You know, I've always wondered about the sexual implications of it being called a cutie mark, but seeing as the target audience of MLP:FIM is little girls makes up for it. Anyways, now I have one and its sort of growing on me. Its strange, it feels as though I had this mark for my entire life, as if my special talent was always music. Strange. A few interesting developments have cropped up over the last few hours. Sara and I are not really talking to one another, both of us are sort of spacing out, thinking of our predicament. I feel as though I need to assure her that everything is going to be alright, but I think we both know that nothing will ever be the same. I don't think that the entirety of what may be happening to us has sunk in. I glance in her direction, noticing for the first time that her hair has started to grow in. She prefers to keep her hair short, giving her a boyish charm. Now it is longer and has changed from being a dull brown color to an alternating pattern of light brown and yellow hair. She looks at me, and I notice for the first time that her eyes are now a yellowish orange tint instead of their vivid blue.
"What are we going to do?" she asks, "It's not like it's happening to other people."
"What do you mean?" I ask. She points to the window, where I can see Jenna Carthage outside, tending to her gardens. Her twenty fifth birthday is tomorrow. She is well known for her beautiful gardens, which are always in bloom, no matter the season. Her favorite flower is the rose. I always thought about asking her out, but was too shy to do so. I wanted to ask her to dinner tomorrow, but our current predicament has changed that. "Oh, that," I say, disappointed. Now my chances are shot to hell. "I have no idea. I think the first thing to do would be to rationalize this somehow. Oh, by the way, did you have a weird dream last night?"
She thinks for a few moments before speaking, "Yeah. I dreampt that I was a pony fighting Discord because another pony told me to. Why?"
"Nothing, except that I had a similar dream myself. You don't think that this is relevant to what's been happening to us?"
"I don't know. I'm going to take a five mile run to clear my head. I'll be back later."
"See you then. And keep a low profile, we don't want to scare anyone."
Hey, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Sara Cameron, Sean's sister. Or I was. I really don't know what to think anymore. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved exercising and sports. My favorite sport is running. I like to feel my feet pound the pavement, letting the wind flow through my short, brown hair. I got into My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic when I first saw Rainbow Dash clear the sky in ten seconds flat. I love characters with attitudes like mine. Some of my favorites include, but are not limited to, Gilda, Lightning Dust (she's my top favorite, and now I'm turning into her), the Wonderbolts, and Iron Will. My least favorite character is Fluttershy, but that's 'cause she's a wimp. Pinkie Pie gets on my nerves too, but at least she's not a sissy. Sean is obsessed with Pinkie. Its always "Pinkie this" and "Pinkie that." He even calls her Pinks, but I think he's weird. Sorry, am I rambling? I tend to do that. Anyways, here I am, running. I think best when I run.
Sean is starting to look different. Gone are his brilliant blue eyes, replaced by dusty brown ones. His dark brown hair has grown in quite a bit, and has been slowly changing colors, now a mixture of red and black. Its kind of disheartening, knowing we were changing into something other than humans. I, too, have changed. I think I'm starting to stand a little taller than usual, however, its hard to tell when I am running, as I run on my toes, using my legs as pistons. My hair is a lot longer and fuller. If it gets any longer, you could call it a mane. That scares me. Fortunately, there are no bangs in my face. I hate bangs. They simply get in the way. I can feel something being pushed into my butt underneath my knee-long shorts. I would be wearing shorter shorts if it weren't for that unsightly cutie mark. I worry what it is. I am afraid I know the answer: I have a tail.
I finally arrive back home. Thankfully, Jenna has gone to her flower shop by now. The two flanking houses are empty and for sale. The families that lived there moved out after their children got out of college, so Sean and I have our privacy, for the most part. As I walk into the garage, I can hear rock music playing really loudly. I have my running, Sean has his music. I recognize the song as Anthem of the Lonely by Nine Lashes.
So I'll break it
Knowing what you said
The pain is what you make it
Sadly you are so mistaken
I will take you with a grain
And step into the changes
Throw away the empty heart
I open the door and see Sean singing his lungs out in perfect tune to the song.
Right now
Never want to leave this place
And right now
See it in a different way
So right now
Even if you take me on
I'll stand the lonely
Stand the lonely
I let him finish up. When the music stops, he looks at me, as if seeing me for the first time.
"I didn't know you were home," he says, proving that I am right on the money, "How much did you hear?"
"All of it," I say bluntly. Then, I notice that he is wearing his Mario pajamas backwards, with a tail sticking out of the fly. Apparently, he is standing on his toes, just like when he was emulating the gait of a utahraptor. He doesn't seem to notice this latest development. His mane, which is what it is now, is the same color as his tail. His toes, which were not in socks, were being dominated by a huge middle toe, which seems to have absorbed two of his other toes. I take off my shoes and socks, and lo and behold, I have the same problem.
"I think you should either find shorts with a fly, rip a hole in one of the ones you own, or wear a skirt. I would not recommend that last one, seeing as the tail you have would allow the world to see your underwear," he says. I nod. Unfortunately, I don't have any shorts with flies. However, I don't want to wear a skirt. The only option is to rip holes in my clothes. Although I don't have the same affection for clothes that most girls have, I still don't like the idea of tearing holes in them. Oh, well. Too bad. Once I do that, I am ready to stay inside for ever and ever. I'll never run again! Strangely enough, it is that thought that makes me break down crying. Not changing into a character from a kid's show, not the changes themselves, but the fact that my dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete have been shot! Oh, woe is me! Sean comes up to me to try to comfort me. The last time I cried was the time that I didn't get a five minute mile, so he has never seen me in this state. I wish he didn't have to. I don't like looking weak. "Shh, don't cry. I'm right here," he reassures me, "This must be especially rough for you since you don't like being cooped up. I'm sure that, with time, this should all blow over and we can be back to normal. Come on, stop crying. Its okay."
I sniffle. Looking into his strong eyes, I can see he's hurting as much as I am. Maybe more. I don't know why, but he seems a hell of a lot older than he is, like he's seen things that no one should ever see. I lose myself in my brother's eyes. Strangely, I see a slight metallic shine in his eyes, as though he were not entirely alive. I look up at the clock. I haven't checked it since I woke up. The time is 8:30 PM. Just then, I realize just how long the day was. I realize just how well the song Sean sang fit into our predicament. He's always been able to do that, find a song that fits the situation. I realize that I am ready to step into the changes. Right now, I never want to leave this place. Right now, I see things in a different way, and even if we are stuck as ponies for the rest of our lives, I am ready to stand the lonely. That's the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. Stand the lonely.