Chapter Four
Earning Wings of a Different Nature
By Strayan Phoenix
Chapter Four
[Time and Date Unknown]
[Canterlot Castle]
“What the heck have you done, Discord?!” an angry voice shouted venomously, echoing throughout the great hall of marble walls.
“Oh, nothing much,” came the flippant reply, “Just plunging the world into chaos again, nothing out of the ordinary. I got bored with the lame old ‘sky blue’ theme you see, so I decided to add a splash of extra colour to the place, to spice it up a bit! See, I even threw in the chocolate rainclouds for good measure, because let’s face it: Those things are a classic that’ll never get old. So, what do you think of it?”
“You know what I’m talking about, you in-bred chimera! Where is everypony and what have you done with the Elements of Harmony?!”
“In-bred, huh? That’s a new one. I’ve been called all sorts of weird and wonderful names in my time, but I’ve never been called that before...” Discord mused, “Well, if you’re that worried about the Elements, you’re wasting your energy. They’re a little... occupied at the moment, but I don’t really feel like boring you with such whimsical things as details. In fact, you’re starting to grow a little boring too, so if you don’t hurry up and state your contention, I just might feel like turning your wings into bacon strips. How does that sound?”
“Alright then, my contention is that--”
“You think you can somehow find a replacement for the Elements and attempt to upstart me? Pfft, a snowball’s chance in Tartarus!” Discord interrupted, waving a hand dismissively, “The only thing that stands any real chance against me are the Elements of Harmony, accept no substitutes. If you’re here just to make that little declaration, you’ve been wasting both your time and mine, and frankly I don’t like my time being wasted on blathering idiots stuck in the past like you, so if you don’t mind, kindly run along and let me run amok in peace.”
The Pegasus stared the Draconequus in the eye as she shouted defiantly, “You know, the only reason chaos takes hold in the first place is because the good ponies don’t do anything to stop it, so I’m not going to simply let you walk over Equestria without a fight first!”
Discord smirked in amusement, “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there. While I admit that your little performance against the Griffon cultists in Zebrica was pretty impressive, you’re still far out of your league against me, Dee-Dee. You probably haven’t done field work for a long time now; what with all those trashy, ego-inflating paperweights you call books that you’ve been pumping out as of late, so before you end up killing yourself, I’m going to show you a bit of grace here. Now, how did that little jig go again? Oh, right... *Ahem*...
“Five Score, Divide--”
“Oh no you don’t!” She charged forward.
*FZZZT!*
A bright blue aura froze the explorer in her tracks.
“Woah-woah-woah! Easy there tiger, settle down! I’m not finished yet, don’t get ahead of me! Now where was I...?”
“Hnnng...” the explorer grimaced as she struggled against the tight grip of the telekinetic hold, “T-This isn’t going to end here, y-you know! A c-curse only lasts so long b-before it wears off! And when it does...”
“Don’t worry, you will have plenty of time to amuse yourself while you wait. Not that you’ll remember anything from this anyway. Now, don’t distract me this time.
“Five Score, Divided By Four,”
“For the record, your chocolate clouds both look and taste like something out of a cow’s arse,” She taunted.
“HEY!! NO-PONY DISSES THE CHOCOLATE RAIN!!” Discord suddenly snarled, “You’re testing my patience featherbrain, so shut up before I make this worse for you!”
“Meh, your grandma could come up with better threats than you,” she scoffed dismissively.
“I’ll have you know that my grandmother was the number one freestyle rapper in Equestria back in her day,” Discord countered smoothly, “Frigid bitch, she is. One news tabloid even joked that she’s half-Windigo. Where do you think I get the sweet rhymes from?”
“Well now you’re tarnishing her good name,” the Pegasus smirked, “I’m sure she’s rolling in her grave at your lameness!”
“Hey, my Gran is still alive and kicking, thank you very much!” Discord sneered, “Unlike a certain somepony’s...”
“That’s a bit below the belt, don’t you think?” Daring frowned.
“You started it! I’m just cleaning up your mess!” Discord shrugged, “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish my chant! Now, where was I...?
“Five Score Divided by Four--”
“Look! Flying Doritos!” Daring suddenly pointed out the window with one hoof, and reached for her hat with the other.
“What? Where?” Discord glanced out the window in confusion, “What are you talking about, I don’t see no--”
*CRACK!*
Discord reeled backwards under a heavy blow to the head. “What the...”
Daring held an uncharacteristically malicious grin as her eyes radiated with a deep red glow. A rather familiar amulet had appeared around her neck, as all four of her hooves and both of her wings had started seeping with a thick, red magical aura.
‘Good ol’ pith hat, able to hide things underneath in case of emergencies like this.’
“Fight fire with fire, I always say.”
“What... oh, I see. That’s your little ace-in-the-hole, is it? You think you can confront me with a dash of impulsiveness and the Alicorn Amulet?” Discord raised an eyebrow in an unamused fashion, “I must admit, no-pony’s tried that before, so bonus points for ingenuity, but I’m afraid that’s where your little charade ends.”
“If it’s never been done, how do we know if it works or not?” Daring’s voice sounded slightly off-key, “There’s only one way to find out.”
“No, I know for a fact that it won’t work, because I’ve seen that thing in act--”
*CRACK-CRACK*
Daring Do had never felt so quick on her hooves in her life as she literally ran circles around the befuddled Draconequus, little more than a monochromatic blur as she launched a flurry of powerful jabs and kicks from multiple alternating angles, spurred on by the influence of the Alicorn Amulet she had ‘borrowed temporarily’.
The surge of energy felt more than just empowering. She felt like she could take on the gods as the Amulet channelled her normally-latent magical energy into her wings and hooves, effectively tripling her speed, agility and strength, which were by no means laughable to begin with.
“Ugh, sit still, you little--” Discord snapped, clicking his fingers.
At once, Daring lost control of her flight, and met the near wall shoulder-first with a heavy crunch, knocking the wind out of her. There was an audible crackling noise as several bones in her right wing were crushed under the force of the impact, and she dropped to the floor with a thump.
“That’s more like it,” Discord casually brushed himself off, straightening out some ruffled fur.
Daring grunted as she suddenly struggled to even lift herself off the floor. She felt increasingly exhausted and very physically drained with each passing second. Even simply breathing was becoming a taxing effort. Her shoulder was probably dislocated, and the roaring blaze of pain across her sensitive wing didn’t help things either.
“What the heck...”
“You should’ve read the product label before you started swinging that thing around, Dee-Dee. In case you’re wondering, the Alicorn Amulet comes with a magically-triggered switch, and all I’ve done is flicked that switch, altering the effects of the Amulet accordingly,” Discord remarked off-handedly, “Now you’ll find that it drains your energy rather than channel it, so you’re better off without it.
She dragged her left hoof across to remove the encumbering item, and found that it wouldn’t come off.
“That is, if you can muster enough stamina to do so...”
“What? I don’t remember anything about a switch...” she frowned in confusion.
“Of course you don’t remember anything, because nopony born in this century knows about it! The Alicorn Amulet is a very old device, and very few completely know its workings inside and out. I should know, I was one of the ones who helped make the blasted thing. The switch isn’t visible because it’s a magical switch. You just need to know the right spell to trigger it. Unfortunately, the spell hasn’t been used for so long that no-pony born in this day and age even knows what it is.”
Her face distorted into a snarling glare of defiance as the Draconequus stood over her with his arms crossed and a triumphant grin on his face.
“I told you that only the Elements of Harmony could ever challenge me. Kudos for trying, but as they say... ‘So close, but no cigar’. Now, once more from the top, and sing it with me now...!”
"Five Score, Divided by Four!
Your memories removed, your body confused!
For your quest to end
in such a serious blunder,
Your punishment is to be cast
to a land Down Under!
Your mind shall be weak, your outlook be bleak!
Forgetting everything and living like a fool,
The adventuress has lost,
and there is nopony left to stop my rule!"
Discord cackled gleefully, and as he clicked his talons, everything went black with a loud crack.
-----
[May 11th, 2020]
Mark awoke with a start, nearly banging her head against the bunk above her.
“Woah... what a crazy dream that was...” She whispered under her breath as she glanced at the clock.
5:21 AM
“Let’s see what’s new about me today...” she mumbled, dragging herself off the bunk, landing face-first on the deck with a thud.
“...Ow,” she winced. ‘We’re off to a great start.’
Upon waiting for her head to stop swimming, she steadily hauled herself up, leaning against the bunk for support with her arm.
No, wait. Make that foreleg.
She gazed up and down the length of her limbs, finding them to be much different than they were yesterday, bending in rather unusual places and covered in a fine layer of mustard-yellow fur. Her hands were completely gone, leaving a pair of thick hooves in their place. A glance over her shoulder revealed a pair of wings hanging limply by her sides.
“The transformation must’ve completed itself last night,” she murmured.
A plethora of new sensory information assaulted her mind as she attempted to find her new bearings. The majority of the basic motor controls were still in place: Legs, arms forelegs, neck, mouth and eyes, all with a few according modifications; as well as a range of new sensations she had yet to identify.
She blinked several times, finding that her new eyes seemed to hold their focus much better than her human eyes, as well as in much greater detail, even in the almost pitch-black conditions. Not only that, but her field of vision had also expanded, almost as if it were widescreen compared to a human's.
“Much larger irises allow for more light to enter the eye, allowing for improved eyesight in low-light conditions,” she murmured off-handedly, glancing around the room with a new sense of clarity, “Considering that ponies from MLP have eyes half the size of their head, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised...”
The rumble of Brisbane’s engines seemed to be a little louder and clearer than it was yesterday. Her ears reflexively twitched as a sailor walked past the door, automatically pivoting about on top of her head for a better hearing angle.
“My sense of hearing has improved,” she made a mental note, “I’ll have to be more careful to wear ear protection around loud noises.”
‘On that note...’
“Testing, testing. One, two, three...” she spoke out loud, listening carefully to the sound of her own voice.
Oddly enough, her voice sounded nothing like what it did in her dream. Beforehand, Daring Do spoke with an accent which sounded vaguely Canadian (Or possibly American. Mark always struggled to distinguish the two, considering he didn’t really know what quirks to listen for unless they were blatantly obvious and/or exaggerated), whereas her voice now carried a smooth, feminine version of Human-Mark’s Australian accent.
To be honest, she was rather relieved that she didn’t turn out sounding like a butchered mix between the two, and was overall satisfied with the new vocal sound.
She gingerly stood up straight, finding a suitable standing posture, and considered her next venture of exploration in her new form. With a twitch of her back muscles, she was able to make her wings briefly flap about.
“Oh man, this is awesome!” she giggled, “I can actually fly with my own wings! Once I figure out how to work them... maybe when I’m in a less-confined space. Let’s try and get walking down-pat first. It can’t be that hard. It’d be kind-of like crawling, except now it’s my only option of locomotion on foot.”
She started off rather awkwardly at first, nearly tripping over her own feet several times as she paced back and forth across the cabin floor, quickly getting a feel for the new posture. It was disturbingly easier to learn than she thought it would be.
'It's as if the muscle memory was already there and learned,' She pondered as her hooves made a distinct clip-clop sound against the hard metal deck, 'It just feels... natural. There's no other way to describe it.'
“My goodness, that noise is so clichéd,” she muttered, “Now, let’s see if I can still open bulkhead doors...”
She reared up on her hind legs and attempted to grip the handle of the lock. She had to push with all her weight against it, precariously balancing with her wings for stability, but the lock gradually unravelled and clicked open, releasing the door, which gently swung open on its hinges with the gentle sway of the ship.
“That’s great, now how do I close it again?” she scratched her head.
An idea came to mind, and she clamped her teeth around a control rod for the lock, pulling it backwards and shutting the door, being mindful that the door was raised at least half a dozen inches off the deck, requiring her to step over the small strip of bulkhead jutting out from the floor.
“Just can’t lock it again, that’s all,” she hesitantly turned and walked away, whistling a soft tune and gently fluttering her wings about as she went.
She quickly stepped inside the bathroom and flicked on the light, took one glance at the vanity mirror and nearly screamed in terror.
Staring back was a completely real and very-much alive version of Daring Do. The TV show was never really intricately detailed when it came to fur or feathers, so to see a live specimen was... surreal. The very first thing she noticed were her eyes, which took up the majority of either side of her face, much like their cartoon counterparts. Her magenta irises shone with a freakish vividness that temporarily scared her witless. It was understandable that a cartoon character would have large eyes, to but to see them in real life was just down-right freaky.
“Holy crap, my eyes are huge!” She finally murmured, watching her over-sized pupils dilate under the new lighting conditions with strange fascination, “No wonder I can pretty much see in the dark! These puppies must be at least the size of a dinner plate...”
She ran a hoof through her mane, ruffling it up to give it a bit more of a ‘wild’ look, “What a shame it doesn’t come with the hat or shirt.”
She dismissed the thought with a shake of her head, “Meh, the suit doesn’t make the man anyway.”
“... Wait. On second thoughts, in this case it does... Eh, whatever. I’ll fill that void later.”
She experimentally flexed her wings about, making sure to memorise the required muscle movement. They were slightly bigger in proportion to her body than she anticipated, and it was probably the largest wingspan she had ever seen on a living creature, a thought which she smirked with pride at. There were visible, traceable lines at the bases where fur met feathers.
The sheer amount of feathers was astonishing as well. The show’s animators clearly went with simplicity in mind for their character designs, because whereas Human-Mark could probably count the total amount of the feathers on any given MLP:FiM Pegasus wing on both hands, Daring-Mark figured she wouldn’t be able to tell the ones on her back apart from a wing of a generic bird at a quick glance. The largest primary she could find on short notice was truly a monster of a feather, which she estimated to be at least a foot long, and shimmered with a slick, golden gleam under the light.
As she continued to admire her new form, her gaze travelled past her wings and towards her flank, where the compass cutie mark was proudly emblazoned for all to see. There were no hard lines to her form, with soft, graceful curves at every turn.
“I could’ve sworn that Daring Do was in better shape than this...” she couldn’t help but frown critically, “You’d think that an archaeologist who spends all her time running, jumping and kicking arse would have a bit more tone to her physique.”
With a nonchalant shrug, she turned and flicked off the light, shutting the bulkhead door behind her as she trotted off.
The sound of her hooves against the deck echoed up and down the steel corridor as she wandered around aimlessly, before finding her way to the aircraft hangar. Several pairs of eyes immediately became transfixed on her as she approached the Seahawk, which had its propellers and tail shaft folded up for compact storage.
“Fuckin’ hell, is that you Shef?!” a technician exclaimed incredulously.
“The one and only,” she grinned, flexing her new wings.
“You didn’t mention anything about being a Pegasus,” the sailor remarked with an impressed tone, “Can you fly?”
“I dunno, that’s why I’m here to find out,” She glanced upwards, stretching her wings out to their full length, “How hard can it be?”
‘Let’s see, angle the wings like so... raised up and tense for down-stroke... I’d say we’re ready for a maiden flight.’
Everyone’s eyes were trained on her as she gradually began flapping her wings to a steady rhythm. In the dull silence of the hangar, each flap reported with a loud whoosh, which slowly began to increase with intensity as she steadily applied more and more force in her strokes and adjusted the angle of her wings.
After a few moments, she slowly inched off the deck, immediately beginning to drift forward.
There were several gasps of surprise and awe as Daring Do meandered about above their heads, with her face contorted in concentration. For the first several hair-raising seconds, she struggled to keep herself from swaying too far in one direction, and several times nearly crashed into something, whether it be the bulkhead, the ceiling, or the Seahawk.
After a few moments of hectic adjustments, Daring was able to start reeling in her erratic sway, settling down into an almost-completely still hover several feet above the Seahawk, slightly bobbing up and down with each pump of her wings.
“I’ve gotta get this on camera!” a technician dashed out of the hangar.
“Alert the CO while you’re out, too!” another sailor called out behind him.
‘Just like flying a helicopter,’ her lips curled into a wide grin from ear to ear in ecstasy as she glanced around the hangar, ‘No wonder Rainbow Dash expresses such a passion for this!’
Through careful experimentation and manipulation, Daring found that she could adjust her speed and direction simply by tilting the angle of her wings forwards or backwards and applying more force, while banking slightly from side to side could control her left-to-right movements.
‘Maybe even more akin to a Sea Harrier,’ she thought gleefully.
As she loitered around near the roof, another thought occurred to her.
'This was almost as easy to learn as walking...' She mused, 'I wonder why that is...'
After ten minutes of blissful airtime, she decided to cut her maiden flight short and gently decreased her altitude by easing up the force in her strokes, landing with a soft thud on top of the Seahawk.
“Phew!” she breathed out rather heavily before loudly exclaiming, “That... was... AWESOME!”
“We’re happy for you too, but keep yer voice down Shef! Half the ship is still asleep!” a sailor called out anxiously.
She had a goofy grin perpetually plastered on her face as she spread her wings and glided the rest of the way down to the deck, “Not bad for a first flight if I say so myself! I’d keep going, but just hovering around is an inefficient use of my energy. I need more space to really stretch my wings out and get some speed going.”
She tucked her wings neatly up against her side and practically pranced out of the hangar with her head held high in beaming pride.
-----
[0847 Hours, Brisbane’s Flight Deck]
Captain Stevenson blinked incredulously at the sight before him. Lieutenant Mark Sheffield, who was now insisting on going by the name of ‘Daring Do’ for some reason, was blissfully sauntering about in the breeze overhead. Standing with the Skipper watching the display were XO Paul Cruze, Lieutenant Commander Rogers, Laura, Martin, and several deck hands. Cruze held up a video camera in his hand, making sure to film the Pegasus’ first outdoor flight.
“And so you can see,” Daring called out to them, “That I can make for an additional search unit for emergencies on short notice. All I’d need is a radio and a purpose-made headset, and you’d have for yourself a new aerial unit. Imagine that! A living, breathing Pegasus at your disposal!”
“It’d certainly be handy to increase our air wing’s flexibility,” Cruze glanced across at them, “If we use Sheffield to work as an independent operator, we could have her work in tandem with the Seahawk to provide an extra viewpoint for aerial surveillance; and if necessary, she could be trained up to potentially pluck shipwreck survivors from the drink.”
“I like where this train of thought is going,” Stevenson nodded with a smirk, “She’d certainly be a very special asset to the team, that’s for sure. Perhaps this little shift in physique could be worked to our advantage. You keep working on that one, Cruze, I like it.”
“Skipper,” a voice called from inside the Hangar. He turned about to see Lieutenant Marshall approaching him, “I’ve got the list finalised, and all we’re waiting on are the dimensions for Shef’s new DPU. The suppliers are going to be in for a heck of a surprise when this turns up in their inbox...”
“Alright,” Stevenson nodded and turned towards the Pilot-turned-Pegasus, “Hey Shef! You can come down now! We have a few things to sort out!”
Daring Do drifted down towards the deck, landing beside them, “What’s up?”
“Rogers, take Shef and measure her up for a new suit. You can file a full medical report as well if you want, while you’re at it,” Stevenson glanced across.
“On it boss,” Rogers nodded, beginning his walk into the hangar, with Daring following close behind.
“So... how’s it feel to fly under your own power like a bird?” He glanced down at her.
“Never felt more alive in my life!” she grinned, “I think it rather nicely balances out the fact that I’m now confounded by simple things like doors for a few moments, don’t you?”
‘I’ve never seen Shef carry this much child-like enthusiasm,’ Rogers thought to himself, glancing down at the ex-pilot, ‘Even though he’s just had all sense of normality wrenched from his life, he’s prancing about like he just won the lottery.’
“Well, I’m just worried about how you’re going to hold up once the novelty of it all wears off,” Rogers warned, “That tail and gender-swap looked pretty permanent to me. I’m not too sure how your family and friends will react to this either.”
“Of course, my family is going to be a bit weirded-out by all this, but they’re probably some of the most supportive people I know, and I’m sure that there’s an explanation for it all,” Daring shrugged, “I’m obviously not going to find any answers within the confines of the ship, but maybe those ponies in America would have more of a clue than I do. I mean, they’ve been stuck in their forms a bit longer than I have, so you’d think they have a head-start on the update.”
“What do you plan to do, then?” Rogers raised an eyebrow, “Since you’re no longer capable of flying a chopper, what are you going to do in the meantime?”
“The Skipper’s a top bloke Rodge,” Daring nodded with a confident smile, “I know we’ll sort something out.”
“I suppose as long as you remain optimistic about all this...” Rogers shrugged dismissively and opened the door to the Medical Bay, gesturing for his client to enter first. Once inside, Daring noticed Able Seaman Harris with a pen in one hand and a clipboard in the other standing off to the side, watching intently. Several other sailors paced in and around the Med Bay, going about their own business with professional indifference towards the technicolour Pegasus invading their territory.
With a flutter of her wings, Daring Do sat down on top of a bunk, which audibly creaked under her weight.
“Alright Shef,” Rogers pulled a tape measure and a set of electronic weight scales from a cupboard, “Just stand here in the centre of the room for me, if you will. Now, just give me a few moments...”
He began holding the measuring tape at various angles across Daring’s body, measuring her height, length, width, the circumference of her neck, chest and legs, and finally her wingspan, while Harris wrote down the numbers called out to her.
“Alright, now just stand on these scales for us please...” Rogers gestured.
Daring was forced to keep her hooves as close as possible in order to stand on the scales, which obviously weren’t designed with quadrupeds in mind, as the number on the monitor jumped about erratically, before settling on fifty four point eight kilograms.
“So, we have dimensions and weight done,” Rogers placed the scales and the tape measure on the bench, “Harris, send those figures to Naval Stores. The sooner we send that email off, the better.”
Harris gave a quick nod and briskly walked out the door.
“Hey Vinny, are you ready in there for the sampling?” Rogers glanced over his shoulder towards another sailor nearby.
“Yep,” the sailor responded, “Just in through here if you will, Shef.”
Daring frowned as she passed through a vacant doorframe to the second half of the Med Bay. This area was usually reserved for the more serious cases of injuries, and was the closest thing Brisbane had to a hospital room.
The main workbench was obscured by a view of Vinny’s back as he seemingly fiddled about with something metallic in front of him, before he turned about wielding a blank syringe. Daring’s stomach instantly felt like it plunged through the deck and through the hull of the ship, figuratively creating an enormous flood of seawater and sinking the ship in seconds.
“Hold the phone right there, mate! What the hell are you doing with that thing?!” She quickly shuffled backwards in a panic.
“We need a blood sample, of course,” Vinny looked confused, “You didn’t have issues with this last time, so it’s nothing you haven’t done before. So if you’ll please just hold out your foreleg like so, and it’ll be over before you know it”.
Vinny had a point. Last time when Human-Mark had to take a blood test, he didn’t so much as make a noise throughout the entire process. So why was Daring Do having such a negative reaction? It didn’t make sense in her head. She grimaced and collected her nerves, holding her left foreleg out ramrod straight.
There was a sharp pinprick as the syringe pierced the top layer of skin and slowly filled up with the red, life-giving liquid. Yep, it still wasn't as bad as she thought, like she remembered it to be.
Vinny retracted the syringe and quickly clamped a sterilised cotton bud over the wound, handing the syringe off to another sailor.
“There we are. That will give us a perspective of how healthy your new body is,” he smiled encouragingly, handing the syringe off to Harris, “Of course, we expect nothing less than for you to be in good condition, considering that it’s a new body and all.”
“And Skipper was worried about the Yanks performing ‘scientific experiments’...” Rogers murmured under his breath.
Daring’s head swivelled about, “What was that?”
“Oh, nothing,” Rogers waved defensively, “Just a little inside comment to myself.”
“Something about ‘Yanks’ and ‘experiments’?” Daring pressed with a suspicious tone.
“Uh, yesterday the Skipper was worried of the potential outcomes if we transferred you to American possession, that’s all,” the Medic explained, “And it’s ironic that we’re the ones taking samples and performing tests.”
She opened her mouth to speak, before reconsidering and turning her attention back to Vinny.
“Alright Shef, just give us a few hours to run the sample through the machine and finalise the details, and we’ll be able to give you a rough idea of where your physical health is, okay?” Vinny smiled, “We’ll send someone to fetch you when the results are ready.”
He gave the wound one last dab with a cotton bud before throwing it in the bin, “That’s it, mate. You’re free to go now. Have a nice day.”
Daring gingerly rubbed at her foreleg, slightly wincing with every step she took.
“Not as bad as I made it out to be, but still annoying nevertheless,” Daring murmured, “New pony-brain might have to make a few other readjustments as well, if that’s any indication...”
“So overall, how are you honestly feeling about this whole ‘transformation’?” asked Rogers.
Daring shrugged nonchalantly, “I don’t really know yet. As I said, the answers aren’t going to crop up immediately, and there’s no turning back the clock now, so I might as well get used to it. For now, I’ll try to form an exercise routine to improve my fitness. I noticed my stamina drained quicker while I was hovering, so I want to improve on that, starting today.”
A low growling sound resonated throughout the Med Bay. Everyone turned towards Daring, who blushed with a sheepish grin.
“... Maybe after I actually have something to eat...” She casually wandered out the door, forgetting to shut it behind her, “I wonder if I can at least down some bread rolls while I wait for the supplies...”
-----
[Naval Stores]
“So Marshall, run the list by me again one more time,” Captain Stevenson glanced over the Supply Officer’s shoulder at the laptop screen.
“Alright, so we need:
-About two weeks’ worth of feeding stock, consisting of a mix of proper food pellets and simple hay;
-Equine Influenza, Tetanus, and Encephalitis Vaccinations;
-A DPU with the dimensions listed in the attached document;
-A portable two-way radio with an accompanying headset;
-A multi-function wrist-watch;
-And if possible, a Vet which specialises in equine healthcare, preferably one who works with the Army Cavalry.
“Is that everything, sir?” Marshall twisted about slightly.
“They’re going to be rather puzzled by this request, so we’re gonna have to keep this confidential,” Stevenson turned about, “Cruze, how did that video recording come up?”
“Looks good,” the XO removed a small black SD card from the camera and handed it to Marshall, “I think it turned out alright.”
“Good. Attach it to the email with the sub-heading ‘Our New Mascot’,” the Skipper smirked, “That way we’ll at least have some proper evidence.”
“Did you want me to forward that message you wrote for Top Brass as well?” Marshall twisted to glance over his shoulder.
“Affirmative, along with the vid-clip. They’re going to go off their tree when they see it,” He chuckled softly, “That’ll be something worth submitting to Funniest Home Videos...”
“Skipper,” Rogers’ voice caught their attention, “We have an almost-complete physiological report. We’re just waiting on the blood sample test, now.”
“That was quick. What’s the news?”
“As far as we can tell, Shef’s new body is in pretty good condition,” the Medic nodded, “We’re not exactly experts on the physiologies of cartoon characters, but we have a pretty good idea of where he... erm she is at. I still can’t believe Shef’s a ‘she’ now. Poor guy must be crushed inside about that. Anyway, we printed off a report card, if you want to have a look.”
The Skipper accepted the sheet, glancing over the details.
Subject: Lieutenant Mark Sheffield
Species: Pegasus
Gender: Female
D.O.B: 8th May, 1995
Hometown: Warrnambool, VIC
Height: 132 cm
Length: 127 cm
Weight: 54.8 kg
Wingspan: 165 cm from tip-to-tip
Blood Type: N/AMedical Officer’s Notes:
Subject’s incredible transformation appears to have gone smoothly. No physiological backlash observed so far; at this stage, we’re far more concerned for any accompanying psychological changes. I.e.: personality reformation.
For example, the subject prefers to go by the name ‘Daring Do’ when appropriate, after the fictional cartoon character for which the subject’s physiology is modelled. Subject outwardly shows relatively fatalistic acceptance of the transformation, and even expressed a desire to improve physical fitness, but whether they are simply putting up a facade is unknown. Will observe the subject over the next few days for any further lingering side-effects.
“Is that everything?” Stevenson glanced up.
“There isn’t really much else to say at this point. It’s just too early for that,” Rogers shrugged apologetically.
“Alright then. Marshall, scan this and attach it to the email as well. The higher-ups are going to be in for a pretty big surprise when they read this...”
-----
[1756 Hours, Brisbane’s Hangar]
Martin sat on the bench in silence, watching with curiosity as his Pegasus friend strained in a tight battle of tug-o-war against gravity, the figurative ‘prize’ being a twenty kilogram weight taken from the rack and left hanging by rope tied around Daring’s midsection. The Pegasus would try to hover in one spot around four feet off the deck with the extra weight attached for around fifteen seconds, before landing for a one minute breather. The idea was that by repeating this exercise several times a day, six days a week, would improve the muscle strength and stamina in her wings.
The plan was that while she was resting up her wings, she would exercise the rest of her body the old-fashioned way, with push-ups, sit-ups and a run on the treadmill. She had little else to do while she waited for the supplies to arrive, so the continuous and rather lengthy routine would at least keep her occupied for the time being, and help work on her cardiovascular system.
Putting that plan into action though, was easier said than done. While she possessed a mean kick with her back legs (something the destroyed punching bag in the corner could testify to, much to the chagrin of several other crew members), her stamina whilst hovering idly left a little to be desired. Being little more than a palette-swap of Rainbow Dash, Mark assumed that Daring Do was a show-pony built for speed and agility, rather than a workhorse of stamina and heavy lifting. By week’s end, she planned to perform two separate ‘sprint runs’ to test her top speed; once while flying ‘clean’, with no excess clothing or equipment for minimum weight and drag, and the second time flying ‘loaded’ with everything she would be expected to carry into an operational situation, whether it be the DPU and communication equipment, or even a rescue harness and potentially a full-grown human being.
The wing exercises would also, in a way, prepare her for those long, strenuous and ponderous flights where she would be expected to loiter for up to seven hours at a time, loaded down with at least twenty kilos of gear. In an emergency situation, she would need to really push herself to her physical limits, and she intended to find out what those limits were before such a situation arose.
While everything was still only hypothetical for the moment, Daring had no intention to wait sooner rather than later to start making her preparations.
She dropped the weight to the deck with a clunk, gently massaging her right wing, “Phew, my wings are officially all burnt-out for the day. I think it’s time to call it a night, get something to eat, and retire early”.
That was another thing she would have to learn how to do. She had no idea how to preen these things and keep them in good condition. It didn’t take a genius to know that overworking them was going to cause muscle strain, and that would be a spanner in the works before she could even resume operations.
Fortunately, while her dietary options were severely limited, simple slices of buttered toast were found to be an effective stop-gap until the supplies arrived, and that’s what she ended up having not only for breakfast, but lunch and dinner as well. For a pony of her size, she certainly had a rather insatiable appetite, and could single-handedly consume two entire loaves of bread in a single sitting.
Because she suddenly had so much free time on her hooves, Daring had plenty of opportunity to simply take a breather and reflect on her situation. While the crew members of HMAS Brisbane who came into regular contact with her, such as the aircraft technicians, Naval Stores sailors and the occasional visitor to the gym, were slowly adjusting to their pilot’s sudden change of species and gender (albeit with hesitant acceptance), they were still rather stunned and incredulous that it was all even happening in the first place, generally preferring to keep their distance and otherwise keep to themselves.
Occasionally throughout the day, the Seahawk was scrambled for one reason or another. Daring was relieved that the other flight teams were able to take up the loose slack, although because she effectively disengaged herself from the ship’s operations, she no longer received information about where the ‘Hawk was going, or for how long they would be gone for.
There was simply no reason for her to be informed anymore. Even in the tight confines of the warship and her crew of over two hundred people, Daring felt isolated and alone. The exercise routine she made for herself would keep her occupied, temporarily, but there was no-one who she could effectively talk to, or who could relate to her predicament. She was the only pony in a sea of humans who could do little but pity, sympathise or just stare and walk away.
She was a cog in a larger machine of teamwork that could no longer serve its function, and as she drifted off to sleep that night, it dawned on her just exactly how lonely she was.
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WINGS! YES!
Aw poor Daring. Forever alone...
next great chapter
Yesss! Moar! It's really going well! Keep 'em coming. :D
2623660 FOREVER!!!
Awesome, the transformation's hit 100%. The crew's reactions are overall fairly positive, is the feeling I'm getting. Wonder how the folks higher up the chain of command will react though.
grrr... I WANT wings!
Yep, discord being himself? nothing new here
Mmmm tasty!
That is the BEST distraction EVER!
Oh god
dont get me started on our sadistic government (american)
Lol way to be a troll
On the other hoof, Shef'll find herself quite able to pull off massive feats of endurance signing.
I like. Want more.
Discord's Gran is a gangsta rapper? Seems, mother fucking, legit.
Good chapter, don't know why you are hate'in on Americans, we are English speakers too. We just don't say things like "crikey", "mate", and "bloody" all the time. Past that we are basically the same except better. Not that Americans are arrogant at all, that would just be silly.
2624566 I think the author's taking a dig at us because we have a strange fascination with learning new things about... new things. In any way possible. Up to and including dissection.
I have a theory as to why Daring is out of shape: At the time Discord vapped her, she was retired, hence the need for the Alicorn Amulet to give her a boost. She hadn't been adventuring in years, and had let herself go, partially. Probably somewhere outside Equestria; maybe a tropical island. But when she got wind of what was going on in Equestria, she went to find the Amulet and confront Discord. This could also explain why there seems to be a time discrepancy between when she got 'reborn' and when the rest of the ponies were 'reborn': she got back after the rest had been dealt with.
Looking forward to more! *gives Daring a hug*
2624969
Well, at least 25% of the population, the other 50% doesn't much care about "science". And dissection only takes place once the specimen is dead. Vivisection is when it is still alive. Both of these methods are destructive in nature and a far better idead would be to use modern technology. CAT scans, MRIs, and good ol' observation can tell us a lot about a subject without having to cut 'em open.
I think you mean you have a "hypothesis", it isn't quite testable yet. Though I think getting the Amulet would have been a good decision even if she was younger and in shape. You should have as much of an advantage as you can going into a fight.
This story is highly intriguing to me. I hope you get the then chapter/page out soon. I love to read it. It feels like im reading The Hobbit again for the first time.
If you keep putting out good/great content such as this you might have to be careful because you might just get one (at least) extra fan(obviously me) constantly pestering for a slice of a banana slice. Yes. I went there. I also love this story cause it makes me think of kinda what my dad had to go through when he went for months at a time on the aircraft carriers(albeit without the transforming) but it interesting. Keep up the great work. pelease.
2626073
Alright, works that way too, I was seeing "America of ponies", which also works. I retract my argument.
2626791
Umad?
since mark is now female, are they going to give him new quarters/roommate since his current roommate is male?
Ok so I'm as light as daring (pretty much exactly the same) and I'm 5'9" . Seems normal.
Anyway great chapter, my second favourite right after five score. Definitely looking forward to more
At the moment, this thing has exactly 20,000 words.
Good Daring. Good. You're journey towards the pony side now complete!
4.bp.blogspot.com/-7QVddG3KYh4/UZRWitF3CFI/AAAAAAAAIcY/h6m-sNVUL0M/s400/Emperor+Palpatine+on+a+throne.jpg
Damn you school you tear me away from my reading AGAIN! CURSE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
started laughing so hard after clicking the 'I believe i can fly' link
3103136
Finally! I was wondering when someone was going to notice that.
Who here would be willing to pay money/ subject yourself to experiments to make this a reality (the transformation, I mean)?
It's "Windigo", not "Windego". http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Creatures
So why doesn't her voice sound like Chiara Zanni, in the show? Why the slight change?
I think this is one of my favorite Five Score Discord versions yet. Not omnipotent, but still powerful and in control.
3248061
I am late— but regardless; Daring has not recovered her personality and memories yet. Some mannerisms and appearance is all that's given at the moment.
Something is gained from this undeniable loss...
With nary a being to share her worries, when is it that peace will be achieved?
Acceptance and patience is all there is for now.
I shall read on.
I'd like to call BS on him/her learning to walk/fly so quickly!
3663499 I'd like to call a BS on you having read the main fic before posting this comment.
If you had, you'd have a taste of Dramatic Irony every time you read Daring pondering her rapid adapting.
3779108
Actually, at the time GordonFreebrony made that comment, it did look like she was learning to walk/fly abnormally quickly, so I fixed it a bit so that the quick learning rate made sense.
Holy crud, Did I just read 'Warrnambool' as birthplace..aaahaha!, I hope that parts true, as I'm another Warrnambool born brony! (but I moved to Melb).
4147224
Surprise. The story's about you. A biography written free of charge
I love the song you chose for her first flight. It's been one of my favorites since I was little and watching Space Jam... Even now, I still use it as a song to help me out of funks. So yeah, great choice of song.
best Paragraph EVER!
3113214 I know I would
Um, this chapter is all in italics
7983653
D'oh
Fixed
3113214
i would in a heartbeat