Legends of Equestria: South Swamp Rag

by JimmyHook19

Mud Pie Rag

Later that day, the breakdown gang had arrived at the scene of the crash, and had moved a crane into position to start recovering the derailed locomotives and stock. Thankfully, nobody had been killed, although there were a few broken bones and as a result some folks needed medical treatment. A medical helicopter had touched down nearby, and doctors were assisting the injured.

As a pair of cranes lifted the lead Genesis unit onto the rails, a railroad inspector, clad in the usual work clothes of jeans, long shirt and high viz vest, went to interview the engineer. "What happened exactly?" he asked, his voice demanding and officious.

The engineer was mostly shaken rather than hurt, as the sturdy construction of the diesel he had been driving had protected him from most injuries. Even so, he started to explain what had happened. "I was proceeding along here at the speed limit, when suddenly there was a bright flash up ahead, a cluster of yellow light. This broke off a portion of track."

"Did you apply the brakes?" the inspector asked, having finished writing down the engineer's response.

"Full emergency braking," the engineer replied. "But there was no way I could have stopped in time. The train was too heavy. I'm just thankful none of the coaches broke apart. 611 derailed in near identical circumstances back in 1986."

"I remember that," the inspector answered, looking down his nose. "Failed switch, 177 injured. Luckily, we haven't had that here."

Having finished his report, he concluded the engineer was not to blame, and walked over to the breakdown gang, who were currently lifting coach A out of the mud. "Have we assembled all the passengers?" he asked.

"Yes sir," said one of the men. "We counted them, and there's one missing. One from Coach C."

"I may be able to help with that," said the British passenger, raising his hand.

"Well?" the inspector asked, his moustache bristling like a ferret glued to his upper lip.

"I saw a young man wander away into the swamp. I called to him, and he didn't respond. He seemed to be in some sort of trance."

"What did he look like?" the inspector asked again.

"Well," the man replied, "he wore red glasses, had white skin, brown hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a coat and pants at the time."

"That sounds familiar!" said a member of the breakdown gang. "I have a mate in the Air Force called Harris, and he told me of this cargo he once had to ship to Manteo, North Carolina. It was a pegasus with Egyptian eyeliner. And get this- it was once a human called Jimmy Hook!"

"That explains what I saw next!" the British man said again. "I saw a blue pony in a green dress walking away from the crash. Looked a little like a stereotypical Cajun lady as well."

The inspector sighed. "That is ridiculous. A man cannot change into a horse!"

"YouTube suggests otherwise," said another member of the breakdown gang, showing a video from the plane crash back in February- complete with a young man who matched the description the British man had given changing into some scarlet pony.

The inspector shook his head and sighed. "This day keeps getting weirder," he said. "One of you try and find this pony!" he said. "The rest of you focus on clearing up the mess and helping the injured!"

One member of the team headed into the bayou, not realizing he had just stepped over a ruined iPad, as well as not knowing he was too far behind to keep up with his target.

---

Meanwhile, Mage Meadowbrook was not having an easy time. Apart from the fact her map was somewhat wrong, neglecting to mention the fact somebody had built a great big interstate through the swamp, the terrain was not exactly inviting. The ground was muddy in places, and where it wasn't muddy, it was wet, wet, wet. Meadowbrook's hooves were caked in mud, as was her muzzle a bit soggy, and her dress was trailing through the mud as well, meaning it had gone from its previously green color to a muddy yellow. She paused at a waterway, where the path stopped before the water, making it impassible. She glanced back, and saw how messy she was.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed, appalled at the chocolatey brown color staining her fur. "Ah can't let anybody see me like this! Whatever would mother think? Ah need ta get cleaned up as soon as Ah can."

Just then, the water started to quiver and ripple. Meadowbrook stepped back in shock. But her hooves caught on her skirt, causing her to fall back and slip. Her saddlebag fell off her back and fell to one side, rolling over but, thankfully, not breaking open. But that was by far the least of her concerns. For right in front of Mage Meadowbrook, was a very, very, VERY big alligator, emerging from the swampy depths of the lake like a giant green, scaly submarine. And it looked very hungry.

---

Mage Meadowbrook quivered a little, as she didn't fancy being an alligator's lunch, not today or any other day, for that matter. It was at this point she remembered her mother's advice: always be polite to folks, even if you don't like the look of them. So, she bravely and confidently looked the alligator in the eye, and spoke to him.

"Well, hello Mister Alligator!" she said cheerfully. "What's the matter today?"

"Are you Mage Meadowbrook?" the alligator asked, slowly and carefully
Meadowbrook noticed that the alligator was speaking in an odd way, as if something was wrong with his tongue. Still, he had asked a question, and it was only polite to answer it.

"Why, Ah am!" she replied, now feeling a little more confident as the alligator was so friendly. "What's concernin' ya? A medical ailment? 'Cause Ah've got plenty of cures here for all sortsa things!"

The alligator hesitated. "Sorry if I startled you a bit," he said. Mage Meadowbrook pushed the fact she could understand what he was saying to the back of her mind, as the alligator continued. "My issue is a little bit minor, and I hope you don't think it is a waste of your time... but I have a sore tongue."

Mage Meadowbrook laughed gently. "That ain't a waste o' time at all! Ah'll happily help ya. Now, open wide so Ah can see yer tongue, if ya don't mind."

The alligator nodded, his head floating like a periscope atop the water, until he began to open his jaws. They opened so wide it seemed as if a pony could be swallowed whole in them. But he kept them open, and Mage Meadowbrook saw the cause of the problem almost immediately. In the center of the alligator's tongue was a big red sore, swollen to the size of a bicycle bell.

"Let me see what Ah have in Mah bag," she said, flipping open the left-hoof pouch of her saddlebag and immediately seeing an array of bottles with different labels. One of them was a blue liquid marked 'sores'. She took the cap off of the bottle, and stepped forward, tilting the open neck of the bottle toward the alligator's mouth and saying, "Hold still now. This won't sting, Ah promise." The liquid rolled down the alligator's tongue, and touched the sore. Almost immediately, the sore began to shrink, until it was basically unnoticable. In fact, it almost seemed as if the sore had never been there in the first place, and this would have been the conclusion any observer would have come to had they not witnessed the preceeding incident.

The alligator smiled. "Thank you, Mage Meadowbrook," he replied. "Your kindness truly knows no bounds, and I am very thankful for your compassion."

Mage Meadowbrook smiled. "No problem sir," she replied. "Helpin' those in need is mah callin', and cures just happen ta be mah specialty."

The alligator laughed. "Let me return the favor," he said. "Hop on my back, and I shall ferry you across the river to the other side."

Mage Meadowbrook stepped gently onto the alligator's back, and over the river they went, bobbing along through the murky water, until they reached the other side. And off Mage Meadowbrook hopped, stepping onto a paved path on the other side. "See ya later, alligator!" she called.

"In a while, crocodile!" the alligator replied. As he dived below the murky waters and descended into the swamps below, he splashed the water. A great jet flew up, and splashed Mage Meadowbrook from snout to tail. She looked over herself, and saw that the unexpected shower had washed the mud off of her body, not to mention restored her dress to it's vibrant green hue. The only problem was, it was now wet, as was her entire body, and it stuck to her like a wet blanket. Oh well. At least she'd dry off quickly in this heat.

---

Even being close to the edge of the swamp, on a properly paved path rather than the mud of the previous few hours, the going was still extremely slow, thanks to Mage Meadowbrook's short legs. She was also tired and hungry, but couldn't afford to slow down now. The light was starting to fade, and traveling by the dark was not a fun prospect. She may have had a lot of potions on her, but none of them granted her night vision or boosted hearing. Speaking of which, she could hear every broken twig and rustling leaf for miles around, which was getting irritating. Just as she was leaving the edge of the swamp, however, she emerged into a small village. People (as those odd bipedal creatures were called) were everywhere, and this presented a problem. They were humans, and she was a pony. If she went into that village, she would stick out like a sore thumb. She shuddered at the thought. Why, they may call the authorities and try to whisk her off to some secret government laboratory! Celestia knows what they'd do to her there. No, she needed to blend in with this town. True, she had the accent and culture, but she was not human.

She then had an idea. Ducking back into the swamp, she put her saddlebag back down, relieved at the load taken off of her back. She opened the left pouch again and consulted the bottles once again. Inside, as per last time, were many bottles filled with brightly colored liquids. One, filled with a red substance that the foolish would easily mistake for Gatorade, had a label marked 'transfiguration'. Below that, there was another note reading see appendix B. Mage Meadowbrook fished about in the right-hoof pouch and promptly found this 'appendix B' referred to, quickly reading it to find out the important information. It read:

Note: I believe I have got the Transfiguration potion to work properly, but it may still have unintended side-effects. For blending in with most of society, three drops is enough. DO NOT USE MORE OR LESS.

Meadowbrook cringed. She remembered that time she'd used too much and been turned into a 10 foot giant. Use too little, and she had the stature of a human child. She then read on:

Clothing can be random. Once no longer needed, take three drops of the antidote (black liquid). Be sure to use it.

Mage Meadowbrook nodded sadly. As much as she found the human body awkward, it was the only way she could get closer to her goal of Manteo, which according to her map was only 7 days away. She sighed, preparing a test tube and neatly extracting three drops of the red liquid from the bottle. She emptied them into the test tube, and, after cleaning her equipment, raised the test tube to her lips.

"Here... goes... nothin'!" she exclaimed, and drank, not appreciating the vile taste nor the thick texture, which reminded of the badly cooked soup she often had to endure courtesy of Uncle Remus.

---

What happened next caught her by surprise. The band of fabric around her neck had started to glow softly, and as she watched it began to grow, cascading down her front and back until it reached the waistband of her skirt, stopping there. Not only that, it then grew down over her shoulders and partway down her front legs as well. She now had a cotton blouse, and the metal collar remained floating in place around her neck.

Just then, she clenched her teeth as she felt a pain build up in her body. She knew exactly what the potion did, but that didn't mean it wasn't unpleasent.

Her transformation into a human began with her hooves, or rather her rear hooves, as toes surged out of them, stretching them outwards into a pair of feet. Her leg joints inverted to resemble human legs, and just as suddenly, with an audible crack, her hips expanded and changed shape, forcing her body into an upright position which looked truly ridiculous. Purely out of curiosity, Meadowbrook tried to look down and see what was happening, but with her neck it was almost impossible.

She could feel it though. It felt as though somebody had dropped a 2 ton cart on her barrel, as it shrank in size, changing into a human chest with a narrow waist. She then felt two things (and she knew exactly what those two things were) shrink into her body. This was almost immediately replaced by a strange sense in her upper chest, followed by an entirely different one the now half pony couldn't describe as it started swelling. Of course! Humans have those on their chests, not between their legs! Her breasts were growing. The sensation of expanding flesh and shifting biology, pushing against her blouse, stopped after a second or two, only to be joined by some new fabric underneath her blouse, which seemed to have expanded somewhat to make space for the two new items. Just as if it had forgotten, her tail suddenly began to shrink, vanishing up her rear as suddenly as it had appeared all those hours ago.

Moments later, it wasn't the only thing shrinking. Her neck got shorter as well, and the joint linking her neck and skull rotated so she was looking straight ahead once again. Her eyes shrank in size, joined by her ears which vanished into her skull. Mage Meadowbrook panicked for a moment, as there was suddenly no sound for a few seconds. But a brief painful sensation slammed into her body, followed by service being resumed a moment later as a new pair grew out of the sides of her head. Her muzzle then contracted, splitting into a nose and mouth, followed by her gaining new pairs of teeth. Lastly, her fur shrank into her body, replaced by perfect, flowing blue skin. It had taken all her efforts in the last minute or so not to scream, but it seemed it was finally done.

She looked every inch a human female. There was just one rather large problem. A problem of height. Although she looked like an adult, she still had her height she had when she was a pony, making her look like a small child at only 3 feet. An oddly developed small child, if her chest was anything to go by. "Did it work properly?" she asked. The last thing she needed was have her chances of reaching her goal compromised because a potion failed to work correctly. That would never do.

Just then, the sense she had felt earlier came back with a vengeance, and she doubled over in pain as every limb in her body felt as though it was on fire. And with that, the floor began to move away from her with increasing speed, her body growing taller and taller, arms and legs stretching as they reached adult proportions. As she grew, so did her clothing, her blouse increasing in size and her skirt creeping down her legs. It only lasted a few seconds, not to mention she felt something appearing on her feet, and at long last it slowed down and stopped. At least sure it was over, Mage Meadowbrook went over to the water and looked in.

The face of a woman in her early to mid twenties, standing about five feet or so in height (she wasn't entirely sure of her exact height) looked back. Her hair was still there, held in place above her head, as was the collar around her neck. Also still with her was the bracelet on her left... wrist? Was that what it was called? But the rest of her body had changed drastically. Apart from the fact she was now human, she was dressed like a typical Louisiana woman... of the 1950s. She had a cotton blouse, cream in color, with puffed up sleeves and ruffles around the bottom, which were also present on her sleeves. Her skirt, now hanging off her hips rather than being positioned around the top of her barrel, fell to just above her knees and was still green with a cream band near the bottom, not to mention slightly puffed up in places, but had become longer, and had gained a petal-like hem. Not only that, she now wore a pair of brown sandals with bronze buckles.

"Ah look like a teenager," she said, and gently giggled at the thought. The skirt was shorter than she would have liked, not to mention the sandals felt odd against her toes (toes. She was still getting used to that), but it beat being stuck in a hoopskirt, like she was that one time near... where was it now? Manehattan? Grabbing her saddle bag, which was now a backpack, she slung it onto her back and stepped out of the treeline, into the glorious evening sun and this small settlement that lay before her, shimmering like a diamond in the sun.

Author's Note:

In case it interests you, the bit about Uncle Remus is a reference to the Bre'er Rabbit tales, first collected in Louisiana. I thought it would be a fun pop-culture reference to spot (even if few Americans have ever seen Song of the South).

And just so anyone knows, I will be in Meadowbrook's Human form for about a few chapters or so.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

It... has arrived.

Two original vehicles from the IC's City of New Orleans service survive at Alamosa, on the RGSR.

[JimmyHook19]

9929773
Indeed :3

[The Blue EM2]

9929774
And I have ridden on them.

[The Blue EM2]

9935036
Fancy seeing you here!

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

Later that day, the breakdown gang had arrived at the scene of the crash, and had moved a crane into position to start recovering the derailed locomotives and stock. Thankfully, nobody had been killed, although there were a few broken bones and as a result some folks needed medical treatment. A medical helicopter had touched down nearby, and doctors were assisting the injured.

As a pair of cranes lifted the lead Genesis unit onto the rails, a railroad inspector, clad in the usual work clothes of jeans, long shirt and high viz vest, went to interview the engineer. "What happened exactly?" he asked, his voice demanding and officious.

The engineer was mostly shaken rather than hurt, as the sturdy construction of the diesel he had been driving had protected him from most injuries. Even so, he started to explain what had happened. "I was proceeding along here at the speed limit, when suddenly there was a bright flash up ahead, a cluster of yellow light. This broke off a portion of track."

Flash of light....

"Did you apply the brakes?" the inspector asked, having finished writing down the engineer's response.

"Full emergency braking," the engineer replied. "But there was no way I could have stopped in time. The train was too heavy. I'm just thankful none of the coaches broke apart. 611 derailed in near identical circumstances back in 1986."

"I remember that," the inspector answered, looking down his nose. "Failed switch, 177 injured. Luckily, we haven't had that here."

Having finished his report, he concluded the engineer was not to blame, and walked over to the breakdown gang, who were currently lifting coach A out of the mud. "Have we assembled all the passengers?" he asked.

"Yes sir," said one of the men. "We counted them, and there's one missing. One from Coach C."

I'm betting thats Jimmy.

"I may be able to help with that," said the British passenger, raising his hand.

"Well?" the inspector asked, his moustache bristling like a ferret glued to his upper lip.

"I saw a young man wander away into the swamp. I called to him, and he didn't respond. He seemed to be in some sort of trance."

"What did he look like?" the inspector asked again.

"Well," the man replied, "he wore red glasses, had white skin, brown hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a coat and pants at the time."

"That sounds familiar!" said a member of the breakdown gang. "I have a mate in the Air Force called Harris, and he told me of this cargo he once had to ship to Manteo, North Carolina. It was a pegasus with Egyptian eyeliner. And get this- it was once a human called Jimmy Hook!"

Yeah, pretty sure that's Jimmy.

"That explains what I saw next!" the British man said again. "I saw a blue pony in a green dress walking away from the crash. Looked a little like a stereotypical Cajun lady as well."

The inspector sighed. "That is ridiculous. A man cannot change into a horse!"

"YouTube suggests otherwise," said another member of the breakdown gang, showing a video from the plane crash back in February- complete with a young man who matched the description the British man had given changing into some scarlet pony.

!!!

The inspector shook his head and sighed. "This day keeps getting weirder," he said. "One of you try and find this pony!" he said. "The rest of you focus on clearing up the mess and helping the injured!"

One member of the team headed into the bayou, not realizing he had just stepped over a ruined iPad, as well as not knowing he was too far behind to keep up with his target.

And look for Jimmy!!!

Meanwhile, Mage Meadowbrook was not having an easy time. Apart from the fact her map was somewhat wrong, neglecting to mention the fact somebody had built a great big interstate through the swamp, the terrain was not exactly inviting. The ground was muddy in places, and where it wasn't muddy, it was wet, wet, wet. Meadowbrook's hooves were caked in mud, as was her muzzle a bit soggy, and her dress was trailing through the mud as well, meaning it had gone from its previously green color to a muddy yellow. She paused at a waterway, where the path stopped before the water, making it impassible. She glanced back, and saw how messy she was.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed, appalled at the chocolatey brown color staining her fur. "Ah can't let anybody see me like this! Whatever would mother think? Ah need ta get cleaned up as soon as Ah can."

She'd throw a fit!!!

Just then, the water started to quiver and ripple. Meadowbrook stepped back in shock. But her hooves caught on her skirt, causing her to fall back and slip. Her saddlebag fell off her back and fell to one side, rolling over but, thankfully, not breaking open. But that was by far the least of her concerns. For right in front of Mage Meadowbrook, was a very, very, VERY big alligator, emerging from the swampy depths of the lake like a giant green, scaly submarine. And it looked very hungry.

Maybe a Cragadile?

Mage Meadowbrook quivered a little, as she didn't fancy being an alligator's lunch, not today or any other day, for that matter. It was at this point she remembered her mother's advice: always be polite to folks, even if you don't like the look of them. So, she bravely and confidently looked the alligator in the eye, and spoke to him.

"Well, hello Mister Alligator!" she said cheerfully. "What's the matter today?"

"Are you Mage Meadowbrook?" the alligator asked, slowly and carefully.

IT TALKED!!!

Meadowbrook noticed that the alligator was speaking in an odd way, as if something was wrong with his tongue. Still, he had asked a question, and it was only polite to answer it.

"Why, Ah am!" she replied, now feeling a little more confident as the alligator was so friendly. "What's concernin' ya? A medical ailment? 'Cause Ah've got plenty of cures here for all sortsa things!"

The alligator hesitated. "Sorry if I startled you a bit," he said. Mage Meadowbrook pushed the fact she could understand what he was saying to the back of her mind, as the alligator continued. "My issue is a little bit minor, and I hope you don't think it is a waste of your time... but I have a sore tongue."

Sore tongues are one of the worst

Mage Meadowbrook laughed gently. "That ain't a waste o' time at all! Ah'll happily help ya. Now, open wide so Ah can see yer tongue, if ya don't mind."

The alligator nodded, his head floating like a periscope atop the water, until he began to open his jaws. They opened so wide it seemed as if a pony could be swallowed whole in them. But he kept them open, and Mage Meadowbrook saw the cause of the problem almost immediately. In the center of the alligator's tongue was a big red sore, swollen to the size of a bicycle bell.

"Let me see what Ah have in Mah bag," she said, flipping open the left-hoof pouch of her saddlebag and immediately seeing an array of bottles with different labels. One of them was a blue liquid marked 'sores'. She took the cap off of the bottle, and stepped forward, tilting the open neck of the bottle toward the alligator's mouth and saying, "Hold still now. This won't sting, Ah promise." The liquid rolled down the alligator's tongue, and touched the sore. Almost immediately, the sore began to shrink, until it was basically unnoticable. In fact, it almost seemed as if the sore had never been there in the first place, and this would have been the conclusion any observer would have come to had they not witnessed the preceeding incident.

Now he should be able to taste better!!!

The alligator smiled. "Thank you, Mage Meadowbrook," he replied. "Your kindness truly knows no bounds, and I am very thankful for your compassion."

Mage Meadowbrook smiled. "No problem sir," she replied. "Helpin' those in need is mah callin', and cures just happen ta be mah specialty."

Like a true doctor.

The alligator laughed. "Let me return the favor," he said. "Hop on my back, and I shall ferry you across the river to the other side."

Mage Meadowbrook stepped gently onto the alligator's back, and over the river they went, bobbing along through the murky water, until they reached the other side. And off Mage Meadowbrook hopped, stepping onto a paved path on the other side. "See ya later, alligator!" she called.

"In a while, crocodile!" the alligator replied. As he dived below the murky waters and descended into the swamps below, he splashed the water. A great jet flew up, and splashed Mage Meadowbrook from snout to tail. She looked over herself, and saw that the unexpected shower had washed the mud off of her body, not to mention restored her dress to it's vibrant green hue. The only problem was, it was now wet, as was her entire body, and it stuck to her like a wet blanket. Oh well. At least she'd dry off quickly in this heat.

Ah, remember those lines!!!

Even being close to the edge of the swamp, on a properly paved path rather than the mud of the previous few hours, the going was still extremely slow, thanks to Mage Meadowbrook's short legs. She was also tired and hungry, but couldn't afford to slow down now. The light was starting to fade, and traveling by the dark was not a fun prospect. She may have had a lot of potions on her, but none of them granted her night vision or boosted hearing. Speaking of which, she could hear every broken twig and rustling leaf for miles around, which was getting irritating. Just as she was leaving the edge of the swamp, however, she emerged into a small village. People (as those odd bipedal creatures were called) were everywhere, and this presented a problem. They were humans, and she was a pony. If she went into that village, she would stick out like a sore thumb. She shuddered at the thought. Why, they may call the authorities and try to whisk her off to some secret government laboratory! Celestia knows what they'd do to her there. No, she needed to blend in with this town. True, she had the accent and culture, but she was not human.

They'd better not harm her!!!

She then had an idea. Ducking back into the swamp, she put her saddlebag back down, relieved at the load taken off of her back. She opened the left pouch again and consulted the bottles once again. Inside, as per last time, were many bottles filled with brightly colored liquids. One, filled with a red substance that the foolish would easily mistake for Gatorade, had a label marked 'transfiguration'. Below that, there was another note reading see appendix B. Mage Meadowbrook fished about in the right-hoof pouch and promptly found this 'appendix B' referred to, quickly reading it to find out the important information. It read:

Note: I believe I have got the Transfiguration potion to work properly, but it may still have unintended side-effects. For blending in with most of society, three drops is enough. DO NOT USE MORE OR LESS.

Meadowbrook cringed. She remembered that time she'd used too much and been turned into a 10 foot giant. Use too little, and she had the stature of a human child. She then read on:

Oh, boy, I can only imagine how that went.

Clothing can be random. Once no longer needed, take three drops of the antidote (black liquid). Be sure to use it.

Mage Meadowbrook nodded sadly. As much as she found the human body awkward, it was the only way she could get closer to her goal of Manteo, which according to her map was only 7 days away. She sighed, preparing a test tube and neatly extracting three drops of the red liquid from the bottle. She emptied them into the test tube, and, after cleaning her equipment, raised the test tube to her lips.

"Here... goes... nothin'!" she exclaimed, and drank, not appreciating the vile taste nor the thick texture, which reminded of the badly cooked soup she often had to endure courtesy of Uncle Remus.

Good luck Meadow.

What happened next caught her by surprise. The band of fabric around her neck had started to glow softly, and as she watched it began to grow, cascading down her front and back until it reached the waistband of her skirt, stopping there. Not only that, it then grew down over her shoulders and partway down her front legs as well. She now had a cotton blouse, and the metal collar remained floating in place around her neck.

Just then, she clenched her teeth as she felt a pain build up in her body. She knew exactly what the potion did, but that didn't mean it wasn't unpleasent.

And her we go.

Her transformation into a human began with her hooves, or rather her rear hooves, as toes surged out of them, stretching them outwards into a pair of feet. Her leg joints inverted to resemble human legs, and just as suddenly, with an audible crack, her hips expanded and changed shape, forcing her body into an upright position which looked truly ridiculous. Purely out of curiosity, Meadowbrook tried to look down and see what was happening, but with her neck it was almost impossible.

First the hands, and then the legs, the the neck and hips.

She could feel it though. It felt as though somebody had dropped a 2 ton cart on her barrel, as it shrank in size, changing into a human chest with a narrow waist. She then felt two things (and she knew exactly what those two things were) shrink into her body. This was almost immediately replaced by a strange sense in her upper chest, followed by an entirely different one the now half pony couldn't describe as it started swelling. Of course! Humans have those on their chests, not between their legs! Her breasts were growing. The sensation of expanding flesh and shifting biology, pushing against her blouse, stopped after a second or two, only to be joined by some new fabric underneath her blouse, which seemed to have expanded somewhat to make space for the two new items. Just as if it had forgotten, her tail suddenly began to shrink, vanishing up her rear as suddenly as it had appeared all those hours ago.

Then the chest, and the vanishing tail.

Moments later, it wasn't the only thing shrinking. Her neck got shorter as well, and the joint linking her neck and skull rotated so she was looking straight ahead once again. Her eyes shrank in size, joined by her ears which vanished into her skull. Mage Meadowbrook panicked for a moment, as there was suddenly no sound for a few seconds. But a brief painful sensation slammed into her body, followed by service being resumed a moment later as a new pair grew out of the sides of her head. Her muzzle then contracted, splitting into a nose and mouth, followed by her gaining new pairs of teeth. Lastly, her fur shrank into her body, replaced by perfect, flowing blue skin. It had taken all her efforts in the last minute or so not to scream, but it seemed it was finally done.

Then the eyes, and the neck, then the ears, an the nose and mouth, and finally the skin.

She looked every inch a human female. There was just one rather large problem. A problem of height. Although she looked like an adult, she still had her height she had when she was a pony, making her look like a small child at only 3 feet. An oddly developed small child, if her chest was anything to go by. "Did it work properly?" she asked. The last thing she needed was have her chances of reaching her goal compromised because a potion failed to work correctly. That would never do.

Just then, the sense she had felt earlier came back with a vengeance, and she doubled over in pain as every limb in her body felt as though it was on fire. And with that, the floor began to move away from her with increasing speed, her body growing taller and taller, arms and legs stretching as they reached adult proportions. As she grew, so did her clothing, her blouse increasing in size and her skirt creeping down her legs. It only lasted a few seconds, not to mention she felt something appearing on her feet, and at long last it slowed down and stopped. At least sure it was over, Mage Meadowbrook went over to the water and looked in.

Yeah, thank Faust.

The face of a woman in her early to mid twenties, standing about five feet or so in height (she wasn't entirely sure of her exact height) looked back. Her hair was still there, held in place above her head, as was the collar around her neck. Also still with her was the bracelet on her left... wrist? Was that what it was called? But the rest of her body had changed drastically. Apart from the fact she was now human, she was dressed like a typical Louisiana woman... of the 1950s. She had a cotton blouse, cream in color, with puffed up sleeves and ruffles around the bottom, which were also present on her sleeves. Her skirt, now hanging off her hips rather than being positioned around the top of her barrel, fell to just above her knees and was still green with a cream band near the bottom, not to mention slightly puffed up in places, but had become longer, and had gained a petal-like hem. Not only that, she now wore a pair of brown sandals with bronze buckles.

Pretty.

"Ah look like a teenager," she said, and gently giggled at the thought. The skirt was shorter than she would have liked, not to mention the sandals felt odd against her toes (toes. She was still getting used to that), but it beat being stuck in a hoopskirt, like she was that one time near... where was it now? Manehattan? Grabbing her saddle bag, which was now a backpack, she slung it onto her back and stepped out of the treeline, into the glorious evening sun and this small settlement that lay before her, shimmering like a diamond in the sun.

off for adventure!!!

[Bounsweet]

9939343
Mine too, she's just so kind.

[JimmyHook19]

9939347
I also have two other favorite members of that group: Somnambula is my 2nd Favorite, and Mistmane is my 3rd Favorite :3

[Bounsweet]

9939348
Lol, I think those might be everyone's rankings.

[JimmyHook19]

9939351
Noice :3

[Bounsweet]

This was a nice cozy story.

[JimmyHook19]

9939366
It's not over yet though! Expect a new chapter tomorrow

[Bounsweet]

9939368

[Chrome Masquerade]

Just then, the water started to quiver and ripple. Meadowbrook stepped back in shock. But her hooves caught on her skirt, causing her to fall back and slip. Her saddlebag fell off her back and fell to one side, rolling over but, thankfully, not breaking open. But that was by far the least of her concerns. For right in front of Mage Meadowbrook, was a very, very, VERY big alligator, emerging from the swampy depths of the lake like a giant green, scaly submarine. And it looked very hungry.

To paraphrase a certain two-toned snake, "You should now immediately and instantly egress as quickly as ever you can. For, if you do not, I feel that yonder self propelling man of war with the armour plated upper deck will vitiate your future career!"

[Chrome Masquerade]

The alligator hesitated. "Sorry if I startled you a bit," he said. Mage Meadowbrook pushed the fact she could understand what he was saying to the back of her mind, as the alligator continued. "My issue is a little bit minor, and I hope you don't think it is a waste of your time... but I have a sore tongue."

Or I could be wrong. That works too.