Just a bit of Cider

by Joyous Apple

A Rude Awakening

Author's Note:

This is my attempt in adding to the Pony Earth Verse. I hope you all like it. Please leave a comment, like, fav. hate or dislike. You are entitled to your opinion, just state why at the bottom. Please read it and I hope you enjoy it. I am not good at authors notes. Ohh, I know, maybe I will give a song playlist for you to listen to while reading the next chapters, like, authors cut. Get it, directors cut and...I know, that was bad. Hope you enjoy the story.

Three things. I never pay attention to recent events, like news and such. I never really cared, as long as it didn’t affect me. Also, you tend to learn from your mistakes, because sometimes, paying attention to recent events tends to help you for when it does affect you. Sadly, I don’t pay attention, so of course it ended up affecting me…

Time 1910

“Tyler, behind the door. Do a left face and take down the squad inside. I’ll drop a flash and kill the lights. Stay low!” I commanded into my headset.

“Harris! They have C-4 all over the place! How am I supposed to get in?!” Asked my buddy Tyler. He doesn’t get that C-4 still needs to be detonated, and it would take too long for them to pull out the remote.

“Fine, I’ll do it. Get the lights and drop the flash!”

“You’re insane! We are the last two in the squad!”

“Sometimes risk helps in the end.” I smile to myself as I run inside the room. I drop a grenade and pull out my secondary. A pistol with a compensator, best for close quarters combat.

“Tango out!” Tyler yells into his mike, hurting my ears, but I am too focused on the task. The flash pops behind me, then the lights go out. All of a sudden, the enemy starts firing blindly into the now dark room.

I got behind their line easily, and they happened to kill Tyler. I ran up to the first guy I could see and took out my knife, slitting his throat, then pulling up his gun. I took out his mag and inserted it into my M416.

“Now we’re talking!” I shout. “Say hello-!” I start firing into the squad of 5 men. They were all still freaking out, thinking they killed their aggressor. I took out two of them, before having to sprint out of the room. I was in tunnel vision, and breathing was labored. All I could hear was my heartbeat and the sound of gunfire.

I ran into a room full of machines. I hear them shoot after me as I jump behind some sort of press machine. I check the ammo on both my guns. All I have left was 4 rounds in my AR and two mags left for the pistol.

I hear the footsteps of the guys enter the room, running around searching for me.

“Frag out!” Yells a one of the guys. Next thing I know, I see the grenade land next to my guy. without thinking and in out of pure instinct, I run into the main room, straight into them.

The guys seemed shocked, just as much as I was when I realized what I did. I pulled up my pistol and fired a whole mag into the first guy I saw. The other went to knife me. He grabbed me, but I punched him in the face, grabbed the knife in his hands and shoved it into his stomach, grabbing his dog tags after. I sat there after the exchange, his dog tags had scratches on them, indicating the number of people her has knifed. I heard the sound of a gun reload and a guy yell something in a different language. Next, I heard the shot that ended my life. Game over.

“Shit!” I yelled into the headset.

The screen shifted to the game lobby. Everyone was talking about the game and I tuned them out. I checked the skill on my guy. I went from number one in michigan to thirteen! I raged and turned off the game system, turning on the TV. I got a text alert on my phone as I flipped through the channels, looking at it, it revealed Tyler texted me. Opening it up, I read the message.

‘It ain’t that bad. Rich, that was total badass!’

I shook my head and smiled at my buddies antics. He knew what to say, but that comes from dealing with the same Senior Army Instructor. I typed out a reply.

‘Yeah, I’m pretty good aren’t I? Lol, anyway, see you tomorrow, inspection day and all’

I sent the message and tossed the phone aside. I began to flip through the channels again, being too lazy to pull up the guide. I wasn’t really paying attention to what flickered by, just looking for mindless TV to get lost in, then again, all of it was mindless.

‘...And here we see the majestic moose...’

‘...Come on Rachel...’

‘...So next time you happen to be in….’

‘...As the pony epidemic...’

‘...Come on Twilight...’

‘...Jerry! Jerry!...’

‘...The ponies head to...’

“There is nothing on but stupid pony shows. The hell?” I sighed and flipped over to Cartoon Network. I heard my phone chime again and looked at it.

‘Dude, do I know what yo mean. C ya. Congrats on Company Commander too! Rank of Captain too!’

I yawned and looked over at the time. It was 7:47. I had two whole hours to waste and I did not want to play games again. I got up and turned off the TV, not really wanting to watch it anymore. I walked into my room and turned on my amp, then grabbed my guitar.

I am not that good at guitar, I mean, I could hardly do the pentatonic scale. I still practiced. I could make a few riffs but never do a chord. There is one song called “What it’s like” by Everlast, that I learned to play all the way through though, and I began to play it as a warm up. The opening to the song was my favorite, really the only reason why I even learned the song. I played it for a little bit, then turned on the overdrive of my amp. It was a decent amp, nothing too big. I attempted to play some Metallica, then reverted to some AC/DC.

I then started on my own tunes, trying to perfect this one song/riff I was making for a friend, so she can put it into her music/dubstep stuff. She calls it ‘wubs’, and for some unknown reason, I despise that word, but all she does after I tell her, is say “Wub this”, and “This is so wubbing awesome!”. She even just went ten straight minutes texting me “WUUUUUUUUUUUUB”, on my phone. I almost blocked her.

As I was halfway through my newest riff, and it wasn’t that bad, my phone chimed again. I put the guitar down, sticking the pick in the strings to hold it there. A simple over, under, over method. I walked over to my phone and pressed the home button. Wouldn’t you know, it was my friend, miss ‘WUB’.

‘Hiya!’

Or maybe it wasn’t my wub friend. It was her sister, T-reese.

‘Heyo! How come you are on your sis phone?’

‘Dad took my phone away, long story’

‘Well that sucks, and your sis was nice enough to let you use her phone?’

‘Not really. She locked me in the closet, and I happened to have her phone.’

I sighed and rubbed my head. These two are always at their throats. My wub friend, her name is Jackie, locks her sister in the closet at least once a week. It’s sad that I’m no longer shocked by this.

‘Again. Why this time?’

‘She was on the PC with a friend and I came in and was typing to them on docs. lol, she got real mad! But now I have to pee.’

‘Well, I would text her and ask her to let you go, but you have her phone, so it can’t be too long til she tries to get it back. She can’t hunt conspiracies without it!’

‘lol, so what ya want to talk about?’

I shrugged and texted her a reply of I don’t know and we just started to chat about random stuff, mainly her sister for locking her in the closet. I happened to dose off sometime after eleven at night.

Time: 0501

I woke from my old buzzer alarm going off, and I hate waking up to my alarm. It’s not that I don’t like the sound of it. In fact, I prefer this old monstrosity over the alternative. The alternative being my dad waking me up with a trolley bell. He went to San Francisco and brought one home. That morning, he woke me up to it. Yeah, that was an experience, and my ears were ringing for an hour.

No, I hate waking up to anything other than myself. For some weird reason, if I am woken up, I get into a real pissy mood. Not only was I pissy about the alarm, but I remembered today was Inspection Day, so that meant that I had to get into uniform. I like a lot a things about the Army, and JROTC, but the uniform is not one of them. I am proud to say I wear it and treat it with respect, but it still sucked wearing it. Yup, the good old Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, home of the pickle suit.

I slowly turned my head from my bed and looked at the time. 5:01. Luckily, the alarm went to auto snooze, it was starting to get annoying. How many hours of sleep did I get last night? Did I even sleep at all? I mean, seriously, I felt like complete dog crap. I'm used to waking up sore and aching because of Raiders; an Army Physical Training program run by JROTC. The military uses it to teach leadership skills, become better citizens, but primarily for pre-military training. I used to play football too, but that was not for me. So, I am not a stranger to waking up sore. This feeling however, hurt in places that I didn’t ever think would hurt.

I wonder if I did something to hurt myself during the exercises. Probably did an exercise wrong, that was most likely the reason for this. My legs never hurt around there before, and it did not feel good. My legs where also in a very uncomfortable position, and my fingers were numb. Probably because I fell asleep on my arms again. With a sigh, I put my arms down on my bed in a pushup position, still trying to work with numb fingers, and slowly tried to get up. I immediately stopped and fell from not having enough support. My arms felt completely foreign to me, like, they were on wrong, but they felt fine in the same way.

I began to wonder if I did more to my body during Raiders yesterday than I thought, because I’m pretty sure my arm did not go like that. I began to move my legs too, and they seemed to be feeling different as well. Sore, but not hurt, bending in very weird ways. It didn’t hurt either. I may have spent two whole minutes bending my legs and arms, the whole time keeping my eyes closed, not really wanting to wake up in all honesty.

I would probably be freaking out about my legs if they were in pain, but this early in the morning, I really didn’t care. My legs weren’t hurting me and I needed to get dressed for today. It was my first day as Company Commander, plus a new rank. But first, I needed to get feeling in my fingers again. I sighed and realized something. I noticed something as I lay there, and that was the fact that my blankets had gotten somewhat heavier and my pillow got bigger in the middle of the night. Another thing I noticed, is that I was feeling the pillow and blankets differently, like, I had a sheet over my body, but there wasn’t one at the same time. I couldn’t explain it, but the covers were a lot more comfortable than before. These changes can be pushed to the side to be looked at later. I had a half hour to wash up, shave, dress and eat before heading out to wait for the bus. And a lot of good that would do with numb fingers!

I threw my arms out and started try and move my numb fingers. You know how you still have control over numb limbs, but it is very slow or hard to do? Well, I fell asleep on my arms a lot, so I got some good control over numb fingers. Score one for me! I rotated my arms and wiggled my numb fingers to get the blood flowing. It was odd though. I found it weird that I did not have pins and needles. Whatever it was, as long as I get my fingers back from the numb soon, it would nice because, tying a tie was hard as it is.

I was not getting the feeling back in my fingers. This got frustrating after a minute. I just gave up and used my arms to throw the cover off, somehow getting a sheet or something on my head, or at least I think it was a sheet. My eyes were still closed, still not wanting to wake up, even if I had numb fingers. I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and sat there for a second, but sitting down like that felt weird for the first time in 12 years, painful even. It hurt my stomach, and I was having a somewhat hard time breathing, almost as if something was pushing my stomach into my lungs. Did I mention how much I like to breathe? Yeah, I like it more than water. You need both to live you know? Small fact.

So, when I swung my legs over and felt uncomfortable and had a hard time breathing, my eyes shot open and I tried to stand up to get some air. Funny thing is, I did not stand up. I know this because when you stand up, you usually do the up part, not the falling part. Hey face, this is ground, it likes you a lot, you should probably kiss it.

My fan decided to play catcher with my body as well. Next thing I know, I am groaning on the ground, choking back the colorful curses that would make my mother smack me out of disgust, and was hating my life so far. Oh, and my fan was now on the ground, still on. Well, the fan was fine, we’re good. I am in pain, but the fan is good, things will be alright.

I felt a rustling all over my body every time the fan would rotate on the floor towards me. It ran straight through my clothes. Actually, I wasn’t wearing clothes, I don’t wear pajamas, and whatever was on me did not feel like pajamas. Whatever it was though, it felt normal and like it should be there. But, when the fan passed my body and towards my head, my hair would actually flow a little in the wind. My hair was actually long and was actually flowing in the wind. I tried to process this. I did not have long hair. I’m a guy, and a very manly guy at that, or so I’m told. Anyways, I kept my hair short, even before I entered JROTC, which was a small version of the Army. When I joined that, I got even shorter haircuts. Barry, my barber knew my haircut every time without asking, a one on the sides, high and tight. This was not how my hair was currently. Had I not been so tired and had my eyes closed in pain, I probably would have be looking at my hair in a confused manner.

I began thinking on how well my morning was going so far, wondering what was next for such a great start to my day. I reached my arm over, still not feeling my fingers, and kept searching for the off button of my fan. I brought my arm down like eight times! I still didn’t get it. I shuffled over a bit more while moving my arm around, Knocking something over, which was surprising, seeing how I knocked the fan over, so it should have brought everything else down with it. I leaned closer again.

Just a bit more. Come on! It should be-Ah ha! Got it!

With the fan off, I turned my head so my face was no longer on the ground and looked to my left. My view was obstructed by a very long mass of blonde hair. Two things to say. I don’t have long hair, and I am far from blonde. I have dark brown hair. This, is where I started to freak out. I had long hair, and now it was a different color. Was it fake hair?! Extensions of some kind?! I have no idea on how hair extensions work or feel. My sister would definitely be one to dye my hair while I sleep, but, extend it?! She was only 10! She could only do so much without help. My mom did help her paint my dad’s fingers when he was asleep once though…

I brought up a hand to grab the hair and try to pull it off, and break the extensions. I had to try something! Logical thinking rarely works in a morning panic attack! I had inspection today too! To say I was thinking straight, would be like saying that animals talk.I wasn’t getting a grip on the hair. I still had numb fingers. It was not making any sense to me.

“What the heck?!” I yell in frustration, only to stop at the sound of my voice. It was definitely not my voice. I was frozen in place, looking at my arm held out in front of me, not registering anything. My voice sounded like a girls first of all, but I was more focused on my arm. As I lay there on the ground, staring uncomprehendingly at the limb in front of me, I began to freak out in my head.

I had no hand, let alone fingers. What I mistook for pajamas, was nothing but fur. Where my hand would be, sat nothing but a hoof, or at least I thought it was a hoof. I had blue fur on my arm, hoof in place of my hand.

Oh God, please just be one arm!

I brought up my other arm, only to see it to be in the same condition.

What the hell is going on?!

I look at my hair hanging off of my head, and everything starts coming together. I sat there thinking over everything. My arms were replaced by these things and my hair was long and blonde. I look down at the rest of my body. It was shaped like a dog almost. My legs were in the same condition as my arms. My body was covered in the same colored fur as well. I even had a tail, blonde, like my hair. I begin to think to myself. I try to stand up again, now more focused on my body. I stick an arm, or leg out and try to get myself into a standing position. The second I lifted my legs, er, my back legs, I fell.

“What is going on?” I ask quietly, being reminded of my now girly voice.

Hold on. Blonde hair, that is long, and blue fur. No...no no no no no.

I crane my head down again and look at my back legs. Getting a better look of them. The knees were backwards. Everything was changed, but didn’t hurt. I felt different, but normal. But, there was a feeling that I was missing something. Something really important. I take a deep breath, steady myself and slowly lift my left leg. I found what that missing feeling was. My heart began to pound harder, as if it were to burst out of my chest.

I was not me anymore. I had changed. Maybe it was a dream, or something. How could this of happened? I was some sort of animal. An animal that had a girl voice, mainly because it was female.

The thought of it made me shiver. I let my head hit the ground and closed my eyes. I was not one to know how to show emotions at times. I would push them aside or just forget them. People would call that bottling up. Well, I did just that. It was hard to do, every few seconds, my mind would go to what was now me, what made me no longer male, a fact that I was proud of.

It’s just a dream. Yeah, just a dream. It has to be.

I never had such a vivid dream though, but then again, I hardly ever get dreams. I would get them once a month or so, and they would be so short, that it was like walking down the street. They would be cloudy. But this had to be a dream. This could not be done.

I took a deep and shaky breath. It was just a dream somehow. The mind is a powerful thing. I just laid there on the ground. Maybe if just closed my eyes and just wait, I would wake up. So, I did just that.

Time: 0905

The shake of the house woke me up from my sleep. I sighed in relief, knowing full well it was all a dream. That was probably dad leaving for work, closing the front door a little harder than normal on his leave. I yawned, feeling a little sore on my side, in fact, my whole side was on something hard.

Did I fall asleep on the ground? the last time I was on the ground was… in… that …. dream?

I open my eyes to see that I was in fact on the ground, and that what I thought was a dream, was nowhere near a dream at all. I lay there, staring wide eyed at my arms, that were now legs. I was supposed to wake up from this, not fall asleep. This was supposed to be the dream. It could have been a dream within a dream, but that would be impossible for me. This is not a dream.

It hit me hard. I was changed. I was no longer Richard. another thing hit me harder. I was no longer the same species. There was one other thing above all that did it for me though. I lost my manhood. I was changed, and this was no dream. I just laid there, not really thinking. I had no idea on what to do. I was told what to do by my body though. My stomach gurgled loudly, breaking me from my zoned out mood.

I tried to ignore it. There was no real reason for me to move. I don’t know what I was feeling. I was angry. Angry at something, but I didn’t know what to be angry at. I was changed. What changed me, would be what I would put all my anger into, but I could not, because I had no idea what did this to me. I was sad too. I was sad because I was changed. I lost what was me. I was no longer what I worked so hard on. I worked out a lot, just to lose that. The irony of it all. I spent so much time on my health and looks, just to have it all disappear in a night. I was confused. I had no idea what was going on. Why was I no longer a male, no longer a human? Who or what did this? The only way for me to describe this would to say that I was lost, and feeling the effects of loss.

My stomach gurgled again, making me wince. Whatever I was now, I needed to eat. I usually skip breakfast, never was hungry in the morning, but now I was starving. I shook the thoughts of what I was thinking out of my head. I could be angry and sad later. I needed to eat. I shook my head and sighed, which still reminded me of the sad fact, I was no longer a dude.

Well, I had to eat, and that involved getting up. Now that I think about, I also had to walk and open my door. Doors of course, were going to become one of my greatest enemies…

Comments

[ferret]

It's so sad the techniques military recruiters use. Rich was genuinely enthusiastic about Tyler's kill streak, partially because he's in the military, because he genuinely likes or at least respects armed combat and a warrior spirit. But if he was a recruiter? All that gets thrown into doubt. They're ordered to soften up potential enlistees by praising them for their army game vidya. It works to get more kids thinking they're perfect for the army, but you can't tell if the recruiter genuinely likes your playing, or if he's just buttering you up. It sort of dehumanizes recruiters that way, because even if they have an honest reaction it seemsl untrustworthy. Sort of thing that keeps you up at night, wondering how much of it is your love of war, and how much of it is just being paid to fool gullible kids into joining.

I have no idea where that came from. There's no recruiting going on at all, nor underhanded recruiters giving their country a bad name. Don't mind me, just rambling...