Spice on the wind

by xscar10

Pursuit of releif

I came up to the hut slowly, I didn't wan't to go fast if I didn't have to. It was hard waling on hooves, but I seemed to be getting the hang of it. I came up to the door, and knocked on it earnestly. The door opened, and there stood Zecora. She looked slightly distressed by my presence.
"You are here for the package, correct? You are not who I did expect." She stepped back to take a look at me.
"You were expecting someone else?" I asked, sitting down.
"I expected the one with eyes of fire, who's mere presence means your troubles are dire." She said, and it was obvious she meant Shallow.
"Shallow... What did he leave here for me?" I asked, and Zecora turned, swishing her tail as she walked. She grabbed a bag with her teeth, and turned back to me. She came over and set it by my feet.
"The dark one gave me this, and his words carried a hiss. 'If anything happens to it it's on your head' These are the words that he said." She said, and I opened the bag. I looked inside, and there was a blue powder. I pulled the bag shut, and laid it on my back.
"Dark one? Why'd you call him that?" I asked, and Zecora stepped closer.
"Did you not feel it in the air? There is evil lurking behind his stare." She said, shaking her head.
"Zecora, you of all people should know what it's like to be judged by your looks." I said with a sigh.
"I do not judge him by his guise, trusting him would be unwise. If you do fall for his lies, it will cause your own demise. So to you I must advise, to look past his disguise. Only then will you realize, what exactly is his prize." She said, and I can honestly say I would never had expected her to rhyme so many times...
"Oh... wow... umm... ok...?" I said, unsure how to respond to that.
"Excuse me for snapping, I don't mean to offend one so strapping." She said apologetically.
"It's no problem at all, though that was an impressive rhyme scheme might I say." I chuckled, and smiled.
"Why thank you very much. It's kind of you to say as such." She said, eyeing me with a heavy lidded gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like..." I said as she closed the door behind me. "Oh drat..." I backed into the door as she inched closer. "Now Zecora... you're not yourself right now. You're being fooled by your hormones." I said, but still she advanced.
"No, dear boy, I fall for no trick. I simply want yo-" She started, and I interrupted her.
"No, I don't think so. You are being affected by a pheromone." I said, and she had me standing shakily on two legs as she came uncomfortably close to me.
"It is I your pheromones do not effect, for it is you who is-" She started, and I interrupted her again by clearing my throat awkwardly.
"Will you please let me down, I need to be getting back. Ponies are expecting me." I said with a gulp as she laid a hoof on my chest.
"But I am so all alone, up here in my secluded home." She slid her hoof down my chest. "Not often do I have such luck, to have a strong stallion to-" She said and I interrupted her with a yelp.
"Will you please stop doing that?" I said anxiously, searching for the doorknob behind me.
"Mmm, The longer that we stand and talk, the more and more I want y-" She said as I opened the door, falling backwards onto the ground.
"This is becoming cartoonish... and quite frankly I'm not enjoying my gift..." I said out into the air. I quickly stood up, grabbing the bag in my teeth, and started to run, but being on an uneven surface again, I was slowed down, and Zecora was catching up to me. I waved through the trees trying to loose her, and failing. She came closer to me, and as I looked behind me I tumbled forward down a steep ridge.
When I reached the bottom I was luck enough to have broken my fall with my face. I looked up the hill, and saw her looking down, but it was to steep for her to traverse. She turned and walked away as I stood up, possibly to find a way around, but I'll be long gone by then. I tried to walk away, and found myself limping instead. Apparently I had twisted my hoof on the way downhill.
I limped oddly away finding my way out much slower, but easier than before. Now there was only one thing I had to do, find Dash... in a town full of obsessed mares... while limping. Sounds easy enough, right? I limped into town with the bag in my teeth, and tried to stick to the shadows as much as possible. It wasn't easy, and I had quite a few close calls, and after about an hour of searching... I figured out she wasn't actually in town...I checked Twilight's house, Applejack's, Pinkie's, Fluttershy's, and Rarity's; she wasn't in any of her favorite napping places either. I don't know where else she would be, seeing as the skies are clear today. So I set off to search places like the the market place, restaurant, and the hospital, she was nowhere to be found. I't hard to believe that I'd already done so much as it is, and it's barely past noon.
I eventually gave up searching, and just collapsed in the dirt. I sat there for a while, when it hit me; I had been everywhere in Ponyville, but not the one place above it. Rainbow Dash's house! Of course! The only problem now is finding a way up there... I tried the tree again, but I cannot jump nearly as high as I used to. So, I came up with the ingenious plan of catapulting myself up using the tree. Don't laugh, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
With some elbow grease (or would it be knee? I still haven't figured that out...) and about twenty minutes, I had the tree bent backwards, by a rope, and as soon as I loosed the rope, I would be tossed up onto the cloud/building. In theory. So I stood on the tree, and loosed the rope. I was launched into the air before I even knew what happened. At first I thought my plan worked, and felt pretty successful. That is, until I passed the house, and kept going.
I overshot by about seventy feet. The exact words that went through my mind were, and I quote: "I'm going to die as a pony, by falling on my girlfriend's house." That would have been a really weird last thought, but luckily I was wrong. I landed on the cloud hard, but everything seemed intact, other than my twisted hoof.
My limp now prominent, I kept all weight off of the injured legs, and hobbled into the house. As I walked in, I looked around, and seemingly nothing had changed; the only notable thing was that in the chair I was sitting in was a piece of paper. I looked at it, and there was something written on it. It looked like lyrics.

It seemed to be written from the point of view of someone who was extremely lonely. Though the white rose they wrote about seemed to be all they have left. I wondered who wrote it, but the thought was interrupted by the sound of flapping. I turned around and saw just what I was hoping for.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?" Dash said, and I smiled widely.
"Finally! I've been looking everywhere for you." I said, with a huff, laying the bag on the ground.
"You didn't answer the question..." Dash said, crossing her hooves.
"Oh, right. It's me, the... big guy. The human. I was turned into a pony." I said, and Dash looked skeptical. "Look. The cutie mark, the smell, all still there, and I need you to take this powder to turn me back." She was still skeptical, but took the bag.
"Really...? Well... as much as I'd like to believe you, why should I?" She asked, and landed on the floor.
"I can vouch for him." Shallow said, and we both nearly jumped out of our skins.
"Will you please stop doing that?!" I pleaded, and he chuckled giddily.
"Well I could, but this is more fun." He said, with a grin.
"You mean... he really is... What happened?!" She looked over at me, and I back at her. "How did you go from a human, to a stallion? Not that I'm complaining." She said, and I rolled my eyes as she checked me out.
"I turned him into a pony as a way to say thank you for all he's done. Now he's here with you, the cure, and some raging hormones." Shallow said, hovering over us.
"So... what does that mean?" Dash asked, turning to me.
"Whatever you want, and then you can just toss the blue dust at him and make him human." He said, nudging Dash. She started to blush, and so did I.
"Oh... wow... well... what should I do?" She asked as her back knees buckled.
"Don't listen to him, just turn me back, I have had just about everyone in Ponyville after me today, and the longer I'm like this the worse it gets." I said with a sigh.
"Oh come on! That's no fun! After all that you aren't even going to..." He sighed, and laid his chin on hoof. "Fine, just toss the powder at him then." He said, grumbling under his breath.
"Umm... ok..." She said, walking around to my side.
"What are you doing?" I asked as she walked around me.
"Just wanted one last look for memory is all." She said, and the eye roll has been doubled. She finished waling around me, and stuck her hoof in the bag, pulling out a hoof full of powder. She tossed it at me, and in a cloud of blue smoke I had returned to my own body.
"Finally, I can feel my fingers and toes again!" I said, as the cloud thinned. I stood up, feeling my jacket on my body, and a my knife was in my pocket again.
"Umm... big guy?" Dash said, and I tuned around as the last of the fog thinned. There, standing in front of me was Rainbow dash... as a human... in the buff.
"Dash?...!" I rubbed my eyes, in surprise.
"Am I... a human?" She asked, standing up.
"Yes, yes you are, a human female. Not only that, but an attractive one." Shallow said, walking across the ceiling. "I took his idea of a dream girl, and turned you into it." He said, and sat down (or up, as it were) on the ceiling.
"Stop trolling, and turn her back." I sighed, looking up at him.
"What? Aren't you happy? I mean I made her exactly to your specifications." He said, giving me a sly look.
"Are all human girls so... bouncy?" Dash asked, and I looked over, seeing her jumping up and down. I quickly looked back up as my face turned red.
"No, not all of them. Just the ones he likes." Shallow said, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Shut up, and turn her back..." I said, sighing again.
"Well if he likes it, then why does he wa-ahh!" She started, but tripped as she tried to walk. Her shoulder hit my hip, and took me down with her.
"That's the first reason I want you back, second is that you're supposed to be a pony." I said, sitting up.
"But this is what you like, isn't it?" Dash asked, pulling herself back up.
"Well... yes, but that's not the point. You should be Rainbow-Dash the pony, not a human." I said, and this time shallow rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine... I'll turn you back." Shallow said with a grunt. He clacked his hooves together, and Dash turned back into a pony. "Well at least a few good things came of this... anyways, I'll be going now. I've got big plans today." He said, disappearing into a sulfurous smoke.
"That was one of the weirdest things that I've ever experienced in my life..." Dash said, breaking the awkward silence.
"I wonder what the heck is going through his mind." I said, standing up.
"Wait... you're in my house... and you're not falling!" She said, trotting around me.
"Oh, right. Twilight found a spell that let me walk on clouds." I said, and crossing my arms.
"I remember that spell, she's used it before. How long till it wears off?" She asked, and flew up in front of me.
"Never. Different spell, permanent spell." I said, and her face lit up.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" She asked, her voice lowering slightly.
"Possibly, depends on what you're thinking." I chuckled.
"I'm thinking you could... you know... stay with me... tonight." She said, looking off to the side, and crossing her hooves.
"I would love to." I said, hugging her from behind.
"Hey, don't get any ideas big guy. That's hours from now." She said, giggling lightly.
"Wait, what time is it?" I asked, and looked off into the distance.
"About... 1:30 why?" She asked, and my eye twitched.
"I was supposed to stop by the school today, and talk to the kids..." I said bring us both to face hoof. "Maybe I might be lucky, and she hasn't talked to them yet?" I said, and we both chuckled nervously.
I quickly hopped down from the cloud, and onto the ground. Running through town was a lot easier back in my own body. I was able to make my large strides, and I was there in minutes. Though, just as I came to the door Captain's eagle, Sam, flew down to me. He had a note wrapped around his leg, so I took it, and read it.

If I have anything to say about the Captain, he may be blunt, rude, and curtly honest, but he has fantastic penmanship. So I pocketed the note, and sent Sam off. He flapped his wings a couple times, and just glided off slowly. I walked into the schoolhouse, and see Ms.Cheerilee at her desk, sorting through a few papers, and the class was nowhere in sight. Her head popped up at the sight of me, and she smiled cheerily... Ironic.
"Oh, you're just in time, I was about to call the children in from recess." She said, and for all my bad luck, this was my lucky break, and hopefully not my last.
"That's good, I thought I was late." I said, and ducked inside.
"Don't worry, I could have done the lesson still, you were mostly a visual aid." She said, and I thought for a second.
"Wait... How long is this break?" I asked, and she continued shuffling through papers.
"About thirty minutes. Why?" She asked, and I thought back.
"About an hour ago, I saw Sweetie belle, Apple bloom, and Scootaloo down at Sweet Apple Acres." I said, crossing my arms.
"They were conveniently absent from class today." Cheerilee said, and we both looked like we were thinking the same thing.
"Really? We'll be sure to let their guardians know, won't we?" I said, and she nodded. As I did the little fillies, and colts started to enter the room.
"Oh children, we will be discussing an exciting new subject today. We have a guest here to help talk about the many races here in Equestria." She said, and I sat down by her desk. One colt in the front raised his hoof. "Yes, Knight, what is it?" Cheerilee asked.
"Umm, isn't he not actually from Equestria?" He asked, a perceptive question for one so young.
"That's right, very good Knight. He is not actually from Equestria, but neither are many of the other species." She said, and there was quite muttering around the room.
"To be specific, I come from the United States of America, one of the most powerful nations in the world I come from." I said, crossing my legs.
"As you can see we are very different in appearance. We are quadrupeds, we walk on four legs, and he is a biped, he walks on two legs." She said, and motioned to my legs.
"Also, I'm a great ape. While you are Equine." I pointed out, and Cheerilee nodded again.
"What else do you notice about us that is different?" Cheerilee asked the class, and a flurry of hooves shot up. "Yes Diamond tiara?" Cheerilee asked, pointing her out.
"He doesn't have any fur." She said, and both her and silver spoon giggled.
"True, I do not have fur, humans are often called the hairless ape." I said, and motioned to her. Cheerilee pointed to Silver spoon.
"He doesn't have a tail either." She said, pointing to me.
"Also true; like I said, I'm an ape. Apes don't have tails, if I did I'd be a monkey." I chuckled, and stood up. As I did Snips' hoof shot up, and Cheerilee motioned to him.
"He doesn't have hooves." He said, and I raised my hand.
"Right, I have hands, made for grasping tools, an climbing. Also I have feet, made for walking, and if needed minor grasping as well." I said, and everyone looked intrigued.
"Well now, that sounds quite interesting. Care for a demonstration?" Cheerilee asked, and the class all seemed eager to see.
"Sure, why not?" I said, taking off my shoes. I looked up above me, and saw a well constructed beam. So I jumped up, grabbing hold of it, and swung my feet up above me. I hooked my toes onto the beam, and hoped that I wasn't overestimating my strength. After making sure i could hold it, I hung my body down, to show the class i was hanging from my toes. "Who's next?" I asked, staying hung from the ceiling. Snails' hoof popped up, and Cheerilee motioned to him.
"Umm... Our orbital cavity seems to be vastly larger than yours; not to mention your sunken facial features, along with a protruding mandible, and sharp canines suggest you are omnivorous by nature." Said Snails, and I am not the only one who was stunned.
"That... was a very astute observation." Said Ms.Cheerilee, glancing at me, and I at her.
"Umm, mister? We never did learn your name." Said knight, and as he did my vision began to blur. Everything I heard sounded like I was listening to it through water. I could feel myself falling to the floor, and hitting my head, but I wasn't aware of any pain. All I was aware of was the coughing.
I looked up, and I could see the spotted images of the children, and Cheerilee in front of me. A few more spotted, and very sharply colored shapes came close to me. My muscles were straining, and my breath was shallow. Everything started moving around me, and when I tried to move I was restrained by something. The vivid colors died down suddenly, and when I opened my eyes I saw a hospital room, and restraints on my wrists.
"Well... that's different... what just happened?" I asked myself.
"You fell, you withed on the floor for a while, and you fought a little when they tried to move you." Said Shallow appearing beside me; this time he didn't catch me by surprise. His mood reflected mine, not quite sad, but... heavy... tense... penitent.
"Did I hurt anyone?" I asked with a sigh.
"No, but you did manage to scare some pretty bad. I remember one mare in particular who was especially affected." He said, glancing at me.
I was silent.
"You're scared." He said, and sat beside the bed. "I know that fear. It's probably the worst kind. The fear of yourself." He said, and I wanted to lay my face in my hands. "That was the same fear I had, you know. As powerful as we are, if we lose control, even for a second, everyone else pays." He said, and the words stung with a pang of guilt. "It's not really your condition, is it?" He asked rhetorically.
"...No. At first I thought it was, but it was never this bad before." I said, and he shook his head.
"No it's something else, something new. Yes, I can see it. An ancient, primal urge, seeded deep inside your humanity adapting into something archaic." I looked at him, and his eyes were closed, but he seemed to be peering into my mind. "You've felt it strongly at some points; when you were challenged, when you were feeling free, when you were catering to more... basic needs." He said, and I thought back to those certain times.
"A savage feeling, barbaric, and feral, but strong. Oh so strong. You aren't reverting, but evolving. You fight it, but it wants to show itself. Why do you fight it?" He looked at me, his eyes more penetrating than ever.
"You know very well why I fight." I said, and tried crossing my arms before remembering I was lashed to the bed.
"I do, but do you?" He said, and leaned slightly forward.
"I don't want the power. No good will come of it." I said, and he stared silently at me for a moment.
"... I want to show you something. Perhaps you will come to see your err." He said, bowing his head slightly. He reached up above his head, taking his hat in his hooves. He lifted it up off the crown of his head.
He had no horn.
"But, how?" I asked, unsure of even what I'm asking.
"Have you ever noticed the mark that graces my side?" He gestured to his cutie mark, a broken circle with a line through it, and five rectangles around it. "Even without a horn, with a symbol of power, and enough time, manipulating the universe is merely a battle of wills." He said, and I looked at him in awe. "If you have power embrace it, tame it. It's only a matter of willpower." He said, putting his at back on.
"Even if I wanted to, I don't even know how to embrace this 'power'." I said, and he smiled.
"Why, dear boy, magic of course." He chuckled. "It was born of magic, and every contact you had with magic accelerated it. The Captain hasn't even absorbed half as much magic as you, and it's starting to show in him." He stepped in front of my bed.
"So... are you simply informing me, or something more?" I asked, raising a brow to him.
"As a act of good faith... and an apology for earlier... I can do this for you." He said, and floated above me.
"...Alright, but if anything goes wrong, change me back." I said, bringing myself up to my knees.
"Oh, goody!" He said, clacking his hooves together, and his eyes began to glow. My vision went black, and my muscles tensed. The sound muffled, and this time there was lots of pain. I thrashed around, and I could feel the bed railing giving way to my increasing strength.
My vision came back in a flash, and I looked down at my body. My jacket was on tighter, and my body seemed... lighter. I took off the jacket, and saw my chest covered in a thin dark grey fur, in fact my whole body was. I felt my head, and my facial hair. It seemed to be the same though.
"Well that's... odd." I said, and, looked at my hands, but my attention soon turned to something else, I had a strange feeling in my feet. I kicked my shoes off, and this was actually pretty funny; I had thumbs. I looked like a monkey, but I still didn't have a tail. Though that would have been pretty cool.
"Perfect! Now that you have your new strength, and you're stuck here... You won't interfere with my plans." Said Shallow, and I started to ask what he meant, but my thought was incomplete, as a hoof rested on my forehead, and I heard him whisper. "Don't talk... just... sleep..." That was the last thing I heard before blacking out.
I was embraced by especially horrific nightmares that night, I'll spare you the details, and skip to the next morning.
I Awoke in the hospital, it didn't feel like it could have been more than a few hours later. It was dark outside, my hands were still strapped down, and... it was oddly quiet. I pulled my arm restraints a few times, and with new my strength the railing snapped off. I reached across, and unstrapped myself. I stood up, but felt the urge to walk on my knuckles, so I did. It's actually more fun than it looks.
I walked down the hall, and the halls were empty. Not a soul in sight. I walked out the door, and even weirder, nopony was there either. At first I thought that they were all asleep, but seeing street carts left unattended, and market booths left open, things started to smell fishy. I pinched myself, trying to make sure I wasn't still asleep, and I wasn't.
After aimless wandering I come to the schoolhouse, and see Sam perched on top. At first I was relieved to see something familiar, but as I got closer something seemed... off. I climbed up the side of the building, and saw it was Sam, but made of wood? Then I saw a note tied around his leg again. I took it off, and read it.

"That's maddeningly unhelpful." I said. With no context, no signature. No idea who or what to run from, or who wrote it. I jumped down off the building, walking down the street. A whistling in the wind caught my ear, and I looked up to see what it was. I saw nothing, so I continued walking, when an arrow caught in my arm.
"Gah! What?! An arrow? I didn't know they even had these!" I looked in the direction it came from, and saw nothing, so I made a break for a building. The whistling caught my ear again and, I felt it land in my lower back as I burst through the door. I hid behind a wall, and pulled the arrow out of my arm. I couldn't hear anything outside so I assumed it was safe. I was wrong.
Another arrow came through the window across from me. I saw it come for me, raised my hand in fear, and... caught it? My reflexes were better than I thought. I pulled the remaining arrow from my back, and snapped them in half. I had to find this archer, and stop him before he turns me into Swiss cheese.
I ran jumped to my... hands... and ran out the door. Immediately I catch an arrow headed for my shoulder. I run in the direction it came from, and see two more arrows loose towards me. I dodge, and leap onto a building, seeing that unicorn from before, Victory, with a quiver of arrows on his back. I kick him in the side, and knock him over. I leaped over him, and broke the quiver, and arrows.
"You! What's going on? Why are you attacking me? Where is everyone?" I asked, and he chuckled, struggling to his hooves.
"Those were some nice moves. I've never seen anypony catch an arrow before." He said, ignoring my questions, and smiling at me.
"Are you going to answer me, or avoid my questions all together?" I asked, and he sat in front of me.
"Very blunt, but it gets to the point faster I suppose." He said, dusting himself off. "I am a messenger, here to issue forth a challenge, or kill you should I get the chance." He said, returning the bluntness.
"What challenge?" I asked, and stood up.
"Go to Canterlot. Shallow's waiting for you." He said, and I suddenly remembered what shallow said before knocking me out. I quickly filled with rage, and landed a blow on the side of Victory's head. He fell to the floor unconscious, and a puff of green smoke escaped his lungs. I know it may have been rash, but it made me feel better.
...Besides, now I know where to go to find answers anyways.