my knowledge of magical artifacts to create a new type of enchantment. As using a focus greatly relieved the stress on the body.
"Unlike the ritual, you can't choose what you become, as the amulet feeds off your own magic. It, for lack of a better word, feels the personality traits of your very soul, and expresses that as a type of pony.
"This means you can appear as any of the main three tribes, or one of the lesser known tribes: Kirin, Zebra, Lunar Ponies, Changelings, Nightmares. Or even a new species. Such as: a race of pony foxes we've come to call 'Vulponies', the glow in the dark ponies called 'Neon Ponies', Robot golem ponies called 'Clockworks', Dragon Ponies called 'Drakehooves', Skeleton ponies (which previously only existed in mythology and games), then there are the flying foxes (a new breed of bat pony) called Lunar Vulpony.
"It was all very exciting. With humans turning into the various races of reformed changelings, before they reformed. Wrap your head around THAT Paradox.
"Doppelgangers, like Queen Elly. Fae Beetles like King Thorax. Forest-Lings, with moss and branches growing out of them. Moth-Lings, complete with their obsession with lamps. Crickets, and Bees, and Spiders, just all the Lings!!!
"I never could have predicted the sheer variety my amulet could produce.
"A lot of people have told me that they love trying on my Necklace, just to see what they would get.
"It's more then that though. Any creature that uses the amulet unlocks a Human form, a pony form, AND a magical being. This allows for other species to better understand each other, and promotes cooperation.
"Of course, my real pride is that the amulets are more training tools. They get your magic and body used to turning into your other forms. And once your body has gotten used to it, you no longer need the amulet."
The Anchor woman chose that time to interrupt. "How do you feel about humans, once they've learned to shift, sharing that amulet with someone else? I imagine that effects your pocket book quite a bit."
"You're joking right?" Sunburst grinned. Getting so into his explanation, that he managed to ignore all the creatures staring at him. "I'm the Head Wizard of the Crystal Empire. My goal isn't to make money for myself. It's to advance the quality of life. I encourage creatures to share their amulets. Spread them around. Give them as gifts. Then when you don't need it anymore, give it to the next individual!
"My goal is to get the amulets out there, passing through as many hooves as possible. Errrr or hands, claws, talons, whatever you have. I want to make things a better place."
"What about the side effects?" asked the Talk Show Host.
"Side Effects?" Sunburst blinked.
"The fact, whatever form the parents are in, when they conceive a child, is the race the child will be born with." The woman pressed.
"Errrrr... is that a bad thing?" Sunburst blinked more. All kinds of puzzled. "I know the Thestrals are excited to have such a larger gene pool. The Amulet does install safeties, so that the child will be born as either the mother's or the father's species. One or the Other, instead of a hybrid of both."
"You mean you saw this coming, and took steps to promote it?"
Sunburst raised an eyebrow, "I took steps to insure the child would remain healthy. Most Hybrids have terrible deformities, if they survive. So instead, I directed the genes that would be taken. I couldn't manipulate it perfectly, so there is a 50/50 chance which parent the child will take after. But then it will gain some magical traits from the other parent.
"Like an Earth ponies super strength, in addition to a Thestral's shadow bending and echo location powers. That is if one parent was an Earth Pony, and the one the child took after was a Thestral."
"That's not..." The Anchor woman took a breath. "The number of necessary C sections have drastically increased. Due to humans being physically unable to give birth to some of these creatures."
"True, but the number of miscarriages, or even the mother's own death during child birth, have drastically decreased. Due to those potions, Lady Sweetie Belle, invented."
"Some people don't want a freak of nature for a child." The woman hissed.
Sunburst glared, "Then those people don't need to use my amulet. No one is forcing them to put it on, let alone breed in that form. If they have issue with raising a child of another species, then those bigots don't DESERVE consideration."
###
"Way to go Sunburst!!!" Starlight grinned, as her herd left the Studio. "You showed that horse!"
"We need to have words with your manager," Trixie insisted. "We should have gotten a heads up that woman was hostile."
"I don't have a manager," Sunburst sighed, feeling drained. He had spent the last half hour defending his stance, that raising other species was a good thing. "The Castle secretary arranged the meeting."
Maud spoke up, in her usual deadpan voice. "She still should have warned us.
"I know, right!?" Trixie exclaimed. "That came right out of the blue!"
"What came out of you?" Maud monotoned. Trixie, the blue Unicorn, glared at the grey Earth Pony. Who definitely wasn't as funny as she thought she was.
###
● Dull Roar's Herd.
"For the last time!" Fred glared, with George finishing his sentence. "We aren't doing THAT!!!"
Open Secret whined. "What's the point of having two sexy Stallions if you can't-"
"NO!!!" Both Twins snapped.
"It's just a bow," Icy Hot rolled her eyes.
"We don't WANT- Bows in our hair!!!" The twins insisted.
Dull Roar sighed, "Honestly fillies, quit trying to play dress up with the colts. You know they don't like it."
The ladies groaned, but obeyed their alpha mare.
The large herd was made up of several mares. The Earth ponies being: Dull Roar, Open Secret, and Soft Rock. Followed by the Unicorns: Minor Miracle, and Random Order. A Kirin named, Icy Hot. A Pegasus named, Sad Smile. Then finally the human mare Myrtle... who strangely gained the body of a walking Skeleton pony, after wearing the "Pony-Up Amulet"... with her magical being form as a Lich.
Myrtle had been worried that meant she wasn't really alive again, after being a ghost for so long. Thankfully Sunburst had explained that the forms were just a reflection of how comfortable she was with death. That she was a little "Goth" girl at heart, and her forms showed that. They had nothing to do with her formerly dead status.
###
● Diamond Tiara's Herd.
Draco blushed, as he was sitting on his, currently Veela, Wive's lap. Getting his mane brushed. Diamond was already beautiful beyond belief... but as a Veela, there was no comparison. Just being near her was pure ecstasy.
That's how he found himself in this situation. In his pony form, getting his mane brushed. He had, originally, refused, but then she shifted, and all thought of resisting went away.
His other wife, Silver Spoon, was currently looking through outfits, and he couldn't even register it as the threat it was.
"MOOOOOOM!!!!" A voice called from downstairs. "Scorpius' hogging the Nintendo!!!"
The Mares sighed, as Draco was saved.
###
● Thorax' Herd.
Spike gently held the hoof of his husband. Regardless what Harry thought, if Thorax still considered himself a boy, then that was what he was.
Meanwhile, Gabby was on the other side of the bed. Holding Thorax' other hoof.
"Ow Ow Ow," Thorax clenched his teeth, as another egg left his body.
"That's the last one," The Changeling nurse informed. Gently cleaning the small transparent egg. Before putting it with the other 14 on a cart.
"You mean until next month..." Thorax whimpered. Turning tear stained eyes on his eggs... and immediately thinking how it's worth it.