On Our Own
Chapter Five: Answering Back
The Internet: a vast treasure trove of information that could be accessed via a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or iPad. Those with internet access would soon discover that there were ponies living on Earth that only appeared from the popular cartoon show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
If anyone was watching the Internet videos at the time, they would see that a new one had recently appeared. A white unicorn mare with wavy blue hair and glasses and a smaller tan unicorn filly with a brown mane would appear on the screen, identifying themselves as cousins “Little Horn” and “Harmony.”
During the video feed, an email link from “Harmony” appeared in the information box, as she said it would. Now the question was, would someone actually respond?
Meanwhile, a unicorn mare with a blue and white trimmed coat and matching mane and tail viewed the video with special interest in what the pony cousins had to say from her location in her family’s cabin. Both were unicorns, and the smaller unicorn filly was very energetic in comparison to the calmness of her older cousin. A link to Harmony’s e-mail address was included as the new unicorn mare considered answering to the video.
Midnight Blossom, as she was calling herself, had undergone the transformation in around four days as well. She wondered whether the video from “Harmony” and “Little Horn” was a trap or actually legit. Her paranoia and wariness temporarily won over her sense of logic.
"It could be a trap..." Midnight murmured aloud. After giving it some thought, she figured that this was the real deal, and she wanted to reach out to them. Seeing the email link below, Midnight Blossom clicked on the email link with trepidation with her magic. She would be risking her own new life on the testimony of two ponies she had never met until today.
Once the email browser was opened, Midnight Blossom composed her message back to Harmony,
Dear Harmony...
My name is Samantha Harris. Or, at least I was Samantha Harris until I found a Cutie Mark on my thighs. I used to be a scientist at the Hawaiian Observatory in Honolulu, Hawaii. The first time the mark appeared, I thought it was a tattoo and would get it removed. I soon discovered the other changes starting to appear, such as my hair turning a dark blue with white trim. My hair became my mane by the end of the first day, which was my birthday on May 1.
I panicked when I grew pony ears and a tail on the second day. I grew more used to the changes as they continued, such as the back hooves and the blue fur all over my body. I locked myself up in my penthouse as the changes progressed by the third day and later moved out of the city by the time I grew a horn in the middle of my forehead. I quit my job and sought sanctuary into my family's lake cabin to wait out the final changes to my body.
I have Internet access here and saw your video. I am now a unicorn, like the two of you. Please respond, as I could use all the help I can get. I am enclosing a video picture of myself so you can know this is no hoax.
The video of the blue and white unicorn mare appeared in the video link enclosed on the email, along with a contact email for Harmony to respond.
I believe as a unicorn, I can do some magic. I noticed you can levitate some items. Maybe we can meet up? I am now using the name Midnight Blossom. I believe that is my pony name. Can you help me?
Signed,
Midnight Blossom
Formerly Samantha Harris
Midnight Blossom hit send after she proofread her message to Harmony. Now she waited for a reply back.
Meanwhile, a dark grey unicorn stallion watching the video message from his location from Spokane, Washington responded:
Dear Harmony and Little Horn,
Thank you for sending out this video message. My name is Crankshaft, I began changing into a dark grey unicorn stallion on my 25th birthday six days ago. It's a great relief to know I'm not the only one going through this odd transformation. Please respond so we can meet up.
-Crankshaft
Little Horn was monitoring all the video responses at the time, and quickly read through the replies with eager anticipation.
Shortly afterwards, a third response came from a young colt named Duo. He was a unicorn, just like Little Horn.
Um, Hello my name is Duo and... I have already gone through what you both experienced. I am not sure what happened but if you can help me then please help. I also fear how much of an effect this will have on Sweetie Belle. I found Apple Bloom and she and I will be coming to your location through the airport. Can you help us?
-Duo
P.S. Apple Bloom says Howdy!
The mention of the names of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom perked the interest of Little Horn. A smile appeared on her face as she went over to find her cousin.
“Harmony! Come quick! We have three responses to our video! Three unicorns want our help! This one,” She points to the first responder, “is Midnight Blossom! The other guy is a stallion calling himself Crankshaft.” Then she saw Duo’s response. “Hay, this colt says he knows Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!” She thought, “Come to think about it, he was absent the day we had class picture day.” She sort of felt sad for him... “Can I answer him back, please?”
“That was quick,” Harmony murmured, “It only went up ten minutes ago... Oh well, let’s have a quick looksee...”
“Dear Harmony... yadda, yadda, yadda... bla, bla, bla... from Midnight Blossom,” Harmony skim-read, “Huh. What an interesting name that is.”
Little Horn smiled. She was so excited about the prospect of meeting Crankshaft and Midnight Blossom! Perhaps there would be more ponies out there!
“I told you that Internet video would work! We have three fellow unicorns who need our help! Should we respond and see if we can find out where they are? Maybe they can come to us...or we come to them.” Little Horn looked over at Harmony to see what the next best course of action would be.
“I suppose it’d be best if they came to us,” Harmony murmured, “If we go anywhere, it’d mean I’d have to keep a close eye on you on a constant basis. If we have to go through any rough or dangerous parts of town... I don’t want to be putting your safety at risk like that.”
Little Horn nods in understanding, “I know. You just want me to be safe. So, we need to tell these ponies to come visit us! Maybe we can get them rooms at the apartments!” She then looked up at Harmony and gave her a hug.
“... That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Harmony broke the hug and logged into the Apartment Mainframe, searching about for any possible vacancies.
“I don’t know teleportation spells yet, Harmony. I only know levitation so far, from what you taught me.” Little Horn’s ears droop after thinking about the spells she has learned under her cousin’s tutelage.
“To be honest, that’s about all I know myself,” Harmony murmured off-offhandedly, “Most of it’s a learning experience for me as well.”
Little Horn nodded, “I guess that is why we will be working on that together, then.” She smiled as she felt safe around her cousin. Being a younger pony did have some advantages, but also some disadvantages. One of the advantages of being small was that Little Horn could get into places a larger pony could not get into, as well as being adorable. The downside was that the little filly was still at the level of a foal who was in Magic Kindergarten and being underestimated for being so young.
“Alright y... it looks like Unit D is the only vacancy, I’m afraid. We’d have to put ‘em all in there,” she frowned, “I hope they don’t mind...”
Little Horn smiled as she looked at the two responses thus far, “You think we are the only ones who ended up as ponies? There could be younger ones like me who don’t have their Cutie Marks yet.” She continued to think about her three Crusader friends from school. “I really miss Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom. If they saw this video, I am sure they’d respond, right?”
“That depends,” Harmony shrugged, “I doubt that they’re even on the Internet.”
Little Horn shrugs, “It would be nice to have some pony my age to talk to and play with.” She sighed as she kept monitoring the Internet postings, “Should we wait for more, or tell these ponies to come to us?”
“Let’s bring ‘em to us,” Harmony began typing at the keyboard, “In any case, if worse comes to worst, the boys can all stay in the one apartment, and Midnight can just stay with us.”
Little Horn watched with anticipation as her cousin worked to reach out to Midnight Blossom and Crankshaft. “I hope we have enough food for them. I wonder if they’ll like me?”
“Food’s not going to be an issue,” Harmony dismissed, “Unless they’re flat broke, I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to support themselves for a while. And besides, what’s not to like about you, eh? It’s always the small adorable ones which are the most likable.”
After a few moments though, she added with a soft snicker, “Although Diamond Tiara doesn't count, ‘cause she’s a douche.”
Little Horn laughed at her cousin’s crack at her old nemesis from school, almost falling off her chair. Tears of laughter came from her eyes, “Oh, cousin, that was really funny!” The little filly continued to laugh. “What about Silver Spoon? She is more of a follower, really.
”
“I only know them from their depiction on the cartoon show,” Harmony shrugged, “But they certainly don’t look like the sort of kids anyone would want to hang out with. I just don’t know what Silver Spoon sees in that pink piece of slime...”
Little Horn composed herself, “I think it’s because Diamond Tiara is spoiled rich. Her father’s name is Filthy Rich, owner of Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargains.”
“Is that so?” Harmony raised an eyebrow, “Her old man is Mr Moneybags just from running a garage sale, is he? That’s interesting... I’m lucky to get fifty bucks whenever I sell junk from my front yard.”
Little Horn continued to laugh at the jokes her cousin cracked, then frowned. “Aren't we becoming the bullies by making fun of those who torment or have tormented us? What if I somehow run into Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, or someone who has turned into them?”
“If you somehow run into them, they wouldn't do a thing, because I’ll wring their necks if they so much as say ‘boo’,” Harmony huffed indignantly.
Little Horn smiled at her cousin, proudly. “I’m glad you will help me with any bullying issues. That’s what family does, right?”
“Of course,” Harmony nodded determinedly, “You’re under my care now, and as far as I’m aware, no-one’s going to touch a hair on your head without my say-so. I can promise you that. So if anyone ever gives you crap, you come see me and I’ll sort ‘em out.”
Little Horn gave her cousin a hug, nuzzling up against her fur. The idea of two ponies, now related by a series of circumstances beyond their control sounded far fetched, but to Harmony TrebleHeart and Little Horn, this became a reality when Little Horn’s mother arranged for her child to be placed in a stable home under the supervision of a close family member. “Harmony, would this be a good time for a song?” The little filly asked, looking up at her cousin.
“Hmm,” Harmony tilted her head in thought, “Alright, I think I’ve got one.”
She flicked on the loudspeakers with a swipe of her magic and opened up her iTunes. Quickly scanning through the Library, she clicked on a song, and the music started to play.
Little Horn smiled as she heard the song. She recognized the tune as Summer of ‘69, as Harmony sang cheerfully along with the tune. She joined in on the song, but sadly, there was no singing Cutie Mark for her. “I just wish I knew what my special talent was.” She sadly said, feeling like she was in need of a hug.
It was quickly evident as to why Harmony’s special talent was singing. Her voice was very smooth and graceful, with little difficulty hitting the high notes. If someone didn’t know any better, they would think she was a voice actress for a Disney musical.
She brought her performance to a close with a smile, murmuring, “I think that’s my best rendition of that one yet. The ol’ vocal cords needed a good stretch, anyway.”
She glanced down at her cousin, “Oh? Why the long face?”
Little Horn chuckled at the joke her cousin cracked, “I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong...I tried cooking, singing, and made an Internet video to help find other ponies like us, but no Cutie Mark...” The small filly looked like she was about to cry.
“That’s no reason to start the waterworks on us here,” Harmony gently shook her head, “You have an entire lifetime ahead of you to figure out your calling in life. Just get out there and live, and maybe your Cutie Mark will find you, instead of the other way around. There’s no-one here on Earth who gives a stuff if you have a Cutie Mark or not, so there’s no obligation to feel pressure or anything like that.”
Little Horn thought about what her cousin said, and her tears stopped as she listened to her sage advice. “Yeah, you are right. I have been doing a lot of thinking about my situation; being a younger pony and all. So many advantages....”
“You have a young and inquisitive mind, L-H. The last thing you want is to have your Cutie Mark turn up telling you you’re destined to be a garbage collector or something like that for the rest of your life, so just find out what interests you the most in life, and aim for that,” Harmony placed a hoof on her shoulder, “Cutie Mark or not.”
Little Horn smiled as her cousin cheered her up. “You always know the right words to cheer me up, Harmony.” She felt her cousin’s loving hoof on her shoulder and closed her eyes, allowing the words of encouragement to sink in. “I guess we’d better prepare our guests for their arrival and send out those invites. That Duo colt could use some cheering up!”
Harmony stood up off the chair, “That means I better go make sure Unit D is all cleaned up and presentable then. It should be the same way we left it last time, but just to be sure...”
She opened up a drawer in the desk and produced a large white key, marked with a bold black letter ‘D’. “Right then...”
Little Horn hopped off the computer chair and asked, “Can I come help? I want our guests to be comfortable in their new lodging.” She thought about how they would accommodate them all. “So, I guess the mare, Midnight Blossom can stay with us, and the stallion and the colt can stay in the vacant apartment? And, if Duo actually found Apple Bloom, she can stay with us... I bet she is missing her family.”
“I don’t see why not,” Harmony replied offhandedly as she trotted out the front door.
Little Horn followed her cousin around the apartment block, feeling like an important part of her cousin’s life. If this was some sort of “Take your Relative to Work Day,” this would be one of those days.
The apartment block that Harmony owned was pretty easy to navigate. The four single-bedroom units were all within the same square-shaped building, connected by two intersecting corridors in a plus-shaped pattern directly up the middle of the building, with each unit in a corner. Harmony and Little Horn, who lived in Unit A, simply had to make a left turn out of their door, turn right at the intersection, and Unit D was the one on the left.
At the end of the hallway, in between Units A and C, was the service closet, where all the cleaning implements were kept, such as mops, brooms, the vacuum cleaner, and so on.
Harmony had inherited the business from her uncle, who had no children of his own when he passed away, and her older brother Todd didn't want it either.
The tenants living in Unit B consisted of two college students who went to the university just a few blocks away, who juggled their studies in between their jobs at Wal-Mart and a nearby petrol station, respectively.
The tenants in Unit C meanwhile were an old retired couple, who had been living there for years, and they got along well with Holly’s family.
The tenant who used to live in Unit D moved out just a few weeks ago, apparently moving to Halifax because of his job as a car sales representative for Chrysler.
Upon opening the door to Unit D, Harmony briskly trotted about to and fro, making sure everything was neat, tidy and presentable. Fortunately, they had performed a big clean-up of the place shortly after the previous tenant left, hoping to put it up on the market for rent, so there was little work to be actually done, beyond maybe a quick dust-off here and there.
Little Horn nodded and began to use her magic to assist her cousin with the clean up. “What tools do we need to clean this place up?” She asked.
“I don’t think we’d need anything more complex than a dust mop, I don’t think,” Harmony murmured, glancing around, “Maybe a vacuum cleaner as well. There should be one in the service closet.”
Little Horn nodded and went to the service closet, opening it with her blue magical aura. She levitated the vacuum cleaner to her cousin, helping her to plug it into an available outlet. “Okay, you can sweep, unless you want me to do it.”
“No, I’ll vacuum,” she picked the handle up off the floor, “If you see so much as a speck of dust, you sweep that crap up. There should be a dust mop in the closet, as well, on the shelf next to the dustpan and brush. I don’t think this should take more than twenty minutes.”
Little Horn got the dust mop from the closet and levitated it, wielding it as a weapon, “You got it, Harmony!” She said, mock saluting as if she was a soldier, declaring war on dirt and grime. The dustpan and brush were brought out as well. “Okay, I’m ready to get cleaning!”
“You start in the kitchen, and I’ll start from the bedroom,” Harmony directed, walking off with the vacuum, “We’ll meet up in the middle from there.”
Little Horn began her chores as her cousin instructed her. “Maybe after we are done, we can go get something to eat for supper? I don’t know about you, but sometimes, if I’m trying to learn new spells, I get hungry. Is that because I need more energy?”
“No, that’d be the tapeworms inside you demanding another feed,” Harmony rolled her eyes, “Of course it means you need more energy! What else would it mean?”
Little Horn continued to clean, and had more questions, “Uhm, what if we get sick and have to go to a doctor....would we have to see a veterinarian? I mean, I am pretty healthy. Just trying to cover everything.”
“... Let’s just hope it doesn't come to that,” Harmony murmured, “I don’t know anyone who specializes in equine healthcare.”
Little Horn shrugs her shoulders, finishing up her cleaning. “All done here. I’m ready for inspection!” The little filly was so proud of herself. It seemed she was getting better at her magic.
The young filly then asked her cousin, “Oh, did we get any mail from mom? I really miss her, dad, and Grandpa.” Being a third-generation unicorn, Little Horn came from a wonderful, rich family history. “I hope we can somehow make it back to Equestria.” The little filly liked being here with her cousin, but the thoughts of her real home kept seeping through her mind.
“I dunno,” Harmony swept the vacuum across the bedroom floor, “Maybe afterwards, we’ll go check.”
Little Horn nodded. She hoped her parents and grandfather would come visit. She could put on a magic show, but without the flashy show-off flair of, say Trixie Lulamoon.
The little filly finished all her chores and waited for her cousin to inspect the room she cleaned. “So how many ponies do you think we have confirmed coming?”
“At the moment, none,” Harmony muttered, “They’re not going to turn up if we don’t tell them to first, which we still haven’t done.”
Little Horn nodded, “Right. I confirmed at least three responses, four if you count Apple Bloom, last time I checked. Maybe the other ponies don’t have Internet access?” Having access to magic did have its advantages, but in the end, every pony was special in their own way.
“Who knows?” Harmony shrugged, concentrating on her cleaning.
Little Horn was pretty happy there were other ponies out there, including the young colt, who claimed Apple Bloom was with him. “Harmony, Duo said he and Apple Bloom were going to arrive through the airport and we had to come pick them up. Couldn't they just get a taxi or something?”
“Hmmm, to get a taxi from the airport...” Harmony furrowed her brow, “That’d be a bit pricey for them. Also, if they specifically asked for us to be there for them, then it’d be rude if we didn’t turn up. I doubt I’d be allowed to drive anymore, considering my current physical form.”
A wry smirk formed on her face, “Heh-heh, imagine the look on the copper’s face if he saw me as I am now in the driver’s seat! That’d be something you don’t see every day, would it?”
Little Horn giggled, “Yeah, and you and several other ponies, including Apple Bloom, Duo, and myself in the car. That would be an awkward moment.”
Harmony put on an exaggerated accent, shaking her head, “He’d be like, ‘I’m never having those vitamins with my breakfast again! I’m having a talk with my pharmacist, I think!’”
Little Horn waited for her cousin to finish her joke, and then laugh, rolling on the ground. “You know, that would be so funny!” The little filly stopped rolling and gets up on her four legs, “How did you deal with walking on hooves? I know it’s just one big toe covered in keratin.”
“It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes pretty easy,” Harmony replied, dropping the accent.
Little Horn sighed, “Well, I am done with my chores, and I will go put the items back into storage. Hopefully, our new pony friends will be able to keep this place clean.” She wonders what kind of adventures these new friends will have. “Crankshaft sounds like a nice stallion from reading his response. I’m kinda worried about Midnight Blossom though. The blue mare with the white trim in her mane and tail? I bet once she gets settled in, she’ll feel like sharing her story.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Harmony looked puzzled, “How else are we going to get to know her if she doesn't open up and talk about herself?”
Little Horn nodded, “Is that why you want the stallions and that colt to be in this room, and we take Apple Bloom and Midnight with us to our apartment? Or is that for safety for me?”
“It’s just polite that males and females are segregated over night time,” Harmony explained, “Unless they’re married. Then it’s acceptable. There’s a long story behind why that is the case, but it’s a story for another time.”
Little Horn nodded, “I may look like a little filly, but I think I have the idea. Maybe you can go over the house rules and figure out how much to charge the ponies for rent.” She then adds, “What about the little colt and Apple Bloom? I think they are too young to understand the concept of renting a room...”
“The cost for renting a room isn't per head, you know,” Harmony replied, “If Cranky rents out the unit under his name, he can do whatever he likes with it, as long as he pays for his own gas and electricity. Rent is generally a hundred and ten dollars a week; Gas is generally around thirty dollars a month; Electricity depends on the power company he’s with, and Water is covered by me.”
Little Horn nodded in understanding as she finished up. “I guess the next step is to contact our new friends and let them know what arrangements we have for them. Maybe I can invite them for a meal at that cafe. I’m sure Duo and Apple Bloom would love that.”
“Well, they’re not going to invite themselves, you know,” Harmony unplugged the vacuum cleaner, “Let’s get cracking!”