The average time for a transformation was one hour, I remembered from the last big event. That hour came and went, and the mouse-woman was still there. I tapped on the firm plastic between us and pointed to a water bottle. It was meant for a mouse to suck water out of, but would she even understand a glass or normal water bottle?

She was watching me, following my finger motions. There, she saw the water bottle. She scampered over, favoring all fours, which made sense. She was a mouse. That was how mice moved. She examined the water bottle, tilting her head a bit before reaching out and feeling it. A noise came from her, but the translator didn't help.

Was she saying things no mouse would have before? That was a mouse translator, not a 'everything translator'. My cheating had limits, imposed entirely by me. "Go on," I gently encouraged. "You must be thirsty."

She dropped down, eyes going alight. Perhaps, from lower, she could see the water bottle from a more familiar angle. She affixed herself onto it and I could hear the click click click as she began working the metal ball inside to get the water out. She was a human woman drinking from a rodent water bottle. I wasn't sure what emotion I should have been feeling at that instant.

But, I could show her? I drew out a nice normal human water bottle and slipped inside the confined area. She turned instantly, surprised? "Hello." Well, not in a hostile way, that was good.

I jostled the water bottle at her and undid the top. The odds of her learning how to get that top off, minimal. Even a human would need more than a day of life experience to do that. Still, I upended it just enough to let a little splash of water come free. That got her attention. She was coming in closer, peering at the bottle like it was the most amazing thing ever.

I put it to my lips and took a nice swig from it, allowing her to see each step as I did it, and trying to be sure she could see that my lips had become wet in the process. She made an excited noise, but no translation came. "Want?" I offered, holding out the bottle towards her.

She circled left and right, considering? Suddenly she lashed out a hand, knocking the bottle free of my surprised grasp. It slapped the hard ground, water splashing, and she was on it, getting her mouth over it and sucking the water down eagerly. Poor thing crinkled and groaned as it deflated under the pressure. She had been thirsty! Or...

Was she bored? I grabbed a phone from nowhere. "Hey. I think we have a new patient. What floor has a room available? She's not very well socialized. Not hostile, I think, but care should be shown, to her, and with her."

The bottle was drained and she flopped back just to suddenly sneeze. She was looking at me as I talked on the phone. "She was a mouse."

Said mouse had come up towards me, casually pawing at my labcoat and pulling me down, or maybe pulling herself up? She was going bipedal in the process, eyes locked on me, nostrils flaring as she sniffed. "She seems friendly, arguably too friendly? Yeah..."

She fell against me, and we both flopped to the ground. She had knocked me out of the air, mostly in surprise, and she landed on top of me, just to scamper without delay off, circling around and jumping in place, on all fours, which is an odd thing for a human to do.

She was playing with me. It was mousey games. Aw... That was kinda cute... "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable." I took her hand gently, which startled her. "It's alright," I gently assured. "Alright... No one will hurt you."

"Director." One of the floor managers was facing me through their webcam, arms crossed. "I have a report."

"Do go on." They didn't normally call me for reports. It had to be something important. I had an email! It worked!

"The mouse, she seems to want to interact with people, but there are a few things in the way of that." He spoke evenly, clinically. Well, he was a clinician. Made sense?

"Which are?" I rolled a hand at him. Get on to the good part!

"She refuses to be dressed, but that isn't really a problem, considering. She is showing all the signs of Ponid infection. The mouse will soon be a pony."

Oh no, poor thing... She'd have literally no clue what was happening, just that she felt miserable. Would she think she was dying? Did mice have a concept of dying? I didn't think they did... She'd just know she felt terrible on every level. "How's she holding up?"

"She's dug a burrow in her bed and seems to be hiding there, waiting for the pain to stop." The floor manager pinched the bridge of his nose. "It is, at once, touching and distressing. She isn't house broken, which is not a term I typically use with nominally human patients."

"Clean out the room daily, change the bedding, even if she complains about it. Be gentle! She has no idea what's happening."

"Right." He let out a slow breath. "Of course. I'll keep you informed."

"For my big stallion!" Autumn set down a floating bowl on a legged tray that allowed her to set it across her boyfriend, steam wafting up from it. "Susan made it, and it's so good! I already had some, so I know. Eat!"

A soft groan was the first reply before his furry snout peeked free of his covers, an eye cracked open. "Autumn?"

"Who else would it be?" She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Feeling better?"

"I guess a little maybe?" He really didn't sound certain, but he slid upwards, sitting up slowly to not knock the tray over. "That... That does smell good."

"Because it is good!" She nudged the tray with a cloven hoof. "Go on."

He bent over forwards, sipping at the hot brew with a little noise of satisfaction. "You two are too good..."

"We are perfectly normal." She stuck out her tongue. "We care about you, dummy, so here we are." She curled a hoof to her chin. "Now, next time? Don't do that! Don't! I woulda cast the spell! Why didn't you ask me?!"

"Because I got carried away in the moment. Because I was worried about hurting a mouse. Because I was dumb. Take your pick." He sat back, licking his soup-stained lips, a few flecks of moisture dangling from his beard. "O-oh! How is she? The mouse. Did she turn back?"

"Ah, yeah... about that." Autumn rubbed behind her head. "I've been keeping track of her. I knew you'd want to know!"

"But you aren't telling me." He watched her as she looked increasingly awkward. "Did she die?!"

"Noooooo.... Not exactly?" Autumn laughed nervously. "Finish your soup!"

A brilliant yellow furred unicorn poked her head free of her covers and she stretched with a grumble, hoof going to her head. "Aw man... Still hurts." She slid to the ground and began a series of stretches despite it. "Gonna brave it!" She started for the door, clopping along. "Hay! Tail, looking good..." She wagged it at a mirror, admiring that it had become as long as it needed to be.

"Who chopped off some of my tail anyway?" She rolled her eyes and got to brushing her mane and fur out, whistling a cheerful song as she went.

She looked back over her body, standing a bit oddly in her eyes. "What happened?" Her tail was cropped, she was... bent in some odd ways, but it had gotten better! Every day was a little better! Whatever had happened, it was wearing off.

"Musta been bad." No wonder she couldn't remember it happening. "Wonder if anypony's around." Her horn glowed as she willed the door open and trotted out into the hallway. Fortunately for her, her door had never been locked. There was no reason to worry about a mouse's privacy, and to expect one to remember to use a keycard would have been a cruel joke at best.

That was when a pegasus saw the unicorn emerging. She blinked. That had been the room they said to be careful around. The pony coming out looked... mostly normal, if still in the grips of Ponid, turning into a pony, though they sure seemed to be taking to four leggedness readily despite their body looking in that awkward stage between the two modes. "Hey." She raised a hoof. "How's it goin'?"

"Rainbow!" The unicorn smiled brilliantly. "Good to see you!" She approached at a light trot. "I am so confused, but seeing you really puts me at ease. You usually know what's going on when things get strange."

Rainbow Dash blinked softly. She did not know that pony, nor was she usually the pony others trusted with strange things... "Yeah?"

"Oh gosh." The unicorn rolled her eyes dramatically, one of them a bright raspberry, the other a mousey brown. "Did you already forget me? Lemon Hearts? Friend of Twilight's? We've met before!" She reached up to thump Rainbow in the side. "Stop being silly! Where are we?" She looked around with obvious wonder. "This all looks very fancy, but this isn't my house at all."

"Twilight Sparkle, unicorn, great at spells?" ventured Rainbow with an unsure tone. "Yeah, I know her. You looking for her?"

Lemon sank to her haunches, which she was still developing. "Oh, yeah. She's super smart. I bet she knows what's going on! Hey, do I smell breakfast?" She looked over to the cafeteria, nose twitching. "Mmm... I left my bits at home, don't suppose you could spot me?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Uh, hey, it's free." She hopped down from her seat, wings spreading an instant as if to control that brief fall. "Just go up and ask for what you want and they'll serve it right up."

"Oh gosh! Really?! That's pretty great!" Lemon looked quite happy at the news, bringing up her hooves to clap them in appreciation. "First step, breakfast! Do they have tea? Some hot tea may make my head stop hurting." She was still in the grips of Ponid miserably, but she smiled right on despite it. She started trotting towards the food smells. "Wanna eat with me, Dashie? Some food together is always better!"

Rainbow trailed after the peppy mostly-unicorn. "I gotta say, for somepony at the step you are, you are really cheerful. Most are having a good day if they can stumble out and get something to eat before collapsing back into bed." She snorted in memory. "I was a mess." She waved a wing. "Glad it's past. So, uh, welcome!"

"Welcome to what? Do you know where we are--Oh wow, what is that?!" She pointed at the human dressed in a full hazmat suit. "Is it dangerous?"

"Nah," came from within the strange creature. "I'm just wearing a suit, so I don't become a pony like you."

"What's wrong with being a pony?" laughed out Lemon. "And why would wearing a thing like that change it?" She inclined her head with wonder. "Well, whatever. I hear you have food! One daffodil sammich please."

"Uh... I don't have that."

Lemon Drops pouted a little at that. "Aw... What do you have?"

He began listing the more American offering they had. "Eggs and cheese!" Lemon interrupted. "And a big glass of orange juice." She clopped her hooves. "That sounds good." She looked to Rainbow. "And you?"

Rainbow returned that smile with less certainty. They had a new pony among them, and what an odd one... "Give me my usual, Hank."

"Not a problem." New sizzling coming from the next plate being prepared.

"Your name is Hank? Hi Hank! I'm Lemon Drops." She pointed at herself with that big smile. "Nice to meet you."

Author's Note

Welcome Lemon Drops. Once she was a mouse. Now... What is happening here?

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