Return to Equestria

by David Silver

25 - Doctor's In

The next morning had them up and out. They had a doctor to meet. "The pill didn't taste awful," noted David as they headed over. "And you can just swallow it." David could just swallow it. He often forgot that most people preferred not to dry swallow their medicine in that fashion.

“I’m afraid to guide the rhythm…” Gloomy clopped her hooves nervously. “After I saw the words, I felt so… small. Now I’m going to be even smaller.”

Gloomy Sonnets pupils shrunk slightly, “I can do this.”

David set his hand on Gloomy, reaching for her. "We're with you. You're not alone."

Joy jumped forward with a smirk. "He's got that right! Two and a half ponies on your side. That counts for something, right?"

“I can do this.” Gloomy nodded at the Doctor’s door and spoke impassionately. “I chose this path. It will work.”

They arrived, gaining entry with David's clever fingers. Not that the door was locked or that any of them couldn't have done the same thing, but he got there first and he opened it. He waved for the others to proceed, holding the door open for them.

"Such a gentlepony." Back Story giggled on her way past into the clinic.

“You like him enough to help him poop?” Gloomy shrugged. “I’m not judging, but you better say something. Pega-sister is very obviously in the game.” She almost smiled as her hooves tapped the rhythm. “I am not putting this off… I can’t even see the other side of this conversation that yesterday I didn’t even know was happening. But now I know, but I can’t see it.”

Joy inclined her head. "You lost me. The doc's not doing anything to David today, is he? And stop bringing that up!" The earth pony stomped with a loud snort. "He asked for help in a very awkward situation… It was the mature thing to do, and I responded in kind. It wasn't like he asked for any of this."

Back Story turned back from within the clinic. "Everything alright out there?"

David waved past the door. "Everything alright?" That had already been said, he realized just after saying it. "What's up?"

“I’m the one that made the deal… I can walk away from it….” The gray mare sat in deep thought. “It wouldn’t even make any difference. This treatment is far from even provable at this point…”

"Oh." David let the door close on a startled Back Story, shutting her out for the moment, or shutting her in? "Nobody here is going to force you to do this. I barely know you, to be frank, so what right do I have to even insist, in the end? I don't know the little girl involved at all. Unless you explode on taking it, I think the guy will try it on her one way or the other."

“I’m alright.” Gloomy inhaled deeply as she stepped through the door. “This is exactly what I knew was going to face somepony when I made the jinx. Somepony just happens to be…me.”

David pulled the door back open the moment Gloomy started for it and advanced with her, Joy a step behind him. "Maybe nothing will happen. Only one way to know. Doc, you in here?"

"Finally!" It was Back Story, not the doctor. "He said I had to wait out here. Not a patient or something like that. Spoilsport…"

“Miss Sonnet?” The receptionist called out. “The doctor will see you now.”

Gloomy Sonet flashed her friends an unsure smile as she walked back to see the doctor.

David took a seat quietly on the available couch and found himself surrounded shortly with a mare on either side. Lucky… if they cared about him that way, but no. Hm, wait… "I have to stop doing that."

Joy perked an ear at her humanism companion. "Stop what?"

"I think things, then immediately shoot myself down. It's a bad habit."

Back Story flopped to her belly on her portion of the seating bench. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking…" He paused. Should he even say that? Was it rude? He was a freaky alien! "Permission to be completely truthful?"

Back Story clicked the pen she held in a wing that she hadn't been holding before. "Granted."

"Alright, so… I'm a bit of a paradox." He rolled his hands over one another in a futile effort to express his emotions. "I am wildly inexperienced, but know all the ideas in theory. My aim is wide, but experience, again, kinda small."

Joy thumped a hoof forward into David's side. "You're dancing around the point."

He could keep on dancing, or just talk. They had been nothing but understanding so far… "Alright. Being a greymane, this is likely a hard no, and no bad feelings on that, but I see two lovely females I enjoy being around that I'd like to continue being around, maybe even romantic, if they want that. You're both attractive in different ways and your attitudes and what you like appeal to me."

Back Story inclined her head. "I'm flattered, but you barely know me, if we're being honest. What do I like that you like? What's my favorite color!"

David stammered, caught by the innocent question. "I know two favorite colors, one of them is mine… You like writing and creating, though, and I'm a huge fan of that. Writing has been a part of my life for decades, and a fellow creator means a lot."

Back Story leaned in closer, her snout in danger of crashing into him. "You're a writer too?! Did I miss you mentioning that? What genre? Fiction or non-fiction?! I need to--"

Joy reached around David to place a hoof on Back and push her away. "Down, mare. Is that enough? You both like writing, so let's shop for a wedding ring? Besides, all he said is that he's open to the idea of it, which is a little odd if you think about it."

Meanwhile, in the Doctor’s office another awkward conversation was taking place, as Gloomy Sonet dipped her head with her ears held back. “I’m sorry about my outburst yesterday, Doctor.”

“On the contrary, Miss Sonnet, you were right.” Dr. Feelgood nodded gravely. “I should have been more open with you all about what I was attempting and what to expect. Transmogrification is a lost magic. But once a common one, why else would bunny-corns even exist? We have bunnies. We have unicorns. But it’s fair to say a momma unicorn didn’t just love a daddy bunny a whole bunch… at least I hope that’s not how that happened…”

Gloomy actually managed a giggle, and the doctor continued. “You’re right, I’m not a good doctor, I can only treat symptoms and make ponies feel good. I knew there was going to be a side effect going from one species to another… so I followed what my cutie mark was telling me. I adjusted the formula.” The doctor blew an errant bang out of his face. “But I should have told you. I should have told all of you…”

The doctor heaved a heavy sigh. “Helping your friend was a rare opportunity, but the medicine we used for him never would have never been appropriate for Blue Skies, she needs a unicorn to unicorn transmogrification. And I’ll be honest, what you said yesterday hurt, a lot. But it hurt because you were right. You’ve trusted me as a doctor for years, and I betrayed that trust. What you're doing is very brave, Miss Sonet.”

“But will work?” Gloomy asked. “David’s medicine had… side effects…”

“Yes, yes,” the doctor nodded in friendly agreement, “Species to species transmogrification is unprecedented. I only meant this medicine to transmogrify from a pony to pony, within the same tribe. I made one small modification… based on observations of David’s trial. The process seemed uncomfortable. So you’re going to go to sleep after taking the medicine. So you should go home and make sure you are comfortably reclined before you take it. It should be perfectly safe based on previous trials. Have your friends monitor you and fetch me immediately if anything goes wrong, otherwise come back in the morning and we can evaluate the results.”

In the front, Back Story sat up. "I never had someone just… ask like that… I'm flattered, but I still barely know you. Fascinated, sure, yeah, but that's not knowing… you know?" She had picked her favorite word.

Joypad rolled her eyes, not looking nearly as smitten. "You're still a crazy alien, and half a pony. The wrong half? The other way would be just as bad." She applied her hoof to her forehead. "And now I'm imagining it, thanks… Look, I know you better, and this is still a sudden move. What's the inspiration? You didn't spring a loaded question on me and we've been together a while."

Nopony had even noticed Gloomy’s return in the haze of awkwardness. She tapped a sly beat with her hooves. “I am semi-dating my sentient living doll. I am not going to judge you.”

Joy jumped at Gloomy's return. "Oh! You look… exactly the same… So… go well?"

“The doctor made the new pill so that I’ll sleep through the transformation.” Gloomy explained the doctor's instructions to her friends.

David bounced to his new hooves with a clop. "Well, nothing more to do here then." With a marching bit of video-game music whistled, he advanced on the door, holding it open for the others. "All aboard."

Gloomy tapped a jaunty marching beat to Davids as the line of ponies paraded out the doctor's office. And thus they marched across town to the heartfelt music, and tossing their heads to the rhythm of their hooves like the happy little horses that they were.

Joy moved to David's side. "You seem… peppy today. Is that related?"

"Hm?" He considered with his steps. "Now that you bring it up… It's like… Oh!" He reached back and patted himself on the small of the back near his new tail. "That thing fixed my fricken back!"

Back inclined her head as her name was said. "Your back was broken? I would have noticed that…"

The jaunty march ended in a sudden clomp of hooves coming to a halt. Gloomy cocked her head to the side. “Well that happened… So… Back to my place and order more pizza?”

David stroked at his chin, moving along with the lively step. "Speaking of that, maybe I can handle cheese…" It clicked. "I already did! Shoot. I was just not paying attention." He snapped his fingers and clapped his hands in one motion. "Today is looking up! But how are you doing?" He reached for Gloomy. "Sorry, not trying to ignore you."

Gloomy’s face broke… no wait that was a nervous smile, “N-not at all, actually you’ve been very supportive through a very trying couple of days. All of you have.”

Back burst into airy giggles. "What are friends for? Sure, we're still, um, not even that far, but we're still friendly ponies being all friendly for each other. Close enough." She threw her head at David. "Did you know that big lug just asked if he could be our boyfriend, both of us, at the same time?! The nerve." She didn't look mortally offended, more stricken with amusement.

“Huh, I owe Charlie 2 bits when we find him,” Gloomy recited as if she were reading the list of ingredients of a breakfast cereal, “I’m not sure what he wanted with two bits, he doesn’t really keep material possessions, being a doll. Also not sure how he knew that was going to happen… Huh.”

David could predict the hows and whys easily enough. "Of course he would… But wait… He didn't know I was here until very recently, so… when was that?" Still, his good mood could not be easily squashed. With a triumphant ballad that meant finding an item in a game that did not exist in that world, he opened the door leading to Gloomy's home for everyone.

Author's Note:

A regrown lower back has more benefits than one might first imagine. Hirrah!

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Hopefully the Docs experienced enough that he is confident the transmogrification will pass safely away from the hospital. didnt think they were that rushed for space, but being at home usually makes the person more relaxed than most medication, helping the effect along without problems?

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

Since the pill given to Charlie had immediate side effects, how certain are we that his current form is completely stable?

[David Silver]

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