//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: A Day in The Life of A Convert // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Project Vanguard // by Astral Spark //------------------------------// The Conversion Bureau: Project Vanguard Chapter Two: A Day In The Life of A Convert ___________ You know what? This was actually the first time that I had a shoulder to cry on since my conversion. In the bureau, I didn’t have any friends to help me through it, or anyone that was even remotely close to me. Of course, I had my parents, but what were they? They were the ones who chucked me into this horrible nightmare, so why should I even think to ask them for help? Besides, what help could they even give me? A good shoulder hug, and another one of those, “everything’s going to get better” speeches? Yeah, that was definitely going to make me feel so much better. At this point, they were really shaping out to be horrible parents. Either that, or they really had no idea how to help me. I mean, they understood why I felt like this, or at least I think they did. Anyway, the rest of the train ride was more or less a blur to me. I cracked under the emotional tension within myself which resurfaced as a result of Chandler’s unintentional prodding. Only this time, I actually had someone to be there for me, unlike all the times before when I was completely alone, or at least felt alone. This time, however, I received the immediate consolation of my one and only friend at the moment. There’s no telling as to what lies ahead, though. I still had to tell Amy, who didn’t even know I was here, and then Luke. Gosh, I might even just avoid that bastard all together. It would probably be quite impossible though, as he would probably harass me or something, and I’d have to tell him who I was. I knew that I was soaking his sweatshirt with my seemingly endless torrents of tears, but apparently he didn’t care. I didn’t want to leave a big wet splotch on his shirt or anything, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull myself away. I guess that was the effect of actually having comfort for the first time in a while. I didn’t even hear him the first time when the train finally came to a halt. “Nate, it’s time to go…” He shook me lightly with his left arm, which was still wrapped around my back. Pulling away from him slightly, I looked up at the few students who had boarded, now rising from their seats. Now I really wasn’t ready to get off. Not like this, being as, although I hate to admit it, emotionally unstable as I was now. The first insult, degrading gesture, or even a glare could set me off now, and as soon as I stepped off the train, I’d be fresh meat. But, I knew that I had to. For Chandler, and myself, I’d have to brave this familiar, yet unfamiliar place. Standing up, I attempted to hide the few remaining tears that I had, and stepped off of the MagLev. Officially, this was Verga Station, or terminal, but my friends and I referred to it as the school terminal out of simplicity. It was named after Walter Verga, one of the lead scientists of Martin Industries. He, along with Martin, developed the Multi-core Interplanetary drive. I mean, it was only logical, him belonging to one of the greatest scientific advancements of Humankind, but to name a MagLev terminal after the guy? Come on, Humanity. I guess there are worse fates, but I’m not sure if I’d really want my name to be referred to as a MagLev terminal. Maybe something with a little more importance, like a space vessel. Actually, come to think of it, I think there’s an MISV cruiser named after him, but my point has been made. Stepping out onto the rooftop Plaza of New Roanoke High School, which had been so cleverly named, I spotted many going about their usual morning commute. Of course, this involved typically pointless conversation just to pass the time until the inevitable bell rung. I didn’t even get within 2 meters before I completely froze, and the idea of running right the hell back into the train came to mind. Before I could even consider the thought, however, I felt a hand pat me on the back of my neck. “Come on, there’s nothing to worry about. It’ll all be over before you even know it. Besides, I bet Amy would like to know that her best friend isn’t leaving quite yet.” Oh god, Amy. I forgot about her. I’d planned to spend the trip here preparing for the moment, and now that time had been severed in half. All of the sudden, I found myself being pulled along by my quaking legs, and even though I wanted to run in the complete opposite direction, I was somehow propelled by a force unbeknownst to me. Approaching the entrance, I had only minutes to think. Coupled with the countless violent stares of aggression, I wasn’t exactly at peace with myself, and thinking about Amy was quite difficult in my current situation. And then, guess what? I was inside. But instead of the ear splitting chatter that normally filled a hallway such as this, all was silent. Well, save for the cringeful sound of hoof-steps and my shallow breathing. “Is that… What I think it is?” An astonished voice emanated from the crowd spanning either side of the hallway. “That’s it. I’m transferring schools if that thing’s staying here.” An annoyed girl spoke from a rather far-off distance, but my heightened hearing could pick it up. “I think it’s actually kind of cute…” The person who uttered said comment could easily be detected as the group immediately around her turned to face her, giving the girl confused looks of scorn, “… what?” At this, my face flushed with embarrassment, and I felt my annoyingly emotive ears fall. I just wanted to close my eyes; to escape from this madness, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Every single one of them… staring at me. Some of the stares were out of curiosity, some out of bemusement, but most out of scorn, and despise. They didn’t want me here just as much as I didn’t want to be here. Well, world; are you enjoying yet another one of your countless attempts at making my life complete hell? Because you’ve definitely succeeded in doing so. Glancing beside me, Chandler was still by my side, even if it meant the likely enumerable verbal and possibly even physical beatings he’d later receive. This only made me feel worse; I didn’t want to pull anyone else into my unfavorable predicament, and now Chandler would likely suffer for it. I felt the pressure build up again behind my eyes, and my throat start to ache, but I had to put as much effort that I could possibly muster into not crying again. Especially not here, in front of all of them. It would show that I’m weak, and make myself an easier target. I was actually quite surprised that Chandler did what he did; he didn’t pay heed to the countless hurtful remarks about me or him, and he only kept his chin held high the entirety of the way. By the time we arrived at the small, quiet rooftop courtyard we normally went to in the mornings, the commotion had died down a bit, but the few individuals besides Chandler and I that also spent their mornings outside still stared at us, spoke to each other under their breath, and whenever I made eye contact with them, I was almost always met with a negative gaze. We sat down on one of the benches, near the wall near some trees of course. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, and I was still shaking like a leaf in the wind, but at least the worst part had passed. Hopefully. “Chandler, that takes balls to do what you did back there. But now, I seriously fear for your life.” I pulled myself closer to him, not that I wasn’t already close enough, for my whisper to become audible to him, “Are you really okay with doing this for me?” Leaning back on the bench, he smiled contently. “Nate, you should know by now that I’m there for you, always. I think we can both agree that your situation isn’t fun, but as long as things are like this,” He gestured to nothing in particular, “I want to make sure that your life isn’t any worse than it has to be-“ “Hey Chandler, did you hear abou-“ Oh no… That voice… Whipping around in unison, a tall, well, to me she was tall, dark haired girl stood motionless. Her unblinking, soul piercing eyes trained on me, and me alone. “Amy, um, it’s me… Nate…” “No… no, you… you said you were leaving…” This wasn’t looking good for me. Was she mad? Did she believe that I lied to her, and made her think that I was leaving as part of some cruel joke? Why would she even resort to that conclusion? Whatever the case, I had to play it safe. “I thought I was leaving, I really did, but… I’m sorry, Amy… I’m sor-“ Before my mind could even register it, she had kneeled to accommodate my three and a half foot stature, and her nose was mere inches away from the tip of my muzzle. The feeling of her warm breath on my nose sent shivers down the length of my spine and tail, causing it to flick involuntarily. I had to put effort into not grimacing at the phenomena, which still felt strange and alien to me, even now. Then, more weird sensations; placing her fingers on my cheek, she stroked the soft fur. At this point, the only thing that I could think was, ‘What the hell is she doing to me?’ The feeling of fingers on my cheek only heightened my sense of unease. Even now, thoughts of my missing fingers plagued me. The feeling of it made me shudder at her touch. Her face appeared to be sullen. All of her features were withdrawn, and less pronounced. If she smiled, even if she meant the feeling, the message conveyed would still be that of melancholy. However, she wasn’t smiling; her face had been continuously forming into an even more depressing frown while she prodded my face. Hesitantly at first, she slowly wrapped her other arm around my neck, and her other one followed suit. At first, it seemed like she was almost afraid to, but once both of her arms had been wrapped around me, she pulled me into a tighter embrace. To be honest, I was receiving mixed signals. Was she upset? Angry? Sorry? I was really having a hard time discerning the message she was attempting to convey. Maybe she felt sorry for me, angry, and sad, all at the same time? “Nathan…” It was barely audible, even to me. Increasing the strength of her embrace, she buried her face in my mane. I didn’t dare move, though. I didn’t need to hug her back, she just needed to hug me. Chandler, catching my attention, signaled a quick goodbye with a flick of his hand. Before I could even tell him to wait up, he was already out of earshot. Now I was alone with Amy, who was now quivering as a result of her sobbing. Glancing around the courtyard, I noticed that more and more had been departing for their classes, and now we, along with a few noticeably late individuals, were alone. Suddenly, the ear splitting late bell resounded throughout the complex. Late on my first day back, wonderful! That’s definitely a good way to start the day, and the rest of the year off. Yet, standing alone outside with a quickly transforming melancholy sky overhead with my broken friend sobbing into my mane, I couldn’t really do anything about that now. She needed me now, for whatever reason. I shifted on my hooves, and apparently she took the hint. “I’m… I’m sorry…” She pulled away, and stood up, wiping the few remaining tears off onto her sweater, “Ever since you left, things haven’t been the best for me, or anyone for that matter, especially Chandler. He might not show it, but you know how well he can hide his feelings. But I’m not like that, and you know it.” Nodding, I had to strain my neck slightly to look up at her. “Yeah, I know. It couldn’t have been that bad, could it?” She laughed absently, “Well, we all thought we lost a friend. A best friend. Just like that. If you went to Equestria, we’d likely never see you again, and the fact that it was all so sudden just made it worse. But now that you’re back… We aren’t losing you after all.” She smiled at this, and let out a choked laugh, a hint of sadness still present. “I’ll see you at lunch, okay Amy?” I tried to say it in the most heart-warming way possible, in case she thought that I was becoming impatient. “Yeah… Yeah, sure.” God, she looked frazzled. Like she was in a daze. Putting it out of my mind, I needed to focus on getting to class. I was likely five minutes late as it was, and my history class was a level below me. I started out at a slight trot, but sped to a gallop as soon as I was through the door on the opposite side of the rooftop courtyard. I had everything I needed for class in my saddlebag, I mean, no one used their locker here much anyways, and attempting to use the holopad lock would likely prove impossible regardless. That reminds me; why are they called saddlebags? I mean, the only sapient races on the other side of the barrier were quadrupeds, so what else could sit on top of them? Actually, I’ve heard that there’s a race of sapient reptiles that sometimes live alongside the ponies, and in their childhood, they’re semi-bipedal. I don’t know, but that’s a theory. Slowing to a trot as I neared the entrance to my classroom, I had little time to think about my entrance. I needed to avoid being even later, which would only make things worse. Standing in front of the door, I hopped back and forth on my hooves to ready myself. “Alright, Nathan, how bad can it be?” Looking up at the door handle, I gulped. Opting for a cleanlier alternative to my mouth, I twisted the handle with the end of my leg, or the part that felt like a big finger, and hesitantly opened it. Once again, for the second time today, my shallow breathing and hoof-steps were the only things pervading the stark silence of the classroom. Personally, I believed that Mr. Werner was quite an average teacher. He wasn’t a douchebag teacher like the majority of them, but he wasn’t quite up there with the coolest of them. I liked him for several reasons, the most prominent of them was his knowledge. He knew his material well, and taught with passion. If only all teachers could be like that. On the other hand, or hoof, or whatever, he was fanatical about what he believed in. If he had an opinion that you opposed, it could get pretty messy. That was one of the reasons why walking into his classroom was a bit difficult for me. Although he never expressed it directly, something about him told me that his opinion towards the Ponies was less than friendly. Being a historian, there’s no doubt that he had to be at least slightly miffed about the fact that our world, and our history, was quite literally being consumed. Sure, efforts were being made to save it all, but some things are quite impossible to preserve. Pausing just inside the door, I quickly scanned the many bemused faces. Even Mr. Werner had completely halted his teaching, which he didn’t normally do, and allowed his puzzlement to override it. “And who might you be?” His voice intoned a hint of annoyance, along with intrigue. Stepping forward, I grimaced at the incredibly distracting noise that my hooves made on the linoleum floor. “Um… I’m Nathan Frost.” Raising an eyebrow, he gestured to the rows of seats, “Well Mr. Frost, I suggest that you take a seat. I’d also like to see you after class.” Well, that was a bit unexpected. At least he didn’t throw me out of his classroom or anything. I picked the first empty seat that I saw, and eased myself into it. Sitting down now was a lot harder than it was before, because I had to be mindful of my stupid tail all the time. I hated it, I really did. The seat that I chose caused the two immediately behind and in front of me to sigh in disapproval. This only furthered my discomfort, prompting me to bury my muzzle in my forelegs. I just wanted to go home… For some time, the class went fairly smooth. It was just a bunch of note taking, which I didn’t do much of anyways. I’ve never relied much on notes, especially in a class such as this. Math was a different story, but as for History and Science, they came naturally to me. However, I couldn’t help but notice the girl beside me. She kept staring at me; not out of scorn, but rather out of wonder. Getting frustrated, I shot her a glance, and whispered, “What?” “Sorry, sorry… It’s just, you were Nathan?” I recognized her now; she was Aubrey Sparrow. I didn’t know her that well, but apparently she knew me. “I am Nathan.” Her use of the word ‘were’ was invalid, and it angered me slightly. “Wow… So, how does it feel?” Again, why do these people insist on pursuing these uncomfortable topics? “Weird, okay? What do you think it would feel like to be a 3 and a half foot tall quadruped that talks?” I almost wanted to rephrase that, but honestly, these questions were really getting under my skin. I was almost positive that this certain brand of behavior was supposed to be repressed after conversion, so why was I acting this way? Jumping at my unexpected reaction, she turned back to taking notes. I wanted to apologize, but I decided against my better nature, and once again buried my head. I felt the ache resurge in my throat, that horrible emotional pain, but it quickly died down. To be truthful, that was a trait that I had always retained. I always felt horrible for even the smallest of my outbursts. If I said something that I didn’t mean to say, even if it doesn’t cause the recipient the slightest mental impact, I still feel horrible. It wasn’t even five minutes after that when the bell finally rung. Remembering what Mr. Werner had said, I remained seated. After the last of them filed out of the classroom, he stood up from his desk, and casually strode over to my desk. Sitting down in the one directly in front of me, he looked upon me with an expression of slight intrigue. “Nathan. Nathan, Nathan, Nathan… One of my best students. That spark; that thirst for knowledge… A repository of it, at that. But that’s not all… You’re very aware of the world; you’re very aware of everything, aren’t you? You think a lot more than anyone in my class; anyone in all of my classes, and you know it. So tell me, what is Project Vanguard?” Puzzled, I sunk back into my seat, and thought for an answer. I knew that Werner was quite the unorthodox thinker, and person, so his reason for asking me this question was his own. “Uh… It was the joint-effort between the UEG and the ERD to promote conversion, and to improve the ERD’s public image, right?” Chuckling, he cast me a raised eyebrow, “You tell me.” Standing up, he walked to the front of the classroom, where he proceeded to delete his work displayed upon the holoscreen. “What do you mean by that?” Standing up, I trotted over to the door. Sitting down in his comfortable looking, by human standards, office chair, he shot me a wry grin, “You tell me.” As if on cue, the second bell rung, prompting me to get a move on. Deciding that getting to my next class was of more immediate importance than this, I backed out of the door, “I’ll get back to you on that, Mr. Werner.” Laughing, he shouted back to me, “Yep.” Shoving the awkward conversation out of my head for the moment, I had to hurry in order to avoid being late. ___________ My next two classes went in pretty much the same fashion. I assumed that all of my teachers already knew about my predicament. I mean, my parents had to give some reason as to why I was going to be absent for a week. There was the occasional insult here and there, but most of all, people just opted to stay away from me. I wonder if they had all been told about me beforehand, and there were punishments in mind for those who attempted to make a move. All in all, things were turning out better than I had originally hoped. However, the hallways were still pretty bad. Being without Chandler most of the time, insults and degrading gestures were hurled at me every so often, mostly by kids who weren’t in any of my classes. But, the day was halfway over now, and I was hungry as hell. Ponies generally have higher metabolism than Humans, so I had a right to be starving. I made my way to Chandler and I's de facto meeting place with a slight smile gracing my lips. I caught him just as he was about to head for lunch without me, “Hey dude!” I had to run to catch up to him. “Well you're in a better mood. So, how’s your day been?” Exhaling contently, I smiled up at him. “Better than I’d hoped, to tell the truth. It’s been rough, but at least my teachers are putting up with me. Have you talked to Amy?” An expression of relief crossed his weary looking face, “Yeah. She really wants to talk to you, but I think she might be asking the same questions that you aren’t exactly fond of.” “I think I’ll be able to handle them now, though. Earlier, I was kind of distressed about all of this. But I feel better now, so who knows? I hope I can give you guys the answers I think you deserve.” Man, I was feeling confident. Like I could take on the world, tenfold. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Nate.” Getting into the lunch line, it wasn’t long before one of Chandler’s other friends, Matt, completely disregarded me in order to get behind him. Scowling, I prepared to assert myself, but quickly thought better of it. This kid was huge. Not just to me, but to everyone, including Chandler. Fighting the notion off, I only decided to go along with it. I had to raise myself up on the counter, placing my forehooves on top of it. This elicited a few noticeable flinches from those behind me, but I shrugged it off. Sure, it was kind of unsanitary, but hell. Looking at the choices, I quickly came to an unfortunate conclusion: Everything had meat, and my nose knew it. Spotting a cylindrical wrapped object, I directed my attention to the lady behind the counter. “Um, excuse me, what’s in this?” I pointed at the wrap with a hoof, and elicited her a raised eyebrow. Shooting me a quizzical expression, she roughly spat back to the kitchen, “Ay, Denise! Isn’t this a veggie taco?” A rather plump woman looked over from her work station. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, it is!” Nodding, the woman quickly threw the item onto my tray. “Uh, thanks.” I quickly took the tray in my teeth, knowing that I had been causing a slight hold up. Ever since the Equestrians arrived, vegetarian dishes have become a lot more prevalent around the globe, and I was thankful for it. After paying for my meager lunch, consisting only of the wrap and a bottle of water, I quickly found my friends sitting at our usual table. Except... Luke wasn’t there. In fact, I hadn’t seen Luke all day. He probably already knew about me, and just wanted to avoid me. “Have any of you seen Luke?” Sitting down beside Amy and across from Chandler, I shot them both quizzical glances. Chandler was the first to speak, “Actually, no, I haven’t. I mean, I can see why he’d want to avoid us, but we should’ve at least seen him by now.” “He was in my 2nd block, but he didn’t even say anything to me. More or less even look at me. We’ve been friends for years…” Amy cast me a downtrodden look. Luke had been friends with all of us since our first year of middle school, and now, all because of me, both Chandler and Amy lost a best friend. This angered me more than anything else, though. I didn’t feel like crying, I felt like bucking Luke in the face. If I even knew how to do that, that is. Sighing at my lack of usefulness, I picked up my water bottle, and twisted the cap off with my mouth. “Well, anyways, at least you’ve made it this far.” Amy changed the subject. “Yeah, and your next block should be a breeze with us there to keep you company. And we all know that Mr. Montag is going to be cool with it all, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” He was right about that much, I suppose. My next class was going to be a breeze. At least, that’s what I was hoping for. I smiled inwardly at his consolation, and looked up at Chandler. “I don’t think I would’ve even made it past the front door today, if it wasn’t for you. Hell, I wouldn’t have even gotten off the MagLev this morning. Just… I don’t know what to say. It would’ve been so much easier for you both to just steer clear of me altogether, but, you didn’t.” My eyes were welling up with tears now, “God, I’m sappy. So horribly sappy, but you guys have no idea how much it helps. Sorry for crying so much, but it’s been hard recently. It really has. And this is just the beginning of it.” They both giggled lightheartedly, and Amy put her arm around me. “You aren't that sappy, Nate! But, we understand. Just thinking about what you’re going through is hard for me, and I know that I really can’t truly understand, but we’ll do our best.” Removing her arm, she clapped her hands together loudly, “But, enough of that! Let’s talk about what we’re gonna do today! We’re having some fun, whether you like it or not.” “OH yeth. We neeth to hang outh!” Chandler had a mouthful of hamburger, therefore he spewed the contents all over the table. I visibly cringed at the sight, not due to the thought of having his half-chewed, slimy hamburger coating me, but mostly because of the hamburger itself. Allowing himself to swallow the food, he repeated his thought, only more understandable this time. Deciding that it was time for me to eat, I unwrapped the apparent veggie taco from its paper covering, and inspected it. Holding it up to eye level, I peered into it. Lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and other insignificant greens were stuffed into the soft tortilla shell. Just to be on the safe side, I was about to unwrap it, but before I could even try, my stomach growled in defiance. Loudly. Looking up at the two humans, who were now stifling their laughter, my face flushed. Overriding my sense of embarrassment, I hesitantly picked up the taco in my hoof, and bit into it. I tasted exactly what I’d expected: vegetables, and vegetables alone. I don’t like to admit it, but food isn’t exactly what it used to be anymore. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, but sometimes, it can be quite annoying. Food is euphoric to me now. Fruits and vegetables, I mean. I had to take classes on the entire subject of food while I was at the bureau, and it’s actually quite interesting. Equestrians can digest meat, they’ve always been able to. A lot of people think that the Ponies can’t even handle meat, or that it’s harmful to them, but in reality, that’s definitely not the case. Their digestive system works a lot like ours, and, in a lot of ways, is very similar. The only reason the Ponies aren’t exactly renowned for their meat eating capabilities is because, to put it simply, they just don’t. Unlike humans, they lack one important cultural similarity: hunting. My guess is that their lack of hands and upright skeletons prevented them from inventing the basic tools that early Humans used to hunt, and instead developed into gatherer societies early on. By the time that they had learned how to utilize magic and efficient ways to manipulate objects, they were already acclimated to their vegetarian diet. Without the need or desire to hunt for their food, the Ponies held fast to their vegetarian ways, and it became cultural precedent and norm. Much like how Humans frown upon cannibalism, the Ponies heavily discourage the consummation of meat within their society. Well, that’s how I was told, at least. Anyway, to discourage the Human practice of eating meat, the serum is programmed to alter the digestive system, and all five senses in order to prevent the convert from eating meat. Eventually, dormant nano units would fix all of it, but only after the convert is adjusted to their new lifestyle. That goes for a lot of other things to, but I won’t get into that for now. While effectively making meat inedible, it also amplifies the tastes of produce to the point of ridiculousness. I experienced this first-hand the day after my conversion, and even now I’m still hesitant around fruits and vegetables. It’s one of the most annoying things about conversion, besides not having hands and all, but nevertheless, at a moment like this, it made me want to rip my tongue off. “Food-gasm, much?” Chandler said, stifling a laugh. I glared up at him, but then, another miserable wave washed over me. Maybe to another convert, that would be something to laugh about, but to me, it was something completely different. It was something that I couldn’t help; something that I wanted to change, but couldn’t, no matter what. Taking another bite of my meal, the euphoric feeling was repressed this time, but it was still horribly annoying beyond belief. But… something was off. As I went to take another bite, something embedded within the soft shell caught my eye. Concealed by layers of lettuce, a whitish-tan chunk of organic material had been bitten off along with the rest of the taco. It only took half a second for me to realize what it was, and the incredibly horrible aftertaste that came to me right after. Just the smallest bit of meat could trigger horrible stomach aches and vomiting, and I’d apparently bitten off an entire chunk of chicken meat, and swallowed it to boot. Realizing what, exactly, I had just done, my face was deprived of any warmth that it had before. Not knowing what to do, I just put the remainder of the death taco back on my tray, and sat there with my hooves folded in my lap, frozen with fear. What was going to happen to me? Do I go to the bathroom, or do I wait and see if nothing happens? Never mind that, something will definitely happen, I’ve heard it happen before. If a Newfoal eats meat, they get sick very soon due to the taste alone. I didn’t exactly taste it, so who knows when or even if I'll get sick? “Uh… Are you okay, buddy?” It was Chandler, probably catching onto my obvious distress. I was even quivering now; the fear I was experiencing felt like ice running down my spine, and filling the pit in my stomach. “I-I’m not sure…” As soon as I said that, a horrible pain erupted in my stomach, causing me to clutch it with my hooves and hunch over slightly, “I t-take that b-back. Meat is bad. Very, very bad…” Sliding off the seat, any movement I made threatened to upset my stomach even further, prompting me to be extra careful. I didn’t have time to explain to my friends the exact details of my situation, but hopefully they understood that I needed a bathroom. Now. Doing my best to hobble out of the cafeteria the fastest way possible, I made it to the restroom just in time. I didn’t even bother to close the stall door due to my lack of time, and I barely made it to the rim of the toilet before my stomach decided to finally empty its contents. I can honestly say that I have never felt worse. That crippling stomach ache persisted through the vomiting, and I daresay that it even got worse; that coupled with my aching neck and jaw. The endless gagging finally seemed to come to an end, and I was reduced to a shivering ball curled up beside the toilet, clutching my stomach which ultimately felt like it was still ripping itself apart. If the bell rang, I didn’t hear it, nor did I care much, to be honest. I honestly couldn’t move; both from being weakened to the point of exhaustion, and the fact that my stomach felt like it was being pulverized by sledgehammers. Nevertheless, I was bound to the nasty restroom floor, writhing in pain. “I told you to run away.” The sickly monotone voice caught me extremely off guard, causing my entire body to jump. Well, mostly my hind legs just kind of flailed as my forelegs were currently preoccupied. I didn’t need to turn to see the source of the voice to know who it was, not that I’d even be able to turn if I wanted to anyways. “We have to have this conversation now?” I said through gritted teeth, both due to my frustration with him and the pain I was still experiencing. “You could’ve ran away. Hell, you could’ve lived with me, if you needed to. The HLF would’ve taken care of you too, but those guys are kind of rough and tumble. You’re kinda squishy though, especially now.” I stayed silent, in order to let him continue his rant, “Aren’t there organizations that deal with this kind of thing? Like Child Services? Could’ve went to them, you know. After all, this looks like child abuse to me.” “I wasn’t going to abandon my parents like that, Luke.” I said flatly. “Well they abandoned you the second they signed that contract.” He rose his voice for the first time. “No they didn’t! By the time they knew about the details, it was too late. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.” My anger was slowly beginning to boil beneath my cyan coat. “And how do you know that your parents aren’t lying to you! They knew the risks, they knew how you’d feel, but did they care? Do they care, even now? I certainly doubt that. You know that they’re liars, you just can’t come to accept it. Actually, I bet you do know, but guess what? Can’t do shit about it now, can you? You’re a little pastel colored horse freak now, idiot, and that’s what you’ll be for the rest of your life!” He shouted that last part, causing me to visibly shrink under his force. Luke was announcing my own inner thoughts to me, and it was a little more than frightening coming from him like that. “So why do you care, asshole?” I was on the verge of tears, and my voice was already becoming strained, “you’ve made it perfectly clear that you hate both me and my friends, so why are you doing this?” “I don’t hate your friends. I hate that they’re your friends, even after all you’ve done. You abandoned us. You abandoned me. You abandoned your species. And most importantly, you abandoned yourself, all at the drop of a hat. Sure, you probably thought about it, but you didn’t even try to save your own life! You gave up your dreams, your passions, and your Humanity, and you didn’t even put up a fight! You’re a disgrace to mankind! I just wanted to make sure you knew that.” I was sobbing now; something that I wasn’t ready to do quite yet. These claims made by my former best friend only amplified the truth; a truth that had remained internal. I felt him kneel down behind me. “You know, Nathan, you don’t exactly belong here anymore, I’ve noticed. You know, with you having the hooves and all. I think you’d be doing everyone a favor if you just left, you know what I mean? Now, I’m saying this as a friend. What’s left of that, anyway. Some call this place, “The Human City”. Do you see “Pony” in there anywhere? How about “Freedom’s Progress”? I don’t see how a hoofed animal could make any progress. So, if I have one piece of advice to give, that’s to take your gay little animal family and your Pony fag loving friends as far away from here as possible!” He stood up, and appeared to be leaving, but then he called back to me, “Oh, and Nate, or whatever stupid name you have now, I wish I could still call you my friend. We had the greatest times together bro, you know that? I wish we still had that. But, things happen I guess. Not my fault that you’re a freaky little horse thing now, you did that all on your own. Just remember that I offered to help. Can’t help you now though, really. A shame. I’d like to help you in some way, I really would, but… the tail freaks me out, you know?” With that, he was gone, and I was left to wallow in my own self-pity. This was the worst, by far, I’d felt since my conversion. I was practically glued to the ground, sobbing freely. My stomach ache had intensified even more thanks to Luke, and that coupled with the emotional pain I was experiencing came close to pure agony. ___________