Ponid-21

by Cadenzel Washington

The Ninth Day, Part 1 (Making an Announcement)

I opened my eyes and looked around at the room before me. It wasn’t the same medical room I had grown used to over the past week, but an actual bedroom, though it wasn’t my own living space. “This isn’t my room, where am I?” I utter to no one in particular. I get up and land on my feet and run a hand through my hair. I didn’t see any answers here in this room, so I changed into some clothes and made my way downstairs. Despite this not being my home, I effortlessly found my way to the kitchen, where I saw my friends chatting away and having a good time at the kitchen table. Pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast were laid out neatly on the table. I smiled at seeing all of my friends that I had made in the past week. They all seemed to be talking about several different subjects, but I was unable to parse any specific conversations. I waved at them as I approached the table.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” I asked them, curious to know what they’re talking about. Everyone turned their heads to look at me, many of them having puzzled expressions.

“Hey Penn, what’s up with your look?” Meghan asked, stroking her chin with a finger and thumb.

“Huh, what are you talking about?” I raised my eyebrow. I didn’t wear anything weird did I?

“She’s talking about your clothes.” Darnel piped in, after taking a swig of orange juice.

I looked down at my outfit. Nothing seemed all that off about it. I was just wearing a red polo shirt and some khaki pants. Did they know something I didn’t? “I don’t see what’s wrong with my clothes guys, this is just what I usually wear.”

“It’s probably best that you not wear that. It doesn't exactly fit who you are.” Nathan casually retorted.

“Well, why not? I don’t see any reason I shouldn’t be able to wear this outfit!” I growl. "I happen to like it and it looks good on me!"

“Oh, it’s simple really,” Alex explained. “Ponies don’t normally wear clothes.”

Upon hearing those words reach my ears, I suddenly felt myself lose my balance and nearly fall over. I catch myself from falling smack on my face by placing my hands in front of me to catch myself. I turned my head around to look down at my leg that had failed to keep me upright and I yelped out in terror. My left leg was twisting and warping, shedding its human shape. I reached out towards it in a vain attempt to stop the spread of the equine changes only to scream in terror upon seeing my fingers seemingly melt in front of me into a much less dexterous hoof.

I wanted to turn to ask my friends to help me, but my speech was slurred and distorted and my mouth felt numb. My attention turned to the front of my face. I noticed that my mouth and nose was pushing forth into a small fuzzy muzzle. I wanted to get back to my feet, I didn’t want to feel like an animal. I tried to get up on my new hooves but I soon felt my spine snap and pop several times and I went careening back to the ground. I was forced down on all fours, the world of two-legged movement was taken from me.

My head felt like it was splitting open as a large horn spiraled out from my forehead, forcing new, unwanted sensations into my brain. My shoulder blades gave me another wincing pain as a pair of wings lurched out of my body with a sickening pop, tearing through the fabric of my shirt. After those two foreign appendages tore out from my flesh, my tailbone growing out into a real equine tail seemed almost pedestrian by comparison.

The entire transformation seemed to occur in under two minutes, but the agonizing pain made it hard to determine just how long it had taken. My breathing was heavy and deliberate. I looked around at my friends, wondering why they had not even reacted at all to my sudden metamorphosis. I desperately moved over on unfamiliar limbs toward the reflective surface of the window and gazed at my new form.

“No...nnnn...no! Noooooo!” I screamed out upon looking at my finished transformation. “This isn’t who I am! I’m not a pony!” I yelped, desperate for some kind of reassurance from my friends, only to see that they had all changed too.

“Darling, don’t worry about that anymore. We’re all much better off like this, trust me.” Nathan Rarity said in a matter of fact tone.

“Don’t worry about that silly stuff anymore, ya goof! You’ll love Pony life a whole lot more!”Megan Pinkie Pie gleefully added.

“No, please...just stop!” I cried out, putting my hooves against my ears, vainly hoping I could wish this nightmare scenario away.

“You’ll love being this way. We’ll make sure your life as a pony is nice and comfortable.” Alex Sunset Shimmer smiled.

“Make it stop, make it stop, MAKE IT STOP!” I repeated my manta.

“Ah, just let the good feelin’ inside and yer body will feel alright!” Darnel Applejack nodded giving out her sage advice.

I shook my head, tears flowing down my fuzzy cheeks. I was about to yell at them when I saw one more pony approach me with a warm smile painted on her cream colored muzzle, her light pink mane bobbing up and down as she approached.

“It’s okay, Twilight. You’ll love being this way.” Juan Fluttershy beamed.

I snapped. I clutched my head, shut my eyes and screamed down into the ground, decimating my ears with a loud, feminine scream. The world around me erupted into flames, the hollow imitations of my friends vanishing as I stood inside the mental inferno, letting all of my buried emotion be unleashed in one large burst. I felt power bursting from me causing the house I stood in to shudder and burst apart from my show of magical strength.

I then felt a sudden weight behind me, a pair of dark blue wings surrounding my body. My eyes shot open and I craned my neck to get a look at who it was, though my mind already knew deep down.

“It is alright. I am here for you.” Luna proclaimed.

I feel the power of my body quickly fade, the ruins of the house now falling silent. Luna pulls away and looks down on me with a sad look in her eyes.

“Well,” Luna began. “I don’t think I need an explanation for this dream. I suspect our conversation yesterday had something to do with this.”

I say nothing and simply nod in agreement. Luna stays silent for a bit before pulling me into a hug.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Ninth Day

I woke up. I was panting and gasping for air from the rollercoaster dream I just experienced. My fears over losing myself were always lingering in the background, but this dream just decided to go and slam me in the face with my fears and worries all at once. A dream is just that; a dream. But I still felt uneasy after that whole ordeal.

I groaned as I got up and I ruffled my hair with my hoof. I knew I should check on any new changes that happened to me, but the images of my dream still echoed in my mind. I shook my head. It’s best to get them out of the way now, rather than let myself get surprised later. I meandered over to the mirror to get a good look at myself.

The good news was that all the new changes seemed to be all focused on a single area of my body. Now I wouldn’t have to go searching for all the weird places my changes happened. The bad news was the changes were front and center on my head meaning everyone was going to see them.

The first thing I noticed was my eyes being much larger in proportion to my head. I still sported the heterochromia I got all the way back from the first day, but these eyes were larger, almost alien like. I didn’t...dislike the look of it. It made me look kinda cute actually. I then flash back to the image of myself changing in my dream and feel a shiver go up my spine.

I gritted my teeth together and that’s when I noticed another change. My jawline and the interior of my mouth had changed. I was no dentist, but I could tell that my teeth were less sharp. Looks like it’s gonna be all about that veggie life. I should try and eat some meat and see if I can still keep that down. I’d hate to just give up something like turkey er...cold turkey. The only other differences I saw was my wings were larger and my horn was longer, as well as a bit more fur on my whole body.

I sighed and started to get changed and in order to ready for the day. I pulled down the shirt to get it over my body only to get a snagging sensation halfway down. I pulled harder but was met with equally hard resistance. I craned my neck around to see my lavender wings were causing this problem. I grumbled and forced my wings to lie flat against my body so I could get the shirt over my body. It worked, though it now felt like I had worn the shirt along with a coat hanger.

The situation would have to do until I could get some kind of outfit that could work with my new appendages. That or I could just make holes in this shirt for them out of frustration, whichever came first. My pants were a slightly less annoying affair, only having to stuff my tail into one of my pants legs. I shook my head. It was not ideal, but it was functional and it separated me from being just another animal.

I left my room, eager to get a good start to the day.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I looked down at my tray as I went through the cafeteria line. I made sure to get the essential stuff; Salad, Fried Rice, Pasta, a second Salad, Apple Juice and of course a side Salad. Just everything a growing boy needs. I went over and scanned the room for any familiar snouts and it didn’t take me long to spot Nathan casually eating by himself. I called out to him and made my way over, plopping down my large feast in front of me.

“Hey Nathan, how you doin’ today?” I asked.

“I’m doing fine, all things considered.” Nathan shrugged, looking up at me. “But you on the other hand look like you’re in a bit of a state.”

“It’s...it’s not that much food, is it?” I respond, looking away and rubbing the back of my neck.

"I more mean that you look like you barely got any sleep last night. Is something wrong?" Nathan asked.

"I just couldn't get comfortable sleeping last night." I lied. "But once I get this food in me, I'll be fine."

Nathan gave out a small hum before turning back to his own meal. "Well, in that case, I'd like to talk to you about that dreadful hump you've got going on."

"Oi!" I snap back. "I'm not that fat! And heck, if anything, this whole situation is having me lose pounds overall." I say with a bit of pride.

Nathan shook his head. “I’m not talking about your eating habits, I’m talking about your garments, darling! You look like a hunchback with those wings sticking out of your shirt. Listen, I’ll talk to the staff here to start designing clothing for us that can handle our...unique needs for anatomy, but until then I can mend your clothes to fit your wings. I did it with Juan’s outfit and I can do it to yours!”

Upon making that declaration, Nathan swiftly pushed aside his meal off to an unused table and whipped out a compact sewing kit that he pulled out of his pocket.

“Whoa...you carry that around with you all the time?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Yes, Penn. I carry this around because an emergency may arise at any time and I need to be prepared. I learned how to sew, cook and clean from my mother because I saw them as pragmatic skills. I don’t care if they’re seen as feminine skills, I find them very useful!” Nathan firmly nodded to himself.

“I uh...didn’t say anything was feminine.” I pointed out. “Nothing at all wrong with having that. I’m impressed actually.”

“Ah...y-yes of course. Eheheh, never mind then.” Nathan awkwardly chuckled as he pulled out his sewing kit. “Anyway, if you’ll let me take a look at your shirt, I can modify it to allow for those wings of yours to flow freely. Of course, at this rate, you’ll probably need a shirt properly sized for you as well...but one problem at a time!”

“Well, sure. Go right ahead.” I say with a smile.

Nathan frowned a bit. “Darling, I can only really do it if you take off your shirt.”

I blushed and turned away. “O-oh. Maybe we should do it somewhere else then?”

“Nonsense! We can do this right here. Trust me, given how much we’ve...changed, having a shirt off won’t even phase these people.” Nathan attempted to reassure me.

“That’s...not the reason I’m hesitant.” I mutter.

“Oh? Why?” Nathan inquired. “Are you embarrassed?”

I stayed silent for a bit, thinking back at the dream I had last night and the terror of changing and ripping through my clothes. I shuddered.

“Yeah, it is embarrassing.” I said innocently.

Nathan looked at me with a disbelieving eyebrow raise. Eventually, he simply shook his head and sighed. “Alright, fine, we can look at it later.”

I nodded and went back to my meal and for a while we just quietly sat there eating in silence. Eventually, Nathan decided to speak up again. “So, I see you’re going with a much more green diet today.” He commented.

“Well, not all green stuff, I got a-” I looked around at the spread I assembled before me and stopped. I scanned it again and scratched my head. “Huh, I coulda sworn I picked up a burger at some point in my food run. How odd.”

“It’s certainly a much more Equine diet for sure.” Nathan noted.

“Man, forget that, I’m gonna go get a burger.” I definitely proclaim as I get up. I barely go two steps before an announcement goes off.

“Would all patients in Blocks D, E, F and G please report to Room A-101 for a mandatory meeting in 30 minutes? All patients from Blocks D, E, F and G please report to Room A-101 for a mandatory meeting in 30 minutes.” The announcement methodically stated.

“That sounds like a lot of people, doesn’t it? This must be pretty important.” I wondered.

“We best get going then. I think we’re about to find out something big.” Nathan states as he starts cleaning up the table.

“Yeah,” I nod, helping clean things up. “I only hope that it doesn’t end up leaving me with more questions.”

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I walked over with Nathan to the room we were told to meet at. We pushed past the double doors only to be met with a stunning sight for us. It was kind of surreal to see.

The entire crowd of several dozen people were all in the same boat as me; They were all pony people.

It took a while to find my friends in the sea of different hues and color. Most of them seemed to be as far along as I was but a few seemed to be less farther along. But all of them seemed to have at least a small shred of humanity in and around there somewhere. Eventually, I spot a rainbow mane and see the rest of my friends around and the two of us make our way over.

Will waves at us as we sit down. “Hey guys, guess you decided to join the party.”

“Any of you know what the heck is going on?” I ask.

Darnel shrugs. “Beats me, all I know is that we’ve been gawking at all the different people here. It’s kinda hard not to. Also, we noticed that while pony forms are the dominant change, it’s not the only creature that seems to come out.” Darnel states as he pushes a hoof past me and points across the room. “See there? Near the middle.”

I squint my eyes, trying to see what Darnel is getting at. I look around at the different ponies and suddenly I spot it; in the middle of the pack of pony people, there seems to be a bizarre bird like creature with a prominent beak and fearsome looking claw hands. I couldn’t see too much detail from so far away, but I could see that this creature had paws for hindlegs. Despite the wicked looking claws and piercing eyes, they seemed to be just as confused and desperate for answers as we were.

“Huh. Yeah, that is definitely not a pony, that much we can be sure about.” I stated. “It looks like a Gryphon of some sort. Well, I just hope they don’t follow the typical Gryphon diet of eating horses.”

“They eat what!?” Meghan blurted out a bit loudly, drawing stares from a few people across the room.

“Look, that’s just the mythology behind the Gryphons from Ancient Greece. For all we know, this Gryphon is a vegetarian or something.” I reassure my friends. I look back over and look back at the Gryphon person. They pull out a small lunchbox like container. From this box, the Gryphon pulls out a large cheeseburger and they start to chow down. “Oh, goddamn it.” I shake my head, deciding to look around at the rest of the crowd. I wanted to see if there were any other ponies like me or James out there with horns and wings. I was having difficulty given the sheer amount of people here in the seats having a condition like ours.

But then I spotted them.

A few rows behind us, near the right aisle was a larger looking person with a bright off-white coat and with a very colorful mane of bright cyan, green, blue, and pink. They had an exceptionally long horn compared to the other unicorns and they seemed to be a bit larger than the rest of the people around them. They looked more like a regular horse, rather than the small and minuscule looking ponies that most of us seem to be becoming.

“Hey, James. I think I found a pony that’s got the Horn Wing Combo basket just like us.” I comment.

“Hmm? Is that so? Where?” James asks genuinely curious. I point to where I found the winged unicorn.

“Ah," James nods. "I see. There is another. Given what I gleaned from my time with Tyrell and Julius, I remember hearing comments of them doing exercises with a…as they put it, ‘majestic as fuck’ winged unicorn.” James finished, using their wings to make air quotes.

I crack up at the comment. Yeah, that sounds like those two. Still, it confirmed that Luna and I were ‘special’ in the minds of whoever was running this whole shindig and they wanted to know a lot more about us. That Gryphon over there brought forth even more questions; just how many ways could people get affected by this? I remember Akai telling me that not everyone who got a vaccine was transforming like this, but the sheer number of unknowns that are still lingering are staggering. I suspected that we were going to get a lot of answers, but even more questions.

My train of thought was halted at the station as I saw a man move up to the front podium. It was difficult to make out who it was with us being farther in the back but as he stepped up unto the stage it was now clear who it was.

“It’s Franklin.” I uttered.

Author's Note:

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist throwing another two parter at you. The next part will be filled to the brim with juicy tidbits and plot threads so look forward to that!

Comments

[Aremna]

Poor Panicking Pony Penn. Also its rude to stare. Princess of friendship being all judgmental about Gryphons. Tsk tsk. I wonder if being near Celestia will cause Penn to become more of their student, given the effect she seems to have on the others.

[tsaukpaetra]

Hmm, what could they be announcing?
Looks like everyone has finally been fully identified!
Seems we didn't see any changelings.
Keep going! ;)

[keroko]

Ah, and Celestia's patient shows. Given that she seems to be just part of the crowd like the rest, the crew doesn't seem to realize the significance of alicorns or the identities of the ponies. That makes this experiment all the more curious, what are they hoping to achieve?