Chapter1: May23
Mandatory Motherhood
By DargonDarkFire
Chapter 1
Today is May 22. It’s an average day in my life here in Gillette, Wyoming. My boss yelled at me for things out of my control. So, a pretty normal occurrence for me.
What’s new is that I picked up a digital voice recorder that is able to hook up to my laptop. A friend suggested keeping an audio journal, since I can’t afford to see a therapist; that it would be therapeutic and allow me to vent. I’m taking their advice and this is my first entry, though we’ll see how well it actually goes. Archiving my working conditions day after day may just highlight my misery, rather than help alleviate it.
So! Lets not talk about work. Instead, let’s talk about something I haven't spoken of to anyone, since they would think I’m crazy. For months now I’ve had these weird feelings while watching the night sky and today, they were even stronger. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it has something to do with the Lunar Calendar? It’s hard to tell. I’ve always had these weird sensations that no one outside my family experiences, that I know of at least. It’s something I've inherited from my mother’s side of the family. It doesn’t have any meaning that I can figure—just jittery feelings around old locations, antique objects and lately with increasing strength, the night sky.
Sometimes, I believe imagine I caused something to shift slightly, or made water ripple without touching it. Hey, it’s fun to dream, right? If you don’t have dreams, life gets boring really fast.
Well, my friends are expecting me to join in an online raid, so I guess I’ll continue this tomorrow.
I-I’m sorry it took me a while to record any entries these last few days. There have been some… changes.
I think it’s best if I start from the beginning of this mess—the day after my first entry.
On May 23, I woke up much earlier than usual. I’m not sure what caused me to wake up so early, but I immediately realized I was baking under the covers. I ended up jerking awake and threw my covers off in one smooth motion. Afterwards I just laid there, panting from the ‘sleep and bake oven’ that was my bed. Without the covers blocking the cool air, I was able to relax and calm down.
I turned to my alarm clock while blinking to get the sleep from my eyes and saw it was 8:12 AM. I hadn’t been up this early in a long time and yet I felt too awake to go back to sleep. I huffed in frustration at my toasty wake up call, before trying to wiggle myself to the edge of the bed. That was when I noticed I couldn’t feel my hands. My arms weren’t sore, so I just wrote it off as pinching them under my head while I slept.
I learned two important things from pushing myself off the bed: the first was that the floor was a little further down than I remember it being. The second was like my hands, I couldn't feel my feet. I immediately lost my balance and tumbled to the floor, my flailing arms managing to catch the bed on the way down, so I landed on my side rather than my face.
Of course, as I landed, I gave a most manly shout.
Okay, fine, I cried out in shock like a little girl. Are you happy? Perhaps I should have been worried, or at least been curious as to why my voice sounded so high-pitched, but at the time, something else had my attention: my hair. I never let my hair grow longer than an inch, yet it was now long enough to cover my face and then some, but that wasn’t the most striking thing about it!
“What the fudge?!” My hair had turned ruby red and bright orange. I suppose it’s rather telling that my immediate thought was my dad had snuck into my room and put a wig on me. I thought he might have glued it onto my head while I slept, but the lack of a pillow glued to my head disproved that idea. I patted the hair out of my eyes expecting to see him standing in the doorway with a big goofy grin. What I did see was that I had parted my hair with two furry white stubs.
“What the frag?” I stared in shock at my arm; my furry, snow white arm that was missing a hand and had a hard white stub at the end. I-I can’t say that I, reacted very well to this. I screamed for a few minutes before my screaming dissolved into a fit of hacking coughs.
After recovering, I realized no one in the house came to investigate the screaming.
“Mom?” My voice sounded way off, but at the time, I was more focused on trying to discover how this was a practical joke, hoping my parents were somehow in on this.
No reply came.
“Dad?” Still no reply. For the first time, I began to worry for someone other than myself. I tried to push myself back onto my feet only to face plant into my mattress. A second attempt lead back to the floor and while it wasn’t painful, it was humiliating.
So what was the problem? Probably the different shape of my body. My (white, everything is white) feet apparently end in hooves and my arms and my legs no longer appear designed to support bipedal motion. And oh yeah, I had a tail.
I have a tail.
I would have thought it was a vivid dream, but the pain from falling out of bed killed that thought before it could fully form.
Since I seemed to be having trouble standing properly, I decided to revert back to my childhood and used all my limbs as legs. I can’t say it felt anything like crawling on my hands and knees when I was a toddler. I became quite intimate with my bed as I face-planted from several false starts.
After failing to even match a toddler’s mobility, I settled on dragging myself across the floor of my bedroom and into the hallway using my now blunt forelegs. Inspecting my back legs revealed that my knees are now backwards, except they didn’t feel like my knees; they felt something closer to what my ankles felt like, except it was much higher up on the leg. It felt so weird. It feels weird, even now. My legs, all of them, move in directions and angles they never could. I was never this limber before, not even as a child.
The hallway gave me more room to practice… as well as fall down. It took a bit, but eventually, I got my brain to stop consciously thinking of human leg movement of alternating between one pair of legs, and instead began alternating between moving both pairs. It was like alternating the L1 and R2 and L2 and R1 buttons on my game controller—okay, I only came to this idea after trying to walk like a human led me into a forward hop as I tripped over my own hooves trying to reach my parent’s room, which caused me to face-plant into one of my father’s work boots. I would not wish that smell on my worst enemy. I then learned my next error as I tried to lift both my right legs at the same time.
Eventually, I regained the ability to walk; it was slow and wobbly, but it allowed me to check the house for clues. The guest room and my parents’ rooms were empty, yet the bed in my parents’ room looked slept in. It wasn’t unmade, but looked as if my parents had managed to slip out of the bed without moving the covers. Further inspection of the house brought forth even more puzzling things to light: the check I wrote my mother to help with the bills was still sitting out on the table. I had to prop myself up onto the table, but it was definitely my name on top of the check—Chris Novas. I sighed at the fact she left it out on the table. Again.
I managed to open her writing desk and used my mouth (ick) to pick up the letter and slide it into her tax book. I would've preferred to use my hooves over my mouth, if only they could grip things. Even now, I haven’t found an alternative to using my mouth to pick up things. Is this what I have to look forward to from now on? Using my mouth like a dog to interact with the world?
After I finished looking around the house, I found no evidence that they had physically left: the door was still locked, my mother’s purse was still in her favorite chair, and their car keys were still where they left them. It’s as if they just vanished. I entertained the thought that they woke up like me and left the house to go get help. That an ambulance would probably be here to get me any minute. Unless this is widespread. Then they might be overloaded with emergencies and can’t just come and pick me up.
After mulling over it a bit I decided I would just walk to the hospital; I know the roads well enough and it’s only about a mile and a half away. I considered how long it would normally take me. Then I considered how long it might actually take me in this new body, and I facepalmed. Or rather I facehoofed, which actually hurt a lot. While I wasn’t that good at it yet, hoofing it across town would be excellent practice.
Before I started my trek, I needed something to eat. I found a turkey sandwich in the fridge, but rejected it as the meat smelled horrible! I figured It must have spoiled so just I tossed it into the trash. I didn’t want rotten food stinking the house up, so I tied the bag shut and put a new one into the can. Looking back, I’m not really sure how I pulled that off. It was certainly uncomfortable when I carried it to the dumpster using my mouth,
I ended up eating half a head of lettuce and the two remaining tomatoes in the vegetable drawer with the sliced watermelon for dessert. The tomatoes and lettuce actually tasted surprisingly good, but the watermelon was like chewing on water flooded shredded cabbage. My parents love watermelon, but why do they always get such nasty ones?
It took me a few tries, but I managed to pull my bag down with my wallet, ID and keys from its hanger in my room. I learned something new after I managed to get the bag on and tighten it to fit my new body: I am now thin. Whatever changed me took away a lot of my body fat. Did the transformation require a lot of energy and consumed it all? If so does that mean anyone who was healthier or just skinnier than me needed emergency medical attention after they transformed? I needed to get to the hospital and find out what was going on.
Trying to turn the doorknobs to get out of the apartment complex was a pain, the handles were wobbly and I couldn’t get a grip with my hooves very well. Several times I seemed to almost be able to grab something with them, but only when I wasn’t paying attention. As soon as I noticed, I lost whatever grip they had and—
Sorry, I’m rambling. Back to the door knobs. I refused to use my mouth. So many people touch them every day that the thought sent shivers through me. I came up with a simple solution fairly fast though. I got a small hand-towel from the bathroom and used it to apply friction to the knobs, letting me twist them with my arms and opened the door.
Unfortunately, I was forced to use my mouth to lock the door with my key, which I can still taste the sharp, bitter bite of copper even now when I think about it. Bleh.
Once outside, I realized something the silent dimly lit house kept from me. Everything now looked so clear and sharp, like I was looking at an HD photograph. I could also hear the wind blowing through the leaves in the nearby trees, this came with a new sensation to my ears, they were moving to home in on the sounds around me.
I scanned the nearby area from the streets and flowerbeds to the playground and porches. I didn’t see anyone around, the one townhouse across the street was still missing its garage door with a truck sitting half way inside half taken apart. Despite my curiosity to start inspecting people’s homes to see if anyone was around, I decided that the hospital was my first priority and made my way uneasily with my newly learned method of locomotion to my goal.
No one was around my home. Usually I don’t hear much, sometimes I hear kids around the block screaming or playing. Sometimes fireworks go off, assuming they weren’t gunshots. This time, there were no sounds of people at all. I tried to walk on grass where I could in case I fell down; that way I wouldn’t scrape myself on the concrete.
As I made my way down several blocks, I was admittedly getting worried. There was no activity. I should have at least seen cars traveling down the streets, but there was nothing. I saw dogs in their yards. As I walked by the fences they just watched me. Well, except for an Alaskan Malamute. I saw them in the park once when I went jogging and talked to them a bit. I do remember the dog being a she and that she loved kids, but nothing else. Oh, and she’s also taller than most Malamutes get. I think I’m a little bigger than a Golden Retriever, but she dwarfs me!
I wasn’t sure what the dog was going to do since I wasn’t human anymore, but she just gave a bark and whined. I didn’t know what was troubling her but I was able to scratch her behind the ears with my hoof which settled her down. I was able to see her tag which read “Amore” just before she started licking me leaving the fur on my face smeared with dog kisses.
I gave her a smile while wiping the slobber off, which smeared it onto my arms. “Nice to see you again Amore, but I need to get to the hospital and figure out what’s going on. You be a good girl and I’ll try to stop by on my way home and check on you, alright?” I wasn’t really expecting her to respond, but then she barked and nodded her head. Maybe? I could have just been imagining it.
If I wasn’t worried before, I certainly was now. I had reached Douglas Highway: It ran through the middle of town and was the most heavily traveled street in Razor City. They call Gillette a city although there is no razor blade factory here, which tourists commonly think when they hear that joke name. I’m ranting again, sorry! The street from end to end was empty. Not a single car anywhere.
That was not a good sign. My head ran through images of the hospital being flooded with people, transformed and not, crowding in demanding medical attention.
I admit I did chuckle at the thought of tidal waves of humans and changed humans flowing in and around the hospital like an ocean current. Most of the drivers in town don’t obey the speed limit. With the roads being so dead I didn’t want to risk becoming road kill to some hot shot going ninety plus miles an hour down the empty street. While it would have been an almost welcome sight, in the end I crossed the street without incident.
Nothing much happened by the time I reached downtown. I passed my old middle school. I shuddered at the memory of my time there, still fresh even after all these years.
As I walked down the street, I grew more confident in my ability to walk. Something caught my eye as I walked by a furniture store: a mirror. I realized I was in such a rush so far that I hadn’t had an opportunity to get a look at myself until that moment. I’m so much smaller now, and I’m indeed thinner, but all that was just background noise compared to the horn sticking out of my forehead.
For the record, here is the new me: I am apparently a snow white unicorn with a mane of ruby red and bright orange. In addition to my brightly colored hair, my eyes are a golden amber and enormous compared to the rest of my head. As I took it all in my eyes went wide, I’m not a human anymore, I’m a freaky little unicorn horse thing! My panic only increased as my ears began to twitch from my anxiety. I pressed my new hooves against them to keep them still gritting my teeth. Oh and my teeth, they are so big and flat now! I have a muzzle too! My body is just so—so alien!
I hardly noticed my ragged breathing as I lifted my hooves off of my ears and moved it towards my eye. Maybe I was shoved into some weird biosuit like in one of those crazy sci fi movies? I couldn’t keep my hoof from shaking however and jabbed myself in the eye. By the maker that hurt like the dickens! I guess I should thank the pain however because it caused me to settle down enough to take a look at myself again.
I stared at the mirror taking in my appearance again. I turned around a few times as I looked myself over and noted how cute I look. I think my first coherent thought was “I’m not supposed to be cute!” I cut my thoughts off quickly and started marching myself back down the road to the hospital while chanting, “I‘m not cute. I‘m not cute. I‘m not cute.“ I felt my tail start swishing about from my agitation only causing ire to increase further.
As I continued my trek to the hospital every emotion I had drained away leaving an eerie feeling with a big helping of worry.
I felt very unsteady going up the steep hill. However it would take a lot longer to go around the hill. It was almost 11 AM when I entered the front doors of the hospital, at least that’s what the clock above the security station read. The automatic door opening and closing freely like they had thousands of times before. There was no one, everything was deserted. I saw cups of coffee sitting at desks clipboards hanging off counters. Not a soul to be seen. “I… I’m alone…”
I guess my worst fears had come true. I was alone, in a town with over thirty thousand people I was suddenly alone. I-I just broke down right then and there on the floor and bawled my eyes out. I bawled for my parents vanishing, for being left behind wherever they went. I cried as ideas of what might have happened rolled through my head. Aliens? Government abductions? Ancient deity spiriting them all away even. All I knew is that I was alone and that I got left behind somehow.
I’m not ashamed to cry. In fact, it’s very therapeutic… Sometimes you have to cry, you know? I hated how my father always demanded I ‘Toughen up, men don’t cry’. He is so wrong! Crying relieves stress, it lets others know you're in pain, it lets them know you have a heart, It’s kind of like a window into the soul.
When I stopped bawling my eyes out on the floor and whimpering on the floor I pulled myself to my feet... Er, hooves? I wiped away my tears before I heard a growl. It shocked me at first till I heard it again and realized it was my stomach. Well if I’m the only one here, then I don’t think anyone will mind if I help myself to the cafeteria.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the cafeteria was fully stocked, albeit for breakfast. It was depressing to think about, but I shrugged and decided to have a buffet. The sausages smelled rancid; either that or my new body finds them unappealing. Considering how everything has smelled different since I woke up as a small horse pony, I can’t be sure. I had no desire to test if I could stomach eating meat when it smelled like that.
I found I couldn’t just grab a tray with my hooves, so I ended up using my mouth to carry it. I really wanted the scrambled eggs, but I didn’t want to risk food poisoning with eggs that have been sitting out for probably seven hours or so. I settled for a heaping plate of pancakes from the covered tray, with lots of oranges and grapes, and after that was gone I stuffed myself with Jello.
As I lay back in a chair, yes, I found I can still sit like I used to, it’s not super comfy, but I can do it. I thought, I’m alone everyone’s gone? No, if I was left behind, someone else must have as well, and if not then maybe I can find some evidence as to what happened. With renewed vigor I got onto my hooves and began my search at the guard station. The power is running, so that means security cameras, and security cameras means footage!
Checking the security booth from before, I quickly went to work. Quickly, as in I ended up using my mouth to punch in keys, flip knobs and push buttons with a pen. Yeah... “fast”. I probably spent a good twenty minutes getting the system worked out before opening up the footage covering places with high traffic or nurse stations.
It didn’t take long to find what I wanted. I couldn’t help but gawk as I watched a nurse station with five nurses chatting instantly become vacant. I don’t mean they walked away or ran away. Just that one second they were there, the next they were gone. I rewound it several times before figuring out the slow play controls and I was confused at what I saw. It was like a field of white with little white lightning bolts washed over the screen, followed by a field of black and pink? And then they were gone…
Everyone had just vanished; was this the Rapture? Something else? I slouched in the chair and sighed for a bit before I turned away and looked over the rest of the monitors with a frown. Whatever happened to everyone was almost instantaneous, they didn’t leave, they just vanished. I hopped out of the chair, deciding just sitting here was pointless. There might have been someone left behind and I was going to search.
Searching around the desks I found several ID cards and slipped them into my bag. There's no epic tale to my search of this empty hospital because there was no one to be found. OK that’s not true. I started on the first floor, then went to the top, before going down floor by floor. I was ready to give up but--
On the second floor I started to hear crying. At first I thought it was a lady crying but as I followed the wailing in the empty halls I noticed it sounded much younger. A little girl perhaps? Oh I was wrong, oh so very, very wrong.
I’d arrived at the newborn nursery, I thought a girl was hiding in there but when I looked through the window the breath caught in my throat. There lying in a crib was a baby… foal? Yeah, I think that’s what baby horses are called. She looked up at me from her pink blanket with her huge eyes and stopped crying.
I found myself moving automatically digging out those key cards, running each one I had found through the reader. I’m not sure how I did it as I didn’t use my mouth. Eventually, one of them unlocked the door and I opened it in a hurry. It’s kind of fuzzy how I did it because the door was no longer on it’s hinges and up against the wall opposite of its doorway. From there it didn’t take long to get into the nursery and find the crib.
She watched me with those deep eyes while making the cutest baby noises as I approached. I have no clue how long she’s been awake but she looked really hungry. I pulled myself up to her and she immediately latched her little arms around my face, I couldn't help but smile as I pulled her out of the crib and set her and her blanket on the floor. I.. I’m not sure why but I started licking her! Seriously! I began to lick her face and behind her ears causing her to giggle. I stopped when I realized what I was doing and facehoofed, which truly does hurt by the way.
“Do you know where everyone is? Do you know where your mama is?” I don’t know why I asked a baby this, she just tilted her head looking and me and began to cry as her belly growled in her hunger. I frowned, not at her but at the thought that a child was left starving here. I definitely wasn’t going to let her starve.
“You wait right there while I find you something yummy alright?” Looking around the nursery, I knew there had to be milk or formula in here somewhere! Spotting a small fridge, I opened it up to find several bottles of what was listed to be donated breast milk, I read the instruction and was about to warm it up, but she had a different idea. I felt something latch onto something on my stomach and began to suck on me furiously with a desperate need for nourishment I could not provide.
Looking under me I saw this little foal sucking on one of 2 small mounds I didn’t notice I had before. Small mounds? With a sudden jolt of fear, I lifted my hind leg for a better view and proceeded to pass out from what I saw.
I woke up a few minutes later on my side, the filly had switched nipp... No ‘teats‘, she had switched teats and was looking a little irritated at the lack of milk that I wouldn’t release, my ‘teats’ were also starting to look sore from all her sucking. It was kind of cute that she wouldn’t give up but I rather not have her suck the flesh off me trying to get something I don’t have. Luckily the bottle had fallen under me, lucky except for the cramp I had in my side now, but the milk was now a little bit warm.
Getting her attention, she gave me a grumpy look. I’m not sure how someone this young can give a grumpy look let alone know how to be grumpy yet, but I digress. I pushed the bottle up to her lips and at first she wouldn’t drink, but I guess she must have smelled the milk because it didn’t take long before she bit down on the bottle’s teat and began suckling. I sighed with relief pulling another bottle out to warm up, I doubted she’s going to be full from one bottle with how hard she was trying to suck my teats off.
The change is not as hard to think about now as it was then, but it still hurts. I thought I was just turned into a cute little unicorn, but whatever changed me decided that wasn’t enough and turned me into a female! Yep, I’m now 100% pure female. I cried for a while again, not too long this time, but… who wouldn’t cry after having their gender stolen? Maybe it was stupid to cry over? But hey I’m a guy. I was a guy.
Anyways she did indeed drink the entirety of the second bottle. I knew what was next, I had taken a child care course as a junior in high school so I knew that babies needed to be burped. But did a baby horse need to be burped? I walked over a grabbed a nearby blanket from the counter putting over my shoulder. She didn't mind me picking her up although I was worried I might hurt her with my hands, er hooves, but I picked her up just fine then patted her back. She let out the cutest little burp before giggling which just brought a smile to my face.
No one was around, so her parents must have vanished as well. I set her down and made my way over to her crib to inspect the clipboard attached to it, but before I reached it I heard a clip clopping sound other than my own. I turned around and saw the little foal following me, walking! Almost as good as me, though that’s not saying much considering I only had several hours practice so far. I shook my head at the proof that I’m barely better than a literal newborn, and read the clipboard.
Name: Starla Litman
Date of Birth: May 1, 2015
Race: Caucasian, Asian.
Parents: Darek Litman (Father), Sakura Litman (Mother)
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
I looked at the foal waving her hoof while playing with my tail. She didn’t fit the written description anymore. She had a pale white coat similar to mine, making me wonder if all unicorns had white coats. Her mane and tail were a pale golden yellow with light blue highlights. Her eyes were still green, but were a much deeper green than I’ve ever seen a person have, more like a glistening emerald. I glanced at the sheet once more and noted she was in perfect health.
Wait. If she’s in perfect health, why is she still in the hospital? I felt a sudden pull on my tail; the foal was yanking it around with her mouth. She wasn’t hurting me and it kept her occupied so I didn’t stop her. I would regret the slobber later on, but I had a more pressing question on my mind. I carefully flipped through the additional pages on the clipboard.
Mother Sakura Litman: Currently in long term recovery. While giving birth, she suffered a rip in her birthing canal and began to bleed profusely. The bleeding was brought under control in time and she should make a full recovery provided no additional complications.
Father Darek Litman is currently out of country on a business trip to South Africa
There was my answer. Her father was out of the country when everyone disappeared, and every single room where her mother could be recovering was empty. Starla is all alone in this world, just like me. I set the clipboard aside before pulling her up to my chest and held her close. She wiggled for a bit trying to get back to my tail, but she eventually stopped and cuddled herself into my chest making a soft cooing sound.
I was looking for survivors, and I found one. I wasn’t expecting it to be a baby. I looked down at her and nodded my head. It’s my turn to help someone for a change. “I won’t leave a defenceless child to fend for herself, so you’re coming with me. How does that sound Starla?” She giggles, then scrunches her face up for a moment before looking very relieved. Before I realized what just happened the smell educated me.
Have you ever changed a diaper before? If you're listening to my journal and saying yes, I highly doubt you have done it with your mouth! I tried using my hooves, really tried, but there were a few folds and such that were simply beyond my ability to do without the fine manipulation of hands. My beautiful, so very much useful at everything and underappreciated hands. As such, I couldn’t avoid having to stick my nose near ground zero. By the maker, that smell! My new body has a much stronger sense of smell overall, but this was truly overwhelming! Luckily I didn’t have to search far for the supplies I needed to change a diaper. The nursery had a changing station set up that was fully stocked and ready to go, though I had to drag a stool over so I could reach the top of the table.
I was lucky not to get any of it on me and the wet wipes stuck to my hoof which made things much easier. That would have been a pain to clean out of my new fur, or mouth, or nose.
She seemed really happy to be clean and walked several circles around me before nuzzling my chest. So I—
I’ll be back in a minute. I’m coming, I’m coming. Please don’t cry!
Ok, Starla has gone back to sleep, so sorry about that. It seems I can barely go an hour before she wakes up for some reason or another. Frankly I’m surprised I lasted this long making this entry before being interrupted. If it wasn’t obvious, she is still with me. Sometimes I wonder if I am really ready to handle something like this. Sure, I’ve babysat a few of my cousins, and kept watch over a few little kids my mother watched, but none of them were this young, and all of them were human. I know Starla is technically a human in the same way I am was, but I’d be surprised if she considered herself such in the future, since she’ll never remember it, and certainly doesn’t act like it now. Back to several days ago though:
I had another disquieting ‘I’m not a human anymore’ moment. She was so adorable nuzzling my chest that I couldn’t stop myself from copying the action to the top of her head. I know I’m human, but this little foal: She has no clue what she is, doesn’t know she used to be a human, and won't understand what it was like to be one. I sighed looking down at her to find her biting on her hoof. Well, it’s like dealing with a human baby and an animal baby mixed together. That’s actually kinda cute, you know?
With the cute and mushy stuff over with I realized that since I resolved to take care of Starla that I was in a bit of a pickle. I now had to take care of a baby, but I had none of the things needed to do that at home. On top of that, everyone was gone, so it’s not like I could ask for advice!
I always had Plans in place for things like this such as wars, the eventual zombie apocalypse, and even dealing with aliens. I had looked around town looking for buildings and homes that could be fortified easy and quickly for defense. The thing is, waking up alone as an alien micro-horse thing while having to care for another baby alien micro-horse thing is just not something I had considered before. It’s very inconvenient. I no longer had hands or feet and I was short. I couldn’t carry things easily and I couldn’t reach the pedals of a car!
As I stood there pondering I felt something on my back causing me to turn my head to see what was on me. I discovered then that with my longer and more flexible neck I could turn my head almost all the way behind me, so that’s another kind of freaky. To my shock and bemusement, while I was distracted Starla had somehow scaled my body and perched herself on my back! I moved a bit and to my surprise she seemed to stay in place without shifting at all. I guess I could carry stuff without using my mouth after all. I just had to delve deeper into embracing my new role as a miniature draft horse. “Hold on tight ok?” I guess it’s redundant to tell her that since she has no hands, but oh well.
I remembered seeing a few things I could use around the hospital, and since I doubt anyone else would need them I gathered a bit for my our needs. It would have taken me all day going back and forth across town while trying to keep a baby in check, but I had an idea that worked out rather well. I found a couple of those canes with the four feet at the bottom on a service dolly when I was struck with brilliance. I gathered some duct tape from a utility closet, and the keys to one of the hospital cargo trucks under the sun visor just like in films. I taped the canes onto the pedals (using duct tape without hands was an adventure, but doable if messy). I was able to use my mouth and one hoof to turn the wheel, though since it was hard to turn I had to go rather slow. I managed to drive us back to the apartment just fine, though I was distracted a bit by Starla bouncing around the cabin.
From the hospital I ended up looting borrowing five diaper trash bags, over forty boxes of different sized diapers, a bunch of formula mix, and using some coolers and ice I found, I took what breast milk that was still in recommended use by date. I don’t know if Starla will drink it all before it goes bad due to a lack of preservatives. When we got back home she was hungry, but before I could prepare a bottle she went to town on my new teats again. It’s a weird sensation but hardly discomforting so I let her suckle in vain for about ten minutes before I got her to finally drink from a bottle. The effort left them sore, and I hoped Starla would eventually learn to not bother with them and just accept the bottle in the future.
It was around 2:30 PM by that time, but I felt like I had to get more done. I couldn’t just leave Starla here by herself so I took her with me. I needed to get a car seat for her so she would stop jumping around the cabin. So where did I go? My old workplace, Kmart! If any store deserved to be looted, it was that one. I was afraid that I might have to break the glass, but the doors were unlocked. I guess the morning crew must have arrived before the vanishing act.
I had a realization while walking through the clothing sections that I had been completely naked since I woke up this morning. How did I not realize this sooner? I suppose the lack of a breeze on bare skin and being fairly hot with just my fur coat just put off the realization. I mean, no one noticed the sensation of clothes on them; it was a background noise, and the fur coat gave similar sensations. Starla giggled as I tried on clothing trying to get something to cover myself up, but all the men’s stuff was too large and I was not comfortable wearing women’s clothing. I did however find the cutest little skirts for Starla, I just wish I had a camera. Well, a camera these hooves could use at least.
I picked up a cartload of movies, grabbed a bunch of food that would keep, and some tools even though I’m not sure how I’m going to use them. Lifting a hammer with my mouth? Rotating a screwdriver with my mouth? How could I even hold nails or screws? I had been using my mouth way more than is sanitary, so I planned to brush hardcore later on. Perhaps even multiple times a day if I can’t find any alternative. As I passed the dog food aisle I remembered that I promised Amore I would come visit. I grabbed a bunch of dog food, dog treats and toys for her that would hopefully cheer her up. It was at that point that I noticed Starla was gone.
I panicked and tried to run, only to trip over myself and took a fall that thankfully didn’t hurt anything more than my dignity. The frustration of simply not being able to move fast pushed me into a full blown panic attack. I stumble-walked down several aisles before spotting Starla sitting in the toy section, her attention fixated on one of the shelves. I let out a sigh of relief. “Starla, there you are!” She turned to look at me before looking back at the shelves. I got curious to what got her riled up. I had grabbed as many toys and baby supplies as I could fit in the cart from the infants section, but something here had caught her eye.
Nothing really stuck out until I noticed a little plush unicorn with a mane of glittering rainbow colors. The shelf was low enough that I was able to sit on my haunches and pick it up by pinching it between my front hooves to give it a closer look. Once I held it in front of me Starla waved her arms towards it. I think she’s too young for a plushie, but what would I know about the development of baby alien micro-horses ponies? Not to mention all the animals seem more intelligent too. I relented and lowered it down to her. She immediately grabbed and began nuzzling it. Had I been in my old body I surely would’ve suffered a heart attack from the pure concentrated cuteness! Then the scene was ruined as she began to chew on the plush; I’d forgotten babies like to chew on everything they could get their hands on, and I wondered if her lack of hands would limit her in that regard. She did end up carrying it around with her mouth while I finished our shopping spree, which was a boon since she wasn’t able to stick anything else in there.
It was difficult with no hands, but I managed to get everything into the truck. I’m thankful that it had a cargo lift on the back else it would have been impossible to load anything I couldn’t toss inside. I learned that I could grab things in my mouth and whip my head to toss things a fair distance. Anything that didn’t need to be refrigerated or that i didn't need immediately, I left leave in the truck for now.
Stopped by Amore’s home. She seemed really happy to see me, and she about ripped her leash off the stake when she saw Starla. Starla didn’t know what to think of Amore at first, but she quickly took a liking to the giant dog who played with her for a bit while I unloaded my gift. I pulled a bag of dog food into her yard and filled her bowl and put the bag into her dog house to keep any rain from getting inside. I told her she should ration her food to make it last. This time I’m certain she nodded to me that she understood. D-did the dogs suddenly get smarter or was she always this smart?
I ended up leaving food and treats for every dog I had seen on the way to the hospital. Some of them were skittish while others just whimpered. I had a feeling they realized their owner had vanished. I heard barks from inside a few houses, but the doors were locked. For a town this big there weren’t many dogs left in yards anymore. In fact, most people had tiny dogs they could carry with them and those stayed mainly inside. The thought that they are stuck in those houses didn’t sit well with me, but at the same time I feared them eventually forming a pack of piranha-like dogs, eating everything edible or that moved. A cold chill ran down my spine as I imagined hundred of tiny dogs eating cats, bigger dogs, and even horses.
Waving goodbye to the last dog, a golden retriever named Lucy, I drove Starla back to the house. It took a couple hours, but I managed to rubber band the doors with cleaning supplies and breakables and well as clear all the meat out of the fridge and freezer. If When I see my mother again I will have to thank her for being short because her step-stool was a lifesaver.
I brushed my teeth as best I could by pinching my toothbrush between my hooves. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Starla alone, so I kept her close by which wasn’t too hard since she followed me around like a duckling. When it came to be dinner time she yet again conveyed to me that she was hungry by latching onto one of my teats. I was rather shocked she went this long before wanting to eat. I didn’t have to sit around and let her try for as long this time since I had grabbed an electric bottle warmer from the store. It still took a bit but thankfully I didn’t need to do the stove to skin method that I watched my mother do while babysitting.
After making myself some instant mac and cheese, I changed Starla’s stinky (and boy does that take on a new meaning with this nose) diaper and put her to bed. I was tired, but I was used to staying up late and I had planned out some things to try while I still had the opportunity. Checking online I found no one was online on any of my games, on PSN, or even Steam! Well, I guess not everyone. My friend Buddha was logged into PSN but he is known to leave his console online all the time. I sent him a couple messages, but I didn’t get a reply back. So he probably never logged off or he can’t work the controller. As for how I worked the controller? A tv tray and a tablet stylus pen between my hooves. Very slow, but it worked.
I tried calling any relatives I could think of that I was close to: one of my aunts, one of my uncles, and my grandmother. After I failed to reach I finally gave up the attempts, not even bothering with those who I wasn’t close to. I sat there lost in thought about my family until Starla started crying, snapping me out of my trance. After feeding her, she went back to sleep letting me return to work.
I grabbed a soda to keep myself while awake to get some more research done. I don’t know how long the power would last but I knew it couldn’t stay up forever. I either needed to procure a generator or find a place with solar panels. I knew of only one home it town with solar panels, but they are old, and I don’t know if they could actually fully power a house. I was lost in my search, the keys and mouse clicking every few second, It was a short while later that I passed out at the computer. Until the cry for a diaper change woke me up.
Well Starla is crying again right now, so I suppose I’ll end this session for now.
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Wow this a great story what happens next . Please make another chapter.
please.
I would really like to read more chapters.
Holy mother of Maria that pony is adorable.
First! Ze Pros! This was a good story. Really good. The story telling flowed well and the premise so far is markedly different from the others in the verse. Surrogate motherhood is an interesting one indeed. MC has a lot to learn. A whole lot. At least Starla can walk, so there's a blessing and a boon.
Le Cons! Meh. Another gender swap. We have a whole lot of those. But that's just a very minor issue. The bigger con: dammit all, you know how hard I worked to stop thinking about how many babies will turn up alone? First Metamorphosis now this one... *shudders* And now it's a fourth, no, fifth thing I had planned to mention/use/address that came up in someone else's story first because of my abysmal writing pace... I still have a few secrets though... they shall be mine! Mine I tell you! Mwuhahahahahaha!
6410474
6410595
The author has 8 chapters already written, just need an editor's touch. Since this is getting a good response, I'll see about making it a priority.
Hey you finally posted it!
6410474 6410595 6411343
Actually, I finished typing up chapter 9 and put it into the Gdoc last night, and got some work done on 10 before bed.
6410644 She is!
6411078 We all have our secret's don't we?
6411387 Yep, it's been a long time coming, but it feels good to have it out!
6411540 Your writing pace offends me, for petty reasons. Yet, I will remain petty and stare in disapprove at your productivity. *proceeds to do so*
Nooo! Not Steam!
6411614 Yes, even steam.
6411540 can I have all the links to the chapters.
6411846 2-4 has only gone through light editing so far. the rest haven't been touched yet.
This seems a little more upbeat on the premise. Last one of these I found on here was Metamorphosis
6411959 I don't know when Paint got the idea. but it was part of my story from the start and I have been working on it since July.
6411856 oh ok .
6412043 the one i mentioned brought a baby in for only a bit
By the time the main character found the baby, it was already terminally ill from neglect and starvation. They were there long enough only to hold it and show it some love before it passed.
And that's why I said this one's more upbeat on the portrayal.
Wait, wait, hold on. How is this character lactating? Ponies only gain engorged teats during pregnancy!
Oh well, chalk it up to another spell glitch.
6412293
that's so sad. Don't worry. Chris won't leave Starla to fend for herself.
6412386 Chris isn't lactating.
And there not engorged.
You do know male equines don't have teats at all right?
6412657
Oh I got the genderswap. Guess I missed the lack of lactation.
6412696 no problem. Who knows what the future hold.
If (s)he can keep staying up late after suddenly finding herself as a lone parent to an infant in a depopulated world as an alien horse... I well and truly admire her stamina. I want some of that. I really do.
At least a foal seems to develop a lot faster. And thank the maker she seems to have experience with changing diapers. Like, seriously. Otherwise, uhm, nope, not going there and definitely not with the mouth and even more nope with those wiggly foal legs that are much longer than a baby's and certainly have more leverage and kicking power. Even with experience, that's pure bravery. Hats off.
Anyway, let's see where this goes.
6415262 glad your enjoying it so far, and yes, I wouldn't want to get my mouth near there to clean, thankfully wet wipes stick.
6416792 Both this story, and metamorphosis take place in the Ponies after People Universe. So Yes
Im really enjoying this story so far!.. I hope you are continuing it ;)
6418402 I am. currently writing chapter 10. waiting for canary and musketeer to get through chapter 2.
6419458
Damn editors :P
Jokes those guys do a great job I'm sure ;)
Already at chapter 10 bruh... Good work!!!
6419463 Thank you.
So... The story's fine, but one thing kept bothering me while reading... How is the character crossing stuff out in an audio log?
6422389 hmm how indeed. Maybe she is rerecording over sections?
Or maybe this is a printed version after using an audio file to text file program?
Or maybe my editor demanded they be used?
We shall wait and see.
6426207 Thank you for pointing those out. I have fixed them.
Nice intro, good work.
Do you plan on making the dog a main character?
6476271 Amore will have a bigger role then just being chained up in her yard.
Really enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait to keep reading :)
6500142 you shouldn't have to wait too long. The editing for chapter 2 is almost done
. We just hit a few snags and I had to rewrite the ending of chapter 2 a couple of times
. Sorry I couldn't get it out last Friday or Saturday like I promised in my blog.
6501326 Awe :( It's totally fine
All good things are worth waiting for.
Glad to see someone else is having a good time with dogs in their apocalypse. Leon's pissed at his misfortune.
love itt took me 2 days to read since I kept getting distracted .3.
pictures are real cute
Actually, anyone who keeps horses will know not to hold a barbecue near the fence because the horses will steal unattended burger patties. Their lack of a gallbladder means that they have more trouble than us with high-fat diets, but they definitely don't find meat disgusting.
In fact, there's actually a professionally researched book named Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses.
Cracked also touched on it if you want some quick video footage:
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I haven't double-checked, but I remember hearing somewhere that repeated attempts to suckle over a certain amount of time will trigger lactation (beginning with colostrum) in humans. I don't see why that would differ in Equestrian ponies.
This is pretty nice, even if I'm not sure that I like the "everyone is gone theme of the story and hope there are at least enough friendly people for him to speak with. As usually I hope he doesn't need to change back in the end and maybe even ends up in Equestria living in a different town or outside of Ponyville.
Sometimes the "licking" to claim the foal is nice, but with him being a former human, I'm dissapointed to read again how his body is doinh stuff against his will again. Or that his mind changed.
HEEEYYYYY, WYOMING!!!
I'm on the other side of the state, near Yellowstone.
She needs to learn how to use magic to change dipers because it was gross with Mr.Cake and its gross now.
8108861
Oh cool another one from Wyoming I am from Buffialo
Don’t like how this guy switched genders after being ponified, but I can’t complain about it.
The way she looks is almost like someone made a Mare version of my OC.
should have added a dark tag
seeing our technological advancements slowly degraded and forget is too painful for me
Interesting start, did you post this on other sites?