Chapter 4: Bad Luck
Kyle was rapidly running out of time.
If there was at least one mercy for her, it was that they’d certainly gone out for dinner, buying her a little time to not get thrown out onto the street as some dangerous genetic anomaly. But that time was running out now—when they got back, she was going to have to explain this.
Or maybe I don’t have to. As she paced back and forth in the corner of her bedroom, her mind raced. The baby had clearly been panicking—she’d been desperately hungry and not sure of what else to do. Maybe all she needed was a good night’s rest, and she’d have the energy to fix what she’d done wrong. I don’t have to hide forever, just one day. Could she buy a day?
Kyle crept back into her bedroom, reaching up to remove a sheet of paper from her printer. It wasn’t easy—getting the tray to open with a flat slab of fingernail ending in meat might as well be impossible. After fiddling with it for five minutes or so, she just bent down and took it in her mouth. It was strange, but now she had it open. She took the paper the same way, carrying it out of the room before coming back for the fattest, roundest marker she could.
She held it down with one hoof, using the other to pry off the lid. She wouldn’t be able to write with it in any normal way, but her mouth was working for most things so far. How long would it take to move things the way you do, kid? Maybe if she was going to be stuck like this for any length of time, she’d at least be able to Matilda things around, and wouldn’t feel so disabled.
“Sick, went bed” she wrote, in writing so sloppy it might’ve been scribbled by a small child. But it was something, hopefully enough that they’d see it and not come in for her.
The garage door began to rumble downstairs right as she finished, and Kyle hurried forward, sticking the note to the door with a messy blob of tape. By the time she shut it, she heard feet pounding up the stairs. Kara is here to chide me for missing the game. Kyle shut off the light, then crept slowly into bed. As she climbed in, the baby stirred, rolling towards her and moaning weakly.
Kyle moved instinctively, wrapping a stupid hoof-leg around her in a way she hoped was protective and comforting. “If you cry right now kid, we are both fucked.”
But she only cooed a few times, then settled back into her uneasy sleep.
Outside the door, the footsteps stopped, and paper rustled.
“Yeah, sure you are,” Kara muttered. The door clicked as she turned it anyway—but it was locked. Kara swore under her breath. “Kyle, I know you’re not sick! I saw you a few hours ago!”
Kyle winced, clutching the baby a little closer. Was that going to wake her again? No, apparently. She didn’t even stir. But she didn’t dare answer—even if she wasn’t afraid of waking the baby, she’d already heard how different her voice sounded. Kara would hear too.
“I’m just trying to help you,” Kara said, a little weaker. She tried the door again, then sighed. Footsteps faded back down the stairs, and finally the hall was silent.
I’ll apologize for this as soon as it’s over, Kara. She only had to wait the one night, it couldn’t be that hard. Tomorrow the baby would be feeling better, and everything would be back to normal.
Kyle woke with a grimace, her world coming slowly back into focus. She’d had the strangest nightmare, something about getting locked in a petting zoo for little girls. And before that, something even stranger about hiding from her family as a horse. “What a nightmare.” She reached up to run a hand through her hair, trying to coax her brain into waking up. Her fingers still felt numb, but she could still feel some part of her hair. It didn’t end when she expected, instead trailing longer and longer as she felt it.
Something was in bed with her, something warm and squirming. She squeaked, sitting up so violently that she scattered pillows and blankets all around her. Her neck didn’t want to move quite right, and even so the room felt smaller somehow, the bed straining to even hold up her weight.
And beside her, the squirming mass of feathers and pink fur that she’d had nightmares about.
Oh god.
It wasn’t a dream. Her hiking to avoid the football game, finding that weird animal in the woods, bringing it back… then the real nightmare started. She glanced down, shoving the blankets out of the way and ignoring the whining sounds from beside her.
Yes, that part was real too. Those were teats down there, swollen enough to make it obvious what they were for. It was harder to get a view past them, but she could see enough.
She almost screamed… but then the baby started whining, and some other instinct rose to the top. She’d scare the poor kid if she did that, and scaring her was exactly what Kyle didn’t want just now. Take it easy. She’s the only one who can fix this. I have to calm down so she can change me back. Nice and easy…
Unfortunately for her, the kid wasn’t just lying there calmly and letting her figure things out. The baby kept squirming towards her, making a desperate sound and gesturing at herself. Too smart for an animal, let alone a baby.
“What do you—” She froze as the smell hit her, and she understood. Of course—the baby was wearing a diaper. And sooner or later, those had to be changed. “Oh, of course. The reason I never wanted kids. What a great time to only have my mouth to do things with.”
There was no way in hell she was going to use her teeth for that. “Uh… why don’t you come this way? Let’s… yeah, you look pretty dirty. Want a bath, sweetie? We didn’t get the chance after your adventure through the woods. I’ve got one of those giant old tubs, maybe even big enough for me…”
Was she imagining things, or did the baby look indignant?
I’m just projecting. Don’t lose your cool, Kyle. “Okay, okay! We’ll get that off first, obviously. I wasn’t… going to put you in the water first. Let me think…”
She moved to the edge of the bed. She tried to settle one hoof over the edge, but her new legs didn’t want to bend any of the same ways. Instead of rising gracefully, she fell forward, catching herself with her forelegs inches above the dirty floor. “Right, quadruped. Of course. This makes perfect sense.” She inched forward with her forelegs, dragging herself along until her back legs yanked off. At least she could stand up, so that was something.
She circled around to the other side of the bed, looking sympathetic. “I don’t even know where the hell we’re going to get you diapers. If I can… not until everybody leaves again.” She glanced to the side, frowning. “You can’t understand me, I’m not sure why I’m even bothering. And we’ll have to cut them for your tail and hope they’re even big enough. I never heard of anyone putting diapers on a horse before…”
That was apparently more of a delay than the baby could handle, because her little horn started to glow again. Kyle stumbled backward, falling onto her rump loud enough that the bump resounded through the house. “W-wait! Don’t… don’t blast me again! Please, I’m trying to help you, kid! I really am!”
Her fear proved to be in vain, however. The alien glow from the baby’s horn didn’t translate to her as it had done before, and turn her into something terrible. Instead she yanked the diaper away, tossing it across the room with a look of disgust. The baby had even thrown it towards the garbage can, though how she’d known what that was, Kyle couldn’t tell.
“Oh.” She grinned with relief. “Well that’s… a great solution. Now how about a bath? That would make you feel relaxed, right? Make you feel good enough that you’d like to reverse whatever weird stuff you did to the one who saved you from the woods?”
The baby squeaked energetically, bouncing towards the edge of the bed. It didn’t seem like she’d actually understood anything. Obviously she wouldn’t, she was just a kid. But she looked cooperative, and maybe that was a start. “Here, uh… crap, how can I…” She walked up beside the bed, twisting to the side. “I guess just… climb on my back? I can’t really carry you the way I did before.”
Could she do that? Apparently so, because she felt the kid scramble up a moment later. Maybe she can understand me? If so, she was frighteningly young to have that kind of comprehension.
She crossed through the bedroom, past the old sitting room, and finally into the bathroom, flicking the light on with her nose as she passed. She refused to look anywhere near the many mirrors, though she could see the pink and blue fur out the corner of her eye anyway.
“Every little kid likes bubble baths, right? I’m… not actually very good at this. Babysitting is kind of a girl thing, and…” The old knobs tasted coppery and metallic in her mouth, but that was better than what she’d almost endured. Soon enough there was warm water flowing. She didn’t so much pour the soap as knock the open bottle into the water, filling the tub with a slew of white bubbles.
The baby squirmed over her neck and head towards the water. Kyle got as low as she could, so the kid wouldn’t hurt herself when she slipped off.
“I’m… really going to have to think of something to call you,” she muttered. “You must have a name, right? Not just some horse… I can’t keep calling you ‘baby’.”
Even if she didn’t know the first thing about childcare, she knew she could never leave the little horse’s side when she was near the water. She wasn’t going to be responsible for the kid drowning.
She looked the kid over, from the interlocking colors of bright purple and pink to her softer coat. If she’d been dyed, it was resilient stuff, because the water was white as snow from the soap. “Could I call you… Pink?”
She tilted her head slightly, sticking her tongue out.
“Alright, alright. Not Pink. I guess that’s not much of a baby name anyway. You could just tell me your name if you’re so smart.”
Instead of answering, the baby reached down with a wing and splashed a huge wave of water in her direction, washing over the side of the tub and splattering her. She squealed, her own wings spreading reflexively as she tried to shield her face. “H-hey, they actually did what I wanted that time!”
The excitement didn’t last, though. It was cool, but it was really just a reminder that she was an oversized horse-swan hiding from her parents. I’m not going to have them for much longer. It’s okay. We’re almost there. She’s calm now, and she’s comfortable. She’ll change me back.
She settled back onto her haunches beside the tub, watching absently. “When we’re done here, I’d really like it if you could change me back,” she said casually. “It seems like you can understand me, and… I’d like to be myself again. There are people who can care for you, special animal control people. Or maybe we can find your… creators? Parents? Whoever. They’ve got to be out there somewhere.”
But the baby wasn’t listening anymore. She splashed and flopped around in the tub, giggling to herself as bubbles went everywhere. She was getting clean… or something like clean, anyway. Even without knowing how to care for babies or animals, Kyle felt like she should make sure she at least got all the dirt out. But how was she supposed to help her with the bath if she didn’t have hands?
I need to figure this horn thing out if I’m going to be stuck for much longer. If a baby can do it, it’s gotta be simple. She rose to her hooves, backing up a little and darting back into her room. Her stupid hooves made what would’ve been silent a riot of thumps on the floor, but she returned a few moments later with her picture in her mouth. She set it down beside the tub, pointing. “Okay, kid. I need you to change me back now. I think you’ve had your fun. You got to eat, and now I think it’s only fair that I get to be me again. Just…” She tapped her horn, then pointed at the picture.
“You make me this, yeah? Change… me… back.”
The baby squealed, splashing her again and giggling. The water was getting high enough now that it was easy for the kid to make a mess. Kyle twisted both the knobs off, and debated getting in herself. It felt like the natural thing to do—but another part of her mind resisted. Too weird, and it would be weirder if the baby actually listened while she was still in there.
“I’m not asking for much,” she squeaked, her voice cracking a little. “I’ve tried to help you, kid. I didn’t leave you out in the woods. I’m trying to take care of you. But… it would be easier for me if you make me human again. I have class tomorrow, and I can’t go like this. If my parents find us, they’ll call the police right away, and… I’m not sure I’ll ever see my family again. Don’t you care?”
The baby tilted her head to the side, walking a few steps closer in the bath. She rested her head gently on Kyle’s neck, cooing again. Was she trying to be reassuring? They weren’t words, just more baby noises. Like a dog comforting their owner in distress, but… moreso.
“I’m not asking for much,” she said. “You did it once. If you can make me into a horse, you can make it go away! It can’t be that hard. You’re a magical unicorn thing! Every little girl’s wish come true. Please.”
The kid kept hugging her, or whatever hugging meant for a horse without any arms. But she didn’t speak, didn’t cast any magic spells. By the time Kyle had stopped crying, she was still very much a horse.
She doesn’t know how to change me back, she realized, and the weight of that settled on her shoulders like a backpack filled with textbooks. I’ll have to find another way. Or maybe I’ll be stuck forever.
Her stomach grumbled, loud enough that even the baby giggled and poked her. “Yeah, don’t say it. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”
The baby didn’t seem to get it, which wasn’t terribly surprising since she probably couldn’t understand her at all. “Alright, fine. You’re not changing me back. Until you do, I’m going to call you what I want. Something magical, so, uh… how about… Fay. I think it fits the way you’ve been acting.”
She stuck out her tongue again, though Kyle imagined she wasn’t resisting nearly as strongly as before. “Okay, it’s settled. You’re Fay now, at least until you give me another name.” She spread her wings dramatically. “Last chance to stop me, and…”
The baby only tilted her head, watching Kyle’s wings more than her face.
“Alright, Fay it is. Can’t say I’m happy about what you’ve done to me, Fay. Anytime you want to fix it, that would be great.”
But she didn’t seem to want to, or understand any better what Kyle was even asking for. Eventually she gave up and helped Fay out of the bath, drying her with several towels hanging in the corner.
Then she heard the banging on her door, echoing through the open bedroom. “Alright Kyle, enough hiding. I can hear you’re up in there. I don’t care if you open the door or not, because I’m coming in.”
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dramatic orchestral music starts
Good luck explaining this. 50/50 on Kara either helping Kyle hide or trying to get him (her, now?) reported to his parents and/or authorities.
Isn’t there a little more associated with changing diapers, like wiping the baby’s butt (although perhaps the bath is an acceptable substitute)? Or does Kyle have poop all over her bed now?
Hopefully she figures out her wings can work as a substitute for her hands. It’d at least make things a bit easier until she figures out magic.
Phew. Kyle really dodged a bullet there.
worst time to have a brain fart and forget she turned you into one of her species or did I just assume magic came along with being turned into an alicorn mare.
Either way that dirty diaper wasn't going to change itself.
It was at that point that she realized the narration was referring to her with feminine pronouns.
Yeah, this was never going to be a long-lasting masquerade. Time to face the music. The question is whether Kyle will even try to talk to Kara.
Let's hope Flurry's magic also got all the mess with it, else that half-assed bath will not be enough to prevent a lot of discomfort for her.
And now Kyle will (likely) finally discover that his family (or at least his sister) is not nearly as bad as he believes. Sure, a female winged horny horse taking care of a smaller female winged horny horse while claiming to be your transformed son is a tough as fuck pill to swallow, but one that they likely won't just go apeshit on.
Even if Kyle barricades the bathroom door, Kara's probably gonna notice the smell and baby diaper, which is gonna lead to a lot of uncomfortable questions that are going to be hard to answer with a feminine voice.
i.pinimg.com/originals/ed/74/50/ed745093e8f7789950e065e840effe7d.jpg
"I also heard a woman scream and shout"
Ruh roh
Uh oh. Busted.
9971935
More of a grenade, really. Stink bomb?
Not the good kind of fudge, for sure.
How screwed is he
9971935
A really shitty bullet at that
Y'know, nothing to do with this chapter, but I think I've finally pinned down what's always bothered me about this style of writing. We're made to believe that, mentally, these people's transformed selves retain their minds, so it's always bothered me; why, in the hell, do their pronouns change if their *gender* doesn't? Gender is a mess nowadays, I get that, but if their mental state remains relatively the same, why would their pronouns change if it's just their bodies? They're *clearly* not okay with this, which makes these all the more...icky...and I don't think it's necessary for me to elaborate why that is. I still LIKE these stories, but like...yeah. I'm just glad I finally pinned down why all of these make me uncomfortable and icked out to the Nth degree.
9972464
Quite understandable, but since the narration is in 3rd Person, it doesn’t apply to me. After all, the hapless victim isn't the narrator here. Still prefer matching to birth gender though.
Right you are. He's just a little horse right now.
9971942
Unless he was given Alicorn instincts, (which even canon suggests doesn’t happen, what with Twilight's early wing troubles), he'd have little idea of how that horn works. Of course, it would still be natural to try making it work, but success? Give it a day or two in-story.
I wonder if Flurry would give her a blast at first sight?
Well, we have fecal matter, and it is staged to hit the oscillating air circulation device.
... let's see what happens.
9972528
Or Twilight could have gotten instincts but put too much thought into it, since a one-month-old pegasus and a newborn alicorn had no trouble flying when and where they wanted to. 🤷
I’m fine with whatever way it is. Lots of things in FiM don’t make sense or weren’t explained well (if at all), and that’s one area where I look forward to what fan-fiction writers do with their creative licenses.
Looks like it’s time to face the heartsong, Kyle.
9972464
I agree with you in what you're suggesting the character is experiencing. I have no doubt Kyle would still think of himself as male and with male pronouns. Using pronouns corresponding to physical sex instead of mental gender is a choice I made to avoid confusion for readers. It would probably cause more confusion and make the characters very upset, but they're not real, so... I just tend towards the writing style that has been easiest to understand in the past.
9973237
I don’t like this decision, personally. Please reconsider. It feels really super uncomfortable. Alex was already trans, so was Arcane, and Theo didn’t seem to care too much either way after the freak out period. But this guy here is explicitly male, and considers himself male. The text also explicitly points out his female parts, so there’s not much confusion possible there, and by referring to him as male in the narration it could help people who don’t get it initially understand that someone’s opinions override their birth sex. I might be a little too close to this issue to consider it fully objectively, but stories are supposed to be fun, and I can’t really have fun reading this if I feel icky every time he gets referred to with female pronouns.
9973736
And I realize that coming down on any side of a binary choice, even when I'm absolutely confident in my decision, is going to have people with the opposite viewpoint losing some of their enjoyment, or maybe even losing faith in a story altogether. It hope the other aspects of the story are enough to keep them entertained, but I ultimately realize not every story is going to be for everyone. Still kindof a bummer, though.
9973858
I’ll keep reading. I don’t mean to suggest I’ve lost faith in the story as a whole, and I’ll try to look past the issue. It just makes me feel uncomfortable, as I personally think that this is the wrong side of that binary choice. This is third person limited. From a perspective focused purely on writing conventions, the correct thing to do is refer to someone as the character would, even if it were wrong—which in this case it really, really isn’t.
9973877
While I don't agree with your point of view, I'm thrilled it wasn't enough to make you give up.
9973237
I actually thought the protagonist had started to refer to themselves with female pronouns. That was quite confusing, to tell you the truth. I began suspecting they had been brainwashed along with the initial physical transformation. Only now, having read your comments on this, do I understand this is not what had happened... right? No mind-altering powers at work? Anyway, thank you for clearing that up. While I appreciate your reasoning I can't help but feel the choice of pronouns detracts from an otherwise enjoyable story.
Yeah, not sure how long Kyle expected to be left alone.
Well first, should we be worried Kyle is using female pronouns now? Or is it just his concession to this unwelcome reality?
Second, the diaper change - we knew it was coming, but perhaps not with Kyle lacking any effective manipulators at the time. I guess Flurry disposing of it herself is a reasonable response, but probably not a very neat one. And there's still the question of replacing it - not to mention what Kyle will do when she needs to go.
Finally, we have Kara - who, for all that Kyle really doesm't want to see her, could be very useful if she can be brought on board.
Welp. (S)he's screwed.
Alright magic, let's go!
I'm only on Chapter 4, but I'm calling it. Flurry can't change him/her back. If Flurry changed him into a Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth Pony wet nurse, I think it would be reversible, but Flurry's mother was an Alicorn so only another Alicorn would do. I think an Alicorn's resistance to magic will interfere with reversing it. S/he might be killed or otherwise rendered incapacitated, but not returned to "normal." She is the new normal. Just my guesstimate. On to the next chapter.
I know I'm late to the party, but I just want to say that it's amazing his/her parents haven't come a knocking asking about the dirty hoof prints on the kitchen counter.
0h, this made me think of the story "diaper pale" by Estee, where Mr. Cake nearly gets mobbed for changing a diaper in a public place...
Eat Flurry Heart, she's the one who got you into this dilemma.
10480470
Go to jail, do not collect $200 if you pass go
10480470
r/Holup
RIP
Oh dear. It already penetrated his psyche; he's thinking of himself as female.
Or is that just the narrator adapting?
Yes! Practice magic! Surely nothing bad can come from that
Hee. Nice reference.
I doubt ponies use non-reusable diapers, it'll still smell, no one's going to empty that trash can while you're stuck in here, and if anyone would, they'd notice the smell. And you don't have any other diapers for her, so the logical solution would actually be to wash that one.
So, yeah. Great solution, indeed
Excrement, meet
fanFayThat about sums up the appropriate reaction to this.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. I hope Kara always secretely wanted a sister.
10851163
And a horse, while she's at it.
Man, more rule 63 garbage. Well not really garbage but not my thing.
Otherwise would be a good read in my view.