A Tail of Two Ponies

by Lilyheart

Chapter Eleven: Down by the River

🎂

The energetic tension in my blue legs… the curly tresses as they bounce up and down… this is wonderful! I kicked the dewy grass. Ah, the sun, the beautiful sun! I was smiling–when was the last time I smiled this much?

Robin was leading the way, his rainbow-quilled tail flicking occasionally.

In my favorite universe with my favorite friend! And I get to be a girl at the same time! The only thing that would make this better would be if I didn’t have a constant rumbling coming from my belly. It was like being hungry as a human; that gnawing, clawing, scratching from your stomach. But added to that, was the feeling of your belly actually kicking out and making ripples. Just like the show.

I suppose I should be mature and not say anything, shouldn’t I? Be a good Catholic pony and just offer the pain up for the souls in purgatory. Big Sister, I offer this to you. You know what to do with it. Those sparkling indigo eyes… when will I see you again?

A feeling of comfort washed over me; almost like a promise. I looked over to Robin as he frowned while looking up a tree.

“It’s so incredibly quiet,” he whispered. “Other than the birdsong…”

“No cars,” I said simply.

“It’s like the world before the industrial era,” he whispered yet again.

When you haven’t heard silence for a long while, like, true, true silence, the sound is beautiful. Enthralling. Distracted from our goal, we stood there in a state of hypnotic reverence. Lack of sleep might have had something to do with it, too.

Grrrrrralllllll!

I screamed. Both Robin and I jumped. Wait, I screamed?

I dropped to the ground and covered my mouth with my hooves. Robin glared at me. My cheeks were very warm. Is screaming something I’m going to have to get used to?

“What even was that?” I asked in the quietest hiss I could muster. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ponyville heard my shriek.

Robin opened his mouth only for the Grrrrrrallllll sound to interrupt him. It was accompanied by a rippling across his belly. It was his turn to blush, while I exploded into yet another fit of giggles.

***

We soon found ourselves walking along a gentle river. It flowed what I assumed was southward, opposite our heading. It was an opaque blue, until we stood over it. And for the first time since becoming a pony, I saw my reflection.

These turquoise eyes, and the cute surprised expression; a blue horn and yellow curls. I brought a hoof up to my face, brushing it against my cheek while staring into my reflection. What I saw was something I utterly and completely loved. The face looking back at me soon changed from surprise to a blush and a beaming smile. And soon, she was crying. Serene, quiet tears dropping into the creek.

I never liked my reflection. I never hated my reflection. It was something that simply just was. Now, if it weren’t for those little tears interrupting the image before me, I’d probably stare at that face all day. Give Narcissus a run for his money.

Robin’s gagging brought me out of my trance. We looked into the river simultaneously, but he quickly backed away and was now hacking beside a tree. Pity shot through my heart, and the urge to place my hoof on his back.

But you’ll tell me you’re fine and push me away, like you always do, won’t you?

So I sat quietly and waited for him. My ears flicked about, trying to ignore the noise. Eventually he stopped and trotted back to the river, closed his eyes and began guzzling the blue liquid.

“It’s sweet,” he said with a cough, water dripping down his muzzle.

“Hopefully that doesn’t mean there’s antifreeze in it,” I joked as I followed his lead and dipped the end of my nose and lips to the surface of the water, trying to not be distracted by those gorgeous turquoise eyes.

The water was indeed sweet. Not sugary, but a different kind of sweet; a cool satisfying sweetness like biting into a fruit.

“I don’t think the ponies have antifreeze,” said Robin, causing me to cough up water.

I wiped off my muzzle. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” he asked as we began walking again.

“For making this body.” I glanced over to the riverside to watch my reflection as we walked. My eyes traced my fluffy tail and cutie mark; a red heart with the lilies sprouting from it.

“I didn’t make it,” Robin said quickly. I held my tongue, and continued to watch myself in the river. “I just… Why does being a girl make you so happy? I haven’t seen you this way… almost ever. Only sometimes when playing a game. Like that time we tried playing Smash Bros in a mirror.”

“I really don’t know, M… Robin. I really don’t know. It just… does. When I look at that reflection,” I watched myself as I spoke. “I see… beauty. It fills me with euphoria I’ve never felt before.”

“You were beautiful before,” answered my friend. “In your h-h-h-horsanity… Ugh! In your Godly created image. And in your masculinity. I saw the femininity, too. But, altogether, I saw God’s handiwork. I didn’t like seeing you hurt, but… your sorrow was also beautiful. I’m afraid I’m going to lose you. The h-h-hor–what you were before. What you were created to be. The boy you were. My friend…”

I broke my gaze from the creek to watch Robin instead. “That’s not going to happen, Robin. Inside, I’m the same… friend you always knew. You’re just seeing another side of me, that’s all.”

“How can you be so happy about it? Everything screams that this is all wrong! Every sensation in this body. Not having… h-h-h-hooves–not able to talk normally! The birdsong isn’t even right! Everything is alien.”

“Have you considered…” I said slowly. “That what you’re feeling is what I felt everyday?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that my body, when I was a h-h-horse. Okay, I admit that’s annoying. When I was a… boy,” I said the last word hesitantly and more quietly, like a hiss. “Nothing ever felt right. I mean, sure, not quite as bad as h-h-h-hooves and f-f-f-fetlocks… seriously?! Again?! Whatever! Not as bad as being the wrong species, but still… If I looked in the mirror, it looked wrong. Everything masculine about me just felt wrong. And guys would always have fun being competitive or seeing who’s the strongest… and I had a little of that, but it was just the testosterone talking! Not me. And I realize that it’s partially just a stereotype, some guys don’t care about athletics and that’s cool. Some girls love having muscle. And that’s fine. But for me? I felt like I was on the wrong side of things all the time. I would watch girls chatter, being free with their emotions, and I would always think, ‘I want to be like that!’ but it wouldn’t come naturally. Like I was betraying cultural expectations, or something. Of course, that’s social stuff. But I can guarantee you, I wasn’t comfortable with what my body looked like. Or the clothes I wore. Things… it felt like the shape was wrong.”

I looked back at my reflection. That’s right. You’re a girl. You don’t have to let those thoughts bother you right now.

When I looked back at Robin, his eyes were wide in thought. “I never thought of it like that before. Well, I did, but now I…I’m sorry. I guess some part of me never believed you before. Like, just get used to the body you have, An-n-n-n-Lilyheart… Y-you want me to use female pronouns, don’t you?”

“Well, it would be weird, and unpleasant if you didn’t once we got to Ponyville.” I eyed the thatched roofed buildings, steadily becoming ever closer.

Robin halted suddenly. “We actually should figure out exactly what we should say. I mean… I didn’t tell Midnight anything. And I don’t think I want to tell random background ponies that we’re h–what we are.”

“I agree. Except for the Mane Six… well, maybe not Pinkie Pie. At least not until we’ve met the others.”

“Basically, just head straight to Twilight’s library. Or the castle. If it’s there. We should have looked for it when we were on the hill,” agreed Robin. “But as for who we are?”

“It’s not like we can say our names are An-n-n-n-Lilyheart and M-m–m-m-Robinwind, and we’re friends from earth. Oh. I guess we can say the last part. The real world? I don’t think they’d like that. Regardless, if Twilight’s been to the Equestria Girls universe, then just saying we look like the creatures from that world ought to explain. We’ll know if Twilight has her wings if that’s the case.”

“Okay,” said Robin. “Until then, I’m… Robinwind. And you’re… Lilyheart. I’m… a horse. A p-pony.”

“Maybe think of it like playing a character? Like DnD. Or a play?” I offered.

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” He pranced in place for a moment. “I’m an earth pony… I’m probably a farmer or something. Used to hard labor… from San Filliesco?” He eyed me strangely.

I shrugged. “I mean, they have farmland not too far away from it, right? To anyone not from California, San Francisco just means northern California to them.”

“That’s not my problem. Where’d you even get the idea from? Does it show up in the later seasons?”

“Nope. Maybe the comics, though. I just kind of came up with it on the spot,” I said.

“Okay,” Robin said again. “So, I’m an earth pony from west of Equestria. So… I’m practical. A hard worker. Dang it! I’m just Applejack! And I don’t have a clue how to explain my cutie mark!”

I glanced over at the slender red cross with brown wings.

“You… like birds?”

“What does that have to do with farming? Do I farm feathers or something? Ponies farm rocks, why not feathers, too? And the cross? Are ponies religious? Everything’s so perfect, why would they need a Savior? They have magic to raise the sun, why have God? And magic is apparently good, not something hipster teenagers do when they think they’re being all cool checking out ouija boards before getting possessed by demons and become witches trying to bring about the downfall of the Catholic Church! But that doesn’t matter, no Church, here! No bishops or popes! Might as well get Celestia the papal tiara! It’s big enough to fit her crazy hair! But if Celestia’s the Pope, what does that make Luna? A Bishop? The Patriarch of Constantinople? I mean, I can imagine her singing Gregorian chant; she might as well be Eastern Orthodox!”

Robin finished this tirade with a maniacal laugh.

“Robin…”

He collapsed on the ground and covered his head. “I… Lilyheart, I… I’m not having an easy time.”

I rushed over and placed a foreleg over him. “It’s okay, Robin. I can take care of the talking. You… I think you just need some sleep.”

“That’s not my name!”

“I’m sorry.” Okay, clearly saying Robin doesn’t help. “I believe we can get back home. I believe we can… become what we were before… It’s okay to be afraid.”

He only whimpered in response.

“The emotion will pass. The emotion will pass,” I said as I knelt down beside him. “I’m here for you. We will get through this.”

“Um, do you two need help?”

I looked up to see an amber-colored mare with a fiery mane looking at us bewildered.

“Sunset Shimmer?” I gasped.

Author's Note:

Is it narcissism if it isn't your original body? And is it poor body image if it wasn't the body you had before?

Special thanks to awesome proofreader Raiss!

Comments

[Hollowed Specter]

Well, that's embracing. I wish them all luck.