//------------------------------//
// Night 
// Story: Last Lights Falling 
// by Kalros 
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“Right… So griffons exist as well. Mind telling me what other races live in Equestria?” I asked aloud as I watched ‘Griffon the Brush Off’ on my laptop. It had been about a half hour since I’d left Wal-Mart. My father drove me home and left as soon as possible, taking my truck with him. I’d been tempted to argue, but really there was no reason for me to keep the vehicle. I couldn’t drive, in this state at least. He’d told me if I needed to go somewhere in an emergency, just call. Emphasis on the word emergency. To be honest, I was getting the feeling that the guy was afraid he was going to lose me. I was the only thing he had left of mom, and now I wasn’t even human anymore. After a giving me a surprising ‘good luck,’ sped off into the night, leaving me in front of my home with just my clothes, wallet, keys, and a bag of McDonalds.

{Griffons, zebras, minotaurs, donkeys, dragons… And cows I suppose. Many farm animals seem somewhat self-aware.} Sunset murmured in response. For the most part she was being rather forthcoming whenever I asked something as we watched a couple of episodes. Like me, she had no idea about anything in the show besides a couple events she had heard in the news like Princess Luna’s return.

We’d been sitting here for a couple hours now, slowly munching away at the salad I bought at McDonalds while we watched episode after episode. Now I’m sure you’re wondering wether I was enjoying myself. I guess I was. The show itself was mildly entertaining, getting a couple laughs here and there from me and I could see myself following it on a regular basis. The problem however was I was being exposed to this in a crisis of sorts, and I was watching it with a mare who didn’t share my feelings most of the time regarding the mane 6’s antics and adventures. Sunset seemed to regard the ponies with a mix of contempt and annoyance, especially when it came to Twilight.

-POMF-


For a few moments, I panicked as my vision suddenly went black. It seems like the spell Sunset cast on our clothes had worn off. After a few seconds of struggling, I peeled everything off, setting them onto a pile nearby.

“How long was that?” I muttered to myself, pausing the video and checking the clock on the laptop. Since I didn’t have my phone I couldn’t tell exactly how much time had passed since we bought the things. (Watch? What’s a watch? How primitive!).

{The spell usually lasts about three or four hours} Sunset mutters and for a moment I consider redressing myself but… Hey, I’m at home. Who cares if I’m naked? Giving my head a shake I decide to check my email, facebook, a couple forums I frequented. However, aside from a bit of spam, I got nothing. Seems no one really noticed. It’s kinda disappointing really…

{Why do you care?} Sunset asks, once again seeming to read my mind or mood… { Are you looking for empty words worrying about wether you’re ok or not? Because if so, that’s rather pathetic.}

“Ouch. That’s cold,” I reply, feeling my ears droop. “I was just thinking someone might notice and be worried,” I mutter, typing up a status update. “I thought news that I was missing might have filtered out.” The police had said they found my vehicle only this morning, which didn’t make sense now that I thought about it. The crew operating the gravel crushers usually left for the weekend to go home instead of staying in the small camp the company provided them nearby. From what I knew, news of me being missing should have been known by everyone by now.

“Hey all, some of you might have heard I was in an accident. I’m ‘fine’ now. And by fine I mean I’m not hurt. The downside is that I’m a pony… Newspaper tomorrow should explain more” I muttered as I typed everything out with magic. At first I’d been using just a pen, but Sunset showed me a way to manipulate my telekinetic field similar to having fingers. I was still pretty slow however, that message took me about a minute. If I had hands it would have been a couple seconds.

{ So now what? Wait for the messages of ‘I hope you’re ok?’ and ‘Thank ‘insert deity here’ you’re alright?’ } Sunset asks sarcastically.

“No, now we take a shower and get cleaned up” I reply letting some annoyance creep into my voice; which had the creepy effect of making me sound more like Sunset than I was comfortable with. The mare just always seemed to have this annoying ‘I’m better than you’ tone to her voice. “And again, I’m just doing it to calm anyone who might be worried.”

{So you get nothing from it. Perhaps a couple seconds feeling good but otherwise nothing changes when you go back to them} she chided.

“Are you some sort of loner?” I ask, to which I am rewarded with a jolt of pain in my head.
{ No. I’m just not one to waste time like you just did unless I get something out of it in return. A few ‘feelings’ won’t cut it. I’m not a changeling} she replies. The more I spoke with Sunset the more I grew to dislike her. I really hope this was all temporary, if only because I wouldn’t have to live with her anymore.

“Changeling?” I ask, opening the door to the washroom and looking around, on the whole I kind of felt like I was in a stranger’s home. Everything looked rather different when you were only two feet high.

{ An old mare’s-tale. Creatures that can shape shift in order to appear like a pony. They would foalnap ponies and replace them in order to feed off emotions. Pure fantasy if you ask me though.} I wasn’t so sure. In a world of fire breathing dragons, magic, and whatever else, the idea of a race of shapeshifting vampires that feed off emotions was not too outlandish, if a bit dark.

{No shampoo? I knew I was probably not going to get conditioner but…} she trails off. Yeah, I just had a bar of soap. Why? Laziness? I was cheap? A bar of soap was all I really needed. I could use it to clean any grime of oil in my hair. Conditioners and shampoo just seemed unneeded.

The next few minutes passed in quiet relaxation, kind of. My thoughts would constantly turn worrying about the future while Sunset would go quiet. It was somewhat unnerving whenever she did that, mostly because I had no idea what she was thinking about. I had no convenient wiretap on her thoughts like she did mine.

“So uh… Sunset. Have any family?” I asked as I turned my head to let some water hit my face for a couple moments. It was odd, I felt like I was talking to some girl on a first date with her, despite having absolutely zero interest in her. Sure she was attractive, if that humanized image of her in the dream was any indication. But her personality sucked.

{You saw my father in that dream. His name was Meridian.} she muttered after a few moments. I could kind of sense that she didn’t want to talk about it but I pressed on.

“And your mom?” I already had a feeling I knew the answer but…
{Dead. On the Elysium Fields as dad would say.} She said, confirming what I was thinking. I assume the Elysium fields are some sort of pony version of heaven.

{Yes, it’s a term some ponies use for the afterlife.} she adds, reading my mind yet again.
“Could you not read my mind like that?”

{It’s hardly by choice. In the beginning I only caught a couple stray thoughts but, as time went on, I’ve noticed more and more of your thoughts. I’m guessing its part of the spell that put us together, but as to what it means I can only speculate. }

“Well why can’t I hear what you’re thinking?” I ask. It sounded like she was probably getting more access to my thoughts the longer our minds shared a head. Hopefully that’s it.

{Possibly because your mind has to occupy itself with controlling my body? That foalhood memory you saw indicates you’re able to get some things from me.} she mutters { However, since this has never happened before, I can’t really say. Maybe you should check online instead of watching pointless cartoons following the Elements of Harmony…}Rolling my eyes, I grab a bar of soap and begin to lather my hide with the stuff. Her mention of the memory I saw gave me reason to swap the subject. I’d probably do as she suggested, check some news reports, or maybe see if there was a web site that might help.

“So what did you and your father do? You seemed to be camping.” 

{We travel. Dad sort of had wanderlust and would drag me along as we travelled across Equestria. He would do odd jobs here and there for food and when the cold weather came around we headed south. Appleloosa, Las Pegasus… Anywhere that we wouldn’t need to worry about the cold.} I gave a small laugh, a whinny really, at the names of those towns but froze as my brain processed the sound. It was yet another reminder that despite being able to talk and manipulate the world around me, I was far from human.

 “And where is he now?” I ask, trying to shake off that momentary feeling of dread as I let the water wash the soap off me.

{I don’t know… After I got my cutie mark I saw him less and less. He hated being in Canterlot; said it was too crowded and noisy. I suspect that was an excu-} she paused, for a moment I could feel a tinge of rising anger but it soon vanished {It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to know my history.} she said, her tone suggesting that this was the end of my Sunset history lesson.

Giving a sigh, I turned the shower off and floated over a towel to dry myself off. Fun fact, it takes forever to really get dry when you’re covered in fur. However, what surprised me however was how my mane and tail seemed to naturally return to their natural state when dry. Hoping up on the bathroom counter, I gave a smile as I was greeted with a rather different looking unicorn.

Gone was the grime, the dirt, and for the most part, the exhausted look that had been on my (Or I guess Sunset’s) face for most of the day. I looked like a completely different pers- pony.

“I look good,” I said with a small smile, which vanished as I felt some anger drift off Sunset. At least she didn’t hurt me this time.

{That’s my body remember… So don’t get used to it. And I would look better if you had proper cleaning supplies other than just a bar of soap. Ill admit though its been awhile since I’ve seen myself like this} she grumbled.

“That’s right… Exactly how many years were you human anyway?” I ask, moving my head and body around to get a better look at myself. She’d mentioned having spent time in that ‘mirrorverse’ but never went into detail.

{Almost two years…} she muttered. Satisfied that I was completely clean, I made my way back to the couch and started searching for anything that might help tell me more about what was going on.

I’d seen the video of Celestia, or Faust, before. And it was that video that flooded the internet when I searched for anything pony related. I then found a facebook page made by what seemed to be the person that became Fluttershy. A girl named Erica.

“Shot?” I mutter, glancing over a couple worried posts on the wall. Opening another window I manage to find a news report about the incident.

For the next couple minutes I listen to the young woman go on about how this was the first real attack on a pony, and how those responsible were belonging to that hate group I’d heard about a few nights again. P.A.P.A. The name sounded rather silly to me but then again, when sounded out it was the same term I used to refer to my father.

“He’d probably be a proud member of them if not for me… Heck, why would that stop him…” I mutter with a sigh and look switch back to the facebook page.

“Achievem-“ I freeze for a moment as my eyes fixate on the next couple words. Element of Kindness…

“They’re here…” I mutter and lean back to stare at the ceiling. Its only a couple seconds later that I realize how odd I’d just been acting.

“Sunset was that you?” I ask, still looking at the ceiling. There had been no sharp pain. No warning. But I knew there was no reason I should have been that fixated by the phrase.
{… Maybe?} I could hear it in her tone. She was afraid, although I doubt the mare would ever admit it. {I wasn’t trying to do anything. And it didn’t feel like when I was normally in control.} No it didn’t. I was in no way confined to the back of my mind like the previous two times.
“What’s happening?” Our conversation in the shower coming to mind and I type in ‘Pony, human, brain, and mind’ into Google. The results are rather mixed, plenty of people arguing as to whether the original pony mind is in there, or if it’s something else. In the back of my mind I can feel some amusement drift over from Sunset. She was certainly there.

After a few moments of searching I give a sigh and glance to my clock. It was late and despite having slept for over a day I was exhausted after what’s happened today. Despite everything I couldn’t find anything concrete about what might be happening to me and Sunset, although there were a couple mentions of a merge, with both minds slowly becoming one.

{That’s not going to happen…} Sunset muttered as I put the laptop into sleep mode. Sleep was sounding really good right now and I make my way into my bedroom. Like the rest of the house there wasn’t much. A bed, a desk with some Warhammer 40k figurines on it, a couple posters, I didn’t really tend to spend too much money beyond miniatures and a couple games for my laptop.

“No its not… I plan on returning to normal” I mutter, echoing Sunsets remarks as I climb into bed. The thought of a merge was rather off putting. Especially considering how little I knew of Sunset and her personality. Sharing a head with her was pretty bad but I dreaded what would become of myself, my identity, if a merge did happen.