It’d only been two hours since we’d left the city limits, and we were all tired. I was still driving, and the only one still awake with me was Damien. I’m not sure why he couldn’t rest, but I was guessing that it was something to do with whatever was occupying his mind at the moment. He just kept staring out at the signs as we drove down the highway, resting his head on his new talons/knuckles.
Me on the other hand? Well, my mind kept wandering thanks to a mixture of sleep deprivation and worry. At first, I was thankful that we’d managed to get out of Solomon without drawing Conor’s attention, but then the other details started to creep in. Damien had a rage out of some degree and ended up attacking Conor, Emi started shrinking, and Chrystina is so depressed right now from whatever happened in her home, I can feel it up here at the wheel. Doesn’t help that Damien’s also stuck in a brooding mood, but I would be too if I didn’t have the role of the only one here who’s not depressed or in Emi’s case ecstatic at the prospect of being cute for eternity. No, I had the job of being the sensible one. The one who’s thinking of finding a way out of this mess, and back to our old lives. If I screwed up, we’d all be just a bunch of panicking nutbars, or going at each other’s throats.
And that is not something I want to put any of us through. We all have enough on our plates, and I’d gladly take it all for their sakes if I could.
As I glanced at the GPS and took note that we were starting to get close to the state line, Damien spoke up. “Hey Grent? I got a question.”
“Hmm?” I was trying to focus on the road, so that was the extent of my response.
“It’s just that I only now realized it, but if you’re changing too that means you watched MLP.” He looked over at me with a puzzled gaze. “I thought you said you didn’t like it?”
I actually winced a bit at that before sighing and keeping my focus on the road. “Well... I was a bit embarrassed to admit it, honestly. I mean, it was keep it secret from practically everyone, or get picked on by Conor and all of his toadies.” My posture slightly deflated as I started to pull over towards an exit leading to a gas station. “I’m... not the bravest of people, remember?”
Damien just gave me this look of...incredulous disbelief, and it actually kinda hurt. “So... how long?”
I chuckled a bit, but it was a saddened one that only made me feel more hollow. “Practically since the show started. I was... getting a bit lonely since you’d moved away for those few years. I didn’t exactly have many friends besides you. It... helped fill the void.”
Damien raised an eyebrow and sat up straight for the first time since we left. “So, then why did you keep watching, even after I got back? It was only two years in Tennessee for me, and the show started towards the end of the last one.”
I pulled into the gas station and looked at the price sign, despite my mind wandering off. Just why did I keep watching? I mean, when Damien got back, we hung out for over a week straight. But even after that, the show kept sticking to my head. It made me feel.... something. Something I just couldn’t place my finger on.
Getting out of the van, I looked away from the sign and kept my focus on filling up the gas tank. “I’ll be back in a moment.” I shut the door before Damien could respond, hoping he’d take the hint.
I had some thinking to do while the tank filled up, and this was going to take a pretty penny from my debit card.
Pulling my hood up, I walked inside the gas station and took a look around. As I got closer to the counter, I could hear the radio the large burly man was listening too. “...and more news of strange transformations are still pouring in Don. For those of you just tuning in, at around 9:00 Central Time, several thousand people started growing animal parts, all at about the same time across the whole world! It’s baffling scientists and making politicians go crazy.”
“That’s right John, and it’s even started riots! I hear that there was a particularly bad one in Beijing not even five hours after this all started. Now China’s Paramount Leader, Xi Jinping, is demanding an explanation for what’s happening to his citizens, and the lack of response from anyone might cause some trouble.”
“Right again Don, and only a scant few hours ago, did anyone claim responsibility for the changes. Strangely enough the one claiming to be behind all of this is a teenager! Can you believe this?”
“Well John it seems that some people do. There’s even a convention being held last minute by the one claiming to be the cause of all the drama, to be held in Chicago, Illinoi-”
The cashier huffed as he turned off the radio. “Pssh. People turning into animals. What’ll they think of next.” He turned and jumped a bit when he noticed me. “Oh uh, hello there! What can I get for ya?”
I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. “Eh, I just need to fill up the tank.” I pointed to the window behind him, where he could see all the pump stations. “Just need seventy on the white van.” I glanced at the various drinks around the station. “And a few drinks.”
He waved me off. “Alright then, go get what ya want.”
I took a moment and started grabbing some sodas. Mainly a Root Beer, my fav, a Cream soda for Emi when she got up, some Mountain Dew for Damien, and since I don’t know what kind of drink Crystina would like, I just settled on a cola.
Walking over to the counter again, I paid for the drinks and gas before heading back out to the van. I shivered when a gust of wind started to pick up and made it’s way up my hoodie, but ignored it in favor of getting to the pump.
When I got there though, Damien was in the drivers seat and rolled down the window. “Hey, one we’re all finished up here, why don’t I drive for a bit?” I gave him a nod and started fueling up. “And uh...” I glanced over at him for a moment, noticing him rub the back of his head. “Sorry for... earlier.”
I was silent for a moment before sighing and pulling the nozzle from the gas tank. “It’s alright... Let’s just get going before it gets any worse.” I walked around and climbed into the passenger seat, setting the sodas on the floor and passing out almost instantly after buckling in.
“...and then it just showed up in the library.” Twilight finished explaining to the rest of her friends after they arrived, showing them the painting from before as it sat propped against the bust in the center of the library. “What it’s a painting of, or why it’s here is beyond me.”
Rarity looked over the painting and rubbed her chin in thought. “Well, as for what they are, I have no help for you darling.” She smiled a bit as she looked over the painting’s duo. “Though I must say, their attire is most interesting. A combination of stylish and useful.”
Applejack squinted a bit as she looked at the painting. “Ah just see a pair of odd lookin’ monkeys sleeping next to a tree after runnin’ through Granny’s clothes line.”
Rainbow Dash hovered over the two of them and looked at the painting in confusion. “What I wanna know is why there’s a pegasus feather in there.”
Twilight looked at the painting herself again, surprised that she’d missed something. “There is?”
Rainbow pointed at the gold feather at the bottom of the painting. “Yeah, right there.”
Pinkie leaned over and squinted at the painting. “Really?”
Moving over to the painting herself, Fluttershy looked at it for a moment before nodding. “Oh my, it is.”
Twilight pulled the painting from her huddling friends and looked at it again. “Strange...” As she set the painting down on a small desk off to the side, the librarian looked at her friends. “I think we should see if anypony else found anything like this. Let’s go ahead and ask around town.”
Applejack was the only one of her friends that didn’t join in on the plan. “Er, hate ta rain on your parade there sugarcube, but it’s a mite late for that.”
Glancing out the window with the rest of them, Twilight blushed a bit when she saw how late it was. Luna’s moon was peaking over the horizon, and the sun had already finished most of it’s decent. Giving another sheepish grin to her friends, she started rubbing the back of her head. “Heh heh... I guess we could start in the morning?”
“Sounds good to me!” Rainbow agreed as she headed for the library’s door. “See ya tomorrow Twilight!” The rest of Twilight's friends filed out after the pegasus, each giving the librarian their own goodbyes. Twilight spared the painting one last glance before heading upstairs and climbing in bed.
If she'd stayed a little longer, she'd have noticed the small change to the portrait's subjects.
White. Everywhere I looked, there was white. How long was I here, just walking forward? I could tell that this was a dream, seeing as my body was back to normal, but just why was everything white?
As I walked, I eventually saw a speck of green off in the distance. Seeing as that’s the only change I’d seen since the dream started, I booked it towards the color. While I ran closer, more color would slowly fill the area around me, blues above, greens below, and other various colors flickering in and out of existence.
I skid to a halt when I came across a tree. The only thing to note about the tree was that it was the only one as far as the eye could see. Looking up into the branches I couldn’t see anything so I shrugged and sat down next to the tree, leaning my back against it.
I felt an itch on my back and reached behind me, jumping slightly when I found my wings had returned. “Well hello again wings.” A sigh escaped me as I leaned against the tree again. A sudden pressure on my legs made me look down and I was surprised to find Emi suddenly laying down next to me. I had to remind myself that this was a dream for a moment. Smiling, I just brushed her hair out of her eyes and closed my own, letting the dream fade away as it started to come to an end.
Strangely, I could feel the colors softly fading away from the dream. Each moment feeling like a small number getting dragged along my skin.
When I woke up, Damien was still driving and I could hear Emi giggling. With a groan, I sat up and looked over my shoulder, finding Emi happily sipping away at her Cream Soda and Crystina drinking the Root Beer. I was a bit glad that she wasn’t as depressed as when we picked her up, no doubt thanks to Emi. She also seemed a bit brighter than before, and was content just drinking my....
Wait....
HA! She stole your soda!
I sputtered for a moment and drew their attention. Emi proceeded to smile and wave in her overly cheery nature. “Hey Grent! Since you were asleep, I let Crystina have first pick on drinks.”
I waved a hand over at Crystina and continued to gawk at my little demon of a sister. “So you let her take mine?”
Crystina looked at the can in her hands and blushed a bit as she pouted. I also took note that her skin darkened again when she did. “What... I like root beer.”
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! She stole your drink HARD!
SHUT UP YOU!
I just sighed and slumped a bit into the seat, which was a little awkward considering I was leaning over the side. “Ah screw it. It’s too early for this.”
Damien chuckled and handed my the Cola I’d bought, clearly taking extra effort to not punch a hole in the can with his talons. “Here, this should help.”
Taking the can I gave him a small nod. “Thanks.” Sitting back up, I looked out the window and finally noticed something I should have earlier. “Hey, is that Chicago over there?”
Damien pointed over at the buildings we could see in the distance. “Yep.” Sure enough, a few moments later, we passed a sign saying that we were entering the city limits. “It’s a good thing for us that the drive was only ten hours from Solomon. I’d hate to be the guys who live in Hawaii right now.”
Emi leaned over and raised an eyebrow. “Why Hawaii? They have planes you dolt. Be sad for the Alaskans, they’re in the middle of nowhere half the time.” Her tail twitched for a moment and she pointed over to the side of the road. “Also, it might be a good idea to pull over soon.”
“Pull over?” I glanced at the GPS and frowned. “But we only got another forty five minutes before we reach the convention center.”
“Well, I think we might be changing soon.” Emi shrugged. “Just a hunch, but better safe then sorry.”
Crystina looked over at me and Damien and I could see the worry on her face. “I think we should listen to Emi. If... If Damien’s feet ended up changing while he was driving, we could crash.”
Damien and I looked at each other for a moment before I sighed. “Let’s pull over for a moment. If it’s not a change like Emi’s predicting, then I’ll just take over the wheel again.” To be completely honest, I didn’t think anything was going to happen, but then I remembered that my hair was silver and green, and decided that Emi might have a chance of being right.
When the van had reached a stop, I looked over at the others seriously. “Alright Emi, I’ll humor you. But if nothing happens in the next ten minutes, we’re headi-” I winced as a sharp pain shot through my face. “MOTHER-” Putting my hands over my face, I could feel something protrude from the once flat surface. I could feel soft hairs growing rapidly underneath my hands.
I could hear Emi let out an eep of surprise and Damien put a hand on my shoulder. “Dude! Grent, are you alright!?”
I panted for a bit before pulling my hands away and lifting my head, getting gasps from everyone. My mouth felt weird, but I was still able to talk for some reason. “Alright, how bad is it?”
“Dude, you have a snout.” Ah Damien, could you have been any more blunt?
Opening my eyes and looking at the mirror confirmed what Damien had said. The only part of my head that didn’t have pony written on it at the moment was my eyes, making me look a little more than creepy. “Oh, that’s just nice.”
Damien looked himself over before reaching behind him and grabbing a long tail with a tuft of fur on the end. “Welp. This exists.”
I looked over at Crystina and she was glancing at the both of us nervously, her skin back to it’s previous dull complexion. “Okay, what happened to me? Someone tell me what happened!” I could barely believe what I was seeing. I mean, her eyes were captivating before, but they were shimmering right now. Weather or not they were doing that naturally or from tears, however, I couldn’t tell.
Is that really what you should be focusing on?
Shut up, her eyes were always gorgeous.... not that I'd ever be able to admit that.
Yes, they were, but could you please stop gawking. It’s making her nervous.
Oh...
Thankfully for me and my lack of responses to the living world, Emi jumped up on the seat, and leaned into Crystina’s face. I noticed how much shorter she was. She was no taller than three feet now and was probably going to get shorter. “They be sapphires, captain.” She stood back up and posed triumphantly, forgoing her pirate act for that of a doctor. “I’ve deduced what young Crystina is becoming Doctor!”
Everyone blinked as we stared at her, waiting for her little declaration as cars passed us. “..... go on.....”
She dramaticly pointed over at Crystina. “She iz.... Da Crystal Pony!”
And just like that, Crystina fainted. Way to go Emi. Way to go.