Chapter 1: Martha the Now Pony
For many days, she has wasted hours staring at her reflection.
Martha reaches a foreleg to the mirror. She presses a hoof onto the the glass, onto the equine staring back at her. The eyes of the earth pony are the same as the eyes she had when she was a human - "a bright, clear green," as her ex-partner use to describe them (he was dramatic in speech and, unfortunately, dramatic in personality, which led to their split). Surprisingly, her mane is not the same color as the hair she use to possess - instead of a blonde, it is white, and not even her coat is blonde - that is a light tan. Would she have not minded being this as much, she wonders, if her mane and her coat were brighter colors? Would the pretty colors have somewhat distracted her from her thoughts, she wonders with bitter snort.
She pulls her hoof back, stunned at the noise she has made, then slowly places it back on the mirror, bowing her head. Even days after being converted, she has difficulty grasping that she is now longer Martha the Human.
She is Martha the... Now Pony.
Martha... Not a Human... a Now Pony...
Martha the Now Pony.
Martha the... Pony?
"Martha the pony," she murmurs. "Martha the Now Pony."
Ponification is necessary, she knows. Humans cannot survive the Barrier, she knows. Humans have to become ponies to survive. She knows.
But - and her stomach twists into a knot and a small part of her mind is screaming at her for being so selfish, because she doesn't feel grateful, she doesn't feel saved, she doesn't know how she feels. Uncertain? That seems to be the most fitting word. Uncertain. What she feels, and what she wishes not to feel but can't help but feel, is uncertain.
Martha traces her hoof over her reflection, then glances over at the clock on the wall. It's almost time for her to head out and see Kim.
Kim the Still Human.
Kim the Still Human with Martha the Now Pony.
Time to stop looking at the mirror, time to stop looking at herself, time to get ready to go. Perhaps being in her company will put her mind at ease. Perhaps Kim will know what to say, what to do.
Martha almost jumps when she hears her phone ringing from the kitchen counter. She dashes over to retrieve it, crashes into the chair reaching to the counter, falls to the ground with what she finds to be an embarrassingly childish "Ouch!". Furiously blushing, she gives her coat an involuntary shake, then attempts to pull herself back up to her hooves, only to end up falling flat onto her stomach. "Oof! Gr... I hate hooves," she grumbles. Again, the phone rings. Martha, with great effort, places the chair back up, and, again with great effort, pulls up onto the chair. She uses her mouth to pick up the phone from its holder and place it onto its side.
Maybe, Martha thinks as she attempts to dial the number that called her, she would worry less about her new life as a unicorn or a pegasus. Or even if she wasn't angst-ing any less than she is now, answering the damn phone certainly wouldn't be a trail. And so, being an earth pony, Martha suffers from the most mundane tasks, like trying to use this damn phone - why wouldn't her hooves just let her press the goddamn buttons -
And finally, she is able to reach to the person who called her - her brother, Dylan. Martha gives a satisfied sigh of relief, and is vaguely aware that a smile is creeping across her face.
The very first thing her brother says is, "You took long enough to answer."
Martha glares at the phone. Dylan, as though he has seen her reaction face-to-face, laughs. "Hey hey," he says, "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I know how it feels, being a fellow earth pony. Guess it makes sense for us both to be earth ponies, being twins and all." Dylan chuckles. "Ah, sorry for babbling. Anyway, sorry about that. You know I love ya, sis."
"I love you too, Dylan," Martha says, her voice soft.
"I haven't spoken to ya in what feels like forever!" Dylan says. "How've things been since you've gone pony?"
"Things have been okay, I guess." Again, Martha glances at the clock on the wall. Surprisingly, not so much time was wasted trying to answer the damn phone; she isn't running late. "I have to go really soon, but... I wanted to hear your voice before I left the apartment."
"Seein' Kim? So, are you two finally goin' out, or - "
"Shut up, Dylan." Martha's ears flatten.
"Aw come on! It's so obvious that you two have the hots for each other. Just ask each other out already, or something. Or are ya waiting until she becomes a pony too?"
"Dylan, I told you to shut up!"
"Fine," Dylan says. He gives a huff; Martha giggles at this. "So, how long have ya got into ya have to go?"
"Well, I should get going now, as much as I'd love to catch up with you on things. I'll call you later, though!"
"Don't ya mean you'll try to call me back?"
Martha scoffs. "Ha ha, very funny."
"But, in all seriousness, why don't ya ask somepony to help ya out with the whole pony thing, Martha?"
"I'll figure the whole pony thing out on my own," Martha says curtly. "I really have to go now. Goodbye, Dylan."
"Huh?" Martha can hear the confusion in Dylan's voice. "Martha, are you alright - "
Martha presses the off button. She hops (or rather falls) off the chair and heads for the door, pausing to wipe off the tears that are starting to spill from her eyes.
Perhaps she can solve... this... with Kim.
Perhaps...
Author's Note
Constructive criticism is welcomed!
REVISED CHAPTER 1 (Martha the Newfoal)
Author's Note
Instead of moving on to the second chapter, I decided to revise the first one. Taking in the feedback I was given for the original version, I tried to have more things happen instead of solely focusing on Martha's thoughts (which is why Martha starts interacting with Kim here), and, as also suggested, I tried to make Martha feel more alien in her new body. I removed the bit where Martha is conversing with her brother Dylan on the phone. Admittedly, I only used him to bump up the word count before. I don't think his character quite fits the tone of this story, but perhaps I will use him in another; he was fun to write.
I'd like to thank nothingtoseehere for reading over my revision and providing me with feedback. I hope this first chapter is more engaging!
REVISED CHAPTER 1 (Martha the Newfoal)
Martha reaches a foreleg to the mirror and presses a hoof to the glass, to the equine staring back at her. The eyes of the earth pony are the same as the eyes she had when she was a human - "a bright, clear green," as her ex-partner used to describe them (he was dramatic in speech and, unfortunately, in personality, which led to their split). Surprisingly, her mane is not the same color as the hair she use to possess - instead of a golden blonde, it is white; and not even her coat is blonde - it is a light tan.
A week has passed since her conversion, and she has wasted many hours examining her reflection like this. I'm not a human anymore, she thinks. I'm a pony now.
No, not even a pony. A Newfoal.
She knows that ponification is necessary. She knows that humans cannot survive the Barrier. Humans have to become ponies to survive. She knows.
But - and her stomach twists into a knot and a small part of her mind screams at her for being so selfish, for being so ungrateful - she doesn't feel saved; she doesn't know how she feels. Uncertain? That seems to be the most fitting word. Uncertain. What she feels, and what she wishes not to feel yet cannot help but feel, is uncertain.
Martha traces her hoof over her reflection. She glances over at the clock on the wall. The time reads 2:49. She should head out to see Kim now.
Kim... Martha's heart flutters, and a tiny smile creeps across her face. She begins to approach the door, but then stops and squints at it. Where is the knob -
Oh. Right. The door was adjusted for her.
Martha pushes the door open with her hoof, then steps out. The door swings shut, and she heads out into the bright afternoon.
~~~
As a human, Martha would have enjoyed an afternoon such as this. To quote the cliches her ex-partner spouted: "How radiant is the sun, whose rays bask us all in its glory! How gentle is the breeze, which lightly brushes against us!" But now, going through the suburbs has become an ordeal for her. It is very easy to distinguish Equestrian ponies from Newfoals.
Martha looks down, not wanting to meet the gaze of anybody or anypony she passes by. She notices that there are hooves below her. Her hooves. Her four hooves. Not two feet. Why does she have -
She crashes to the ground, and it is when she is pushing herself up that she remembers what she has become. She resumes her pace, again lowering her head. From the corner of her eye, Martha notices five ponies conversing to each other:
"I bet'cha ten bits that was a Newfoal."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! You see how they tripped?"
"What about it?"
"It was really awkward-like. Like they didn't know that they have hooves or something. You get what I mean?"
Martha's walk turns into a gallop.
~~~
Martha has reached her destination, and she now stares at the door before her. She raises a foreleg to knock, then stops and lowers it back down.
She, Martha the Newfoal, is on one side of the door. On the other side of the door is Kim, a Human.
But... it's Kim...
Martha forces herself to knock, then waits. She becomes consciously aware of how her hoof is tapping against the floor, how her ears are twitching in anticipation, how her tail is swishing back and forth. She has to inhale, exhale...
And the door swings open.
Martha's heart leaps in her chest.
There is Kim, her eyes the same soft brown; her hair the same color, still long, still beautiful. It hits Martha how she hasn't seen her in ages, and she wants to fling her arms around her, to hug her tightly and tell her how much she's missed her and perhaps tell her how much she really means to her -
Why am I smaller than her? There's only an inch's difference in height -
Oh. Right.
Martha blinks, realizing that she has been staring at Kim. Kim clears her throat, and the very first thing she says is:
"You aren't blonde."
It feels as though someone has slapped her across the face. Martha raises an arm - no, she corrects herself, a foreleg - and looks at its light tan color, then back up at Kim, whose arms are crossed. "No," Martha says, her voice quiet. "I'm not blonde..."
The two stare at each other. All the childish excitement brimming in Martha before begins to waver. She lowers her head, pawing the ground.
Kim says, "So. You're a Newfoal now."
Martha slowly nods, wanting to say something, but unsure of what to say.
"Hm... Do you mind if I... You know, pet you, or something?"
Again, in response, Martha nods. Anything for you to touch me... She shuts her eyes. She hears Kim getting down on her knees, feels a hand lightly graze against her hair - mane - and she shudders.
"Sorry." Martha opens her eyes to see Kim pulling her hand back. "Do you want to come inside," Kim asks. Her tone is inviting, and the smile forming on her face is light and genuine, but there is still a bizarre quiver in the air.
Martha starts to hear the tune of Simon & Garfunkel's "Old Friends" play in the back of her mind. She can't help but outwardly laugh. Kim tilts her head to the side, raising an eyebrow, and Martha only gives her head a shake. Kim shrugs and heads inside.
Martha doesn't immediately follow. She takes a deep breath. Things are changing, but she will be with Kim no matter what.