The next morning, any faint and remaining hope that things would return to as they were; or that this was some long, weird dream, were lost.
Again, I’d woken up late, this time around one. The first thing I’d had to do was brush back the long tresses of my new long and ridiculously feminine mane. As I did, however, I noticed my hands were smaller, and seemed to be reshaping. My nails looked thicker somehow, and my fingers slightly smaller as well. This discovery certainly gave me the extra kick-start to wake me up completely. Throwing back the sheet, I was treated to another horrific discovery; my feet were completely gone, replaced by fully-formed hooves with pink fur reaching just towards my knees, my fully-developed tail resting nearby and its hair reaching almost as long as my legs were now. My figure had changed even more as well, gaining a fully slender build, almost like a well-built woman’s.
“This is so unreal…” I muttered in disbelief, only to pause at the realization my voice had begun to change. The pitch was a little higher, like a husky alto feminine voice and nothing that should sound from a man, let alone myself. Putting my hand towards my neck, I noticed the lump that was defined as the adam’s apple was now gone. If that had disappeared overnight…
Panic immediately overtook me as I feared for the safety of the one other remaining quality that’d define my real gender. Pulling down my shorts, I soon discovered overnight that I’d been subjected to the cruelest and most destructive blow to my man card. Gone. No, check that; Replaced. Replaced with something only found down there on the other gender. Tears slowly formed as it became fully clear to me that I was now a 100% female, and no doubt in only a matter of time I’d be adding a species change to the list of very dramatic ways my life had been remade in the last few days. My hand brushed away some of the fringe from my mane and came to a stop at the horn, which I quickly discovered had reached what I can gather would be its full growth.
The sudden growl of my stomach had interrupted my train of thought and I remembered I’d barely eaten yesterday save for a simple sandwich and a cup of ramen; and then there was the likelihood this transformation, particularly in the way it seemed to be speeding up and adding much more drastic changes on the way, was probably taking energy out of me faster as well. Turning in the bed, I nervously pulled my shorts back up and tried to climb out of bed. Needless to say, walking on hooves with two legs was not easy. It was like trying to walk on the balls of one’s feet while they had hockey pucks strapped to them. Given I was likely to become a quadruped soon, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised my legs were becoming less intended to support my entire weight. Bending my knees, I tried to walk in a manner similar to how a satyr did in Greek mythology, and I managed to fare a little better.
Reaching the kitchen, I opened the cabinets, my smaller fingers slipping a little in the progress, I got out the bread rolls and went to the fridge, finding some meats and vegetables to put together a nice big hoagie to make up for yesterday’s lack of food. After some effort, I’d managed to make a decent footlong and not even bothering to wait till I got to the den, I tore right into it. Satisfaction fell over me as I took several more bites, I had never felt so hungry. I was hungry enough to eat a… well, you know.
My joy was short-lived, however, when my stomach rumbled and nausea quickly overcame me. Next thing I knew I felt ready to throw up, and with the difficulty of walking and grabbing the trash can, I nearly knocked it over as I dipped my head in and what I’d eaten of my lunch so far came back up and out. Coughing and dry-heaving a few times, I looked back at the sandwich. Had anything gone bad? Not likely, I bought all this stuff when I went food-shopping the day before my birthday. The bread, the lettuce, the tomatoes, the onion slices, the turkey and ham and bologna…
Then it hit me. Meats. If I was turning into a pony, maybe my diet was changing, too. Equines were herbivores by nature, and I don’t recall ever seeing any of the characters on the show travel outside that dietary box except for the time Rarity cooked eggs for breakfast once. It was enough I lost my masculinity, I was now losing one of my favorite slices of the food pyramid as well. When we ate out, I never got salads. I always went for a big new york style hotdog, or a juicy cheeseburger, or some other meaty meal that had caused my friends to suspect I was a carnivore. Clearly, that was no longer going to be the case, I realized as I begrudgingly opened the sandwich and removed the meats, throwing them into the trash and tried eating what remained inside it. Thankfully this time there were no problems, but I still felt miserable… just another part of who I was had gone.
My stomach finally satisfied, I returned to the bedroom to get my laptop, and carried it to the living room and sat myself on the couch, my new tail sticking out between my legs as I switched the computer on and typed in my username and password to log in. As I did, however, I noticed my fingers had shortened a little more, and felt stiffer somehow. It’d only be a matter of time before they were gone completely so hopefully this time I’d find something.
As I’d expected, I found once more a whole lot of nothing, until finally I saw a tweet about someone who claimed to be turning into a pony on a fansite I frequented when Alice and I had little else to do, complete with pictures. Intrigued, I clicked it, my hopes that I wasn’t alone finally up. Photoshop. Lousy photoshop. Who did this guy think he was? Furious, I typed out “Nice try. Pathetic.” on the comment box and closed out. People were talking about how awesome or how exciting it’d be to be a pony, or become one, and it only annoyed me further. If any of them had any idea what I was going through now, I’m sure they’d change their minds!
Typing as best I could, I wrote a long and aggravated rant about how in real life the process would be body horror beyond belief and not to mention that the species are so physically different that it’d take a lot of effort to adjust properly to it. There were comments about that Conversion story, which earned an eyeroll from me. That story was legendary for its misanthropy, but then again given the kinds of TV shows that cropped up over the years that tried to call themselves ‘reality’, I guess I couldn’t argue with where all that hostility towards humanity and the appeal of Equestria may have come from, but what did I know? I was just a severely disillusioned guy… no girl now apparently… who was turning into something from that place! As I leaned back with an angry groan, I felt an odd numbness in my back. Reaching into my shirt, I felt two odd formations near the top. Were those… wings?!
Taking my shirt off, I got a better feel, there were small feathers forming, the wing shape was still small and underdeveloped, but that was sure to change. Looking down, I’d noticed the fur had progressed as well, reaching all the way up my legs now to my pelvic region in the two hours I’d been online, and my legs themselves had changed as well, looking practically identical to an equine’s hind legs now. “Now what…” I said, my voice higher and smoother then before. There was no way in hell I’d be able to go anywhere without a lot of strange stares, let alone be able to drive my car, who knew what would change next in my absence?
Pushing my laptop closed and groaning again, tugging my mane in anger, I tried to think of what to do next. My fate had pretty much been sealed. Nothing left to do but wait for the inevitable, I suppose. What was it that old movie Life of Brain sang at the end?
Always look on the bright side of life…
Right, like there was one now. Still, it gave me the idea to watch tv, maybe find something on Netflix to try and ease this pain a little. Where the hell was the remote anyway? I could really use it right now…
My questions of its wherabouts were swiftly and painfully answered when the remote, engulfed in sky-blue magic, floated right at me and smacked me in the face. Rubbing my nose where it hit me, my hand drew back when I realized my face felt different. My nose felt smaller, more… fused into the rest of my face like a snout was just beginning to form, and I swear my eyes were larger… I didn’t even want to waste time getting up to find a mirror now. There was really no point as it was sure to only creep me out even more and I was not really willing to leave the sofa and deal with the difficulty of walking with these legs if I didn’t have to. At least with my newfound ability to use unicorn magic I could save myself some trips. Taking up the remote with my hand, I switched the TV on, flipped through twenty channels of horrible reality shows, and finally decided to change the output to my blu-ray, and turned on my Netflix instant. I flipped through some choices, and found myself settled on the complete series of the show that had been playing a larger role in my life lately then I otherwise would have liked and set it to play them all automatically.
Another few hours of episodes had gone by, and I could feel more changes occur; including how my wings had grown enough I could no longer sit back without feeling them pushed against me, and my voice was unquestionably a match with Cadance’s now, something I put to the test when the imposter and her sang the duet. With time having passed and with no one but myself as company, I felt hungry again. I had seen the fur had progressed even further now, now to my elbows and chest, and I tore my shorts off as they no longer fit me right; and by now I probably resembled one of those anthropomorphic drawings that populated deviant art in the show’s prime. Remembering my phone, I realized I’d need to go to my bedroom, and after struggling to keep my balance and eventually settling for crawling, I made it. Alice had attempted three more phone calls, but there was no way I’d be able to speak to her now. I was barely Cale Amos anymore in appearance, as the mirrors that made up my closet door now told me with one glance… I was maybe 30% human by this point. Finally tearing my gaze from the mirrored doors and looking through my speed dial, I decided if I was about to lose my humanity by tomorrow, I’d go out with a bang, or more accurately a pizza from my favorite place.
Calling it up on speed dial, I waited for it to pick up. With my new voice, I had to pretend to be Angela and agreed they’d get paid on arrival by delivery. The pizza would be here in thirty and I’d get to enjoy what I may as well deem comparison to a death row inmate’s final meal.
Making my way back to the living room, I got to my wallet and took out a twenty. The large pizza would be around fifteen, but the change would be more then a generous tip. Grabbing the blanket I kept over the sofa and covering myself, I opened my door and peered around cautiously. No one around, I stuck my arm out, sliding the twenty under my door mat, closing the door immediately after. Satisfied, I returned to the sofa to resume watching the show. It was already getting late, around seven or so but as it was May the sun was still mostly out and I couldn’t deny the weather felt nice, but somehow I had a hunch there’d be a storm tomorrow… weird thoughts, I was never much for guessing the weather and just ran with whatever happened; especially since the thing about Virginia was the weather was always pretty unpredictable and random.
King Sombra’s return was now evident, Cadance in the show seemed exhausted from trying to hold the barrier that kept the former dictator of the Crystal Empire out… I felt for her, somehow; maybe because I knew soon I was going to look an awful lot like her. As the barrier faded and Sombra’s nightmarish presence began to seep into the Empire’s land, the doorbell rang and I nearly jumped from my spot.
“Mrs. Amos, your pizza’s here!” The deliveryboy’s voice said outside.
“Uhhm, thanks! Money’s under the mat, sorry, kinda in the middle of something, just leave the pizza there I’ll grab it in a moment.” I called, trying to sound a little like Angela despite Cadance’s higher voice as I leaned by the door. I could hear the sound of approval as the deliveryboy found the money and that he made five extra tonight and waited as I heard him leave. As soon as he was gone, I draped the blanket over myself again and turned the doorknob with both hands. Reaching for it, I realized my fingers could not properly grasp the box. How was I gonna… wait.
I closed my eyes and focused, and when I opened them I saw the box levitating. Concentrating on it, the pizza box slowly floated towards me, and I carefully stepped back, not wanting it to fall or smack me in the face.
“Come on… come on…” I said softly, not taking my eyes off it as I led it inside and guided it to the coffee table and quickly shut the door with my hind leg. Approaching the delicious smell of my dinner, I pushed my now-stiffened hand against the lid to nudge it open, smiling at the mouth-watering vision that lay within, and felt an odd sensation on my back. Did my wings just…?
I looked back, and sure enough they’d fanned out, apparently from excitement and anticipation. This left one last challenge… how was I going to eat? My hands were practically useless now, and I didn’t want to drop my face into it. I guess that left using magic again; for better or for worse. Focusing, I levitated a slice out and towards me, grease and melted cheese dripping from the ends back into the box as I floated it towards my mouth, taking a big bite and savoring the taste. Thank you, God, for letting me have this last real meal I thought to myself in satisfaction. I made it through two more slices and I felt full. As I got back to the couch, I noticed my fur had now completely covered my hands, and feeling my face, it was evident my human features were now almost completely diminished, much like that small dose of happiness from my dinner.
I could never go out in public again. Ever. I couldn’t go back to work, I’d lose both jobs now… regardless of what I looked like tomorrow, unless I was my old self again… I knew that even if I’d still be living and breathing, my life would be essentially over. As more episodes played, I skipped ahead to ones that featured the apparent reforming of Discord and I scoffed. What a joke he’d played on everypony there that we'd all just assumed turned out to be a poorly-written retcon for a finale…
...Did I honestly just think ‘everypony’ then?
Discord had played them all, and that sick joke of a series finale was proof of it. It was completely dark out, and later into the night, nearly midnight as I sipped a mountain dew I’d floated over to myself. I didn’t want to sleep, I wanted to see this completely through! I’d fight the entire way if I had to!
Those thoughts swiftly turned into regrets when I suddenly felt an odd feeling all over my body that prompted out a cry of pain. I fell over, nausea briefly passing over me, and odd popping sensations coursed through my body, like bones shifting and moving, my neck felt like it was stretching, my arms' joints stretched and cracked, bending into new angles to become forelegs; my hands or what was left of them began to contract like sucking air out of a balloon, my body seemed to arc and hunch, then straighten out. It was like that trauma-inducing donkey transformation sequence from that old Pinocchio movie by Disney, only now it was an experience I was practically living. I cried out, tears forming in my eyes and pleading for it all to stop as what remained of my hand instinctively grabbed the blanket and I fell from the couch to the floor, rolling over to the side and letting it wrap around me completely. The last thing I heard as I slipped away into unconsciousness was a soft, cruel chuckle…