Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 5 : A supper between sisters(?)
May 2nd
Pony ears? Except the possible color problem, those could be useful if you considered the swiveling feature. I'll bet they are fluffy too. I might actually miss them a little once we manage to reverse the changes. While I'd like to feel their fluffiness with my hand, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the cause of John's panic. It might be better if I waited until later, when I am alone, to check them in more detail.
Speaking of John, didn't she mention several times that I should be more accepting of the changes we are subjected to because there was nothing we could about it? Apparently, my blue haired companion wasn't as accepting as she tried to convince me of. How will she react when the bigger changes will happen? Especially when we will be properly marefied...
To be honest, this was an issue that I tried not to think about ever since I finally fully accepted the theory that we were changing into ponies. But the new girly color of my hair made it certain that I wouldn't be forgetting about that part anytime soon. Males don't make good princesses after all... While I am not enthusiast about this fact, being on the other side could be an interesting experience for later. Besides, I guess that a change of gender is a rather minor problem compared to the fact that we are turning into ponies. As long as we don't meet stallions later on...
The throbbing pain still coming from my coccyx returned me to more immediate and comforting concerns.
John finally decides to come out of the bathroom she was hiding in. "Remind me not to call you KOS-MOS again as a joke. I think you actually hurt my coccyx when you threw me against the wall earlier." John was amused by my comment. It was obvious that she wasn't the one suffering...
"So, just what is this coccyx?" John closed the distance that separate the two of us as she was speaking. I wasn't surprised that she ignored that it was the scientific name of the tailbone. I tend to remember random pieces of information I heard here and there.
The sudden closeness between us coupled with her earlier panic evoked the weird need to nuzzle her. This uncomfortable new need left no question about the progress of the mental changes. Beside, why nuzzle if you can simply hug? I still have my hands at the moment. Apparently Luna misunderstood the uneasiness that developed from this new thought as she backed away.
Once I managed to erase the new pony's urge from my mind, I finally answered her previous question, "It's the useless bone at the end of the spine, which is actually the remnant of a vestigial tail." It was ironic talking about a vestigial tail when we'll end up with one at some point. The unfortunate pain from my tailbone reminded me of another use of that bone. John's ears swiveled toward me as I muttered the following, "Useless except for causing pain whenever you sit down in a bad position." If the swiveling meant what I think, I'll need to be more careful with what I say.
"Oh, so that's what the scientific name for this is called." She reached back to probably feel the area I just talked about before pulling something rather unexpected, a long, light blue tail. I might have talked too fast about the lack of a tail. An awkward silence followed as neither of us knew what to do at the moment.
My false sister was the one to finally break the silence, "Okay, I got used to the ears kind of quickly, but what is this?!"
At this point, the surprise from John's tail had faded. Besides, I was much more interested in having a look at mine considering it was probably the source of my pain. Still, I couldn't waste the perfect opportunity for a little fun. "I would guess that that's the not-so vestigial tail."
My azure companion wasn't impressed by my humor and decided to make an attempt of her own, "No, I thought it was a gummy worm."
Gummy worm, seriously? I'm not sure I can compete at this level of ridiculousness. "Right... Just try not to eat it."
At this point, my curiosity got the best of me. I unbuttoned my cargo pants and lowered the back so I could let out my new found tail. Cutting a hole in my pants was out of the question as I didn't bring any spare clothes with me when I took off for the Starbucks. It didn't surprise me when I noticed the pinkness of my new addition. Well, at least it matched my hair... Also, it was surprisingly soft to the touch. I'm starting to understand why girls like ponies so much.
On the other hand, I think I am starting to see things. I swear I saw a few hairs of my tail slightly moving by themselves despite the lack of movement or wind. Thankfully, Luna managed to break me out of my delusions, "Uh, I think your hair needs to be called a mane now."
I was more than happy to look away from my tail for now so I looked at her planning my retort. While I did not mind the changes in the words that applied to me, I had no clue what a mane was... I'll need to search for more information about ponies anatomies while I still can easily do so. Still, the talk about my hair reminded me the poor state I left it... "Personally, I'd prefer to just call it a mess at the moment."
John took her time to look at her own mane-thingy, probably to compare it to the disaster of mine. I'll probably need to learn how to properly use a brush before long. After a moment, my host finally spoke up again, "Hey Alex, I'll help you with your hair, but first, We have something that We need to do."
As far as I was concerned, I had no idea what she wanted us to do. It was weird that she didn't tell me what she wanted to do. I proceeded cautiously to question her on the matter, "We do?"
John rose an hands to emphasize her answer, "I'm sorry, I meant to say I have something to do." Why didn't she just say so in the first place? This was weird, though it was probably nothing. It wouldn't be the first time I misunderstood what she wanted to say.
In any case, I did have something to do myself. I wouldn't be surprised if Michael was a little tired of waiting after me. Pointing at my laptop still on the couch, I decided to ask the local master of the web how to access the mighty Internet, "I see. Is there any internet access point I could use?"
"Alex, my friend, any place in this apartment has access to the internet." Seriously? Who did she take me for? The laptop wasn't just for fun! Mostly. I needed more than to know that if I wanted to be able to connect to the router.
"Yes, I noticed that there was a wireless access point. But I need the password if I want to use it..." I'll be honest, I had no idea if there was truly a wireless router for the apartment. I had taken a guess considering the number of devices which would benefit from an access to Internet. The room would be a mess if Luna used cables for that task.
John seemed frustrated at her previous mistake, but I didn't expect her answer when it finally came, "Well, the password is, Password." I can't believe she used that as a password! I quickly typed what was probably the most used password of all time. "Very secure..." I quickly glanced at John before finally tell Steam to go online. She was lucky that she wasn't truly my sister or she would have received a lesson on computer security. A long one.
As soon as I was connected, I received a message from none other than Michael.
PeachWriter : It took you long enough.
For some reason I ignore, my friend always had an obsession for peach and he had decided to use the fruit in his usernames. It could be worst, it could be about cupcakes.
In any case, I knew why he was impatient. It was only a few minutes past eight, which meant that his sisters were still up and running. Literally.
Sarikano : Sorry, I got distracted by something. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'll be sleeping at my other friend home tonight. She got in a fight and received a hit to the head, so I'll keep an eye on her to be sure that she is fine.
PeachWriter : Oh? You are such a gentleman now, aren't you? Knowing you, I'm sure that the person who hit the lady must be regretting it now.
It was a good thing that he didn't need to know that I was the one who hit Luna on the head.
Also, at this time, my ears took interest in what John was saying across the room, but I decided to ignore her when I noticed that she was probably talking to herself. Still, the fact that my ears possessed a will of their own was a strange feeling.
Sarikano : Actually, my friend managed to protect herself well enough without my help. She also has quite the temper.
PeachWriter : I see. Actually, how are your eyes? Did your iris return to normal?
Oh right... He had noticed the start of the change of color of my eyes this morning. I wasn't yet ready to tell him about the whole changes, but I wasn't going to start to try to mislead him on things he already knew. It would only bite me back later when I'll actually ask for his help.
Sarikano : No... They now look like a mix of pink and purple... Thankfully, it is probably only a new kind of dye for the eyes.
PeachWriter : Oh, magenta you mean? I can't wait to see this tomorrow ;)
With the ears and a variety of unknown changes on its way, I didn't think I would be able to go in public tomorrow and I did not want to cause more troubles than necessaries for the twins.
Sarikano : About this, I won't be able to accompany the three of you tomorrow. There is something that came up. I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you about this at the moment.
PeachWriter : I see
While his answer seemed simple enough, I knew that he wasn't too happy about being kept in the dark, but I wasn't yet ready to talk to him about the ponification.
Sarikano : So... Could you tell the girls that I wish them an Happy Birthday tomorrow?
PeachWriter : I'll pass the message.
Yep, definitely angry.
Sarikano : Good night, I promise to tell you the reason I can't be there tomorrow as soon as I can.
PeachWriter : Good night.
I could tell from the shortness of his answers that I had properly offended him this time. Not that I had expected a different reaction considering that I had just told him I wouldn't be there for his own birthday without giving him any reasons. Not only it was highly unusual for me to withhold any information that directly concerned him, but I was supposed to be in this town for his birthday!
This whole turning into pony was frustrating! The main problem rested in the fact that I was keeping my best friend in the dark only because I wanted to have the opinion of a stranger first... What in my- God's name is wrong with me!
Oh, come on! Now I'm going to use my name as if I was some kind of god? What next? Thinking I can move the sun around?
"What's wrong?" Apparently, I must have voiced my frustration loud enough to attract Luna's attention. I wasn't in the right mood to explain her my current dilemma concerning my friend. Besides, I don't think that either of us was ready to have that talk today. At the moment, I only wished that day would end soon.
"Something I can't do anything at all to fix."
I had to admit that it was an answer that was rather vague, but I was surprised when John didn't question me further. The silence made me concentrate on the her face, only to catch a brief hint of sadness in her eyes before she decided to try to cheer me up, "Hey, I know things are kind of rough right now, but the best way to distract oneself from something like this, is first with a good supper, and then video games!"
At the mention of food, my stomach betrayed me and growled at the lack of substances ingested in the last hours, "I guess my apple and yogurt from earlier are long gone by now."
John quickly became serious as she asked me, "What type of foods do you like?" Her sudden change of mood startled me. Now that I think about it, it wasn't the first time since we met that she had such a change of behavior, one in particular that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
"I would eat just about anything right now." I did not want to impose anything to my host. I had to admit that meat sounded less appetizing than usual, but my stomach only cared that it was digestible at the moment.
"Alright Alex, just wait here for a few minutes and I'll have something ready." I nodded before John left for the kitchen and gave a quick glance at my friends list. Michael was offline.
Hopefully, I'll be able to solve this problem soon enough...
++C++
After a while, I finally decided to take a closer look at my ears in the bathroom. The mirror showed me a miracle, the fur covering my new set of ears was a beautiful shade of white! Wait, wouldn't white be hard to keep clean? Oh well, I can't be picky. They weren't pink at the very least.
I spent some time looking at my reflection in the mirror as I experimented with moving both my ears and new tail. It was a strange to move muscles I didn't even have an hour ago. Yet, it was also as if it was a natural thing for me to do. Right, as if the changes weren't weird enough already.
I finally decided to return to the living room to spend some time on my computer. Of course, I had to sit directly on my tail. The sudden surge of pain made me jump off the couch. I now truly sympathized with all the cats whom had the same happen to them. I finally tried to sit again, being careful to keep the sore appendage away this time.
Properly sat on the couch, I decided to search for information about ponies anatomy. I grinned when I noticed some pictures of what must be pegasus and unicorn from the show John mentioned earlier. There was no way to know how precise those were, but I'm sure a real pony wouldn't have a description of their wings.
It was half past eight when I finally heard a call coming from the kitchen, "Alright Alex! Supper is ready!" I wasted no time to set down my laptop on the couch and decided to send a confirmation that I heard the message, "Okay, I'm coming!"
As I tried to stand up, I almost tripped in the hairs from my tail. Unlike cats, the tail was rather short and covered by rather long strands of hairs. Even longer in the case of the pony I'm becoming.
As I entered the kitchen, I was surprised that John had taken his time to cook an elaborated meal considering the time it was. There was some pasta graciously covered by cheese, a few bread slices properly seasoned and some steamed broccoli.
"I hope that you like this Alex, or else We may need to force thee to eat it." I could tell from my sister's tone that she intended to sound threatening, but the slip of 'thee' made it rather funny.
I couldn't stop myself from winking after replying, "Thee have nothing to worry about." I'd admit that I felt a little bad for teasing her about something she had no control over, much like my sistering of her. Just a little bit bad. "Actually, it's a bit different than what I ate yesterday for supper."
"Well, don't let me keep you, dig in! In fact..." Wait, why is she- , "WE ORDER THEE TO TASTE THIS SCRUMPTIOUS MEAL!"
The main problem with our new ears was that they focus toward the source the speaker of our dialogue. The side effect of this was that if somepony suddenly decided to shout loudly, it was horribly painful. Thankfully, my ears instinctively laid down to reduce the damage. John's tail twitched soon afterward, but the meaning of this act was lost on me at the moment.
“Ouch! Luna, lower the volume! These ears are a bit more sensitive..." The pain I felt at the time prevented me from suppressing the slip of name as it occurred. Considering John reaction to being called by her pony name so far, I hoped that she wouldn't react too badly this time.
"Hey, don't call me Luna quite yet; it just doesn't feel right. Anyways, let's eat!" While I was happy that she let my error pass by so easily, the meaning of her message wasn't lost. If she was so uneasy about accepting the name of the pony she was becoming, there is no way to know how she will react when she learn about my new found feelings. This was going to be so fun...
Still, I wanted to tell her that I didn't mean to use the wrong name, "Oh, sorry."
John simply shrugged and motioned me to a nearby chair at the table. As I sat down, she prepared a plate with the meals on the table and eventually placed it in front of me before preparing her own. I had to admit, if you forgot her attempt on my life, my azure haired companion had been a great host.
++C++
The dinner itself was rather awkward for me for I had largely underestimated how badly my perception of John had been affected by the mental changes. Thanks to my good host preferences to concentrate on eating, it allowed me to bury myself in rather uncomfortable thoughts.
While the whole slew of questions that bombarded my mind weren't anything new I couldn't suppress at the moment, I felt that they originated from a foreign thought pattern. It was probably only my imagination, but my mind was clearly affected at a subconscious level and it almost scared me to know there was nothing I could do about it.
I was so deep in thought that I almost did not hear John speak, "So, how was it?" Looking back at my plate, I found it empty.
Great, I ate without noticing it. I answered her question before returning to my thoughts, "It was good."
I was left with a problem if I was to spend any extensive time with the future copy of Luna; I didn't know how long I would be able to pretend that nothing was wrong with me. I should probably tell her as soon as possible. She wasn't going to like that news, I could already tell.
Finally breaking out of my thoughts for good, I noticed that the table was now empty. My host had taken care of the dishes and leftovers while I was in the zone. Well, at least this was something normal happening to me for a change. My return to reality was timed perfectly since my ears perked at John voice, "So, for our video game, do you have any preferences on console, which game, anything? Wait, did you even bring games?"
While getting our current problems out of our minds was tempting, a quick look at my pink... mane gave me an idea to reveal my small problem to my host. Hopefully I won't regret this. With my new plan in mind, I pointed to my h- mane with a finger to put emphasis to my words, "Eh, maybe we could deal with this first?" I suppose it will take time before I get used to employ this new word for my hair.
John winced when she took a closer look at my mane. It might be in a worse state than I thought. Remembering that I hadn't answered her original question, I quickly corrected that mistake, "As for games, I guess something cooperative for a change?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good genre of game to play right now. I have a few for the PC that'll work. I'll just try to think of one while I attempt to untangle your hair." Luna left me alone in the living room, probably going in the bathroom to collect the hairbrush I tried to use earlier. I was happy that she agreed on my choice of game, I had enough competition for the rest of the day.
I decided to sit back on my favorite couch, careful with my tail, while waiting for the return of the hair brush bearer. I also decided to lay down the tangled thing on my head so that my little sister could easily do her magic.
Eh, little? Whomever was responsible for those changes either had a weird sense of humor or paid no attention to details. John was a great deal taller than me and she seemed to be near my age if I had to guess. On the other hoof, the Luna pony from my dream was smaller than me. Actually, all the ponies were smaller now that I think of it. Well, not that I expected a dream to be accurate.
Once my own Luna came back, she began the process of untangling my mane. The sudden urge to nuzzle returned. The situation wasn't awkward enough apparently...
Well, time to make things even more awkward, "L-John, there are a few things I need to talk about."
The name slips were starting to get enervating. Was I going to call every John I meet Luna from now on? I hoped that it wasn't the case.
My host cheerfully responded, "Alright then? What did you need?"
She seemed to be in a good mood, so I should see what she thinks about me staying for the night, "I hope you don't mind, I kind of invited myself for the night."
"Oh, don't be stupid. I invited you to my house, so don't ever think that this was wrong." Well, that went more smoothly than I thought. It would have been problematic if I had to face Michael again today...
"What else did you need to talk about?" Oh, right. That problem...
How should I bring such a delicate subject up? I can't simply tell her as if it was the most normal thing in world happening... An indirect approach then, "Do you remember when I asked about possible mental changes?"
"Yes, why?"
Oh, why did it have to be me... I should just say it and be done with it, "And the ponies we are becoming are well, *cough*sisters*cough*."
The silence that followed my statement was heavy. I think I just broke her. I muttered my thought on the current situation, "Yes, awkward..."
Well, at least the cat was out now. Actually, I felt much better. The need to nuzzle John was still present, but that one will stay repressed at least until I actually had a muzzle. Or forever, I think I preferred that one.
A teasing voice revealed to me that my fellow ponyfolk was functioning again, "Well Sis, your mane's done." I was happy that the mess I previously made was finally undone. It was probably a good idea not to use my mane again as a stress reliever again; I don't think Luna would be happy having to brush it again so soon...
On the hand, it irritated me that she dared to make fun of my situation. Didn't she understand how serious that kind of change is? "Don't laugh about this, you'll probably literally mean it before you know it."
"Hey, you don't have to go and bite my head off about it. Anyways, I've decided on a game; we are playing a match in Homeworld 2!"
I sighed at John's answer; I was too tired to argue with her at the moment. The game she chose could be interesting considering I heard several good comments about it. "I've never played Homeworld, but I guess I could give it a try."
She decided to pat me on the back while giving me the disc that she just retrieved. "Don't worry, we'll be on the same team, so there's a sixty percent chance that you won't die." Apparently teasing was the best that I'd get from her for the moment. Well, I preferred that over her foul mood anytime.
With the disc in hand, I placed it DVD player in my laptop next to me. As the installation progressed, I gave a sad look at the headphone I brought with me. Thank to my ears new found flexibility, I wouldn't be able to properly use them so I decided to store them back in my bag.
Once the install was done, John finally decided to sit down at her computer and started to reach for her own headset before coming to the same conclusion I previously did.
Once the game was set, John declared the beginning of the festivities, "Alright, let's do this."
++C++
I had to admit that I had much more fun than I originally expected. The most interesting part of the match was when the expert of our group decided to warp a fleet of nineteen battlecruisers right behind the enemy line, quickly ending the game. At that moment, I was very happy that I wasn't playing against John.
With the match over, I closed the game and looked at the time; It was almost midnight. It was no small wonder I was so tired; it was way past my normal sleep time. As if to confirm my exhaustion, I let out a rather loud yawn. It obviously attracted John's attention as she decided to wave her hand at me. She was about to speak, but she needed to stifle a yawn first. Those are contagious after all. "Well Alex, I think it's time for us to go to bed. You can have my room and I'll take the couch."
I tried to talk, but I was interrupted by several yawns before I managed to let the words out, "Actually, it would be better if I took the couch; I tend to wake up pretty early." To be completely honest, the real reason I wanted to sleep on the couch was because I was too lazy to stand at the moment. Another yawn managed to infiltrate itself before I could ask a question of the highest caliber, "You do have coffee, right?"
A simple nod quickly calmed my fear of having to try to wake up without my favorite brew. It was then that John collapsed on the floor, without any warning, and start screaming. This made me panic and stand up to assess her situation. At least, that was the plan until I was trounced by a pain far worse than my earlier one from my tail. It was almost as if a nail decided to pierce my forehead, from the inside.
The pain eventually faded. Luna mumbled something, but I didn't hear it as I was trying to stand up.
"Ça fait mal en Tabarnak." The pain had been enough to make me forget that wasn't home. Once I was sufficiently stable considered both the pain and my sleepiness, I looked back at the other victim just in time to see her bring her hand to her... horn? Right, how could I forget those...
Once she finally noticed her new little addition, she turned to me looking very surprised, "Um Alex, not to freak thee out or anything, but thee have the beginning of a horn."
Really? I think that it is a little too late to warn me! "No really? I thought I was being sent to Klingon." Okay, that was uncalled for from my part. But I was really too tired right now to think properly...
I think that John tried to tell me something else, but I just literally fell asleep on the spot, probably falling down on the ground. Well, it was an improvement over a keyboard.