> New Bodies, New Life
>  by Boopy Doopy
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> First Chapter
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Thornton blinked as Barney licked him awake, the smell of emotion in the air.
Wait– emotion? Emotion didn’t have a smell. At least, Thornton didn’t think so. Maybe Barney could pick up on something like that, but not him. And yet, there the emotions were, reaching his senses. Confusion directly next to him came from his dog, and he could sense four other people resting next to him; three slept peacefully, and one tossed and turned from a nightmare they seemed to be having. 
Perhaps people wasn’t the right word though. Instead, animals suited the sleeping creatures better. He could see and sense four… somethings. Horses by the looks of them, at least three. Two looked like unicorns, and one seemed to be a cross between a horse and a moose, antlers stretching up from its forehead where the horses he saw had horns. The moose horse had red antlers and a dark brown coat, and the two unicorns were white, one with a red mane and the other with a bright blue one that contained red streaks. 
They looked… well, not like normal horses in the slightest, but the shape of them told Thornton that that’s what they were. Although they had much shorter body lengths and seemed smaller than normal horses, smaller than anything he’d ever seen. One of the horses was larger than the other, seeming like an adult while the other was its kid, and the moose thing looked to be about the same size as the smaller one. The larger unicorn was restless, and tossed and turned in its sleep, negative emotions emanating from it.
The last creature wasn’t a horse, but instead a dragon, one with blue skin and large wings, although it had what seemed like a mane just like the horses did, this mane being bright pink. It was definitely larger than the horses were, although not as large as he would’ve expected from a dragon. All four creatures were curled up on the ground, and kept sleeping despite being in… well, Thornton has no idea where he was. 
A forest it looked like, one with many large trees that cast shadows in what was either the first light of dawn or the last of twilight. How Thornton could see in such limited light, he didn’t know. He must have had some sort of night vision. But that didn’t make sense because he was a human, right?
Glancing at his body now, he could no longer say that was the case. In fact, he might have been the weirdest of them all. A slick, blackish-green, hardened skin with what had to be large eyes his body contained. It held hooves like a farm animal, but ones that were covered in holes. It seemed like something buggish, and looked kind of hideous and scary, at least from his perspective. On the top of his head was a sort of curved horn, similar to the unicorns, as well as bug-like wings that seemed much too thin to fly given his size. The strangeness of the situation didn’t even make the fact that he was now naked cross his mind. 
He blinked down at himself and glanced around at his surroundings again, taking a second to rub his eyes with his new appendages. Was he dreaming? This didn’t feel like one, so if he was, it was the dream to put all other dreams to shame. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second, then opened them to see if anything had changed. Nothing did, except for his dog, who was now pawing him carefully and tilting his head curiously. Barney pawed at him again and whined before turning to look at the other four creatures, seemingly trying to signal something. At least he looked normal enough.
It was hard to piece together what was going on in his head because he had no idea what was going on. He shouldn't have been a… whatever he was. And this certainly didn’t feel like a dream. But what the heck could happen to turn him into a weird bug thing placed with a bunch of other random fairytale animals in the middle of nowhere? 
He had no idea, and didn’t have time to consider it as the larger unicorn woke up screaming.
What happened next could only be described as chaos to Thornton. A moment after the horse screamed– a middle aged woman from the sound of it– the other creatures woke up and screamed, too. Mostly, they sounded like girls, but a familiar sounding deep voice was what cut through most notably. Was that his brother? He couldn’t tell where it came from or what was going on other than immense fear and confusion sweeping through the group of animals.
And once again, he could smell the emotions, and maybe almost taste it, too. It was a horrible, bitter taste that he didn’t like, but one that was forced onto his tongue anyway, and one he could say was fear just from a subconscious response in his brain. Not that he needed more than his eyes to figure that out.
He had no time to consider that either, or anything else outside of the yelling and screaming, voices indistinct and blending in with each other. His dog ran around, going up to each creature and pawing them carefully, seemingly trying to communicate with them that they should calm down. It seemed to work, because after a minute of doing this with each animal, they stopped yelling one by one. They weren’t calm, and in fact were nowhere close to it, but it settled the group a bit as the emotions hitting him lessened. The smaller unicorn was crying, and the dragon seemed like it was on the verge of doing so as well. The larger unicorn stared at itself in disbelief, and the moose thing had a scowl on its face and seemed angry. 
The moose was the first one to speak up, the rage and confusion in its voice obvious. From it, Thornton tasted a hint of fear, but more hot, burning anger than that. He could tell that it wanted answers, and it wanted them now. 
“What the fuck is going on?” it asked, definitely a male, and even more definitely his older brother. “What the hell am I?” The familiarity that was his brother encouraged Thornton to speak up.
“Reece?” the bug asked, his voice sounding nothing like his own. Instead, it was something more nasally, something that could only be described as buglike. Still, he pressed on, asking, “Is that you?”
“Who the hell are you?” Reece asked. “What the hell is going on here? What the fuck are all of you?”
“It’s me, Thornton,” he responded, getting a look of wide eyes from what had to be his brother. He was shocked by what he heard, but the news got another one of the animals to speak up now.
“Kids?” the larger unicorn asked as its head turned to their direction. It was just as flabbergasted as every creature else, although its voice was a woman Thornton couldn’t say he recognized, and neither could Reece according to the look on his face.
“Who the heck are you?”
“I’m your father!”
Things just seemed to get more and more confusing, an emotion he tasted more of with the answer. The horse certainly didn’t sound like Dad, but Thornton couldn’t say he sounded like himself either, so he had no reason not to trust her– or rather, him. He and his brother’s head turned the way of the other unicorn and the dragon, Reece asking who they were. Thornton though, just based on the answers of the previous two creatures, had a good idea what these two would say. 
“It’s me? Carey? Carey Solomon?” the dragon who sounded like Thornton’s mother got out. “What on Earth is going on?” she asked as she looked down at herself. Her wings stretched out, a couple of things that spanned probably twice the length of her body at maximum extension. A fearsome looking creature she was, but she didn’t sound it. Her voice come out jittery and nervous, portraying the feeling everyone had. 
“Is this a dream? How in the world did I turn into this… monster?” she asked, her attention directed down at herself. Thornton felt that he was probably the most monsterish out of every creature he saw, even if not the biggest, but kept this to himself for now. Right now, he and Reece turned their attention to the last creature, the latter asking the question of identity to what could certainly only be their little sister.
“I have to assume that’s you, Denver, since everyone else is here, too,” Reece said. “But just confirm for me that it is anyway?”
The small unicorn didn’t speak, but did nod sadly as she continued to cry, keeping her face buried in her hooves. So then Thornton’s whole family was here, all changed into… well, he didn’t know exactly what. Not aliens– at least, not most of them. He certainly was, but that he could identify his moose-horse brother and the unicorns and dragon the rest of his family were, that meant they must not be, right?
He didn’t know, but the bitter taste of fear was pervasive, almost overwhelming. It was not a flavor of emotion he could say he liked– a way to describe emotion that he never thought he would use. At least the fear wasn’t directed at him, as different looking as he was. Thornton had a feeling that they would be nervous of him soon, just because of how uncomfortable looking and buglike he was. 
Barney certainly wasn’t though, now running back up to him and rubbing his head against one of Thornton’s limbs, apparently trying to comfort him. His dog was a good way to figure out how large he and his family were now. Thornton was maybe twice the size of him, and probably not much heavier with all the holes in his limbs. They were perfect circles, too, ones that seemed like they were created from a large hole puncher. What happened to him?
Barney licked Thornton’s… he didn’t know what to call it, other than a hoof, since it basically looked like the hoof of an animal. Barney licked his hoof, and then stared up at him intently, sending a look like he was trying to telepathically communicate with him. He pawed at him carefully, and then moved his head as though indicating what direction they should travel.
“And I guess Barney’s here, too,” Reece got out, the frustration in his voice clear as day. He walked over to the middle of the group and stood in front of them, definitely attempting to take charge of the situation. It was what he, and probably everyone in his family, expected, considering his background in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program in both highschool and college and his expected future military career. Thornton couldn’t say he had the skills to be a leader, and didn’t want to be. None of the rest of his family seemed to be moving to take command of the situation either, and so there was no argument when his older brother began speaking with authority and laying out a plan of action.
“The first thing,” he started, the tone of his voice forcing everyone’s eyes his way, “is to find a source of water. We’re not going to last longer than a few days without it. Figuring out whatever the hell is going on can come after that, but we need water first thing. A forest like this probably has lots of it.”
“How is this real?” the dragon asked. “What happened? Is this a dream? There’s no way I can be whatever I am right now!”
“We’re gonna figure out what happened, Mom, but first, we need to find water. After that, we need shelter, and then food–”
“I have a test today in math, and a project due next month!” Denver got out, the first words she’d spoken since the group woke up. “I can’t be here!” she said, her quiet tears from before turning into loud sobbing.
His little sister sounded the same to Thornton, leaving only he and his father as the odd ones out. Although his father had the excuse of apparently no longer being male– a fact he wished he wasn’t able to confirm given every creature’s lack of clothing. Still, it was probably better to be in his father’s position than it was to sound so buggish like Thornton did. 
His father spoke up now as the bug finished the silent thought, stepping closer to Denver and looking down at her. That was another thing. As far as he could tell, he wasn’t having any trouble operating his new alien body, as strange as it was. It felt natural enough– as natural as an unnatural looking bug could be. He didn’t feel very clumsy at least, and neither his brother nor his father looked so.
“We’re gonna be– oh, God, this is so weird,” his father grimaced. “We’re gonna be fine, Denver. And everyone. Now stop crying and listen to your brother since he’s probably gonna know what best to do.”
“But how do we even do anything?” she asked. “We’re all… I don’t know! I guess we’re horses, but Mom’s a dragon, and the others are like aliens or something, and I think you’re a girl, and we don’t have any hands or clothes or–”
“Okay,” he interrupted, holding up a hoof to stop her like it was the most natural movement in the world. “I understand that dear, but that’s why we need to listen to your brother until we figure out what’s going on.”
The girl looked ready to continue, but before she could, Reece started talking again. “I already said we need to find water, and then in order, the next priorities are shelter, food, clothing, and civilization. Although if we’re animals, I’m not sure how well the clothes thing will pan out.” Collective group embarrassment made its way to Thornton’s senses, but a second later, his brother continued, “I don’t know what’s going on– not that I think anyone does– but as long as we stick together and be smart, we’re gonna be able to get through… being horses and dragons and weird aliens. I don’t know. But I’m certain we can find a way out of this.”
It was certainly confident words for someone who didn’t know what was happening. Thornton could taste the genuine confidence and self assurance from Reece, the emotion coming off as spicy and tangy. None of that confidence made its way off of his sister or parents though. From his mother and sister, he tasted their emotions changing from fear to despondence, although it was more confusion and embarrassment from his father, mixed with… something. He couldn’t tell what, but it felt like his father was still trying to process what was going on. Not that it was a surprise though. Everyone was.
But standing there and trying to process things wasn’t moving, something that their dog made clear as Barney started forward and pointed its head to beckon them along. Reece quickly moved in front of him to assert his position as the leader as though their dog would steal the position from him. Barney moved back to lick Thornton’s leg softly, then seemed to express his want for the group to get moving through a sturdy facial expression. 
A very strange way to wake up, it was. The bug creature could say that much.
> Second Chapter
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Something Thornton noticed quickly was how hungry he felt.
It was a feeling that didn’t take long to show itself, and one that made the now alien bug wonder how long it’d been since he’d eaten. Surely not that long, right? A quick look at the rest of his family showed that, as sad and scared and despaired as they look, they weren’t particularly low on energy or starved looking. It was a good thing, although it was a contrast to how hungry Thornton felt. It was like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“I think we should prioritize food,” he told his older brother in his new nasally voice, walking directly behind him. If his body didn’t feel like a hard, black exoskeleton, his face might have gone red at the fact that the moose’s new tail hardly covered anything. Even worse it was for himself since he didn’t really have much of a tail at all, outside of what was best described as a thin, black fin on his backside. The thoughts didn’t stay in his head for long though as he quickly remembered how hungry he was.
“It feels like I’m a few days away from starvation to me,” he continued, noting the flatness of his new voice as well. “I really need something to eat.” Thornton could say that, despite how little time he’d spent as a… whatever he was, his stomach was already feeling painful and twisting into knots.
“Do you see any food out here?” Reece asked, his own voice dripping with sarcasm. “I doubt there’s a bacon tree anywhere nearby. We need to focus on finding water first like I said. And besides, who the fuck knows what black alien things like you eat anyway?”
“Don’t curse, please,” the dragon that was their mother spoke up. She didn’t sound very convincing or authoritative in her tone, but she continued, “We can– we can.. we can pull through this, but let’s not curse, please.”
“I don’t think cursing is gonna make any sort of a difference, Mom,” his older brother replied, still marching forward without turning around. Thornton didn’t turn around either, and didn’t need to to know that his mother was a little upset by the reply, but wouldn’t argue. It wasn’t in her character to let go of backtalk, nor in Reece’s to talk back, but it wasn’t surprising right now that these things were reversed, considering the situation. 
It was extremely strange how this new sixth sense allowed him to pick up on everything going on around him. He felt like he could practically read their thoughts by just how their emotions tasted.
Thornton didn’t bring it up, only walking ahead with his eyes pointed down at his hooves. His older brother led the way, with Barney right next to him at his side, occasionally looking back to check that the rest of the group was still following him. Thornton was behind his brother, and his mother and Denver were walking side by side behind him. In the very back was his father, walking a dozen or so yards behind the rest of the group, a weird emotion coming from him as he hung his head low and stared at the ground like Thornton did. His face was red, and he was definitely radiating more embarrassment than everyone else, which made sense. Thornton felt embarrassed, and probably would’ve been doubly so if he changed into a girl, too. 
“Can you tell him not to curse, Howie?” the dragon told the unicorn. “Please? It’s not helping anything. And not to backtalk either.”
“I don’t think it really matters right now, Carey,” he told her, only glancing up for a moment before turning his eyes back to his hooves. Thornton could practically feel him shrink back a little bit as his father continued, “It doesn’t help, but it’s not really hurting anything, is it?” Then he added, “But your mother’s right, son. You shouldn’t curse, and definitely don’t backtalk to her. She doesn’t deserve that.”
Soft, feminine– his voice sounded slightly higher pitched than Thornton’s mother, but still authoritative at least. Reece didn’t comment though, still only walking forward with great frustration. Even if he was deaf and blind, the emotion from the moose-horse said he wanted to backtalk more.
“How is this happening?” Denver asked aloud again. “I can’t be here. We need to get home so I can get ready for school. I hope this is all just a weird dream.”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to get home by tonight, dear,” their father continued, talking to Denver now. “Your older brother is smart and is gonna get us out of here before you know it.”
“I hope so…”
Thornton could tell neither of them believed it, but didn’t say anything about it. He just kept on walking, noting the strangeness of… well, everything.
The group walked downhill at Reece’s advice, the moose thing explaining that it would help conserve energy and find water, since water flowed down hill. It seemed like they trusted him implicitly, although after just a couple of hours, there were a couple of growling stomachs among them. It only reminded the bug of his own hunger that he tried to ignore. It was practically all that was on his mind.
Barney slowed down to walk next to him now, looking up at him with a serious expression. It was almost creepy how humanlike the dog seemed to be acting now, but with everything else going on, no one questioned it. There wasn’t time for those things yet. Thornton did appreciate the animal rubbing its fur against his weird legs, and the demeanor that made it seem like the dog almost felt bad for him. And he did. Thornton could tell that because he could taste Barney’s emotions, too. It wasn’t much reassurance, but he appreciated his pet’s concern.
It took a little while to notice that as Barney walked next to him, the bug felt a little less hungry. Granted, he was still starving, and could honestly go for just about anything right now, but it was notably less intense right now. He wondered why that could be.
They continued to walk, but for how long, Thornton didn’t know, and he assumed the rest of his family didn’t either. It felt like a long time before Denver and his mother asked for a break. Barney seemed to indicate that they should keep walking, and so did Reece, but neither of them could do much about the stoppage. 
“Hey, mom,” his older brother started. “You have wings. You can try and fly up and see if there’s anything noteworthy around us. And so do you, Thorn,” he continued as he now turned Thornton’s way. “Try to see if you can fly and take a look around.”
“I’m not sure I can,” their mother said as she stretched out her wings, looking at them like she didn’t know what to do with them. They might as well have been made of steel the way she stared doubtfully at the things attached to her. With just a few awkward flaps, everyone could tell she wasn’t going to be able to do much. Now Reece looked at the bug expectantly.
“I don’t see how I’m going to have any more success,” Thornton told him. “I’m not a bird, and there’s no reason to assume weird alien bug things like me are going to be able to fly. For all we know, these could be, like, ostrich wings.”
“Yeah, I guess we can assume, but assuming does absolutely nothing for us,” his older brother said sternly. “Now will you just try so you can see if there’s anyone nearby to help us out?”
Thornton sighed and flapped his wings like a bird, thinking about how weird it was that they moved at his command. Despite the fact that they did though, he got absolutely nowhere with flapping his wings, remaining stationary on the ground. He couldn’t say he was surprised, and could taste the frustration from Reece.
“You look like a bug,” his older brother told him. “Try flapping them more like a bug would.”
“As if I know how to do that? There’s no way for any of this to be possible anyway!”
Now it was Thornton’s turn to question how this was all happening. Honestly, what were the odds that he and his whole family would be turned into… weird horse things? And a dragon? Were they even on Earth? How was any of this possible? Maybe they all had LSD placed into their dinner before bed– a dinner that Reece didn’t share since he didn’t even live with them anymore, and Thornton missed because of a school event. But still. This couldn’t actually be real. LSD was probably more likely.
“I don’t wanna be this weird ass bug thing!” he said in his new nasally voice, wanting to clench his fists but only having limbs that ended in stumps. What bug looked like this in real life? It was like he was half horse and half beetle.
“How is this even happening?” Thornton asked, stomping a frustrated limb. Hoof? Maybe that was more appropriate.
“We don’t know, and everyone taking their turn to ask a million times how whatever’s going on happened doesn’t help,” Reece told him. He was acting much more like his father than the horse that was their dad was right now, and continued with, “Honestly, it could’ve been worse. You could’ve been, like, turned into a girl or something like Dad was. Or an ant. Or whatever other horrible thing that God might have wanted to do.”
He wanted to say he wasn’t sure that was possible, but of course it was. He could’ve been put into this position alone, or surrounded by the corpses of his whole family, or whatever other terrible thing. That much was true.
Although he wasn’t ready to concede that it was better than being a girl. Certainly that had to be better than being whatever alien thing he’d been changed into. The smell and tastes of emotions coming off of everyone felt overpowering. It might have been better if it was a blend, but instead, it was a steady stream from each person around him that he could pick out individually. It was difficult being forced to process so much information from a sense he didn’t have until a few hours ago.
And hungry. Oh, he felt extremely hungry. It was the number one thing on his mind in spite of everything else. 
“Is anyone else completely starving?” he asked. “It feels like I haven’t eaten in days. It’s already getting painful for me.”
“I just wanna go home…”
“We’re gonna be fine, sweetheart,” their father said, stepping closer to Denver now. “Just gotta buck up and trust that your older brother knows what he’s doing.”
Thornton could tell that Denver was the most upset and distraught about this turn of events out of everyone from the taste of her emotions. Everyone else seemed to be taking this fairly well– well, as well as could be expected given the circumstances. But Denver felt like she might have been on the verge of a breakdown. It was not good, and her emotions tasted extremely bitter.
Their father carefully lifted a hoof to try and pet Denver’s hair– mane?– as he continued, “But I am a little hungry, but that’s probably just from how long we spent walking.”
“It feels like I’m starving, Dad,” Thornton told him. “Like, my stomach hurts, it’s so bad.”
“If we’re horses– some of us anyway, since Mom’s a dragon, I think– then we should be able to eat grass in theory,” Reece told him. “Like I said, there’s not any food around, and unless we know what plants are what, we’re better off not going after it.”
“I’m not eating grass. That’s not gonna do anything to help me.”
“If there’s no food and you’re really that hungry, then–”
“Does anyone hear that?”
The whole group looked at the dragon, who was looking ahead and listening intently. Thornton heard nothing, and could be sure the other three didn’t hear much either, but the way their mother’s ears were flicking, she was certainly picking up on something.
There was no need for anyone to ask what she was listening to, because she answered their preemptive question a second later. “It sounds like there’s a river nearby, guys,” she told them. “You said we need to find water, right, Reece? I think I can hear it in that direction.”
She used a claw to point in the direction she heard the sound, and Barney barked and turned his head in that direction too, seemingly agreeing with her. After a few seconds of no one moving, Barney looked back and used his head to indicate to follow him, much like a human would do. A moment later, he started forward.
“Barney’s acting super weird,” Reece commented, “but I guess let’s follow him. And thanks, Mom, for spotting that. Having a source of water is good.”
She smiled, the first out of the whole group to do so since the day began, and explained, “I think these ears are much more sensitive than human ears. I’ve been picking up on everything. Like, down to the bugs crawling on the trees. It’s almost scary.”
But not as scary as being starved for anything and having all these emotions swirling around Thornton at all times. But once again, he didn’t bring the fact up, and instead hurried along after his dog, who’d started moving forward in an effort to get all the other weird creatures to follow.
> Third Chapter
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“Well, you’re right, it is a river,” Reece replied at the obvious scene as the group stood side by side in front of the rushing water. Thornton figured it must have been around a hundred feet wide, and a quick look from one side to the other showed that it originated from mountains off in the distance, probably snowmelt. He didn’t know if that made it any cleaner though.
“Except we don’t have any iodine and no way to boil water, do we,” his older brother continued, his frustration obvious even without Thornton having to taste it. “I assume you don’t have fire breath, do you, Mom?”
“I don’t think I do, and I’m not sure I want to try. If I do, I don’t want to burn my mouth or burn someone else doing something I don’t understand.”
“Of course.” His older brother rolled his eyes and then paced back and forth in front of the bank as the dragon and two horses sat down. Their father talked softly to Denver about something as he rubbed her back, and his mother kept to herself as she breathed deeply, once again looking uncomfortable and seeming like she was about to have a breakdown of her own. It wasn’t a good sight, with Denver seeming like she was completely out of it and his mother clearly trying to hold it together. The anxiety coming off of her tasted kind of sour, like a lemon, and made the alien bug make a face.
He did his best to tune out all the emotions he took in and tried to help his brother think. What could they do? If they were animals, then… well, the water wouldn’t be any safer, he thought, but maybe they’d have more resistance. Wild animals drank from rivers and streams all the time, right? And with his dog lapping up the river water right next to him, it gave him more confidence in the idea.
But food. He wanted food more than water, and was starving for anything. Grass had to be better than nothing, right? It was all that was around him, and he had hooves like a horse, even though he didn’t know what aliens ate. Heck, he didn’t even know if actual horses ate grass or just hay. But trying something to curb the stinging ache in his stomach had to be done.
Or perhaps not. The grass tasted like, well, grass– disgusting and bitter just like he expected– but an even more sure sign that this was a bad idea was vomiting the stuff up a few minutes later after trying to take a few bites. During this time, both Reece and his father copied him in trying it, but they didn’t seem to have the issues Thornton was having. Alien bugs apparently were not built the same as horses or mooses like his family was.
“Are you okay, son?” his father asked, the worry in his voice readily heard as the horse watched him. It was another thing. Not only could Thornton taste the emotions, he could readily pick out each one, able to differentiate worry from nervousness and fear and skittishness and excitement and every other possible emotion that could be felt. Although sometimes they blended together into a weird mix that he couldn’t quite identify, none of them tasted the exact same, and each flavor sent its own message. It was like he had synesthesia.
“Do you think it’s just you being more different than the rest of us?” he continued. “Or something worse?”
“I don’t feel poisoned,” he said nasally as he coughed up a lung. “I just need water. Dumb ass alien bugs don’t eat grass apparently.”
“It doesn’t taste that bad to me,” Reece said. “Kind of like plain oatmeal or bread,” he described. “It’s not the best, but I guess it can tide us over for food for a while if need be. Well, at least Dad, Denver, and I, given your reaction.”
“I don’t wanna eat grass!” their little sister said. “I don’t wanna be a horse! I wanna go home!”
“Well, once we figure out what’s going on and home becomes an option, we can do that. Right now though, I don’t really see our house or a way to change anything in the short term. For all we know, our house could be just over the next hill, or we could be on a completely different planet. So unless you have a way to get home and fix whatever is going on, stop complaining about it.”
“Can you not be so harsh with your sister?” the dragon asked. “She’s just frustrated and scared like we all are. Please don’t yell at her.”
“I’m not yelling. I’m just trying to tell her that we’re all in the same position, and so complaining over and over about it isn’t going to help us.”
“Neither will you snapping at her, son,” his father said. “Your sister doesn’t deserve the attitude you’re giving to her, and you need to cut it out.”
Family was family, wasn’t it? Even in the midst of… whatever the heck was going on, they were still arguing with each other just like family, annoyingly enough. That seemed like it was never going to change.
Barney stood near Thornton as he looked out at the river while the rest of his family talked to each other. Once again, he felt a little bit less hungry as his dog ran his body and fur against his weird greenish-black skin. He didn’t know how it was happening, or why, but he would take it. His stomach felt just a little bit less painful near Barney, especially after vomiting up grass. He hoped the same thing wouldn’t happen if he went for water now.
It didn’t, although it certainly tasted like river water. He’d never drank water directly from a river, but now that he did, he could say it tasted exactly the way he thought it would. Thankfully not too terrible, but not something he’d be going for more often than he needed. He hoped he wouldn’t get sick from this. But then, dehydration would kill him before sickness. And starvation before that with how intense his hunger pains already were.
“If you get sick and die, Thorn, we’ll know not to drink that water,” Reece said as he stepped up to the bank. Thornton watched him look around between the mountains and the rest of the forest the river ran through, and decide, “We should head that way. I don’t imagine we’d find very many people in the mountains, and as unfiltered and untreated as it is, this river would be a good source of–”
“I hear something again,” their mother interrupted again, around the same time as Barney’s ears stuck up and his head turned on the alert. They were both staring toward the mountains, and caused the rest of the group to turn instinctively that way, too. A few moments later, Thornton sensed a few more trails of emotion coming to him, although these ones weren’t as complex. In fact, the emotions were simple: ravenous. Like hungry beasts were out there just as starving as he was.
“There’s about four people out there, I think,” Thornton started. “Or maybe four creatures. Four somethings. And it feels like they’re looking for something to eat. I think we should get out of here.”
“How can you tell all that?”
“I think I can, like, sense emotions and stuff. Actually taste them. I don’t know how though, but I guess it just comes with being a weird alien. But seriously, we should get going.”
 Both Reece and his father looked at him skeptically, and even his mother looked a little bit confused by what he was saying. And he understood it. He was probably more confused by what was going on with him than they were. But the new emotions he tasted were flaming hot, like habaneros, and felt almost as intense as he felt hungry.
“Seriously,” he continued. “I don’t think standing here is a good idea. We should go.”
“If there’s people out there,” Reece started, “we should find them and try and talk to them. If they could get us to a doctor or a scientist or someone who could help us, that would be the best.”
“If there are people out there, how are they even supposed to be able to understand us if we’re animals?” Denver asked. “I wanna go home!”
“I know!” Reece suddenly turned to their sister, his anger flaring up and tasting hot– or perhaps a better descriptor was spicy– as he raised his voice at her.
“I know you want to go home! We all do! But saying it over and over again isn’t helping, so just stop it!”
It was apparently Reece’s turn to be upset by all that had happened, although his reaction seemed to be the most extreme so far. While the others were confused and frightened and sad, he was frustrated. Angry. Angry enough in fact that Thornton thought he could see faint wisps of white smoke flowing out of his ears and off of his fur like a cartoon character. He wondered what that meant.
Denver didn’t say another word, and instead layed down on her stomach and let out a long, depressed sigh. Their mother was the opposite, now angry as well, although not as angry as Reece seemed to be. Still, she was upset, and reprimanded the moose-horse.
“Don’t talk to your sister like that! She’s trying her best to get along! If she wants to complain, let her complain! It’s not like it’s over nothing!”
“It’s not helpful! I don’t want to hear her complain about the same thing over and over!”
“Um, we really should get going, guys?” Thornton interrupted. “Whoever or whatever is coming this way isn’t looking to make friends with us.”
“There’s no way you can know that, Thorn,” Reece said, spinning around to him now. It was weird how natural his movements were, and how natural Thornton’s own were, too. It was like they’d already spent a lifetime being whatever creatures they were now.
“If there’s people out there or someone else who’s going through what we’re going through, we can’t just walk away and pass up an opportunity to talk to them.”
“You’re gonna have to just trust me on this. I don’t know how I can tell it won’t be good, but I can.” There was a little hesitation from the bug before he squinted and continued, “No, it’s not bullshit. I really can tell. And no, it’s not a lucky guess as to what you’re thinking. I can taste your emotions somehow, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming.”
“Look,” their father suddenly spoke up, getting the two’s attention. “I’ll check it out, okay? If it looks bad, then we’ll listen to your brother and steer clear. Problem solved.” He never really sounded commanding, and seemed even less so with how his voice was changed, but Thornon guessed that was a good idea. After all, he was just guessing, right?
But now it seemed Barney was offering his opinion, clearly frowning and shaking his head as he used his eyes to indicate to the opposite direction of where the emotions flowed from. When their father only stared back in confusion, the dog grabbed his tail and tried to pull him in the direction he wanted them to go.
“See? Barney obviously agrees with me. We need to get out of here, because those emotions are getting closer, and they feel like they just want to tear something apart.”
“It doesn’t even sound like people over there,” the dragon said. “It sounds more like… I don’t know, wood? Like if a tree was able to walk. It’s wood creaking and snapping and coming closer to us, I think.” The dog barked in agreement, and tugged the larger unicorn’s tail again, making him blush and push the animal away with a hoof.
“Look, I’ll go check it out real quick, and–”
“I’ll check it out,” Reece interrupted, as though he and his father’s positions within the family were reversed. “If the people seem bad, we’ll do what you and apparently Barney want to do and go a different direction, okay? And you can stay here and protect everyone else if it seems like something’s going wrong.”
“How is anyone supposed to protect anyone else like this? Even if we were humans, we wouldn’t be able to do anything but run, and without hands, it gets even worse!”
“Which is why we need to find someone who can help us, Thorn.”
“Just trust me when I say that this is–”
Suddenly, the bug was being cut off by the sight, smell, and sound of… something. He didn’t know what he was looking at, other than what could be best described as a pack of four wolves made out of tree bark. They growled fiercely, and smelled awful of rotting mildew. It was even more pervasive than the fearsome, angry, threatening, hungry emotions coming off of them. They stood tall above the five creatures, with even the large dragon that was his mother being dwarfed by the monsters. Thornton felt like he and his family were just ants compared to them. Ants in the presence of anteaters.
And they hungered, their jaws dripping with something slimy and green as they took in their newfound prey. Their hunger felt almost as intense to Thornton as his own. And if anything was a good sign for the family to turn on their heels and run, it was that.
> Fourth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running was going to be futile, and Thornton already knew it. As natural as his movements were before, galloping on four legs was awkward and uncomfortable, both to him and the rest of his family. He and Reece were getting along the best, but his parents and sister were starting to fall behind, and the gap between the gigantic tree wolves was beginning to close. All five were panicked, and he could tell Denver was crying as she moved even without having to taste her emotions right that second. It was only a faint trickle though compared to what was behind them. The wolves took up the entirety of Thornton’s senses.
“I don’t wanna die out here!” she yelled, desperately trying to quicken her pace. “I just wanna go home! I don’t wanna die!” He knew they all felt the same way. Being right next to Reece, the black horse-bug could tell that even he was fearful now. Who wouldn’t be?
Not Barney, apparently. The dog was at the head of the group, running with them, but not too far ahead. He turned and looked at them as he ran, and tried to use his head to indicate something. What, no one knew. Then he did it again, more urgently this time, with a bark at them to go with it. What was he saying?
His father was the one to pick it up, and communicated the plan. “On my signal,” he said, “everyone needs to split into three groups. I’ll keep running forward, Carey, take Denver and go right, and Thornton and Reece go left. Ready?”
There was no time to argue with the logic, although there was no telling if the plan would work. In theory, the wolves could be smart and have at least one member of the pack chase after each group. He was fairly certain that one wolf would kill them just the same as three would.
But a plan was a plan, and a second later, his father was yelling the signal to split up. He watched Barney and his father run forward as Denver and his mother instinctively jump to the right and he and Reece went left. He hated that one group would continue to be chased, but he hoped at least that the pack wouldn’t split up. That would be bad. 
The pack didn’t split up, which was good news, but the bad news was that they all turned left after Thornton and Reece.
“Fuck! We can’t run that fast!” the alien bug said out of breath. “What the heck are we gonna do now?”
“Just keep running! They’re not following Mom and Dad and Denver anymore, so once we lose them, we can circle back!”
“We’re not gonna be able to lose them! I feel like I’m gonna trip over my own limbs!”
These limbs were so awkward. As easy as walking was, galloping was impossible. If he was a human at least, Thornton would be able to run much faster. Why did he have to be this stupid bug?
He didn’t even notice that his body changed until he was outpacing Reece, the moose-horse definitely smaller than him now. He blinked in surprise to find he was in a body he could say was his own again. In fact, he had on everything he went to bed in last night. Was he about to wake up? Was this all a terrible nightmare?
No, because he could still taste the emotions of the wolves that chased them, and the confusion and anger his brother now had. Not for him, he could tell, but for the impossible situation. But at least he was a human again. That was a good way to start getting out of a difficult situation.
“How did you change like that?”
“I don’t know! I was just running and it happened! This might really be all just a dream!”
Why that was what set Reece over the edge, Thornton didn’t know. What he did know was that his brother changed, too, except not in the same way. The dark brown moose now had a jet black coat and bluish-red flames for hair, as well as eyes that shined like the sun. Ones filled with extreme anger. Or actually, frustration was the best word to describe the state he was in. His brother had reached his maximum level of frustration, and he was going to take it out on something. 
Thornton had to admit, he was slightly afraid, but the ones who were more afraid were the wolves. They stopped right where they were and shrieked in fear, their loud crying the opposite of their fierce growls from moments before. What was certain death for Thornton and Reece was now– so long as his brother wasn’t burning to death– exactly that for the wooden wolves. 
Before the beasts could blink, Reece was turned around to face them, paralyzing the animals with fear and freezing them in place. It took no time at all for the burning moose to gallop up to the creatures and set them ablaze, loud, terrible cries and awful emotions coming to Thorton’s senses in response. The moose’s flames extinguished themselves and his coat turned back to normal a few seconds after it was over, and Reece was left to stand fuming over a few piles of ashes at the end of it. A bit gruesome, but not so bad since they were wooden, thankfully. 
“That… that was a close one,” Thornton breathed, sighing in relief as he bent over with his hands on his knees. A second later, he flopped down onto his back and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath.
“How did you do that?” he asked, his brother’s frustration still there but the flavor of such being overtaken by the sweet taste of relief. “Is it just because of how angry you got? Cause I saw a little smoke coming out of your ears earlier when you were angry.”
“I dunno. How did you turn back into a human?”
“I don’t know either.” Thornton didn’t open his eyes as he continued, “I guess this means we need to circle back around to the rest of them somehow? How far away do you think they are?”
“I have no idea, but going back the way we came should be a pretty good idea… um, you having clothes is making me self conscious about my lack.”
“Well, I’m not taking mine off now that I have them, especially not around you. But beyond that, we have bigger issues. Look.”
He pointed behind his brother to the fire he started, one that was very quickly growing and already was beyond the realm of what they could control. The two of them had to keep moving, because the likelihood of death or serious injury was still very high.
Thornton didn’t waste any time getting back up, Reece following right behind him. He could feel his older brother’s eyes on him, eyeing him up with mostly interest, along with a little bit of jealousy. He could tell what the moose was thinking, and wanted to say something about how he truly didn’t know why he turned back into a human after he wished for it. Was there something about being a bug that gave him that perk?
He didn’t know, and didn’t consider it yet, the fire being of utmost concern right now. Or rather, the fire’s byproduct of smoke. Getting away from the fire was relatively easy, but thick, black smoke was quickly filling the air and working its way into Thornton’s lungs. He was already wheezing, something that Reece wasn’t doing just based on a quick glance at his brother. He seemed to be moving just fine, but that made sense with a little bit of thinking. The moose was the one who started the fire after his body was engulfed in flames without issue. Why shouldn’t he be able to breathe in a little smoke?
A little smoke turned into a lot after just a few minutes. Thornton found it hard to move– hard to even think with how thick the air felt. Visually, it looked similar to a thin fog, but this fog made his eyes sting and his lungs burn. He almost wished they were still being chased, despite the disgusting mildew that those wooden wolves brought. The two only traded one problem for another the way it seemed.
Thornton wondered if there was a way to change into whatever creature his brother was now. If he could change just based on a wish, then right now it would do him well to be something that was smoke and fire resistant. Not that he knew how to do such a thing outside of trying to will himself to become something like that. It made no more sense than tasting emotions did.
But that was no reason not to try. He thought hard about it, trying to get his body to change again as he continued moving forward, almost straining as he tried to do so. What was he thinking about when he turned human? About how it’d be so much faster to move if he was one? Well, it’d be so much easier to resist fire and smoke if he was a moose like his brother, and wanted to be that now. If only his body would respond…
It did not, and another minute later, he fell to the ground coughing hard enough to bring up a lung. Reece was right beside him a moment later, bending down next to him and tapping his back with a hoof to help him as best he could.
“Come on, Thorn,” his brother urged him. “We have to keep going. We can’t stay here.”
“I’m getting– Ack! Ack!– give me a second.” 
A second turned into another couple of moments as Thornton tried to breathe. By the time he started to stand, he could barely push himself up to get going. Reece moved his head under his stomach to help him, but Thornton was still wobbly once he got to a fully upright position. 
“Just keep moving,” his older brother instructed without prompting. “Once we get out of here, you can lay back down, but not until then. Although if you weren’t so big, I might be able to carry you on my back.”
No words were spoken on the bug-turned-human’s part, but no movement forward was made either, at least not immediately. He spent another minute coughing, practically choking, before his brother finally urged him forward with a hoof. He started forward with that, but only made it a few more steps before he put his hands on his knees and bent over to cough again.
“You have to keep going,” Reece said forcefully. “We can’t stay here– well, you can’t, unless you can change into whatever I am. But keep moving before you try that.”
“I already did try, and it didn’t work,” he said weakly. “I just need to rest for one second. Gimme a moment.”
“No moment. Keep going. Like I said, once we get to safety, you can stop to rest. Not before. Now let’s get moving.”
Thornton didn’t keep going. Instead, he fell onto his back, wheezing from the smoke and closing his eyes. Who knew breathing in forest fire smoke was bad for you? It made his lungs and nose burn, and his breathing was strained from the stuff. He would’ve felt confused, too, if not for the fact that he could tell he was losing consciousness. But maybe that was a good thing? A minute of rest, then he’d get back up and get going, good as new. Just for a minute.
“I’ve got you, Thornton,” his older brother said, reaching under him to try and lift him up before he passed out. “I’ll get you out of here.”
> Fifth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard stopped a second after Barney did, which was just a few moments after the Timberwolves turned away from him.
Her? This was already confusing him, enough that he could imagine how much it was confusing his family over such a short time. How come only he had his sex changed? What was up with that? It was probably weirder being a girl– a mare, he knew from his time on his grandparents farm as a kid– than it was being a horse. Strange, certainly.
But that was a secondary issue– no, a tertiary issue– for right now. Number one on the list was finding his wife and kids again. He didn’t want those wolves or whatever they were chasing after him, but he would’ve preferred it to either his sons or the girls being chased after. Especially not the girls. He was certain that the boys could handle whatever came after them better than Denver and Carey could, and hoped for their sake they didn’t head their way.
He looked around the forest, and heard nothing obvious, and didn’t smell any of that disgusting mildew anymore. But he had no idea which way those wolves went. Ideally, he'd go after the ones who were safe first and get them to help him find the ones in danger. But who was safe and who was in danger?
Barney must have known, because the dog gently tugged his tail and then pointed his nose in the direction he wanted them to go. Right. Did that mean his wife and daughter were safe? He hoped his sons would be, too, but was certain they could handle whatever the situation was better than those two. 
And Barney. Barney was acting strange, just as strange as everything else was. He hadn’t spoken yet, but Howard wouldn’t have been surprised if he ever did. Not that he was a dumb dog, but he seemed much more intelligent now than he was before somehow. He had a look in his eye like he was… Howard didn’t know. Conscious? Or self aware? Something.
One more tug of his tail came from Barney, and then the dog started forward, looking behind him to make sure the unicorn was following. He turned right with the dog, able to see the part of the forest that the girls trampled through, and the large, wide open clearing the wolves made as they ran to the left. He stared at the damage to the trees and foliage they made, then shuddered. He hoped his kids were safe.
Barney led the way to his wife and daughter, Howard following behind quickly and effortlessly. That was another weird thing: how well his body moved and how natural it felt despite never having been a horse before. This should have been more difficult for him, at least, he imagined so, but he moved with remarkable ease. Weird.
Denver and Carey were still walking when he caught up to them. They were both breathing heavily and had slumped shoulders when he got to them, tired from running and walking all day. He was glad the wolves didn’t go after them. There was no way they would have fared well against them.
He called out gently to them, Denver jumping and gasping in fear before she turned and saw who it was. “There she is!” she exclaimed as she ran up to him and wrapped her hooves around him as best she could. She was already tearing up as he did his best to wrap a hoof around her, his face getting a bit warm from the little comment. He didn’t say anything about it though. Was he not just thinking about how confusing it already felt for himself?
“Here I am,” he confirmed as the dragon that was his wife came up to him, too, and wrapped the two up in her wings. They stayed that way for a long moment before he pulled back and asked, “Are you two okay? What happened? Did they chase after you?”
“No, but where are Thornton and Reece?” Denver asked. “Are you okay, Dad? How are we gonna find them? What if they’re hurt? What if they’re–”
“Calm down, sweetheart,” he told her, already used to how his voice sounded despite only speaking a few times. “We’re gonna find them, and they’re gonna be fine. You know how strong your brothers are. I’m sure when we find them, they’re gonna tell us a story about how they defeated those things in one punch… err, kick.”
“But those things were so big and scary! What if they kill them and then come back and try to kill us? What if more are waiting for us if we walk ahead? What if–”
“We’re gonna be fine, sweetie,” Howard told his daughter again, speaking slower and more clearly this time, and a little bit softer, too. “Take a breath for me, okay? We’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna find your brothers, and then we’re gonna figure out what’s going on and get back home, okay? Just make sure to stay calm for me.”
“O-okay,” Denver said shakily, her father watching as a few tears dripped down. He used a hoof to pull her in close and kiss her forehead before carefully petting her mane. 
“We’re gonna be fine, promise,” he assured her again. “Your mother and I are here, and soon enough, your brothers are gonna be back and we’ll figure everything out.”
“How did you find us, Howie?” the dragon asked as she hugged him again, pressing her neck into his affectionately. She bent down for him to kiss her cheek, and then continued, “You didn’t just choose a random path, did you? How did you know this one was safe?”
“Barney led the way for me,” he explained, reaching down to pet the dog’s ears. “He basically pulled my tail and forced me to go with him. Man, he seems like he’s a lot smarter now than he was before. Aren’t you, boy?”
Barney gave him an irritated look, like he didn’t like being babied, but then barked and turned his head in the direction that Howard came from. The direction that his sons went in. He still didn’t hear anything, and didn’t smell the wolves, but now he could see something. Black smoke, wafting up into the air. What in the world was going on?
“Please be safe,” he said aloud, mostly to himself, as though the words would do something. At least though, if the wolves really were wooden, then there was no way they’d survive something like that. But he worried about his kids, too. 
“You don’t think that’s coming this way, do you?” Carey asked nervously. “I don’t know if we can outrun a forest fire.”
“Th-that’s a forest fire?” Denver asked nervously. “Are… are they gonna be okay?”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Howard lied. “But first we need to worry about ourselves and make sure we’re safe, okay? Now let’s get moving, please.”
Once again, Barney led the way, with Howard following up behind him and the girls in the back. They moved quickly at first, but then slowed down again when Denver and Carey began breathing heavily. Not great, but so long as they kept up some movement, it should’ve all been good. All they needed to do was keep on moving and get… somewhere. Maybe they’d be able to circle back around to Reece and Thornton later. That’d be the most ideal.
Slowly was how they moved, Howard slowing down to walk side by side with Denver and his wife. He didn’t like the idea of being so exposed, and wished he had some clothes to cover up with– or anything, really. Right now, the only thing he had to keep modest was his tail, the idea of which he hated since he had to be in front of his children. Even a dress would’ve been better.
And that was still the other thing. What was going to happen with all this ‘being turned strange creatures’ business? How did that happen? Was there a way to get themselves fixed? Were they even still on Earth anymore? And why was he turned into a mare specifically when no one else was changed that way? There were a lot of questions he had– probably several hundred at this point– but of course, there was no one to answer them. All that could be done right now was think about it while they kept walking. 
He guessed there were worse things to be, like a dragon or a bug like his wife and son. Honestly, being a mare didn’t feel that bad so far. Certainly he was taking things the best mentally out of everyone, just from seeing everyone else’s reactions before. Someone had to be strong and not lose control of their emotions, after all. 
The trio walked for a long while, a couple of hours at least from what it felt like. Denver looked ready to cry the whole time, and sniffled while they trekked, but Carey using her wings to rub the filly’s back and he softly telling her that it would be okay kept her from breaking down. It wasn’t much, but it was what could be offered at the moment. 
Eventually, they got to a large clearing, one directly across from a city probably a half mile off in the distance. Much closer was a horse that stood and watched the smoke rising up from the forest behind them, a look on its face that was a mix between confused and slightly anxious. It was a yellow horse, a mare Howard could tell from the shape of its face, and had a soft pink mane and butterflies on its flank, as well as a pair of wings attached to its back. It was kind of outrageous looking, but also kind of adorable, and not too weird given he and his daughter’s oddly colored manes and the creatures the rest of his family was. The only thing that stood out as creepy were its large eyes, ones that took up a solid third of its face. Howard knew he looked very similar to the thing.
It turned its head their way and spoke something; it sounded like a cross between a whinny, a whine, and something in a foreign language. Howard was not the least bit surprised that he couldn’t understand the thing. Why should he be? He wasn’t a horse, even if he looked like one. A glance to his wife and his daughter showed that they were just as lost as he was, too, as to what it was trying to say.
But he might as well try to talk back, right? What harm would it do?
“Um, do you think you can help us?” he started slowly, taking a step closer to the thing. He tilted his head as he asked the question, trying to appear as non threatening as possible. An easy task, it turned out, since he was just as tall as she was, and a mare, too. What could possibly be threatening about a horse approaching another horse?
Something, apparently, because the yellow mare took a step back from him. Not good, but less good it would be if nothing came and his sons were hurt, or worse. 
“Um, my kids are out there in the forest, and need help,” he tried to say, although he was not surprised when she only tilted her head in confusion and said something back that he couldn’t understand. He used a hoof to wave to the forest behind him, and then tilted his head to see if she would understand he needed her help in there. She must have, but instead of coming closer, she shook her head and took another step back.
“What are we gonna do?” his wife asked in a hushed whisper. “Oh, what on Earth is going on here?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know how to get some help for us. Maybe we can keep walking around until we find another horse? See what they can do? If anything.” He wasn’t really sure what a horse could do, but something was better than nothing.
“So let’s head for that town then?” he suggested, neither his wife nor his daughter speaking up, but silently agreeing he thought. Not that great of a plan, but the best one that he could come up with on the spot. Get to town, find someone they could talk to, and then get some help for his sons, hopefully. He didn’t imagine there was much that could be done on their own.
Barney had other plans, as he seemed to lately, once again tugging Howard’s tail and making him blush as he turned toward the yellow horse. Once his eyes were on her, Bareny went up to her and pawed at her hooves, whining and giving little yips and barks at her, as though he was speaking to her. He must have been, since the horse acted like she understood him, and had her expression change from nervous to fearful to a mix between sad and determined. She spoke back to him somehow for a moment or two, and then whinnied at the trio as though they could understand what she was saying. It was followed by a bark, and then both horse and dog stepping forward, off to… somewhere.
“Or, I guess Barney came up with a plan for us,” Howard said flatly. “That works.” Then he stepped forward after the dog to follow them wherever they were going.
> Sixth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A treehouse. That’s where they were going. Or perhaps more accurately, a house in a tree.
Or maybe a combination of both was what it was? As they approached, Howard saw what looked like a house built directly into a hollowed out tree, one that was larger than any tree he ever saw in his life and was surrounded by tall grass, bird houses, a stream, and dozens of animals. Kind of elegant looking in his opinion, but certainly not somewhere he would want to stay if he had a choice. It kind of smelled a bit like a zoo, not to his surprise.
“Why are we doing this?” Denver asked, looking around fearfully at everything. “What if they try to hurt us? Or lock us here?”
“Then we’ll deal with that when we get to that, sweetheart,” he told her carefully, petting her mane again. “For now, like your brother said before, we can’t really turn down opportunities for help if we find it. If it’s bad, we can always leave.”
“We weren’t able to leave last time though,” she replied. “Thornton and Reece weren’t. What if they’re dead right now? We could be next, Dad!”
“We don’t want to hear that talk, Denver,” his wife spoke up now. “I’m sure your brothers are fine, and when we find them, they’ll probably tell us about how they had no trouble at all and… I don’t know. Got out of there safely. Now watch where you step. I don’t want you tripping over one of these animals.”
The yellow horse glanced behind herself as they talked, then continued forward with Barney into the little treehouse cottage. Maybe that was the best word for it. This place felt like a cottage when Howard entered; something small and compact, and yet spacious at the same time. It still smelled like animals in here, but also like tree sap and perhaps faintly of tea? It was nice and neat and had furniture and rugs– it was completely unlike anything he expected a horse to be able to build on its own. Or even in a group for that matter.
“Um, do you think you can help us find our kids?” he asked, just a little bit anxious as the three stood in the center of the room. Howard pranced back and forth from one hoof to the next as he said, “I don’t want them to get hurt, and we’re really worried about that fire in the forest we came through.” A quick glance to one of the windows showed that black smoke was still billowing up from around the center of the forest, something that made him a little more antsy. He hated that his sons weren’t with him now.
The yellow horse seemed less concerned, and rested a hoof on his shoulder in a sort of reassuring gesture. It looked him in the eyes and murmured something he couldn’t understand before drawing him in close with a hoof to hug. It must have been saying something like, ‘it’s gonna be okay’, because it repeated the gesture and hugs for his wife and daughter, too. It even made Denver seem to feel a little bit better.
After this, she used a hoof to tap to a spot that they should sit in, and then left to bring back a tray of what had to be the tea he smelled in her hooves. How a horse could carry a tray, he didn’t know, but he accepted the drink, deciding it was better to just trust that it was safe. What was he gonna do if this horse wanted to kill him? Nothing. There were probably a hundred ways to do that anyway.
“We– we need you to–” He tried to think of what he could possibly say to communicate with this thing. It seemed intelligent enough, but intelligence didn’t mean anything if it couldn’t understand him. 
“Our kids,” he said, pointing to Denver with a hoof and gesturing toward her. “They’re in that smoke,” he continued, pointing to the window of black smoke, rising up almost like a volcano. He tried to make as concerned an expression as he could– something not that difficult with what the issue was right now– as he finished with, “We need to find them. Our kids.”
It seemed like he might have gotten through to this mare, because she put on a concerned expression, too. After that, she leaned down to Barney to say something, who responded with a series of gestures that made no sense to him. But it worked to communicate something, because the yellow horse’s expression was getting more concerned. She nodded at the dog, then rested a hoof on Howard’s shoulder again, whispering something to him before heading out of the room and out the door.
“That seemed like it did something,” his wife told him as he took a sip of tea. “I hope it understood us though… are you sure that tea is safe to drink?”
“No, but I’m thirsty, and it’s probably safer than river water,” he replied in his new feminine voice, one he was already getting used to. “I just hope that it knows that I was trying to tell it… god damnit, I hate this.”
His wife didn’t say anything further. Howard was absolutely certain Carey felt the same way as he did. He wiggled in on the sofa cushion anxiously, forcing himself to stay seated and not get up and run into danger. He was a horse. Even if he did go after them to save his sons from whatever they were dealing with, what could he accomplish with hooves and no backup or supplies? Nothing except getting himself killed. He would have to hope that the yellow horse knew what she was doing and could find his kids for him. She seemed like she understood, given the concerned look on her face. And both Reece and Thornton were bound to be more resourceful than he was, especially the former, with his aspiring future military career. It would probably be alright in the end.
It didn’t help his nerves any, but Barney coming up to him and pushing his body against his… fur? He felt kind of furry for a horse, more than he expected, but then again, wolves weren’t supposed to be made out of wood. Where in the world were they? How could something like this even happen?
And how could a horse pick up a cup with hooves? He didn’t know, but certainly didn’t question too much how it was possible for him to do right now. Instead, he focused on drinking tea and feeling his dog run his body back and forth against his legs. As well as scooting closer to Denver, who still looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown.
“How is this happening?” she asked for what had to be the tenth time so far. “This can’t be real. I should be in school. Not here as a unicorn. Why is this happening?”
“Just take a breath and calm down, sweetheart,” he said softly, taking in the cottage of animals running around, ones that ignored them, thankfully. “We just need to stay calm and figure out a plan. The grass tasted like it could be eaten, and the horse gave us tea. Those are good things.”
But his kids. Sitting here was doing nothing to find his kids. He hoped that the yellow horse was doing something to find them, but he’d rather be out there himself looking for them and trying to help them. Not that there was anything he could do if he ran into that forest again, one burning with fire and had weird alien monsters in it, but still. They were his kids, and he hated knowing that there’d probably be nothing he could do except sit here and hope horses who spoke an alien language could help. He tapped a hoof anxiously, hoping for their eventual safety and avoiding any thought of his sons being hurt. Or worse.
“A-are you okay, Dad?” Denver asked nervously, her voice quiet, barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, I’m fine, honey,” he replied quickly, using a hoof to pet her mane, Barney crawling up into his lap as the dragon stood behind the two of them, not enough space on the couch for his wife to sit with as big as she was. 
It might have almost been a nice moment, if not for the fact that they were horses-creature things in a strange world, and for the fact that Reece and Thornton weren’t there right now. Howard’s heart was pounding with worry, and he knew his wife was probably worse off than him since he could almost hear how fast hers was beating despite being behind the couch. He might have been a step or two away from crying, and knew it wouldn’t take much to get the tears to flow. Was it his turn to break down?
No, not yet. Right now was the time to look up and kiss the dragon, placing a hoof behind his wife’s head to rub against her scaly skin. She was already crying, albeit silently, and knew that Denver wouldn’t be well off if he did, too, at least not yet. For now, he just had to close his eyes and focus on breathing deeply to try and keep his nerves as steady as the situation would allow.
It became more and more difficult to do that as time went on. It must have been a few hours, although there was no way to tell with how motionless the sun stayed in the sky. Howard was able to see the billow of smoke rising up out of the forest becoming bigger and bigger. He didn’t know if it was just closer or if it was him being a horse, but after a while, if he breathed in deeply enough, he could start to smell it.
Please, please let them be okay, he thought silently. God or the universe or anyone who’s listening, please let my sons be okay and let us get back home safely.
“I bet they’re gonna be okay,” Denver offered quietly, looking between him and her mother. “Reece was in Boy Scouts before, right? And Thornton’s smart, too. I bet at any moment, that yellow horse is gonna come back here with both of them, and Reece will say something like, ‘it wasn’t a big deal’ because it was so easy to get out of there.”
The larger unicorn didn’t really believe it, not yet, not with how worried he was, but he smiled down at his daughter anyway. “Thanks, honey,” he told her just as quietly as she spoke. “I bet you’re right, right, Carey?”
The dragon sniffled, and smiled, too, but like Howard, didn’t seem like she really believed it. They both took the reassuring words anyway, the unicorn knowing it was better to maintain hope than be despaired during uncertain events.
It almost made Howard jump with how soon after Denver said what she did when the door slammed open. All three creatures gasped, and Barney’s ears perked up at the sight of another horse making its way inside. This one was also a mare, but with a bright purple coat and a dark purple mane instead of yellow and pink. It had wings like the yellow one did, but a unicorn horn like he and his daughter did.
It didn’t bring any sign of Thornton or Reece with it, neither the bug thing nor the moose-horse trailing behind it, to the dismay of all three. However, it was smiling, almost excited, and sounded like it squealed as it hopped into the air with a little skip in its step.
There was still no way to communicate with it, the excited whinnies that could have been a language coming out in an unintelligible, probably incoherent stream. Howard wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to make out what it was saying even if he could understand it. 
But that didn’t seem an issue for the winged purple unicorn, who, without warning, lit up her horn and teleported the trio away to somewhere else.
> Seventh Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton woke up once again as an alien bug, although this time not to the smell of emotion. Instead, it was to the smell of something brewing that stirred him to wakefulness. It made his stomach grumble and reminded him of how hungry he felt. He wished he had something to eat. 
“Ugh. Still a weird alien thing,” he said nasally as he looked through the holes in his limbs. “I was really hoping that was all a dream.”
But it wasn’t, just like Reece being a weird moose thing wasn’t a dream either. His brother turned to look at him when he spoke– was there any way they could get some clothes?– but the words that came out of his mouth were something strange and unfamiliar to Thornton. Instead of English, he spoke a cross of something between a foreign language and horse whinnies. Did breathing in all that smoke damage his brain? Or maybe it damaged Thornton’s?
He didn’t know, and didn’t have time to ask about it as his eyes focused on another creature in the… where was he? It was a building, obviously. That much was certain. He wanted to say it was a log cabin, except this didn’t really look like it was made out of timber. Instead, it seemed to be carved into the tree itself. It was quite a large open space, a circle of a room that fit a kitchen, dining room, living room, and what had to be the animal version of an office space in it. Open doorways in the back led to what had to be other rooms, and in the center of the whole place was a large black cauldron of a faintly glowing green liquid cooking over a fire, like some sort of potion a witch would make.
Except this potion was being stirred by a horse– no, a zebra. They had zebra’s in whatever world Thornton and his family stumbled into, the black and white stripes of the African animal completely unmistakable. Although unlike zebras on Earth, this one had golden rings around its neck and front left leg, along with large golden earrings on its ears. As well, it looked closer to the type of body his father and sister had rather than an actual horse, complete with the extremely large eyes he and the rest of his family now had. They seemed to him less like eyeballs and more like eye plates. 
The zebra now approached him, whinnying something in the foreign language she spoke before scooping a ladle of the glowing green liquid into a bowl. How she held the thing with hooves, Thornton didn’t know, but she was somehow able to hold it out to him, and waited expectantly for him to take it. He didn’t know if he should take this equine’s offering.
At least, he didn’t until Reece whinnied again and gave him a frustrated look. The bug had a feeling that either this would let him communicate with his brother again, or else it would take away ninety IQ points and turn him into an animal completely. He hoped for the former, not that he needed to. He could tell by the zebra’s slightly savory, slightly sweet assurance and the moose’s hot frustration that there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. 
He didn’t know how this zebra was manipulating reality with her hooves the way it was, but Thornton knew he would never be able to pick the bowl up with horse-bug hooves like she would, and so resigned himself to simply trying to drink it while she held it. She apparently didn’t mind when he started, the black alien moving up and lapping the first bit of green liquid that hit his tongue… and then instantly spit it out a second later.
“Eew, that tastes like sewage water!” he yelled, his face scrunching up in disgust. “What is that stuff?”
“Just drink it so you can talk to us, Thornton!” Reece demanded.
“I can already talk to you now, so what– wait. What’s going on?”
He wasn’t speaking english– neither of them were. It still sounded like the same half speaking, half horse whinnies and neighs as before. Except now, his brain was somehow interpreting it into something coherent, despite there being no way that he should have understood any of it.
“This is strange,” he said slowly, his own speech whinnies sounding both completely natural and extremely jarring at the same time. “What did that potion do?” he asked, as if he didn’t know. “And where is– ack! Ack! Ack!”
“You are going to want to rest yourself,” the zebra told him in a thick accent, something that sounded like it could have been out of Africa. “Speaking in your condition will not help. The potion you drank will let you speak, but at this moment, you are too weak.”
“Do you remember what happened?” his older brother asked, already explaining before he could answer. “There were, like, wolves or something– I think she called them ‘Timberwolves’, like the ride at Worlds of Fun? And then you changed into a human, and then… I think I created a forest fire. I don’t know how, but I know I burned those things to death. And then we left and you passed out a while later from smoke, so I carried you until I found this girl.”
“Your brother is the one who saved your life,” the zebra confirmed. “He carried you here and put up a fight. A black changeling you are, one I’ve not seen. You have not reformed, that I can glean.”
“And she always speaks in rhymes, too, apparently,” Reece whinnied. “So get used to that soon.”
“I do remember all that stuff, at least up until I passed out, but– god, this is so weird,” the bug said. “Speaking like this is tripping up my brain. Are you getting that feeling, Reece?”
“Yeah, I was, at first, but you get used to it after a few hours.”
“A few hours? How long was I out for?”
“Five hours or more, or so your brother recalls. In truth, not very long at all.”
“Five hours is a long time,” he shot back. “Where are Mom and Dad? And Denver? They aren’t hurt, are they?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you remember that we all split up?” his older brother asked. “Those things all decided they wanted to chase after us and not them, which is actually probably a good thing. They should be able to get out of this forest relatively easily, as long as the forest fire doesn’t move too fast and the forest isn’t too large.”
Forest fire. That wasn’t good, probably not for anyone but Reece since he seemed like it didn’t bother him. Maybe mom, too? She was a dragon, and if she could breathe fire, then she might be resistant. But Denver and his father weren’t going to be able to deal with that if it caught up to them. He hoped they were safe.
“Uh, do you happen to know where they are at all, and if you can help us?” the bug now asked of the zebra. “Actually, first of all, what’s your name?”
“Zecora is my name, if you must. May I ask yours, if it causes no fuss? Your brother is Reece so I have heard, in the few hours before you stirred.”
“It’s Thornton, but I’m gonna ask this question before we get too far down this road,” Thornton started. “Do you always speak in rhymes? Is this going to be a thing from now on?”
The zebra giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof for a moment. “I do not. It’s just a way for me to keep my mind active.” Then she walked away, moving to the wall and grabbing something off the shelf with her mouth, a bottle of a pink potion. Was this zebra a witch? Or maybe a witch doctor?
“While you slept, this kirin kept you near. He was able to guide you safely here. But I have one question above all others: how can a kirin and changeling be brothers?”
So then she was going to keep up with this rhyming nonsense. Annoying, but not something that he was going to bring up since she was helping them so far. He wanted to get the full story of what happened from Reece as soon as he could.
“I don’t know what either of those things are,” Thornton replied. “Am I supposed to be the changeling or the kirin? Or, well, I guess you already said that he was the– ack! Ack!” He broke into a coughing fit, his lungs apparently disliking being filled with smoke a few hours ago. Who knew such a thing was bad for you? It didn’t matter if you were a human or a weird black bug apparently.
“Drink this potion I have brewed,” the zebra told him, pouring the pink potion into the bowl with the green liquid. “In a few minutes, you will feel good as new. As well, if you want this language to last, you must finish the green one fast.”
“That green one tastes like dirty dish water, but… I guess I will.”
The zebra went over to do something else, and his brother sat silently beside him, watching him drink the potion. As he did, that sixth sense he now had for emotions came back to him, stronger now than it was a few minutes ago. The zebra radiated something like determination mixed with a sort of calm passiveness and assertiveness. It was largely what his brother was, too, although his determination was less purposefulness and more tenacity, almost aggressively so. 
There was something under the surface, too, that bubbled up. Not fear like he tasted on everyone else before, but a twinge of uncertainty. He knew his brother liked to be the one with the plan, whether it was preparing for another long year of school or his family planning a day out to the park. It wasn’t something he tasted on him until this moment, the moose horse– kirin, Thornton now knew– taking control of their movements up until now. But now he, like the bug, had to trust some creature else. It made his brother feel uncertain.
And he himself felt uncertain, too, what with the unknown status of his family’s situation. Finding those three was going to be their first priority. Well, his second priority, he remembered as he coughed. His first was to drink whatever the heck this nasty dishwater tasting green potion was.
He wondered if horses– or at least zebras– could feel emotions, too, because if felt like Zecora was practically reading his mind when she spoke up again.
“I understand you are concerned,” she started, rhyming again. “But fretting is pointless, you will soon learn. Let friendship and love be your guide. I’ve learned of such things from my friend Fluttershy.”
“What?” Reece asked, just as confused as his little brother was. “Who the heck is Fluttershy?”
“She will be visiting us soon, I know. My large–”
“Okay, I don’t mean to be mean,” Thornton interrupted, “but can you please not speak in rhyme? It’s difficult enough trying to process speaking in whinnies with no effort. I don’t need rhyming added on top of my brain’s confusion.” It earned a glare from Reece and a strong feeling of disappointment radiating from the zebra, one that was powerful enough to make the bug blink in surprise. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said that.
“But, like, I really appreciate what you’re doing for us,” he finished quickly. “I just, you know, can’t handle it right now.”
“I take no offense,” she said, finally stopping her rhymes, at least for now. “I understand that you and your brother are a changeling and a kirin. I can imagine how difficult it must be for you both, especially you since you are still yet unchanged like the other changelings.” She was obviously prejudging the both of them based on how they looked, but the emotion that came from her wasn’t one of malice or hate. In fact, it felt a bit sympathetic, like a slightly sweet taste of honey. 
“Um, what do you mean by unchanged?” Thornton asked. “I think I changed… yeah, I turned into a human. Is that what you mean? Actually, do you know how that worked? Can the rest of my family do that?”
“Your mind is sharp, and you do think lightly, but unless they are changelings, this is unlikely,” she started again, annoying and slightly confusing Thornton with her rhymes. He didn’t comment on it though as she continued, “They are ponies and dragons, this kirin told me, so the only shapeshifter is what you will be.”
So then he had a special power, maybe two. Eating emotions and changing his body, not that he could do the latter or really understood the former. Still, it was a place to start. And since Reece had a power, too– apparently being able to start fires like he was Prince Zuko– that meant that it was probably safe to assume the rest of his family could do stuff. But as usual, that was a thought for later. A more pressing question was immediate.
“Where in the world are we?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What in the world is this place?”
“You will be fine, there’s no need for hysteria. You are in the magical land of Equestria.”
> Eighth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria was a word that meant close to nothing to Thornton. He had no idea what it was in the slightest, nor did Reece from the look he received.
The zebra, Zecora, did most of the talking– or rather, rhyming. She really never stopped with that. It was probably a force of habit, the bug imagined. But rhyming or not, she did explain a few things to him. Equestria was the country they inhabited, in a world called Equus, which was, in simple terms, ruled by a bunch of talking mythical animals. Most of them were mythical anyway. Some, like the zebra, existed in the real world, and some, like he, the ‘changeling’, didn’t exist at all. 
She must have told all of this to Reece before, because he didn’t speak up, and had a taste of emotion like he wasn’t as completely confused as Thornton was. No questions came from him, although no explanation did either. It was probably for the best anyway. How much could his brother know with just a few hours lead time?
Zecora though, did have questions, chief among them being the topic of ‘reformation’ and why he hadn’t done so yet. He had no idea what a reformation would entail outside of some church guy nailing his letter to a door. It seemed important with the slightly spicy, slightly herbal tasting seriousness she spoke with.
“To reform and change you must start by sharing the love within your heart.”
“I have no idea what the heck that’s supposed to mean,” he replied without hesitation. “What would reforming even do?”
“Allow your love to shine a light,” she spoke in rhyme, “that burns away shadows from being so bright. It might be easier if you were younger, but until you reform, you will hunger.”
The second she brought it up, he noticed his hunger again. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in a week, and needed something right now.
“Can you– do you have any food that we can have? And what do you mean I’ll be hungry until I reform? What does that mean?”
“Changelings like you must feed on love. For nutrition and energy and magic thereof. You must look into your heart and share your love with someone whom you deeply care.”
He had no idea what the heck that meant, and hated that this zebra was speaking in riddles. He loved his family, he guesses. As much as anyone else did their own. Shouldn’t that have been enough? He thought so.
Just like he could taste everyone else’s emotions, it was much easier now to read his own. He did love his family, truly, but it was more in the way that– well, the way that one would love their family. Family was family. You were supposed to love them. He certainly didn’t hate them, and knew he loved them enough to protect them if need be, but as the saying went, family was family. He had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be enough for him to do whatever the heck this zebra thought he should do, a particularly sharp hunger pain in his abdomen confirming that.
“If I’m a changeling,” he said, moving on, “then can I change? Well, I know I can change since I did it before, so I guess I’m asking more how do I change?”
“I’m but a zebra, so I cannot show. But you are a changeling. How do you not know?”
“It’s like I told you before,” Reece finally spoke up. “Thorn and I aren’t from here. We just woke up here in these bodies and don’t know anything. So if you could help us out a little bit, that would be great.”
“I spoke this before, so for you it is clear. Steer away from anger and no fire you’ll fear. But knowledge of changelings, I am not great. The process to change should be innate.”
Of course it was. And that was true, too, annoyingly, since he knew he turned into a human before without thinking about it. And a bug again, he guessed, while he was passed out. That made it annoying since he’d have to figure this out himself.
“Whatever. We can worry about that later,” he waved a hoof before Reece could ask another question. “Can you help us find our parents and sister? Is there any way to track them down?”
“We cannot leave yet. There is too much smoke. But do not worry. There is some hope. I sent a message that should be clear. In due time, Fluttershy will be here.”
It took Thornton a second to process what she was saying– all the rhyming was really messing with his head, combined with the knowledge of a language he shouldn’t have known. He hoped every creature in this world didn’t speak exclusively in rhyme.
“Who’s Fluttershy?” the bug asked. “And how the heck do I get whatever power I have to work?” He turned to his brother and asked, “How the heck did you turn on fire?”
“I don’t know. I was just angry about everything and it happened. I still am, but not as much now since we found someone.”
That made sense to the bug– the changeling, he now knew. When he was angry and frustrated before, Thornton remembered seeing some kind of smoke coming up from him. He wondered if he, too, would catch on fire if he got angry enough. Probably not, since Reece seemed like he could just completely ignore the fire and smoke while it caused Thornton to collapse.
“Do you think you could look for them?” he asked. “The fire didn’t seem like it was hurting you, and if I could change into something like you, then we could both get back without an issue."
“A noble idea, but one that’s quite unwise,” the zebra started again. “In the Everfree Forest, there are many a surprise.”
“Okay, then once again, who the heck is Fluttershy?” he asked. “And how the heck would they be able to stop from getting burned or killed by whatever those wolves were?”
“My friend, and a master of nature, she is. She can tame animals both small and big. And in forest navigation, she will not choke. Her directional skills are not a joke.”
“So what? We’re just supposed to stand around and hope our family is okay?” Reece didn’t say anything, but Thornton could tell he was thinking just about the same thing. There was anxiety mixed with frustration radiating off of him. The zebra had no such emotions, instead harboring something bordering on let-down and sadness.
“I am sorry, but it's for the best. For now, you should consider getting some rest.”
Rest was what the bug didn’t get. How the heck was he supposed to given the strangeness of everything that was going on? He probably wasn’t going to sleep for the rest of his life with how many questions he had. He didn’t ask any more though, instead allowing himself and Reece to be led to a small guest bedroom that had furniture like he’d see in an IKEA. How a zebra– or any animal outside of a primate– could have the dexterity to assemble such a thing, he had no idea. Maybe it was more stuff related to secret powers these creatures had. He and his brother had them. Why not others?
“How the hell is any of this happening?” he asked as he stood in front of the bed, his brother taking the chance to claim it for himself. “I’d ask if this was one long dream, but I just woke up twice, so what the hell?” What sort of impossible magic was at work here? Was there some scientific explanation for waking up in an alternate universe as animals, or just the wrath of an angry god who wanted to play with his creations?
“I asked that zebra while you were out,” Reece explained. “She doesn’t know, obviously, but she did talk about some sort of magical burst or something that she felt a while ago. It sounded like it happened when we showed up from her description. I don’t know what that means, but maybe it’ll be useful for later.”
He was going to make a sarcastic remark about having to rely on magic, but then remembered that none of this was even possible– at least, as far as he knew. It might as well have been magic that brought his family here. Why couldn’t magic take them back?
But right now, he didn’t really care about magic or learning the details of whatever world he inhabited. One thing was at the very forefront of his mind.
“Is it just me, or does it feel like you haven’t eaten in weeks, too?” he asked. “My stomach is killing me. It feels like I’m starving!”
“I feel fine, mostly,” he replied. “I didn’t have anything to eat all day except for that grass from earlier, but you threw that up. I’m sure there’s something for you though. We can ask the zebra since she knew what you were.”
“She said I feed on love, but I have no idea what the heck that means. How do you eat an emotion?”
He didn’t know, but he was eating emotions all the time. Even right now, he was getting the bland, but slightly sweet, taste of sympathy from his older brother without Thornton actually doing anything. It just came automatically, and almost made him feel a little less hungry. Did sympathy count as love? He didn’t think so, but it eased his hunger pains a smidge now and when Barney did it. He would take it.
“That. Keep doing that. I don’t know how, but that helps.”
“Keep doing what?”
“Feeling sorry for me. I don’t know what it is, but it’s making me feel less hungry.”
The sympathy was suddenly cut off by slightly bitter skepticism, and Thornton got a raised eyebrow in response to his comment.
“Well, it was helping, but now you stopped.” There was a pause as Reece remained silent, the taste of skepticism growing. “Can you not feel all of the emotions around you?” Thornton asked. “Or do only weird bugs have to taste it all the time?”
“I guess it’s just weird bugs,” his older brother replied. “I would say we need to make a plan, but I’m not really sure what we could do without getting ourselves killed. I watched that zebra send a message somewhere– at least, I think she did. She wrote it out on a piece of paper and then burned it in a candle and said it was heading to some girl named Twilight. It was a lot harder to read and make sense of than it was to just listen to her talk, but it basically said that the girl was gonna get some other girl named Fluttershy to come out here and help us. To do what though, I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. I just hope Mom and Dad and Denver are safe… and that I could find something to eat, because man, I am starving. I don’t look like it– well, I kinda do, I guess– but I feel like I’m skin and bones. And I have no idea what sharing love even means. Does that mean, like, finding a date? But that doesn’t make sense because your sympathy helped a little bit. Try hugging me.”
Maybe Thornton was a little bit telepathic, because he could tell without a change in facial expression or any words from Reece that he didn’t like that idea. Neither did the changeling, to be fair, but starving was starving, and he wanted to ease his stomach at least a little bit. It wasn’t something they could test out to ease his hunger right this second though, because all of a sudden, Zecora was calling into the room just a few minutes after sending them away.
“Come on out, your journey is nigh, because she is here, the pegasus Fluttershy.”
> Ninth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard practically had a heart attack with how quickly the sudden change in his surroundings came. It was faster than the blink of an eye, so fast that he barely registered what was happening. It made him jump, and both his wife and his daughter screamed at the sudden change in their surroundings. Barney seemed to be unaffected by it, and only barked once at the purple horse that was standing in front of them.
“Can you not do that without warning, please?” the unicorn asked, as though this horse would be able to understand him. “What are you doing with us? Where are we now?”
The answer to one of those questions was self-evident, thankfully. It was a castle, that much could be determined even just by the library-like room they were standing in. Books sat placed in bookshelves that lined the walls halfway up to the ceiling. The walls and room frame were made out of crystal, and the ceiling was ended in a dome, with an arch supporting the whole thing that traveled the span of the room. Yes, this was a castle. That was clear enough.
The other questions got no answer other than excited whinny-squabbles, the horse prancing in place happily and clapping its hooves about something. Both his wife and his daughter backed away nervously, and Howard stood in front of the two as their protector, not that this horse seemed dangerous. A bit eccentric, perhaps, he judged in the ten seconds he knew her. But with as creepily cute an expression as it had on its face, how could it be dangerous in the slightest? 
It chattered more, and then lit up its horn, an event that ended in the thing disappearing from in front of them like a magician. What in the world was going on?
“I really don’t think we should be here, honey,” Carey spoke up, spreading out her wings in a display of anxiety. “That thing seems… off.”
“Uh, yeah,” was the flat reply of agreement he gave. “I just don’t know what the heck we’re supposed to do except try and find our way back to that cottage?”
Except we don’t know where the heck that treehouse was. They didn’t even know if they were in the same vicinity as it anymore. For all they knew, that horse could’ve teleported them a thousand miles away. What then?
“I hate how useless I am right now,” he said aloud to no one in particular, rubbing a hoof anxiously against the crystal floor of the room. “I wish… ugh! I wish there was something we could do right now instead of standing around here and waiting for things to happen!”
He took a breath and sat down at the first table he came up to, running his hooves through his mane to smooth it out. Stressed out was a good word to describe how he felt, that much was certain. His mane was gonna be gray within a week if everything kept up.
His dragon of a wife stood close to him, her body too big for a chair, but his daughter didn’t follow, instead walking past them to the books that lined the shelves. He didn’t imagine that she’d suddenly find the secret to all of this in picking out one of ten thousand books at random, but it was good to see that she was a little more settled down in the last few hours than she was when they’d first gotten here. Maybe being out of the forest and in an actual building helped.
Oh, but his kids. His sons were still out there, and he hated the thought of that. Howard wasn’t ever going to stop stressing out until they were with him again. Neither would his wife from how terrible she looked. She was definitely worse off than he was.
“Hey! Look at this!” his daughter suddenly called, the filly waving a hoof to beckon he and Carey over to her. She held it out for him to see that it was something about the history of a place called Camelot– no, wait, that said Canterlot– and how it formed after whatever natural disaster took place in some other part of this world. It didn’t really provide much information to them that could help right now. Or any for that matter.
“Yes, Denver?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion. “What about it? We don’t know what that place is.”
“I don’t know either, but it’s written in English! We can read what it says! Well, most of it anyway. There’s some squiggly parts here I don’t understand, but a lot of it is in English!”
It took Howard a minute of trying to think about what she was saying before he finally figured it out. If the three of them could read these books, then that meant they should be able to communicate with these horses and get somewhere! He smiled at the thought, and his wife did a second later as he pet Denver’s mane with a hoof.
“Good job, honey,” he complimented her. “This is super good to know. If we could find some pencils and paper, then we can get somewhere and try to figure out what’s going on!”
“Yeah!”
“Do you think there’s anything useful we can read while we wait for whoever that horse is to come back then?” the dragon now asked. “Depending on how long it takes, if we all picked the right books for each of us and sat down, we could probably learn a lot in just a few minutes.”
Another good idea, and this time Howard showed his compliments by kissing his wife. He was glad they were here. He doubted that he would have thought of something like that all alone. His mind was still on trying to think about how to navigate a forest with black smoke from what was likely a fire and weird monsterish creatures prowling around. This was much better, and would help them actually get somewhere.
Of course, the plan was easier said than done. That book might have had some English in it, but it turned out that ninety percent of these books were written in weird squiggly lines, like something out of a cartoon. He almost would’ve believed that he was in a cartoon reading cartoon literature if not for some of them containing maps and numbers and diagrams and just generally looking like they delivered some sort of information. Information that was currently inaccessible, since the odds of the three of them being able to understand the squiggles within the next few minutes were close to zero.
It turned out to be only a few minutes before the horse was startling them by reappearing in front of the three. How she knew exactly where in the room they now were, Howard didn’t know, but he didn’t question it right now. There were a whole host of other issues more important than how the laws of physics were so carelessly broken to this horse’s benefit. 
She brought with her parchment paper and what looked like quill pens, as well as every single scientific instrument imaginable. He couldn’t name ninety percent of them, and backed away slightly when she dropped them all on top of the table and sort of whinny-squealed. This time, Carey was the one to step protectively in front of he and his daughter, stretching her wings out to guard the two.
This horse though didn’t seem to notice their nervousness, and chattered away in whatever foreign language she spoke, moving around the table and talking directly to them as though they would understand her. She was a little bit shorter than Howard was, but that was still taller than Denver. She had wings like the yellow mare did, but also a unicorn horn like he and his daughter. She also hosted a little crown on her head that she didn’t have a few minutes ago. Was she the queen of this place? It made sense, what with the castle.
Her horn lit up, and a see through aura surrounded it for a second before it moved to grab one of the sheets of paper and a quill for her to scribble down notes on. It seemed like it happened at her command, and was something that would have surprised Howard yesterday but was closer to curiosity for him right now. It would be impressive if he or Denver could do that with their horns. 
Carey automatically thought of the same thing. “If you and your dad can do magic with your horns like this horse can, then maybe we could find a way to get back home. I mean, magic clearly exists, so we might see if we can use it to our advantage.”
“Uh huh!” Denver agreed, looking a little bit excited. “And we can check these books to see if there’s anything. If I focused on reading, and Dad focused on trying out what I read or seeing if there’s anyone who can help us, then she and I could probably take us back home super quick”
“And once we get Reece and Thornton back with us, then all five of us can put our heads together and come up with a plan, I think,” he finished, just in time for the mare to get out some measuring tape and float it around his wife’s body. He did register that his daughter was kind of referring to him as a girl, but didn’t really concern himself with it right now, even if his face did blush lightly. There were many more important things to think about right now.
His wife backed up, and when the horse tried to come closer to measure her, brushed her away with a wing. “Please don’t touch me,” she asked, shaking her head and taking another step away. He moved to stand in front of Carey, as though he could do something to protect the dragon that was much larger than him from the smaller unicorn.
The purple horse whinnied something, and then turned to Howard and raised an eyebrow expectantly. She looked between him and Denver, and whinnied something again, more urgently now. He could only shrug his shoulders, staring at her with an expression that was a mix between confusion and nervousness before remembering the paper this horse brought with her. He grabbed at it, and a quill pen, too, listening to the unicorn make a dissatisfied whinny-grunt, but not stopping as he wrote out a message.
Can you read this? he wrote carefully, in big letters, going as slowly and neatly as he could before showing it to the unicorn. He got the response he was hoping for– in this case, that response being a loud gasp and a quick, excited nod as she grabbed the paper off of the table with her… magic? He didn’t know what else to call what was obviously magic. 
Yes, I can! was the excited reply that he and his family read as this girl wrote quickly, her letters much smaller and more scribbled out than he wrote. He watched the horse think for a second before continuing her message.
My name is Twilight Sparkle, she wrote. I’m the Princess of Friendship here in Equestria, and this is my castle in the town of Ponyville! I understand that you’re not originally from Equestria, is that correct? What are your names, and where are you girls from?
She handed the paper back to Howard, the mare taking it in his hooves and writing much smaller and quicker this time.
We don’t know what Equestria is, so I guess not. My name is Howard, the other unicorn is my daughter, Denver, and the dragon is my wife, Carey. My family and I are from a place called Earth. He went into detail describing what she thought this princess should know, highlighting the fact that they weren’t supposed to be weird fantasy creatures and that they didn’t know what was happening. He didn’t bother with correcting her on him not being a girl, figuring it was just going to be something he had to deal with until this whole… event was over. He then finished with the most pressing issue– finding his sons as quickly as possible and asking if there was any way for her to help them get back home.
The entire trio of what remained of him and his family were able to let out a collective sigh of relief with what they read next from the purple horse, Twilight Sparkle.
I got a letter about them from one of my friends, a zebra named Zecora! She told me about a kirin and a changeling who hadn’t reformed that she met in a forest fire, and who said they were brothers. She said that I should ask another one of my friends, Fluttershy, to head down there to meet them, but Fluttershy told me she was already going down there before I got the message on account of the forest fire, and that she had you creatures staying at her home! I headed over to meet you once I got the message about your sons from Zecora, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already down there and making her way back up with them right now!
Howard couldn’t say he’d ever felt more relieved by anything in his entire life, and wrote back a message of his expressive thanks, Denver and Carey contributing a few words to the writing, too. Then he grabbed both girls and hugged them tightly, his wife shivering and tearing up again and Denver smiling widely. He didn’t let his emotions show though. He might have been less nervous, but the anxiety wouldn’t completely go away until he saw the two of them again. 
Do you mind if I interview you? the horse wrote down now on the paper. If you’ll allow me, I’ll let my castle be your accommodations for however long you need. Actually, let me show you where you can stay now, and I can interview you all while you get comfortable!
After a second of deliberation, Howard nodded, deciding that there could be worse places to stay. Like a forest, for example. Besides, this horse seemed friendly enough, and said that his kids should be safe. Once they were all back together, then… well, he didn’t know. Hopefully they’d all just go home as quickly as they got here. 
The winged unicorn grabbed the paper and quills in her magical aura, and then started along, not disappearing and teleporting them all somewhere strange this time. He kept track of where they were going, and asked the girls he was with to do the same. Before long, the three found themselves in a room that looked like the place they’d be staying, the purple horse whinny-chattering excitedly the whole time.
It looked like a hotel suite, with a large living room and a bedroom leading off of it. How a horse, or a team of horses for that matter, could build something like this, he didn’t know, but didn’t question it right now. He had only one other question for right now, one that he quickly wrote down the second the horse set the paper and quills on the coffee table in the living room.
Is there any way you’ll be able to send us home?
> Tenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The answer was no. Or, more accurately, not at the moment.
The horse admitted that she didn’t know, except that there was no way she’d be able to accomplish such a task right now. Apparently, according to her, this horse-queen was one of the best at casting magic in this world, and said that, since the group came here, there was no reason why theoretically they couldn’t return home. However, a trip back home would come down to a whole lot of science and magic mumbo jumbo that neither Howard, nor his wife or daughter, could make sense of. The point was, it couldn’t happen right then at the very least.
The purple horse, Twilight Sparkle, had many questions for the three of them, and Howard took the lead in answering most of them for the group. They answered questions about the place they were from, something this horse apparently knew about surprisingly enough. She talked about something called a ‘worldgate’ that they apparently traveled through to get here, and said that, to get back home, they would have to go back through one, although she didn’t know how to make one yet. 
So then it seemed like there was an actual chance of going back home, if the scientific details Howard didn’t understand marked her as the science nerd she came off as. All they needed first was to find his kids. He hoped they were okay.
Naturally, once they went through all the scientific details that none of them but this mare understood about getting back home, Howard asked about her position as the ‘princess of friendship’. He had no idea what it meant, and although he couldn’t understand her verbally, her slight bashful smile and a hoof behind her head like a human would do with its hand let him know that she didn’t know either. Apparently it was something about helping horses, who she called ponies, make friends. It was like something out of a little girl’s show, or at least, it seemed that way until he followed up on that and she described their complex form of government.
At its head was a princess named Celesita– apparently there were no ‘queens’, only princesses– who ruled over the whole country, a place called Equestria. She was, from what Howard understood, the benevolent authoritarian dictator of these horses, and had made powerful ponies of her underlings. It sounded like there was some nepotism involved, with the other rulers being Celestia’s sister, and this purple horse’s sister in law. It was certainly interesting, even if it mostly sounded like a plot out of a little girl’s TV show.
Apparently they’d have to send information to the capital of this country so they can be officially registered as being here, even though it wasn’t their fault that they suddenly showed up. He couldn’t really complain though, since this horse was going out of her way to help him. If he and his family suddenly teleported to, say, Belarus, they might not have gotten such nice treatment. Compared to that, this was practically like the president coming to your house to interview you and help you.
After a long while of being questioned by the equine, she finally left the trio alone. She told them they should try and make themselves at home and rest while they waited, but only Barney seemed to be able to settle down and close his eyes tiredly. Howard himself still felt too wound up by everything, and took the chance to try and play through his head exactly what the heck could’ve happened that let some impossible magic turn he and his family into horses in another universe. He came up with absolutely nothing. As far as he could remember, he and the rest of his family went to bed without issue. 
“There’s no way this is a dream,” the unicorn said aloud to no one in particular. “We’d know if this was a dream. I’d know. But there’s no way any of this is possible.”
“Do you think it’s just us that this happened to, Dad?” his daughter asked. “What if there’s other people here, too? Like our neighbors or the people at school? Or more?”
“I don’t know. I guess there’s no way to know for sure that didn’t happen, but we didn’t see anyone else yet. And that horse made it seem like we were the only ones except for your brothers.”
That statement made his daughter look worried, but he quickly added, “I’m sure that someone knows what’s going on though. This horse is gonna help us, and I bet some fancy scientist back home is already working on figuring out what the heck happened to us. We’ll be back home soon, I bet.”
He didn’t know if he believed what he said, but brushed that from his mind for now. Right now, he had to sit here and wait for his kids to get to him. Hopefully. Hopefully they weren’t– well, he wasn’t going to continue that thought. He might actually cry right now if he had to think about his sons potentially being hurt.
"Let's see if we can get something to do for right now though, and some food if we can," he suggested. "Do you think that horse is going to be upset if we take a look around the library again and see if there's something we can read?" He subconsciously hopped from one hoof to the other nervously, and took a breath to try and lower his anxiety.
"I can go get them!" his daughter offered. "I remember where the library is. I don't think she'll care." Before either Howard or his wife could protest, the smaller unicorn was opening the door and heading off. It seemed like Denver was already completely used to being a horse– a pony– and trotted like she'd done that every day of her life.
"I wish she wouldn't have left like that, but I guess that horse didn't seem like the type to get upset," Howard said. "It's good though that she's not as distraught as she was earlier today."
"Mhm, it's good," Carey agreed. "Well, good for the circumstances." Then the dragon turned to look at the unicorn– Howard was not going to be able to get used to his wife being tall enough to look slightly down at him– and asked, "Are you feeling okay, Howie? About… whatever the heck this all is, I mean."
"Mhm," he nodded, but didn't say more than that. He silently stared at his wife for a long moment, then turned away. Maybe right now, while his daughter was away, it was finally his turn to let out how afraid and distraught he was about all of this. His wife put a wing on his back, and he started to feel tears welling up as he let out another breath.
“I’m just stressing out is all,” he said as his voice cracked, one that was still sounding strange and unfamiliar to him. “Worried about Reece and Thorn and getting home and about what the heck is even going on.”
And himself, of course, but he didn't say that. Right now, ignoring the sex change no one else was given seemed like the best idea. It wasn't like it felt disgusting or horrible anyway. In fact, it might have been the opposite if he took time to examine his feelings. But the mare did wonder why it was he exclusively that was changed that way. It didn't seem like it was just completely random since no one else became the opposite sex. 
But of course, he remembered that this was something to worry about later, a thought that made him start to sob as his mind pointed itself back to his kids. He was terribly worried about them.
"I just hope they're safe," he sniffled as he sat on his haunches on the ground, covering his face with his hooves. "If they're hurt, it's gonna be my fault for thinking splitting up was a good idea. We should've stayed together and tried to get away as a group."
"I'm sure they're okay, honey," his wife said comfortingly, sitting next to the unicorn and wrapping her wing tightly around him. Barney, too, made his way to his side, laying down in front of him and licking at his hind legs, holding what had to be an expression of sympathy. Howard used a hoof to rub his fur as tears dripped down his cheeks.
"That horse said a zebra found them, remember?” Carey continued. “That means they're definitely safe. They're gonna be here before we know it."
"Yeah…" he nodded, wiping his eyes and gathering himself again. "I'm just stressing out is all," he told her again. "Can't say I woke up this morning expecting to be turned into a mare like off my grandparents' farm."
"I know." Another pause came, then his wife smiled at him. "I can't say I expected my husband to turn into a girl," Carey said lightly. "Does that make me a lesbian now?"
"Guess so," Howard replied lightly, letting out a sniffle before he leaned in for a kiss. "Not for long though. If magic exists here, I bet it won't be long before they get us back home. Or at least turn me into a stallion."
“I hope so. I can’t really be with a girl, can I?” she said, only half serious. Then she changed the topic, continuing, “If Denver doesn’t get back here in the next five minutes, should we go look for her?”
"Yeah, I'll take a look around for her," he said. "I'm getting hungry anyway, and wanna see if there's anything to eat around here. Something that’s not grass, anyway. It tastes fine, but I don’t wanna eat it.”
"That yellow horse had tea, so it's probably not gonna be something like that. Although I wonder what the heck I'm supposed to eat. Dragons don't exist in real life."
"I bet that purple horse would know. She seems like the kind to spend all day in a library after all."
The two both laughed at the thought of the horse reading books for fun, and then shared another kiss. “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine,” Carey said again. “Denver said it before, right? Before we know it, Reece and Thorny will be here, and we’ll be at home laughing at the absurdity of all of this.”
“Or be interviewed by the CIA so they can try and figure out what wormhole we went through that turned us into animals in horse world,” Howard finished. “I’m sure this whole thing is gonna make us famous if other people know about it.”
His wife nodded in agreement, and then both closed their eyes for a while as he settled into the dragon’s wing and pet the dog’s fur. Howard still felt a little bit shaky, but their comfort helped settle his nerves more. Everything was going to be fine– as fine as being ripped from Earth and dumped into another universe could be. His kids would be here soon, and the ruler of this place was kind enough to offer them a place to stay. It would all be fine, and then they’d go home once they figured out how to.
Yes, they would be fine, except for dealing with how confused the unicorn now felt. It brought back a little bit of the anxiety his wife just helped him push down, but he did his best to manage it silently. The strangeness of it all and the confusion he felt combined with the little thought in his head made him nervous, but he once again reminded himself that everything would be fine. It would be his concern after his kids were safely with him again.
His wife was right, after all. They’d all be home soon and this would just be a funny story.
> Eleventh Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton looked at the winged yellow horse with wide eyes. This mare tasted sweet, like a sugary soda. 
It wasn’t love that he tasted; his brain somehow knew it was kindness being radiated his way. It slowly filled him up, easing his hunger, thankfully. He might have been able to taste every emotion that was sent his way, but the positive ones seemed like the ones his body craved. 
How a bug– or any animal for that matter– could eat emotions though, he didn't know. How could something like an emotion sustain anything? He decided to chalk it up to impossible magic as he sat where he was and ate up her kindness greedily. It tasted delicious.
“These are the ones I have written of,” the zebra said to the pony, Fluttershy. “The one who should master their anger, and the one who should share their love.” Thornton laughed at this rhyme, even if it was still messing with his head. Reece needed to do that as a human, too.
“Oh! You must be who that adorable dog was telling me about!” the horse said, making her way up to the two of them. “I think it said its name was Barney, right? You must be the foals of that unicorn and dragon!”
She stopped a few steps in front of where Reece and Thornton sat, her kindness  radiating even more intensely now that she was closer. It was almost dizzying, but the bug didn’t stop eating, continuing to soak up all of the emotion he could get. He felt like he could eat for days with how hungry he was.
“My name is Fluttershy,” she introduced politely, a gentle smile being worn on her face. “Can I ask who you two creatures are?”
His older brother looked to him, waiting for him to speak up, but Thornton was preoccupied with the emotion he was being filled with. He didn't realize they were waiting for an answer from him until his brother was mixing in mildly spicy annoyance with the sugary sweet kindness filling his senses.
"I'm Reece Solomon, and this is my brother, Thornton," he said. "You said you saw our parents and sister? Two horses and a dragon?"
"I did, but I wasn't able to talk to them like I can you. That absolutely adorable puppy of yours told me what was going on, and so I went to my friend, Twilight Sparkle, to see if she'd heard something about creatures in the Everfree forest. That was when Zecora sent a letter to her, and so I left as quick as I could to get here."
The bug– changeling– sighed in relief, but also felt a little bit ashamed of himself. He'd been mostly preoccupied with himself since he'd woken up, so much so that he probably didn’t give near the amount of concern for his family that Reece likely had. He imagined his mother was probably crying over him and his father was worried sick. He, however, had been caught up with all of the emotions in the air and how hungry he felt. He now very much hoped that no one else could read his emotions like he could read theirs.
“Where are they right now?” Thornton asked. “Are they safe?”
“Mhm. I asked Twilight to help them. They’re probably in her castle right now. They were in my cottage before.”
“Okay, and where the heck is that?” he asked. “Because I think I remember a forest fire out there burning. And wolves chasing us, trying to eat us, too. There’s no way for us to go back out there safely, I don’t think.”
“Oh. Yeah. I asked my friend, Steven Magnet, to help with the fire, so we can get along. Also, there’s a safe trail for us to walk to Ponyville on.”
“What she says about the path is true,” the Zebra confirmed. “Zebra hooves emit magic that leaves every beast askew. No creature will threaten you on the way back to town. Whichever one tries will seem only like a clown.”
“All this rhyming is messing with my mind,” Thornton muttered, taking a few moments to process what was said in the foreign language he shouldn’t have been able to understand. Then shook his head clear. “Uh, do you think we can get going to wherever they are right now? If they’re safe, I think we should be meeting up with them instead of being in a cottage in the forest. No offense. And please don’t rhyme.” 
More disappointment from the Zebra and another glare from his brother came at the request. He was already pissing off alien horses who were trying to help the two of them. But it elicited strong sympathy from the yellow pony, sympathy that almost made him sigh in relief again. His strong hunger was still there, but having it curbed a bit was nice.
"There's no reason why we can't get going right now," Fluttershy said kindly. "I'd offer to talk to Twilight about teleporting us back to Ponyville, but if everything Zecora said in her letter is true, she's probably talking to your family and trying to figure out what happened."
"How far away is it?" Reece asked. "Cause I know it took me at least two hours to get us here from where we were. Although to be fair, I was dragging Thornton the whole way."
"It's only a couple of hours from here. Maybe eight miles? It shouldn't be an issue at all, unless you need to rest first. I would've gotten here sooner, but I had to tell Steven about the fire so he could help put it out."
Eight miles sounded like an awfully long way to travel. Thornton was ready to complain until he felt his brother's confidence and determination radiating his way. He could practically read his thoughts, ones that seemed to say that since they were horses– or rather, horse-like creatures– it should be no trouble like Fluttershy said. That made sense.
Besides, he wasn't really in a position to complain about the help he was receiving, especially with how sweet and delicious the kindness he ate was. If she kept up a steady pace, he'd be filled to the brim with food by the time they got to wherever the heck they needed to be. Although he still had no clue what Zecora meant when she said he had to 'share his love'. Did that mean finding a date or something? Finding another hungry bug-horse to feed? He could see how it would help him if he did either of those things, considering what his powers seemed to be.
"That should be fine," his older brother said before he could. "Leaving right now is probably the best since our family is probably worried about us." 
It was settled with that statement. After a few acknowledgements of gratitude to the zebra and a slight apology from Thornton for his complaining, the two were headed out of the cottage with the yellow horse leading the way. Before they left though, Zecora offered them a container of the disgusting green liquid that helped her understand them, which Reece carried on his back with little effort. That would be useful if its effects wore off.
Then the three set off, Fluttershy leading the way and Reece hanging near the back of the group, leaving Thornton in the middle. He was okay with that. Being closer to Fluttershy meant he'd have more to eat. 
The sun was still in the middle of the sky when they set off, but about halfway through their trip, it finally started to set. The whole show of the sun setting and the moon rising took maybe ten minutes total. It was insane how fast each object moved to and from the center of the sky, and almost made Thornton think this was really all a dream. Physics didn't work like this so far as he knew.
"How does it move that quickly?" Reece called from the back to the yellow horse before the changeling could. "The sun and moon, I mean."
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked back, looking over her shoulder as she continued to move.
"I mean, how does it get from the center of the sky to the horizon so quickly? It doesn't do that on Earth. How is that possible?"
"That's just the way Princess Celestia and Princess Luna always raise and lower the moon and sun," she said. "Sometimes, on special occasions, Princess Celestia might take a little longer to make it set or rise, but it usually takes just a few minutes."
"I think that's who the zebra was telling us about, Reece," Thornton told him. "Although how a horse can raise the sun makes no sense to me. Do the laws of physics just not apply?"
Fluttershy giggled. "I'm not a scientist, but that sounds like something Twilight would go on for ages about. Maybe you could ask her when we get to her. I'm sure that–"
"Look out!"
Something was coming out of the trees– an animal that looked something like the blue ghost of a brown bear. It had orange and red eyes, a star on its forehead, and dots on its side that seemed like they formed the shape of a constellation. It was large, larger than any of the three creatures, and even larger than the wolves they faced before. Both Reece and Thornton backed up as they stared at it in fear. The emotion coming off of this thing was just as vicious as the wolves that chased them earlier in the day.
Their new companion traveling with them, however, stood her ground, and looked up at the beast with a glare as she held out a protective wing in front of the brothers. The new emotion Thornton tasted was the savory flavor of courage, almost as tasty as the kindness he ate before. It was a subconscious thought however, one he wasn't able to focus on due mostly to his own renewed fear.
Fluttershy had none of that emotion though, and stood calmly as she spoke to the ghost bear thing. "You get along now, Mr. Ursa," she said. "Let us go in peace, and you go find your mother so you can sleep." She sounded more like a disappointed teacher than someone who was actually threatening.
And somehow, the bear seemed to understand her. It growled angrily, and raised its paw like it wanted to charge at her, but hesitated, looking nervous. It carefully pawed at the ground in front of it, glaring angrily at the three of them, looking between them and the road. It wanted to go after them– Thornton could tell that much just by the emotions he tasted– but it refused. 
It stood for a long minute, as though contemplating what to do next, then, as though they had peeved it off, it let out an angry huff and went on its own way. Both Thornton and Reece were slack jawed at the sight they just beheld. Fluttershy only turned to them with a gentle smile.
“We’re going to be safe,” she assured the two. “All we have to do is make sure to stay on the path, and we’ll get to Ponyville before you know it.”
“How does that even work?” Thornton asked skeptically. “There’s literally no way that should be able to–”
“Don’t question it,” his older brother interrupted. “It’s not like anything else about this world makes sense. It’s all weird magic at this point to me.”
The bug– the changeling– sighed and dropped his head, deciding to just go with it. He was right. Nothing made sense, from just being here with talking horses and zebras to his older brother catching on fire to him turning into a human for a few minutes before passing out again. How did he do that? It would be nice if he could again. That would make things a lot easier. At least, having some clothes would be nice anyway.
No, nothing made sense, except for perhaps all that delicious emotion that radiated off of the yellow pegasus.
> Twelfth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a long way to Ponyville, a couple of hours, just as Fluttershy had told them, but Thornton felt only a little worse for wear after it. Maybe sleeping a bit before this trip was what made the difference. Or perhaps it was that tasty emotion he was continuously filled with as the three journeyed. Either way, he felt relatively good by the time they got to town.
There were no other issues the three came across, thankfully, and before long, the path led them to a small clearing, with the town Fluttershy promised showing itself dead ahead. It was a relieving sight, one that his older brother was probably more relieved to see than he was. He could tell Reece was exhausted without looking back at him, although that might have been because he was carrying extra weight in the potion Zecora had brewed for them.
The yellow horse looked no worse for wear, and led him and his brother into town without issue or comment. There were no other horses to speak of that they saw, although Thornton assumed that was because of the night drawing over them. He wanted to ask questions about what he saw– like a giant building seemingly made out of candy, and the thatched roofing like something out of the middle ages that was commonplace here– but he didn’t, figuring it’d be better to save them. He stayed quiet right up until a large crystalline castle came into view.
“What the heck is that?” he asked as he took the building in. It was a castle, he could say that much, but it looked like nothing he’d ever seen before. The main building of the castle itself rested what had to be about a hundred and fifty feet in the air, sitting in a large tree made out of some kind of clear, purple crystal. The tree went up to a total height of what Thornton guessed to be three or four hundred feet, and ended in a spire that was shaped like a star with many points. The roofs and doors were yellow, and the castle seemed to be built right into the structure, with the tree connecting itself directly to the main part of the building. The whole thing had a little purple flag with the same star at the top as an added touch.
“How the heck do you build a castle like that as a horse?” he asked. “Heck, even as a human? That must have cost tens of millions of dollars with that much crystal. Or hundreds!”
“Nopony built it,” the mare told him as they stepped up to the door and began to head inside. “It actually sprouted out of a chest from the Tree of Harmony!” Because of course, it did.
“I don’t think I’m gonna follow up on that one then,” the bug decided. “I’ll just take your word that magic is real since that’s what it seems like. You said our family is here?”
She nodded as they stepped through the door and walked into the castle. Thankfully, with as large as this place was, they didn’t have to walk upstairs. Fluttershy led them to a library– or maybe it was a meeting room– where they met an excitable purple unicorn. From there, they somehow teleported to a hotel-like room where their parents and sister were. The relief excluded from the three of them was ten times the delicacy Fluttershy’s kindness and gentleness were.
Neither his father nor his mother hesitated for even a moment before wrapping the two of them in a long, tight hug,  Barney coming up beside them, too, to lick their hooves, adding to the emotions in the air. It was much longer than Thornton thought it would be, but he didn’t mind, even as he felt both of their tears hitting his shoulders. All of that wonderful, tasty love filled him more than he thought he could be filled, with how insatiable his hunger was before.
It was an extremely long moment before Thornton and Reece were finally let go, and after about a minute and a half of the two awkwardly listening to their parents speak in a foreign language and pushing they and Denver to drink the potion the moose– the kirin– carried, they were fussed over greatly.
“I knew they’d be okay,” Denver said to their parents as she grinned widely. “I told you they’d be here before we knew it.”
“Are you both alright?” the dragon that was their mother asked tearfully. “We’ve been worrying about you since we lost you. We’re glad you’re finally back with us and safe.”
“You didn’t get hurt at all, did you?” their father now asked. He looked just as overwhelmed as their mother did, and his eyes were just as wide and wet. He even seemed to fuss about them a little more than their mother did.
“I shouldn’t have had us split up like that,” he continued, more tears falling from his eyes and hitting the floor near his hooves. Thornton stared back, his eyes almost as wide as his father’s were, almost entirely due to the magnitude of the sweet, delicious, honey-like emotion coming his way. This was starting to get overwhelming.
“You could have gotten hurt,” the unicorn continued. “Or killed. And it would’ve been my fault, because I made us split up. We should have stuck together.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Reece told him, the changeling completely unable to speak as he took all the emotions in. “It wasn’t that dangerous, actually. Well, it was kind of, but I learned that I can catch on fire if I need to, and Thorn learned he can shapeshift, I think. He was a human for a few minutes, until I caught on fire and he… well, you get the point.”
“That still shouldn’t have been what we did,” their father said tearfully. “We should have found another way. I’m sorry that I put you in danger like that.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Reece said again, trying to assure him and looking a little awkward as he did. He rubbed one of his cloven hooves against the ground, continuing, “We were already in danger anyway. You kept Mom and Denver safe, and we’re fine, so it’s not a big deal. Right, Thornton?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, it’s no big deal,” the bug agreed quickly. “I mean, we’re all here, so it’s not an issue.” He was really only half paying attention to the conversation, still engorging himself on all that tasty emotion. Should he have felt guilty that his father feeling bad made the love that he gave taste even sweeter? Maybe, but he didn’t put any particular concentration on his own feelings.
“Well, if you say so,” the mare said shyly, glancing down and looking at his hooves as he finally started to calm down. “I’m just glad you two are safe, thank God. Or maybe thank… that yellow horse is named Fluttershy, right? I think that’s what the purple horse said.” He turned to her and gave a gracious little bow. “Thank you, sincerely,” he said politely, a sentiment that their mother echoed. 
“We don’t know what we would’ve done if it weren’t for you,” she agreed. “Thank you, really.”
“It’s no trouble,” the yellow pony replied with a kind smile. “I’m sure anypony would’ve done the same thing. I’m glad your family is back together though.”
“Thank you,” their father said again.
“If any of you ever need anything,” Fluttershy continued, “you can find me in my cottage. I’ll try and help in any way that I can. It was lovely to meet all of you ponies though. I’m sure my friend, Twilight, will take care of you plenty.” Then the horse left, ruffling her wings as she made an exit and taking with her one of the streams of emotion that Thornton was feeding off of. He certainly would be missing her, and might even come up with an excuse to talk to her again if he could.
The emotion the other horse, Twilight Sparkle, gave off wasn’t nearly as tasty as Fluttershy’s, but it was still good. Excitement was what she radiated, and some generic friendliness, mixed in with a smidge of anxiety, maybe. It was certainly an interesting combination, but not one that had a particular effect on Thornton like Fluttershy or his parents had.
She explained a few minutes later that she would be doing what she could to help them get back to where they belonged, describing how she knew they weren’t really supposed to be animals and came from a place called Earth. She admitted up front that she didn’t know quite how long it would take, but gave an estimate of a few weeks to months at most. She also assured them, just as Fluttershy had, that whatever they needed, they could have, and they could use her castle as accommodation for however long their stay would be.
She said she wanted to talk to both Thornton and Reece for a while when she could, but understood that right then was not the best time, since both of their parents looked like they wanted to keep fussing over them. So instead, she said that she would go bring the group some dinner and let them have some time alone, as well as gave another explanation that they could ask for anything they needed.
“We’re fine,” Reece told her, still asserting himself as the leader, just as he did before. “Thank you, though. We appreciate it.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll be back in a little while.” And then with the flick of her horn, she disappeared.
Reece’s first move when she left was to flop on the couch and let out an exhausted sigh, closing his eyes. He was definitely tired, as were the rest of them, Thornton could tell. Even Barney, the dog not wasting any time to move next to the kirin and cuddle up with his older brother. Oddly enough though, the bug didn’t really feel that bad. Actually, he felt more wide awake, as strange as it was. Still hungry though, even with as much of that thick, syrupy love as he consumed. The stream was starting to wane a bit, and as it did, it brought back that gnawing numbness he felt in the pit of his stomach. 
“I could sleep for weeks,” Reece said tiredly, his eyes already closed. “This day feels like it’s just been endless. Let me know when that horse comes in here with dinner?”
“Will do,” Denver assured him. “I’m reading through some of these books that I was allowed to get from the library right now. I was looking at a book that showed what all these weird bumps mean, but whatever that potion was that you made us drink made reading this a whole lot easier. I can understand it all now!”
“It feels a bit weird being able to understand what everyone is saying without speaking in English,” the dragon commented. “It’s making my head feel weird translating it when I know this is all just horse whinnies and nonsense.”
“That’s what I thought at first,” Thornton said, “but it gets better. I think. That zebra wouldn’t stop rhyming though, even when I asked her. That was throwing me off, honestly.”
“I’m just glad you two are finally safe,” his father said. “Your mother, sister and I did nothing but worry about you this whole time. We’re glad you’re safe now.” The mare looked like he was going to start crying again soon.
“Thanks, Dad,” Thornton said politely. “We’re glad you’re safe, too, obviously.”
The room settled into a comfortable silence after that, the opposite of what Thornton expected. They must have all been too exhausted to converse about the topic at hand, since Denver was the only one outside of him that didn’t immediately find a place to lay down and close her eyes. Reece was already snoring, and with a couple of assurances of love and a comment about how either he or Denver could take the bed, his mother and father settled in next to each other on the ground, the former wrapping a wing around the latter. It was a peaceful looking scene.
Twilight eventually poked her head in to offer a tray of food, which Denver grabbed from her to set on the table, but the other three and Barney stayed asleep. It was typical human food– apple pie and mashed potatoes and vegetables and cheese sandwiches, but with just a few nibbles on one of the provided carrots, Thornton turned his head away. He really did only eat emotions, it seemed. It left more for Denver, at least.
His sister read and ate food for an hour or so, and then she, too, found a spot to close her eyes, scooting up next to their father on the ground. It left the bed available for Thornton, but he opted to stay in the room where the rest of his family was. There was still a quiet stream of love and affection drifting his way from each member of his family, even while they slept.
What a day it’s been, Thornton thought to himself as he laid on the ground in the middle of the floor. Is all of this even real? Maybe if he went to sleep, he would wake up back on Earth and find out this was all a dream. Unlikely, he knew, but he might as well give it a shot. It wasn’t like there was anything else to do except for soaking up the emotions around him.
With that in mind, he closed his eyes and tried to rest.
> Thirteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton didn’t sleep a wink. He wasn’t tired in the slightest. 
He tried to sleep though. He kept his eyes closed for a few hours, and shifted around on the ground to try to get into a comfortable position, but sleep didn’t find him. He wasn’t restless or excited or worried– well, he was all those things, but no emotion was to the extreme of keeping him awake when he should have slept. He was just… not tired. His mind refused to shut down. It made for a dreadfully boring night.
He read some of the books Denver had brought with her for a little while, after a few hours of being awake, but the craving for a stronger stream of that sweet love that drifted from his family made it too hard to concentrate after a while. His stomach felt like it was twisting into knots, he was so painfully hungry. He scooted closer to his parents and little sister so he could soak up those faint emotions while they slept.
They all had love drifting off of them, but the emotions came strongest from his father. The mare had love mixed with something like contentment and relief floating off of him. There was sad confusion there, too, but about what, Thornton didn’t know. He guessed the situation in general. It was confusing that people still radiated emotions, even while they slept.
His mother had love and worry, his little sister had love and excitement of all things, strangely enough. He didn’t know what she might have to be excited about. Wasn’t she feeling terrible when they first showed up? He remembered his father having to comfort her while they walked through that forest.
His older brother didn’t have love so much as fondness and warmth, mixed in with determination. They all had exhaustion, including Barney, who held affection as wiggled in his sleep next to the kirin. And Thornton himself had… nothing? He didn’t know if he actually felt anything. Of course he had base emotions; he loved his family and was determined to find a way back to Earth and worried about what would happen over the next few weeks if a trip home wasn’t forthcoming. But just like tiredness and exhaustion, he didn’t really feel those things very much, even if he knew they were there.
If hunger was an emotion, that was what he felt.
It was basically all he thought about as he lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. What the heck did sharing love mean? It was such a frustratingly vague thing he needed to do, with no instructions on how to accomplish such a goal. His stomach growled as he tried to think about what was meant, and he scooted closer to the trio he lay on the ground next to, positioning himself at his father’s side in particular.
The mare stirred and groggily opened his eyes, blinking at the bug with slight confusion before the recognition came to him. “What are you doing still awake, son?” he asked quietly, gently. It wasn’t difficult to do with his new, more feminine voice.
“I can’t sleep,” Thornton replied. “Well, more like I’m not tired. I’ve been awake all night.” The intensity of the emotions he got from his father increased, a stronger stream of them making its way to the bug. They were soft, like a pillow, his mind interpreting that to mean a complex glob of feelings, rather unlike the hardness of the love he felt last night from his father. These emotions were ever changing, and tried to be pushed down, not that such a thing would stop Thornton from sensing them.
“I’m pretty sure feelings are food for me, too,” he continued. “Like, I’ve been smelling and tasting what everyone’s been feeling since I got here. It’s like I can read all your minds.” He avoided telling his father he moved next to him to gobble the love he gave off. Somehow, the thought embarrassed him more than his lack of clothing.
“Well, then that means you know how much I care about you and your siblings, Thorn,” his father told him, petting his head carefully. The bug took a breath and sank into the ground a bit. He felt his eyes practically roll back in his head at the movement. That hit the spot.
The mare laughed softly, but Thornton couldn’t say he cared about embarrassment right then. He imagined he wouldn’t have looked dissimilar to the way Barney would when he was petted, but man. The sweet honey of love and affection he tasted was delicious. He closed his eyes to do nothing but take it all in.
“Are you doing okay, son?” his father finally asked several minutes later, removing his hoof from Thornton’s head. It instantly got the bug to open his eyes again, some of the hunger he was growing accustomed to returning. It wasn’t all the way back– there was still love dripping from the unicorn– but no more affection immediately created a noticeable hole.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dad,” he replied without a second thought. “What about you?”
“I’m doing fine,” the unicorn nodded, glancing away. “Just worried about you and your brother and your sister is all. I’m glad you’re all safe.”
Thornton didn’t need to be a changeling to tell that his father was lying, but now that he was, it was clear without a shadow of a doubt. Maybe the bug was just plain psychic. A neat power, unless his family started thinking about things he didn’t want to know about.
His father wasn’t fine, he knew that much. The subtle, less powerful emotions told Thornton that the mare was stressed out and confused, as well as insecure. About being in whatever this world was, about being a girl, about what danger might lay ahead, about what might have happened to him and Reece in the worst case, about what it all meant. What did it all mean? Thornton certainly had no idea, but his father must have. There was understanding there, and relief, but also insecurity. He couldn’t pick out about exactly what though. Emotions only gave him a general idea of his family’s thoughts.
“I’m gonna go back to sleep now, Thorn,” his father said after a very long pause, the changeling realizing he was staring him down with the words. “Try and get some rest, please. Okay, son?” He let out a yawn and wiggled to be a bit more under his mother’s wing.
“I’ll try,” he replied flatly in his nasally, buggish voice. “Goodnight, Dad.”
Thornton rested, like he said he would try to do, but still didn’t sleep. Rest, in this case, meant staring at the ceiling and thinking about nothing while time passed. A few more hours went by, and eventually, the sun rose through a window, moving quickly through the sky like last night. Barney moved to lay down next to him, which offered affection that tasted so good, but no one awoke yet. It wasn’t for a few more hours, around mid morning, when his family finally began to stir again at Twilight Sparkle’s hoof knocking on their door.
“I brought you guys some breakfast,” she announced, carrying a tray of pancakes, eggs, cereal, milk, and juice in her hooves. In her magic were quills and paper, as well as notepads and several books on all different subjects. “I was wondering if I could speak to you all again while you ate.”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Reece said as he stretched and yawned, still asserting his leader status over their family. “We have ten thousand questions for you, too.”
“Well, I’ll certainly try my best to answer all of them,” the winged unicorn smiled. “Maybe I can talk to you first, if you want! What’s your name?”
His older brother took the opportunity to sit down in front of her while the rest of Thornton’s family chose to sit at the table to eat. The changeling could both sense and hear the growling stomachs of his parents and siblings, but knew it was probably nothing compared to his never ending hunger. He decided to try one more time to eat.
“Did you sleep at all, Thorn?” his father asked as the bug carefully eyed a bowl of cereal. Concern didn’t taste as sweet, but was kind of fruity in a way, and very slightly tangy. 
“Nope. I stayed up all night,” he replied as he instead carefully picked up a forkful of scrambled eggs. How could hooves do something like pick up a fork? He didn’t know, but didn’t bother questioning it yet.
“I have a feeling I’m not gonna be able to eat any of this stuff,” he said, his nasally voice portraying frustration. He took a bite anyway, but spit it out a second later. It tasted just as bad as the grass from the forest and the carrots from last night. The cereal and waffles offered weren't much better.
“Why the heck do I have to be the weird alien of the group?” he complained as his stomach growled. “I hate this.” He’d rather have been any of the things the rest of his family had turned into, if only so he didn’t have to feel so painfully hungry. 
“If you share the love in your heart,” the purple horse chimed in cheerfully, “you won’t feel hungry anymore– not permanently anyway. And I think it changes you so that you can eat normal food, too.”
“What does that mean though?” Thornton asked, exasperated. “What does sharing the love in my heart mean? How do I do that?”
“Hmm,” she wondered as she put a hoof to her chin, much like a human would do. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked any of the changelings how they shared their love… maybe when Thorax or one of them is in town, I could have them speak to you? If we haven’t found a way to get you back to Earth by then. Speaking of which! Can I get every creature’s measurements?” The juicy sort of giddy excitement this pony displayed as she flapped her wings made Thornton sure she just wanted that for the sake of it.
She took all of their measurements, and then one by one, went through talking to each family member. She got through talking to his mother and Reece when she sat down with Thornton, who didn’t really have much different to offer. He was seventeen years old and probably no different than anyone else his age. He was asleep when he showed up in this world as an alien bug, and didn’t do anything strange the night before. He didn’t know anything about this world or how he might have popped into existence here, and his stomach constantly gnawed with hunger now that he’d been turned into a bug.
He wished he knew what sharing love meant. Loving his family more than he already did? He didn’t see how that was possible, and was almost offended by the thought.
“I also changed back into a human once,” he told her, “but I don’t know how I did it. Just thinking about being something different doesn’t do anything for me, except that once.”
“I think we have books on changelings that might help you in both of those departments in my library,” she told him. “It’d be amazing to see what you creatures looked like before transforming! It’s such a great opportunity to learn about other worlds and their cultures outside of Equus! No offense.”
“We don’t take any,” Reece said for the group. “Learning about this place and ourselves while we’re here is the best idea anyway, just in case there’s no way to get back home.”
It must have been a thought that no one else considered, because the emotion for the rest of his family– and himself, too– immediately changed to fear and worry. What if there was no way to get home and they were just… stuck here? Would he have to be this starving bug for the rest of his life? He didn’t know what he would do in that case, except go crazy.
Twilight Sparkle didn’t let his family consider that terrible possibility for very long. “I’m sure we’ll find a way back home for you all eventually, no matter how long it takes,” she assured them gently. “Now who do I get to interview next? Howard?”
Thornton hoped ‘eventually’ wouldn’t take too long to come.
> Fourteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most of Howard’s family left for the library when the mare settled himself down in front of Twilight Sparkle. Thornton followed out behind Reece after the purple pony explained the directions to her library, and Howard’s wife went with them to keep an eye on them. It was just as well, because he had some uncomfortable questions to ask the winged unicorn, ones he somehow already knew the answer to.
Denver might have still been in the room, waiting to do her interview with Twilight, but that was okay. He didn’t think she would be old enough to understand what he wanted to discuss, and was distracted by the books already with her anyway. He shuffled around in his seat briefly and turned to face Twilight.
“So then how old are you?” the mare asked. “Just to start us off? And what kind of creature did you look like before you turned into a unicorn?”
The unicorn let out a breath. “Well, I’m forty-five,” he started carefully, “and I used to be a human, just like the rest of my family. A human male,” he said. “I’m about five feet, ten inches, and weigh one hundred and fifty pounds, and have light skin and red hair.”
“Mhm,” Twilight nodded as she took notes. She glanced at Howard, and said, “That makes sense, given your appearance. And you’re all biologically related, right?”
“Yeah. Well, Reece technically isn’t Carey’s biological son. His mother died when he was a few months old. But basically yes.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Twilight said politely, although she didn’t look up from her notepad as she scribbled down notes. “It’s good information though. No other creature mentioned that. It does make me curious why your other son might have been turned into a changeling and not him. That situation isn’t the case with Thornton, is it?”
“No. He and Denver are both Carey and I’s biological children… why?”
“Well, from what we understand about worldgates,” Twilight explained, “they normally change you into a simplistic reflection of your personality and what you’re best suited for, similar to the way a pony’s cutie mark functions. It’s just interesting that it chose to make your second son a changeling and not your first.”
“Well, what does that mean?” Howard asked, tilting his head.
“I’m not sure, but maybe we can figure it out. Of course, maybe you’ll be back on Earth before too long and won’t have to think about it for very long.”
Howard nodded, and felt his face going red as he glanced down at the table. That was the explanation for the question he hadn’t even asked yet. It was what he was thinking, too, about himself. The fact that this horse had confirmed his thoughts when he didn’t know anything about this place solidified it.
“Is something the matter?” Twilight asked as the mare lifted his eyes back up to her.
“N-no,” he told her quickly, looking away again. He couldn’t hide how insecure he felt, and got a wing on his shoulder from across the small table as a result.
“You can ask me anything,” Twilight assured him. “I won’t mind. Actually, I’d want you to tell me if you have something on your mind! The more I know about the worldgate, the better chance we have of getting you and your family home!” The excited look on her face told him that she was also just genuinely interested in whatever scientific aspect was involved, but Howard didn’t mind that. What did it matter anyway if she was planning on getting them home soon?
“I was just thinking that… that’s probably the reason why I was turned into a mare,” he said quietly. He flattened his ears and his face became more red as he glanced at Denver. She was still occupied with reading, thankfully. Then he looked back to Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh. Yeah, probably,” she answered with a little chuckle. “That’s how worldgates work, as far as we know, so I wouldn’t be surprised. Unless you’re actually uncomfortable being a mare? I don’t know if we have a transformation spell we can use on you, but–”
“It’s fine,” Howard interrupted quickly. “You don’t have to do that. I was just wondering.” He rubbed a hoof behind his head as he glanced between Twilight and the table.
“Well, anyway,” Twilight moved on, “can you tell me what you remember about showing up in the Everfree Forest? Do you remember anything strange happening the night before or just before arriving?”
He didn’t, and said as much as Twilight took notes. He explained having dinner the previous night with his wife and daughter and watching TV before heading to bed. He described having a nightmare that night about something he couldn't remember, and then waking up with his family in Equestria without explanation and trying to figure out where to go.
Twilight Sparkle took notes on everything he said, and asked more questions, like if he remembered where exactly in the forest he woke up and what direction he and his family traveled in and where exactly he fell asleep in his home the night before. She also asked questions about things like how all of his family members felt about each other and how he felt about them, questions he didn’t remember being asked of the rest of his family so far. Did this have to do with Thornton saying he could taste emotions?
Howard asked questions of his own, too. He asked how long she thought it would take to get them home and if they would all stay in the same room in the castle and what would happen if it took more than a few weeks. She didn’t have very good answers to two of the questions, just explaining that she didn’t know, but to one of them, she said she could find larger accommodations for his family in the meantime. 
“I think that’s everything I have for you right now, Howard,” Twilight told the unicorn, “but I’d love to talk more with you! There’s so much to learn about other cultures, and I have a laundry list of questions! But I’ll let you spend some time with your family first and have lunch before I talk more about that. And then I’ll interview your daughter, Denver, and start working on a way to get your family home.”
She didn’t stay long enough to say more than that. In fact, Howard wasn’t even able to get out a reply before she lit up her horn and teleported away, leaving him alone at the table. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and slumped a bit in his seat. That felt exhausting. 
“Are you okay, Dad?” Denver suddenly asked as she got up from her book and trotted over to him. As a human, she was the spitting image of her mother, so it was a bit strange that she looked basically like a smaller version of him now. She pointed her blue eyes up at him, looking more curious than concerned. 
“She talked to you way longer than she did Mom,” his daughter continued. “Why’s that?”
“I’m not sure, honey,” Howard shrugged. “I guess she just had more questions for me than she did your mother.”
“Huh.”
She continued looking up at him, staring into his eyes with interest as she thought of something. Howard wiggled in his seat uncomfortably, waiting for his daughter to say what was on her mind. She stayed silent though.
“Is something the matter, honey?” he asked carefully.
“No. It was just weird when she said we were all supposed to be these things,” Denver told him. The mare’s heart seemed to beat a little bit faster. Howard had a good idea where she was going with this.
“Like, are we supposed to be animals?” she asked. “And are you supposed to be a girl? And are we all supposed to be here? Cause that seems weird, I think.”
Yes, it was strange, that he could agree. Or she? Now Howard really didn’t know. The unicorn only felt his insecurity deepening, coupled by the fact he wouldn’t terribly mind if it was supposed to be like this, at least for himself. His face seemed to become redder and redder. 
“I won’t tell them about that though, if you don’t want me to, Dad,” Denver told him. “Plus, it’s kind of cool that we’re both unicorns!” she added excitedly. “I learned in that book that unicorns can do magic and float things with their minds!”
“Well, we have to learn how to do that together before this is all over, don’t we?” he said, the mare blinking away anything that might have been felt. “You’re gonna have to show me how, once you figure it out.”
“Yeah! And also, I wanna see the town, too! Do you think we could do that soon? Maybe today?”
It was good to see his daughter much more excited about the situation today than she was yesterday. It was a nice change of pace from the way he and the rest of his family felt. He wouldn’t have expected it from Denver with how distraught she was just the night before. He smiled down at her and rubbed her mane and ears.
“Maybe,” he told her. “If your mother and your brothers are up for it. I bet they’re still exhausted from yesterday. Heck, even Barney’s still asleep.”
The dog raised his head and let out a small bark, as though telling them he wasn’t asleep, and then laid his head back down. Howard and Denver both laughed at the sight. 
“Well, it would be fun to do,” Denver nodded. “It could be like a vacation! And we could explore and learn all about this place and these animals before we have to go back home!”
Yeah, a vacation. That was a way to think about it. Well, it would be, so long as his children felt safe, and he had to say, he was worried about Thornton. He seemed like he was having a tough time dealing with whatever he was dealing with. His hunger. But if he could figure out whatever trick Twilight was talking about earlier, there was no reason why any of this would necessarily be a bad thing. In the short term anyway. Just so long as he and his family could get back home in the end. 
But beyond that, what would necessarily be wrong in taking the situation for what it was? Howard couldn’t think of anything as he rubbed Denver’s mane again and smiled down at her gently.
> Fifteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard followed behind his daughter as Denver led him to the library, where Thornton and his wife still were. Barney followed next to him and rubbed against his leg as they made their way to the large book room they were in before. The dog moved up to where his son and his wife sat reading, rubbing against the former’s leg. Howard let out a little chuckle as the bug closed his eyes and craned his neck at the sudden sensation.
“Have you guys learned anything new?” he asked. “Where’s Reece?”
“He went to go find a bathroom to take a shower,” his wife explained, his son still occupied with the dog. “Thorn and I were reading up about each of our creatures in the meantime. Apparently I can fly and breathe fire, and also send messages to other people! It’s considered magic here.”
“So then dragons are mail carriers here?” the unicorn smiled. “What about you, son?”
“Huh?” Thornton looked up, confusion on his face for a moment before he remembered the question. “Oh yeah. Uh, I feed off emotions, and can also change shape, but I already knew those things. I can fly, too, and do magic like unicorns can, apparently.” Once he was finished, he put his attention back on Barney, closing his eyes again as he pet the dog’s back.
“Did you two learn anything new from Twilight Sparkle?” Carey asked him now.
“Uh, I’ll tell you later,” Howard replied, his face once again going red. “Once you and I are alone. But, um, she did tell us that she was gonna look for a bigger place to stay for us in the meantime while she works on this.”
“And we wanted to know if we could look at the town!” Denver said excitedly. “I wanna see what it’s like!”
Howard smiled again at her excitement. “I told her that you and the kids were probably too tired to wanna do something like that, if that mare would let us.”
“Maybe that’s something we could do tomorrow, sweetie,” Carey told Denver, “if Twilight Sparkle went with us and if we’re still here. Let’s just rest and try reading for today. Yesterday was exhausting, remember?”
Denver was disappointed by that idea, but she did as she was told, taking a seat at the table next to her mother. Howard sat next to Thornton, who continued to keep his eyes closed as Barney rubbed against him. The changeling let out a little sigh of contentment when he touched his head carefully.
“Are you doing okay, son?” he asked, the same question as last night. “Still hungry?”
“Yeah, still hungry,” he confirmed, not opening his eyes. “I don’t feel tired though, even though I haven’t slept. Still haven’t actually eaten anything other than emotions, too, but the book says I wouldn't be able to anyway.”
“Maybe going back to the room and resting would help?” Howard offered.
“I’m not tired,” Thornton said again, opening his eyes now. “I’m not tired, not sleepy, not exhausted–nothing. I feel completely wide awake. I'm just starving.”
“I’m sorry, son,” was all Howard could offer as he pet the fin-like thing on Thornton’s head. He wished there was more he could do, and tried not to display his hurt at seeing him feel bad.
His emotion was something to offer, apparently. Thornton relaxed into his chair more and sighed again, almost starting to lean into the mare. Howard smiled at the sight, and beckoned his wife over with a free hoof.
“You’re absolutely adorable, honey,” Carey said, rubbing the bug’s back with a wing as Thornton sank into his chair even more, his head now resting on the table. Was he purring? Even Denver laughed at the sight in front of them. Howard wondered if this was what Twilight meant when she said his son had to share the love. 
“This isn’t what she meant,” Thornton spoke up, barely able to get the words out as he took deep breaths. It caught Howard by surprise, enough that he stopped petting the bug and stared at him. Could he really read his mind?
“I can basically guess what you’re thinking,” he confirmed as he opened his eyes again. “It’s not exact though. But no, this isn’t what she meant by sharing the love. It tastes good, but I’m still starving.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry, son.”
“You don’t need to be sorry, Dad,” Thornton told them as Carey stopped, too. “It’s not your fault,” he said, letting out a huff of a breath. “It’s just annoying to feel like I’m starving all the time.” Then he got up from the chair, deciding, “I’m going for a walk around this place. I’ll be back.”
There was no argument as he left the room, leaving both Howard and his wife to let out sad sighs. “He’s not doing well at all,” Howard said quietly.
“No, he’s not,” Carey agreed, shaking her head. “I hope that horse can figure out how to get us home soon, for his sake. He’s hurting badly, I can tell.” There was a small moment of silence, then the dragon asked, “What were you going to tell me later? About what you learned from that purple horse?”
The mare’s ears flattened, and he glanced away as he rubbed a hoof against the floor. “It was just gonna be about how she said that, apparently when we came here, whatever magic that happened turned us all into the things we were ‘supposed’ to be. I don’t really know what she means by that though.” It wasn’t entirely a lie.
His wife didn’t pick up on the implication of it. “Like how Thornton’s a bug and you and Denver are horses and I’m a dragon?” she asked. Howard nodded, and she asked, “What does that mean? I don’t get how we’re supposed to be anything but people.”
“Neither do I, but that’s what she said. Like, she also said that she thought Reece would’ve been the changeling instead of Thornton. Because of what happened with Heather?” Howard paused, and finished more quietly, “Also that I was supposed to be a girl, apparently.”
“I don’t get how what happened with Heather would make any of our kids any sort of animal,” Carey said, confused. “And I can’t imagine how you’re supposed to be a girl.”
“Yeah, neither can I,” Howard tried to smile. That was entirely a lie.
Thankfully, his wife had no trouble moving past it, and went back to sitting next to Denver to read a few minutes later. He grabbed a book of his own to look at, but didn’t do a very good job at retaining the information he received. This whole situation just felt like a confusing mess, enough that he stopped and stared up at the ceiling while he waited for lunch to be served to them. 
He wished there was something he could do for Thornton–for all of his children–but just like yesterday, there was no option except to sit and wait for others to help them. Carey and Denver were doing better, thankfully, and Reece seemed okay, but even then, he wished for a way to at least lift their spirits more. No idea came to mind though, except for telling them they needed to take the change as best they could. Probably not a sentiment either of his sons would desire to hear, especially Thornton. Not something he wanted to say with how guilty it would make him feel. And it was really his daughter’s idea to begin with.
“I’m gonna look for a shower, too, okay, honey?” he told his wife as he stood up. “I’ll try to be back soon.”
“Find Reece, too,” she replied. “We’ll stay here until you get back.” Then she let him leave with a kiss.
Showers didn’t take that long to find, and in fact, Reece was coming back dripping wet by the time Howard finally found the bathroom. His son shook water from his mane and asked, “Are you looking for the shower, too, Dad?”
“Yeah, but how are you holding up, son?” the mare asked. “Are you doing okay?”
The kirin shrugged. “As fine as I can be doing, given the situation. It could be a lot worse, I guess. These aliens could be trying to kill us.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” the unicorn agreed, allowing a little smile. “Make sure to keep an eye on your sister and brother for me, okay?” he told him. “Especially Thornton. I don’t think he’s doing that well, and he’s gonna need you to be there for him.”
“I know,” was the reply, Reece speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And obviously I’m there for you and Mom, too, Dad.”
“Of course you are, son,” Howard smiled widely. “And we’re there for you, too. Thank you.” 
“You’re welcome, but Dad?” The mare tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at the question, and the kirin said, “Make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too. You look like you’ve been nervous about something the whole time we’ve been here.”
Howard let out a long breath. “I know,” he nodded. “I will. I’m just worried about you guys. Thanks, son.” Then he ruffled his mane and stepped past him into the bathroom.
The unicorn turned the temperature up high and stepped into the shower, steam quickly filling the air and clouding the room. After an incredibly long day yesterday, one of the most stressful of his life, it was very much needed. He closed his eyes and relaxed his shoulders as he did his best to consider all that was happening. There was a lot that was on his mind.
At the top of the list was how long it would take to get back home. He had a sinking feeling that it was probably gonna be at least a few weeks, and this place and these bodies would be something they had to get used to. Not that it was terribly hard to get used to, but that only made him feel guilty and insecure. How could a random… something… imply that this was what they were meant to be? Howard didn’t know, but he did know it wasn’t wrong. This new body, despite being a horse, felt nice. Even just standing in the shower with his eyes closed, not doing anything, it felt relieving to be like this. It made him feel more confused and guilty about the rest of his family being here. 
It also made him wonder about what would happen while they were here, or heck, what would happen once he and his family were safely back home. What would his wife think if he admitted that he liked being such a thing? He had no idea, but he knew it wouldn’t be anything good.
Howard took a breath before he started to get worked up, and leaned against the wall, one hoof supporting him. Even all of that was just a little thing. How were his children feeling? In spite of how well some of them were taking it, this couldn’t have been good for any of them. Especially not Thornton. But what could the mare do? Nothing.
Not a thing, exactly like yesterday, when his family was in physical danger. Why didn’t he take charge of the situation? Sure, they were safe now, but what if they hadn’t been? It would’ve been his fault. Still now, he could do nothing, as at least one of his children hurt mentally. Howard leaned his head against the wall and started to cry.
A minute was how long the tears flowed before he shook his head free of those thoughts. They were fine now, and while he might not have been able to change the situation, he could support them still, as best he could. Provide reassurance like he did to Denver yesterday and affection like he gave to his wife and son. Be more of a leader like his son was being. Breaking down and letting himself fall into a pit wouldn’t help anything, especially if Thornton fed off emotions. The changeling probably would need the most support going forward.
The unicorn finally stepped out of the shower once the water started to get cold and shook himself off. Accepting the situation for what it was would definitely be the best idea. He let out a long breath and dried himself off as best he could before turning to the mirror.
He looked nice for a horse, he had to say. A red mane went down his back onto a white coat as a red tail flowed behind him. His face curved softly, like his daughter’s now did, and brown eyes reflected back at him, same as the ones he had as a human being. A white horn stuck out through his mane, one with three rings that twisted up to a central point. He looked like nothing he’d ever seen in real life– none of his family did– but still, it looked and felt nice.
What these changes would mean once Howard was back on Earth, the mare had no idea. He appreciated the changes for a second right now though. Didn’t his daughter suggest that this could be a vacation? A vacation where he needed to take care of his family emotionally, and step up more than he did so far, but still. It wasn’t like the situation could be changed, not right now at least.
A minute or so later, he left, leaving the mirror behind as he went back to the library to be near his family.
> Sixteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton stared into the mirror, scowling at what he saw. Why was he still a bug?
He’d done exactly as the book on changelings described. Imagined what he wanted to be in his head, and willed himself to change. The book didn't describe how to will himself to change, but he’d turned into a human when he and Reece were running from the fire. When he did, he was barely thinking about it. It should have been easy now that he was concentrating on it, right?
Apparently not, because he was still staring at this dumbass bug in the mirror. No amount of scowling or glaring changed him, nor any amount of active concentration and trying. What the heck was he supposed to do?
He wished there was a creature like him he could talk to. The book he read in the library was pretty vague. It told him his sustenance was love, but he could taste every emotion that was sent out. Not to mention, he ate more than just love. He filled himself up with affection and kindness and sympathy, too. It should have said his sustenance was positive feelings.
And of course, the book said nothing about sharing love like that zebra and Twilight had both mentioned. He was basically left to figure everything out on his own, frustratingly enough. Weren’t there other creatures around he could talk to?
No. Right now, there was only his reflection in the mirror, one he concentrated hard on. He let out his breath and clenched his jaw, trying his hardest to get something to happen. How come he could do it in the forest but not here?
Just let me change into something, he demanded of himself. Anything. Practically every other animal in the world would be better than this. Just let me be a human again!
What changed with the desperate, frustrated thinking, the bug didn’t know, but it must have done something. Thornton didn’t even have time to register that anything was happening when the change was complete. All of a sudden, he saw himself again. The human he was meant to be, complete with the clothes he wore just before going to bed. He let out a small sigh of relief and a cheer of satisfaction.
His fingers and limbs moved at his command, just as they had in the forest, but his clothes didn’t move much at all, refusing to rise more than a centimeter when he tugged on his shirt. That wouldn’t be ideal for things like bathing or using the restroom. He figured it was because he was technically still a bug underneath the changes that were made. Maybe a different creature would be better.
Not yet though. For now, he appreciated the form he held now. Even if his stomach still felt painfully twisted up and sleep refused to come to him, the fact that he could use one of his new powers satisfied him. He wondered how many other things he could turn into, or what the limit of these changes would be.
He didn’t try to figure out those things now. Instead, he headed back to the library, where his mother and little sister sat reading and his father and older brother talked. They had food in front of them that they all shared– cookies and sandwiches with flowers in them– and Reece and his father were both dripping wet from the showers they took. They all turned his way, and the bug-turned-human tasted his family’s surprise before he heard their gasps. It tasted strong, yet flat, maybe a little like bread.
“How in the world did you do that, Thornton?” his mother asked, her eyes wide as she spread her wings. “Is that the changing power you talked about before?”
“Yup,” he confirmed, his voice sounding like his own for the first time since landing in Equestria. “I changed before with Reece when we were in that forest, but I think I figured out how to do it on command.”
“That’s great, son!” his father congratulated excitedly. “Maybe there’s a way this’ll help us get back home! Twilight said she wanted to see what we looked like as humans, so you can use that changing power to show her!”
“I’m gonna try and do that, yeah,” he confirmed. His stomach felt a little less twisted up as he took in the feelings of admiration and appreciation from his family. Even Barney seemed to send a little of the emotion his way, and rubbed his body against one of Thornton’s legs. Feeling less hungry was good.
It was weird how his family was all shorter than he was now. He was only slightly taller than his father on Earth, but now the scale had increased to over two feet. These creatures were short. 
It was also now uncomfortable that he was the only one wearing clothes, but he ignored that fact for now. Instead, he settled down back at the table and went back to reading with a grin planted on his face. He hoped the book in his hands could tell him more about what to do and what kinds of limits he had to his abilities. 
He read the book until Twilight Sparkle came back to talk to them. She, of course, was the most excited about his transformation into a human, and immediately asked if he could turn into his family members, too. She asked many questions about muscular structure and what kinds of bones he had and how his body functioned, none of which he knew the answer to. Maybe it would’ve been better if he paid more attention in biology class. She didn’t seem to mind though, and looked him over thoroughly, drawing what she saw in a notepad. Good thing he had clothes on as a human.
Changing into other people, even just his own family, was strange to say the least. 
He changed into his father first, the human he imitated having long pants and a plain white t-shirt, as well as a five o’clock shadow. It felt strange looking like this, the copy of his dad, and his father reflected that strange feeling back at him. The unicorn glanced between him and the ground, grinding a hoof against the floor, feeling uncomfortable. 
Thornton himself began to feel uncomfortable when he changed into his mother next, now wearing a sundress and a sun hat. Something about this just felt icky, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what. He shifted around from foot to foot, not staying very still for Twilight to do her measurements. It took longer for these than it did to measure his father’s human body.
The same feeling came when he changed to look like Denver’s, but not when he changed into Reece. He imagined it was because they were females, and his mind was unprepared for such a change. How his father didn’t ooze discomfort his way at all times, Thornton didn’t know. He didn’t think about it though. 
Instead, he accepted Twilight’s sweet and savory gratitude as he finally changed back into a changeling, flopping tiredly on the couch. It turned out changing into different things in quick succession took energy, not that he was surprised. He still wasn’t tired enough to sleep though.
The purple pony talked to Denver for a while as his mother took the opportunity to sit next to him now and offer up affection. It was a little weird that it didn’t radiate as strongly as his father’s, but his father also had a lot of guilt dripping off of him that enhanced the other emotions. His mother had none, but she did still have love to give as the dragon wrapped a wing around him. It didn’t feel any less natural than if they were both humans and she used an arm to do such. Strange.
Of course though, there were other things there, too, enough that he knew what she was going to say before she did. It was a skill he seemed apt to lately. He let her talk though.
“Maybe you should look like something more like us,” she suggested, although there was no repulsion at the sight of him. In fact, there hadn’t been any of that at all, the entire time they’d been transformed. He was grateful for it, even though it was likely because they were all in the same situation.
“It might make you feel more comfortable,” she continued. “Maybe?”
“Mmm, I don’t know, Mom,” he replied, letting out a long, contented sigh as he settled into her wing, eyes closed. How the heck was he supposed to be able to focus with all this delicious love around him to devour? He wondered what it would be like to go out and meet other creatures in this world. He really wanted to find Fluttershy and spend more time with her, if he could.
“Being able to change back into myself is cool, but it feels weird seeing you all naked already. It’s even worse when I’m the only one that’s wearing clothes. Makes me stand out.”
“I meant changing into the creatures we are, honey,” she told him, a little knowing grin on her face. “If being whatever you are makes you hungry, maybe being something else will mean you’re not hungry? Maybe you could be a moose-horse, a kirin thing like your order brother.”
“It’s not gonna help,” he shook his head. “I’m just as starving as a person as I am as a bug. Nothing’s gonna change, so I might as well just be this.”
“Try it anyway?” she encouraged. He knew she wanted him to be better off, and truly thought this would be the best way. Thornton also knew he wasn’t wrong in what he said, but maybe he’d get more of those positive feelings that sated his hunger if he pretended to be happier. He was already learning that while loving affection was the tastiest and most filling emotion, happiness did more for him than the sympathy she gave off right now.
The emotion came instantly when he changed to look like Reece. He tried to be something different, imagining himself with a black coat instead of a brown one and tan antlers and a green mane instead of red, but just a carbon copy was what he was. Maybe he could only change into things he’d already seen? Or maybe his imagination was just too out there for reality. Not that reality seemed to care much about the laws of physics lately.
He didn’t test the theory, a little more of his energy draining from him as his mother slowly replaced what was lost. She ran a wing across his back, and Thornton closed his eyes to breathe deeply. Taking in the wonderful, positive emotions, and losing focus as he did, was probably as close as he was going to get to sleep. But man, did it taste amazing as she rubbed his back softly and his father gave him a soft chuckle from the sight. This was like a drug.
“I guess that makes you my twin now,” his brother commented as he stepped close to him and took him in. “I wish I could do something like that. I would just stay a human and not care.”
Was he actually jealous of Thornton? That’s certainly what it tasted like as his brother looked him up and down. If he knew how bad Thornton really had it…
“I guess it’s better than shooting fire,” he lied with a small shrug. “Breathing in that smoke felt horrible though. I’m surprised we made it through that. Well, that I made it through that.”
Why that of all things made Reece's anger spike, Thornton didn't know. All he knew was that suddenly, the jealousy had shifted to burning hot anger, as hot as it was when they were in the forest. There wasn't any outward sign that something had changed, but Thornton could feel his anger suddenly burning like flames licking dried wood.
His older brother only twitched an ear. "I obviously didn't mean for that to happen," he said with a roll of his eyes. “And I saved you in more ways than one. It's not like you ever said 'thank you' anyway."
Why was he getting angry at him? Thornton of course knew that he saved him, but why should he say ‘thank you’ when Reece was the one who let Thornton’s lungs be filled with smoke? If he would’ve listened to him in the first place and left when he said he could tell those wolves were gonna hurt them, then—
Wait, why was he getting so mad about this? It felt like a sudden surge of adrenaline just shot through him, one he had to force down. He could feel his body warming up; it wasn’t hot, but it definitely felt warmer than it should’ve been. It was like he was standing next to a campfire on a cold night. The warmth seemed to beg him to come closer, to let it heat him up in the cold. How strange was that?
He didn’t wait very long to change back into what was starting to become normal– his bug form with black skin and holes in his legs. The same second he changed back, that adrenaline left him, the anger evaporating away into nothing and the campfire disappearing. He could guess what that meant for his older brother. He was staring at him, his expression on him looking more like a glare. He didn’t imagine he could do very much to help it.
There were now two members of his family whose positions he didn’t envy.
“Are you okay?” the bug asked casually. It was the wrong move. More of that hot anger radiated off of him as a result. Thornton almost would’ve said this wasn’t an issue for Reece yesterday, but it was, he remembered. 
His older brother only grumbled and took a breath. “I’m fine. Just annoyed that we’re still here… I’m gonna go out and take a look around. Barney needs a walk anyway.”
“Son, please stay here,” both of their parents tried to say. The kirin moved too quickly though, and was out the door before he could be stopped. What were they gonna do? He was almost twenty years old.
Thornton didn’t hesitate, and quickly followed after him before they could stop him either. He might have been the little brother, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a good idea to keep an eye on Reece. Besides, finding out where Fluttershy was would help ease the hunger that was already stealing his attention again.
> Seventeenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you know where you’re going?” Thornton asked as he caught up with his older brother. “Because I definitely don’t.” Reece was moving in long strides, his gaze fixed forward as he strode quickly along. Thornton had to gallop to catch up to him and Barney. How he knew how to gallop without tripping over his limbs, he didn’t know, but he didn’t think too hard about it.
“No, but I can figure it out,” was the quick reply. More anger and frustration leaked off of him, but thankfully the intensity of it was already going down. He wondered if Reece always felt this angry. It might be interesting to stay as attuned to emotions back on Earth as he was here, so long as he didn’t have to be a bug. Or starving.
“Why are you following me?” Reece asked. “I thought you said you didn’t sleep.”
“I didn’t. I’m not tired.” 
“Well you need to go to sleep when you can at some point,” the kirin told him. “Sure, things seem okay now, but we still don’t know anything about this place, Equestria. Things could change.”
“I know things could change,” Thornton replied flatly as he followed behind him, keeping his eyes at head level. “I haven’t been tired. I’m just hungry.”
“And you eat emotions. Right.”
Thornton might have been able to kind of read his brother’s mind, and know why he was upset, but that didn’t make him understand the reason. He genuinely didn’t get it.
“Do you really think this is all it’s cracked up to be?” Thornton asked him. “Being a weird bug who can’t eat or sleep?”
“I didn’t say that.”
The changeling sighed. “You were thinking it though.” Scratching wanting to stay attuned to emotions on Earth. It kind of sucked being able to read everyone’s mind all the time. “No, I’m not just guessing,” he finished.
“I didn’t say that either, and wasn’t thinking it,” Reece replied. If he wasn’t a changeling, Thornton would’ve believed him. Instead, he tasted the annoyance and frustration coming off of his older brother. The bug sighed again and became silent.
The outside world appeared to the two of them before long. His brother instructed him that they should keep track of where they were going, and went into an explanation about how he learned to do so, describing how to spot irregularities they could use to find their way back if need be. Thornton didn't think it was much use; they walked on a regular dirt path away from the castle, one they could easily follow back to their new home. He let him talk anyway. Thornton tried to ask questions to keep him speaking, too. It made his brother's anger dissipate and be replaced with sweet, sort of tart tasting enjoyment.
Barney walked next to him, and occasionally brushed up against Thornton's leg affectionately. It happened every so often, right when the bug was feeling like he needed an extra little boost of positivity. He wondered if their dog could taste emotions like him, but then decided against it. Barney had always been that way. 
Neither Thornton nor Reece knew where the path they were on would take them, but it was a pretty one at least. The view was very scenic, with lush green trees and bushes and multicolored flowers sprouting near the edge of the road. There were squirrels and birds and rabbits that he saw and did his best to appreciate. Barney followed obediently, looking around like he was taking in and appreciating the view, too. He wouldn't have been surprised if he was. He was acting way more intelligent than he did on Earth. He could feel it.
There were little emotions he picked up on from all of the animals he saw, but nothing terribly strong. It was fleeting, simple things, like fear, and curiosity, and force of will. Interestingly, it seemed like their smaller bodies sent off weaker streams of emotions, too. The way those large wolves in the forest quickly filled his senses, these small creatures brought him only fleeting glimpses of their thoughts before they were gone again. Strange.
Neither he nor Reece dared to step off the path, given their experience last night, and so followed it down to wherever it led. It was a route that passed through a shaded area of trees and over hills, before finally coming up upon a plain. Beyond that plain was what both knew to be Ponyville, seeing as they passed through it just the night before. The emotions were starting to drift Thornton's way.
"Do you think that's the capital of Equestria?" Reece asked. "That girl has her castle here."
"I think she said it was somewhere else, but I don't remember. It looked kind of small last night to be the capital of a whole country."
"I wonder what their military structure is like. I might read up on that."
Thornton had to laugh at that. Was this the first time he laughed since he woke up yesterday? He wasn't sure. It felt good, even if the laugh he heard was unfamiliar to him. Even Barney seemed to smile.
He felt more emotions as they approached the town. Each new one hit his senses one by one as the taste floated on an invisible vapor trail to him. It wasn't something he paid much attention to the night before, but then everyone was sleep when they passed through, and the emotions were much more muted. These ones were direct and complex and had many subtle intricacies about them. Who someone liked, who they disliked, what they felt bad and good about– one by one they all came to his senses in a mixture of individual flavors he could pick apart. He was getting used to it by now, being around his family most of the day.
What he wasn't used to was just how many of them were coming at him. Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, more. Every step closer he got to the city brought more emotions hitting him, forcing him to process them. It wouldn't be so bad if it was one mass of general feeling. Instead though, he was forced to pick out what each pony gave off, individually, all at once. He had to stop and take a breath.
He watched Barney tug on Reece’s tail to force him to stop, too. His older brother turned and laughed. “Getting tired already?” he asked lightly. “It’s barely been a mile or two. We can find a bench or something to rest at.
The farther they moved, the worse it became. Thornton had heard about sensory overload, but had never actually experienced it before. Was this what it felt like? Taking in hundreds of emotions from all the ponies around you all at once? Because this felt horrible. He wanted to turn and run. They were barely even in the city yet!
"Thorn?" his older brother asked. “Are you okay?” The bug barely registered his words, barely knew Reece was there, he was so taken up by all the emotion. How could there be so many? 
"Thornton!" Reece insisted, now using his hooves to make him turn and face him. It was getting hard to tell what even his brother was feeling, but he knew it was something like worry. If he stood a few feet farther away, he might not even be able to guess at which one of these thousands of emotions belonged to him.
"Tell me what's going on," Reece continued. His voice was authoritative, but affirming, one that commanded his attention while attempting to set him at ease. "You're shaking like a leaf, and your teeth are chattering."
Thornton closed his eyes. A little less stimulation, even just closing his eyes, was something. It barely made a dent in how quickly he was becoming unraveled, but a small dent was better than nothing.
"There's so many," Thornton whispered. He was barely able to get the words out, barely able to even keep his eyes closed. His chest hurt, and he felt what might have been sweat dripping from his forehead. Was it getting harder to breathe, too? He couldn't bear the thought of moving one more millimeter farther into Ponyville.
“So many what?” Reece pressed, his older brother moving closer to him. “Tell me what’s going on.” He had a hoof placed on his shoulder. Concern, that was the exact emotion he was feeling. Concern mixed with fear, for him. Normally it would’ve tasted pretty good– if such a thing could be considered normal– but he didn’t even register the hunger that had been accompanying him since he woke up. His senses were being overwhelmed. 
"Feelings." His breaths were picking up pace. It was getting harder to breathe. He genuinely felt like he was going to die from all these emotions. He stayed standing in place, unable to do anything else but shake.
"I think you're having a panic attack," Reece told him. "Try to slow your breathing."
Was he having a panic attack? Thornton had never had one in his life, but he imagined this was what it felt like. As though the world was closing in and he was gonna be killed by his senses. It was hard to even think of anything else with so much information hitting him. There was no way to block out all the emotion that came at him in a barrage. He couldn’t slow his breathing.
“Let's get you out of here, okay?” Reece grabbed his side, and Barney gently brushed against him to get him moving back the way they came. Thornton had to will himself to take a step away from the town. His body seemed to resist him. He would practically have to be carried out of here.
Little by little, they moved away, and the emotions started to fade again. It helped, but the changeling was still shaking. He was still struggling to move, and had to keep his eyes closed.
“Take deep breaths, in and out,” his brother instructed. “You’re gonna be fine. I know it seems scary, but you’ll be fine. It’s gonna pass. I’m here for you.”
It was hard to focus and take deep breaths like he said, but Thornton tried his best to follow along. He closed his eyes again as he let Reece lead him away from the city, giving himself over to him. His voice was calm, almost soothing. He trusted his words, and his breathing slowed down a little.
“You’re not in any danger,” he continued. “It’s gonna pass. Breathe at the pace of my voice. In… and out. In…”
Thornton listened, and followed along. He didn’t know where or when Reece had learned how to handle something like this, but he was grateful for it. It helped, a lot. It also helped that he was moving away from a city full of emotions that invaded his mind. His shaking lessened, and he was able to walk easier, but he was still sweating, and his chest still hurt. 
They didn’t stop moving until Thornton was finally able to speak again. “Right here is fine,” he said breathlessly, anxiously, still breathing hard. He gave one last shiver, then flopped to the ground in the dirt, placing his hooves under him. It was like all his energy had been zapped from him. He had nothing left. He started to cry.
“That was horrible,” he said quietly, still not ready to open his eyes. They were far enough away that all he tasted was Reece’s and Barney’s emotions, not to mention numerous small animals. Forest animals, like squirrels and bunnies and birds– he could deal with that. Same for a sleeping city. A city that was awake and having a day full of experiences like Ponyville was having right now was not good.
Barney curled up next to him as Reece said, “It’s okay. You’re fine now. It’s over. You were definitely having a panic attack.” A brief pause came from him, then he asked, “What was going on?”
“All those feelings,” Thornton replied shakily. His older brother waited for him to continue, but the bug went no further. He would just have to figure out what he meant, because explaining it right now would take too much energy. Thornton was still reeling, still crying, and his chest still hurt. He was too tired right now to even wipe the sweat off his forehead.
He stayed where he was laying for he didn’t know how long. It couldn’t have been more than a half hour though. The concern he tasted from Reece helped Thornton to feel a little bit better, but he was still completely out of it by the time his older brother suggested they try and head back to the castle. He wiped the tears from his eyes.
Now you know being a bug sucks, Thornton thought silently, sniffling loudly, wishing the kirin could read his mind like he could the kirin’s. I can’t even make it to the town without getting overwhelmed. 
“Maybe you’re just not used to being a changeling yet?” Reece suggested, catching Thornton off guard enough that he almost believed he could read his mind, too. “I’m sure it’s difficult for all of us. It’s okay now though. You just gotta push through it, even when it sucks. That’s what the sergeants tell us in class, and it works. Just keep on keepin’ on, as best you can.”
Thornton couldn’t even sigh at that, he was so tired. His shoulders slumped as Reece helped him up and let the bug lean on him for support. He could feel sympathy coming from Barney, almost like the dog knew that ‘pushing through it’ wouldn’t help him at all.
I’d rather be at home in bed, he thought uselessly as his brother helped him get to their family.
> Eighteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard had sat on his haunches in the grass with his wife, daughter, and Twilight Sparkle not two minutes before the rest of his family came into view. He gasped at the sight of one of them as they walked back. He wasn't the only one who did. Thornton looked like a mess.
“What happened to you, Thorny?” both he and Carey asked instantly as they rushed up on him. Thornton pushed both away from hugging him, but let his mother wrap a wing around his back while he lay down. Barney stood protectively in front of him, like he wouldn't allow anyone to come closer while his son shook. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were red and– and he looked bad. Howard turned to his other son for an explanation.
“He was having a panic attack,” Reece explained as Howard watched Thornton close his eyes. Denver was standing next to Twilight Sparkle to survey the scene from a distance as he continued, “He was shaking and sweating before we got very far into town, and I had to pull him away from there. He said it was from all of the emotions everyone was giving off. Does that make sense?”
“That sounds like sensory overload, I think,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up from behind him, stepping a little closer to Howard's son. “I’ve heard of it happening to changelings when they’re surrounded by too much love, and even saw it for myself once before. It would make sense if the same thing happened to changelings when they go into a new town and are suddenly around so many ponies.” She leaned down and carefully asked, “Are you okay, Thornton?”
Thornton didn't say anything as Carey rubbed his back, but he nodded weakly and wiped some sweat off his forehead. Howard wasn't sure he believed it, and pranced in place at the sight of him. All those feelings of guilt he harbored were coming back.
“But he said he feels better when he eats emotions,” Howard started quickly, his higher pitched voice easily conveying his worry. “If he needs emotions to feel better, how is he supposed to get any if it makes him have a panic attack?”
Why didn't he stop him from going outside yet? Or just went with him? The mare was doing a pretty awful job of being his kids’ protector lately. He had to hold back from crying again as Barney now rubbed his legs.
“I’ll be fine, Dad,” Thornton told him. “I just need time to… rest. And reenergize.” It made Howard feel worse. His son was putting on a brave face, even while he looked absolutely terrible. How could Thornton rest if he couldn't even sleep?
Howard blinked a few times to try and control himself. His son could taste his emotions. Worrying like this was gonna make things worse. “Are you sure, honey?” he asked as he stepped closer to him and touched his head carefully. Comfort and affection was what he should've been giving off, not worry.
Thornton closed his eyes and sighed in response as Barney cuddled up to him. Howard smiled softly, a little sadly. It was helping at least.
“Yeah, I'm sure,” he finally got out after a few long minutes of Howard petting his head while Carey rubbed his back. He was sounding better already, and relaxing. The rest of his family, and Twilight Sparkle, too, relaxed as well.
“Maybe I can see if you can talk to Thorax tomorrow,” she said. “I bet he and Starlight Glimmer would love to meet you, Thornton! He's a changeling like you, and Starlight is a pony who knows all about them!”
“That would be good,” Howard said as he pet his son's buggish fin sticking out of his scalp. He looked like he wasn't really listening anymore, and was instead relaxing. It was a precious sight in spite of the circumstances.
“We would wanna know more about them, too, so we can try to help him as best we can. We wanna be in the know.”
“And do you think we could get a bigger place to live?” Reece suddenly asked. Howard wasn't sure why, but it got a look from Carey like she was annoyed. “It's gonna get pretty cramped if we have to stay in the same one bedroom guestroom the whole time.”
“And another book about magic, please?” Denver added. “Please?”
Thankfully, Twilight Sparkle laughed lightheadedly at all the sudden requests. “I'll try and work on that soon,” she said gently. “Either tomorrow, or the day after, I'd like to get at least one of you with me back out in the Everfree Forest so I can trace your magical signature. The sooner we do that the better.”
That meant it would be at least another night of the whole family staying in one room, but he didn’t mind. It meant he could keep a closer eye on Thornton… he had to take a breath because of how bad he’d seemed lately. But what could he do to help? Almost nothing, minus giving affection. It was wearing on him.
He let Thornton lean into him as he helped his son get back inside, walking him through the castle to their temporary home. He almost looked like he collapsed to sleep as he flopped into the bed with his eyes closed, but Howard knew he wasn’t. Regardless, it was cute to see Barney jump into and curl up beside him in bed.
“I think it should be me who goes out to that forest with Twilight Sparkle, dad,” Reece decided before Howard was even able to close the door to the bedroom. He must have seen the look on his face at that idea, because he immediately started to argue.
“It makes the most sense,” his son said. “I’m pretty sure I’m the strongest out of everyone, and would know best about what to do if it turned into a hairy situation.”
“No, son,” the mare said firmly, exuding more confidence than he felt. “I’ll go with her, and you’ll stay here with your mother and take care of your siblings.”
“That’s not a—”
“I don’t care what it’s not, Reece,” he continued. “I’ve already decided. I’m going, and you’re staying here.” He wasn’t frustrated or angry, but he tried to sound as direct about it as he could. A rare thing for Howard, since he mostly let his kids do what they wanted to.
“At least let me go with you, Dad,” Reece asked. “It’ll be better that way.”
“No. It’ll be better if you stay here and take care of things while I’m away.”
“Mom’s here though!” His son threw up a hoof with an exasperated tone of voice. He was getting frustrated as he continued, “Nothing’s gonna happen here! But if something happens to you out there, I wanna be there to protect you!”
Carey reached to touch Reece with a wing. “Sweetie, just let your father—”
“No!” He pulled his body away harshly, then turned back to Howard. “Why can’t I go with you? I would know best what to do out there anyway!” He paused, and asked, “Is this because I accidentally started a forest fire? Twilight said that other yellow mare was able to put it out, and it saved us, after all. Is that it?”
“No, that’s not it.” Howard shook his head, doing his best to stand firm. It was unfamiliar territory for him most of the time. Carey stepped in to speak again.
“Just listen to your father, honey?” she told him “It's not a big deal. She doesn't need more than one person out there with her. You can stay here while he goes out.”
“I just wanna know why though!” He stamped a hoof as he asked, “Why not, Dad?”
Reece was dealing with something, too, although Howard couldn’t tell exactly what. He wasn’t usually argumentative, not like this. He could be hot, but questioning and going against authority wasn’t in his nature. It was part of why Howard mostly let his children do whatever.
Whatever was going on with Reece, it was much more subtle than it was with Thornton. He had a feeling that just giving him affection like he did with his other son wasn’t gonna do much for him.
But Howard also wasn’t about to just pour out his insecurities to his children, either. Especially not right now. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment as he used a hoof to rub his muzzle.
“Please, son, just let me do this on my own and stay here?” he asked. “I know you wanna help the family, especially when things could be dangerous, but let me do that instead? Please, son?” It was as close as he was going to get to outright saying what was bothering him.
“What the heck is going on out there?” Howard’s other son called from inside the bedroom. It didn't sound like he moved to get up, and his voice was still kind of quiet, and a little bit shaky.
“Why is Reece so angry at you, Dad? What are you two fighting about?”
“Sorry, Thorn, we'll stop,” the mare said quickly. “Try and rest for now, okay?” No response came, which Howard assumed meant he went back to trying to rest. He then turned back to Reece just in time to see a few whiffs of steams wafting off his mane.
It wasn't good to see. He thought his son was just frustrated, not angry. It was something else he would have to help his kids through. He hoped he could.
“Just take a breath and calm down, okay?” his mother told him as she rubbed his back. “It's not that big of a deal.” It didn't seem to help, and in fact, looked like it made the steam trails a bit thicker and fuller. He didn't push her away again at least.
“I just wanna know why though, Dad,” he said again, his voice more calm and collected despite the heavier clouds floating up from him. “Can't you just tell me that? I'm the best one to have out there!”
Why was his son so hung up on this of all things? Howard didn't know, but he didn't ask right now. He instead glanced between Reece and his hooves, shifting his weight around for a minute before he finally gave an answer.
“I'll tell you about it later, okay? But not right now, so please just accept what I'm telling you and don't ask about it. Okay?”
For a second, his son's steam turned into thick black smoke, but then, a second later, it stopped. Both smoke and steam thinned out and disappeared, and Reece let out a breath. “Okay,” he finally agreed, defeated. “I'll stay here, I guess… but I wanna know why soon.”
“I'll tell you why, I promise,” his father assured him. “Now please, let's be done with this? I don't wanna keep bothering your little brother after the day he's had.”
“That wasn’t my fault either, Dad,” Reece said quickly, going back to wearing a serious expression, almost a scowl. “If I would’ve known that was gonna happen, I would’ve—”
“I didn’t say it was, son!” Howard was starting to feel a little exasperated himself. “Is something wrong? What’s going on with you today?”
His son grunted. “Nothing. I’m just tired… when is dinner? I’m starving.”
Twilight showed up to bring them dinner a while later. Afterwards, Howard laid down next to where his daughter sat on the floor, while Reece and Carey talked in another spot of the main room. Denver was reading the book on magic that she started yesterday, and occasionally glanced up at her horn while she did. She stared at it like she was trying to make it do something for a few seconds, then looked back down at the book to continue reading. It was a cycle, it seemed; she read, then glanced at her horn, then read again. Howard had to ask about it.
“It says here the first step to doing magic is to light up your horn,” she explained as she looked up at the tip of it again. “I’m trying to make it light up, but it’s not working. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
Howard laughed softly at that. Denver at least was still herself. Curious and intelligent and treating this like a vacation, like she said before. Howard might not have been doing much of the last thing lately, given everything around him, but it was nice to see Denver trying. He used a hoof to pet her mane while she went back to reading, then looked over her shoulder to follow along.
“How are you doing though, sweetheart?” he asked as he read a few paragraphs of magical explanation that he didn't understand. “Just in general?”
“I'm good,” she said without looking up. “Twilight Sparkle is nice and helpful, and we're not lost anymore. I do wanna go to the town to meet other ponies, but I bet it won't be long before we're back home.” She smiled and said, “Maybe we'll even be famous!”
“Haha, maybe,” Howard chuckled. “Let's just hope it's not too long before we get back home though.” For both Thornton and Reece’s sakes, he thought silently.
“It won't be,” Denver said confidently, not an ounce of doubt in her voice. “I trust Twilight Sparkle… hey, I'm doing it!” As she said it, Howard watched his daughter’s horn faintly glow. He gave her an impressed whistle as Denver cheered. He didn't really have a doubt, but it was interesting that they could indeed do magic in this world.
It wasn't any reason to stay here in Equestria longer though. Two of his children were doing worse than usual over the last two days, both probably because of their transformations. But it might have been another thing to occupy his time in the face of a whole lot of more serious issues.
“Show me how to do that, Denny,” he told her. Maybe it would be useful somehow. Or it could just be a fun way to bond with his daughter.
He shut out any thoughts he might have had about the situation as his daughter explained it to him.
> Nineteenth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Magic was obviously real. That much was evident from the simple fact that Howard and his family were horses in this strange land. But as strange as it was being here, as strange as it was watching Thornton shapeshift in front of them before and feed off emotions, it was ten times more weird to do magic himself.
He grasped the concept of lighting up his horn more quickly than his daughter did, although his surprise at the ability was significantly higher than Denver’s was. He looked up at the limb sticking out of his head and gasped when it softly glowed a faint reddish color, gently warming up after a few moments. Not hot, but the temperature change was noticeable.
Howard smiled as his daughter copied the move along with him. “I’m actually doing it, aren’t I?” he said, more proud of himself than he expected. “I wonder if this is something we could do when we’re back home, too?”
“It would be so cool!” Denver said excitedly. “Maybe Twilight Sparkle will let us take these books with us! I wanna learn how to teleport and pick up things with my mind like she can!”
That would be interesting if they could. It wasn’t something about this situation Howard had considered yet; he was sure the rest of his family hadn’t either. What was going to happen when all of this was over? Would things stay the same when they got back home, or would the world change? There were other worlds out there, and magic, too! Were people already looking for them? It had been two days since he’d gone to work and his children went to school. How would this end?
He asked himself that question in more than one way, but brushed other implications away for now. It hadn’t even been three full days yet. No need to get into all of that, necessarily, as confusing as it was.
Instead, he watched his daughter read the book, mostly skimming over it while she explained it to him. He might have been able to cast the spell she showed him more quickly than she did, but she was definitely more technically literate after just a couple of nights. Wasn’t it hard for her at all, learning to draw unfamiliar looking letters in her mind? Then again, it wasn’t that difficult for him either. Not to mention, his daughter was a smart kid.
He watched her for a while before he yawned and moved to snuggle up under his wife’s wing on the ground again. It wasn’t long before he was blearily opening his eyes again, finding his son and the dog curled up beside him for the second time in a row. Part of him thought it was adorable, but part of him also hurt because of the reason for it. He carefully touched Thornton’s head and watched him sigh deeply.
Howard tilted his head as his son spoke some kind of gibberish he didn’t understand; it took a couple of minutes for he and Thornton to realize he needed to drink more of the potion they brought back with them the other day. They both had drinks of the weird tasting green liquid– this wasn’t going to turn out to mess with their brains later, when they were back home, would it?– before he spoke to his son. If there was one good thing about these strange circumstances, it was that Howard talked to his kids about how they were more in the last two days than he did in a typical week.
“Are you doing okay after yesterday?” he asked after a minute, as the rest of the family started to wake up. “How are you doing?”
His son muttered something unintelligible and nodded his head at the question before he opened his eyes. “You don't have to go into whatever forest Twilight Sparkle wants you to explore with her,” he said. “It's probably gonna be dangerous. Reece could defend himself from those wolf things better. Heck, since I can shapeshift, I would probably be safer.”
Those things were probably true, but that wasn't going to change Howard's mind about going out. His children had faced enough danger on this adventure already.
He stared back at Thornton with an unblinking expression, carefully petting the black fin on his head. He didn't need to speak if his son could read his mind. The blackish green bug shivered, then sighed contentedly before speaking again.
“Thank you, Dad,” he said. “It helps. I love you.” It made Howard smile brightly to hear.
“Love you, too, Thorny,” he said back sweetly. He wondered if his new voice conveyed his affection better than his old one did. 
It was a morning spent laying next to Barney and Thornton while the rest of his family stirred and ate breakfast and had more drinks of the language liquid. Denver showed off another spell she could do– this time, it was levitating a fork with her mind for a few seconds– and Reece once again tried to argue for his being able to go out to the forest with Howard, which the mare gave a firm ‘no’ to. He sat next to his wife while five of the six, including Barney, ate breakfast, and scratched the part of his wife's wings she couldn't reach before he showed her what he learned yesterday from their daughter. It made Carey smile as she clapped her claw-like dragon hands happily.
“Maybe you two could use magic somehow to help us get back!” she smiled. “And Thorny can change bodies, too, so maybe that'll help, too!”
“And you have sharper hearing, honey,” he added with a slight smile. Yes, the circumstances might not have been great ones, but they weren't necessarily bad, Howard was realizing. More and more it seemed Denver's assertion of treating this like a mini vacation rang true. His new body felt comfortable. His daughter was having fun. The whole family might contribute something by the end of the whole adventure, who knew? Maybe they'd even all be a little bit closer.
“Obviously we know you're helping too, Reece,” Thornton suddenly spoke up in a nasally voice as his older son let out a huff of a breath. “I'd be dead if you didn't kill those wooden wolf things. Mom and Dad didn't say anything because it's obvious.”
“I didn't say anyone said I wasn't,” Reece got out, swiping a portion of his mane with a cloven hoof.
“I know you didn't say anything, but you were thinking it.”
“Well, stop trying to read my mind!” the kirin shot back, a small trail of stream coming out of his nostrils as he said it. Well, it wasn't exactly a vacation; how could it be when his sons were doing worse than normal? It was something, but Howard wasn't sure what. An experience.
“Let's not fight, guys,” Carey said before Howard could, touching both Reece’s and Thornton's backs with each of her wings. “What's something we can do together while we wait for Twili– oh my gosh!”
Twilight’s ears must have been burning, because the purple pony that slowly became more and more familiar teleported in, landing right beside Howard. Rather than appearing alone, she was accompanied by an equally purple dragon, one with neon green hair and a bright green underbelly. It was nowhere near the size of Carey though; in fact, it was smaller than even Barney was. Howard had a feeling this thing was younger than Denver was.
And it stared right up and blinked at his wife with big, wide eyes. Howard watched her shift her wings around uncomfortably and give a nervous smile before politely raising a hand up to wave. “Uh, hello…?” She said awkwardly. “How are you doing, uh, little guy?” Barney moved from Thornton’s side and stepped in front of her as she did, although he was more curious than he was protective.
“Spike, you're staring!” Twilight Sparkle quickly reprimanded him, sending a little scowl of a glare his way. “Don't be rude to them!”
“What?” the little dragon, Spike, got out defensively. “I just got back from the dragon lands! I didn't expect to see one in your castle! Especially not one as big as she is! She’s almost bigger than every other creature there, except for the dragon king!”
Howard had to avoid laughing at the look Carey threw his way at that statement. It was kind of a funny coincidence he hadn't realized until then. She was the biggest one out of them, when on Earth, as a human, she was barely taller than Denver was. She didn't seem to appreciate the comment very much in any case, but didn't mention it.
Twilight Sparkle glowered at Spike for a second, then smiled apologetically at Howard and his family. “Sorry about my assistant, Spike,” she said. “He apparently doesn't know how to act in front of guests. But I'm sure he'll be polite while he shows you the house I'll have you staying at in Ponyville.”
“I don't wanna do that!” The small dragon was already complaining as he continued, “Didn't you say Ocellus was gonna be in town today for the start of school next week? Make her do it! I need to pick gems with Rarity! I already spent all morning looking for vacant homes for them!” Another glare was sent his way in response, this one longer and more intense. Maybe he wasn't a little guy if he was picking out houses for them to stay in.
“You have a house for us ready already?” Howard spoke up, interrupting the argument. “Big enough for all of us?”
“Sure thing, ma'am!” Spike said, suddenly proud despite his annoyance only a second ago. He licked his hand to slick back the tuft of green hair on his head, trying to appear charming, and said, “I can show you to it if you want.” Yeah, this was definitely a kid. A young teenager at best. Howard and his wife both shared a look at that. He didn’t bother correcting the terms he used for him either.
“Quite a change up from about three seconds ago,” Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. Then she shook her head clear, continuing, “Before that though, you should take them to the School of Friendship so that Thornton can meet Thorax. He should be there checking Ocellus into class today.” Then she turned to Howard and said, “If you don't mind coming with me, Howard, we could probably see the Everfree Forest and get back here within a few hours.”
“That sounds–” he started before being interrupted by his son.
“How am I supposed to get into the town?” Thornton asked. He didn't look particularly shy or embarrassed as he said, “I felt like I was gonna die yesterday, it was… overwhelming.”
“Thorax should be able to talk to you about that,” she assured him gently. “The School of Friendship isn't in the city, and it's only creatures from outside of Equestria coming in today, namely the changelings, since their hive is so far from Equestria. Probably the yaks, too. There shouldn't be too many creatures there, maybe twenty or thirty.”
Thornton nodded like he was slightly unsure and considering the idea. Before Howard could speak up though, his son said, “I'll be safe, Dad. Reece helped me last night and got me out of there. He'll be there for me.” It got a surprised look from his older son, and then an indignant one from Barney, followed by a bark. Thornton chuckled, and added, “Yeah, Barney, too.”
Then he sighed, and finished, “And we want you to be safe, too, Dad. Don't do anything dangerous?”
Now Howard was the one who chuckled and smiled. “I’ll be safe, son. Promise.” He looked to Reece, and said, “This is why you need to stay here. Watch over your siblings and your mother, please?”
He didn’t argue this time, and instead nodded, giving an assurance of, “Of course,” and, “You can count on me, Dad.” So then it was settled, finally. Howard would go out with Twilight Sparkle to the forest they were in when they first got here, and the rest of them would stay here. It was the ideal outcome.
Hopefully, more things would stack up ideally, and Howard and his family would be back home by tonight. His son, the mind reader, however, almost certainly felt his emotions, and looked up at him to give a slight shake of his head.
Maybe he would be wrong.
> Twentieth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton and his family watched Howard wave a hoof before Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn and teleported him away to… somewhere. The Everfree Forest, presumably. It was interesting how confident he was– how confident they both were. Of course though, Twilight had more knowledge with her than his father did. She almost seemed to know that this was an exercise in futility, at least, in the short term. Nothing was going to happen with them today, otherwise why would they be given a house to stay in? This would wind up taking weeks or months. Or longer.
This is gonna suck, Thornton couldn’t help but think.
There were a lot of things going on though that Thornton didn't fully understand. His father definitely seemed to understand some of it, and so did his mother, somewhat, but he wasn't able to pick up on exactly what it was. Then again, maybe it wasn't even related to being in this world, but something else entirely. He couldn't tell. He didn't bother asking though. He'd piece it together from his parents’ emotions eventually. Especially his father's.
Maybe it would help if he was less hungry. Thankfully, as though Barney was a changeling, too, the dog moved next to him to offer affection, and Thornton closed his eyes for a moment to take it in.
He didn't need to open his eyes to know that their new companion and apparent tour guide was staring at him now, instead of his mother and father. “I don't think I've ever seen an unreformed changeling since Starlight and her friends beat Queen Chrysalis and saved Equestria,” he said, no disdain or superiority coming from him like he expected. Instead, there was curiosity, as well as sympathy, like he understood his plight. It helped a little more. “Is that why you wanna see Thorax?” he asked. 
“Uh, I guess,” he said flatly, his nasally voice hardly giving out a hint of emotion. The term ‘reform’ was an interesting one, wasn’t it? It made sense that they used the word to describe his current state in a place where they had a ‘school of friendship’, but it still had some weird connotations. Wasn’t it a little bit racist (or speciesist?) to say whether or not some creature had ‘reformed’ based on the way they looked? Then again, a world of magic and friendship probably didn’t have the same standards as Earth, even in spite of the implications.
“But also so I can even go into that town, Ponyville, without…” He let the sentence hang unfinished. He didn’t have to say he didn’t want to get overwhelmed and freak out because of his senses, did he?
“Without having a panic attack,” Reece finished for him anyway. Yeah. That.
The small dragon shrugged like he didn’t really care either way. “Okay, I guess,” Spike told them. “I guess that means we have to take the backway to the school, unless anypony knows how to teleport?” He looked between he, Denver, and Reece, waiting for a reply before shrugging again. “I guess not,” he said firmly. “Let's go.”
Interesting. So then everyone in his family could do magic, minus his mother. Things were starting to make a little more sense.
Spike the dragon led them out of the castle, with his mother in the lead and Denver and Barney in the back, his little sister paging through the book she was reading as they walked. Thornton considered shapeshifting into something else while they stepped through and out of the castle, but decided against it. Between the tiny dragon, angry kirin, and plethora of girls he'd met and seen up to this point, there weren't any good options. A quick test to look like the unicorn Denver was now for a few minutes revealed the same thing as yesterday. It felt pretty icky being a girl. Dumb black bug was what he had to stick with for now.
“What are the Dragon Lands?” Reece asked, Thornton of course knowing the question was coming before it was spoken. “I mean, obviously dragons would live there, like how the equines live in Equestria. But what is it?”
“It's basically a bunch of huge volcanoes,” Spike said from the front. “I go there all the time now to visit Smolder. Most of the dragons I know live there. That was why it was weird to see a dragon here in Ponyville. There aren't really any, except for me.” He turned around to their mother and shrugged, saying, “It's still pretty weird.”
He felt the discomfort from his mother floating off of her as she shifted her wings while Reece asked more questions. Thornton hurried forward to walk closer to her, closing his eyes as he did. As easy as reading emotions was, there was a little bit more work that had to be put in to decipher exactly what someone was thinking.
“It is pretty weird that you're a dragon, Mom,” Thornton told her. “We're all, like, quadrupedal, and you're still bipedal. You're probably the most different out of everyone. But it's not like it's bad.”
She chuckled lightly at that. “I don't think it's weird or bad– not in that way anyway. It's only different.” Then she said, “I was just worried if we were going to change back when we get home. I obviously can't be a dragon there, and the rest of you can't be what you are either.”
Ah. Yeah, that made sense. It was a little tough piecing it all together, what she was thinking, especially with other creatures around. Or maybe that was just his parents, since he couldn't really do it with his father either. We're Reece's emotions just that obvious? And Twilight Sparkle's, too? Maybe he'd do a test with Denver later.
The changeling kind of hoped it wouldn't be a skill he'd have time to learn to use because they'd be back on Earth as human beings. He didn't forget about his hunger, not for a second. How could he?
The path they went down was the same as yesterday, but this time, Spike led them on a different fork in the road, one that he explained went around the town. It was a longer walk, but Thornton didn't mind, so long as he wasn't assaulted by an entire town's emotions. Even from out here, he was starting to pick up faint whiffs drifting into his senses.
“Just take a breath,” Reece was suddenly saying next to him as his mother put a wing on his back. “You're not in any danger. It only seems scary.” Thornton didn't even notice his breathing was starting to pick up again, this time in anticipation of being overcome with all the emotions. Reece’s voice helped once again though, even if it sounded a bit like he was speaking to a small child. Where did his older brother learn that skill?
“I'm fine for now,” he assured the two of them. “Let's just keep going. And yes, I'll tell you if I need to stop.”
“The School of Friendship is a few miles past the town,” Spike told them, “so you shouldn't have any problems, I don't think. We're about halfway there.”
The bug nodded, and closed his eyes again, now opting to let the stream of the small purple dragon’s emotions be his guide. He would've hated having to rely on his family so much the last few days, but their affection and sympathy were very tasty to dine on. He couldn't complain that much. Not about that particular aspect anyway.
In a little while, they passed the town to their left as the path snaked through trees and past creeks and bushes and other animals. It was another nice day out here, with a few puffy clouds that occasionally blocked the sun as… ponies pushed them? That's what it seemed like overhead. Ponies with wings soared through the sky, pushing the clouds into position and shaping them as they saw fit, sometimes making them bigger and other times making them disintegrate into nothing but air. They were close enough overhead that he could catch glimpses of their emotions, too. They controlled the weather. Like humans on Earth tried to do, but in real life.
How deep did the society of this world run? He understood why Reece was curious. Thornton was a little curious now, too. Ponies who controlled the weather and physically raised the sun, magic, countries named after the creatures who lived there; it was much more interesting than American History was, he could say that much.
And a school, presumably a college, that seemed only to teach about ‘friendship’. Thornton couldn’t imagine having such a place exist on Earth. Just like the castle, it was purple, although this place wasn't made of crystal. Instead, it looked more like a mansion, constructed of wood, presumably, with towers and flags and a star-like symbol situated on the front side of the building. Had he seen that symbol on Twilight Sparkle's side? Thornton couldn't remember.
There were mountains behind it, and it had a walkway over a lake leading up to the front entrance. No creature stood on it though; there were around thirty to forty people scattered around the grounds, walking around and taking it in, like they were window shopping. Contemplating sending their kids to this academy, probably. Most were impressed, and a few were indifferent. Just like always, each hit his senses uniquely, Thornton able to pick out each one's emotions separately and distinctly. 
He closed his eyes and took a small breath. This many intelligent creatures wasn't fun, but it wasn't like an entire town of creatures’ emotions descending on him like before.
And Barney was glaring up at him, like Thornton was saying he wasn't an intelligent creature. The dog definitely has the same sort of power as he did, but that didn't surprise him. Animals were like that.
I wonder if I could actually talk to him like this? Thornton wondered silently. That would’ve been interesting.
“I think Thorax is still outside with Starlight Glimmer and the yaks,” Spike explained. Then he gave Thornton a once over, and continued, “I might change into a pony or something if I were you. Creatures here can be afraid of unreformed changelings.”
Thornton had to let out a long sigh at that. Of course they would be. He looked like an insect had its legs and wings attacked with a hole puncher. He didn't even have his own voice anymore.
“It'll be fine,” his mother said quickly, before even Reece could get his thoughts spoken. “I'm sure they'll be nice, if this is supposed to be a school of friendship. I'm sure they won't have any issue with you at all, sweetie.”
Yeah, right. The only thing his mother's uselessly positive attitude was good for was that sweet, delicious affection and sympathy that she sent his way.
> Twenty-First Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were all staring at Thornton as he and his family turned the corner to step behind the school. No surprise. Even knowing that he was going to be talking to someone who was supposed to help him, he expected everyone’s eyes on him. He could only sigh.
Except something was weird. He saw more people than he felt. His senses told him there should've been around thirty creatures, but there were instead about forty five. Most of them were boring brown yaks– boring relatively speaking anyway– with different colored blanket looking coverings resting on their backs and decorations on their head and in their hair. The ones he didn't sense looked like bugs, just like he was, but not entirely the same. These bugs were colorful like the horses were, although less neon and bright and more soft, pastel colors. They had horns and wings like he did, although there wasn't a single dark, blackish green colored bug in the group. No dark colors anywhere, in fact. They were all bigger than he was, and none of them had holes in their legs or wings. And they all stared at him, the same way the yaks did.
And Thornton couldn't feel these creatures' emotions. Why was that strange? Had he changed that much in just three or four days, where he expected to always have a read on everyone's thoughts? Somehow it was making him a little bit anxious, not knowing what they were thinking as they took him in.
“There is black bug among your kind, changelings,” one of the larger yaks said accusingly, pointing a hoof at him. “Keep certain that this one does not steal love from us, or we shall be at war with the changeling empire. All yaks must stand together!” Great, Thornton was already starting a war between different nations just by showing up. As if he didn't feel bad enough by just existing as he was.
He could feel Reece's anger bubbling up, and his mother's too at that, as she and Barney stepped protectively in front of him, the latter giving a defiant bark to the one who made the accusation. One of the changelings, a green one who was larger than the rest, only rolled his eyes as he stepped up to him, his look not quite as confused, concerned, or accusing as he saw from the other creatures. Thornton really wished he could tell what he was thinking though.
“We're not bugs, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't call us that,” the colorful green changeling said to the yak as he finally reached Thornton. At least he didn’t stare, and instead smiled brightly at him, perhaps a touch embarrassed. Then he held out his hoof to… shake? Bump, more like.
“You’re Thorny Tons, right?” the bright greenish yellow creature asked as he carefully motioned for his mother and dog to move aside. “Twilight Sparkle was telling me about you! I’m Thorax!” He didn’t seem to care much that his mother was still standing in front of him, and moved to the side to look him up and down. “Huh, you really are an unreformed changeling, aren't you?” he commented aloud.
“My name is Thornton,” Thornton corrected, “and I'm not really sure what it means to be ‘unreformed’... How come I can feel everyone else's emotions but other changelings?”
“And can you tell them to stop staring at him?” his mother told Thorax as she pointed a claw in the direction of the other creatures. “It's rude.” 
“We can go someplace more private if you want,” Thorax offered. “Maybe we could sit down at the library in the school! I was told you don’t really know much about being a changeling, which makes sense, since I can still feel your emotions. Oh, by the way, if you wanna make it so we don’t, just think about holding them back. It’s really easy.”
“Really?” Thornton asked back, raising an eyebrow. He had no other choice but to try it, thinking about holding back his emotions. He closed his eyes and shifted around, not feeling like anything was happening for a second or two, then–
He opened his eyes to cheerful stomping of Thorax’s hooves and Barney giving a surprised bark before rubbing against his leg. That wasn’t so hard, although he didn’t feel any different.
“See? Easy, just like I told you,” the green changeling congratulated him. “Although when you do that…”
He might not have been able to sense the changelings' emotions, but he could certainly see all of them turn to look at him, all at the same time. He didn’t need to sense their emotions to understand why; he’d been one of them for long enough to figure it out. He imagined he’d be just as surprised if a stream of emotion was suddenly cut off from his senses, even if it was in a group of a few dozen people.
“Now they’re all looking at me,” Thornton commented uncomfortably, unable to do much beyond stare back at them. Cutting off the stream he sent out did more than his blackish green skin did.
“Can’t you all mind your fucking business?” Reece finally shouted, the anger he was holding back finally boiling over. “Seriously!” Both Barney and Thornton’s mother seemed to echo the sentiment, while Denver continued to pay no attention, focusing on her book.
Thornton could tell his brother was getting worked up though, if the white steam coming out of his ears and off his coat was any indication. “It’s not that big of a deal, Reece,” he told him as the other changelings looked away while the eyes of the yaks fell on the group as a whole. “I’m fine.”
“It is a big deal!” Reece stomped a hoof angrily, getting more worked up. “They can’t treat you like that just because you look different” Maybe a better plan for Thornton would be to just back off and not say anything. He was getting worse.
“Uh, maybe we should find a spot inside?” Thorax smiled awkwardly, uncomfortably. Thornton couldn't read his emotions, but he had a feeling this guy was kind of a push over. But he helped him with something in just the thirty seconds he'd known him. Maybe he'd help him with more.
Reece seemed like he wanted to argue, but didn't say anything as the dragon Spike led him, his family, Thorax, and a couple of other smaller, colorful changelings into the building to sit in a library that resembled the one in the castle they just left. He met a couple of girls who were apparently going to this school, one about Denver's age named Ocellus and another that seemed more his age named Spiracle, and felt all of the emotions floating around from whatever other creatures were in here. There weren't very many, maybe only five or ten in this building, but there was one stream he felt like he recognized. He couldn't put his finger– or hoof, rather– on who it belonged to until Barney yanked at his tail to pull him towards it.
“Fluttershy!” he smiled happily as he finally rounded the corner, the yellow mare instantly lighting up and putting on a smile. At the same time, all of her kindness drifted his way, filling him up with that delicious, sweet emotion. He was able to forget his hunger for a moment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “There's no way you'd be a student at this school, right?” Even as he asked though, her emotions told him the answer. She was a teacher.
She explained as such, telling him, “I’d love to stay and talk, but I have to fix up my classroom and prep for the year. If you’re looking to do enrollments though, you should talk to Starlight Glimmer. Otherwise, creatures from Ponyville normally wait until the day before class starts to enroll. But it’s nice to see you and your family again!” Then she walked away, taking her kindness with her, leaving Thornton starving again.
Do I actually like her? Thornton wondered to himself. He didn't know. He'd only met her a couple of times so far. He sure did like her kindness though. It wasn't an emotion he'd got from anyone else yet, at least not quite in the same way she radiated it off of her. He definitely wanted to spend more time around her.
Returning, Thorax seemed not to even notice his absence, already talking to his mother about… something. He didn’t know, but he could tell it was nothing serious, at least on his mother’s part. She was surprised and interested, but also casual at the same time. Probably about kids, if the other two changelings here were his.
“Oh, you’re back!” the bright green changeling waved energetically. “Were you going after that mare?” he asked. “I felt her kindness, too, and it makes sense, since you're probably hungry.” Thornton didn't comment immediately as Thorax continued, “I didn't know you guys were a family! How did a dragon have a changeling, a unicorn, and a kirin for children?”
“It doesn't matter,” Thornton shook his head. “How do I stop being hungry? What does it mean to ‘reform’”?
“If you're saying my brother is some kind of evil monster for looking–” Reece started before he was cut off.
“No, that's just what ponies think,” Thorax said, half chuckling, although there was a certain kind of disdain in his voice at the comment. “When changelings say ‘reform’, we don't mean turning from bad to good. It'd be pretty silly to say changelings are all born bad. No, we mean that your body is physically reforming as it changes into what it's supposed to be.” He scratched his scalp with a hoof and added, “I think other creatures call it metamorphosis?”
That actually made sense, thankfully. It wasn't an indictment on Thornton. It was just a natural part of this world.
“Say, what hive are you from anyway?” Thorax asked. “All the changelings in my hive have already reformed.”
“I'm not from any hive,” Thornton spoke in his nasally voice. Would that change once he ‘reformed’? Thorax didn't seem to have that feature about him. 
“How do I actually reform though?” the black bug continued. “How do I do that?”
“Oh, that's easy!” Thorax smiled brightly. “You just have to share the love in your heart!”
Of course he did. What did that mean? He didn't love his family? Because of course he did. Or did that imply finding a date? He had to ask.
Is your brother okay? Thornton jumped and gasped at the sound of Thorax’s voice in his head. He wasn't expecting telecommunication to be a trait of changelings.
It's okay, Thorax continued silently, speaking so that only Thornton could hear him. All changelings can talk to you the same way. It's a hive thing. Is your brother okay though? That kirin is getting really angry about something, and I'm getting nervous.
Thornton felt Thorax push his own thoughts forward for him to feel. It was exactly what he said it would be– nervousness and fear and the desire to run away despite the bright smile still showing on Thorax’s face.
I hate being around kirins, Thorax continued. They get so angry so easily, I always worry I might say the wrong thing and make them go nirik!
Uhh… I'll talk to him… I assume you can hear me? Thornton asked back. He got a physical nod in response, and Thornton turned to Reece.
“Uh, could you chill out a bit?” Thornton asked his older brother. He didn't feel anything different from Reece right now, only annoyance once again, at least not until he said something. He should've known the question would earn him frustration.
“I'm not doing anything!” Reece replied. “I'm just standing here watching you two not say anything!”
“I know,” Thornton told him, “but it's the emotions you're giving off.” He took a step closer to him and started, “Every changeling can feel them, and–”
“So what? I can't be annoyed that he's still talking to you in riddles instead of helping you?” Thornton watched Thorax, Ocellus, and Spiracle back away, now showing fear on their faces as a couple of trails of white smoke made their way off of Reece.
“Oh, so I can't be annoyed then!” Reece continued, the trails of vapor and smoke thickening. “Even though I just want him to tell you what to do so Mom and Dad can stop thinking that me being annoyed and going on a walk yesterday hurt you, and I can actually go with Dad back to that forest! Do you even care that I'm trying to help you? Because it doesn't seem like you do!”
“Of course I care! I said this morning that I do! You were fine this morning about having to stay and help me! And they don't even think that you're doing something wrong! No one does!”
“How do you know though? You can't know that!”
Getting into an argument with him wasn't a good idea. Thornton knew that just from being a kirin for a few minutes. What about them made their emotions build so quickly, Thornton didn't know, but they did. He could feel Reece’s building now. He had to back off.
“I can read their thoughts,” Thornton tried to say, speaking more slowly now. “No one thinks that you’re bothering me or anyone else. And all I'm asking is for you to chill out a little bit because you're scaring–”
There was no black smoke this time to warn Thornton or anyone else of what was about to happen. All there was to feel was a sudden spike in adrenaline, the burning hot taste of anger in Thornton’s head, and the sudden flames leaping out at him from his now black coated older brother.
> Twenty-Second Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carey wouldn't have been one to call herself particularly brave.
She was frightened of haunted houses and didn't particularly enjoy mountain climbing or amusement parks. She wouldn't go skydiving if someone paid her a million dollars, and never would've even dreamed of waking up as a dragon in a magical foreign land called ‘Equestria’. Perhaps some of her children would've enjoyed something like that– Denver seemed to slowly have the experience grow on her, and Thornton might have liked it under other circumstances– but Carey could safely say she wanted no part in any such thing.
That was what made it incredibly strange when her instincts took over upon seeing her son light himself on fire in anger.
She reacted quickly, wasting no time wrapping a wing tightly around his burning body before she even thought about what she was doing. Not before a wall of fire pushed its way to Thornton, who quickly turned into a kirin to protect himself and moved out of the way before changing back. Of course she wanted to protect her children, but if Carey was in her right mind, she would've picked up Thornton and Denver and ran. Instead, her wing curled tightly around Reece, swaddling him on all sides.
“Let me go!” the kirin demanded as he struggled against her, the smoke rising off of him more ferociously now. It seemed to make the fire more intense, but it didn't burn her at all, strangely enough. It didn't feel much beyond a bit warmer than usual, like putting her feet in front of her space heater on a cold day.
Carey wasn't particularly strong as a human either, but she certainly was now. Her grip on her son was tight, her other wing moving to fully enclose him now. He might have tried to fight against her angrily, but he wasn't going to be getting out of her grasp very easily.
She also wouldn't have called herself smart, even if her kids were extremely bright. But the dragon could pick up on some things. Two of those things were that the fire wasn't hurting Reece, and that it would hurt her other children– and every other creature around them– if he didn't get ahold of himself.
“Not until you take a breath and calm down, Reece,” she told him authoritatively. He didn't seem willing to do that, and fought further, wriggling around in her grasp, but got nowhere. Carey didn't mind too much– she remembered wrapping her arms around her screaming toddlers when they were angry like this before. She could wait his tantrum out if need be.
“Let! Me! Go!” Reece shouted angrily, the fire becoming more and more intense. It still didn't burn her, but a few flames leapt out from the tops and bottoms of her wings, setting alight a few of the books on the shelves. Thankfully, Thorax was able to quickly take care of it, but Carey hated to see it happen.
“You need to calm down now, Reece!” the dragon told him a little more forcefully now, reprimanding him like she would a small child. “Before you burn something or hurt someone! Or yourself! Calm down!”
She was firm, not releasing her grip while Thornton and the other changelings worked on the burning books. Denver backed away in fear and Spike ran off in another direction as Reece glared angrily up at his mother. She glanced back down at him—not angrily, but definitely as firm and assertive a look as she could give him. It worked on the kindergarten and first grade children she sometimes substituted for.
And it seemed to work on Reece now. She kept her wings wrapped tight around him as the flames slowly subsided and the smoke flowing off his fur began to thin out and clear up. Her son went from furious, to angry, to frustrated as he slowly chilled out over the course of a few minutes. Carey finally released him from her grasp when he let out a long sigh of defeat and wore a look of shame on his face. It helped seeing Thornton nod when she glanced at him, silently indicating that he'd calmed back down.
“I'm…sorry,” Reece got out awkwardly, still a little annoyed, rubbing a hoof against the ground as he glanced between his limbs and the wall.
“No one's angry with you,” Carey told him, “but you need to control yourself before you hurt someone. Or yourself.”
Well, someone was going to be angry with him. This was Twilight Sparkle’s school, right? She very much doubted that the purple horse would appreciate coming back to see many of her books burned.
“I'm sure she'll be fine,” Thorax spoke up lightly. Carey turned in surprise until she remembered that he was the same creature as Thornton. “There are plenty of kirins that go to school here… I think?” He rubbed his scalp sheepishly, then continued, “I'm sure she'll understand.” Thornton and Barney both seemed to roll their eyes while Reece’s shoulders slumped a little bit. What was that about?
“See? No one is angry with you,” Carey told him quickly. “Just please try to control yourself in the future, son?”
“Yeah…” he sighed deeply. “I'm going for a walk. Again. I need to clear my head.”
“Be careful though? Maybe you should stay here until–”
“I'll be careful!” he snapped quickly, then closed his eyes and clenched his jaw to take a breath. A second later, he was off and heading to… somewhere. Maybe Carey should've insisted he stay.
“He'll be okay, Mom,” Thornton told her as Barney gave her a look that communicated the same sentiment. “He just needs to cool off. Literally. When I turned into him, I felt how fast I was getting angry at everything. In just a few seconds. He's probably controlling himself better than we could.”
“Maybe I should go after him?” Carey wondered aloud. “If he gets angry again, I should probably–”
“He'll be fine, Mom,” Thornton assured him. “I know he’ll try harder. Let's just stay here until he gets back, okay? Following will just make it worse.” Carey sighed now, but listened to her son.
Was her heart pounding? It felt like she just finished running a marathon, that was scary. She couldn't believe that happened to him… and that she was able to step in and help Reece to calm down. Did that make her fireproof? A quick inspection of her wings showed no damage, and she didn't feel hurt in any way. So then that was two new abilities she had, including her now sensitive hearing.
“I know we both would rather be at home though,” Thornton commented as he laid down on the ground, Barney pressing up against his body. “I don't like being here.”
Her son was right on that.
Thornton got up a few minutes later to help Thorax and the other two changelings with the books. Carey watched them work beside Denver while the yellow pony she saw before came out to help them, explaining how she smelled the smoke from her classroom. Thornton seemed to want to be near her, and Barney talked to her like he was an actual person again. Then she came over to Carey.
“Um, excuse me? Ma'am?” she started quietly, shyly. “I don't mean to intrude, but Barney was telling me that, uh, he thinks you should spend more time with your foal? Thornton? I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business. But Barney wanted me to tell you that.”
Was she not spending time with him? Carey felt like she was, but then figured he could always use more affection. She didn't waste time making her way up to Thornton and rubbing his back. He responded by sighing in what looked like relief.
“Yeah, I'm okay, Mom,” he told her before she could even think to ask. “No, you don't need to spend time with me.  I'm fine.” Mixed messages were what she was getting.
“Well when we get back home, we should do something together anyway,” she told him. “Or maybe we could find something to do here! We could go into town once Thorax helps you figure it out. He seems knowledgeable, right?”
“Yeah.”
Not enthused by that, it seemed. “Are you worried about anything, sweetie?” she asked casually. “I know it's been especially tough on you…”
“Not really,” Thornton answered back in his nasally voice, eyes closed. “I can read everyone's mind, so there's nothing to worry about. Except for being hungry all the time, but I'm getting used to it.”
“Well, if it helps, you can sit and sleep next to me, if you want,” she offered. “I don't mind. I have two wings.”
Thornton sighed again. “Dad and Barney are better for that,” he said flatly. Ouch.
“You know what I mean, Mom,” he added. “It's not just love. You and Reece and Denver kinda are all obsessed with getting home. And I am, too, obviously. But Dad isn’t really, so there's more positivity coming off of him, and that helps more.”
Huh? Howard didn't care about going home? As far as Carey saw, he seemed just as focused on it, probably more so than anyone else. Was this about the little conversation in the library yesterday?
Thornton opened his eyes again, his sigh now slightly frustrated. “That's what's annoying,” he said. “I can tell something's going on, but can't exactly put it all together. You can though, and Dad can, but I can't figure it out. And I know you're not gonna tell me, and neither will he.”
“I genuinely don't know what you're talking about, Thorny,” Carey said as she shook her head. “What do your father and I know?”
Another sigh came. “Nothing,” he said. “Doesn't matter. Just annoying.” Thornton turned his attention back to the books with that, talking to Thorax as he did.
She tried to listen to everything the greenish yellow creature was telling her son, but it was tough to keep up with. All of this reformation stuff Thorax told Thornton about seemed to almost go over his head. It definitely went over Carey's. She watched a look of slight annoyance make its way onto her son's face when he tried to ‘share his love’. Apparently he was supposed to automatically transform once he did, but nothing happened.
“Hmmm, that's strange,” Thorax said aloud. “It should be natural to all changelings… what hive did you say you were from again?”
“I don't have a hive,” Thornton replied simply. “Can I at least make sure I'm not gonna feel like I'm dying going into town, or just passing near it?” he asked. “How do I do that?”
“It's pretty tough blocking out the emotions of other creatures,” Thorax admitted sympathetically. “I don't think I know any changelings who can do it. When I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the emotions around me though, I try to just pick the strongest trail to focus on. It helps the rest of them blend in. It's much easier if some creature is near you. You can even close your eyes and let them lead you.”
Carey had no idea what that all meant, but it was interesting hearing it. “So basically your advice is for him to try and ignore it?” she asked. “How does that work?”
“You're not a changeling, so the best comparison is tuning out noises when everything is conflicting. They're still there, but if you focus on one, the rest will fade into the background, unless it's a very loud sound. But the strongest emotions are creatures closest to you.” He turned to Thornton again and said, “Try it! Right here! You can sense a bunch of creatures just a the school! Just focus on one of them, and see what happens!”
Carey watched her son close his eyes again, and then, a few seconds later, open them to smile. “It kind of works,” he admitted. “A little bit.”
Carey smiled, too, and rubbed his back with a wing. He let out a moan of contentment and shivered, sighing deeply. At least one of her sons was feeling better. Maybe there was another kirin for Reece to talk to with help on his anger. Or he could come to this school while they waited to go home. It was a school about friendship, after all.
“It's not gonna be a cure,” Thorax finished. “I can tell you that much. You can't completely block out emotions. But it should help you feel better. It would be even better if you reformed though. I'd try reciprocating affection in your case, as a start, and see if that changes anything.”
But being back home would definitely be preferable. Everyone knew that. Even her husband.
> Twenty-Third Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard walked along with Twilight Sparkle, following behind the mare as she led him into the forest his family landed in before. The ‘Everfree Forest’, she called it. She had many different kinds of tools and instruments and sheets of paper and whatnot levitating in front of her as she walked. Howard himself focused on the journey ahead and practicing lighting up his horn like his daughter showed him last night.
“I don't think it's very likely we'll get you and your family back home today,” Twilight Sparkle explained as they walked along the familiar path Howard led his family down. “If all goes well though, maybe we'd be able to get it figured out within a few weeks! Although I can understand why that might cause trouble for you, being away from home that long.”
“Yeah, a little trouble,” Howard admitted as he nodded his head. “What exactly are you looking for? And why do you need me here with you?” he asked.
“I told you before!” the purple pony explained happily, wearing a wide grin. “You’re helping me find my way to where you and your family appeared! I’m reading the magic coming off of you so I can find the trail back to where you teleported in from!”
“And then what are you gonna do when we get there?”
“Analyze the magic, of course!” Twilight chuckled. “If we can see what kind of magic it was that brought you here, it’ll make it all the easier to get you back home! It’ll be a little more difficult with wild magic, like the magic all around us in the Everfree Forest, but if it was just ambient magical buildup, it’ll be a lot easier to work with. I can provide you with a better timetable once we find it… uhh, do you mind walking more in front of me? It’ll be easier to track your magical trail if I’m not having interference from behind.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he quickly apologized.
“Thank you, ma’am. And can you hold my stuff for me? I usually have Spike do it, but obviously he's not here right now.” That request felt a little weird, but the pony just smiled at him like it was a completely normal thing to ask. He guessed she was a princess, after all, and Howard wouldn't really mind anyway.
“I can't lift objects with my mind like you though,” he told her, “and I don't think these hooves are gonna do me much good, to be honest.”
“You mean telekinesis?” she asked. “You just need to imagine what you're grabbing. Even if you did just land here a few days ago, it should be easy for you since you're a full grown mare. It might be harder for your foals to do though.”
Howard looked at her with an unsure expression, and she waved a hoof nonchalantly in response. “It's fine. I'm sure you'll get it later. I can just hold it for now. This is why I normally have my assistant around though. I don't really like wasting magic having to hold all my materials myself.”
And now Howard chuckled to himself. This mare was definitely a teenager, twenty at most, just from her personality. Or maybe ponies in this world just had different attitudes than humans. But it was interesting that she had a kid dragon carrying around all her stuff when she had magic to do it for her. Strange, certainly.
The forest was just as he remembered. Dark trees towered above them as he walked forward in front of Twilight Sparkle along the path. There was a spot just off the brown dirt road that she directed him to head through, past a couple of bushes that seemed familiar and some marks in the ground that were definitely hoof and claw prints left by he, his wife, and his daughter. Yeah, they'd been here.
“By the way,” Twilight started as they continued on, “do you mind that I call you a mare? Because it'll be easier for me to do, unless you don't like it.”
“Uh, I don't mind,” Howard said quickly, a hint of pink showing under the white fur on his cheeks. He quickly changed the subject, asking, “What exactly are you gonna do with whatever data you collect?”
“Well, try to recreate it in a laboratory setting, since naturally forming worldgates are hard to come by,” she explained. “If I can't do that, we can always try talking to Princess Celestia. She's the most powerful magician I know, and should be able to come up with something. But like I said, if it's ambient magic that dumped you down here, magic from Earth, the process will be much easier.”
“Is there anything we can do to help you? Since my daughter and I can apparently do magic, too? Because if there's any–”
“Look out!”
Howard was suddenly being yanked hard and pulled back from apparent danger he didn't see. A second later, Twilight's horn lit up again, and the two teleported to a spot further away. Howard shuddered and shook his head nervously at the sudden change in scenery, then looked to the purple pony for an explanation.
“Sorry! There was a cockatrice right there that you didn't see!” she explained quickly. “I don't know if you know this, but there's a lot of scary animals and plants in this forest that you need to be aware of!”
Howard figured as much, and let out a slow breath to reset his nerves. “A warning would do slightly better next time, please,” he told her before turning back around. It was another familiar spot; whether she intended to or not, Twilight made it so they ended up by the river they stopped at before they were chased by the wolves. There were scorch marks on some of the trees, and in the grass were large clawed paw prints of the beasts who tried to kill his family.
He closed his eyes and shivered again. He didn't do a very good job of protecting them a few days ago. Hopefully he was doing a better job now.
“We came from that direction,” he explained as he used a hoof to point in the opposite direction of the bank. “It took us a few hours to get here from where we woke up… how did you know to teleport us here?” the mare asked.
“I didn't,” was Twilight's simple reply. “I just have a friend named Steven who lives near here, so it was the first place that came to mind. Lucky coincidence though, because the magic is a lot stronger here! Let me get out my tools!”
He let her do whatever measurements she needed to while he kept a closer eye on their surroundings. He didn't see or sense anything out of the ordinary now, but if something was coming, he wanted to know. He didn't even know what a cockatrice was, but if Twilight was afraid of it, he was too. He'd seen enough monsters already.
He did that while practicing lighting up his horn until Twilight Sparkle was ready to move on again, this time the princess of friendship taking the lead. She chatted about how she could feel the magic stronger and what the nature of it was, but a lot of it went over Howard's head. Although he had to admit, if he focused hard enough, he could maybe feel some kind of shift in his horn? He didn't know exactly what he was feeling, but something. Magic, presumably.
It was strange and chaotic and disorderly, it seemed, but also… nice. He wasn't exactly sure why, but it felt that way. Like the air around him was trying to energize him. Had he had that feeling before yet? He didn't think so, or at least didn't notice it.
“Is it normal for the air around you to feel kind of… electric?” he asked carefully.
“Usually, yeah. You'll get used to it until you don't even notice… there it is!”
The pony was suddenly trotting up to a spot in the grass ahead of him. There was a circle of trees surrounding the grass that Howard didn't notice before, like they were there for the specific purpose of protecting whatever unlucky family happened to teleport in. It was strange to walk upon it now, the trees a bit darker and the grass a bit brighter than the area immediately around the circle, but back then he was more concerned about his family and their new bodies upon waking up. Not to mention, having been awoken by a nightmare.
The mare quickly shook that thought loose from his head. “What do we do now that we're here?” he asked. “Do you know if you can send us back?”
“That's what I'm trying to figure out…” she trailed off, dropping most of her supplies casually to the ground. She kept only a notepad and a thermometer looking device that she glanced at every few seconds as she trotted around, seemingly at random. Howard shuffled about on his hooves watching her dumbly for a few minutes, unsure of what he should do now. There wasn’t much beyond standing there and playing through what happened here a few days ago.
It only made him feel confused to think about how he felt since waking, of course. And a little bit awful, even if there was a base feeling of relief there.  But hopefully it wouldn't matter soon anyway. Staying here for months or years wasn't in the cards, he didn't think.
“Huh, that's strange,” Twilight commented aloud to herself as she glanced between the thermometer, the circle, and her horn. She looked a mix between stern and unsure as she wrote something down.
“What is?” Howard asked casually as he stepped closer to her.
“It's like your magic trail just suddenly vanished,” she said as she looked around and moved through the circle, still writing things down. “All of your family. It was right here, with an orientation that suggested you were pushed here from Earth instead of pulled to Equestria. I know I felt it, because I got your and someone else's measurements down before it just… vanished. It completely disappeared without a trace or a warning.”
“If it's helpful,” Howard offered, “I don't think I noticed anything? That electricity is still there.”
“Yes, but this was much flatter. I doubt you'd notice though since you're from Earth. It's just confusing.”
“So what do we do then?” he asked, still shifting around on his hooves anxiously. He'd been asking it a lot, but doing anything was better than nothing. He might not have had much magical ability to offer—not yet anyway—but he would be okay to try whatever if it helped her.
She could definitely sense his tension, and moved to put a hoof on his shoulder. “It'll be okay,” she assured him. “It's a process. We'll figure it out. It'll take some time though, okay?”
He let out a breath and nodded, trying his best to believe her. There wasn't much else he could do anyway, besides stand around and watch her do whatever it was she was doing.
“It's just… so strange that it just up and disappeared like that,” she said, a focused look on her face. “It's not a typical property of ambient magic like what I felt. Maybe it dispersed because of how it interacts with the magic of natural Equestrians?”
“Uh, does that mean if you leave it'll come back?” Howard asked dumbly.
“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Probably not though. I don't really have time to give a lesson on the properties of magic right here, obviously, but basically, every time you step through magic, you displace it slightly. It's kind of like moving through liquids, and just like certain kinds of—get down!”
No teleportation this time. Instead, he was football tackled by the purple horse as he saw a few glints of sparkling light and heard a large boom hit his ears. A few seconds later, a rush of wind twisted up his mane and tail before the sparkling light faded away into the scene of the forest they saw before. Nothing seemed to have changed, except for the fact that now the leaves were rustling and the air felt just a little bit more filled with electricity.
“Oh, phew!” Twilight wiped her forehead with the edge of a leg like a human would do with their arm. “I thought that would be a lot worse! Apparently it doesn't take much magic at all to transport creatures between worlds! That's great news!”
“What the heck was that?” Howard asked incredulously. “The magic you said left?”
“You’re a pretty fast learner, Howard!” the winged unicorn complimented with a grin. “Especially for somepony who hasn’t interacted with magic much before she came here! Yes, once magic is displaced, like water, it has to go somewhere. And if it doesn’t have anywhere to go, then it’s gonna be forced back to where it started. There wasn’t enough for it to transverse to Earth—obviously you and your family ate some up when you transformed into Equian creatures from Earthlings. But there’s a lot of magic from Earth hovering around this spot, and with some inside of you, I bet we could get you back to Earth with enough time. Maybe even in just a few months!” She put a hoof to her chin and looked up, wondering aloud, “I wonder how much Earth magic you each have in you…”
A few months would be a long time, longer than Howard desired. But it was a start, he figured. A start to something. What kind of something, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t complain. Anything was better than nothing.
“We’ll have to come back here another day though,” she explained. “The monsters that live in the Everfree are drawn to spots where magic fluctuates, and I don’t want us getting hurt out here.”
“What if the magic disappears again though, while we’re gone?” Howard had to ask. “What would we do then?”
Once again, she put a hoof on her chin and wore a thoughtful expression. “It probably wouldn’t be good… I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But we don’t wanna stay out here right now. Being safe is the most important thing. Let’s get going.” She looked up and considered aloud, mostly to herself, “We’re definitely going to need to get that magic contained somehow though. We don’t want other creatures accidentally making their way to Equestria, do we?
Then, she lit up her horn to take the two back to Ponyville and leave the magic lingering in the Everfree Forest behind.
> Twenty-Fourth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howard listened as Twilight explained that there was no chance of Everfree monsters from Equestria making their way to Earth. He couldn’t see how she could know something like that; he and his family came here from Earth. Why couldn’t the reverse happen? But he decided to trust her on that particular issue.
He let her lead again, walking behind her and keeping his gaze fixed on her ears, to not catch anything below. She might have been a horse—with features he couldn't have cared less about on Earth on a farm—but Howard was talking to her as they walked, and she spoke back. It felt more indecent than it should have been.
He couldn't lie, he thought about that aspect a lot, much as he tried to ignore it. He had to think about it every time he went to the restroom. It was slightly easier somehow, being around strangers, but given the circumstances, he had no choice. But he was already kind of getting used to it. They sort of had an unspoken rule not to bring it up.
And if he felt too self conscious, he could always ask this girl for a dress, if it ever got that bad. Would the mare get to that stage of comfort though? He didn't know. Howard was already letting these horses call him a girl. But then, it made sense. That’s what he looked like.
It in no way implied anything about him.
There were no monsters to speak of as they got into Ponyville, Twilight talking him through what would happen. She told him how she would study with her mentor, a queen who abdicated her throne named Princess Celestia, and how the pony might come to town to speak to he and his family. Apparently she was a better magician than this girl was, and with her help, it might take only a few months to get them back home. That was a few months without a job or his children being in school and the police thinking his family had been kidnapped and whatever else.
But Twilight understood his unspoken concerns, and told him how he could register Thornton and Denver for education in Ponyville if he wanted, and how the accommodations would be fully furnished with no expenses on their part.
“And while you're at it, you could try looking for your special talent, both you and your daughter!” Twilight enthusiastically suggested. “It'd be interesting to see if other creatures can get them if they've been turned into ponies, since you and her don't have them!”
“What is a cutie mark?” Howard naturally asked. His ears perked up at the new information.
“It's a symbol that shows off your special talent! Everypony has one; it's something they're good at and have natural ability for! For example, my star symbolizes magic!” She twisted around to show off her backside, clearly not having the same concerns about decency as he did.
He didn't really notice it before, but there was indeed a picture of a hot pink star surrounded by smaller white ones on her side, near her rump. A quick check of his own flank showed that he lacked such a picture, curiously enough. He didn't understand why stars would symbolize magic, but he could sort of see it.
“So then more of the ‘what we're meant to be’ stuff,” he nodded. “Got it. I guess there'd be no harm in trying to get it, if we'll be here for a while.”
What was Howard destined for? He couldn't help but think about it now. He didn't think he had any special talents or hobbies, and his job wasn't the greatest in the world. It made him wonder now.
Obviously some things would be better as a special talent than others.
He didn't really focus on the town before, but he was now, knowing he would probably be spending a little while here. It wasn't a surprise that these horses came in all sorts of color combinations; he'd seen as much up to that point already. It was interesting how a lot of them were roughly the same size though. Some were bigger, of course, and a few were naturally smaller, but most were about his height, give or take no more than an inch. They also had the pictures on their flanks, showing everything under the sun. Things from books to golden rings to stars like Twilight Sparkle had, to even pictures of bowling pins and apples and trains and money bags. Was that one's special talent meant to be being rich?
It was mostly horses he saw interspersed with the occasional non-pony. There was an interesting mix of fantasy animals and real world animals he saw, like some kind of half snake, half pony animal talking to a cow and a deer. They went about their day, doing whatever it was a society of horses did. Presumably going to work and going shopping at the street market they passed by and relaxing in the sort of medieval looking homes that ran next to train tracks and stood beside modern looking banks and whimsical candy shops. It was quite strange, but not terribly alien.
And the last thing he noticed was just how many mares there were. It must have been three to one that they outnumbered the stallions around town. Whether it was just a coincidence or it was a reflection on the demographics of this world, Howard didn't know. He had to ask.
“Oh, yeah, here in Ponyville, it's close to eighty percent mares,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “Although it's not that drastic in other parts of Equestria. I think the official number from the last census is at about sixty one percent mares to thirty nine percent stallions. It's pretty common among most species actually, except for the changelings."
Huh. Wasn't that interesting. Maybe it was just statistically more likely for him to be a mare than a stallion, just given the odds. It might not have been related to any feelings he didn't have after only a few days.
“Try not to let it go to your head, Howard,” Twilight told him with a smile. “It won't be longer than a few months you have to be here.”
Of course he wouldn't let it go to his head, no way. He had more important things to worry about anyway.
Like Reece, of course. He didn't expect to see his son wandering around the town as Howard and Twilight walked along, but he wasted no time in waving a hoof in the air and calling over to him when he did. He didn't look particularly upbeat as he trotted over to him.
“Did you guys find anything useful out there?” he wasted no time in asking, looking between Howard and Twilight. “Tell me we can go back home now.”
“Not yet,” Twilight replied, “but like I was telling your mom—”
“My dad.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Like I was saying, we found lots of useful things in the forest, and I wrote down notes about the magic that pushed you here. I'll need some time to study and make sense of it though. It'll probably be a few weeks at best, but more—”
“A few weeks?” Reece asked, sounding surprised. “I thought you were gonna figure it out tonight!”
“Well that was the best case. More likely though, it'll be a few months, and—”
“Months! How can it be months? I can't be here that long!”
“Be careful how you talk to her son?” Howard told him. “She's done nothing but try to help us so far when she doesn't have to.”
“I know!” he said loudly, almost yelling. “I'm just annoyed!”
A little white smoke came out of his ears, but then he closed his eyes to take a breath and cooled back down. Probably literally. Howard was glad to see it, even if Reece still had an embarrassed, frustrated look on his face.
His other son was doing poorly too, of course, and just like with Thornton, there wasn't much he could do beyond step up to him and pet his back softly. He didn't gasp and purr in contentment like his younger child did, but maybe it helped a bit? He seemed to settle down, just a little more.
“Ah, it's fine,” Twilight waved a hoof nonchalant. “I deal with kirins all the time. It's no biggie. Although maybe you could come to my School of Friendship!” she offered. “I bet you'd learn a lot there!”
He gave a look to Howard, and then flatly decided, “I'll pass.” Twilight shrugged in response.
“Well, the offer's always open. To everypony. We have adult classes for creatures interested. But if you can, learning magic would be a big help. More than just unicorns can do it, and it might tell me a bit more about your origins. Your mo– err, dad’s been learning, and she can already light up her horn.”
“It’s true,” the mare jumped in, lighting his horn up. “See? I was working on that with your sister.”
Another weird look was sent Howard's way by his son, then he reluctantly sighed, shook his head, and joined the couple as they walked through the town.
Just like the rest of the houses in this city, the one they arrived at had thatched roofing to go along with beige walls and purple tinted windows. Did the residents tint all the windows the same color on their own, or was it mandated? Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem like the type, as far as Howard knew. Overall though, it was an interesting mix of old fashioned and modern. The town itself reminded him a lot of the nineteen hundreds.
“Huh, I thought they would've been here by now,” Twilight Sparkle hummed to herself. “I'll go get them! The door should be unlocked for you while I'm gone!” She wasted no time in lighting up her horn and disappearing after that.
Neither did Reece in asking questions as soon as she did. “Why do you let that girl do that, Dad?” he got out skeptically.
“Do what now?”
“Talk to us like we're just a scientific interest to her and nothing else! She doesn't seem like she has any concern about what we need when we can't stay here for weeks!” Howard thought he'd say something else, and let out a small sigh of relief that it wasn’t what he thought.
“I don't think I see what you see, son,” he told him. “She's helping. A lot more than we can ask for. We have a place to live and food to eat and—”
“And telling us to learn magic and talking about going to friendship school and sounding sooo excited that we're here when we shouldn't be!” he interrupted. “She doesn't even seem a little bit concerned about us, not beyond a vague interest!”
The stream was coming back, rising off of Reece’s coat. Of course, he was getting worked up again. It wasn't really like his son, not at all. But the circumstances weren't the same now as they were a few days ago. No surprise he was more stressed.
“I'll talk to her, okay?” Howard told him. “We both can if you want. But let's not get too upset by things we can't really change, especially since she's been nothing but helpful so far.” Reece rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration, but the steam went down anyway. The mare continued, “And I know you said you wanted to talk to me about yesterday. We can right now, while your mother and siblings are away.”
That seemed to make his son relax completely, thankfully enough. “Yeah, I do,” the kirin nodded.
The two headed inside the home to talk, but were instead surprised by someone else who jumped in front of them as soon as they opened the door—an electric looking bright pink pony with hot pink hair and a dopey looking grin plastered on her face. She stood in the doorway in front of a living room that was littered with balloons and ribbons and colorful flashing lights playing in the background, as well as at least a few dozen other ponies dancing to music that played in the background.
“Surprise!” she cheered loudly. “Welcome to Ponyville!”
> Twenty-Fifth Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thornton could say he tried to do as Thorax told him, but he didn't know how well it was working.
That wasn't to say Thorax wasn't trying his best, too—he definitely was. But, while Thornton might have looked like a changeling, he apparently didn't have the same instincts as them. Being told to ‘share the love’ seemed similar to him telling Thorax to stand on two legs and walk like a human. Both were intuitive, and both were difficult to explain.
He understood focusing on just one person’s emotions well enough though; he could find the source of feelings that drifted his way if he followed the invisible stream back to the creature it came from. But blocking out emotions was another matter. It was something he could definitely do, but not well. In fact, it wasn’t really blocking emotions at all, more just tuning them out. But it was better than nothing.
They moved to another room after Reece left. Twilight Sparkle came back to find his family in a cafeteria, radiating excitement and explaining all about the magic she saw and what would happen next and how it would probably take a few months to get them back. Thornton wasn’t surprised, although it was weird how happy she seemed about all of this. Denver didn’t seem to mind it either, and even smiled, but didn’t make a comment. He didn’t need to read her emotions to know that, despite her initial reaction, she was getting caught up in the thrill of being here. No surprise, since she could do magic.
And didn’t have to be hungry and starving and overloaded with senses day after day. This was going to continue to suck without any change.
Hey, I’m sure I can help you change a lot!, Thorax’s voice was suddenly saying cheerfully in his head. Don’t you worry! You wouldn’t believe how much I had to learn about being a changeling.
Of course, everyone in this world was overly happy, it seemed. But at least Thorax seemed to genuinely care rather than simply echo happiness and kindness and excitement, even if those things were very tasty. It was in the same vein as Fluttershy.
“Actually, you can take this,” the colorful buggish creature was saying quietly out loud. And then, a moment later, Thornton’s eyes were going wide as he felt Thorax pushing emotion his way. Instead of a stream though, it was a wave, one that crashed over him before disappearing a second later. It not only curbed his hunger, but it left him feeling stuffed. What was that?
That’s what sharing the love is! he told him. Most changeling hives who haven’t reformed yet are forced to give the love they gather from ponies to the king or queen of the hive, but when a changeling reforms, they’re able to give their love willingly to other changelings!
Okay, that was a good piece of information to have, even if he had no idea how to do something like that. Heck, he didn’t even know how to intentionally gather the emotions of anyone, nor had he had his stolen. A lot of this was turning out to be a ‘you’ll figure it out’ sort of situation.
But man, was the emotion he got from Thorax tasty. When was the last time he was actually stuffed like that? It was a combination of assurance and confidence and strength he got—not the most delicious mix of emotions he’d received, but certainly the most filling. Thornton wanted to fall asleep right there after a meal like that. If he could, anyway.
But instead, the fullness dwindled away over the next few seconds, and before long, his stomach was rumbling again. Not painful, but it would get there, he knew.
“Were you wanting to head into town right now?” Thorax asked. He rubbed a hoof behind his head and said, “I know I haven’t been the most helpful, but I hope I got a little bit through to you! I really have to stay here though, talking to Starlight Glimmer about enrollment for changelings this year…” And the fact that the kirin burned some of her books because of me, the green bug added silently. I'm sure that will be a fun conversation.
Then Thorax was speaking out loud again. “Are you going to be going to this school, too? Twilight Sparkle didn’t really give me much info about you actually, if you can believe it. What hive are you from again?”
“I don’t have a hive,” Thornton told him in his nasally voice. “I’m supposed to be a human.”
“Oh, okay! That makes sense!... uhh, I think? If you don’t have a hive though, you can be in my hive if you want! Visit other changelings and everything!”
Thornton smiled again—the second time in one day, an impressive feat under his new circumstances. He made sure his thoughts couldn’t be read as he replied, “I’d be down for that, if I’m not back home by the time I can. But being around other changelings would be good.” Thorax was right in that not much of what he said was the most helpful, but it was a great starting point. Better than Twilight or her now burned books could offer him anyway.
There was a lot of naivety about both Thorax and Twilight, Thornton was now noticing. Not much sympathy came off of either of them, even if there was reassurance and confidence there. Sympathy was nicer, more delicious, like the kind that Fluttershy seemed to give out in bucketloads.
Wait, did he have a crush on a yellow horse?
What are you thinking about, Thorny Tons? a new voice was suddenly asking in his head. He looked around to see who it came from—obviously one of the two smaller girl changelings who were with Thorax judging from their voice—before realizing a second later that it was in his head and he wouldn’t be able to tell. Thankfully though, they allowed their emotions to be felt for a few moments, long enough to pinpoint the stream and turn to one of them.
It was the older looking one of the two, Spiracle. She lifted a hoof casually with a small smirk, and spoke in his head. Telepathy isn’t the only way to find your emotions. You have a look on your face. What’s up?
He shook his head quickly at that, and said aloud, “It’s nothing. Just thinking. Um.” He glanced into her eyes for a second—ones with large red irises containing white pupils—and then turned back to Thorax. “Was there anything else I should know?” he asked. “Or would want to know?”
Thorax rubbed a hoof behind his head. “Well, if you don’t know anything about being a changeling, there’s going to be a lot,” he explained. “I don’t really understand how you can not know anything… oh! Maybe Ocellus and Spiracle or some of the changelings here can help you while I'm here! They could even go into town with you, right guys?”
Ocellus looked nervous, but Spiracle shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “I don’t mind. Should we go right now?” She was looking at Thornton as she asked the question.
It was still strange that he wasn’t able to sense her emotions after only three days. Had he already adjusted to his new normal so quickly? It’d be nice when he finally got back home and was able to go to sleep again, and not know what everyone was thinking all the time. And was able to eat real food. He was gonna have a buffet when Twilight finished whatever she needed to. 
“Uh, yeah, but slow,” he told her. “I don’t wanna be mentally overloaded.” As if this world wasn’t strange enough already.
Slowly was how they walked, carefully making their way back along the path and away from the school. The large, more intense emotions of the yaks disappeared from his senses as he became more aware of the small animals around them and their simple feelings. He tried to practice what Thorax said, tuning out the emotions of the rest of them and focusing on one stream. It worked, somewhat; he could kind of let the other streams fade into the background, but they were still there. He hoped it would be enough.
“Every changeling goes through it when they leave the hive for the first time,” Spiracle explained. “Trust me. It can get loud out here, especially when you haven’t reformed yet. I remember watching Thorax during the invasion struggle with all the emotions, even worse than I was.”
“Wait, is Thorax not, like, your dad?” Thornton had to ask.
“My dad?” Spiracle blinked at the question, sounding incredulous. “All changelings are born from a queen. In our hive, that was Queen Chrysalis.” She paused and added, “You really don’t know anything, do you?”
“No. Like I said, I’m supposed to be a human. Like this.” He quickly changed to look like himself again, this time with shorts and a short sleeved shirt for the nice weather. It was definitely a lot more comfortable to actually look like himself when he wasn’t around his family.
“Huh,” Spiracle nodded, like it wasn’t out of the ordinary at all. Then she shape shifted to look like him, too, an exact copy of what he was, and stretched out her arms to look her body over. Or was it his body? Seeing her change into him definitely felt more weird than anything.
A few seconds later, she changed back, telling him, “That’s pretty strange. Not many creatures stand on their hind legs like that. And you have clothes covering your whole body. No creature does that.”
“Well, this is what I am,” he told her. “Or, well, what I was. That pony, Twilight Sparkle, is supposed to be helping us get back home to Earth, but we don’t know how long that’s going to be.”
“Well I don’t have any problem helping you around while you’re here,” she told him, her voice echoing a bit of skepticism, but not outright doubt. “But if you can, try not to get too focused on eating love? The more you think about it, the worse it’s gonna get. It’s part of how you reform, too.”
That sounded impossible, even more impossible than blocking out emotions. Thornton might have been able to keep how starved he felt in the background a lot of the time, but it was always there on his mind. Especially when it got painful. Thankfully it wasn’t right now, since he was recently fed by this girl. And Fluttershy. He definitely had a crush.
“Yeah, like that I mean,” Spiracle continued. “Changelings can tell when you’re hungry, especially when you’re thinking about it like that. It’s the only thing you can’t block out, for obvious reasons.”
Of course he couldn’t. Not like blocking it out would make him less hungry.
“Let’s keep going,” he told her, starting forward again. “And hopefully by the time we get to Ponyville, I can tune it all out.”
“You should be able to,” Spiracle told him. “Like I said though, every changeling goes through it. It's gonna be pretty hard at first.”
Yeah. Should. Thornton wasn’t a changeling before.
But he was now. Nothing he could do about it but suck it up and start forward. At least pretending to be a human again and looking like one was nice.