//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: My neighbor is a dragon. Nuff said... // Story: I refuse to admit I'm a brony // by BlueSkyHeadLeft010 //------------------------------// Fifteen minutes from my house I get a call... My ears swivel to the phone sitting in the cup holder as I groan and pull over to the curb to answer. "Ya?" I answer annoyed as I put it on speaker. My ears are too high to both listen and speak at the same time with my phone. "Oh, Hey Em! Uh, is this a bad time?" The speaker asks me. It's Jacob Spiff, my neighbor... I wonder what he needs me for? Isn't he supposed to be at school too? "*sigh* No, I'm parked on the side of the road, whatcha need?" I said tired. My ears were still twitching back and forth as the traffic zoomed by; it was annoying. "I was wondering if you could maybe pick me up at my house? " he asks. I blink, "Sure." I shrug as I crank back up the car, "But why are you there? Aren't you taking classes?" I asked curious. "I didn't have any today. My professor called in sick, so I'm just hanging out." There was a pause as something made a loud noise in the background, "Listen, can you please hurry? I'll explain when you get here..." There was someone shouting in the background before the call was disconnected. I just sat there staring at the phone for a few minutes in confusion before I hung up and pulled back onto the road. Something was off about the whole conversation. Ignoring my horn and ears for a moment, I sped down the road concerned for my neighbor... -------------- The scene in front of my car was pure chaos... Seriously! Broken chairs were strewn about on the lawn of my neighbors place, along with various other objects, like a tornado had invited its friends to play twister... And in the midst of Discord's work was Jacob running around screaming bloody murder as a woman, presumably his mom, was holding a bat chasing after him down the hill. (I assume he was screaming because his mouth was open, but I had my windows up so I couldn't really tell.)... The first thing I did was park my car immediately as I practically leapt out of the car, flinging my door open so hard it probably ripped some of the hinges in the process. "Demon! Demon! In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave!" Jacob's mom was yelling as she chased after him. Once he saw my car he veered right and started heading my way. "What the bucking Tartarus?!" I said shocked, as I watched his mother actually flinging the bat down at him as he kept running my way. I assumed the man at the top of the hill watching the whole thing was Jacob's father because he was in a wheelchair and I knew he was partially paralyzed... I kept running towards Jacob to help him as he ducked and avoided the bat by mere inches. "Quickly! Get into the car!" I said as Jacob continued panting and I practically grabbed his hand and threw him inside... I amazingly managed to get the drivers door open in record speed, as Jacob's mom had now started throwing clay pots at my window, and cranked the car up as I slammed on the gas and reversed the car outta there... His mom ran after us a few yards away, but gave up once we left the property as I saw her fall to her knees and openly weep. Well that was weird.. I shuddered as my ears turned their attention to the panting man in the back of the car. I had managed to turn the car around properly as we headed back towards home... "Sweet Celestia Jacob! What the hay was that all about?!" I said still trying to rear in my initial shock as Jacob continued gasping for air... "M-my mom..." He panted, "She flipped out on me when she saw my eyes and... Fangs." He paused for a moment as I heard shifting occurring in the backseat, "Her and Dad thought I was a demon possessing their child and you saw the rest..." He coughed, "I barely was able to slip away to call you... Thanks for getting me out." He said. My ears folded emabarassed. "So you too huh? Horse apples, I thought this was just me..." I frowned as I snuck a quick glance at him from the driver's mirror. True to his word his eyes were slitted like a reptiles and were colored a deep purple like an amethyst. His fangs were long and pointy, looking odd for his jaw line, and probably very uncomfortable. Jacob must've taken this time to examine my form too as I heard an audible gasp coming from behind me... "When did you get a horn and pony ears?" He asked confused. Pony ears? That's what they are? Wait a moment... I thought as we pulled into my drive and I turned off the car. "This morning. I felt a surge of power as a white light overloaded my senses and I found this horn on my head." I explained as we unbuckled and I took out my keys... Jacob was silent for the most part, but let out a silent 'ah'. "By the way, how did you know these were pony ears?" I said intrigued as I unlocked the door and let the dog loose inside the house. He was very happy to see me, he kept wagging his tail a mile a minute and barking at me... Didn't seem to like Jacob though. Must be the fangs... Jacob shrugged as he just laid down exaushted on the couch. "I'm a biology major, duh. I know about all kinds of animals and their psyiology..." He said like it was obvious. I blinked, "Oh. That's right." I sighed as I too took a seat. Things were awkwardly quiet for a bit. Neither one of us knew what to say to the other, and frankly we were both pretty wiped out. "So, the stripes new?" He asked, casually breaking the silence. "What?" I said as I sat up and looked at my skin. Bright white layers of skin ran across me in a zebra like manner. I wet my finger and tried to rub the pattern off, but it only made my skin red... "The buck?" I said confused as I got up to look in the bathroom mirror. Jacob followed suit too as we turned on the bathroom light and just, stared... It wasn't just my arms... The white stripes lead all the way up my face and left a wide white gap from my forehead down to the bridge of my nose. Not counting my wonderful yellow horn still existing on my head, the white stripes look vaguely familiar to me but I couldn't place it... That's when I heard another rip. An audible 'yelp' could be heard as Jacob suddenly sprawled out on the ground twitching, as his shirt was ripped to pieces in the back and seven purple spikes poked their way out. "Woah..." I said as Jacob shivered for a bit more and finally sat up. "W-what was that? What happened?" He asked as he felt his back and touched the spikes. "Um, you got like six or seven spikes growing..." I said, not knowing how else to put it. "WHAT?!" Jacob shouted as he turned around in the mirror to get a good look at them... He seemed to calm down after he saw them and hummed in thought as he examined them more closely... "Do you think we're really turning into demons or something?" He gulped. I snorted and rolled my eyes, "Or something..." I laughed, "Look, if I was turning into a demon do you really think I'd look like some kinda half pony-centaur thing?" I said. Jacob chuckled, "No, I suppose not. But this is just so-" "Surreal, yea I know." I said as I looked at my white stripes again... That's when my phone rang again... It was mom. Ignoring the mirror for a moment, I picked up the phone to answer. "Hey mom, whatcha need?" I said casually, as I watched out of the corner of my eye Jacob making odd random faces in the mirror using his fangs. "Hey sweetie, I'm just getting off work. I've gotta go run a few errands and then I'll be home." Mom explained. "Ok. Hey mom? Jacob's over here by the way. He's got these reptile-like eyes and fangs, so his parents are being all crazy right now..." I said. There was a pause like I expected... "Ok....? Just be sure to offer him anything he would like to eat, and I'll try to make the trip short. Bye! Love you!" She chirped. "Love you too!" I said as I hung up. Jacob had finished posing for the mirror. "So now what?" He blinked. I shrugged, "We just wait.. I've got snacks, games, and homeworrrrrrr-, aw Horseapples! I left my work back in Sylva!" I cursed as I left the bathroom and Jacob followed. "So, just snacks and games then..." He muttered as he rubbed his chin in a thoughtful way. I groaned as I tried to swallow the bubbling panic of loosing my work over staying focused that I don't become a freak. Ah screw it, becoming a pony takes top priority... An idea suddenly popped up into my head as I grinned like a mad mare. Jacob noticed it and looked oddly uncomfortable as he backed away slightly. "Uh, Em?" He said, but I held out my hand to shush him. "Ever played SSBB?" I grinned deviously with a sparkle in my eyes. Jacob returned the grin even more menacing as his fangs gave him the fear advantage. "You're going down!" He roared as we broke out the controllers... ------------ Back at the Crystal Empire... ----------- Cadance did not look well today... Her mane was in a tiss, her wings were in desperate need of preening, and her eyes were bloodshot despite the sleep she had gotten from the previous night... "Bookmark! I need more quills!" Cadance shouted as several crystal ponies ran to and fro in a panicked motion. "Yes ma'am!" Bookmark saluted as the aging stallion dashed away with the speed of a stallion half his age. "Aged Page! Bring me all of the books we have about the ancient mirror and forbidden arts!" Cadance roared over the panic. "Yes your highness!" Aged Page shook in fear as he headed another way through the empire to get more books. "And Sprinkled Sprinkle!" She said, this time with the facade of somepony completely calm and contrary to her appearance. "Yes?" Sprinkled asked curious as she looked up at her majesty's mangled appearance afraid. Cadence loomed over Sprinkled with a look that would turn Discord to stone and match Fluttershy's stare. "Please bring me a cup coffee and a glazed donut if you will..." She smiled warmly as Sprinkle's legs gave out and she let out a sigh of relief. "Y-yes. Princess Cadance." Sprinkled bowed as she left the throne room shakily. Cadance smiled as she clicked her hooves together in a tapping motion.. "Everything is going to plan..." She cackled as a couple of panicking ponies carrying paper bumped into each other and caused a paper avalanche. "Mwahahahahaha!" She laughed deviously at the mayhem before her as thunder could be heard in the background....