Cheerilee woke up the next morning wearing one of her roommate's tee shirts for the second time in two days. It was a peculiar sensation, wearing clothing to bed. She felt slightly uncomfortable, as the shirt tended to restrict her movement a little while she was sleeping. At the same time, the tee shirt smelled faintly of Johnathon. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant smell. She had gotten used to his particular fragrance over the months of his staying with her, but waking up to it was new.
She sat up, sliding her feet out of bed and placing them on the floor. The floor was slightly chilly, which was something else that would certainly take getting used to. She could feel temperature variations much easier through her bare, human feet than she had been able to with her hooves. In fact, she could feel just about everything more... thoroughly with her new appendages. She put her hands down on the bed on either side of her to steady herself, and found her hands automatically gripping the edge of the bed. The feeling of the woolen blanket under her fingers was oddly rough. She brought one hand up to her face, regarding it with a frown. Her hands were so... delicate. It was so strange, she found herself worrying all the time that she might damage herself now, especially her remarkably skinny fingers, if she wasn't careful.
Cheerilee stood and walked over to her bedside mirror, then frowned. She was too tall to look into it properly now. She knelt in front of it instead and looked at herself in the mirror. Her human face still startled her. It was so... bare looking. Living with Johnathon for as long as she had, it wasn't a terribly shocking face. She was pretty much used to the human's lack of a proper coat of fur, but it was still strange seeing herself like that. The human woman looking back at her out of the mirror seemed like a stranger. If she looked hard, she could see traces of the pony she had been, mostly in her eyes, but that only served to push home the strangeness of her new appearance.
It was reassuring, somehow, that Johnathon liked how she looked. If she was stuck in a new body, at least it was a healthy, attractive body. At the same time, it bothered her. Johnathon had looked at her differently ever since she had transformed, and he wasn't the only one. With Johnathon at least, it was a look she was at least somewhat used to. She had had her share of stallion admirers in her past and that look of desire, while different on a human, was still something she knew well enough. The looks on other ponies faces, however, were new. While Twilight and her friends treated her mostly the same, she could tell that many of the ponies in town found her strange and disturbing to look at. It bothered her more than she wanted to admit. She'd seen those looks directed at Johnathon, and scarcely paid any attention, but now that she was the one being stared at, it bothered her quite a bit, even though she was careful not to show it.
Cheerilee pulled the tee shirt off over her head and tossed it onto the bed, then turned back to the mirror. Her body was remarkably hairless. Johnathon at least had a light covering of hair on his arms and chest, and if he didn't shave it off on a regular basis, on his face as well, but human females apparently didn't have quite as much. She looked at herself thoughtfully. She wondered exactly what features of her new form that Johnathon appreciated. Her human form was lightly muscled, and didn't seem to carry much excess fat, except perhaps on her hips, and in her large breasts. She cupped her breasts, weighing them in her hands. They were so large... were all human females so well endowed? She'd have to ask.
Cheerilee reached forward and opened her suddenly overflowing clothing drawer, wondering what she should wear. She settled on the outfit that Rarity had made for her, skirt, shirt and vest, and pulled the folded garments out, reaching around to lay them on the bed, then sat back down on the bed to pull on her new boots. She liked her boots. They were comfortable, and she liked the way they made her feet and ankles look bigger, almost like she had hooves again. She needed to stop by Rarity's shop on after school. The fashion designer had promised to have the rest of the clothing they had talked about ready for her by that point, and she did need at least a few more things to wear, if she was truly going to wear clothing all the time.
Cheerilee stood up, wincing at the slight pain of having been on her knees on the wooden floor of her room for as long as she had been, then went to sit on her bed again. She examined her knees in mild surprise, noting that her skin was reddened where she had been kneeling, and wondering worriedly if she'd injured herself. Soon, however, to her relief, the redness faded along with the pain. She started to dress, taking her time. Buttons were tricky, and she had to start over twice to make sure that the buttons of her shirt were lined up correctly. Finally, she was ready, and she stood and walked out to the kitchen.
Johnathon had already prepared breakfast. "Good Morning Cheerilee," he greeted her cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"
"Oh... fine," she answered after a momentary pause. The truth was she had had trouble sleeping for the second night in a row, and she was starting to feel more than a little overtired. Sleeping in a strange body and getting tangled in Johnathon's oversized tee shirt during the night had not helped her sleep, not to mention the fact that, while she couldn't remember the details, she was relatively certain she had been plagued by dreams during what parts of the night she had managed to fall asleep during.
Somehow, he seemed to sense that she wasn't being completely forthcoming with him. "Are you sure? You look a little tired."
Cheerilee sighed. "I haven't been sleeping that well," she admitted reluctantly. "Everything is very new and strange so far."
"I get that," Johnathon said with a soft smile. "I had some serious trouble sleeping in my first few nights here in Equestria... and that was just getting used to a new place. You're getting used to an entirely new body. That's going to take some getting used to, no matter how well you are able to adapt."
Cheerilee smiled weakly and nodded. "Yes. I think I'll try to get to sleep early tonight, but for now, I have school."
"Maybe you should take a sick day," Johnathon suggested. "Don't you have anyone who can substitute teach for you?"
Cheerilee hesitated, tempted by the idea, but shook her head. "No... I'll be alright, and I should really save my sick days for when I'm actually sick. I'm a little tired, but otherwise I'm fine. I've gotten relatively used to moving around now."
"If you say so," he agreed cautiously. "Need any help getting to school today?"
Cheerilee hesitated, then shrugged. "Actually, I think I'll be alright. I'm not having any trouble walking this morning at all. I think I've gotten used to that much, at least."
Johnathon nodded agreeably. "Alright then," he hesitated. "I think I'll be spending most of today over at the Library. Will you need me at all this afternoon?"
Cheerilee thought about that, then smiled. "You can meet me over at Carousel Boutique if you have the time," she suggested. "Rarity would love more fashion tips from your world, I expect."
Johnathon sighed. "No doubt. Very well, I'll see you there after school then."
Cheerilee smiled at him. "Wonderful. See you then."
The archeologist picked up his breakfast dishes and went to the sink to clear his plate. "I'm going to go get an early start," he told her. "Want me to do any shopping?"
Cheerilee sat down to the plate he had prepared for her, gingerly picking up the fork he had left next to the plate and tentatively stabbing at her eggs. "That's probably a good idea. We don't have enough of the food you like to eat... or rather, that humans can eat for the both of us for more than another day, I think?"
Johnathon nodded. "That's true. I'll get more human stuff," he smiled slightly at her. "No reason to get any hay on this trip, I suppose."
Cheerilee sighed. "I suppose not," she raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure humans can't eat hay?"
He shrugged. "Not hay, or flowers, or grass..."
Cheerilee sighed again. "I don't know why, but not being able to eat grass bothers me. You'd think it'd be the other things that bother me more, but for some reason, that just really struck me."
Johnathon looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure what would be strangest for me. Probably not having hands," he paused. "I mean, if I was transformed into a pony, that is."
Cheerilee nodded. "I knew what you meant," she took a bite of eggs and chewed for awhile, looking thoughtfully at the hand holding her fork. "They are quite... unique. Useful as well. I would have taken twice as long getting dressed like this as a pony," she gestured at what she was wearing. "Assuming I were to wear anything so complicated, anyway."
Johnathon chuckled. "I think you'd look cute wearing a blouse and skirt as a pony," he told her with a grin. "But I can imagine all the buttons would be tricky without fingers... or magic to deal with them."
"I'll say," Cheerilee agreed. "Johnathon...." she began hesitantly, " could you tell me something?"
Johnathon raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Sure. What is it?"
Cheerilee hesitated, then cupped her breasts through her shirt. "You told me I look fine... but I was curious. Do all human females have such large mammaries as these, or are mine larger than average?"
He blinked, his face flushing slightly. "Er... those are about average," he explained. "They can get quite a bit larger, although you're about the norm, if I'm any judge," Johnathon frowned. "Are they bothering you?"
Cheerilee shook her head. "No... not exactly. It's just, I was wondering. I really don't know anything about humans, except for what you've told me, of course. I guess I just want to figure out what's normal, and what isn't."
Johnathon nodded sympathetically, and Cheerilee went back to her breakfast. She found she liked eggs more as a human, and she liked vegetables quite a bit less. A small part of her wondered what meat would taste like, but she suppressed the idea immediately. If Johnathon could put up with a mostly vegetarian diet, certainly she could as well.
Johnathon excused himself, and Cheerilee watched him go before finishing her breakfast. Glancing at the clock on the wall of the kitchen, she grimaced. She'd be late to school if she didn't move quickly. Rising to her feet, she headed out the door, and started walking toward the school. Her balance was steady today. She had been getting more and more confident with her walking over the last two days, and she was tempted to try and move faster. Turning the corner to where she could see the school building in the distance, she could see Snips and Snails entering the building far ahead of her, and realized that she must be even later than she realized. Breaking into a longer stride, she forced herself to walk faster.
"How do I run?" she wondered aloud. "Is it like galloping?" the schoolteacher glanced at her feet as she walked, although she couldn't make out much through the material of the long skirt she was wearing. Instead she pictured Johnathon when he jogged, which was a pretty regular sight for her by now. "Oh yes... I just have to make longer strides, and my feet will leave the ground entirely when I'm going fast enough..." she reasoned, then hesitated. "But Johnathon said that this skirt would be difficult to run in, didn't he?" she glanced down. "It would bind my legs if I tried to lengthen my stride too much, I suppose."
Cheerilee settled for moving at a fast walk, although she was pleasantly surprised to find that when she put enough power into pushing off with her back foot, she did leave the ground entirely with each stride, although she could tell she wasn't exactly running. It was more like hopping, and it wasn't really moving her forward very much faster, although it was actually kind of fun. She staggered a couple times when she hopped too high, but her body's balance seemed to be quite good. She had thought that walking on two legs would be much more difficult, but whatever magic had transformed her had given her excellent reflexes as well, apparently.
Cheerilee slowed as she reached the schoolhouse, and ducked slightly to enter. She realized as she cleared the entrance that she hadn't actually needed to duck, the door was just barely high enough so that she could walk under it, but it was so much closer than she was used to, she had ducked without thinking.
"Good morning class!" she greeted her students with her regular sunny smile. "I'm very sorry I'm late, but I'm still getting used to my new body, I'm afraid." Cheerilee explained. "Not to worry, however I am getting much better at walking."
"Isn't Johnathon going to bring you to school anymore?" Sweetie Bell asked curiously.
"He doesn't need to anymore, Sweetie," Cheerilee explained, "now that I can walk properly."
"You're not having a fight?" Scootaloo asked, sounding worried.
"Not at all," Cheeriee answered with a raised eyebrow, getting slightly annoyed. "Although I'd have thought after what happened on Hearts and Hooves day, you fillies would know better than to worry about other pony's affairs."
"Sorry, Miss Cheerilee," Scootaloo said quickly. "We just worry about you... seeing as it's our fault you turned yourself into a human and all."
"I'm quite alright," Cheerilee insisted, doing her best to hide what anxiety she felt behind her teacher's mask. "So don't worry too much about me. Now, has everypony finished their history essay?"
School seemed to drag on an inordinately long time that day. Cheerilee usually loved her job, but there were some things about being human that were quite distracting. To begin with, standing on two feet for hours at a time seemed quite a bit more tasking then standing on four hooves. She wanted to sit down! But there weren't any chairs that would properly fit her new frame in the schoolroom. About halfway through the day, she settled for sitting on top of her desk, but found it a bit unsatisfactory. It was a bit too tall to sit on for long periods, and by the time class was over, her rear end was a bit sore... although again, like with the pain in her knees that morning, once she had moved, the pain faded quickly.
"I'll have to get a chair for school," she decided as she walked toward Carousel Boutique. "At least, if I stay like this for much longer. Thank goodness it's the weekend tomorrow!" She entered Carousel Boutique, and spotted Rarity at once.
The white unicorn smiled at her as she entered, and her horn glowed as she levitated several different garments at once. "I've finished several new outfits for you, dear. I just need to you try them on so I can make any needed alterations."
Cheerilee nodded, glancing around curiously. "Is Johnathon here yet?"
"Not yet, dear, were you expecting him?" Rarity's eyes shown with sudden speculation. "Oh yes... you are having me design all of your new clothes with his tastes in mind, after all."
Cheerilee found herself blushing slightly at the implication. "Well... yes. I mean... he's the only other human in Equestria. Besides dressing for warmth, I hardly need clothes for myself."
Rarity's eyes twinkled. "Of course dear, of course," she busied herself with her work for a moment, then glanced slyly at the school teacher. "So... how are things between you two? Now that your... situation has changed so drastically, that is?"
Cheerilee hesitated before answering. "We're still feeling things out, really," she explained carefully. "Things are a little... tense right now, actually."
Rarity looked curious. "How so?"
Cheerilee frowned. "Well, it's complicated. This whole situation. What with my transformation, and Twilight preparing to get Johnathon home... there's so much going on, and at the same time...." the door to the shop opened up, and the man in question walked through. "Oh! Er... hello Johnathon!" Cheerilee said awkwardly.
Rarity cleared her throat and began talking as if they had been interrupted. "So... I have tee shirts for you in several different sizes. I thought we might try a few on, and see which ones you like the best, shall we?" she caught Cheerilee's eyes questioningly, but the schoolmare shook her head subtly, not wanting to talk any further when the subject of their conversation was right there in the room.
Johnathon himself hesitated. "Well, if you're doing fittings, perhaps I should step out for a bit?" he gestured to the door. "I'm sorry I'm late, by the way, I was just talking with Twilight. She's been considering ways to continue her research into Strangehorn's permanent transformation spell."
Cheerilee frowned slightly. "Oh... shouldn't she be focusing on her dimensional gate spell instead?"
Johnathon wrinkled his nose. "Well, she's still working on that, but, given your situation, she's started her research into that as well. Actually, she's looking for volunteers to test it out on, so she can get a better feel for the spell. She's only really cast it twice now, after all."
Rarity raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "Well, I'd love to help, but if I remember correctly, Twilight was afraid to try using her spell on me because as a unicorn, my natural magic would not be able to express itself without a horn... and it could build up dangerously?"
Johnathon nodded slowly. "Yes, although she actually wants to see if she can test that theory as well. We're not actually positive that the spell truly does transfer the subject's natural magical energies or not." he nodded at Cheerilee. "I figure you could probably help test that."
Cheerilee blinked. "I could? How?"
He shrugged. "Well, as I was saying before, we could test to see if you retain any of your Earth pony magic... if you have greater strength or stamina, compared to a normal human female, that is... and if you still have the... connection to the earth that most Earth ponies do?"
Cheerilee wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure about that last one... how would we test it? Have me plant something and see if it grows better?" she shrugged. "Besides, I've never been especially strong or tough, even for an Earth pony. I'm not sure how much magic, if any, I have."
Johnathon shrugged helplessly. "I'm not the expert. Twilight said she had some ideas, and asked if we could head over there once we're done here."
Cheerilee nodded slowly. "Well, alright."
Rarity nodded briskly. "Well then, we should get started now, shouldn't we? Shall I help you change?" she looked at Cheerilee expectantly.
Cheerilee nodded. "That would speed things up."
Rarity's horn lit up, and the buttons on Cheerilee's clothing started coming undone rapidly. Her skirt fell to the floor, her vest came off down her shoulders, and her blouse was almost completely unbuttoned by the time Johnathon managed to unfreeze and turn his back.
"Er... I'll just leave you to it then..." he said, coughing slightly to hide his embarrassment.
"Johnathon, darling, this fitting is as much for you as it is for Cheerilee." Rarity explained with an amused expression. "Cheerilee can tell me what feels right, but we need your eye to tell us if it looks good, now don't we?"
He coughed again. "Er... well, you've got excellent taste, Rarity, I'm sure you'll do fine."
Cheerilee glanced down at herself. "Rarity..." she was now wearing nothing but her new boots, and she was pretty sure that was a problem for Johnathon. "I think Johnathon might prefer to judge the clothing once I'm actually wearing it."
Rarity chuckled softly. "Of course, of course!" she turned to Cheerilee and nodded at her feet. "Lift your feet dear... one at a time, and I'll get your boots for you, then I can show you your new pants!" Rarity levitated Cheerilee's boots off, and helped her into a pair of pants and a tight tee shirt. "Now then, you can take a look, Johnathon. Please tell us what you think?"
Johnathon turned around cautiously, relaxing slightly as he saw her. He took his time before answering, his eyes lingering on Cheerilee's form in a way that made something tighten up deep inside her. Cheerilee stood still, feeling both awkward and slightly flattered by his attention before he turned back to Rarity.
"You really do have excellent taste, Rarity." he said with a nod to the fashionista. It's simple, but it looks like you got the fit just right on the first try."
Rarity beamed. "Oh, do you think so? I was hoping that it wasn't too form fitting," she raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not too form fitting, is it? You did mention that a certain amount was acceptable."
Johnathon chuckled. "No, just the... right amount, I'd say," he nodded to Cheerilee. "Although that tee shirt is probably a bit tight to wear to bed."
Cheerilee fingered the material, and pulled the front away from her breasts slightly. "It's actually pretty comfortable, but I suppose you're probably right."
Rarity nodded and her horn lit up again. "Alright then, hold your arms over your head dear, and we can try on the larger size, shall we?"
Johnathon whipped around as the tee shirt started to slide upwards, and Rarity giggled. "I'm sorry, Johnathon dear, you're just so delightfully easy to tease sometimes," she looked slightly embarrassed. "I really shouldn't take advantage of your sensibilities like that, of course. It's very insensitive of me."
Johnathon, his back still turned, chuckled wryly. "Oh, that's alright Rarity. I can see how it must seem a bit silly to you."
Rarity smiled at him. "You're quite generous, darling, but I really should pay more respect for how you were raised. Of course, decorum does dictate that a lady dresses away from the colt she's interested in impressing... but it's true that very few ponies observe that particular rule. After all, ponies only wear clothing for special occasions, at least, in general. It's a bit different in the big cities, of course," she shrugged, then coughed. "You turn such interesting colors when you're embarrassed, Johnathon dear, but again, that's really no excuse."
He chuckled again. "Honestly, I should have adapted to your culture by now, seeing as I've already lived here so long, but it's a bit different seeing ponies without clothes on to seeing a human female without clothes," he shrugged. "After all, ponies don't wear clothes on my world either."
Rarity finished dressing her living manikin again, and nodded. "Alright, you can turn around, Johnathon. Tell us what you think."
Johnathon glanced back, noting the looser tee shirt, and nodded. "It looks fine."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Just... fine?"
Johnathon shrugged. "Not all clothing is about looks, Rarity. Cheerilee is going to want to be comfortable sometimes, after all."
Rarity frowned slightly. "But dear... clothing is all about looks, not comfort," she waved a hoof airily. "I admit, one does create clothing that is comfortable as well... but that's not the point...."
Johnathon shrugged. "If you're wearing clothes all the time, that kind of is the point, sometimes, Rarity."
The fashionista considered that. "Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. After all, I suppose a human can't simply go naked if they wish to be comfortable."
Johnathon chuckled. "Well, most don't, anyway, although there are some that actually do exactly that," he scratched his head. "Most people consider... er... nudists, to be a bit radical, actually, but... well, I try not to judge myself."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating."
Cheerilee looked interested. "So there are humans that go around without clothes all the time?"
Johnathon hesitated. "Well, a great deal of the time. Even most nudists will put on clothes to go into public. There are actually laws that prevent public nudity."
Cheerilee blinked. "So it's against the law to be without clothing on your world?"
Johnathon nodded. "In public, yes. What you do in your own home, or on your own property, that's different. People can wear whatever they please in private," he shrugged. "Personally, I'm all for freedom of expression... and I don't like telling people what they can or cannot do... but I tend to conform to... er...social norms in most cases."
Cheerilee nodded. "I see."
He smiled weakly at her. "Like I said before, you don't have to conform to the rules of my society if you don't want to, Cheerilee. I appreciate the amount of effort you're putting into this, but I don't want to push you into anything you don't want to do."
Cheerilee smiled at him. "I appreciate that, and I really don't mind putting on clothes if it makes you feel more comfortable. Honestly, even if you didn't prefer I dress, I would want some clothing. Without a fur coat, I seem to get cold quite a bit easier. I appreciate that you're making an effort to suggest clothing for me that is comfortable as well as attractive."
Rarity smiled. "Well now... since that shirt seems to meet with both of your approval, shall we try on the..." she fumbled for the words, "sports bra?" she levitated the garment over for Johnathon to take a look at. "I put in elastic in the outer lining as you recommended." Rarity told him. "It should stretch nicely, and still be quite supportive... assuming it fits," she levitated it over to Cheerilee, and Johnathon politely turned his back once more.
After several moments, Cheerilee glanced down at the garment, looking a bit dubious. "Oh my. Johnathon, is it alright if I don't have my... er... middle covered? Or should I wear something over it?"
Johnathon glanced around to see for himself, and nodded. "It looks fine. Its for support, and you should be able to wear it under your other clothing, although for exercise, it's perfectly appropriate to wear it alone."
Cheerilee gestured at her uncovered midriff curiously. "So... I don't need to have this portion covered all the time?"
He shook his head slowly. "No... you don't need to cover everything... just certain portions of the body, and what's acceptable differs according to the situation."
Cheerilee frowned slightly. "This seems so complicated. So... different amounts of clothing are appropriate for different activities?"
Johnathon nodded. "Right... for example, excessive clothing can get in the way when exercising, or swimming, so it's considered acceptable to wear quite a bit less clothing then."
Cheerilee looked thoughtful. "Oh, the way you sometimes take your shirt off after we go jogging?"
Johnathon nodded. "Right."
Rarity blinked. "Wait... you wear clothing to go swimming? Really?"
Johnathon glanced at her, and nodded. "Sure. Bathing suits. There's a whole fashion industry devoted to those alone, actually."
Rarity shook her head. "Amazing. I do wish I could visit your world... if only for a short while."
Johnathon sighed. "I'd like nothing better. I'd love to show you..." he nodded to Cheerilee, "and you Cheerilee, and Twilight, and the others, my world. Or at least, the nicer parts of it," he fixed his gaze on Cheerilee. "I really wish you could come with me... but... I don't think that's going to be possible... if Twilight is correct," he sighed. "It'd be far too dangerous, in any case."
Cheerilee sighed. "I'd like to see your world as well. I'm not sure I'd want to stay there permanently, though."
Johnathon nodded. "Which is the primary danger. After all, there is no telling that Twilight would be able to open a gate back... even if she went over to my world herself. There are other problems as well, of course, but that's the big one."
Rarity hesitated. "I thought perhaps... that with Cheerilee human, you might consider staying?"
Johnathon looked around to gaze at the white unicorn, then hesitated. "It's... complicated."
Cheerilee's face froze up as she forced herself not to react outwardly to his statement. It IS complicated. She told herself. He doesn't mean he won't stay... just that it's... complicated. She found herself sighing softly, then stifled it.
Rarity glanced at Cheerilee, then back at Johnathon, her face growing more thoughtful. "Yes... I suppose it must be quite complicated. I won't pry. I'm sure it's a difficult subject."
Johnathon grimaced then sighed, his face going sad. "If Cheerilee is stuck as a human... and she wants me to stay, I'd stay. If... we decide to start a... romantic relationship, I'll stay... but...." he shrugged helplessly. "Twilight could figure out how to turn Cheerilee back to an Earth Pony any day now. I couldn't ask Cheerilee to give that up for me."
Cheerilee sighed. "And I couldn't ask Johnathon to give up on going home just to stay here with me."
Rarity's eyes went wide, and she seemed to melt slightly, as if tempted to swoon. "Oh... oh dear. How very... difficult it must be for both of you," she smiled faintly. "You're both being quite brave about it all. I'm sorry I brought the subject up," Rarity levitated the pile of Cheerilee's clothing. "In any case, that's all I have for you today, although I'd be glad to put together some more outfits if you think of anything else you'd like."
Cheerilee glanced down at herself. "I suppose I should change before I go?" she looked at Johnathon for confirmation. "Since we're not exercising, I should put something on over this, right?"
Johnathon nodded. "There is a bit of a chill in the air as well, so yes, I'd say so."
Cheerilee nodded and picked up the looser tee shirt off the top of the pile and pulled it on over her head with only minor difficulty. "Alright then. How about now?"
Johnathon nodded. "You look great. Come on, Twilight's waiting for us." he reached over and took the pile of clothing from Rarity. "Why don't I carry these? You should probably just focus on your walking for now, Cheerilee."
Cheerilee smiled at him as she headed for the door. "I'd like to try running sometime soon. I think I can do it... although I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I tried earlier, but I ended up bouncing a bit higher than I wanted."
"I'll try and show you the trick." Johnathon promised as they went out the door, then turned back to Rarity before he closed it behind them. "Thanks again, Rarity. Your work, as always, is exemplary."
Rarity listened to the sound of them walking away, and sighed to herself. "How terribly romantic! And tragic, at the same time," she frowned. "There must be something I can do in order to help those two... but what?"
******************************
Cheerilee watched Johnathon out of the corner of her eye as they walked, side by side, through town toward the Library. There was a tension there between them now, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. They had been friends... they still were, but there was something more now, and it was making things tighten up in her chest in a manner that was both slightly pleasant and disturbing at the same time.
Do I like him like that? Can I? Cheerilee asked herself silently. Her becoming human had changed things. Before, while she was sad about the very real possibility of having to lose her friend, she had resigned herself to the fact that he would leave, sooner or later. Now, because of a love potion... because of an accident, there was the chance he would stay. But at the same time, that would mean her staying human. She still didn't know how she really felt about that. Every waking moment since she had woken from the love spell to find herself human, her mind had been either racing, almost incoherently, or gone silent... almost numb, as if her thoughts were wrapped in cotton wool.
She tried to figure out what she was feeling, but the moment passed, and Twilight was greeting them at the door to the Library. "Hey you two," the purple unicorn said with a pleasant smile, a flicker of concern passing over her face as she glanced at Cheerilee. "How are you holding up, Cheerilee?" Twilight asked her without preamble. "Is it very weird?"
Cheerilee laughed. "Yes, very weird," she admitted easily, feeling a bit better at once. "I can't seem to get a handle on it yet," she continued a bit less cheerfully. "About how I'm feeling. I think I'm still in a little bit of shock," as she said the words, she realized how true they were. She was still in shock from her transformation. She had been doing her best to behave normally, even try to enjoy the ridiculousness of the situation a little bit, but the full weight hadn't really sunk in yet, and she knew it.
"I'm still waiting for Johnathon to lose his cool and ravage me... or something...." she blurted out suddenly, trying to make a joke, and wincing almost immediately at how lame she sounded, even to herself.
"I'll have you know I have absolutely incredible willpower," Johnathon told her quite seriously.
Cheerilee smiled genuinely at that. "That might be one of the nicest complements I've ever gotten."
Twilight gaped at the two of them like they'd both grown antlers and started shooting sparks out of their ears, then quickly schooled her expression. "Er... anyway, come on in and have a seat. I've been wanting to talk to you!" she nodded at a pair of chairs conveniently located next to the table in the center of the main room, on which a large wooden bust of a horse's head rested.
"So...." Twilight said, looking a bit nervous. "I was hoping you could help me confirm or deny one a theory about Strangehorn's permanent transformation spell."
Cheerilee nodded. "Ah... yes, you want to know if I retain my Earth Pony magic?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, actually. It would be easier to test with a Pegasus, I suppose... as all we'd need to do is see if they could walk on a cloud... but Johnathon seemed confident that if you had greater than normal strength for a human female your size, he'd be able to tell with a simple empirical test."
"You mean hoof wrestling?" Cheerilee asked, glancing at the table, then at Johnathon, who had sat down at the table and was leaning back in his chair.
He shrugged up at her. "Humans call it arm wrestling, but yes. If you're significantly stronger than your body should be, it shouldn't be too tricky to find out with a little arm wrestling match."
Cheerilee hesitated, then shrugged, sitting herself down in the other chair, facing him. "So... how do we do this then?"
Johnathon rested the elbow of his right arm on the table's surface, and held out his hand to her. "Just put your right elbow on the table, like mine, and then take my hand." Cheerilee nodded, and imitated him, and grasped his hand firmly. Johnathon reached over with his left hand and adjusted their grip slightly, the nodded. "Now, all you have to do is try to push my hand down onto the table without moving your elbow off the surface. Got it?" he demonstrated, pushing her hand downwards. "Got it?"
Cheerilee nodded again. "I believe so. It's not that different from hoof wrestling, although I was never very good at it."
Johnathon smiled. "Well, I'm actually pretty good at it myself... so don't hold back. You don't have to use all your strength right away, but push hard, and keep pushing until you can't push any more, OK? We'll try to test both strength and stamina, but that'll depend on you."
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "I can't imagine I'll have much of a chance. You must be half again larger than I am!"
Johnathon shrugged. "I'm probably fifty pounds heavier, yeah. Normally a woman your size wouldn't stand a chance, but we're hoping that you're stronger than you look."
Cheerilee frowned, and then started pushing on Johnathon's hand, trying to force it down. The larger man's face tightened slightly, and his hand dipped an inch or so toward the table, but then stopped falling. She pushed harder, and his face got even tighter as he concentrated. She started to worry that she would hurt his feelings if she won. Stallions were remarkably silly about contests of strength and such. Johnathon was a grown human, an adult in every sense of the word, but he was still male. She let up slightly, unsure herself if she would try and let him win, or if she was just conserving her strength.
"You can do better than that." Johnathon said with a slightly pained smile. "You're hardly trying."
Cheerilee chewed on her lip, but decided to trust him. She poured it on, pushing down as hard as she could, and felt surprised at how much force her slender arm could generate. She actually felt... strong!
Johnathon's hand sank backwards another inch, then stopped. His face started to go red as he fought to keep his arm from falling further, and then his eyes went calm, and his breathing steadied. He seemed to lock his arm in place, and wouldn't let her push it down any further. Cheerilee strained, but it was no good, she couldn't force him any further down. Almost a minute passed, and she felt her strength fading. Johnathon seemed to sense it too, and he started pushing back, hard. She lost ground immediately, and almost before she knew it, her right hand slammed into the table, just hard enough to sting a bit.
"Sorry..." Johnathon said sheepishly, releasing his grip and shaking out his arm as if it was cramped.. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine," Cheerilee assured him, lifting her arm off the table and wincing slightly at the muscle fatigue that was causing her entire arm to ache. "A little tired though...."
Johnathon laughed. "Yeah... my bad. I'm a bit too competitive. That wasn't a fair contest, really. There are a couple tricks to winning an arm wrestling match, and I used them," he shrugged. "But, it's certain, I think. You've got some kind of magical strength. I think you're probably a bit stronger than I am, honestly."
Cheerilee blinked at how cheerful he seemed about it. "Don't you mind at all?"
Johnathon shrugged. "Nah, it's not like I'm especially strong compared to most Earth Ponies I know. Heck, Rainbow Dash is considerably stronger than I am, and she's a pegasus, and don't even get me started about Applejack. She could throw me around like a rag doll if she wanted...." he hesitated and added a qualifier to his statement, "and if she knew what she was doing a bit better." He nodded to Twilight. "And if you want to talk strength... Twilight here is about a hundred times stronger than either of us. That sort of thing doesn't bother me much."
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "Much?"
Johnathon chuckled wryly. "Well, I am guy, a pretty big guy... and I'm used to being one of the strongest, toughest people in the room. But, well, I've been here long enough to realize that isn't likely, especially with ponies like Twilight and her friends around."
Twilight was blushing. "I'm really not all that strong... I mean, yes, I suppose my magic is pretty powerful, but..."
Johnathon smiled at her. "Ridiculously so," he corrected. "Not that that is a bad thing."
Twilight blushed deeper. "But I'm not very strong at all... physically."
Johnathon shrugged. "No. You're pretty fit for a unicorn, Twilight, but most unicorns, especially the female ones, aren't physically very strong. But you don't have to be, do you?"
He turned to Cheerilee. "But you... you were jogging with me every day, and you were in great shape as a pony. That's translated into your human form as well, from what I can tell. Even so, you shouldn't be close to as strong as I am, but you're nearly every bit as strong as you were before you were transformed, I think."
Cheerilee blinked. "You mean I was stronger than you as a pony too?"
Johnathon raised an eyebrow. "Of course you were. Why do you think I let you do all the heavy work during Winter Wrap up, while I planted seeds, or gathered sticks, or whatever? As a pony, you were... hmm... probably twenty pounds lighter than me... now you're a bit smaller, and, probably weaker than you were as a pony, but not enough to be a normal human girl," he nodded at Twilight. "In my opinion, Cheerilee definitely has retained her Earth pony strength and stamina."
Twilight beamed. "Well, that's actually really good news!" she told them happily. "That means when I figure out how to configure the spell for non-ponies, I'll be able to transform you back without needing an extra power source."
Cheerilee blinked. "An extra power source?"
Twilight hesitated, then began to explain. "When I transformed myself into an Alicorn... I absorbed the extra energy I needed to maintain that form from Princess Celestia, as I have a great deal less natural energy then she does. If you didn't retain your Earth Pony magic when you changed into a human, it would be harder to change you back, as, as far as I can tell, a human has... er... less natural energy then a pony."
"Yeah." Johnathon said with a slight frown. "That makes sense."
Cheerilee noted the change in his mood. "Johnathon? It doesn't matter if... if you don't have as much natural energy, right?"
Johnathon blinked. "Oh... don't get me wrong... I'd like to be more... magical, but..." he frowned again, not upset, but as if he was trying to get his words right. "It's not that I'm jealous. Oh, I am a bit I suppose, but it doesn't really BOTHER me. No, it's the implications of what Twilight has discovered."
Twilight looked confused. "What do you mean Johnathon, what implications?"
Johnathon hesitated. "Well... I just realized, if... if for some reason I ever decided to become a pony... I wouldn't have any natural magical energy to... contribute to the spell. I might end up with the body of a pony, but probably none of the magic."
Cheerilee's eyes went wide. "I thought you... you said you never considered being anything but human."
Johnathon hesitated. "I've thought about the possibilities a bit... recently," he answered finally. "I wanted to at least consider the idea seriously, so I can...."
Cheerilee looked at him with a gentle smile. "So you could... what, exactly?"
Johnathon shrugged. "So I could get an idea about what it might be like for you right now, I guess. I mean, I have considered it before... er... before you got changed, but not seriously. I thought it might be nice to fly... or use magic like a unicorn, but..." he shrugged. "Well... obviously none of those things are possible," he looked away, gazing at the books on the shelf across from him before turning back to her. "I actually have considered it... turning into an earth pony... or a pegasus, perhaps... in order to fit in here better. Especially if Twilight never managed to figure out how to get me home, but... I decided that, while I might consider such a change as something temporary, I wouldn't want to give up being human permanently... all else being equal, anyway."
Cheerilee sighed, and he echoed her. "Sorry..." Johnathon began to apologize.
"No, I completely understand," Cheerilee said with a faint smile "I do. It frightens me, more than a little, considering the possibility that I might never change back, but...." she gazed at him. "While I do empathize with how you must feel about it, I..." she frowned. "I thought I would be more upset than I am. Each morning, I wake up, thinking I'm going to panic... that I'm going to be frantic to change back... but I'm not panicking. I'm not frantic."
Cheerilee gave him a wistful smile. "Although that's a bit scary by itself. I really should be panicking more, don't you think?"
Johnathon shook his head. "You? Panic? If somepony you cared about was hurt... maybe, but you're not the type to panic about yourself. You're stronger than you think."
Twilight had remained silent, seeming more than a bit embarrassed to be witnessing such a personal conversation, but she spoke up at that. "You really are strong, Cheerilee. After I turned myself into an Alicorn, I nearly went catatonic. Even though I expected to change, I was barely able to function right away! You've really handled this very well. Much better than I would in the same circumstances."
Cheerilee glanced at her. "I don't know, Twilight. When you turned yourself human, you were fine! You were a bit overexcited, perhaps, but you kept it together."
Twilight smiled. "Because I knew it was temporary, and it was a chance to learn something new. But if it had been permanent, and an accident? I'd be seriously freaking out... I'd be freaking out for weeks!" she frowned. "Well, I'd probably die in three or four days from a magical overload... but if that didn't happen, I'd probably freak out anyway."
Johnathon chuckled. "I think the threat of having your brain explode would justify a little freaking out, Twilight, regardless."
*********************************
It was starting to get dark as they were walking home. "So... I guess Twilight's getting closer to figuring out how to reverse this spell?" Cheerilee said quietly as they walked.
"Sounds like it." Johnathon said with a nod. "Hopefully she can get you changed back soon."
Cheerilee stopped, looking at him strangely. "Do you really hope that?"
Johnathon hesitated, then nodded. "Actually... yes, I truly do," his face cleared as he spoke. "I do. Part of me was quite happy when you became human, because... well, because I like you, quite a lot.. and... it presented a possibility that things might progress beyond that, and that is not an unpleasant proposition."
Cheerilee nodded. "So... why do you hope Twilight can change me back into a pony?"
Johnathon hesitated. "Because if you were forced to stay a human because of an accident, it would make me unhappy. No matter how much I would like having you as... well, as my girlfriend... it would bother me that you were unhappy."
Cheerilee's face flushed, and she glared at him. "I wouldn't be unhappy if you'd STAY!" she shouted, then flushed, covering her mouth. "No... I... I didn't mean it like that."
His shoulders sagged slightly, but he was smiling. "I think you did, and part of me really likes that you want me to stay."
"Part of you?" Cheerilee asked the question rather harsher than she wanted, her face softening immediately as she prepared to apologize again.
"All of me," Johnathon admitted before she could speak. "It's true. There is no doubt of that, really. I genuinely liked hearing that you want me to stay," he straightened up and stepped closer to her, looking down at her, and forcing her to tilt her head back slightly if she wanted to keep looking at his face. "Is this your way of asking me to stay? I wasn't lying you know. If you ask me, if you seriously ask me... if you seriously want me to stay, to be with you, I will stay. I won't regret it either."
Cheerilee lowered her eyes, looking at his chest. "I... I don't know," she admitted. "I don't... I don't want you to go, but I don't want to force you to stay. If Twilight can change me back... and... and you're happy that I can change back... maybe it's for the better."
Johnathon put a finger under her chin and slowly lifted her face so that he could look her in the eyes again. "I do want her to figure out how to change you back, because I would never want you to be trapped like this. If you stayed like this because you decided to, on the other hand... well, that's something different entirely."
Cheerilee found herself blushing slightly at his intense gaze. She didn't find him attractive... not really... not... physically. At least, she didn't think she did. She liked who he was. He was brave, intelligent, and kind. They had a surprising amount in common. They enjoyed spending time together. He was a good roommate. He'd probably make a good husband. He kept his word, he was honest, even when it hurt some pony's feelings, but she appreciated the fact that she could trust him. But... staying human?
"I don't know." she finally said. "Right now, if Twilight told me she could change me back... I couldn't tell her what to do."
Johnathon nodded. "There's no rush. You have time. It's better to have the option, right?"
Cheerilee shivered. "I'm not so sure about that, either," she looked away. "I know it would bother you, but it would make things... simpler if I was stuck like this. I wouldn't have to... I wouldn't have to choose."
Johnathon shivered as well, then abruptly hugged her close to his chest. "Damn it, Cheerilee. You're going to make me do something rash."
Cheerilee laid her head against his shoulder. "Maybe I'd like that."
Johnathon's body shuddered once, and he stepped back slightly, then cupped her face in both of his hands. "I'm going to kiss you now," he told her softly with a serious expression. "Unless you tell me not too."
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow, half grinning. "Now why would I go and do something silly like that?" She might have said something else, but her lips were suddenly too busy to speak.