Bloom Filter

by ferret

Back to School

Citizens of Canterlot! You may have become aware of some strange occurrences happening in our fair city. You may have heard the legends, seen strange stories on the news, or encountered someone who has been afflicted with this bizarre phenomenon. I want to caution you all that leading scientific experts have agreed this is not an illness, and is not in any way contagious. It appears to be completely random in who it chooses to affect. We are not sure how many people will be afflicted, so it is my duty to inform you all of the situation, and what should be done if you have been so afflicted, or know someone who has.

Things were getting mighty interesting around Sweet Apple Acres. The trickle of ponies coming in showed no signs of abating. Twilight’s prediction was all too unfortunately accurate. Before the month was out, 12 ponies had shown up at the Acres, and there wasn’t a day that went by now where someone’s car didn’t come driving down the road delivering one more spooked foal. Playtime was a distant memory, as Apple Bloom suddenly had her hands full, or hooves full, with teaching more new ponies how to be ponies.

Never in my entire career or all my life have I seen or heard of anything this bizarre and miraculous. I honestly could have lived a thousand lifetimes, without even once suspecting that something like this has occurred. It’s shaken me to see, and it will shake you to hear, but it is important that you know what our city is facing, so that you can be prepared, should it happen to you, or those you love. I would like to emphasize that if you are not one of the afflicted, then continue about your lives as much as possible. There is nothing at this point that any of you need to do, other than live normally, and keep your eyes and ears peeled for any of the signs of concern.

Apple Bloom had a lot of help, though. Cheerilee, the first adult pony they’d ever seen, was every bit as mature as Apple Bloom wanted to be. Cheerilee mastered talking even faster than Noi, not so much from intensive studying, but because she’d already worked on it with Scootaloo so much. She had the idea of big “Simon says” games, where every pony had to copy your movements as you pranced about for them up on an impromptu stage.

Her daughter was hard working too, probably more than Scootaloo had ever been. She seemed driven in her desire to help make ponies feel better about themselves, and get used to their situation. As she was the only one who could fly, she was certainly the number one expert on wings. She and her mom tried their best to teach all the foals who turned out to be pegasi all about preening and staying healthy. Slowly with the help of the ponies she helped, Apple Bloom found she wasn’t in high demand anymore, and that suited her just fine.

I wish I could say all our lives will remain the same, but I’m afraid it may affect a lot of us, in days to come. All I ask is that you remain strong, and show firm solidarity for your fellow citizens, who may need your help in these troubled times. If you have any relatives in the city, it would be good to get in touch with them. At the current time, our city is under a temporary quarantine, in the event that this could indeed spread beyond our community into the world at large, so please do not try to leave the city limits. The world is counting on you, to keep them safe, and keep yourselves as safe as you can.

The second to change into an adult pony had been unexpected, but no one was surprised because unexpected seemed to be the new norm. It wasn’t a local, but someone who immigrated all the way from Scandinavia, Aloe by name. She had a twin sister, with matching palette even, who weirdly enough remained as human as ever. Aloe wasn’t nearly upset with her transformation, seeming tickled pink that she had simple little hooves now, instead of fingers. Apparantly a massage artist has to worry about stuff like arthritis pretty early on in life, or something. Whatever her reasons, Aloe quickly became Applejack’s favorite pony. Twice as heavy as any foal, Aloe was still a third of her original weight, which let her outright walk on the farm girl’s anxiety and work knotted muscles.

You may be wondering what terrible disease or disastrous plague I am referring to. Is it some terrible ailment, that destroys all in its grips? Are we all doomed to be bedridden and suffering? Why would I quarantine the city, if it wasn’t some terrible affliction that strikes fear into the hearts of the bravest man? Or is it something spooookier?

Elias wasn’t the only boy gone girl now, thankfully. He or... she had seemed really lost in that. Elias had no one who could really sympathize with her, but when the fry cook named Red Jim showed up, just looking so lost as a filly, Elias was quick to... um...

Okay, fine Elias was shy as all get-out, but Sweetie managed to arrange it so the two ended up helping each other a lot, on account of they were both men, and both fillies, and... both unicorns, oddly enough. Then when the mechanic named Fuzz came by, becoming a filly had only made that one downright bouncy with exhuberance. The three former males quickly got to be pretty good friends, and it looked like they were going to be alright at least for now.

ahem...at any rate, fear not, fellow citizens. What I am about to show you may come as a shock, but while it could be an astonishing change to your life, what we face is a strange, but entirely painless and somehow whimsical phenomenon. Let me ask you, citizens of Canterlot. Have you ever wanted to be a pony?

When the mayor gave his speech, before every journalist and newscaster the city could produce, a blown up photograph of Apple Bloom was rolled down behind him, with Apple Bloom’s permission of course. It wasn’t something she was real comfortable with, but they said it was only for reference so people would know what to expect, and Apple Bloom knew that was kind of important. Besides, she’d always wanted to be a mascot before!

...she’d basically never wanted to be a mascot before.

Early last October, the girl known as Apple Bloom transformed overnight into a strange and magical creature, an animal in appearance, but with all her memories intact, a sharp intellect, and capabilities even she has not yet fully understood. For reasons unknown to leading scientific experts, this has been occurring to more people, more frequently as time goes on. If it happens to you, you can expect some difficulty in walking, and speaking seems to be difficult for the first month or so. You should experience no loss of memory, or consciousness, and no pain in the transformation itself. You could, of course, get your tail caught in a door. ;)

The food situation was stable for now, but a new pony was coming in every other day practically. Truly the mayor’s speech was cutting it close, before whatever this was blew up into a citywide crisis. Harder was getting new ponies ready, and used to eating hay. Apple Bloom did her best, but mostly what she was doing was trying to show other ponies how to help. The ones who were already walking around and talking, they still had that insecurity, like they didn’t have a right to judge what a pony’s supposed to be, and Apple Bloom was somehow privvy to that knowledge. She didn’t have to teach them, so much as show them how little she knew, and they could improvise from there. Unsurprisingly, the earth ponies seemed to be the best at improvising, since they had to make do with nothing other than being a strange pony.

It seems to have its full effect over a 24 hour period, after which you will for all intents and purposes be a very humanlike pony, much like the one shown here. Some of you may additionally get a possibly magical horn, like that of a unicorn, or a pair of wings likening to the Pegasus of Greek legend. Do not be alarmed if these things appear.

Sweetie Belle was a lot happier now that there was other unicorns around. Eli Doolots in particular, for all his/her problems really helped Sweetie find some common ground that other non-unicorns couldn’t share. Neither of them could use their horns, of course, but they could share their experiences with them, with each other. Red Jim seemed less inclined to even admit that she had a horn, so Sweetie didn’t push her too hard.

Twilight Sparkle also had a semi-private conversation with Sweetie, after which the little white unicorn seemed less intent on spending all her time on horn lessons. Sweetie was still interested in the concept, but the pressure was off her shoulders somehow. Not that any other pony could take up the slack, but something between Sweetie and Twilight had relieved Sweetie. Apple Bloom really had to find out about what the skinny on that was.

If it does happen to you, please contact your friends and family to inform them of what is happening, then find some way to get yourself over to the following address, just south of the city. We have concentrated the city’s resources there, to assist those affected with recovery as much as possible. If you cannot get there on your own power, you should call 9-1-1, and an emergency response vehicle will be able to assist you in transportation. At this time, we ask that only people becoming ponies, or their immediate relations travel to Sweet Apple Acres, as we want to help people get through this crisis and back to their normal lives as smoothly as possible.

Scootaloo remained the only pegasus who could fly, but Cotton Cloudy’s wings were almost all grown in, and Scootaloo had briefed her closely on how to get them to work right. According to Sunset Shimmer, earth ponies were the majority of ponykind, with almost half of all ponies being the sort that Apple Bloom was. From the ponies left over, over half were to be pegasi. Unicorns, the rarest of all, were only 1 in 5 ponies.

Not that Apple Bloom could really figure what an advantage was to being a unicorn, if your horn don’t even work. The numbers among ponies they saw seemed to add up that way so far. Sweetie, Elias and Red as unicorns were skewing it by 1. But the ponies so far were definitely mostly earth ponies, with Scootaloo, Cotton Cloudy, Chirpy, and Cheery as pegasi. And a whole buncha earth ponies.

There should not be much disturbance to your daily lives at this time, but you may begin seeing people among you who have transformed. Please treat these people with respect and dignity. Life is going to be very strange for a while, but until we have taken care of this pony crisis, I have faith that the good citizens of our fair city can remain together, and work with each other in harmony, regardles of whether some of us look a little different than we were before.

Little chance of that happening, but for the ponies watching clustered about the old television set in the living room watching the mayor give his speech, they took whatever comfort they could get.

All seventeen and counting ponies had gathered around the television set to catch the speech. Cheerilee and Aloe were in the back, on account of their size. Apple Bloom was in front, on account of it was her mug going up there on TV again. Really it could have been any of them on that banner, but Apple Bloom just didn’t want to put someone else through that kind of worry. She was trying to psyche herself up to be braver, anyway, so it worked out right in her head.

“There will be a question and answer period afterwards, but for now I would like to direct your attention to the (ahem) esteemed researcher known as Twilight Sparkle...” the mayor on TV stated, singing Twilight’s praises and passing the mic off to her, where Twilight proceeded to give a very similar speech to the one she gave the fillies earlier. Of those gathered around the TV, Sweetie Belle exclaimed disapprovingly, “What gives? They didn’t even mention Sunset Shimmer! She did all that research stuff too.”

“Guess it was easier to just have one speaker?” Apple Bloom said over her shoulder to Sweetie, ignoring the TV Twilight for now.

Sweetie seemed mollified by that, remarking to Apple Bloom, “I can’t believe they’re actually doing it. They’re telling everyone.”

“Couldn’t be helped,” Apple Bloom shrugged. Some other quiet conversation was popping up, as the others lost interest in Twilight’s familiar speech. Some here were still listening closely, perhaps to check if she changed her story this time around? Apple Bloom was kind of tired of it though. Scootaloo had already completely wandered off to go do something else.

“You know, we cain probably go back to school pretty soon,” Apple Bloom added with unhappy concession to the white unicorn. “Since everyone knows and all, and we’re as good at being ponies as we’ll ever be.”

“Well, we’ll probably get a little better at being ponies,” Sweetie noted. “We’re growing fillies, after all!”

Apple Bloom laughed nervously, “Heh heh, yeah...”

After a moment, Sweetie said quietly, “You don’t have to do that, just for me.”

Apple Bloom waved her hooves before her, saying, “Oh, no, no ah want to go back to school, Sweetie. I just... uh...”

Apple Bloom glanced away from Sweetie’s unbelieving look, saying, “Okay, so ah don’t want to go back to school. I know ah’m just a big ol’ uneducatered hick, but ah wanna see you do good.”

Sweetie kept eying Apple Bloom, saying, “Well... neither of us should do good, since we already missed a lot of months of classes.”

“Still though, ah bet you could catch up,” Apple Bloom insisted, nosing encouragingly at Sweetie’s shoulder...elbow. “An’ y’wanna get back to your friends and all.”

Sweetie responded by hugging around Apple Bloom’s head, murmuring, “I have my friends right here,” with a happy smile.

Her smile faltered as she admitted, “But yeah, I wanna get back. I just... you never know, it might be fun! I haven’t even seen the school as a pony!”

“It’s big,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “Not sure what else there’s to say about it.”

“I’ve been following along with my classes,” Sweetie confessed, adding less eagerly, “...sorta. It’s hard to study stuff when you don’t even know what they lectured on.”

“Ah like studying stuff ah want to know,” Apple Bloom said with a little pout. “But yeah, probably should study what’s on th’ curriculum or some such...”

---

Study, she did, and it didn’t make Apple Bloom feel one bit more ready to return to school. But Apple Bloom was determined to do it, for sake of Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Well, maybe only Sweetie Belle. And maybe Apple Bloom was doing it for herself, a bit. Just a tiny titch. Apple Bloom really felt bad about all the school she was missing. The last thing she wanted to be is just one more uneducated backwoods redneck, stuck living out in farm country because she ain’t even bothered to learn how to count to 10. But more than anything else, her brother and sister...

Applejack and Big Mac had taken so much out of themselves just to take care of her when Apple Bloom needed it. Just to keep her company when she was all alone. They wanted her to get better so much, and even if she weren’t human again, even if they couldn’t make up for their lost classes, Apple Bloom could still show them just how much better she could get.

So that’s why she was going back to school. Today, not tomorrow, and without any hesitation or reluctance. She was doing it. She was gonna make it happen. Just as soon as Apple Bloom could figure out what to wear.

“Maybe ah could be a bit more incognito, if’n I wore shades,” Apple Bloom pondered, trying without much luck to balance the relatively giant sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.

“You’re a pony, Apple Bloom,” Applejack told her, with a sigh. “Ah don’t think incognito is somethin’ that’s gonna be happenin’.”

She and Apple Bloom stood on twos and fours respectively, in Apple Bloom’s room. Applejack was leaning on the wall, all ready to go to school, and Apple Bloom had totally not been stalling at all. She wasn’t collecting every possible article of clothing she could possibly wear in order to try it on. Bonnets that didn’t fit, kerchiefs, hats, 3 different sunglasses, even a snorkel got thrown in there. Nothing seemed right though. Nothing screamed, “Ah’m Apple Bloom. Now stop lookin’ at me.”

“Why don’t ya just wear that pink bow’a yours?” Applejack asked impatiently. “That’s good enough, right?”

“It don’t cover mah privates, Applejack!” Apple Bloom harumphed at her.

“Well, it’s all you been wearing most every day!” Applejack said contrarily, folding her arms.

“Ah only did that because none of the other pony people got no clothing,” Apple Bloom said grumpily. She didn’t add because it makes you all hot and sweaty to wear clothing, any time you had to go indoors.

“Well, how about some shorts, then?” Applejack offered, holding up what looked to be a pair of boy’s boxers.

Apple Bloom glared at them, grumbling, “Sure ah’ll just add a pair of galoshes, and then I’ll fit right in!”

“We don’t have time for this, Apple Bloom,” Applejack pleaded. “We’re gonna be late!”

“Okay, hold on just—” Apple Bloom tossed another dress over her rump, looking at it. “Just tell them that ah’m a pony and it just takes a long time for a pony to get mahself dressed!”

“Apple Bloom...” Applejack warned disapprovingly.

“What? It’s the truth!” Apple Bloom protested, not sure if she should go with the pink ribbon or the cinnamon ribbon.

“That’s it,” Applejack grumped, sweeping up Apple Bloom right off her hooves, making her lose track of all her potential articles of clothing!

“Applejack, put me down!” Apple Bloom protested, hooves hooking over the girl’s shoulder as Applejack hoisted off the little pony right out of her room and down the stairs.

“That’s enough from you!” Applejack shot back, “No more stallin’ either you’re goin’ or you ain’t!”

“But ah ain’t even et breakfast!” Apple Bloom whimpered with teary eyes.

“There’s hay in the truck bed,” Applejack grumbled in response.

“Ah have to sit in the back of the truck?!” Apple Bloom squealed, struggling weakly against her sister’s firm grip.

“You can eat it when you get there. Now come on, let’s go!” Applejack said, walking right out the house, since she already even had her boots on, and jogged through the dark night to the green truck, depositing a pouting Apple Bloom inside its cab. Apple Bloom slunk across the truck’s cushions, and just sat down facing away from her sister, curling her tail around her rear. Instead of getting in the truck right away, Applejack ran back to let Granny know they were ready, and when the two of them returned, Applejack had something else with her.

“Here ya go,” Applejack said, throwing Apple Bloom’s green sun dress on top of her, along with her signature pink bow, and a sort of couple of book bags, rigged to hang on either side of her, the book bags Apple Bloom had packed last night. Apple Bloom gathered those up, heart warring between grateful, anxious and resentful as Granny got in one end, and Applejack on the other. The truck technically didn’t have 3 seats in the cab, but Apple Bloom wasn’t very big, so she fit in the center half-seat just fine. Nevertheless, she relented and climbed into the narrow back seat, in order to have some room to dress herself.

Apple Bloom would have been more upset, but it was her own darn fault really. She knew how hurried they had to be to get to school on time. She remembered the cold breakfasts, having to leave the house before the sun came up, and all she had been doing this morning was stalling like crazy for time. No, she wasn’t mad, but instead she started getting scared. Just the thought of everyone walking around that school, that she hadn’t even seen in months, who would all look at her coldly, and blame her for putting them all in danger. Even the rumbling of the truck scared her, as it traveled to new, unfamiliar territory, taking her places Apple Bloom hadn’t been since way back in November.

She tried not to cry, she really did, but her whimpering got the attention of the people in front, and Applejack turned over her shoulder saying, “What’s wrong, sis?”

“Ah’m scared, Applejack!” Apple Bloom said trembling there on the back seat, with nothing to protect her from the world other than a pink bow and a green dress.

“Listen sugarcube, you don’t have to do this,” Applejack told her seriously. “If you ain’t ready, you ain’t ready. You should be with your friends, not tryin’ to do this all alone!”

“No!” Apple Bloom said, firming her lip. “It’s probably fine, but if it ain’t, ah ain’t gonna let Sweetie and Scootaloo get hurt too! Ah just wanna try it out, see how people react. I-it’ll be okay, and then they can come too. But now ah gotta do this without ‘em.

“Just because ah’m scared don’t mean I don’t wanna do it!” Apple Bloom pleaded to her sister.

“Fine,” Applejack said with a sigh, turning to face forward again. “But you come cryin’ to me, the moment anything goes wrong, you hear?”

“A-ah will,” Apple Bloom said meekly, sitting her haunches down. “It’s just n-nerves, Applejack. Ah’m fine ah just... get upset easier on account of the whole... being 9 thing.”

“You better act your age,” Granny warned, not able to turn around since she was doing the driving. “Don’t get yer head in a kerfluffle if’n you cain’t stand on yer own like some big ol’ grown pony. Ah’m always at the cafeteria if’n you need me.”

Applejack nodded grimly, saying, “Ah’m honestly worried more about the principal mahself, than the whole student body combined. There’s school legends of the times when she’s gotten upset. Runnin’ out on her like that, then missing days to set up the pony refuge, an’ she couldn’t even get the truth from me. She had to watch it on the news, find out ah been basically lyin’ to her the whole time.”

“You had to do it, sis,” Apple Bloom said, resisting the urge to rear up on the seat and nuzzle her sister’s hair, on account of Apple Bloom was already unstable enough without the ability to put on a seat belt. It was with good reason Granny was taking her good sweet time to get to the school. Apple Bloom just said hopefully, “The police even said you did, an’ they know all about stopping a panic. Ah’m sure the principal will understand.”

“Hope you’re right, Apple Bloom,” Applejack mumbled.

“Course ah’m right!” Apple Bloom said smugly, sniffling and wiping her eyes dry. “If she gives you any lip, she’ll have to go through me, first!

“Just like...” Apple Bloom gulped, “Everyone at school.”

They drove on silently for a while. “Ain’t used to havin’ an escort,” Granny stated, looking uneasily at the cop car that was patiently tailing them. “Should just be precautionary, but it don’t ‘sactly fill me with confidence.”

“You remember what to do if anythin’ goes wrong, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked worriedly, turning to look at her sister again.

“Yeah, run and find mahself officer Linky,” Apple Bloom repeated. “I get t’take one class, and then he’s gonna gimme a ride back to the farm. Just a nice an’ easy slow reintroduction to schooling.”

“Ah’m sure you cain do more later,” Applejack said with a sad smile. “You’re just a few months behind... you’ll be back in the swing of things before you know it.”

“Take a miracle for any of us to graduate at this point,” Apple Bloom said glumly. “But it’s just one year, right? We can always retake any classes we didn’t pass.”

“Now that’s what ah like to hear,” Granny said with a proud smile at the road in front of her. “You should listen to yer sister, Applejack. One year ain’t a drop in the bucket compared to yer whole life.”

“Especially if—” Apple Bloom cut off. She was trying to take Twilight’s advice not to alarm them by saying she was gonna live to be older than an oak tree. Good golly, Granny was righter than she knew. Suddenly, falling behind in school seemed to take on a different perspective, when Apple Bloom took what she learned from Twilight into consideration. Even if she didn’t live longer than everyone else, because they all changed into ponies too, a year just... didn’t make as much a difference, not as much as it did when you only had 7 human years to grow up.

“Especially if what, Apple Bloom?” her sister remarked. Well, crap.

“Especially if everyone changes into ponies,” Apple Bloom said, trying to think how to say it without lying, “It’ll be totally crazy, yeah, heh heh. We’ll all be catchin’ up then. Heh.”

Applejack eyeballed her, but turned forward again, and didn’t press for information. The school was fast approaching, and she and Apple Bloom had a date with destiny. Or at least a meeting with the school principal.

---

“I must say I’m disappointed you didn’t come forward to me sooner about this, Applejack,” the ice cream haired principal said, in that indecipherably melodious voice of hers. Apple Bloom had only heard that voice from loudspeakers before. She hadn’t visited the principal’s office yet, since she wasn’t a troublemaker, or at least she didn’t used to be. But this pony thing was trouble overall, and before she could be allowed back to school, Apple Bloom had to talk to... the principal. She, and Applejack for some reason.

Apple Bloom didn’t know Principal Celestia’s reasons for dragging Applejack along too, but she was grateful to have her big sister to stand with her, just in case something went wrong. Apple Bloom did know that she really wished she had thought to sit up on the chair, though. From down here on the floor, she couldn’t see a darn thing over that desk! So instead, she just sat there on her belly, on the floor, trying to distract herself from the gravity of the situation by gazing at the horseshoe styled trim on the bottom of the principal’s desk.

“Ah’m sorry, principal, ma’am, I just—” Applejack managed to get out, before Celestia interrupted, waving a very slightly pink hand, saying,

“Oh, no I’m not disappointed in you. I’m disappointed that I could not have been a more approachable student administrator. I wasn’t doing my job correctly, and when something truly life changing like this occurred, we didn’t have that pre-established trust that students and administrators should share.”

“Ah was gonna tell ya!” Applejack protested, “But well, y’know... an’ the police got involved, and ah didn’t mean no disrespect, principal ma’am.”

“No disrespect taken, Applejack,” the principal said, and Apple Bloom really wished she could see Celestia’s facial expression right now, because she was at a loss whether the principal sounded angry or not. “You have gone above and beyond your duty as a student, and a sister,” Celestia continued, “I can’t promise to have the solution to your academic issues, but I want you to know you have my full support.”

Apple Bloom’s ears went down at “academic issues.” Applejack tried to hide it from her, but Apple Bloom knew both she and Big Mac were... struggling.

“You have my support, and Apple Bloom as well,” the principal said in a respectful tone, “Who has finally returned to us. That is... I’m fairly sure she’s down there.”

“No jokes about me being little!” Apple Bloom squealed irritably. Then she blushed hotly, and said, “Ah mean—no offense uh, mister principal... ma’am! I didn’t meanta uh... yes ah’m still here, principal... ma’am.”

A moment to mourn Apple Bloom’s dying dignity, and she mumbled, “Ah’ll just climb up on the chair...” and did so. Well, more like hopped up on the chair. Its seat was almost higher than her eye level, but Apple Bloom could jump higher than herself, so it was easier to just hop up instead of the tedious process of rearing up and pulling herself up hoof by hoof. Apple Bloom turned in a circle, and sat on her side in the seat, looking at the principal silently, while the principal’s calculating, discerning eyes bored into her, reminding Apple Bloom of why she’d been hiding on the floor in the first place.

“That dress is adorable!” Celestia exclaimed, half standing up from her desk to look at Apple Bloom with a twinke in her violet eyes. Wait wha— “Do all the ponies have clothing?” the principal asked Apple Bloom. “It looks just like it was made to fit you!”

“I... ah... uh... yyyeah?” Apple Bloom replied, lifting a hoof nervously.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Celestia said, composing herself and settling back into her seat.

“No, no it’s fine ma’am,” Apple Bloom chirped hastily. “Not all the ponies got clothes... it’s a real problem actually. A few of us do though.”

“A friend of mine been workin’ with one of Apple Bloom’s friends to stitch up some dresses for the ponies,” Applejack put in. “She’s a real gem of a fashionist I tell ya, for all ah’m a judge of those things. It ain’t exactly been high priority though. Mostly we’re plum busy just tryin’ to keep everybody fed and safe... and sane.”

“I see...” the principal said enigmatically. “Well, I won’t keep you two any longer. I just wanted to have a look at the new pony student, and make sure everything’s alright.” She turned to Apple Bloom and said, “I want you to know, miss Apple Bloom, that I am on your side. If anyone gives you any trouble, please do tell me about it, or a faculty member, and I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe in my school.”

“Ah dunno that it’s dangerous exactly,” Apple Bloom remarked bravely, “Ain’t no secret ah’m really a girl, not really a pony. It’s just an ir-rat-ional fear ah gotta deal with.”

“Nevertheless,” Celestia said seriously, pulling some papers out of a desk drawer, “I’d at least like to make sure you have a permission slip explaining the situation.”

“Oh, right...” Apple Bloom said, blushing in embarassment. “That’d be real helpful.”

First period was approaching quickly. Apple Bloom wasn’t ready for it, but she had to be, because it was coming up fast. She wasn’t gonna try anything fancy at first. Just attend a class, see how it goes. She kept close to Applejack’s legs, but together they went out in the hall, already filling up with students milling for class. Bracing herself, Apple Bloom attracted absolutely no attention at all.

Wait, what?

Apple Bloom walked along the hall, her four legs moving quickly next to her sister’s long stride, looking left and right at the students walking the hallway, all massively towering tall humans beside gargantuan lockers and huge doors, and all not paying attention to her, or... calculatingly looking the other way? Call her crazy, but Apple Bloom was pretty sure that the capacity for human denial was not that strong.

“I’m sorry, miss,” an orange haired hall monitor said, getting in Applejack’s way and looking down at Apple Bloom. “Unless this is a guide dog, you’ll have to leash it outside.”

For one frozen second, Apple Bloom stared up at the hall monitor in astonishment, finally stomping a hoof and exclaiming in outrage,

“Ah’m wearing a dress!”

Oops. A few heads turned her way, and the hall monitor’s mouth dropped open. Apple Bloom bumped up against her sister again, curling her tail around herself wondering why she had to go and be such a loudmouth. “I... ah... uh...” she said waveringly.

“It’s one of those ponies!” whispered a student to her right. Apple Bloom turned to follow her ear, and now a lot more heads were turned her way. This was what she was afraid of, why Sweetie and Scootaloo couldn’t be here. The urgently whispered word “pony” was dancing from student to student now, as a crowd started to form, staring at her. She thought of what she was going to say to them, but nothing sounded right anymore in her head. She was drawing a blank on what to do. She—Applejack stepped over her, standing in front of Apple Bloom, putting her between Applejack and the lockers.

“This is mah, sister,” Applejack said, remembering her lines at least. “She’s a student here, attendin’ a class, and if’n any you got a problem with that, you can talk to th’ principal.” With that, Applejack knelt down and started going into Apple Bloom’s bags, ignoring everyone else for the moment.

Apple Bloom was so scared they’d attack Applejack and take her away, and get her, but... all that happened was that one of the ones staring at her, a dusty haired boy said, in a light tenor,

“Are... you real?”

Apple Bloom just couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for him, for all of them really. It was hard to stay scared when you knew they were just as scared of you as you were. “Ah’m just a normal student,” she spoke in a clear voice, to him since she didn’t want to think about everyone else listening, “Attending a class. Y’all saw the big announcement. Ain’t nothing wrong with me. Ah’m just a pony.”

“B-big announcement?!” the hall monitor meanwhile stuttered in narrow pupilled shock, “What a-announcement? W-what are you?!”

Apple Bloom couldn’t believe this! “Don’t nobody watch the news?!” she exclaimed in a wounded tone.

“I do!” some girl exclaimed, followed by a few others saying the same thing, and one guy saying, “I heard it from my friend!” and the hall monitor saying,

“So, wait, this... is normal?”

“Ah didn’t want to make a big deal of it,” grumbled Applejack, standing up and showing a slightly ruffled permission slip for the monitor.

In the meantime, Apple Bloom announced, “Ah’m perfectly fine!” to the ring of students keeping a cautious distance from her, “An’ ah’m not contagious, so you don’t gotta keep your distance! Just go on to class, an’ please don’t mind me.”

A mousy blue haired girl asked, with a hand upraised, “...can I pet you?”

“Uh, sure ah guess?” Apple Bloom said, uncertainly but it seemed harmless enough.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack immediately shouted disapprovingly, down to her.

“What?” Apple Bloom protested, albeit with hoof lifted and a powerful desire not to face her sister head-on. “Why shouldn’t ah get petted?”

“You ain’t really a...” Applejack trailed off and grimaced, trying to come up with the words. “Apple Bloom, do ya really think—” but it was too late, and about three pairs of hands had descended on Apple Bloom’s mane and dress. Students clustered around her, but instead of being alarmed or frightened, they just seemed amazed with her, and somehow in some small way, they seemed relieved?

Everybody wanted to touch her, to see if she was real, but both Applejack and the much more amenable hall monitor muscled them off, when first period bell rang. Apple Bloom was in a bit of shock as she got to her classroom door. Why wasn’t she scareder? She’d been so terrified in coming here, but she just couldn’t explain how she felt now. People actually... kinda liked that she was a pony? There weren’t any yelling people in her face, or people trying to kidnap her, or call animal control (who had been very thoroughly informed of the situation at hand). When people noticed her, it wasn’t a horrible feeling of being on the spot that Apple Bloom felt, but like she was helping them somehow, just for being there, and being what she was.

So with one more nervous glance up at Applejack, who really needed to get to her first class, Apple Bloom trotted right past a number of shocked students, her hooves clipclopping on the floor of the suddenly silent classroom. She got one of her bags open with a hoof, but then stuck her nose in and carefully bit down on the edge of that important slip of paper, holding it up for the teacher to read. Mr. Lightning didn’t seem to notice she had done so though, staring down at her fixedly from under those curly blue locks of his.

“Ah’m Apple Bloom,” she said to him, trying to sound confident. The permission slip fluttered to the floor. Cursing her forgetfulness, Apple Bloom bent down and bit a corner of it, craning her neck up to set the permission slip on his desk. “Ah was supposed to be attending this... class,” she said, “But ah kinda got waylaid for a while, on account of how ah look like... this. You saw the news, right? But they said ah cain come back to school, s-so here ah am, just... seeing if it works, testing it out, heh heh...”

When the teacher didn’t look at the slip, Apple Bloom urged him, “Th’ principal gave me that there thing, said ah could attend!” and finally he followed her hoof to the slip, and looked at it.

“You’re Apple Bloom?” he said, in kind of a lost tone, looking at her again.

“Uh, yessir,” Apple Bloom said, looking uneasily at the rest of the class.

At that point a blue girl with a shock of brown hair shouted out, “She’s fine! I saw it on the news. It’s just some crazy thing happening to people or something.”

“I—I don’t see any problem with it. Please have a seat, miss... Apple Bloom,” the teacher told her. “You’ve been... absent, but you should have the same seat.”

Well, it was the same seat, for what that’s worth, but Apple Bloom couldn’t sit in it the same way anymore. Fortunately, she could sit in it even easier, since her legs weren’t hanging off the edge, but there wasn’t a hole to stick her tail through, and her dress caught on the support bar of the attached desk on the way up. But she managed, somehow.

Still, given the teacher’s reaction, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but think that maybe she should have waited a few more days, just to make sure everyone was well informed of what was going on before she even set hoof in school. But there weren’t no clearer way to inform them than her actually being there. Nobody, not even the poor, beleagured police department wanted to stand before the principal of Canterlot High, and tell her that a girl transformed into a magic horse, and the principal isn’t allowed to see her in person yet, but she still has to inform the whole faculty that it’s the unvarnished truth. So instead Apple Bloom was here, proving herself with herself. Just one class, then nobody would be able to deny it, or freak out over it, since it was already something they seen with their own eyes.

The class could have gone better. Apple Bloom was completely and totally lost on the subject matter. The teacher was talking about triangle equivalencies or something, except whatever that meant had been covered in a past class, so Apple Bloom pretty much had to just stare at triangles that sort of looked similar, but having no idea how to calculate it. She hoped they’d be doing that opposite/adjacent angle thing today, which she had studied, but it wasn’t to be.

She had didn’t think it was turning out too bad, but even this one little class was stressing her out. Apple Bloom felt so alone and tiny, and wanted to find her sister again, or somebody who didn’t sit so far away from her and look at her in worry and fear. She couldn’t hardly concentrate on the lesson, just thinking how big the classroom was, and how the door was closed, and there might have been something outside lurking around to get her. It was just a really unfamiliar place to be in, which was stupid since she’d been in this classroom before, just not... like... this.

It didn’t help that Apple Bloom remained the center of attention. Students just couldn’t stop looking at her, and her nerves were starting to catch up to her. Even the teacher ended up accidentally drawing a pony out of triangles as he tried to illustrate his... math thing on the chalkboard. It was hard to say anyone got much learning out of that lesson, but what Apple Bloom did get out of it was that she could do it. She could attend a class! With her mouthwriting, she could take notes, from the papers she got out of her saddlebags. Sure it wasn’t stuff she knew, but just writing down “3/4/5 triangle,” Apple Bloom hoped she could look up what that meant when she had a moment of her own.

After the bell rang, Apple Bloom barely made it out of her seat, when she found herself accosted by the students in her class. She was biting on her notebook to slide it into the bag strapped around her barrel over that green dress, when suddenly kids! In her face! Not antagonistically, but again approaching her, and... staring at her, and along the lines of, some blue girl asking her,

“Are you really a pony? What’s it like?”

and then a yellow fellow all interested with,

“Can you do math as good as you did before? How are you smart when horses are dumb?”

They were staring at her directly in the eye more than the students in the hall, expecting her to quickly reply. Apple Bloom realized she was backing up, when her rump hit a table leg. She was getting kind of nervous at their looming figures and eager faces, the faces of strangers. “Now hold on, just a—ah don’t know if—a-ah...” she tried to respond, but getting startled like this had her heart in her throat already, and they wouldn’t leave her alone!

No, it was fine. They were just asking questions. They would leave her alone. It was fine.

She faced the blue girl and said, “You get hooves,”, then turned to the yellow one and said, “Yes, and I dunno,” and to the rest of them, “Please y’all, ah just wanna go home now. I ain’t up for m–more questins.”

They didn’t look like they were going to listen, though! Apple Bloom had to make tracks, before they realized they could just get her, and there’d be nothing she could do about it. They were gonna get her! Watching them warily, she hastily trotted out of the classroom into the hall, and turned forward right into a face full of reporters.

Author's Note:

Comments

[Chrome Masquerade]

“Please y’all, ah just wanna go home now. I ain’t up for m–more questins.”

They didn’t look like they were going to listen, though! Apple Bloom had to make tracks, before they realized they could just get her, and there’d be nothing she could do about it. They were gonna get her! Watching them warily, she hastily trotted out of the classroom into the hall, and turned forward right into a face full of reporters.

a little travelling music?

[ferret]

7517303

Now where did I put my bongo drums...

[AATC Fanboy]

Well, I haven't been blown away by the police. That's a start. I just hope I can manage not to get smothered by ravenous fans and curious and well meaning but oblivious scientists. It's times like this I wish we weren't orphans. Wish mom and dad were alive. They could allow me ease into this so much better.

You know those other two I keep commenting on? Their names don't suit them at all at this point. They both need a new one. If they both keep going by their old ones, people will ask questions that will quickly become tedious. What would suit them? What might their new names be if they changed theirs? They took the news better than I would have thought. In fact, rather than going suicide by it, they seemed ecstatic by it.

You know, these characters are lucky to still have their homes and families rather than being stripped of even that, too. Back before that other universe I mentioned many times existed, there was another group of stories that predates even that one, and its premise was similar to this one. There are three stories in that continuity, and all three use original characters as their focal points. The premise is the Earth has been subjected to strange phenomena involving strange astronomical activity, namely a strange satellite that appeared from seemingly nowhere, and a big hole somehow punched in the sky next to it. At first, everyone on Earth thinks someone must have planted it there, even though this is beyond human capabilities. They suspect it will have harmful effects, but all tests trying to tie earthly events to it turn up negative. A year later, everyone has settled and returned to life business as usual, no ill or extraordinary effects. Then the following day after the whole year has passed, people find themselves mutated all over the world in a totally random manner. Age, sex, race, nationality, geographical location, health, illness, personal preferences, religion, and so fourth have no obvious impact on anything, and do nothing to forecast who gets it next. You know the drill: They emerge one morning in the bodies of alien horses with no knowledge of how it happened or what to do about it. No one has vanished, and they have to go about their lives as best they can. Some of the affected are fanboys with original characters they created, and they will often take the form of them when affected, but this does not influence whether they get it or not. Others know somebody who is, and they made one to represent their friends, relatives and neighbors, and they get shifted. Others just get equinised whether they have a tie in to the show or not. Some get something that somewhat resembles them, some get something completely foreign and strange to them, all of them get made into horses. One consistent thing is most people do not get affected, and those who have are therefore deemed freaks by most. Still, more people will occasionally turn up as one of them after the initial experience, which keeps those untouched on their toes, knowing they might not have toes the next day. The first two stories have the characters suffer slight memory loss, but remain mostly alright. The third one avoids this altogether. None of them have been completed or updated lately. You know which ones I mean, right?

[raven618]

Reporters, one of the seven greatest evils created buy man.

on a side note, were are Dinky and Diamond?

[ferret]

7517378
Nope, you lost me, sorry. I think Apple Bloom's name is just fine.

7518056
Oh, they're very busy.

[raven618]

7520688

[AATC Fanboy]

7520688 I was more specifically referring to the supports. I meant those two who initially went filly. The original characters who got rendered in childlike forms. If indeed the idea is they are taking on their Equestrian equivalents, then their old names don't suit them. I highly doubt the names they are using now is what they are known as across the dimensional divide.

Also, I said they took the news of being regressed awfully well. In fact, they seemed excited. Did their minds take a tumble? Is the whole world just an illusion that has been extremely persistent, and is now just coming down for good? In canon, the human world is very real, no question about it. This seems to imply it was all a dream from which they are all now waking up from. Like Oz. Did they all get split in two and are now becoming whole again? Are the originals being snuffed out of existence? If so, this is damned horrifying. This would mean countless ponies are in for a terrible fate worse than death, to no fault of the humans, who are spared a horrible end. If they share the same head as separate entities, that would fly.

[ferret]

7521238

I meant those two who initially went filly.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?

But no, I think you mean the two men who went filly. Which would be Elias and Red Jim. It's true their old names certainly do not suit their appearance. Well, technically three, though the one known as Fuzz was only mentioned in passing.

I said they took the news of being regressed awfully well. In fact, they seemed excited. Did their minds take a tumble?

Bursting into tears, screaming at Twilight Sparkle and running upstairs to angrily sob on your bed is not what I'd call awfully well. But the only one who's really excited about it is Noi, and the reason is she had a repressed childhood. Elias is just glad she isn't being compelled to act hyperfeminine. Sweetie and Scootaloo are... oddly unconcerned. And I haven't had a chance to describe any other foal's reaction.

But as odd as their reactions may seem, I can confidently assure you that if by "take a tumble" you mean their transformation forced them to feel comfortable with it, then no, their minds did not take a tumble.

[AATC Fanboy]

I think you got what I mean. refer to previous comment.

"This news will kill them."
On the contrary, it comforted them both. One of which is glad as she had a less than stellar childhood and has a second chance at it, albeit in a different shape. The other to a lesser scale, the same thing. The joys of prepubescence revisited, save their general body shape. Outside the CMC, the rest are pretty much extras with no substantial character. I like these two. Original characters steal the show when they capture my attention while playing alongside canon and crossover chars. Those two aren't extras like the other originals. Of course, having clear recollection of adulthood and having it stripped away is not typically pleasant in stories like this, and they both initially reacted as you'd expect. Once the situation was explained, save the fact who gets turned is totally random, they both relaxed, and even rejoiced. Spike, Sunny and Twi don't know it all; they can only make educated guesses at this point, but they know enough to take most of the mystery away. They cannot however explain why any one person gets it before another. There is no why in that matter, much like the other stories where earthlings are mutated with no given cause. As I said, most of them are left incomplete, and never give a real explanation for it. This one has given a lead, that being their own doppelgangers. Others have them being shifted according to desires, or which type of Equestrian would suit them best. Some have the affected being reincarnations of old ponies. Most still are indifferent to what best suits the character like PAP, and make it a dice roll. No lead given whatever. This holds up by giving us some lead into what type or appearance they will get, like the 5-4, TD Powell, and so on do. It's not like LOPE and PB, which give no clue whatever past the cover. In the latter two, you're in for a nasty shock, no matter how late you come into the game. In this and the former two, there is some way to forecast what will happen if you get it after the event starts, and prepare for it.

[Reese]

"Or is it something spooookier?"
...Possibly not quite the seriousness befitting a message of this nature, but I imagine that the mayor (?) has been under quite a bit of stress just recently.

...Yeah, I'm guessing either the mayor likes being cool (or possibly kool) to draw in the young voters or he's not being having the best time when he has to make the kind-of-reassuring-but-not-really statement that, don't worry, it's not contagious, it's random, and could strike anyone at any time, and there's no defense. So that's what's been happening with those many, many missing people, and all the police cars rushing about, and no doubt the many rumors, and the quarantine of the city which may be just as ineffective as quarantines within the city and the mayor is pretty sure that someone in EQG!Washington is wondering whether a regrettable but judicious use of instant sunrise on Canterlot might be the only way to keep the country from collapsing and why did this have to happen during his term?
But humor can be a good stress reliever. :)

"Some of you may additionally get a possibly magical horn, like that of a unicorn, or a pair of wings likening to the Pegasus of Greek legend. Do not be alarmed if these things appear."
"Oh, I'll run for mayor! I'll kiss babies, I'll cut ribbons, fix up the park, and finally get that pothole fixed. Probably some boring but important zoning reform. Not have to ask citizens not to be alarmed if they suddenly grow magical horse horns! Moment this is over, if we're still here, I swear, I'm calling in that favor from greasing the wheels for Jim getting his liquor license."

"Unicorns the rarest of all"
"Unicorns, the"?

"singing Twilight’s praises"
...Huh. Unless he included "a magical unicorn princess from another world", what could he say? Twilight doesn't exactly have a paper trail of academic achievements here.

"Some here were still listening closely, maybe if she changed her story?"
That works as dialect, probably, but if you like it better, "maybe in case she"?

"had already completly wandered"
"completely"?

"wanted to be is just one"
"be was just"?

"backwoods redness, stuck"
"redneck"?

"No more stallin’ either you’re"
"stallin', either"?

"We’ll all be ketching up then"
"catching"?

[ferret]

8305630

Possibly not quite the seriousness befitting a message of this nature

Are you insinuating something about the mayor's giant rainbow clown wig?

Anyway thanks for typoes, and for reading.