Thanks to everyone who's read so far! Please don't be shy about commenting on what you do and don't like, detailed criticism is always helpful.

I don't plan to rely on the Mane 6 for most of the story; the intro needed them, but from now on I only expect to bring them in now and then where it makes sense for them to be involved. Instead I'll be fleshing out some background ponies (looking at Star Hunter and Quick Fix) as lead characters, and leaning on secondary characters to fill in the gaps.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Well, I was a fool for thinking that he would stay human after you mentioned some spell, and the elements.

Meh. I know what you mean. I agonized over whether to tag this as human or not for a while. In the end I left it, because no matter what happens to Walker, what's in his head is human. He seems to be adapting quickly, but he's really just suppressing his reaction via shock and training right now, so his still-human mind is going to start giving him fits very soon.

That said, I really haven't decided whether he "recovers" at some point. Walker's life isn't an easy one, and it would be just his luck to become human again right as he's finally gotten used to his new form.

Really sorry if you feel misled, that totally wasn't my intention :( Do you think it makes sense to remove the human tag so it's a better description?

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think you've just inspired a much stronger idea than my original concept, Seraph. Owe you a cider for that!

Anyone else drawn here by the Human tag but disappointed by the quick transformation, have faith! Walker isn't done with his human form yet - not by a longshot.