One Step, Pink Step

by David Silver

Rating: mature
Tags: Comedy, Random, Adventure, Pinkie Pie, Sex, Human, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Thriller
Length: 131835

Pinkie attempts to set things right in a devastated world, but time refuses to be changed easily. Now at the start of the cycle, Pinkie sees the apocalypse from a front seat. How will she get home, and will she help Earth while she's there?

Pinkie attempts to set things right in a devastated world, but time refuses to be changed easily. Now at the start of the cycle, Pinkie sees the apocalypse from a front seat. How will she get home, and will she help Earth while she's there?

A virus is spreading, and it promises an end to life as we know it. The only clue they have is a pony that claims to be an alien. Will humanity keep it together long enough to put this together?

This takes place largely in Japan, and I'm trying to do right by cultural mores and landscapes and things, feel free to call me out.

Published 2015-10-09 04:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-12 15:15:16 UTC

1 - Slipping

I finished packing what I thought would come in handy. It was a shame that rubber chicken turned into a key, it would've been really useful. I descended the stairs and bounced over to Mister and Misses Cake. "Hey, I'm going to be gone awhile, you know, bringing good cheer, like we talked about."

Mister Cake looked not entirely certain. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's a very big job, even for you, from the sound of it."

I threw a leg around the both of them and drew them in tight. "Aw, don't worry about me! I'll be fine. Adventure is my middle name. Pinkamena Adventure Pie!"

Misses Cake smiled, but it wasn't a real smile, I could tell. "I thought your middle name was Diane?"

I waved dismissively as I fell back to fours. "I'm just joking. It's going to take a lot of jokes to turn a whole world of sad ponies happy again. It's the least I can do, seeing as my friend kinda accidentally made the whole mess."

Mister Cake gestured towards the door as he nodded. "We'll take care of things, don't worry about us, just be careful, alright?"

Bouncing towards the door, I waved at the two of them. "Oh, don't worry. I have a plan, a really great plan!" I ducked out of the door, but not before seeing their amazed faces. Why was everypony always so surprised when I got big ideas? No matter! I was going to fix this problem, Pinkie Pie style.

I stopped by a few places to finish rounding out my supply, and arrived at the castle with bulging saddlebags and my usual smile. Everything I'd need to put the plan into operation. The cool ponies from the other world were there, talking with each other and being friendly. They were pretty diverse as families went, but they were a happy herd. Their attention slid towards me as they noticed me and I waved at them. "Ready to go!"

Rainbow dropped in from above, coming in for a smooth landing. "About that. We had a bit of a talk. You see, you have a new part of your mission, Pinkie."

I tilted my head with surprise. "Huh? You're not coming?"

Rainbow put a hoof to her chest. "My part of the mission's changed, but yours just got even more important." That sounded important! "Your job, if you choose to accep--"

I interrupted her with a blurted out, "I do!"

Rainbow chuckled softly. "I knew I could count on you. Tell the ponies where you're going that they can get weather and flying tips from me, and magic lessons from Twilight. That's education from the two best examples in Ponyville. Will can bring them back and we'll show them how to get things done."

I nodded quickly at her, though if my plan worked, I wouldn't need to send a single pony to her, but it was good to know she and Twilight were ready to lend a helping hoof to ponies in need. Maybe it'd be better if I wasn't going with Rainbow Dash. It'll be easier on my own. Yes! I had this under control. "Don't worry, RD. I have this totally under control. I'll have this fixed before you know it!"

RD nodded once before she fluttered off. She looked nervous, or was that excited? Of course she was excited. I remember her talking about giving flying lessons once to a bunch of adorable little foals and she had a lot of fun with that. If everything went just right, she wouldn't need to do that, but maybe... Backup plans never hurt anypony.

The two tallest of the herd nodded together. They were kinda of creepy and kinda amazing, especially when they moved in perfect harmony, not to mention being twins and all. My sisters and I were never that close. The strangest part was that they weren't actual twins. They were married. What are the odds of finding somepony that close to yourself to fall in love with? It blew my mind just thinking about it. "You two are super amazing! So when are we going?"

One of them pet over my curly mane and I giggled. Their fingers tickled, especially when they went after an ear. They gave the best pets, which wasn't something I had a lot of experience with, but still, definitely top ten material. "Everyone's here. Twilight, do you need anything else before we go?"

All eyes turned towards our favorite lavender alicorn. She shook her head slowly as she stood in that official princessy way that she did when she wanted to look super official and important. "Everything's in order. Goodbye, and good luck. We'll take care of anypony you send our way." She hesitated a moment. "And... sorry. For everything. I know it doesn't undo what's been done, but I truly am sorry."

I rubbed my hooves together, thinking about my plan. It would be hard! It would be tricky! I might get hurled into a whole other dimension where there wasn't anything that resembled a cupcake! But if it worked, oh yes... if it worked...

"What are you doing?" Neon was looking at me oddly.

I fell back to all fours and waved at her. "Oh nothing. Just strategizing."

A field of magic wrapped around us in a big bubble. I'd seen Twilight do that kind of thing plenty of times to protect us from something, or to float us around. With the feeling of falling sideways, we were somewhere else. Was this the void they mentioned? The others were frozen, except the twins who were looking around. I waved a hoof in front of Crystal's stuck snout. "Heloooo?"

The twins looked at me with surprise. "You shouldn't be able to move." I wasn't sure which of them it was. I really should have memorized which one was which.

"Amazing. Stay still though. We don't want you to get lost," said the other with a gentle smile. "We'll take care of getting us there."

"About that." I grinned, the plan seemed even easier, now that I saw what the void was like. "So, this place, the void, right? It touches everywhere, right?" They nodded. "Does it touch everywhen?" They looked confused. "I have a feeling it does."

One shook their head. "We can experiment with that another time, Pinkie. Holding us here takes a good bit of energy. We should get moving."

The bubble began rushing through the void at a speed that felt both immense and tiny. It was really hard to measure space or time in that place, and that was exactly what I was counting on. When I had a good idea of where they were aimed, I sank down and gave my fanny a little shake. I'd have to get it juuuuust right.

"Pinkie? Whatever you're planning, please don't do it."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll have this all fixed in two shakes of a pink tail." With two shakes, I jumped. I hurtled through that space as strange energy bombarded me from every direction. It burned and tingled and felt freezing all the same time, but I was on target. I was going to do it!

Author's Note

P-pinkie... What are you doing, Pinkie?

I get the feeling the plot of this story hit the ultimate typo, and her name is Pinkie. May god have mercy on us all.

3 - Going on a Trip

I woke up the next day. Emma's couch was comfy, though not quite as comfy as my bed was. It was still early out and she was asleep, so I took a quick shower and shook off the water before I went to go peek out the window. I was still kind of amazed at how high up I was. I couldn't even see the ponies below besides an impression of movement, like watching an anthill from far away. I wanted to go say hello to them. Did they like ponies? Who wouldn't like ponies? We're all soft and fluffy and nice.

As I thought about going out there and greeting them, a very not-soft or fluffy thing began to happen. With every thump of my heart, I could feel my new stallion pole pushing itself out. My eyes were drawn to it, watching the flared head emerge into sight and begin to work its way towards being full. Oh wow... It wasn't the first one I ever saw, sheesh. I've been around plenty of stallions, and encouraged a few to have a few drinks and lighten up while having a good time. These things would happen sometimes, flopping around while they tried to get me to have a 'private party' with them. I mean... I even said yes, a few times.

Thinking back over my fun times made it grow faster. It was like this slowly wound up coil was attached to me, and it was getting tenser and tenser as it became full. I wanted to have a 'private party', but there weren't any mares around. Well, there was one... I trotted up to her door, new pole thumping against the bottom of my barrel with every bouncing step, which felt way too good! Why did stallions have it so easy? If I had that thing all the time, I wouldn't even need a party. What am I saying?! Parties are what makes Pinkie, Pinkie, er, me. Even if I could have all the 'private parties' I wanted, it wouldn't be...

I got distracted from my train of thoughts as a faint smell reached my nose. I couldn't quite place it, but I wanted it. I wanted it really badly. I nosed open her door carefully and looked into the darkness. I couldn't see her in the gloom very well, but I knew where she was, and that was what mattered. I snuck in quietly. You'd think a pony would be too heavy to sneak in that tiny place, but I've practiced! I was soon beside her bed, looking down at her. She was so peaceful and trusting. She didn't mind having a stranger in her home, staring at her while she slept, thinking of having...

What was I doing? I pulled away from her and suddenly felt awful. She was a friend, a good one, and there I was, considering doing something super mean to her.

She made a soft noise, and opened her eyes. "Pinkie?" Spotted! She flopped over to face me. "What are you doing in here? Do you need something?" She must have just noticed my condition. Her eyes focused on it as she suddenly sat up and got scared, which made me feel worse.

I put up a hoof. "Sorry! I was just lonely."

She shook her head. "I should think you were, but I'm not a pony."

Did that matter? I nodded at her gently. "You're a friend. So, what's up?"

Emma glanced at a calendar hung on the wall, with its funny human dates, then she swore. She threw off the blanket and got up in a hurry. "Today's the day I get ready for a trip."

A trip?! I clopped my hooves excitedly. "Where are we headed? Is it somewhere exciting?"

Emma paused and looked back to me, frowning. "I... I only have a ticket for one person, and you're not even a person. There's no way I can bring you on this trip."

I've heard Twilight try the same kind of excuse before. "Not to worry. Just tell me where I need to be, and I'll handle the rest. You won't even know I'm there!" I held up a hoof while the other I put over my heart in solemn promise, mildly ruined as it was with that stallion pole that wouldn't go down.

She looked quite dubious. "I'm going to Japan. I've always wanted to go! Look, why don't you just stay here. I'll have food delivered while I'm gone and you can hang out here."

Her little home was very nice, but I didn't want to stay inside for who-knows-how-long, stuck here. "Don't worry, I can handle this, promise. Stealth missions are my specialty."

Emma burst into laughter as she made her way into the bathroom and closed the door. "Pinkie, you're a pink horse in a world full of humans. You're about as non-stealthy as you can get." I heard the water come on. She was probably taking a shower, washing that naked body of hers, glistening... shiny in the light. Her...

I shouldn't be thinking about that! Having a 'private party' with someone who didn't want one, that was one of the worst things a pony could do. It just wasn't right, and she didn't want to do that, so get it together, girl. I would prove my stealthy skills instead! I quickly donned my dark suit, even if my new stallion bits bulged it outwards along the belly and chest. She wouldn't know what hit her! I giggled with anticipation as I hid myself away.

It took literally forever for her to emerge, but there she was. Emma looked around for me. "Pinkie?" She couldn't find me. I stifled a giggle as best as I could, but she heard it, but she didn't place where it was. "Pinkie? Where are you hiding?" She walked across the hallway back to her room and closed the door, and that's when I landed on her.

Falling from the ceiling, I grabbed her and squeezed her. "Surprise!"

She shrieked with shock and lashed out an arm. An elbow caught me in the snout. Ouch! I let her go and rubbed over the sore spot. Oops, I was bleeding. She noticed that and looked suddenly sorry. "Pinkie... I'm sorry, you really scared me. Does it hurt?"

I shook my head and moved for the napkins I saw in the bathroom. "It's okay," I assured in a nasally voice. "But I can be sneaky, see?!" She followed after me and gently brushed my hoof out of the way before helping me clean up. She wet a napkin and mopped up the mess on my face while making little comforting sounds. She really didn't mean it. She did care. It made me smile even if it did kind of hurt. "So... where do I need to be?"

She tossed the bloodied napkins into the toilet, flushed, then began washing her hands from the trace amounts she got on herself. "Pinkie, it's a lot harder to sneak around on crowded streets than it is in my apartment. I really don't want you to get hurt."

I gently hugged her, then I noticed she wasn't wearing anything. In all the excitement, her towel fell off. Oh, why didn't she want to party a little? "I'll be super careful, I promise. Trust me."

She looked quite torn. "You really think you can sneak onto a plane, of all things? The security there's nuts these days."

I pushed my cleaned nose to her cheek. "Trust me."

She looked uncertain at first, but she started to come around. Everypony comes around to Pinkie! "Well, alright, if you're absolutely certain?" I nodded quickly. "Alright, let's go over a map of the place. I'll show you where I'm getting on the plane. I have no idea how you plan to pull this off, you pink clown, but I feel like I should let you try this." She grunted. "I must be too stressed out. None of this makes any sense."

The airport where the plane would take off from was way complicated, and they didn't fly in balloons or anything, no sir. They had these big rocket kind of things that they sat in. Looked kind of dangerous, but exciting! I was sure I could pull it off. "Leave it to Pinkie. You just get on your plane like you normally would, and I'll handle my part. We'll have tons of fun in that Japan place. What are you doing there, anyway?"

Emma smiled with fond memories. "I'm going to visit an online friend of mine, see the sights, and basically be a tourist. I've never been there before. Have... you been?"

I shook my head. "The pictures you showed me remind me of Neighpon, but I've never been there either. It'll be fun!"

"Fun..." She looked uncertain a moment before it cleared. "You'd better be nice to my friend. Her name's Aiko, and she's really sweet, and she's not expecting a pony to show up with me, if you can even do that, which I'm not entirely convinced you can." Despite her doubt filled words, she didn't try to convince me not to try. She even gave me a hug, which I was quite happy to return.

"I'll be nice, promise. Nice is practically my middle name, but not really. That's just kind of a joke I picked up from Rainbow Dash." She looked confused. "A friend of mine. She's a pegasus."

She hiked a brow. "Of course. Why wouldn't she be. I'm guessing you have a few unicorn friends too?"

I clopped my hooves in a quick clapping. "Yeah, two really good ones and a lot of friends. Have you been to Equestria before? Oh, well, I guess you wouldn't have... Good guess though."

Emma started gathering things and folding them up into her suitcase. "I'm going to be really busy today making sure everything's in order. Do you know how to cook?" I bobbed my head quickly. "Great. Try not to make a mess. I won't have time for cleanups tomorrow. I'd tell you to get packed too, but you didn't..." She trailed off, looking at my dark suit. "Where did you get that from anyway?"

"Trade secret." I unzipped it off of myself and folded it up before stuffing it away. "I'm always prepared for all kinds of emergencies. I knew this would be a crazy trip, so I brought along even more than usual."

Emma moved to her computer and typed out something quickly before she did exactly what she said she would, she packed. She packed and cleaned and arranged things. It was kind of boring, so I tried to help out wherever I could. It's always easier and more fun with a friend, and I didn't get in her way too often. "What did you do on that thing in there?" I pointed into her bedroom.

"The computer? I was just telling Aiko that I may have company with me." Emma sighed with a smile. "She's going to be just as surprised as I was, if you make it. Please... Please be careful. I'd be really sad if you got hurt."

Author's Note

Emma, why are you going along with this insane idea? You should know better than this! Emma? Are you paying attention to me?

We may have a typo here.

4 - Operation Pink Eagle (clop)

The next morning, Emma woke up with a case of the sniffles, and I had a case of the squirmy-wirmies. Mornings were the worst, it seemed, and I wanted to have a nice, long, party with Emma, but she wasn't having any of that.

"I have to get to the plane. If you somehow get there, I'll see you when I land, otherwise, please, just stay here. It's safe here." She hugged me and kissed my cheek before sneezing. "Damn, must be allergies."

I liked the kiss, and returned it on her nose. She blushed cutely and ran off. She had all of her things and rushed out the door, waving at me and asking one more time that I stay there and be super bored in her apartment. Nope! I donned my dark suit, pulled down my goggles, and I was off!

I crept down the hallway along the ceiling, all the better for avoiding being spotted. Mmf, I was still all stiff and stuff. I wanted a mare to play with, or a stallion, either would be a lot of fun right then, but I was in the middle of a mission. I carefully pushed open a door leading out onto a balcony and ran into my first obstacle. There was a human there. He was talking to somepony I couldn't see and facing away. I could probably sneak past him... or... maybe it was time for some fun?

I trembled with the burning desire to jump on him and do things. They weren't all nice things. They weren't Pinkie things. No! I would finish this mission. I moved to slip past him carefully when the urge became overwhelming. I'd said no to just about every suggestion I had for me, and now it was insisting. I fell to my knees and darted between his legs. He grunted with annoyance before I grabbed his zipper in my teeth and yanked it down. I buried my face in his crotch and found his stallion bits. It was shaped differently than a pony's, but I didn't care. I just had to have it. I sucked it up like a cupcake and began nursing on him eagerly.

The human got scared and looked around for help, but he didn't try to run away more than a few steps to another edge of the balcony. His precious stallion bits were in my mouth, and I was taking good care of it. My wet tongue explored up and down its length as it began to swell into fullness. His shock turned to confused pleasure. "What are you?" His hands reached for my head and gently played with my ears as I bobbed slowly up and down along his soon fully-engorged shaft. The head was kind of funny, like a little mushroom instead of the flared tip stallions were supposed to have, and no medial ring either.

I didn't have any answers for him, at least nothing I could say. I mean, gosh, I had a mouth filled up with his funny willy and I was working it over as good as I could, and it felt great. All the tension I had was flowing away with each loud slurp I gave him, and he was obviously liking it too. He started to sag in front of me, and soon I had him on the ground. It was like I was grazing, except instead of grass, it was his cock. He grabbed for my soft hips and pulled me over and I stepped over him. He nuzzled up against the crotch of my dark suit, sending little tingles of pleasure through me. "Oh fuck, I'm being sucked off by an alien, and it's a dude?"

I complained about the label muffledly around his cock and he laughed almost drunkenly. "Yeah, I guess once you're with aliens, it doesn't matter that much. He found my zipper the same was I had found his and yanked it down with his teeth. My big pink balls fell into view and he began rubbing his nose against them, making me grunt and squirm with delight, but that was nothing compared to what was coming. He kept exploring, and he found my marehood. His little tongue lapped up and down over it and I squealed with joy. Why was I so sensitive? Every little touch felt so nice!

Quite suddenly, his shaft went rigid, then began to pulse, spraying my tongue and mouth with his seed. It was a little bitter, but a little sour candy was good at times, and I swallowed it down as he sighed and went limp. He was tired. Most stallions get that way after they get off. That was alright, I felt better, and I still had a mission to get done. I tucked myself back in and zipped up before giving him a little nuzzle. "Thanks." He grabbed me and hugged me. I got the feeling he wanted me to stay with him, but Emma was waiting for me. "Sorry... Gotta go!" I swung over the edge of the balcony and began rapidly swinging from one balcony to the next, descending towards the street below.

As I snuck through the crowded city, I didn't feel as tense anymore. Taking that moment with that stallion really helped. I hoped the guy enjoyed it too, it seemed like he had. There were humans everywhere! The dark suit was the wrong disguise, so I ducked into an alleyway and emerged with my trenchcoat and fedora instead. I walked along on two legs and mostly looked like any other human. My forehooves had gloves on them, even if I couldn't move the fingers. My hindhooves did make clip-cloppy sounds on the pavement, but nobody seemed to notice that in the middle of the crowd as I strode along.

I stopped at a bus stop and swayed back and forth as I waited for the next one. I needed the one that said 'airport' on it. Simple! A little human filly noticed me and looked up at my mask with obvious suspicion. I turned away from her but she just circled around me. She was looking too closely! I crouched down towards her. "Shhh, it's a secret, alright?" The filly bobbed her head with wide eyes. She looked excited. I pulled down my mask a little, just enough to give her a wet smack on the cheek. "Thanks." Then I pulled it back up. She returned to her mother and whispered something to her. The mother glanced at me, but didn't stare, and I was allowed to wait without any further trouble.

The bus pulled up loudly and came to a stop. Humans came off and other humans got on, me included! I walked past the driver, but didn't make it two steps before he shouted at me, "Hey, pay up."

Pay? I stuffed a gloved hoof in a pocket and drew out a few bits and stuffed them in the funny machine he was pointing at, well, I tried. They were too thick to fit in the slot on the machine. "What is this? Play money?" He grabbed my glove, which fell off and he recoiled in terror. "What the fucking hell!" My cover was blown! I snatched up the coins and jumped off the bus. I ran around a building out of sight, and he didn't try to chase me. Thank goodness for small favors.

I decided it was time to hoof it, and began bouncing and darting from cover to cover through the city. I stuck to the shadows where I could, and used my amazing stealthy skills when I couldn't. That airport wasn't that far away, and I knew which way it was. I was certain I could make it in time. Most of the humans didn't pay much attention to me, which suited me just fine at the moment. I kept my hoofs stuffed in my pocket, out of sight, and just kept going. Riding would have been a lot easier, but little things like that couldn't stop Pinkie Pie from reaching her destination.

It took me a bit longer than I had planned to get out of the city. The sun was coming down. I had failed, in part. So I missed her flight, there would be others, right? I pulled out a cupcake and devoured it to keep up my strength, and I pressed on. I'll give this to human places, even their roads are well lit at night, so I didn't have to slow down on my way out to the airport. I'd find another plane headed where she was. Kansai International Airport, that was its name. Any plane heading there would get me to her and her friend, and we'd be able to have fun and explore a whole new country!

With that thought in mind, I pushed through the fatigue, and the boredom. I coulda used a friend right about then, but I was fresh out until I got to Kansai. That was a funny name. I started saying it outloud. "Kansai. Kan Sai. Can Sigh? Kine sigh! Kansai Kansai Kansai!" With nobody around, I was on all fours and bouncing along as I sang my silly song. It helped to pass the time.

I could see the airport up ahead, but before then I could tell I was getting close with the roaring wooshing sounds the airplanes made when they took off or landed. My plan was to find out which plane it was, then get out of the building and sneak onto the plane from underneath. I couldn't fake being a human well enough to just walk on, and like Emma said, they checked all the humans really carefully. One little pat down and they'd know they had a pretty pink pony, and they'd want to play not-so-fun games with me. I didn't blame them. In their eyes, I was a creepy scary alien thing. That kid had the right attitude! Pink ponies are the friendliest kind around. I mean, think about Princess Cadance. She's the nicest princess around! I guess Celestia's kinda nice too... and Luna's a sweetie. Twilight's super awesome... Fine! All our princesses were pretty cool.

I reached the parking lot of the airport, where they kept all their bajillions of cars, and went to two legs to not draw attention. I walked along through like I belonged there, wishing I had another glove to replace the one I dropped on the bus. Keeping my hoofsies in my pockets would have to do.

It was way crowded inside. I bumped and jostled around and almost lost my balance a few times trying to get through the crowd, but I found it! It was one of those windows, a huge one, with numbers all over it. It said which plane was going to go to where, and which ones were coming from where. Jackpot! As I scanned over the squintillion little lines, someone asked something, "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

I looked over to see a human towering over me, but he was smiling in a friendly enough way. It was a simple question, but not one I knew. "Uh, no. This is my first time in an airport."

"Oh, man, me too. It's kind of overwhelming, isn't it?"

Aw, he was lonely and needed a friend. He must have been drawn to my amazing friendly aura. "Yeah, it's amazing! Look at all these ponies, trying to get everywhere at the same time."

"Ponies?" Oops. "Where are you headed to?"

Author's Note

Pinkie arrives at the airport! Let's hope the departure listings are free of typos.

5 - Flying High (clop)

I smiled at the man, not that he could see much through the mask. Could he see my fur? He wasn't panicked if he was staring at it. That was odd. "Oh, you know, Kansai? Ever heard of it?"

He nodded a little and leaned in, making me nervous. He whispered quietly, "You're going to get caught if you hang around in the open like that. I'm on your side."

I perked up with joy. "You are?!" A few faces turned to us. Maybe I said that a bit too loudly.

He chuckled a little bit. "Keep your voice down, act like you're supposed to be here. Come with me." He reached for one of my arms and drew me away from the big sign of flights. Fortunately I'd already found the flight and gate of Kansai. He guided me along until we came to a bathroom, at least, I think it was a bathroom? It smelled like one when we went inside. He pulled me into one of the stalls and closed the door behind himself. "Look, if you're an alien or whatever, it's cool."

I tilted my head at him. "Kinda... You're not scared?"

He shook his head quickly. "Hell no. I don't think you're an invading kind."

I smiled brightly at that. "Of course not. I like making friends."

He giggled a little. "I had a feeling. You look like something right out of a cartoon, even if you are... Can I see you?"

I considered that a moment before I pulled my hooves out of my pockets and reached for my mask first. I lowered it, showing off my equine snout to him and the hopeful smile on my face. I wanted to have a few friends on that world. He seemed really nice so far.

He gasped, but didn't run away. He reached for me slowly and began running trembling fingers over my face. "You're a little horse. You're adorable."

I giggled at that. "Aw, you charmer. Want to see the rest?" He nodded quickly and I pulled open the trenchcoat, exposing my pink body to him as I folded it up quickly and tucked it away.

He recoiled a little. "You sound like a girl, but you... What are you, exactly? Shit, you're an alien, right. You could have, like, six sexes. Do you even understand our simple two sex system?"

I grinned at him. He was silly. "We normally have two of those too. I'm a mare, a girl. I got this part on the way here." I ran the fleshy part of one of my hooves over my dangling member as it began to swell and grow. "I still have the mare parts though."

"C-can I see it?"

See what? Oh! I turned around for him and fell to all fours before hiking my tail at him. He stared at my little pink treat and I could see it was having an effect on him. Stallions, of any species. I felt that urge to party returning and gave my rump a slow shake. "Do you want to see it closer?"

He pulled himself up on the wall of our stall and peeked around quickly before he nodded at me. "If we can, but we have to be quiet, really quiet. Someone could walk in any moment and then it's game over."

I nodded in understanding and licked over my snout. I really wanted him, and he wanted me. I pointed at his pants. "Those have to go."

He didn't take them off. He just undid a buckle, unzipped, and let them slide to the ground at his ankles. He fished out his already hard stallion bits through the underwear he wore and let it pierce through it. "A-are you sure? You don't have to. I didn't bring you in here to, you know, rape or anything."

I blinked, not grasping what he said at first. "Silly billy, if I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't be here." As if he could hold me down! Still, it was nice that he was thinking about that. I turned back to him and nuzzled at his gently twitching pole, rubbing my pink fur along its sensitive length as I looked up at him. "You're a good boy, but I'm a naughty mare. You should do what you have to..." I ran my tongue along it from as close to the base as I could get to the tip, and even inside just the teensiest bit, tasting his alien human juices. He squirmed at the feeling of it and grabbed my head, stroking over my ears and cheeks with his fingers.

Suddenly, we both heard a door opening and two sets of feet entered the bathroom. We went still and quiet. His member started to soften in my mouth and I couldn't have that! I began to nurse on it ever so gently, making the poor boy squirm against me as I kept it hard but didn't work him up hard enough to push him over the edge.

When things went quiet and the two left, he grunted with frustration. "What even is your name?"

I drew off his member and nuzzled it. "Pinkie. Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"

He gently pet over my head. "Your stallion."

Right answer! I turned around and presented as I looked over my shoulder at him with a grin. He didn't need more hints. He grabbed my soft hips and drew me back as he thrust forward and we began to make love, at least until the next person wandered in. What did they think that place was, a bathroom!? Oh, yeah...

I kept his member snug and warm inside of me while we waited, but the oddest thing happened. It didn't go soft, it went the other way. It began to grow and swell inside of me. The head flared out into the right shape and a medial ring grew in halfway down the length. He had a proper pony pecker for properly penetrating Pinkie Pies! It was my turn to squirm. His new member felt so nice and was pressing the right places.

As soon as the coast was clear, he squeezed my hips roughly and began to slam into me. I would have complained if it didn't feel so fantastic. I began to moan and howl a bit loudly, but it didn't last long. Just a short series of energetic thrusts and we both had enough. He began to fire thick jets of pony cream into me as I trembled all alongside him, milking that perfect pecker of its load, but it was getting late. I only had so long to get on that plane. Even if I really really wanted to stay and enjoy his company some more. I pulled off of him and turned around. It's just polite to clean up your utensils after you finishing using them, and I left him nice and clean.

He sagged, tired and dizzy. "I'll always remember you..." I didn't doubt that. Stallions rarely forgot their bits, and his was now a perfect shape and size for me. How did that happen, anyway? I didn't know and there wasn't time to think about it. I gave him a quick peck, got dressed, and rushed back out into the airport. I had a very important date, and I wasn't going to miss another plane.

I resisted, barely, the urge to bounce on all fours as I hurried out of the airport and began to circle around it. Now, don't think the way to the planes isn't protected or anything. There were big tall fences and cameras and everything! But that was just an inconvenience for me. I've played super spy a few times, sometimes even with Twilight. I slipped under cameras and bounced over fences. I darted from cover to cover, vanishing from place to place with patented Pinkie style! It was a lot of work and all of my intense focus, but I was getting closer to that plane. There it was!

United Airlines, that was the company or whatever that drove this plane thing. I could see it there, parked beside its 'gate'. All I had to do was keep going. I crept along with some camoflauge I quickly made up to look like the concrete I was on until I reached one of its huge wheels. Gosh! That plane was a lot larger up close. There was a vehicle driving up with a human in it! I froze and watched. He was putting luggage onto the plane, what a break! I crept closer ever so carefully until a really big suitcase went by. Zoom! I hopped inside of it, curled up super tight and that was it, I was on! Kensai, here I came! Oof! Whoever owned this suitcase really should get it padded better. This was probably going to be a very bumpy ride.

That was quickly proven as the plane began to move in the darkness of the luggage area and things shuffled one way and the other. Nothing really held them in place, so things slid around wherever they felt like it. That was nothing compared to when the plane suddenly decided it wanted to go really fast. All the luggage settled towards the back, me included, and then... we were going up! I felt pressed downwards as the airplane soared into the sky. I really wanted to look out a window, but there weren't any windows to pick from.

This place was made for luggage, not ponies or humans. I could hear a fan or something, and after we stopped going higher and higher, I slipped out of my suitcase and had a look around. A loud woof made me jump in place. There was a kennel there, with a dog inside. Aw, someone was taking their dog on their trip. "Hey there, doggie. What's your name?"

The dog wasn't sure what to make of me, but I took a few tips from Fluttershy and approached it slowly and carefully. I soon had my hoof offered up to it for it to sniff at, and that was it, we were friends. Doggies love making friends almost as much as I do. "Good doggie." I saw a little tag hanging off the kettle. "Oh, Homer? Hi Homer!" Homer let out a happy bark at hearing his name and seemed pleased about it. He wasn't the bestest company I could have asked for, but he was a lot better than the luggage was.

It took forever to get to Japan. Was it really that far away? We were flying at like a million miles an hour or something, and it still felt like years before the plane started to lower. "Homer, mind if I tag along with you a moment?" He looked confused at my question, but I chanced it anyway. I slipped in with him and tucked myself into the back as small as I could get. Homer only got more confused and gave a querying bark before he licked me all over my face. Silly dog!

He got nervous as the plane jumped and jostled, and I gently pet him and held him and kept him nice and calm. Fluttershy would be so proud of me right then! The whole place jumped as the plane touched down.

Japan, Pinkemena Diane Pie had arrived!

Author's Note

Japan would like to send this package back to sender. Is that an option?

Pinkie continues her wild rampage of typos, not even knowing anything is wrong.

6 - Welcome to Kansai!

When the plane slowed to a stop, I waited impatiently behind Homer. "Soon they'll take you off the plane, and then I'll be free!" I mean, sure, the dog probably didn't understand me, but I wanted to talk, so I talked. The side of the plane opened up and they began grabbing luggage and throwing them onto a new belt. It was kind of funny how they moved everything on a belt. I wondered if they ever considered just moving all the humans around on belts?

"Our turn," I whispered as a human approached us.

He unstrapped the kennel and hefted it up, making us both jostle around, but he was reasonably careful as he took it to the side of the plane and placed it carefully on the same belt all the luggage had been taken away on. We were whisked away into the guts of the airport, shoot. I thought I'd have a moment without people looking, but that didn't happen.

Oh well, guess I'd have to bust out from inside of the airport. Getting away should be a lot easier than trying to sneak onto the plane in the first place. "Time for me to go, Homer. Good luck!"

Homer looked over his shoulder at me. "Don't go."

I stopped my attempt to slip around him. "You can talk?! Why didn't you say something earlier?"

Homer tilted his head. "I don't know. Talk now. Don't leave me."

I nuzzled the sad-looking dog. "What about your humans? They're waiting for you."

Homer slurped me across the snout. "Homer wants to be with you! Homer come."

Well, far be it from me to deny him. "If you can keep up." I popped open the kennel with a mighty kick, then hopped down onto the belt. Homer was just behind me, sniffing at my tail. I didn't give him much time as I began scurrying quickly towards the nearest patch that didn't have a moving belt on it. I had my coat and mask and hat on, even if I was walking on all fours at the moment. As soon as I got my hooves on solid ground, I let out a slow breath and tried to orient myself.

Homer landed just beside me. "Where are we going?"

I put a hoof over his snout. "Shhh. We are now in official sneaking mode. No talking and no barking until I say OK. Got it?" He nodded against my hoof and I took the hoof away. "We have to get out of here, and to a friend waiting for me. Perfectly pink party ponies make humans peeved." To his credit, he didn't ask more questions. He darted after me each time I ran from cover to cover. He wasn't as good as I was, but he was a good dog. I mean, he wasn't Gummy, but he'd do. Oh no! I hope one of the girls remembers to feed Gummy. Oh well, he's a clever little guy. He'll manage if they do forget. Hee, I imagine Twilight trying to take a bath and coming out with a Gummy attached to her tail. He's funny like that.

I nudged a door only to get loud alarms going off everywhere. I jumped even if I expected an alarm. It was so loud! But it said it was a fire exit. If it didn't lead outside, what did? I shoved through it and ran down a hallway leading to another emergency exit. My hoofs went clip-clop while Homer's nails tick-tacked beside me. We burst through the second door. Success! It was outside. I could hear traffic in the distance, smell planes and other human things. We were definitely out. The sun was up, if hidden behind some clouds. I grabbed for Homer and pointed. "That way!"

We dashed for the fence and I slipped under him. With a great bounce, I went up into the air with Homer on my back, came down on the other side, and we were off into the city. That's when I realized we weren't in the middle of nowhere like the other airport. This one was on a little island just big enough for itself! There was a bridge running across to the city. I nudged Homer and we set off towards it. On the way, I decided to switch disguises. They might have seen the trenchcoat on one of the many cameras they liked to use. So I dressed like Brad, that human that Twilight kinda liked in that other human world. My Brad suit was perfect! Well, not really. My hooves made it bulge oddly, to say nothing of other stupid bulges I had lately. I also didn't have fingers where it had fingers, so they just kind of dangled down. So long as nopony looked too closely, it'd be good enough. "Come on, Homer."

He looked a little confused. "How did you change?"

I grinned at him with the mask. "Trade secret. I don't have any disguises sized for you, so just stay close to me, like you're a really good doggie walking along with their caretaker."

He moved to walk beside my right leg. "That is what Homer is."

It didn't take us that long to get to the bridge, only to see that it was both jam packed with cars and to see that there were big 'no walking' signs written in some funny new language. Oddest thing about the language was that I understood it perfectly fine. I knew it wasn't the same as the writing Emma had used and read, but I somehow knew it. You went in a car or not at all, according to their rules. Well! There was one way they couldn't stop me, and if I didn't have Homer, I'd have already done it. "Homer, do you like water?"

Homer pointed a paw down at the water beneath us. "Far away."

I nodded at that. "Very far, but you trust Pinkie, right?" He nodded. "Are you alright swimming? We need to get there." I pointed across the water to the other side. "Things should be easier once we get there."

He steeled himself, then threw himself off the edge, which is not what I had in mind! I tried to grab him, but the Brad Suit was pretty awful at grabbing things with its noodly fingers, and down he fell. Nothing for it. I jumped after Homer, leaving the Brad Suit behind as I plummeted. I grabbed onto Homer and wrapped around him as best I could before we smacked into the water. Ow! It stung like somepony missed with a pinata stick and whacked me instead, but It wasn't too awful. He licked me with concern. Aw. He really was a good doggie.

I dug out my floaties and put one on each leg and saved the biggest one to go around Homer's midsection. "If you get tired, just let it float you, OK? None of us are drowning today." I nuzzled him gently. "Let's go."

The water wasn't freezing. In fact, it was kinda warm. We made good time, both doggie paddling across the bay. As good as saltwater taffy is? Don't drink sea water. It's not even half as good. We had to take a break a few times. It was a long swim! But we approached land! I could see a cobbled walkway with little benches and everything on the right side, so I guided Homer that way and we landed on some big rocks. They weren't too hard to climb onto, and this guard rail was the only thing stopping us.

I hopped up onto that rail just in time to hear a startled gasp. A human saw me. It was a female, I was pretty sure. She spoke in the funny language of her people, and I knew it, just like the signs. "What are you?! Get away!"

I quickly shook off my floaties and some sea weed that had clung to me. "Oh I'm just Pinkie Pie. I won't hurt you."

Homer hopped over the rail easily and sat down with a wagging tail.

She seemed to relax. "You... You talk?"

I bobbed my head as I realized I was talking her language, not whatever language Emma had spoken. "I do talk, a lot according to some of my friends. Nice to meet you!" I offered a hoof out to her.

She wasn't entirely convinced, but she looked so curious! "What... are you? You look like a horse, but you're so small, and pink. Is this your friend?" She glanced at Homer.

"Yes." Homer nodded at her.

She hopped back at his talking. "Impossible! I've been cramming too hard..." She put a hand to her own head.

I shook my head. "Nope, we're really here. Can you point us to Kaizuka? Our friend is there and we really want to get to her."

She peered skeptically at us. "How do you plan to get there? You can't just... walk there. You'll start a panic, if you're even real?" Despite that, she lifted an arm and pointed to the west. "It's that way It's a big part of the city. Do you have anything more specific than that?"

I fished out a waterlogged note and showed her the address. "I can't read this. Is this English? I'm still learning that."

English? Is that what Emma's language was called? I read it outloud for her, somehow translating from one to the other. "What language are we talking right now?"

She looked baffled. "Japanese. How do you not know what you're talking?" She reached for me and gently touched my snout. It seemed any time a human decided my snout was a good place to touch, they were relaxing around me, so I just smiled and let her. Besides, it felt nice when they pet, and she was soon petting over my head with one hand, and Homer's head with the other.

"I don't know how it works," I confessed with a shrug. "I just talk, and it's the right one, and I can read too."

She provided more distinct directions with the address, and I quickly scribbled them down. Just as she was about to say something else, Homer hopped up and slurped her. She squeaked and brushed her face off. "We're not that close, dog."

"Sorry." Aw, he looked so guilty. I threw a leg over him and squeezed gently.

She stood up to her full height and took a few steps away. "Well, I should be going... May I take a picture?"

I considered that. "Do you have scary guys that will try to study me like a crazy science experiment?"

She nodded a little. "I suppose. I just want it for myself."

I shrugged softly. "Well, alright, if you want. We should get going too! We have a lot of walking ahead of us, and I want to be with our friend before the sun--" My talking was interrupted with a bright flash as she used some funny thing at us. It took pictures, I guessed?

"Good luck." She bowed, then half-fled back and away. She was nervous, but she wasn't running. I don't think she was very scared of us anymore.

Author's Note

Pinkie meets her first native! Unless you count the conveyor belt guy, but she didn't get to talk to him.

What's up with Homer? Is this a typo?

7 - So much Similar, So much Different

Homer came along with me as I began to sneak through the city, only to find it was too dang crowded! There were people everywhere. And I don't mean 'everywhere' like I usually meant, oh no! Just about every foot had two humans standing in it, or so it felt. I pushed through with my clothes drawn up and everyone was so busy trying to get where they wanted to go, none of them paid me even slight attention. Even the ones that bumped into me just went on by. They didn't even say sorry! I would have been more miffed if I wasn't thankful they were leaving me alone.

I popped free of the crowd and Homer emerged a few tense moments later. He looked up at me with a happy sort of grin and his adorable little tail wagging away. What a good boy! Was he a boy? Shoot, I guess I should have checked that. He didn't argue being called a boy so far. Either way, we had a destination! I led Homer through the darker alleys, hoping to avoid the crowd and move more directly for the goal through the back ways. Besides, little things like fences and walls didn't stop me for long as I pronked up walls with Homer on my back. Was I pronking better that day? It felt like it.

I landed on top of a wall and bounced back down to hear a surprised noise. A human that had been sleeping under some of the junk in the alleyway and sat up, looking at me oddly, which is when I noticed my trenchcoat was out of place from the jump and was exposing good bits of my pink and furry legs.

"Are you a spirit?" he asked as he sat up and looked at me with huge eyes, surprised, but not running. "Did you come to save me, or take me away?"

I put a hoof to my chin. "I hadn't really planned on either of those... Want a cupcake?" I offered my last cupcake, which I had let Homer eat half of. He took it anyway and said little funny things as he devoured the cupcake. I moved to slip past him on my way and he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait, please." I looked at him quizzically. "Please, won't you stay a little while?"

I smiled gently. Aw, he just wanted company. I can't blame a fella for that. I jumped at him and wrapped him up in a big hug. "Aren't you the sweetest thing! But Pinkie has somewhere to be and I really should be going. Maybe we'll meet again, alright?"

As we left, Homer whispered softly. "He made me nervous. I was going to bite him."

I shook a hoof at him. "No! Don't bite humans. We're not animals, and that's not nice at all.

Homer shrunk a little. "You gave him the last treat..."

I gently pet over his head. "We'll get more, promise, but that's no reason to be rude."

With hoofs stuffed away into my pockets, I guided Homer back into a crowded street and resumed pressing our way through the city. The roadsigns were all written in that funny little intricate way that they did around here, but I could understand it. I was going the right way! I saw a sign over a store. They purchased gold? I wandered up with a smile with ideas in my head.

I pushed open the door to reveal a tiny little store with a woman seated behind a counter. She looked up at me. "Hello, welcome. What can I do for you today?" She was speaking the other language! I thought they all talked, um, Japanese. What was that other one? Nevermind.

"Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie, this is Homer."

Her eyes fell to Homer. "He is very well behaved. Most dogs would have wandered around and got into things. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Pie. Did you just arrive?"

I was amazed. "How could you tell? Oh, uh, you buy gold, right? I have gold and need money they use around here."

She waved me closer. "Show it to me. I warn, a lot of people think they have gold, but it's just plated or fake."

I walked up to her and she looked down at my concealed hooves. She could hear the clip-clop. Oh, I had to give her the coins, and I didn't have the gloves at all. "So, uh, this is going to look a little odd, but I assure you it's entirely normal!" She raised a fine brow at me. Ah well, best to just get it over with and book it if I had to. I pulled out a hoof with bits and set it on the counter.

She flinched at seeing my hoof. "This is some kind of prank? You ask a lot of an old lady." She snatched up one of the bits and tossed it up and down a few times. "Good weight." She bit into it, then turned it around, looking it over. "I don't recognize the pattern at all, but it's gold. Are you here to sell, or just to play a joke on me with your gloves?"

Oh! She thought my hooves were the gloves. Well, no reason to correct that, I supposed. "I'd really like to sell those. Um, I kinda lost a bet with some friends, so I have to keep these on." True enough, at least the part about having to keep my hooves. "The joke's not for you, promise. How much is each worth?"

"I have to weigh what you have, but we're offering a special, three thousand yen per gram." She took the bits and put them on a scale. "Is this all that you have?"

I started fishing out the rest of it. The bits wouldn't help me at all! She accepted them and added it to the pile on the scale before whistling softly. "You have quite a bit. Would you prefer a prepaid card, or cash?"

"Cash please." I suddenly remembered something and smiled. "Just three thousand? I'm pretty sure I saw a place offering a little more than that just down the road."

She stiffened. "Did you now? Well..." She narrowed her eyes at me, and I looked back at her. Just stay calm, let her crack. "Fine, three thousand and four hundred. Highest I can go."

I could probably have argued better if I had any idea how good of a deal that was, so I just took it. She pulled out a big wad of bills that she promised was real money and gave them to me by counting it out. Six hundred and eighty thousand yen. That sounded like a lot! At the least I could get a ride through the city. I thanked her with a big smile that she couldn't really see behind the mask.

"This better not be stolen," she replied. She didn't really sound that worried. I think she was sullen about my haggling with her. Ah well! That's the name of the game. I slipped from the store with Homer and gently pat him on the head. "Things are looking up!"

Homer glanced back at the store then back at me. "The paper does something?"

I decided to leave my hooves out of my pocket. Them being gloves seemed as good an excuse as any, and hardly anypony seemed to pay attention anyway. "I'll show you. I saw some people using it." We walked back to the nearest major street and I waved down a taxi, only for it to pass on by. The second one was nicer and its door opened without pulling to the curb. We rushed out and hopped in. "Hey! Can you get us to this address?" I gave him the paper I wrote on, and he passed it back.

"Tourist? We'll get you there, no problem! Dog is trained? Make mess, cost extra." He was speaking Emma's language, but disjointedly. Maybe it wasn't his first language?

I gently pulled Homer close. "He'll be good." I replied in Japanese, and the taxi man relaxed.

That was assurance enough, and he began driving through the city. He looked at us through the little mirror. "So, do you mind if I ask about your costume?"

I waved a hoof at him. "This old thing? I've had it around for as long as I can remember. Like it?"

"Oh yes, it's made very well. Most hooves are just cartoonish, but yours looks realistic. It must have been expensive."

I nodded a little. "I have to take good care of it every day, but it's worth it. Thank you."

He was a nice enough guy, and once he heard I was a tourist, he started pointing out interesting places to check out later. I could see a funny thing in the front, counting upwards to something. "What is that?"

He looked confused a moment. "That's the fare meter. It says how much you have to pay. You do have money, right?"

"Yep!" I pulled out the wad I'd just earned and his eyes widened.

"You shouldn't just wave that much money around. Most people are good, it's still a bad idea." Still, I had money, and that was proven, so he didn't ask again until we pulled up in front of an apartment building and came to a smooth halt. "Here we are." He hiked a thumb at the meter, which showed around six thousand yen. I quickly counted it up and offered it to him and he gave back change in some coins. How did I go from coins to paper and back to coins again? This world was funny. I hopped out and Homer was just a step behind me. "Good luck." And off he went, zooming off.

I gently pet Homer around the ears. "We made it! Emma should be here, and her friend. No more running around for us, unless we want to." We walked up to the gate of the place, but it was locked. There was a funny panel beside it that had a lot of names on it and I quickly found the name of Emma's friend, Aiko. There was a number beside her name, and a bunch of numbers on the panel. It was a puzzle, and I think I had the answer. I pushed the numbers in order... and nothing happened.

"Aw shoot..." There was a handle, so I picked it up and shook it around a bit. It was attached to the panel by a thick cord. Leaning in to examine the panel more closely, my ears jumped at a sound. It was coming from the handle. It was buzzing? I tried putting it back where it came from, and the buzzing stopped. I picked up the handle again and the buzzing returned. Hmm... I pushed the numbers again. With each press, it made a loud noise, then a new softer sound.

"Hello?" The handle was talking to me! And it sounded like a nice girl's voice.

"Hi! This is Pinkie Pie. Is Emma or Aiko there?" I shouted at the handle, hoping it worked both ways.

"Miss Pinkie? One moment." I heard an excited voice in the background. Was that Emma?

"Pinkie! Is that really you?" It was Emma!

"I made it!" I shouted into the handle. "I told you I could do it. I even got a friend along the way."

Things were looking up!

Author's Note

Usage of google allowed me to get the price of gold per gram, fudge it for such a store, and get taxi fares. This is as realistic as can be, typos excluded.

8 - Meeting new Friends

Emma came rushing out of the building with her friend. Was that Aiko? She had black hair and was dressed with a horse on her shirt. I wondered if she picked that out just for me. Her hair ran down her back like a big curtain. She had brown eyes, just like Emma's. She was a little slimmer and shorter.

Emma reached the gate first and threw it open for me. "Pinkie! I told you to stay home. How did you even manage it? And you're kind of late if you were on my plane."

I pointed inside and Homer darted past Emma as I walked up to her, balancing on my hind legs. "Well, that was the plan originally, but did you know just how far away the airport is from your house? It's really really far! And they didn't even let me on the bus, because they wanted me to pay with money, but not Equestrian money, so off I went, walking forever! Well, I guess not forever or I wouldn't be here, but it was a long time."

Aiko arrived and looked at me curiously before she bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Pinkie."

"Hajimemashite," I replied, which meant hiya! But to someone you just met. Her language was full of intricate little things like that, just like how their writing looks all fancy and pretty. "My first name's Pinkie, last name Pie. Thank you for hosting me."

Emma threw up a hand. "When did you learn Japanese? Why are you talking it better than me? I've been taking classes for years! Nevermind that... We have to talk."

Aiko looked across at Emma, then nodded. "This is true. Miss Pie? Will you accompany us?"

Of course I did. We went inside the building and rode the elevator up to Aiko's apartment. When we arrived at her door, I saw she had a wooden cat hanging on it. It was kinda cute! I fell to all fours with a sigh of relief. "I've got a lot of practice walking around like that, but this way is still easier." I was a pony after all, we're made for four hoofs on the ground.

Aiko's curiosity seemed to pick up sharply, but she didn't say anything.

I had a feeling she wanted to. Instead of going ahead and asking, she got out her keys and opened the door. "We need to get a leash for your dog. You can get in trouble for having a dog without one outside your home."

Homer strode inside without me asking him to and I giggled. "What does he need a leash for? He's pretty smart for a dog."

Emma shook her head slowly. "Where did you even find a dog, let alone a trained one, let alone a trained one that's alright with ponies? God, you are a walking impossibility."

Aiko closed the door behind us and locked it. "I apologize, but there are more pressing questions." She moved over to Emma and gently removed her hat. Two pony ears sprung up, both light blue in color. "We were hoping you might have answers for this."

I didn't... "Um... It looks nice?"

Emma looked around the apartment. It was smaller than the one she lived in, but very neat. Her eyes settled on a mirror and she regarded herself. "It does... look nice." She frowned. "Which bothers me. I shouldn't like having pony ears, but I kind of do, especially now."

Aiko shook her head slowly. "She cried when it first happened." Emma scowled at her. "I will not hide the truth right now. We need to know what's going on. Miss Pie, welcome to my home."

Homer looked up at her. "Thanks." I was learning the difference between Japanese and whatever Emma spoke, and that was Emma's language.

Aiko squeaked and jumped back in surprise. Emma stared at Homer. "Great... You found the one dog that can talk back. I'm almost surprised it isn't speaking Japanese too."

I shook off my clothes and tucked them away, leaving me in my pretty and perfectly pink fur. "What language are you talking, Emma? I've been wondering."

Emma pointed at herself. "Me? English. I know some Japanese too. For an alien, you're damn good at both. Do you have some kind of universal translator?"

I turned towards the kitchen and grinned with a sudden joy. "Nothing like that, silly, but I just realized what time it is!"

Aiko looked at the clock, then back at me. "What time is that, Pinkie-chan?"

Aw, she called me cute, or smaller, or female, or some combination of those things, and they were all accurate, mostly. When I was standing up I was about her size, but it was nice. "It's party time! We should celebrate coming together, and new friends." I waved a hoof at Aiko and at Homer. "I'll make us some tasty treats." I trotted towards the kitchen with a big smile. I loved cooking.

Emma looked towards Aiko. "Sorry about this."

Aiko shook her head. "I have a real-life alien in my home, offering to cook for me. I feel honored, if confused. Does she eat normal human food?"

Emma giggled. "She was alright with cupcakes. She seems to eat human food just fine."

I began peeking around through the fridge, drawers, and cabinets, taking full stock of what I had to work with. Aiko was clearly not a baker! Fortunately, I brought a lot of the things needed with me. It paid off in the griffon empire, and it'd pay off here too! She had some flour at least, and sugar and milk. I could work with what I had. I began to hum a little cooking song as I got to work with a cheerfully wagging tail.

Aiko moved into the living room and a new voice began to talk in Japanese, "In foreign news, a strange new disease is raising concern with local officials. Irrational behavior is the most severe symptom, but American..." The voice was cut off and music began to play instead.

Emma moved to join her friend. "So, do you still think I'm a liar?"

Aiko spoke, though I couldn't see her, "I didn't think you were a liar, Emma-san. You must admit, accepting the tale of a talking horse was a lot to ask, to say nothing of a pink one, that can bake, and is a man and a woman at once."

Reminded of my current makeup, my thoughts wandered to the fact that I was with two human mares, and part of me was very... very alright with that, and now in the fun sleepover kind of way! I quickly became all stiff and my stallion bit kept bobbing in the way as I worked, stupid thing.

I was hit with a sudden urge. I had the perfect built-in glaze for these cupcakes... Wait, no... That would be a pretty lousy glaze! It would be all bitter instead of sweet. With a little squeak, I spurted on the oven and onto the floor. Why wouldn't my new parts just listen to me and calm down? My host was going to get mad if she came in and saw a big mess.

Someone hugged me from behind suddenly and I went still with surprise. Delicate human fingers wrapped around my throbbing pole and gave a slow pull upwards over it and I let out a little whimpering moan in pleasure. Who was that? I was going to mess up the cupcakes! Mmm, maybe they could... wait a little bit. Whichever of the two it was, they had started rubbing and teasing over my swollen balls and drove thoughts of baking right out of my head.

"Emma!" I looked up to see Aiko peering at me and, I assumed, Emma with shock. "What are you doing?!"

Emma suddenly pulled back. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Pinkie."

I wasn't... until I smelled the first little hints of burning and rushed for the oven. I rescued the cupcakes before too much harm had been done and got to frosting them, without any special surprises.

While I worked, Emma and Aiko talked. Aiko pointed at me. "Why were you doing that? She's a guest, a horse, and an alien."

Emma shrank a little sheepishly. "I saw her working there... She was so cute, and pretty, and... She's wanted to, with me, before. It doesn't seem like a bad idea now."

Aiko shook her head with the same confusion that Twilight saved for me. "Ears aside, you're still a human, Emma. She's a horse. She's the alien... If she did it, I could sort of understand it. It wouldn't be right or polite, but I could understand it. You don't have that excuse, Emma."

Emma looked ashamed of what she did, so I came over with my load of treats. That'd put the smiles back on their faces. "It's alright. I just wasn't expecting it." I leaned my head forward, the pan balanced on my poofy hair. "Have some! No harm done." They took a cupcake each and I set the tray aside to snag one for myself and chomp it down, mmm. I'm glad I didn't do anything silly like using 'special glaze'. Pfft, that was a silly idea, even for me.

Aiko chewed thoughtfully a moment before nodding at me. "You're a very good cook, Pinkie-chan. Please pardon the forward question, but do you prefer to be called a man or a woman?"

I raised a hoof at myself. "Me? Mare, definitely. The other thing is new to me." I just realized then that I was all stiff and pointing at her and huffed in annoyance. "Being a stallion is really annoying half the time. Sorry if I'm being a big bother."

"Oh no, you're fine." She was being polite, I could tell. She looked between Emma and me. "Do you... really want to become Emma's girlfriend?"

I froze with thought. Did I want to be? No, I didn't want to be her marefriend... Annoying as my new parts were or not, I wanted to be her coltfriend. I wanted to be her stallion. My eyes went half-lidded as little visions of how I'd make her my mare danced through me and I spurted a little. Oh wow! I just made a mess in front of my host! I blushed, not that she could see it. Pink on Pink? Good luck with that! "Sorry about that. Let me clean up."

Homer suddenly scampered up and cleaned up the mess, with his tongue. "All clean!"

It was too much for Aiko. "I need a moment, please." She scurried off into the bedroom and closed the door behind herself.

Emma leaned against a pillar. "What's wrong with me? And did your dog really do what I think he did?"

I looked at Homer. "Clean up? Yep, he did that." Not the way I would have cleaned up, but it worked. Sheesh, dogs...

Emma sank down. "You must think I'm some kind of freak."

I tilted my head at Emma. "Why would I think that? I'm the one that offered first, I think. I think we both scared your friend though, or grossed her out. I'm really sorry about that. She seems like a nice girl and I really didn't mean to be a bad guest in front of her."

Author's Note

Emma's having some building issues. The world's starting to become dimly aware something might be wrong, and they performed a terrible typo of conduct in front of Aiko.

It can only get better from here, right?

9 - That Night

Aiko emerged from her room, but barely spoke. I tried being extra super nice to her, but she was out of it. I remembered Cranky Doodle and decided to put it aside and let her come out of her shell when she was ready. All I could do was be ready for her, and not hold it against her. It was my mistake anyway! So I played fetch with Homer by rolling a ball. I didn't want to throw it inside. I already caused enough damage, sheesh.

Emma came out and pet my on the head quietly, which was kinda funny. I think she wanted to say something, but she didn't say it, she just pet me for a while until she looked up at a clock. "We should get you tucked in. Us guests get the living room."

I looked around and didn't have any trouble imagining that there wasn't enough room in the little apartment for a second bedroom. Living room it was! "It'll be like a sleepover. Have you ever had a sleepover? My friend, Twilight, had her first sleepover not that long ago and she--"

Emma's hand rested over my snout a moment, silencing me gently before she tickled under my chin and made me giggle. Some of my other friends could learn that method of asking me to be quiet a moment, 'cause being scratched under my chin was way better than being yelled at, let me tell you.

She fetched a few blankets and set them down to rest on, and had a few more to get on top of, and we got all cozy there before she flicked off the light and it became dark. Not middle-of-the-Everfree dark. I don't think that city even could do that, but it was darker than before, for sure. I hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad I found you. It would have been so boring just sitting at home! Tomorrow, we should pl--"

She nuzzled me on the cheek and hugged me back. Human nuzzles were funny! "Pinkie, I have a serious question."

I perked my ears in the dark and returned the gentle nuzzling. "Sure thing, anytime. Lay it on me. The Pinkster is in the house."

She went quiet a moment before she nodded. "Are you upset by the idea of some crazy alien liking you?"

What? "Why would that upset me? I want to be friends." I rubbed noses with her, and she suddenly pushed it into a kiss. Oh, she meant like like, that was different. Not that I minded either way. The idea of being special someponies with her sounded really nice right then and I pressed my lips against hers, tickling her with the soft fur. She began to roam over me with her hands and I returned the gesture, gently rubbing her with my hooves as I quickly became all hard and stiff. I was ready for the next step, or at least my body was.

She brushed against my twitching bit with a finger and pulled back a little. "Is something wrong with me, Pinkie? This feels so wrong, and so right. I've got pony ears, and I'm ready to fuck a horse right here in my friend's living room, and..." I returned the favor and put a hoof gently on her lips.

"If you want to do this, then we'll do it. If you don't, then we won't, and we'll be friends either way." I flashed a bright smile in the dark. "And I'm a pony, not a horse, silly."

Emma trailed down along my tense rod, making it jump as a thin trail of pre seed flowed down from the tip and I groaned with growing desire. I really wanted her, but I wouldn't play with her until she was ready, if she was ready. She found my big pink balls and began to stroke over them. That got me to squirming. It wasn't even fair! I wanted her soooo bad and she was just toying with me. A little part of me wanted to just take what I wanted, but that was a naughty side. No... I'd be good.

She withdrew suddenly, and rolled away from me. "We shouldn't."

Aw man! We were so close... "If you really don't want to." I slid up against her and hugged her. My big cock was trapped between us, gently pulsing with desire, but I wasn't going to force her, and she wasn't ready, so I just held her. Holding her felt nice, and it must have felt nice for her, too, because she faded to sleep.

I woke up to Homer licking at my face and squeak-giggled as I got up to my hooves. "Hey there. Good morning."

Homer looked around a moment. "Is it morning? It's hard to tell. The girls are in there." He pointed to Aiko's room with a paw. "I thought you'd want to be up."

I bobbed my head. "Thanks. I feel better now." A little sleep is a huge help! I hugged Homer, then trotted off to the Kitchen to start making some breakfast. They had some eggs and stuff, I could whip up something! While I was whistling and cooking, I heard the door to the bedroom open. Aiko and Emma appeared and came over to look at me, but neither said anything. "Hi there! I'm making enough for everyone, so just sit back, relax, and let Pinkie handle it."

Aiko pulled out a funny flat thing with buttons and pressed it. The, uh, what did she call it... television, yeah that was it. The television came on and a Japanese stallion was talking energetically.

"Travel to the States has slowed as security checkpoints grow more stringent. No word on the cause of these extra measures, but expect significant delays on all flights going to or from the United States."

I didn't get it. "Good thing we're not going back for a little while, right?"

Aiko pointed at me, then the top of Emma's head, where those blue ears poked free. "Pinkie, I think you're causing something. I'm not sure what, but it could be really bad. I apologize, but this is serious."

Emma shuffled in place. "Maybe we should all go to a doctor to be looked over."

A doctor? "I'm totally healthy, besides, do human doctors know anything about ponies? Is there another pony even here?"

Aiko shook her head. "You're the only talking horse I ever heard of, but Emma's suggestion is not unreasonable. It's too much of a coincidence that you came and she began turning into a horse. You are her friend, yes?"

I bobbed my head. "'Course I am! We're totally best buds. Why?"

Aiko bowed lightly. "Then do it, for her. She doesn't want to be a horse, talking or not."

Emma looked really guilty and wouldn't look directly at me. It sounded super important. Maybe it was the best thing to do. I turned off the stove and fell back to all fours. "If this will help Emma, then I'll do it." I wasn't going to stay away from the doctors if it'd help Emma out. What kind of friend would I be?

Aiko relaxed and smiled. "Good. You have a disguise for walking around, yes?"

I sure did! I did a quick spin and was dressed up in my trenchcoat. Stealth mode, activated! "Ready!"

Emma softly toyed with one of her fuzzy ears. "Aiko, why are you suddenly so adamant about this?"

Aiko looked away with a guilty expression for only a teensy moment. "I'm worried for you, Emma. We shouldn't treat this lightly. I'll call a taxi to take us." She moved for the phone and I got a good look at her backside. Not that I planned to stare at her rump, but I noticed something! Something was moving?

I was pretty sure humans didn't have parts that moved in their pants. I had to know what that was! I crept up on her and reached out. Now, understand, poking another pony in the flank or even around their tail isn't really a big deal. You just have to stop if they ask you to stop. Humans were a little different, and I found that out when I made contact and she shrieked in surprise. Still, I felt it. There was something funny in her pants!

She spun around on me, slamming the phone down. A hand lashed out in the movement and she slapped me! Of course, all that pink fluffy fur isn't just for show. Human slaps didn't really hurt much, but it sure was surprising. "Pinkie! That was very rude."

Was it? I looked sad about it, even if I really wanted to know what I found. "Sorry about that. So what's that thing in your pants?"

That got Emma's attention, who looked at her friend curiously. "What is she talking about?"

"Nothing! There's nothing in my pants that's any concern of yours." She crossed her arms and scowled.

Homer tilted his head from where he had snuck up and was eating some of the eggs. "Want me to find out?"

"No!" Aiko backed up against the wall. "If you are Emma's friend, than be my friend as well, and stop asking such private questions. There's nothing. I said there's nothing!" She sounded practically hysterical.

I didn't want to upset her more, so I nodded. "If you say so, but we're all friends here. If you have a problem, we're here for you."

Aiko nodded stiffly as she fled into her room and closed the door quickly but quietly. I heard the lock being used a moment later.

Emma shook her head. "What did you see?"

I shrugged a little. "I saw something moving around, and I felt it. It was something kinda flexible, but I didn't get a chance to really look at it. Sorry about bothering your friend. She's really upset."

Homer's tail wagged as he sat up. "I'll cheer her up!"

Emma grinned a little. "Don't jump on her and lick her. She's a little afraid of dogs, even if she won't say anything about it."

Homer's ears and tail sagged. "Oh."

I tapped a chin with my hoof. "She's a mare of mysteries, isn't she? Oh, did she call who she wanted to call?"

Emma shrugged. "You scared the girl before she barely had the chance to say hello, so I doubt it. She has a cell phone, she could be using that."

Cell phone? "What's that? Is that like a prison phone, for her room? Is her room a cell? That's so weird!"

Emma burst into little giggles. "Not quite. It's a phone without cords. It works almost everywhere."

Oh, that made more sense. "You guys must be super rich! You have so many cool things."

Emma insisted she wasn't rich. "These are normal things, for us. What's normal for you?"

I started explaining about Sugarcube Corner, and all the tasty treats I'd work on there. And we had trains, and magic! She really liked the part about magic, so I started talking about some of the crazy things Twilight's done. It was a good time, until we heard the door open.

Author's Note

What are you hiding, Aiko? You're among friends, you know.

Or is that a typo?

10 - Why the Long Face

We looked up to the open door to see Aiko, but she had changed. She had a creamy-yellow snout protruding from her face, and she looked stuck between crying and fury. "What have you brought into my house?!" She demanded of me with an accusing point. "I'm becoming some kind of... bakemono!" A monster. "Why aren't I more upset about this? What are you doing!?"

I rolled up to my haunches and smiled at her. "Calm down, Aiko. You're not alone."

Aiko calmed almost immediately, then tensed up. "Oh god, you're mind controlling me! Why? What did I ever do to you?" She put her hands over her snouted face and began to weep. "I don't want to be a monster. I want to finish school, and get a real job, and see places."

Emma hurried over to Aiko and put a hand on her shoulder. Aiko flinched away, "She's already got you. You're ready to be a monster. I'm not! I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to!" Emma drew Aiko in for a hug and Aiko cried against her, shuddering with powerful emotions. "Can't you see? Do you want to be a horse?"

I shook my head quickly. "I'm not here to turn you all into monsters. I said I'd go where you wanted me to go. Let's see that doctor person. Maybe they can help?"

Emma pointed back at me. "See? She's on our side. Do you have a private doctor? It'll be easier to talk one on one instead of walking into a hospital."

Aiko suddenly pushed Emma back and fell to her knees in front of me. "Just turn me back, please! Did I offend you, or is this how you work? Are you going to try to turn all humans into monsters?"

Aw, she looked so sad. But what could I do to help? I didn't even know how she was turning into a pony, not that being a pony was that awful, but sure, yeah, asking first would be nice, if I had any idea how it happened! I looked towards Emma. "Did you change anymore?"

Emma gave a shaky little nod. "I didn't want to make a big deal about it..."

Aiko peered at Emma. "Big deal? We're turning into monsters! This doesn't get much bigger than this..." She rose to her feet. "Do I have to defeat you? Are you waiting for us to get brave enough to challenge you?"

I blinked at that. "Don't be silly. I said I'm your friend and I meant it." Despite that, she suddenly lunged for me, but I sprung to the side and jumped through her arms to land on the other side of her. "Calm down, Aiko." She calmed a moment before she got even angrier and she started chasing me around the room, at least until Homer got involved. I mean, I was kind of having fun playing with Aiko, but Homer didn't see it that way.

He suddenly nipped Aiko in the leg, making her yelp. "Stop chasing her!"

Aiko backed away from Homer with her hands held up. "Stay away from me, monster dog."

Homer tilted his head. "My name is Homer."

Emma sighed gently. "He's a dog. A talking dog, sure, but a dog. Isn't that right, boy?" Homer accepted the soft ear scritches with a wagging tail.

Aiko scowled at me. "I'll figure out how to get around your vicious little demon. I won't be turned into a monster without a fight. I won't!" She retreated into her room and locked the door.

Emma reached for me next and gave me some of those ear scritches, mmm. "Guess we aren't seeing the doctor today."

"We don't have to go with her," I pointed out and stood up on my hind legs. "We'll go and have a good time together. Oh, what, you know, changed? You look the same?"

Emma lowered her pants a little to show off where fur had sprouted up around her hips. Hers was a deep blackish color. So severe! At least her attitude didn't match. "I'm alright. I mean, besides being a little fuzzier..." She trailed off as she looked towards Aiko's room. "She isn't wrong, you know. I really should be freaking the hell out right now." She glanced back at me. "You'll be my friend forever, right?"

"Right!" I smiled happily. "We're best buds."

She let out a little sigh of relief. "Then it'll be OK, I think. Even if I do become a pony, at least I'll have company."

I brought my forehooves together in a clop. "Of course you will, but we have to help Aiko. She's super sad, and I don't want her to be, and I don't want you to turn into a pony if you don't want to turn into a pony. Friends don't turn friends into ponies, unless they really want that. Do you want that? Cause I mean it's totally OK if you do!"

She giggled softly and gently ran her fingers over my snout. "I feel like being a pony with you wouldn't be so bad. Is that weird?"

I shrugged softly. "You're asking the wrong pony for that opinion, but I'm happy to help either way." I looked to Aiko's locked door, then back at Emma. "So how do we get you to a doctor? I don't know where anything is around here. If this was Ponyville, I could tell you right away."

Emma dug out her phone. Was that a cell phone? She started playing with it. "There's a little practice not that far from here. Do you want to try it?"

I nodded quickly. "Sure! If it might help your friend, we should try."

Homer looked up hopefully. "I'll come along."

Emma shook her head at Homer. "They don't usually let dogs into those kinds of places, even really nice talking dogs."

Homer pouted at the news, but settled down to wait.

As we opened the door to leave, Aiko peeked out from her room. "Where are you going?"

Emma pointed at me. "We're going to see a doctor, like you asked."

"Take me with you..." She sounded sad and crushed. She emerged from her room and slowly edged around Homer. Along the way, she grabbed a hankie and covered her new snout with it, just like I had done.

I smiled behind my own mask. "We'll get this figured out, don't worry! Homer, you be a good doggie and protect the house."

"Yes!" Homer hopped to his paws and gave the doggy version of a salute, looking ready to do battle with anyone silly enough to intrude on Aiko's house.

With a fresh supply of cupcakes and my two new friends beside me, I felt ready to take on the world! Or at least get to the doctor's. As we walked down the hallway, Aiko kept glancing at me. "Are you a sex demon? Are you collecting a harem of little pony girls to obey your perverted desires?"

The idea sounded way better than it should have, and I had to rearrange things quickly as certain parts got all stiff and throbby. "No! Sheesh. I'm on your side, remember? Besides, you're pretty as humans." I didn't mean that the way it came out, but I learned a long time ago that you can't take back words.

Emma and Aiko both blushed, with Emma looking curious, and Aiko shied away. I got the idea that Emma wouldn't say no, if I asked her one more time. We would probably have that private party, and thinking about it made my heart drum in my ears. I was so hard and ready. I wanted to start playing with her right then, but... No. I would be good! They were both counting on me to keep my head on straight. That's a silly saying, by the way. My head goes this way and that way, and I don't stop having good ideas when it's tilted or anything, so why do they say keeping it straight?

We rode a small elevator down to the ground floor, and we were quickly out onto the street. No taxi that time. "It's really close," insisted Emma. "We can walk there, no problem."

I didn't have any problem walking, so that's exactly what I did. We went past a display of televisions and the news was playing. "--bold break in on air liner has experts considering security protocols." Was that about me? They had a picture of the plane I snuck onto on the screen. I wanted to point, but that'd be showing off a hoof.

Emma was a smart girl. She looked at the airplane and back at me. "Is that the one you got here on?"

"Uh huh. I rode in the bottom, with Homer."

Aiko frowned. "Did he talk before you got there?"

I considered that a moment. "He didn't say anything until I was about to leave."

Aiko sighed. "You're the kind of monster that terrorizes people without even knowing it. You made him talk without even thinking about it. It's your nature."

Was that my nature? "I don't remember making dogs talk back home. I'd remember something like that, for sure."

Aiko looked around for listeners as she walked ahead. "And where is that? Home, that is. Are there a lot of talking horses there?"

I nodded quickly. "Oh, sure. I have tons of friends there. There's Twilight and Apple--"

"How would you know?" Aiko sighed gently. "You can't turn a horse into a horse."

"A curfew has been announced," spoke the television through the thick glass. I wondered how loud it was to reach us so easily.

Emma looked surprised. "A curfew? Does that happen often?"

Aiko shook her head slowly. "N-no..."

The television talked about not approaching strangers, and to head to the doctor if you felt sick. Aiko looked more and more angry. "They're talking about you, pink monster. They're scared of you."

Emma rubbed behind her head with confusion all over her face. "They don't even know she's here. How can they be reacting to her?"

It was then that I noticed the street did seem a lot less crowded than it was the first time I walked through the city. Was something going on? "We should get to that doctor."

"On this, we agree." Aiko led the way swiftly down the road. We approached a pretty-looking two-story house.

A sign on the front announced in intricate Japanese that it belonged to two doctors that shared it. The time was right for it to be open, I could see from the clock built into the sign. Aiko was already on her way inside by the time I caught up with a hasty clip-clop.

Author's Note

They arrive at the doctors' offices. Surely an answer awaits them there, but is it the answer they're hoping for, or more typos of destiny?

11 - The Clinic

I put out a hoof in front of the others. "Let me see what's going on, first."

Aiko frowned and reached past me for the door. "You don't even know how to talk to a doctor, besides, they're doctors. Don't act like you're in some kind of action movie." She pushed in the door and stepped inside quickly. "Hello? Sorry for bothering, are you open?"

It was a little dim inside, but I could see light coming from further in. Emerging from there came a lean man with black hair. Most Japanese people seemed to have black manes. I couldn't even imagine trying to live with an entire country that looked like me! He had a fancy badge on his shoulder, and even a stick and some hoofcuffs. Was he a guard?

"Sorry, but the clinic is closed right now, and everyone's being urged to stay inside. You really should go home right--" He trailed off as he got a good look at me. Even with my mask on, a straight look could see my bright pink fur, to say nothing of my exposed forehooves. "W-what?"

Aiko stepped in front of me and pointed at herself. "We need help! We're turning into horses!"

Emma moved aside Aiko. "Calm down. They don't need hysterical girls to deal with."

"I have pretty good reason to freak out," she argued with a frown.

The guard shook his head as he backed up. "Look, I'm going to have to ask you all to stay where you are. This contagion is extremely transmittable, and the doctor's don't know how, yet." He fished out a face mask and got it on super quick.

A voice came from the back, "Are they infected?" A new face poked free, younger, with a messy mane. "We could use one that isn't uncooperative."

Aiko took a quick step back. "I'm not a test subject!"

Emma, on the other hoof, stepped forward. "If it helps make things better. This is alright, right, Pinkie?" She looked at me for permission. Why was she asking me for permission? It was kind of flattering that she trusted me so much. I gave her a hooves up with a bright smile. If we could help, we should.

The guard turned to look over his shoulder at the other person. "One of them is... I think you should see this."

The man stepped into full view, wearing doctor's stuff. He even had a stethoscope dangling around his neck. I noticed he had a smiling human female drawn brightly on his upper right chest? Was that a badge of the doctors of this office? Strange, but cute. He looked between the three of us before settling on me. "Excuse me, ma'am, but could you take off your mask?"

Well, there wasn't much of a reason to hide from these people, I supposed. I quickly had the mask off and tucked it away in time for them to gasp in surprise. "You really are a little horse!"

I pointed at myself. "Born and raised. My name's Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you." I offered a hoof at them, but neither advanced to take it.

The guard shook his head. "As I said, we don't know what transmits this, so please keep your distance. This is a very serious matter."

Aiko glanced at me, then the others. "Wait, is this a disease?!"

Thump! All eyes turned to the front doors, where someone had bumped against it. They scrambled at it with misshapen hooves and made low noises that had no words in it. It almost looked like they wanted to come in, but couldn't figure out to push the bar properly. They bumped against the door once more time before staggering off, moaning the entire way.

The doctor let out a small breath when the quasi-pony left. "That's happened once in a while. That's why we're excited to have you, coherent and conscious. Most people seem to become almost catatonic, at least in terms of thinking ability. Others become dangerously manic. In either event, they're dangerous."

Aiko looked around the dimly-lit office slowly. "Is that why the lights are turned down? And are you two the only ones here?"

The guard hiked a thumb into the back. "Doctor Sato is working."

The other doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Doctor Sato is always working, and I'm not sure how much progress he's making. Anyway, I'm Doctor Kazuki Kudo." The same magic that translated them slipped the first and last names around for me without my even realizing it at first. He had said Kudo first. "Please, if you would be willing to work with us, we could really use some practical study." He paused. "Did you say born and raised?"

I perked an ear at him. "Yepperoni. I've been a pony since I was a wee little filly."

The guard threw a hand towards me. "Is that possible?"

Doctor Kazuki smiled. "Well, it means one of two things. You're suffering from a mental breakdown like many of the other victims, or... We just found patient zero." He dropped down to a crouch, becoming face-to-face, if still across the room, from me. "Tell me about your past."

Oh wow! That was a big question! "Well, you see, I was born on a rock farm..." I began to give my life story. To my surprise, he didn't cut me off. Ponies usually asked me to stop by the time I got to my third birthday, but he kept making a 'go on' motion once in a while, so I kept going on. He was a great listener!

Aiko ended up being the interruptor. "Why are we drilling her about her childhood? I'm turning into a horse! She suddenly moved towards the doctor. He scrambled to his feet and the guard stepped in to grab Aiko. He got her by the wrist, but she was really worked up and swung her other hand around, slapping the guard across the face. "Let me go! He's the doctor, he should be helping me instead of interviewing an alien!"

The guard managed to get her other hand and spun her around. He shoved her roughly against a counter and cuffed her on the spot, but he didn't do any real harm to her. "I'm sorry, but you were asked to stay away."

She kicked and thrashed around. "This is a violation of my rights! I didn't do anything illegal! Let me go this instant!"

Emma shrank back to my side and whispered, "Is there anything we can do?"

I looked up at Emma, then I smiled at Aiko. "It'll be OK, Aiko. We're here to get help. Relax."

Aiko went calm for a moment, nodding placidly before her rage returned and she suddenly pushed back, knocking the guard off balance. She spun around, still cuffed.

Huh, now I may not be the fastest pony at times, but it was pretty obvious my words had an effect on Aiko and Emma. Emma seemed to accept it, while Aiko fought against it as hard as she could. "Aiko, they can't help you if you're being a big scary meanie face at them."

Doctor Kazuki moved towards a cabinet full of little glass jars and pulled out a needle. "You're obviously very worked up. You need to calm down right now, miss. You don't want to become like another of the victim's outside, do you?"

Aiko's eyes widened at the sight of the needle and she backed away from it. The guard reached for her and she shrieked. She had two options left to fight, and went for a bite. She got him on the arm and he howled in pain as she clamped down harder and harder. I couldn't just stand there! I raced across the room and ran into her, knocking her off of him and to the ground in a heap. I jumped onto Aiko and held her to the ground. "This is your fault! This is all your fault!" Aiko screamed and struggled until Kazuki stepped over carefully and gave her a poke with that needle. Her struggles started to slacken and fade, until she was asleep beneath me.

I pulled out a pillow and set it under her head, then hopped off of her. "Phew. Sorry about all that."

The guard was holding his new injury with his other hand. Doctor Kazuki inspected the bite with a thoughtful frown. "Her teeth were unusually blunt, but she still managed to break the skin."

"Am I infected?" He asked with a haunted face.

Kazuki shrugged softly. "You may be. We won't know until symptoms appear, or not. I'm sorry."

The guard took a slow breath. "Right, fine. I signed on to serve my community. This doesn't change anything." He turned to look at me. "She may not be wrong, you know. If you are the first little horse, then this probably is your fault."

Emma slid in front of me. "Pinkie didn't do anything wrong. She's tried to help out every way she can."

Kazuki smiled broadly. "You're both right. I'm more convinced than ever that you're patient zero. But you are here to help us?" I nodded quickly. "I thought so. Now, to explain, I think there is some way that you've caused this infection, Miss Pinkie."

Oh, shoot. I didn't reverse my names like he had. "Pinkie's my first name, Pie's my family name."

"Ah, sorry. Miss Pie. Have you bitten anyone?"

My eyes widened a little. "What? No! That'd be awful."

Kazuki nodded. "Have you had any other direct fluid contact?"

Direct fluid? Well... "There were two stallions, human stallions." He raised a brow at me. Fine, he wanted details. "They were back where Emma came from."

"America," provided Emma without prompting.

"One was in her apartment building. I found him on the balcony and we played and... Do you really want every detail?" Kazuki nodded. "I sucked him like a lollipop until he gave me his creamy filling, but then I had to go." Emma looked flushed, and even the guard looked a bit amused. "So, uh, then there were this nice stallion at the airport. I liked him, and we kinda... I lifted my tail for him in the bathroom and he said yes and we had fun." A bit of that suddenly came to me. It... It all made sense. "While he was... doing it... his human willie became a pony willie. I didn't know why at the time. Then I left him. Oh Celestia, it really is my fault." I sank down to my belly a moment, then threw out my forehooves wide. "Nooooooo!"

Kazuki frowned. "Are those the only two? That doesn't explain everything. They were both in America, but I can assure you, there are cases right here." He pointed a pen at the unconscious Aiko, then Emma. "Did you do anything with them?"

Emma flushed brightly. "S-she asked to, before, but I said no."

I nodded with Emma. "I didn't do anything with either of them."

"Then what did you do?" Kazuki leaned in a little. "This is critically important. I'm not here to blame you, but something caused this, and knowing what it is is vital."

I thought really hard about the past few days. "Let's see. I made some cupcakes?"

"Cupcakes?" Kazuki raised a brow. "What were the ingredients."

Emma suddenly gasped. "I did it!" All eyes turned on her. "Back in America, I hurt Pinkie, on accident. Her nose bled a little and I cleaned her up."

Kazuki pointed at her with a smile, looking quite happy about the news. "Ah, blood contact, that's good. I assume Aiko here didn't have that, however?"

"Nope, just cupcakes." I looked over to Aiko. Poor girl. I mean, not that being a pony was all that awful, but it's not like anypony asked her ahead of time. I began pulling out my spare supplies, setting out a container of sugar, spices, and baking powder.

"H-how?" Kazuki knelt down to look over the things. "How were you holding all of that in your mane?"

I shrugged a little. "Always could. I know better than to question it."

Kazuki waved a finger at the three ingredients. "Did you get this from a local store?"

"Oh, no. They're from Equestria." Then it struck me. "Shoot."

"Shoot is right," grunted the guard. "You infected your friends with your cupcakes."

I raised a hoof. "I shared a cupcake with a guy before I reached Aiko's."

Kazuki rose back to his feet. "Did you give anything else from your home away?"

"Well..." I tapped my chin a few times. "I sold my bits, for yen." He looked at me oddly. "Bits? Gold coins."

He sighed softly. "Alright, I have a good enough picture of how this began."

A new woman emerged from the back. "I'm quite busy, as you are well aware. What is all this noise out here?" She paused and peered at Emma and I, with Emma's ears on display and my pony face. "Is there a good, a very good, reason for this?"

The guard tipped his hat towards the lady. "Doctor Sato, we think we found patient zero."

Kazuki clapped his hands together. "No think about it, I'd bet my license on it! Meet Miss Pinkie Pie." I could feel the magic twisting the order around. Wow, Japanese people really must value families. That was nice. "She's volunteered to help us figure this all out, and she's already been a font of useful information."

This new doctor, Doctor Sato, was dressed similarly to Kazuki, had her mane done up in a bun, and no little colorful badge on her doctor's jacket at all, just clean white. "I see." Her eyes fell on me again. "So you're the first infected?"

I shook my head. "Nuh uh. I was already a pony from the start." She looked doubtful. "What? It's true! The only part of me that changed was getting a wing-wang."

Kazuki coughed softly. "Wing-Wang, you say?"

Emma started going red quickly, but I had the idea they weren't going to be happy until they saw it. It was like being with a couple of Twilight Sparkles. They always have to see everything, write it all down, and claim they're geniuses afterwards. They'd be kind of annoying if they weren't usually cute while they did it, and Kazuki was a nice guy, I thought.

I pulled off my trenchcoat and stuffed it away, revealing my entire body to their prying eyes, which included my dangling balls and sleeping shaft. I wasn't feeling specifically frisky, so it was tucked away in its sheath, warm and safe. "See?"

Emma put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed softly. Was she trying to be supportive? That was super nice of her and I smiled up at her.

Sato made a twirling motion with a finger. "Are you transgender, or hermaphroditic? Hermaphroditism cannot work for a variety of reasons, at least as a reproductively viable organism much more complicated than a flatworm."

I didn't understand half the words she said, but I turned around for her and raised my tail, showing off I was still a mare down there too. "What do you mean by that?"

Kazuki dismissively waved. "Not important right now. We're not here to measure fertility. Pinkie-chan, is it alright if I take a blood sample?"

That sounded kind of scary, but Emma squeezed me again and she looked confident, so, what the hay! "Sure, I guess. Go ahead."

He fetched a new needle. "This will sting a moment, but it won't be too bad, and it'll be over in a moment. Just stay still for me." I looked away and he poked me with what felt like a big ole' pinch. A few seconds later he pulled it out and stepped away. "Emma? Could you clean your friend?" Huh? I looked down at my arm to see there was some blood in the fur of my right foreleg where he had poked me, and I realized why he hadn't cleaned me. He didn't want to touch the blood and maybe become a pony too. I guess I couldn't blame that on him.

Emma got some wet wipes and cleaned me up diligently. Just as she finished, she brushed my snout with a few fingers. I turned to her and she kissed me, lips to lips. "Whatever happens, we'll make it through, together." I didn't feel as romantic as she did. I couldn't even tell how much of that was 'her' and how much of it was my weird mind-control stuff. Did she love me because I wanted her to like me? Was she a slave to my every whim? Did I kill who Emma used to be? The thoughts jumbled around in my head almost painfully.

"Emma..." She perked her ears at me. "Emma, do you really like me? Why? I ruined your trip, and hurt your friend, and you. You're becoming a pony, like me, and you're being very accepting of that."

Emma seemed to consider that a moment. "Aiko hurt herself when she decided that being loud and aggressive was more important than being civil."

Kazuki chuckled. "I feel ashamed, to hear an American say that about a Japanese person. Truly these are the end times." Emma looked at him with a shocked expression and he held up his hands. "Sorry, just a bad joke on my part. Doctor Sato, shall we?"

Sato nodded towards the syringe full of my blood. "Let's. The sooner we examine it, the sooner we can verify, or debunk, this wild notion." They went off into the back, discussing little technical details about things I knew nothing about.

The guard let out a loud sigh. "Anyone want some water?"

That sounded really good! "Yes please!"

He fetched some cups from a drawer and filled them up with tap water for us all. As we all sat around and drank, he suddenly grimaced and fished into his cup with two fingers. He came out with a tooth. "Shit."

Emma reached for his shoulder, petting it gently. "I'm sorry."

He threw the tooth aside and grunted, looking annoyed, but it wasn't clear what he was annoyed at most. "I should have been able to subdue her without being bit. I was in poor form, and this is the result."

Emma shrugged softly. "You're only a security guard, right?"

He looked confused then. "No? What gave you that idea? I'm a police officer."

Emma gestured down at his hips. "Where's your gun?"

"Japanese police officers don't use guns." He raised a brow. "We take care of things in a civil fashion, and with even heads, unlike Americans. Do you watch your own news? It's terrible."

I didn't know what they were talking about at all. "What's a gun?"

Emma glanced at me. "I mean, sure... I... A gun is a weapon. A very deadly one."

I frowned. "Why would he have that? He's a good guy."

The police officer, who wasn't a guard after all? Is that what humans called their guards? He chuckled at me. "See, she has the right idea. We're the good guys, so we have to enforce the law without causing more harm than we're fixing. If I had a gun, what would you have suggested, shooting your friend? That might have worked, but then you wouldn't have a friend anymore."

Emma looked embarrassed and drank from her water before replying, "I guess..."

He looked to me. "So, how is it?"

"How's what?"

He reached over and tweaked one of my ears, making me squeak. "Being a horse. You seem to be doing alright with it?"

I clopped my forehooves together. "Well I think it's great, but I'm maybe a little biased on that? Emma?"

Emma twitched her ears at me. "Huh? Oh! Well, these ears aren't bad for hearing things." She reached up and brushed her blue ears gently. "Does this mean I'm going to be a blue horse? Are all you horses crazy colors?"

I flashed a smile at her. "Most of us. Nice bright colors. And that's pony, not horse."

He shrugged. "A pony is just a small horse. I never introduced myself, Sasaki Hiro." The names didn't switch themselves. Was the magic testing me? I wouldn't be tripped up that easily!

"Nice to meet you, mister Sasaki."

He smiled. "Just Hiro will work for now. We're in an awkward situation, the least we can do is treat each other kindly." Aw, I decided he really was a good guy.

"Impossible!" called a female voice from the back. We all looked towards it as a quieter male voice spoke with her and their conversation died down. They were talking, but we couldn't make it out from so far away.

Emma shook her head. "I'm guessing they just proved you're an alien."

Hiro looked me over slowly. "How did you get here, on a flying saucer?"

I pictured flying around on a tea saucer and began to giggle at how ridiculous that was. "I flew on a plane, remember?"

Hiro frowned just a little. "Before that. Before you met Emma. How did you get here, to Earth, not just America or Japan?"

I thought back to that fateful moment. "Well, you see, there was this big problem, and I thought I could stop it from ever happening, so I hopped out and caught the big ball of pony energy and tried to throw it away, but it didn't go away, it just got sent backwards in time a little, and I fell after it, and then I woke up in Emma's apartment."

Emma raised a finger, let it fall, then shook her head. "That made less than zero sense, Pinkie."

Kazuki walked out at a brisk pace. "Miss Pie? Could we borrow you a moment?" I hopped to my hooves and trotted over to him. "Right this way. We have a few questions for you."

Sato was there, seated in a comfy looking chair. "Now, Miss Pie, do you know what a chromosome pair is?"

"Nope." I looked up at one of those magic screens they had, which showed this kinda circular thing with little things inside of it. I wasn't sure what it was.

Kazuki sat in another chair. "All things have a genetic code. Things of the same species have the same amount of 'pairs', basically the number of sections of this code. This code describes how to make that thing. It's the programming language of life."

I still didn't get most of that. "Uh huh?"

Sato pointed at the screen. "Humans have twenty-three pairs. Your blood shows twenty-six."

I pointed at myself. "Well I'm not a human, so that makes sense, right?"

Kazuki grinned triumphantly. "That's what I said."

Sato slapped a hand down on one of the arms of her chair. "This is not a joke! Your blood chemistry is also off. Anything that was comfortable inside you should die in our own systems, and vice versa, and yet here we are, with a pathogen that crosses this racial divide without a concern." She leaned forward and steepled her fingers. "There is one vital piece missing. The others are becoming more like you, are they not?"

I nodded quickly. "Do you think they'll get twenty-six chromo-whatevers?"

Kazuki nodded. "That is the theory. If they are fully being converted to your species, in every way, genetics may be involved, or not. If not, then this is a superficial change, which could result in a variety of long term health issues, since the body would be unable to construct the hormones it needed or maintain homeostasis on its own. If they are, and it doesn't kill them along the way, then they would be horses, entirely. They might even be able to breed!"

Sato frowned at Kazuki lightly. "Try not to sound quite so enthusiastic about that idea."

I put a hoof behind my head. "That all sounds interesting, but what part of that helps my friends stop being sick? I don't want them turning into ponies if they don't want to be ponies." Even if the idea of breeding Emma sounded really good right then. All fat with foal, our foals. She'd be so happy and plump... As I daydreamed, I grew swiftly erect in front of the two scientists.

Sato pointed back out to the hallway. "You can go now, Miss Pie. Thank you."

I snapped back into the present and slunk away. She wasn't much fun at all. I got the idea she was more disgusted than anything else by my display. I didn't mean to show that off to them!

Author's Note

So we ended up a 4.5k words, how'd that work out? We need more choices!

1: Pinkie decides to try to bring Aiko over to the happy team and enlists Emma to snug, hug, and possibly much more intimate things with her until she loosens up.

2: Pinkie hurries home to get Homer. Poor dog's locked in their apartment! Surely no trouble will come up in that short distance. She leaves her friends behind for the brief jaunt.

3: Pinkie wants to learn more about the newest pony-to-be. That Hiro guy seems nice enough. Ponies should stick together, right?

4: Perhaps Pinkie's expertise would be best suited helping the scientists. She's seen Twilight do it. How hard could it be?

Vote for your favorite! 2 days to get in your votes, then I get to writing.

12 - It's OK to be a Pony! (clop)

Hiro's teeth kept falling out as he sat with us, just to be quickly replaced with flat pony teeth. They began crowding, but that solved itself as he put a hand to his face. "It's like someone is punching me harder every moment." With loud cracks and pops, I could see he was growing a snout all of his own.

I winced and looked over to the unconscious Aiko. Did she go through all that, locked up in her room? No wonder she was grumpy! Well we wouldn't let Hiro suffer alone. I moved up beside Hiro and gently pressed against him. "It's OK. You have friends right here, right Hiro? We're here for you."

Hiro gave a pained laugh. "That... is more comforting than it has a right to be. We just met, but thank you." Emma slid up on his other side and his laughter grew. "Am I the alpha horse now?"

I tapped at my chin with some confusion. "I don't think so? Oh! Wow, you meant like a herd? We haven't even hugged properly, you cassanova." I giggled with mirth and reached around him, hugging Hiro and Emma together gently. "Right now I know this has to hurt, and we're not going to let you feel bad alone. That's part of what friends are for. I'd throw you a 'welcome to pony!' party, but there's not much around this place for that." Despite that, I dug out a few of my cupcakes and passed one to either of them. "You're already becoming ponies, so no harm, right? At least we can try to be cheerful."

She wasn't awake, but I set one beside Aiko, then put a candle in each and lit it up quickly. "Ta da! Let the part--"

Hiro grunted with pain as the last of his snout pushed out. The popping stopped, at least. "You alright, Hiro?" He nodded stiffly and let out a breath.

"Alright! So let the party begin!" I picked up Hiro's and offered it to him.

He took it in his fingers and turned it left and right. "Did you make this yourself? I mean this with respect, but the idea of a pony baking... It seems miraculous. You don't even have hands."

Emma shrugged softly. "Have you been watching her? She doesn't have fingers, but she may as well have. I've yet to see her hooves slow her down even a bit. It's... It's magical."

I threw out my hooves to either side. "It's not magical, it's just Pinkie Pie. Now let's eat and have a little fun, as friends. Just because we're not sure what to do doesn't mean we have to be mopey about it."

Kazuki wandered out from the back but slowed down as he spotted the lit cupcakes. "What?" His eyes slid along to Hiro and he winced. "Mister Sasaki, are you well?"

Sasaki chuckled and spoke with a bit of a garble. He would need practice talking with a big pony tongue and snout. "It's stopped hurting like a hundred angry ants were tearing apart my face. Any progress in there?"

Kazuki shrugged. "It's our first real look at it. Working optimistically we could try to have something in a year or two?" Hiro looked downtrodden. "Look, sorry, but I'm not going to lie to you. We're two doctors, with an entirely unknown disease, working in a little clinic. That reminds me, a sample from the infected would be useful to see how it interacts with human biology." Hiro and Emma gave up a blood sample. Aiko wasn't asked, being all knocked out and all. As he moved to walk off with his samples, a thought struck me.

"Hey, why don't we go to where there are more doctors?"

Kazuki looked thoughtful for a moment. "That may not be a bad idea. I'll make a few phone calls." And off he went.

Hiro smiled up at me. "That's being proactive. I... I really should guard them."

Emma frowned. "You're turning into a pony, Hiro. They should send another officer while we try to cure you. What if you lose control, like those other... things outside?"

I picked up Hiro's abandoned cupcake and offered it to him. "Right now, we party."

The party began. It wasn't nearly as energetic as I try to make parties, but there were smiles, and cupcakes, so it wasn't a failure.

Hiro chewed softly. "It's strange, but I feel like being around Miss Pie is the right place to be."

Emma quickly nodded. "I understand that feeling. I can't believe I made her struggle so hard to get here. I should have smuggled her with me, or just stayed at home."

Gosh. "That's very nice, Emma, but I'm already here, now. No reason to mope about it anymore." I hugged her, and she quickly returned the gesture. One of her hands trailed down my back and pinched at my cutie mark, making me jump. She wanted to play. She wanted to play. The thought of taking her up on it made me squirm. I couldn't play like that right in front of Hiro! This was his party!

I hears a sudden series of little pops and Hiro fell over onto his belly. Oh no! I hurried over to his side. "You alright, buddy? We're here for you, promise."

Hiro pushed up to hands and knees, but apparently couldn't get much higher than that besides wobbling in place a moment before falling down back to all fours. He was four legged, without the legs. Aw, poor guy.

Emma pulled down her pants to let a tail poke free. What was making them change like that? At least Emma's tail was kinda cute, and she seemed to actually like it.

Hiro suddenly grabbed one of my arms. "Miss Pie... Pinkie. Your cupcakes. They're hurrying things along." Oh, that... sort of made sense. Shoot! He must have seen my expression because he patted me on the head as awkwardly as he could with his new four-legged stance. "I appreciate the sentiment... and maybe it's for the best. They're not going to 'fix' this. I'm a horse, it's just a matter of time one way or the other."

Emma climbed out of her pants and tossed off her shirt, going naked, sort of. She was covered in fur, even if she had a human shape. She seemed... comfy in fur. Hiro nodded at her. "Like that. At least I might be useful, because right now I'm just stuck between, and useless for anything."

I nodded at him and sat down. "Alright, I think I understand that, so what do you want to do? Make more cupcakes?"

He waved a hand. "It's not the cupcake, it's the stuff inside of them. You have that, right?"

I set down the sugar. "Like this?"

He pulled over the sugar as he sat down on what was the closest approximation to his haunches. Poor guy looked really mixed up. "Now, last thing. Emma, Pinkie, if I go crazy, then you have to subdue me and get me out of here. Attacking the doctors is not something we can allow."

Emma pointed at the other pair of cuffs dangling on his belt. "Why don't we cuff you now and let you go afterwards?"

"Nnng." Aiko started to come around. I hurried over to her with a smile.

"Hey there!"

Aiko tried to sit up quickly, and ran into her hoofcuffs. She looked at me with a sorta desperate look, but didn't say anything. "What's wrong, Aiko? Are you alright?"

She grunted and stomped her right foot on the ground before she frowned. "What... What did... You?" She spoke each word like a tremendous effort. Poor girl really sounded confused. All my poor human friends were having a rough time of things, except Emma. Emma seemed alright.

Speaking of Emma, she moved over beside me and Aiko's eyes widened with surprise. Was it Emma's fur, or her nakedness beside that? "Hey Aiko. Are you ready to stop attacking people now?"

Aiko shied backwards. "Why... cure. Please." She sank down to her bottom with a sniffle. "Please..."

I shook my head. "The doctors said it would take a long time, sorry. Maybe if Twilight was here. She's really good at magic and I bet she could just bam zap! And fix everything. She's pretty cool like that. Still, at least you're not alone, right? Come on, stop looking so sad."

Aiko pointed with a cuffed hand behind us, to where we left Hiro. "What?"

Emma and I turned to see what she meant. Hiro was eating sugar, not that I could blame him. Sugar's pretty tasty! I mean, it's better inside other things, like candy and cakes and things, but by itself is still pretty good. Oh right! "You bit Hiro, which made him start turning into a pony. He decided to finish it."

Emma squirmed. "Why does that sound like such a good idea right now? But I like my hands and my fingers. I like standing up." She reached over and began petting one of my ears, making my leg thump on the ground. "I like teasing you just like this, Pinkie. Doesn't that feel nice?" Oh my, yes! She could play all day long if she wanted. "You don't mind me the way I am, do you?"

I tilted my head at her. "Of course I don't. I mean, you're not a pony, but I never asked you to be a pony. But... you're not a human either. You're kinda between, though not as awkward as poor Hiro. Hiro! You alright over there?"

Hiro collapsed as I asked the question, knocking over the bag of sugar on the way. What a waste... We rushed over, leaving Aiko behind for the moment. Something else decided to investigate. A loud thump came from the door as two quasi-ponies bumped into it. Their eyes were focused on Hiro, or the sugar. Hands that were not hands or hooves properly scrambled at the doors. They were going to get in. I had to act! "Alright, team, we have to defend the doctors!" I pulled on a helmet and drew a wooden sword. "On our honor."

Emma burst into giggles. "Oh my god, Pinkie. That was so cheesy."

They figured out the bar of the door and shoved it open and rushed as one towards us with an inarticulate but excited grunting. Emma squealed and backed away, but I didn't have that choice. Well, I did have that choice, but I didn't take it! I wasn't going to leave Hiro to get attacked while he was down. That's just not a thing friends do.

The first one to reach me was a real mess. He had exactly half a snout, projecting from his face with naked flesh displayed where it just... cut off for no reason. His left foot was a hoof, giving him an uneven clip clip clip gait. He reached for me with quasi-hooves and an excited grunt. I got the idea he maybe wanted to play, but not the good kind of play. I spun around and caught his hands with my stick, knocking them aside. "Bad!"

His friend had a horn. Was he a unicorn? Could th-- Yes they could! I was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown aside, crashing into the tiles roughly. That was rude! Emma shrank back away without me there to guard her and the unicorn jumped at her, grabbing for her wrists and trying to kiss her. Emma lashed up her knee between the poor guy's legs and he collapsed with the pain that only stallions properly knew.

I bounced back to my hooves and jumped at the first quasi-pony, bonking him on the head. "Cut it out! That's really rude. You have to wait outside like everypony else until the doctors invite you inside."

A sudden roar brought our attention right back to Hiro. Oh wow! He rose up onto his new... claws? Those weren't hooves at all. He was like a dragon, sort of. He had a pony's face and head, if you discounted the cool fins he had down his spine. His lower body was definately dragon like, and he had a big tail that was furry and spikey at once. He was a pony-dragon, and he sounded really angry. "Hiro, everything's under control, don't get all worked up," I quickly said, trying to calm him down, and it mostly worked. He nodded back at me, then grabbed one of the quasi-ponies and hurled them with a flick of his neck, sending them right back onto the street. The second one was only a moment behind.

He snorted softly, then looked down at himself. "What am I?" He raised a claw, shaking. "At... least I have fingers?"

Emma clapped her hands together. "You were amazing, and so strong. Do you feel alright?"

Hiro rose up to all fours and slowly circled in place. "I don't know what I feel right now. Everything's off, but I'm in one piece. I thought I was turning into a horse?"

"So did I!" I frowned a little. "You look like you got a little Spike in there, though you're a better fighter than Spike. Thanks for the assist, Hiro."

Aiko shook her head quickly. "That's... Hiro?" She stood up, shaking a little. "We're all... All going to be freaks."

Emma frowned at Aiko. "Stop that. I don't know about Hiro, but I feel really good right now." I looked over Emma, she was a furry human, with a tail, and pony ears, but she seemed to be carrying it well. My looking at her made her smile and she gave me that special look. If we were alone... "Aiko, it's up to you to hate yourself."

On that, I totally agreed. "We are who we are, and we should be proud of that. It isn't that bad is it? I've been a pony forever and I managed just fine. I mean, I didn't mean for it to happen, but since we're here, you can at least try to see the bright side."

Hiro went to the front door and latched it. I could hear a heavy lock being turned. "Everything's taller than it used to be, but I haven't forgotten who I am. Horse, dragon, or whatever, I'm still Sasaki Hiro, and I'm still a police officer."

Emma smiled. "You really are a hero."

Hiro paused, then chuckled. "As if I haven't heard that pun before, but thank you."

Hiro and Emma were both getting along with themselves, but poor Aiko looked like she was going to cry. "Aiko, we're your friends. How can we make this better?"

Aiko tugged at the cuffs. "Cure?"

I rolled a hoof. "We don't have that. What's your next best thing?"

Aiko sagged. "At least... Let me go."

I raised a hoof at her. "Promise not to try yelling or biting the doctors? They're doing their best."

"Fine..."

Hiro approached her with increasing familiarity. He had a good trot going, at least whenever he didn't hit a scrap of the remnants of his uniform, tugging at him. He made it to Aiko and fished out a key. "It's our job to be patient, guard the doctors, and let them work." With a last little nod from Aiko, he freed her.

Aiko took a step back, rubbing her wrists softly. "Why... Hard talking."

I frowned with thought, but Emma beat me to it. "It's because you're spazzing out. Roll with it and accept it as part of you, or it's going to run you over and leave a wreck behind." Emma reached for one of Hiro's ears and began rubbing it, making one of his legs start thumping. I knew that feeling. "Even if I do become a pony, at least... I won't be so bad. You'll take care of me, Pinkie?"

I bobbed my head quickly. "Of course I will. Like just now!"

Emma smiled. "You were a fierce and amazing warrior."

Hiro smirked. "Your stance was awful, and your movements awkward. If you want to use a bokken--" A wooden sword "--I'll show you how. I'm pretty sure my days of fencing are behind me."

Aiko emerged into the hallway with the rest of us. Her eyes darted between us, but she was quiet. At least she wasn't making a fuss at the moment, so I turned my attention onto Hiro. "You sure you're alright? You were super amazing, by the way."

Hiro smiled. "I'm still figuring that out, but thank you. I feel powerful, and ready." He glanced down the hallway towards the doctor, then directly at me. "It feels even stronger now. You really are the alpha horse."

I pointed at myself. "What? Me? I'm not usually the in-charge girl. I'm the party pony!"

Hiro shook his head. "Like the rest of us, your past is of smaller importance than the role you're being called on to do now. You were a horse to start, and you understand what's going on, at least in terms of this. Describe the two that just attacked us."

I rubbed my hooves together. "Well, one half-earth pony and one unicorn, though even a unicorn can't do much when you do that to them. Quick thinking, Emma!" Emma looked quite proud of herself.

"And a unicorn is?" He twirled a claw at me.

I grabbed my hair and quickly fashioned it into a pink horn. "They have horns, and they can do magic, like picking things up or opening a door without touching it. He used it to throw me across the room."

Hiro shrugged. "And you say you're not the alpha horse."

Gosh. "So I guess I kinda do know more than most ponies around here, but that doesn't make me the leader. I don't know what we should do next."

Emma moved up to me and crouched down. Her tail swayed across the titles as she grabbed my snout in her hands. "When you figure it out, we're behind you, Pinkie. We trust you."

Doctor Sato emerged from the office, but stopped in her tracks when she see the bunch of us. She slowly withdrew back into the room and closed the door ever-so-gently, then we heard a lock being turned. Did we scare her that bad?

Hiro snorted softly. "Does she think we're mad?"

Aiko threw up her hands. "Why wouldn't she?!"

A voice came from the front desk, "Hello? Kazuki here. Everything alright out there?"

Hiro rushed over to the source and reared up onto the desk before pushing a button up there. "Sasaki Hiro here. Altered, but functional. We're all intact, in theory."

"What's this I hear about a lizard thing and a naked fuzzy girl?" Emma had the decency to blush. "Nevermind that. I'm sure you're all dealing with this as best as you can. I made some phone calls. It seems the city hospital is the best equipped at the moment. They're expecting you. I told them you'd have armbands on. Grab some of the first aid cuffs from the cabinet in the supply room."

The line went quiet and Hiro nodded. "I think that was us being kicked out in the most polite way possible."

Emma frowned a little. "That's not very thankful for all the hard work you did for them."

Hiro dropped back to the floor and trotted up to Emma. "We are past the time of pleasantries, for better or worse."

Suddenly the lights went out. A siren began to sound through the building as a set of smaller lights flickered into being. "And there goes the power. This is escalating quickly." He turned to the exit, and the evening light available. "Hiking through the city during the night, not exactly an ideal plan."

I raised a hoof. "Wait! We should rescue Homer first. He's our dog, and he's waiting for us back at Aiko's place. Poor guy's probably worried about us. We can take him with us to the city hospital."

Hiro looked to Aiko. "How far is it?"

Aiko shuffled in place a moment. "Few minutes."

Emma brought her hands together. "Then it's settled. Let's get back to Aiko's place, get Homer, and first thing in the morning, we head to that hospital. She hurried off into the supply room and began digging around.

Aiko came over to me and glared. "What's wrong?"

She pointed at me. "You. You did all of this."

"Sorry?"

She threw up her hands, then sank against the front counter. "What does sorry do?"

I followed after her and hopped up into her lap. She tensed, but she didn't push me away. I nuzzled gently into her neck and smiled at her. "I won't give up on you." She opened her mouth to talk and I felt the urge to kiss her, so I did. I pushed my fuzzy lips against her snout and gently exchanged a smooch. She was surprised at first, but fell into me. Her delicate fingers began to pet over my back, then found my cutie mark, where she traced gently. Did humans understand how sensitive a cutie mark can be? I was squirming against her into the kiss for that moment, and everything felt right, and good.

One of her hands reached under my barrel and began toying with my quickly filling sheath. I gasped with surprise and pleasure and broke the kiss. If she wanted to play... Wait. I looked over to were Hiro was sitting there, watching us. "Um... Sorry... I guess I got kinda caught up in th--" I paused my excuse to squeak as she resumed attacking me. Aiko really wanted a private party, right then and there, and I was feeling all the more ready to deliver on that promise.

"Everything alright out there?" Emma poked her head out from the supply room.

"They're working it out," said Hiro. "Leave them alone."

I'd like to say I heard whatever else they said, but Aiko had turned from victim to aggression. She rolled me over and held me down with one hand as the other worked off her panties and tossed them to the ground. With them out of the way, I could smell it. She had changed in one other place. She smelled of a needy mare and moved in over me. "Tell me the truth, Pinkie."

The truth? "The sky is blue most of the time and clouds are grey and I really like cupcakes and hugs are kinda nice!"

"Not that!" Aiko sank down until the flared head of my shaft poked against her hot pony lips and she began to grind back and forth over it. "Am I just your victim?"

I grabbed for her hips. "You're a wonderful person, Aiko. Please, I want us to be friends." And so much more! I squeezed at her soft hips and reached past them, stroking along her tail and she let out a little coo. "We're all here for you, Aiko."

She sank, taking the thick member up into herself and starting to ride without delay. "Promise! Promise I'm not just... some freak... Promise you won't throw me out like those other two... Promise..."

Emma glanced at Hiro before looking back at the two of us grunting and making love in wild motions. "Aiko, first, I'm really jealous right about now, and second, there's no way I'm 'throwing you out'. Damn, you were the one hosting me, remember?"

Hiro said something, but I really couldn't hear it. Finishing this act was more pressing. I pushed up against her and squealed as I began to fill her, and she suddenly began to change right on top of me. She wailed and collapsed as bones popped and reformed. I hugged her gently and rocked her as she rode it out, quickly becoming more and more pony by the moment. Soon there was a delicate-looking unicorn with creamy-yellow fur covering her entire body. She had truly let go, and let the rest of the changes crash down on her. I could feel her body change around me, and let me tell you, that was super weird, but also kind of amazing feeling. Her mane and tail were still black, just like her hair as a human. She panted weakly and trembled on top of me and I just held her quietly. That sounded, and felt, like it hurt a lot.

Emma looked over the new Aiko. "If I could be a pretty pony like that, maybe it wouldn't be quite that awful..."

I gently drew from her with a wet pop and nuzzled into her cheek. "Are you alright?" Aiko whimpered, but nodded. "Shh, don't be brave for us. It's OK to hurt." I kissed one of hew new yellow ears. "That was very brave."

Aiko sat up suddenly. "It feels like there's still something trying to get out of me. I don't know what." Her gaze went to Emma quickly. "Did you mean that?"

Emma blushed brightly through her fur. "Y-yes. You're adorable and pretty."

Hiro coughed softly. "Forgive the familiarity, but I agree."

Author's Note

So a lot of things happened! People did vote a lot for 'oh god why aren't we doing all of that?!', with a heavy preference for talking to Hiro, so talking to Hiro happened, and we have two new full ponies. Aiko's over her hump, and it's time to rescue Homer!

But how will that go?

1: They make it smoothly and easily back to Aiko's without issue, and spend the night in her apartment before heading out to the hospital through the city.

2: The new herd is spotted by some uninfected humans that become quite alarmed and attack.

3: Feral ponies are being drawn by something and refuse to leave our herd alone. They have to be beaten off with sticks, literally, to make any progress.

4: They get to the apartment, but homer's gone, and it looks like half the apartment complex's been ripped apart!

5: The electrical surges have caused a severe fire, cutting off their desired path. Homer may have to wait... To the hospital!

Vote!

Also, like the chapter? Let me know. I love your feedback!

15 - Aiko Speaks

As I looked between the two sides, it reminded me of the Appleloosians and the Buffalo, except they weren't actually arguing FOR anything. They just seemed to like arguing at each other. Both of them made references to invisible things and how they should deal with them, and seemed to like pointing at us as an example of how they were right and the other side was wrong.

Aiko shook her head. "Neither of them will get us where we want to be, spiritually or otherwise." She snorted softly. "I like a good shinto or christian holiday as much as the next person, but they're not who I would turn to in a crisis."

Hiro tapped his claws against the pavement. "Who would you turn towards then? They look agitated, and I don't want to incite a riot just trying to get past them. Even if we did manage to squeeze past, it would be horribly irresponsible."

Aiko smiled. "Those aren't the only two religions." She trotted forward and veered to the right, approaching a golden wheel that three people were holding up quietly. "Excuse me, are you a follow of Shingon?" One of them nodded to her with a curious expression.

A woman pushed to her feet and approached Aiko with a smile. "You are a strange but welcome sight. Most of those taken with this sickness abandon most thought and civility with it."

Aiko dipped her head towards them. "We want to help, but to do that, we must reach the hospital." She shuffled on her new hooves a little. "There they will examine us, and hopefully learn. Time is important in this, even if I know patience is more the usual way."

The woman nodded. "This is a time of crisis. We can't caution patience and understanding too much. Tell us, are you still a human?"

Aiko took a half-step back. "I should hope so..." She slowly reclaimed the step. "But what is it to be a human?" She shook her snout left to right in a roll, sending her mane waving. "I don't believe in jealous gods or vengeful spirits, but this certainly feels like a test..." She raised a hoof to point directly at me. "I thought she was a trickster spirit at first, come to life to torment me."

Many eyes turned to look at me, so I waved back at them with a grin. A man shook his head. "She looks more harmless than many we've seen from afar."

"Attack!" came a cry from up ahead and to the left. The One Godders broke file and many pulled out pointy things like kitchen knives and others had bats, but I couldn't see what they were fighting. They weren't coming towards us at least, so that was good, but what was it? The Stick Shaker led his people in with it, wading together in a huge noisy mess. It would have been fun, if they were fighting with pies and cakes instead of those things.

The woman Aiko was speaking to shied away from it. "The sick have lost the way, and lash out at those who can even be aware of its existence. If you have survived this emptiness and come out the other side, then you are risen, to be celebrated, not scorned, or treated as lost children." She held out a hand and Aiko met it with a hoof. "Bring your people forward into our ranks and we'll try to see them through."

Hiro lept into action and began shepherding the ponies towards the helpful people. With the others distracted by--oh. A huge pony hydra came into view as it knocked a dozen humans aside with a sweep of one of its necks. It snatched up a few of the fallen and... swallowed them. It didn't even chew, it just gulped them up like little candies. The idea of somepony just... I felt a little sick all of a sudden. The people were battering it with everything they had, but its hunger seemed to drive it forward into the crowd.

A loud report echoed through the air as one of its heads exploded in a terrible display of red and little... little bits. I couldn't take it. I shoved my head off to the side and lost what was left of breakfast. I could hear more awful noises, and the crash of what I assumed was the hydra. More death. It wasn't knocked out or driven away. It was dead. It didn't deserve it. The people it gobbled up didn't deserve it. It really wasn't fair to anypony.

Homer nuzzled into my side. "Come on. We have to go!" I followed numbly after him into the crowd. We began to push through, with the helpful people serving as our shield to get us through. That mare that had tried a few times before tried her luck again, offering her rump towards a human stallion with a suggestive brow waggle.

The man smiled patiently. "You are a creature of the earth, still, but I will not be tempted."

One of the others was near me and gently tapped me on the withers. "Excuse me. Is it true you were the source of her suffering?"

I perked an ear. "Sort of? I gave her the pony. I didn't mean to, but I did." Talking with him felt better than thinking about what I had just seen. "I know better now, so you're safe."

He smiled. "That's good. The strictest reading of our teaching would imply it wouldn't matter what we physically became, so long as our spirit and mind remained pure and ready to divest itself of ego. Perhaps it is a sign of my imperfection that I would prefer to remain as I am, for now." He smiled like he just said a good joke, and it made me feel better. It was nice to see people who could smile, and mean it. "Where are you from, Miss...?"

I pointed at myself. "Pie Pinkie, nice to meet you. I'm from Equestria, uh, which is another world away."

He raised a brow. "Are you saying you are a space alien?"

I nodded quickly. "I floated through space. That wasn't a lot of fun at all. I couldn't breathe and it felt hot and cold and yuck. I'm happy I got here in one piece."

He shook his head. "You are either making a wild tale, or are living one. I wish you good fortune either way. Do you understand our ways? Does your Equestria know of the eightfold path?"

I glanced around. "Does it involve more invisible things?"

He put a hand to his chest. "Only our spirit. Life is inherently suffering. We hunger, we thirst, we grow cold, or hot. We grow bored. We want and desire many things, and the pursuit of them causes more suffering. That is the way of things."

That confused me. "So you get a cupcake, a glass of water, or maybe a hot cup of coacoa if it's cold out. You hang out with friends and then neither of you are bored. How is that bad?"

He pet me gently on the head. "And if you are out of cupcakes or there is only rice? Will having rice instead of cupcakes make you sad?"

I pouted a little. "Well, yeah, a little."

"And if your friends are busy, or away?"

I shrank a little. "That would make me sad, sure. But why would you call all of life suffering? That sounds super sad! Life is terrific and full of wonderful things."

He smiled. "It can be. We say that suffering comes from desire. The stronger and more specific the desire, the greater sadness it can cause. If you are hungry, you should eat, but why does it matter what you eat? The rice will fill you as well as the cupcake, why be sad that you have rice?"

I considered that with a frown. These were big thoughts. A part of me giggled internally. It was kind of nice that this person had just wandered up and talked big things with me. He didn't assume I wouldn't understand. He didn't assume I was stupid just because I like being happy. "I guess I can understand that. If you don't have a cupcake, you should be happy with whatever you have, even if it's just a carrot."

"Exactly." He gently pet over an ear. "You look better now. Are you feeling better?"

I considered that. The image of the death of the hydra wasn't as strong. I didn't feel as lonely and horrified. I nodded at him. "I think so, thank you. You gave me a friend right when I needed one." I almost reached to give him one of my remaining cupcakes before I remembered it would make him a pony. That would be some thank you! Well, I could ask? "Hey, do you want to be a pony?"

He shook his head. "I hope that if I catch the disease, I will hold the teachings close enough to not draw suffering from it, but I don't seek it. Why do you ask?"

Emma popped out of the crowd beside me. "I hope you're not considering sharing."

I gave a little nervous giggle. "Asking doesn't hurt."

Suddenly a terrifying group of monsters sprang out of the crowd and surrounded me. They had the heads of dragons and bodies of humans. They wore drums that they beat in some pattern together as they danced around me. The man with the stick with the things hanging off popped out a moment later and shook it at me as the dragons capered around. They weren't eating me... What were they doing?

Emma asked the question out loud as she was shoved away from me. "What are you doing to her? Leave her alone!"

The one in charge shook his stick at her. "You'll get your turn, horse. This is the foul spirit at the heart of our troubles. We will cleanse her and send her away."

Hiro shoved his way back through the crowd of ponies and people to get to me. "She is a living creature, not a spirit. Leave her be." But they didn't stop dancing.

I wasn't being hurt by the dance. I mean, now that I knew they were just doing a funny dance, it was actually kind of nice. "Leave them alone, Hiro. If dancing makes them happy, then they should dance." I started to dance with them in the center, thrusting my hips left and right as I swayed my forehooves to the beat. That was actually kind of fun.

It was all in good fun until I felt something actually lift up and out of me. Suddenly, I stopped being part stallion. I fell to all four in surprise and squeaked. What happened?!

Emma whinnied in fury and charged into one of the drummers, knocking him aside. Hiro frowned at the others and flexed his claws against the pavement purposefully. "I am still a police officer. This is your final warning to cease this assault and remove yourself, or be removed forcefully if need be."

The one in charge shook his stick at Hiro. "Go to your hospital, but everyone can see the cleansing she needs is at our hands, not that of a doctor." They withdrew back into the crowd with all the dignity they could muster.

Hiro slide up beside me. "Are you alright, Pinkie? You suddenly looked sick a moment."

Emma rejoined us. "Didn't you see? Pinkie's just a mare now." She looked back at her own rump. "How are we going to... you know?"

Aiko moved to walk ahead of us. "Is that really all you can think of, Emma? I thought better of you."

Emma scowled at Aiko. "I thought we were going to be married."

Married? I flushed through my pink fur. "I'm not ready for marriage yet! We can be friends though. Mare or stallion." I leaned over to nuzzle her, but I could feel she wasn't entirely into it.

Hiro pointed ahead with a claw. "We're reaching where the military control zone begins. The buddhists are going to have to withdraw." We emerged from them as they stopped at a bright yellow line.

The woman that originally spoke to Aiko found her again. "Good luck. Tell me, are you a follower, or did you simply decide we were most reasonable?"

Aiko smiled a little awkwardly. "I'm not a very good one..."

The woman nodded. "We understand. It's a difficult path, and many stumble along the way. But if it were simple, we would have all transcended long ago, would we not? Walk with wisdom." She gestured for her fellows to go, and they headed back towards the other groups.

Hiro began collecting all the ponies back into formation. "No panicking, no shouting, and for the love of any god you hold dear, no running. We walk in a nice organized file until we're inside. Anyone who acts oddly is inviting themselves to violent reaction. We're almost there, so let's not fumble this at the doorstep of the hospital." The calm authority of his voice seemed to get the others in line and nodding. He invited me to walk beside him and we started the walk, not even a trot, towards the hospital. I felt like I was being watched. I felt like I could be hurt at any moment. I couldn't put a hoof on what, exactly, but there was a palpable malice in the air all around us.

Emma strode on the other side of me and whispered, "They have snipers. If one of us gives them a reason, they'll make our heads explode like that hydra's."

A loud voice boomed out from the direction of the hospital, "Cease your movement. Remain where you are for inspection. Disobedience is a breech of the law. Due to current circumstances, we are authorized for lethal reaction."

Hiro tensed. "Bloody military. The police would never stoop this low. To shoot unarmed civilians..." He raised his head and spoke more clearly and loudly. "Remain in place. I want us all getting there intact."

The colt began to sniffle and shake like a leaf, but his parents closed ranks with him and surrounded him in wings and barrels. That loud bang rang out. One of his parents collapsed to the ground. The colt wailed in horror. I wanted to wail too. "Stay still," harshly whispered Hiro. "No movement, none."

Six humans approached wielding long sticks that I assumed were dangerous. Were they the things they killed with? They surrounded us and began poking and prodding with the sticks, not getting any closer than the stick's length. "Is Sasaki Hiro here?"

Hiro nodded. "Present. I've arrived with the subjects, safely, minus one." He said the last with acid, a low hissing noise in his throat.

"Dead," announced one of them, prodding the fallen body of the colt's parent. With a loud bang, he shot the fallen pony again. If they were dead, why were they shooting them again?! The colt shrieked and threw himself on top of the fallen pony. "Leave my father alone!" The man brought down his stick and bashed the colt across the snout, knocking him free of his father's body to whimper and cry in pain, blood splattering on the pavement.

Hiro's teeth clenched so hard I could see the muscles in his neck bulge out through the fur. The colt's mother's wings fell and hid the colt from sight, but she remained otherwise completely still, her eyes full of fear and horror. Every sniffle and cry her colt made, I knew she was crying on the inside.

The one of them that seemed in charge moved around to be in front of Hiro. "Sasaki, lead your 'unit'--" He smirked as he said the word. "--inside. Nice and slow. No surprises."

We continued our slow walk. The colt's father was left there to just... Just nothing. They didn't care about it, and they wouldn't let us take it, so the colt cried softly from under his mother's wing. I felt my mane sagging. It was hard to focus on the good parts of life right then. Maybe life was suffering...

We arrived at the front door and were led into a small room to the side, which was barely big enough to even hold us all, but at least they left. As soon as the last of the terrible men left, the Colt broke into full wails. Another pony frowned at the colt and his mother. "Quiet him. I don't want to be shot today."

The mother frowned back as she gathered up her colt and kissed his broken snout. "Shhh..."

Things became tense and quiet for what felt like forever until the door opened and a man poked his head in only to stop at the sight of us. "Huh?" He pulled his head back and closed the door, but his shout was audible, "Why are there a bunch of horses in here?"

Another man entered shortly. "Sorry for the wait." He paused as his eyes fell on the abused colt and he threw open the door. "Get a pediatric unit in here." It became a short flurry of activity as men charged in with a stretcher, loaded up the colt and rushed away. They let the mother follow along, provided she promised to stay out of the way and to wait where they told her to wait.

The man that had originally apologized pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did that happen in the city?"

One of the other ponies angrily shouted. "He was bashed for trying to protect his father from being shot for the crime of being shot."

He shook his head. "We have no control over them. I'm sorry, truly." He bowed towards all of us. "Welcome to City Hospital. When I heard a group of intact survivors of the disease was coming, I wanted to greet you warmly, not... this. Please, this is not how we feel."

Hiro nudged his way through the crowd. "Teach men how to kill, and they will kill. You're a doctor, are you not?" The man nodded. "Then let's get to healing our nation. I'm Sasaki Hiro, police officer. These people are my responsibility."

He nodded back at Hiro. "Good attitude. I am Doctor Maki. Let us put this unfortunate start aside and do what we can. We were told of your coming. You should be commended if you only lost one. The city's in chaos. The whole country doesn't look much better." He gestured over the crowd. "Before we begin, a few things we have found. Infection is primarily fluid based. Casual bare skinned contact will not transmit. Being around the infected is harmless." He gestured to his face. "No mask, as you can see. We have set aside a special lavatory for your use. Please use it and only it." He pushed open the door and gestured for us to come with him, and we poured out of that little room into the main hall of the hospital.

"Your wing is here." He led us to a hallway. "Men on the left, women on the right. If you are a family, bed together if you prefer. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 1, dinner at 8. Follow the direction of the doctors, please, it's for your own and everyone else's benefit. Are you all terminal?"

One mare tilted her head. "Dying?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean, are you all complete in your transition?"

There was some murmuring and mostly everyone agreed. We were as pony as we were going to get. "A shame. I'd love to have a still transitioning, but coherent, subject."

I bounced up towards the man. "Excuse me!" He looked at me curiously. "Hi! I'm Pie Pinkie, and I'm a pony, as in really a pony. I was always a pony."

He raised a brow. "You're the 'alien' they spoke of? Pardon for asking, but could you turn around for me, Miss Pie?"

I did a slow turn for him. "If you're looking for the extra parts, I kinda lost those in a drum circle. Don't ask me how that worked because I don't know."

Aiko coughed softly. "It defies logic, but she was literally exorcised of her male parts."

The doctor frowned with confusion and I think disbelief. "I see, well. Mister Sasaki, can you confirm this is the same horse?"

Hiro nodded firmly. "This is her, without a doubt. She has some infectious artifacts you might be interested in."

Oh yeah! I dug out my cooking supplies and set them out in a neat row. "Here ya go. Don't eat them though, they'll make you a pony, unless you want to be a pony?"

Doctor Maki crouched down to look at them before pulling out a plastic baggie for each one to put in carefully without touching them. "This could be very useful, perhaps. We have a few psychiatrists on staff. I must insist you speak with one, Miss Pie. Others will visit the rest of you at times, to make sure you're settling in properly and are still mentally stable." He rose up with his samples to find the mare that had tried so many times before standing before him with a smile. She waved her flank at him lightly and hiked her tail in invitation.

Maki raised a brow. "What is your name?" She seemed excited that he was talking to her and gave it quickly. "Expect one to visit you this afternoon." He clicked his pen back into place and walked off. I guessed that was a no, thanks.

Hiro sagged against a wall with a sigh. "At least we made it. Relax, everyone." With permission given, everyone started wandering around, checking out their new quarters. Either side of the hall had many rooms, with bare little beds inside. It was a hospital, after all, not a hotel, but it was better than sleeping on the street, and they promised three meals.

Aiko's coltfriend claimed one of the rooms and gently nuzzled Aiko into it. His horn began to glow as he painted the walls with a crazy-good drawing of a forest all around them, with a painted sun and some clouds in the sky of the ceiling. He was really getting into it. Aiko burst into merry laughter. "You haven't lost your touch with painting at all! It's fantastic, and lovely, thank you."

I saw something else and began to clap my hooves together. "It's your special talent! Look!" I pointed at his flank, where a gathering of messy splotches had appeared. He peered at it with confusion, along with most everyone else in the area, so I explained, "It's a cutie mark. It shows our special talent. When you find what you're really good at doing and what makes you happy, it shows up there. Congratulations! This calls for a party!" I began to root around for supplies. If only they hadn't just taken my baking supplies.

Aiko nuzzled her coltfriend gently. "You always were a special girl."

He giggled. "Man, now, but thank you." He wrapped his forelegs around her and hugged gently. "Maybe I can make things a little less sad around here." He rose to his hooves and started visiting the other rooms, offering magic paintings for everypony one at a time, until the whole hallway was a riot of colors and images.

It wasn't as good as a Pinkie Party, but it was pretty close. I gave him a hug in thanks. Just seeing all those pictures, each one a little something somepony really wanted to see. It made me remember life really could be good too sometimes. We'd make it through the bad parts.

Author's Note

They made it, mostly, yay!

But what angle will turn up fruit first?
1: Psychiatric
2: Chemical analysis of the Equestrian artifacts
3: Biological study of the aware ponies
4: No time for that, something's busy going wrong! Why is the whole building shaking like that?
5: Complete debriefing of one Pie Pinkie.

Vote! The next chapter comes in 2 days, which is how long you have to vote.

Liked this chapter? Didn't like it? Let me know! I love hearing from folks.

17 - Letting off Steam (clop)

The next day I was woken up before I even had a chance for breakfast. At least my treats had gone over well. I fondly remembered the few who said thanks on my way back that evening. Emma promised that Japanese ponies were a reserved bunch, so if a few said thanks, that meant a lot more of them were happy about it, and just felt shy about coming over and saying it.

The three leading me didn't look like doctors. They were more like the mean guys that were outside, and they had those weapons with them. I tried to keep in line with them the whole time, which only made one of them smirk. "Smart. Stay in line and cooperate and nobody has to get hurt today." Geeze, someone should make them some cupcakes once in a while and remind them life has sweet things in it too.

They led me to a dim room and opened the door before one of them pointed inside with his weapon. Did they want me to go inside?

One of them grunted. "In." Okay! I bounced past them into the room. It wasn't very large, maybe ten feet across, with a mirror set up on one side of the room. I squinted at the mirror. Was that another room? I could just barely see it. "Now be a good horse." They closed and locked the door behind me and left me in the dim room.

I had a seat and looked around the room. It had lights in it, they just weren't turned up for some reason, making the whole place gloomy. Why would they want to hang out in the dark, or want me the hang out in the dark? The whole thing was confusing. The noise of the door being opened drew my attention. A doctor stood there, and he had a human stallion with him dressed in barely anything, just some kinda thin robe that didn't even cover his back end. Something about it made me think hospitals. Oh yeah! Rainbow Dash wore something like that once when she broke her wing. Was he hurt?

The doctor frowned. "Who set the lights so low?" He fiddled with something and quickly fixed that, bathing the room in light and forcing me to squint a moment before my eyes adjusted. The mirror was just a mirror. I couldn't see a hint of the room beyond anymore. "Miss Pie, we'd like to conduct a little experiment with you today. This man has volunteered to become infected, but we want to do it in a controlled fashion. Can you infect him and allow it to progress normally until we prompt you to continue?"

I perked my ears and felt my heart start to pick up. I could turn him into a pony? After all that time spent resisting it, the idea of being allowed to just do it sounded great! I was so excited! "I can do that!" I licked over my lips as I studied the human stallion over more closely. "What if I get a little... carried away?"

The doctor pulled out a collar and gave it a gentle lob so it landed in front of me. "Put that on." I looked it over a moment before slipping it around my neck. "If need be, we can give you a little jolt, but you've been very cooperative, so we shouldn't need it. We'll tell you when to begin, alright?" I bobbed my head and he gestured inside. The man stepped inside and the door was shut. I heard it being locked, but not much else from outside. The room must have been soundproofed.

That left me and my new friend, so I decided the right thing to do was to introduce myself. "Hi there, I'm Pie Pinkie. What's your name?"

He nodded at me, but he wasn't smiling. "Nice to meet you. I won't be a good fit for my name for long..."

I tilted my head. "Japanese names are pretty sounding to me. They'd work just fine as a pony name. Why are you so tense?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" He rubbed his arms nervously. "You're going to turn me into a horse, or pony."

I nodded. "That's what they said, but didn't you ask for it?"

He smiled then, but it wasn't a happy smile. "It was that, or be dead, and I wasn't brave enough to take the second option."

I opened my mouth to ask more as a voice came in over a hidden speaker, "Go ahead and begin, Miss Pie. Expose him, then let him proceed naturally to begin."

I nodded towards it, eager to begin, but also burning with curiosity. I didn't want to hurt him, even if... I stepped towards him at a sedate trot. "Why would you die?"

He glanced away. "I snuck in here, they caught me. They were ready to kill me, but they had another idea, so here we are. Go ahead. Will it hurt?"

I thought back to the other times I saw a human become a pony. "Yes," I answered truthfully. "I'll be here to help. You won't be alone. I don't think you're that bad." He relaxed a little, and slid to the ground, which made it easier for me to press in for a nuzzle, rubbing my lips against his. "A little kiss to get started." He was reluctant, but he didn't fight when I gently pressed my lips to his. He jumped when my tongue pushed forward, but it was already too late by the time he tried to pull back. His mouth tasted of some curious herbs. I sat down beside him instead of in front of him. "Now we wait." I already felt better about being around him. Whatever was happening had begun, but would it take days like Emma or Aiko?

A slot on the door slid open. "Put your arm through and let us get a sample. We'd prefer a constant drip, but physical activity could shake it loose. We'll take what we can get." The man offered his arm and winced a moment before pulling it back. "You're both doing excellently."

I nestled in with the man and he seemed to relax against me. He was becoming calmer over time, but also a little excited down below. I think... I think he wanted a private party. I nuzzled at his chest and down to his belly, but didn't stray much closer. We weren't told to play again, yet. He squirmed against my attention and panted a little, but was mostly quiet.

It felt like forever before the voice came back. "Alright, let's get one more draw, then another exposure." After he put his arm through the slot, we were allowed to continue, and I had more in mind than just a kiss, even if kisses were fun. I brushed my hooves over his front, trapping his excited member between them and slowly rubbing along them as I looked into his dark eyes.

"W-we shouldn't," he gasped out, but he didn't try to get away from me. He was shy. They were all so shy about these things. I nuzzled into the human cock I held, feeling it pulse and jump beyond the thin cloth that kept it away from me.

"Go ahead and take off your robe," suggested the voice. Good idea! I reached to help him, but he swatted me away.

"Let me do this myself." He pushed to his feet and looked down at me with some concern, but he pulled off that robe. It barely tried to stay on him. As it pooled around his ankles, his shaft sprang into view, jumping in front of me in little twitches. It looked delicious. I opened my mouth and leaned forward, but he ducked to the side, avoiding me. "Do we have to?"

I pouted a little. We were playing. I didn't want to make him sad. "You're already changing, this way makes it faster. Let's do it, as friends." I moved in and nuzzled at his leg, slowly rubbing my nose along it, getting closer and closer to his groin as I gave the littlest nips. "Only if you let me. I'm not here to hurt you." He was starting to ease up, and when I went for it, he didn't run again. I was rewarded for my patience by getting his pole. I gently nursed at the head of it. Human cocks were shaped differently than pony ones. Not badly, just differently, and I suckled gently at that mushroom-like head as I reached up and rubbed over his balls with my warm hooves. He sank back against the wall and began to breath heavily as I took him in a few more inches, enjoying my lollipop.

"That's enough," said the loud speaker, and I felt really angry. We were just getting familiar and... grrr. Oh well. I pulled back from him and nuzzled the end of him, watching it pulse and throb, and get a little bigger? Yes, with each heartbeat, he was getting the littlest bigger in front of me, and I watched with fascination as he began to slowly grow a new cock. His balls suddenly pushed outwards, stretching their container as they grew about half again as larger, one of them hung lower than the other. The human groaned and sank to his bottom against the corner of the room. "Miss Pie, could you step away a moment?"

Did I have to? I reluctantly obeyed, wondering if they were getting the notes they wanted to have. "Fascinating. Pinkie, have you noticed a correlation to the sight of continued infection and progress?"

I didn't understand that exactly, but I remembered the other time. "I think so."

"Let's test it. Would you attempt to give him a tail?"

Tail? Well. I closed with him and gently nuzzled his side. "This will hurt a little, but remember, I'll be here for you, with you, alright?" I nudged my way between him and the wall and gave his bottom a little sniff. He didn't smell like much of a pony, yet. They wanted me to be super specific, so I pressed with my hooves and found the spot where a tail should come out if humans weren't so oddly shaped. Each little touch seemed to make him squirm. He was all hard and ready. If we didn't have to do this a specific way, I was certain he'd rather be riding the Pinkie Express than having me nosing around his bottom. I flicked out my tongue and explored his bottom, tasting the sweat of his exertion, a little fear, and building excitement. I could taste it all as he grunted. He arched his back and suddenly went quiet. I gave another slow lick and felt it moving under me. The bones were shuffling and he was resisting crying out. "It's alright to cry if you need to," I spoke to him gently as I nuzzled the forming nub, then took it into my snout, suckling at his quickly developing tail as it grew into me quickly. Whatever little tail bones humans had were expanding into my mouth, quickly growing too large for me to hold them all. I couldn't swallow a whole pony's tail! So I drew back and nursed at the last six inches as it grew and grew.

"Enough." Aw geeze! I slid back away from my new friend and stuck out my tongue at the mirror. "Thank you, Miss Pie. You're doing very well. Let's get another draw, if you're feeling up for it?"

The man gave a shuddering nod, and offered his arm through the slot, but his eyes were on me. "Will I be a dumb animal?"

Dumb animal? "Am I a 'dumb animal'? You'll still be you, just a pony. It's not that bad, is it?"

He chuckled softly. "You wouldn't be so easy about it if you were being made into a human, perhaps."

Would I be? I'd had fingers before, and stood upright before, and wore clothes before. See, I already had most of the human experience! All I needed was a good shave. "Are you feeling alright?"

He settled back down and scratched at his lower back awkwardly. "It itches a lot. Am I getting fur?"

I peeked around him and saw his tail growing a thick layer of black fur. Black seemed as common in Japanese ponies for fur as it was for their manes as humans. The glossy black tail hair on black fur was quite a sight. It was so... So bland compared to most of the bright colors of my pony friends, but it wasn't a bad look. It was kind of nice in its own way. "Yep, all black." Looking back around him, I saw the fur was creeping out around his groin, and he was quickly developing a sheath to hold his new cock in, though it wasn't in the mood to hide.

He gave a groan as loud pops began to come from his back, traveling up from his new tail. He fell forward and curled in place, looking so miserable. I nudged into him and wrapped my legs around him. We didn't kiss or play, I just held him tight. "It's gonna be alright," I whispered to him as I squeezed. We were getting to the hardest part and I refused to let him be alone for that. Despite the pain of it, he was still poking me in the belly. I rubbed back against it a little, wanting to do more, but he needed me to help him, not play with him, yet.

"Miss Pie, you're obstructing the view."

I gave a big-time frown at that. "He's hurt and he needs a hug right now. Leave us alone."

"Miss Pie, please. We want to observe as much of this as possible. You can hug him afterwards."

I pulled back a little and slid up to my hooves. I circled away from the mirror and nuzzled into him on the opposite side. "I'm here for you." He didn't make any noises that made sense besides saying 'Ow this kinda hurts.', but that message I got loud and clear. He clenched his hands a moment, then spread them out as hooves started to grow around them, sealing his fingers out wide as his palm grew forward into frogs. I pressed my hoof against his new ones and gently rubbed our frogs together. It felt nice to just press our palms together like that. "You're getting through the hard parts."

He suddenly rose up, trying to stand, but doing a really bad job of it. He was stuck between pony and human. Hunched over, he grabbed for me and pulled me close. "Is it almost over?"

I nuzzled into his chest even as it became more and more round by the moment. "You're doing good, promise." I was going to say more, but he pushed me to the ground, and decided it was time to start the party. His new flat head pushed between my legs and I pushed back, inviting him inside. They didn't try to separate us again, thank Celestia.

He slid into me with one long push, sinking into his new medial ring. I swayed my tail up under myself and tickled over his hanging balls, more than enough encouragement to get him to draw back and slam into me. He was a little rough, but I didn't mind rough stallions, and he was far from the strongest I'd ever been with. We began to buck and dance together as I grew sopping wet, making each movement nice and smooth. I tightened around him when he was deepest with each push, milking him a little with every shuddering slam of our bodies. I could see his tail was lifted and swaying excitedly, and his feet had become hooves, but he was still standing up in that odd way. The feeling of change against me had died away, but he never became entirely pony, just mostly. He grabbed my flanks with his hooves, holding me up and squeezing as he rocked faster and faster. There wasn't any more pain, just pleasure for both of us as we bumped and grinded together. His medial ring ribbed over my vulva with every thrust, driving me wild as I crashed into the second climax of the time. There was one thing human stallions had, and that was endurance. He seemed to want to rut me forever, and that felt just fine by me.

I leaned up and nuzzled for his face and noticed he never developed a proper muzzle. He was a human-faced pony, which was kinda odd, but I wasn't in the mood to think about it much. I mashed my lips against his and our tongues met. I tilted my head so we could get a better fit and we writhed together in bliss. I felt the head of him swell inside of me and lock us together, then the powerful jets of hot fluid began to fire, filling me up with his homemade foal batter as we muffledly cried out to each other. He suddenly rolled over and pressed me to the wall as he pulled back, popping free of the seal to start rutting me anew. This stallion had no limits!

I could hear the loudspeaker say something, but I couldn't focus much on that while I was being given the rutting of a lifetime. He kept me bouncing up and down along his new pony pecker and I didn't care about anything else in the world. I felt a painful jolt run through me and cried out with annoyance and ouchiness, then it happened again.

"Miss Pinkie." Ok, I heard that. I perked an ear and looked towards the camera. "Very good. We thought we lost both of you. Can you please rouse your partner?"

Rouse him? He was still pistoning into me. I was pretty sure that was as roused as a stallion could get! I nipped at the new pony's throat gently. "Hey. Come on. There's more to life than this you know."

He squeezed me in a soft hug and slowed, but he kept himself plunged into me, his medial ring popped past my swollen vulva. I was feeling tender, but kinda good. "I'm here," he said softly, hugging tightly a moment. "Am I a beast now?"

I nipped at his shoulder. "Stop saying that. You're a pony, but that isn't a beast."

He chuckled softly. "You would say that... Am I your mate now?"

Oh gosh! "Um, we're friends. Maybe we could play again another time? But we just met. Even I know you have to be closer before you say someone's your special somepony."

"We'd like to ask you both some questions, please move to the side of the room."

He stood up and took me right along with him. Was he planning on staying attached to me all day? I mean that was kinda interesting to consider, but I was used to stallions getting tired after a while and then we'd do other things. A party with only one game got old after a while. I ran one of my hind legs up over one of his and smiled up at him. "You can put me down now, please."

He looked embarrassed a moment as he drew from me with a wet sucking sound. His stallion butter began leaking from me as he set me on my hooves, but I wasn't angry at him. I hopped up to my hind hooves and showed him with a big smooch. "You'll probably be staying with us in the pony wing, so we'll get to meet again. Don't be sad." It was then that I noticed, again, that he never got a pony face. His human face looked so odd on his otherwise mostly-pony body. It hadn't even grown fur, and it didn't look like it planned on going ahead with it. I didn't even know that was an option! "You feel alright?"

The door was unlocked from the outside, and the doctors were there. They offered a towel to wrap up the new pony and led him away. They offered one to me, and I used it to towel off, but I didn't need clothes. The doctors seemed a bit embarrassed around me for some reason, but led me away towards the nice Doctor Rina's office. Before they left, I smiled up at them. "Is he going to be alright? They're not angry at him for sneaking in anymore, right?"

They looked more uncomfortable. "He did his part. We'll be pushing for him to be released into the pony wing."

That didn't sound like a sure thing. "What happens if they don't put him there?"

One looked towards the other. They knew something... "Please?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's up to the military. If they want, they can still kill him for sneaking in here."

I gasped at that. "Why would they?! They said he had to be a pony, and he did that. Now they're even, right?"

"We'll do our best, promise, but it's not up to us." They left in a hurry, and I turned back to Rina's door. I knocked twice and a familiar voice beckoned me inwards.

There was Rina, sitting in her comfy chair. She smiled at me. "I heard you had quite the experience today."

I hopped up onto the sofa and settled down. "You know about it all? Are they really gonna hurt him? He didn't even do anything that bad!"

She leaned forward, hands clasped. "He knew it was illegal before he did it, but we're not here to discuss him. I'm more interested in how you feel after that. I was told you were permitted to infect someone all the way?"

I nodded a little. "Well, mostly. They didn't change all the way. They were eight out of ten parts pony." I sat back and frowned. "He didn't even tell me his name..."

"We have a few questions, about what you told us yesterday. By what means do you propose you traveled through time?"

I tilted my head at that. Even I didn't really know how that worked. "My friends did it. I was along for the ride. They went through the space where the pony energy came from, and the other stuff, and it's as much a 'when' as a 'where', so I hopped out in time to catch the blast."

She nodded as she made those little scribbles. I bet I wouldn't be allowed to look at them again. "You understand how outlandish your story sounds, do you not? How can we verify it?"

I squinted a little, thinking about that. "If we could find a princess, that'd prove something, right? We really should!"

She gave a little smile. "And how exactly would you go about doing that?"

Good question! "Well, if we're lucky we already have one. I'd ask around the ponies for who they think are the best leaders, not because of anything they did, just who feels like the easiest to follow, then I'd keep an eye on those ponies and they may turn up. If they're outside, you'd look for a bunch of ponies gathering around a pony. Basically, follow the leader!"

She lifted a pen at me. "Many ponies say you feel like a natural leader."

Oh gosh! "Aw, that's nice of them to say, but that's just because I'm being nice. I'm not the only one they say that about, am I?"

She shook her head. "We'll investigate further, believe me, but for now, put the patient out of your mind. He'll either turn up in your wing with the others, or not."

Or not?! I wasn't the sharpest tool in the barn, as Applejack would say, but even I knew what that meant. "Isn't there something we can do for him? He isn't a bad guy, he shouldn't be punished anymore."

"I can list your formal support." She leaned forward. "If I may be frank, it may do him more harm than good. If they think they can 'teach you a lesson', they may hurt him just to lash out at you."

I sat up with wide eyes. "Why would they do that! I didn't do anything to them. I don't want anypony to be hurt. Nopony should want somepony hurt like that."

She gave a sad little smile. "We live in interesting times. Now, tell me more about your home..."

Author's Note

Pinkie takes part in an experiment. The scientists assure me the report was filed without typos, but can we trust them?

But what is Pinkie to do?
1: Princess Hunting Time!
2: A daredevil rescue of her unnamed friend.
3: Time to sneak out and see what's really going on out there!
4: Talk with the other ponies and make sure everyone's alright.
5: Try to calm down and help with these experiments. They might help!

18 - Pinkie Style

I sat in my room, cross-legged on my mattress. The other ponies had insisted I get my own room, despite my protests that I would be just fine sharing a bunk like most everypony else. Silly ponies, stop treating me like a princess already! Just 'cause I'm the only 'original' pony doesn't mean I mind sleeping with everypony else.

I thought about the hospital, and what I saw, and what I'd done so far. The doctors seemed mostly nice. They were polite to me, and cared what I thought. They were confused, but everypony was confused. Those soldiers though... Who raised them that way? Were they scared? After dealing with Gilda, I always tried to see the better side of ponies, even if they insisted on shoving their worst side at me. There had to be a reason they were acting that way. I mean, taking a guy that just wanted to be safe and throwing them to me to turn into a pony? That's not very nice, and then dragging him away... I hoped he was alright.

I needed information! I hopped to my hooves and trotted out to find Hiro. "Hey, what's up with those soldier guys? They're so grumpy and angry all the time."

Hiro tilted his head at me a little. "You sound like you want an answer larger than 'That's the way they are'." I nodded quickly. "They are not usually called to active duty. It's not like Japan is usually invaded on land, or any other way since the Big War. They did a lot of drills, theories. They know how to shoot those guns, but knowing how and learning when..." He tapped at the ground with his claws. "They don't do much enforcement. They don't usually deal with the public, and now they're doing both. They're out of place, scared, and undertrained for the job. As far as they're concerned, they're doing their best to keep the people they have safe. Ponies are enemies, and treated as such, to be defeated by any means available."

I winced and flipped my ears back. "But they're not enemies..."

Hiro shrugged softly. "A lone pony could do incredible damage if allowed to roam. Our group is, from all rumors, an exception. Most are very aggressive about spreading the disease. Even ponies in this group are eager to do it, they just restrain themselves. The mare finally found a doctor willing to say yes. I haven't seen her or the doctor since then."

This was getting bad! "We have to calm them down, show them we're not all bad. After all, you're all Japanese, even if you're Japanese ponies. You're still you."

Hiro smiled a little sadly. "Not all of us are still what we once were. I'm one of the fortunate ones. I get the idea I have you to thank for that, in more ways than one." Considering I had set him down the road to ponydom, I had the sense to blush, and he leaned in to nuzzle at me. "It's alright. Besides, it was Aiko to start with. She's calmed down a lot since then."

I smiled brightly at the news. "Glad to hear it. She and her coltfriend doing alright?" He nodded and gestured to their room. "That's good! Look, I'm going to do some poking around. We can't let this stand. That's two and a half ponies they have locked away for no good reason." I hopped up onto two legs and pulled out my coat, concealing myself as I had in the streets long ago. "Wish me luck."

Hiro's expression soured. "Don't do anything rash, Pinkie. Your actions reflect on us as well as yourself, and I don't want you being hurt."

I leaned up and bumped noses with him. "I have to go. I wouldn't be me if I just pretended nothing's going on. I have to try something..." I threw down a gas pellet, and was gone by the time he could see again, since I was dashing down the hallway, sneaky style! I didn't let my hooves clip-clop on the tiles and dashedto the edge of the wing. I saw two guards standing there, trying to keep us in. My first challenge. Or maybe my first source of information?

I slowed down my run to a leisurely walk and whistled softly. They both turned to look at me with a little surprise and a lot of caution. Their fingers ran over their deadly weapons. I think it was a nervous habit. "Hiya boys," I greeted with a smile. "I was hoping to talk to you."

They glanced at each other before one of them gestured at me with one of those weapons. "We didn't know horses could walk like people."

I smiled, curiosity was a better response than fear. "We can with practice. I love walking on two legs, and wearing clothes, and doing lots of human things." I let my tail sway slowly back and forth. "My name is Pinkie. What are your names?"

One of them started to tell me, but the other threw a hand in front of him. "None of your business, horse."

"Aw, don't be like that." I leaned forward a little, still smiling. "I just want to be friends, nothing bad about that. It must be hard work, always standing there all stiff like that."

The angry one looked ready to advance, but the other interceded that time. "Hey, she's not causing any trouble. Nice to meet you, Pinkie."

Victory! Of a sorts. "A pleasure. I'd offer you a cupcake, but you know how it is. Speaking of that, what was your favorite food before things got all weird?"

The angry one grunted. "I'd kill someone for some real ramen right about now." I hoped he wasn't being literal, but I couldn't be sure.

The other shrugged. "I never was particularly picky. What do horses eat?"

I felt joy surging. He had asked a question, a good sign! "Oh, all kinds of things. I'm a baker, so I make cakes and other treats. I like flowers and hay and carrots and really just about any fruit or vegetable." I put a hoof to my chin. "If I had to pick a favorite, I guess it would be a cupcake made by a friend."

The angry one suddenly snorted, but he had a half-smile. "Friends make it better, huh?"

"Of course it does! Are you two friends?"

The more relaxed one shrugged. "We're brothers in arms, but we didn't really hang out until all this started."

The other one suddenly pulled up his weapon, aiming it past me. "Tell your 'friends' to stop."

I looked over my shoulder to see a few ponies had come closer, perhaps out of curiosity with what I was doing. "They just want to be friends too. They won't hurt you, promise." I made a 'lie down' motion with my hooves and they slowly sank to their bellies, looking at us with a bit of fear and wonder. "See? Just because you have to watch us doesn't mean we can't be your friends too."

The uptight one let his weapon sag a little. "As long as they stay down, we won't have a problem."

I tried for a new angle to get them off balance. "Hey, did they tell you I'm a real alien?" They both looked at me funny. "It's true! Ask the doctors. I'm from Equestria, not Japan. I hope we can fix things. I mean, gosh, this isn't a good first impression of Equestria, but we really are nice ponies, and we want you to be happy humans, or ponies."

The more relaxed one shook his head. "It's a lot more likely you're Japanese, and crazy." Despite calling me crazy, he seemed amused. "Were you the one that made the cakes with the smiles?" I quickly nodded at him. "I saw those. I thought the kitchen staff had lost it."

The ice was broken, and we just... talked. A little this, a little that. Nothing big, just being ponies, or humans, together. They even asked some questions of the other ponies that were seated nearby. Things like 'do you miss clothes?' and stuff like that.

One of the ponies, a slender stallion, asked, "What's going on, outside?"

The angry one huffed. "Nothing good. You're lucky you're in here. Whole country's up in flames, basically."

The ponies shared alarmed murmurs and he waved it off. "Not literally, in most places. We're keeping the dead zone around the hospital. Those are the orders."

One of the ponies, with her ears flicked back, asked in a trembling voice, "Are they d-doing something? The government, that is."

The other soldier shrugged. "That's up to another unit to worry about. We have hospital patrol for the foseeable future."

Two other soldiers came up, peering at us with concern. "Everything alright here? We're here to relieve you for lunch."

One of them waved it off. "Yeah, they're just chatty today. Everything's under control." He shouldered his weapon and moved to leave, but at least took the time to wave at us on the way.

I was pretty sure I could get through to these two new guards too if I wanted, but trying to warm up all of them, two at a time... That'd take forever! There had to be a better way.

"Good job with that criminal," one of them said, breaking my concentration. When I looked up at him, he smiled an unkind smile. "He got what was coming to him, thinking he could sneak by us. As if he didn't see the signs we posted."

I felt my ears going back. I wasn't their punishment. I wasn't anypony's punishment! Hanging out with me should be a gift, not... "Being a pony isn't so bad, why punish them that way?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to plug him right then and there, but the brass said to take him alive. Guess the doctors made a deal with them, now they get another mindless freak, and what a freak he is." He nudged the other guard. "You see him? He's a horse with a human's face, with a big dumb expression on it half the time."

He was alive! That was good. But... "Well, he's been punished, why not put him with the other ponies." I gestured towards our wing.

He chuckled as he adjusted his weapon. "Not likely. What part of 'mindless' did you not pick up? Jerk's just a test subject now. Still a better result than I'd have given."

I shrugged softly. "He can't be that bad. Can I visit him?"

He suddenly laughed, an unkind sound. "Looking to get your conjugal? You just had your time with him."

What did he mean by that? I got the idea he wasn't going to be very helpful about it. At least my new friend was alive and it sounded like he was alright for the time being. I let out a slow sigh and turned away, heading back to my room. "Hold it." I turned to look over my shoulder. "Are you as big of a slut as they say?" What?!

I felt my tail pull itself against me on its own. "I haven't been with that many ponies..."

He snickered with obvious amusement. "How many does it take? From what I hear, you just spread them wide when they asked you to. You do that for anyone?"

His friend suddenly nudged him. "What are you even asking? You want a piece of her?"

"And what if I did?"

I turned back towards them, confused. "You do know that'd make you a pony, right? I mean, not that being a pony's that awful, but you really should know that before you rush to play with me."

"She's right," insisted the one that hadn't hit on me. "You fuck her, you're a horse fucker, literally. You'll get to join them."

He leered at me. "She wouldn't do that. Purposefully infecting a soldier'd get her killed."

Did he really think? "It's not a choice! If you do that, you will be a pony. I'm warning you."

"Warning me?!" He advanced and drew out a smaller thing. I think it was a gun too, especially the way he pointed it at me. "I'm the one giving the warnings around here."

Was he really? Yes, he was completely serious. "Look, if you want to play, we can play, but you are going to become a pony."

He pushed the gun up against the bridge of my nose, glaring at me. "If I start to turn, you're the first one getting shot."

"Shit, man, stop!" The other soldier looked quite alarmed with how things were going. He pulled out a little handheld thing and pushed it. "Takuya's lost it. He's propositioning one of the horses."

Takuya moved to shove me down, but I was too fast for that and hopped away from his hands. I ducked between his legs and nipped at his leg on the way. "Are you sure? Like really really sure?" I could have bounced far away from him, but the idea of infecting him... It felt so good to think about.

"Detain them both, bring them to the holding cells," came a voice from the thing the other soldier heard.

Takuya wheeled on the other soldier and a loud bang rang out. We all went still as the other soldier collapsed. He just shot his friend. I suddenly felt the opposite of sexy and rushed for his fallen form. "Why'd you do that?! He was your friend!" Just before I reached him, the tile in front of me exploded in bits, shot by Takuya.

"Stop. Raise that pink tail of yours. We're going to enjoy our time before they haul either of us away."

He was still alive. I could see him breathing, barely. I felt certain that was going to change quickly. I raised my tail, not because I felt the least bit like playing, but just to keep Takuya distracted and happy for a moment. I whispered gently at the bleeding man, "Can you hear me? I'm going to save you, but you might not like it."

Two more loud bangs filled the hallway. "Back off!" Some doctors had tried to approach, but were sent scurrying as Takuya proved ready and willing to hurt more ponies to get what he wanted. The other ponies were hiding in their rooms already, peeking out at us. Takuya closed the distance with me and grabbed my hips, dragging me away from his friend. He still had his pants on and didn't do much more than grind against me, but I felt... violated anyway. This was not the good kind of play, not at all. But it was an opportunity!

I pressed back against him just a moment and he made a little sound. He was distracted, just enough for me to suddenly strike, like a cobra! A big pink cobra, the best kind! I grabbed his gun in my teeth and hurled it down the hallway. He howled in pain. I'd caught his fingers in my teeth, but I didn't break the skin. Maybe he could still end the day as a human. "Stop, please." He started to get his larger gun ready, and there wasn't much choice. I jumped at him, knocking him to the floor. I wrestled with him, keeping the gun pointed to the side, away from either of us. That didn't stop it from going off a few times into the walls, but it wan't hurting anypony. "Stop... It doesn't have to be this way."

I heard boots stomping and glanced up in time to see six soldiers closing in on us. "Oh thank--" One of them kicked me off Takuya and sent me sprawling across the floor. That hurt! The same boot came down and held me to the floor. I looked over and saw Takuya was being roughly pulled from the floor and handcuffed.

I pointed a hoof at the fallen soldier. "Please, help him! He was shot!"

Alarmed cries went out and one of the doctors was summoned quickly, who ran over to the soldier and began feeling around before pulling something out and jabbing it into the soldier's chest. "He's lost a lot of blood, still losing it. There's only so much we can do." He was working so quickly, I didn't really know what he was doing, but I knew the man was slipping.

I squirmed under the boot. "He's better as a pony than dead! Please, he tried to do the right thing, don't let him die!" I'd seen too many people die since coming to this weird world, and I didn't want another."

The boot pressed more firmly. "Stay still until the doctor says otherwise. We're not letting one of ours become a mindless horse."

The doctor was working as hard as he could, but there was only so much he could do. I didn't know how, but I could feel the guard's life leaving, and it was a very unfun feeling. He didn't deserve that! I slipped out from under the boot with a sudden pull, leaving some pink fur behind as I scrambled over to the guard, only to come face to face with one of the smaller guns. One of the other soldiers was standing there. "Doctor, can you save him?"

The doctor grit his teeth. "I don't think I can..."

The gun lifted. "Do what you can, horse."

I let out a loud breath and nodded at him before dropping down beside the dying human. I found the wound. It had ripped right through his clothing and there was blood everywhere. Good. It wouldn't be hard to touch. I leaned in and gently kissed the open wound with all the saliva I could muster. "Don't die... Be a happy pony instead of a dead human." I mean, I'd rather have left him a happy human, but that chance had left us. I felt something tingle inside of me, like a rush between us.

He grunted, then he screamed, but he wasn't dead. He began to grow fur quickly, covering the wound in red fur. He spread new wings and flapped them in spastic twitches as his body contorted and changed. His mane became a light blonde shade as I tried to comfort him, even if he seemed unaware of me or anything else. He became a pegasus stallion, fully formed and built. It happened so quickly! The other guards waved me away and I backed up and sat at the edge of the hall. I felt really tired, but he was alive. I saved him.

"He's stable, but infected," said one of the soldiers into the same kind of talking thing the other had used just before being shot.

One of the others knelt down in front of me. "Tell me what happened, from the start. I lost two friends today, so no bullshit, just the truth."

I pointed at Takuya, handcuffed and angry looking. "He wanted to play with me, even though that'd make him a pony. His friend said not to, used that thing." I pointed to one the soldier wore. "Takuya got really angry and shot him. I kept him from shooting anyone else and then you all showed up and you probably know that part of the story."

He nodded. "We do." He rose to his feet and moved over to Takuya. "Well, that sounded accurate?"

Takuya didn't say anything. He just looked angry. The other solider punched him in the belly, making him double over. "Worthless shit head! You are the worst kind of scum! Where do we even begin? Bestiality, rape, attempted homo-fucking-cide. Disobeying orders, irresponsible discharge of a weapon. Becoming a horse is too good for you. I hope they reconsider field executions for you."

He wheeled on the others. "This is enough! You wanted an enemy, here it is." He gestured at the fallen Takuya. "We're more dangerous than half the horses out there. Things may be falling apart, but we don't need to be the first thing to go. Gather up Ren. Let's make sure he's alright, then he's on permanent guard duty for the horse wing."

"Is he still a soldier? He's infected."

The loud soldier turned on the questioner. "He carried out his mission to the letter and got hurt in the line of that duty. He's a hero, not a captive. As long as he remains mentally intact, he retains his rank and duty. Keep me informed of his condition. He sleeps here, for safety, but he's still one of us." They snapped a salute as one, except Takuya, then they moved to leave, carting Takuya away by the under-arms.

The one that seemed like a leader nodded at me. "Keep your snout clean, Miss Pie. We have our eyes on you, but thank you. You acted well today, and I appreciate that."

I pushed up to my hind legs and did one of those bows I'd seen them do. "I did what I had to do. You aren't really going to kill him, are you?" Takuya had done some pretty bad things, but that didn't mean I wanted more death. "We all make mistakes. Can't we just teach him a lesson?"

The leader looked confused. "You're as nice as the reports go. You do realize he just tried to rape and possibly kill you?"

I licked over my lips. "But he didn't, and it's over. He has to learn that isn't how we treat others. That isn't how we behave... But killing him isn't right either."

He flashed a smile. "Good luck, Miss Pie. We all need it." He left then.

It had been horrible, but when I thought about it, maybe it had turned out for the better? One of our guards would be a pony. One of the soldiers would be a pony. Ponies wouldn't just be 'those guys'. They'd be one of them. If he was still a good soldier, it'd be a really good thing, for everypony. Not the way I wanted it to go... But it'd do.

Author's Note

So, really, I had this idea for a daring escape, and then all this happened.

Are you all mad at me now? I accept the blame. I let the story get away from me and we ended up here.

Not to say Pinkie didn't get up to trouble! That she managed quite well. I actually rather like this turn, but do you? Let me know!

Meanwhile, slightly more vague:
1: Pinkie learns something internal to herself
2: Pinkie learns something about her fellow ponies
3: Pinkie learns something about human nature
4: Pinkie is contacted by someone from home
5: Pinkie discusses heavy topics with the psychiatrist, she could use some unloading after that traumatic episode

19 - We've Gotta Talk

"Are you sure you're alright?" Homer hopped up beside me on the bed. He was still a pretty not-pony pony, and yet... "I'll bite him if you want."

He was still a dog at heart, and that was alright. I smiled at him and reached over to gently muss along his snout. "That's really nice of you, but we don't bite people, alright? Remember, it'll make more ponies, I think? Would you make more dogs? Maybe dog ponies?"

Homer grinned. "We can find out!"

"No." I softly pat him between the ears. "No biting. Pinkie Promise!" I led him through the steps of the solemn promise and he calmed down about it. Even dog ponies knew how important a Pinkie Promise was. "How's everypony doing?"

Homer tilted his head a little. "Hiro's being a good alpha, keeping everyone together." I nodded at him with a soft mmhmm. "I think Emma wants to spend more time with you. She's here a lot when you aren't and laying in your bed." Aw. I pouted a little, but waved for him to continue. "Aiko and her mate are doing well. They really get along, and they're becoming... famous, yes, famous in the wing. Everypony likes them."

I tilted my head. "That's really good to hear. Is Aiko's coltfriend really alright with being a colt? He was a human mare before you know."

Homer shrugged, a gesture I think actual dogs didn't do, so I credited his pony parts. "He seems happy, and he loves being around Aiko. He's the only pony Aiko doesn't ask to go away when she wants privacy, and I think he really likes being her special pony."

Special someponies. Aw... It was nice to see love blossoming even in uncomfortable situations. There were so many things worth throwing a party for. I had to get my head out of the box and start throwing parties without the usual favors and stuff. There wasn't any good reason I couldn't be celebrating this stuff with what we had!

I gave Homer a squeeze, hugging him just in time for one of the ponies to clop on the door. I recognized her. I mean, I've seen all the ponies that lived there, but we hadn't talked much so far. "Miss Pie? They want to talk to you." I tilted my head at her curiously. "The doctors."

Oh! I hopped up to my hooves. "I'll see you later, Homer. Thanks!" I bounced past the helpful mare and went out into the hallway out of our wing to find a doctor waiting there patiently. There were two soldiers guarding the wing itself. They nodded at me, but didn't do much else.

The doctor reached out a hand. "Miss Pie? This way." I followed after him on two legs and put a hoof in his hand, which seemed to surprise him, though I wasn't sure why. Why would he offer a hand if he didn't want me using it?

"They say you're very well behaved," he spoke with that nervousness on display.

"Of course I am." I tilted my head at him. "I'm a grown pony. I know how to follow instructions. I mean, I guess I don't always... Do you?"

He cracked a smile. "I suppose not. It's just, you're very dangerous, Miss Pie."

I nudged his palm with my hoof. "You're safe with me, promise. I know what I have to not do to keep it that way."

He relaxed a little as we navigated the halls. "Are you really an alien? From another world?"

Was it that hard to believe? "Yep! From the way you guys are all prepared, I'd think you were used to huge monster attacks. Why so surprised about a little pony alien?"

He seemed confused at that. "What do you mean by 'huge monster attacks'? This isn't television or movies."

It was my turn to be a little baffled. "You know, the huge pony hydra. You... You kinda killed it... It wasn't very nice, but you were prepared."

He squeezed my hoof lightly. "That used to be a person. Our military wasn't made to fight 'monsters'."

"What would you be ready for with all those things?" I didn't understand it. Why were they so deadly if not to keep monsters away from their people. It was the only good reason I could come up with.

He was quiet a moment before we arrived at Rina's office. "This is your stop."

I poked him with my free hoof. "You didn't answer! What are they there to fight?"

He sighed a little. "I'm not sure how it is on your world, wherever that is, but we only have one advanced species, human. They're ready to fight other humans that try to invade our land. I should get going. She's waiting for you inside."

Other humans? But... I nodded numbly at him and pressed into the office. I was so confused... Rina must have noticed it right away. She pointed to the usual couch. "Pinkie, you look upset. What's wrong?"

I waved my forehooves a bit. "Are humans, like, super strong and and I didn't notice?" She looked baffled. "Why would you need these super strong weapons to fight a human?"

"Do you mean the military?" Rina's head subtle nodded towards the outside. "We have a long history of battles and conflict. Do ponies not?"

I tapped at my chin. "Well, sure, we've had a few fights. Usually with hooves or magic, and a lot of yelling and arguing and not so much... this." That wasn't entirely true and I frowned. "There were a few bad cases. Is this like that?"

She shook her head. "From our earliest times, there have been struggles for resources. A good weapon allows one man to intimidate another into possibly not attacking, and if they do fight, the better is a little edge."

"Little edge? How do you not end up with a bunch of... dead people? How do you end up with anypony at all?" I tried to imagine the old classic battles, fought with hoof and spear and magic, instead with these terrible weapons. There wouldn't be a pony standing. It made me a little queasy just thinking about it too hard.

"There are a thousand excuses for every little iteration we make. We need to be better than 'them', even if 'them' isn't there yet. It's not always rational, but it's there, and we are very good at mechanics and technology in general. As for dead people, that sometimes happens. War isn't something to be taken lightly. Now, Pinkie, I was told you were attacked today."

I paled a little at the memory of it. "Yeah... I stopped him though, and they took him away."

Rina leaned forward. "I don't believe it was that simple... Pinkie, it's alright to tell me the whole truth. We're friends, and I'm here to help."

What was she driving at? "Thanks, but really, he tried to hurt me and I stopped him. I held him down until the other guards came."

Rina looked at me evenly a moment. "I heard there was another person there."

Oh yeah... "He was hurt by their weapon, badly... He almost died, I guess." Why was I being so hesitant about it? "He was bleeding... a lot."

Rina nodded slowly. "And how did that make you feel?"

"How did that make me feel?!" I hopped up on the couch. "Bad! That's how! He was... They were supposed to be friends, and he did that... He could have killed him. He did kill him. If I hadn't jumped in when I did, he would have died."

Rina seemed show satisfied. Was she happy he almost got killed? "Thank you, Pinkie. Now be honest with yourself. Was this 'just' a little fight?"

I was ready to start yelling at her, but it came crashing down on me. That wasn't just some little fight... He could have shot me too. I could have died. He could have hurt me in all kinds of ways, and he'd be worse than a hydra. He'd know what he did, and he wouldn't care. It wouldn't be for food or something, just... I buried my face in my hooves and cried. I couldn't think of what else to do, so I just cried.

I heard a soft shaking and looked up to see Rina was offering a box of tissues. I took a few and wiped my snout with them. "Thanks..."

"Pinkie, it's alright. What you did was very brave, and frightening. It's perfectly natural to feel this way after such a traumatic experience." Rina left the box near me, where I could reach for more tissues. "That soldier owes you his life, I'm told, even if it will be on four legs. He is likely to be very thankful, and resentful. Do you understand?"

I considered that with tapping hooves. "I guess he probably wanted to be human, but it's better than being dead..."

Rina nodded softly. "I'll be speaking to him later today, to remind him of exactly that, and the hurt he is undoubtedly feeling, knowing his fellow soldier tried to kill him. He may say some hurtful things to you, but I want you to remember, you did what was best at the time, and you should be proud. Be patient with him, and kind. He will have his own hurts to work through."

That made enough sense to me, and I gave a little smile. "Maybe we should throw a 'glad you're still alive, even if you got a tail' party." She looked a little baffled and I shrugged. "Parties are sort of one of my 'things'. Um... Did the doctors learn anything from my time with... You know, the one that snuck into the hospital?"

Rina frowned at that. "I don't approve of them putting that on you. Pinkie, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're worried for this man, are you not?" I quickly nodded at that. "You want him to be happy, do you not?" I bobbed harder. It's like she knew me! "You should not have been asked to infect him like that. It was cruel, and I'm sorry you had to do that, especially with him being kept away from all the other h--ponies. I can tell you he's fine, physically." She tapped her chin. "I am developing a theory, however."

"What kinda theory?" That sounded like a Twilight kind of thing to say, but I guessed Rina was kinda smart like Twilight.

"I think being in the company of other intelligent people help keep infected humans from losing their intelligence. Your ponies, in your group, all had each other. None of you were isolated when you were adjusting, and you're all well-mannered, especially compared to the 'wild' ponies. The man you infected was thrown into isolation just at his most crucial time..."

Oh no... "Is he alright?"

Rina shook her head. "He's fine, physically, but mentally... He's like an animal. He responds to hunger, thirst, and seems ready to try to spread his infection whenever he has the opportunity. He gets excited anytime someone without the disease come closeby, then returns to despondency, so long as water and food are provided."

That sounded awful. "Can we help him? He was a nice enough stallion before we turned him into a pony. The other ponies are alright, so why can't he be?"

Rina lifted her shoulders. "I'm afraid I simply don't know. I hope it's reversible, but we won't know until they release him, which is unlikely in his current state. He's a danger to everyone around him, even you."

"How's he dangerous to me?" I tilted my head a little at her.

Rina leaned back in her chair. "If he's only interested in the very basics of life, he will defend his food and water, and attempt to secure mates, of which you qualify."

I blushed at that and burst into a little giggle. "I could handle him. He isn't that strong or anything, and even if he was, he wouldn't be the only over amorous stallion I ever ran into."

"And all the other... mares in your wing? Would you be alright with them all having to fend him off?"

Oh, well... "I guess that wouldn't be good. Still, we really should help him, shouldn't we?"

She nodded slowly. "I agree, Pinkie. If we have that opportunity, I'll tell you. Helping him, that's exactly the sort of task I think you'd appreciate, not infecting him in the first place. It'll be hard to internalize this, but it wasn't your fault he's a pony now. If you had refused, they could have, and would have, just dragged in another pony to do the job instead. I'm sure you were very kind to him while you were allowed to."

I thought back to our wild time together and felt myself coloring. "We were getting along just fine..." Like two ponies in season, rutting our little brains out. I felt I didn't need to go into detail about that. "I hope he's alright..."

Rina gave a little smile. "We'll do what we can. Tell me, Pinkie, do you feel lonely?" She must have noticed my confusion. "You are the only 'actual' pony, anywhere. You're the only representative of your nation. Of your entire world, if your story is to be taken at face value."

I rolled my hooves slowly over each other as I nodded. "I guess that's true... I miss my friends. All of them, but especially the other Element Bearers, and the Cakes! Oh gosh, I hope the bakery's doing alright... And the little cakes! What if they need a foalsitter?"

Rina raised a brow curiously. "Element Bearers?"

I nodded quickly. "We were kind of heroes. We saved the world a bajillion times!" I threw my forehooves wide. "We were called that because we used to wear these fancy necklaces called 'Elements', even though we turned them back over to the Tree of Harmony. It's a bit of a long story."

Rina twirled a pen. "A story I wouldn't mind hearing, if you'd like to share?"

Well, if she wanted... "Alright, so, it started with the return of Nightmare Moon." And I began the story of our adventures. She kept asking questions. What kind of magic could Twilight do? Why did we do that? Why didn't we do this? But mostly she listened and wrote things down.

"You know, laughing can't make a tree change shape."

I nodded at her, "Oh sure. If they were just scary trees, laughing would make us feel better, but they really did change. I think it was a spell from Nightmare Moon." That seemed to mollify her and we continued, to the part where Nightmare Moon was banished and Luna was returned.

"You destroyed the 'evil' in her?" I nodded quickly. "There are some that would say you forcefully mind controlled her." I looked confused. "She didn't choose to reform or change, you chose for her."

That was more confusing. "But... she apologized and Celestia and she hugged and everything was alright!"

Rina nodded lightly. "So, since the end result was positive, a little loss of individual freedom is acceptable."

I raised a lone hoof. "..." I had meant to say something. "Um... Yes? I guess?" I had the impression Rina was judging. Judging harshly! "Are you upset?"

Rina shook her head. "Believe it or not, there are many that agree with you. We don't have 'magic' to make criminals see the error of their ways and turn a new leaf so automatically. There are also many that say that forced change isn't real change. I'd love to speak to your princess and see how well she adjusted to this change."

It hit me. "Oh yeah, she did kind of have gnawing guilt and stuff that ate away at her from the inside until it almost destroyed all of Equestria." Rina raised a brow at me. "We took care of it! She's all OK now. She just had to be reminded she had friends and to let the past be the past."

Rina leaned forward a little. "And did you use 'magic' that time?" I shook my head. "Why not?"

I considered that for a moment. "I guess it wasn't what we needed. She needed our support, not magic. Luna's become a friend now that we've gotten to know her. She's really a nice pony. I was happy to help her."

"So magic is only for use on 'bad' ponies. A measure for severe criminals, especially repeat offenders or strangers."

She was digging a bit harder at that then I really knew what to do with. "I guess so?"

Thankfully, she let it go, and the story continued. She let up on the questions and let me talk about our adventures, so I did! Discord and Chrysalis and Sombra and Tirek! All the bigguns and even the smaller ones. By the time I got closer to the current day and started going over the story with Will and her friends, she stopped me. "Thank you, miss Pie. We may have more questions about that later, but right now, do you have any way of contacting them? Surely they miss you as much as you miss them."

Did they? If I was in the past, they didn't even know I was gone yet! How could I get a letter to them, a world away... "If only Spike was here..."

"The dragon?"

I perked my ears. She had been listening! "Yeah, he could send notes to Celestia by breathing fire on them. I think it was magic fire, but you get the difference."

She looked a little curious. "Was this something only Spike could do?"

I nodded quickly. "So far I ever saw, it was just him. Maybe other dragons could do it, but I never saw one try before."

"But you do have a dragon."

I paused. "Oh yeah. Hiro! Oh wow, I really should try that! Wait, can he even breathe fire? We have to try! I bet he'd have fun doing that, um, not around other ponies, of course. He's a nice stallion."

Rina smiled gently. "You'll keep me informed if there are any results, I hope?"

"Of course!" I bounced down from the couch. "Thanks for talking. I feel a lot better."

"I'm sorry for bringing this up." Rina gestured at the door. "What will you do if you see Takuya again?"

Takuya? "Well, I'd keep an eye on him, of course. If he minded his manners, I guess I'd leave him alone. Grudges aren't very nice. Even Discord got a second chance, so I guess he should get one too. Meanie."

She seemed relieved at my words. "Good. He may not cross your path again, but if he does, I don't want you losing your composure. He did wrong, but that doesn't give you an excuse to try to hurt him."

"Hurt him?" I tilted my head at him. "I don't want to hurt him... I just want him to never do that ever again never. Grabbing me like that, hmmph."

"Grabbing?"

I didn't mention that part. "Oh, um. He kind of wanted to play with me, but he wasn't very polite about it."

Rina set her pen down and clasped her hands. "Did he... What did he do, Pinkie? I'm asking you to be very specific."

I licked over my lips. Did I have to talk about that part? It wasn't that big of a deal... "He wanted me to lift my tail for him, you know, like mares and stallions do..."

"And did you?"

I reddened a little. "I pretended to, to distract him... We didn't do anything, and then we were wrestling for his weapon on the ground. We didn't play... I would never play with a stallion behaving like that!"

Rina leaned forward towards me. "It's alright if you feel a little... peculiar. It's a very personal and violating attack, even if he never penetrated you, to have a man demanding you consent under threat of force. Did you feel violated?"

Did I? Did... My eyes strayed around the room as I dug around inside of myself. Not literally! That would be silly, but I thought really hard. "I was scared. I didn't want him to hurt anypony else, or me... So I did what I had to do... The other ponies looked so scared."

Rina set her clipboard aside and stood up. She approached me quietly and set a hand on my head. For just a moment I felt the urge to nuzzle the hand and lick it gently, but I managed to quash that as she gently pet me for a quiet moment. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You are a very brave woman." I was a mare! "Thank you for protecting the others, and yourself. You did very well." She knelt down in front of me, holding my cheeks in her hands. "If you need to talk, about anything, no matter how odd it may feel at the time, you ask them to bring you to me, and we'll talk. It's alright to have feelings right now. If you want to cry, you should. If you don't, that's fine too. Just don't hold it in."

I nodded a little and nuzzled a hand, keeping my tongue in! It'd be really awkward to turn my nice doctor into a pony against her will. "Thanks for talking, even if it felt kind of funny at times. I think... I think it was good." I flashed a smile at her, and she stood back up.

"I'm glad to hear that. We'll talk again soon. You've given me and the others plenty to think about." She paused a moment. "I won't speak of your personal feelings, Miss Pie, but I assume it's alright to share your stories?"

I waved a hoof at her. "Oh sure. No harm in that. If other doctors want to hear about Nightmare Moon, go right on ahead." I didn't see anything wrong with sharing exciting stories! It was fun!

I bounced to her door and she let me out, to quickly bound back to the pony wing. I had some ponies I needed to hang out with...

Author's Note

Pinkie has a good chat, learns some things about humans, and ponies, and works through some of her feelings. It was a good talk.

But who is she going to talk with next?
1: Hiro
2: Emma
3: Aiko
4: Homer
5: Make some new friends!

20 - Enter the Dragon (clop)

I bounced back into our wing and stopped right at the entrance. It was my pony! Or, well, not my pony, but the guard I helped out by making him a pony. He nodded at me but didn't say anything. Maybe he was feeling shy?

I raised a hoof at him. "Hey there." He looked like he wanted to say something. "I'm sorry for not asking first, but you were in trouble, big trouble. If you want to talk about it, just stop on by, alright?" He was still quiet. I think I said the right thing though. I bounced past him to give him a moment to relax. As tempting as it was to go full Cranky on him, that didn't seem to be the right approach.

Hiro had a group of six ponies lined up and was going over some dance steps of some kind? They were making grunts and shouts like they were working really hard or something. I didn't quite get it. "Hey Hiro! Whatcha doin'?"

He held up a clawed hoof and the others took a break, leaning on one another and panting softly. "Hello there, Pinkie. I thought it'd be a good idea to go over some basic self defense. Our new bodies are different than the one I was trained in, but the concepts don't change." He looked back towards his class. "Let's call it a day for now. Practice at least ten minutes every two hours." A few grumbles came up. "It's better than laying around." Off they went, scattering into various rooms.

Hiro smiled at me brightly. "Are you on your way to somewhere?" I shook my head quickly. "We haven't had too much time lately."

"I know! That's why I was looking for you, and the others. Speaking of others, have you seen Emma?"

He considered a moment. "She went down to the cafeteria for a snack. She should be back later. Did you have something specific in mind?"

I bobbed my head. "Actually, I do. There's this trick that my dragon friend back home can do, and you're a dragon! So I was thinking maybe you could do the same trick."

He looked interested, if cautious. "What kind of trick do you mean?" He led me out of the hall into one of the bedrooms attached to it. This one didn't have anypony else in it, besides us of course. "Tell me about it."

So I did! "Well, you see, he could take a letter and puff some fire on it, and fwoosh, off it went to our leader and princess. She'd get it and could send a letter back to him. We use it to mail her all the time, or if she wants to mail us, either way. Wanna try it?"

He frowned a little. "That requires I breathe fire first, and I haven't done that yet."

"Have you tried?" I grinned at him. He shook his head. "Then you can't say you can't breathe fire, just that you haven't tried it, and it may take practice." I hopped up on two legs and took a deep breathe, expanding my lungs out for him to see before fwoosh! I exhaled powerfully, a few flecks of confetti drifting towards the ground. When did I eat those? Oh well!

He chuckled softly. "Pinkie, you are adorable." He reached out and pet me with his claws carefully. "Let me try, but let's make some room. I'd feel pretty bad if I set something on fire." He got to cleaning things out. He pulled the mattresses aside and soon had a nice empty space to work with. "I'm not sure which I'm more afraid of, it working and setting the building on fire, or not working at all."

I gave a quick glance around and grabbed a fire extinguisher hanging from a hook. "Here!"

He looked confused. "Good idea, but how do you even know what one of those are?"

I blinked at him. "Isn't it obvious?"

He accepted that with a shake of his head. He took a slow breath, inhaling until it hit some magic point. I could see him hit it, with the way his eyes went all wide and surprised. He quickly coughed up a little fire that barely made it a few inches from his snout. "I did it! I... I really am a dragon." He sat down on his haunches, looking a little overwhelmed.

I set the extinguisher aside before bouncing around him. "Congratulations! Maybe you'll even grow wings when you get big enough."

He looked surprised at that. "Aren't I already full grown?"

Was he? "I've seen way bigger dragons. You might grow more. I mean it's alright if you don't." I produced a cupcake and shoved it into his open snout. "Congratulations! You did it, and on your first try too."

He quickly swallowed the treat. "Was this one of the ones you made before we came to the hospital? How is it even still fresh?"

I shrugged softly. "Things don't usually go bad when I keep them in my mane. Let's try the letter trick!" I pulled out a quill and some paper and got to writing quickly.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope this letter made it! Or I guess you won't be reading it, or maybe you'll get a pile of ash. If you do get it, please write me back! Oh! This isn't from Spike, so don't send it to him, OK? This dragon's name is Hiro, and he's super amazing! Not that Spike isn't amazing... Anyway! Hi! This is Pinkie! I'm in a world of humans that are turning into ponies, and not because they want to. I'm trying to help them out. Tell the girls I'm alright, and I'll come back as soon as I can.

Yours Faithfully,
Pinkamena Diane Pie

PS: Do you know how to get back to Equestria?

I folded the letter up a few times, then offered it to Hiro. "Alright, imagine a big white pony with big pretty wings and a long horn. She has a gold crown and the nicest smile. She's like your mother, even if she isn't really your mother. Her name is Princess Celestia if that helps."

Hiro gave a slow nod. "Celestia... alright. I can't promise this will do anything other than burn your letter. Have the extinguisher ready." He waited for me to grab it, then set the letter on the ground and pulled in air. Fwoosh! A little lick of fire consumed the paper voraciously and it flew off! I saw it! It went down the hallway towards Aiko's room?

A shriek of surprise came from inside and I set the extinguisher down. "I think it missed..."

Hiro suddenly burst past me, hurrying down the hallway towards Aiko. I quickly caught up just as he reached the door and pulled it open. Inside, Aiko was being hugged by her coltfriend. She looked pretty surprised. The letter was laying beside her, none the worse for wear for being set on fire.

"You did it!" I exclaimed. I mean, he had. He sent the letter. It didn't get to the right place, but he sent it!

Hiro glanced back at me before entering the room and nodding at Aiko. "Are you alright? We didn't mean to surprise you like that."

Aiko reached out a shaking hoof and pushed the letter away. "This letter... I had the overwhelming urge to vomit, and it spilled out, intact and dry. What happened?"

Hiro picked up the letter carefully. "Pinkie said I could perhaps send a letter to their pony princess, but it came to you apparently."

Aiko looked baffled. "I'm not their pony princess, but she isn't wrong, you did send it. Please don't do that again." She licked over her lips. "It was very scary." Her coltfriend squeezed her gently and she smiled. They were a lovely couple. But there was something off...

"Aiko, how are ya?" I bounced towards her. "We haven't really been keeping up. Anything... funny going on?"

Aiko looked around nervously, then pointed at the door before she pulled it shut with her magic. "I trust you can be discrete?"

Hiro quickly nodded. "If you don't want something repeated, it won't leave this room."

I made the Pinkie Promise. "No secrets will escape me! What's up?"

Aiko's coltfriend smiled. "What did you just do?"

I poked my eye again. "Pinkie Promise. It means I super duper extra promise." I thrust a hoof up. "One exception! If it's really super important that somepony be told, for your sake, I will. Is that okay?"

She hesitated before nodding. "Very well, if you think I'm in danger..." She nudged away her coltfriend and turned to show her back to us. "I've been sore in two places on my back. A gentle massage calms it down, but it always comes back."

I pulled out my sthethoscope and hopped up to her to have an examination. Hmm... Ah yes... Of course! I moved it around her back a bit before realizing that her heartbeat wasn't going to help me at all. I let it hang around my neck and tried feeling with my hooves instead. She had two lumps under her fur, and one of them just twitched! I felt an urge overwhelm me. A doozie was coming! My Pinkie Sense was absolutely sure. I didn't think it was a bad doozie, but definitely a doozie. It was hard to be sure with doozies.

"Aiko, I think you're alright, but when something happens, you should try to stay calm."

Her coltfriend's ears perked right up. "When? What's going to happen?" He moved in and kissed Aiko's snout gently. "If you know, please tell us, Pinkie."

I didn't know! "Not sure, but I know something's coming! I think it'll be alright though, so just try to stay relaxed and let it." I turned to Hiro. "Let's let Aiko relax. Sorry for barging in and everything."

Aiko grabbed me in her magic and squeezed me. "It's alright, Pinkie, thank you. See you later, alright?"

I bounded from the room and Hiro closed it behind me. There was Emma! I waved at her excitedly. "I should go talk to her. See you later, Hiro." I gave him a quick hug before bouncing off.

Emma noticed me quickly as I bounced and looked suddenly flustered. She took a few steps towards me, then stopped and looked more awkward. I jumped at her and hugged her tightly. "Emma! How ya doing? Want to hang out?" She quickly nodded at that. "Great! We can..." There wasn't actually a lot of places we could go without making other ponies upset. "Go to my room!"

She was entirely alright with that idea, and we trotted side-by-side. It was still a little funny having what amounted to a full stallion beside me, but knowing she was a mare. Was she a masculine mare, or a feminine stallion? I guess the first... She closed the door behind herself once we were in my room.

I bounced on mattress. It was the only thing that was nice to sit on in the room. "What have you been up to?"

She pawed at the ground a little. "Would you think it was weird if I said I was thinking about you mostly? I'm so sorry I wasn't there to clobber that jerk yesterday..."

Which j-- Oh, him. "Don't even worry about it. They're punishing him for being a bad pony. Maybe he'll learn his lesson and we'll be friends."

Emma snorted. "He tried to rape you, Pinkie... He deserves whatever they have planned for him, and you shouldn't be so eager to be his friend." She walked over and plopped down beside me. "Stop walking right into danger."

I shrugged a little. "It doesn't mean I haveta trust him like anypony else. I gave Discord a chance, but I still have an eye on him. I try to be nice, but that only goes so far." I reached out and poked her in the side. "What about you?"

Emma squirmed a moment. "I don't think I thanked you enough, for not letting me become a stallion... But I... Pinkie, you shouldn't be so trusting from the start. If you hadn't let those weird people do their whatever they did on you, you'd still be both, and we could..."

I couldn't help but blush a little. It was true, I didn't have 'little Pinkie' anymore. The idea of using it to play with Emma sounded really good at the moment, but! "There are other ways for ponies to play, you know, even two mares." She perked her ears curiously.

"I know that, Pinkie, but I didn't think you'd want to do that."

I shrugged at her. "And why not? We're friends."

She sat up. "Do you do that with your other friends?"

I considered that a moment. "Well, not a lot of them. The one time I brought it up with Rarity, she laughed for five minutes before saying no. I don't think Twilight's much for that kind of thing, and she has a coltfriend already. A few of the townsponies don't mind a little 'romp in the hay'." I waggled my tail. "I'm not saying we have to, or should, but we can. I don't need that to play with you."

Emma leaned in at me. "Am I still pretty?"

Oh! Um... "Well, not really?" She looked hurt. Oops. "You're handsome." The hurt turned to confusion. "Handsome's good too! I'm not pretty at all." I waved a hoof over my pink body. "I just have a nice personality, and I think that more than makes up for it."

Emma gasped. "Pinkie, how can you even say that? You're gorgeous just as you are right now."

"Aw, that's sweet of you to say." I hugged her around her neck gently. "But you can't fool me! I'm no super mod--"

She kissed me and gently pushed me to the mattress. Her hooves rubbed over the sides of my barrel as she pushed her tongue into my snout and explored eagerly. She was dead set on proving I was a pretty pony, and I didn't feel like arguing it at the moment. She was a heck of a kisser and I was alright with this! She pulled back from our kiss with a smile and began to nuzzle and nip down along my throat. "Pinkie... I love you. Please stop saying mean things about yourself." She reached my chest and nuzzled into it, giggling. "Does this feel nice? Where are your breasts?"

I giggled at that. "It does feel nice, but my breasts aren't up there, silly." I put my hooves on her head and guided her down to my lower belly until I felt her lips brush over my teats. "There you go." Why did she... oh yeah! Humans have theirs way up tall. How do human foals even reach them?

Those thoughts went away as Emma began giving soft little sucks at one of the teats, carefully working me as her tongue flicked out in quick swipes and tastes. I held her head and let out a happy sigh. That felt good, better than I expected. Why hadn't I tried playing with teats more often during play? She switched to the other teat with a soft pop and gently nuzzled up into me, pressing into my warm breasts as she bathed me in her saliva and made me squirm in pleasure at her eager suckling. I was definitely going to add that to my list of tricks to use! "K-keep going, just like that." She had no complaints making me wriggle with happiness. I squeaked as I reached the first peak just from being nursed at and blushed, wondering if mother mares felt that way when their foals nursed. No wonder they looked so content and satisfied...

She nuzzled past my tingling breasts, leaving my teats glistening with her affection. She nudged my breasts up a little as she arrived at my petals and sniffed at them. They were already glistening, dewy with arousal and the climax I already had. Her tongue darted out and tasted me and I squeaked with pleasure. She pried with her tongue, splitting my already puffy lips as she went in deep and began to explore in earnest a moment before she drew back, breathing over me hotly as she spoke, "I mean it... I love you, Pinkie." Oh gosh, did she want to be special someponies? I wasn-- My thought was interrupted as she plunged back into me and I squealed with delight.

She played me like a badly tuned trumpet, and I was carried off on bliss as I squealed and moaned that mangled song of pleasure. I couldn't do much more than rub over her head and ears, encouraging her as she pressed her wide tongue deeper and deeper. She wasn't a stallion, but who cared? She was doing a great job! She sealed her lips around my swollen lips a moment and sucked, pulling juices from me as I groaned. I wanted to touch her more. I wanted to return the favor, but she kept me pinned down and insisted on being the giver that time. She brought me to climax after crashing climax, and I flopped back, unable to even sit up with the stars swimming in front of my eyes. She had me powerless and happy, just the way she planned.

She raised her hooves and set them on my breasts. I felt her frogs squeeze and pull as she began to work them, massaging them as she explored slowly along my outer lips. It was too much! I gushed a little squirt of fluids across her waiting tongue as I trembled. I was dizzy with pleasure. If love was a competition, she was keeping me pinned in the corner and racking up the points without letting me get in my starting move, and I just didn't care. How could I? Everything was bliss. I'd have to share these tricks with the mares back in Ponyville, after I figured out how to get back there...

I noticed she'd stopped licking and was nuzzling at my breasts softly. "Pinkie, what do you really think of me?"

Uh oh! I didn't even need Pinkie Sense to know that was a serious question. "Emma..." I tried to sit up, but I was still dizzy. Everything felt good and light. "Oh Emma... I love you." She smiled. "But I'm not sure I want to be special someponies." She stopped smiling. "We're super good friends."

Emma sat up over me, moving a hoof to slowly rub over my sensitive lips and watch my little twitches and gasps. "Aiko has her boyfriend, and they're doing fine. Why don't you want someone special? Someone to be just yours? I'm not asking you to change for me." She leaned in and licked up along my snout. "I'm happy making you happy, but I want us to be a couple, not just friends."

I licked over my suddenly dry lips. "Emma, one day, I'm going to go home, and I can't promise you'll go with me. I don't want to break a promise." Emma settled on me, pressing nose-to-nose. "I don't want to say something like that..."

Emma softly chewed at my nose, which tickled! "Even if you do, some day... Can't we be special, for now?"

I licked her lips and kissed her briefly, enjoying having her close enough to return some of the affection she showed me. "You know, there are some stallions that I bet would love a mare that was built like they were. I know you feel a little awkward, but like you said to me, stop selling yourself short. You're very handsome, and nice, and great!"

Emma shrank back a little. "Do you want me to go?"

I pulled her closer, rubbing my belly against her's. "You can stay, silly pony. Thank you... That was amazing, but we can be super awesomely close friends without being special someponies, and if you find somepony that gets your interest, then I want you to play and not feel bad about me. That doesn't stop us from playing too."

She gave a slow nod, then sat back up. "Alright, so, when are we leaving?"

Leaving? "What?"

She waved a hoof. "You led these ponies here, we don't have to stay anymore."

I sat up slowly. "Where would we go? I mean, I guess we could look around, but what are we looking for? Oh! What about those ponies outside? They're still stuck there... waiting... They could use some cheering up at least!"

She smiled a little uncertainly. "Maybe... We just don't need to be here. It's as dangerous here as it is out there, maybe more... I'm not really scared of the wild ponies. What can they do? I'm already a pony! She nuzzled, snout-to-snout. "Think about it..." She slid up to her hooves and turned for the door, but I wasn't going to let her do that.

I rolled up to my own hooves and stuck my snout right between her legs. Oops! Stallions didn't have nipples. Oh well, in for a bit... I nuzzled up into the warm flesh there and worked my way backwards along her underside until I reached her fragrant petals and gave them a little taste. She let out a little sigh. "You don't have to just to 'pay' me back, Pinkie..."

"And if I want to?" I slipped my tongue deep inside of her and showed her how skilled I was with it, undulating and twisting inside of her. Her complaints died with a surprised squeak and I knew I had her. I caught her as she sank and began teasing her from the inside out, sampling her delicious marecum. It was like frosting us mares made just for those who treated us properly, and I planned on treating Emma very properly indeed, just like the great mare she was.

We didn't get a lot done for the next few hours, at least if we're talking important stuff. Sometimes that kind of thing was important though! I showed her I cared for her, and left her as woozy as she left me, and we took a nap in each other's embrace. She was gone when I woke up though. Ah well, there was plenty more to do!

Author's Note

Pinkie makes many little discoveries! She also has a good time to counteract all the violence and drama.

Obviously the great creator typoed when he created stallions without nipples. Sheesh.

As I prepare for a week away from home, what shall Pinkie focus on?

1: Let's Bust Outta Here
2: I have a great idea to improve things around here!
3: We need to throw a welcoming party for the new pony/guard. He needs some cheering up!
4: Aiko needs help and monitoring. Let's stay close to her for now.
5: I have an idea how to better aim Hiro. We'll get the mail through, somehow!

21 - Even in Darkest Times, There is Room for Celebration

I woke up the next day with new determination. It had been way too long since I did what I do best! The whole place was lacking in laughter and cheer, and I was going to fix that right up! I mean, sure, they're turning or turned into ponies without asking, but that doesn't mean we have to be all depressed about it.

We had each other.

We had friends to support us, and we had to remember how lucky we were to be surrounded by others that cared about us. Even strangers were brought together by this. We'd become something of a family together.

I walked out of the wing and saw a human guard and our new pony friend. They looked at me curiously and I saluted them. "Hey there! I'm going to work up a special something for later. When are you done with your shift?"

The pony pointed at himself. "Me? About four hours."

"Great!" I bounded past them with a springing bounce. This was going to be so fun! It occurred that I needed to invite everypony. I detoured towards the supply rooms and stopped in front of the guards there. "Excuse me, can I have some paper." I held out my hooves. "It only needs to be this big or so?"

One of them shrugged. "Will post-it notes work? Was it true you wrestled a man to the ground while he was armed?"

I made a face. "Well, yeah, but that wasn't any fun."

The other smiled. "It was very brave, and maybe a little foolish. You may not be a soldier, but you have the heart of one, being willing to throw yourself into danger like that."

I blushed a little. It wasn't my kind of compliment, but it was clearly a compliment. "Thanks! I didn't want him to hurt anypony else."

One looked curious. "Just ponies?"

That caught me off guard. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just a... Anyone! Human or pony, neither wants to be shot, or should have to."

One of them nodded. "Don't get yourself killed trying to save everyone. Now, what did you need papers for?"

I reared up onto two legs. "I need to give out invitations! I'm going to host a party so big every...one will forget to be sad."

The other looked bemused. "Ponies only, I gather?"

I flopped back to all fours. "I'd love to invite everyone, but I don't want anyone to turn into a pony without wanting to, and while we're having fun at the party, a mistake could happen and that'd be bad." I frowned a little. "Twilight said she knew how to make ponies not do that... but I don't know how!" That was so frustrating! If only Twilight was there!

One of them nodded. "Fair enough. Here." He vanished into the room and came back with a small stack of notes with sticky backs. I could use those!

"Thanks!" I tucked the notes in my mane and moved to bounce off. "Have a great day!"

Next stop, the kitchen! I looked around, doing a quick inventory before I move for the fridge.

"What are you doing?" One of the chefs on duty watched me.

"Preparing a party!"

He shook his head. "Food's on strict rationing. We have to make it last."

I frowned at him. Didn't he know this was important?! "Who said so?"

He hiked a thumb out of the room. "The captain of supplies. I wouldn--"

I was already gone, seeking out the captain. I'd convince him just how important it was. We were dying of sadness. What does it matter if we keep some food if we just flop over and 'live' on as sad sacks. That's hardly living! I found a door with captain written on it and knocked on it with a hoof gently. "Excuse me?"

The door swung inwards, revealing a distinguished looking human. He seemed surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

I put a hoof on my chest. "Hi, I'm Pie Pinkie. Are you the captain in charge of supplies?"

He shook his head. "Captain, yes, supplies, no. A pleasure meeting you, Miss Pie. Now kindly inform me why an infectious pony is in this area of the hospital?"

I tilted my head at him. "Oh, I'll be extra careful. Just talking doesn't hurt anyone. I want to host a party for the other ponies, to cheer them up."

"For morale?"

I bobbed my head. "Exactly! There are so many sad ponies. Everyone could be way happier. We just need to remember there are still things worth being happy about. I'm sure I can turn them all around."

He looked mildly intrigued, but thought quietly a moment. "Is this something of a specialty of yours?"

I hopped up to two legs and nodded quickly. "Actually, I used to be called the Element of Laughter. I know I can turn all those frowns upside down, but I want to make some nice snacks and they won't let me. Can you help or should I keep looking for the supply man?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm willing to give this a try." He pulled out a pad of his own and quickly scribbled something. Japanese sure had a lot of... It was a fancy language, especially written down. He held out the note towards me. "Give this to the kitchen staff, and don't make me look foolish giving it to you."

I accepted the note, letting it stick to my hoof. "Results guaranteed! We're going to turn this around and bring smiles back to the ponies." I bowed to him like I saw other Japanese people do, then bounced away with a grin. While I went, I looked at the note.

Please provide the holder of this note with sufficient supplies for a morale booting event.

His name was underneath it. Nice and to the point. I wasn't used to calling a party a 'morale boosting event', but I guessed that's what they were, in the end. Happiness generators!

I gave the note to the chefs and they didn't argue when I went to the fridge that time. A little of this, and a little of that. I wasn't trying to use up all their things, so I kept it modest, relatively, but I had a few trays of sweet things. They barely used the sugar anyway. I tucked it all away and bounded back to the pony hallway. I started throwing up streamers and decorations everywhere I could, much to the confusion of the other ponies.

"What are you doing?" asked the little colt that had come with us.

I threw a leg around him and hugged. "I'm getting ready for a party, and you're invited!" I thrust an invitation towards him.

He took the note even as he flopped onto his haunches. "Why should we? I mean... What should we celebrate?"

I pointed towards the entrance to the hall. "We have a new friend, and each other. Even if some sad things happened, we have to remember all the things we do have. Besides, it'll be fun!" I smiled at him, but he still looked uncertain. "Look, just be ready to have a good time, and give it a chance." I pat him on the back, then got back to preparing. Soon the hallway was looking downright cheerful.

More ponies had come as I worked. I gave each the invitation and they began whispering to one another. It was like they'd never seen a party before? Or maybe they forgot what one looked like? Either way, I was just in time!

I saw the guard pony coming off of his shift and grinned. It was time. I unleashed some streamers as I landed in front of him. "Surprise! Welcome to your 'You're a pony now and we're sorry you didn't get much choice in it but welcome to our family!' party!" He jumped about a foot back as I closed with him. "This is all for you!"

He paused in his retreat and looked around slowly. "Why?... I was one of the ones staring at you like you were..."

I threw a leg over his neck and hugged him close. "The past is the past. We learn from our mistakes and we're better for it. No more pouting. It's time to celebrate!" He seemed embarrassed, but a little happy to be hugged. Aw, poor thing just needs more of those. I happily gave him another. "This way, this way!"

I officially started the party, and helped draw the ponies from their shells. We introduced ourselves to each other, even if everyone already knew me. We ate our little snacks and I got a game of pin the tail on the pony going. They were talking, and they were smiling. They were alive again, and I felt...

I was back in my element!

Aiko slid up beside me and sat down. "Pinkie..."

She sounded upset. What could be wrong? "What's up, Aiko? Just tell me and I'll help!"

Aiko's ears folded back. "Everyone keeps staring at me, and when I ask for anything, they trip over themselves getting it. Why am I being treated like a celebrity?"

Aiko's coltfriend settled beside her and nuzzled her snout. "Because they see how radiant you are. I saw it first, but even a blind person is eventually aware of it."

Aiko flushed darkly. "You're a darling... but it's still unnerving. You don't do it, Pinkie. What's going on?"

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "We should conduct an experiment. That's what Twilight would do." I pointed to a pony standing alone. "Go order her to join the game."

Aiko looked uncertain, then trotted over to the mare and smiled. "You should join in the festivities."

The mare looked confused at first, then nodded. "I should. That's a great suggestion." And off she went to join in a dancing circle that had started up on its own.

Aiko returned, looked baffled. "I never spoke to her before, but she just accepted my advice without question. This doesn't feel natural."

Aiko's coltfriend nuzzled under her chin. "Everyone accepts your ideas."

Then it hit me. I clopped a forehoof against my head. Why didn't I see it earlier?! "You're a princess!"

Aiko looked even more confused. "Princess of what?"

I pointed at her. "Ponies. You're a princess of ponies, so they do what you suggest."

Aiko frowned. "What if I say to do something terrible?"

I shrugged. "Don't do that. Be a good princess."

Aiko slowly nodded. "And why aren't you affected? You don't have to do what i say." She paused a moment, then pointed over to the last remaining snack tray. "Get me a snack."

I looked over at it. She could walk over to it just the same as I could. Even as I thought about it, her coltfriend bolted for the tray and returned with it, smiling. Oh, a test!

Aiko accepted a treat from the platter. "See, you're immune."

I nodded. "I already have a princess, three even. There's Celestia and Luna and Twilight. I'm sorry but I don't really need a fourth princess." I hugged her. "But I'm here to help! You can be a great princess."

Aiko gave an unsure smile, but it was a smile, and a real one. "I'm glad you're here, Pinkie." She paused to bring up a hoof and scratch at her back awkwardly. "It still hurts. Do you know what that means?"

I actually had a fairly good guess what it meant. "All the princesses I knew had big wings and horns. You have the horn, but not the wings."

She paled a little in her nose. "I'm growing wings?!"

I giggled a little. "I'm almost jealous, getting to fly around and stuff."

"This is not something to be jealous of." She pouted a little. "I'm already so... inhuman... Must I grow wings as well?"

Aiko's coltfriend stepped over her and hugged her gently with all four legs. "You're not inhuman. You're a glorious creature, and are becoming more so. You're wonderful."

Aiko colored softly. "Of course you'd say that... but what do other people think? Those that are still human?"

Homer approached with pricked ears. "I think you're pretty."

Aiko smiled at Homer. "You're a dog."

Homer tilted his head left, then right. "You're a pony. You're still pretty."

We had too many people to not draw more over, and they quickly began throwing in their own opinions. It seemed almost everyone thought Aiko was pretty and graceful and majestic and lots of other words that basically meant 'princess-like'.

Aiko shook her head. "While I appreciate your kind words, we're all ponies..."

One pony tilted his head. "We are ponies. We get to decide who is pretty or not."

There was a general agreement in the crowd as one bland looking pegasus stepped forward. "I'm not that pretty, Aiko-Sama."

Another pony nuzzled at the pegasus. "Don't put yourself down. You have very nice feathers."

Opinions began to circulate wildly. What started as a party of festivities quickly became a talking about everyone's self-image. I was so proud of everyone. They quickly jumped at anyone that didn't think they were pretty and told them why they were wrong. We were ponies, and we knew love. I felt... so happy right then.

I joined in with pointing out the positive traits in other ponies around me, even the ones that got kinda stuck, not all the way pony. Everyone had something worth praising. Besides, we didn't have any of the really weird ones, like ponies with more than one head. I really think the compliment sharing went a long way to brightening up everyone.

The guard looked very self-conscious. "What about... me?" He spread his red wings out shyly and raised his head, letting his blonde main fall in a wave. "Do I look... good?"

The crowd was swift to praise him. He was strong and well-built, for a pony. His colors weren't bad either.

The colt pointed at him. "My father was killed trying to protect me... You almost got killed trying to protect Miss Pie..." He glanced away, then back. "Your people killed him, but... You're like a replacement. Karma."

The guard sank to his haunches. "Karma..."

The colt's mother rushed up and gathered him up. "I'm sorry, he shouldn't say such things."

The guard shook his head. "No! I mean... he might be right. I'll try to make up for the wrongs that led to me becoming a pony." He offered a hoof to the mare. "I'm sorry."

The mare looked quite uncertain before she reached her own hoof out and they gently pressed together. "Karma..."

I leaned towards Aiko. "Why do they keep saying Karma like that?"

Aiko spoke gently in return, "They must be Buddhist. Karma is the idea that all wrongs will find their way to be corrected, even if they have to wait until your next life to punish you."

I frowned. "That sounds icky, why are they so happy?"

Aiko gave a little smile. "Because they have found karma within their life. They can make amends now, without waiting."

I looked over to see the guard conversing softly with the mare about something. Both looked very shy, but happy. Karma was some powerful stuff! He was definitely happier than he was before. I could call the party a wild success!

Aiko gave a pained squeak and flopped onto her belly. "It hurts!" All eyes in the room turned towards her as one, my own included.

I drew out my stethoscope and doctoring hat. "I'm on the case. Take dee--" I was paused as my body trembled with the earthquake running through me. The doozie! It was coming! "Deep breaths! Everything'll be alright."

Many of the other ponies began speaking encouraging words, even if most of them had no idea what was going on. They wanted to help Aiko, so they said nice things and pressed as close as Aiko's coltfriend would allow them, which wasn't very close. I was the only one allowed to be beside Aiko.

I reached for the sore spots, where I was pretty sure wings were waiting to come free. They felt tense and rigid. Every time they twitched, Aiko squeaked and shuddered in pain. It was definitely time. I gently rubbed in the area as I whispered, "It's alright. We're all here for you. Let it come out, Aiko. Don't hold it back."

The skin parted with a wet sound, and they began to emerge. With every little whimper, a few precious millimeters came free. It was like delivering a foal... from your back? I kept gently rubbing around the site. "We're all here, Aiko. You're not alone." The other ponies were quick to agree with that, some almost shouting their support, which seemed to embarrass Aiko.

She smiled awkward, spread out on her belly, before another contraction made her whimper, and her wings slid a little further, covered in blood and icky bits. I was pretty sure everything was working the way it should though.

A sudden wail made me jump. Her wings surged out against me and unfolded. They spread wide, already feathered, which must have hurt coming out. They were coated in red, but I pulled out a rag and began cleaning her gently. She collapsed and went still, softly panting. The birth was over, her wings were free.

The other ponies began to bow to Aiko, pressing their heads to the cool tiles quietly. Was the urge that great? I didn't feel any of it.

Aiko slowly pushed up to her haunches, flapping her wings with a great big wince with every movement. "I... hope the soreness goes away."

I nodded quickly. "I'm sure it will. You just need to rest up and soon you'll be ready to fly!"

She looked at me with confusion. "Can they really do that?"

I shrugged a little. "Every other alicorn I ever saw could fly once they learned how. Think how fun that'll be!"

She gave a little smile. "I'll try, but right now, I need to rest."

Her coltfriend hurried in to support her, and they moved to their room.

Hiro pushed through the crowd. "What was that? Is she really a princess?"

I nodded. "Sure is! No doubt about it."

The guard sighed softly. "I apologize for interrupting things, but I do have orders to report if we locate a princess."

I held up my hooves, "Oh, sure, we should, but can we wait for her to get a little rest first? She's all achy and tired. You wouldn't want to be dragged aside and asked a bajillion question just after becoming a pegasus, would you?"

He stiffened a moment. "Right... I'll tell them tomorrow, but I can't, won't, wait longer than that. I'm still a soldier, even if I'm a horse too."

The party ended with a lot of gossip about what it meant for Aiko to get wings like that. Spirits were high. Some even thought she'd somehow fix everything and make the world go back to normal, but I doubted Aiko could just... do that... I mean, princesses are pretty awesome, but there is a limit to what they can do.

Homer suddenly sat beside me. "Is Aiko alright?"

I nodded at him. "She needs some rest, but she'll be just fine. She has a loving coltfriend and a big family!" I threw my hooves out to indicate everypony in the area.

Homer tilted his head. "But she is the biggest bitch."

I looked quite confused. What did he mean by that?

Homer saw my expression. "She's in charge... Alpha?" Oh! "Is she going to start deciding what we do instead of you?"

Oh gosh, was I ever in charge? "If she wants to, sure. Hiro seems to have a lot of good ideas, maybe we should talk to him?"

Homer bobbed his head in agreement. "Hiro is good alpha male. Knows a lot. I'll get him!" He darted off with a clip-clop and returned swiftly from where Hiro had wandered off a short distance. "Here he is!"

Hiro glanced at Homer, than me. "What's on your mind, Pinkie?"

I pointed at Hiro. "You're in charge, right?"

Hiro looked as confused as I had been. "I take charge when it's required, but we, uh, ponies, haven't selected a formal leader. I'm used to keeping people civil and orderly, and it comes naturally, but I think everyone here needs more than that. You did a great thing, giving everyone a chance to get to know one another, and to really come together, as a family. We don't feel so much like a bunch of strangers forced into a tight space."

Aw. "Thanks! I just did what I thought was right, just like you. We both have to try our best, for everyone."

He held out a clawed hoof. "Then let's keep doing that. We're all in this together. We don't have to have one person 'in charge', so long as we keep listening to each other and acting in the best interest of the whole."

I put my hoof between his claws and we shook on it. "Deal!" Working with Hiro sounded like a good idea. "Oh, and Aiko too. She's going to need our support to get into the role of princess, but she is one, and everypony here is going to look to her first for ideas and orders."

He frowned a little. "She will need a lot of prompting. I don't think she was ever in charge of such things, or even knows where to begin."

Homer bobbed his head. "She'll learn from you two."

"Exactly!" I thrust a hoof up triumphantly. "It'll be fun. My friend Twilight stressed out a lot about becoming a princess, but she's a really good one now, and even enjoys a lot of it. We'll get her in the swing of things."

Author's Note

I'm back from the convention and back to writing. THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE!

But what should Pinkie be doing now?
1: Work heavily with Aiko to get her up to princess material.
2: Confront the folks in charge to make sure Aiko isn't mistreated for being a princess.
3: Try to get in contact with Equestria. There must be a way!
4: Now that they have a princess, maybe some of the wild ponies outside can be calmed down?
5: The doozie already passed, why do I feel another doozie? And something's going to fall? What could it be?!

22 - She's a Person, not an Asset

The guard was going to snitch the next day. If Aiko was going to be treated right, I had to act right away! I mean, they weren't bad ponies, per se, but once they heard about it, they'd want to use it. That's how they think, I think. They have a tool, they use it. But Aiko isn't just a tool! I mean, of course she'll be super useful, but only when she's ready, and not by ordering her around.

Besides... As I walked through the hallways, I thought about how bad it'd be for the other ponies to see their new princess being yelled at. She had a reputation to uphold. It was important.

There was a guard leading to the leader portion of the hospital. They were learning! He saw me and nodded. "What do you need, Pinkie-Chan?"

Aw! I still liked being called that. "Konnichiwa! I have super big news and I need to talk to somepony in charge about it." He looked a little doubtful with a raised brow. "It could change everything!"

He pointed to the ground. "Wait here and don't move." He walked off down the hallway and I stayed put.

I was going to ask some big favors, so not chasing after him seemed like a good start. I pulled out a little rubber ball and began rolling it back and forth along the floor while I waited. Thankfully he showed up, but it took forever!

"Miss Pie, can you be more specific?"

Aw shoot, all that and more questions? "We have a way to start calming down the wild ponies, but it has to be treated with care and respect." I nodded firmly. "We really need to talk. This is soooo important!"

And off he went again, asking me to stay where I was while he went and talked to whoever. At least he came back with someone new. Someone I recognized. It was the officer guy that showed up during that attack. "Miss Pie, we meet again. You seem to be the center point of interesting things, and I'm told you're quite adamant about talking about this one." He crouched down to be on my level. "What's on your mind?"

I smiled at him broadly. He seemed reasonable last time we talked. "Hi there! Huge news! I found a princess, but she's delicate, and the ponies in the wing look up to her. I wanted to be absolutely sure we took it slow and easy while we got her used to things."

He looked properly interested. "Are you certain? She can control other ponies?"

I quickly nodded at that. "She can, but we want a good princess, not a bad princess." He looked a little mystified by my phrasing. "I mean, she could just start barking at people what to do and when, but she isn't. She has their respect, on top of being a princess. She's their friend, the way it should be. That's way better."

He rose up to full height, towering over me. "We don't need to interfere with her insofar as the tame ponies, but if she can calm down the ones that have taken leave of their sanity, we need to get her to work."

I spread my hooves wide. "She just grew her wings. She's tired, and scared, and in pain. Let us ponies take care of her and treat her right, and she'll be ready to help with that soon. Give us a little time, and you'll get a good princess."

I felt a tremble in my tail. Something was about to drop. I dived under a desk nearby, confusing the poor leader guy just before the light above us crashed down with a bang. The whole building shook softly.

"You'll get your princess right now. She won't be a good or bad princess if the hospital is brought down around our ears." He wheeled on the guard. "Go see what's happening, now!" The guard ran off in a dead sprint "Pie Pinkie, get your friend. I have a solid idea we're being attacked by one of the larger ponies. She either calms it down, or we burn through more heavy munitions putting it down permanently."

I made a face. Big or small, I didn't want another pony being hurt, though this was worse than hurt. Being killed was forever... Why was this world so quick to make people go away forever? "I'll get her..." I didn't want to, but it was better than knowing another pony was murdered. "Just don't hurt it."

He gave a bit of a grim nod, and I galloped off back towards the pony wing. Tears began to escape as I ran. Why was violence such a fast answer with them? I practically slid as I turned into the hallway, bumping against a wall before getting my hooves under myself and bolting for Aiko's room.

Hiro suddenly put a hoof out in front of me, blocking my progress. "What's wrong, Pinkie?"

I danced from hoof to hoof. "Big pony's attacking the hospital. If Aiko can't calm it down, they'll kill them!" I felt new tears flowing. Why did somepony have to be killed just because they're big? "Quick!"

Hiro opened the way, but followed me as I rushed to Aiko's door and began knocking on it with a rapid clop-clop.

Aiko's coltfriend slid it open and peered at me with surprise. "Hello, Pinkie. What's wrong? You look awful."

I felt awful! "We need Aiko, right now!"

He scowled. "She's still resting. We appreciate your help, but she needs to recover now."

"I'm sorry, there's no time for that." I slipped right between his legs and popped into the room. "Aiko!"

Aiko looked up at me with confusion. "What is it, Pinkie?" She slowly sat up and got up to her haunches. "What's so urgent?"

I pointed back into the hall. "We need your help calming a big pony down. If you don't, they'll kill them, forever!"

Aiko's ears flipped back against her head. "I don't even know if I can do that, Pinkie..."

I put my forehooves together. "You have to try! Once they kill them, they're dead..."

Aiko got up to her legs, wobbling a little. "Do you know how to do it?"

I darted ahead and got under Aiko, lifting her right up on my back and moving to cart her way. "We'll figure it out, together."

Aiko's coltfriend followed after us. "You're not leaving me behind! That's my wife!"

Aiko flushed deeply. "Don't go telling them that!"

Hiro coughed softly, also following. "We should focus on the matter at hand." He glanced sidelong at Aiko's coltfriend. "Pardon, but I'm not sure I ever caught your name?"

He looked surprised a moment. "I was Chiee, but that doesn't fit much anymore... I'll be Kuri. Yes, that feels right. I am Kuri, Aiko's husband."

As we ran along, Hiro kept asking the new stallion questions, which kept him from harassing me. I made a mental note to thank him later. "How is being a stallion working for you? You were a woman before, weren't you?"

He flushed softly. "With her, it's all worth it. It's... different. It's different, but not bad. I already liked women more..."

Hiro shrugged as we went. "Being a lesbian is very different from a straight male."

He squirmed, looking uncomfortable. "I know that! I know... Maybe it's how this sickness works. If I think about what I am, especially that way, I just feel..." He trailed off and they became quiet.

I rushed up a flight of stairs, past a soldier that waved us forward even as another powerful shake rocked the building. What did that big pony want? Didn't it know how much danger it was in? I scrambled up the flights of stairs, glancing back at my precious cargo as I went. Aiko was awake now. I wondered if she was in pain from being jostled or realizing the situation we were all in.

We arrived at the top and I practically barreled through the door there, emerging onto the roof. The huge head of a pony turned towards us immediately and blinked owlishly. Frustration faded from its features as a little smile spread across its... her? I'm pretty sure she's a she. Her snout. She gave a loud little coo of excitement and reached a hoof up towards us, lifting it from the ground to be even with the roof.

"Taking the shot," said a soldier just ten feet away from us, directing a huge gun at the giant.

"No!" I flung myself at the gun. Aiko fell to the ground with a squeak of pain as I wrenched the weapon off target. It let out a deafening bang, louder than the others I'd heard. No one died. "Aiko's here, the princess! Let us handle this!"

The giant looked startled by the big bang and drew her hoof back a moment before suddenly lunging forward with it, looking like she was ready to swat me, the soldier, and his gun right off the roof.

"Stop!" Aiko struggled back to her feet. "Stop!" The hoof paused mere inches away. I could smell the pony, her dirt and sweat. She was probably living off of whatever she could find. She was probably scared and lonely.

Aiko slowly approached the giant. "It's alright. Please, put your hoof down. We want to be friends."

"Friend?" The giant drew her hoof back slowly and set it down, settling on her haunches and utterly crushing several cars in the effort.

Aiko gave a little smile. "Yes, friends. This is a good place, but you musn't hurt anyone here."

The giant shook her head slowly, then rubbed over her belly. "Hungry."

A pony that big had to have a huge appetite! What did I even have to offer it? I dug out the last two Equestrian cupcakes I had. "You can have these!"

The giant tilted her head at me, then leaned in and slurped them right out of my hooves. I was slick with her saliva as a result, but the offering was accepted. "Hungry..."

I turned towards the soldier. "Do you have a place with lots of trees and grass and flowers around here?"

Hiro clapped his foreclaws together. "Great idea! I'll lead her to the park."

The giant looked hopeful at the idea and reached for Hiro. "Friend." Her giant hoof touched Hiro who stood still for her. Her frog flexed, grabbing him easily and she put him right on her back. "Hungry."

Hiro softly scratched with his claws, now mounted on the giant pony. "This way." He pointed with his other forehoof, and she rose up to her hooves and began trotting away towards, I hoped, food.

The soldier let out a heavy sigh, then frowned at me. "Good work, but tackling people isn't how we handle things, especially when you're infectious. If I get a tail, you're going down with me."

Aiko shook her head. "You're not... You're not a pony. I can tell. It's strange, but I feel certain."

The soldier talked into his funny thing, "Situation contained. Princess confirmed. New report, Hiro has left the compound." He paused a moment. "Negative. He is accompanying the hostile to a park, to eat if I gather correctly." He gestured back at the door leading into the building. "He's waiting for you down on the third floor."

I turned to see Aiko and Kuri talking softly. "Kuri, you want to help Aiko down?"

He nodded and looked eager to do just that. He got up under her like I had and we walked together down the stairs a lot slower than we had scrambling up them. The disaster was averted, for the time.

The leader looked pleased, with a hint of a smile. "I'll thank you not to scare my men too much. Most of them aren't eager to be horses, but you did well. Tell me what happened, step by step."

I held up a hoof to Aiko. "You relax. I have this." Aiko settled on Kuri and they snuggled quietly. "The giant looked really happy to see us, though she got scared when that big gun went off. Aiko was able to calm her down. She complained about being hungry, so Hiro led her to a park with some nice green things to nibble on. You don't have the supplies for me to bake her a welcoming cake big enough."

He gave a mix of a snort and a chuckle. "We don't have the supplies to feed your new oversized friend, but she could help us secure more. When she returns, I want her pacified."

I tilted my head. "Like a foal, or like the bad kind of pacify?"

He rolled a hand. "More the former. Get her washed up, comfortable, and do your thing. Morale is your specialty, is it not? Greet her warmly. There's work to do, and she could help us get it done." He turned his attention directly on Aiko, looking her over.

Kuri pawed at the ground with a little growl, then looked sheepish. "Sorry. I don't mean to be rude."

The leader crouched to be on even footing. "Are you two a couple?" Kuri nodded quickly. "Then you keep right on protecting your girlfriend. She's a very valuable person right now. Your friend, Miss Pie, has insisted she be given some time, and she'll get some of that, but there are things we absolutely need to get done as soon as possible. Do you understand?"

Aiko leaned in from on top of him. "We understand."

Kuri nodded softly. "I'll keep her safe, sir."

He rose to his feet and turned to me. "Keep an eye on them, and the rest of the ponies. So far as we've observed, ponies don't attack other ponies unless provoked or desperate. I'm afraid the latter is becoming more of a possibility, but your people may have the easiest time moving around without causing a reaction."

It suddenly hit me. "Wait, are we actually part of things now?"

He gave a hard smile. "You always were, you're just being upgraded from dangerous patient to dangerous agent. You haven't misled or tried to deceive us, so far. You've acted in our best interest, even at your own loss." He reached out a hand towards me. "Consider yourself recruited, on a temporary basis."

I sniffed, feeling a little overwhelmed. I put a hoof in his hand and we shook on it. "So long as we don't kill anymore."

He frowned a little. "We'll try not to, but I can't make that promise."

It'd have to do. "Just give us a chance to do something other than that." I turned to Aiko and Kuri. "Kuri, go ahead and take Aiko back to her room. I'm gonna bake up something special!" I suddenly remembered Hiro was off guiding that giant around. "I hope Hiro gets back alright..."

The man lifted his shoulders. "He's police. They're built out of good stuff. If he can get through this, he will."

We split ways. He had other things to do, and I had a new mini-party to plan! That evening I shared the tale of Aiko's taming of the giant with the others and we each had a slice of pie.

The colt clapped his hooves. "Amazing! Could she have calmed down the hydra we saw when we arrived?"

I considered that with a tap of my hooves. "Maybe. That one seemed really angry, and hungry. This one was lonely and hungry, but not angry."

His mother pulled him back gently. "Don't mind him, he is always full of questions."

I waved a hoof at her gently. "It's nothing. A few questions from a foal isn't going to bother me any."

She gave a little smile, but didn't reply further.

The party went well, if not as amazing at the first one, and everyone left with a satisfied expression.

Emma strode up to me and gave me a little nuzzle. "If you won't go steady, can we at least be dating?"

Eep, that again! "I don't know how long I'll be here. I'd be really sad if I got your hopes all worked up and then vanished on you one day... There are so many ponies here that want to be your friend, why don't you let them?"

Emma moved beside me and sank to her belly. "I have a friend." She threw a leg over me and pulled me in. "Her name is Pinkie Pie."

Homer suddenly bounded over. "Two friends!"

Emma smiled at Homer. "Yes, at least two, but Pinkie is my favorite." She squeezed me gently. She was very affectionate and loving even, but I worried it'd just hurt her in the end.

I squirmed around in her grasp until I was facing her and gave her nose a little lick. "I can't be your coltfriend, just your friend. With extra icing if you like, but you should find somepony else to be your coltfriend."

Emma pouted a little, tail twitching. "Is it because we're both mares? We worked past that last time. Do you want a stallion?"

I did enjoy stallions, though mares could be fun too. Neither of those mattered! "Emma, really... I'm going to go 'poof!' one day and I don't want to leave a super sad marefriend behind, just happy friends, with happy memories." I leaned in and bumped noses with her. "I'll always remember you."

She gave the ghost of a smile. "Can I come with you? I'll follow your instructions and I'll stay out of the way. Did you say you were a baker? I could help with that."

I nuzzled into her throat. "What if I said yes, then vanished. You would be twice, no, triple sad! This is your world."

She rolled up to her hooves. "I'll fix this for you, somehow." She trotted away with new determination that I hoped wasn't for anything that'd cause trouble later.

Homer moved into the spot she left behind and snuggled up to me. "Hello!"

I giggled. Homer had the right attitude! "Hi!"

"Are you really going to leave?" He tilted his head and looked a little sad.

Aw shoot. "Eventually? I don't know when."

He rubbed noses with me, pressing his wet nose to mine. "I will protect the pack while you're gone. We'll be ready for you to come back."

Was I ever going to come back? I didn't know. Still... "Thank you, Homer. You keep everypony safe." I kissed either of his cheeks and slid up to my hooves. "That's enough sad stuff, let's talk about something else."

Homer dashed off and returned with a rubber ball in his left forepaw. He set it in front of me. "Fetch?"

I giggled a little. "Fetch is what you used to do. We're both ponies, so now it's called catch, and the rules are a little different." He looked confused, but his forward perked ears said he was interested. I pointed down and he waited as I moved away from him, then turned and gently lobbed the ball towards him. "Catch!"

He snapped the ball up in his mouth, but moved it swiftly to a paw. "Now what?"

I waved my hooves around. "Throw it back!" He threw the ball eagerly, but a little wildly. Maybe he was still getting used to having paws like that? I jumped for it and caught up as I dove to the ground and rolled back up to my hooves. "Catch!" I threw it back and we went back and forth.

About ten minutes into the game, the colt timidly approached. "Can I play?"

Homer tossed him the ball and he squeaked, catching it lightly across the snout. The colt took the ball in his mouth, wings flapping, then hurled it as best he could towards me.

What was a two player game became three, then four, then a dozen. We were passing that thing all over the place. A lot of these ponies were still getting used to not having hands and had to mouth it. They made jokes about indirectly kissing each other. I didn't quite get it.

As the ball sailed towards a pudgy unicorn, he managed to grab it in his magic, and looked quite surprised. He dropped it to the floor and turned to me. "What happened?!"

I pointed at the ball. "You did it right. You're a unicorn. Unicorns can pick things up with their magic."

The other ponies clopped politely as the few other unicorns looked eager to try their hooves at that. He grinned. "Let me try that again." With a little time, he managed to lift it up and hurl it towards the next pony in the game without putting his mouth on it. It became a challenge among the unicorns to get better at holding the ball and throwing it straight and smooth.

One of the other earth ponies looked to me curiously. "How do you hold the ball in your hooves like that? I'd like to not have to use my mouth every time."

I held out my hoof and flexed my frog, the sensitive and powerful muscles of my pony palm. "You can grab onto things like this." I heard there was some pony magic involved at some point, but they didn't need to know that.

Soon there were very few mouths touching the ball, and everypony was having a grand time practicing and tossing it between themselves. Even Homer caught on and began catching it in his paws instead of lunging for it with his snout, no matter how good he was at using his muzzle like that.

The guard pony wandered towards me. "Miss Pie? Your friend's back. He's in the infirmary."

I went tense. "Is he alright?!"

He nodded lightly. "They say he'll be fine, but he needs rest and is being thoroughly checked on while he's there."

That was all I needed to hear. I nodded at him before sprinting away from the game to see Hiro. I heard the rough cheer of someone making an especially difficult toss or catch, and I knew the game would go on without me.

I found the room he was in with the help of a passing doctor and softly knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal a female doctor human. "Ah? Are you the famous Pie Pinkie?"

I smiled brightly. "That's me! I'm here to see my friend. Is Hiro alright?"

She nodded. "Hiro Sasaki is fine, mostly. Come in." She waved me in and closed the door behind me. "Beyond this point, all personnel must be dressed for biohazards."

I looked confused at that. "I'm already a pony, you can't make me double a pony."

She nodded hesitantly. "I suppose that's true, but give me a moment. I don't have that protection."

She put on super heavy looking clothes that covered her up from every angle. She even wore a filter thing for the air. She was a shining knight against disease. "All ready. Shall we proceed?"

I followed after her as she pressed a series of buttons that unlocked the next door and we went into a little hallway. It hissed and began to fill with smoke. "Please try to not breathe this." I held my breath tightly, and it went away soon enough, thankfully.

The next door opened and there he was! He was sprawled out on a bed, looking a little dizzy. "Hiro! Are you alright?" I rushed up to his side and noticed he was all sticky, everywhere. "What happened?"

He rolled towards me. "She's fed, then she decided she really... really wanted to play. I'd rather not go into details, but you may know something about this?"

The doctor nodded. "It would be good to have a full accounting."

He sighed, looking a little embarrassed with his colored cheeks. "Well..."

Author's Note

Pinkie sure gets a lot done this chapter! A party, instructional games of catch, relationship drama, avoiding things getting shot, and becoming somewhat enlisted in the armed forces. Yep, definitely a busy day. Did someone typo?

Vote time!
1: Hiro gives a full blow by blow of how the giant mare tried to get friendly with him, and apparently succeeded to some extend.
2: Contact with Equestria happens out of nowhere! How'd that happen?
3: Aiko emerges, recovered and radiant, and can assume her princess role.
4: It's time to go on that first mission with the giant pony.
5: Perhaps a covert mission to see how things are through the city would be a better idea before bringing out the goliath?

23 - Getting Wet and Dangerous (clop)

I rode on top of her as she stepped through the city. I tried to minimize the damage she'd do with her huge hooves, and she was mostly alright with the occasional bit of advice. She really seemed to want to talk, but she wasn't very good at it, so she tried to get me to talk.

She nuzzled at me on her back. "Hungry?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine, thank you."

She nodded before nudging me with her massive nose. "Friend?"

I smiled a little. "We can be." I decided to try to get some more out of her, or at least try. "What's your name?"

She looked confused and turned back ahead as she walked. A frown crossed her face as she walked in silence for several minutes. "Ground Stomper," she suddenly whispered. "I... Ground Stomper."

I nodded quickly at her. "Nice to meet you, Ground Stomper. That's a fitting name. Are you alright?"

She stuck out her tongue a little. "Hungry..." She suddenly spotted the patch of green we were headed towards and burst into movement. If her fur wasn't so thick, I'd have slipped off. Thankfully it was, so I hung on tight with both foreclaws as she sailed through the city with speed something her size shouldn't have.

She made a huge jump and came down inside the park, digging up several lines of dirt from her momentum. "Oops." She looked a little sheepish, then leaned down and began sniffing around. "Smells good..."

I slowly pushed up to my haunches, dizzy from the sudden burst of speed and the rough landing. "You may want to try a tree. Something large enough for you."

She walked towards a cherry blossom tree and began grazing the petals right off of it in huge bunches. "Mmmm..." For a while it was just that. She was happy, and she ate. She cleared two trees of their foliage before she sat down on her haunches. She patted her belly and nodded. "Hungry." She said it differently than before.

"You mean you're not hungry?" I gently scratched over her back.

She nodded. "Not hungry. Th... Thank you." She coiled on herself with all the flexibility of a cat and she licked me with her broad and wet tongue. "Thank you."

Before I could even say you're welcome, she rose to her hooves and trotted lightly, if massively, to a little stream in the park and took several large gulps of the water. I wasn't entirely sure if the water there was meant for anyone to just drink like that, but I didn't have any better suggestions for what to drink by someone so massive. She settled back down, then slowly rolled onto her side. She snatched me in a hoof and set me between her four legs. "Nap?"

I pointed back towards the hospital. "We should get back if you're good now."

She frowned at that. "Nap first."

What was I going to do? If she got angry, she could crush me into a fine paste. My moment of indecision was answer enough for her and her frown turned into a smile. She pulled me in with her forehooves and snuggled against me. "Nap..."

I tried to relax with her, when I noticed an odd... scent. Being unwashed and huge, she had a powerful scent. At first, most of it was plain body odor. It was strong and a bit offensive, but I tried to not make a big deal of it. This close, I was catching something new. I couldn't place it, consciously, but something in me knew what it was.

I was... Do I have to explain this part? Yes it does lead into how I got all sticky... very well.

I found myself reacting to her presence. I couldn't even try to get to sleep. I squirmed a little and tried to think about anything else, but her ovrewhelming scent was pressing against some new part of my mind. I didn't even know how I'd do anything about it! She was so much larger than me, every imagined angle seemed ridiculous, at best.

Stop giggling, Pinkie.

She noticed my restlessness and nuzzled at me. "Nap..." But I didn't settle down, and she tilted her head before she suddenly nuzzled me right over onto my back. Her eyes widened a little as my 'problem' came into view. "Nap later..." Her tail began to sway with increasing excitement as she sniffed at my belly. Her tongue slipped out and carefully ran across my entire underside, paying special attention to the stiffness that had drawn her attention.

She was... I'll confess, she was amazing... She worked her tongue up and down over my undercarriage while working me higher and higher. She gave these little coos and didn't stop until it'd become too much and I thrust up against her, spilling across her tongue. She lapped it up into her mouth and cleaned her tongue before nodding. "Your turn."

My turn for what? Or so I wondered a little dazedly as she turned around from me and swatted me with her tail, nudging me towards her rear. "Your turn."

I looked up at her and it wasn't hard to see what she was nudging me towards. She... Look, do we really need to go into this?

I could see them, they were huge! You would have had to be blind to not. Her lips were pouted and dripping and the scent coming from them, well, then I knew exactly what had set me off. She was a big mare in heat, and she'd chosen me to help her out. She gently nudged me again. "Your turn."

She sounded a little agitated having to ask so many times, so I moved in. An angry giant was the last thing I wanted. I sniffed at her gently and swayed from the overwhelming scent. I did it on purpose. I figured if I was drunk on it, I wouldn't think about it too much, and it mostly worked. I became roused and helping her seemed like a fine idea. I leaned in and began cleaning her, even if I could only reach the bottom, and that with some effort.

It wasn't enough for her. Even as she gasped and shuddered from the attention I was giving her, she became impatient. She rolled slowly onto her back and reached down for me, petting over my mane. "Deeper." She picked me up and placed me over her hot nethers. I could reach a lot more and got to licking and nipping all around her thick vulva. Look, really, we don't need to be this detailed!

Let's get to the part where the mess happened. So, besides her leaking getting some, most of it happened a little after that. She was enjoying my attention, but she wanted more than I could provide. Her hoof settled on my back. "Friend." She said it as if she were reminding me of the fact, then everything went dark and tight. She pushed me right into herself, only to pull me back. With earth-rumbling moans, she began using me as a living toy. I could only breath when she pulled me out, and I began to time for it. I wanted to get away, but I didn't want to be squished, either inside of her, or during my escape. I ended up going mostly still at first.

She didn't like that. "Clean," she ordered as she held me up, then pushed me back inside, and that's... kind of how I ended up as I was. I was only allowed to breathe for some of the time, and the rest of it was spent being inside of her, trying to stimulate her. It worked, and... she got very very tight. I thought I was going to die, but I popped out of her rather than exploding. She pet me and smiled. "Friend."

What? Was that all we did? That wasn't enough? That's how I got dizzy and messy, alright?

...

Fine, we... did a little more... When I was on her, but before she pushed me in, she moved me so my... my penis slipped into her. She was hot, but not tight. She was far too big for her to be tight to anything that wasn't my entire body. It didn't matter to her. She kept bucking up against me and encouraging me, and soon I went ahead and began pounding against her like a stallion would. I'm really not sure how much she got out of it, but she seemed to approve of it. When I had squirted into her, that was when she decided to take it to the next step and shove me inside... I was already a little out of it from our sex. She may not have been very, er, tight, but there is something uniquely stimulating about pleasing a woman large enough to squish you with a thought, and she didn't make it a secret that I had pleased her.

Wet, oxygen deprived, and drowning in sexual stimulants, she nuzzled me gently. "Friend. We... Friends." She sounded like she wanted to say so much more, but couldn't. I got the impression there were more thoughts in her head than she could get out. She wasn't nearly as simple and dumb as her speech made her sound. "Special... friend?"

Was she asking me to marry her, or become her boyfriend at least? I admit, I didn't know if I could even survive being her steady source of sexual satisfaction. She must have noticed my hesitation and concern, because her smile became a little frown. "Sorry..." She picked me up and placed me on her back, then walked slowly back to the hospital with me. We didn't talk much past that until we arrived at the hospital and she put me down. "Mad?"

I shook my head a bit. "No! No... Friend. I mean, we're still friends." She smiled gently. "I'm just not sure becoming boyfriend and girlfriend would work out, longterm. Don't you want someone closer to your size?"

She pointed at me with a massive hoof. "Friend. Other... Not friend. Hungry, ignore. Sometimes nip and grunt." Her smile deepened a little. She almost seemed proud of how much she was getting out. "You... friend." She kissed me right on the face, the lightest touch, then she settled down on her belly. That's when the others came out and escorted me inside to this room, and where you found me, Pinkie.

Happy now?

Author's Note

Let's try a little something different. This chapter is short. Don't worry! I'll write another today, but it keeps the clop all to itself, so you can skip it if you like, and not miss vital plot points.

It also let me tell things from Hiro's point of view. I'll slip back into Pinkie Mode in the next chapter.

Liked it? Didn't like it? Let me know!

24 - Surveying the Situation

I couldn't help but giggle a bit at Hiro's story. "Aw, I bet you two make the cutest couple."

Hiro was flushed a deep color. "Don't even say that! Pinkie, you saw how huge she is."

I shrugged a little. "She's still a pony. If you like her, and she likes you, go for it!"

Hiro waved a hoof. "Easy to say that, Miss Pie, but it isn't that simple."

The doctor softly coughed. "Thank you for the... thorough report. Let's get you into a decontamination shower." She led him off get sprayed with warm water and got him nice and clean. "So long as she remains infectious, such... interactions will require a new shower to not pose a threat to others."

Hiro nodded at her. "Understood. Am I clear to go?"

She smiled from behind her plastic sheet of a mask. "Do you feel alright?"

He nodded. "Ready to go, ma'am. Let's be off, Pinkie. We should report in and see what they have in mind."

We walked side-by-side through the funny hallway thing, then we were out into the hospital itself. I glanced at him. "So... Did you like it?"

He began blushing again. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I bumped gently into his side. "You should at least give her a chance, even if she is kinda big. You said it yourself, there's a mare trying to get out of there, and she deserves a chance at finding a special friend."

Things got quiet until we arrived at the officer's area. The guard standing there nodded at us. "Go on in. They're waiting for you."

That was the easiest time we'd had getting in since before they had any guards. I bounced by him as Hiro trotted along. Hiro glanced at me. "She deserves a friend, and I'll gladly be that, but falling in love with the first friendly face you see isn't healthy, or wise."

I stopped on the next landing and tapped my chin. "You have a point there. So long as you're nice to her, I guess you're doing your part."

We were in agreement and he looked more relaxed as he went. He knocked softly on the door we came to and our friend opened it, the leader. "Ah, Miss Pie, Mister Hiro. Ready to begin?" We both nodded. "Good, look, come inside." He backed from the door and let us enter before closing it behind us.

"The internal situation's become freyed. Some people like the idea of working alongside the ponies, and others are opposed, very opposed. They don't like the idea of the patients being allowed out of the hallway, let alone into the city at large."

I tilted my head up at him. "I already leave the hallway whenever."

He grinned a bit. "You are the scariest pony we have short of the huge one we just obtained, no offense intended. You don't seem to know fear, Miss Pie."

I blinked at that. "Of course I know fear! Gosh, I just... You have to do things even when you're scared."

He raised a finger and pointed it at me. "And yet, when ponies were shot, it wasn't you. You're not as simple as you sometimes give the impression of. You scare people. They don't know what you're going to do in any given situation."

I cringed at the thought of that poor pony parent getting perforated punitively without precautions... "Don't remind me... That was awful."

He moved behind his desk and settled onto a comfy looking chair. "You two are the closest we have to community leaders among the patients. Your friend, the princess, is nominally the one to become in charge, but she isn't, yet. You two hold the most respect and authority. Of course, you support the princess, so that hasn't become a source of friction. I'm telling you this because the situation is delicate. You need to keep your people rational, under control, and on a short leash."

I tilted my head the other way a bit. "They aren't dogs, silly, why would I put leashes on them?"

Hiro chuckled a little. "A turn of speech, Miss Pie. He means to keep a close eye on them and to keep them under control."

He nodded. "Precisely. You must also keep them out of the way of my men. There's that fracture, and I don't want it getting worse. If you get things done quietly, professionally, and efficiently, it will fade. Coming to that..." He reached up and pulled down a map of the city. It was so big! Canterlot could fit in a little corner of it, I was pretty sure. "We're going to keep the first sorties as close as possible." He drew out a marker and made a few quick circles. "These are local shopping stores, small, maybe one room a piece, but they have storage rooms. They need to be scavenged. While you're out, you should observe and report. How is the infected populace doing? How dense? Any new strains? The more you see, the more we can work with. I haven't sent any of my soldiers on this task for fear of infection, but ponies are already ponies, so you have much less to fear. Replenish the food stocks, that's the first mission."

Hiro walked around the desk to get closer to the map. "Little corner shops." He sighed. "So we've come to stealing to survive."

I tilted my head a little. "Well... I guess if they ask us not to, we won't?"

The leader frowned. "If there was another way, I would use it. Communication lines are basically down. The country is in anarchy." He put his fingers together, steepling them across his table. "If you can find the store's original owners and they can be safely brought back here, you have permission to do so, but if they are dangerous ferals and can't be controlled, leave them. We can only work with what we have. If you come across any uninfected citizens, their rescue is prioritized.

Save any humans that were still humans, and help ponies that want to be helped. Checkerooni! "Got it. And when we get to these places." I pointed up at the map. "Get all the food we can and bring them back here."

"Correct. I know you've been through... quite the ordeal, Hiro Sasaki, so set off tomorrow morning."

Hiro blushed at the comment. "I-I'm ready now, sir."

He held up a hand. "Regardless, at least take a few hours to unwind. I look forward to hearing how it went, hopefully for the better."

We left together after a few respectful bows, and we wandered back towards the pony wing. Hiro glanced towards me. "Can you keep what I said a secret? I don't really need others knowing about it."

I made the Pinkie Promise gesture. "Promise! But she might say. Did you ask her not to?"

He paled a little. "I didn't think of that... Either of 'her's. I imagine the doctor's already made a formal report." He sighed softly. "Nevermind. It's going to become public knowledge soon."

I gently pat him on the back. "If it makes a difference, I think you were way brave and kind of awesome for doing what you did. I know a lot of ponies would have been screaming messes before halfway through that. You're super brave." I flashed a bright smile, and he seemed to draw some comfort from that.

He reached out and tapped one of my forelegs with a claw. "What's it like, where you're from? The way you describe bits of it, it sounds nice."

I smiled. "It sure is! I mean, it's not perfect but what place is? Most ponies get along pretty good though." I made a bit of a face. "We don't have guns."

He snorted softly. "Most of us don't have guns, either. This isn't America. I'm a law enforcerer and you don't see any guns on me, do you?"

I tilted my head at him. "Good point."

We arrived at the hallway and went past the guards there. One of them was our pony friend! I took a moment to say hello to him as we went by.

We split ways and went to relax. Emma slipped in and sat alongside me. I hugged her gently and held her close. I couldn't be her marefriend, but she made a great pillow, and sleeping together wasn't just a marefriend thing anyway.

I woke up to some loud talking.

"--have to take me along!" It was Aiko. "I'm a princess, fine. I'm going to take it seriously, and that means going with you."

Hiro replied, sounding worried and concerned, "It's not that simple. I'm glad you're taking this seriously, but you need to recover first."

I slipped from away Emma and poked my head out of the door to see the two of them arguing.

Aiko spread her wings wide. "I'm fine! It doesn't hurt anymore. Look." She did a slow turn, showing off her wings. "Now take me with you. If you do run into any wild ferals, I can tell them to stop."

Hiro put his face in the claws of his right hoof. "Look, what if it doesn't work? You're still new at this. I don't want you to be hurt, Aiko."

Kuri stepped forward hesitantly. "I... I don't want her to be hurt either, but if she wants to go, please, take her." He smiled nervously. "She might try to sneak out after you otherwise. I'll help protect her."

I bounced into the main hall towards them as Aiko focused on me. "Miss Pie, talk some sense into him! I not only should go, but I have to! You don't have any alternatives."

I circled around Aiko, then suddenly reached in and poked a wing. She winced and hissed. "Maybe you should get a little more rest?"

Aiko gave an angry little grunt and turned away from everyone. "I'm fine!"

Kuri moved up alongside her and tried to give her a snuggle, but she was way too angry for that and shoved him away. "I'm fine!"

Homer approached at a steady padding. "You're hurt, let us take care of you."

Aiko scowled at Homer. "Look... I'm tired being taken care of." She sank a little, then flopped onto her belly. "I'm ready to fight... I'm not a little girl."

I reached out and set a hoof gently on Aiko's back. "You are super brave, and not anypony here is saying otherwise. We need you, Aiko. Just... rest for now, alright? You don't have to prove anything."

Hiro moved in on her other side, nodding. "We'll take you along as soon as you're recovered. We'll be fine. Besides, I have Pinkie." He made a silly smile. "She'll either get me out of, or in, trouble."

Aiko gave a little giggle before sighing. "Fine... One day. One day. Literally. Tomorrow. I want to go out tomorrow."

She nuzzled gently at Kuri and they retreated back into their room, the argument settled for the moment.

Hiro took a slow breath. "We need to go out today, get a survey and see what we're up against before we drag Aiko out into that mess."

Homer raised a paw. "I'll help!"

I grinned at Homer. "Good boy!" He looked happy to hear me say that.

Hiro glanced at him not quite as certainly. "Will you follow our every direction, even if you disagree?"

Homer nodded swiftly. "Yes."

Hiro took a slow breath. "Alright. That's three. We'll keep an eye out for the others to avoid surprises, and see what can be seen. Let's go for the corner market to the south. It's the closest one, just outside the military dead zone."

I thought back to the map and the little red circle he was referring to. "Alright. Maybe they'll even have some tasty things for us."

Hiro smiled sadly. "Or some people we can still save."

Homer tilted his head. "Maybe both?"

Both would be nice.

Emma yawned as she approached us. "Do you think the religious crowd's still out there?"

Oh gosh, I had forgotten all about them!

Author's Note

What manner of obstacle does Pinkie have to face first?
1: The remains of the religious crowd (friendly)
2: The remains of the religious crowd (hostile)
3: Rabidly feral ponies
4: Extremely protective humans, with weapons
5: The mystery box, oOoooo, what could be inside?

How did you like today's split episode? It seemed the best way to handle the choices selected.

Remember, 2 days, then the writing!

25 - Our First Mission

We went right to the front of the hospital. One of the soldiers standing beside the door nodded at us. "Your friend's been asking for you since you left."

I poked my head out the door and looked around. There she was! It was the big pony! She waved at me a little, laying on her belly. "You see Sasaki?"

Hiro slipped out around me. "I'm right here."

She smiled and reached right for him, snatching him up and bringing him closer to nuzzle at. "Sasaki! Good see you."

As her hoof went by me, I took a little sniff. Hiro was right, she did need a bath.

Hiro smiled at her, but it was a patient kind of smile. "We have to do something important, please set me down."

She did put him down, but looked determined. "I help."

He shook his head quickly. "No, no. You should stay here, at the hospital."

She thumped the ground in a powerful blow. "I help!" She put a hoof to her chest. "Strong, big. I help."

Homer slipped out last and sniffed around before looking up and up at Ground Stomper. "Wow! You're big!"

Ground Stomper smiled at him. "I big. Help."

I shrugged a bit. "She seems eager, why not let her help?"

Hiro looked at me like I betrayed him. "She can't even fit into the building!"

I considered that. "She can get us there faster, and help carry it back. Just 'cause she won't go inside doesn't mean much. Don't be a downer, Hiro. She really wants to help."

"I help..."

Hiro let out a breath as he sank a bit. "Very well... Ground Stomper, you must listen to every command I give. I'm the leader of this task, alright?"

She bobbed her head. "Yes." She sank fully to her belly. "Ride?"

That looked like fun! I bounced on over and scrambled up to be just behind her head. Homer climbed up to be just behind me. Hiro, being the worry wort, got to be third.

Ground pushed up to her hooves and started moving carefully through the city. Hiro pointed the way, and she followed it, at least until we left the military zone. Her hoof came down beside a bus and shouting came from it.

Several human heads popped out of the side of the bus, looking up at us like we were the weird ones. I waved at one of them, and that got the whole group to vanish back inside the bus.

Hiro frowned a little. "We probably just surprised them badly. Still, if we found survivors, the orders are to bring them in. They looked clean."

Homer tilted his head a little, then looked towards Ground Pounder's head. "No licking. Makes humans sick, then ponies."

Ground Pounder seemed shocked at the idea. "No licking." She even drew in her tongue and snapped her snout shut in case stray saliva would cause issues.

I slid down off of Ground Pounder. "I'll talk to them!" I bounced up to the door of the bus and gave a soft knocking. "Helloooo! We're friendly and we want to help. Anyone hoooome?"

A head popped free, and I recognized it! It was one of the, uh, shinto? Yeah, shinto! The one that shook a funny stick at me and made me all a mare again.

"Go away!"

I smiled at him. "Aw, don't be like that. We're with the guys in there." I pointed at the hospital. "They told us to get anyone that was still out here and was either not a pony, or at least minded their manners. You don't look like a pony." I spread my forehooves wide. "Thanks for making me normal again, by the way."

He frowned at me. "You're still pink, and a horse."

I shrugged. "I've been that since I was born, that is normal. So, want to come with us? Food and shelter better than a bus!"

I could hear other voices talking from inside the bus. The human glanced inside before looking back at me. "How do we know you aren't lying so we can come out and receive your foul infection?"

Hiro stepped up beside me. "Good day, sir. I am Hiro Sasaki, police officer. Despite my... condition, I'm still in active duty. I've been enlisted by the military to help gather people to safety. I can only offer my solemn word that you will be protected and escorted to the hospital."

The man gave a stiff nod, then vanished into the bus. The window snapped shut with a click. We could hear them talking, but now what they were saying.

Homer came up on my other side. "What are they doing? Why aren't they coming?"

I bumped against him. "They're scared. Give them a moment."

The front door of the bus slid open and a thin looking man in robes stepped out slowly. Slowly and weakly. Gosh, it looked like he hadn't eaten for a while. "Hello. If you are here to curse me, then let's end it quickly."

Hiro held up a clawed hoof. "Sir, I was being entirely genuine. We want to get you to the hospital. You look like you need care, and food. Please, tell your friends."

The idea of charging past him and giving every human a big ponifying smooch... It was tempting. Too tempting. I kept my hooves planted firmly on the ground and just nodded, keeping a firm grip on myself.

Homer panted softly. "You get to ride a huge pony!"

The man looked confused, so Homer pointed up at the quiet Ground Stomper. "See?!"

He recoiled in surprise. Ground Stomper raised a hoof in a little wave. "I... I see.... One moment." He retreated back into the bus and the door slid shut.

We could hear him talking excitedly, and others responding. A few moments later, the door slid open again and a woman stepped out. She wore a different kind of robe. She looked as hungry as the guys though. "I will come with you."

Hiro smiled cautiously. "I'm glad to hear it, ma'am, but what about the others."

She turned and scowled into the bus. "They will cower and die here like mice." She stepped off the bus lightly. "Even if this is some elaborate ruse to curse us, which I don't think it is, I'd rather live on and find a cure, than die in a hole and claim moral victory in death."

Another man suddenly emerged. "Wait! I'll go with you!" He hurried up to stand beside her.

She smiled a little. "Oh, you just needed someone to be first?"

He gave a nervous laugh. "Maybe so... Forgive me."

Another popped out, the original one in charge. "I will come as well. Perhaps the purification ritual will be useful."

With his coming, the rest of the bus emptied out. We had about ten people in total.

Ground Stomper tilted her head. "I take back. You wait." She pointed a hoof at the malnourished people. "Climb. I... give ride."

It took some doing, with Hiro, Homer, and I helping people get up into position, but we eventually got them up there, clinging to Ground Stomper. She rose up, and began walking back to the hospital, nice and slowly.

While she was gone, Hiro turned to me. "She still wants me to be more than a friend! Did you see how she reacted to even seeing me?"

I smiled at him. "I saw a mare that really needed a friend, and you're her first friend. Be nice."

He grunted. "It's not about being nice... She could kill me without even meaning to. I'm too small for what she wants."

Homer tilted his head with confusion. "What does she want?"

Oh gosh. "Well, you see, when a mare and a stallion really love each other a whole lot..."

Homer picked up on it quickly. "Oh!" He squinted a bit, maybe trying to imagine it. "She's big."

Hiro threw his forehooves in the air. "Big is an understatement!"

Homer raised a brow. "Are you big enough for her?" His eyes wandered right for Hiro's hindlegs. I couldn't help but burst into giggles.

Hiro groaned in frustration. "I'm not big enough for her on any level!"

Homer reached out and put a paw on Hiro's shoulder. "You have a big heart."

Hiro was caught up by that, then a little quirk of a smile appeared. "Okay, I guess I'm big enough one way."

We felt the soft rumbles her approach. Ground Stomper came back with a satisfied expression. "Done. All... good. We go?"

Everypony climbed up on Ground and our trip to the grocery resumed! We could see some other ponies, but the sight of Ground Stomper lumbering along was enough to make most dart out of sight and vanish.

Except one. A brightly cyan pegasus flew with us. She didn't have the rainbow mane or tail of Rainbow Dash though, instead a dark blue. "Hiya!"

I waved at her. "Hi there."

Ground nodded towards her. "Hello."

The pegasus grinned. "You talk!"

Hiro tilted his head a little. "We do. So do you, it seems?"

She bobbed her head. "It's been so lonely! No one wants to talk at all... Well until now. Can I come with you?"

Hiro pointed back to the hospital. "We have a whole community of us ponies there. Go there. Walk, don't fly. Explain to them I sent you, Hiro Sasaki, and they'll let you in."

She clopped her forehooves. "Seriously?! Are you sure? I saw some try to go in there and they aren't... around anymore..."

"Be slow, walk calmly, and introduce yourself. They'll let you in."

She nodded firmly. "I'll do that, thank you!" She darted in and smooched Hiro on the nose, then Homer, and me.

She went for Ground Pounder and looked a little confused what part to go for, but she settled for the top of Ground's snout. "See you there!" And off she went.

Homer gave a firm nod. "We're doing good!"

But it was time to search the grocery store. It looked boarded up with wood over every single bit of window space. Even the door was boarded up. Hiro frowned a little. "Someone may be here, and fortified against invasion. Let's be cautious."

Ground Pounder made a little pushing motion with a hoof. "Knock over?"

I shook my head quickly. "No! You might hurt somepony inside."

We all slid down to the pavement. Ground Pounder nodded lightly. "I wait."

Hiro stepped towards the store and looked at its windows, boarded up as they were. I went for the front door and gave a pull on the handle there, but it didn't move at all. "Should we try knocking?"

Hiro nodded. "If someone's there, we may find out. Actually, just in case, why don't you wait back there, Pinkie, and let me knock?"

I didn't see what the danger was in knocking, but I went back and Homer waited beside me. Hiro stepped forward and gave a firm clopping knock with a hoof. "Anyone home? This is the Police, we're here to help!"

He didn't expect what happened next.

Author's Note

I have to go see a doctor. But when I come back, another chapter to hit our at least 4k of the day, promise! That will also be when you all get your vote!

This is the biggest typo of them all...

26 - Warm Welcome

The door suddenly kicked open, knocking Hiro back as a human charged out with a huge sword in his hands. Without even waiting to ask who we were, he brought it down right on Hiro.

Hiro rolled out of the way, avoiding being cut right down the middle and instead getting a nasty looking cut on his side for it. "Stop!"

I waved my hooves would wildly. "Yeah, stop! We're not here to hurt you!"

Homer bristled, teeth bared, but he didn't charge. Good dog.

The strange person lashed out a booted foot, kicking Hiro back a few inches with a solid blow to the chest. "You're not getting me, freak. If you're a cop, you're barely half a step better."

Hiro grunted in pain, but stood his ground. "I know you're scared." He jumped to the left as the sword came down at him. "I know this situation's bad, but we're still people. We have to work this out."

"Forget you, government scum. I saw plenty of people get whacked trying to play by the rules." He had a face mask made up of a black and white bandanna over most of his face. He had short black hair and his hands shook as he lunged at Hiro with his blade, only for it to be caught in powerful claws.

Hiro winced. The blade was cutting right into his poor hoof as he pushed it aside. "Stop this. We're not here to hurt you."

I didn't like using instruments of fun for fights, but this felt like the right kind of situation. I pulled out the party cannon and lined it up with him. "Last warning!"

He looked up with surprise. "The hell?"

It was enough of a surprise for Hiro to suddenly dart in and slap the sword away from him, sliding far away along the street. "Enough. Listen to us."

Homer tilted his head at the cannon. "Where were you hiding that?"

The man pulled out a dagger with uncanny speed. "Look, just turn around and go home."

Hiro shook his head. "The longer you drag this on, the more you risk infection. My blood is infectious." He suddenly had to duck under a wild swing, then quickly roll away. "Unless you want to be on all fours, calm down."

With a loud thump, I fired the cannon at him, spraying him with confetti everywhere. He was knocked right onto his bottom, sputtering and cursing up a storm. "We're your friends, silly. Stop fighting us."

Hiro moved in and wrenched the dagger out of his hands while he was blinded. "We're here to help. You're not under arrest."

The young man cleared his eyes and glared between me and Hiro. "Damn it all to hell... How am I not arrested? I just cut you. You're full of shit."

Hiro gathered himself up with pride. "Maybe if you were dealing with the military. They'd probably kill you. I'm police, we're trained different. I know this is a tough situation, and you're scared, but I'm still here for you. Please, enough. We'll forget this ever happened."

I smiled brightly. "He's a hero."

The man laughed, swiping some of the mess off his pants. "Right out of a damn anime. Fine then, super cop. What do you want?"

Hiro pointed at the man. "First, your name. My name is Hiro Sasaki."

"You're shitting me." He laughed a little. "Seriously, Hiro? Hero?" Hiro rolled his eyes as if he heard it a thousand times before before the man continued. "Whatever. You can call me Ko. Now what?"

I waved a hoof excitedly. "I'm Pinkie!"

"Homer!"

Hiro nodded. "Good. We have a safe place for you to be. We'll take you back there. There are other survivors, uninfected. There are also infected, reasonable ones, like us."

Ko snorted. "You call this reasonable? I think you're nuts, but alright, and?"

Hiro pointed to the dark interior of the grocery store. "We're running low on supplies. This was one of the places we planned to search. Any objections? It'll become your meal eventually."

Ko shrugged. "Whatever. Owner ain't gonna need it."

Hiro went tense at the phrasing used, nodded, then walked right into the darkness. His slitted eyes seemed to widen, but he walked forward without delay.

"Pinkie..." His voice sounded off. Worried. Did he need help?

"Coming!" I moved to dash for the building.

"Stop! Do not come any closer. Back up, and wait for me. Do not under any situation come any closer."

Ko smirked a little. "Guess he found the house warming gift."

I scowled at Ko. "What did you do?"

Ko lifted his shoulders. "Survived."

Homer looked as confused as I felt, and pressed in close to me.

Hiro emerged with a few sacks that he set down. "There's plenty to take, but let me handle it. My order stands, do not come closer until I say so." He turned around and went back into the darkness.

Ground Stomper tilted her head, then I think I saw something click and she began to scowl at Ko. "Bad. You... Why?"

Ko looked up at Ground Stomper, only noticing her then. "Dear gods, they make horses in big sizes. What the hell are you?"

Ground Stomper raised a hoof to her chest. "Ground Stomper. Why? Why this?"

He moved for his sword and slipped it into a sheath he wore at his belt, and tucked his dagger away similarly. "Survival, didn't I just finish saying that?"

I still didn't get it?! "What'd he do?"

Ground Stomper shuffled nervously on her hooves and looked into the darkness a moment before looking back at me. "Person... live here. Person live. Ko... Person dead."

Oh... Oh... I felt weak in my knees and sick to my stomach. Another person, sent away forever. A person that might have been great fun, and had lots of friends, or family. Just... gone... "Why?" I echoed. "Did they do something bad to you?"

Ko frowned. "He wouldn't share. He rather I died, or become a horse. Deserved what he got." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "He was all big talk while the door was in the way, not so much with a sword shoved through him."

I felt green and wobbled. It was all... so petty. So small. Everyone on every side acted so small, then they were sent away forever. There was no way to undo the damage. I wanted to cry, so I did. I felt Homer hug me and rock me. It was nice, but I couldn't thank him. I was too busy crying.

Hiro emerged with a new load of goodies and saw me weeping. He frowned sharply, then looked to Ko a moment before he withdrew again. Soon he had all the supplies he could find, and got it loaded up onto Ground Stomper, who supported the weight easily. "Ko, I have a question?"

"Fuck, what is it now?" Ko turned to face Hiro.

Hiro pointed to the hospital. "I just thought I should warn you, the military has control of our safe spot. They're far less forgiving than I am."

He slid back half a step. "What? Is that a threat? I thought we had a deal!"

Hiro put his still bloodied hoof on his chest. "We do. I have forgotten your assault and attempted murder on me. It's over and forgotten. Your successful murder is another matter entirely. It's not in my power to bring you to a non existent court right now, but it is in the military's power to decide."

He slid another half step. "You can forget that! You said I'd be safe!"

Hiro scowled at Ko. "Tell me why anyone should forgive you?"

Ground Stomper suddenly jumped forward, landing on all four sides around Ko, towering over him. She brought up a hoof and suddenly brought it down. Ko had faster reflexes than I would have credited him for, since he managed to jump mostly out of the way... mostly.

Her hoof caught his feet and slammed them to the ground, pulverizing them to pulp. His screams... They were terrifying.

"You deserve... worse," she said, scowling at the screaming human.

Hiro looked shocked as the rest of us. "Ground Stomper! Back away! This isn't right. You are not the law."

Ko rolled when Stomper stepped away. He was practically bent in a ball, screaming and wailing, but unwilling to touch his mauled and bloody feet. He cried. Not emotional tears, but of the pure shock of the violence visited on him.

Hiro made quite a face. "Look, we need to get you to the hospital. If there's any hope, it's there."

For better or worse, the trauma was too much, and he slipped from consciousness. Hiro cursed softly under his breath. "Quickly. He's probably bleeding to death and I didn't bring bandages."

I rushed forward and helped him get Ko up onto Stomper. When all three of us, and Ko, were mounted, she trotted back towards the hospital. We were quiet for the ride. There was so much I'd seen and heard. I wasn't sure how to feel exactly. I mean... Ko was a bad pony, but I didn't want him to die. I didn't want anyone else... to go away forever.

When Stomper arrived at the hospital, she settled down at the front door and some soldiers rushed out and began unloading the supplies, only to stop when Hiro and I slid down with Ko.

"You're hurt," noted one of the guards, looking at Hiro. "Report to triage immediately."

I waved a hoof. "He's hurt super bad! Help him!"

One of the two soldiers took a look, a real look, at Ko's mauled feet and winced. "Holy... Take him with you, but I'll be surprised if they do much other than cutting it off cleanly. The hell happened out there?"

Oh no! If he told them what Stomper did, they might hurt her. I looked at him, hoping he'd understand. He nodded at them. "Trip mine. Went off, took his feet practically off."

One of the soldiers hissed in sympathy. "Rotten luck. Get going. We'll handle the unload."

We hurried through the hospital. I had his arms. Hiro had his legs, and Homer walked between us, supporting the rest of his body on his back. Between the three of us, we could support him well and got him to an operating room and set him carefully on a table as the doctors swarmed in to start checking the wound. "We have it from here. Go get that looked at." We were dismissed, and Hiro got some cleaning and bandages for his boo boos. Compared to Ko, or that shop owner, I guess his didn't seem so bad anymore.

Homer leaned up and licked my cheek. "We did good."

I tilted my head at him. "Did we?"

Hiro nodded firmly. "We did. We fed the hospital, and found an entire bus of innocents and got them to safety. I'd say that's not a day wasted."

I nodded a little stiffly. "I'm sorry. I'm just having a hard time capturing that 'yay we did it!' mood."

Hiro wrapped his forelegs around me and pulled me close, and I felt Homer joining the hug. Despite my down feelings, I felt a smile coming on, and I nuzzled gently into the hug. "You guys..."

We weren't alone, at least. Friendship was the most powerful kind of magic.

Author's Note

A sobering chapter in many ways, and a reminder that things are not pretty out there, and some people are willing to do what it takes to survive.

Was Stomper's... stomp a typo of karma, or due recompense?

Eep, forgot a vote!

1: They move on to another grocery store, to find it populate by ponies!
2: They're asked to raid a warehouse for more longterm supplies.
3: They're sent out to watch the pony movements for any patterns.
4: Aiko is ready to go! Take me along or you'll regret it!
5: Pinkie needs to talk to somepony about her feelings.

27 - The Princess Arrives

I flopped onto my bed and rolled over, limbs spread and my eyes on the ceiling. It'd been a long day. I mean, I guess it wasn't that long, literally, but it felt like one! I wondered if ponies would do terrible things if this happened to them. I hoped to never need to find out.

I felt a cold nose push up from the left and jumped with surprise to find Homer curling up with me. I smiled and grabbed a blanket, throwing it over both of us and slowly settling back down. A little nap with a friend could do wonders.

Augh! I felt somepony else coming in from the other side. Emma quietly curled up beside me and nuzzled a little into my chest. There would be no lonely moping for me. I didn't complain about it, mind. I put a foreleg around each, and let sleep come with the warmth of friends beside me.

"Pinkie!"

I started awake to find Aiko standing in my doorway. "Poor Pinkie-chan!" She hurried over and gave me a squeeze. "The things you've seen. Are you alright?"

I smiled at Aiko as sleep faded. "Hey there, Aiko. I'm okay, really."

She bonked me right on the nose. "No! I'm never letting you leave without me ever again." She wasn't my princess, but she spoke with such force, even I could feel it.

Kuri stepped in, waving lightly. "Good evening. I tried to get her to wait, but she insisted."

Aiko nodded firmly. "I did, and still do. You're heading back out tomorrow, are you not, Pinkie-chan?"

I lifted my shoulders. "Pretty sure. We have a lot of stores to look at."

Aiko smiled. "Good, we're coming along. We'll settle any feral ponies you run into, and help with anything else. You're our friend, Pinkie-chan. You're our smiles. You're not supposed to..." She ran out of words and rolled a hoof as if it would make them appear.

Kuri stepped in for her. "You're all of our friend. We don't want you to be hurt, Miss Pie."

I pointed towards Hiro's room, that he shared with no few ponies. He had adamantly refused to accept a private room, despite his status as savior to no few. "What about Hiro? He's risking his life even more than me. You didn't see it... That Ko person was ready to cut him in half with a huge sword!"

Aiko took a slow breath before nodding. "I hope he comes through, but he is... This is what he was trained to face, and he is very proud to do it, and I'm proud to know him. Asking him not to? We may as well ask you to stop making sweet things, and cut out that pink thing you keep doing."

I giggled a bit. "That's not gonna happen."

"Precisely." She leaned in and kissed me between the eyes. "He wants to protect you, and so do I. I'm also tired of being useless. I dragged you down since this all began, when you came into my life..." She grunted. "I was happy being what I was! But here I am, a magical pony princess." She spread her wings and held up her horn. "I'll at least act the part."

Kuri stood up tall, horn on display. "I may not have wings, but I'm not 'just' Aiko's husband. I want to be useful too."

Emma suddenly sat beside me. "They're making me feel lazy. Here I am, not doing anything at all."

Homer sat next to her, sandwiching Emma between us. "Want to come?"

Emma gave a little shudder. "N-no. I really don't... I'm sorry."

I wrapped a leg around Emma and squeezed her tight. "Don't be sorry. Besides, we can't all go. Poor Stomper'd fall over if we had the whole hospital on her back."

Aiko suddenly grinned. "I trust that means I'm allowed to go then?"

I nodded. I had the feeling she really needed to go, and I didn't mind her company, or her help.

Kuri moved over to Emma and gave her a sniffing at, ears going upright. "Ma'am?"

Emma flushed dark as Kuri sniffed at her, but didn't stop him. "Yes?"

Homer's tongue slipped into a lolling pant. "She's in heat." He knew that already?

Kuri flushed brightly and backed away. "I didn't know that's what it meant! I'm sorry!"

Aiko looked between her husband and Emma, both of whom were now facing away from each other. "Emma. Do you find my husband attractive?"

Emma sank to the ground and buried her face in her hooves. "I'm not chasing your boy, Aiko! We've been friends for too long for me to do that! I just wish Pinkie..."

Aw. I didn't have stallion parts anymore. I couldn't help Emma, not with that.

Aiko extended a wing towards Kuri and gently brushed it over his nose while guiding him back around. "You did not answer my question, Emma-chan. Do you find my husband attractive?"

The more forceful phrasing made Emma look over her shoulders. She licked over her lips as she looked Kuri up and down. It probably didn't help that he was becoming quickly all hard and pointy. His flat-headed pony pecker was twitching under him as he squirmed in place, black against his fur and trickling a little with his pent up excitement.

Emma gave a little nod as she sat up. "Yes... Your husband is attractive, Aiko. I'm sorry. Please, I don't mean anything!"

Aiko leaned forward. "Have you been with anyone since you got here, or do you just quietly pine for Pinkie to become a man again?"

I glanced away at that. I had a pretty good idea, but this was Emma's question to answer.

Emma squirmed fitfully. "N-no..."

Aiko brushed over her husband's back. "Go, show her that she's pretty."

Kuri bristled. "Aiko! I'm your husband..."

Aiko leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You are, and I just asked you to satisfy my best friend. Will you do it, or not?"

Kuri blanched before approaching and circling around Emma. His nose twitched softly, bringing in more of the heated mare musk that helped ease his concerns. He suddenly nipped at one of her ears. "Do we get privacy?"

Aiko shook her head. "Afraid not."

Emma was quite red, panting for breath and obviously excited for what was going on, even if she didn't seem to know what to do about it. "I'm sorry for being shaped like a boy horse."

Kuri blinked, looking Emma over again. "Is that what it is?" He stepped over Emma suddenly and bit into the back of her neck briefly. "I'm still learning to tell boy and girl horses apart, besides myself and my beloved Aiko."

I suddenly squeaked as I felt a nose nuzzling up under my tail. Homer was getting excited from all the play and wanted to join in, it seemed.

After the rough day, a little play sounded pretty good actually...

So we did. Our playing helped melt the ice for Kuri and Emma, and Kuri rutted Emma as Homer rutted me, and for just a little while, we didn't have to worry about the fate of the world. Being with ponies that loved us, and made love to us, that was enough.

Aiko joined in part way through, with her snout between Emma and Kuri, while I licked her all nice and clean from between her powerful thighs.

We eventually passed out in a pleased pony pile. I woke up to find myself nuzzling into Kuri's chest. He was hugging Homer, of all ponies. Aiko was on top of me, and Emma was hugging me from the side. We were all close. We were all a little happier.

I squirmed free and shook myself out. "Rise and shine!"

Kuri woke with a start, then began to pale quickly as he realized where he was. "I..."

Aiko rose up and stretched. "Good morning."

"Aiko!" Kuri span on her. "Why? I... I thought I'd be faithful to you, forever."

Aiko moved in on him and gently rubbed noses. "You did it for me. You are faithful."

Kuri trembled softly. Perhaps part of him wanted to accept her words. "But I did... with her..."

Aiko gestured to Emma. "If she gets a foal, it will be our foal, and I will raise it as one of my own. She is my best friend, and I'm done keeping her out." She raised a hoof and set it on Kuri's shoulder. "Will you be our stallion?"

Kuri shrank a little. "This isn't fair, and you know it, but yes..." He leaned in and kissed Aiko on the lips, pushing her back until he was on top of her, straddling her. "I will be your stallion. I was happy enough being just yours... But if it's for you, I'll adjust."

Homer tilted his head a bit, then leaned towards me. "Why is he upset to be alpha male of pack?"

I booped him on the nose gently. "Horses have herds, not packs, and he was born a human girl, not a pony stallion. Give him a break."

Emma rolled to her hooves. "Do you mean it?"

Aiko nodded. "Of course, or I wouldn't say it. Emma, will you join my family?"

Emma threw herself at Aiko and hugged her tightly. "Yes! Oh god, yes. Thank you!"

Aiko nuzzled her cheek gently. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get to that."

A soft double clop at the door brought out attention to Hiro standing there. "We should get started soon. Aiko?"

"Yes?" Aiko sounded guarded, ready to argue.

"How are you feeling?"

Aiko pointed at Hiro. "Better than you must be, getting sliced with a sword of all things. I'm ready."

Hiro snorted softly. "Alright, meet in front in ten minutes and we'll get to work." He turned and trotted off.

Aiko slipped from Emma's grip with a little kiss. "You two play nicely." And she trotted off. "Taking a shower."

Kuri sniffed at Emma and huffed. "Do you... need me?"

Emma shook her head. "You make it sound so..." She flagged her tail in response, and they got right to it.

I wasn't going to watch them a second time though. "Homer, let's get washed." And off we went to join Aiko for some shower time. Some sudsy soap and water did a lot to wash away a day's efforts and stress. I could do with a party, maybe one for the religious people we rescued? Hmm...

I shook out the water until my mane poofed back up and smiled at my reflection. I was as ready as I was going to get. I stopped quickly by the dining hall and grabbed an apple on the way, and soon I was in front of the hospital with the others gathering up. Ground Stomper was already there. Did she sleep outside the whole night? I suppose there wasn't many other places for her to be.

She brightened right up when Hiro came out and leaned in to bump him with her snout, which was enough knock him back a few steps. "Good morning."

He quirked a smile and moved back forward to pat along her huge snout. "Good morning. Ready?"

She wiggled a little. "Up. Give Ride."

That was as clear a sign as any, and up we went. Hiro pointed us to the left of the hospital and she began walking gently along, faster in her easy gait than we would have been sprinting along. When we got a little bits away from the hospital, she turned her head back towards us. "He alive?"

Hiro frowned a bit and nodded. "Crippled, but alive. Why did you do that?"

She dragged her hooves a little. "Bad man. Deserve... Not safe with others."

I pointed at her. "I want to say you're nicer, but if you're willing to squish people you don't like, that doesn't make you safe."

Her ears wilted and she turned ahead. "Sorry... Hate me? Afraid... of me?"

Aiko wasn't there for all of that, so it wasn't much of a surprise that the conversation confused her. "What happened and what are we talking about? What'd she do?"

Hiro gave a soft grunt. "She badly injured a criminal while trying to dispense vigilante justice."

"I..." She looked over her shoulder a moment before he hung low and forward again. "I wanted... kill him. No pain. Just gone."

Hiro grit his teeth tightly, jaw bulging a moment where the muscles tensed. "Ground, you're big. You have a lot of responsibility. It's too easy for you to kill, so you must never do it."

"Hate me?"

Hiro let out a slow breath. "I don't hate you."

She stopped her walking and looked over her shoulder at Hiro. "Forgive?"

Hiro pointed at her. "Not yet. Show me you use your strength, your size, to protect, and not to hurt. Hurting's easy. Killing? That's easy. I could have just set that boy on fire yesterday, burned him to a crisp. There's nothing he could have done to stop me. But I didn't. Killing's easy."

She sagged, bringing us all a little closer to the ground. "Protect. Sorry..." She suddenly grunted. "Want... talk... Slow... hard." She resumed walking, an ear swiveled back towards us. "Hiro... friend?"

I spread my hooves out in a big wave. "Pinkie's your friend."

"Homer is friend too."

She giggled at that. "Thank you... Hiro?"

Hiro gently ran a claw through her thick fur. "Yes, we're still friends. Please... Don't ever do that again."

She paused again. "Never!"

I heard a faint clip-clop and looked down to see a pony with a wolf's tail trotting towards us. He looked up at the huge pony with obvious fear, but he didn't run. He stayed and sniffed softly at the air.

He wasn't alone. A two-headed unicorn peeked out from either side of a car. I didn't know they shared a body until they emerged and started to approach. Both sat there, looking up at us.

Aiko spread her wings out. "Hello. Are you lost?"

Her words captured their attention instantly and their uncertain attention snapped right onto her, staring at her.

Aiko gave a bright smile. "Are you hungry?"

The wolf-tailed pony nodded and put a hoof to his belly, rubbing it to emphasize the point.

The twin-headed unicorn looked at me suddenly, and one of the sweets I held in my mane lifted up and away. Hey! "Give that back!" They didn't pay any attention to me. They brought the candy down and offered it to the wolf tailed pony, who snapped it up happily.

Hiro nodded suddenly. "I'd say they rate as not overly hostile, but they're not talking."

Aiko frowned a little. "Can you talk? Say something and let me know."

The wolf pony gave a little growl that had Homer growling back at them. They locked eyes and glared at each other a moment before Homer waved. "Hello! My name is Homer."

The wolf seemed surprised at Homer's sudden greetings and de-escalation of the fight. "He... Hello."

The unicorn looked at itself, head to head, then back at the wolf-tailed pony.

"He--"

"Lo" The two heads were speaking in tandem, one syllable a piece!

Aiko gave a gentle smile. "Hello. Do you have names?" They seemed to not, or didn't understand the question. "Alright. I want you to walk, slowly, to that building there." She pointed at the hospital with a hoof. "When you can see the people in front, lay down and do not move. Even if you feel like you want to. Even if they seem really lickable. Lay there, do what they say. They'll feed you, and keep you safe. Okay?"

They agreed, with a little bark and some nods of many heads, then they moved off towards the hospital.

Kuri sighed a little. "I hope they listen to what you said. If they attack the soldiers, they'll be dead really quickly."

Hiro snorted. "Killing's easy."

Ground began moving again. "That... why... no..." She frowned and stomped suddenly against the ground, leaving a small crater. "Hard... talk..."

I leaned forward in place. "Hey, Ground? What'd you do before you were a pony?"

She paused and frowned with obvious thought. "Make... plans... Build... En... neer." She stomped the ground, making our ride bumpy as she worked through her aggravation. "En... neer."

Kuri tilted his head. "Engineer?"

"Yes!," she suddenly shouted, her face so radiant with happiness. "Work... Now... not... talk..."

A shot rang out from one of the buildings we passed by. Ground squealed. In surprise? In pain? Either way, she bolted. It was all we could do to hold on to her as she ran right through the city in a crazy zig-zagging line. She jumped a huge wall. For a moment it felt like we were flying until she crashed down on the pavement on the other side and we were thrown into her. Kuri and Homer lost their grips and slipped off, but she had stopped running.

Aiko glided down on her new wings towards Kuri quickly, worrying over him, but they both seemed alright.

Hiro slumped as the excitement ended. "Are you alright, Ground?"

Not waiting for her to reply, I started looking her over. Even as she started to explain that it hurt, I found it. Her left hind leg had a new mark and it looked painful. It wasn't any one big thing. It was more like a bunch of little things. "Hiro! Over here!"

Hiro turned to face what I was pointing at, then hurriedly climbed past me and down her leg to get closer to the ouchie. "Ground, stay calm. We're going to help." He pulled around his satchel and pulled out some things. Was that a set of tweezers? "This is going to hurt. I'm sorry, but it's to make you feel better afterwards."

Ground softly pawed at the ground with her left forehoof. "Do... it..." When he pulled something out of her, she squealed muffedly into her forcefully closed snout and pawed at the ground again. "Do it!" It became a strange cycle. He'd pull something out, she'd say to do it again, and he did. Eventually he found all that he was aiming to find, and started bandaging the wound in gauze. "I wasn't going to forget twice. Bad luck on our part. Citizens shouldn't have firearms."

Ground looked over her shoulder at him working. "Maybe... not... legal... Maybe... Maybe..." She brought a hoof down with a thump. Not being able to talk clearly was obviously upsetting her. "Bad... person."

I put my hooves on my hips. "Well I'm going back there and having a talk with that person! Besides, even if they were a mean pants, that means they need our help."

Hiro paled. "No! Let me talk with them."

I poked him right on the nose. "Nope! You did all the brave things yesterday. Today is my day. And today friendship is going to win out." I hopped down off of our mighty seed. "Rest up."

Ground frowned softly. "I... fine."

I stuck out my tongue at her. "Doctor Pinkie's orders! You're to stay off that leg, young lady. I'll be back." I scrambled up the side of the wall we had jumped over and came down the other side before they could argue anymore with me.

I scrambled from cover to cover, slowly making my way back through the crowded streets.

Looking around, I could tell I was about three blocks away from where we had been shot at. I was probably safe from being shot at, yet, but I didn't see any harm in playing it safe, so I kept to cover and kept moving. I'd convince that person to put down that stupid gun and come with us to the hospital. It was my turn to do it right!

Suddenly I was pinned down from above. I smelled something pony-like, but wild. Feral. Multiple tongues curled down around my snout and I squeaked, which was enough prompt for one to shove between my lips. They all dazzled with colors as my own drained away, and I felt tired, so tired.

Whatever it was, it pressed me firmly into the ground as it drained me. Oh... I remembered... It was like Will's friend... the one...

I passed out there.

Author's Note

Oh no, Pinkie! This is obviously a typo of the highest order! You have a mission already.

1: Pinkie awakens to find her assailant has moved on.
2: Pinkie somehow turns the tables and subdues the mysterious feral.
3: Pinkie is rescued by her friends
4: Pinkie dies (Um, end story? Oh god, the paradoxes! Don't pick this one!)
5: The sharpshooter from before turns up and scares off the feral, saving Pinkie.

Make your pick! You have two days, as per normal.

28 - Caught Sleeping

I was only partially awake. I could kinda squint an eye open, and I heard things like I had my head buried under a pillows.

The gunshot was clear enough. It's what woke me up. The weight on top of me moved, then pulled away as another shot fired.

Something left. It got quiet... I tried to lift a hoof from the ground, but I felt so weak. So tired... But ponies were counting on me! I had to... I got a hoof a foot off the ground and slowly swung it, and myself, over and began to prop myself up to my haunches.

"Stop right there."

I could see a shape. Biped. Human? They were little more than a blob to me right then. "Hi?"

He made a click sound. "It got you real bad, didn't it? Hell... Lay back down. If you try to bite, jump, or anything else fast, you're catching buckshot."

Laying down sounded good, and I started to slide a little. "I've gotta... gotta help... There's a guy in a building. He's scared... He's scared and alone and he has a gun, and we have to..."

"Have to what?"

"We have to save him!"

The shape came closer, and suddenly prodded me with something it held, and I fell over backwards, flopping out and looking up into the sky. "Save yourself first."

I could hear h.. her? It was a her. I tried to focus my eyes on her. She held a gun in her hands. It was different than the other guns. It had one big tube, instead of a little hole for the bullets. She wore big heavy boots and a jacket. She also had twitchy pink ears, like mine, and a fluffy pink tail, also like mine!

She must have noticed me staring at her and smiled. "See it now, huh? I'm already turned."

But she wasn't. Besides the ears and the tail, she looked perfectly human. "You look great."

She snorted. "I don't need to be flattered by a horse."

I didn't get it! "How are you not... more pony?"

She laughed suddenly at that, only to suddenly fire her gun. "And stay gone!" She looked down at me. "I didn't want to be a horse, so I said no. I said no hard and long enough... It just kinda stopped. They always did call me stubborn, but I never outright defeated a deadly disease with determination before."

I decided she was a very special human, and one that needed friends. With the dizziness starting to fade, I propped myself up again. "Look, we have a place, a hospital. There are lots of people, and ponies, living there. We have food, and it's safe."

She lifted her gun to point right at me between the eyes and I went still. "First, where did you see me?"

I pointed off back where I was pretty sure we came from. "We were walking past and you shot our friend. Why'd you shoot her anyway? I mean, I guess she's kinda big, but she wasn't hurting anything!"

While I talked, she kept taking out these little things and putting them into the gun. Did that make the gun work better? "I see. So you're friends with one of the titans?"

Titan? "I guess you could call her that. She's Ground Stomper, and she's pretty cool."

The ground suddenly shuddered with vibration. Was Ground coming back? I didn't want her being shot! "Look, please, no more shooting at her. She's really nice, I swear!"

The human tucked her gun at her shoulder as she rose to a full standing height. "Right. You're the most talkative horse I've met so far, and you haven't tried to get on me and re-infect me, so that's a point in your favor." She suddenly lifted the gun and pulled down, making it click oddly? "That your friends coming?"

I nodded quickly. "Probably. They didn't want me to come say hello to you all alone, but I didn't want you getting, you know, scared by a huge pony again."

She smirked softly. "Yeah, I probably would have shot them again. It's a woman, huh? A woman horse. She's huge..." She suddenly spit onto the ground in a large arc. "Supplies are running down. I guess I could die, starved or drying out, satisfied I didn't buy it from horse disease." She approached suddenly and thrust a hand towards me. I put a hoof in it, and she lifted me up easily. She was strong! She plucked me up to my hooves and I wobbled a bit, but I was standing.

I smiled at her brightly before letting out two streamers of confetti. "Great! You mean you'll come with us?" She nodded. and I grabbed for her free hand, shaking it vigorously. "We won't let you down, promise."

She suddenly grabbed my shoulder and shoved me down before lifting her gun. Before she could fire, the pony that had tackled me was on her, bearing her to the ground with a loud growl.

I wasn't going to stand for it! Or lay down for it. You know what I meant! I sprang up, cannon at the ready and gave a mighty pull. With a loud bang, the pony was knocked aside. I hadn't loaded confetti, instead a boxing mitt that crashed into its ribs and knocked it right to the ground.

The human rolled just enough to get her gun lined up with the pony, propping it right under its chin. "Bye." I didn't want that either! I thrust a hoof out, but it was already done. With a loud sound of thunder, the pony... was gone... I couldn't even look anymore. I turned away, feeling green.

She rose to her feet, dusting herself off. "Thanks. Quick thinking. Where were you hiding that? Horse? Pink horse? You in there?"

I mean, on one hoof, I understood. Really, I did... She had to act fast, or she'd get sick with the pony disease. It wasn't fair. She shouldn't have to make that choice. Ponies shouldn't be dying. None of it was fair...

"Pink?" She reached out and gently stroked one of my ears and I made a kinda sad sound. "It's alright. It's dead. It won't bother either of us again." She kept petting softly. She was trying to comfort me, but not about the right thing.

With a sudden thumping coming from the ground, I looked up to see Ground Stomper and everyone else. She hesitated when she saw someone with me, and slowed to a stop about a hundred feet out.

I looked to my new friend. "That's Ground Stomper. Can she come over?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure." She even raised a hand and waved at Ground, who took it as sign enough and stepped closer at a leisurely walk.

"Pinkie!" she cried as she got close enough to talk. "Hurt?"

The others slid down, and I soon had a Homer propped up under one hoof, nuzzling at me.

Hiro was speaking to the lady. "Everything alright now?"

She nodded. "She's filled me in on the story, after we saved each other. I'm going with you all. No kisses, licks, or anything like that. This is as much horse as I'm allowing."

Aiko pointed back to the hospital. "If you'd like, we can have Ground take you back to the hospital, where you'll be safe."

She snorted. "I think not. Oh, my name's Yuka. Yoshida Yuka. Yuka's fine. You don't have any weapons."

Hiro frowned a little. "Speaking of which, why do you even have a shotgun?"

She reached into a pocket and flipped out a wallet. "Legal."

Hiro leaned in and looked it over. "Huh... It is... You're a hunter?"

Yuka flipped the wallet shut and stuffed it away. "It was a hobby."

Hiro scowled at her. "A hobby?! That's a hell of an expensive hobby!"

Yuka. Tapped the end of her gun on the ground. "Worth every yen, I'd say right now."

Aiko looked as surprised as Hiro did. "Is she real? It's all legitimate?"

Hiro waved Aiko away. "Yeah. She's a licensed hunter, with a license to own an explosive firearm. If we weren't in the situation we were in, I'd have you run up for improper use of firearms and have that license taken away from you, Miss Yoshida."

Yuka raised a brow. "Good thing this isn't a normal situation. Are you done lecturing me? What are you, anyway, a police officer?"

Kuri coughed softly. "Actually, he is."

I thrust a hoof towards Hiro. "He's our hero!"

Hiro rolled his eyes. "None of that matters right now. I trust you have proper discipline with that firearm?"

She nodded. "Safety's on right now. No accidents. I can have it back off fast enough to aim and fire without knowing the difference. I've taken the classes, run the drills, and I even have a fancy locker back home, all registered. If there's ever a law to worry about, my bases are covered."

I clopped my forehooves together. "Now that we're all friends, we can get to finding all that food, right?"

Homer circled around Yuka, sniffing at her before he offered a paw towards her. "Hello! My name is Homer."

Yuka accepted his paw carefully. "No getting drool on me."

Homer drew in his waggy tongue sharply. "Oh, sorry."

Ground suddenly knelt down beside us. "Hello. Yuka? Ground... Stomper. Friend?"

Yuka raised a brow at the huge pony. "You aren't a little bit angry I took a chunk out of you?"

Ground frowned a little. "Mistake. Not shoot... again. Yes?"

Yuka put up the palm of a hand. "Swear. You're awfully nice for a huge horse."

Ground softly pawed at the ground. "I... not... I..."

I decided to hop in. "Ground was a human, just like you, or you, or you." I pointed to a few of my friends as I talked. "I think she's still super smart."

Ground nodded a little. "Not... good... talk. Very..." She thumped the ground with a hoof. "Angry."

Yuka frowned. "That sucks. I'd be pissed too if I couldn't say what I wanted to say. Alright, Ground, we're friends enough for now. No more gun wounds, promise. You took that like a pro, I have to say."

Ground squirmed a little. "Hurt. Alright... now."

I pointed up on top of Ground. "We should get going. If we get a nice big bag of flour and sugar, maybe I can throw you a 'welcome to the hospital!' party when we get back! That'll be fun." I quickly scrambled up on Ground and softly pat her behind her head. The others came up behind me, and soon we were all loaded.

Hiro leaned to the left a little. "By the way, did you have any supplies you wanted to bring to the hospital?"

Yuka shrugged. "Nothing worth the extra trip. Let's score some real food."

Ground rose up and began at a light trot that became faster over time until she was just short of a gallop as she ate up the distance in a hurry. She wasn't in a panic this time, and easily moved around walls and over small buildings without crashing into anything or making too much noise besides the thump-thump of her big hooves.

We wouldn't return empty-hooved, I was sure of it!

Author's Note

A short chapter, but I feel like you guys should get a vote now that a new character has hoisted themselves into the mix. Say hello to Yuka! Yes, a Japanese person can own a rifle or shotgun if they jump through all the hopes and and the few thousand dollars of american dollars for the privilege, shop at the few places you're allowed to, and register everything!

Not mentally sound? Get into trouble with the law? Look at them funny? Your gun is going away. The permit's only good for three years, so you get to renew it constantly. Not an easy place to own a gun.

Yuka seems pleased with her life choices.

Vote!
1: A violent gang has secured the shopping plaza they wanted to raid. They don't look ready to make friends.
2: A duchess or equivalent rank of feral has assembled a pack and lives in the area, hunting anything that isn't part of her herd.
3: Whoever used to live here, doesn't anymore, but left more than enough traps to remember them by.
4: What do you mean it's already stripped bare?
5: Equestria reaches out, refusing to be ignored!

Vote now!

Short chapter annoy you? Let me know!

29 - Aiko's Eyes

I felt Kuri gently nuzzling into my back as we rode. That lovable girl... man. I'd known them for years as my downstairs neighbor. We'd always got along well enough, and now there we were, husband and wife. A part of me still wondered how she was alright with it all, but she was. She loved me, that much she made clear. She loved... making love to me too, but she seemed just as happy being near me, fussing over me, or generally being everything I imagined a really loyal boyfriend should be. She had eyes for no other, and she was alright with that.

Being held in her arms, her pony arms, I felt safe and secure, and I drifted off.

Only to find myself somewhere new. I rolled up to my hooves and looked around. I was in a garden? The night sky was above, but all the stars looked different. And the moon! The huge moon. It was gorgeous, but it wasn't the one I grew up with.

The garden had the smell of dew and gentle floral fragrances that teased gently at me as I wandered the hedges that made it up. I heard a soft gasp and turned quickly to see a little horse, as small as the colt that was a part of our group. This one was a female, I think. She looked up at me with her huge eyes full of wonder. "H-hello, ma'am. What are you princess of?"

I glanced back at my new wings as they fluttered a little at being thought about. "I don't know yet." I turned back to the little orange unicorn and offered a hoof. "Could you tell me where I am? I seem to have gotten lost."

She smiled brightly. "Sure! This is Canterlot Gardens, your majesty. I'm Sunrise. I love this place. Isn't it nice?"

I nodded slowly and took in a deep breath. It was a nice place. I couldn't argue that. "Yes, it is lovely, but I wasn't here a moment ago."

She tilted her head a little, then clopped her forehooves together. "You must have been called!"

"Called?"

She nodded quickly. "By one of the royal sisters."

A large figure stepped out from behind the small pony. "She speaks correctly." I could feel her power. She was a princess that knew her place and wielded it gracefully. How did I know that? She had dark purple fur across most of her body, but her mane and tail were something else. Possessed by the very night sky itself, they were woven with darkness, tinged with blue, and stars that shone brightly as she gazed at me. "You are welcome here, please, be at ease."

The small pony wheeled around to see who was speaking over her. "Princess Luna!" She dived to bow before her. "So good to see you, your highness."

"Rise, and thank you for finding my guest." Luna reached out and set a hoof on the pony's shoulder. "We would ask for some privacy. The things we discuss are of sensitive nature."

The small pony nodded quickly. "Of course, Princess Luna." She turned back to me. "Princess Luna is really nice. Um, see you later?" She moved to trot off as I nodded lightly, and she was quickly gone around a hedge.

I turned my attention back to the larger princess. Luna was it? "Good evening, Luna."

Luna nodded. "And good eve to you as well...?"

"Aiko."

"Yes, Aiko. A lovely name. You have been charged by destiny itself to serve as a guide to your people in this difficult time. Do you understand?"

I pointed a hoof at myself even as my eyes wandered across the garden. "I know I'm a princess. I know I can feel... things. I don't understand it all."

Luna reached out a hoof and raised my chin lightly to look at her directly. "Exactly why I have called you here. We're trying as hard as we can to undo the damage we have caused... You are the only link I have to your world. Where are you, and how are things there?"

I suddenly felt light, like I was being pulled away. Luna noticed, somehow. "You have to go. I'll call you again. Be strong, and be good to your fellow ponies. They're cou--"

I was awake suddenly. We were slowing down as we came to a fence that went along the perimeter of a shopping plaza. I didn't get the idea the fence had always been there, before things started to go crazy. Kuri gently shook me. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm? Yes, I'm awake." I saw the others were sliding down off of our ride. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I saw something! It was amazing! There was a whole... I think it was a world."

Kuri had been ready to slide off, but aborted it as I began describing my dream. "We should tell Pinkie. Maybe it's familiar to her."

A good idea! "She's from there, I think. From what she said." I frowned with thought and looked for our pink companion. She was already edging along the fence, looking like she was trying to be sneaky. She was still a pink pony in front of a chain link fence. There was no way anyone couldn't see her from either side if they were looking at all. I didn't understand her at times, but she was a good person.

Kuri leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Need any help getting down, hon?"

I warmed a little, especially when Ground gave a little giggle beneath us. How much attention was she paying? No matter. I was going to kiss my boyfriend whether she was there or not. I leaned in and Kuri leaned forward without prompting, and we enjoyed a moment before I slid down to join the others. My wings caught the air on the way down and I partially glided down. I'd have to practice with those wing things, but gliding proved easy enough if I kept them nice and stiff and let them do their thing. It was like a built in parachute, really.

Kuri landed beside me and I gave him a nuzzle before moving to where I saw Hiro and that new girl standing. She was an odd one. Mostly human, with ears and a tail that wouldn't look out of place on Pinkie Pie. She also wielded a shotgun with trained ease. I'd never met a hunter before, but she carried that thing around like it was her infant. A very deadly infant. "What's the situation?"

Hiro looked over to me. "Ah, you're awake. You faded out on the way and we let you get your rest."

I spread my wings, an act that only hurt a little bit. "I told you I'm fine now."

Hiro nodded. "I didn't mean to imply you're not. Pinkie's scouting, and we're keeping an eye on her. She's a very talented person, but she can get into trouble with the best of them."

Yuka snorted softly. "It's catchy. So, Hiro mentioned you were some kind of special horse?"

I glanced back at my wings as they folded up tight. "Well, yes... I was just a unicorn, until the wings grew in. Pinkie insists that makes me a princess, and most everyone else seems to agree with the idea." That reminded me of the dream. "Even dreams."

Hiro raised a brow. "Let's focus on the task at hand."

Kuri shuffled a little. "Hoof..."

"Come again?"

Kuri lifted a hoof from the ground towards Hiro. "Hoof. We don't have hands."

Yuka wriggled a few fingers at Kuri. "Well, I do. Are we done arguing about figures of speech? I don--"

I tuned her out at a sudden sensation. It was like a ripple from my ears all the way down to my tail. I felt a soft urge to chase after Pinkie, to pin her down and capture her.

Hiro and Kuri turned sharply to Pinkie. Did they feel it too?

Hiro let out a hiss, fire licking out around his teeth. He wasn't chasing her, but he wasn't doing anything else.

Yuka raised a brow. "You all alright?"

That's when I saw it. A huge mob of about fifteen horses were charging towards Pinkie. Some of them weren't even visible. I could feel two of them burrowing through the ground. When had I gained that ability? They were chasing her, and they would catch her. Hiro and Kuri were frozen. They had resisted the order, but they weren't moving against it either.

I was under no such limit and screamed out to Pinkie, "Look out! To your left!" Pinkie spun and squeaked loud enough for us to hear her from afar before she burst into a running gallop.

Yuka made a soft 'tsk' of a sound as she dropped to a knee and raised her gun into position.

"Hold, please." I turned to the stampeding riot and took a slow breath. I had calmed down Ground. It should... maybe? I had to believe it would, and in myself. "Stop!"

Some of them looked towards me, others got confused. One pony burst from the ground and tackled Pinkie, only for them to roll around. She kicked off the pony and scrambled away easily. One on one, Pinkie seemed able to handle another basic pony. A sudden ripple ran through me as a new urge rose. Get me. But it wasn't a capture message. Whatever was sending them wanted me gotten rid of, permanently.

Hiro scratched at the ground, digging huge trenches. "Where's it coming from?"

Kuri was taking it worse, tears coming from his eyes. Poor boy. Of course he didn't want to hurt me. But there was no time to console him with that mob moving for me.

"Can I shoot them now, your highness?" She sounded a little bitter about it. At least she didn't have her gun aimed at me. Maybe she wasn't horse enough to be influenced?

I tried to focus on them, to turn them back like the unseen controller was doing. They weren't using words, maybe that worked better? My attempts were brought to a sudden halt as the ground beside me exploded into concrete and pavement. Ground had just brought down a hoof inches away from me. "S-sorry... I..." Oh god, she was going to crush me!

"Ground! Remember who you are. You're an engineer, not a horse to be ordered around. Please!" I backed away from her slowly. She could still squish me like an insect if she wanted. I could run, but she could run me down. "Don't do this!"

Ground licked over her lips as she slowly stalked me. "Not... horse... Eng... neer..." She suddenly hopped forward and grabbed me by a leg as I scrambled away. She flipped me up and I could feel the joint crying in pain before I was airborne, sailing a moment before she snapped me right up from the air into her huge mouth.

It smelled... about as bad as the inside of a horse's mouth should smell. Her tongue was wet and flat and pressing against me. She shoved me against the left side of her mouth with a powerful flex of it, but she wasn't chewing me, or swallowing. Was I dead, or spared? I didn't know, and I was afraid to even make a sound, lest my uncertain fate become all too set in stone with the barest movement of the giant pony.

I could dimly hear conversation coming from outside, and a new ripple came. New orders. Come home. Home was inside the shopping area we were trying to get to. The space I was in, Ground's mouth, was still except for the slight flexes of her tongue, and the warm rush of air. She was breathing through her nose, but that didn't stop air from rushing past in either direction. I suppose I should have been grateful. It gave me something to avoid asphyxiating as I trembled in terror.

The space tilted and lowered, then I was suddenly spat out, sent to the ground before all the others.

Pinkie made a face. "Ick, need a tissue?" I have no idea where she was hiding a handkerchief, but she had one, little as it was compared to the mess I was currently sporting.

Kuri reached for it and began wiping me down carefully. "Are you alright, Aiko? When I saw her gobble you up, I almost died on the spot."

Yuka snorted. "I almost made her die."

Ground recoiled away from where she had been leaning close. "Fake. Make... ponies leave."

I nodded stiffly. "You... You did good." I was wet and stinky and a little violated, but I was alive and mostly intact thanks to her quick thinking. I doubted the crowd would have had more mercy if they got their hooves on me.

Hiro shook her head. "We can't approach like this. Having most of us out of the fight, or even turning against each other, won't do."

Taking the opportunity to have a look around, it seemed we'd pulled away from the target a few blocks. "I think I need to be more of a princess."

Yuka looked perplexed. "Well you aren't looking very 'princess' like, with the mess you're in."

With a frown, I waved her off. "Not like that. I need to give commands better, to understand it all better." I closed my eyes and just... felt. I tried to clear my head despite the ache in my left fore shoulder and the drying crud.

I could feel something, a few somethings. Each of the horses around me, my friends, they were a little ping. I tried to get in 'close' enough, to figure out which ping was which. Ground was easiest. She was large and distinct. I whispered to the dot, in my head, to place me, carefully, on her head.

Ground snorted loudly. "Again! Do... again."

I opened my eyes. "That time it was me. What did you feel?"

Ground tilted her head. "Felt... different." She reached and gently picked me up in her teeth, grabbing me at the scruff and setting me on her back. It wasn't the top of her head, but close enough?

I smiled, deciding it was good enough. I looked to Hiro, thinking at him, ~Can you hear me?~

Hiro blinked. "Was that you?"

I clopped my hooves with building joy. "It was. Did you hear what I said?"

He shrugged softly. "Sounded like you wanted me to hear."

Hmm, almost... I turned my eyes to Kuri. ~Hello, my husband. Are we tied more securely?"

Kuri smiled up at me on my mount. "We are, my love. If it is a command from you, I would gladly follow it."

Yuka shook her head. "I don't get it, but can you use it to make the horses not charge at us?"

I waved at Kuri. "Go and take Pinkie, Yuka and Hiro and go about a block away. Let's see if it's just as strong over distance."

Off they went, leaving me with Homer and Ground. I felt safe enough, mounted on Ground. While we waited, I turned my eyes to Homer. "How did you feel during that? You were quiet."

Homer pointed at me. "You are my friend, alpha bitch. Your word goes. Strange word, no go."

A dog's logic, but a valid one. It had been long enough, so I felt out. Homer and Ground were right there beside me. I could feel other presences. One was even close, but I didn't feel any anger or hostility from them. They were just there, perhaps curious? No time for them. I pulled out, reaching further. The individual dots began to bleed together, but one felt different. I pressed against it, and it pressed back. Kuri. I was certain of it.

I thought to it, but tried to keep it at the same level as my other command. ~Come back, and bring a nice, rectangular, brick with you.~

I opened my eyes to find Ground looking over her shoulder at me. She smiled when our eyes met. "Did it work?"

I smiled a little back at her. I didn't envy her. She was strong, very strong, but to be trapped like that? "I think so. We have to wait and see."

Pinkie suddenly slipped around me. "Here's that brick you wanted! Why did you need a brick, anyway? I coulda got some candy or maybe another towel or something, but you want a brick? I get a brick!"

I blinked softly at her. "Where did you come from?"

She tilted her head, then pointed down the street. "That was you, wasn't it? It sounded like you."

A frown fell over my features. "I was trying to reach Kuri, not you, Pinkie. I mean, yes, I did ask for that."

"Here ya go!" She held it out to me, red and rectangular and hard. A brick...

I put a hoof over my face, then carefully picked it up with my magic and tossed it away. "Thank you, Pinkie, but why did you get the message? You never seemed to get princess messages before."

She shrugged. "I never said that exactly. You're a friend, and you asked nicely. Why wouldn't I get my friend a brick?"

I smiled despite myself. "Thank you. That was very kind. Where are the others?"

She pointed back down the street. "They should still be there."

I closed my eyes and reached out. There! That had to be him. I mean, he was practically ready to kiss me even as an impression. Feeling him after Pinkie, I wondered again how I'd confused the two. Maybe Pinkie just had a strong presence? ~Kuri, love, bring the others back. Pinkie is here.~

Pinkie strode forward and sat on Ground's head. "That was quick thinking back there! I wouldn't have thought of that! Pretend eating Aiko? Genius!" They began to talk, and I smiled. They got along well, and it was nice to see. I can't say I entirely approved of the plan, but it did work. "What, stupid? You? No way!"

I brought my focus back on them as they talked. Ground was looking up at Pinkie from below. "Feel... Talk slow. Talk stupid."

Pinkie stroked over Ground's head. "Forget that a moment. What's going on in that big, amazing head of yours? Are you thinking smart thoughts, or stupid thoughts?"

Ground rolled her eyes. "How... My... thought... Is..." She trembled with exertion and rubbed a hoof along the ground. "Thought is thought."

Pinkie nodded a little. "I guess that's true. Maybe some pop quizzes, that you can answer without talking?"

The others returned, unharmed thankfully. Kuri waved up at me. "Hello! I heard that. It was like you were across a room, but clear enough."

Yuka shrugged. "Are we done testing out whatever you're testing?"

"Actually, there is one more thing I want to try." I focused on Yuka specifically, staring at her and trying to make her put her gun down a moment.

She just quietly stared back at me before she shrugged. "What?"

That hadn't worked... I shook my head at her. "Just trying something."

Yuka rolled her shoulders as she turned away. "You're not my princess. I'm not a horse."

Hiro tilted his head towards Yuka. "This reminds me. What ammunition are you using?"

Yuka fished out a shell and offered it to Hiro, who leaned in for a better look. "Birdshot?"

She shrugged. "Bird's what I hunted. It works on people and horses just fine, depending on how well you aim it, and closer is better, as usual."

Hiro nodded. "I see. I admit, I'm a little relieved to know you're not using larger buckshot or slugs."

Pinkie leaned over the edge of Ground's head, using one of her ears for support. "What're those?"

Yuka snorted softly. "It's the kind of bullet. Birdshot has the smallest pellets, but spreads the most after a while. Good for taking out birds, even a few at a time. Buckshot is standard, and slugs are just big bullets, no spread, one bullet, max penetration."

I was no hunter, but I knew that much, at least. Pinkie was from a whole other world though, where they didn't have guns. Speaking of which. "Pinkie, do you know a horse named Luna?"

Pinkie was suddenly right up in my face. Her nose was touching my nose. "How do you know about Princess Luna?!"

Besides the fact that she'd mentioned her once before? "I saw her, in a dream. She spoke to me."

Pinkie suddenly threw up her hooves in a spray of confetti. "Awesome! Did she say anything super important?"

I considered that a moment even as I tried to put half an inch between us. "She said we'd talk more, and that I was a princess, and that she was trying to fix things."

Pinkie pouted a little. "Oh. Well that's still good. Listen to her, she's a good pony, alright?" She hopped right down, sliding to the ground.

Ground turned to look at me. "Do you have a plan?"

I did, and nodded. "This time, we draw their minions away first. The further away we can pull them, the quieter the other one will be, then we can calm them down, or beat them up. Either way, they won't be a unified mob, and we have the talent to come out on top."

Pinkie leaned over my shoulder. "I know you're a better princess than whoever they are!" Hadn't she just jumped down? How did she do that...? "We believe in you!"

No time to try to explain Pinkie. We had a mission, and I wasn't going to fail at my first task of being a princess.

I licked over my lips before I nodded. "Ground, take me in a slow circle about two blocks away from the plaza, then come back here. We should have company behind us."

She took off without delay, bringing me and Pinkie along for the ride.

Author's Note

Aiko, you're not supposed to be the star! Get back in the background, you so-called princess. I'm onto you, trying to steal Pinkie's spotlight.

Hmmph!

What happens next?
1: She's able to outdistance her competitor.
2: Not quite far enough, but relative power's another thing, and it becomes a fierce tug of war between minds.
3: The enemy is smarter than they appear, and the horde doesn't follow Aiko past a block.
4: What's that in the sky?
5: While they circled, they spotted something else worth scavenging and get distracted.

30 - A Conflict of Opinions

I looked back over my shoulder at Aiko, but she looked like she was concentrating on something super serious, so I left her alone and pulled myself up to just behind Ground's ears. "Hey there." One of her ears twitched back towards me, so I knew she was listening. "It's okay if you don't say a lot. One of my friends back home, his name's Big Mac. He doesn't say much, but he's a smart cookie too! Trustworthy, dependable, and beside this one time, pretty reliable to make down to earth decisions." I patted her neck gently even as we sailed across the city scape. "So don't think talking's required to be part of the cool ponies, because you already are, um, cool that is."

Ground grunted softly. "I... talked..." She glanced back over her shoulder. "Horse... took... words."

I lifted my shoulders. "Well, sure, I guess getting slower like that is pretty bad, but you aren't alone. I heard a lot of new ponies can't even talk at all. Here you are debating the relative values of speech with an alien pony while galloping through the city. That's not so bad, is it?"

A deep rumble escaped from her. Oh, it was a giggle! "Pinkie... Thank you."

I threw myself at the back of her neck and gave her a nice big hug. "You're totally welcome! I bet a lot of ponies are super jealous of you, you know that?"

She slowed her steps and looked back at me. "Really? Why?"

Aiko hissed from the back. "Don't stop!"

With a sheepish look, Ground got back to her gallop. "Why?"

I spread my forehooves wide. "You're huge! You never had a dream, not once, of being big? You're super strong, and tough." I leaned in towards her left ear. "But you're gentle and nice. You're a good friend. You're... like the big sister! Like a really big sister!"

"Big..." Her head craned back and she tilted her head. "Up."

I looked up to see a funny thing. It was a pony, I think. It had the hoofsies of one, but had a thick tail more like Spike's, and these great big dragon wings coming out of its back, carrying it along. And it was coming right for us! Squinting, I could see it had fins along its head and neck, but it was still mostly pony? They were like Hiro, in a different kind of way. Dragonpony. It had green over its dragon parts, and purple over its pony parts. Its mane was kind of a mix of the two. Couldn't tell you what its eyes were, we weren't that close.

Aiko tapped at Ground gently. "Faster, please."

I wasn't sure Ground could go much faster. She didn't seem to want to be closer to that dragonpony, and they were getting closer. Oh! The dragonpony was a she. Now that she was closer, I could see she was shaped right. She shouted something, but we were too far away to hear her over the rushing wind of Ground's stomping gallop.

My seat, known as Ground, jolted as she made a sudden jump over a big car that looked like it was a huge tank itself. We came down hard on the other side and it was all I could do but to hold on tight. We were going a little too fast, maybe? I shouted that out at Ground, "Too fast! Slow down please!"

It wasn't like she was outpacing miss dragonpony anyway.

She swooped down towards us with a loud roar, her hooves spreading out. I was kinda glad she didn't have claws like Hiro did. I mean, really, if she wasn't so angry looking, she was actually kinda cute. Oh wait, she had teeth. Big sharp teeth.

Aiko stared up at the dragonpony while her wings gave fitful little flutters. Was she trying to balance herself? I struggled to climb towards her and grabbed her at the hips just before her wings went a little too wide and caught a bunch of air. Aiko squealed as she was pulled to the side, but I had a solid grip on her and held tight.

We both went over the edge just in time for a soft thump to bring my eyes back up to Ground's back. Miss dragonpony had joined us.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "Stop it! Right now!" She circled around me as I struggled to lift Aiko back up, just for the dragonpony to nip me right on my flank. "Stop it!" Stop what?! I wasn't doing anything, besides saving Aiko. She apparently didn't like the speed I was following her orders and tackled us.

Thankfully, Ground had started to slow, and Aiko took off with a fitful flap, moving to circle around us as Miss Dragonpony pinned me to Ground's back, belly up. "She's in my head! Get her out." She hissed at me before jumping off, moving for Aiko.

"Wait! We can talk this out." I jumped up to my hooves and called after her as I ran as far along Ground as I could.

Aiko spun mid-air to face her chaser. "Leave me alone!"

The dragonpony bared her teeth. "When you leave me alone!"

"I'm protecting my friends!"

The dragonpony thumped a hoof on her chest. "I'm protecting myself."

Aiko tilted her head a little. "Are you not feral?"

She looked confused. "Feral? What does that even mean?"

Aiko extended a hoof slowly. "We just want to find supplies, for other hungry ponies."

Miss Dragon frowned. "What about me? I don't deserve food?"

Ground turned around while they were talking and watched them a moment before she reached up and grabbed Miss Dragon suddenly by one of her wings. She squawked a mighty storm. "Let go! Let go let go! That hurts, you big stupid horse!"

That did looked like it hurt, with her wing being held in Ground's big mouth. I pointed down to the ground. "Put her down, Ground. She hasn't hurt anypony."

Ground grunted a word, lost to the wing in her mouth, then slowly set her catch down, just to put a hoof over Miss Dragon. "No fighting."

Aiko lowered to the ground in front of our new captive. "You'll be fed too, I was about to say. If we can have this conversation, you're the kind of pony we're looking for."

Miss Dragon went pouty and quiet a moment. "How can I trust you?"

Aiko reached with her wings and brushed them along Miss Dragon's cheeks. "You are obviously no normal pony. Neither am I. They call me a princess. Will you be my Countess?"

Miss Dragon blinked softly, looking shocked. "I have a name..."

Aiko nodded. "It is?"

She shrank back. "I don't remember it..."

Aiko gently ran a feathery wing over Miss Dragon's snout. "We understand that... You're still welcome. Will you take it?"

She flopped softly. "Why do you get to be the princess? I was here first. This isn't fair."

Aiko leaned in and touched her horn to Miss Dragon's forehead. "I accept you as one of my own, and call you Spitfire."

Spitfire tilted her head at Aiko one way, then slowly to the other. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." She smiled gently.

I hopped in beside them. "Time for a naming party!" I unleashed a load of confetti in a wide arc over our heads. "Welcome to the good ponies, Spitfire."

Spitfire squirmed suddenly. "Can I get up now?"

"Sorry." Ground lifted her hoof a little and Spitfire scrambled out from under it.

Spitfire frowned and shook herself up as her wings folded tight against her back. "What about my crew?"

I pointed to where I thought the shopping place was. "Are they nice like you? They weren't very talkative when we met last time."

She frowned. "Well, no... They don't talk much. I tell them what to do, and they do it." She puffed out her chest. "I'm in charge."

Ground went flat on her belly so she was closer to us. "That... feral."

Spitfire's frown somehow got deeper. "You plan on hurting my crew? I won't let you." She bared her teeth and looked ready to fight it out, but Aiko ran a wing gently over one of her legs, and the fight drained out of her.

"We will do what we can. If they are wild, we need to calm them before we can bring them home. There are people there, humans. They don't want to be changed." Aiko nodded at Spitfire. "Understand?"

Spitfire suddenly turned to look at me. "What's your name then, Pink and fluffy?"

"Close!" I grinned at her. "Pinkie. Pie Pinkie. Nice to meetcha." I thrust a hoof at her, but she just looked at my hoof a moment before snorting.

She reminded me of somepony else... Oh! "You're like my friend, Gilda. I bet you're just as sweet under it all."

Spitfire rolled her eyes. "Right, well... None of you are human, so maybe we should go say hi and get it over with? But if you hurt them, I swear to the spirits." She spread her dragon wings wide and took off easily. "This way." She pointed a hoof at Aiko. "Come on. I bet I'm faster than you, Miss Princess."

"Aiko is fine." She lifted into the air with a few strong flaps of her wings. "Let's go."

They took off together. It was pretty easy to see Spitfire was faster and more graceful in the air. She seemed to take pleasure in looping around Aiko and even reaching out and tagging her as she went. She was laughing and sounded happy, and Aiko was at least putting up with it. We'd be proper friends with her in no time.

I scrambled up onto Ground. "After those ponies!" And off we went.

She rose to her hooves and trotted along after the two flyers. "Rather... be small. Wings..." She glanced over her shoulder. "Not... clumsy..."

I pointed up at them. "Everypony gets a moment where they get a little wing envy. Even big fancy unicorns with crazy magic get a little jealous of pegasi. So graceful and free. They can go wherever they want! And have you ever seen a pegasus napping on a cloud? They look so comfortable! I bet it's like the most comfy bed ever!"

Ground perked an ear up at me. "You... jealous?"

I flopped out over her neck. "I've been there, promise. Hay, I used to draw myself as a pegasus pony. I'd have a white coat, to hide in the clouds, and blond mane and tail. Nopony would even know what happened until I was already on top of them, screaming 'Surprise!' at them, and then it was party time!"

Ground gave her deep rumbling giggle. "That... sounds nice. What... I... pegasus?"

I tried to put that together, then it clicked. "What would you look like as a pegasus?" She nodded quickly. "Well... Hmm. You liked tinkering with things, making things, right?" She nodded again. "So maybe a bright blue, with grease spots if you were working with something messy. You'd have a wrench for a cutie mark, and probably have one in your mouth half the time."

"Cu... Cute... Mark?"

I put a hoof to my face. "Oh yeah! I forget ponies don't know much about those around here." I turned to show off my flank. "Where I come from, ponies get cutie marks when they find their special talent. See, mine is three balloons, because I lift spirits, like a balloon."

She swiveled an ear about a moment of quiet. "Can get mark?"

I looked down over her flank, which was a lot of real estate! "Sure you could, I think. Yours would be big. Big and pretty. I bet it could have all kinds of details in it that wouldn't fit on my flank. That'd be super cool!"

"What... talent?"

She sounded a bit nervous to me. Well, she couldn't very well still tinker with things. She didn't have her clever human fingers, and was too big to work with everything she knew how to work with, hmm. "Well, like I said, you are kind of our big sister. You watch over us, and protect us." I spread my hooves wide. "I feel safer when you're around, Ground."

She smiled up at me before turning her attention to the fence she was approaching. We'd arrived at the shopping place, and she circled around the fence before stepping over a part that was low enough for her to reach without causing an accident along the way. "Where Aiko? Spit... fire?"

Good question. I didn't see either. "Maybe they already landed?" I slid down Ground's side and went bouncing ahead into the mini-mall, looking around for them. I felt like I was being watched. Ponies, over a dozen, stared from windows or nooks and crannies.

One brave one stepped out with a snarl before he trotted to me. A sandy brown in color, the stallion circled around me slowly, growling a little, but looking more scared than aggressive. I put out a hoof slowly. "I'm not here to hurt you."

He leaned in and sniffed at my offered hoof before he moved in and began sniffing all over me. I squeaked when his nose brushed under my tail and got to sniffing me down there. "Easy there. We just met." I turned to face him and saw he wanted the private kind of party. Swaying he gave a little querying nicker at me. He wasn't scared anymore, that was good. "Simmer down, you stud." I smiled at him. "I'm not in the mood for that."

A mare, a pegasus, rushed out out hiding and neighed at me angrily as she moved between me and him, pushing him back.

"Oh, uh, are you two a couple?"

Neither of them had an intelligent reply. They didn't have words, just postures and pony noises, not words. He seemed to be apologizing to her with soft lips at her sides and little wickers with his ears down. She bit at one of his ears, then softly rubbed against him. All was forgiven, I guessed.

Smaller ponies slipped out from under sheets of metal and hurried up to the couple, crowding around them. Sheesh, it was a whole family! The little colts and fillies looked adorable, though it wasn't long enough for ponies to have little ponies? Were they a family before it all happened? "Hello there, little ones." They all turned towards me.

One of the little fillies waved at me and rushed up. "Hello."

I recoiled with surprise. "You can talk?"

She nodded as she looked around. "Sure... Is that bad? I know the others don't much..."

I put a hoof on her head and mussled her curly mane. "Of course it isn't bad. You just surprised me."

The mother mare growled at me softly and I pulled the hoof back. "Sorry, just saying hi."

The filly glanced back at mother mare. "She's a good mom. She loves us. She's not my mom though..."

I considered a moment. "Well, if you can talk, you can go to the hospital with us. There are lots of ponies there that talk, and humans too. Who knows, maybe your mom's there."

She smiled brightly. "Really?" She spun around on mother mare. "I have to go, bye!" She waved a hoof, then suddenly scrambled up onto my back. I couldn't help but giggle. My turn to give rides like Ground gave. Speaking of which. I turned slowly to see Ground was waiting patiently at the entrance.

"Say, filly, what's your name? I'm Pinkie."

She hugged my neck from behind. "I'm Haruna! Nice to meet you, Pinkie."

I began to walk with her back towards Ground. "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. She's super big, but super nice."

My tail was suddenly bit and I was tugged back. Looking over my shoulder, I saw mother mare had me in her mouth. The stallion was growling and pawing at the ground.

Haruna spun around on my back. "Let her go!" But they weren't moved by her plea.

They thought I was foalnapping her, probably. Um, how to calm them down... "Everything's okay, really. I'm taking her to a better place, with fresh food and lots of company." She tugged me further back. That wasn't working.

The stallion suddenly charged forward, ramming into me and sending me to the ground. Haruna squealed as she flew through the air. Mother mare let me go and went running after her, but Haruna didn't want to be caught and took off running the moment she hit the ground. "No! Bad mother, bad!"

With the foal running off, I became a lot less interesting, and the stallion dashed off to catch up with his mare as I sat up, a little dizzy but otherwise fine. "Ground! Protect that filly!"

Ground perked up and hunkered down like a waiting cat. As soon as Haruna got a little closer, she reached in with a great hoof and scooped up the filly. Both of the adult ponies slowed, looking shocked and terrified.

The mare wasn't ready to give up though. She charged right at Ground and bumped into her other forehoof before nipping at her leg.

Ground grunted as she set Haruna carefully on her back, then slowly began to back away from the berserk mother pony. "Pinkie... What? Not... want hurt."

Daddy stallion wasn't so quick to charge Ground, and he watched mother mare instead while keeping his distance. Not very brave, but I wasn't complaining. "Just keep backing away, Ground! She'll give up eventually." I hoped.

The wind rushed as Spitfire soared overhead. "What's going on here?"

Aiko arrived just after her. "An excellent question. Pinkie, Ground, why are you fighting?"

Ground took another slow step away from the incensed mare. "Pinkie... filly."

Spitfire zipped over on powerful wings to see the filly that Ground had on her back. "Haruna! What are you doing up here?"

Haruna pointed down at Ground. "They said I could go somewhere with lots of talking ponies."

Spitfire put a hoof over her face. "Haruna, you're breaking your mother's heart."

"She's not my mom!" Haruna bristled and stomped her hoof, far too small to be of any real pain to Ground.

Spitfire held up two hooves. "Yeah yeah. Alright, give me a moment." She looped mid-air and came down beside mother mare and began talking gently to her. The mother mare looked hesitant, but slowly backed down from attacking Ground. With a sudden snort, she turned away and galloped back into the building, her stallion chasing after.

I bounced up to Spitfire. "What'd she say? What'd you say?"

She sighed softly. "Nothing. She doesn't talk that way. She gets it though. Her filly wants to go. Doesn't mean she has to like it." She crossed her forehooves as she hovered in mid-air. "So what are you going to do for my crew, besides Haruna? They're not bad people. She was trying to protect all the children, Haruna included."

Aiko put a hoof on her chest. "I'm not in charge of anything, but you have my word that I'll do whatever I can to see them treated fairly. We should make a home for them close to the hospital, where they can be fed and watched for, without endangering the humans there. There are buildings close enough."

Ground smiled. "Help."

I bobbed my head. "With Ground's help, we can get it done fast." Imagining her lifting up big steel bars or stone blocks made me giggle a bit. She could get a lot done really fast. "And she's a smart cookie. She'll know where to put things."

Ground nodded at that. "Yes." She looked proud, happy even. Building was something she could do, I thought?

I clambered up onto her back and settled behind Haruna. "Hey there."

Haruna waved at me. "That was kinda scary. You didn't say your friend was this big! She's so huge! Will I grow up to be this large? Do all ponies?"

I giggled and pat her head, without getting nasty look from mother mares. "Probably not. Ground is very special. She's our big sister, and she's smart, even if talking's kind of hard for her."

Haruna's smile withered a little. "She's like the other ponies? She wants to say things, but she can't?"

Ground swiveled an ear back. "Yes! Yes... That. Understand?"

Haruna flopped onto her belly and hugged the much larger mare beneath her. "I understand. You're a nice person for not getting angry at momma for biting you."

"Not... want hurt." She nodded. "Haruna? Name, yes? Nice."

Aiko landed lightly on Ground's head, wings folding. "We should get the others. We came to scavenge. That hasn't changed. Then we can go home, and see about protecting these ponies, feral or not."

None of us had any argument about that, so we went to pick up Hiro and the others. Yuka opted to keep some distance from the mall and its feral population, but the rest of us got busy. We dragged out every bit of food that the ponies hadn't torn open, and some other goodies too. Cases of batteries, nails, and anything else that looked handy to have around.

By the time we were done, Ground looked like she had a few stores strapped to her sides, but she wasn't slowed down much by it all. They'd be super happy to see us with this haul! And we had enough supplies to celebrate properly, feral ponies included. Not like they were too mean around normal ponies, unless you picked up their foals.

With everything loaded up, we set course for the hospital and got a move on. Behind us, the herd that had lived in the mall followed after us. They were mostly quiet. Some of them weren't even in view, but I saw them dive into the ground, and was pretty sure they were tunnelling after us. I got a sudden idea and dived to the ground to vanish into it. I knew how to dig good too! So I swam through the ground after them.

They seemed to like the company.

Author's Note

New friends are made. Hello Haruna. Hello Spitfire. You both seem like lovely ponies, even with the typos we had to get through to reach you.

It's vote time!
1: The Brass is quite stubborn about not providing a place for ferals.
2: Or maybe they prioritize the construction?
3: With two 'noble' class ponies, they want to give Spitfire to the scientists to play around with.
4: Word's come in from elsewhere in the city! They're not the only organized survivor group.
5: Calamity struck while they were away! One of the ponies infected a doctor, and many are lobbying for harsh penalties. Some are considering death.

31 - A Large Task for a Large Pony

They were welcomed back to the hospital as heroes, even if the soldiers were wary of Spitfire.

Aiko stood up for her new friend, though her explanation drew more questions. One of the doctors looked Spitfire over with undisguised curiosity. "So you are of the same variety as Aiko? You can exert control over other specimens."

Spitfire bristled as her leathery wings ruffled. "They're friends, not specimens."

"Yes, yes, of course." The doctor made a quick little scribble. "Have you met any others?"

Spitfire shook her head. "Aiko was the first I met."

Aiko slid up besides Spitfire. "Stop bothering her. She can start answering questions tomorrow, if she feels up to it."

Elsewhere, a small group of military men questioned Yuka. "So you know how to use that?"

Hiro was also present, and nodded. "She has all the paperwork, she checks out, and I've seen her use it."

Yuka shrugged. "I hunted before things went south. My only question is if you're going to shove me in with the horses or let me sleep with people?"

The man frowned softly. "You're an interesting case. You're obviously no horse, but we can't prove you aren't infectious."

She sneered and turned away. "Whatever. Just pick one, but don't blame me if I defend myself from 'curious' little horses trying to shove their noses where it isn't wanted."

Hiro frowned at her and his claws ticked against the ground. "You wouldn't hurt them, I hope? They are people, just like you, or me."

"Great." She shrugged. "Then, like people, they should know how to respect my space. Easy."

The guard pointed to her unloaded shotgun. "You realize we can't allow you to keep that while you're here."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, hell. I was pretty sure about that. I'm taking it with me in the field though. Only a madman would wander through the city with nothing." She smirked at Hiro. "Like you."

One of the soldiers shrugged. "She sounds pretty normal to me. Maybe we should just let her use one of the empty rooms?"

The one that seemed to be in charge nodded. "Right. Hiro, do you think she's safe?"

Hiro chuckled softly. "No, but only to people who bring it on themselves. I fear for the man that tries to take what's hers without her permission."

Yuka flashed a bright smile. "I'm glad we understand each other so well." She offered her gun out to the soldiers. "Alright, let's get going. I'm sure you have other things you need to be doing too."

Haruna rode on top of Pinkie as she strode into the pony wing with Homer beside her. Their presence was quickly noticed, and ponies began to fill the hallway with friendly greetings towards Pinkie and Homer, and curious eyes for their passenger. "Who is this little girl you've found?"

Pinkie set Haruna down gently. "Everybody, meet Haruna!"

Haruna looked down bashfully a moment before she gave a little smile. "H-hello..."

The introductions came swiftly. Little bows, gushes, 'aws', and even the occasional nuzzle, sniff or outright hug.

The colt was last, approaching nervously. "Um... hi..."

She tilted her head at him. "Hi..."

They stood staring at each other awkwardly before Pinkie grabbed both of them and mashed them together with herself in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad everyone knows each other now! Now we can all be friends, right?"

Forced closer, they smiled at each other, and a tiny bit of the awkwardness between them melted. "Wanna meet my mom? She's very nice, and we have a room to ourselves."

She nodded and followed after him as he went to his room to introduce his first girl friend to his mother, even if she was more of a friend that was a girl rather than a true girlfriend. The difference was not missed by his mother, whose eyes filled with tears even as she warmly welcomed the filly and watched them play together.

The hallway felt a little more like a home with two little ones to make it their home, and to bring their energy with them.

On the roof, the commander of the army looked out into the eyes of the large pony that sat beside the building, looking back at him.

She licked over her lips. "Is... Is really you? Really?"

He gave a stiff nod. "What's happened to you?"

It was a question she struggled to answer. She frowned with concentration, her hooves lifting and falling as the words failed to reach from her mind to her mouth. "Miss you..."

It wasn't the answer at all. He nodded at her lightly. "What... What is it you want to do?"

She perked her ears up at him, then reared up, holding out her forehooves. "Let... build. Please."

He put his hands on the edge of the ceiling, the lip that prevented people from falling off. "If you want to build, then you go ahead. Sa--"

"Ground." She tapped a hoof on the ground, though even a light tap from her made the ground tremble. "Ground Stomper. Old... Name gone."

He pinched his nose lightly before covering his face. "I suppose that's true... Tell me, are you happy?"

She went still a moment before she shook her head. "No..." She reached out a lone hoof towards the commander. "Want... small, human. Not get. Large, horse. Be good." She rose up and shook out, tail whipping out. "No time for sad."

He cracked a half of a smile. "No time for sad. Truest words I heard all day." He held out a hand and she leaned up towards it, just short of touching it with her quivering nose. "You're still my daughter."

"Father..."

His radio crackled to life and he brought it up to his ear to hear better. "Up on the roof. What's the situation? I'll be done in a moment." He hung up his radio on a hook at his front. "I have to get going... You do what you know is right. I'm with you, and I love you, alright?"

She nodded quickly at him. "You go... Do... right." She smiled at him lopsidedly.

He chuckled a bit as he turned away. With his own words turned back on him so swiftly, he knew his daughter was in there, struggling in the body of the behemoth she'd become. They left one another without further words. There were no more required.

Ground stepped around the hospital slowly. The soldiers kept an eye on her. She often felt like she was being watched, but it wasn't as bad as when she'd first approached. She put the thought aside, and instead turned her attention to the mostly-intact building she found. It would be a fine place for little horses to call a home. She reached for it and began cleaning it up. She swept out debris, blew out the dust, and carefully began gathering things to make sure the roof was solid and secure.

It was like building a doll house, only these dolls would be alive, and if it fell over, they would be hurt, not damaged. She felt the simultaneous joy of creation and the soft edge of needing to get it done right. Nobody would be hurt for her neglect...

Hours went by with only the noise of when she moved a large object with her even larger hooves or grabbed something in her mouth, but she was pleased with the progress she was making.

A tiny whickering noise drew her eyes down to see a little pony with two tails swaying in curious counterpoint looking up at her. It whickered again as if asking her something, but she didn't know what. She reached slowly and set a hoof down in front of it, and it moved in to sniff at her a moment before nuzzling her and moving for the house.

"Like... house? Horse. Horse house," Ground said, feeling pride swell as the wild pony seemed to approve of her creation already. The feral didn't reply to her, not directly, but it found a soft place to curl up inside, and it rested there despite her gently working on the house. It trusted her, and she felt all the more lifted by its simple act. She would make a fine place for the entire herd, and perhaps some other ponies that needed a safe place to be.

The commander arrived in the radio room. "What's the situation?"

The radio operator nudged one of the muffs on his ears off. "The base is live!"

"Which one?"

He pressed the muff tighter as he talked in the clipped language of radio operators. Short and terse, and communicating as much as they could in as few words as possible. "They've established a forward base at Kumatori Town Office. They have words for your ears only." He held out the headset towards the commander. "When you're ready."

The commander took the headset quickly and slid it over his head, lowering the boom to speak. "I'm here. Status report?"

The news that came was not what he expected. "Total blame for this event has been thrown at our feet, at least by the Chinese government. We don't know if they're just using it as an excuse or not, but they've made all the noises of going to war, and we have confirmed reports. We could have them on Japanese soil in a matter of days!"

He scowled and slammed a fist into a cabinet. "Damn it all! Are they being as badly affected as we are?"

"Uncertain. Media's a mess at best. Ground reports show a flurry of activity, but if it's troop movements or their cities falling apart, or some combination, we can't confirm. We have over half of our enrolled forces unable to fight. Conscription's a wild dream on the best of days. In our current condition..."

"A bad joke," agreed the commander as he paced back and forth. "On the other hand, if they aren't being affected as badly as we are, they're walking right into a live biohazard zone. This disease might be our first line of defense."

The voice on the other end let out a sigh. "A paltry defense. Against a concentrated force, it just means more civilian losses."

"Do we have any orders from higher up?"

"We fight as well as we can. Good luck."

The line went quiet, and the commander surrendered the headset back to the operator before he walked stiffly from the room towards his own room.

But that's mostly everyone else's thing. I was in my room, gathering up a few cooking supplies. We got enough from scavenging to make for a real party, and I was gonna have it! I mean, after we talked about Spitfire's herd of ponies. They could be in on the party too! Nothing saying 'feral' ponies and normal ponies couldn't be together, just not humans.

I bounced out of the hallway and saw Aiko in her room. She was with her own herd, Emma and Kuri, and they were being all snuggly and stuff. Aw. I waved at them and moved on. I didn't expect them to have much time for me. Oh hey! Hiro and Spitfire were talking, so I bounced over to join in.

Spitfire was frowning. "I won't leave them alone for long."

"What a coincidence! I was about to go talk about that."

They both looked over at me. Hiro nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised. I doubt the idea of a feral pony population closeby is going to make any of them feel secure."

Spitfire clopped a hoof on the ground. "Too bad. They're my responsibility. I'll keep them away from the hospital, but I'm not leaving them that far away. Are you going to help me out or not?" She leaned in close to Hiro, nose-to-nose. "We're dragons. We have to stick together."

Hiro went a little red. "T-that may be, Spitfire, but I have to think about everyone, not just you, or your friends."

I hugged the both of them. "We're all ponies. Let's go talk to them, together. We can work this out if we just remember we're all friends."

I wasn't sure if she really heard me, even with one of my legs around her. She reached for Hiro's forehooves and gently ran her hooves over his claws. "You're so lucky, getting to have fingers, of a sort."

Hiro turned all the more red and backed up a little. "You have very nice wings, and they work."

Spitfire fluttered her wings a little and smiled at him before turning to me. "Alright, Pinkie, let's do that. All three of us."

Sheesh, was everyone here getting a special somepony but me? "Sure. After they say yes. I'm going to get started on making a big party for us all, Spitfire's family included."

We walked together out of the hall and headed for the officer's wing. Why do they call hallways wings anyway? Imagine if a building could fly! Well, I guess pegasus buildings could fly... Would they have real wings? Anyway! We asked if the commander man was in, and off the soldier went to find him.

Hiro glanced aside at Spitfire, then at me. "Pinkie, are we alike?"

I pointed at myself. "Me? Well we're both ponies."

He shook his head. "I meant me and Spitfire."

I looked back and forth between them. "Oh, well, hmm... You're both ponies, but you're also both dragons. Your legs are the closest together, and your tails aren't far apart, though Hiro's is more fluffy, and Spitfire's has that spade to it."

I wasn't sure why he asked that, and before I could ask, the soldier came back. "He's not in the mood to talk right now, is it important?"

Spitfire stepped forward. "It's damned important. My people are alone without me there to protect them. I want a place for them, closeby if they can't be in the hospital itself."

The guard perked up. "Ah, right. He gave authorization for some kind of 'preserve' or something on the north side, towards the river. Your large horse friend's been working on it."

Hiro let out a breath. "Good, but they're people, not animals. Preserve..."

The soldier had no apologies to offer, and didn't. Before they could argue about it, I tried to focus on the good parts. "That's great! We should make sure Ground Stomper's doing okay. Maybe she could use some smaller ponies to do the little stuff." I held two hooves close together. "Or maybe she'd just like the company."

Spitfire spread her wings wide. "I'll meet you there." Off she went, darting down the hallway. She was pretty good at using those. Maybe not Rainbow Dash good, but pretty good.

Hiro nudged me as we walked. "Miss Pie, a question."

"What's up, Hiro?"

"Would we... Is it bestiality?"

I frowned a little at that. "Is what?"

"Us? Are we the same kind of thing. Do we even have a kind of thing?"

I held up my hooves. "Slow down there, Hiro. You just met her. You should make sure you like her first."

He shook his head. "I plan to, but she's... She's making it clear she's interested, and I don't know. I was starting to think I'd just be alone. Half-dragons are their own thing, then she showed up."

I huffed a little. "You're being silly! Like I said before, we're all ponies. We can play if we want to, or make a family." I paused a moment. "Do you want to make a family, Hiro?"

"Huh, what?" He jerked upright, looking startled by my question. "I mean, yes, eventually? I wanted to... but right now? It would be irresponsible to even have a child in this mess."

I reached out and set a hoof on his shoulder. "You'll do the right thing, Hiro. I believe in you. If you make a family, you'll do everything you can to be a great father, and it doesn't matter if you're a human or a pony or a dragon or all of the above."

Hiro nodded a little, but didn't reply. We emerged from the hospital and circled around to find Ground seated in front of a building that looked nice and clean. Spitfire was darting in and out of it, carrying things to and fro and looking helpful. When we drew close, Ground noticed us and smiled. "Hello."

"Hiya! How's it comin'?"

Ground reached up and ran a hoof slowly across the roof of the building. "Mostly... Spitfire help. You help? Hiro?"

We both nodded and moved in to lend a helping hoof. Helping a friend was almost as fun as a party, almost. The sooner we could get Spitfire's herd over, the sooner we could get to having that party!

Her instructions were slow and forced, but we followed them to get a bucket of sealant ready and we split up to start basically painting with the stuff. We coated the walls and ceilings bit by bit, blocking any breeze we could find. The windows, when broken, were carefuly pulled out and sealed over. We oiled the door hinges and got them swinging smoothly and it really was looking nice!

The most complicated part came when we had to start following pipes to make sure the water was flowing properly. Hiro said it wasn't very good for drinking, but for washing, it'd be just fine, or taking care of little pony needs. As the sun sank deep into the sky, we all retreated to the hospital. We waved at Ground, leaving her outside, and headed into our rooms. As we went, a thought came to me. "Ground Stomper really needs a house for herself. It's not fair that she has to sleep on the ground, in the open."

Hiro frowned a little. "You're right. She knows how to build, maybe she just hasn't thought of it. We'll bring it up tomorrow on our way out to fetch Spitfire's group and lend any assistance she may need to get it done quickly."

Author's Note

Hiro isn't sure where he stands with life sometimes.

Ground meets her father, who also receives very poor news indeed.

What do we do?
1: Being attacked is a losing game. Let's send a unit to them first to scout on them. We hear Pinkie's good at sneaking...
2: Ooops, maybe they were coming sooner than we expected?
3: A bold plan! Perhaps we can control their pony population with our royalty?
4: Muster the last line of defense, with Yuka and Aiko putting out a combined call for all ponies to assemble. What could go wrong?
5: Focus on stabilizing the home front. With two royalty, surely the ferals can be quarantined, and some semblance of normalcy is possible?

32 - Sailing the Ocean Blue

I woke up the next day and sprang to my hooves. Today was the day the other ponies would show up, and a big party was how I was gonna say hi, and help other ponies say it too as loud as they could. We'd have fun, and games, and everypony would learn everypony else's names and we could all become friends, even if some of them didn't like to talk much.

I bounced down the corridor, only to notice I had two guests springing along with me. The foals were following me. "Hey guys. Do your parents know you're here?"

Haruna shook her head. "I don't know where they are, miss Pie."

The colt pointed back. "She knows I'm playing with Haruna, grandma."

I paused. Grandma? He didn't sound like he was trying to be rude, but I wasn't that old! Foals! I grabbed them both up and squeezed. "Hey, you." I looked at the colt. "I don't think I ever got your name. You already know both of ours'."

He quirked a smile. "M-my dad used to call me Little Tree. Lots of other people took new names, so I took that one. I'll always be his Little Tree."

Aw. I felt a soft pull in my chest and squeezed them close. "Do you two know how to make cake?" They shook their heads at me with looks of wonder in their eyes that made me giggle. "Well I'm gonna show you how, and a few other tasty things while we're at it! For today, you are my chef's assistants. Are you ready?!"

A chorus of affirmatives came from them as they thrust up their forehooves and cheered with building excitement. I tossed them onto my back and pronked with a big grin down the hallway. One of the soldiers looked at me a bit funny. "Not going alone today, Pinkie-chan?"

I shook my head at him. "Nope! Two grade A assistants right here. We're going to prepare a party the likes of which none of these ponies have seen before!"

The soldier sighed. "You know, between you and me, it's a little unfair the ponies get to have parties and the rest of us have to ration everything."

Little leaned over my head. "Why don't they get to have fun too?"

Haruna leaned over his head, making a stack on me. "We should make them some sweets too!"

Gosh, it's not like I didn't want to... "If we make them, they might make the humans into ponies, and then they'd be sad, and angry."

Little held out a hoof. "We can wear gloves and be super careful."

I imagined cooking a treat while wearing that heavy suit the scientist had on when we visited Hiro. Wait... "Hey." I looked up at the soldier past the little foals parked on my head. "If we wanted to get some of those big suits to keep from getting sick, could we?"

He raised a brow. "We'd have to decontaminate it inside and out, but I guess so? I'd have to ask the brass. Why?"

I flashed a bright smile. "Easy! If we wear those, sure it'll be a bit stuffy, but then we can make lots of tasty stuff for everyone, pony or not. Then we can have a big party day, even if us ponies have to do our partying in another room, at least we'll all be having a good time, all together. I mean, at once, right?"

He looked interested in the idea. "I'll ask. Why don't you head on and start on the pony portion. I'll swing by the kitchen when I have an answer."

We did just that. I carried the foals to the kitchen and introduced them to the other people that worked there. They were still a bit nervous, but little foals? Even they couldn't help but find them adorable. I took the both of them to the stove. "This one's mine, and where we'll be working today! Haruna, go to the pantry and get some sugar, a nice big bag. Little, flour. I'll be getting other things ready. Today, we cook!"

With a mighty warcry, they charged for the pantry. We got right to work. I had them mixing things and measuring things and they really got a kick out of cutting things out with a stamp. Teaching them and playing with them was so much fun! I felt like my old self and was bouncing around with joy as we got to the slow part, waiting for things to bake. That just meant time to start preparing other things!

That was when someone came in. It wasn't the soldier, it was the head commander guy. "Miss Pie, if you have a moment?"

He crouched down to be on my level as I waved for the foals to keep working on some stuff that'd turn into candy later. I rushed over to him. "Heya, what's up?"

He nodded. "Nice to see you, Miss Pie. To start, you can borrow the hazmat suits, if you fit them. Your idea for a hospital-wide morale event is a good one. We don't need more rifts between the infected and uninfected portions of the people here."

I clopped my forehooves together with joy. "Thanks! I'm gonna make you so many tasty things!"

His smile was... fake. He was forcing it. "I'm sure you will, but there's another matter. One I've thought long and hard about. Something dire is coming, that could see a lot of the infected being gunned down in the streets. If you thought we were merciless in keeping a forbidden zone, it will seem like a trip to the park in comparison. Imagine millions of soldiers sweeping across this island, possibly murdering every infected citizen they see."

He was crushing my happy moment. I felt my mane start to sag under the weight. "Why?"

He sighed softly. "There are old grudges, before either of us were alive. In this moment of weakness, another nation thinks they can take us with little resistance, and I'm afraid they're not entirely wrong." He pinched the bridge of his nose like he was warding off a headache. "Our fighting force is scattered and ineffective, with roughly half of our men infected. We can't mount a reasonable defense."

I pointed at myself. "Alright, that sounds super serious, but you wouldn't come and tell me that just to tell me. I mean, you trust me, and I appreciate that, but you didn't just say that just to get my advice."

He cracked the hint of a smile, more genuine than the first. "You're right, Miss Pie. You don't strike me as a pure civilian, and you're not a Japanese civilian to start. You're an alien, and one with many talents. I want you to go to them before they come to us. You need to sneak into their land just as you managed to do to ours. You infiltrated an airport without an issue, and I know you don't want this to happen. Will you do it?"

That sounded really dangerous, but... "What would you want me to do?" I smelled something burning and called out to the foals, "Hey, get the cookies out of the oven! You can go ahead and put the next batch in."

"Hai!" They got right to work. They were so cute...

The commander watched them too for a moment. "They're still our children... I don't want them to face this. Find out what we're up against. The more you can tell us, the more we can prepare. Do they have an infected populace? How are they dealing with it? How large of a force do they seem to be gathering up to throw at us? Every fact is lives saved in preparation."

I stuck out my tongue a little as I thought about that. "Let me talk to the others. I want to help, but how this all will help, you know, your world? I'm still trying to learn all of that."

He put a hand down on my suited shoulder. "Give me an answer by sixteen hundred." He must have saw my confused expression. "Four o' clock." Oh. Why hadn't he just said that? "Enjoy your baking, Miss Pie. Whether you're here or not for the party, I'll be sure to share your brave deeds." He rose up to his feet and marched from the room stiffly. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he was determined to not show it, I think. Poor guy...

I returned to Haruna and Little and we spent several hours making all kinds of delicious things. I gathered them up and took them on my back once we climbed out of our suits. I didn't bounce back. I wasn't in the bouncing mood, and they looked tired from all the work they did. "You two did great. You should be proud."

Little nuzzled into the back of my head. "Thank you for showing us."

"Yeah..." Haruna yawned widely and flopped all over me. I wanted them to grow up big and strong, and get a chance to be happy ponies, or people, or whatever. The idea of them getting hurt just because I was scared to do something... That's not what Pinkie Pie should do! That's not what her friends would expect of her. It's not what I expect from me!

By the time I got back to the pony wing, they were passed out. I returned them both to Little Tree's mom, who quietly tucked them in and smiled at me. I nodded at her and stepped out towards my room, head full of heavy thoughts.

"Pinkie." Aiko stepped in lightly. "Forgive my intrusion, but I've been trying to refine my sense of other ponies, and your... Your energy? It feels strange."

I giggled at that. "Is it that obvious? The commander asked a big favor of me..."

She settled beside me, looking down at my prone form. "What did he ask? It obviously weighs on you. Perhaps sharing will ease it?"

It occurred to me suddenly. "Hey, where's Hiro?"

Aiko gestured vaguely. "He went with Spitfire, Homer and Ground to fetch the feral ponies. They should be back in an hour or two."

"So how are things with Emma and Yuka?"

Aiko leaned over me. "They are well, but you are avoiding the question. I want to help you, Pinkie. You've been there for us."

I wasn't getting out of this one. "Well, alright... They want me to go to a place far away. They said they're going to attack the whole island and hurt a lot of ponies along the way."

She squinted at me. "What? Where?"

I shrugged. "A big place, from the way he was going on abou--Hey!" She grabbed me by the ear and was tugging me up to my hooves. "What?"

Aiko frowned. "We are going to the commander this instant."

She didn't sound like 'no' was an acceptable reply. I nodded at her and she led the way, practically stomping. What got her so angry?

Aiko waved aside a soldier in the way. "We have urgent business with the commander, step aside." He might not have been a pony, but her authoritative voice didn't invite argument, and he moved for us with a nod. She smiled, and trotted past him. "To demand an answer from you, Pinkie, without the fact is reprehensible. We're going to get all the details before you throw yourself into this task." She paused and turned to face me. "You do plan to do this, don't you? I can't imagine you refusing it."

Well... I squirmed a bit. "I don't want a bunch of ponies being hurt if we can avoid it, and thinking of Haruna or Little getting killed when I could have stopped it..."

She nodded. "I thought so." She brought up a hoof and clopped on the commander's door firmly. "Commander! We need to speak to you immediately."

The door opened after a moment. His face was wet, like he was just washing it, and there was a bit of an odd smell. Was he drinking? "Yes?"

Aiko scowled. "You will tell us the exact details of Pinkie's mission."

He frowned back at her. "You might be some princess of horses, but I'm no horse, miss." His fist slammed on the wall out of our sight. "Pinkie, what do you want?"

I cleared my throat a little. "Well, where would I be going again?"

"China."

"China!" Aiko bristled. "You want her to do something about all of China? Are you mad?!"

I didn't get it. "How big's China? Why are you acting like it's such a big deal."

Aiko held up two hooves. "Pretend these are opposite ends of China. You could walk for an entire year and not get from here--" she wagged her left hoof. "--to here." She wagged the other hoof. "It's one of the largest nations on the planet!"

"And one that will run us over shortly." The commander was scowling at Aiko. "Countless millions will die, gunned down in the street. Japan will become little more than a province of China along the way. Is that what you want? Before you say to surrender, that isn't an option. If we throw our guns to the ground, they'll still march through here, 'pacifying' and controlling the nation, and that will mean purifying our sick. You'll be one of the first on their termination lists, horse princess."

Aiko began to tremble as I fully deflated at the idea of every horse, I mean pony, being... This was a terrible world in some ways.

She slammed a hoof on the ground. "I won't just sit here and let Pinkie run off to die while waiting for the end. Don't they have this same sickness?"

"That's one of the things I wanted to know." He put a hand over his face as he sighed loudly. "There could be any number of situations. They may have put their infected population down like rabid dogs the moment they noticed something amiss. Maybe they reacted faster than us. Maybe they quarantined the lot of them. Maybe they worked out some kind of inoculation, but I doubt that. I can't say it's impossible. We don't know. We just don't know. All we can do is prepare, and know that we'll lose, one way or the other."

I raised a shaking hoof. "But you could know, if I go, right?"

"Right." He knelt down to my level. "Please... I wouldn't normally even consider this assignment to a trained soldier, let alone a foreign alien. You're the only one I think has a chance of pulling this off. Your friends say you make the impossible, possible. Can you pull our survival out of that? Can you make that impossible dream possible again, and return our hope to us?"

Aiko put a hoof in front of me. "Wait, before you answer that. She's not the only one. If they do have infected, they'll be our best chance. We need to reach out to them as quickly as possible. They're just like us, the Chinese. Their people, they're... people. They want peace, not a war. Given the choice and the leadership, they would rise against this. If they're jailing them, we break them free, by showing them how they can set themselves free. Otherwise, we'll have them marching in the streets. We'll do what it takes, whatever that is... If it... If..."

The commander held up a hand. "Say nothing more. For reasons of plausible deniability, I've already heard too much. Fine, Pinkie, can you protect Aiko as you go?"

I swallowed with a dry mouth. "I'll do my best. Every pony makes it harder."

Aiko put a hoof to her chest. "I'll leave the others behind. It'll just be us two." She smiled. "Will you be my pink guardian?"

I wrapped my forehooves around her. "Of course I will." She held me close and squeezed me. "We'll pull the impossible out, right?"

She nuzzled back at me gently. "Right... Everyone's counting on us. We have to do this right, or all our struggles were for nothing."

I nodded quickly. "We won't mess up." I brushed a hoof through my limp mane and batted at it. "Come on, it's time to be a super hero, not mope!" As if listening to me, the mane floofed up into its curls for me and I smiled at them. "That's right. Aiko, we're going to do this!"

Aiko held up a hoof and I met it in a loud clop.

The commander gave a little smile. It was sincere, but I could tell he was so worried. "I'll arrange for a boat out of Sakai. There's a contingent still in fighting trim there." He turned away from the door, leaving it hanging open as he shuffled through papers. "Have you been to the piers in Sakai, Aiko?"

"Yes."

"Great." He drew a quick map for her and gave her the scrap of paper. "This is where you two need to be then. We'll radio them and let them know you're coming. The faster you go, the better for everyone involved."

I realized something and frowned. "You're going to have that party without me. The treats are ready. The ones with a Pinkie Pie sticker should be kept to ponies only, while the rest is safe for anyone, alright?"

He nodded. "We'll do that. I won't be able to go into great details, but I'll tell them you're doing a very brave thing, for all their sakes."

I flashed a little smile. "Tell Hiro and Homer and all our friends we'll be back soon, alright? And to not mope around. Oh! Spitfire's the stand-in princess while we're away. She's a good mare. She'll do alright."

Aiko nodded in agreement. "Spitfire can handle it. There are few others I would trust to this. The ponies here are in good, um, hooves." She glanced at me. "Maybe Hiro and she will grow closer while we're away."

I giggled at the thought. "That'd be nice."

We had everything we needed, except for some food to take with us. We stopped by the kitchen and stocked up on some supplies to take with us, wielding a note from the commander giving the okay for it.

Aiko glanced aside at me as we went back through the halls. "I still don't understand where you tuck things, Pinkie. I see you pushing things into your mane, but hair doesn't work that way."

I shrugged a little. "If it works, it works. Why question it?"

She smiled. "So others can enjoy it?"

I hadn't considered that before. Maybe that was a reason to question it. Huh... "We should get going for now. No time to go prying into that right now."

She didn't argue that. When we got outside, she moved around me and hopped up like an eager stallion. She wrapped her hooves around me and hugged me close. "Ready?" I wasn't sure what she had in mind but I nodded anyway. She smiled and flapped her wings, lifting us both into the air with some effort on her part before she turned in place and started soaring over the city. "Much faster than walking, isn't it?"

I giggled as I saw the vast city go by beneath me. For all the ugliness, their city was a very pretty city. It was bigger than any I could think of from Equestria, and had so many more people in it, relying on us to get it done right. To save them. "We can do this..."

"We will do this." She kissed my left cheek. "We have to."

She veered down towards the edge of the city, where it met with the water. We had soared quietly for about ten minutes, just for something to crash into us on our way down. I was suddenly freefalling through the air with a loud squeal, but I was crashed into again, caught up in the arms of a pegasus stallion. He nuzzled into my cheek as he worked me around in his hooves and prodded up against my side. Did he knock me out of Aiko's grip just to play with? That was just rude!

"Hey, let go of me!"

It was something of a shame he took that too literally. I was freefalling again, with the wind rushing past my ears in a loud howling as the ground came rushing up towards me way too quickly for my comfort. Why didn't I bring my blanket?

The sparkle of magic reached around me and pulled, slowing my fall, but I was still falling. I smacked against the ground roughly bounced before flopping to the cement. Ouch... I wasn't all splatted, at least. Aiko landed right next to me and grabbed me into a hug despite the bumps and bruises being unhappy about being moved. "Pinkie! Tell me you're alright, please!"

I giggled a little. It felt at once great and kinda ouchie to be held by her. "I'm alright. Just some stallion that thought he could impress me."

Aiko's wings ruffled as they folded against her. "Impress you? He almost killed you. Come on, we'll walk the rest of the way. Besides, we're almost there." She lifted me with her magic and tossed me on her back. She was a bit larger, sort of like how Twilight was larger. I hugged to her and we were off towards the soldiers waiting for us.

The pier came into sight. It wasn't hard to miss, with all the soldiers standing around, guns at ready. I didn't want to be a feral pony around there, no sir. They saw us quickly enough and some of them pointed at us with those guns, but word traveled quick and they lowered.

One of them approached. "Aiko, Pinkie?" We nodded quickly. "Great. We have the ship ready to depart the moment you're ready. Uh, kindly cut that out."

Did he think? "I'm a girl pony." I slid off of Aiko anyway and stretched out. A little rest was just what I needed, and I felt ready to walk again.

We had a country to save.

Author's Note

Go Pinkie, go Aiko! Take the fight to the nation of typos. Take care of China while you're out there.

Votes? Yep, we need votes.
1: One of the others somehow sneak along (feel free to include who you intend)
2: They're spotted by a patrol boat, making things quite dangerous before they even land!
3: Luna has a message.
4: So how does Spitfire handle her new role?
5: What do you mean there are infected in the ocean?

33 - Across the Unknown

The soldiers were happy enough to see us, once they were sure of who we were. One of them waved us along past all the other boats, bobbing there in the water. "You'll be taking this one." He pointed to a yacht. Was it a yacht? I had never learned one boat from another. It was definitely a boat!

On the deck were four other soldiers who looked like they were waiting for us. "I hope you don't mind my saying so, but this sounds like a suicide mission." He looked over Aiko and me. "He either really trusts you, or hates you."

I puffed out my chest and sat up tall. "We're going to pull it off, even if it looks impossible. Everyone's counting on us."

Aiko bobbed her head. "We have some advantages that may help. If they have infected people as well, we should b--"

"You've already said enough. On the boat, and keep your plans to yourself." He hiked a thumb at the boat. "You'll be carted in, dropped off, and then you're on your own. They'll be giving you a portable radio, but even using it's a huge risk. If they're on the ball, they'll be searching for rogue transmissions, and it might be a big neon sign pointed at you if you try using it."

I took a slow look around at the spotlights they had and everyone looking all tense and ready as if they were going to get pounced on. "Aren't we early? What's the rush? You guys look like you could use some cheering up."

The man kneeled down to my level. "Look, Miss Pie was it? They could be here any moment. We're thanking every god we can think of that you got here so quickly. There isn't any time left. We'll 'cheer up' when we're not about to be slaughtered. Our people being freed of this insanity? That'd be a nice bonus prize. Go, Miss Pie."

I gave the best salute I could, imitating what I saw the other soldiers do. "I'll do my best, and then some more!"

Aiko spread her wings and sailed down to the boat easily. "I'll do what I can."

I hopped down beside her and began exploring the ship. It wasn't that large, for a space we'd be living in, but I hadn't been on too many boats, so it was kind of cool, and the way it went back and forth and back and forth... Um, give me a moment. I made it to the side of the ship before making a mess of anything, or one.

Aiko pat me on the back lightly. "I didn't feel that well the first time I went fishing, but you get used to it, I promise. Thank you, for all of this. This is a very brave thing you've volunteered to do."

I flopped against the railing, facing her. "Aren't you doing the same thing? You don't need to think me all special for it. Saving's the day is kind of my job ever since Twilight entered my life. Bright girl, but she's a real trouble magnet, let me tell you."

She sat down in front of me. "Tell me."

So I did. I told her how we met, and defeated Nightmare Moon, who turned out to be a pretty nice mare. How we faced off against Discord, and went to a fancy party. I expounded on our adventure to the frozen north, and how Twilight's brother's wedding totally got crashed. She kept asking me to go on, so I did, our clash with the nasty vines, rescuing the tree of harmony, which later helped us turn things around on Tirek. That was a blast!

"Just before I came here, I went with one of my besties, Rainbow Dash, and we took care of a problem in the griffon lands. We got to meet an old griffon friend we had a fight with, and we got that behind us. It was a really nice trip, if a little dangerous at times."

Aiko nodded slowly. "You really have been to many places. I can scarcely imagine half the things you've described, but it does give me hope. If you can go through all that, and still be smiling, maybe we can pull this off."

I held out a hoof to her. "There's no maybe. We will." She clopped her hoof against mine and we smiled.

Setting out into the dark waters, the boat hurriedly ferried us out until the city behind us became a dot, and then nothing at all. It was all water in every direction. I thought there had been a lot of air while in the sky, but no, even there I could look down and see the ground. Here? No ground, just water. Water water water!

There wasn't much for us to do but look out at it, or try to chat with the soldiers, but they weren't in the talking mood, no matter how nice I tried to be with them. About the only time I got to socialize with them is when they started a card game and I took a chair after one left. Their game was a little different than most pony ones, but I was able to figure it out, and had fun trying to get into the tricky parts of it. It was as much about fooling your game partner as having good cards, like a lot of card games, really.

Eventually they went off to do various chores, and it was getting late, so I went to flop in my cot and catch some sleep, only to have a warm presence snuggle in with me. Unlike Emma or Homer, Aiko seemed to just want to be close. She threw a leg over me, and I returned the favor, and we slept like that. Nothing extra, and that was just fine.

I woke up to singing. Somepony was singing a soft and alluring song, but it wasn't in any language I... oh there it goes. Her words shifted in my head all crazy, and I could understand what she was saying clearly. It wasn't Japanese, I was sure of that. Aiko was sitting up next to me, looking curious about the noise. "Do you hear that?"

I nodded quickly and bounced to my hooves. "Let's go see what it is!"

"Won't you join us? Won't you join us? It's so much nicer in the water. Won't you join us? Won't you join us?" They weren't rhyming, just singing. They sounded like mares with very sweet voices.

Bursting through the door from the cabin to the decks, I saw a few of the soldiers just sort of staring out into the water. "Hey, guys, do you hear that?" They didn't answer, so I bounced up to them, and saw the source.

In the water were three ponies, though they had scales instead of fur, and glistened in the light. One was bright yellow, another deep blue, and the last a vibrant green. They sang in unison and swayed left and right as they did, gazing at the soldiers with half-lidded eyes.

When I leaned forward, a fourth one, with deep red scales, popped free from the depths, her nose barely a foot away from mine. She was close enough that I could see she had sparkly green eyes. "Hello there! You're not a human." She was speaking that funny language. "This is the first time a pony was on a boat. Why haven't you made your human friends into ponies? They'd be so much happier!"

A dirty little part of me agreed with her. They'd all be so much happier as ponies... Wait, no! "They like being humans. Leave them alone!"

Aiko suddenly pulled one of the soldiers back and gave him a shaking. "Wake up!"

All four sea ponies frowned at us. "You shouldn't do that," said the closest one. "People get violent when they're not happy." She reached a hoof out of the water and I could see she had fins on her leg, just like the one she had on her head. "Let them enjoy the song. It isn't hurting them."

Two more of them popped up beside the green pony that was talking to us and began to sing, and she fell right into their song without a delay. "Even ponies need to listen. Even ponies need to dance."

It was like when Aiko tried to tell me what to do, but I didn't have a choice. With her, I could just say no, but them... I rose up on two legs and spun around before shuffling to the tune of their slow-moving song. Dancing and listening just seemed like a fine thing to do, until Aiko tackled me to the ground. "Hey! What's the big deal?"

Aiko put her hooves over my ears. "Stop listening!"

With a soft thud, Greenie hopped up onto the deck. She was more fish than horse from the midsection down, with her bottom half curled, like a sea horse? That's what she was! A sea horse. Her green scales glistened as she pushed up on her hooves. "Why aren't you dancing? Who are you?" She was looking straight at Aiko.

I forced myself back up, only to start dancing. I wanted to talk to them, but I was singing along instead. Was that what the soldiers felt like? Aiko would have to save us!

She glared back at the sea horse. "Maybe you don't realize, but we have very important business ahead of us, that can save millions of lives. Pony, or human, or sea horse. They'll all die."

The sea horse tilted her head one way, then the other. "I don't understand you..." She turned to me and waved at her friends in the water. "You, tell me what she's saying." The ones singing for ponies to dance went quiet, freeing me from their grip.

I flopped back to all fours with a huff. "Thank goodness! She said we're on a super important mission that could save like kajillions of lives and we need to do it, for ponies and humans and everyone!"

Aiko flicked an ear at me. "What are you saying?"

I could understand either of them, but talking was one or the other, and whoever I tried to talk to, that was it.

"Is that Korean?"

The sea horse suddenly clopped her hooves. "Ah ha! I recognize it. This is a Japanese boat."

What? There was more than America, Japan, and China? How many states did this world have?! How many languages did it have?! "Um, yes. Were you born ponies out here? We wouldn't mind getting to know you, but we have to keep going. Please let our guys get back to work."

She giggled softly. "No! Not yet. We were fishers and ship workers until others caught us and taught us how to sing, and now we sing for others. We're so much happier this way." She leaned forward, almost flopping over. "They'd be happier too. You don't have to do anything, land pony, just let us play with them."

Aiko tried speaking their language, slowly and poorly. "Please... stop."

The sea horse blinked in surprise. "Nice try! Thank you." She drew in a breath and suddenly squirt a stream all over one of the guards. "One down. That's not the fun way, but it works." The soldier sputtered and tried to clean himself off. It woke him up at least, but it was already too late.

Aiko squealed in horror. "How can you do that? Stop!" She launched herself at the sea horse and crashed into her, sending them both into the ocean.

I moved between the sprayed soldier and his friends. "I think he's infected." That was all they needed to hear, and they dispersed. I only realized then that the songs had all stopped and moved to the edge, looking for Aiko.

A hand settled on my shoulder. "Pie. Pie Pinkie. Tell me there's something you can do!" He spun me around to face his wet face. "I don't want to die, not like this, as if I was never even there, replaced by some... alien."

I glanced back at the disturbingly clear water, wondering if Aiko was alright. "Ok, look. The other guys, they're your friends, right?"

"Y-yes. We've served together a while." He was shaking, and scared. Already his mane was starting to thin and fall out. It'd be a quick one, I guessed.

"Okay, then we have to get you all together, and they need to remind you of what makes you, uh, you, and awesome! Okay?"

He nodded even as a loud snap made us both wince. I grabbed for his hand and pulled him along away from the edge. "You're going to be alright. You're a, uh, Japanese soldier, and you're proud of it."

"Damn proud," he muttered as he spat out a few teeth to the ground, then stumbled, falling to his knees, then to his belly entirely as his clothes began to contort painfully around his changing body.

I shouted for the others. "Guys! Please, he needs you!" I spun back on him and grabbed for his hand, even as it began to become more of a hoof. "Stay with me. Pinkie's with you, I promise. You're on a mission, doing good for other people. Tell me your name?"

He tried to say it, or something, but it was a slurred mess that came out. His pants exploded to shreds as his legs began to seal together. He was becoming a sea horse all right. He howled with pain despite my efforts to calm him down.

"His name is Hiroshaki." I whipped around to see one of the others standing a few feet away. "He's a computer whiz, and a damn fine hand at poker. Every shore leave, he'd find a new girl to impress with his medals. I don't know how the bastard does it, makes me jealous as hell." He crouched down, but didn't come closer. "He wouldn't lose, not to a damn disease. Not like this."

Scales began to spread over him in a rapid sheet. He was a soft blue-green shade. His snout was fully grown, and new teeth had sprouted. Even his hands were becoming hooves rapidly. Though painful, it was at least fast. And his blubbering was becoming something akin to words. "Hiro... Shaki... Computer..."

"Yeah, best computer guy on this boat. Remember that time you changed the CO's password, made him pissed off for days? He never did figure out it was you. Secret between brothers, right? We're still brothers. You can lick this."

Hiroshaki pushed up, then collapsed. "Damn... man, it... hurts everywhere."

"I know it does, I know. We've seen it before. At least you didn't pass out. Too manly for that, huh?"

He laughed at the statement of bravado. "I... almost wish... I could." He held up a hoof towards his friend. "How ugly am I?"

"On a scale from one to ten, maybe an eleven. So no worse than normal."

"You amazing... jerk." They laughed together despite the pain, and Pinkie smiled. She was sure he'd be alright. He had a friend. Something tickled at her suddenly. The pony disease was most tolerable with friendship.

The power of friendship. She put a hoof over her face. It seemed so obvious, now that she'd seen it. If Twilight knew, she'd probably blow a gasket.

The changed soldier tried to push up again, to flop over. "Miss Pie, can you get me up please?" He sounded like he didn't really want to ask.

I gently propped him up against a nearby rail, and he nodded in thanks before he started talking with his friend some more. It was just what he needed, and I left him to it. The water had more of my attention then. Would Aiko be alright? Was she even down there? I couldn't just sit there! "Aiko! Say something!"

With a loud splash, Aiko came into view, having a big smooch with Greeny. The sea horse pushed her away a few inches. "Your friend is calling for you."

Aiko pulled back with a wrinkled snout. "Were you going to hold me down there until she did that?"

"I still don't understand you." Greenie leaned in and Aiko leaned away, but Greenie had the advantage and got her nuzzle. "You should get back on land. You're not a sea horse."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Aiko, get back up here. Greenie, no more squirting people on this boat! That wasn't nice, or the pony thing to do."

Greenie released Aiko and span towards me. "Did they change? Are they a boy or girl sea horse? Are they pretty? Send them down."

I waved a hoof at her. "Yes, boy, pretty enough, and they don't wanna."

Aiko got ahold of the side of the ship and climbed up the netting to flop up onto the deck, panting.

I kept looking at Greenie. "He's staying here, with his friends, who he likes as humans."

Greenie looked genuinely confused. "He still remembers who he was? I don't..." She looked curious. "How did you do that?" She clapped her hooves. "Now I want to see him even more! Let me see him!"

"He's tired and sore, and he doesn't even speak your language. What would you say to him?"

She pouted. "I guess that's true... Is he angry?"

I looked over my shoulder at the soldier, who was speaking quietly with his friend. "Hey! Are you angry with her?"

Funny thing, Japanese doesn't have as many words that are literal curses as some languages, but he sure tried. "Um, yes, sorry, he's a little angry right now. You did kind of turn him into a sea horse after being asked not to."

She rubbed her hooves together like a little foal. "But he was a human. He'll learn how to be happy, I know it. Being a sea horse is happiness." She smiled gently. "Please tell him I just wanted him to be happy."

I rolled a hoof at her. "I'll tell him that, and ask the others to forgive you all, if you solemnly swear to leave everyone on this boat alone in the future."

She put a hoof over her heart. "I promise. No more squirting, and no more changing, unless they want it? They should want it! Being a sea horse is way better than being anything else, even what you are."

"Pony."

"That. You should try it."

I wasn't sure how I could do that. "I'll consider it. No more singing and mind controlling too, right?"

She pouted. Was she hoping I'd forget to ask that. "Fine... We can sing if we don't command you, right? You'll like our singing, it's nice, and we like singing."

"Well, sure, if it's normal singing." I smiled at her. "I'd like to learn who you are. You know, your names and stuff. You have names, right?"

She looked confused at the idea. "Name? Oh! How we find each other." She let out a pure little note.

Another sea horse's head popped up and gave a subtly different note, then another, and another, until a chorus of notes sang out, each one a little different from the other. "These are our names. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

I giggled at that. "I don't have a sound like that, but you can call me Pie Pinkie, or just Pinkie for short." I only noticed then that their funny language had the same thing as Japanese. Family name first, huh.

In a harmonious band, they sung out my name, then slipped into the depths, until they were all gone. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time I'd see the sea horses.

Author's Note

Oh, wow! The votes!

So, last time:

1: One of the others somehow sneak along (feel free to include who you intend) 2.3 votes
2: They're spotted by a patrol boat, making things quite dangerous before they even land! 0.33 votes
3: Luna has a message. 0.83 votes
4: So how does Spitfire handle her new role? 0.9 votes
5: What do you mean there are infected in the ocean? 17.64 votes

22 votes total! Most since I started counting them, and the large majority demanded ponies in water.

How about a new vote!

1: Luna still wants to chat.
2: They land in a hot zone, and things get interesting fast.
3: Friendly agents meet them at the shore, and give them a briefing from the inside.
4: The sailors determine things have gotten hot, and are afraid to come to shore. Guess Aiko and Pinkie are flying the last leg.
5: Aiko wants to use the sea horses in a pre-emptive sea strike!

34 - Moon Over the Ocean

I looked over the edge of the ship. The sea horses were still following us. They were watching us, even as I watched them. One of them called out to me, but they were talking Korean, and all I knew was 'hello', so I said that, which made them really happy.

One of them waved a hoof out at me. "Hello!" She said it in Japanese, surprising me. "Can I come closer?"

I looked around cautiously. None of the soldiers were close by, but I didn't want them being startled. "I'm going to talk with one of the sea horses in the back." I trotted along the side of the ship in view of the sea horse until I came to the back.

Pinkie suddenly sprang up. "Hey there! You're gonna talk to them, huh?"

I smiled gently at her. "I hope so. They're following us. They must want something. Besides, I am a princess. Even if we don't talk easily, I'm responsible for them too, right?"

Pinkie suddenly hugged me close. "I believe in you. You have this totally under control!" She bounced off, leaving me to my meeting.

I waved down at the sea horses from the back deck. "Come on up."

The bright orange sea horse jumped up like a dolphin, coming down just in beside me. "Hello! You're really important? How?"

I sat on my haunches and nodded at her. "First, hello. My name is Aiko, and I've found out I'm a princess of our kind, the ponies. I don't mean that in a 'I'm now your boss' way, but that I'm responsible, and I want to do right by you all. It's a responsibility, not a privilege."

She pointed a hoof up at my partially-spread wings. "Is that why you can fly?"

"Sort of." I turned to show them off to her. "They're more like a badge. But, really, I'm not here to try to boss any of you around."

She tilted her head one way and the other. "Do you remember like the man we sprayed?"

"Remember what?" It came to me just after I asked the question. "You mean what I was like before being a pony?" She nodded quickly. The idea of not remembering seems far more strange and terrifying to me. "Well, so far as we can tell, if someone has friends nearby to coach and support them through the process, they can hold onto more of who they are, where as people who are alone or surrounded by ponies that don't remember don't help, and can forget it all."

She hopped towards me, balancing precariously on her muscular tail. "Can we remember, if we want to?"

I struggled for an idea. "I find myself hoping so. I might remember, but so many others don't, while others struggle to even talk."

She waved a hoof at the water. "Some of our friends don't talk, but they can sing, and dance, and play. They're still friends."

"Yes, of course." I considered it. "I am learning that friendship is one of the strongest things we have left." I reached for the sea horse. "Even new friends."

She leaned forward and nuzzled my hoof before flopping over onto her belly with a little squeak.

I wrapped my magic around her quickly and lifted her upright. She looked surprised. "How can you do that? What is this?"

I pointed up at my horn. "Unicorns can apparently do that."

"Wow..." She tilted her head lightly. "Why are you on this boat? Where are you going?"

"Are you okay?" called a voice from over the side. The sea horse hopped back to the edge and leaned over.

"I'm alright! We're talking." She transitioned to Korean and began talking much more rapidly to her friends down below before she spun back at me, wobbling. "Where are you going?"

I pointed in the direction the boat was going. "There's a whole nation, if you remember it? China?"

She frowned with obvious thought before it came to her. "Oh! Yes. I remember it. What about it?"

How to explain? Well, let's try being straightforward. "They're attacking us. If they do it, they'll kill any pony they come across to make things secure."

She flinched back. "That's... awful. Are they going to hunt us too?"

My mouth went dry and my heart thumped. If they were willing to run across Japan... "They might. Korea could be another stepping stone. They may even move for you first. You're in the way. We want to learn more about them, and stop them."

She suddenly scowled, and jumped off the boat with a little flip. I heard her splash below, and she didn't come back up. I quietly hoped I hadn't upset her too badly, but there wasn't much I could do for it. At least she'd warn her friends, for what good that'd do.

Pinkie called down from where she was sitting on top of the cabin, "how'd it go?"

I'm not sure how she even got up there. I waved at her. "She heard what we were doing and went to talk to her friends."

Pinkie tilted her head. "Oh, alright. Want me to tell you if they come looking for you?"

I let out a sigh. "That would be useful, yes. Thank you, Pinkie. I'm going to get a nap." I was feeling tired and retreated into the boat. My room wasn't far from the entrance, and I crashed onto the mattress they had provided for me. My thoughts wandered back to the... herd... as Pinkie had called it. Were we really so much animals that we could have herds? I supposed we were, seeing as it was my idea in the first place. I had no one else to blame.

I began to think of him, once her. Once human, now a pony, and my love... I faded to sleep with the thoughts of his welcome presence.

I appeared suddenly in a familiar garden. Luna was seated there, but so were other ponies, though they looked different. Each was majestic in their own right. One of them stood out, being covered in bright colorful lines and wearing a seemingly perpetual scowl. "You don't get to tell me what to do. South America will be mine long before any of you can even get close to it, and I'll make it into a better place." She stood tall. "We'll put the humans to the only true use they have, becoming ponies."

Luna softly coughed into a hoof. "Please, let's put that aside a moment. Another has arrived, from... Japan, was it?"

I nodded quickly, then realized. "Are you all from different parts of the world?"

One smiled gently at me. "We are pleased to meet you. I'm Hedwig." He looked like a deer rather than a pony. "I represent Europe. Japan has a lovely representative, with the grace I imagine when I think of Asia."

Another, a dinosaur of all things, nodded. "I am Adaeze." She was a female. A brontosaurus, I think? "I hail from Africa. I am not the only princess there, but the spirits have chosen me to represent them."

The brightly colored one flickered several long tongues out. "Neon, South America, as I just finished saying. Maybe you have some sense in you. The humans aren't good for anything anymore. If they were all ponies, we could rebuild society, better than before!"

Luna clopped the ground with a silver horse shoe. "Please. There must be a peaceful resolution to your difficulties."

"There isn't!" Neon bristled. "Where we aren't converting the humans, they're converting us, with bullets. We aren't killing them, just making them better. They should be thanking us!"

I didn't like the sound of any of that. "Right now, I'm working with the humans of my nation, who are still Japanese, as I am. We're working to defend ourselves from China's aggression. They treat us as Japanese, and why shouldn't they? We are. I am proud to be one, four legged or not. Winged or not."

Neon hissed at me, her bottom jaw splitting to reveal her mouth opened three ways in a disconcerting way. "Good for you! My continent is broken into many smaller nations, and as ponies, we can get along, or we can be hunted down and shot. I'm not accepting the latter. Goodbye." She turned away and vanished into clouds that dispersed where she had stood.

Hedwig sighed softly. "I understand her frustration, as should you, to a degree. Though you are allied with the people of your nation, another nation closeby is moving to war and destruction. Members of Europe are slow to unify as well. Some nations embrace their pony populations, others fear it, and others attack it. It's quite a pickle, to put it lightly."

Luna put a hoof over her face. "Yes, well, I do appreciate that the rest of you are attempting to approach this peacefully. I cannot explain how deeply I regret the disharmony we have brought to your world. Please, don't let it grow more than it already has. You were chosen by fate itself to be the custodians of your world. It is by your hooves that you can guide your people to harmony, or chaos."

I sat up a little. "I'll do my best, I promise. I want to help my people, all of the people. We met some Koreans on our way, and they're good people, if lost in being ponies. They rather like being ponies, really..." I tapped my chin. "They didn't like hearing about the Chinese."

Adaeze shook her large head. "I don't like hearing of the Chinese, if they are truly mobilizing for war. You must stop them. Win or lose, the loss of life is unacceptable. If you can put a halt to it, you must."

Luna looked towards me. "I admit to knowing little of the geography and politics of your world, but this is a serious undertaking you are embarked on. Do you require assistance from us?"

Was that an option? "What can you do? We're on a boat trying to sail in to China to have a look around."

Luna reached out to me and set a hoof on my forehead. "Allow us to press my magic through you. We will shroud you from thine enemy's eyes but once. Simply call out my name, and the spell will be unleashed. We cannot say how long this will persist, so move with speed."

Adaeze glanced at Luna. "Can I do this as well?"

Luna tilted her head. "You are all still learning the art that has been blessed upon you." She took a slow breath. "For tonight, if you will submit to my teaching, I would show you how to channel your power, to more greatly cast your spells and arcane grip." She directed her horn at a large smooth rock and it lifted from the ground in a nimbus of her magic. "This will become easy for you, with practice."

I felt a thrill at seeing the casual display of power. Could I really match that great alicorn's might? If I could even do half of what she did, that would be something amazing! I leaned forward, ready to learn from her everything she had to offer, at least in one night's time.

Author's Note

1: Luna still wants to chat. 7 votes
2: They land in a hot zone, and things get interesting fast. 2 votes
3: Friendly agents meet them at the shore, and give them a briefing from the inside. 3.5 votes
4: The sailors determine things have gotten hot, and are afraid to come to shore. Guess Aiko and Pinkie are flying the last leg. 3 votes
5: Aiko wants to use the sea horses in a pre-emptive sea strike! 3.5 votes

19 votes total, a healthy turnout.

Sorry for the delay! I'm back from the con, so maybe I should get to writing, hmm?

Hey, where's the vote?! There is none. I am a cad, and will continue. This plot ain't over! Note we haven't reached 4k yet even close. So I owe you more typing.

36 - Welcome to Jiangsu

We flopped out onto the dark pebbles under the pier. I rolled up onto my tummy and gave a good shake, sending water everywhere and getting dry in a hurry. Reaching into my mane, I pulled out two trenchcoats and set one aside while clambering into the other. Some gloves I got from the hospital covered my hoofsies and a mask went over my snout and bam! I was practically a human! Oh wait... I got out some boots and hopped into them with a bounce, covering my hind hoofsies from view. "Ta da."

Aiko tried to do as I did and shook around, but the water didn't want to come off her so easily. She used her magic to sort of pet herself, running out the water a little with every stroke. "Do you have gloves and boots for me? I'd ask how you carried it all here, but I've given up trying to figure you out, Pinkie. Do all the ponies of your world act this way?"

"Gosh I hope not." I tilted my head at her before I set her boots and gloves out for her, along with a big round hat made of straw. It was supposed to be from China. "This'll hide your horn, and it looks super specific to here."

She reached for it and set it on her head. It had to angle forward a bit to hold her horn properly, but it fit. Soon she had the rest of the clothes on, and was balancing awkwardly on two legs. "Alright, how do I look?"

I tapped my chin. "Why don't you lean on me and keep the hat down. You can be my grandmom, and that'll explain why you don't talk much and why you're all wobbly."

"Great idea." Aiko smiled before she lowered her head out of view and slid up beside me. She threaded a leg around mine, leaning on me for support, and we finally emerged into the light.

"Hey!" I craned my head to look up and saw a man scowling down at us. "Get outta here! This isn't a public beach!"

I nodded at him and looked away quickly. "Sorry, we'll leave right now." I started to guide Aiko off the beach, towards the road that was just beyond it, up some stairs. The man glared at us, but seemed satisfied that we were leaving, so didn't pursue the matter, or us!

Aiko leaned in a bit closer. "I can't understand a word they say. I'm counting on you, Pinkie."

I smiled at her. "Of course, grandma," I said in Chinese before switching to Japanese. "I'm counting on you too. As soon as we find a nice safe spot, we should see how many ponies we can find. So far, things look pretty relaxed. That guy was just working, not running from ponies or anything like that. Maybe it didn't happen in China?"

Aiko glanced around from under her straw hat. "That could be good or bad news. We need a place to lay low."

A car rumbled past us, headed for the same pier we just came from. This part of town seemed mostly quiet. Only people who had specific things to do were around, which made us stand out. That was bad. I pulled Aiko by her arm, guiding her a little faster towards the city proper. "We should get to where there are more people."

"More people? We want less people," she hissed at me in a whisper.

"Says you. It's a lot easier to hide in a crowd than an abandoned street." Looking around, I saw a bus turn away from the ocean and start rumbling in towards the city. There was a stop not far from it. That would be so useful, if only... "I don't suppose you have any money?"

She sighed a little. "Chinese money is different from Japanese money, so no."

They have as many kinds of money as languages? "How do you get anything done around here?"

There was a group of people idling around a door, eating lunch I think. They had a radio playing while they chewed, speaking in Chinese. "If you see foreign nationals, report them immediately at..." It began giving numbers. They laughed about it, but one of them noticed us and snorted, nudging his friends.

"Hey look, there's some foreign nationals now."

"Ha. You're joking!" His friend looked at us as we walked by. "Hey! Where are you from?"

Aiko stiffened against me, knowing we were being talked to, but probably having no idea what was being said. I squeezed her gently through her twined legs. "Oh, I'm just walking my grandma around. She likes the smell of the sea."

They seemed to buy it, clapping one another on the shoulder and forgetting about me quickly. One of them waved at the bus. "You should take the bus back. It's a long walk to anywhere if you don't have a car."

"Oh, uh, good idea, but I kinda went and dropped my bus fare..."

He frowned a little at me. "Oh, that's rough." He fished into a pocket and produced a few bills that he held out towards me. "Here."

"Fāng, you're too nice." His friend nudged him. "I'm surprised you didn't end up in a horse camp already."

I let go of Aiko and quickly snatched up the bills in my glove. "Thank you very much!" Horse camp? "What's all this about horse camps?"

Fāng cocked his head a little. "You didn't hear about it?" He grabbed his abandoned sandwich to nibble on it. "Where they send people that get the horse sickness. Don't get off at the third stop, right in front of one. Kind of eerie if you ask me."

"Eerie isn't the start of describing it." One of his friends frowned. "It's not natural, people turning into not-people. Happened to my uncle. They clubbed him and dragged him away, never saw him again."

"Get out!"

"It's true, I swear."

I slipped away from them as they debated over how right the stories were. I'd heard enough. I hooked a leg with Aiko and led her to that bus stop on the same way as the bus headed into the city. "I know where we need to go," I whispered in Japanese. "All the ponies are being held in not-fun sounding places. We should check it out, see what it's like. Maybe you can help them."

Aiko nodded slowly. "I've been trying to focus. It's not empty. I can feel a pull from some of them, but they're far away."

I pointed at the bus stop with a glove. "Three stops away, apparently. Let's go say hi. We're not going to want to just, you know, walk right up to them. I bet they're like Japanese Soldiers, which means they won't appreciate funny business, which is a shame. That's the best kind of business if you ask me."

She reached for the bills I was holding and her magic plucked it from me. "What did you tell them to get them to give you Chinese money?" She turned it around, holding her gloves at about the right place, but holding it really with her magic. "At least we can ride the bus."

"We just have to wait for the next one." I saw a schedule and went over to peek at it. Ugh... "Which is in a half hour..."

We settled on the bench to wait and Aiko flopped over on me. "I'm going to see if I can't figure out more. If we need to move, give me a shake."

She faded out to sleep, or meditation, or whatever you want to call it when a unicorn was really stretching out with their magic and feeling around. It was times like that I could see why a pony might get a little jealous of unicorns, especially alicorn sorts, but even they couldn't do some of the things I could, so hey, we can't do everything! That'd be boring anyway.

I spent the time watching the road. There were more cars and trucks rolling by. I really wanted to know what was in them.

A sudden loud bark shook me and Aiko out of our respective thoughts. A person wearing very severe clothes was trying to go into a building, but his dog was looking at us and barking up a storm.

"Down!" He yanked the dog's leash and forced it into the building, leaving us be. Phew!

Aiko cocked her head slightly. "Did the dog smell us?"

"Maybe." I shrugged a little, trying to relax again. "We have to be careful. As soon as we're close, we should find somewhere to hide."

"Agreed."

The bus rolled up and stopped right in front of us. Three people got off before we could clamber on. I stuffed the money into the slot and it gave a beep that I hoped meant it was enough, and we went to find a seat. Despite the bus going way out to the docks, there were plenty of people, and we ended up having to stand. Poor Aiko rocked dangerously every time the bus hit a bump or slowed or sped up. I tried to support her as best I could without looking too obvious about it.

We arrived at the first stop and some more people got on, making it more packed. Then the second stop saw more boarding. We were on our way to the third stop when the bus lurched as it swung to avoid something I couldn't see. Aiko lost her footing and crashed to the ground of the bus, her pony legs exposed for all to see.

Some did see it and started backing away from her like she was on fire. Word started to spread fast. "Horse disease! She has it!"

I grabbed for her and ran to the front of the bus. Everyone parted for us, trying to avoid catching pony, except the bus driver. "You need to sit down and wait for the police."

Nuh uh! "Stop right now! We're getting off."

"I'm not allowed to do that."

The other passengers began to scream and shout at the driver in a rough cacophony.

"Let her get off!"

"Get her away from us!"

"We don't want to get horse sickness!"

"Moron, stop the bus already!"

When one of them brandished a small knife, the driver reweighed his options and brought the bus to a sudden top, sending many to the ground in a fresh wave. I took the chance given and bolted through the open door the moment it was clear, hauling Aiko with me. I hefted her right up onto my back and piggy-backed her in a hustle away from the bus. I dashed around a corner and kept right on going. I didn't even start to feel safe until we had a few blocks between us. I sank to the pavement beside a building, heaving for breath.

Aiko slid off of me and slowly stood up. "I'm sorry about that... Some good news at least."

Still panting, I smiled a little. "What's... that?"

"I feel them. We're not so far anymore."

Author's Note

Contact made, of a sort.

1: Go scope it out!
2: Organize them to break themselves out.
3: Maybe we can convert all the guards...
4: Time to sneak in and pretend to be one of the prisoners a while.
5: No time! Let's mark where this is and find others.

37 - Operation Pink Eye

We went where her horn led us, keeping off the bigger streets as we snuck around in the alleys. It wasn't far at least. The bus coulda just dropped us off, but nooo, everypony has to make a big deal. It wasn't even like she had ugly pony legs.

There was a big fence going left to right, with a few layers of barbed wire on top, and signs. I looked at one 'Warning - Biohazard - Do not approach'. What's with signs that have rules you have to break? I looked to Aiko and back to it. We could hear people beyond it. Pony people. Their hooves were hard to miss, clopping slowly, but it was hard to tell more than that. They weren't close to the fence at all at a guess.

Aiko nodded towards one of the more abandoned buildings beside us. "We should get out of sight, hunker down, and see what I can do."

I moved around the building to the back and hopped up to a windowsill. I gave the window a few tugs, locked. I bounced to the next and the next after that. It wasn't until the sixth window that I hit the jackpot, and it was on the second floor. Good thing I was good at climbing, huh? I slipped inside into the dusty darkness and came down to the back door for Aiko, letting her in and closing it behind her. We had our base. "Here we go. You can do your thing. I'm going to take a peek while you're busy."

She settled to the ground and raised her hooves, using her magic to pluck the boots off of them. "Thank you. I'm sorry, for messing up like that."

I waved at her. "Tweren't nothin. You were doing your best. I mean, sheesh, you've been a pony, what? Not even a tiny bit of time. I can't expect you to be perfect at it." I nodded firmly. "We'll get you galloping on two and four legs in no time at all. But right now..." I tapped my head. "It's time to put that horn to use. You know you're magic, right?"

"Magic?"

"Like, duh, like wizard magic. I mean I have my own kind of thing, but unicorn magic is the straightforward magic kinda magic. You can pick things up, turn things into other things, teleport, all kinds of things."

Her eyes widened. "I can do that?" She raised a hoof, trembling, to touch at her horn. "How? Pinkie, can you show me?"

I frowned a little. "Not that easy, buckerooni. I'm an earth pony." I waved a hoof at her. "So I don't have practice using horns. I just know Twilight looks all serious and then things happen. She has all kinds of books about it, but I didn't bring one of those, sorry. You're going to have to do it the hard way, like a pegasus without a mom around." She looked confused at that, and I grinned. "Jump off something tall and figure out how to fly on the way down. Lucky you, unicorn magic doesn't require falling."

Aiko slipped out of her trenchcoat and set her hat aside, making a little pile before she stretched. "But you at least know about it. You led the whole hospital of unicorns to start using their horns to lift things. Can't you do something like that, to get me to use other magic?"

Huh. I tapped my chin, thinking about how to get her to do any of Twilight's tricks. I really wished I had a magic book! "Well... When you do pick something up with your horn, how does it feel?"

She looked at one of her boots and floated it up into the air. "Feel?"

"Yeah, like you're flexing some muscle I don't have, right? Put it down, pick it up, learn what that feels like."

Aiko nodded and set the boot down, then picked it up. Up, down, up, down. "I think I do feel... Pinkie, you're a genius. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Your madness is just a mask to hide how brilliant you are."

I tilted my head at her. "I'm not mad. I'm pretty happy right now. Feel better?"

She waved a little. "Nevermind that, but yes. This is... going to take a lot of practice, and time isn't something we have in abundance. I'll reach out and see what I can do with the others, get a feel for them. They are chinese ponies, maybe it'll be different."

"Why?" I perked an ear. "We're all ponies, even the ones with two heads or lots of tongues or a thousand legs." She looked skeptical so I leaned in towards her. "You were able to handle the sea horses, and they were from another country too, and a whole new kind of pony. If you can make friends with them, you can make friends with anypony."

"Did I?" She frowned slightly. "You seemed to make friends with them, Pinkie. I couldn't even understand them."

I put a hoof on her shoulder. "You don't understand. If it was just me, they would have run over me like my mirror clones." They peered at me. Of course she didn't know about that. "Look, you're a princess, and you make ponies calm and nice when you're around. They could tell, without words, that you were important and they didn't want to look silly in front of you, so they were more polite than they would have been."

She huffed softly. "That's... good, but not enough. I need to understand them, and talk to them." She suddenly clopped her hooves. "I have an idea. What if I borrowed your talent?"

"Um, you're welcome to, but how?" I tilted my head at her and sat on my haunches.

She shook her head. "Go, see what you can see. I'll be working to answer that. We are tied." She reached for me then, putting a hoof on my chest. "You trust me, right?"

I smiled at her gently. "You're not my princess, but you are my friend, so yes. If you can borrow or share it, go for it." I hopped up to my hooves and made for the stairs. "I'll be scouting. You be good!"

"I won't do anything you wouldn't do."

I giggled. I could get into a lot of trouble. I doubted Aiko would do many of the things I might do. Ascending the stairs, I got up to the top floor and made my way to the roof on the far side of the camp. I pulled up the window and slipped out, clinging to the building and scaling carefully up to the roof.

Pulling myself up, I inched along on my belly as I pulled out some binoculars and peeked out over the fence into the compound. The ponies we heard weren't there anymore? Ah, tents. There were lots of tents, presumably with our precious pony populace punitively penned in.

It was so quiet in there. Nopony was moving except the soldiers, and they didn't go very close to the tents, just looking at them like any of them might explode at any moment. The guards were human. No tails or flicky ears in the whole bunch. I could see a gate on one side, the entrance I figured. It went right to a road, so they could drive right into it with something as big as the bus we were on, if they wanted.

I could see a few towers. There were humans in each one. I think they had guns, but that didn't surprise me. Every soldier I'd seen had a big gun, and a little gun too, just in case the big gun wasn't the right one? The ones in the towers had really big guns though. They were all long, and when the light hit them right, they had a bit that was shiny. I wondered what those guns were for, but I didn't see anything to give me more clues.

There was a sign near the front. 'Baise Camp'. I got the image of a specific kind of pony, translated for me by whatever magic let me understand all the funny languages of the humans. Baise was a kind of pony. That made sense. They did have lots of ponies. I wondered if they were actually Baise or if they were being cute and named them after a local kind of pony.

I felt Aiko. Her presence gently rubbed against me like she was asking to come in. I tucked away my binoculars and ducked down before letting her in.

~Pinkie?~

~Hiya! What's up?~

~Oh good, it worked. I'm not distracting you, I hope?~

~No, I got a good first look at the camp.~

~Good good. Can you come back inside? I want to try something with you.~

~Okey dokey lokey.~

~What?~

~On the way!~

I slipped from the roof and bounced down to the open window, closing it shut behind myself and hurrying back to where I left Aiko. She looked a bit more clear headed and chipper. "Ah, Pinkie, good. Are you ready to try?"

"Try what?" I sat down in front of her. "You're going to try some crazy language magic?"

"Not quite." She smiled a little. "I want to deepen our link, so I can borrow your gift. I know how to reach, and you know what it's like to be reached at. You'll help me get it right, and tell me when I'm doing it wrong. If we can get it right, then we'll be in a much better situation. I'll be a princess, and be able to talk to them, instead of you having to be my translator."

I sat with her, and felt her brushing against me. "It's not enough." She rose and approached me on her delicate hooves. "Is it alright if I get closer?"

"Oh, sure, yeah?" She meant really close. She wrapped her forehooves around me and sank against me as we flopped to the ground. Her presence became that much stronger as she snuggled in on me almost desperately. She pressed and pressed mentally, until something broke, and I could feel everything. I could feel her snuggling me from her side. I could feel her feeling me feeling her. I stopped looking in that direction fast before I got caught up in a loop.

"I can feel it," she softly whispered, wobbling with the powerful rush of our combined sensations. I was about to say how proud I was of her, but I knew she knew, and she knew that I knew that she knew. She collapsed onto me, and we hugged tightly. For a little while, just being that close to her was so much more than enough. We didn't need anything.

"Pinkie?"

"Mmm?"

"Say something in Chinese for me?"

I said a few phrases, like 'Hi' and 'Where's the cake?', which got a giggle out of her.

"I can understand it." She sat up a little, then licked her lips before she said hello in Korean, then again in a language I'd never even heard of before, but my own brain translated it quickly into hello again. "I can do it! I'm doing it!"

Author's Note

Aiko can borrow the Equestrian magic of translation, yay! And we've had a peek at the camp. We're ready to do... something...

1: Don our disguises and try to get some info out of the guards.
2: Luna, why do you need to talk right now? We're busy!
3: A wandering patrol notices some activity around an abandoned house, hmm.
4: Reach out and try to communicate with some ponies mentally.
5: Time to incite some rioting!

38 - The Duty of a Princess

It wasn't a flashy kind of magic. It wasn't something I could even show to someone easily, but I could feel it. Pinkie was there, just an inch away. I just had to reach to her, mentally. We were bonded, for now. I didn't feel stuck, and I knew she didn't either. We could pull apart any time we wanted. That was the most miraculous part. My magic had somehow forged a bridge between us, more like a drawbridge than anything else. Now that I had it, I felt like I could move that bridge up to someone else and lower the bridge to their mind, forging a new connection.

Was this my talent?

I felt a little tremble run down my legs and I kicked against the floor even as I looked towards the source. Adorning both of my flanks was a symbol of one star with a line going out in many direction to smaller stars. It felt very important, and I couldn't help but gaze at it quietly a moment.

"Your cutie mark!" Pinkie practically screamed it. "Oh wow! We have to have a party." She began to bounce around me. "You're a real adult pony now. Ponies on my world aren't considered proper adults until they have one of those, and you do. You're one of the most grownup ponies around, except me."

I couldn't help but giggle at the idea of Pinkie being the most adult of anything, but her joy was infectious as well. I couldn't help but feel happy, elated... That symbol. "What does it mean?"

"It's who you are, and your talent." She waved a hoof lightly. "See, you're the center of attention, but you're also what can bring people together. You're a star, that usually involves magic, but not always. You're still working on your magic, but you got this part down." She poked me right along where my star ran to a smaller one. "Even Twilight couldn't do this, not easily anyway. This is your special talent."

I nodded swiftly. "This is beyond amazing. How do I test it?"

"Didn't you just do that?" She tilted her head before tapping it. "We're together now, right?"

"I have to do more than that. You're easy, relatively. We're already good friends." I got it and tried to snap fingers I didn't have, which was little more than waving my hoof a bit. I ended up clopping my forehooves together. "I'll reach out to one of the ponies in the camp and see if I can't make a new link, and talk to them, tell them they're not alone, assure them, and maybe get information."

"Great idea! You can make them happy and we'll know what to do next. You do that. I'll keep an eye around here." She saluted sharply before dashing off to who knows where.

I moved to a window facing across the road at the camp. I didn't want to stay there for long. I felt exposed. Someone could see my horsey face peering out and decide to put me with all the others, and there wouldn't be much I could do. I left the sight and returned to the center of the room.

~It'll be alright.~

I smiled at Pinkie's unexpected contact. We were still attached, of course she could talk, and likely knew how I was feeling. ~Thank you, Pinkie. I'm going to let go of you and try reaching out now, alright?~

~Okay! I'll let you know if anything super exciting happens, so don't even worry about it.~

I drew away from Pinkie, mentally, and we cleanly separated. No pain or headache, we were simply two again instead of conjoined. I had been a little afraid it would mess up somehow, but it hadn't, and I let out a sigh of relief before turning my mind towards the camp across the way, reaching to the familiar presences of all the ponies within. I could feel them, all of them. Collectively they were scared, with waves of concern and confusion washing over me, but that was the group think. I needed to get much more specific.

Pushing in closer, I felt a calm presence. He was older than the others, and didn't seem to be very worked up. He was mostly asleep, but even his half-dreaming thoughts were gentle. It felt like a good place to start. I lowered that bridge to him, gently knocking on his door. Alright, so the metaphors get a little crossed, but we don't have a lot of applicable metaphors for what I was feeling, so I went with it.

Confusion was the reply. I pushed with warmth and a smile. I was there to help. I thought it as firmly as I could. He heard it, and the door opened, the bridge connected, and I could feel him. He could feel... wait? He wasn't a he. At least, physically he wasn't a he. He could feel I wasn't a he either, in my mind or body.

~Hello?~

His thoughts came with an odd flavor. He thought in Chinese, of course. His syntax was different, and it 'felt' different, even purely mind to mind. I replied with a sunny tint, ~Hello. My name is Aiko, from Japan.~

~Aiko? You sound nice. You sound like my daughter.~ There was a little sadness there, but also a warmth.

~What's your name, sir? I'm sorry for barging in on you, but it's hard to reach you in person.~

~Oh, I understand that. They've put all of us with the horse sickness away, hoping the problem goes with us... Are you not in here?~

~No. I'm close though. Are you alright? Are they treating you well?~

~I'm as fine as I can be. Last year I was feebly blowing out the candles on a cake with over ninety candles on it. This year, if I get a cake, it will be blown on by a girl horse with wings. I'm not sure how old I am anymore, but I feel younger than I have in a very long time.~

I put a hoof over my mouth. How traumatic had that been? ~Are you alright?~

~I wasn't. I was very angry at first. You have no idea. You sound young, even here... Do you know what it's like to finally reach peace with death?~

I shuddered softly. ~No...~

~I should hope not. I had. I was dying, and I finally found my peace with that, just to become a horse. Is this a sign that I'm not meant to go yet?~

~Perhaps, sir, or would you rather ma'am?~

~Sir works better for me. Well, you found me. Perhaps my purpose begins here. Why did you come to this place?~

I smiled a little as I sat up. ~We're going to save both of our people. We're going to save everyone. Ponies are meant to become part of humanity, not overwhelm it, or supplant it. We are humans!~

~Damn right.~ I could feel a proud swelling from his side for a moment. ~My daughter was taken to another camp... I don't know which one.~

~We'll look for her, when we can. I found you, so that'll have to do for now.~

~Right.~

We began to talk, in a manner of speaking. Impressions flowed between us. He had so many more years, which led to a lot of memories to get lost in if I didn't stay focused, but he had a sharp mind, and he cared for his fellow people. He wanted to help, and I wanted to help. We had that bond, if nothing else.

~I need to sleep,~ he softly told me. I could feel him rolling on a cot. ~They get angry if we're not asleep on time.~

~I'll be back tomorrow, promise.~

~Tomorrow.~

I drew away from him, and we separated.

I reached out for Pinkie and we found one another so easily. ~Pinkie?~

~Hiya! Looks like the lights are dimming over there, but I'm not sure why.~

~The ponies are going to sleep. They have a bed time.~

~Yuck. I'm glad I'm an adult and get to decide my own bed times. How'd it work?~

~It worked great, but I should probably follow their example and get some sleep.~

~If you want, go ahead. If we're like this, I can wake you up if I need to.~

I settled down, curling up. I wasn't alone. It was like Pinkie was with me. I missed my husband, and my new wife. Thinking about them made Pinkie hug me tighter, and I felt better. She wasn't a replacement for either, but she was a friend, and that was almost as good.

I woke up in an increasingly familiar garden. Pinkie was right beside me. "Hey! I've been here before."

I turned to her with a slow blink. "Oh, yes. This is your world, right?"

She bobbed her head. "Sure is!" She clopped her hooves together. "Hey, that means I'm home."

"I'm afraid it doesn't." Luna stepped into view. "I don't know how this can be, Miss Pie, but you are a dream projection, just as this, all you see, is a dream, not truly Equestria."

I waved a hoof at her. "She's been stranded here, trying to help us."

Luna frowned softly. "This cannot be. Pinkie is in Ponyville, with Twilight and her other friends." She looked to Pinkie directly, staring at her. "You must be... an echo perhaps?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "I don't think so?"

"Of course you wouldn't. In order for you to have gone to them physically, we would need a bridge to their world, which we do not have, or I would have gone instead, and tried to render some aid to these ponies we have wronged so terribly." She tilted her head back at Pinkie. "Can you explain that?"

Pinkie tapped at her chin. "Well, it kinda involves time travel."

Luna hissed softly. "You should never perform such an act! That magic is beyond forbidden, and with good cause. Pinkie, have you any idea what harm you could cause?"

Pinkie squirmed a little. "I think I might have... been the reason it all happened in the first place?"

Luna's eyes widened. "P-Pinkie! Pinkie..." She took a slow breath, then looked to me. "Did you speak truthfully? Is Pinkie helping you?"

"She is." I nodded at her. "She's shown me many things, including my magic, and my purpose." I turned to show my cutie mark.

Luna smiled gently. "A fine mark it is. Pinkie, you are guilty of a very severe crime, but now is not the time for punishments or chastising. You must return yourself to Equestria without further damaging things." She offered her hooves towards Pinkie. "Please. You can tell me the entire story when you are here. I will not judge you until I've heard everything."

Pinkie nodded, looking a little scared, which didn't flatter her at all. "I can't yet. I have to finish helping her." She pointed at me. "I made this mess, I'm going to make sure she, and her country, and this other country, uh, two other countries are all okay."

Luna shook her head. "You've taken responsibility for three countries? Pinkie, you are mad, but may destiny be at your side." She looked to me and put a hoof on my shoulder. "This news has rocked me to the core. I'm afraid I must consider on it. Go and return, I'll call for you when I can."

The dream ended to find Pinkie hugging me physically. We had a lot to do.

Author's Note

Luna discovers the typo that Pinkie made of the entire world and is a bit distraught about it for some reason.

Aiko made a new friend.

What to do?
1: Forget sneaking around, approach the government openly and open diplomatic channels.
2: Convince the ponies to free themselves
3: Try to convince the guards the ponies should be free
4: Approach the people of the city and try to convince them the ponies should be free
5: Spread some pony plague. They'll never know what hit 'em!

39 - We Interrupt this Adventure for a Very Important Announcement

I woke up and sprang to my hooves, but Aiko wasn't where I left her, which was all cuddled nice and warm. A note on the ground revealed the truth. She had gone up to the roof? I went trotting up to join her, climbing up the side to find her there. I didn't know she could climb like that! "How'd you get up here?"

"I used a ladder." She pointed to a ladder propped up on a fire escape. "I've been talking to the ponies inside. Pinkie, do you know the pony we were talking to, last night, in our dream?"

I nodded quickly. "Oh yeah, that's Luna. She's great. She talks like it's ye olden days, but she's pretty cool for a princess." I grinned at her and leaned in. "She's been a princess longer than you have. She's one of my two princesses, three if you count Twilight, but she's my friend really, more than my princess, also kinda like you."

She shook her head at me slowly. "Friends with two princesses, and loyal to two others. You live an interesting life."

"I didn't even get to the best parts." I giggled as I plopped down beside her. "So what's the plan for today?"

We felt something. Something powerful in our heads. It brushed over us like a rough brush, then was gone. "What the hay was that?"

"I don't know, Pinkie, but I didn't like it."

~Can you hear this?~

I nodded at her quickly, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, our connection wasn't harmed by whatever it was. Our friend in the camp's been telling me the camps are pretty full, but aren't growing any larger. The more 'unruly' were just shot, so only the ones that managed to pull through with their personality intact, or at least passive, were allowed to live."

I frowned. "Even you guys were better than that."

"Were we?" She tilted her head at me. "Only the sane and well-behaved can enter the hospital. It was only just as we left that we made a place for ferals at all, and I'd hardly call it a warm welcome, in the end."

I wilted at that. Thinking about bad things wasn't where I liked to be. "But we did change it, and we can keep right on changing it. Maybe... Maybe we can change it here too!" I put my hooves on her shoulders. "We have to keep our heads high, and a song in our heart. Things may look bleak, but it can only go up from here."

A loud banging brought their eyes down. Below them, in the building they had seized, someone was banging on the front door. "Open up!" commanded a Chinese male. "Come out slowly or be shot."

Aiko looked at me, eyes wide and body trembling. ~How did they find us so quickly?~

~I dunno, but we gotta get out of here.~ I turned away from her and pointed at my back with a hoof. ~Get on. Don't try flying or they'll see you.~

She hastily climbed up on top of me when a hole appeared beside me, the tile of the roof shattering.

"Stay where you are," said a voice over a loud speaker type of thing. Looking up I saw a big twirlibird like the kind I pedaled back at home, but this one was a lot bigger. I doubted anyone inside was pedaling at all. One of them had a big long gun and was pointing it at me. "Lay down and stay still, or be shot."

~I think we're surrounded.~

I heard the front door being smashed open. We'd soon have company from every direction. If I was alone, I'd probably book it even with them overhead, but I wasn't sure I could do it with Aiko on my back, and getting her hurt would just be the worst. Slowly, I sank to the rooftop. I could hear them stomping all through the building. The ladder shuddered as heavy boots clanged against them, and the soldiers were up and around us with guns drawn and pointed. At least they didn't shoot right away.

"You are under arrest as hostile foreign agents," shouted one man. "Put your hands behind your backs and remain on the ground."

I raised my hooves, but Aiko was on my back, so getting them back there wasn't happening. I assumed she did too. I felt her moving, but couldn't see.

Another man ascended the ladder. "What are you doing? They're horses. They don't have hands." He brushed the other soldier aside. "Get on your hooves, keep your head down, and no talking unless talked to. If you attempt to approach anyone that didn't ask to be approached, you will be shot. If you show any signs of aggression, you will be shot. If you attempt to flee, you will be shot twice just to be sure. If you'd like to not be shot, do exactly as I say. Do I make myself clear?"

Aiko clambered off of me first. "We'll do as you say, sir."

I stood up when she was off. "Alright."

I glanced aside at Aiko. ~At least they can't do a thing about this.~

~Thank goodness. Stay calm, we'll get through this.~

I was gonna say that! Somehow, I knew she knew that, and we both smiled a little, sharing a moment of solidarity.

They led us through the house to a black-painted van out front. I heard cars before, how did it sneak up on us? Imagine my surprise when it started and began rolling almost silently before it began to rumble later. A stealth car!

~Not stealth, electric. It's a hybrid. If they go slowly, they can be almost silent.~

~Oh. That's still kinda cool.~

~Very, so long as we aren't being driven to an execution yard.~

They made us stand in the back of the van, with one soldier keeping a gun pointed at us, and the others chatting to each other about nothing important. We couldn't see much from where we stood, and raising our heads up to get a peek got that gun waved at us, so we stopped doing that.

~Maybe I can hook up with one of the guards?~

~Interesting idea! But if he gets scared, that might be bad for us.~

Aiko sagged a little. ~True. Let's wait and see where we go. If they wanted us dead, they could have just shot us on the roof and been done with us. They probably want information.~

~I have lots of that!~

~Secret information.~

~Oh.~ I glanced around. ~I don't think I have much of that they'd care about?~

~Don't you? You know where some of our military is, and you know what state it's in. That's not useless information. We're weak and vulnerable, and soon they'll get confirmation of that out of us, by force if they have to.~

~Aiko, calm down. We're together. Hay, even if they try to split us up, too late! We're all linked up, so we'll be there. They won't get a thing out of us unless we want them to.~

Aiko smiled a little. ~Those are very brave words, Pinkie. I'm very proud to have known you.~

~Don't talk like they're already shooting us, sheesh. We're going to make it through just fine.~

We arrived wherever we were going and ordered to get out. Clambering free, I saw we were in front of a small stone building and they waved towards it. We clip-clopped out way along. I didn't pronk. I had a feeling any bouncing would set them off. "So..."

One of them frowned at me instantly. "What did we say?"

I shrank a little. "No talking, right, sorry."

We were led inside, and the soldiers stopped. "Go down the hallway, second door on the right. Don't deviate."

Alone, we went ahead. The door he specified was right there with a nice handle on it that I grabbed with my teeth and pulled open, revealing a tall alicorn in severe clothing and a little smile on her snout. "Hello, spies. We have much to discuss, I think."

Author's Note

Um...

1: Panic
2: Panic
3: How about we sing a song?
4: Then again, panicking sounds good.
5: Maybe she's on our side.
6: Why aren't you panicking yet?

40 - Don't Panic!

The urge to panic was kinda big, I won't lie. She smiled at us from her chair, where she sat imperiously. She sat as a pony would, not a human. It was plush and leather, and large enough to support her considerable size. She was larger than Aiko, and there was something about her... The way her eyes were, the way she held herself, even her accent. She was a Chinese pony, and proud of it, by the way she was going.

"Cowed into silence? Very well then, let us go over your crimes." She gestured at a clipboard that shone with the same purple light of her horn and floated to her. "You illegally entered our nation, stayed, again illegally, in condemned property. You caused civil unrest with your little... performance on the bus, and were conspiring to unleash a dangerous biohazard on our people." She lowered the clipboard. "Do I have that right?"

Aiko licked over her lips. "It is true we entered without a passport and though... unconventional means, but it was an emergency."

She raised a finely shaved brow. "Is that so? Pray do tell what this 'emergency' might be?"

I raised a hoof. "Hiya. I'm Pinkie Pie, and this is Aiko. Nice to meet you!"

She paused a moment, then smiled thinly. "I could have you two put to death, and you're smiling at me?"

"Well sure." I rolled a hoof. "We're all ponies. Sure we may be having a little misunderstanding now, but we can work that out."

"Hmmm." She set the clipboard on the desk. "I have taken the name Chao-xing, that is Morning Star, if you are new to mandarin, though you both seem to be speaking it quite well."

Aiko smiled gently. "My name means Child of Love."

I pointed at myself. "I'm Pink, and I'm from the Pie family. I guess that isn't as fancy as either of yours, but it's nice to meet you. Sorry about making a mess. We weren't trying to, honest." I slipped in beside her before she could stop me and put a cupcake on her chair in front of her. "A little present."

Morning Star frowned. "Join your friend and do not move. Just because we have introduced does not make us familiar." Her magic grabbed the cupcake and slammed it down on the desk. "Now, you said there was an emergency? I'll thank you not to lie to me. I will know."

I pouted a bit but returned to Aiko's side. ~Sheesh, what a grouch!~

~Still, you did well, Pinkie. She's not quite as ready to kill us.~

Aiko looked around and pointed at a globe. "Things have become... problematic since the pony disease."

Morning raised a brow. "Japan did not deal with it as cleanly as we have?"

Aiko shrank back. "I suppose... not..." ~Lying to her about that feels futile.~ "Why are you here, in a position of authority, when so many ponies are locked away?"

Morning snorted as she scowled at Aiko. "Because I can be trusted, and am loyal to the nation. That trust does have limits. I do not get to interact with others much here." She waved a hoof. "Largely, I deal with other troublesome ponies, such as yourselves. Now, kindly tell us who sent you, and where we should deliver your bodies?"

I felt Aiko get ready to pass out in terror, but I just smiled. "No need to get to that so quickly. We're not bad ponies. We just want everyone to be happy."

"Happy?"

"Of course! Did you see them? They're so sad and lonely in there."

She raised a hoof slowly. "And you would have them set loose, to infect others, sow disorder, and destroy this great nation? No, they are safer in there. For themselves, and others. They can work, and earn their keep. To set them free is a misjustice for everyone involved." She sat up. "Even I am not 'free', but I know the value of servitude. I am a servant of the nation, and there is no greater joy or fulfillment in life."

Aiko, trembling, nodded slowly. "But you're a pony too."

"That is where you are wrong." Her form began to elongate as she stepped off the chair, but never touched the ground. Lifting into the air, she grew longer and longer, her mouth stretching out with sharp teeth and fine whiskers sprouting from her, waving on either side. "I am a Chinese Dragon, a proud symbol of our people." She wove through the air, floating without wings. "When the sickness came on me, I defied it, turned it, and here I am. I may be a prisoner as much as any other, but I will serve my people. What would you know of this?"

I waved a hoof around excitedly. "Ooo Ooo! We're serving our people too!"

Suddenly she was an alicorn, perched in her chair and smiling. "Do tell."

~Pinkie!~

Was I not supposed to say that? Oops... "Well... We, uh... We kinda heard China was going to attack, and we were sent to see if that's true, and what was going on."

She leaned forward. "Attack? Who?" Her eyes darted to Aiko. "Japan? Why? They have no resources we need."

Aiko slumped a little. "But... Oh... A mistake?"

"One that may cost you dearly." She licked over her lips. "For agents, you are very inexperienced."

I tilted my head at her. "We aren't really trained for this. I'm a baker."

Aiko hung her head low. "I was in college."

Morning Star barked a laugh, putting a hoof before her mouth as she almost cackled. "You poor things. Is Japan so desperate, they would send literal children to our shores? They should be ashamed. And a baker? A baker?" She waved at the half-crushed cupcake on the desk. "Is this one of yours? Is this how you were going to attack? Preposterous! Those that sent you should be arrested for criminal neglect." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "If you hadn't gotten so close to succeeding, I'd throw you out myself. Tell me how you did it."

Aiko half turned away, which drew Morning's eyes. "What's that? Most agents have the decency to not have identifying marks."

I waved at Aiko's cutie mark. "Oh, that? She just got that."

Morning raised a brow. "You got it here, in China?"

Aiko nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am."

She pressed her forehooves together. "What parlor would be mad enough to work on a pony, how did you get it to show through the fur, and why would you be doing that now?"

I put a hoof on Aiko's flank. "Silly, she didn't choose to get it. Cutie marks just happen. See, I have one." I presented my own flank with is happy balloons. "I've had mine for years."

Morning raised both brows high. "And its meaning? Is this some manner of cult?"

Aiko shook her head quickly. "No, ma'am. It seemed to be some kind of... Like a symbol of pony maturity."

Morning narrowed her eyes. "You would call me less mature for not having one? One of us knows the value of service, and is not currently being judged." She tapped her forehooves lightly.

I took a half step forward, tail wagging. "That's not what she meant. Most ponies don't have one, because most of you don't know what your real special skill is." I pointed at mine. "I make people happy, love throwing parties, and live for smiles. That's what mine means. It may not be the super most amazing talent, but it's still important, and it's what I love."

She spread her hooves slowly. "I serve my country, and I am very happy with my position. Is that not enough then?"

I waved at her fancy clothing. "You're hiding your flank, Morning Star. Maybe you do have one."

She looked shocked, even alarmed. "I would think I would have noticed this morning, as I prepared for the day."

Aiko smiled gently. "Being around other ponies, to have friends, it helps. Even if we are... opposed in some ways, you have learned something, from using us as a counterpoint for yourself."

"So I have one now." She frowned softly. "Or you're tempting me to join you in tasteless nudity. This plague may have pushed many towards a beastly life, but I see no need to degrade myself."

I pointed out into the hallway. "Well go to the bathroom then. We'll stay here."

"Leave you two alone, here?" She frowned. "I should think not." Morning Star stepped from her chair and her magic wrapped around the belt of her pants that were mostly hidden from us by the desk. She peeked a moment, then quickly pulled it up and hopped back into her chair. "There."

That was so fast... "Nothing?"

She pointed a hoof at me. "I will thank you not to use magic on me." That hoof turned to Aiko. "You are a unicorn. I can't reasonably be expected to think this anything but a feat of magic on your part."

Aiko's eyes widened slightly as she shrank back, bumping against a wall. "N-no! I swear! I didn't even know it had happened until Pinkie explained it. Please. I didn't do it." She collapsed, hooves over her face.

Morning Star sighed. "It pains me to admit, but your words seem sincere." She looked to me. "And you? Do you also swear to be uninvolved?"

"Well not really." I smiled brightly. "We brought it up, that's being involved. Congratulations! What is it? Is it cool?"

Suddenly I felt the urge to sing, so I did. I reared up onto two legs. "Sometimes we think we're done, all grown up as can be. Then something happens, shining like the sun, showing how far we can be!"

"Stop that." Morning Star rolled her eyes. "For enemy agents, you two are the most harmless people I have had the displeasure of meeting. My... cutie mark... Hmmph, my brand shows my loyalty." She glanced away, then back at us. "This pleases me in ways I did not know..."

A knock came from the door before it opened, allowing the head of an older gentleman wearing a fancy hat to poke in. "Morning Star, are you finished?"

She waved at us. "They're worthless, as enemy agents, but incalculably valuable, as intelligence. I suggest keeping them alive, but under careful watch." She locked eyes with me. "This one in particular is very clever. Keep them happy, but very secure. I will schedule another interview."

He nodded. "We look forward to your report on this interview. Danger level?"

"Minimal." She waved at us dismissively. "Treat them like troublesome children. Infectious, troublesome children."

The head withdrew and Morning Star gave us a smile. "Our time is up. You'll be brought back whenever my superiors decide our meeting would be beneficial."

Aiko took a hesitant step forward. "We aren't being killed?"

Morning waved it off. "There's no purpose in killing you, so long as you keep talking. Goodbye."

We were led out by another soldier, and taken back to the van. I wasn't sure how well we did.

Author's Note

If you didn't notice in the last chapter, Pinkie's choices were suddenly curtailed. The vote was even between trying to make friends and flipping out, and they did both of those. There was some votes for singing, and she tried, but that didn't go far.

In enemy hands! What do?

1: Make friends with everyone willing to talk in their new prison.
2: Maybe it's time for Aiko to refine her talent?
3: Wait to be called back to Morning Star
4: Why is everyone so sad around here? I have a few ideas to bring some smiles!
5: You know, panicking is still an option.

41 - Obey

The drive wasn't long, but the man that escorted them from the building was there with them. "I trust you were treated well?"

I tilted my head at him. "Oh sure. She's a nice mare, but so serious! It's not even surprising she'd get her cutie mark in it."

He seemed surprised at something. "I see. And do you take your job seriously?"

"Of course." I sat down on my haunches since this guy didn't seem to care as much how I stood while talking to him. "I love making ponies smile, and spreading good cheer. I like making friends, which leads into the first part. How about you?"

He chuckled softly. "Very interesting." He didn't answer my question, instead looking to Aiko. "And you, young lady?"

She smiled a little. "I didn't think anyone here would call me that..."

"And yet that is the case, is it not? Your friend speaks with the optimism of a child, but I would wager you're the younger of the two."

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir." She glanced at me. "How old are you Pinkie?"

I rolled my hooves around. "Well, your year might not be my year, being all different worlds and everything."

"Different worlds?" He frowned lightly. "I have a feeling this didn't come up during your interview."

~Pinkie, you keep telling them things.~

~We won't make friends without telling them some things. Besides, where I'm from isn't a secret.~

"Anyway, I'm a baker." I reached out a hoof. "I'd make you a pie, but humans who eat my cakes or other sweet things end up becoming ponies, so that's out, unless you want to be a pony?"

He actually looked interested. "Oh, I would, but I have a family affair to attend to, perhaps another day." He turned to one of the other soldiers riding with us. "See they're treated well. They're guests, not prisoners."

"Yes, sir."

He looked back at me. "We'll be in touch." The van stopped, and he was the first off, hopping to the ground and marching away.

The soldier closest to us made a gesture to rise. "Come on, this way." He wasn't aiming his gun at us or barking like he was before. Things were looking up!

~Do you really think so?~

I glanced at Aiko, ~Sure. They're being nicer now. I think they want to get to know us. And did you hear that guy? I think he wants to be a pony. Go figure huh?~

~I don't think he meant that.~

~Why'd he say that?~

~It's Chinese.~

~But...~

Aiko brushed past me, winking at me before following the guard out of the van. I hurried to catch up with her and we went trotting to a new building. This one had three stories, and looked more... modern? It was fancier for sure. The hallways were clean and polished, great for skating, though I resisted for the moment.

We were led into an elevator. "You'll be staying with the other horses. Don't cause a commotion." He raised a brow. "In case it needs to be stated, you are being watched at all times."

I waved a hoof excitedly. "Is there a kitchen?"

"I'm not sure."

How could he not be sure? Oh well. I'd find out on my own.

The elevator came to a stop and he gestured out. "This is your stop."

"Not coming with us?" I stepped off with a pronk, landing facing him.

"Let me think about it." The door closed before he could finish thinking about it, leaving me with Aiko.

Aiko shook her head. "I never believed my friends when they were making fun of how Chinese people said no, but they're not wrong. We do the same thing, really." She focused on me. "It must seem strange to you."

I didn't get it, and Aiko knew that, so she just smiled at me. "Don't worry, neither of them were mad at you. It was just the way our cultures work. Both meant 'no.'"

"Oh! Why didn't they say so?"

"They did." She turned from the elevator and began exploring down the hallway. "In their own way. It makes enough sense to Japanese or Chinese speakers."

As we approached the first intersection, we spotted a stallion with bright blue fur glaring at us sullenly from the left. "Great, more crowding."

Aiko tipped her head at him. "Sorry. We'll try not to take up too much space. Where should we go?"

"Where you came from would be nice." He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and snorted at us. "Bad enough we're horses. We don't have to be stalled like them."

I tipped a hat I didn't have. "Hey there! My name's Pinkie. What's yours?" He looked at me kinda sour, so I just kept going. "I wanna make everyone a welcome treat. Which way's the kitchen?"

He stood up a little. "You want to take kitchen duty? Fine." He turned away from us and began trotting down the hallway. Following after him, I could see other ponies of different colors peeking out at us from in their rooms. Nopony was rushing to say hi to us.

We entered a dark room and he flicked a hoof against the wall, hitting a switch to reveal a sparsely used kitchen. "Here. Good luck with your stupid horse hooves."

I tilted my head at the earth pony. "What? Nobody here knows how to work it?"

I bounced on over to the pantry and had a look inside. There was plenty waiting to be used! "I was gonna make something for a party, but maybe we'll make it a nice happy lunch instead." I tapped my forehooves thoughtfully. "Still sweet, but good for you and everyone can talk." I started grabbing materials and dragging them out of the pantry, getting things in order to get to cooking. Cooking's the best part. No wait! Seeing ponies eating what you made, that's better.

The pony turned to Aiko, shaking his head. "Is she for real?"

Aiko smiled at him. "She is, and she will. Tell everyone else to be ready for her. She does some things especially well, cooking is one of them."

He grunted and frowned at Aiko. "She's a damn horse. How's she gonna cook a thing?"

Aiko waved at me. "Watch and see. She will, I promise. I'm Aiko, by the way. I apologize if she came out a bit strongly."

"Yeah..." He settled on his haunches and watched me working and whistling. "Yeah... I'll tell the others." He stood up and strode through the hallway, speaking to each doorway quietly. Some of them reacted curiously, and Aiko had at least six others seated beside her, watching me cook.

One of them, a dull-pinkish stallion, raised a hoof towards me. "How are you doing that?"

"I want to cook, so I am." I pushed a tray deep into the oven and slapped it closed. "Wanna help?"

"I don't want to burn my mouth."

"That's why you use a glove, silly." She waved a cooking mitt at him. "Come on over." He approached slowly. "Aw, don't be shy. Auntie Pinkie's gonna show you all how a pony cooks!"

Not all of them joined me, but about half did, and I had five helpers following along after me. We began to sing a cooking song, but it wasn't one of mine! Apparently it was a Chinese cooking song, so I just followed after it and showed them how to grab things properly with snout and hooves without burning or cutting anything that isn't supposed to be.

One of them tapped me on the chin, the pink one. A few tears were running down his face. "It's been so long since I could cook. You've given me a gift, one I cannot hope to repay."

I pat him on the shoulder. "Aw, it isn't anything. I like cooking with friends."

"And friends we are." He hugged me a moment before he got back to cooking, and I noticed he was making things I didn't show how to do. He was cooking something he knew how to cook, or so I guessed. He mashed things with a knife and cut them up, holding the knife in his mouth and getting more at ease with it with every slice. He nicked himself once and hissed, but got right back into it. That seemed to be a pattern that went on with two more of them, preparing what I guessed were local dishes, with the other two helping me with more pony dishes.

Aiko came up beside me when I was relaxing. "You did a very good thing. I don't think the ponies here ever really learned how to move past their hooves." She held up her hooves at me. "I thought these were like manacles."

"Like handcuffs!" echoed one of the ponies, a mare that was happily preparing some bread, kneading it on a pan. "I was ready to just live my life being a talking horse."

Eventually, we emerged with trays of food and began setting up a table for everyone in what looked like a big dining room, like a cafeteria. They learned how to balance things on their back, and when something was light enough to hold in their mouth, or even balance on both hooves, and we only had a few tiny spills on the way, but we laughed it off and nobody got angry or too embarrassed about it. It was fun!

The one that hugged me, the pink stallion, gave a sharp whistle. "Come and get it!" The others gave a few claps with their hooves in a clopping that quickly synchronized, summoning the ponies from their rooms to come and enjoy the meal.

One of the smaller ones, a child, burst out of the crowd and rushed the table, eyeing it. "What is it all? Did you make all this? What even is that?" He pointed at one of my dishes. "Dibs on the braised noodles!"

He was gently scooted away by one of the chefs back to the others. I hopped up on the bench and stood up to everyone could see me. "Hello everyone! Today's meal is special, prepared by some ponies you may know." I gestured to my helpers. "I gave a hoof, but it was mostly them. Let's thank them properly, and enjoy the food they've prepared."

Polite clopping went through the crowd accompanying smiling faces. "Let's form a line on the left and go around the table. There's enough for everyone, promise. One serving per person." I started directing the line, and the others were happy to help keep things sane. This was the kind of party that benefitted from a firm hoof. We'd get to the partying part of the party after everyone had a plate and they weren't so hungry.

Author's Note

Well, that went well, I think.

1: So, how did you ponies end up here instead of the camps?
2: Oh hello mister boss guy. Oh sure we can talk.
3: Go see the kirin lady? Well alright.
4: I bet we could make this place way more festive looking. Let's turn these frowns upside down!
5: Aiko realizes time is running out in a rather big way.

42 - So, Tell Us About You

With every pony with a plate full of yummy things, I joined the crowd and started weaving my way through it, smiling and encouraging the ponies while trying to learn their names. Spirits were high and I got more than a few smiles back. One of my helpers plopped down next to me. "Miss Pie, was it? Are you a chef as well?"

I nodded at him. "Sure am, but my main job, the thing that calls me, is gathering people together to have great times together. I'm a party planner, sir."

"I didn't think planning parties could be a profession," confessed the man. "You do have the attitude that would make it possible, if ever there was one."

"Aw, thanks, but baking's what I do for a living, which works out great! I can make all kinds of sweet treats for the parties afterwards." She flashed a smile. "You don't have to have a job that's your calling, but they can work together."

"Well said. So, if you don't mind the asking, where are you from, Miss Pie?"

Pinkie realized she'd been asked what she had meant to get around to asking. Oh well, talking would help both ways. "Well that's kind of a complicated story. Now, believe me first. I'm not here to lie to anypony, but I'm not from here." I tapped the floor. "Any of here."

"Not from China? You speak mandarin quite well."

"Thanks, but no, not from here, or anywhere you know." I tapped my chin. "A whole other world, one where there's magic and ponies like me, some griffons, diamond dogs, all kinds of things instead of just humans to talk to."

"That is no longer the case." He cocked his head at me. "We seem to have much more than 'just' humans these days."

"Shoot, that's true." I giggled a little. "But even so, you guys are still humans, underneath." I poked him in the chest. "You remember what it's like to be all tall and be naked."

"Naked and tall is not how I would have described it."

I waved it off. "Nevermind about that. Tell me about you." I smiled at him. "I saw you going to town with that knife. Are you a chef too?"

"Only as a hobby," he said in a confessing tone. "But it was a hobby I very much enjoyed."

"Why are you all here?" I waved a hoof around. "I mean, all the other ponies are in icky camps. This is a definite step up from there."

He deflated a little. "We're all related to someone important enough to get us to relative safety. We were also fortunate enough to remain aware and wakeful. Even important people were eliminated if they couldn't be reasoned with."

Eliminated... "You..." The meaning hit me. Of course it meant that. Humans took care of things in very permanent fashions when it came to things they thought were a danger to them. "Sorry. Did you lose anyone close to you?"

He rolled a hoof. "Not personally. My wife turned, but she's not changed much, you know, up here." He tapped his head lightly. "She still works for the government. She's why I'm here, and not one of those camps you mentioned."

It couldn't be! "Is she Morning Star?"

"Oh!" He jerked up with surprise. "You know her?"

"Sure do! Hey, Aiko!" I waved at her excitedly and got her to come over. "Hey, here's Morning Star's husband."

Aiko nodded at him. "Honored to meet you."

He smiled gently. "You have no idea how nice it is to meet her, through you all. They don't let us out of this floor. We can't really have any contact with anyone outside of here. When they deliver supplies we have to retire to our rooms until they're gone, so we can't even talk to those workers."

Aiko and I pouted as I leaned in. "That's terrible. You're being a good pony. You all are! They should let you get some fresh air and meet more people."

He waved a hoof dismissively. "As well mannered as we are, or not, the germs inside of us don't care. We'll infect someone, acting kindly or not." He tapped at his chin. "I confess, some part of me wants to do that, and that's the most terrifying part."

Another pony sitting nearby nodded towards us. "They're right to keep us in here, away from the clean people. What do they need a bunch of small horses for anyway?"

"Ponies," I corrected, but he turned back to his food, munching down.

The pink stallion laughed suddenly. "The spirits surely are laughing, making you as pink as I am after you met my wife. The coincidence is too strong."

I grinned at that. I didn't get to meet another perfectly pink pony all that often. "Pink ponies are the best kind. We can make anything a little happier."

"I'll do my part." He sat up. "Now that you've shown me I can cook, I can do something useful for everyone. Can you imagine? They were giving us all the supplies we needed, but not a single person here was ready to use it. We'd been chewing on whatever we could stomach, but without cooking? What kind of life is that?."

I clopped my forehooves. "Oh! It gets better!"

"Hmm?"

I pointed to one of the unicorns. There seemed to only be a few in the bunch, five at tops. "The unicorns have magic, it's built in. Aiko can show them how to use it. It's like invisible hands they can use right across the room." I turned to Aiko quickly. "You don't mind showing them, right?"

Aiko nodded. "Of course, after dinner. It's rude to interrupt people as they eat."

The pink stallion laughed. "I don't think Pinkie minds being rude, if it might get a smile out of someone. Thank you again, Miss Pie. Things don't seem as bleak anymore." His laugh was infectious, as other ponies around us joined in, though they seemed to be laughing about their own idle chats. Still, this was a happy place, where once it wasn't. I felt happy in that special way that only came when I was a true party pony.

Aiko gently nudged me in the side. "Pinkie?" I turned to her curiously. "I was thinking, we may be in trouble."

"Why's that? Seems pretty safe here."

"Did you forget why we're here?"

"So? They're not attacking. It was a big silly misunderstanding." I shrugged a little. "That's good."

"Right, but we haven't told them that. They think the attack is still on, and they may do something reckless. Something that would see both sides eradicated."

I was entirely lost. "What could they do that'd be that bad?"

Aiko sighed softly. "We may not have the manpower, but you don't need manpower to fire missiles."

I tilted my head. "They'll throw big rocks? That's not very scary."

The pink stallion leaned in on the conversation. "Sorry for interrupting, but I think she means much more explosive missiles than a rock. Where are you from, Aiko was it?"

Aiko nodded. "Japan... We came for Japan, to stop an attack that was never coming."

I still wasn't grasping it, but our new friend seemed to get the idea, so I turned to him. "How bad could that be if they threw a few exploding things? It's so far away! How would they even get it over here?"

He put a hoof on the ground. "Here is Japan." He put his other forehoof down. "Here is China. They seem far enough away, but missiles can go long and fast. They will go right across." He moved one hoof up against the other. "Less than an hour. Does Japan have nuclear weapons?"

Aiko shook her head. "I don't think so."

I was getting more and more lost! "Nuclo-what?"

Aiko sat back. "Even if they don't have any officially, if they get desperate enough, they'll use whatever they have, and we have nuclear power. China will strike back, of course. The death toll would be so vast it could only be expressed as a statistic on both sides. We have to get word back to Japan, or things will get so much worse."

The pink stallion licked over his lips. "This is far outside of my station."

I looked to him. "Wait, what do you do if someone gets hurt or sick? There has to be some way to talk to some one around here!"

He nodded quickly. "Oh, of course." He hopped up to his hooves and began weaving through the crowd, and we followed after him, returning to the elevator. He pointed to a small red button in a steel case. "You can ask to speak to someone through that, but they get angry if it isn't a proper emergency."

Aiko threw up a hoof. "How is this not a proper emergency?"

He held up his hooves and made a placating gesture. "I'm just saying. Good luck." He dropped to all fours and moved to rejoin the others, leaving us by the panel.

I looked at the panel and Aiko. "Well, go ahead."

She didn't go ahead. "I'm not sure how to phrase this... We'll only get one chance, after that they'll be tired of hearing from us and assume we're wasting their time."

"Aiko." I nuzzled into her tense shoulder. "We're just going to tell them the truth. This is important. If you don't tell them, lots of people could get hurt! Like dozens!"

Aiko raised a brow at me. "Killed, not hurt, millions... not dozens... One in third, Pinkie. One out of three people in major cities could die in a flash of light, poof, just like that. You thought Japan has some large cities? China has some easily to match, and dense with people, just waiting to die."

"Is this true?" a new voice asked from the metal panel, making us both jump in surprise.

I pointed at Aiko, even if I wasn't sure if they could see me or not. "She wouldn't say it if it wasn't."

Aiko let out a little sigh. "Not exactly the way I planned to say it, but yes. We must talk to our people in Japan and tell them all is well, or I'm afraid someone will do something very... very regrettable that will leave both nations severely harmed."

There was silence for a few tense moments. "I will pass this on to my superiors. Return to your quarters until then."

It was the best we were probably going to get.

Author's Note

Talking won the poll, and noticing the world was about to end came in #2, so here we are!

While we wait, maybe...
1: Aiko tries to expand her understanding of magic while instructing the local unicorns how to use theirs.
2: Pinkie gives hoof lessons. They're not nearly as limiting as they look!
3: A stallion decides to approach Pinkie. Surely such a friendly mare is 'friendly' right?
4: Maybe we can find someone's destiny in life! Maybe it'll help calm them down?
5: What's that noise outside?

43 - Hell no We Won't Go

I led Aiko back to the others, where dinner seemed to be wrapping up, and people were just chatting idly. At least they weren't hiding in their rooms, so that was a big step up. I waved at them eagerly. "Hey guys, so what kind of games do you like to play around here?"

The adults looked at me like I was asking a very silly question, but one of the younger ones, a colt, hopped forward. "They gave us a video game to play. Wanna see?"

I wasn't sure what that was, but followed him into one of the side rooms. I saw some boardgames in there that might be useful later, but he was guiding me right to one of those screens and after some fiddling, got it to turn on, then pointed at a box. "This is it. They gave us six games." He pulled down some boxes and put them in front of me. "Which do you want to try first?"

I looked over the boxes with a soft 'hmm'. "This one has party in the name."

"Oh! Alright!" He pulled it open with all the dexterity of a born pony and popped a little disc into the box, and the screen came alive with colors.

"Hey, you're real good with your hooves." I waved a hoof at him. "Where'd you learn all that?"

He shrugged a little. "Practiced. There isn't a lot else to do, and I didn't want to just lay around." He passed me what looked like a white nunchuk of some kind and wielded one of his own. Was this a play fight? No, he was waving at the screen and making it do things. "Point yours there."

I raised one side, then the other, finding what made the little hand on the screen point with me, and the game was on! Before we could get far, another pony popped into the room and joined us. Our noises must have drawn another, an elderly female who sat down calmly and began playing with us. I didn't really understand all we were doing, but they were having a good time, and I was having fun being with people having fun, so I'd call that a success!

A new sound drew my attention, swiveling an ear to try and hear it better, but I couldn't make it out. Aiko slipped into the room. "Pinkie, there's something going on outside. You should see this."

I set down my controller thing. "I'll be right back." I barely needed to have said it, as they all came with me to see what the noise was together. There were no windows that faced out, but there was a place we could stand to hear better, and it was crowded with curious ponies.

"Let our people go!" came a male voice from behind the walls of the building, echoed by what sounded like hundreds of others, chanting the words over and over. "They have committed no crime. Let them return to their families and their lives!"

A slightly crackly voice spoke to us from the ceiling, "We have everything under control. Stay calm."

One of the stallions clopped the floor. "When do we get to visit our homes?"

"When the disease is rendered safe. For their safety, and yours, you will remain here."

Aiko cocked her head at the voice, then looked to the others. "Until we can keep being a pony to ourselves, that's probably for the best."

Unhappy mutterings spread, but people were calming down.

~Don't mention the time we were walking around.~

I nodded at Aiko, that'd probably rile them up. The noise from outside changed, turning from droning chanting to shouts and fighting. The rally or whatever it was seemed to be well and over, and even the sounds of the fight began to fade away quickly. I wondered what happened.

~From what I've seen on TV and read about, Chinese protesters are not treated very well.~

I tilted my head at Aiko silently. ~What did they do?~

~Probably beat them.~

"What!?" Suddenly every eye in the room turned on me. "Ah heh... Um, sorry, just noticed I forgot it was my turn." I slipped from the hallway back into the game room. ~Why?~

~To keep them quiet. I'm not Chinese, or in charge. I wouldn't know the real reasons going on behind it. We shouldn't make waves with this.~

The other players took their places around me and we resumed the game. As fun as it was to play with them, we still had a job to do. ~Aiko, any idea how to talk to them faster?~

~Certainly. If we can fix the disease, then they'll want to speak to us right away.~

I nodded as I thought at her, ~Can you do that?~

~I... don't know?~

Hmmph. ~Go ahead and show them how to use their horn. Maybe you'll pick something up out of it.~

As if on cue, the lights suddenly died, along with the magical screen and the game attached to it. I squeaked in surprise in the sudden darkness as others groaned with frustration. "What happened?"

The voice of the colt that showed me the game came from the dark, "The power's out. No games until it comes back."

Aiko poked her head in from the hallway, her horn glowing brightly. "Everyone alright in here?"

The other ponies were gaping at her. She flushed a little. "What? It's unicorn magic, right Pinkie?"

I nodded quickly. "Sure is! I don't remember you getting that trick down though."

~Go with this,~ came Aiko's mental voice. "Oh sure. You're the one that gave me the idea, silly."

"Oh! Yeah." I gave a nervous little laugh. "I forgot in all the sudden darkness. I was winning too."

"Was not," called the colt, sticking out his tongue out at me.

A unicorn stallion approached Aiko. "Excuse me, Aiko? How do you do that? I'm a unicorn too, show me."

A pair of unicorn mares nearby nodded in agreement. "Please, if you would. We would appreciate it."

~Go ahead.~ I smiled at Aiko. ~Besides, we need more lights, and you need the practice. Maybe it'll even be fun.~

Aiko nodded at the three. "Gather up all the unicorns, and we'll go over what it means to have one of these." She tapped at her horn softly. "This is a great blessing, and I'll show you how to use it, for yourself and your friends."

She led the unicorns away, bringing the lights with them and plunging us right back into dark. I pulled out a flashlight and waved it around and saw some of the other ponies were getting to flashlights of their own. "Oh! I know what we can do."

"What's that, Miss Pie?"

I flashed a bright smile. "Time for scary stories!"

As it turned out, Equestrian scary stories made them laugh and giggle more than squeal in terror, but they took their turns, and boy were they chilly! Humans had some real doozies of stories, and I tucked a few away to scare the pants off my friends when I got back to Equestria, after I caught my breath.

The colt patted my side lightly. "You're safe."

I giggled a little and grabbed him in a hug. "I'll be alright. Screaming is half the fun of scary stories."

Suddenly it looked like the lights came on. An excited cry came from where Aiko had gone, then the lights flickered out, just to snap back on a moment later. A mare came running past, glowing like a little sun. "Look look!" We emerged into the hallway to see her glowing all bright, and all the lights were on. On her flank was a new symbol, showing a stylized sun with rays coming off.

I clopped my hooves excitedly. "You've got your cutie mark." I pointed at her hindquarters and she twisted to have a look at it. In her surprise at seeing it, the lights blinked out, and so did she. With a chorus of clicks, we had our flashlights back on. "This is great! Congratulations."

Aiko approached the surprised mare with a gentle smile. "It's a good thing, relax. It means light magic comes naturally to you. You'll only get better at it with practice."

She gave a nervous little sound as she sat up. "Let me try more carefully." Her horn began to glow and the lights slowly came back to life, making everything easier to see. "I'm really doing it..." This time she wasn't glowing herself, minus the horn.

I nodded at her. "This calls for a party!"

Aiko rolled her eyes at me. "Everything's a reason for a party."

"That doesn't make it untrue." I stuck out my tongue at her, then trotted off to the kitchen. Funny thing though, the lights being on didn't make the ovens work at all. Making a party meal would have to wait until they fixed whatever was wrong.

Keeping the lights on wasn't easy, since it went back out in a minute or so, leaving us back in the dark. Click went the flashlight and I started going through the ingredients. At least I could have everything set up for when everything started working again.

A surprised yelp brought my attention back into the hallway, where some armed and armored men were waving ponies away. "Miss Zhang, step forward." They had their eyes set on the newly-made light unicorn.

She looked quite nervous as she stepped forward. "Y-yes, sir?"

"What were you doing?"

She licked over her snout. "I was lighting things, sir. Did I do anything wrong, sir?"

"Show us."

She sat down and focused on her horn, squeezing her eyes shut as it began to glow, then the lights flickered back to life.

The soldier looked impressed even behind his partial mask. "Amazing. How are you doing this?" He pulled free a radio and talked into it. "Yes, she's doing it now. Stop now." He put up a hand at her, and she flickered right out almost instantly. "Good." He waved back down the hallway. "Come with us."

Aiko suddenly moved forward. "Wait, please. I was just showing her how to use her magic."

"We have another pony, also horned, claimed to be the trainer. Yes. Alright." He waved at her. "Come along too."

~I'll be alright.~ She smiled back at me and went off with Miss Zhang and the soldiers.

One of the other unicorns looked to me. "Is it safe to learn magic? I don't want to be taken away because of some mark on my butt."

I shook my head quickly. "I have one and they haven't bothered me. They probably just want to see it work and maybe hear how cutie marks happen and they'll be right back.

My words of support didn't seem to sink in around the crowd, and they dispersed, softly grumbling under their breaths. The pink stallion found me though and walked with me back into the kitchen. "I'm sure your friend will be fine. Let's prepare for tomorrow."

Author's Note

The soldiers have an interest in all this light-shedding magic it seems.

1: Hey, pink pony, aren't you married? Stop looking at me that way.
2: The Chinese government has more interest in the magic of unicorns.
3: Someone agrees it's time to talk to Aiko and Pinkie about Japan.
4: Pinkie decides to break free and find Aiko herself, using her amazing Pinkie Powers!
5: The lights going out was only the first part of the problem.

44 - They Come in Darkness

I walked alongside Zhang with only the light of the soldiers around us to see by. Their guns had lights at least, and several of their helmets did too, so it wasn't as dark as it could be. The elevators were out with the power, so we were led to the stairs and started descending down and down and down. I should have been counting how many stairs we went down, but didn't think of that until we were going.

~Pinkie,~ I thought. ~Are you alright?~

~Everything's okay up here. Ponies are nervous about you guys. Everything okay?~

~We're on some stairs.~

I felt the urge to stretch a little, mentally, so I did, reaching for Zhang carefully. She looked around with some confusion, but then relaxed, and her drawbridge lowered. I hooked to it, but was still connected to Pinkie. ~Hello, Miss Zhang. It's me, Aiko. Please don't be scared.~

~Oh oh! It's me, Pinkie!~

She could talk through me? I didn't know that.

~Hello?~ "Hello?" Oops, she was speaking outloud.

One of the soldiers nudged her with a gun. "Keep going, we're almost there."

~Don't talk, just think.~ I smiled at her gently. ~And let's look forward.~ I turned back to the stairs and kept the pace.

~Oh, yes, of course... How are you doing this? Is this unicorn magic?~

~It sure is! Isn't it keen?~

~Pinkie, please, this is her first time. Don't overwhelm her.~

~How is she doing it? She's not a unicorn.~

~I'm with her, and she's with you, so we're all together.~ I could feel Pinkie's bubbliness in her words. She was really excited to have more than one pony in the conversation.

~Oh. We're here.~

We had arrived at the bottom of the stairs and the soldiers led us into a basement area. I assumed it was a basement. There were no windows, but there weren't any on the floor we were on either, but it 'felt' lower, below ground. Emergency lights gave some illumination along the hallway, red and dim.

The soldier at the front of the line opened a door to our left, spilling out bright white light into the hallway. "Inside."

Zhang and I went to head inside when the ground shook in a sudden violent rumble, making us stop and look around.

Pinkie's voice rang in our heads, ~What was that? Did you hear it too?~

We hadn't heard anything. ~What'd it sound like?~

The soldiers suddenly shoved us forward, getting over their aversion to contact with us ponies just long enough to get us in the room and slam the door shut behind us. We could hear them rushing off along with alarmed sounds, but we couldn't see them anymore.

"Let them handle it." We turned to see the man that had escorted Pinkie and I from being interrogated. "The situation is becoming unreasonable, I'm afraid. We'll have to take stronger actions."

Zhang dipped her head towards the man and stepped forward while keeping her eyes averted.

I barely know the man, but wanted to know more. "Are you in charge of the ponies?"

"Only the important ones." He thrust two fingers at us. "Like you two, to start. Miss Zhang, were you aware your little trick with the lights were overloading the circuits through the building?"

Zhang's eyes went wide. She looked up at him then and I could feel the fear and terror building rapidly in her. "I didn't mean to! I promise it. I'll never do it again!"

He held up a hand. "You don't strike me as a terrorist or criminal, Miss Zhang. Your ability is truly worthy of note, and worth the time to examine, but not here, and not this way."

Zhang fell on her belly, promising to be good, but he wasn't paying attention to her anymore, he was looking at me. "We meet again. You hadn't mentioned your curious ability."

Ability? I raised a brow. "To teach?"

He rolled a hand. "Clearly, the horned ones, the 'unicorns', have powers beyond that of their peers. Tell me of them."

I considered that as Pinkie's voice rang in my head, ~Why not tell him?~

~He's not our friend, Pinkie. I don't know what I should tell him.~

~I think he may be more than the noise that's going on downstairs.~

~What?~

"Miss Aiko?" He was looking at me with some concern. How long had I blanked out? "Are you alright? Perhaps we've gotten off to the wrong foot. I'm as close to an ally as you have in this building, at least on two legs. I can't protect you if you keep secrets from me."

I had the feeling he was being sincere, in both ways. There was just a little edge of a threat, one he could bring to bear with little effort. "Sorry, just wondering what all that noise was when we came in."

"Those ears aren't just decorational." He clasped his hands together. "Our men are taking care of it, so put that out of your mind."

"I have no doubt they're doing that, but it makes me worried."

He leaned forward slightly. "Let me worry about what they're doing, focus on yourself, and me. Now, explain."

~I don't think he's gonna to be--~

Pinkie's mental words were interrupted Zhang jumping to her hooves. "They're talking, in my head!"

If he had reason to doubt, my wince probably gave it away.

He frowned a little. "Interesting... Who is she talking to?"

Zhang pointed upwards. "The new one, Pinkie, her friend."

Not much point trying to hide that further. I rolled a hoof. "We have a special bond. I wasn't trying to hide from you, sir, just conferring with her."

"Harmless indeed." He raised a brow. "She's losing her touch. This is your last chance, speak, or your new accommodations will be far less kind."

I swallowed even as I forced a smile, sitting on my haunches. "Let's not jump ahead. I'm still learning the 'magic' of unicorns myself. I can make light." I made my horn glow softly. "Lift things." I pointed to a pen and made it jump and dance in the air a moment. "And, as you've seen, talk to friends. The last is a 'specialty', not something all unicorns can do, as far as I know. The former are generic. All unicorns can do them with practice."

He picked up the same pen I had been twirling and pointed it at me. "Why do you have wings? Most 'unicorns' do not."

"No, though anatomy seems to vary wildly," I said truthfully, keeping the --

"She's hiding something." Zhang frowned at me.

I pulled away from her, mentally, but she didn't want to let go. It was the first time I tried to pull away from someone who wasn't willing, and it wasn't as easy at all. "She's trying to stop me from listening to her."

The leader tapped two fingers together. "Very interesting. You've turned things around, Zhang. Listen to her, and tell me what she won't."

Zhang nodded quickly. "Of course, sir."

It was so easy to forget we were literal enemy agents in an enemy land. "Please, stop that. I'm not lying, so let me have a shred of discretion. As I was saying, ponies come in a lot of shapes. You must have run into them before?"

He nodded. "We have, though the more oddly shaped ones were usually least stable, and there are few of them left. Mostly we have the horses, the pegasi, and the unicorns. None fit between them, like you."

Not even the-- I tried to stop even thinking about it. Too late. "She's hiding something again!"

I heard the sound of a cannon going off in my head. The bridge between myself and Zhang crumbled violently and a sort of tension headache I never felt before washed over me and Zhang both as we winced in horrible pain. Had that been Pinkie? If any pony would have done it...

He was scowling at me. "It was, perhaps, a mistake to give you so much freedom."

"No! Please, we're talking." My vision swam from the forced disconnect, but I had privacy again. "I don't know all the details myself, but some ponies, the small horses, are made to guide the others. I'm one of those."

He raised a brow. "You're a leader of the horses?"

Zhang sank to the ground and fell asleep, or went unconscious would be a more proper description.

I glanced towards her, but he didn't. His eyes were on me. "Yes! I mean, to a point. They calm down around me, and they tend to listen, but I can't order them around and expect them to abandon their values." I spread my wings a little. "Being of three 'types' is the mark of those, it seems? I think? Please, I'm telling you all I know."

The door behind me opened suddenly and I turned, expecting to see a soldier, but it was a pony instead. He had a big goofy smile and looked between us before zeroing in on the only human in the room and charging for him. I dove for him and we crashed against the wall with my weight. "Stop!" My command seemed to penetrate the fog in that feral pony, and he went still under me.

The man set a pistol on the table beside him. "An excellent test, though perhaps a bit reckless in execution. You saved that horse's life, Miss Aiko. Get him to wait outside and sit down and I won't have to use this."

I nervously nodded. I didn't want the pony being shot, especially not for the 'crime' of his disease, as if he asked for it. I whispered gently in his ear. "Come on, let's go outside. Come on... This way." I squeezed him gently, keeping a wing out to block his view of the human. The feral began to follow me out into the hallway, where there were six other ferals sniffing around, and no soldiers. That was a good or a bad sign.

~Pinkie?~

~It's like that up here too.~ I took a moment to be thankful that our links were still intact despite the forceful disconnection of Zhang from our fledgling network.

~Why didn't you say anything?!~ She'd been so quiet just moments before.

~You were busy with mister sour puss! Besides, they're not bothering us ponies. They're a little rude and they'll sniff you in private places, but they aren't hurting anypony.~ I could feel her positive optimism flowing strongly into me, and my mood brightened a bit for it.

"What's going on out here?" The leader had come out behind me, and all the ferals focused on him. Dang it... The optimism of Pinkie only went so far, and I quickly considered my few options.

Author's Note

Well, Aiko's in a pickle.

1: Try to save that chinese leader
2: Join the ferals in converting him
3: Just get away!

45 - Of One Mind

I forcefully shoved into the mind of the pony beside me and he yelped in what I thought was surprise. I hoped not pain. "Everyone stop!" I saw some of the ferals began charging, and the one I had forcefully dominated rushed to intercept. I heard motion and turned to see the man I left behind raising a gun. "No!" I felt a weight behind my words, and he hesitated.

"I have this." I turned to the ponies as they began to wrestle with the dominated one, trying to reach us. "It's time to rest." The ones not engaged in the battle sank to the ground, looking drowsy and tired. Those battling were less quick about it, slowing, but I guessed the adrenaline in them had them too keyed up to just tell them to sleep.

I felt certain I couldn't keep the leader behind me from starting to shoot anything that moved, and that might include me if he realized I was messing with his head. I took their anger, perverting it quite literally.

The ponies gazed at each other with glazed eyes a moment before they dove at one another. Instead of trying to reach the human, using their waggling pony cocks became the most important thing. Male or female didn't matter as rage turned to lust entirely and they collapsed in an unwholesome orgy pile. New grunts and squeals came from them, of an entirely different sort.

"Is... that your doing?" He didn't approach me. Looking at him, I could see his gun was raised and ready. "Don't move too quickly."

I turned to him slowly. "Yes, they're all sleepy or... that. They're no threat to you now." Remembering it, I pulled back from the pony I had forced myself into. It felt rough. Where normally drawbridges met gently, I had plowed into his mental castle and left a hole. I frowned, promising myself to not do it that way unless I had to in the future. I didn't want to hurt ponies. "We should go. Where to?"

He gestured back at the limp form of Zhang. "Pick her up, and follow me." He didn't holster his gun, but he wasn't pointing it at me. Good enough for the moment.

~Pinkie, what's going on up there?~

~I settled down the wild ponies and they're mostly calm up here. I hear lots of noise above and below. Should I go check it out?~

~No. Keep the civil ponies safe and the wild ponies safe with them. Make sure that floor remains secure.~

I reached Zhang and quickly hefted her up with magic, just long enough to get her loaded on my back. "Pinkie says the floor with the other ponies is secure and safe. The ferals there have been pacified and are calm, but I wouldn't send soldiers there until they have a place to go where they won't jump at humans on sight."

He shook his head with some surprise. "For being as harmless as children, you certainly are acting decisively."

I frowned at him. There was an urge to jump on him like the other ponies had. He'd make a fine pony... "Please, we should get somewhere safe, for you especially. Where would that be?"

"Right." He slipped through the door, looking around at the ponies that were still there, either gazing at him placidly or making quite a mess with one another in a passionate display that made us both color a bit. "Filthy." He turned away from it and moved determinedly down the hallway. "You didn't mention you could command them so firmly."

"I didn't even know I could do that. Emergencies can bring out the best in us."

"I see." He pulled out a card and slid it through a slot, the light on it turning from red to green before a soft click allowed him to pull open the door and slip inside. Before I could move for it, it clicked locked, and his voice came through the speaker, "Afraid I'll be staying here. You're safe with them. Bring Zhang upstairs to the safe floor and keep it safe. I'll be organizing things from here."

For just a moment I was tense with anger, but he wasn't really wrong. He was safest in there, without me. There had to be some way to stop ponies from wanting to infect people, or even being able to. Was being a pony inherently infectious? I hoped not. With a sigh I turned from the door and began trotting towards the stairs, Zhang bouncing on my back. It was a good thing becoming a princess made me larger, or she'd be a lot more of a burden than she already was.

I had to go back by the still groaning pile of ponies and one of them bit at my ankle, not trying to hurt me, but to stop me. She gave a soft whine, and some of the others in the pile looked towards me even as I yanked away from her. Zhang slipped to the ground and drew their attention and for just a moment, just a tiny moment, I was tempted to leave her to them.

I took a quick breath and grabbed her in magic as I backed away from them and their lustful gazes. "I'm not interesting at all. Nothing to see here. You all look much more attractive." My magic wove with my words, and most of them seemed to agree, falling over one another eagerly, but one kept coming for me.

He almost looked like he wanted to say something, but a whinny escaped him instead of words. That somehow made it worse. I didn't want to be raped by anyone, but a horse was a step down from a human. He was advancing faster than I could backpedal when I remembered another trick of mine. It was dirty, sure, but...

He suddenly stopped and began to buck the air wildly, his face one of rapture. My horn magic was on his cock, holding it firm and steady as he drove himself against a mate that wasn't there. It was clearly great for him, and didn't involve actual contact for me, which was as close to a win-win as I was getting. I backed away from him, the stairway about fifty feet back, but he staggered after me even as he groaned. With a sudden snort, he sprayed across the ground, his balls pulling up tight with every firing of seed and rapture passing over his face.

You'd think that would slow him down, and I even tried to make him feel tired from it, but he kept right on coming for me. His recent orgasm only seemed to dull him slightly, somehow, and he rushed to get to me. I shrieked and grabbed him by the shoulders with my magic, giving him a rough shove. Like Pinkie, earth ponies were strong and I barely stopped him a moment before he was moving back towards me.

Zhang suddenly woke up on top of me and began shrieking and wailing. "Keep that thing away from me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, I just didn't want to be shot. Don't let it any closer..."

Her noise drew the mostly lazy eyes of other ponies that hadn't thrown off my compulsion yet. I didn't want to be around when they woke up, so I turned and ran. I ran as hard as I could, reaching the stairs with the heavy panting of the earth pony behind me. He was clumsy climbing the stairs, but I had a passenger that had just about lost her mind in terror. "Shhh, let me handle this." I gently prodded at her mind, and she didn't just let me in, she practically gave me a mental hug of desperation.

I filled her world with sleep, and she fell against me, knocked right out. It was a lot easier to influence people I was directly connected to by far, and I let out a breath of relief as I turned and ran up the next flight. This was tiring work, and I could hear the virtual steam engine of a male chasing after me. It would be so easy to just let Zhang delay him... No, that wouldn't be right, not by a long shot.

The door to the next flight suddenly burst open and a soldier staggered in and slammed it shut before noticing me and leveling his gun at me.

"I'm one of the good guys! Let the pony behind me keep chasing me and you'll be safe."

He didn't look like he understood all that, but he backed away in time for the male to storm past him, still chasing me, or was he chasing Zhang? It didn't much matter. "Watch out for others!" I screamed back at him between heaves as I got closer and closer. ~Pinkie, where are you? Come to the stairs so I have a clue how close I am.~

"I'm over here!" shouted a chipper voice... from below me. Crud...

I wheeled around to face the stampeding stallion and let out a slow breath, trying to catch it again. "Alright... Alright..."

He smiled brightly at my surrender and took slow steps towards me. He looked very tired. "I... good mate... promise..."

Aw, that was almost sweet, if I didn't already have a family, and he hadn't just chased me up half a building. I tried to not hold it against him. The disease affected some worse than others, and it was my meddling that put the lust in him. "I want to take you to a place where there are more ponies, where you'll be safe."

He looked confused. "Not safe?"

"No, not safe, not even a little." I stepped forward slowly. "We have to go back down." I smiled at him. "Together?"

"Mate?"

"No, not on the stairs." Ugh. "Please, come with me. I'll take you to the safe place. Do not approach the man we'll pass. He's very scared, and if you want any mating, you'll stay away from him, alright?"

"Mating." He looked eager. He was rock hard and twitching. "I... be... Mating..." I'm almost certain that's not what he meant, but he turned back downstairs and let me start leading the way without running from him, so that was a big plus.

We passed that soldier, slumped against the door and sobbing softly. His fingers had become hooves while we were gone. I winced and nodded at him. "Please, come with me, to the other ponies, the intelligent ones. It'll be better for you than changing here, alone." Alone, I imagined he would become another feral. "We'll help you as much as we can."

He looked quite doubtful, but he rose despite it, and I had two men following me, one on four legs, and the other, well, give it time. I sighed as we went. "I'm very sorry about this. Do you know what's going on in the building?"

"No... It's chaos. We don't even know how they got in, or where. We kill most ferals on sight to keep cities safe, and people safe." He rubbed the side of his face with a hoof. "Am I going to be a feral? Will they kill me next?"

The male with us looked over the soldier and snorted. "Not... mate..."

"That's right, he's not a mate." I rolled my eyes. "Look, keep talking. Being around friendly, intelligent, people helps keep things on the 'right' path. What's your name?"

I kept pumping him for personal information and encouraging him even as he became less and less human. By the time I reached Pinkie, he had become a pegasus mare. Though distraught on many fronts, she could vocalize her objections, and followed us to the other ponies.

Author's Note

Say hello to the new pony, and a new feral too! Two for one combination.

Aiko made it back to the floor with all the ponies on it, but the situation in the building is uncertain. What do?
1: Pinkie and Aiko go out and start hunting ferals to bring back and calm down.
2: Wait for help to arrive.
3: Focus on the ponies they have already and get all the ferals there calm and cooperative.
4: Get sweet sweet revenge on Zhang! Sell me out will you...
5: Time to bust out of this building!

46 - Solidify our Holdings

I gave Aiko a great big hug. "So good to have you back, and you brought friends?"

She set down a pony that was riding her and gestured back to a wild eyed stallion with a pulsing pony pecker. "I did that, sorry. I'm getting better at influencing ponies and it was this instead of anger."

I nodded at Aiko quickly. "Well, this is better than angry."

"Mate?"

"Oh! He can talk too." I offered a hoof. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Pinkie Pie."

He looked confused a moment, then slowly reached a hoof out. "I don't remember..."

"Aw, that's okay. You're around friends here. Now put that thing away." I waved at his undercarriage. "It's not time for that, but we are gonna have some fun!"

I led him towards the others, just to feel him sniffing around my tail. He really wanted that private party. I gently swatted him across the snout. "Be good. You'll make lots of friends here, alright?"

That seemed to get through to him and he moved up to be beside me instead of behind, gently rubbing side-to-side as he looked around the hallway.

We came to the other ferals, who I got playing catch with a ball and gently sat him down in the circle to join them. One of the mares spotted his stiff stallion cylinder and unfortunately was drawn right to him. Before I even realized what she was doing, she was nuzzling it up and down, then turned around, and he accepted her offer gratefully. They went at it with the happiest of sounds, and the other ponies just kinda watched the whole thing.

I put a hoof over my face, though as disasters went, that one seemed the least terrible. They were both having a good time. I slipped around them and got the others back to playing. ~Aiko, what's the plan?~

~I'm checking in on the others. Was anyone hurt that you know of?~

~Nah, though now that you brought Zhang back, think she could get the lights on for us?~

~You trust her?~

~To do what, light things? Sure!~

~Not that... Though I suppose there's little else she can do without the military around. Speaking of which, you should speak to the quiet one that followed me. He just turned into a pony and is probably in shock.~

~Oh, sure thing~

I found him sitting in the dim hallway and plopped myself beside him. "Heya, so, that was rough huh?"

"Rough does not begin to describe it." He looked longside at me. "At least I can still have this conversation... I suppose I have her to thank for that."

"Aiko? She's a great mare." I smiled at him. "Being a pony isn't all bad. I mean, if you weren't one already I wouldn't make you be one, but you're already here, so here we sit, chatting about it."

"I gather you are not one of the wild horses?"

"Some call me pretty wild." I giggled a little. "But that's because I like parties and fun times. I would never turn someone into a pony without their permission." I stood up. "Can I look you over?" He gave a little uncertain nod and I began to circle, poking at his wings and looking them over closely. "You're a nice-looking pegasus. I bet you'll fly really good once you get some practice."

"W-what? I can really fly? I thought that was a wild story."

I tilted my head at him. "You never saw a pegasus fly? There are enough of them around."

He sighed softly. "We bind their wings whenever they even might be outdoors. I thought it was just a precaution. I didn't think wings these small could lift something my size." He extended his wings to either side, giving a light flapping. "I didn't think I'd have wings..."

"You're going to want to take care of them." I nodded quickly. "You ever hear of preening?"

"What?"

I leaned in and nipped one of his feathers, gently pulling it straight. "Like this, but slowly and over your entire wing. It's a bit of a chore, but if you want your wings to work best, you have to get in the habit."

He shivered softly and pulled away. "That felt like something that should be private."

"Oh!" I blushed a little. "Well, yeah. Only good friends should be preening each other. I was just showing you what it was. I won't do that again, promise."

He gave a little nod before a smile spread over his snout. "Thank you, for showing me that, and talking. Right now, I really want to talk to my friends, and family, but I know I won't be allowed to do either. As soon as the building is secured, I'll probably join the ponies that live here, or be sent to one of the camps, never to see the people I know and love again..."

Aw, that sounded sad. There had to be some way out of that... "Maybe if you can prove you're still a great and fantastic person, they won't need to lock you up. We saw a pony working for them quite proudly and she even had her own office."

"Truly?"

I bobbed my head quickly. "Uh huh. We have a whole building full of wild horses. They're dangerous to people, but they're not trying to be bad. If you can round them up and bring them here, we can make the building safe, and maybe save their lives. Only a brave pony would do that, right?"

He rose to his hooves fully, wings fluttering. "Yes! I will start gathering them and clear the building. They don't fight, and I'm already a pony. What can they do to me?"

"Exactly!" I thrust a hoof up. "I'll tell them how brave you were when this is all over." He suddenly came up and hugged me tightly a moment, then left without another word, headed for the stairwell.

~Aiko, we're going to have more wild ponies soon.~

~Oh? Are you headed out?~

~Our newest good pony volunteered to go fetch the wild ponies for us.~

~That's very kind of him. Did you get his name?~

~How did I forget that?!~ I swatted myself with a hoof. ~I'll ask him when he gets back. How are folks holding it together?~

~They're scared and nervous, as they have every right to be. I'll keep them calmed down, why don't you speak to Zhang. She probably won't be as immediately scared of you as me. She probably thinks I'll do something terrible to her, and part of me wants to, so I'll leave that to you.~

~Okey dokey lokey. I don't think she's a bad pony, just scared.~

I found her quickly. She was awake and huddling in one of the corners of one of the rooms, not talking to ponies much at all. "You alright?"

"No."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"It'll make you feel better."

"No."

One of the other ponies sitting around shook her head. "It is very rude to say 'no' like that. She either doesn't like you or is not herself, but it's also impolite to keep pestering her after she refuses."

I tilted my head at the new pony. "But I have to talk to her." I turned back to Zhang. "Look, I know you did some not-fun things, but that's over. Aiko's willing to forgive you if you're willing to move past that. She rescued you, didn't she?"

"You saw that?" She looked up at me, one ear up, the other flipped back.

"Sorta. You felt what that's like. She was tempted to leave you behind, but she tries to be a good pony." I offered a hoof. "Are you ready to be a good pony too?"

She swatted at my hoof. "I don't want to be a pony at all!"

I wasn't going to be turned away. I reached for her again, but poked her horn that time. "You don't like making things glow?"

"I liked having hands, and standing upright, and clothes." She clopped the floor. "I'd trade those for stupid glowing any time."

I nodded. "Well, if we figure out how to do that, we can do that, but until then, you could make a lot of people really happy if you did the stupid glowing thing a little?"

She shrank. "He said I was harming the building doing that. I might be the reason all these wild horses are here..."

Oh. "Well, that makes sense to be worried. What did he say hurt it, exactly?" I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring way. "We'll avoid that."

She breathed softly, not speaking a few moments. "Well... I think it was the lights." She pointed up at the not-lit bulbs. "Making them light up was messing things up."

I nodded. "Alright, so can you just glow yourself? Or maybe the flashlights whose batteries ran out?! That'd be keen." I suddenly dashed off, rounding up all the dead flashlights and bringing them back to Zhang in a circle around her. "Here! These aren't attached to anything, so nothing to lose."

She sat up and looked around at all those flashlights. "I never tried before..."

"We won't blame you if it doesn't work." I smiled brightly. "We're all learning, together."

"Right..." She closed her eyes. "I'll try..." Her horn began to glow, gaining in brightness quickly until the room was illuminated like a little sun had come on it and set up shop. Her magic reached out for the flashlights and the first one popped loudly, breaking her concentration. The room went back to dimness as she yelped.

"You're on the right track, but take it a bit more gentle with them," I coached, rolling a hoof. "You can do this, I'm sure of it!"

She nodded slowly and reached with her magic for the next one first, then began working up her light. She didn't get as bright, but the flashlight began glowing with her. I reached and snatched up the flashlight. "Let's see how far away this works."

I pronked out of the room, flashlight held in my mane as I bounced down the hallway, and it stayed lit from one side of the floor to the other and back. When I poked my head back in the room, she had half the flashlights going. It was working! "It's not super hard, is it?"

"It's not so bad." She smiled a little. "Does she really forgive me?"

"I do." Aiko stepped in around me and I gave her a quick hug. She nuzzled a moment, then turned back to Zhang. "I'm still a bit angry, turning against me like that, but... Things are tense, and people are scared. I won't hold that against you. I'm afraid I can't trust you in my net again, but as a person, I want to do right by you. Understand?"

Author's Note

So last time:
1: Pinkie and Aiko go out and start hunting ferals to bring back and calm down.3.93 votes
2: Wait for help to arrive.0.33 votes
3: Focus on the ponies they have already and get all the ferals there calm and cooperative.5.91 votes
4: Get sweet sweet revenge on Zhang! Sell me out will you...2.25 votes
5: Time to bust out of this building!0.58 votes
Very little support for running away, or waiting passively. Most think the ponies at hoof should be tended to, and if there's time try to go out and round up the other ferals. So let's write that! I wrote this before the chapter if you didn't guess.

Alright, so, unnamed soldier boy is rounding up ferals, leaving Pinkie and Aiko to be the alpha mares of the floor. Things are working out reasonably so far, but now...
1: The crisis ends with the lights flicking on, but the soldiers want to come and inspect the floor, and there are a lot of wild horses here...
2: The lights don't seem to be coming on, and the leader speaks through the intercom, which seems to be working at least.
3: Oh merciful fates, what's that noise?!
4: Zhang wants to make up for her mistake, and it all goes great, mostly...
5: Aiko keeps digging in to her magic while they work. There's so much to learn!

Note that 3 of these choices are outside factors, but you, yes you, the reader have that power. You are the weavers of fate! CHOOSE NOW!

47 - As Above, So Below

We kept an eye on all the ponies, our attention slipping away only when the soldier mare came back. Each time she, er, he, came with a few more ponies. A few he'd be kicking off roughly, not in the mood for 'private parties', but he kept right at it. "Are you sure you don't want any help?" I smiled at him. "The ponies here seem mostly alright."

"Someone has to calm the ones I bring." He gave a sharp salute. "We're all doing our part. Please treat them well. Some of them used to be my friends." He slipped out with a flutter of his wings, leaving me to welcome the new wild horses, uh, ponies. They had me doing it!

I had gotten them all playing games and gently having fun. No more special parties! Encouraging them to, you know, socialize and have fun seemed to be having a good effect on them, so I played along, and it made the entire floor a bit happier. Even some of the civil ponies dared to slip in and join us, having little better to do than sit in their rooms and mope.

"Hello?" came a hoarse whisper from the stairs and I went to peek. I poked my head out and ran into a lady human that went pale at the sight of me. "Stay back! I don't want to be one of you things!"

"Easy there. You're safe." I smiled at her. "I won't do anything to you, and you can hear me. I'm not a wild pony."

"There are wild ones and... not wild ones?"

"Exactly." I pumped a hoof. "How'd you get this far without getting hurt, or hooved?"

"I really don't know... One jumped on me and gave... I don't want to talk about that, but I haven't turned into a pony at all."

I held up my forehooves, standing on my hind. "Alright, stay calm. Now, I don't mean to panic you, but you might already be turning into a pony."

She shuddered. "I don't want to be a monster, hunting people down!"

"Well that's where you're in luck!" I smiled. "Talking with people and having friends makes it easier, and you'll become a smart, nice, pony just like me." I pointed a hoof at myself. "Want to come inside?" I pointed into the floor. "You're safe here. If the wild ponies give you any trouble, you just call Auntie Pinkie and she'll clear everything up."

She didn't look all that sure, but she decided to follow me, and we went back inside. Curious ponies, wild and civil alike, came to inspect her, but I kept them a little away to give her space, and to avoid any more nasty pounces. "Be good if you want special treats later." My little threats were enough to get the wild ones to back away, but weren't enough to keep the more civil ones from being curious.

The colt pointed at her. "It's the first human that wasn't a soldier that's been around us for ages. Miss, why are you here?"

She sank against a wall. "I wish I knew. I was just quietly doing my job when everything went right to hell and back. One of them burst up through the floor of my office and tackled me off my chair. I barely wrestled it away and it was just a lot of running after that."

One of the adult mares nodded. "We're sorry for that, but it wasn't us. We've been confined on this floor for weeks." The others murmured agreement and nodded.

I heard new clopping and saw Aiko entering the area. "Who's your new friend, Pinkie?"

I pointed at our new friend. "One of the people that worked here. She was being bullied by wild ponies and ended up here." I crossed my forehooves. "I said I'd protect her."

Aiko smiled. "You would do that. Thank you, Pinkie." She looked to the lady. "You feel odd."

"Odd?"

"I can feel the pony inside of you, but it hasn't spread out."

"What's going to happen?" Her voice became a soft whisper. "I don't want to be a monster."

I smiled at her brightly. "You won't be a monster, promise."

Aiko nodded. "We won't allow that. May I come closer?" She nodded and Aiko stepped in, looking at her intently. "I can definitely feel that." She lowered her horn to point at the lady and closed her eyes, going still for several long moments before they snapped open. "There. It's like a bunch of embers that didn't quite light, but still smoldering. May I burn it out?"

"Burn it out? That sounds painful, and horrible." She hugged her knees. "Please, I just want to go back to work."

"What did you do for work?" asked Aiko with a little smile.

"I'm a secretary." She wriggled her fingers and I wasn't sure why. "I typed notes." What did human typewriters look like with all those fingers?! "Kept track of papers, you know, that sort of thing."

"What if I made you better at that?"

"W-what? You can do that? No! Please, I just want to be what I woke up as."

Aiko stepped across the hallway towards our new guest. "One way or the other, I'm increasingly certain it'll catch fire without me, and you'll be whatever the fates decide. This way, I get to decide."

"And you can't decide human?"

"I don't think I can, but I'll try. I'll focus on keeping your hands, and a little gift."

She brought her trembling fingers to her cheeks. "Fine. Fine, get it over with. Make me a horse like everyone else here."

"I'll be trying not to." Aiko sat before her and touched her long horn to the woman's head, going still. The woman went stiff, then the screaming started. I put my hooves over my ears to spare them as Aiko did whatever she was doing that obviously hurt, a lot.

Fur, bright yellow, swept up and over her body quickly as her face pushed out into a bit of a snout. Her tongue got a little wider to match and her nose and mouth met, more like a pony mouth than a human one. Tall yellow ears jutted up, her human ones gone. Despite being covered in fur, her hands were still there, being all hand-like. Her feet burst through her shoes as they became hooves, and a tail erupted, black as the hair on her head. She was kinda half and half, then she was quiet. She slumped over, panting for breath as Aiko sat back.

"She'll be fine, but she needs rest." Aiko turned to me. "She feels odd."

"Odd?" I looked her over. "Well she looks funny."

"Not that." she waved a hoof. "She doesn't feel.. as pony... as everyone else."

"She doesn't look as pony as everyone else."

Another pony came up with a hopeful expression. "Can you give me my hands back?" He held up his hooves. "I don't care if it hurts. Please."

Others began to nod eagerly. A mare pointed at him. "Please try, Miss Aiko. If you can give us hands back, that'd be wonderful!"

I rubbed behind my head a little. "Can you even do that?"

Aiko nodded uncertainly. "I can try." She pointed at the stallion that had approached her first. "Come with me, let's spare everyone else the noise." She rose up and led him off into one of the side rooms, evicting the ponies in there into the hallway, though they went from angry to excited quickly as the others told them what they were doing in there. Soon everyone was waiting and listening for what was going to happen.

I decided to play doorpony and slipped through the crowd with a hop, skip and a jump. I cut off the crowd, even as their faces poked in under my fore and hind legs, getting in their peeks all around me, but I kept them from crowding into the room or bothering Aiko at least.

Aiko and the pony sat across from each other and she leaned forward. He met her and they touched foreheads a moment before she began to glow softly, then he glowed in response. We all heard a loud snap come from him, but he just wasn't going to cry about it. He grit his teeth and began to sweat, but he didn't say anything, at least until the next snap, that got him to shout.

Despite him being in Capital Ouchland of Eektonia, he lifted up his forehooves slowly and forced his hooves apart, showing his fingers had come back, sorta kinda. They had big nails at the end, way bigger than humans should have. A loud snap made him fall over, squirming. "Keep going," he begged. "Don't stop."

"I can't," said Aiko, sounding tired and a little sad. "The fire's out." She let out a slow breath. "Are you alright?"

"No." He pushed up slowly, then stood up, laughing a little. "I'm better than alright. Look at me!" He gestured down at himself, mostly pony, but upright and with thick fingers. "She did it!"

The crowd couldn't be kept back any longer and practically ran me over to push in around the changed pony, congratulating him and looking him over.

I sat up to see the colt sitting in front of me. "I won't be doing that."

"Oh?" I tilted my head at him. "I thought everyone wanted that."

"Nah. I'm alright being a pony." He waved a forehoof at me. "I'd rather be all pony than sorta not. I bet some of them will change their minds once the excitement dies down."

I bobbed my head at him. "You won't get a complaint out of me. I like being a pony!"

He leaned forward suddenly, stealing a kiss from my cheek. "I like you as a pony."

That rascal! I laughed and hugged him briefly before bouncing off to check on the ferals, making sure they weren't too upset by all the commotion, but they seemed to be mostly alright.

"What's going on?" The soldier was back with two ponies in tow. They didn't look feral, just subdued.

I smiled at all three. "Welcome back. Who are your new friends?"

"Old friends." He turned to the earth pony and unicorn. "They were in my unit before everything went down, but we're made of tough stuff, right guys?"

"Two of us are girls..." replied the unicorn, also female.

"But we made it," said the earth pony, smiling. "Even if we are horses."

The pegasus mare bobbed his head. "Exactly. I'm not giving up just because I have a tail, forget that! Pinkie, please, what's up with the crowd over there?" He pointed into the filled room. "Something happen?"

"Aiko figured out how to give a pony back their fingers, but it takes a lot out of her, so don't push and shove."

He scowled. "Need us to restore order?" The other two perked up, looking ready to do their job.

Author's Note

Last time!
1: The crisis ends with the lights flicking on, but the soldiers want to come and inspect the floor, and there are a lot of wild horses here...1 vote
2: The lights don't seem to be coming on, and the leader speaks through the intercom, which seems to be working at least.1.83 votes
3: Oh merciful fates, what's that noise?!5 votes
4: Zhang wants to make up for her mistake, and it all goes great, mostly...3.83 votes
5: Aiko keeps digging in to her magic while they work. There's so much to learn!4.34 votes

Not much interest in the Chinese folk getting involved at this time, except maybe soldier boy/mare. Let's find out what that noise is...

This fic makes me wish I could set pre and post notes! This was written before the fic. The rest will be after.

And now over~

That noise was apparently a lost human, desperate for help, and she found some. Aiko learned something very important. She's so close to the most important thing! SO CLOSE!

1: Aiko gets swept up changing ponies as she can.
2: Pinkie decides to go exploring instead, leaving the soldiers to keep the peace in her stead.
3: The lights, they're back!
4: Ding? The elevator's working?
5: It's been a while... What are we eating for dinner?

VOTE NOW!

48 - Dinner's Up!

I turned towards the camera and grabbed it. "You guys are the best!" I bounced in an energetic pronking towards the kitchen to find the other pink pony chef was already there. "Heya! What's the deal?"

He looked up at me with a big smile. "One of the stoves is an older model. I should be able to burn things inside of it and use that to get things going."

I clopped my hooves excitedly. "That's great! Here." I pulled out some random bits of stuff and threw it inside the stove he pointed at, and with the power of friendship, and the even greater power of two pink ponies, we had the oven blazing. It lent a nice flickery light to the room too, which wasn't a bad side bonus. "You know, you've been entrusted to a very important thing."

"I have?" He tilted his head at me. "You mean, being the chef?"

"Well, sure, that's a start, but you also have a better power." I put a hoof at my chest. "You're a pink earth pony chef with the desire to make other ponies happy, which makes you super special. I won't always be here, but I know you'll make some smiles in my place, right?"

"Of course." He started to bow to me, but I interrupted it by pulling up one of his hooves and showing him the happy cloppy noise of hoof vs hoof.

"That's a hoofbump. You should show it to other ponies. It should be safe to do with people too." I tilted my head with a new thought. "Why aren't you rushing to get your fingers back, by the way?"

"My wife wouldn't forgive me if I risked so much for so little." He smiled a little. "You already showed me how to get by with what I have. You've restored hope to me, and no fingers will change that now." He pointed a hoof at our working stove. "We have more ponies than usual to see to, let's get to work."

With renewed spirits on both sides, we got to work. The idea of feeding dozens on dozens of ponies with just one stovetop and nothing else was daunting, but we had each other. While one of us was busy stirring and tending, the other was fetching ingredients. The smells that began to spread drew the attention of other ponies, and we started getting a crowd of hopeful faces.

There wasn't anyway to keep the warm food warm, so instead of waiting for one big setting, we started serving up to people as it was ready. One of the other ponies I showed how to work with their hooves came in, still bearing hooves, and quietly joined us, giving a helping hoof in making and distributing the food out to make hungry faces into happy ones.

If it wasn't for the, uh, surgery sounds, it would have been a perfectly happy time. Even with it, people were in a good mood, and nopony was pushing or shoving. Even the ferals formed a line once shown how and went up one at a time to get food. The trick with them was that plates, and carrying them around confused them. We ended up feeding them more like doggies and setting bowls of food where they could reach it. They'd stuck their little snouts in and got to chomping up with the happiest sounds, but not the cleanest ones.

With the food well in hoof, I took a plate and made my way through the crowd. "Aiko?" I came into the room to find her looking all tired and set it beside her before sitting close to it and her. "You feeling alright?"

"It's exhausting." She sat up and reached for the food I brought. "Thank you. Your food started distracting them away, and I think the screams helped it along. Most of those left seem happy to wait to make sure it's safe before they rush for fingers." She looked over the plate a moment. "Sorry to bother, I know you went through a lot of effort, but could I have a fork or a spoon?"

I pulled out some chopsticks and offered them up. "I have this. Do you know how to use it?"

"I do." She accepted it with a smile, then paused. "With fingers..." Then she brightened again. "Or magic!" She lifted up the wood sticks and began piling food into her snout easily, snarfing up the food with happy noises as pleased as any feral pony. "Mmm, you're getting awfully good at Chinese food."

I waved it off. "I like learning new recipes, and the ponies here were happy to show it to me. I didn't get the hang of those though." I tilted my head at the sticks. "Short of magic, I don't see how any pony could, but they were managing it. I'm so proud of them!"

Aiko smiled back, but went quiet as she finished her food, looking a lot less harried and tired for it.

"Say, what did you mean before, about that 'fire' stuff. Am I on fire?"

She looked at me intently a moment. "Yes."

I brushed down my fur in a sudden fit of panic. "Put me out!"

"Not that kind of fire." She smiled gently. "I'm not really sure what kind of fire it is, to be honest. I think it's the pony disease."

I tapped my chin softly. "Well, if they aren't on fire anymore, that means they can't get anyone else on fire?"

Aiko nodded. "That would be nice, but how do we check that? We'd need a clean human willing to be possibly infected to know one way or the other."

I clopped my hooves together. "The leader's in the basement, remember? We could go ask him. Either he or someone he knows might be up for it."

Aiko nodded slowly. "That may be worth it. I'm just scared of wandering around as ponies whenever the soldiers return in force to pacify things. Here they expect ponies, a floor up or down, not so much."

I saluted sharply. "Then leave it to me! I can get down there and back, no problem, and get our answer."

She squeezed me tightly. "You are simply the best. Thank you for being brave. Ask the soldier ponies if they want to come with you. They're used to the idea of danger, and probably know the leader. I'm sure they'd be excited to see an end to this disease, at least as a disease."

"I would be." The mare that identified as a stallion stepped from the door. "My friends are getting something to eat and are still out of sorts. I'll leave them to guard this floor, but it would be an honor to accompany you, Miss Pie. This is extremely important."

We had a plan!

Author's Note

Last Time:
1: Aiko gets swept up changing ponies as she can. 2.34 votes
2: Pinkie decides to go exploring instead, leaving the soldiers to keep the peace in her stead. 0.5 votes
3: The lights, they're back! 1.66 votes
4: Ding? The elevator's working? 2.16 votes
5: It's been a while... What are we eating for dinner? 8.34 votes

I would not have predicted such a strong push for din din, but here we go!

Dinner was served! And a new plan is hatched, but how will it go? What danger do they have to get past?
1: Rowdy ponies too rambunctious to gather the first time through.
2: Desperate soldiers
3: Oh look, they're retaking the building!
4: People in various states of infection in desperate need of help.
5: It's a nice leisurely walk!

49 - Important News

I emerged into the stairwell and craned my head to look up and down. It was pretty quiet, and dark. I pulled out my flashlight and got to going down. "So what's your name?"

The mare soldier with me shook his head. "It seems to be a common habit to pick new names when you're a pony." He fluttered his wings lightly as he followed after me. "Up Stream."

What a funny name, or so I thought to myself. "Nice to meet you, Up. I'm--"

"Miss Pie, we all know." He smiled. "You're famous."

I turned around the next landing and hopped up onto the rail, sliding right down to the next with a soft 'whee!' along the way.

Up walked down instead, wings fluttering again. "Please, Miss Pie, we should try to be as quiet as possible, who knows--" As he passed in front of a door, it swung open violently, knocking him against the guard rail leading into the big hole of the stairwell.

"I heard voices! All I see is a horse." A rifle poked through the door, aimed at Up with deadly intent.

"Wait!" I cried out, thrusting out a hoof. "We're good guys!"

The light attached to the rifle turned towards me as the man looked to me. From the reflecting light, I could see he wasn't all human, but still mostly human. Maybe he was still changing? He had a pony snout and his nails were thick and black. "Miss Pie?"

Up laughed a little from where he had been sent sprawling. "Yes, that's Miss Pie. Can I stand without being shot?"

"Who are you talking to?" asked another voice from behind. A second soldier peeked out, that one with the full face and head of a pony, but otherwise human.

I held up my hooves, in case they got worried easily. "It's alright, guys, we're just trying to get to the leader with some big huge news!"

"What kind of news?" asked the first one, his words getting stuck in his alien mouth a moment.

That was cue enough for Up to stand, both rifles not aimed at him. "We think we may have a way to stop ponies from being infectious. Testing required."

"Holy shit," remarked the second soldier. "Are you kidding with us?" He suddenly fell, slamming into the ground and sliding backwards with a scream of surprise.

The first guard turned and began firing wildly into the hallway behind them. "Get going!"

Up spread her wings and advanced. "I'm not leaving anyone else behind."

"Ditto!" I cried and we charged in together. We could see the soldier being hauled along by a band of flesh that was reeling him in like a fish. He had managed to get around and was firing kind of wildly in the direction of his snare, but he was still being reeled in. "We're here, calm down!"

We rushed past him and I did what any right-minded pony would do with their friend entangled by a creepy vine-like thing. I bit it. Problem, it was someone's tongue, not a vine, so yuck! My mouth was full of blood all of a sudden, but it let go of him and reeled back into the dark lickety split, pun intended.

The rescued soldier scrambled to his feet. "Thank you, both of you. This whole thing's out of control!"

Up lashed out a wing, striking another seeking pseudopod. Was it the same tongue, or another? I couldn't tell. "We should go, come on!"

All three of us booked it out of the hallway, meeting up with the other soldier and getting into the stairwell before slamming the door shut behind us, keeping out icky tongues for the moment. The first soldier grabbed the second by the shoulders. "I'm glad you're alright."

He rolled his eyes. "I almost wasn't. What were you shooting at, besides me? We have to keep our heads."

"You don't even have your head anymore."

"Ha ha." He looked back at us. "Alright, where are we going? If you got a cure, we got to get this going. I don't want to be a horse."

Up looked guilty suddenly. "I... even if it works, we're already fucked. This is for everyone else, to stop the disease from spreading." He pointed at himself quickly. "Still, look at me! Being a horse doesn't mean you have to give up who you are, or become a monster."

The door we were beside thumped loudly. "Uh, guys, maybe we should get going." I hiked my hoof downstairs. "Before mister licky decides to join the party."

The two new soldiers nodded. "Right. Let's be men about this." The other moved ahead, and we quickly resumed our trek.

The second soldier didn't look as confident at the first. "Look, isn't there someway to not become a horse?"

"That's pony," corrected Up. "And no, there isn't any way that we've found yet. We have to work with what we have." He spread his wings. "I didn't want to be some she-thing with wings, but here I am. We can focus on what we can do, or cry about it." He turned to the door to the basement. "I wasn't raised to cry."

We tried the door, but it was barred up tight despite our shoves, so I tried something crazy, and gave a little light-hearted rapping on the door.

"Who is it?" asked a voice from the other side, muffled and female sounding.

"It's Miss Pie, here with great news!"

"The horses are gone? Wait, Miss Pie?"

Sheesh, maybe I really was famous! "Yepperoni. Can you let us in?"

"But you're a horse! Stay away, please."

One of the soldiers banged on the door. "Let us in already. We're not here to cause trouble. This is important!"

"Who is that?"

"Oh, he's one of the soldiers I have with me." I smiled at the door, not like she could see me.

"Are they clean?" asked a new voice, more male sounding.

I sniffed at them and turned up my nose. "Well they've been running around a lot."

We heard a sudden flurry of hoofsteps coming from above with a howl more befitting a timberwolf than a pony. The two soldiers with guns had them raised and pointed to the next flight. The ponies that came into view could hardly be called ponies. Their legs and bodies were covered in a carapace, like a changeling. Their mouths were huge and terrible jaws, teeth drooling with fresh saliva as large tongues wagged around in front of them. Behind them, their armored tails wagged. They had no noses, or eyes, but they knew where we were and were ready to pounce.

Little fun fact, guns are loud. Guns in small places? Even louder! I was suddenly deafened as the two soldiers started shooting at our new guests. Worst part? They didn't care. The shots that were on target careened right off their thick hides and they seemed almost amused in some dark way. They didn't pounce, they just calmly walked down the stairs towards us, a soft almost cooing growl coming from both of them.

Up threw himself at them, kicking one across the snout and thudded into their solid bodies. They snapped him right out of the air and tossed him violently to the ground.

Alright, it was up to me! Pinkie would solve this problem! I dug out a small red squeaky ball and began to wave it left and right. "Who wants to play? Who's a good boy?" Were they boys or girls? I really didn't know, but they were looking at me. "Fetch!" I tossed it as hard as I could, bouncing it up the stairs off the walls.

One of them suddenly burst after it, score one for Pinkie! The other, on the other hoof, came for me instead and shoved me against a wall, but it wasn't biting me in half or anything terrible, just pinning me. Its tongues reached up and went right for my mane and it began pulling out all my stuff! "Hey, that's mine! Bad dog, bad!"

The first soldier suddenly brought down his gun like a club, thumping the thickly-armored pony. It didn't seem to hurt him much, but he stopped picking through all my stuff and snarled at the soldier instead.

"Uh, good dog? Go to your friend..."

His attempts to calm it didn't work as well and the beast jumped on him, sinking terrible teeth into his arm and wrenching it around, savaging him. Just then, the other dog came back, rubber ball in his mouth. I didn't want this to become two angry dogs and rushed for him. "Good dog! You're a good dog, let me have that..." He didn't want to give it up, but wrestling with him for the ball was a lot less scary and dangerous than actually being torn apart by one of them, so I kept right on playing with him, which at least kept him happy and distracted.

I heard a short burst of gunfire and me and the creature-pony looked to see the second soldier had shoved his gun into the mouth of the attacking dog. It's attack had stopped, slumped over the badly mauled soldier. The creature in front of me began to growl softly and I grabbed it by the neck. "No! Be a good dog! Please, be good..." It was tense as a wire, but started to calm down as I pet it and spoke calmly to it. Fluttershy would have been so proud of me! I eventually got it to lay down, and I kept petting it, ignoring the sounds of the others helping the injured soldier.

For better or worse, we'd made it to the basement, but all the fighting made the people inside run away, and it was still barred. How were we going to get to the leader and tell him the big news?

Author's Note

Last time! What danger will they face?
1: Rowdy ponies too rambunctious to gather the first time through. 1 vote
2: Desperate soldiers 7.03 votes
3: Oh look, they're retaking the building! 2.33 votes
4: People in various states of infection in desperate need of help. 5.64 votes
5: It's a nice leisurely walk! 1 vote

Soldiers and civilians, yay! Let's get this party started. A very strong turnout for votes this time with 17 votes.

Well, that was a mixed bag. Gained 2 allies, Up got hurt, but not badly, and one of the new ones near got his arm torn off and is a bloody mess. They also... gained a dog(?) pony.
How will they reach their goal?
1: The elevators are still openings, even if the cars aren't running!
2: Maybe we should just wait on this one. The cure will still be there.
3: Two injuries? Are you mad? Get them back to base and treatment before considering anything else.
4: Maybe we should take matters into our own hooves and clear this building of threats.
5: Leaving is still an option. Maybe?

50 - Man Down

"How are they?" I tilted my head as I saw the other soldier already taken care of the one that looked more hurt. I went to Up and gave him a little poke. "You in there?"

Up gave a groan of pain and forced an eye open from the look of it. "Everything hurts."

I nuzzled up under him and soon had him on my back. He didn't make new sounds, so I assumed I didn't hurt him more. "We'll get you to safety, promise, alright?"

"Yeah..."

"He's stable," said the other soldier. "Can't say much more than that, and we have to move him. Do you have a stretcher in that magic hair of yours?"

That I did not, but... I reached in there and pulled out a blanket I had saved for cold emergencies and he grabbed it right up. "That'll do!" He soon had his friend wrapped up in it and lifted him carefully. "Lead the way. Time is important. I hope you have a doctor where you plan to go."

One of the ponies might be a doctor? I couldn't promise, so I didn't say anything and got to climbing. I heard the clops of the big scary pony just behind me. He'd decided I was a friend and was following me. If I wasn't trying to get Up Stream and his friends to safety, that would be adorable and I'd totally play ball with him more, but that wasn't the time. "Be a good boy and follow Pinkie. No biting, alright?"

It gave a soft growl, which I assumed was as close to a 'yes' as we were going to get.

We got up a few floors before Up let out a keen hiss. "Damn... I... think... oh gods... It's like... Arrrrg." My back felt more wet than it had been. Was he bleeding on me? There was no time to worry about that! I had to get him to safety, but a bounce or a run might hurt him. I tried to smooth out my gait, creeping up the stairs as gently as possible.

"Please, please be alright. I'm going as fast as I can. You're gonna be okay..."

I felt his hoof on my cheek. "I... doubt that... Please, stay strong, for all of them."

I felt a chill run through me. Those were not the words of someone trying to win. "No no no! Stop talking like that! Just hold on. We'll get you help."

"They say..." He was talking like I didn't say anything. "They say when you're dying, you know it, and your life flashes before your eyes. It wasn't a bad life, and I'll die with honor. Tell them I was fighting for the right cause when I went down."

Tears stung at my eyes. Why didn't I know more medicine stuff? "I will, but you'll be there with me. Stop talking and relax. We'll get there soon."

He did stop talking.

~Pinkie? What's going on? You feel horrible.~

I should have answered her, but I couldn't. I couldn't think of anything but going faster somehow.

We reached the floor with the ponies and I rushed in as quickly as I could without bounding. "Please tell me there's a doctor in here!" I sank slowly under the still form of Up Stream. "Please..."

One of the ponies rushed forward with restored fingers. He gently prodded at the pony on my back and scowled. "He's already dead." He pushed him carefully free of me. "How long?"

Trembling, I stood up. "He was just there! Please! He can't be dead!" My words were shrill and panicked. The other soldier was being seen, and they weren't making lots of noises. I guess he was alright? I wasn't paying much attention to him, I confess. I was locked on Up Stream. "Please!"

Zhang suddenly emerged from the crowd of curious ponies. "Stand back!" Her horn began to crackle with electricity. Before the doctor backed away, it jumped into Up Stream.

The doctor swore with pain, but didn't look too hurt by it. "More warning next time!" He hurried forward and put a fuzzy ear on Up Stream's chest, then slid up and began... kissing him? What? I stared at him, trembling before he slowly slid back onto his haunches.

"He'll live..."

I'd never been happier to hear a few words in my life. I sank to the ground, all of my bones feeling like jelly.

The doctor turned to Zhang. "How did you do that?"

Zhang poked at her horn. "The director said I was interfering with their power. I figured that meant I was making some electricity, so I was working on that when she showed up."

"He," I weakly murmured.

Zhang tilted her head. "He? I'm glad they'll be alright, whatever they are."

Aiko emerged with a gentle smile. Like Celestia emerging from a cloudy day, everything was calm around her. She stepped towards me with all the majesty of a princess, and put a hoof on my forehead. "You did well, Pinkie. You saved him. Close your eyes, and relax. You've earned it."

I felt a deep sensation of satisfaction. I had saved him, and I was good. Warm giddy vibes made me giggle just before it all faded to black, and I was whisked off to dreamland.

Author's Note

Last time!

How will they reach their goal?
1: The elevators are still openings, even if the cars aren't running! 1.83 votes
2: Maybe we should just wait on this one. The cure will still be there. 1 vote
3: Two injuries? Are you mad? Get them back to base and treatment before considering anything else. 9.67 votes
4: Maybe we should take matters into our own hooves and clear this building of threats. 3.17 votes
5: Leaving is still an option. Maybe? 1.33 votes

The vote is very clear, get those boys to safety! 17 total votes. It's nice seeing a good response. Let's get to writing!

That was kind of short, and yet, it feels just as long as it needed to be. Was I wrong? Let me know!

Speaking of, what do we do?

1: Aiko takes charge of clearing out the building and keeps Pinkie down for now to rest and recover.
2: The Chinese military arrives to enforce peace.
3: Click! The power's back!
4: Pinkie insists on finishing what she started and goes back out to try to reach the leader again.
5: Leaving is good. Let's bail!

52 - Pinkie? It's Your Cue

I was somewhere dark and colorful. It was that space between worlds I'd been in once before. I couldn't feel Aiko anymore, or anyone else. It was just me, and the ribbons of light that didn't really care if I was there or not, I guessed. I felt around, which itself felt odd, since there was nothing around me, but I could still feel.

Home wasn't there. At least, not my home. The exact place I started from. It just wasn't there, as if it never was to begin with, but I could feel others that were just like it, so close there were other... me... Each one had a Pinkie. I could feel it. If I went to one of those, then there'd be two Pinkies, and though I'd make a great friend to me, it'd probably confuse a lot of ponies.

I was cold, and tired, and worn out from all of my adventure. I just wanted to go home! Aiko and the others could take care of themselves. I'd done all I could for them, and I was pretty sure they'd get the rest of the way under their own willpower. They were good ponies. I was just a beat one.

I felt a soft pulse and drew closer to it. Each world was both hugely immense and the size of a marble, and I held it up close. Something inside it called to me. Something inside reminded me of my real home. Sure, it had a Pinkie too, but that something wasn't in Ponyville, and if I didn't go to Ponyville, I probably wouldn't upset that world's Pinkie or her friends.

I would find it, and maybe I'd find enough of home to be satisfied. I wasn't asking for too much. A nice warm place to curl up and go to sleep for a while would be a start, then a place to start a new life, maybe a few dozen parties! I'd have to start a new personality collection of friends. Shoot, there was so much to do, but sleep first. I was so tired...

I pressed into the sphere. I fell into the world.

Nopony noticed the shooting star that revealed a pony that didn't really belong. I wanted a bed, but right that moment, the cobblestone of that Canterlot alley would just have to do, and I slept. I promised to myself just before it embraced me that I'd find that shred of my old home.

So much to do. So tired...

Author's Note

Last Time:

Where'd Pinkie go?
1: Tell us what happened to Pinkie or I swear to god... 5.54 votes
2: Look, I said already to tell us where Pinkie is! I'll hunt you down at a convention! 1.53 votes
3: How'd things work out in Europe? I want to hear that! 2.95 votes
4: You don't seem to have told us where Pinkie is? I'm a l33t hacker, I can find where you live! 3.03 votes
5: Africa's such a huge place! What sort of strains popped up there? 3.95 votes
Total for Pinkie: 10.1 votes!

I am not surprised.

Pinkie? Where are you? What happened to your home? If you read my other stories, you likely know what happened to it and what comes next. That isn't a challenge.

Pinkie is officially out of this story. The tale of One Step is no longer her problem.

So what place should we consider exploring?
1: Go back to the first group!
2: Europe!
3: Africa!
4: Russia/Soviet Union!
5: Australia!

2 - A Full Circle, the Pink Story Begins

I began to lose track of time, which wasn't hard. Time didn't really exist the way most ponies thought. William and the others were gone. They were gone the moment I left the bubble. I was left to swim, or more kind of float forward, through the void. The weird feelings were getting stronger and stronger. I was still pretty sure I was going the right way.

Something was coming. It felt familiar. Looking up in the direction I thought it was coming from showed nothing at first, until it was practically on top of me. This huge roiling ball of energy roared in my ears as it crashed into me. I tried to grab it and deflect it, but it's harder to grab onto a bunch of energy than you'd think, let me tell you.

I could feel the raw 'stuff' of Twilight, Celestia, Cadance, and Luna course through me as I flailed, trying to get the energy to move the way I wanted to. I didn't. The ball passed over me, bounced off course, but not the way I tried to throw it, and it left me behind. I felt all strange and throbby as the other stuff in there, smaller but way more of them, the essence of all those guards, and even little Spike jumbled around inside of me. Now, I know ponies say they'll be with you in spirit, but this was the most literal way of it I'd ever felt.

I tried to focus on that quickly fading ball. The way it was heading, it'd hit their world about... almost a year ago. Had I changed anything? Something twisted inside of me and I let out a loud shriek. At least I thought it was loud? I had nothing to compare it to, but I knew that it hurt, a lot! Maybe this hadn't been one of my better ideas. At least I was heading towards the same place, but I was so far off... When would I end up? Maybe a little, maybe a lot, I really didn't know. Nothing for it but to wait to land.

Darkness fell over me as I passed out. The void's just not a fun place for a pony to be, let me tell you. I can't recommend it as a vacation destination, and I'm afraid I have to leave this negative review.

I woke up to a hand gently running down my back. Did I make it? I must have! Or a human got stuck in the void with me. That would be just awful. I opened my eyes to see a human mare doting over me. We were inside somewhere. I was on something soft. I turned my head to get a good look at it and she jumped back with surprise.

"Oh! You're awake. Don't be scared, little strange horse. I'm not going to hurt you," she said with her hands held up in a placating way before she offered one and rubbed a few fingers together. I wasn't sure what that gesture meant, but she seemed friendly.

I raised a hoof and waved at her as I slowly sat up. The room spun around me and I realized I was really dizzy. "Woah, uh, hi there!"

She recoiled all over again. Was it something I said? "You can talk?!" Yes, yes it was.

I nodded carefully, trying to keep the room still for a moment. "Yeah, 'course I can. My name's Pinkie." I flopped over onto my side. It was so much easier when I was laying down. That trip really took a lot out of me. "What's your name?"

She edged a little closer once I was laying down. "I'm Emma... What are you?" She reached out a hand but didn't touch me, she looked a little scared to go ahead. I curled a little and nuzzled her hand. She relaxed at that. How can you be scared of anything that nuzzles you? You can't be! It's a fact.

Emma began to softly stroke over my snout and I relaxed. Being pet there felt really nice! I didn't hang out with ponies that had fingers that often, but if they gave pettings like that, maybe I should make a habit. "Are you hungry? What do you even eat? Grass?"

I looked at her hand cross-eyed as it continued to gently pet and scratch at my snout. "Grass is alright, but kinda plain. Do you have any cupcakes?"

She laughed with something that sounded like suprise. "A cupcake, seriously? What flavor?"

Ooo, I could have whatever flavor I wanted?! "Well, since you're asking. I'm really in the mood for something chocolate, with a little carrot mixed in. Thanks!"

Emma shook her head slowly and began to pet over my chest and belly. "I don't have cupcakes here right now, but I can go get some. Chocolate I'm pretty sure I can manage, but no promises on the carrot. So why is a magical, talking, and not to mention pink, stallion doing in the middle of the city?"

Stallion? I didn't sound like a stallion, and my face wasn't shaped like one. Why would she think I was a stallion? I looked myself over. Pretty pink fur, check. Frizzy mane, check. Big stallion bits... check? I sat up onto my haunches and looked at it. It was a big pink tube, with, uh, jewels to match. I could compare myself to Big Mac, but that seemed kinda rude. I gently nudged those new parts out of the way and could see I still had the bits I was born with. That was kind of a relief, and kind of not. I mean, I was supposed to be a mare, and I was, that was good, but I still had stallion bits, and that was... bad?

"Everything where it should be?" She sounded worried for me. Aw, she was a nice pony, I could already tell.

I nodded at her quickly, which was a mistake. The room began to lurch and shake around me and I slid back to my side. "I'm OK, I think. Would you, um, believe I didn't have that this morning? Was it this morning? Sorry, I kinda lost track of time."

Emma smiled. It was a nervous smile. "Are you alright, um, Pinkie was it? You're right, that is a female kind of name, I guess. So... You're a magical talking horse with gender dysphoria." She gave an almost hysterical laugh. "Of course. That makes perfect sense. I'm going to get some food and snacks. I assume you're fine with anything vegetarian, besides the cupcakes?"

I nodded, and she quickly gathered a few things on her way out. I had a feeling she needed some fresh air, and a chance to think. I relaxed quietly for a few moments, then that got boring. I slipped off the couch and up to my hooves. The dizziness was fading a little by a little. I raised one hoof at a time, looking myself over again. I had felt something twist before. Was that the feeling of that stallion bit, or something else? Everything else seemed right where it should be. I was Pinkie Pie! Now how would I get home...?

I began looking around her home, trying not to make too much of a mess. It wasn't polite to mess up other people's houses, especially when they weren't even there. This funny little box seemed to be like a crystal ball. It had pictures of people in it, doing odd things. It even had sound! My crystal ball didn't do all that. Humans have really good crystal ball technology.

I used to think mares and stallions were easy to tell apart, but humans were even easier. The females had those bumpy things on their front and were shaped all different. Easy peasy to tell a girl human from a boy human. Of course, the moment I thought that, the crystal ball showed me a human that looked kinda like a girl but also kinda like a boy and I really didn't know which it was. They didn't have the lumpy things that I could tell, but... Oops, there he or she goes. This crystal ball has a really short attention span. Maybe it was broken?

"You have mail," announced a new voice. I perked my ears and began looking around for it. I even tried calling for the new person. Was it another friend I could make? I found the source in the next room, where music also played faintly from another box, though that one was less of a box and more of a... it was kinda flat, with the picture on one side of it. It was like a window! I didn't know what to do with it though...

"Are you a friend?" I tried asking, but it didn't reply, except to tell me eventually that I had more mail. How could I even have mail?! Could Twilight send mail to me? That would be super keen!

I heard a door open and close. "Pinkie?" Emma was back!

I rushed out to greet her with a smile. She was laden with a few bags and I grabbed one and set it on the counter for her, but she looked surprised. "You can do that with your hair?"

Do what? Oh. "Sure, why not?"

"Why not..." She shook her head as she set down the rest of the bags and started putting food away. "You look better now. Are you feeling better?"

"Yepperoni. A lot better. This is a nice house you have here."

She stuffed some oranges into a bowl on the counter. They looked delicious. "Thank you, but it's an apartment, not a house. I'm not rich enough for a house."

Something occurred to me. "Did you carry me all the way in here?"

Emma blushed a little. "Kinda, yeah... You looked so cute and lonely. I thought you were lost, maybe hurt. I was calling around to any zoo and ranch I could find, but none of them were missing pink horses."

I giggled a little. "That's really sweet of you! I am kinda lost, but I don't work for any zoos or ranches." I waved dismissively at her as I stood on my other three hooves. "You're stronger than you look though. I'm not the lightest pony around." Cupcakes and sweet treats did not help a mare stay svelte and sleek, but who wants that when you could be soft and cuddly? Those mares Rarity hung out with were just a little scary in some ways.

Emma reached over and tapped me on the nose. "I was more surprised no one else noticed what I was doing and called the police on me. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a sleeping horse into an elevator?"

I rushed for a window and peeked out. We were not on the ground floor, or even the tenth floor. I could see a huge human city spread out under me in all directions with buildings that easily matched, if not beat, Manehattan. It just seemed to go on forever! Gosh, these humans sure did love to build...

"Nice view, isn't it?" Emma got the last of the groceries put away. "Sorry to ask this, but it's kind of important, so... you're house trained, right?"

I burst into a fit of giggles. "Of course I am, Silly Emma." I pulled myself away from that fantastic sight to look for her bathroom. There it was! The toilet inside was clearly made for a human, but I could make it work. "I'll be fine." That was when I remembered I had a new part hanging off of me. Did I... through it? Or the old way? Maybe this was going to be more complicated than I thought.

Author's Note

Welcome, Pinkie! You are the star now. Congratulations!

May your adventure be full of interesting typos.

13 - Never Abandon your Dog (clop)

I headed for the door and took a peek out both ways. The sky was turning red with late afternoon. We'd have to hurry, but it wasn't that far from what I remembered.

"Give me a moment." Hiro fished out a device from where his pants had fallen and struggled with it between his hoof-claws before he got it turned on. "This is Sasaki Hiro, we need a replacement down at the clinic. Can you send another man?"

"That's a negative. Just about everyone's busy with what they got. This is no time for vacation. Stay where you are." The voice came out of the thing he held, a little tinny but clear. It was like using cans with string, but better.

Hiro sighed gently before pressing the button. "Unfortunately I must refuse. The doctors don't want my service anymore. I'm contaminated with whatever this disease is."

"Shit." Well, that reply was direct. "Are you alright, Officer Sasaki?"

"That's affirmative. I have a new group I intend to protect, including an original horse. We'll be checking into city hospital, likely tomorrow. Travel is slow, but I feel confident we'll make it without incident."

"You're a lot more coherent than most of the boys I've had to talk to in your situation. Look, you're a plague carrier now. Don't go anywhere they don't want you to be, but take care of yourself. We don't forget our own. Boys upstairs are trying to get a quarantine area set up for officers fallen in battle if you need it. Keep your radio on you, don't hesitate to call if you have news."

Hiro grabbed the belt off his pants and slung it around himself before clipping the radio and a few other supplies to it. "At least they're keeping their head, and I wasn't fired on the spot." He smiled at us with a mixture of emotions. "I'm... I'm proud, of my country. They're not throwing me aside, I don't plan to do that to them, either." He focused on me. "Pinkie? Ready to go?"

I raised a hoof. "Ready!"

"Ready," echoed Emma.

Aiko took a few uncertain steps towards the door. "As ready as I can be. This body is so strange."

I was going to say it wasn't that odd, but she was one of those super slender unicorns that everypony seemed to think was really pretty. I always thought those were kind of weird. I moved up beside her. "You can lean on me if you have to." She hesitated a moment before letting some of her weight rest against me. "I guess I should... relax around my horse husband."

Emma suddenly blushed. "W-what? Who said Pinkie is your husband?"

I gave a nervous bit of a giggle. It was hard to argue being her, uh, horse husband or not considering how we'd just played. "I can sort of see that, but being a special somepony is more than just a special time together. We have to trust each other, with everything, and love each other. Do you love me?"

Emma blurted, "Yes!" Aw, she was blushing badly.

Aiko glanced at Emma and shrank against me. "I... I need to get used to this. I don't feel as opposed to the idea as I was before."

Emma wanted to be my special somepony, and Aiko was still exploring the idea of it. Oh, gosh, was I going to have a herd? I never thought I'd get one of those! Wait... "Hiro?"

He perked an ear at me. "Yes, Miss Pie?"

I waved a hoof. "Just Pinkie's fine, but how do you feel about this?"

He chuckled softly. "You are the center of our very unusual family. I don't know if you're even interested in that kind of thing, but I feel like it'd be fine."

'That kind of thing?' I frowned with thought before it clicked inside of me. "Oh! Wow, you've only seen me act like a stallion. I was born a mare. I like things as a mare." I turned from him towards the door. "We probably should go."

I reared up and grabbed the handle of the door. "We're heading out! Be sure to lock the door behind us!" With a big pull, the smells of the city rushed in. There was some burning, some cooking, and just general city smells. We emerged from the clinic out into it and Aiko rushed ahead, showing the way towards her apartment with increasing confidence in her steps. We made it about a block before the pavement in front of us suddenly sank in. From the rubble formed, a head popped free.

The pony smiled at us, then emerged, squat and earth pony-like, with a long neck that seemed to work good for looking out while digging. I tilted my head for a better look, mare. The mare climbed out towards us with that big smile, and said nothing. Hiro stepped ahead of us, watching the pony warily. "Stop right there. What do you want?"

The tunneler looked confused at Hiro's words, then sniffed the air a moment before looking directly at me. She let out an excited squeal and several ponies rushed out of alleyways and out from under cars, converging on our herd quickly. They scrambled up to us, up to me specifically, and began to crowd around. They didn't try to attack like the quasi ponies did, but then, these ponies were all ponies. An earth pony, one with long tongues it liked to wrap around everything, the tunneler, and a pegasus were practically feeling me up. It was flattering, sort of.

Aiko backed away nervously. "Are they hurting you, Pinkie?"

Her words drew the attention of another pony that emerged from the dark of a storefront. This one was a pegasus stallion that flew at Aiko and started sniffing at her, then bowed in front of her, his rump in the air, and face in the pavement. His act drew several of them away, except the tongue pony, who decided he wanted to play with me, and I mean really play! She wrapped her wet tongues around my semi-hard stallionhood and began slathering over it. "H-hey there!" I mean, that felt good, like really good, but we hadn't even been introduced yet. She flashed her weird teeth at me. Her mouth opened up three ways!

Hiro suddenly shoved back the tonguey pony. "Give us room. We need to keep going." He swatted aside another pony, getting his way over to Aiko and rescuing her from the crowd that seemed intent on praising her wordlessly.

Aiko took a quick breath as she was set down closer to the rest of us, looking a lot less freaked out. "Go away, shoo shoo!" Her words seemed to reach them and they took half a step back while peering at Aiko like they really wanted to come closer. "Shoo! Go away!" They backed away from us, but didn't leave out sight. They watched us, and as we walked forward, they followed behind about twenty feet or so. They weren't really that bad...

They weren't the only ones. While the ponies seemed content to stare at us from a distance, a block later had some quasi ponies, still caught between human and pony. They quickly took notice of our group, including the full ponies, and one of them pointed with a hand that was mostly a hoof. "There! If we can defeat them, we can be human again!" They all looked up with wild hope in their eyes and began approaching with bats and planks and anything else they could find to use as a weapon.

Emma threw up her hands. "Don't be stupid!" That didn't convince them though.

I edged away a little. "I don't think we want to fight with these guys." There were at least half a doz--Nevermind. Other quasi-humans spilled out of buildings around us, their expressions running the gamut of expressions, from shrewd and calculating to wild-eyed and entirely lost. The ponies behind us suddenly charged forward, which only prompted the quasi-ponies to charge, which put us right in the center!

Hiro grabbed Emma by the scruff and dashed off with her, which left me with the job of rescuing Aiko. I grabbed her around the middle, hefted her up and booked it. Looking over my shoulders, I could see the fighting was terrible. Ponies were smashed across the sides and snouts with blunt instruments or just punched or swatted, while the ponies seemed much more focused on being friendly in a not-exactly-friendly way. They'd grab a quasi-pony and kiss them, sometimes turning them more pony, and sometimes they'd get bit for their trouble, with blood running down their chins from their abused tongues. The stallions would try to mount anything that'd stay still, and the mares would sometimes offer themselves, and sometimes they'd be taken up on it. It was a big, confusing, mess, with injuries and 'special parties' all over the place.

Some of the changes happened super fast, with a mostly-human falling for the charms of a mare and becoming a mare himself quickly as he rode her. He, then a she, fell to all fours and gladly joined the ponies in trying to spread the pony disease, only to catch a 2 by 4 across the snout and crash to the ground, bleeding. It was awful, and I didn't want to be there for any of that. We left the crowd behind, brawling wildly. Thankfully, they seemed way distracted about us, and didn't follow us as we came up on Aiko's apartment. She had to say the combination as Emma pushed the buttons, but we got inside quickly.

As soon as we closed the door to the outside, a voice called out behind one of the doors in the hallway, "Are you one of the horses?"

I glanced at the others. "Uh, yes, but we're not here to make trouble, promise!"

"Kindly forgive me for not opening my door," called out the masculine voice. "The building's kept its peace. Don't ruin that."

We clip-clopped past him quietly only for the door two down to open gently. A female human looked out at us. She smiled a little. "So... did they find a cure?"

Aiko shook her head. "Afraid not. They're just figuring out what is--"

"Aiko? Is that you?" The woman looked at Aiko with surprise.

Aiko took a half-step back. "What used to be, yes. Am I hideous?"

She frowned a little. "You are elegant and... compared to what else I've seen, no, not by far. Are you sane?"

Aiko smiled a little. "As sane as I can be."

Emma offered a furry hand. "We're all in one piece, physically and otherwise. Are you alright?"

She shrugged softly. "The power's out, monsters are wandering the streets. Everything's falling apart so quickly. No, no I'm not alright... If I have to be a horse, can I be a slender one like you, Aiko?"

Aiko squirmed. "I should be appalled, but the more you talk about it, the more I want to say yes."

Hiro didn't say anything, but I had a feeling he agreed, or he would have said something. Making her a pony felt like a natural thing to do. "All you have to do, if you're sure, is be friendly with us. Kissing, breeding, that kind of thing." I flashed a smile at her. "You really should be sure though. It's one way as far as we know."

Her eyes wandered to my stallionhood, then towards Hiro's, but she moved right back to Aiko. "I want to be like Aiko."

Aiko flushed deeply. "I'm a woman, and so are you."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not that sheltered. Two woman can do things. I've seen a few of the videos you've 'snuck' in."

Aiko's blush worsened. "H-hey! Stop spying on me!"

Emma giggled manically. "I didn't think you had it in you, Aiko."

Aiko stomped at the ground. "Not you too! A girl's allowed to be curious in her own home."

The girl crouched in front of Aiko and gently pet over Aiko's mane and gave a light caress over Aiko's new horn, making her shudder powerfully. Poor Aiko, unicorn horns were very sensitive.

Aiko glanced past her friend. "Chie... why don't we go inside?" They walked into Chie's apartment and the door closed behind them. A bit of me felt jealous. Aiko was mine! And I wanted her friend too! But that wasn't really very friendly, and I fought off those bad feelings. "Let's get to Homer and relax until morning."

We climbed the stairs, with the elevator not working in the dark city. Homer was right where we left him, and he hopped to his feet with a waggy tail at seeing us. "Hello!" He looked around quickly. "Need to go!" Aw, poor guy waited so long. I pointed the others inside, and Emma went with Hiro towards the kitchen.

I led Homer outside and we started back down the stairs. "You wouldn't believe all we've seen today."

"I saw some of it," he said, nuzzling at my cutie mark. "Angry people. Bad smells. Bad things are going on. This place not safe?"

I led him outside, but not past the gate, and he quickly scurried behind a bush and took care of business before emerging, looking satisfied. "Not safe?" he repeated with a tilt of his head.

"Don't worry." I patted him gently over the head. "We're leaving tomorrow, all of us, you included. We're not leaving you behind again."

As we walked back along the hallway, we heard a rather loud moan come from Chie's room. I blushed at imagining what they were up to, and I felt a powerful urge to peek. One little look couldn't hurt... I reached for the handle and gave it a slow turn. They hadn't locked it in their hurry, and I got my peek.

Chiee was behind Aiko and rutting her like the stallion Chie was rapidly becoming. Every heavy slap of their bodies spread more fur over his body as his balls swelled with the hammering of his heart. He was breeding her, and she was happily accepting him, and the two were lost in the pleasure of their motions with louder and louder noises coming from both of them. He gasped as a horn pushed free, and he began to become a unicorn. At least it's what he wanted, even if he probably had a mare in mind. She was a he, and a well-equipped he. He seemed to love plunging his horse cock in and out of his lover, with his new balls slapping up against her pony butt as he became more and more pony with every motion against her. He was becoming a pony stallion, and neither of them had a complaint about it.

"What are you looking at?" asked Homer as he tried to poke his head right in past me to see. I quickly pushed him back and closed the door perhaps a little hurriedly. I hoped they were too busy rutting to notice anything.

"Nothing! Just two ponies getting to know each other."

Homer leaned in and sniffed at my groin. "Why haven't we gotten to know each other?"

I turned pink, er, more pink, quickly. Did Homer really just ask that? "I didn't know you liked that kind of thing, and that's for two ponies."

Homer perked an ear. "She wasn't a pony, now they are." He smiled. "Why not me?"

Why not him... I didn't have any really good reasons. I gently pet over his ears. "Are you... sure?"

Homer bobbed his head. "I came to be with you. I want to be with you, all the way with you."

I gestured for him to follow me and we started trotting to the stairwell. As I climbed up, I felt his eyes on my rump, watching my tail sway with each step. Before we got up two stories, he hopped up on me and nipped at the back of my neck. "I'll be good."

Good would be waiting for me to give the all clear signal before jumping on me! I wriggled and snorted like I was annoyed more than violated. Oh, who was I kidding? After watching Aiko and Chie go at it, I wanted some special time with someone, and Homer was as good a play partner as anypony else, even if he wasn't technically a pony. He could tell I wasn't saying no, and he wrapped his forepaws around me and hugged tightly a moment. "I love you, Pinkie."

Aw. "I l--Eee!" I shrieked as he found the mark and pushed into me. The end wasn't flared like a pony at all. It was narrow and slipped into me easily. He started to piston with quick short motions a lot faster than I was used to, but it felt kinda... kinda really good. I panted and pawed at the ground as he rutted against me. "Homer..." His slobbery tongue ran over my ears, licking over them between each of his quick pushes. His form on top of me seemed to be changing subtly, and his shaft widened bit by bit. Was he going to gain a nice big fat horse cock? I kinda hoped he would. I wanted a big stallion cock right then. I arched my back and invited him inside as he worked harder and harder, and I started to feel something new.

He was swelling, and not the little swelling a stallion does, oh no. He was blowing up like a balloon, and each pull back it'd tug at my thick vulva, then he'd ram in past it, each time a little bigger. It was painful, but exciting, and it sent flashes in front of my eyes. I wanted him to stop. I wanted him to go, I just didn't want him to ever go away! He rammed in one last time and couldn't get back out, but not for lack of trying. He started to rock spastically in the little space he had before the member lifted inside of me and began to fire thick volleys of creamy dog-pony seed into me. I wrapped my tail back around him and held him close as he howled with pleasure and I joined in, probably scaring a few people as we filled the stair well with our pack howling, like a bunch of horny wolves.

It was over, and he held me closely and lovingly. His paw roamed over my belly from behind and even teased over my still rock-hard member. "Thank you."

I threw a leg over him and flopped over, facing him, and saw what happened to him. He was a doggypony! He had his paws and cute drooly tongue, but he had the sharp eyes of a pony, and the same size and shape too. His cock felt like a hybrid, with a doggy's knot holding us together, but the tip flared out into me. He was a dog pony, and he was ours. I kissed him gently across the lips. "Are you alright?" He nodded quickly and I kissed him again. I could think of far worse things.

When he softened enough for me to pop free of him, I rose up to my hind legs. To my surprise, he followed me, and followed me up the stairs, wobbling, but looking proud to be walking that way. I kept a hoof at his back. Imagine if he fell trying to look cool for me? I'd feel awful, so instead I walked alongside him and helped keep him upright the whole way. When we reached the right floor, we both went to all fours and trotted out towards Aiko's apartment.

As we reached it, I wondered if Hiro had fallen for the same urges Aiko and I had surrendered too and was doing things with Emma. I held up a hoof and went 'shh' at Homer before sliding open the door and peeking inside. Hiro was curled around Emma, and both were asleep. They didn't look or smell like they had done anything more than just cuddle and be friends. Aw... They were adorable. I waved Homer in and guided him to curl up with me close to Hiro, and soon we caught some sleep as well.

We were woken up not that long later as Aiko clumsily stepped inside and looked around. She turned and closed the door with a shove of a hoof, wincing at the bang it made. "Sorry," she whispered, then began creeping towards her room. She smelled clean. Did they bathe or shower before she came back up here?

Hiro perked up from where he was resting. "Is everything alright?"

"E-everything's j-just fine!" squeaked out Aiko with obvious embarrassment. She hung her head a little. "I'm just a wild animal, following my every impulse..." She dashed off into her room and banged one more door before quiet returned to the apartment.

We managed to find sleep. With us all woken up like that, we ended up all curled up together, minus Aiko. Emma became curious, and pet over Homer. "You look cute as hell. What are you now?"

Homer tilted his head. "A part of this pack." He leaned in and nipped at one of her blue ears. "You smell like a beta male. I will treat well, like a brother. We're a good family."

I perked an ear with curiosity. I remembered what happened to Aiko's friend. "Are you saying Emma's going to be a stallion?"

Emma gasped with surprise. "Why? I'm fine the way I am."

Homer shrugged. "It's what I smell." He sniffed at her softly. "Means you can be with Aiko."

Emma began to burn at that. "Pinkie, why can't I be like you?"

Like me? I glanced down at my he-she nature. I didn't know how I got that, or how to share it. "Best I could offer is to spend some time, and either you 'catch' it or not. You're part of our herd either way."

She slid off of Hiro and right against me. She pressed against my belly and her hands rest on my cutie mark. "I don't want to stop being a woman. I'm alright with being a pony, but don't let me turn into a guy."

Hiro raised a brow from where he lay. "Being a man isn't that awful. You're saying it like it's more of a curse than being pushed onto all fours."

I wrapped my hooves around Emma and nibbled at her blue ears. "Like Hiro said, it isn't the end if you did become a stallion. All I can do is, uh, do things, or not do things."

She threw a leg over me and directed my still hard member up against her petals. "Than it's time to do things, and hope that'e enough to get me on a better track. Besides, I've been waiting for you to ask for days, did you lose interest?"

"No!" I hotly denied, then rolled over on her. If she wanted some Pinkie time, I would deliver it. I rode her wildly even as I felt her changing beneath me. She was becoming a pony, one with leathery wings that sprouted from her back. She was a bat pony, and a well-built one at that. She tried to seal up, to push me out, but I didn't let it. I pushed against her rebelling body and kept right on rutting her. She thrashed and cried out with every push at that point, trembling with emotional overflow from being filled past capacity and being ridden while her body tried to divest itself of her marehood, but I promised her, so I didn't let it.

The pushing sensation slowly dwindled and died, though the rest of her changed. She became a stallion with a marehood, one well filled and worked by me. When I finally withdrew from her, she didn't change. She was done, as a very masculine female. Emma flopped over, panting from all the workout we both had. "T-thank you, Pinkie... Thank you."

Author's Note

Welcome to the herd properly, Homer.

The only member that didn't get some was Hiro. Was that a typo?

Oh no, time for choices! Let's make it two pronged.

First, how their trip goes:

1: More and more ferals show up, wanting to shower the herd in unwanted attention.

2: Hiro runs into fellow officers. A happy reunion? Or just a bit awkward.

3: They fall through a hole left by some tunnelers and end up exploring the under-tunnels

4: Though firearms are illegal, sharpened implements are available, and some people have tried to keep ponies back with daggers, swords, and anything else they can inflict harm with.

Second part, after they arrive:

1: They're treated as honored guests and questioned thoroughly about what they know about the disease.

2: The place has practically fallen to chaos, with bickering sides arguing over the newcomers.

3: It's a madhouse with refugees ready to panic, especially whenever any sign of infection appears in their midst.

4: It's become something of a military operation, making it intimidating to approach, with actual guns at the ready.

5: A religious sounding person has rallied the people around the hospital and tries to get the herd to join him. The plague is clearly God's work!

14 - City Hospital, Yes, That Is its Name

We all woke up around the same time, which I think was partially my fault. I got up and bounced over to the kitchen to whip up a little something to get us started, but the stove wasn't working right. While I was jury-rigging up an alternative, I might have been a little too loud, and soon the entire apartment was awake.

Hiro noticed something up with Homer. "What happened to your dog? He's larger, and shaped a little differently."

Homer sat up and smiled at him with doggy teeth. "Good morning! I'm a horse."

Emma roused and pushed herself up to her hooves. "What?" It was a little surprising to remember she was mostly stallion, which included her voice. She focused on Homer. "You don't look like a horse. You're a big dog."

The door leading to Aiko's room opened, allowing the slender unicorn that was Aiko to step free on light hooves. "Good morning," she said in Japanese before she raised a hoof to block a yawn. "Did you know unicorns have magic?"

Emma flopped onto her haunches. "You do? What do I get?"

Aiko looked over the stallion that was Emma. "Emma? Well, you have wings? If they work, you can fly."

Emma twisted to look over her new bat wings and spread them out, giving each an experimental few flaps. "Do you know if they should work, Pinkie?"

I looked up at her. They seemed big enough as far as pegasi and bat ponies I'd seen before. "Sure! You just have to practice. I hope everyone's ready for eggs, because I'm cooking what we have left before it goes bad." I pulled out some seasoning and paused, then realized something. "I guess we're all as pony as we're going to get, no real harm."

Part-pony or not, Homer hadn't changed a bit when it came to stalking food, and he kept trying to sneak a bit away whenever he thought I wasn't looking. Being bigger seemed to help his attempts. I let him get a little before I started waving him away. "We're all one big herd, which means sharing." He pouted, but didn't argue, and everyone had a belly-full of lightly sweetened eggs soon enough.

Fueled up and ready to go, I felt ready to take on the day. "So, where to?"

Hiro pointed into the city. "We're expected at the City Hospital. We should try to get there as soon as possible. Aiko." Aiko looked over at him curiously. "Do you have any camping supplies?"

Aiko turned back to her room and concentrated really hard. A few things floated out. She had a bedroll and a lantern and a little tent and she set them before Hiro. "That's all I have."

Hiro jumped a little in surprise at the magic. "You weren't joking... This is a start, it's better than nothing, but not nearly enough for all of us. We'll take it anyway."

There was a soft rapping on the door. We all turned to look at it in surprise. Aiko reached with her magic and opened the door. "Hello?"

The human standing there, a mare, gave a thin smile. "I'm sorry, but the building has voted to ask you to leave, and anyone else that has this new disease. We wish you well, but we don't want whatever you have. You understand, we hope?"

Hiro nodded at her. "We're leaving shortly. We're not here to cause trouble, ma'am."

She seemed relieved to hear that. "Good... Thank you, and good fortune to you all." She gave a little bow, then backed away from the door as quickly as she could go.

We didn't have much else to wait on, so it was as good a time as any to get moving. When we reached the front of the building, we saw another unicorn sitting there, looking dejected and sad. A few other ponies had been kicked out and were milling around. On noticing us, the unicorn quickly hopped to his hooves and rushed for Aiko. "I'm so glad to see you again!" he cried. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Aiko smiled at her friend and they touched horns. "I'm fine. Did they kick you out as well?"

He sighed softly. "The moment they saw I changed, they said I had to go." He glanced away a moment, then back at Aiko. "Our time together was worth it." Aiko blushed brightly. "Aiko, may I go with you? We can be together, even if it's not at home anymore."

A few sets of furry ears rose. A younger looking colt raised a hoof. "Can we come too?"

A pegasus standing beside the colt wrapped him protectively in wings. "Please, pardon him... We don't mean to intrude, but if you know where we should go?..."

Aiko glanced back towards us while forcing a smile. I could tell fake smiles. She looked nervous about the whole thing. I pointed in the same direction Hiro had. "We're all headed to the City Hospital."

A pony old enough to rival Granny Smith, but a stallion, stepped forward on shaking knees. "Do they have a cure for this?"

Hiro looked saddened. "No, but we hope to help them. It's better than standing here in front of this apartment building. Gather everyone fit for travel and we'll set off. Are you alright, sir?"

The old stallion smiled. "I walk a mile every day. I even managed it with four legs. I'm not dead yet, child."

Hiro laughed at that. "That's the attitude! I'm Sasaki Hiro, police. I'll be trying to get us all there safely."

The crowd perked again at Hiro's introduction as they murmured with excitement. They couldn't believe they had a police escort, even if he was a pony at the moment. I guess it's nice to know a guard is right beside you. As we gathered everypony up, I noticed there were two ponies not getting into line. They looked up at me when I wandered up to them, and sniffed me, but they didn't say hi, or much of anything. "You two alright?" A mare and a stallion, earth ponies like me!

The mare opened her mouth and closed it a few times as if she was trying to figure out how to say something, but only a little wicker came out of her. The stallion whinnied in response, and they huddled together. What was wrong with them? "Hiro? I think these two are sick."

Hiro came over beside me and looked over the two ponies. He tried getting them to talk. He tried gesturing to the line to get them to stand there, but they didn't respond. They were more like animals than people, and they were getting scared. I felt awful for them. I pulled out a carrot I had left and offered it out. The stallion leaned forward, snatched it, and shared it with his mare. They both settled down to nibble on it.

Emma shook her head. "They need help, but we can't carry them there, and they'd probably panic if we tried."

Hiro agreed. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Be safe." He turned away from the two ponies, knowing his words were probably nonsense to them. I followed after Hiro as we took the forward position of our crowd of ponies, and we set off. We marched in three lines through the streets. Normally there'd be a bunch of those carriages running through, but I didn't hear any, and there were tons of them just parked there, abandoned. Shame we couldn't get some of those to work, hmm.

As we walked, I heard Aiko talking with her friend, who had been a girl just the night before, before becoming her unicorn stallion. "Did you mean it?"

Aiko's friend perked his ears. "I meant everything. It was destiny that we found each other right then, and that I became your ideal mate, instead of one of those other kinds of horses." He smiled and rubbed up alongside her. "I know we're still getting used to being horses, but I wouldn't mind getting used to it with you."

Aiko flushed gently and nuzzled into his side a little. "You're alright with being a man now?"

He tilted his head a little. "I'm your man, and you're my woman. I feel... happy, joyful." He threw a leg over her neck and hugged her. "But only if you're alright with it. I don't want to be one of those creepy people. If you say no, then I'll accept it, and move on, not stalk you or anything."

She snorted softly. "I know you're trying, but that still came off a little creepy." Despite her words, she nuzzled back at him. I smiled at seeing them growing closed together. Maybe having a coltfriend would help Aiko relax and learn to enjoy being a pony.

Another pony slipped out of formation to be closer to Aiko. "Excuse me... are you in charge?"

Aiko looked at the young earth pony. "Why would you ask that? Hiro's in charge. He's the police officer."

The colt rubbed behind his head. "You looked like you were in charge, miss. Sorry."

The whole group came to a stop as we came across a man running a generator that kept a television running. He had a little sign hung in front of it 'News of the End', and he sat there beside the generator. Hiro stepped up towards the man. "It's not safe to be outside right now. You should really seek shelter and stay there until told otherwise."

The man looked up at Hiro. "If you're here to infect me, go ahead. We're all dead anyway. Otherwise, enjoy the broadcast." He looked back down and seemed to tune out anything Hiro said after that.

Hiro looked towards the television and its generator. "Did you even buy this?" The man just shrugged softly. Hiro sighed and settled. "We may as well catch up on what's going on."

The television showed a news lady facing us. "Good morning, Osaka, if you can see me." I guessed with the power being out, it was kind of hard to use these things. "The government continues to implore all citizens stay inside unless absolutely necessary. A special treat today, an expert on diseases has agreed to an interview..." She began talking with a man about how diseases could spread and how to protect yourself from them, which didn't sound that helpful to me.

"We've captured some photographs of the affected and will be the first to share them with you. We recommend avoiding contact with these people. Without trying, they could spread the disease." She went blank, and it didn't come for a few long seconds before a little picture appeared, claiming technical difficulties.

Hiro sighed softly. "They don't want those pictures shared just yet. Well, we already know what they look like." He turned to the rest of the crowd. "We may be sick, but we are still Japanese. We remain civil and reasonable in the face of catastrophe. If you see an uninfected person, avoid getting too close to them. We don't want to scare them, or infect them." The crowd murmured general agreement, and we got back to moving.

As I walked past the television, the guy grabbed one of my forelegs. "Well? Aren't you going to bite me?"

I tilted my head. "Why would I do that? People aren't for biting, silly. Now if you were a doughnut, I might consider that."

He frowned. "This isn't a joke. I don't want to be the last man left in the world."

One of the mares in the group moved up to us and smiled at him before turning away and waving her rump at him. She flagged her tail and even I knew what that meant. Gosh, just offering that to some guy you barely met? Oh wait, I did that before. I blushed with the memory even as the guy let me go. "So, is this it? A disease of carnality, instead of violence?"

The mare snorted softly. "You're turning me off. Do you want it or not?"

Hiro suddenly stepped between the two. "No. Get back into formation. You, be thankful you're still human." He led the mare away with a soft grumble, leaving the sullen man to sink back beside his television.

I quickly trotted up beside the others. "That guy was kinda weird. Did he want to be a pony or not?"

Emma sighed softly. "It's complicated. He's lost hope."

That actually made sense to me. He was like the crystal ponies before we cheered them up. Poor guy. "If I had a cupcake that didn't turn people into ponies, I'd offer one to get a smile on his face."

My mentioning of cupcakes brought that little colt over. He nuzzled at my cutie mark. "Can I have one, miss?" I wasn't going to say no to a colt! I dug one out with my mane and held it to him. He looked a little surprised at how I held it, then bit into it. He soon forgot about the hair holding it up and gobbled up the cupcake. "Thanks!" I hugged him and sent him back to his parents, or who I thought were his parents? They seemed happy to see him and had him walk between them. It was nice to see at least one family was sticking together, pony, human, or whatever they were.

We were coming up on a bridge, and there was a big collection of carriages with flashing lights in the way, along with a bunch of people dressed up like Hiro used to be. Guards? The crowd got excited. "The police are here! We're saved!"

Emma shrank back towards me. "How can they be so happy? Police make me nervous, especially a huge crowd of them."

Hiro set a hoof on Emma's shoulder. "I'll talk to them." He trotted up towards them as he fished out his badge and held it up in his mouth.

One of the guards looked suspicious. "Are you really one of ours? Tell your friends to stay back."

Hiro clipped the badge back on his belt, then turned back to all of us. "Let me discuss things with them for a little while. Relax and stay together."

I raised a hoof. "Is it alright to meet your friends?"

Hiro glanced over his shoulder. "Actually, that may be a good idea, come here, Miss Pie." I bounced over to his side while everypony else settled down to wait.

They let us come closer, but kept up about one carriage away. One of them nodded at Hiro. "Pleasure to see one of our's is holding it together even with the disease. We've lost a lot of good souls in the line of duty. We need to confirm your identity."

Hiro looked a little nervous. "I'm not sure how to do that. I don't have fingers to print, visual's right out. My name's Sasaki Hiro, Officer. I've served Osaka proudly for two years now, and I hope to continue to do so, sir."

The man nodded lightly. "I heard you, out guarding the clinic?" Hiro quickly nodded. "Fine work. The doctors were fine when the replacement got in. Who's the pink one next to you?"

I raised a hoof at that. "Hiya! I'm Pie Pinkie!" See, I could totally get it right. "I'm an actual pony. I mean, I've always been a pony, unlike the rest of these ponies."

Hiro gestured at me. "She is... an alien, for lack of better--"

"Hiro!" Another guard rushed ahead. "Is that really you?"

Hiro broke into a wide smile. "Yuki! It's good to see you in one piece."

Yuki shook his head. "I wish I could say the same. You're a horse!"

The guard in charge looked at Yuki. "You are familiar with officer Sasaki?"

Yuki snapped a salute. "Familiar? We went to academy together. He's gone and let himself go. Seriously, they invented this thing called a razor, try it sometime."

Hiro quirked a smile. "You're still a real asshole, Yuki."

Yuki grinned. "And still a human, must be working out for me. Seriously, good to see you."

The one in charge nodded. "Glad to hear we have confirmation, now if you don't mind, officer, Sasaki was briefing us."

Hiro nodded and saluted. "As I was saying, she is an alien, as incredible as that may sound. She never was human."

The one in charge raised a brow. "Is there any evidence behind that claim?"

I tilted my head. "Well I was born a rock farm, to two married earth ponies. I have three sisters, no brothers. I'm--"

He waved a hand lightly. "Do you have some distinguishing feature that differentiates yourself from the other horses?"

I considered that, then it hit me. I turned to show my flank to him and pointed at the balloons there. "I'm the only one here with a cutie mark! It symbolizes my special talent and purpose. Every pony gets one once they realize what that is." I ran a hoof over a balloon. "I make ponies smile."

Hiro softly coughed. "As aliens go, she is very friendly, sir. We're hoping to bring her to City Hospital for examination."

Yuki chuckled. "Demoted to horse patrol."

Another guard elbowed him. "Nothing wrong with horse patrol!"

The leader pointed at me. "You are under arrest. I trust you will remain in Hiro's custody?"

That was an odd way of putting it. "Of course I will."

He nodded. "Good. What's the status with all the civilians behind you?"

Hiro pointed back at them all. "They're coming with us, hoping to find friendly faces at the hospital. They seem to be cooperative at the moment. Better with us than wandering the streets."

He frowned a little. "The hospital's on lockdown. JGSDF has the place bottled up tight. There are some protests outside you're going to have to get through. I can radio ahead and let them know you're coming, but if you rush at them too fast, they've developed a nasty case of itchy fingers. They've kept their numbers clean, at a terrible price. They're not like us. They're not police. Don't expect them to be reasonable."

Hiro raised a slightly shaking hoof in a salute. "I'll be careful, sir."

Yuki waved a hand idly. "They have guns and they think that hammer is the solution to every problem they come across. Let's see them handle a full on riot with nothing but a billy club and some training."

Hiro chuckled a little, sharing something with Yuki that I didn't quite get. "We should be going. We hope to reach the hospital before nightfall. Permission to cross, sir?"

The police guards backed away to either side of the bridge, and we began guiding the ponies through the parked carriages to start crossing the street. The same mare that had offered to the television guy made an attempt with one of the police officers, but that only resulted in fits of laughter from the guard's friends as they called him not-nice things. No private parties for that mare today it seemed.

Getting curious, I moved in beside that mare. "Why are you so eager to play with everyone we walk past?"

She tilted her head at me. "Were you a man or woman to start with?"

I quickly replied, "Mare to start, both now. Why?"

She smiled. "I was a man who didn't get any, but now I'm a woman horse. Other horses seem to like me just fine, and it feels amazing."

I pointed at her. "Alright, but why the human stallions? You're going to make them into horses too."

She shrugged softly. "Then they'll like it. Some of them might become woman horses too. You're a woman horse, isn't it great?"

I couldn't exactly argue that. "Sure. I like being a 'woman horse'." I leaned towards her. "We're called mares, by the way. Boy horses are stallions."

She moved in and nuzzled my side before her head dipped right under me and she nuzzled my dangling stallion bits. She really liked private parties! "Want to play?"

I blushed as I started to feel ready to say yes to her offer. "We really should get to the hospital first. Please don't do that with the humans anymore. We're trying to not spread horsiness to them unless the really want it."

She rose to her full height and softly snorted. "The television guy wanted it, but fine..."

We made it across the bridge and resumed our trek through the city. Emma ended up beside me, and she nuzzled me gently. "I feel weird, being mostly stallion, not to mention these hooves, and these wings." She spread out her wings and flapped them hard enough to gain a few inches and come down wobbling. "Am I hideous?"

"What? No!" I hugged her from the side. "You're still pretty, Emma." Emma relaxed against me and I held her for a few moments before letting her go. "You did good at flying. You'll be soaring in no time at all."

My words seemed to encourage her, and she kept practicing her wings as we walked. She was at least learning how to land from her little jumps into the air smoothly. She even managed to do a few skips in a row with a smile. She was learning how to enjoy being a bat pony, and I was glad.

She came down for a smooth landing and folded up her wings tight. "I see a crowd up ahead." She pointed with a hoof along the street we were on. "Hundreds of mostly people, as in human people."

Hiro frowned at the news. "That may be the protestors we were told about. Everyone, stay close together. Keep with your partners and don't get lost. We're not here to get into fights, so don't let anyone goad you into one."

We got closer to each other. Emma was on one side, Hiro on the other. Homer was just behind me, sniffing at my tail for hidden treats. Aiko and her coltfriend were towards the center, surrounded by other ponies.

The crowd came into view ahead of us. There were tons of people. Most of them were humans. Some were quasi-human, tied up with ropes and chains to the ground. One loud voice pierced through the noise gathering, easily heard even as we approached. "My children, God works in mysterious ways, but he would not put an obstacle in our path if not for us to learn from it!"

It seemed he wasn't alone in shouting. Another man faced him with a scowl. "There is no one God. The kami are all around us, and they are furious at our lost ways." He shook a stick with little jangling parts hanging off the hand. "We must purify ourselves, and all of Japan, and return to balance!"

The people seemed divided into several groups, with some gravitating towards the One God guy, and others towards the Kami guy. A lot of them sat around looking miserable. No matter which side they sat on, they all cheered once in a while when an especially impassioned word was said. They were all listening a little.

They noticed us. I mean how could they not? We were this big herd just walking right down the middle of the road towards them.

The Kami guy shook his funny stick at us. "See the results of our impurities. We were given direct instructions on how to avoid this, simple rituals to keep our ki clean and our way clear, and now we fall to the bakemono, and we become them."

The One God guy turned towards us. "Don't be so hasty to turn our children away. See how they travel together, with clarity in their lost eyes. They are not beasts, to be shunned. They are lost children to be aided and protected. Children! Do you follow the One True God?"

Celestia? How did he know about Celestia? Hiro stepped forward ahead of us a few paces. "I am Sasaki Hiro, police officer. You are blocking our legal movement to the hospital. Please disperse."

Author's Note

Asking nicely always works... So we reached a kind of critical part and I feel a chapter should start there.

Who should they try to approach to get past this particular traffic accident?
1: Shinto guys
2: Christian guys
3: Neither!
4: Maybe the Buddhist guys will have a more chill reaction?
5: Make noise and hope to draw the attention of the military.

I haven't neglected the past poll, those results are still active until we get to them, promise!

Enjoying the story? Let me know! I love feedback.

16 - We're all Friends Here, Miss Pie

They came just after dinner, which wasn't that great. I wished I still had some sugar left to sprinkle on it. I mean, it wasn't awful, it just wasn't... I bet they had the same pony making the food for all the ponies in here, and that's a lot of work. They're probably overtired and bored and it shows in their food. Poor guy or girl. Maybe after we finished whatever we were going to do, I'd ask about helping out around the kitchen. Even if I couldn't help with the human stuff, I could brighten up the day for all the ponies.

I turned up to look at the doctor walking with me. "Hey, could I help out with cooking breakfast for the ponies tomorrow?"

He looked surprised. "I can ask about it, but that's not my decision.Were you a cook before?"

The other doctor nudged him lightly. "You'll get plenty of questions in a moment. We're all curious about you, so let's save them for when we're being recorded."

"Recorded" I asked just before I hopped up onto my hind legs and clapped my hooves. "Oh, you have memory crystals?"

"Not exactly..." The first one adjusted the collar of his shirt. "It operates on magnetic tape."

Magnets and tape? How did that work? They got huge metal things up into the air without a single balloon, so I decided to trust the humans knew how magic worked on their world, and it wasn't Equestria. "Okey." We walked in a friendly silence. Well, mostly. I tried to bring things up with them, but they seemed kinda nervous and they really wanted me to be recorded before we got into the good stuff.

We arrived at a door that looked like almost every other door, though this one had a little sign beside it that said it was for psychiatrists. "What are those?"

One of the doctors knocked gently on the door. "Someone who specializes in the workings of the mind." He tapped his head. "Today we just want to get to know you, Pinkie-chan." Aw, that was a term of endearment. Maybe he wasn't as scared of me as I thought. I wagged my tail and smiled at him.

The door opened to reveal a woman that was smiling back at me. "Ah, hello Miss Pie. Please, come in. I am Doctor Nakamura, but you can just call me Rina." She gestured for me to come in, so I trotted in past her. She said something quietly to the other two, then closed the door. Click! It was locked, but I could see the lock. It was more of a privacy lock, what with the spinny part just out in the open.

She moved around the neat office and sat in a comfy looking chair. With a gesture at a couch across from it, she bade me to make myself comfortable. I hopped up and laid down on in it. It was as comfy as it looked. "Thanks. Nice place you have here, and nice to meet you, Rina... Chan?" Should I call her cute? She looked a little older, but I wasn't sure how all those worked just yet.

Rina looked amused. "Just Rina is fine, but I haven't been called that by a patient in quite a few years. What made you consider it?"

I was just happy I didn't offend her or anything. "You look pretty as humans go, and I thought that was the polite thing to say."

She nodded lightly. "We can go into that later, but for now, just call people by their name, last name unless they give you permission to use their first name, as I have." She offered a hand towards me. "They tell me you are more used to American customs?"

I reached out a hoof and set it in her hand lightly, assuming she wanted a shake. She gently wrapped her fingers around and gave a little one and I giggled. "Ponies actually just knock them together, back where I'm from, but pressing them together and going up and down happens a lot too."

"I see, interesting." She smiled gently. "Pinkie, tell me how you came to be here, from your home world?"

I put both of my forehooves in front of me and set my head on them. "How far back do you want to go? 'Cause my friends usually get annoyed when I start with my foal years."

She smiled that patient smile. "Let's begin the day before you arrived here, on Earth. What were you doing?"

That was a lot easier. "I was traveling with some new friends. They know how to go from here--" I wobbled a hoof around. "To my home, and my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was trying to help them out, but she's a princess, so she can't go running off to another world. Well, actually, I guess she does do that, but she didn't this time, because I wanted a turn."

She looked a little confused at my words. "You have a princess for a friend? Is she a pony, like you?"

"You betcha!" I sat up and began to trace an outline of her in the air. "She's a bit taller than me, and purple, with these cool highlights in her mane and tail. She wears hers straight and smooth, and her cutie mark is a star with smaller stars around it."

"And a cutie mark is?"

I pointed at the balloons on my flank. "Here. It shows our talents and our destiny. I like making ponies smile! That's what I was meant to do. Twilight is good at magic, but also the strength of her friends. She has five stars around her star, for us five good friends, and she had it before she even met us."

She tapped a pen against a clipboard, looking curious. "So you believe strongly in predestiny?"

That felt like a silly question. "Hard to argue with it. I mean, it happens right in front of us. When a pony is named, it's a little slice of predestiny right there. There are very few ponies that don't fit their name. Do you?"

She shook her head a little. "I'm afraid I don't share that belief, Miss--"

I cut in, "Just Pinkie's fine, or Pinkie-chan if you like."

She smiled gently. "Alright, Pinkie-chan. I, and many others, believe a person can achieve what they want through diligence, study, practice, and an unwavering work ethic. Talent helps, of course, but the other parts are more important in the end. There is no shortage of people talented in some matter they never truly apply their all to, while someone with mediocre talent becomes extraordinary because they truly dedicate themselves."

That sort of made sense and I nodded. "Humans don't have cutie marks, right?" She shook her head. "So it's up to you to find what you're really good at."

She leaned forward towards me. "Let's put that aside a moment. You left with permission of your princess friend, traveling with these others to help them. Where did they come from, exactly?"

I frowned a little. "I don't know, exactly, but they talked English, except one that talked English but a little something else I don't know the name of. They were all from here, this world... about a year from now."

Rina stood up suddenly, but forced herself to sit. "A year from now? Explain that, Pinkie?"

I put a hoof to my head. "Even I barely understand it. So, alright, my princess friend, Twilight. She was trying to reach another human world and it didn't work. She blasted this world with pony magic, but it was way crazy, and you can see how that works out." I tapped my chin. "Technically still working out." She looked horrified. "She didn't mean it! Honest!"

Rina shook her head slowly. "I... see." She didn't sound like she understood. "Please, Pinkie, do continue. Why are you not with these friends of yours? Why are you..." Her eyes narrowed a little. "A year in the past?" She sounded very doubtful of that.

I sat up on the couch like a human would and sighed. "I thought if I could hop out at the right time and stop the pony magic from ever reaching this world, everything would be better, but..." He lifted a hoof before letting it drop. "That predestiny thing came to haunt me. It was meant to happen, and I ended up being the reason it happened. I did block it, which made it go wild on Twilight's side. I gave it a great big shove, but instead of throwing it away from your world, I sent it right at it, a year in the past, and I fell after it. I woke up in America, where Emma found me."

Rina never stopped shaking her head. I was telling her something she was having a really hard time understanding, or believing, but she didn't say that. She scribbled a little on her pad. "Pinkie, I assume you believe completely in the words you have shared with me today?" I nodded quickly, of course I did. "Then I will accept them, for now. Time travel or not, let us assume you did what you said you did, tried to avert this disaster, failed, and were stranded here. That was very brave, if foolish, for you to attempt, if it was enough energy to bathe our entire world. Couldn't it have harmed you?"

I considered that. "I guess it kinda did in a way? I had this big stallion part--" She raised a brow. "Ask the others! They saw it! These guys surrounded me yesterday and they were all dancing and drumming and singing and... Poof! Gone. Probably for the best. I was meant to be a mare." I smiled at her. "You'd be pretty confused if you had extra parts, wouldn't you?"

She pinched at her nose. "Please understand. I want to hear everything you say, but so much of it strains my ability to simply accept it. We live in difficult to accept times, I admit." She sat back up and straightened herself out. "Forgive me. This is a lot for me to take in. You are a female of your people, are you not?"

I bobbed my head. "Sure am. You are too, right?" She nodded. "Humans are kinda easy. They have those things right there." I pointed at her chest and she colored.

"Pinkie, it is not polite to point at a woman's chest."

That confused me. "Why not? Are they a secret?" Worst secret ever!

She let out a little cough. "Of a sort, yes. They are there, but it is considered impolite to acknowledge them unless in private and with the woman's permission. Only romantic couples consider such things."

I was only more confused, at least until it hit me. "Oh! Like ponies don't usually talk about what's between their legs, even if it's right there in view all the time. Only really close ponies do that, and only in private."

Rina nodded. "Exactly so."

I raised a hoof. "Does... that mean you make foals with those?"

She looked stupefied a moment. "N-no, Pinkie. They are still considered a part of our sexuality, and we treat it about the same. Let's put that aside for now. If you know what is going on, what do you suggest we do about it? Your story suggests you think kindly of humans, do you not?"

I flashed a bright smile. "Of course I do! I mean, you're ponies too, just two-legged and you have less fur, but you don't deserve all of this. This is just awful." I sagged a little, thinking back to what I had seen earlier that day. "It's making some of you act awful too... I believe smiling and being nice helps make other ponies smile and be nice too, but being scared and angry can help make other ponies scared and angry too... I want to stop it."

She relaxed a little. I think she liked what I said. "Very good, Pinkie, but how do we stop it?"

That was a tough one. I thought I could stop it before it ever happened, but that didn't work out... "Twilight said something about the infection being 'burned out' of already ponies so they can't give it to humans and they could live together without problems."

Rina raised a fine brow. "Physically? Won't heat harm someone?"

I gave a little grunt of annoyance, not at her, but... "I think it was some kinda magic. I didn't really understand it." I threw out all four hooves. "I know it's still inside me. If we had a big smooch, you'd become a pony too." Why did that idea sound so good? She'd probably make a cute pony. We could be friends...

"Pinkie." I snapped out of my fog and focused back on her, as a person. "You looked very distracted. It's very important you remain focused. You're our best key to understanding what's going on."

I looked around the room a moment as I spoke, "I know that, and I want to help, honest. Thinking too much about how humans become ponies makes me want to be involved," I shrank a little. "In the bad way. You don't want to be a pony, do you, Rina?"

Rina shook her head. "I am quite comfortable with my humanity, if you please, Pinkie-chan. Tell me, assuming we accept your story at face value, what lies ahead for us."

Ooo, that was a good question... "Well, the place where they come from, where they talk English?"

"America?"

"Yes!" I sprang to my hooves. "They eventually gather some powerful ponies, who were humans. You call them princesses, just like we do. They're more powerful, and can control other ponies. They help calm down all the ponies and things start to calm down. Some of them were real meanies at first, but even they were eventually calmed down and became their friends. I didn't hear anything about here, in Japan." I sat down on my haunches. "We'll have to make sure history here is even better."

Rina caught onto something. "Tell me about these 'princesses', the ones that are from this world, not yours."

I nodded at her. "Sure. One of them was called William. He started as a normal, for you guys, human, but became a princess. He can feel other ponies around himself, and make them do things if he tries hard enough, but he isn't a meanie, so he only does that if it's really important. He didn't want to control ponies all day, and that's good. Imagine that, just bossing everypony around like that? That wouldn't be nice at all."

She made little scribbles on her pad and I wanted a peek, so I circled around Rina to have a look, but she suddenly pulled it up. "Pinkie, please sit down." I pouted, but she wasn't budging, so I went back to sitting on the couch. "Thank you. Considering your situation, I must ask you to always keep a distance between us. I don't mean that to be cruel or unkind, but you are dangerous."

I didn't like it, but I did understand it. I gave a little nod. "Alright... I'm sorry if I scared you."

Rina smiled gently. "You have been a polite guest, so far. Shall we continue? How would we recognize a 'princess' if there was one among the ponies?"

I tapped a chin, thinking back to William and his herd. "They're bigger than normal ponies. Some of them are a lot of kinds of ponies. In Equestria it's always the same three, with unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony. I'm an earth pony, by the way." I pointed at myself. "We're down to earth. I was raised on a rock farm, even!"

"You were a miner?"

I considered that. "Sort of. We tended the rocks and made the right ones grow for us, then we carefully got the gems and stuff out, and that's what we sold. It takes a lot of hard work to tend to rocks juuuust right. Sometimes I get envious of my sisters. They're so much better at it than I am! You should see Maud attack a pile of rocks, it's amazing! Other earth ponies like cooking, like me, and some farm, like Applejack and her family. We're a varied bunch. Hay, some like 'farming' ponies, like Mayor Mare, who keeps Ponyville running smoothly."

Rina sat up a little. "To consider bureaucracy and management a farming of a sort. That is a curious viewpoint, Pinkie. Of your friends, would you say any are large enough to be a princess?"

I considered. Hiro was powerful, but he wasn't that large for a stallion. Homer was adorable, but also pretty normal in size for a stallion. Emma was perfectly normally sized for a stallion, even if she was a mare where it counted. Oh! "Aiko's a bit tall, but she's that kind of unicorn. The thin and long unicorns are always a bit bigger looking than the other unicorns, but I'm not sure I'd qualify her as a princess. Besides, she's just a unicorn."

Rina made more of those notes. I really wanted to see them. "We'll keep a watch on her, discretely, and any other pony that appears larger than the others. This may prove quite pivotal, if it turns up a result. The sooner we can restore order, the better, for everyone involved." She smiled at me above her clipboard. "Thank you. You've been very patient and helpful with us. I'm certain you're feeling a little tired from being asked so many questions."

I waved a hoof at her. "I like talking. Did you have more questions? We can keep talking if you want to talk."

She smiled. "Pinkie-chan, I appreciate that you are willing, but my mind is quite full of what you've already told me." She set the clipboard aside. "Let's talk again, soon. Why don't you go to your friends?"

I pointed at her. "Aren't you a friend?"

The question seemed to surprise her. "We've only just met, Pinkie."

I smiled brightly. "And we know each other's names, and we hung out, and you don't hate me, and I think you're a nice person. So we're friends now. Normally I'd offer a party, but I'm out of supplies... Say! Do you know if I can help make dinner for the other ponies? I could make it nicer for everypony. I mean, I'd help make the human dinners too, but I don't want to... make more ponies." Oh... I did. A part of me really wanted to so very much. The thought of it made me feel weak in my knees. It'd be so much nicer to be surrounded by nice ponies. No! That wasn't being nice at all. I refocused myself and smiled at Rina.

Rina nodded. "The ponies are being serviced from a separate cantina. Come on, let's ask if you can lend a hand, or would that be hoof?"

I lifted a hoof at her. "Hoof, yep!" I followed after her once she unlocked the door, and we headed out into the hallway.

We walked through some double doors that swung back and forth and things seemed to change subtly. We were in the working part of the hospital, where they didn't expect patients. The floors felt a bit different, and the walls weren't as nicely tiled and wallpapered. It was made for serious ponies doing serious things. I'd have to bring Aiko's coltfriend down to the kitchen to liven the place up. Happy food comes from happy places!

A doctor stopped in front of us with a surprised expression. "What is it doing here?"

"She," said Rina with emphasis. "She volunteered to assist with meal duty for the ponies, and I feel this would be helpful for her, and our staff." The doctor let us pass but watched us until we turned a corner. I don't think he was happy with the idea.

We arrived at the kitchen. It was sized to work on big meals for lots of people! There were three workers, two guys and a girl. They were all surprised to see us. One of the guys stood up. "What's going on?"

Rina gestured back at me. "This is Pie Pinkie."

"Just Pinkie's fine." I waved at them with a hoof.

"She wants to help in the preparation of the meals for ponies. She knows how to cook, so she shouldn't be in the way."

I saw they had nice professional-looking stoves and ovens and moved for them quickly. "How are your supply of eggs, sugar, and flour? Oh! What were you planning to make today?" I didn't want to be rude. Maybe they had big plans! I would help, not just run them over.

Rina slipped away as we did a quick inventory. They had lots of raw stuff! But they didn't plan to use most of it. They showed me frozen veggies they were planning to cook up. Yuck, boring! I mean, a pony could live off of that, sure, but is that really living? "Alright, you guys make that, and I can make dessert?" I smiled, and they seemed happy with the arrangement.

I got to cracking eggs, adding milk, whisk whisk whisk whisk! I loved cooking. I especially loved imagining all the smiles homemade treats would bring to all the ponies. Right next to their healthy, but boring, veggies would be a nice little baked treat, each one with a little smilie face to remind them that somepony liked them, and wanted them to be happy. Just making them all already had me smiling. It would be like a little party, shared among all the ponies. Oh, it was a shame I wasn't allowed to help with the rest of the meals. The humans would have to find their own cheerful cook, I guessed.

Once I had made enough for everypony, I got to cleaning up. A messy kitchen was a sad kitchen, and somepony else had to work in there after me. It was just polite. I sang a cleaning song as I worked, swaying left and right as I scrubbed the pans and rinsed the whisk. The other chefs mostly ignored me. I don't think they were used to having a pony around, but they'd get used to it if I kept coming back, and then we could be friends! That'd be nice. I was already looking forward to it.

Author's Note

The vote was so close, I couldn't leave out the psychiatry part of things, even as Pinkie was gently milked for the knowledge she knew.

Her therapist would love to continue plumbing her pink mind, but what will the others think, or what will Pinkie do?
1: Pinkie goes looking on her own for a princess.
2: The upper ups find Pinkie's story wild and outrageous, and demand clarifications on a few things, with perhaps a bit more force to make it clear this is a serious matter.
3: Pinkie wants to go outside to all the humans waiting there and try to calm them all down, and is allowed to.
4: Pinkie wants to go outside to all the humans waiting there and try to calm them all down, and is denied. She spends the time trying to cheer up ponies instead.
5: They have a special guest for Pinkie tomorrow. They want to document the full change of a human into a pony, and invite Pinkie to change them completely where it can be recorded from start to end.

35 - Where no Man Wishes to Go

The soldiers were getting more and more nervous. They didn't have my unfailing conviction that everything would turn out alright! Well, sure, there were a few little times I got down in the dumps, but there were too many counting on me, and I wouldn't mess it up.

I also had an idea. I went to Aiko first. "Hey!"

She smiled at me. "Good evening, Pinkie. You look like you have an idea."

"I do!" I clopped my hooves. "We're going to use our new friends, and let our old friends go."

She tilted her head a little. "I'm afraid I don't understand entirely. How do you mean?"

I pointed to the sailors/guards. "Let them go back to Japan, and get a ride from the ponies to China. They can get us there without making a fuss. When you were underwater, they helped, right?"

She gave a hesitant little nod. "One was... They were kissing me, and I could breath through it."

"Great!" I trotted to the guard rail. "So they can take us there, no problem, and without a whole boat giving us away."

She hurried after me. "There are a few things you're not thinking of. We'll want the radio, and diving through the water may harm it and any other electric supplies we bring."

I huffed at her. "Really? They break that easily?"

She didn't looked entirely certain. I patted her on the shoulder. "I'll check with them first." Our aquatic friends could wait a moment. I hurried over to the soldiers with a smile. "Hey guys! Question for you. Will our stuff get hurt if we go in the water?"

The friend of the sea-horse'i'fied soldier looked at me. "What, the radio? Should be fine so long as you leave it turned off until you get out of the water. They're made to be water proof."

"Great. What else would we be bringing?"

He frowned. "Not much. You'll have to secure most everything else on your own. Why?"

I waved a hoof. "Let me make sure this plan's gonna work, but I think it will. Can I have the radio now?"

"Well, I suppose. Now's as good as any to show you how it works."

"Great idea!" I sat on my haunches and he produced the brick that he called a radio. He showed me how to work the knobs, which buttons to press and when, and how it basically worked. "We'll be listening on this station, and this one. If you can't get an answer on one, try the other. If you can't get either, we're out of range, and you're on your own."

I tucked the radio into my mane for safe storage. "Got it. Be right back." I returned to the back of the ship, where Aiko was waiting. "Alright, got the radio and it's safe. Now let's make sure our new friends are alright with this." I reared up onto the railing and leaned over. "Hey! Come on up!"

A pretty purple seahorse hopped up. "Hiya!" He grinned at me. "Oh wow, they weren't kidding, a real land pony. What's it like, having four legs?"

I tilted my head at him. "What's it like, having two legs?"

He shrugged a little. "Got me there. Nice to meet you! What's up?"

I liked him and giggled at his good attitude. "Well we were wondering if you guys would be willing to carry us to China instead of using this boat. It'd be faster and avoid getting these guards in trouble. You'd be heroes!"

"Heroes?!" He tilted his head left, then right. "I'd like that. Would I get a mate?"

I blinked at the question. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt." I wasn't the kind of mare that'd throw themselves at a stallion with a war story, but there were others, perhaps. "Ask the others and make sure they're alright with it."

"Got it!" He flopped back into the water.

Aiko rolled a hoof. "Now you can tell me what you said. You were talking too quickly for me to keep up with."

That whole language thing! "How do humans have so many languages? That has to get in the way so often! How can you invite your neighbors to parties if they can't understand you."

Aiko smiled a little. "We don't often send invitations across the sea for a party."

I leaned towards her. "Maybe if you did, there'd be less languages, and less fights."

She raised a hoof. "I will concede that, now please tell me what you two were discussing and what he said."

So I did tell her. "He's making sure they're alright with the idea. Are you ready?"

She took an uncertain step back. "How will we survive on our own?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shoulda thought of that long before we got this far. Look, you have Pinkie on your side, and she isn't going to let anypony hurt you. Where's that mare that was ready to go?"

She took a few slow breaths before she nodded. "Right. We have to do this. I'll inform the soldiers." She trotted away, her wings ruffling in that little nervous way I've seen pegasi and alicorns do. Twilight was always cute when she did it.

With a splash, my purple friend returned, and he had two friends, a yellow sea mare and a red one. They grinned at me in unison. "We're ready!" They sang together. The purple stallion reached out for me. "I'll carry you. Since your friend is larger, both of them will take her. If we get tired, others will swap with us."

"One thing," sang red mare. "We want one human for every one of us that has to help."

The yellow one nodded quickly. "We'll love them and welcome them as family."

I swallowed heavily. "I can't exactly promise that, and I don't like making promises I can't keep." I waved a hoof at them. "A Pinkie Promise is a solemn oath."

Purple stallion frowned at his friends. "You didn't mention this part."

Yellow waved a at him. "That's because you're kind of dumb."

He deflated at the insult.

Red nudged Yellow. "She didn't mean it like that." She glared at Yellow until she looked away. "You're fine. We just thought we could expand the family a little, right?"

Yellow perked up. "Right! Can't you even get us one?"

I held up my hooves. "If I see a chance, I'll send one to you, but I can't promise any."

Red and Yellow pouted a little, but when Aiko returned, they turned towards her with smiles instead. "Ready."

Aiko flicked her ears a little. "Good evening... What did they say?"

I moved to the Purple one. "It's time to go. Everything in order?"

"All set as it's going to be." She took a little breath, kind of like how Cadance liked to. Maybe it was an alicorn thing? She approached the two mares who grabbed her as the stallion grabbed me. Suddenly it was cold and wet. We were sinking into the water, then he smooched me. Air began to flow from the kiss, like I was above the water, so I held him gently as he swam and tried to breath normally. Hopefully Aiko wasn't freaking out too much, but she'd already been down here once, with the sea horses no less! I'd have to have faith in her.

The boat would turn away without us, only to return, uh, some time... later? I should maybe have listened to that part. Hopefully Aiko did more than I had? We'd find out! If we did everything right, it wouldn't matter when they came back. Hay, maybe we'd talk some sense into them and by the time the boats came back, we'd greet them as national heroes. Wouldn't that be something?

Probably not.

I dared to open my eyes and I could see mostly a lot of dark. Looking down, the sea floor was so far away that it was just more dark. But then some fish swam by. There were all kinds of fish. Bright fish, not so bright fish, all glittered a little, light bouncing off their scales.

The dock was coming up. How could I tell? The first time we veered to avoid a boat. Then there was another, and another. We were definitely getting close to where we wanted to be. There were countless boats in a jumble, but then we passed them, and the boats after that were much more neat and tidy, in nice little rows. My ride pulled me along and gave a squeeze before he lifted up, breaking the water with a quiet splash.

We were under one of the piers. Red and Yellow emerged, holding Aiko between them. Red drew back from her kiss with Aiko with a smile. "That wasn't too far."

Purple nodded quickly. "All safe and sound, and I..." He turned to the others. "Sisters, I feel them."

Red and Yellow nodded as one. "Plenty of people to bring to the family."

Aiko smiled at me. "We made it. Tell them thank you."

Ah, right. "Thanks, but please don't take the people."

All three glared at me. Purple splashed a bit in the water. "Why not? We carried you all the way here."

Red bobbed her head. "We did our part, let us have fun. It's for their own good."

I waved my hooves frantically. "You'll make a big fuss and they'll get scared and then they'll probably catch us. None of that, please... If you wanna wait and see if one falls or jumps into the water, that's fine, but no grabbing, no squirting."

"What are you arguing about?" Aiko tilted her head. "You look upset."

The three sighed as one. Yellow nodded at me. "Fine, just for you. We'll come back after you're gone and see what we can find." She grinned, showing off sharp teeth. "So get going. Good luck."

I turned for the rocky shore under the pier. "Come on, Aiko. Let's go and keep a low profile. I have some disguises, but we have to get out of the water before we do that."

"Oh, alright." As I hoped, she seemed to let the topic of what we were talking about drop, and swam after me as I backstroked to the shore.

Our mission had begun!

Author's Note

Oh man, how to approach this?

1) Use your eyes! Look and see what's going on.
2) Use your mouth! Hit up a local and see what they say.
3) Use your hooves! Get away from the dockside as quickly as possible.
4) Use your tail! Maybe... they like that kind of thing? Wait, this is a terrible idea.
5) Use your horn! I mean Aiko's horn! Let's start feeling for local pony populations.

51 - Sleep Time

"Alright." I pointed into one of the rooms. "This is now our hospital. Only injured and medically trained are allowed in, everyone else, stay out. Exception for our guards." I indicated the soldiers and they saluted sharply.

"Zhang." I looked directly to her.

She met my gaze a moment before her eyes fell and she began to tremble, but she said nothing. I closed the distance and put a hoof on her shoulder. "You saved a life today. You may have annoyed me a lot, but that counts for more than that." I smiled at her gently. "Remain on point. If they need you, for light or another timely zap, you're the only source of either in this entire damn building, alright?"

She mumbled an agreement and moved off into the crowd. It'd have to do. I turned to the crowd, most of them looking at me expectantly. "Alright, Pinkie's getting some needed rest, it's time for me to step up."

One of the soldier ponies scowled. "You're the leader, you shouldn't be doing that at all. That's terrible planning."

I tapped my head. "Without Pinkie, I'm the best at maybe defusing things without going in guns blazing, and we don't have enough soldiers to lay down that much fire." I pointed at the disconcerting pony. "I'm taking him, one moment." I reached out and laid a hoof on his head gently, reaching for his mind. He let me take it, and he joined my network.

~Leader?~

~Yes! You know that?~

~Everyone looks at you like leader. You leader?~

~I am. We have a job to do. Can I count on you?~

~I'm ready.~ He rose up into alert position, snarling softly and displaying sharp teeth. ~Where?~

I heard Pinkie's sleepy voice and distant mental presence. ~Don't leave me behind...~

~Pinkie, go to sleep, stay there. You've earned some rest.~

I tried to push her deeper into sleep, but she resisted it as best she could, like a man clinging to a vine over a bottomless pit. ~I can help...~

~Pinkie, sleep, now. You're a good person and a wonderful friend, but you've been through so much.~

~Friend?~ The sharp-toothed pony looked at me curiously. ~What wrong friend?~

~Yes, that's Pinkie. You met her, the pink one.~ I imagined Pinkie, and he saw the image and began to nod quickly. ~We're leaving her here to sleep and rest.~

~Okay.~

Pinkie complained a little more, but I gently pressed down on her until her grip weakened, and she fell into a slumber. A shriek caught my attention.

"She's gone!" came the unfamiliar shriek of one of the ponies.

I rushed over to see where Pinkie had been resting was just an empty space. "What? One moment." I reached out with my network, but she wasn't there anymore. I suppose I should be considering myself lucky the languages I did remember, but I wasn't thinking about that with Pinkie gone. "Where'd she go? Did anyone see her go anywhere?"

They all shook their heads. She was gone... Just gone.

It was up to me to make this right. I took a slow breath before I set down a hoof. "This changes nothing. We're going to pacify this building, then I need to reach Japan to avoid a messy conflict. We're getting this done, and sparing all of Asia a war it doesn't need. We didn't ask to become ponies, but here we are, and we're worth having around. Let's prove it!"

The crowd erupted into rough cheering as I pushed for the stairs. I could feel all the bright points of their minds, even the ferals. They had truly fallen beneath my banner, and their support filled me with new energy. I prayed Pinkie would return, but even if she didn't, I would get done what we set out to do and make the world right again.

I emerged onto the stairs with the frightful pony with me. ~What's your name? You have a name don't you?~

~Yes.~ He tilted his head a little. ~Good name.~

~What name is that?~

~I am me.~ He let out a sound that sounded like a mix of a bark and a whinny mixed with a predatory growl. ~You are... Aiko.~

I nodded at him. "I am. You are now Sharp Shadow."

~That's a funny name.~ He seemed to accept it, funny or not.

We began to move through the building. It was to be the first, but far from the last, place I would restore order. Even if Pinkie was gone forever, her impact and instructions were clear. It was time to be a real princess.

Feral ponies were gently calmed and gathered, the more ornery put to sleep, some while being held at bay by Sharp. None had to lose their lives. Humans were approached slowly and assured that all was well in hand. We made our way to the roof, then came back down. When we reached the first floor, there were flashlights pointed in from the lobby. The military had arrived, though most of the building was pacified already. I greeted them and instructed them as to what was going on, and they spread upwards to secure things as I pushed on with Sharp to see the lower floors returned to civility.

When I finally reached the bottom floor, the door was open, and the leader was standing there, watching me expectantly. "I received word from the radio. So you've handled the situation?"

I nodded at him. "I have, now it's time to handle another. Permission or not, I am leaving and contacting Japan to prevent the further loss of life. I assume you understand why and won't stand in my way."

He nodded at me lightly. "Your tone is a bit imperious." He smiled. "As one would expect from anyone called a princess. Go, do what you must. I'll make sure the paperwork's completed."

He didn't stop me, nor did the soldiers. I walked out into the dim light of the evening with Sharp at my side to see the building had been surrounded by tanks and other vehicles. A soldier rushed out to intercept me, holding a radio. "We've got them on the line. Talk to them."

I'd have to convince them I was who I said I was, and that I spoke the truth. I smiled a little. I could handle that. I would help make the world right again.

Author's Note

Last time:
1: Aiko takes charge of clearing out the building and keeps Pinkie down for now to rest and recover. 9.2 votes
2: The Chinese military arrives to enforce peace. 2.5 votes
3: Click! The power's back! 2 votes
4: Pinkie insists on finishing what she started and goes back out to try to reach the leader again. 5.3 votes
5: Leaving is good. Let's bail! 0.5 votes

It's clearly Aiko's time to act, even if Pinkie doesn't like it.

Oops, Pinkie went away... But she kept warning she'd do that eventually. Aiko stepped up and is ready to assume the mantle of princess. She's going to do what's right for the world, and the ponies in it. The war is over. This story, at least this part of the story... maybe over?

Where'd Pinkie go?
1: Tell us what happened to Pinkie or I swear to god...
2: Look, I said already to tell us where Pinkie is! I'll hunt you down at a convention!
3: How'd things work out in Europe? I want to hear that!
4: You don't seem to have told us where Pinkie is? I'm a l33t hacker, I can find where you live!
5: Africa's such a huge place! What sort of strains popped up there?