Return of the Dawn

by pchn00

Chapter 8: Getting to Know You

Chapter 8: Getting to Know You

It takes me quite a while to get all the food from the carts into the car. Carts plural. Though considering I’m feeding seven people, six of them adults I guess two carts worth of food isn’t too bad. I haven’t gotten a call from Lucas today so I have to assume the power and water got hooked up without any trouble. I’ve had a pretty long day and it’s starting to wear on me, so I just kind of haphazardly dump the bags in the back with everything else and slam the door. I’m more than a little eager to get home and just relax for a little while.

Stopping at the market was nice enough though. I recognized more than a few of the faces in the store, and to my surprise people recognized me. I received plenty of friendly greetings, and a few inquiries about where or not I was back to stay or not. All I could tell them was ‘for a while’. Living in the city the last few years sort of made me forget how nice a town Thilton was. Of course who knows how far that hospitality would extend to my less than human house guests? Still, maybe Lucas would enjoy coming into town sometime.

I frown slightly as I pull into the flow of traffic. Lucas is just a boy and he should really be in school. How long has he been out of it I wonder? At least a few months if not longer judging by Meg’s story. I’ll have to talk to her about it soon. It’s almost summer so it can probably slide this year, but if we’re going to be here for any length of time it’s something that needs to be addressed.

The gate’s still standing open where I left it this morning. Pulling the SUV through into the drive I hope out and drag it shut, securing the chain and lock again. No sense letting our cover be blown by a curious pedestrian or someone trying to sell me windows. I roll up the drive and park by the front again, sliding out and stretching. Two trips here and there in two days is a whole lot more driving than I’m used to. Eyeing the hefty load in the back of the SUV dubiously I head up the porch steps. Let everyone else unload it, I’m beat.

The front door’s unlocked, and to my delight I realize the lights are on inside. That’s a good sign at least. Feeling a bit better I step inside, and stop dead in the doorway. From the front door of the cabin you can see quite a bit of the first floor. The entry way is pretty spacious and all the doorways are wide, giving the place a very open feel. The hard wood floor is spotless. I almost feel like I could see my reflection in it it’s so sparkling clean. The walls, floors, and rug are all in pristine condition. The stairs leading up to the second floor are equally spotless.

From the entry way I can see into the main sitting room. Sparkling floor, pristine rug and couch. The fireplace has been cleaned out and Becky’s large TV is mounted on the wall already. Someone even took down the curtains and cleaned THEM too.

In a vague state of disbelief I wander to the dining room. Then the kitchen. Finding all of it just as nice as the rest. The dishes are spotless, cupboards dust and cobweb free. Movement out the back door catches my eye and I step outside. Lucas is making his way slowly back up the path from the beach. He spots me and smiles waving cheerfully.

With a quick pace I walk to meet him halfway. “Lucas! What happened to the cabin!?”

His smile widens into a grin. “Everyone happened! At first they were sort of… Gloomy I guess? After you left everyone seemed to go into an instant bad mood. Then Ellie started… Singing.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Singing?”

He nods. “Oh yeah. Like as loud as she could, like she was at a concert or something. Then MEG joined in! I’ve never heard her sing in my life! Becky and Jules were next, then Jake finally joined in.”

I shake my head, almost not believing what he’s saying. “They were… Singing… While they worked?”

He nods again. “Yeah! Nice songs too! Really catchy. They barely slowed down the whole time. Just went from one room to another. Got all the halls clean on both floors! They didn’t really get to all the side rooms, just the ones we slept in.”

I’m walking with him back to the front of the cabin. “How much of THAT did they get done?”

He shrugs. “Ellie and Jules’ room. Mine, Meg’s, then Becky’s. Then they did yours and the one across from yours. Ellie got the washing machine and dryer working downstairs. I guess they needed a little wiring work or something?”

“Ellie. Ellie fixed the appliances?”

He shrugs again. “Guess so! Sure wasn’t me or Meg.” He laughs. “We mostly ate the food we brought from you and Jakes’ places. I had some of your sno-balls. Those are awesome!”

I have to nod at that. “My favorite. You didn’t eat all of them did you?”

“Nope! Just one pack.”

My relief is palpable. “Good. Good. Where is everyone? I got tons of stuff in the car.”

“Mmm, I think they’re all sleeping.”

I frown. I can’t very well go wake them up after they slaved away scrubbing the place spotless all day. “So it was like a regular Disney movie around here huh?”

He grins. “It was! It was really fun. Weird, but fun.”

He frowns a little now as I start to unload the car. “Should I go get someone?”

“No, no. They did enough today. I’ll just bring in the food. The rest of the stuff can wait for folk to wake up.”

His eyes light up at the mention of food and I roll my eyes. “Did you guys have dinner?”

“Dry cereal and snack cakes.”

I don’t feel the need to tell him that’s my dinner more nights than I’m comfortably admitting. “Well plenty of options for food tomorrow that’s for sure.”

I’m on my third trip when I hear an odd ‘clop’ sound coming down the hall. I have a sneaking suspicion what it is. Jules is making her way toward the kitchen, one ear twitching as she looses a huge yawn. “Hey Erin.” My eyes are drawn to her feet. Or were her feet were. She’s walking surprisingly easily on a pair of glossy white hooves.

Lucas shifts a bit on his crutches. “Oh yeah uh… That happened to everyone too.”

Jules follows my gaze and shrugs. “Knew it was comin’ right? Least it’s not my hands yet. Hey did you get my system? I’d love to shoot something before I lose my digits.”

I nod. “I did. If you wanna help me bring stuff in you can set it up after?”

She nods and follows me back out. The work goes a lot quicker with two of us. “Where’s Ellie?”

“She’s sleeping. She likes to say I’m a heavy sleeper but I’m not really. I’m a LATE sleeper, once I’m up though I don’t get to sleep again easy. I mostly just lay in bed watching her sleep.”

“Wow. That’s so sweet.”

She blushes heavily and focuses on unpacking some of the groceries. “Y-yeah well… She means a lot to me. She’s kind of an idiot but whatever.”

I rest a hand on her shoulder smiling softly. “Don’t do that. Don’t be embarrassed about it. It’s beautiful what you two share. I’m glad you have each other to lean on through all this.”

If anything she looks more embarrassed. “W-well thanks I guess. C’mon Princess let’s get the rest of that stuff in.”

I frown a little, but no one’s around to hear her slip so I don’t feel the need to rebuke her after the little moment we shared. “Alright.” We get started on bringing in the personal stuff from the apartments. “Good thing I had help with yours. There were so many bits and wires, if Mike wasn’t there I’d have no idea what to grab.”

“Ok first, who’s Mike? Second what do you mean you wouldn’t know what to get? Have you never played a video game?”

I shrug. “My roommate had an x-whatever box or something in college. I watched her play it a little. And one of my ex’s was big into that Halo game. That’s about it for my game exposure I’m afraid.”

Jules closes her eyes, shaking her head with exaggerated sadness. “Tragic. Who’s Mike? Jake need to be jealous?”

“No, he doesn’t need to be jealous. I guess they’re cop buddies or whatever. He’s a solid guy. He helped me out with something and loaned me his car. I guess the police are looking for Jake and his truck.”

It takes another couple of trips to get all of Jules’ electronics’ in the main sitting room. I help her carry the bedding from her apartment to the room she’s staked out with Ellie. The slumbering woman makes a pretty adorable picture, face down on the bed, wings akimbo and tail twitching now and again. Like her girlfriend, Ellie’s gained a set of hooves in place of her feet. A glossy grey color. I even see a bit of grey fur around where her ankle used to be.

Jules kisses her softly on the back of the head, dumping an arm load of stuffed animals around her. She just sighs happily in her sleep and snuggles further under the thick comforter as we step out. “She’s definitely out until morning.” Lucas is looking through her collection of games when we get back to the sitting room. “You play kid?”

He shakes his head. “Mom and dad thought they’d rot my brain or something I guess.”

Jules snorts and starts connecting the wires. “Well I’ve been gaming my whole life and I’m fine right? Come on. Time to broaden your education kid.”

I smile leaving the pair alone and start up the stairs. I slide my shoes off in my room, and step across the hall peeking into Jake’s. It’s one of the unused bedrooms in the cabin. Sparsely furnished with a dresser and bed. The closet stands empty and a large wardrobe dominates one wall. Jake’s sleeping in the bed and I cross the room quietly.

I’m about to slip in with him when I see his face in the moon light filtering through the window. It’s noticeably more feminine. The jaw is softer, nose a bit smaller and lips definitely fuller. It’s still very much his face only with a feminine cast to it. If he’s noticed it already he can’t be taking it well. And if he hasn’t… I don’t think my reacting poorly would help the situation. Doing my best to ignore it I slide into bed with him.

He stirs a bit but doesn’t wake. I gently brush some of the soft orange hair out of his face, smiling faintly. It actually suits him pretty well the more I see it. Especially with the changes in his face. I’ve never really looked at another woman in a romantic way before, but I can at least admit when one is pretty. Jake is definitely on his way to being a looker too. He finally opens his eyes when I slide my arm around his chest.

It takes him a moment to realize I’m actually there, but when he does he smiles. “Hey.”

I smile back. “Hey.”

He pulls himself into a half-upright position. “Everything go ok?”

I nod. “Yeah. Mike gave me a bit of a scare but it worked out for the better.”

Jake puts an arm around me pulling me closer. “Good. Mike’s a good guy.”

Practically nose to nose now, we come together for a kiss. Then another. I’m starting to wish he and I had gone out sooner. I could get used to spending my nights like this.

***

Time to wake up.

My eyes crack open to be greeted with Jake’s sleeping face. He looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping. Smiling a little I brush my lips across his briefly before crawling out of bed and crossing the room to the door. I hear him stir behind me but I decide to let him sleep. The sunrise is my time. He hasn’t been an entirely unwelcome presence the past few months, but secretly I always prefer to be alone to view it.

No doubt this is her influence. I frown a little at that thought. How much of me is Erin, and how much is Celestia? I heard snippets of the others’ conversation on the way up. Talking about who they were becoming. How much they had in common with the ponies they were changing to match. Just how much did I have in common with the Princess?

Settling slowly on the swing I realize this is a big one. My sunrise. Maybe our sunrise? Has she always been aware, watching behind my eyes as I watch the sun come up? As I live my life? Have I been a sort of unknowing warden, keeping a prisoner locked away in my psyche for the past twenty five years? If that’s the case she was showing considerable understanding the other day when we spoke.

More and more it’s seeming very likely that she is indeed real, and not a figment of a damaged brain. Doctor Corddis is a fraud. That much I know for sure. Which means my brother is more than likely wrongfully committed. Markus seemed rough around the edges but not the type to attack someone unprovoked, and Luna certainly didn’t seem deranged when she spoke to me on the video. I could force my way into Bellvue and demand a visit I suppose. I am family after all. But that would mean I have to go back there…

***

“This is for her own good Mister Rockwell. I understand it’s not pleasant having a loved one committed, particularly a child but Erin’s case is very severe. If major steps aren’t taken to get it under control now her mind could very well snap and suffer permanent damage under the strain of dual personalities.”

I’m strapped to a gurney. Leather bindings on my wrists and ankles. “Uncle Pete! Uncle Pete please I’m sorry! I… I won’t do what I did again!”

My uncle looks at me. Even as a child I could see the profound sense of helplessness afflicting the man. My heart began to beat faster as it seemed like he would change his mind. Then his eyes flick away. “How long?”

The faceless Doctor shrugged. “Ideally? A week. If things go well and we find a good medication for her she could be out quickly. If things don’t go well it could be a month, perhaps two.”

“I wanna be y’know… Kept in the loop. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be by as often as I can.”

The Doctor shakes his head. “I’m afraid visits might make things worse. You’ll receive daily updates but the goal is to get her healthy as quickly as possible. Seeing you may trigger a relapse. We won’t know until we determine what’s causing her episodes.”

My Uncle heaves a sigh. He always seemed larger than life to me. Stronger than anything. I believed there was nothing he couldn’t handle on his own. Slowly he nods. “Take care of my girl. I expect to hear from you soon.” He’s at my side now, running a hand through my hair and smiling as nice as I’ve ever seen him smile. “It’s gonna be ok Erin. The Doctors are gonna fix you up. No more nightmares. No more screaming or… Or hearing voices alright?”

“Please… Please don’t leave me Uncle Pete. I don’t like it here. Please…”

My pleas fall on deaf ears. Eyes moist my Uncle backs away allowing the men on either side of me to wheel me through a pair of large double doors. Uncle Pete and the Doctor stare after me until the doors slam shut with a loud boom.

***

I jerk in the swing as the memory fades. I’m shivering and covered in a cold sweat. For a second I can feel those straps on my wrists and ankles. Smell that awful too-clean smell of a hospital. It fades quickly thankfully. With some annoyance I realize the sun has already crested the horizon and is on its way up into the sky. Giving it a derisive snort for its impatience I turn and head into the kitchen.

To my surprise Ellie’s already sitting at the table, eating a bowl of Count Chocula. My Count Chocula… From my apartment that I’d saved from last Halloween. They only sold my favorite cereal around then and I was down to the last box. “…good morning Ellie.”

She smiles toothily. “Mornin’ Princess! Didja raise the sun for us?” She giggles a little at that.

Sighing softly I shake my head with a faint chuckle, getting a bowl for myself and pouring some breakfast. “Please try not to call me that. You know I don’t want anyone else to hear.”

Her ears twitch one after the other. “I remember. No one’s sneaking up on us on hooves while I have these things. I can hear anypony walking around anywhere in the house.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Anypony?”

She shrugs smiling sheepishly. “I try to have fun. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, or where I am. If I’m smiling and happy other people smile and get happy. Most of the time…”

“Mmm. So you’re like a grey pegasus Pinkie Pie?”

“Ooo! I am! I think? I mean Ditzy’s not really fleshed out in the show y’know? Just the one episode where Rainbow called her Derpy.” She frowned a little.

I decide to change the topic. “So Lucas told me you fixed up some of the appliances?”

She nods, happy smile returned. “The washer and dryer. And the dish washer! The fridge was mostly ok. The microwave is totally dead though.”

“I’ll pick up a new one when I go into town today.”

Ellie reaches for the box of cereal to pour another bowl. Seeing my look of alarm she withdraws her hand slowly. “Er… Why ya goin back into town?”

I relax when I see my precious cereal is safe. With Lucas in the house too I better stash it up in my room. “Gotta let city hall know I’m living here. Not a big deal. Pop in, say hi to the mayor. Mayor Arnill’s been in offices for as long as I can remember.”

She settles for a bowl of Lucky Charms in the chocolatey milk leftover from the previous cereal. There’s an idea I never considered. Chocolate milk on my cereal. Gonna have to try that. “She nice?”

I nod. “Sure. I only talked to her once or twice but I know she and my uncle talked a lot. One of his only friends I can remember.”

She nods a bit as we finish our breakfasts. I rinse out the bowls and set them in the dishwasher, happy that it’s up and running again. “Hey I was gonna pop down to the boat house and see if my Uncle’s fishing boat was any good. Wanna come?”

Now she nods vigorously. “Sure! But um… Aren’t I not supposed to go out?”

I shrug. “It’s seven in the morning and we’ll be inside the fence the whole way. No one’s gonna see us.”

She happily falls into step with me as I head out the back door. I can’t hide a bit of a frown seeing the yard as over grown and ruined as it is. My Uncle took a lot of pride in his lawn care. There were a number of weed filled flower boxes dotting the path as we walked. Fond memories of spending the day planting flowers out here were drifting around my head, before I Realized Ellie had asked me a question.

“Hm?”

“I said could I uh… Ask you something? About Princess Celestia?”

Sighing softly I nod. “Sure Ellie.”

She seems a bit nervous now. “Do you talk to her? Like Markus talks Luna?”

“I did. Once. The day before I met you and Jules. I took my pill and haven’t heard from her since. When I was little she talked to my Uncle a couple times I guess. Made him take me to the institute I got… Treated in. When I was younger I’d miss my meds now and then and have… A nightmare.”

“The burning one.”

My eyebrows raise and I look at her face. Her usual cheer is gone replaced by a look of somber sadness. “Me and Jules have it too. Sometimes. Markus had it a lot. Princess Luna told us it was a memory. We’d get little… Flashes of our past lives. The stronger the memory the more often we’d see it. I guess dying is a pretty strong one huh?” She tries to smile, but it falters and fades.

“I wonder if the others have had it too?”

She nods. “They have. We talked about it a little. Jules and I explained to the other three what Princess Luna had told us. About the Equestrian souls and stuff.”

I frown now. “When was this?”

She shrugs. “Last night. After we got done working and sat down for dinner. Don’t worry though! We made sure not to mention you and Celestia!”

“Well… Thank you for that. I guess it’s nice they know what you know. Maybe it’ll make them feel a little better. Knowing there’s a reason behind this.”

Ellie’s gaze drifts to the right as we come up to the greenhouse. “Wooooow! Neat! Can we go in?”

I shrug. “Sure. Not much to see I’d imagine. Just more weeds and overgrown grass.”

She’s not listening by now. Dashing across the grass to the large glass door she slows long enough to heave it open then darts inside. I can’t help but smile a little at her antics as I follow at a more sedate pace. I wasn’t wrong about the inside being over grown. It looks like a miniature jungle inside. Ellie is darting here and there, poking at the plant boxes. “Are we gonna fix it up?”

I nod. “I’d like to. I liked gardening a lot when I was little.”

“That’s the earth pony in you!”

I blink. “The what?”

She stands, brushing some dirt from her knees. “There’s a pretty common idea that the Princesses are a mix of all three pony tribes! Unicorn and pegasus are the most obvious but they have earth pony too. And earth ponies like y’know…” She waves a hand at the greenhouse.

“I hadn’t thought of that. I wonder if Becky is gonna have super growing powers?”

Ellie shrugs as we leave the greenhouse. “Maybe? Jules and Meg got their horns but couldn’t make em do any magic. I bet if Princess Luna were here she could teach them. I’ve been trying to fly but…” She flaps her wings rapidly. “Think I’m too heavy. I dunno if it’s cause I’m bigger than a pony or because pegasus magic lets them fly AND play with weather.”

That was a slightly terrifying thought. Ellie ‘playing’ with the weather. Though it did bring up interesting possibilities with Jake. I wonder if he’ll be able to manipulate it when he becomes a full pegasus? It’d be nice to not have to worry about shoveling snow all winter. I only half-listen as Ellie rambles on about the different kinds of pony magic. The large boat house comes into view, half submerged in the lake. I unlock the padlock and tug the chain away from the door sliding it open and stepping inside.

My Uncles fishing boat is suspended from the ceiling looking pristine as ever, if a little dusty. I smile running a hand along the side. “Looks good!”

Ellie nods and quietly paces the length of the boat, both eyes roaming over it carefully. “It does!”

I move to the winch slowly lowering it into the water. “Where’d you learn about electronics Ellie?”

She doesn’t wait for an invitation to hop into the boat and move to the motor, prying it open and examining the insides. “I got my degree in electrical engineering a few years ago.”

I tilt my head. “A FEW years ago?”

She nods. “Uh huh. I graduated high school when I was fourteen. Went to college when I was fifteen.”

Now I stand there blinking slowly at her. “Wait are you like some kind of… Genius or something?”

Ellie replaces the cover of the motor and snaps it into place. “Or something! That’s kind of an obnoxious thing to call yourself isn’t it?” Moving to the front of the craft she works the panel under the steering wheel out, checking the wires there too.

“Y-yeah I guess it is…” Now I feel bad. I just assumed she was sort of an… Idiot. Of course just because someone is extremely intelligent doesn’t mean they have to have their nose buried in a book all day and talk fancy.

“A couple of these need to be replaced before you take it out! Is there a hardware store in town?”

I snap out of my musings and look over to her. “Yeah there is.”

“Alrighty! I’ll make a list of what we need. I guess I should check out the rest of the house too. If you’re going to the hardware store anyway we should make sure everything’s working a-ok!”

I smile and nod. “Good idea Ellie. Thank you.”

Her wings flutter a little as she smiles at the praise. “I-it’s nothing really.”

I nod toward the house. “Come on let’s get back. I’m ready for a shower and other people might be getting up soon.”

She giggles. “Not Jules. She’s a nooner.”

We start the long walk back up to the cabin. “Hey Erin?”

“Mmhm?”

“Are you um… Going to keep taking those pills?”

My frown returns. “I think so Ellie.”

“But… But why? They’re bad for you! Luna and Markus both say so! You have the same problem we all do only… Only bigger! What if you get sick or something? What are we supposed to tell everyone else?”

She has pretty valid concerns really. “I can’t stop taking them yet. We’re not self-sufficient enough to be completely without someone who can go into town. If I turn into a pony too that just leaves Lucas, and his leg is broken. Plus he definitely doesn’t know how to drive.”

“Well… Yeah. That makes sense. But Princess Celestia could probably do all kinds of neat spells to help out! I bet she could just POOF up food with her magic!”

Could she do that? It’s a good question really. But what if she can’t? What if my meds stop working properly if I let her out again? Or worse, what if she somehow takes control of my body from me? I don’t know if she could do that but the possibility is there. She may be angry I locked her back up, and decide her ponies are safer under her care and hers alone. Even if she’s not upset, if I can’t look normal again we can’t go into town anymore.

“If I start to feel funny I’ll… Lay off the pills ok? Until then I think it’s best I keep taking them.”

She doesn’t look entirely satisfied with my answer. How insightful is she? It’s easy to dismiss her with her odd wall eyed gaze and her bubbly nature but she’s clearly far more intelligent than she first appears. “Alrighty! You’re the boss!”

I give her a relieved smile as he get to the back door. A smile that instantly drops. The sight at the table sends Ellie into a fit of giggles.

Meg and Lucas are both digging happily into what I suspect is their second or third bowl of cereal judging by the empty box lying on its side on the table. The empty box of Count Chocula. Seeing the look of dismay on my face Meg just blinks. “What?”

I march passed the table and upstairs to take a shower, Ellie’s loud giggling following me all the way.

***

The sound of water running reaches my ears. I heard Erin walk into the bathroom next to my room, she must be taking a shower. It’s pretty easy to tell if it’s her walking around or not. She’s the only one of us without crutches or hooves. I sit up stretching my arms over my head and spreading my wings wide. It’s weird how quickly I’m getting used to them being there. It’s starting to feel like I’ve had them my whole life. Just like my arms and legs, they’re a bit stiff and sore in the morning. I wonder if that’s normal for a pegasus?

Carefully flicking my tail out of the way I slide my legs off the bed. That’s another new appendage I adapted to owning pretty fast. Glancing down I twitch it again and send it flopping across my lap. It matches my new hair color of course. Bright orange streaked with yellow. All things considered it looks pretty badass, though I’d much prefer it not growing out of my butt. Frowning a little I run my hands through the hair making it up. It feels a bit greasy and tangled. I guess I should shampoo and brush IT out too? Do I even care enough about how it looks to bother? Apparently I do as its disheveled appearance is bringing a frown to my face.

One hoof on the floor, I frown at the end of my other leg as I lower it slower. The bare skin is definitely smoother, and the hair along my legs is thinner. Harder to make out. Except around my hooves of course. It’s much thicker there and a bright yellow in color. Fetlocks I think is the name of the fur around a horses hoof. Do ponies call it the same thing? Probably. Everything in the show is a horse pun after all.

It was weird at first, balancing on hooves. But the more I walked on them the more I realized it’s pretty much the same as I was walking before. I have to have that embarrassing wiggle in my hips but balancing on them isn’t so bad. Maybe even easier than on the balls of my feet. The hooves are wider and more solidly placed.

Ears twitching playfully I move to the bathroom as quietly as I can on hooves. Erin didn’t bother to lock the door so I slip in and move toward the large tub. The shower curtains drawn and I take a moment to enjoy the image of her nude silhouette through the curtain. She’s not the curviest girl I’ve ever dated but she’s nice enough to give a guy a good view, I’ll give her that. Her back is to the door so she doesn’t see me coming as I slip up behind her.

Of course climbing into a porcelain tub without slipping all over the place on hooves is a chore, which is something I discovered last night. Might be a good idea to have Erin pick up a bunch of those rubber mats for everyone next time she goes into town. She’s wiggling her hips back and forth doing some kind of bizarrely cute shower dance, to a tune only she hears. I can’t help but grin at the spectacle.

“You coming in?”

I yelp and jump back, wings flaring in alarm. “You heard me?”

“I hate to break it to you, but hooves aren’t exactly built for stealth.”

Smiling again I carefully climb into the shower with her, leaving my boxers on the floor. My smile fades almost immediately as we stare directly into each other’s eyes. I’ve gotten even shorter overnight. She sees my frown and cups my cheek softly. Those beautiful brown eyes of hers are so full of love and warmth I feel my own dour mood vanishing almost instantly. “It’s fine. I don’t like guys taller than I am anyway.” She grins playfully and I can’t help but smile back.

“Well good. Because at this rate I’m probably going to be up to your belly button in a few days.”

She laughs her warm, smile inducing laugh and I just feel better and better. She leans in and steals a kiss while I’m lost in her eyes, filling me with a warm fuzziness all over. My wings droop limply as we embrace under the hot water. A long, drawn out kiss passes between us before she pulls away slightly. “I need to shampoo.”

I snatch the bottle of her strawberry scented dollar store crap and shake my head with a bemused grin. “This thing is enormous. Don’t they sell it in bigger containers?”

She rolls her eyes. “You see all this hair I have? I go through one of those a week at the least.”

Standing chest to chest I hold the bottle over her head squeezing some of the shampoo into her hair. She looks into my eyes smiling coyly as I lather her hair. It’s all I can do to keep my focus as the heavy strawberry scent I’ve come to associate with my mate fills the shower. It hardly registers that she’s holding the bottle over MY head now, until she dumps some of it in my hair. “Hey… That’s girl’s shampoo.”

Erin leans in nibbling at the edge of one of my ears, sending shivers through my body. “It’s unisex.” Her fingers nimbly knead the berry scented shampoo into my scalp, the pleasant sensations killing my protests.

“You’re so romantic.”

She smiles at my dig and our lips meet again, longer this time. Her hands run down my sides and I jump a little when I feel her lathering my tail too. “This thing’s looking filthy.”

I feel my cheeks redden with embarrassment. “Yeah well… You try growing one and remembering to shampoo it every morning.”

A brief flash of… Something crosses Erin’s face. Shame? Guilt? Now I feel like an idiot. She must feel terrible that this is happening to all of us and not her. “I didn’t mean anything by it Erin.”

Her smile returns as she gives my tail a gentle tug. “It’s fine. Come on let’s finish up and get downstairs.”

She moves to turn away but I tug her back around to face me, bringing her in for a harder kiss. “You don’t get to play with my tail and get away that easily…”

Her eyes are half lidded as she slowly eases onto her back in the large tub. “Well… Do what you must in avenging your tail’s lost pride.”

I can’t keep the broad grin from forming on my face as I lower myself atop her, previous concerns about this morning’s discoveries all but forgotten.

***

I can’t quite remember the last time I’ve had sex so frequently. It definitely wasn’t as nice as it was with Jake. Part of me wonders if I’m using it as a distraction from my many insane problems but I dismiss that. I love him I think. Technically we’ve only been dating for five days now but I’ve been spending more and more time with him over the last year. Lingering about the balcony after the sunrise. Dragging my heels at the mail boxes hoping to run into him. Fumbling with my keys just a minute too long so he catches up to me in the hall.

Judging by the clean hair and tails I see on everyone, even a drowsy looking Jules is conscious and clean downstairs, it looks like folks are up and awake. “Everyone did an awesome job yesterday on the house. It means a lot to me you all worked so hard.”

My words of praise seem to shift the mood in the room from ‘sleepily waking’ to ecstatically happy. Even Jules looks more bright eyed. “I thought today we could work on getting some of the other rooms cleaned up. The library upstairs, start working on the basement. Cleaning out the garage. Maybe even start putting a dent in that lawn. Sound good?”

A cheerful chorus of ‘yeahs!’ are shouted back as everyone moves to get busy without delay. The group is definitely in a good mood this morning, which is nice. Jules and Ellie make a bee line for the basement without hesitation, a chore I’m more than happy to let someone else handle. Jake and Becky head toward the garage while Meg makes her way upstairs. Lucas looks to me questioningly.

“Mmm. Actually I have a really important job for you.” He brightens at that and follows me eagerly out to the garage. I have to step by a semi-stunned Jake and Becky as I enter. I suppose I could have warned them that on top of boxes of old fishing and hunting gear and other sorts of accumulated junk over his long life, my uncle had quite the collection of vintage and classic cars.

I just shrug as the pair turn questioning gazes toward me, and lead Lucas passed the dusty cars to the other end of the garage. “Here she is!”

Standing right where I left it is the old moped I used to ride around town on. Definitely in need of some TLC. “This is your job for the next however long it takes to get her looking pretty again. Once that cast comes off she’s all yours.”

His eyes go wide enough I think they might roll out of his head. “Really?!”

I shrug. “Sure. Got a lot of use out of her but I can drive a car now. Your sister needs to say it’s ok first though. And I expect you to put in the work to get it looking nice.”

“I will! I promise! I’ll uh… Get started right now!”

“Start with a rag and a bucket of water. Get all the dust cleaned off. I’m sure there’s some wax around here for you to shine her up with after that.”

He’s already making his way back to the kitchen in search of a dish towel. Jake and Becky watch him go, both with a smile on their face now. “That was really nice of you.”

I shrug. “I doubt it’ll still run but if he really puts in the effort to clean it up I’ll pay to replace the motor. Plus this makes him feel useful, and he won’t be underfoot while we do the heavy work.” So saying I move toward the nearest stack of boxes. “A lot of this stuff is probably too old to be any good anymore so we can start a donation pile.”

As I near the first box, Jake hastily steps in front of me hefting it before I can pick it up. He gives me a faint smile. “I got it.” I watch him cart it outside before shrugging and reaching for the next. Now Becky darts in front of me, cutting me off.

“We’ll take care of the garage! Why don’t you help Meg in the library?”

I stare at her semi-nervous seeming smile in confusion before finally throwing up my hands in surrender. “Fine. Why not? Have fun I guess.”

Shaking my head at their odd behavior I trudge back to the house, heading up to the second floor. The door to the libraries’ already open so Meg must have found it alright. The dusty old room brings back fond memories. If I wasn’t outdoors with Uncle Pete I was in here reading. Usually with a cup of tea. The old man hated coffee but he had tea every day, sometimes a few times a day. I got into the habit of drinking it with him when I was young.

The high walls are filled with shelf upon shelf of books. A pair of worn leather arm chairs sit beside a dusty old fireplace. I smile running a hand along the arm rest of the chair Uncle Pete got for me to sit next to his. Meg’s got the vacuum running over the carpet as I look pull myself from my nostalgic reverie. “Need a hand?”

She blinks up at me, her smile not quite matching my own. “Actually I think I can handle it!”

Now my face falls. “What? Alone? The library’s one of the biggest rooms in the house Meg.”

Her eyes dart around taking in the huge, very dusty room. “Yup! Well I wanna feel like I’m earning my keep y’know?” I glance down seeing one of her hooves digging at the rug nervously.

“Are… Are you sure? I mean I loved this library. I’d like to help out.”

Meg nods firmly. “Absolutely sure! I’d feel bad if you had to work in here honestly. Why don’t you see if someone else needs a hand?”

I stare at her hard for several moments before silently turning and leaving the library. Something seems weird. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but everyone’s acting a bit weird this morning. Shaking my head at the mystery of it I make my way down through the kitchen to the basement. Ellie and Jules are sorting through old boxes of clothes. “What’s the deal with your uncle? Why’d he keep your baby crap?”

I shake my head helplessly. “The same reason any parent keeps their kids baby clothes I guess? Pretty safe to say we can toss them though. Most of this baby stuff really. Lucas is definitely too old for most of my old toys.”

I step up to give the girls a hand, when a grey feathered wing snaps out and almost slaps me right in the face. I have to rear my head back to avoid it. “C-careful Ellie. You almost got me.”

“Oops! Sorry! They get away from me sometimes.” She shrugs with a helpless giggle.

I nod slowly, keeping an eye on her wings. “It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean it.” However, the second I move to pick up a box her wing snaps out again. I jerk back and land on my butt this time. “Ellie!”

She chews her lip and looks to Jules. Both girls shift a little uncomfortably. “Look… Erin. I know this sounds kinda… Weird. But it just feels sorta… WRONG for you to be doing housework…”

I stare at Jules incredulously. “What? Why in the world would it…” I trail off as I realize the source of everyone’s weird behavior. “…oh. It’s because of HER.”

Ellie just looks more uncomfortable. “W-we can’t help it Erin. I mean it’s just a… A feeling. Deep down inside our tummies saying “the Princess doesn’t do housework, and we’d be awful subjects if we made her.”

I feel myself growing angry. “I’m not a Princess! And you’re not my subjects!”

Ellie flinches away looking slightly frightened, and Jules steps in front of her. “We know Erin. Relax. It’s probably like an instinct or something y’know? Some part of the old pony souls remembering Princess Celestia. Remember she was held in pretty high regard by everypony y’know? Us watching you haul boxes around would be like them watching Celestia pulling a plough or something.”

I close my eyes trying to calm down. It’s not their fault. It’s all this Equestria craziness doing it. They can’t help act the way they’re acting and my getting angry at them isn’t going to help anything. Taking a deep breath I open my eyes. “I’m going outside to weed out my old flower boxes.”

Both girls open their mouths and I silence them with a sharp look. “I loved gardening. The flower boxes are mine. Got it? No argument.”

Both nod a touch sullenly. I smile now, and it seems to put them at ease somewhat. “Good. I’m not angry at anyone; I know it’s not your fault. But I’m not gonna sit on my butt watching TV all day while you all clean my old house.”

“Alright Erin.”

“Sorry Erin.”

My smile grows a bit. “It’s alright. Don’t throw anything away without checking with me first though ok? Some of this stuff I’m gonna wanna keep. If it looks really damaged you can pitch it, otherwise stick it in a pile. We can sort it out later.”

They both nod, Ellie even salutes smartly before Jules slaps her hand down. I grin now as I head back upstairs. I can work with this. Worse comes to worse I bet if I just ORDERED them to let me do something they would. And if I’m being completely honest with myself, having the five adult house guests refuse to let me do housework isn’t the worse situation I’ve ever been in.

I’m keenly aware of Jake and Becky’s gazes on my back as I rummage through some boxes in the garage, finding the old gardening tools. Not even that rusty. Still I might replace them when I’m at the hardware store. I do my best to ignore them following me with their eyes as I head out to the first flower box. Kneeling in the dirt I get to work turning it over and tossing weeds over my shoulder.

To my surprise I’m actually left alone. I don’t know if they can sense I genuinely want to be here doing this or if it’s something else. The sun is well on its way up into the sky before a shadow crosses the box over me. I glance back to see Becky standing there with a couple glasses of water. “Getting a little warm out. Thought you might want one.”

“Thanks! Yeah I guess I’m working up a little sweat.” I don’t miss her flinch as she kneels beside me handing me the glass. Her hand inches toward the trawl I was using, but she freezes up at my icy look. Slowly she shifts around to the other side of the box, working on a different corner.

“All done in the garage?”

She shrugs. “Jake said he could handle it.” Seeing the look on my face she hastily continues. “I want to be out here. I just feel… Better working with the ground. I’ve been kinda staring at the lawn since we got here wanting to get to work on it. I think it’s the earth pony in me.”

“Oh. Well alright just… Don’t try and shoo me away ok? I loved my gardens and flowers. These are important to me.”

She looks like she’s visibly relaxing as I accept her help, and she seems to accept my explanation. We work in silence for a time, with her occasionally stealing glances toward me. “So.” I finally break the quiet. “Do you have family that’s going to be looking for you?”

Becky shakes her head, her pale pink ponytail bobbing a little. “I called my folks yesterday. They live out in Wisconsin. Told them I was getting out of the city to avoid the craziness and stay with a friend for a while. Work was a little trickier. Doctor Stevens know about me and Jake but he’s not going to rat us out. Plus I didn’t tell him WHERE I was going to be staying.”

I nod at that. “Well that’s good I suppose. Glad your folks won’t be worrying.”

“You? I mean, do you have family outside your uncle?”

I frown now, yanking at a particularly stubborn plant. “I have a brother I guess.”

“You guess?”

I shrug. “I just found out about him the other day. Becky and Jules are friends of his. He asked me to look after them.”

Now she frowns. “Where is he then?”

Poking at the dirt my frown grows. “Did Jake mention my condition?”

She shakes her head looking concerned now. Not scared, just worried. “Are you alright?”

“Sort of. I’ve had schizophrenia since I was little. I take medication to treat it. My brother, Markus has the same thing. Only he doesn’t take his meds. According to my Doctor he had a bad episode, attacked a woman and got committed.”

Becky gasps eyes wide. “What? That’s awful!”

“Yeah. I’d go see him but… But it’s the same place I spent time at when I was little. I have some pretty bad memories.”

She nods sympathetically. “I can imagine so. That must have been hard.”

Another stretch of quiet forms after that. We actually finish a couple of the flower boxes before she talks again. “So… I’ve been noticing something.”

I look up. “What’s that?”

She frowns a little now. “I’ve noticed everyone seems to be in a better mood when you’re around. When you were gone yesterday everyone was pretty down until Ellie started singing. And even then when we separated or stopped the sing alongs we’d get upset again. A little surly sometimes, dour. Like when you’re here I don’t think about what’s happening to me so much. It’s on my mind but it doesn’t seem as bad you know? When you were gone I couldn’t STOP thinking of it.”

“W-well I’m not sure what that has to do with me…”

She looks me in the eyes. “There’s the sunrise thing. Always up to watch it come up. Jake says you do it every morning for as long as he’s known you. Then the huge sweet tooth. You taking us all in out of nowhere. People are nice and understanding sometimes but that’s above and beyond. Then this morning when you tried to take those boxes I just felt like it was… Like it was WRONG for you to have to do that.”

I’m looking increasingly uncomfortable I’m sure. She doesn’t look away however. “Erin is there something you’re not telling me? Telling us? About your condition? I… I hate to seem like I’m accusing you of something but…”

I sigh. Shoulders sagging and sit back on my heels. “I’m surprised you put it all together before Jake.”

Her eyes widen. “So… So are you really…?”

I scowl now. “I’m NOT her. She’s just…” I tap the side of my head. “In here.”

“Like really in there? You can hear her voice and everything? Not just little dreams like the rest of us get?”

Closing my eyes I nod. “Really in there. I was changing too. Hair, eyes, cutie mark. I heard her voice the other day for the first time in years. We… Talked. I didn’t handle it well. My medication sort of keeps her locked up I guess.”

“I… Wow. But if the Princess is in there can’t she help us? Can’t she find a way to undo all this or… Or at least I dunno, do SOMETHING for us?”

I chew my lip, fidgeting with my fingers. “I’m scared of her. At first I was scared because I thought I was crazy you know?”

Some of the eagerness leaves her eyes. “Y-yeah I can see how that would be.”

“When I was a little girl, she started… Taking over. Talking to me, trying to talk to my Uncle. It’s why he thought I was nuts. He took me to Doctor Corddis and…”

“Wait, wait, wait. Doctor CORDDIS?”

I sigh. “Yeah. Yeah I’m pretty sure he’s Discord.”

She gasps at the name. “He’s real too?”

“Well obviously. He killed us all right? Or… You all I guess. Since I’m not a reincarnated pony, I just share my body with ones disembodied soul?”

“I guess it makes sense the Princess would be able to sort of… Hold onto herself better than regular ponies.”

I nod. “That’s what she said. Anyway the Doctor or Discord I guess gave me the pills to keep her quiet. Bellvue was so awful Becky. Every day I lived in fear of going back. Now though… Now I’m worried what if I let her out and she takes over. REALLY takes over, and doesn’t give me my body back?”

Becky’s eyes go wide again. “Princess Celestia would never do that!”

I raise an eyebrow. “Never? Not even if all of her subjects were scattered across a strange alien world and she wanted to help them?”

“W-well… I mean…”

“I don’t know that she would do that. I hope she wouldn’t. Everyone is changing now because of there being too much magic in the Equestrian souls for a human body to handle so…”

“…so we’re becoming ponies so the magic doesn’t hurt us!” She finishes for me.

I nod. “That’s what I’m told anyway. The same thing is going to happen to me. Eventually I’ll HAVE to stop taking the pills or I’ll die. But I don’t want to stop until I have to. It’s not just about me either. If I start changing no one will be able to go into town for us.”

“That’s… Actually a good point.”

“Right? All we’d have to rely on is a thirteen year old kid with a broken leg. My brother Markus is Luna’s… Host I guess. The two of them apparently have gotten pretty close over the years. I think Discord had them locked up because they were trying to get to me and Celestia. I think he’s afraid of us.”

“Well duh. Outside the elements of harmony the Princesses are the only thing that could MAYBE stand up to him. Plus if they can use their magic and stuff here who knows what they could do? Definitely find the mane six and the elements y’know? Or make new elements? They never go into much detail about them.”

She lapses into silence watching me with a faint frown. “You should tell Jake and everyone else.”

“No! No please… Please don’t. Jules and Ellie know. But I don’t want everyone knowing about it. They might be more insistent I let Celestia out and I just… I can’t yet. Please don’t say anything.”

Becky frowns. “I don’t like this Erin. But you’re giving me a roof over my head and if this is all you want in return that’s fine. But only for so long Erin. Jake has this the worst of any of us with his uh… OTHER big change coming. You’ve seen his face and how short he’s gotten I’m sure. He doesn’t have long until he’s y’know… One of us.”

I nod. “I know Becky. I… I’ll skip my next pill I think alright? Maybe we can work something out where if Celestia isn’t being cooperative you guys can stuff a pill in me or something.”

The idea doesn’t seem to sit too well with her but she shrugs. “We’ll worry about it when we have to. For now though, let’s head in huh? We’ve been at this all day.”

She’s right about that. I get to my feet and help her to her hooves. She smiles her thanks but something about it seems off. “Open your mouth.”

She looks curious but complies opening wide. “You um… have flat teeth.”

Becky blinks and snaps her mouth shut. I can see her tongue running around inside it. “Well… I mean we knew that was coming right? Meat’s already tasting and smelling funny.”

“You’re taking this pretty well.”

She shrugs as we head toward the house. “Like I said I think that’s you. Or uh… Your passenger rather. Just being around her is probably making us feel better.”

She’s probably right I realize. Everyone else is in the kitchen drinking and looking worn out, but happy. If my being around them is making them handle their situations better I can’t complain, and for once feel a little glad Celestia Is sharing my body with me. Maybe letting her out won’t be so awful?

Seeing all the smiling faces in the kitchen grow happier as I enter, I’m starting to think maybe it won’t after all.

Comments

[redcake11]

Read this or a good rest.....probably nothing important tommorrow anyway

[pchn00]

2844124
Nothing interesting happens on tuesdays!

[killerreno]

Really interesting story i really like it. When are you ging to update it? daily or weekly or monthly?

[pchn00]

2844469
Been updating a couple times a week so far. Might slow down eventually lol

[websterhamster]

Ooh, do I sense predictions of the future?

find the mane six and the elements y’know?

[pchn00]

2846085
I can say one hundred percent the mane 6 won't show up in this, mostly because they're featured in the story this one is a spin off of. XD

[websterhamster]

2846561 But you're so much a better writer than the other guy!

Well, I guess it is quite courteous of you to not stage a coup of someone else's fictional world.

[Flash_Magnus]

Another awesome chapter

[AeroDynamics]

How long does it take you to write a chapter anyways

[pchn00]

2846872
It all depends how much I'm distracted by video games and house work. If I'm uninterrupted I can do about three or four k words/hours or so.

[pchn00]

2846691
Thank you much!

[Flash_Magnus]

2847648

You're welcome

[Dawn Darkling]

Noticed that the author for the original story put up a link for a group of sidefics that spun off of it. Subsequently, I found this one and read it through in one go. It is really good. I hope that the author for the original decides to consider this canon for the Four Score universe.

[pchn00]

2849051
Glad you're digging it so much. Thanks for the kind words.

[Dawn Darkling]

2851924
You are very welcome, it is a pleasure to read.

[Hywel]

2849051
I don't think any story but the original is going to be considered canon, since different people have been using the same ponies, and some people's feelings might get hurt.

[Dogman15]

The town is "Thilton"? Perhaps you mean Tilton, Illinois? Or did you purposely make the town name fictional?
"The rest of the stuff can wait for folk to wake up.” How about making "folk" plural, folks?
"Or were her feet were." should be "Or where her feet were."
I think you're still misspelling "Bellvue". Is that intentional? "Bellvue" spotted again in Erin's talk with Becky.
"Like Markus talks Luna?” Did you mean "talks to Luna?"?
Oh, I predict that all the magic building up in Erin will make her go through all of the transformation steps very rapidly, all at once.
"My Uncles fishing boat..." needs an apostrophe. And "uncle" isn't capitalized, since you're not using it as a name. "My uncle's fishing boat..."
"the name of the fur around a horses hoof" - "horse's hoof"
"and my getting angry at them" - this works, but you could also say "and me getting angry at them"
"Doctor Stevens know about me and Jake but he’s not going to rat us out." Doctor Stevens knows.
"Since I’m not a reincarnated pony, I just share my body with ones disembodied soul" should be "I just share my body with one's disembodied soul."
Once fully transformed, don't you think Princess Celestia would be powerful enough to make herself look like Erin with a spell?
"Celestia Is sharing my body with me" - don't capitalize "is"

2846561 Twisted Spectrum has the option of adopting either this story or the other Luna/Celestia side story. Since this story has so many more pony characters in it, I hope he picks this one.

[Pinklestia]

Well, now I understand why Erin is so freaked out...

[RealityDowngrade]

That was very well done. It would escape many peoples notice to add in that, in a country with royalty, there would be a hierarchy so ingrained into the culture that it would be viewed as a mark of dishonor upon a person designated as a higher class to do 'menial labor' and a mark of dishonor for those designated as 'lower class' for not having done said task instead.

[Venlinelle]

I feel myself growing angry. “I’m not a Princess! And you’re not my subjects!”

Yes you aaaaaare