//------------------------------// // The Joy of Motion // Story: Out With the Old // by PoppyThePegasus //------------------------------// I trotted around the room for what must have been the twentieth time, Sunset and Twilight both watching and laughing, the clop of my hooves sounding throughout the house. It was so wonderful! So freeing! I spread my wings and hopped into the air, giving them an experimental flap and lifting higher off the ground than I expected. I ducked as I went up, but inevitably bumped right into the roof, scattering a little on my beige nubs when I thumped back down to the floor. I righted myself quickly, getting used to my gait maybe three laps of the living room ago, but still clearly learning to be stable on my hooves. Sunset giggled, placing a hoof on my withers as I caught my breath. “Woah there, filly.” I smiled up at her, cheeks aching from smiling ear to ear. “Be careful in here. I know it’s exciting, but you don’t want to hurt yourself two minutes after becoming a pony.” “But I just wanna,—” I spun around, coming to a stop again with my wings splayed. “Run around! I’m so full of energy!” I gasped, “I could probably kill god.” “Okay, maybe let’s not take it that far yet.” Sunset chuckled aloud, sliding up beside me and bumping me playfully with her rump. “I got an idea though, so hear me out. There’s a river not too far from my home. I go there to get some exercise in, since it’s really hard to get to on hoof, so not a lotta humans come by.” “R- Really? That sounds… great, honestly.” I nodded. Something that Ada had said reentered my mind. “Wait, don’t you live in Europe somewhere?” “I do, Sweden actually, but how do you think I got here in the first place?” She said, tapping her horn with a hoof, flinching slightly and giggling at her mistake. “W- Well, what do you think, Twilight? I thought we were trying to cast less big spells so we could get to Equestria faster.” “We’re getting to Equestria faster now that Sunset is here, and now that Ada is becoming a unicorn. A little field trip won’t hurt!” I flinched, the mention of my now separated wife lifting a lump into my throat and a stabbing into my chest. “Oh Poppy, I’m sorry.” “I- It’s okay, Twilight. Let’s maybe just k-keep talking about other things.” Twilight nodded and smiled sympathetically. “Well, if you’re ready, Poppy, it should be morning in Sweden.” Sunset piped up, approaching us with her horn glowing in preparation. I stood still for a moment, hesitating for only a second before nodding with conviction, a smile creeping onto my lips. I was bubbling with anticipation, trying so hard to keep my legs still, but hopping around in joy regardless. I giggled, coming to a stop, and moving closer to Twilight and Sunset. We formed a mini circle, Sunset and Twilights horns both glowing brightly, rising in intensity before culminating in a familiar bright flash. What wasn’t familiar was the place I found myself in when the white light faded from my vision. I blinked, my eyes still adjusting to the much brighter morning sun. Lush green trees, their leaves bristling loudly in the breeze, a gust blowing softly through my mane. A long thin and winding strip of river extended off beyond view in both directions, edged by dense river pebbles. Looking down, I felt the difference on my hooves, previously planted softly on the carpet, now spread firmly across the hard pebbles surface. It was firm, reassuring, besides a slight shift when I stood at certain angles. Sunset breathed in deeply, and I followed, the fresh air inflating my lungs and almost immediately filling me with energy. Being stuck in that stuffy house for the last few days definitely put the cool mountain air into contrast. My nose stung a little, not used to the cold and the influx of new smells just yet. With a few flares of my nostrils, I had acclimated to it, the cold now filling me with energy. The breeze blew strongly again and I felt the air pass all over me, in places I had never felt before, helping me again to take in the full extent of my transformation. My wings ruffled, the wind instinctively causing my soft down to fluff up, keeping my sides warm. The back of my spine flexed, bringing my tail in close and shielding my new mare parts from the wind. I wouldn’t admit it to anypony, but the sensation of the wind passing across it was not only pleasant, but again, affirming that I was a mare. “I love this place.” Sunset sidled up to me playfully, pushing me slightly and causing my hooves to step a few times. Wait, woah. The sensation of my hooves, tapping against the stone and sending firm shocks up my legs was incredible. The weight being balanced across four sturdy legs meant that despite the impact, it never felt like too much for me to handle. Grinning, I lifted my legs up and began stomping back and forth, giggling happily at each step, each clip and clop of my new hooves against the pebbles. “Good stuff, right?” Sunset moved in front of me, one eyebrow raised in knowing smugness. “Hey. Try to catch up.” She said, immediately spinning around and running off along the riverbank. I glanced over to Twilight, who was already smiling at me widely. ”Go on!” She motioned with a hoof in the direction that Sunset had run off in. I nodded, turning around myself and pouncing into a run. Sunset was far ahead of me now, but still clearly not running at her highest speed. She fell back, the distance between us closing slightly. Wait, no, she didn’t fall back, I was speeding up! I put more force behind my hooves, confidence in their stability and power rising. Sunset turned to me with a grin, eyes sparkling with no doubt a similar wonder that mine did now. Almost instinctively, I spread my wings ever so slightly, now feeling the breeze pass over every part of the new feathery limbs. They bristled as I ran, oscillating perfectly along with the speed of the wind passing alongside them. I stooped down, using my hooves to push off the cobbled surface with a powerful pump of my wings. I flew up into the air, that single flap sending a certain familiar sensation through my body, focused on my wings; Magic! This must have been the pegasus magic that Twilight had mentioned before! I looked all around me, the verdant green treetops spreading for miles all around. My heart soared even higher than I was, fireworks going off in my brain from the sheer jubilation of it. Sooner than I realised, however, I was falling, faster and faster toward the ground. I spread my wings, catching the air with splayed feathers and slowing my fall, but not enough to prevent me from tripping over when I landed. Hooves caught on untrained hooves and I braced my body to impact the ground, only for yet another familiar glow of magic to catch me. “Hehe, th- thanks Sunset.” I blushed at my amateurish blunder. “You’re the second pony to catch me from falling over in the past week.” “Don’t worry Poppy,” Sunset winked playfully, placing me softly back down on the riverbank. “That’s what friends are for, right? Twilight and I aren’t going anywhere.” “Y- yeah…” I smiled, actual happiness seeping in around the trauma of the day. “You really know how to cheer a pony up.” “This is what I wanted to do once I had finished transforming, so when I saw you running around the living room, this immediately came to mind.” A light purple flash, and Twilight appeared next to us, wings spread wide upon arrival. “Hey girls!” I felt those bubbles of joy rising in my belly again. Girl! Mare! Filly! “Heya, Twi!” I giggled, the bright pops of my laugh feeling contagious even to me. “Did you see me!?” “I did, and you look like you’re okay.” I shrugged shyly “Yeah, only ‘cos Sunny caught me before I slammed straight into the ground.” I said with nervous laughter. “Be careful, young filly.” Twilight winked. “Don’t want to mess up your new feathers. Speaking of which, I’ll need to have Fluttershy teach you how to preen!” “Preen?” I asked. “Straightening out feathers, cleaning them, general maintenance. It’s important to keep them straight and healthy so you don’t end up losing control while flying.” She explained in her charmingly nerdy tone that I knew so well by now. “Sounds kinda nice, actually.” “I find it cathartic.” Twilight said with a laugh. “So, Poppy,” Sunset said, bringing my attention back to her. “You never really caught up with me before. Wanna give it a second go?” She pawed at the riverbed, getting ready for another run. “You’re on!” I hopped up to my hooves and took off after Sunset, she and I starting at around the same speed, only for her to pick up the pace. I pushed my run faster and faster, but couldn’t keep up the pace. I looked over to Sunset and she sped forward, hooves clopping in a way that seemed odd to me until I realised that she and I were walking at somewhat different rates. My hooves hit in a steady pattern. One two, one two. Sunsets, however, hit bursts of four steps, leaving a gap, before hitting the ground again and gaining even more speed. She wasn’t just running, she was galloping! I focused my pace, eventually forcing my steps to fall in line with Sunsets hoof beats, and finding a flow for it that felt natural. I felt my hooves hit a similar pace to hers, first three beats per stride, then four, I pushed with all my might, until the beat of my hooves surpassed Sunsets, brushing past her with my wing as I overtook my teacher. Once she realised that I had caught on however, the game was on and she picked up speed again, galloping alongside me. I squinted slightly, the wind rushing past my face beginning to dry my eyes. I laughed out loud in pure joy, the force of the air against my coat brushing it slightly and sending pleasant sensations over my whole body. My tail flicked behind me in the wind, offering help with my balance, something that I only realised when paying attention to the subconscious adjustments it made as I ran. I felt amazing! My hooves kicked up small clumps of wet pebbles, thudding firmly into the ground for just a moment before launching off again. I veered intentionally to the side, hooves splashing in the cool shallow river and running through it to the other side. Sunset laughed out loud, following behind me as I sprayed water up with each powerful hoof fall. She gasped and giggled as I turned around, flicking her intentionally with some water from my damp tail. “You have no idea what you just started.” Sunsets grin grew wide and she reared back, slamming her two front hooves down with all her strength. The impact sent droplets spraying all over me, catching in my mane. I laughed again, all my worries and stress melting away if just for a moment as we played in the fresh mountain river. We splashed back and forth, running down the river a ways before stopping and repeating our mock water battle. After what seemed like forever, my limbs finally began to grow sluggish and I pulled my soaking form, giggling uncontrollably, from the water. Twilight had made her way down the river toward us a while ago and sat in a magically summoned deck chair as she watched us mock fight with deadly water droplets. “You girls look like you had fun!” Twilight said, closing the book she was reading as we approached. “You bet!” I giggled again, enjoying the sound of my own voice for the first time in my entire life. “I’m getting tuckered out, and hungry!” As I said that, I turned to see Sunset leaning over, a wildflower held between her lips. “Me too, Twi. Ooh, I know, how about I cast a glamour spell on us and we go into town for something to eat?” My ear twitched and my mouth began to water, staring at Sunset as the yellow plant disappeared into her mouth. My head turned to the forest's edge and I trotted over curiously. “Sure, sounds good to me! How about you, Pop—” She stopped, head turning to look for me. “Poppy?” I jolted upright, ripping out a full length of flower, roots and all. I stared, slowly chewing the flower between my newly adjusted teeth as Sunset and Twilight tried to hold back laughs. “Whrrt?” I mumbled, mouth full of roughage. The two mares couldn’t hold back any longer, laughing and giggling along with me as I finished off the flower. The taste of it was surprising, the head of the flower being sweet and flavoursome, while the stem was tart and fresh, similar to how Sunset had described grass. “So what do you say, Poppy? I’ll cast a glamour spell on us and we can go to town for food.” I scratched my chin nervously. The prospect of food sounded nice, but something still irked me about the idea. I hadn’t seen myself as a human since a few days ago at least, and the prospect of seeing it again would probably be a similar shock. Oh what the hay. This is the first time you’ve been invited to lunch for years. “Sure!” I nodded. “Let’s go!” I clenched my arm, feet falling on the pavement in my dress shoes, Twilight and Sunset in their human forms walking alongside me. They moved forward gracefully and confidently through the street, chatting with each other as we went. I caught a glance of myself in the reflection of a shop window. Even in human form, I felt wonderfully feminine. The glamour spell had given me long curly brown hair, pulled up in a cute bun as was my mane, and a green sundress covered in small yellow flowers. I knew, even in those small moments I saw myself in the shop window that I was a beautiful girl. Yet, even as I stared at my form, something I would have killed for a week ago, something was wrong. Maybe it was just the difference in walking on two limbs compared to four, but it felt far more than that. I looked down at my feet as I walked, appreciating my feminine legs, yet still feeling off. My hair was long and soft, but it felt strange to look at. I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, the same feeling returning when I saw my pink, fleshy earlobes. What in the world was wrong with me? This was everything I had wanted. I looked feminine. I sounded feminine. I was, by all accounts, a beautiful woman, yet that nagging at the back of my head remained. The feeling of wrongness and incongruence had returned, and I had no idea why. “You okay, Poppy?” Sunset said, a hand on my shoulder shocking me out of my blank stared stupor. “You look a little out of it.” “O- Oh! Um,” I stammered, turning from the window. “Yep! Just… appreciating myself?” “Why don’t I feel convinced?” “I- It’s okay, Sunny.” I smiled appreciatively at her. “I think I- I’m just thinking of Ada.” I lied, but I had no truth to tell her, my mind still running in circles about what I was feeling. “Hmm, okay, but…” Sunset pulled me into a short hug. “Remember, Twi and I are here for you.” “Thank you.” I smiled warmly at her, knowing her words were sincere. “I- I honestly don’t know what I’m thinking right now. I don’t wanna ruin the day though, let’s keep going.” Sunset smiled caringly at me again and I followed her down the street to catch up with Twilight again. The others and I chatted happily, but I couldn’t shake the odd feeling the entire walk. Eventually, we reached our destination; a lovely looking cafe, looking out over the Main Street of town. The place was built to be far more walkable than the streets I was used to seeing, though space was still made for cars. They felt weird to me now, their blaring noise and fumes feeling out of place in such a wonderful and picturesque location. The cafe itself was quaint, the name in a language I couldn’t understand, but I trusted that Sunny knew where she was taking us. As we took our seats, I turned to tuck my tail in when I sat down and— oh. That’s right. It wasn’t there. Again, that weird feeling hit me, my chest clenching in anxiety. “Hey, are you sure everything’s okay, Poppy?” Twilight said, hand caringly placed on my arm. My arm. Not my hoof. “Y- yeah, I think I’m just… anxious about something. Maybe it’s just being outside again. People looking at me.” “Hey, you’re cute as hell, I’d be ogling you too.” Sunset chuckled. “Not helping, Sunset.” Twilight scolded lightly. “Sorry.” I shrank a little into my chair. She wasn’t wrong, I felt very cute. My body was curvy and feminine, my breasts were small but perky, and my hair was long and smooth, the outfit I wore only serving to accentuate those aspects. Wasn’t that everything I had wanted? Somehow, in comparison to how I had felt this morning, my happiness had taken a strange dip. I couldn’t focus on my thoughts enough to make sense of it, my brain shifting between fifty different subjects a minute, but the overwhelming throughline was the feeling that somehow, something was wrong again. ”I’m not sure, girls. I’m sorry. I’m trying to be normal, I don’t want to ruin our morning. Evening? The time zone shift has really confused me.” I laughed, hopefully bringing some levity to the tense atmosphere. “L- let’s order something, maybe I’m just really hungry.” Our food was delightful. Despite looking human, my taste buds had remained pony, and the meal I ate satisfied me far more so than I thought it would. My order, a bean shoot and tomato sandwich, surprised me with its freshness and variety of texture. I hadn’t minded bean sprouts before, but my changes turned them into tiny little fresh morsels of flavour. My coffee was similarly delicious, though the changes to how that tasted were more minor. “Are you kidding me?” Sunset baulked. “I tried to take over the world?” “You got better!” She smiled at the stunned girl. “So you didn’t, I dunno, go through some kind of “evil” phase?” “Not as far as I can tell. Unless you count the time I finished that entire catering platter by myself…” “Hey, Poppy, did you wanna go?” Twilight said, placing a hand on my arm. “Hmm? What?” I snapped out of my stupor, embarrassed I was caught staring at the wall. “I was just thinking, if you wanted to head out? You don’t seem to be having the best time.” “No, we… we should stay. I’m not meaning to be like this, something just feels off.” Sunset smiled apprehensively at me. “It’s okay, I think I’m feeling a bit tired myself. The “jetlag” I’ve gotten from hopping between time zones is messing with me, so lets head back to mine and get some rest, okay?” I smiled, silently thanking Sunny for not making me admit my discomfort and we departed from the cafe. As we walked, I couldn’t help but look down at my feet. Something I couldn’t put my hoof on was making me feel incredibly strange and I had no idea why. I felt my eyes begin to water with tears, the anxiety of it all getting to me, and I slowed my pace to fall behind the other two mares. I could feel Sunset and Twilights eyes on me and I couldn’t help but shrug away more. As I tried to do so, they both stopped in their tracks, walking back along the path toward me. The two girls didn’t say anything for the rest of the walk, just staying close to me and keeping the same pace I was. I felt the tears returning, but this time out of a deep appreciation for my two new friends. I would have to wait until we were home to properly thank them, but all I wanted to do was hug them right then and there. After a short walk, we reached a small, unassuming row house along a quiet street. Sunset unlocked the door with a snip, and welcomed us into her home. The inside was far more decorated than outside, anime posters and art prints covered almost every wall of the living room. Dead centre was green screen and camera setup, the screen notably being taped to the floor on its stand with wads and wads of duct tape. Hundreds of game consoles were stacked neatly in a nearby case, all seemingly organised by generation and company. “Welcome, dear ponies,” Sunset motioned forward to the room, bowing down theatrically. “To my humble adobe.” “Uh, Sunset? It’s ‘Abode’, not ‘Adobe’.” Twilight giggled. “Uh, yeah, and it’s ‘Woah, nice house, Sunset!’ not ‘Sunset says words wrong’.” She said, chuckling along with the purple haired girl. Spinning around, she pulled the door shut, locking it, and drawing all of the curtains. My eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, blinking in an attempt to speed up the process. “There we go! Now I can do this!” A teal glow spread forth from Sunset, illuminating us in the now dark of her living room. Another familiar flash of magic and I opened my eyes, again adjusting to the relative darkness after such a bright light. I looked around, not much seeming different until I realised that my view was down more than half the height I was a few seconds ago. Eyes drifting downward, I spied a familiar green snout and a soft fluffy chest, covered in that same green fur. My heart began to beat faster, a smile creeping onto my face as I twisted around, taking in all of myself yet again. My hooves struck hard against the floor, my tail swished behind me with gravity and weight, and my ears turned once more to catch sounds in all directions. I was a pony again! I couldn’t help myself, my smile turning into an ear to ear grin, taking off in a circle around the room. Sunset and Twilight laughed as I ran, my sudden outburst of energy clearly surprising them. “I see that Poppy is back with the living again.” Sunset chuckled and smirked at me, coming to a stop just in front of the two other mares and catching my breath again. I felt a blush dust my cheeks and I shied away. “Hehe, yeah, sorry about before. I really have no idea what came over me.” “I think I might have an inkling…” Sunset smiled at me, one eyebrow raised, “But that can come later! For now, I have so many games to show you!” The “night” was spent mostly with Sunset and I playing through various old games together. A collection of fun adventure games, a grouping of garbage trash games that were more fun to laugh at than to actually play, and a few that we had to stop playing almost immediately from boredom. Twilight looked confused nearly the entire time we were at it, constantly asking questions and trying to make reason in some of the more out-there games, to no avail. After a while, Twilight had drifted off, lying on the couch adjacent to Sunset and I. Her eyes were locked on the screen, but she and I chatted away, keeping quiet so as to not wake the sleeping princess next to us. My thoughts began wandering to Ada at some point, imagining what she was feeling and doing right now. It was nighttime back home, but the thoughts of her crying herself to sleep, so angry and upset at my selfish actions. I had no way to know, but my imagination had plenty of paranoid ideas. What if she told all her friends about me being a pony? What if she got the police involved? I shook my head, trying but failing to get thoughts of my wife out of my head. I couldn’t understand her reasoning, and a while ago, I started to believe that I never would. The events of last night had felt like an inevitability, not just brought on by the situation we found ourselves in. I sighed to myself, thinking again on how she had looked at me. The disgust when she saw my hooves. How she held back from touching me. The way she had treated me felt cold and harsh, and now I had ruined the one thing in my life that had given me happiness. “Poppy,” Sunset said, pausing the game and leaving us in a soft blue light. “Something’s up. I can tell.” “I… I’m honestly just thinking about Ada.” “But it’s not just that, isn’t it.” “I dunno.” I sniffed, my eyes tearing up again. “Something‘s… wrong with me. I don’t know what.” “If you’ll let me guess, today, when we went into town… something about that was messing with you, right?” “I guess?” Sunset nodded sagely. “I remember, when I first turned into a pony, the same joy you have.” She chuckled, nuzzling me idly. “It made me feel so free.” “You feel it too, right? Back before, when we were running down the stream, it felt so amazing! I was truly alive for the first time in so long. It’s a kind of feeling that…I just don’t think I’d ever give up.” Sunset nodded along knowingly as I talked, waiting a moment after I had finished before continuing. “I felt exactly the same. At home, I stayed as a pony, just going about my business, just in a form that made me happy. But, like we did today, I tried to keep up my glamour. I went into work, I saw my friends, I kept up with family, but throughout all of that, I could tell something was wrong.” “Like I was just lying again.” I interjected, saying my thoughts out loud. “Exactly.” Sunset nuzzled me once more. “Lying to yourself more than anything. I know that being a human is hard. Sometimes, I just wanted to run away. To sprint into the night, screaming, and never coming back. I didn’t want myself and I didn’t want my body. I thought it was my dysphoria returning, but thinking back on it, the feeling was there even before I transitioned.” She was right. That feeling of otherness, of wrongness, I already knew it went beyond my gender. My whole existence, my whole self had been wrong before now. Before now. I looked down at myself. My hooves, my legs, my wings, my snout. They were all me. Thinking back on when I had been looking at my reflection in the shop window, that same feeling of wrongness had come back. The only difference between now and then was… Oh. “Yeah. I think you know what I’m talking about now, right?” Sunset smiled warmly. “You never wanted to be a human in the first place. I get how strange that might sound, hearing it out loud, but I’m right aren’t I? I could see it in your eyes. The joy you showed when we were down by the stream, compared to the dullness in them when we were in town? It was pretty obvious to me.” “Gosh.” I stared down at my hooves. “I… I dunno, how does that make any sense?” “Okay, how about this.” Sunset turned properly to face me. “Tomorrow, I’m going to turn you back into a human! Twilight and I were trying to keep it a surprise, but we figured out how to fix you!” My chest tightened and I could feel my face scrunch up instinctively. What did she mean, fix? This couldn’t be happening! I finally found a way to feel happy with my body, and she was going to take it away! “H- hey now, wait a second, I thought I was going to come with Twilight to Equestria, r- right?” “See? That’s what I mean! Didn’t that just sound like the worst possible news?” I felt my anxiety drop and I stared back at Sunset angrily. “It did. That was a mean prank.” “Yeah, but don’t you remember what I said? I know you wanna be a filly, filly! Being in human form makes you feel horrible doesn’t it? Not seeing your hooves? Not feeling your tail?” She was right, regardless of how many times my brain tried to push back on it. “B- but that’s weird, no human wants to be a pony so much that it gives them dysphoria.” “Are you saying I don’t exist?” Sunset smirked. “Huh?” “Poppy? You’re looking at that exact kinda human now. Well, not anymore, and that’s a good thing. I used to feel that same wrongness. I didn’t understand it myself until about a week of going back and forth between pony and glamour spell human form, but the only way I can explain it is that being a human feels wrong.” “And being a pony feels… right.” I smiled, the joy beginning to bubble up in my belly once more, the shock of the new discovery taking me aback a bit. “Wait, is that even a thing? Like, pony dysphoria?” “I started calling it that to myself, just because it’s the closest parallel I can think of.” She shrugged, levitating a piece of pizza to her snout. “My body felt wrong before as well, in a way that remained once I transitioned. I thought it might have just been lingering gender dysphoria, but it all but disappeared when I went pony mode.” “Gosh, I… really? Has that been what it was this whole time?” “Don’t ask me to explain it.” She chewed on the slice of pizza, finishing it and levitating another toward herself. “Like I said, I only figured it out after I went pony, so all I can say is to enjoy this feeling. When was the last time you got to experience something like this? Just go with the flow, is what I say.” “Y- yeah, you’re right.” I nodded, my mind returning to my wife. ”Ada, she… She had rejected all of this from the beginning, and that included rejecting me. The possibility that I was not just welcoming, but enjoying these changes hadn’t even entered her mind. She had pushed me away from the very start. I want to go back, fix what I said to her, take it all back.” “You know you can’t do that to yourself. You keep sacrificing bits of yourself for her sake and there’s not gonna be any Poppy left.” “So I should just forget about how horrible I made her feel?” “No, but you also shouldn’t forget just how horrible you felt.” She was right. I had to stop prioritising her needs over mine. What was happening to me right now felt right. The way I moved felt right, my tail and wings felt right, my gender felt right. Being a mare felt right. The entire week had been filled with me pushing this happiness away, the potential that these changes held. These cracks were showing years and years ago, and the only thing that was keeping me from noticing was myself. “Y- you’re right Sunset.” I started. “I can’t even begin to understand what it is my brain is going through, but what I do know is that I’ve been happier in this form than I ever had before. Honestly, I… I feel weird saying it, but I think this might have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Is that weird?” “No, filly!” She said, her nuzzles retreating the tears that threatened to spill forth. “Me and you have much more in common than you think.” “R- really?” I chuckled, “But you’re so… cool!” “And you’re not?” She raised an eyebrow at me, eliciting yet another blush. “N- no…” “Bzzzt, wrongo.” She bonked me on the head with a newspaper that she had picked up in her magic. “Hey!” “Bzzt! That’s wrong too!” She said, bopping me once more. I frowned and folded my front hooves. “Fine. I’m c- cool.” I couldn’t help but feel my face redden even more. “But only because you keep hitting me!” Bonk. I tried as hard as possible to keep my flat demeanour, only for the facade to fall and I laughed out loud, Sunset joining along with me. Twilight snored loudly, shocking us into silence. We looked at each other, breaking the silence to giggle much more quietly. “Maybe it’s a good time to head to sleep.” Sunset said softly, pulling a duvet over to us and covering us warmly. I curled up, my body next to Sunset's, keeping each other warm in the cold of the ‘night’. “Thanks for everything.” I smiled at the unicorn's darkened form in the dim light of her living room's pink LED lights. “Night night, Sunny.” “Night, bestie.” The room was still dark when I woke, shocking me a small amount until the events of yesterday reminded me that it was most likely sometime in the middle of the night in Sweden, even though I had gotten a full night's sleep. I immediately recognised the softly snoring warmth next to me as Sunny, still slumbering with a slight smile on her face. I glanced over to Twilight, who was also sleeping soundly on the adjacent couch with a content look. I smiled at them, my heart filling with a warmth I didn’t know I could feel. Years ago, I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be truly close friends with another pony— or person. These ponies had proven me wrong, feeling a closeness and friendship I never had before. I never expected to be accepted for my identity, but to also find such new and exciting things about myself was almost intoxicating, if it weren’t for the fact that my brain felt clearer than it ever had before. My thoughts felt in order, if just for this one moment in a million. I wanted this form more than anything. I needed this. It wasn’t as simple as it being something pleasant and new to experience anymore, I knew for a fact that I was comfortable in this body. Yesterday's trip and following conversation had solidified that in my mind. I was a pony. I knew it, deep down in my core, I was a pony. I had hooves, I had a cute snout, I had wings, I had mare bits which didn’t exactly resemble a human‘s, and filled me with a strange wonder. I blushed, remembering to find some time alone later to, uh… properly take in the changes. Let’s go with that. I looked at my rump, still one thing missing from me that both Sunset and Twilight shared. A unique looking mark, growing from the fur on each side of their legs. I could have sworn I heard Twilight refer to it as a cutie mark. A rustle from the couch across from me and Twilight raised her head from the couch. “Ough, what time is it?” She looked around, eyes blinking sleepily. “It’s night time here. Though it’s still our morning, since it’s morning back home, I guess.” I said, keeping quiet to let Sunset rest more. “Did you sleep okay? You and Sunset looked very comfortable.” She smiled and my face reddened. “Y- yeah. It’s silly, but… sleeping as a pony feels pretty great too.” She giggled, pulling her sheet off her purple form and standing up, stretching her hooves out. Her magic flicked on a light in the adjacent kitchen and she immediately sought out the fridge, levitating milk and coffee powder out to make cups. “I’m assuming you want one, Poppy?” “Mrrgh, me too Twily.” Sunset spoke up, groggily lifting up her head and fixing her tangled mane with a flash of magic. “Two for us, thanks!” I responded and turned back to Sunset, her body warmth still keeping us both toasty underneath the duvet. “Morning, Sunset.” I said, smiling at the half-awake unicorn. “Mm, hey!” She perked up, pulling herself closer to me. “How was your first sleep as a full fledged pony, huh?” “Hehe,” I scratched my neck nervously, “it was actually really good. Felt very natural to lie down like that, curled up and… yeah.” I blushed, not expecting that question. Another nuzzle from Sunset and she smiled warmly at me. Even things like nuzzling felt natural, a simple way of displaying affection for your friends and loved ones. More and more, I was sure of my decision. “That’s good! Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but even just existing in this body is great. It feels great, I look great, and I can do awesome magic! What’s not to love?” “I can think of someone who can give you that answer,” my eyes rolled, thoughts returning to Ada. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up again.” “No, you didn’t, it’s… something I have to confront for myself sooner or later. I know what I want now. Being this way, being a mare, it… it’s correct. It’s the way I’m supposed to be and I know it. “ “Whatever you want to do,” Sunset said, with compassion in her eyes. “We want that for you. If Ada truly cared, she would have shown you that she wanted what was best for you.” “I wish you weren’t right.” Tears brimmed at my eyes and threatened to spill forth until a soft blue glow lifted a tissue to my eyes, dabbing them free of moisture. I smiled appreciatively at my new friend. She was right about this too, as she was with many things, I was finding. Twilight entered the living room once more, three cups of freshly brewed coffee steaming a trail behind her. The promise of receiving precious caffeine distracted me from my thoughts enough to improve my mood a little as we sat and talked over coffee. My mind was dreading going back home. This was a nice day away from things, but I was going to need to sort out a lot of stuff before moving to Equestria. I was going to need to officially file for divorce and transfer our house’s lease with Ada, which I wasn’t looking forward to in the slightest. I needed to figure out how to quit my job, another unpleasantry in a long line of them. I almost considered bothering telling my mum about everything, but the further I could put between her and myself, the better. If she forgot I existed, that would be preferable. Was this really okay? For me to just drop my life and escape for something better? Was I being selfish, throwing away all connections just to disappear from the earth? No more hesitation! You’ve gone through this already, Poppy. Once you’re gone, everything in this world will be forgotten. Your worries, your issues, your entire life. This was a chance to start anew. All the regrets that I had in this world would be washed clean. “Hey, Poppy?” Twilight said, a hoof waving in front of my face. “O- oh, uh— what’s up?” “You were just staring off into space and started crying. Is everything okay?” “Y- yeah, I’m just… thinking about things again. I have so much stuff to do before I go away, dealing with… D- divorce papers, b- but also just sorting out my affairs before I pop out of existence.” “Oh, don’t you worry about that!” Twilight said, a proud look on her face. “I’m very familiar with filling out paperwork. I can also forge documents to make sure that no-human comes looking for you, or files a missing person's report.” “Ooh, are we seeing a little of Twilight's rebellious side, eh?” Sunset waggled her eyebrows and nudged the princess who rolled her eyes, giggling along with the yellow unicorn. “That would be… gosh, I feel like I owe you so much. You’ve already done so much for me.” I murmured, looking down at my hooves in guilt. They had, accident or no, helped me discover and become my true self, in many more ways than one. “You don’t owe me a thing, remember?” She smiled at me, the warmth in her expression something I had seen so many times in such a short time. It put into contrast Ada’s coldness even more. The limited affection she showed me made sense, with her admittance of not wanting a partner involved in her own private life. I wasn’t one to judge, I mean hay, look at me, but I wished I had known before we were married. It was antithetical to what I wanted from a relationship. I mentally hit myself, how could I have not seen the signs before now? I almost wished that she hadn’t said yes to my proposal and had just broken up with me then. It might have hurt, but this feels worse. “W- we still have to go back to my house today. I’ve still got to go to work, and I have to start getting those papers together for you, Twilight. I know Ada and I are…” I sobbed, and the two mares nuzzled against my neck softly, an action which was beginning to feel like the pony equivalent of a hug. I let the tears flow, letting out my anxiety in wracking sobs. My friends stayed by my side, even long after I had stopped my cries. “It’s okay, Poppy. It’s still quite early in the morning back home, so just chill for now. We’ll get to it when we get to it.” Sunset said, her kind words calming me, at least for a little. “Thank you, girls. I- I feel luckier than any mare in the world, having you two as friends.” “I can’t wait to introduce you to Ponyville, you’ll be able to meet even more friends! Pinkie will insist on a welcoming party, Applejack will definitely make you try some of her cider, and I can promise you that Rainbow would love to teach you to fly. Trust me, Poppy, there are more ponies out there than you could possibly imagine, and I’m sure they can’t wait to meet you too. They just don’t know it yet.” I felt tears bubbling up again, this time not of sadness, but joy. Hope. The words of my now closest friends had done more to assuage my fears than any internal conversation ever had, and cried tears of joy into their forelegs as I was held and nuzzled. The future was brighter than it had ever looked before; a promised warmth and safety that I had always wanted. My whole body shook with conflicting emotions of grief, joy, sadness, longing, and love, none of them taking hold completely, but the prevailing emotion was that of hope. Today, I would be going to a house, cold and emotionless. But soon, I was going home.