//------------------------------// // Of Cutie Marks and Pancakes // Story: Star Gazer // by bluemoon1996 //------------------------------// CRUNCH!!! "How in the hell did you two get this down so damn easily???" Dan angrily shouted as his face made friends once again with the gravel around the camp. I could help but snicker, he'd been trying to walk for the last twenty minutes with little success. While me and Tim got it down lickity split and could probably run circles around him if we wanted to. "It's just like crawling on your hands and knees," I yelled from where I was sitting with Tim and Kylie under a nearby tree. The two of us had been asking her question about ponies while we waited for Alyssa to finish cooking breakfast. Without the internet, who better to ask about our current condition than someone who knows the subject? "KINDA HARD WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE HANDS!!!" "Keep trying Bro!" Tim shouted as well. He then leaned over to me and whispered, "If he spends any more time in the dirt, I may have to tell Alyssa he's been seeing more people." We both shared a snicker at that much to the confusion of Kylie. What kind of family would we be if we didn't poke fun at each other now and then? A functional one? What fun would there be in having a 'normal' family... Though would that still apply to is anymore considering our present condition? "So Kylie... You called these butt tattoos 'cutie marks,' right?" Tim asked, gesturing down at the stylized sun that adorned his haunches. On my own flanks, there was what I assumed was a constellation. Astrology has never been an interest to me so I don't know which one it is. Or is it Astronomy? Kylie nodded, "Yep Unkee Tim, they show what a ponies special talent is." Special talent? Why in Oblivion do I have stars on my butt then??? I've never owned a telescope in my entire life! And Tim's been a welder since he graduated high school, how does that equate to a sun? "And from what you're saying, we can walk in clouds too?" I asked. I remember some ponies being able to walk on clouds and having a city of clouds, right? She nodded, "You and Tim can 'cause you're pegasuses," she said, "Daddy can't, he's an Earth Pony." So that's what answers that question and opens up some new ones. I looked up at the wild blue hounded through the tree branches and stared at one of those fluffy buggers. "Soon... Soon," I quietly muttered, glancing back at my wings, "After I figure out how to work these." My stomach suddenly let out a deep reverberating grumble. "Quit your belly-aching, belly! You'll get fed when it's time!" I snapped down at my stomach, earning a giggle from my niece and an eye roll from my brother. My gut had growling on and off for the last ten minutes and it was now getting plain annoyi... "Pancakes are Ready!" Alyssa proclaimed, from her skillet on the campsite patio's table. "How convenient." "Indeed it is," I replied, grinning as I stood up. Not ten after my stomach grumbles, food is ready. Maybe getting turned into a pony turned my luck about and, for once, everything is finally going my way? "What are you talking about?" Tim asked a confused look on his face. "Didn't you say 'How Convenient'?" "No," he replied, "Maybe you're just hearing things?" I nodded, that makes sense. These new pony ears must be really acute for me to be hearing things. And with that, we all made our ways towards the table. I arrived just after Kylie, followed soon by Tim, and eventually Dan. The delectable smell of those divine disks filled my nose, making my mouth water. And from what I could see, she made a decent sized pile of them too! I hopped onto one of the concrete benches that flanked the patio's table and sat on my haunches, just barely fitting in the bench. I'm not eating on the ground like a dog. "I didn't know how many to make, " Alyssa paused, probably thinking of the right words, "current circumstances. I just made the usual amount." Ah yes, the small mountain of food it takes to feed my family on a daily basis. Needless to say, three fully grown men have a tendency to eat A LOT. And even though I was a cartoon pony, I was still hungry enough to eat myself. Alyssa quickly divided up the pancakes between all of us and I soon found a paper plate sitting in front of me, it's occupants just waiting to eaten. But that presented another problem: How the heck do I eat with no hands? I looked at both my brothers: they were both in the same predicament. Tim was staring at his plate and Danny was attempting to pick up a pancake with his forehooves with little results. As I sat there watching my pony brothers attempt to eat, an idea popped into my head. An idea that was, well, hypocritical. Leaning forward, I dived muzzle first into the plate and began to chow down like a starving dog. I looked up long enough to see Tim push his plate away from himself and everyone else staring at me confused. "Whaf," I said through a mouthful of food, "it worfs." ------------------ "Johnny, just admit you need Alyssa's help." "No! I'll get in the truck myself," I retorted, glaring up at Tim. He was staring down at me from the backseat of the truck. After breakfast, we had all decided to cut the trip short and head back home. And now everyone was sitting in the truck, waiting on me, besides Alyssa. "There's no reason to be ashamed of needing help," Alyssa said, squatting down next to me. I shook my head, I don't want to get picked up like a baby. I may be a nineteen year old man turned into a pony, but I don't need help! I can figure out my own way up! An idea that was so incredibly simple that I had to resist the urge to facehoof popped into my head: just jump up like cat does. I crouched down, staring up at my goal above. Okay, that's got to be about maybe a foot and a half above me. Just need to get the distance right... "Umm... What are you do-" "BOING!!!!" I proclaimed as I shoved myself upward. And I soon found myself soaring through the open door... and straight towards Tim. "LOOK O-," My warning was cut short as my snout soon found itself buried in my brother's ribcage. After pulling myself off of him, we both stared awkwardly at each other for a few seconds before breaking out into laughter. A solid thunk signaled the door being shut and pretty soon we were all on our way home. ....Fifteen Minutes Later.... Do you know how boring riding in a car is when you can't look at the scenery? Needless to say, it's really damn boring. I lied in the seat, my head resting on the door's armrest, "I'm So Bored!!!" If there is one thing I can't stand it's being bored out of my skull "Johnny, it's been fifteen minutes," Dan's voice deadpanned from the seat in front of me, "Take. A. Nap." That's....actually a great idea, I always take a nap during car trips and now that he mentioned it, I did feel kinda tired. I let out a loud yawn, "Good idea," and I closed my eyes. Pretty soon, I drifted off to the land of unconsciousness. . *Ding* The double doors in front of me slid open to reveal a mirror lined elevator. As I trotted inside, the door shut behind me and the voice of Morgan Freeman began to speak. "Next stop: Floor Twenty one: *bzzzztttt*" "Wow, you're right... That man sounds amazing." My ears perked up, "Who said that?!?" I was the only one here beside me and my endless reflections. "I said that, Johnny." "Show yourself!" I shouted, spinning about the elevator, only to see my reflections doing the same all around me... except for one. I skidded to a halt in front of the odd reflection. Great, now my reflections are becoming sentient. When's it going to jump out of the reflection and eat me? My doppelganger facehoofed, "I'm not going to eat you," it deadpanned. The pony then pulled a move straight out of many horror B-movies and stepped clear through the mirror and I found myself face to face with myself. "Hello Johnny," the pony said, smiling, "I'm Orion and you're me."