Taking A Stand

by ShadeJak

Talks

I, Stephanie Rourke Talbot, have been through a lot in my life. As the song goes “the little things, the little things, they made me who I am today.” Ah, such a controversial band if there ever was one.

I’d left Kyle asleep in the living room as I’d wandered into the bathroom and took out a few spare pillows, carrying them in my forehooves as I flew awkwardly down the hallway and into the spare room we used for making our cosplays back when we were still human. Dropping them in a pile, I headed over to the closet and grabbed up some nylon rope… amazing how capable these pony hooves could sometimes be at picking stuff up. With a little effort I was able to tie the pillows tightly together and prop them against the wall, like a dummy of sorts. My next course of action was to get a piece of paper and draw the PAPA logo on it; a trial in and of itself when you had only your teeth to grasp a marker with, and taping it to the ‘face’ of the pillow dummy I’d made. Smiling at my handiwork… or was it hoofwork now? I brushed back my sea-green mane and felt a small spark of pride. Kyle could stand to have one of these when she woke up.

Did I think ‘she’? Why did I think that? It hadn’t been long and for some reason my mind registered my boyfriend as female. Then again another weird part was I found… her… attractive as a pony when beforehand I’d never found ponies remotely so.

Okay… now my mind’s getting weird on me. I wasn't attracted to ponies, I wasn't one of those weirdos... it was more like I saw him... her... as another pony. And a reasonably good-looking one at that.

Okay, what the hell's going on here....

I flew as fast as I could to the bathroom and hovered in front of the mirror. Flitter stared back at me, wearing the same confused look as I was no doubt making right now.

DAMN I’m adorable. I thought. “So… yeah, Steph… you’re a pony. Are you starting to think like one all of a sudden?” I asked my reflection, speaking in Flitter’s adorably sweet voice. Was I gonna turn back whenever Discord was beaten? Was I gonna be stuck like this even after? Was I gonna be a pony stranded on earth or a human trapped in a pony body living in Equestria? What would happen to the original Flitter? Was she going to fade away and be replaced by me? I don’t think I’d live with myself if that were the case. I couldn’t imagine how scary it’d be to have someone invade my body and slowly override my consciousness till I ceased to exist. Did Flitter know anything? Maybe I could ask.

“Hey, Flitter?” I asked my reflection, leaning in and staring into those big purple eyes that now belonged to me. “Are you awake in there?”

No answer.

“Hello?” I asked.

A few seconds went by.

Hello?

I smiled. “Hey, Flitter!” I said, happy to see my brain’s roommate was awake, though the question at hand quickly changed the mood. “Uhhh… I got a question I need to ask about.”

You don’t have to talk, just think it and I can hear you, silly. Flitter joked.

Hmm, okay, that probably would be easier and I can do other stuff. I thought, flying out of the bathroom. Do you… have any idea what will happen to us? I’ve felt… different lately. Like I’m feel more at home in the air, I’ve wondered about clouds, and I find Kyle as Amethyst attractive, though I’ve never been into ponies that way before. I said in my mind.

Well, Ammy is a very pretty mare. Flitter said in my mind with a laugh.

“Ehhh… reminds me…” I said aloud, putting my hoof to my mouth and thinking again. Are we… okay about earlier? Kyle and I… kinda…

…kinda what? Flitter asked innocently.

Well, crap…

“We… uh… maybesortafooledaroundabit.” I trailed off, this time out loud.

Sorry, didn’t catch that. She said, why’d she have to sound so cute and innocent? Now I felt so guilty and awful! I collapsed to the floor and onto my haunches in the kitchen, putting my hooves to my face and falling over. I never asked! I wanted closeness, solace, love, comfort, something positive from the one who meant more to me then anyone else and I didn’t get Flitter’s permission to use something she albeit involuntarily but was still sharing with me for the time being for my personal pleasure! How am I gonna live with this?!

Then came the laughing, quickly and hysterically. Okay, now THAT level of panic I can say it’s even now! she said with another laugh.

“Wait, what?” I asked, too shocked to remember I didn’t need to speak aloud.

I’m a pretty forgiving pony. And I understand and saw why what happened did. her voice told me. …And look, we got bigger problems, don’t we? she asked me.

Yeah, I guess we do. PAPA, this ‘Captain’ who was leading a group of them here, and… now this confusion I’m dealing with...

Yeah, I’m feeling it, too. It’s weird but I’ve felt… attracted to Amethyst more and more over this past day. First I wondered if I was bisexual, too… but then I remembered you are, and it’s gotten me to wonder if we’re… Flitter seemed to drift off.

What? I asked in my mind.

Nothing. I don’t… I don’t want to put you in a spot to take that lightly, okay? She asked, her voice as sweet and yet filled with concern now. I’d feel bad if I pressed on it so I decided… for now… to let it go. I’d be me as much as I can, and be there for my mar—boyfriend.

“Hey, Flitter?” I asked.

Hm?

“Wanna lay a few into that training dummy I just made earlier?” I asked. I could hear some giggling in my head.

Yeah! After the stuff with those PAPA humans, I could use a little relief! She said joyfully.

With a grin, I flew into the room where I’d set the dummy up and stood before it, a confident smile on my face as I prepared to let out my life’s frustrations on it.

~

"Had enough?" Amethyst asked me.

I was amazed there was any furniture left due to that Amethyst had used her magic to throw me into virtually every possible surface and piece of furniture she could see, among other things like soaking me in a bathtub, throwing stuff AT me, emptying the mini-fridge over my head, and bombarding me with pillows. As it was a dream it couldn’t hurt me, but I sure looked about as good as the victim at the ending of a creepypasta story often does at the moment and felt a very uncomfortable numbness all over. The unicorn had not left her spot the entire time, and regarded me with a look that spared no expense of disapproval. "Yes..." I muttered weakly.

“So, what have you learned?” She asked flatly.

“N…not to… do things with my girlfriend when I’m in your body?” I asked, feeling like I had weights strapped to my hands and feet.

“Very good.” Amethyst said. Her horn stopped glowing and she let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes a little. “My steam’s blown now, and I knew I couldn’t hurt you in a dream anyway.” She said, and when I looked myself over, I was good as new. “So I guess we’re cool, now.”

Then next thing I knew, I was a pony again, prompting an involuntary, exasperated sigh from me.

“How am I ever gonna get used to this?” I asked, looking over my now pink forehoof.

“Being a pony or being female?” She asked, amused.

“Both, I think.” I said, sitting in a ‘Lyra-slouch’ against the side of the bed and staring down at myself. “Look, I… what Steph and I did? We weren’t really thinking about that, we weren’t like some creepy fans who read clop and thought it’d be super-hot or something.” I said.

“Clop?” She asked, eyebrow rising.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my head with my forehoof awkwardly. “How do I put this? Uhhh… does Equestria have… adult entertainment?”

“I dunno… maybe?” Amethyst asked. Either Equestria didn’t, or Ponyville and Canterlot were incredibly chaste communities.

“Look, it’s probably beside the point. Thing is, we just…” I felt my ears droop as I looked down again. “After fighting that man… I was scared. Stephanie was scared. When I saw what that man sent to the news, I was even more scared. I was worried what he’d do because I fought back, and now I’m scared of if Stephanie’s gonna get hurt, too.”

Amethyst’s expression softened as I spoke.

“We needed eachother. It’s what a relationship is; it’s about supporting eachother.” I said. “Or at least I like to think that’s an important part of it. Have you… ever been in one?” I asked. The pony shook her head.

“Okay, a pretty mare like you’s never had a coltfriend… or marefriend?” I asked; managing a smile despite all that had just happened.

“Can’t say I have. I spend most of my time taking care of my little sister, and I do the occasional foalsitting jobs for extra money. Then there’s my studies at CSGU... so yeah, not really spending a lot of time in the special somepony-searching.” Amethyst replied with what I swear was a blush.

“I see…” I said, realizing I’d been wearing the body of someone who may not have even had her first kiss before. Awkward…

“Amethyst?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“What I’d said… have you ever had those moments where you wished you had someone to just… be with? To hold on to? To just comfort you and do something for you to make it all go away, even if it’s for a little while?” I asked.

She didn’t answer.

“I’m not trying to excuse myself, I’m just… explaining it, I guess. I promise I’ll try and be more careful and mindful next time.” I said. “I don’t wanna go through a full room smackdown again.” I said sheepishly.

Amethyst hopped from the chair and approached me, placing her hoof on my shoulder.

“I… I forgive you. It’s not really a thing among ponies to really bear long-term grudges, and I guess you didn’t really know… or were thinking. I’ve got… other things on my mind anyway.” She said, suddenly trailing off for a moment.

“What?” I asked, unable to hear what she said after the mention of other things on her mind.

“Kyle… do you feel different at all? In your mind, I mean?” She asked.

“Not really.” I said.

“You don’t or you don’t notice?” She asked.

“Wait… I was attracted to Steph AS Flitter. Like… as a pony I was finding her to be really attractive.” I said. “I mean, I assumed it was because I saw my girlfriend but she was physically attractive too…” The curvature of her barrel, her firm flanks, those slender legs… those enticing purple eyes, that silky mane and tail... but not like I was human and her a pony but like she was... another pony.

Amethyst turned away, looking uncomfortable. “It’s weird but the more I think about it, so do I.” She said. “Then it’s… true.” She muttered.

“What is?” I asked. “That you’re into mares?”

A two second awkward pause and a roll of the mare's eyes followed.

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” She said with a deadpan tone as if I’d asked the stupidest question. “I mean… nevermind. Look, just—”

“What’re you hiding?” I asked. “Am I… becoming you? Or am I fading away?”

“N-no! Nothing like that!” Amethyst said. “But… look, drop it alright? Unless something really bad happens, I’d rather we stay as we are, okay? Or as best we can.” She explained. “Until then… just… drop it. You be you, I’ll be me, deal?”

“…Deal.” I said, though admittedly wanting to know more. Was there something she was hiding? Did she know more then I did and felt I wouldn’t want to know? Or was there something she was trying to keep from happening? Since I didn’t want to relive the experience she put me through for earlier, I chose to not press on the subject regardless of how much I wanted to. “Guess I gotta get the hang of being a mare till this is all over, huh?” I asked.

“Hey, I’ve been one for a good while, how hard can it be for you?” Amethyst asked. “Unless you get some stallion’s attention, or some changeling’s.” She joked with a playful wink, though the mental images of being hounded by a stallion or worse a changeling made me cringe all over and I had a feeling that's exactly what she wanted to get out of me.

“Kyle, last thing as payback… I want some time out, can I have that?” Amethyst asked.

“Yeah, I guess so…” I said, climbing up on the bed of the hotel room that the strange dream took place.

“Hey, Kyle?” Amethyst asked, getting my attention again.

“Yeah?”

“…Did you mean it when you said I was pretty?” She asked.

“’Course I did.” I said with a smile, tossing my mane back in a demure manner. “I should know, now, right?”

Amethyst giggled a little and even blushed a bit. “Thanks.” She said, and everything slowly faded into blackness.

~

“Yeah… never touch me AGAIN!” I yelled lividly at the offending pillow mass that was now bucked into the wall.

Uhhh… Steph? I think you won. Flitter said in my mind.

“I know… I guess I had a lot of steam to let off, huh?” I wondered aloud as I took a couple breaths to calm myself down.

“Definitely.” The pink unicorn standing in the doorframe said.

“Hey, babe. Have a good rest?” I asked.

“Yeah… uh… look, Kyle’s asleep right now. It’s me, Amethyst Star at the moment. Just… wanted some out time I guess.” Amethyst said, shifting a little.

It was… to say… weird. I wonder if this was how Kyle felt when Flitter was in charge.

“So, Kyle’s girlfriend, huh?” She asked.

“Yeah, that’s me.” I said, not sure how to act around the pony, especially after… well…

“Hey, if you’re thinking about… back there…” She said, looking to the side for a moment. “I’m over it. For the most part. I just want a chance to get to know you a little more. Not like what I’ve been told, but just… get the hang of you, I guess. I mean, you and Flitter are together and…” She shifted a little, oddly a lot like Kyle did around the time he started having a thing for me, I noticed her tail swish back and forth a little and my attention became briefly fixed on it

That tail… I thought as I watched Amethyst’s tail swish about. She really does have a beautiful tail. My eyes traced along to those flanks of hers… I winced and squeezed my eyes shut for a second.

No! Bad thoughts! I insisted, ignoring Flitter’s giggle fit in my head.

“You alright?” Amethyst asked.

“Yeah! I’m fine!” I said, managing a big grin. “So… uh… how about a sparring round, huh?” I asked, gesturing to the pillow dummy next to me.

“If I’m… or Kyle and I… if we’re going to be Mare Do Well, I guess a little training can’t hurt.” She said, floating the dummy to the middle of the room and giving it a look. Drawing back her forehoof, she balanced on her hind legs for a second and swung with all her might. Hitting the dummy, she moved back and fired several magic blasts at it; thankfully they appeared to be concussive in nature so the pillows didn’t suffer any damage. Charging forward, she delivered a flurry of hoofstrikes and then turned and bucked the dummy into the wall.

“Wow…” I muttered, staring agape at her.

“I had a bit to work off too…” She said, rubbing her head sheepishly.

“Still… I really think we can do this.” I said. “Stopping this ‘captain’ I mean. Making sure PAPA doesn’t hurt any more ponies here.”

Amethyst grit her teeth and fired another series of magic blasts at the pillow. “Makes me sick any…one… would do something to a pony. I remember what they were going to do to that filly… and I saw what that human had intended to have done to those pegasi.” Amethyst hissed, firing more blasts.

“I know…” I said, feeling my wings tuck in a little at the mention of what I saw had happen to one of the pegasi when it was on the news. “We’ll stop him. Together.”

“Yes. We will.” Amethyst said firmly. “You and Kyle… and Flitter… and me. We’re all in this together, regardless of what life throws at us, I understand, we’re in this together.” She said, turning and firing one last blast at the pillow dummy, stronger then the last few… and probably stronger then she expected.

“Sorry… I’ll fix that.” She said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly and laughing a little in embarrassment.

Author's Note:

At long last, the new chapter came out! Future crossovers will be happening that I'm especially looking forward to as well!

Comments

[Bast]

wooo new chapter \o/

[Oreo Knight]

Lo and behold! Another chapter! And it seems that some trouble is already brewing within our characters and their ¨roommates¨, what could it be? Oh and also, silly question, but what do you mean with the crossovers?

Anyway, keep up the excellent work!

[ShadeJak]

3860081

Ohh you'll see! I'm... what's 's word for it? "Super-cited" about it, tho! I dare not spill a thing and it'll come next time I update!

[Rocky Runner]

The switching of bodily of control as one goes to sleep. Yep, a concept I've had before. Still, I'm loving all this. It's like, midnight and it's Monday, and I'm still awake reading this. I should be sleeping, preserving energy for school, but I can't. Happens to me with most stories here.