Chapter 2
___________________________________________________________
“Sam! Sam, please wake up!”
The voice is shouting at me, sounding like it’s very far away. I can feel my body moving as if I’m being shaken.
What in the hay...?
“No! We can’t call an ambulance or a vet!”
“What if she doesn’t wake up, huh? They could figure it out—”
“And then have them report her to the government and be taken away for experiments? Over my dead body!”
“Then what will we do, huh? She’s not waking up!”
I groan. “Could ya’ll stop yer shoutin’? It’s too early fer this.” While the voices had started off far away at first, they’d become all too loud all too fast.
“Oh, Sam!”
I slowly manage to open my eyes to find my head resting on Mum’s shoulder. John, Jill and Mike are standing with Dad in the doorway, all of them looking relieved.
I suddenly become aware that Mum is sobbing as she holds me tightly, as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she loosens her grip in any way.
“Uh, did sumthin’ happen?” I ask, looking at those gathered in the doorway with confusion.
___________________________________________________________
It turns out I had not woken up in the morning. I’d woken up in the late afternoon. It was already 2:54pm.
I blink, frowning in confusion as I’m told how they’d just thought I was sleeping in when Ten O’ clock came and I hadn’t gotten up, which they’d taken as my body getting used to itself and left me to sleep.
It was only around 12:30pm that Mum had come in to wake me, only to find that, no matter how hard she shook me, I wouldn’t wake up.
This had caused them all to panic, thinking I’d maybe slipped into a coma or something, as I didn’t respond to anything. Mike had kept saying they should call someone for help, despite everyone explaining to him that doing so could cause us more trouble, because others in positions of government employ would know about the talking pony.
“So, how come Ah slept fer so long?” I ask, cricking my pony neck. To be honest, I feel really refreshed.
Mum puts her head in her hands. “It was my fault. I didn’t think that your being a little pony now would mean your medication could be dangerous to you now.”
I blink, before grinning anxiously. “Uh... ya mean... I shouldn’t take mah med anymore.”
Mum, still keeping her head in her hands, shook her head.
I frown, folding my forelegs and looking up. “Well... with everythin’ tha’ happened yesterday... I’m not surprised we didn’ think o’ that.
John nods. “Yeah. We were all pretty antsy. A mistake was bound to be made. And, think. We were lucky. It coulda been far worse, but everything's okay... well, aside from Sam still being a filly from a cartoon show.”
Dad sighs. “What’s done is done, right? You’re awake now, so we don’t have to worry about that again. We’ll just have to remember that you don’t take your medication anymore.”
“But how will Ah sleep?” I ask, holding my up my forelegs. “Ah’ve needed those meds ta sleep since my operation.”
“That’s actually why I think Dad believes you don’t need them anymore, Sam,” John says, nodding sagely. “Does Apple Bloom have any of the head problems you did as a human?”
I cock an eyebrow, before I frown. “O’ course not. Thanks to those dang soccer moms having a beef about Derpy, the show can’t have ponies like that. Despite Snails bein’ even more stupid seemin’ than Derpy did atall,” I add in a mutter. “Guessin’ it’s okay ta make the guys look stupid ta them, but try the girls an’ they spit the dummy.”
John just nods, folding his arms. “Well, if Apple Bloom doesn’t have any problems like you did as a human, then you don’t now, either, right?”
I blink. “Uh, come again?”
Jill blinks, before her eyes widen. “That’s right. Sam, when you became Apple Bloom, you became her in body. That means, any damages your body had when you were human no longer exist. I mean, think about your eyesight.”
I stare at her, before I gasp. I hadn’t even noticed my eyes were seeing things normally for the first time since I was seven. My right eye works just well as my left now.
I stare down at the table, just gobsmacked. “Ah... Ah don’t...” That’s when I notice we’re not all here. “Hey, uh, where’s everyp—one?” Did I almost unconsciously say “everypony”?
Mike shrugs. “School.”
I frown at him. “Then why ain’t ya’ll at school, Mister? Last Ah checked, you and the others still go ta the same school.”
He shrugs again. “Got sent home cos I threw up. Don’t feel sick, but you remember that’s what they do, right?”
I glare at him. “Jus’ cos Ah’ve gone an’ turned inta a filly from a cartoon, it don’t mean Ah’ve lost mah memory, little brother!”
“Quite it with the little brother, will ya?” he says angrily. “I’m bigger than you now!”
“But Ah was still born afore ya,” I smirk. “That makes you the little brother.”
He sits there, fuming at me.
An awkward silence flows through the rooms, which is eventually broken suddenly by my stomach grumbling.
___________________________________________________________
“It jus’ ain’t fair, Jack,” I say, looking up at the sky.
A sniff comes from my side as the Jack Russel sitting against me lifts his head and stares at me. Yeah, our Jack Russel is called Jack Russel, so inspired right?
We’d played around a bit after I’d come outside, not feeling like hanging around inside all day. He’d been confused at first, but he seemed to remember my scent from yesterday and identified me as friend... something I’m honestly still surprised by, since he’s so territorial about the yard he’ll angrily attack any animal that comes in.
One time a blue tongue lizard came in and we’d barely stopped him from getting bitten by it, since he’d refused to back down from the reptile.
Til I hung out with Jack in a way I never could’ve before, I’d forgotten just how fun it was to simply run, play a game of tag, small things I hadn’t done in years. Thanks to my Earth Pony strength I was stronger than Jack and tended to win most of our tussles.
However, as time wore on I got tired, my thoughts returning to my current state and the problems it could cause making me not want to play. So I’d just sat down in the middle of the yard and lain down on my stomach. Jack joined me once he realized I wasn’t going to play anymore and sit down next to me, pressing his body against mine.
Time was he could never sit still around me, always jumping around, trying to climb up my legs. Now he seemed to know I wasn’t in the mood and had decided to lie down next to me.
It was rather comforting, having him next to me. We are about the same height now, with me being maybe a little taller than him. Sometimes, when I started crying as thoughts of what would happen if I got caught and the government took me away from my family, never to see them again, he nuzzled me, which made me giggle as her fur and whiskers tickled me.
Our understanding of each other was certainly different than it had been when I was human. I wasn’t so much one of his owners anymore, as much a good friend.
That night, I don’t have my medication before bed, not wanting a repeat of this morning.
Mum walks in as I snuggle into the covers and sits down on the edge of the bed. “You doing okay?”
I give a sigh, looking down at my hooves. “Well, better than before... not that that’s sayin’ much.”
Mum nods, them leans over and pulls me into a hug. “we’ll all be here for you, remember that, okay, sweetie?”
I give a half-hearted chuckled. “Ah’m not Sweetie Belle, Ah’m Apple Bloom.”
She chuckles and pulls back, flicking me on the forehead. “You can still make lame jokes. I guess you are doing okay.”
A small, sheepish smile adorns my face. “Night, Ma.”
She leans forward again and kisses my forehead. “Goodnight, Sam.”
She gets up, turns off the light and closes the door.
I roll over and close my eyes and, after a short while, sleep takes me.
___________________________________________________________
That became the routine of our house. I’d get up in the mornings, eat breakfast, then go outside and play around with Jack. While not too productive, it helped me stay fit, which, for an Earth Pony, I knew was a good thing.
I didn’t just mess around all day, though. I’d help out any way I could. When Mum needed to do the washing, I’d pass her the pegs from the pegs bag.
I even helped out with the gardening. To my surprise, it seemed my Earth Pony magic was flowing out whenever I did that. Our tomato plants, which usually only grew a few tomatoes at a time, suddenly seemed close to growing twice the usual.
Thankfully, we were able to keep Jack from eating them all this time, as he usually tries to do. I simply asked him not to and he did... though I did promise to share a tomato or two. Hey, loses a few is better than all of them, right?
However, the good times didn’t last for long. Within two weeks of my turning into Apple Bloom, I got found out. I don't know when it happened, but apparently the Channel Nine News copter had been flying over our house during one of the times I'd been out in the yard, just sitting with Jack.
We learned about this the next night.
We all sat at the dinner table, Dad was at work and John was out with Jill. We were having a pasta meal, purely vegetarian. John had said some equines could eat meat, so we'd given it a shot a few days ago, Mum using one of my Hungry Jacks dockets and getting a free cheese burger with a hot chocolate on her way back from work.
I'd enjoyed the burger, like I always have before, but several minutes later, I'd had my head in the toilet, up-chucking my burger and lunch, so we'd stopped with the meat idea.
As I slurp some spaghetti off my fork (I’d sort of figured out the whole holding things with my hooves thing the second day. If I didn’t think too hard about it, something would stick to my hoof and I could pick it up), Casey Grimshaw's voice spoke from the TV.
“And now to an interesting sighting by our news copter, over a week ago. We've been asked by Hasbro to wait until today to show this, but Mike, our new pilot looked out the window at one point and saw what he thought were too dogs in a backyard. At first glance, that's what it seemed, however, when he asked the cameraman to zoom in it revealed the second dog was not a dog but, in fact, according to Mike, a small yellow pony with a red mane and tail.
I almost choke on my mouthful of pasta, Mum spat out her drink and all our heads whip to the TV. There, on the screen, is footage of our backyard from above and, sitting in the grass was Jack... and me.
We all sit there, our eyes glued to the screen. They knew. The world now knew.
Mum leaps up, her eyes wide with panic. “We need to go, now!”
We all nodded, not needing her to explain. We all got up and bound towards the door, when we heard a set of knocks. I skidded to a stop, my eyes wide, my blood running cold. I could see several shapes outside the window of our door. They were blurred, but that didn't make me any less afraid.
“Jane, with me,” Mum said, her voice taking on a firm, dangerous tone. “Everyone else, stay with Sam. If it comes to a fight, Jane and I will use our karate to hold them off for as long as possible while you get Sam to safety, got it?” Everyone nodded, crowding around me as I hunched down, wrapping my tail around me.
Mum opens the door and from behind everyone, I saw someone I recognized, not from TV, but from the internet.
“Lauren Faust?” I cry before I can stop myself.
It was. The creator of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was standing at our front door. Behind her I could make out tons of cameras and news vans. How had she gotten here so fast?
“Hello, there,” she said, holding out a hand to Mum. “As she just said, I'm Lauren Faust. I created the show that she came from.”
Mum took her hand back and shook her head. “Not quite, Miss Faust.”
“Ms.” she corrected. “I'm married, but kept my maiden name.” She then chuckled as I face-hoofed at my mum's words. “But, what do you mean?”
Mum shook her head and stepped aside. “Come inside and maybe Sam can explain it to you herself.”
“Who's Sam?” she asked as she and a cameraman walked in.
“That's me,” I say, both nervously and with excitement. I was meeting Lauren Faust, in person. “Ah'm Sam. It's a long story.”
Several minutes later we’re sitting in Mum and Dad living room (we have two in the house, one for Mum and Dad and one for the rest of us), with me sitting on the couch on the far wall, whilst Ms. Faust is sitting on the other, looking at me.
There’s also a cameraman holding, as his name suggests, a camera, filming our conversation.
“So... you’ve really no idea how... this happened?” Ms. Faust asks, indicating to me, to which the cameraman turns to me.
I’m trying to ignore him, but it’s getting harder. “No. Ah just woke up like this on Father’s Day.”
She frowns, looking to my parents; Mum’s sitting next to me, as if to protect me from... well, I dunno. She’s my mother. Plus, she’s been far more protective of me since my change.
“She’s telling the truth,” Dad sighs, scratching the back of his head. “Weirdest Father’s Day I’ve ever had.”
“Ms. Faust...” I begin.
“Call my Lauren, dear,” she chuckles. “I feel weird when people who aren’t interviewing me or fan meeting me call me Ms. Faust.”
I pout. “Bu’ Ah’m a fan.”
“Different scenario, honey,” she smirks. “None of my fans have ever turned into one of the characters I created.”
I keep my pout, folding my forehooves. I almost roll my eyes at the obviously hidden squeal she hides at seeing me do that.
“Can we please get to the business at hand here?” Mum asks, sounding annoyed as she looks at Ms. F— Lauren. “My child. Thanks to your friends at Hasbro, the whole world now knows about her.”
I shudder a little. God, I hope the Foalcon loving Cloppers hadn’t heard about it yet. The last thing I needed was to know guys and girls (hey, I ain’t discriminating on gender, here) were jerking off or whatever it’s called for girls to thoughts of me. Bleh.
Lauren sighs, putting her hands in her lap. “We wanted to speak with you before it went public.” She scowls. “Trust me, the heads at Hasbro are looking into just who gave the okay to go public before we could talk with you first.”
“What I don’t get,” John says, leaning against the wall, “is how you guys were able to keep the government away from all this. I’d have thought the knowledge of, what they’d see as a creature from another dimension being around would’ve met we’d have hazmat suits coming and taking Sam away.”
She giggles a little nervously. “Yeah... that... might still happen.”
“WHAT?” we all cry, our eyes going wide, Mum’s arms wrapping around me protectively.
Lauren sighs. “If you don’t do as I’m about to ask... I’m afraid there are guys in hazmats ready to take Sam away,” she sounds none to happy as she says it.
“WHY?” Dad shouts, standing up. “Is that a threat so you can get our child?!”
Lauren looks horrified. “No! It was the only way we could stop them from just barging in and taking her!”
He falters. “Huh?”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, before looking to me. “It wasn’t easy, but the heads were able to convince them to stay away if we could get Sam in an interview with the news so she could explain things and prove she’s no threat to national security, both for your country or any other. If you refuse, though...”
“They’ll come an’ take me away without a second thought, right?” I finish, my expression grim.
She nods, looking at me apologetically. “I’m really sorry, Sam. I know the idea of just going out on TV and telling the world you’ve become a little yellow pony can’t be comfortable for you—”
“Ya’ll have no idea,” I mutter.
“—but it’s the only way to get the government of your back about this,” she goes on, shaking her head. “I wish I could help some other way, but this is the best offer I can give you.”
I look to Dad, then to Mum.
They both glance at each other, then sigh, before Dad says, “It’s your decision, Sam. We’ll go with whatever you choose.”
Gee, no pressure, then.
I sigh, turning to Lauren and nod. “Ah’ll do it.”
She gives a relieved smile, gets up, walks to the door and opens it, calling out in a firm tone, “You boys can hit the road. She’s doing the interview.”
My pony ears pick up the sound of annoyed voices, followed by a lot of shuffling and, three minutes later, several loud vehicles driving away.
Lauren walks back in as I’m prying myself from Mum’s arms and look to the creator of the show I know am living advertisement for. “So, who’s gonna be the first interviewin’ me?”