'Hah hah! Take that you stupid hoof, I will be obeyed.' I thought in glee, having shifted my leg ten centimetres in the past half-hour. The sweet, energy rich air that the pony mare had left behind her still lingered, and I was almost in full control of one of my legs already.
An hour later, I had made three more legs fall under my control.
Two hours further down the line, I had managed to lift my face off the mattress, giving me my first look at my new self.
I screamed. I'll admit loud and clear that I screamed when I saw the black carapace where skin used to be, the jagged membranes of my insect wings and the hole-ridden hooves that hung like stumps on the ends of my legs. The alien throat that had replaced my own turned my manly scream into a banshee wail.
I scrambled to get out of bed, only to find my previously subdued legs treacherously giving out under me, one being literally yanked out from under me by the short chain. My shriek was cut off as my face slammed hard into the hard-wood floor. I felt far less pain than I should, the plates of chitinous armour covering my new body soaking up the impact. Apart from the face, my facehurt.
As soon as those hooves touched ground though, my world became strangely full of new sensation; the holes in my hooves seemed to echo in a way my human brain simply couldn't compute, leaving my new alien brain to translate it. A mental picture emerged in my mind, showing a picture of the world all around me. I could sense the tremor of scurrying mice under the floorboards, the tiny tip-tap of insects all around (they had termites in the next room).
Heaving another breath into my lungs, I ignored my new Dare-Devil powers in lieu of sobbing, the enormity of what had been done, what I had done finally impacted. The shock of my new body revealed forcing any semblance of control from my mind; so I simply gave up and had a little cry, I wept a little harder when I realised that I didn't have tears.
I heard, smelled, tremor-sensed and saw when the kind mare walked in, I couldn't help but stop sobbing, saving what little dignity I had left as she walked slowly up with concern written on her face and body, clear and bright as the clouded sun that marked her flank.
“Are you okay?” she asked, taking in the scene.
I tried to answer, my sarcasm levels rising, but all that came were unintelligible clicks, buzzes and hisses. Instead I resorted to whining, a throaty mewling growling from my large frame as I sought to untangle my limbs. Unfortunately my stupid horn had lodged itself unhelpfully into the wood, this combined with the restrictively short chain rendered all my attempts useless, unless I wanted to tear up a floorboard.
The mare bit her lip “oh nonono, this won't do at all” she moved forward with quick light steps, her tall thin legs stepping with delicate surety around me as she sought a way to help, first concentrating on my trapped wing. “Tell me if it hurts.”
'Absolutely' I thought, incomprehensible clicking and buzzing came out, to which my captor/friend simply smiled, taking my thin wing membrane gently in her hoof. It was pins-and-needles all round as the limb was freed with a minimum of fuss, the crumpled section filling out with blood as it straightened.
Then the horn, the agonizing, painful horn, the long bent blade was rammed in up to half it's length, stuck fast and aching. My little helper saw the discomfort and murmured sympathetically, walking around to get a grip on my head.
I could hear her heartbeat, fast and tense with adrenaline, nerves and something else. The sweet scent in the air was cloyingly thick, intoxicating to the point of dulling the pain. I hardly needed to tense or shriek as my forehead exploded, her hesitant pulling setting my horn on fire.
She stopped as a shrill whine of pain escaped my mouth, her worry and anxiety coming off in waves of chilling cold.
She saw the pain and chewed her lip again, unsure and slightly scared of her own uselessness in helping me. She whimpered in indecision before finally firming up, gaining an edge to her eye “Wait here.” She ordered, earning an eye-roll (which went unnoticed of course, me having no pupils) “I'm going to get some help” patting my shoulder-plate with a wing she dashed off, almost breaking the door down in her enthusiasm.
Left to my own devices, my mind turned to new developments. 'So I'm a superhero now?' I pondered, tapping a hoof on the floor and watching the ripples in my mind build the world, the thrum of hooves a distant tremble, a mouse's squeak lighting up it's body to let me see it through the wall. I sat there with eyes closed and body still as I explored this new world of sound and vibration.
It was kind of relaxing really, watching my own heartbeat, marvelling at how it let me 'see' my entire body, from a ridge of thin webbed spines down my neck to the thicker plates that protected my back and underbelly. It was a great way to think, mainly on how 'I can sense emotion?..' It made a creepy amount of sense, especially given how 'I could feel what she was feeling, I didn't even need to look'
Then the moment passed and she came back with company, I could see her coming with every hoof striking the floor, a sequence of still images mere heartbeats apart, each a tableau of the lithe pegasus in motion. The earth-pony from before followed behind, his steps heavy and pounding.
'When she comes back in, I'll see if I can get any deeper emotions I promised myself, in the name of science! (Plus maybe finding a little bit more information about how the cute mare thought.)
Thus it was that when she came bursting in, she found me close-eyed and still as a rock, my body relaxed as I let my new-found abilities play out.
I could feel her panic at my stillness, the relief when she looked to my rising chest (thorax?)
a mix bag of broiling emotion as the larger male came in. His cutie mark was that of three white oats, backgrounded by a rising sun.
The southern stallion snickered at my predicament “Well well well, ain't that just a thing. Big bad bug-monster with it's horn stuck in the floor and legs all tangled.” He came over with a chuckle still riding in his throat, a mix of bitter annoyance and disgust hiding underneath the amusement as he took in the full sight of me.
I couldn't help but let out a hiss of pain when he gave me a test yank, the rough handling setting my sore nerves ablaze with agony. The beefy earth-pony grunted “shut up, it'll hurt more coming out” he was enjoying it though, every little sign of pain I showed set off a burst of sugary happiness deep in his brain.
Not wanting to give the stallion the satisfaction I steeled my nerves and clamped my jaw shut, silently thankful that my giant fangs had folded away, rather than jabbing my lip.
I glared at him through the back of my head, telling myself 'okay me, just keep calm, hold your nerve and you wont have to-OH Sweet Celestia, MY HORN!!!”
Fuckfuck-FUCK Horns and all their bastardly horny ways! I shuddered and roared through clamped jaws as a scream of pain tried desperately tried to escape. My 'rescuer' showed no mercy or tenderness in his attempt to get me free, wrenching me from side to side, his hooves holding tight to my head (The skin on my face seemed more like smooth leather, just like the space between my chitin.)
It was working, I spat and growled in pain, but his rough handling was slowly working the horn free. There was one last block of resistance to be yanked through before...
*creeeeaaaak-crsnap!* I came free with a rush, the horn rushing out in a cloud of splinters and sawdust. I didn't bother to try and stand, instead crumpling back-down, wincing as the tip of my long prong knocked the bed-frame on the way down.
The stallion snorted, down at me and kicking at my armoured side “Get up then. C'mon ya damn monster, gittup.”
The mare shoved him away, her face thunderous “Stop kicking him! He's hurt.”
“Ah thought monsters are supposed to be tough.” the stallion glared at me.
'And I thought ponies were supposed to love and tolerate' I countered silently, glaring back. With limbs trembling crazily I attempted to get my legs under me, the kind mare helping, concern floating around her in a thick fog, heated by anger towards the stallion.
Eventually I was back on my hooves, the world of vibration filling my world with new sensation once again. Then the clink of chain caught my ear, the ting and clank of a short, stout tether cuffed to my front-left hoof, secured to the floor by a newly installed iron ring.
The stallion caught my glance at the restraint and turned stern, despite the smug feeling he gave off “you're not having that off yet monster, not until I know what you are.”
'I'd like to know that too' I thought at him, still silent.
I couldn't help but notice a tremble of fear from both ponies, just as an annoyed expression crossed my face, fangs flicking out as I opened my mouth. I suppose it made sense, with me towering over them ( I was maybe a head taller than the stallion, nearly twice the size of the mare)
The mare looked ready to burst with indignation “he's a pony! A mutated pony perhaps, but still a pony!”
The stallion looked me up and down “Maybe.. But ah'll have to check...”
This drove the mare's anger into confusion “Check? How?”
'Yes Mr Stallion. How?' I'll admit I was curious.
The big earth-pony smiled “ah'll have to head into town and check in the library. That there librarian's a smartun alright, she'll know what he is.”
The mare looked annoyed “but Ponyville is ages away! It'll take you all day to get there. You won't be back till tomorrow!”
The stallion snorted back, his mood straight back to retaliatory, with a side order of biting sarcasm “so ah guess you'll have plenty of time with yer new 'coltfriend' then, afore ah get back and show ya it's a monster!” While the mare spluttered in disbelief he appeared to think, I could feel emotions fade away as he went into his own mind “if ah can't find anythin' there, then....”
The mare took advantage of his calm, I could almost see her calculating the best time to ask “...Then we could let him off the chain?
The stallion looked and felt confused “huh?”
'what?'
“If I let you go Into town and search the library, then I expect an apology when you find out he's not dangerous. You have to promise to give him the benefit of the doubt, and get that silly chain off his leg.” she said, her voice stern.
I nodded as best I could, clicking unintelligibly “I support that idea, this thing is itchy.”
The stallion looked about to refuse, I could sense the indignant anger building, then fading away “... Alright sunshine... If ah can't find nothing about this thing in the library, ah'll say mah apologies and unlock the chain.”
They shared a little nuzzle
They were father and daughter, I could tell just from that, from all that had happened. I don't know why or how I knew, but some part of my new body's brain just knew. I fi concentrated on that thought, it began to break down, showing me little memories and clues that showed how it knew, a flicker of emotion here, a stray glance or word there.
But then the stallion began shoving the mare out of the room, barking over her protests “Ah don't want ya in the same room as it while ah'm not here! What if it hurts you?”
Her reasoning and logic fell on deaf ears. But I didn't feel any anger any-more, he was a father. I could understand a little irrationality. I was still annoyed, being locked in a room by some southern stallion, but I could now see why.
I heard him being followed out of the house, but I didn't care then. For right then all I wanted to do was think
'What am I...'