The Future is Ponified!

by Chrome Masquerade

Chapter 3: A Change of Pace

I walked through the rest of the forest, looking forward to seeing the modernized Ponyville. I walked as quickly as I could. Zecora had also explained of some of the wildlife in the Everfree forest. I would have to be careful.

{Query: You seem to be quite worried. With your new abilities, why are you so hurried?}

At that, I blinked twice. "Like what?"

{Answer: For example you have magic to use any ability from any game you've played, any show you happened to see.}

Having baan something of a gamer (rather than a watcher) in my... previous life, that was quite the list. For example, I was particularly fond of the Final Fantasy and the _____ of Mana series.(1)

As if on cue, a wolf made of wood jumped out of the bushes, growling threateningly. It howled, attracting more.

At this, I was slightly worried, but not as much as before.(2) I could sense a set of D10s appearing to my side. Pointing at ine of the ligneous lupines, i exclaimed, "Fira!"

(4 successes/6, doubled due to weakness to element. Fira cast successfully.)

The wooden wolf that I had pointed at went up in smoke, but the grass beneath it started to burn. My eyes widened. "Watera!"

(Water cast.)

With that, the grass fire was put out. I wiped my brow. "Not gonna try THAT again."

I pointed at my next target. "Let's try this again. Blizzara!"

(Blizzara successfully cast.)

Sure enough, the target was speared by several spikes of ice, slaying it.

{Caution: You might wish to cast with care. You might remember that the more you cast, the less mana you'll have there.}

I nodded at that. Time to cast slightly more carefully.

"Okay!" This time decided to take from Final Fantasy 5. I pointed at several targets at once. "Blizzara; multicast!"

(Blizzara cast successfully)

The rest of the targets were impaled by frosty spikes.

Again, I wiped my brow. That took more out of me than I expected. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached to my left and withdrew a blue potion. Quaffing that, I immediately felt better. Then I realized what I'd just done as the glass vial disappeared. "Huh. Zecora, how many more of those do I have?"

{Answer: 4 more. Over time will rise the score.}

Smiling, I continued my walking.
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The first house I came upon was the one I recognized as Fluttershy's. But like Zecora said, instead of a thatched roof and wooden supports, it did indeed have a steel frame. She didn't concern me all that much (and like as not she'd be afraid of me), so I moved on.

The next sight was Sweet Apple Acres. I had no money, so again I decided to move on. But just as I was about to, my stomach grumbled. Loudly. Ans sure enough, Applejack was close enough to hear me.

She trotted over to me and said, "Yer 'nother one, huh? Well, that'll fix itself in time. 'nyways, Ah heard sign that you're hungry. As it happens, we were 'bout ta have lunch. If'n ya'd like, yer welcome to come 'long."

I replied, "I don't have any way to pay you back, so-"

She interrupted me. "T'ain't no trouble! Big Mac 'n Granny Smith always cook too much 'nyways." As she turned around to move back to the local Apple Family home, I noticed that she had wings.

I said "Hmm..." Then I looked at her and said, "Scan."

Applejack. Species: Alicorn.

That was all I needed to know. Clearly, a horn is easy to hide under a hat, but not so much the wings.

She stopped and looked around. "Somepony's steppin' on mah grave. That is, if Ah had one."

After a moment, I caught up to her and said, "I'm sure it's nothing."

She looked unsure, but said, "Ah s'pose yer right." and moved along.

Eventually, we reached our destination. As it turned out, they were having lunch outdoors today.

Granny Smith said, "Ha! 'nother one come 'long, huh?" then she addressed me. "Well, come 'long. If AJ 'proves o' ya, y'caint be all bad." she joked.

When I sat down, Granny Smith backed up, looked to Big Mac and said "Mac, would ya do th' honours?"

Big Mac backed up himself, as did Apple Bloom. (my cue to do so as well) He clopped his hooves five times and the table expanded, so it'd be big enough for five.

When that happened, Granny Smith looked to their house and gestured for something to come this way. Along floated everything that they'd prepared for lunch.

Before I took a plate, i reflexively put my hands together and said, "We give humble thanks for the rich bounty the world provides. And now, let's eat!"(3)

They looked confused. Applejack said, "Ya didn't strike me as th' r'ligious type."

"When we eat, it becomes part of us. And as a part of the world, it's only proper to give thanks for it, isn't it?"

Applejack tilted her head to one side, then the other and said, "Ah 'spose yer right at that." she repeated my gesture and we moved on to the eating.

At some point, Applejack said, "Granny, pass th' taters, please."

Granny responded, "Scalloped, frah'd, baked 'r boiled?"

"Granny, ya always cook too much."

"Ah know, Ah know. Now what'd ya like."

"Ah can't decide... Jes pass me a piece o' pah."

"Apple, peach, blueberry 'r pun'kin?"

Applejack deadpanned and said, "Do ya really hafta ask?"

Granny Smith grinned and reached for the apple pie. "Had ya fer a moment there, didn' Ah?"

Soon enough, I didn't feel quite right. Applejack said, "Ah reckon it's 'bout ta happen. Ya might wanna find a tree sum'whar nearbah." she gestured to the general area. I nodded and moved to one of the further trees.

The food, in retrospect, was clearly filled with Equestrian magic, and as a result, so was I. I kneeled and hunched over as my arms changed into forelegs, tearing the sleeves of my shirt. Shortly thereafter, my legs changed to hind legs, wrecking my pants. My chest and belly became my barrel, and my neck lengthened.

{Notice: your body would be less taxed if you were to be more relaxed.}

'Easy for you to say, Zecora.' I thought to myself, rolling my eyes. Neverthe;ess, I tried to relax.

My skin prickled as white hairs began to crop up and my ears disappeared briefly, only to reappear at the top of my head. Then hair lengthened into a mane, which turned whiteas a similarly coloured tail appeared, tearing a hole in my pants. my mouth and nose lengthened into a muzzle, hairs beginning to crop up there too. It was then that I realized that I was changing into one of my OCs; Winter Fields.(4)

My male parts were switched for female ones as my system flooded with female hormones and my voice rose an octave or two. I fell forward onto all fours as my hips and legs shifted as small teats grew in. When my cutie mark appeared (frosted blueberries), my purpose and talent became clear to me.

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Nearby, Pinkie Pie's eyes fluttered, then her tail swished, then her shoulder briefly ached. She gasped and said, "Somepony nearby just got their Cutie Mark!" (5) Then she grinned. "Time to plan a party."
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As my changes complated, my nausea vanished and that knot in my back relaxed as wings grew in, fluttering briefly.

{Notice: Your changes are complete. A PegasEarth you are; How neat! You'll soon feel feel very hungry; Such changes are hard on the body, you see.}

With that, I returned for some more lunch. When Applejack and the rest saw me, they exclaimed as one, "Winter Fields?!"

I smiled sheepishly and my ears folded. "Surprised me too, believe me. Can I resume eating? Changes like that are hard on the body."

Granny Smith gestured to the seat I'd taken before. "Fill yer boots."

"I'd rather not do that, even if I had boots to fill." I joked. "But I will eat some more..."

Author's Note:

1: This includes Legend of Mana, Dawn of Mana, Children of Mana and Trials of Mana (which is a remake of Seiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana 2).
2: Time to break out the dice!
3: Yes, this is a reference to Toriko. At some point, watching the series, I decided that if he can pray while he's pretty much at death's door, why can't I?
4: Who, you might remember, is a recurring character in my stories. Also, you might remember, is female. You know what's coming next.
5: I'm not sure if that's the combo for that.