//------------------------------//
// 2 - A Friendly Face 
// Story: You Are What You Paint 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

"Aqua? You're late."

Aqua heard the clip-clop of a pony approaching from the front door and turned in surprise to see a new pony before him. She was grey maned and looked at him with a cool and composed expression. He knew that pony. It was Octavia.

"You look unsettled." Octavia tilted her head faintly. "Are you well?"

Why was she acting like she already knew him? Did she? "Oh, um, just a short night, hey... I'm being a little scatterbrained right now. What am I late for?"

She sighed with clear exasperation. "Our practice at three. Aqua, are you sure you're alright? You're usually more timely than this." She pointed to Aqua's flank. "I know you have your hobbies, but this is music we're talking about."

Aqua peeked at his flank to see that a mark could be spotted if one looked closely enough. Was that a scroll? And a mu... oh, of course. He made up his OC when he was making pony music, so... He let out a sudden fit of laughter. The absurdity of it all. "Do we... do we do it often?"

Octavia raised a brow. "Of course we do." She sounded like a refined british woman. "How can we get our performances just right without practice?"

Aqua sank a little. "Octavia... may I confide in you?"

She blinked at the request before taking an uncertain step forward. "Of course you can. What's wrong?"

"I..." I'm a human damn it, or so Aqua thought in his head. "I'm not who you think I am."

"Oh?" She raised the other brow, switching. "Having second thoughts about the show? Are you nervous? It's alright, we--"

"Not like that!" Wait, he had a show to put on? "You probably don't understand, but I'm not a pony."

Her eyes swept over him. "You are looking a little rough around the edges. If you need to take the day off, please, go ahead. We need you in top form. Everypony has to do their part to make the performance go well." She gave a little smile. "Do you require anything?"

Did she really not see the mess he was in? Even for a pony he was still a horror show, with patchy fur, uneven posture, half-formed snout... He was half a pony, half a human. She seemed blind to the specifics, just that he might be unwell. Well... fine... "I think I just need some time to think."

"Lay down." She pointed towards his bedroom. "I'll come back later with a few supplies. You really are unwell." She turned and departed even as Aqua stuttered in reply. The door closed behind her and he realized something else wrong.

How had she just... Where did she come from? Shouldn't her presence outside his house be a big deal? Or he could be painting right now and... "No!" He stomped a hoof angrily at the foreign thought. "You can't make me!"

Aqua licked over his changed lips before he sat down awkwardly. It took a moment to figure out sitting as a demi-pony. "Keep it together. There has to be something I can do..." He looked up to the dining room table. That's where he had left it... That wasn't his table. He frowned at the table which was decorated in the colorful fashion that would make any pony proud. "This isn't my table!"

His shout didn't make his table come back. "Where's my phone?!" He had left it on the table, but there wasn't anything there he needed anymore. He was without a phone... "Fine..." He sank, feeling defeated. So much for calling anybody for help. Maybe his mom wasn't so crazy when she suggested getting a landline to go with his cellphone. He let out a bitter little laugh thinking back in it. "Like anybody needs those anymore..." He sure could use one...

Blonde, her mane should be blonde... Aqua looked back towards his room a moment before scrunching his eyes shut and shaking his head. Would it be so bad being a pony? "Yes!"

Why?

They weren't thoughts, not exactly, but he could hear the question being posed. "I have a life."

You like ponies, don't you?

"I like having hands." He raised a hoof up, shaking. "I like my friends, and my family's gonna freak out."

You won't hurt them.

"You're saying that!" Who was he arguing with? He looked around but couldn't see any source of the thoughts he was replying to. He marched with determination to his television and reached for the... remote designed for human fingers. He mashed at it with his new hooves a moment before he managed to at least hit the power button and it came to life. Words appeared on the otherwise blank screen.



This works just as well.



Aqua felt his hackles rise and actually hissed at the screen. At least he had something to focus on. "Stop controlling me."



What if I told you that you were needed.



"I'm needed right here..."



You won't be missed.



That was a cold statement, and Aqua gaped at the screen a moment.



It's true. You will create no sadness. This, I swear. Is this new life that horrifying?



"Who are you?!"

That it didn't answer, leaving Aqua staring balefully at the words. "Fine, why this? Why? I don't want to be a pony."



You'll grow to like it. Don't you want to test out those wings?



They spread on being mentioned and Aqua looked back at them, feeling their heft and alien muscles. Soaring through the sky with them... could he sit on a cloud? What did that... "That's beside the point.



Did you dislike your friend? She's worried about you.



Aqua felt his ears twitch a little. They were still mostly human, unable to spin around, but they tried. "Octavia's nice enough. How--"



She could be more than friends, if you play your cards right.



Aqua felt blood rush to his cheeks. "I'm not a clopper!"



Your browser history implies differently.



Aqua took a step back. "How? What!? I was just looking! It's the Internet..." The words felt hollow even in his own words.

The screen suddenly turned itself off. He was alone with his thoughts. Did he think of ponies that way? Well, he was on-- "No!" He shook his head. "I'm a human."

A human with hooves, apparently. A human with a brightly colored tail. Aqua stormed back to his room suddenly and glared at the figure. He grabbed the figure with a hoof, but that failed entirely, so he took it in his mouth. "I'll break you to pieces! That'll..."