Lyra’s horn lit up a transparent sea-foam green. The light that encompassed it rippled like water gently hovering in mid air. Describing her magic as magical would be a lousy way to put it, but that was the only way my mind could possibly describe the phenomenon. There were simply no Earthly things that resembled magic, which is what made it so mystifying and amusing.
A pinging noise from the intercom speakers filled the room. The simple sound had the powerful effect of stopping all of the people and ponies in the lobby, and turning the room’s attention to the coming announcement.
“Nurse Redheart to front desk. Nurse Redheart to front desk.”
The magical waves surrounding Lyra’s horn vanished.
“She should be here shortly.”
A few seconds later, Nurse Redheart trotted into the lobby beaming with cheer.
“Hello again, Nathan! I take it you’ve made your decision. Follow me and I’ll take you to a conversion room.”
“Here’s his form, Nurse.”
“Thank you, Lyra.”
“Good luck, Nathan! See you on the other side!”
We all shared the parting laugh as I followed Nurse Redheart back down the hallway I had come from a short time ago. On our way to the room we passed by the window that I could see the garden from. Once again I was caught up in its beauty, so much so that my other senses seemed to stop working. I failed to realize that Nurse Redheart had stopped trotting and was turning around to say something to me. I finally noticed when I ran straight into her right as she was turning to face me. I hit her broadside and collapsed like a card tower in a soft breeze and groaned in pain.
“Gaah.”
“Are you okay, Nathan?”
I answered, shaking off my daze.
“Yeah, I’ll be alright. I have a bit of a tendency to get distracted at inopportune times. Are you hurt?”
“I’m quite alright, sweetie.”
I was surprised by how she barely budged when I rammed into her, and that she was unhurt. I didn’t think such a small being could be so stable.
“How is a pony your size so solid? I feel like I ran into a wall!”
“Four legs makes a difference; you will find that out pretty soon. Here’s the room!”
We entered room number 1010. Nurse Redheart flipped the lights on, momentarily blinding me. I felt like I was trapped inside a cloud. All I could see was white. White ceiling, white walls, and a white floor. The only thing that stood out was a single metal examination table in the center of the room.
“Who spilled bleach in here?”
“We have to keep the room easy to clean from some of the fluids that result of conversion.”
My stomach groaned in protest at the word “fluids”.
“What exactly comes out during conversion?”
“Sometimes people have internal injuries that they don’t know about, and the conversion process heals the body of them.”
I made a face at her remark.
“You mean to tell me that getting converted heals me of illnesses?”
“Oh yes! We’ve had people come through with cancer, tumors, or other horrendous diseases. When they go through conversion, the body expels any scarred or diseased tissue.”
If one were to walk into the room at that particular moment, they would probably assume I was do stretching exercise for my jaw.
“It cures cancer?!”
“Indeed it does.”
I remember my father telling me how he felt when his grandpa died of leukemia when he was little. He was sure that he would live to see a cure to cancer. Somehow, he never did. There have been new and effectice treatments for various cancers, but they’re all in short supply, and only the highest bidders can get them. No one has ever “cured” the disease in any meaningful way.
“Okay Nathan, I’m going to need you to undress and sit on the table.”
For the umpteenth time that day, I turned beet red.
“Uh. Un-dress...”
Nurse Redheart saw the anxiety bubbling off of my body.
“I can get you a paper gown if you’d like.”
“Yes, I’d like that very much.”
“I’ll be right back then.”
I wouldn’t say I was a person who was often nervous about my body. In intimate situations it hasn’t been a problem, but taking my clothes off in a completely casual manner has always been awkward for me. Awkward, like asking someone to think of an awkward situation that doesn’t involve nudity.
She returned with a paper gown draped over her back.
“Would it be alright if you step out of the room while I change?”
“Of course, sweetie, but you better get used to not wearing clothes.”
She trotted out of the room leaving me, pants halfway down my legs, pondering what she had just said.
Ponies are naked. All the time...
Out of all the things I contemplated about pony life, I never really thought about how ponies lack clothing.
Maybe I’ll get used to it?
I shrugged and reluctantly changed into the gown.
“I’m ready, Nurse.”
She trotted back into the room pushing a cart along with her. On is, there was a flask filled with a purple liquid, and one small paper cup.
“Okay, Nathan. This is your basic conversion serum. All you have to do is drink all of it at once and lie back on the table. You’ll fall asleep almost instantly. Hop up on the table and I’ll pour you a cup.”
That was another thing I never could comprehend. How do ponies do stuff without magic or hands?
“How exactly are you going to pour it? You don’t have hands.”
“It’s simple! I just use my mouth.”
I watched her delicately clamp her jaw down on the flask and tip it over, slowly filling the cup with the serum. I took the cup from her as she put the serum back on the cart. I lifted the cup to my lips to drink the content of the cup, but paused.
“Nurse Redheart. What happens while I’m asleep? Do I just pass out and wake up a pony?”
“Nearly every person that comes through here says they have a dream. It’s different for every one but most seem to have something to do with being a pony in Equestria.”
I nodded.
“Well, I guess it’s my time then.”
And with that, I gulped down the serum and lay back on the table.
“Mmm... Tastes like grape...”