//------------------------------// // X: Instructions Not Included // Story: I Should Have Never Bought That Pony // by Final Draft //------------------------------// "So you're a real princess?" Tiffany asked excitedly. Celestia nodded as she took another bite from her apple. She'd not eaten during her time with Rebecca, and made up for it by consuming every apple David had to offer. David was at the other end of the table scrolling though news articles on his iPad, trying to find the veterinary clinic Zack had been taken to. While Celestia ate, Tiffany ran a brush through her pink mane. "You humans are far kinder than the ones I spent the last day with," Celestia said, finishing her apple. "Yet still I wonder…" David looked up from his iPad to see the filly looking at him with narrowed eyes. He could feel her judging him, trying to get a feel for his character. "Why did you purchase one of my subjects from Discord?" Celestia asked slowly. Diamond Tiara, who had been sitting off in the corner of the apartment, suddenly perked up. Because he's an idiot, she answered in her head. She must have thought the phrase so loudly that David actually heard it. He looked over to Diamond Tiara to find she was glaring at him. "I, um, I know now that I shouldn't have," David tried explaining. He looked back at Celestia to see she still had her eyes narrowed. He hadn't answered her question. Kristin looked up from her phone to look at her husband. She'd known him ten years and he'd always done things she didn't understand. But there was never any ill motivation behind it all, and this time was no different. "It's because he loves our daughter." The ponies turned their attention to Kristin and her face grew red. "That is a noble reason," Celestia replied, her expression softening a little. "I know your world is different than ours, and here we are merely viewed as pets, or possessions." "But we're not," Diamond Tiara stated, stepping forward. "And we have families too, you know." "Yes, I know," David sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I want to help, but I have to get my brother-in-law before anything happens to him." Kristin cleared her throat loudly, but didn't look away from her phone. She still didn't believe Zack had been turned into a pony. The thought was crazier than the talking ponies currently sitting before her. Maybe I have schizophrenia, she thought. I have been under a lot of stress, maybe I'm just imagining this. These are just toys, that's all. "That one that bought me, Zack, has been turned into one of us, almost like a symbol of karmatic fate. But Discord isn't known for bringing justice to the unjust; his only entertainment comes from chaos." "Who exactly is Discord?" David asked, the question having bothered him long enough. "He's clearly not human. Is he really a pony, err, Equestrian, like you?" Celestia took a deep breath and sighed. "He hails from Equestria, but he is certainly not a pony. He is the living embodiment of chaos, and up until recently, he had been reformed. "My sister and I fought him long ago to bring order to our land, turning him into stone using relics called The Elements of Harmony. Many years passed, he broke out, and some of my brightest students turned him back to stone. I knew that I could find a use for his powers, so I released him and asked my students to reform him. "This went well up until recently. He gained possession of some powerful artifacts which he used to come to your world." "So he's like Loki?" David asked. Celestia tilted her head inquisitively, not recognizing the name. "Oh, never mind. Do know why he's here selling ponies, or turning the people he sold them to into ponies?" "I know neither, but it is all part of his plan," Celestia sighed. She lifted her hooves to look at them. "Apparently trapping me in this form was also part of his plan." Tiffany was growing restless listening to her parents talk with her ponies. All she wanted to do was play, and they kept talking about stuff she didn't understand. She stopped brushing Celestia's mane and walked over to Diamond Tiara. The filly watched as the little girl smiled and sat next to her. "Oh, hi," Diamond Tiara said, looking away. She felt Tiffany scuffle across the floor and plant herself behind her. The brush made its way through her mane once or twice before it got caught, tugging painfully at the roots. "Oops, sorry," Tiffany apologized, feeling the pony flinch. She worked through the knot and went back to brushing. "So, what are we going to do tomorrow?" She ran the brush through a few more times before Diamond Tiara answered. "I don't care what you do, but I'm not doing anything." Diamond Tiara stood up and walked toward the couch. She pulled herself up onto the cushions and looked down at Tiffany. "Now that Celestia is here, maybe I can get home. I'm already sick of this place." Tiffany frowned and stayed sitting on the floor. "But I don't want you to go. You're my best friend, remember?" Her eyes got big and wide, beginning to sparkle as tears formed. Diamond Tiara let out an agitated groan and rolled her eyes. She found that she didn't hate Tiffany as much as she thought she would. After seeing Rebecca and how she treated Scootaloo and Celestia, things could be worse. And the other two, David and Kristin, stupid as they were, it was clear they were trying to make up for it. "Yeah, we're friends," Diamond Tiara said at last. "Just find something fun for us to do tomorrow. No more of those stupid video games, though." Tiffany rubbed her nose and smiled at her pony. Suddenly, Celestia hopped up on the couch next to Diamond Tiara. The conversation with David and Kristin had finally ended, and both adults stood watching from the kitchen. Their arms were crossed and they whispered to one another, but kept their eyes focused on Celestia. "Young one," Celestia said, addressing Diamond Tiara, "were there any unicorn fillies or colts in the group that Discord brought you with?" "A few, why?" Diamond Tiara asked. "There is a spell I can hopefully teach them that will allow me to contact my sister. We just have to find them." David stepped forward and the ponies turned their attention to him. "And a spell to help Zack, right?" "That is what we agreed, yes," Celestia said with a nod. "Have you had any luck locating him?" David turned back to his iPad and shook his head. "No, every article is just focusing on the crash, and where Zack might be. They don't even know he's the pony they dragged from the wreck, but who would?" The clock in the dining room chimed, indicating it was already 7 PM. Kristin glanced at her phone for the millionth time and finally stuffed it into her pants pocket. "I'm going to check on my sister," she said, grabbing her jacket and walking toward the door. "Kristin," David said, grabbing his wife by the arm. "I need you here." "My sister needs me right now," Kristin said, gently easing from David's grip. "I'll pick up some apples on my way back, just in case you get turned into a pony while I'm gone." David stared at the door for several moments after it had slammed shut. His wife's parting statement played through his head on loop while he stood there. She honestly doesn't care. Am I being punished? "Daddy?" Tiffany tugged on her father's pants leg and looked up at him. "I'm hungry." ------------ …to dispatch…confirmed casualties…lots of blood…pony…pony…pony… "No…I'll…paaaaaaay…pleeeeeeasssssse…" …hello…talk? "Help…me." His plea echoed through the darkness, unanswered. Surely he was dying, and there wasn't anyone or anything that could help him. The owner of the voice he'd heard had simply left him to die. He tried calling out again, but all that escaped was a weak gurgle. A moment or two passed, and just as he was about to give up, he felt himself being lifted up, higher and higher. What he could only assume were the hands of a giant had wrapped around his midsection and lifted him into the air. He did not try to resist as the hands carried him away into the darkness. He was not carried far before the hands placed him down onto a hard, metal surface. He tried to move, to turn and look at the giant that had carried him, but his body ignored his commands. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his neck, followed by a warm, tingling sensation. The warmth flooded his brain, and soon sleep over took him. It was a deep sleep, and he was sure he would never wake from it, and had it not been for the pain, he wouldn't have. It started in his legs and traveled to his chest, and then his arms. Nothing felt right, like his bones had been shifted and fused together in a different shape. He tried moving his fingers, but the signal from his brain never reached a destination. The same strange sensation occurred with his feet, and he started to panic. He found he could move everything up until those points, and began flailing. The pain was unbearable, and he felt he may die from it alone. Amidst all the pain, he felt a jab in his neck, and the tingling warmth overtook him again. He went into an even deeper sleep, and this time when he awoke, he was being carried by much gentler hands. He didn't even care where they were taking him, so long as the pain stayed away. But the hands only carried him a short distance before he felt a cold, damp surface beneath him. The hands released him, leaving him to lie wherever they'd left him. He wanted to call out, but felt that it would do no good. Wherever he was is where he was going to stay. The young veterinarian looked over her notes as she struggled to compile her report. Her boss had performed the entire procedure while she took notes and handed him anything he needed. She'd been there for a year, and still had yet to even dirty her scrubs. A knock at the office door made her look up to see the head veterinarian smiling at her. "Hey, Sarah, are you going to be okay to lock up if I take off?" The man already had his coat on and his keys in his hand. "Yeah, after I finish with this report," she replied, holding up an x-ray to closer examine it. "Alright, oh, and good job today. Not often we see something like that, huh?" the vet asked. Sarah shook her head, and scribbled something into her notes. "Have you checked on the little guy since you put him in his cage?" "No, I'll do that when I'm done," she replied, flipping to the next x-ray. Her boss stood in the office doorway for a few moments, hoping the conversation would keep going. She ignored him, focusing on her work. "Right, um, I'll see you tomorrow then?" "Yup." The door to the office finally closed and Sarah listened as her boss exited the building. "Hope-less," she said, enunciating each syllable. She closed the manila folder of x-rays and stood up to take her phone out of her pocket. It was already a little after eight and her attention was waning. She took the time to reply to a few text messages then sat and waited for replies. She'd managed to tell her boyfriend about the pony the NYPD had brought in, and had received his response, "LOL NO WAY R U SRS? SEND PICS!" He wasn't going to believe her if she didn't, so she sighed and turned in her chair. Sarah stood up and flipped the light switch to the kennel area. The clinic had a rule about taking pictures in the kennels, but it wasn't like her boss would find out. She went through the door and the smell of bleach reached her nostrils. Up until Christmas, the room had smelled of piss and been full of barking dogs. However, because of the city's animal population, they had to euthanize all un-adopted animals on Christmas. Now, there was only a single animal in the room; a bandaged up, green and red pony. The pony was lying on the floor of its cage exactly where she had left it after the operation. At first, she thought it might have died, but its chest was still going up and down slowly. She knelt in front of its cage and put her hand through to try and touch it. "Hey there," she whispered. Her fingertips barely reached the pony, and she managed to give it a little prod. The pony stirred, and rolled over to look at her. Its eyes were the biggest, bluest eyes she'd ever seen, and she could see how much pain the creature was in. "I just wanna take a picture, okay?" she asked as if the pony would understand her. It continued to stare at her through half laden eyes, as if it was only half awake. The lens of the cell phone's camera auto focused as Sarah got ready to take the picture. She looked at it on the screen to make sure she had as much of the pony in the shot as possible before snapping the picture. The flash of the phone went off, causing the pony's eyes to open wide. "W-what's going on? Where am I?" Sarah slowly lowered her phone and looked at the pony. "Did…did you just talk?" she asked, looking at the pony. Its eyes had glazed over again, and it stared right past her. "Hello?" she repeated, waving her hand in front of the pony's face. Suddenly, the pony sprung up onto its hooves before collapsing in an instant. It cried and screamed and made all sorts of other horrible noises as it flailed on the floor. Sarah retracted her hand from the cage and went to go get a sedative from the cabinet in the corner of the room. She flung open the cabinet and grabbed a syringe off the top shelf. "Easy little guy, stay still," she said, fumbling with the latch to the cage. As soon as it was open, she knelt on the floor next to the squirming pony. She set her phone down and removed the cap to the syringe using her teeth. She placed her hand on the pony's back to steady it as she lined up the needle. "Don't touch me! Just get away!" the pony shouted, flailing and thrashing. This time, Sarah couldn't deny the pony had said something, and she backed away from it as fast she could. It stopped spasming long enough to turn and look at her. The big, blue eyes were bloodshot and full of tears, and its teeth were clenched together. Thinking quickly, Sarah grabbed her phone and hit the record button located on the camera screen. She tried to steady her shaking hands as she faced the camera toward the pony. It swung its hoof out angrily, then recoiled in pain. "Can you understand me?" Sarah asked as clearly as she could. "Yes, I can friggin' understand you!" the pony spat angrily. Its voice cracked like that of a prepubescent boy, and it began moaning. "What's going on? Who are you?" "You, were, um, you were in an accident, and I'm--" "My car! Please tell me my car is okay, I--AHH!" The pony convulsed and began breathing rapidly. "Tell. Me. What. Is. Going. On!" "Take it easy, little pony, you're hurt really bad," Sarah said, trying to reach out and comfort the pony, but it swung at her again. "Pony, what do you mean…" the pony trailed off as its eyes focused on its hoof. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhhh!" it screamed, over and over. It flailed wildly and Sarah had to back up to avoid being hit. The syringe was still lying on the floor and she picked it up with her free hand. "Please, let me help you," she said, inching toward the furious colt. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, she sunk the needle into the pony's neck and injected the sedative. "I want my lawyer! I…want…my…" The pony collapsed and remained lifeless on the floor. Sarah sat in the corner of the cage, her heart pounding in her chest. Was that for real? Like, seriously, did that just happen? She stood up and stepped cautiously around the unconscious pony. It didn't budge even after she managed to lock its cage. She exited the room, shut off the lights, and ran back to the office. Her hands were still shaking as she threw her phone onto the desk. It talked. It talked like a human! And it didn't know it was a pony! A loud buzzing noise made Sarah jump out of her chair and she had to refrain from screaming. Her cell phone's screen lit up and a message displayed briefly before the screen went dark. She picked up her phone and swiped the screen to see the video she'd taken had reached the maximum allowed length and had stopped recording. She had video proof of what had happened. But who could she show? The police? Her boss? Fox News? Did she have to show anyone at all? She started by watching the video for herself, just to make sure she hadn't imagined the whole thing. The video played out exactly as she remembered it happening, and when it finished, she watched it again. Then she remembered her boyfriend was still waiting for her to reply, so she attached the video to a text message and sent it to him. While she waited for his reply, she walked back into the other room to look at the pony. It was in the same spot she'd left it, breathing quietly. Never mind the video, what should I do with the pony? "Nothing," a voice in Sarah's head whispered. She looked around the empty room, not sure the voice had actually come from her imagination. "It's the police's problem, not yours. I'm sure the pony will be just fine." But, what if-- "What if the pony is really a human that was turned into a pony? Oh, come now, don't be silly." The voice in her head no longer even sounded like her own thoughts. "Just take that video and do what you feel is right." Sarah's phone began vibrating and she looked to see she'd gotten a reply from her boyfriend. "THAT WAS CRAZY! OMG IM UPLODAING 2 YOUTUBE!" "See?" the voice said calmly. "Someone will see the video and know what to do! It's not your problem!" "Yeah," Sarah said, turning from the cage and shutting the lights off. "It isn't my problem."