9: Chivalry
Alain paced restlessly in his filthy cell, overwhelmed by fear. It had happened so quickly to deny him any chance at disbelief. Just a day ago, he was about to be murdered. Now, he was half-sized with orange fur, hooves, wings and a muzzle. Most depressing of all was the absence of a particular part of his anatomy. Though he dared not look, he knew what was now in between his legs.
I suppose my name should be Alaine now, the pony somberly thought to herself.
It was tough to accept, but the reality was now impossible to ignore. She could practically feel her blossoming fertility as a young mare.
Thoughts of foals occasionally drifted through her mind, in the form of an escapist fantasy. Worst of all, apparently, the transformation hadn’t just made her female in body, but in mind too. The green pegasus had ruined everything for her, yet thinking back, she couldn’t help but find him handsome. She started to suspect that all of this was his final revenge on her. She supposed she deserved it.
She heard the rattling of keys on her cell door and timidly turned to face her jailor. Recognizing the brown-coated, red-faced zombie, she let out the breath she was holding. He gently put down a gruel-filled bowl filled in front of her. Then, in a robotic act of compassion, he pulled out two carrots and placed them on top of the platter. Though his inhuman smile unnerved her, she happily took half a carrot in her mouth and tried to use it to take the awful taste out of the rest of the meal.
The corrupted man watched her eat for a brief moment, stroked her multicolored mane, and locked the door behind him. Alaine knew exactly what they were doing, but she still looked forward to the brown coated man’s visits. She had to loathe him as one of the monster’s underlings, but there was no denying that he was good to her. She practically cooed on remembering how heavenly being brushed had felt.
Taking a final bite of carrot, she licked her lips at the richness. Carrots had never been a favorite of hers before, but compared to what she was usually fed, they were fast gaining her esteem. With a sigh, she returned to her stupor, burying her muzzle into the dirt floor. She was in some kind of dungeon. It seemed absurd that the old manor had had a dungeon, but knowing the sickness of her monster captors, they probably were more than happy to build one.
Her two sources of misery were so intertwined that she could hardly decide which one was the greater. Being kidnapped had trapped her in a perpetual state of anxiety, while her new mare body had drained the potency from any hope her dreams of escape had had, rendering her completely docile. After all, what was the point of escaping if she did it looking like this?
Flicking her tail in front of her, she gazed deeply into the tricolor green, red and yellow swirl. At once, those garish colors made her feel like an even greater outcast while—somehow—instilling her with a strange sense of pride. It was a girly pattern, but alone in the cell, she could almost concede to herself that she liked it.
A loud clanging shattered her idle musing.
“Hey, Pony! Wake up!” The fake-rancher said.
She lifted her head up and gazed through his leathery face.
And here comes the bad cop…
“Get your ass up, Pony, or it’ll be off to the glue factory with you!
Wordlessly, Alaine got up and followed him out of the cell. Responding to his insults usually got her whipped, so she played along as he pretended she was a mere animal. She knew exactly where they were going. Every day—sometimes multiple times a day—he would take her outside and demand she show them the special powers the green pegasus had displayed. Barring that, he wanted her to divulge secrets of ponykind that she simply didn’t have.
While she was spacing out, the man had tied a long rope around her neck in a noose. It was distressing how quickly she had gotten used to being tied up.
Did the mares I imprisoned feel the same way? Alaine wondered as she was walked out the front door of the manor.
“Come on, Little Horsey, fly! I know those wings of yours aren’t for show, so fly!”
Alaine was tempted to once more insist that she just became a pony, but her captors seemed partially convinced that she had been an alien mare masquerading as a human.
Her confidence nil, she took a running start, jumped and flapped her wings. She got five feet off the ground before plummeting and landed muzzle first into the dirt.
“Ow,” the mare squeaked, which turned into a whimper as her “master” struck her hard on the flank.
“Stop fucking around!” he barked. “You’ve got wings, so fly, Little Horsey! Fly!”
The process repeated itself as Alaine fell from a few feet in the air over and over. Although a small crowd of the man’s underlings continued to take diligent notes on her attempts at flight, the soreness of her rear testified to his disappointment with the experiment.
“What’s with these tiny things?” the man said squeezing one of the pony’s wings. He groped it, feeling the arrangement of muscles, nerves and feathers. “They shouldn’t work, but we know they do, so fly already!
Alaine’s face flushed red. She felt hot all over and involuntarily let out a high-pitched moan.
She looked up at the sky, embarrassed. For a moment she thought she saw a green blur dance among the clouds, but she was quickly jerked back to reality by a tightness around her neck.
“What’s this? Do you like that, Little Horsey?”
He stroked her wings again, eliciting another moan.
“Oh, you dirty little mare. Maybe we can find a use for you after all. It just so happens we’ve captured a stallion in Belarus. How’d you like to be breeding stock?” He slapped her rear. “You’ve got the hips for it I see.”
Alaine closed her eyes and shook her head furiously.
“Then I suggest you fly, Little Horsey.”
Beating back tears, Alaine desperately flailed into the air once more.
Taylor sprawled out contentedly as Dom’s magnificent fingers worked their way through his coat. Yes, Lynne had been right, being petted felt wonderful. He could easily fall asleep like this, but he didn’t trust the mafialing nearly enough to do so.
“More to the right,” Taylor requested airily. “And mix up the speed. It’s better when I don’t know what’s coming.”
“I can’t concentrate like this,” Dom said exasperated.
“Why’s that? Wasn’t the deal you would pet me while I stay near you to translate the book for you. I’m not too happy about playing the role
of a housecat, so you have to make it worth my while.”
Dom stopped, and Taylor’s bliss immediately dropped off.
“Come on, less griping more stroking.”
The young man shut the book decisively.
“I think I’m done. It’s hard to focus on reading. The book is terrible.”
Taylor nodded with a sympathetic smile on his muzzle. “I never promised it was a good read. I just said it had some information on ponies.”
“I’m not sure it’s worth anything,” Domenico said. “After all, besides claims of magic, it says that plain ponies like you are super strong and can pound the earth to fight.”
Taylor laughed with a hint of disappointment. “I wish… that would give me something to crow about when I’m stuck like” —he gestured towards his body—“this!”
A silence draped over them, and Dom looked away, not quite knowing what to say. Taylor put a hoof to his chin, unsure if he could leave yet. Thinking back, something struck him as odd.
“You still don’t believe in magic? Even after the mysterious self-translating book?”
“That could be just advanced technology the reads brainwaves. And I am still not sure you weren’t infected with some virus I’m immune to. I’m not about to abandon reality just yet.”
Taylor smirked. “Well you might want to rethink reality, because magic is real. Lynne witnessed it firsthand. Storm and Xavier both used magic when they escaped. Her book is even about unicorn magic.”
“I’ll have to read it sometime.”
“Good luck with that,” Taylor said. “She’s really afraid of you.”
“I noticed,” Dom said, “but can’t you convince her to lend it to me so we can read it together?”
Taylor shook his head. “One: she’s using it right now, trying to learn how to use magic. Two: I think I’ve had more than enough cuddle time with you for a lifetime.”
I’m so fucked if he figures out how much I enjoy it. As if he doesn’t have enough power over me already, Taylor thought.
“What about Xavier’s book?” Dom asked. “I’d honestly rather read a dictionary at this point.”
“Lynne told me: he’s actually embarrassed about the book he got, feels like it’s a personal insult by whoever or whatever did this.”
“Why’s that? What’s it about?”
“Not telling,” Taylor said cheekily. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.”
Dom puffed up his face in feigned anger. “I thought I told you to tell me anything they confide in you. Don’t you understand that they are just as much strangers to you as they are to me? I know we’re not friends, but we at least know where each other stands! Don’t forget that you’re safe here for only as long as I find you useful.”
Taylor had to restrain himself from laughing at this forced show of emotion. Dom probably thought himself convincing, but unbeknownst to him, Taylor had become a master at reading emotions. He didn’t know if it was the pony brain, the female brain, or both, but it felt like an honest-to-goodness superpower.
“Maybe you can try, you know, asking them. They are really nice ponies—err people. Well except for Storm.” Taylor glanced around himself before whispering, “He really creeps me out.”
Dom was irked.
At least his annoyance isn’t fake.
“If you’re not going to be helpful get off,” he said, attempting to push Taylor off the bed. However, Taylor defiantly locked his legs and pushed back. Dom steadied himself and pushed harder.
Is he not trying that hard? Because this is surprisingly easy.
Dom brought his other hand to push on Taylor, but the pony still wouldn’t budge.
I’m not that heavy, am I?
Finally Dom’s face became flushed as he exerted all his might.
Dom wasn’t a complete weakling, so Taylor had to start pushing back somewhat hard; however it was still far easier than he had anticipated.
Grinning broadly, Taylor braced his hind legs and pushed with all his might. Triumphantly, he flipped Dom on his back and pinned him to the bed.
Vict~~ooorrrrrrrry! That’s Pony: 3 Dom: 0.
“How’s it feel to be pony-handled?” Taylor gloated.
Dom had the most hilarious befuddled expression on his face. He was torn between trying to be unperturbed by looking Taylor straight in the eye and looking away embarrassedly. The latter won out to Taylor’s great amusement. He said nothing for a full minute, and Taylor soaked in every moment of his triumph.
“Well,” Dom said, “I guess your book was right about the super-strength.”
“Whatever makes you feel better, Hon,” Taylor said with glee.
Deciding to let the big, scary mafia heir sulk by himself, Taylor hopped off the bed and trotted to the den. Xavier was asleep on the couch, Storm was out on reconnaissance and Lynne was sitting on her haunches, enjoying the antique radio Dom had dug up. She was humming along to a tune Taylor recognized all-too well. It turned out that French radio stations had a surprising amount of American music played on them.
Taylor sat beside Lynne and leaned into her. Lynne returned the gesture, and Taylor soon joined her in humming. Music had never interested Taylor much, but being with her made it suddenly desirable.
Their humming gradually picked up in volume, and before he realized what was happening…
“Baby you’re a firework! Come on let your colors burst! Make ‘em go aah aah aah as you shoot across the—“
Unfortunately, Dom chose to slip back in as they were sharing the moment. Holding his ears, he rushed to turn the knob on the radio, and the dial landed on a station playing some sort of French rap. Satisfied he had silenced their singing, he turned to go into the kitchen.
However, after about a minute of listening, Lynne and Taylor locked eyes, mentally apologized to the French language and blurted out,together, “Lesus anzamble donlessons lessenzesembl label ehy luh bat boy,” trying their hardest to approximate the chorus.
Dom could only stand thirty seconds of them mangling the song with impunity before unplugging the old radio altogether.
“It’s les sous-ensembles dans les grands ensembles s’assemblent. La belle et le bad boy,” Dom corrected, stressing the last part.
“Good for you; you know French,” Taylor snarked. “Now pass the omelette du fromage.”
“Why are you singing all of a sudden, anyway?” Dom asked, exasperated.
He pointed at Taylor and said, “You, in particular shouldn’t sing ever. That was terrible.” before walking away.
Taylor deflated, hurt.
I don’t get it. It’s not like I pride myself on my singing. I know I have a bad voice—especially now—so why am I letting him get under my skin with a remark like that?
To Taylor’s surprise Lynne then gripped him in a hug. It felt great, though as soon as Taylor made eye contact with her, she shied away and muttered, “Sorry.”
“Your singing isn’t that bad,” she said a moment later. “I actually had singing lessons when I was a kid. If you’d like I can teach you some things. It’s amazing what a few tips can do; trust me.”
Her offer came as a relief to Taylor, for reasons he didn’t quite understand.
He didn’t have time to contemplate this development, as Xavier chose that moment to pull himself awake, muttering, “You can’t see I’m trying to sleep?”
“Sorry,” the two other ponies muttered.
Xavier must not have been that annoyed, though as he then approached them conspiratorially and whispered, “I’ve been thinking about Storm Chaser…”
“That’s never good,” Taylor interrupted.
Xavier ignored him and continued, “I think now that we’re all together and relatively safe here we should tell him the truth—tell him we’re not really the mares he thinks we are.”
“But, I feel bad about lying to him…” Lynne said. “And we don’t know how he’ll react.”
“I know,” Xavier said. “I can’t read him at all, but he seems pretty invested in rescuing ‘Ocean Breeze’ and ‘Warm Spirits.’ I’m afraid too, but we can’t keep this ruse up forever.”
“Thanks for including me,” Taylor said, “but I’m not sure how I can help you guys with this.”
“Simple: back us up when we say we were human before. He’ll probably turn to the last ‘real’ mare remaining once we assault his delusion. He fancies himself a chivalrous pony, so I doubt he’ll attack us. Best case scenario is he flies off for good once we tell him the truth.”
“Dom won’t like that,” Taylor said.
“That’s exactly why we’re not telling Domenico,” Xavier replied.
Taking a deep breath Lynne said, “Let’s do it. You’re right, Xavier: we can’t avoid the issue forever.”
“If it stops him from hitting on me, then I’m all in,” Taylor said with a hoof pump.
“All right, how do we want to do this?” Xavier asked.
The door crashed open.
“Foreboding tidings, everypony! I bring news of a matter most pressing.”
The three of them locked eyes in disbelief at his timing.
“Wing it I guess?” Taylor suggested nervously.
Dom stepped out of the kitchen. “Just tell me what you saw,” Dom said. “Enough of the nonsense.”
Storm’s serious expression didn’t falter as he turned to the mafia heir. “I am afraid all the hyperbole in Equestria is warranted. For you see, my Cutie Mark once more called me towards adventure, so I pursued the course. It was then that I beheld the villain from before tormenting a helpless lady, forcing her to fly tethered as if she were a diabolical kite!”
“So, in English, you found another pony?” Taylor asked.
“You mean the man with the spikes?” Lynne asked, cringing at the thought of it.
“Indeed, the very same. I would rescue her myself, but I fear the enemy’s position is heavily fortified. As loathsome as it is for me to ask this of you ladies, I must request your aid in venturing this rescue.”
As if an afterthought he turned to Dom. “And you too my good sir.”
“You want us to help with a rescue operation?” Taylor asked.
“I share his concern,” Dom said. “It would be unwise to risk exposing our position for another pony that we would struggle to house and feed.”
Nodding Taylor looked at the other mares, but they were less convinced.
Oh yeah, they’d be sympathetic. Still hard to believe they went through such trauma.
“I—I don’t know,” Lynne finally said. “I want to help her, but I’m not sure I’d be of any use.”
“I’m in,” Xavier said firmly. “I definitely want to get those bastards, but”—he glanced at Taylor and Lynne, and they nodded—“but first we have something that we need to say.”
With a sigh, Lynne began. “The truth is that we aren’t Ocean Breeze and Warm Spirits; in fact, we aren’t even ponies.”
Storm huffed. “But miladies, I hardly doubt my own eyes. The fact remains such immaculate beauty simply cannot be faked.”
He paused.
“Unless… surely you are not changeling imposters!” He took an aggressive pose for a moment. “But then why would you confess now?”
“What’s a changeling?” Taylor asked, earning a dismissing shake of the head from Xavier.
They waited for Xavier to chime in, but his silence made it clear that he’d prefer Lynne explain in her better English.
“Actually,” she began, “We used to be humans like Mr. Domenico. It was only a short while ago that we started growing pony tails, and before we knew it, we were all pony. We don’t know why this happened to us, but there’s no denying it, as strange as it is. Our only clue came in the form of books that mysteriously appeared around us.”
Storm seemed lost in thought for the longest time. Taylor rubbed his hooves together idly, Lynne lowered her head, and Xavier tried his hardest to harden his expression. Meanwhile, Dom just looked on the scene interestedly.
Elaborating, Lynne continued, “I was traveling with some friends when suddenly a blue pony tail sprouted on me. I was afraid, so I hid it. But then my ears turned into pony ears too, and a day later, I woke up as a little pony.”
Dead silence weighed heavily. Storm’s expression was inscrutable.
“I then… umm ran away because I was scared. I got captured, and—well, you know the rest.”
“I woke up a pony,” Xavier added. “My butt was itching, I fell asleep and then I was a pony.”
Two pairs of pony eyes fell on Taylor.
“Well, my story isn’t too different,” Taylor explained. “I grew the tail first and then the ears showed up a short while later. I tried removing the tail surgically to stop the progression”—Storm recoiled at this news—“but it grew back, and I guess you can see the results for yourself. The only difference seems to be I was unlucky enough to be awake for most of the changes.”
Storm scratched his chin with a hoof and turned to face the wall to think. After an eternity of tense waiting, he finally turned his back to the wall and faced them again.
“It is an unusual tale,” Storm said pensively, “but I am inclined to believe you.”
“Really? Just like that?” Taylor asked.
Dom was shaking his head in surprise. “Even I have trouble believing it, and I saw Taylor become a pony in front of my eyes.”
“Magic can effect both wonderful and sometimes incomprehensible things. And your tale falls entirely within its scope I feel. Though who or what did this to you remains a compelling question.”
“I’m sorry,” Lynne said. “Sorry for deceiving you. We were just scared, and we had no one else to turn to, so we didn’t correct your assumption of who we were.”
“I can certainly sympathize, milady,” Storm said softly. “You have been so brave thus far; I must commend you.”
“So I guess we say goodbye to each other now?” Xavier offered bluntly. “We are not Warm Spirits and Ocean Breeze, so you have no reason to stay.”
The pegasus grinned broadly.
“My dearest mares, what kind of stallion would I let such trifling matters compel me to abandon you? Whether she be high-born or commoner, the plight of a damsel in distress speaks to my very soul. I swore I would see you to safety, and that vow is blind to class or kin.”
Without warning, Storm encroached on Taylor’s personal space.
“Though we just met, the same applies to you, Dearest Taylor. Being alone in a strange land—surely your situation is no less pitiable than theirs.”
“No… really that’s okay,” Taylor stammered searching for an excuse. “Uhh… it’s not like I was kidnapped.”
He glanced at Dom.
Then again—but I don’t have to tell him that.
Storm smacked himself gently with a hoof.
“Oh, yes, there is something I forgot: I believe I owe you an apology.” He turned to Dom. “To all of you as a matter of fact. I allowed the actions of a few to prejudice me against all humans. For that you have my sincerest apology. I let my anger and indignity color my perceptions, and there is simply no excuse for my behavior.”
Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Did you notice anything?”
“No?” Lynne said.
“Apology accepted,” Dom said, shaking his head in apparent remembrance.
Was it really that easy? Taylor thought. Supposedly schizophrenics cling to their delusions with a vicegrip
“Were the circumstances different I could give your situation the full perspective and deliberation it deserves. However, at the moment my wings yearn to embrace that poor mare in peril and take her far away. Forgive my stubbornness, but I must insist we discuss this most pressing matter first. Will you ride with me, ladies and sir?”
“I said before. I will go,” Xavier said. “I want to find who did this to me and explode them.”
“Yes, that makes sense. I also think the monsters we’ve all encountered have a connection to the ponies; both showed up around the same time,” Dom said, expressing what Xavier was apparently struggling to.
“What about you, Lynne?” Taylor asked.
We’re not seriously going on a rescue mission are we? This isn’t D & D; we can’t just form a party and go on a quest scaled perfectly to our abilities. It’s sad anyone is in that situation, but I’m a three-foot tall horse. What use am I?
“I don’t know what good I’ll do…” Lynne began. “But, I want to help. And if everypony else is for it, I don’t want to be left behind…”
Taylor looked at the unicorn mare in disbelief and a tinge of betrayal. Now he would look awful for being a coward. Though not pliable to peer pressure, Taylor couldn’t afford to lose what little standing he had among this hodgepodge group.
“I say no,” Domenico cut in. “It makes no sense. It’s too big a risk for a pony that could have been anyone. If we are going to strike against this enemy, we should wait for more intel. Even in exile, I still have my sources.” He turned to Xavier. “I understand your eagerness to hit back, but the time is not right yet.”
For a moment, Storm looked contemplative, but this placid expression was quickly discarded in favor of one more in-line with his bombastic nature. It was an exaggerated pout—a manly pout if that was possible.
“Sir, surely you recognize what peril this lady is in? How can you not after witnessing it firsthand?” He asked, gesturing at Taylor. “This mare is all alone, in a body not her own and being treated like a common animal!”
“We can’t save every pony out there,” Domenico said. “Some will suffer regardless.”
“But we are in the position to do something about it in this case!” Storm proclaimed. “Do I shame myself for not being able to sweep every mare in distress off her hooves? Of course not! Everything grand is accomplished one good deed at a time. We can’t dream of a better world for everypony if we do not pay our dues when called upon.”
Domenico was unmoved. “I don’t care about grand ideals right now. I make decisions one by one. In this case, it is a bad idea. We simply don’t have the luxury of playing heroes right now.”
“I didn’t take you for the self-serving type, Domenico. Alas, I am all too familiar with your breed. Though it may be a vain effort, perhaps gazing upon her fragile visage might sway your heart.”
Storm pulled out a familiar smartphone from the knapsack at his flank and quickly navigated to the stored photos.
“Quite a fascinating device,” Storm mused.
“Hey, that’s my phone,” Taylor objected.
Dom shrugged his shoulders, explaining, “I lent it to him for reconnaissance purposes.”
On principle, Taylor knew he should probably complain more about the appropriation of his property, but he was far more interested at the scene unfolding in front of him, so he crept closer to the mafioso.
A short, tanned man had a multicolored pony tied to a rope, which he was using as a makeshift leash. She was a winged pony, like Storm, though much smaller. Taylor could see tears in her eyes, and he felt a churning of sympathy inside of himself.
No, don’t look at her. It will make it harder to say no. Dying for her won’t do her any good.
He tried to avert his eyes, but he couldn’t help but look as Storm flipped through the photos of the mare. Dom looked closely at each photo, but by his expression, they were about as persuasive to him as a political bumper sticker on the back of a minivan.
Taylor, meanwhile, couldn’t tear his eyes away as his phone flipped through a collage of photos, all depicting the mare’s suffering. They finally ended with the image of a red-tinged man picking her up with one hand.
“And that’s the end of it,” Storm said, hopeful. “Feel you any stirring in your otherwise frosty conscience?”
No chance, Taylor thought.
However, the young man’s entire body jolted back in shock. His eyes were struck with a mixture of awe and anger as he blinked to confirm what he was seeing was real.
Storm had a smug smile, knowing he’d won. “Are you the stallion I thought you are after all, Domenico?”
“Th—that’s Diego!” Dom practically shouted.
Do I know—
Taylor took another glance at the photo. How could he have missed it? The brown-coated man was the same one that had been with them the night of the shootout.
“Diego?” Storm said, puzzled.
Dom closed his eyes and sighed.
“I’ll do it—I’ll do it for Diego,” Dom said. “I have no stake in what happens to the mare, but Diego is family. I… I—if he can’t be saved, I’ll give him peace.”
“I don’t understand,” Storm said.
“Then you don’t understand the nature of the enemy,” Dom chided. He then proceeded to lecture for the next quarter hour about the unknown adversary and all of his hypotheses regarding their mind-control. Taylor nearly dozed off, having heard it all before, but Lynne and Xavier paid special attention.
“That is troubling to say the least,” Storm said after the youth had finished. My resolve remains firm, however. And whatever your motive, I am pleased to have your assistance. I assume you are with us, fairest Taylor?”
Crap!
Lynne looked at Taylor with bright eyes. Despite his attempts to avoid such, the two of them locked eyes. He jerked his head away from her gaze, but it didn’t help matters, as the other ponies gave him similar looks. He still wanted to say no.
“All right,” Taylor said, surprising even himself. It was a split-second decision he made in the instant before answering. He didn’t understand it at all, but he suddenly put great stock in the group’s judgment.
Sensing his concern, Lynne wrapped him in a half-hug, while Xavier shot him a look of macho camaraderie—or at least the closest approximation his mare muzzle could make.
I am so going to regret this. Peer Pressure: 1 Pony: 0
Shit! Shit! Shit! Giovanni thought, ducking as a hail of gunfire soared over his head.
He sprinted desperately through the corridors of the re-purposed office building. Even though he had taken the precaution of memorizing the building’s layout beforehand, he still couldn’t shake the fear that he was about to hit a dead end.
His first job had been announced only a day ago, and it looked like it would be a complete bust. The enemy had left no files around, nor any laptops he could easily swipe. The plan had been simple: d’Atlanta’s men would create a diversion in the front, while Yuki picked the lock for the two of them to sneak in. The good news had been that the enemy was far less numerous than they’d anticipated. Unfortunately, it appeared this was merely a conversion facility rather than enemy headquarters.
Giovanni tightened his gas mask just thinking about the reddening faces of the mions. Mions—the name of the enemy was the one tiny scrap of intel he had scavenged from this whole ordeal. It had been muttered by a barely coherent young woman before she had succumbed to their brainwashing. A shame—she had been so attractive too. He still felt weird about putting her out of her misery, but seeing her lose the fight for her own mind gave him more than enough justification to pull the trigger.
As he rounded a narrow corner, more bullets zipped past his back. Even with poor visibility, their aim was distressingly close to lethal. He gripped Yuki tighter. If he took his hand off her, he would be just as blind as the enemy. As much as he hated to admit it, the pegasus’s fog was the only thing keeping him alive at the moment.
They scampered out the same way they entered. They would have to hurry because Yuki’s fog was much less effective outside enclosed spaces. The mare effortlessly hovered over the barbed wire fence, while he had to climb it, with his protective clothes and gloves shielding him from harm.
As he put his right foot on top of the fence, he saw a pudgy, red-faced mion squeeze through the door. Beating him to the draw, Giovanni shot him six times to clog the door before hopping over the fence.
That should buy us some time.
Reaching the alley, they followed the plan: Yuki flew right; he ran out of the left. Their getaway car was parked a block away and Yuki would circle back to join him after hopefully drawing away some of their stupider pursuers. Fortunately, this proved largely unnecessary, as their attack had been a near rout. At this point, the main danger was preventing the whole matter from being linked back to d’Atlanta.
Certainly, the sight of a running man dressed in all black with a covered face attracted the attention of just about everyone he passed, but as long as he played it right, it wouldn’t matter. He would ditch the car at a popular local club controlled by the boss’s allies. The bouncer would lead him to a secret room where he would be able to ditch his gun and equipment and sneak out the back.
Finding the beater where he had left it, he pulled off the gas mask and tossed it to the side of the alley. Fishing his keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the car and opened the door.
“Freeze!” a cool, female voice ordered.
The police! Shit!
A beam of light struck Giovanni, and he instinctively reached for his gun. However, when he saw the officer’s face, he hesitated long enough to give her the upper hand. She was a tall, mature, chocolate blond with diminutive facial features—just the mafioso’s type. Realizing she now had him on the ropes, he dropped his gun just as she began to ask him to do so.
“Turn around,” she commanded.
He complied.
Fuck! I can’t be captured here! The enemy just has to have plants in the police. If they put the pieces together it’s only a matter of time before they sneak some of that gas into my cell and I’m spilling everything to them.
Putting his brain into overdrive, he considered every possible course of action. However, no matter how hard he tried to be creative, the least worst option seemed to be the suicidal attempt to overpower her. True, it had a small chance of working, but…
Domenico, Boss, I’m sorry for dying on you like this, he thought, priming himself to lunge for the officer’s gun. Isn’t it fitting that I’ll die how I lived—making the least worst choice?
Fog fell over the two of them and Giovanni ducked. He heard a loud clunk of hooves connecting with bone as his tormentor fell to the ground. Yuki’s wing briefly touched him, and he seized the opportunity to see through the fog, diving for the cop’s loose gun.
For a moment, the woman glimpsed Yuki and let out an audible gasp of surprise, which the pony truncated by whacking her unconscious.
“Miss me?” she asked smugly as the fog began to dissipate.
“You—you weren’t supposed to come back for another ten minutes,” Giovanni stammered.
“Duh! Of course I would come back. Why would I fly a diversion for that long with no one following me? You’ve got to be more flexible. This is what makes stiffs like you so easy to steal from—creatures of habit through and through.
Giovanni figured he owed her thanks, but their need to make an escape gave him the perfect excuse not to.
“Let’s go. We’ll talk later,” Giovanni suggested.
Yuki suddenly gave a huge smile. “Hang on there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What—“
Giovanni quickly turned away as Yuki put her mouth on the back of the fallen officer’s pants and behind to tug them down. Covering his
face, he asked, dumbstruck, “What are you doing?”
“Aha!” Yuki proclaimed. “I thought I felt me a tail.”
A tail?
Bracing himself to look, Giovanni glanced and saw Yuki pulling out a golden pony tail out of the woman’s magenta underwear.
Blushing Giovanni took stock of the situation.
“Okay, she’s turning into a pony. More data on them would be useful, but Dom has the pony factor well-accounted for by now. Besides, taking her with us is too risky. What if they track her?”
Accepting the challenge, Yuki frisked the officer with her in human cat thief speed, procuring a radio and a flip phone. Raising her hooves she smashed the pair of items as if they were his objections.
Giovanni scowled.
“We can’t just kidnap an officer. That will draw a ton of attention to our operation. We don’t want any more noses poking around the boss’s villa."
Her wide eyes seemed to shine as she pleaded. “Come on, Giovi, pleeeeeeeease? I always wanted a pony.”
“You are a pony!”
“I am?” She said in mock surprise. “Awesome!”
Feeling like he was scolding a child, Giovanni told her, “The answer is no and that’s final.”
“Well,” Yuki said, “the more time you spend arguing with me, the less time we have to make our getaway. Besides, do you want her around to testify that a pale purple pony attacked her? Think fast. The clock’s ticking…”
Dammit! She’s right!
With measured hesitation, Giovanni picked up the half-naked woman and flung her in the aging red car’s passenger seat. Yuki gave a hoof pump of victory as she perched herself on the woman’s lap and fastened the two of them in.
I know I’m going to regret this, Giovanni thought resignedly.
He shuddered as the image of twin Yukis tormenting him danced through his head. As he drove, he had to remind himself that pushing the gas pedal a little bit harder would be no help in escaping such a nightmare.
Storm alighted on the queen bed, turned in place and plopped down. Young Domenico followed him, neatly lifting the sheets at the corner to sit down. He had apparently become inured to the weirdness of sharing a bed with a pony. That, however, was a two-way street as the experience of sharing a bed with a human as a pony was a new one for him too. It was a far more pleasant arrangement than expected. The bed was large enough so that Dom could be given all the room he needed, while the pony had more than enough wiggle room. After all, Storm had always been a restless sleeper.
Uncomfortable with the silence, the pegasus tried to strike up a conversation. “Though I had hoped to appeal to a nobler part of you, I admire your conviction to save your friend. Celestia may teach us to treat everypony like family, but I also think there’s no shame in going the distance only for those closest to you. For me, I like to think of every mare as potential family. True, I can make most smile with honeyed words, but I still believe a few out there are yet destined to share their foals with me. Trouble is, there’s no telling who they may be, so I must always adhere to the civility of a gentlepony. At times, it is hard being so magnanimous, but mares are worth it—such soft and gentle creatures.”
Dom didn’t stir in the slightest and merely stared at the wall.
“Sir Domenico?”
Making a mental calculation, the young man cocked his head to face the stallion.
“Cut the crap; your shitty act isn’t fooling me anymore.”
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Oh new chapter! This has made my morning
Poor Giovanni, ponies are raining around him XD
That scenes looks good for me :)
Good to see this story continue to get updates. I love how you write all the pony characters, they really don't feel quite human (beyond the physical stuff) anymore and all of them are a little sillier than they used to be.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how Taylor's character is developing. Honestly while the narrative claims Taylor is male, the writing, reactions, and thoughts seem to be that he is borderline with a feminine voice, and I'm rather proud that you managed to convey that here. Curious what the tipping point will be for these characters, and how Taylor will grow further. He already has some of that Earth Pony strength, and having the requirement to be used as a translator battery be petting is a very amusing idea.
I wonder how oblivious Dom is here, or if he actually realizes what effect that kind of bonding is having on Taylor. Frankly, it reads like flirting. Does Taylor realize that? I think he does, and the fact he is doing it anyway... is rather telling.
It was rather surprising how quickly Alaine decided to switch genders, I have to say how this is portrayed makes me feel for her, despite how she was part of screwing over the protagonists in this group beforehoof. Then again, humans being redeemed as ponies is one of the key themes of the original material, so I heartily approve of it. It's good to see some things are progressing, though I'm curious about this cliff-hanger portion. Something has always been strange with this walking plot device who claims to be from Equestria... even if I do appreciate how he mixed things up with the other ponies.
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I honestly write this for the comments. Seeing you all enjoy it makes it worthwhile, even if it's less than popular.
Part of Alaine's acceptance is self-pity. The other part has to do with her future cutie mark. My headcanon on how those are allocated is that either the individual had an aptitude before the transformation (Loki and Crimson), or it's are based on an epiphany caused by the transformation (Julie East would be an example of the latter case). After all, it seems too cruel for Discord to hand out destinies alongside new forms.
What's that? You've dedicated your life to the art of sumo? Too bad, you're now a muffin-obsessed pegasus
.
It may seem a bit obvious to explain this, but I want to stress she controls the cutie mark, not the other way around. I've probably given it away by now, though
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Small correction:
I think that section is meant to be expressed in italics, for thoughts? It's presented as normal narration, in the middle of a third person segment.
*edit*
Have I mentioned how much I love the interactions between everyone? Especially the singing parts, and Taylor being very sad that he can't do it properly.
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Always appreciated. That error I blame on gdocs for forcing me to put in the italics manually.
I liked the original best when it took a moment to breathe and explore the smaller implications of the changes. Wanting more inspired me to write my own.
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Now that you mention it... I am surprise that this fic is not more popular. For sure it is better that several that I have seen even in portrait.
Well I suppose that this is another proof of that popularity does not implies quality nor viceversa.
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For whatever reason, this story tanked in the ratings when I first released it. I woke up to 3 likes-2 dislikes on the first morning and it fell to 4 and 9 over the next few days. I released the first chapter in isolation, so perhaps it was a weak beginning, or maybe I make some obnoxious rookie mistake. When I released chapter 2, it started breaking even in the ratings, so maybe it got better.
I think it was smart for fimfiction to go to the system where it hides initial ratings, because I think I got written off because of the initial ratings. Of course, a large factor is that this is a niche story by nature of being a spin-off.
Entirely self-serving/self-promotion:
If you can think of any more groups this fic would fit in, feel free to add it. I'm sure I'm missing some.
7412928 I thought that this fic would get more watches because it is an spin off of a popular fic... Well people is kinda unpredictable.
And sorry, but I dont know any group... In fact I am not sure how groups work xD
God I love this story.
Uh...
Well Storm might be lying about some things, such as his motivations for following those two particular mares, but I don't think he's being entirely insincere... he knows things only a native Equestrian could possibly know, so either his mind is Equestrian, or he's from Equestria. I hope this turns out to be Dom claiming that Storm is hiding his reasons for following those mares, not Dom claiming that Storm is a human transformed into a pony living out a fantasy.
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Thanks for the comment. I wish I could address you without spoiling. Hopefully I can drum up the next installment soon
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Oh, please do ignore any and all speculation I make. I'm just saying it to throw it out there
so I can totally take credit for guessing what your secret plans were.