Out With the Old

by PoppyThePegasus

Rating: teen
Tags: Human, Other, Romance, Drama, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Profanity, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 64815

Jo's life is boring and monotonous, until a violet explosion interrupts their evening, and their life, with some fairly drastic changes.

Change can be a scary thing. The familiar is comforting, it’s something that we know to be concrete and unmoving. But even concrete cracks, and even marble loses its shine. Jo has learned this the hard way, dissatisfied, disillusioned, and with a secret that is bursting to get out. Sometimes, all you need is a little magical nudge. A healthy dose of inter-dimensional radiation never hurt nopony.

Cover art is by me!

Spoilers: contains Human-to-pony TF, Transgender themes, and plenty of fluff

Published 2022-08-01 17:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-10-13 12:12:51 UTC

The Joy of Motion

I trotted around the room for what must have been the twentieth time, Sunset and Twilight both watching and laughing, the clop of my hooves sounding throughout the house. It was so wonderful! So freeing! I spread my wings and hopped into the air, giving them an experimental flap and lifting higher off the ground than I expected. I ducked as I went up, but inevitably bumped right into the roof, scattering a little on my beige nubs when I thumped back down to the floor. I righted myself quickly, getting used to my gait maybe three laps of the living room ago, but still clearly learning to be stable on my hooves.

Sunset giggled, placing a hoof on my withers as I caught my breath. “Woah there, filly.” I smiled up at her, cheeks aching from smiling ear to ear. “Be careful in here. I know it’s exciting, but you don’t want to hurt yourself two minutes after becoming a pony.”

“But I just wanna,—” I spun around, coming to a stop again with my wings splayed. “Run around! I’m so full of energy!” I gasped, “I could probably kill god.”

“Okay, maybe let’s not take it that far yet.” Sunset chuckled aloud, sliding up beside me and bumping me playfully with her rump. “I got an idea though, so hear me out. There’s a river not too far from my home. I go there to get some exercise in, since it’s really hard to get to on hoof, so not a lotta humans come by.”

“R- Really? That sounds… great, honestly.” I nodded. Something that Ada had said reentered my mind. “Wait, don’t you live in Europe somewhere?”

“I do, Sweden actually, but how do you think I got here in the first place?” She said, tapping her horn with a hoof, flinching slightly and giggling at her mistake.

“W- Well, what do you think, Twilight? I thought we were trying to cast less big spells so we could get to Equestria faster.”

“We’re getting to Equestria faster now that Sunset is here, and now that Ada is becoming a unicorn. A little field trip won’t hurt!”

I flinched, the mention of my now separated wife lifting a lump into my throat and a stabbing into my chest.

“Oh Poppy, I’m sorry.”

“I- It’s okay, Twilight. Let’s maybe just k-keep talking about other things.”

Twilight nodded and smiled sympathetically.

“Well, if you’re ready, Poppy, it should be morning in Sweden.” Sunset piped up, approaching us with her horn glowing in preparation. I stood still for a moment, hesitating for only a second before nodding with conviction, a smile creeping onto my lips. I was bubbling with anticipation, trying so hard to keep my legs still, but hopping around in joy regardless.

I giggled, coming to a stop, and moving closer to Twilight and Sunset. We formed a mini circle, Sunset and Twilights horns both glowing brightly, rising in intensity before culminating in a familiar bright flash. What wasn’t familiar was the place I found myself in when the white light faded from my vision.

I blinked, my eyes still adjusting to the much brighter morning sun. Lush green trees, their leaves bristling loudly in the breeze, a gust blowing softly through my mane. A long thin and winding strip of river extended off beyond view in both directions, edged by dense river pebbles.

Looking down, I felt the difference on my hooves, previously planted softly on the carpet, now spread firmly across the hard pebbles surface. It was firm, reassuring, besides a slight shift when I stood at certain angles.

Sunset breathed in deeply, and I followed, the fresh air inflating my lungs and almost immediately filling me with energy. Being stuck in that stuffy house for the last few days definitely put the cool mountain air into contrast. My nose stung a little, not used to the cold and the influx of new smells just yet. With a few flares of my nostrils, I had acclimated to it, the cold now filling me with energy.

The breeze blew strongly again and I felt the air pass all over me, in places I had never felt before, helping me again to take in the full extent of my transformation. My wings ruffled, the wind instinctively causing my soft down to fluff up, keeping my sides warm. The back of my spine flexed, bringing my tail in close and shielding my new mare parts from the wind. I wouldn’t admit it to anypony, but the sensation of the wind passing across it was not only pleasant, but again, affirming that I was a mare.

“I love this place.” Sunset sidled up to me playfully, pushing me slightly and causing my hooves to step a few times. Wait, woah. The sensation of my hooves, tapping against the stone and sending firm shocks up my legs was incredible. The weight being balanced across four sturdy legs meant that despite the impact, it never felt like too much for me to handle. Grinning, I lifted my legs up and began stomping back and forth, giggling happily at each step, each clip and clop of my new hooves against the pebbles.

“Good stuff, right?” Sunset moved in front of me, one eyebrow raised in knowing smugness. “Hey. Try to catch up.” She said, immediately spinning around and running off along the riverbank.

I glanced over to Twilight, who was already smiling at me widely. ”Go on!” She motioned with a hoof in the direction that Sunset had run off in. I nodded, turning around myself and pouncing into a run.

Sunset was far ahead of me now, but still clearly not running at her highest speed. She fell back, the distance between us closing slightly. Wait, no, she didn’t fall back, I was speeding up! I put more force behind my hooves, confidence in their stability and power rising. Sunset turned to me with a grin, eyes sparkling with no doubt a similar wonder that mine did now.

Almost instinctively, I spread my wings ever so slightly, now feeling the breeze pass over every part of the new feathery limbs. They bristled as I ran, oscillating perfectly along with the speed of the wind passing alongside them. I stooped down, using my hooves to push off the cobbled surface with a powerful pump of my wings. I flew up into the air, that single flap sending a certain familiar sensation through my body, focused on my wings; Magic! This must have been the pegasus magic that Twilight had mentioned before!

I looked all around me, the verdant green treetops spreading for miles all around. My heart soared even higher than I was, fireworks going off in my brain from the sheer jubilation of it. Sooner than I realised, however, I was falling, faster and faster toward the ground. I spread my wings, catching the air with splayed feathers and slowing my fall, but not enough to prevent me from tripping over when I landed. Hooves caught on untrained hooves and I braced my body to impact the ground, only for yet another familiar glow of magic to catch me.

“Hehe, th- thanks Sunset.” I blushed at my amateurish blunder. “You’re the second pony to catch me from falling over in the past week.”

“Don’t worry Poppy,” Sunset winked playfully, placing me softly back down on the riverbank. “That’s what friends are for, right? Twilight and I aren’t going anywhere.”

“Y- yeah…” I smiled, actual happiness seeping in around the trauma of the day. “You really know how to cheer a pony up.”

“This is what I wanted to do once I had finished transforming, so when I saw you running around the living room, this immediately came to mind.”

A light purple flash, and Twilight appeared next to us, wings spread wide upon arrival. “Hey girls!”

I felt those bubbles of joy rising in my belly again.

Girl! Mare! Filly!

“Heya, Twi!” I giggled, the bright pops of my laugh feeling contagious even to me. “Did you see me!?”

“I did, and you look like you’re okay.”

I shrugged shyly “Yeah, only ‘cos Sunny caught me before I slammed straight into the ground.” I said with nervous laughter.

“Be careful, young filly.” Twilight winked. “Don’t want to mess up your new feathers. Speaking of which, I’ll need to have Fluttershy teach you how to preen!”

“Preen?” I asked.

“Straightening out feathers, cleaning them, general maintenance. It’s important to keep them straight and healthy so you don’t end up losing control while flying.” She explained in her charmingly nerdy tone that I knew so well by now.

“Sounds kinda nice, actually.”

“I find it cathartic.” Twilight said with a laugh.

“So, Poppy,” Sunset said, bringing my attention back to her. “You never really caught up with me before. Wanna give it a second go?” She pawed at the riverbed, getting ready for another run.

“You’re on!” I hopped up to my hooves and took off after Sunset, she and I starting at around the same speed, only for her to pick up the pace. I pushed my run faster and faster, but couldn’t keep up the pace. I looked over to Sunset and she sped forward, hooves clopping in a way that seemed odd to me until I realised that she and I were walking at somewhat different rates. My hooves hit in a steady pattern. One two, one two. Sunsets, however, hit bursts of four steps, leaving a gap, before hitting the ground again and gaining even more speed.

She wasn’t just running, she was galloping! I focused my pace, eventually forcing my steps to fall in line with Sunsets hoof beats, and finding a flow for it that felt natural. I felt my hooves hit a similar pace to hers, first three beats per stride, then four, I pushed with all my might, until the beat of my hooves surpassed Sunsets, brushing past her with my wing as I overtook my teacher. Once she realised that I had caught on however, the game was on and she picked up speed again, galloping alongside me.

I squinted slightly, the wind rushing past my face beginning to dry my eyes. I laughed out loud in pure joy, the force of the air against my coat brushing it slightly and sending pleasant sensations over my whole body. My tail flicked behind me in the wind, offering help with my balance, something that I only realised when paying attention to the subconscious adjustments it made as I ran.

I felt amazing! My hooves kicked up small clumps of wet pebbles, thudding firmly into the ground for just a moment before launching off again. I veered intentionally to the side, hooves splashing in the cool shallow river and running through it to the other side. Sunset laughed out loud, following behind me as I sprayed water up with each powerful hoof fall. She gasped and giggled as I turned around, flicking her intentionally with some water from my damp tail.

“You have no idea what you just started.” Sunsets grin grew wide and she reared back, slamming her two front hooves down with all her strength. The impact sent droplets spraying all over me, catching in my mane. I laughed again, all my worries and stress melting away if just for a moment as we played in the fresh mountain river.

We splashed back and forth, running down the river a ways before stopping and repeating our mock water battle. After what seemed like forever, my limbs finally began to grow sluggish and I pulled my soaking form, giggling uncontrollably, from the water. Twilight had made her way down the river toward us a while ago and sat in a magically summoned deck chair as she watched us mock fight with deadly water droplets.

“You girls look like you had fun!” Twilight said, closing the book she was reading as we approached.

“You bet!” I giggled again, enjoying the sound of my own voice for the first time in my entire life. “I’m getting tuckered out, and hungry!”

As I said that, I turned to see Sunset leaning over, a wildflower held between her lips. “Me too, Twi. Ooh, I know, how about I cast a glamour spell on us and we go into town for something to eat?”

My ear twitched and my mouth began to water, staring at Sunset as the yellow plant disappeared into her mouth. My head turned to the forest's edge and I trotted over curiously.

“Sure, sounds good to me! How about you, Pop—” She stopped, head turning to look for me. “Poppy?”

I jolted upright, ripping out a full length of flower, roots and all. I stared, slowly chewing the flower between my newly adjusted teeth as Sunset and Twilight tried to hold back laughs.

“Whrrt?” I mumbled, mouth full of roughage. The two mares couldn’t hold back any longer, laughing and giggling along with me as I finished off the flower. The taste of it was surprising, the head of the flower being sweet and flavoursome, while the stem was tart and fresh, similar to how Sunset had described grass.

“So what do you say, Poppy? I’ll cast a glamour spell on us and we can go to town for food.”

I scratched my chin nervously. The prospect of food sounded nice, but something still irked me about the idea. I hadn’t seen myself as a human since a few days ago at least, and the prospect of seeing it again would probably be a similar shock.

Oh what the hay. This is the first time you’ve been invited to lunch for years.

“Sure!” I nodded. “Let’s go!”

I clenched my arm, feet falling on the pavement in my dress shoes, Twilight and Sunset in their human forms walking alongside me. They moved forward gracefully and confidently through the street, chatting with each other as we went. I caught a glance of myself in the reflection of a shop window. Even in human form, I felt wonderfully feminine. The glamour spell had given me long curly brown hair, pulled up in a cute bun as was my mane, and a green sundress covered in small yellow flowers. I knew, even in those small moments I saw myself in the shop window that I was a beautiful girl.

Yet, even as I stared at my form, something I would have killed for a week ago, something was wrong. Maybe it was just the difference in walking on two limbs compared to four, but it felt far more than that. I looked down at my feet as I walked, appreciating my feminine legs, yet still feeling off. My hair was long and soft, but it felt strange to look at. I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, the same feeling returning when I saw my pink, fleshy earlobes.

What in the world was wrong with me? This was everything I had wanted. I looked feminine. I sounded feminine. I was, by all accounts, a beautiful woman, yet that nagging at the back of my head remained. The feeling of wrongness and incongruence had returned, and I had no idea why.

“You okay, Poppy?” Sunset said, a hand on my shoulder shocking me out of my blank stared stupor. “You look a little out of it.”

“O- Oh! Um,” I stammered, turning from the window. “Yep! Just… appreciating myself?”

“Why don’t I feel convinced?”

“I- It’s okay, Sunny.” I smiled appreciatively at her. “I think I- I’m just thinking of Ada.” I lied, but I had no truth to tell her, my mind still running in circles about what I was feeling.

“Hmm, okay, but…” Sunset pulled me into a short hug. “Remember, Twi and I are here for you.”

“Thank you.” I smiled warmly at her, knowing her words were sincere. “I- I honestly don’t know what I’m thinking right now. I don’t wanna ruin the day though, let’s keep going.”

Sunset smiled caringly at me again and I followed her down the street to catch up with Twilight again. The others and I chatted happily, but I couldn’t shake the odd feeling the entire walk.

Eventually, we reached our destination; a lovely looking cafe, looking out over the Main Street of town. The place was built to be far more walkable than the streets I was used to seeing, though space was still made for cars. They felt weird to me now, their blaring noise and fumes feeling out of place in such a wonderful and picturesque location. The cafe itself was quaint, the name in a language I couldn’t understand, but I trusted that Sunny knew where she was taking us.

As we took our seats, I turned to tuck my tail in when I sat down and— oh. That’s right. It wasn’t there. Again, that weird feeling hit me, my chest clenching in anxiety.

“Hey, are you sure everything’s okay, Poppy?” Twilight said, hand caringly placed on my arm.

My arm. Not my hoof.

“Y- yeah, I think I’m just… anxious about something. Maybe it’s just being outside again. People looking at me.”

“Hey, you’re cute as hell, I’d be ogling you too.” Sunset chuckled.

“Not helping, Sunset.” Twilight scolded lightly.

“Sorry.”

I shrank a little into my chair. She wasn’t wrong, I felt very cute. My body was curvy and feminine, my breasts were small but perky, and my hair was long and smooth, the outfit I wore only serving to accentuate those aspects.

Wasn’t that everything I had wanted?

Somehow, in comparison to how I had felt this morning, my happiness had taken a strange dip. I couldn’t focus on my thoughts enough to make sense of it, my brain shifting between fifty different subjects a minute, but the overwhelming throughline was the feeling that somehow, something was wrong again.

”I’m not sure, girls. I’m sorry. I’m trying to be normal, I don’t want to ruin our morning. Evening? The time zone shift has really confused me.” I laughed, hopefully bringing some levity to the tense atmosphere. “L- let’s order something, maybe I’m just really hungry.”

Our food was delightful. Despite looking human, my taste buds had remained pony, and the meal I ate satisfied me far more so than I thought it would. My order, a bean shoot and tomato sandwich, surprised me with its freshness and variety of texture. I hadn’t minded bean sprouts before, but my changes turned them into tiny little fresh morsels of flavour. My coffee was similarly delicious, though the changes to how that tasted were more minor.

“Are you kidding me?” Sunset baulked. “I tried to take over the world?”

“You got better!” She smiled at the stunned girl. “So you didn’t, I dunno, go through some kind of “evil” phase?”

“Not as far as I can tell. Unless you count the time I finished that entire catering platter by myself…”

“Hey, Poppy, did you wanna go?” Twilight said, placing a hand on my arm.

“Hmm? What?” I snapped out of my stupor, embarrassed I was caught staring at the wall.

“I was just thinking, if you wanted to head out? You don’t seem to be having the best time.”

“No, we… we should stay. I’m not meaning to be like this, something just feels off.”

Sunset smiled apprehensively at me. “It’s okay, I think I’m feeling a bit tired myself. The “jetlag” I’ve gotten from hopping between time zones is messing with me, so lets head back to mine and get some rest, okay?”

I smiled, silently thanking Sunny for not making me admit my discomfort and we departed from the cafe. As we walked, I couldn’t help but look down at my feet. Something I couldn’t put my hoof on was making me feel incredibly strange and I had no idea why. I felt my eyes begin to water with tears, the anxiety of it all getting to me, and I slowed my pace to fall behind the other two mares.

I could feel Sunset and Twilights eyes on me and I couldn’t help but shrug away more. As I tried to do so, they both stopped in their tracks, walking back along the path toward me. The two girls didn’t say anything for the rest of the walk, just staying close to me and keeping the same pace I was.

I felt the tears returning, but this time out of a deep appreciation for my two new friends. I would have to wait until we were home to properly thank them, but all I wanted to do was hug them right then and there.

After a short walk, we reached a small, unassuming row house along a quiet street. Sunset unlocked the door with a snip, and welcomed us into her home. The inside was far more decorated than outside, anime posters and art prints covered almost every wall of the living room. Dead centre was green screen and camera setup, the screen notably being taped to the floor on its stand with wads and wads of duct tape. Hundreds of game consoles were stacked neatly in a nearby case, all seemingly organised by generation and company.

“Welcome, dear ponies,” Sunset motioned forward to the room, bowing down theatrically. “To my humble adobe.”

“Uh, Sunset? It’s ‘Abode’, not ‘Adobe’.” Twilight giggled.

“Uh, yeah, and it’s ‘Woah, nice house, Sunset!’ not ‘Sunset says words wrong’.” She said, chuckling along with the purple haired girl. Spinning around, she pulled the door shut, locking it, and drawing all of the curtains. My eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, blinking in an attempt to speed up the process.

“There we go! Now I can do this!”

A teal glow spread forth from Sunset, illuminating us in the now dark of her living room. Another familiar flash of magic and I opened my eyes, again adjusting to the relative darkness after such a bright light. I looked around, not much seeming different until I realised that my view was down more than half the height I was a few seconds ago. Eyes drifting downward, I spied a familiar green snout and a soft fluffy chest, covered in that same green fur. My heart began to beat faster, a smile creeping onto my face as I twisted around, taking in all of myself yet again.

My hooves struck hard against the floor, my tail swished behind me with gravity and weight, and my ears turned once more to catch sounds in all directions. I was a pony again! I couldn’t help myself, my smile turning into an ear to ear grin, taking off in a circle around the room. Sunset and Twilight laughed as I ran, my sudden outburst of energy clearly surprising them.

“I see that Poppy is back with the living again.” Sunset chuckled and smirked at me, coming to a stop just in front of the two other mares and catching my breath again. I felt a blush dust my cheeks and I shied away.

“Hehe, yeah, sorry about before. I really have no idea what came over me.”

“I think I might have an inkling…” Sunset smiled at me, one eyebrow raised, “But that can come later! For now, I have so many games to show you!”

The “night” was spent mostly with Sunset and I playing through various old games together. A collection of fun adventure games, a grouping of garbage trash games that were more fun to laugh at than to actually play, and a few that we had to stop playing almost immediately from boredom. Twilight looked confused nearly the entire time we were at it, constantly asking questions and trying to make reason in some of the more out-there games, to no avail.

After a while, Twilight had drifted off, lying on the couch adjacent to Sunset and I. Her eyes were locked on the screen, but she and I chatted away, keeping quiet so as to not wake the sleeping princess next to us.

My thoughts began wandering to Ada at some point, imagining what she was feeling and doing right now. It was nighttime back home, but the thoughts of her crying herself to sleep, so angry and upset at my selfish actions. I had no way to know, but my imagination had plenty of paranoid ideas. What if she told all her friends about me being a pony? What if she got the police involved?

I shook my head, trying but failing to get thoughts of my wife out of my head. I couldn’t understand her reasoning, and a while ago, I started to believe that I never would. The events of last night had felt like an inevitability, not just brought on by the situation we found ourselves in.

I sighed to myself, thinking again on how she had looked at me. The disgust when she saw my hooves. How she held back from touching me. The way she had treated me felt cold and harsh, and now I had ruined the one thing in my life that had given me happiness.

“Poppy,” Sunset said, pausing the game and leaving us in a soft blue light. “Something’s up. I can tell.”

“I… I’m honestly just thinking about Ada.”

“But it’s not just that, isn’t it.”

“I dunno.” I sniffed, my eyes tearing up again. “Something‘s… wrong with me. I don’t know what.”

“If you’ll let me guess, today, when we went into town… something about that was messing with you, right?”

“I guess?”

Sunset nodded sagely.

“I remember, when I first turned into a pony, the same joy you have.” She chuckled, nuzzling me idly. “It made me feel so free.”

“You feel it too, right? Back before, when we were running down the stream, it felt so amazing! I was truly alive for the first time in so long. It’s a kind of feeling that…I just don’t think I’d ever give up.”

Sunset nodded along knowingly as I talked, waiting a moment after I had finished before continuing.

“I felt exactly the same. At home, I stayed as a pony, just going about my business, just in a form that made me happy. But, like we did today, I tried to keep up my glamour. I went into work, I saw my friends, I kept up with family, but throughout all of that, I could tell something was wrong.”

“Like I was just lying again.” I interjected, saying my thoughts out loud.

“Exactly.” Sunset nuzzled me once more. “Lying to yourself more than anything. I know that being a human is hard. Sometimes, I just wanted to run away. To sprint into the night, screaming, and never coming back. I didn’t want myself and I didn’t want my body. I thought it was my dysphoria returning, but thinking back on it, the feeling was there even before I transitioned.”

She was right. That feeling of otherness, of wrongness, I already knew it went beyond my gender. My whole existence, my whole self had been wrong before now.

Before now.

I looked down at myself. My hooves, my legs, my wings, my snout. They were all me. Thinking back on when I had been looking at my reflection in the shop window, that same feeling of wrongness had come back. The only difference between now and then was…

Oh.

“Yeah. I think you know what I’m talking about now, right?” Sunset smiled warmly. “You never wanted to be a human in the first place. I get how strange that might sound, hearing it out loud, but I’m right aren’t I? I could see it in your eyes. The joy you showed when we were down by the stream, compared to the dullness in them when we were in town? It was pretty obvious to me.”

“Gosh.” I stared down at my hooves. “I… I dunno, how does that make any sense?”

“Okay, how about this.” Sunset turned properly to face me. “Tomorrow, I’m going to turn you back into a human! Twilight and I were trying to keep it a surprise, but we figured out how to fix you!”

My chest tightened and I could feel my face scrunch up instinctively. What did she mean, fix? This couldn’t be happening! I finally found a way to feel happy with my body, and she was going to take it away!

“H- hey now, wait a second, I thought I was going to come with Twilight to Equestria, r- right?”

“See? That’s what I mean! Didn’t that just sound like the worst possible news?”

I felt my anxiety drop and I stared back at Sunset angrily.

“It did. That was a mean prank.”

“Yeah, but don’t you remember what I said? I know you wanna be a filly, filly! Being in human form makes you feel horrible doesn’t it? Not seeing your hooves? Not feeling your tail?”

She was right, regardless of how many times my brain tried to push back on it.

“B- but that’s weird, no human wants to be a pony so much that it gives them dysphoria.”

“Are you saying I don’t exist?” Sunset smirked.

“Huh?”

“Poppy? You’re looking at that exact kinda human now. Well, not anymore, and that’s a good thing. I used to feel that same wrongness. I didn’t understand it myself until about a week of going back and forth between pony and glamour spell human form, but the only way I can explain it is that being a human feels wrong.”

“And being a pony feels… right.” I smiled, the joy beginning to bubble up in my belly once more, the shock of the new discovery taking me aback a bit. “Wait, is that even a thing? Like, pony dysphoria?”

“I started calling it that to myself, just because it’s the closest parallel I can think of.” She shrugged, levitating a piece of pizza to her snout. “My body felt wrong before as well, in a way that remained once I transitioned. I thought it might have just been lingering gender dysphoria, but it all but disappeared when I went pony mode.”

“Gosh, I… really? Has that been what it was this whole time?”

“Don’t ask me to explain it.” She chewed on the slice of pizza, finishing it and levitating another toward herself. “Like I said, I only figured it out after I went pony, so all I can say is to enjoy this feeling. When was the last time you got to experience something like this? Just go with the flow, is what I say.”

“Y- yeah, you’re right.” I nodded, my mind returning to my wife. ”Ada, she… She had rejected all of this from the beginning, and that included rejecting me. The possibility that I was not just welcoming, but enjoying these changes hadn’t even entered her mind. She had pushed me away from the very start. I want to go back, fix what I said to her, take it all back.”

“You know you can’t do that to yourself. You keep sacrificing bits of yourself for her sake and there’s not gonna be any Poppy left.”

“So I should just forget about how horrible I made her feel?”

“No, but you also shouldn’t forget just how horrible you felt.”

She was right. I had to stop prioritising her needs over mine. What was happening to me right now felt right. The way I moved felt right, my tail and wings felt right, my gender felt right. Being a mare felt right. The entire week had been filled with me pushing this happiness away, the potential that these changes held. These cracks were showing years and years ago, and the only thing that was keeping me from noticing was myself.

“Y- you’re right Sunset.” I started. “I can’t even begin to understand what it is my brain is going through, but what I do know is that I’ve been happier in this form than I ever had before. Honestly, I… I feel weird saying it, but I think this might have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Is that weird?”

“No, filly!” She said, her nuzzles retreating the tears that threatened to spill forth. “Me and you have much more in common than you think.”

“R- really?” I chuckled, “But you’re so… cool!”

“And you’re not?” She raised an eyebrow at me, eliciting yet another blush.

“N- no…”

“Bzzzt, wrongo.” She bonked me on the head with a newspaper that she had picked up in her magic.

“Hey!”

“Bzzt! That’s wrong too!” She said, bopping me once more. I frowned and folded my front hooves.

“Fine. I’m c- cool.” I couldn’t help but feel my face redden even more. “But only because you keep hitting me!”

Bonk.

I tried as hard as possible to keep my flat demeanour, only for the facade to fall and I laughed out loud, Sunset joining along with me. Twilight snored loudly, shocking us into silence. We looked at each other, breaking the silence to giggle much more quietly.

“Maybe it’s a good time to head to sleep.” Sunset said softly, pulling a duvet over to us and covering us warmly. I curled up, my body next to Sunset's, keeping each other warm in the cold of the ‘night’.

“Thanks for everything.” I smiled at the unicorn's darkened form in the dim light of her living room's pink LED lights. “Night night, Sunny.”

“Night, bestie.”

The room was still dark when I woke, shocking me a small amount until the events of yesterday reminded me that it was most likely sometime in the middle of the night in Sweden, even though I had gotten a full night's sleep. I immediately recognised the softly snoring warmth next to me as Sunny, still slumbering with a slight smile on her face.

I glanced over to Twilight, who was also sleeping soundly on the adjacent couch with a content look. I smiled at them, my heart filling with a warmth I didn’t know I could feel. Years ago, I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be truly close friends with another pony— or person. These ponies had proven me wrong, feeling a closeness and friendship I never had before.

I never expected to be accepted for my identity, but to also find such new and exciting things about myself was almost intoxicating, if it weren’t for the fact that my brain felt clearer than it ever had before. My thoughts felt in order, if just for this one moment in a million.

I wanted this form more than anything. I needed this. It wasn’t as simple as it being something pleasant and new to experience anymore, I knew for a fact that I was comfortable in this body. Yesterday's trip and following conversation had solidified that in my mind.

I was a pony. I knew it, deep down in my core, I was a pony. I had hooves, I had a cute snout, I had wings, I had mare bits which didn’t exactly resemble a human‘s, and filled me with a strange wonder. I blushed, remembering to find some time alone later to, uh… properly take in the changes. Let’s go with that.

I looked at my rump, still one thing missing from me that both Sunset and Twilight shared. A unique looking mark, growing from the fur on each side of their legs. I could have sworn I heard Twilight refer to it as a cutie mark.

A rustle from the couch across from me and Twilight raised her head from the couch. “Ough, what time is it?” She looked around, eyes blinking sleepily.

“It’s night time here. Though it’s still our morning, since it’s morning back home, I guess.” I said, keeping quiet to let Sunset rest more.

“Did you sleep okay? You and Sunset looked very comfortable.” She smiled and my face reddened.

“Y- yeah. It’s silly, but… sleeping as a pony feels pretty great too.”

She giggled, pulling her sheet off her purple form and standing up, stretching her hooves out. Her magic flicked on a light in the adjacent kitchen and she immediately sought out the fridge, levitating milk and coffee powder out to make cups.

“I’m assuming you want one, Poppy?”

“Mrrgh, me too Twily.” Sunset spoke up, groggily lifting up her head and fixing her tangled mane with a flash of magic.

“Two for us, thanks!” I responded and turned back to Sunset, her body warmth still keeping us both toasty underneath the duvet. “Morning, Sunset.” I said, smiling at the half-awake unicorn.

“Mm, hey!” She perked up, pulling herself closer to me. “How was your first sleep as a full fledged pony, huh?”

“Hehe,” I scratched my neck nervously, “it was actually really good. Felt very natural to lie down like that, curled up and… yeah.” I blushed, not expecting that question.

Another nuzzle from Sunset and she smiled warmly at me. Even things like nuzzling felt natural, a simple way of displaying affection for your friends and loved ones. More and more, I was sure of my decision.

“That’s good! Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but even just existing in this body is great. It feels great, I look great, and I can do awesome magic! What’s not to love?”

“I can think of someone who can give you that answer,” my eyes rolled, thoughts returning to Ada.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up again.”

“No, you didn’t, it’s… something I have to confront for myself sooner or later. I know what I want now. Being this way, being a mare, it… it’s correct. It’s the way I’m supposed to be and I know it. “

“Whatever you want to do,” Sunset said, with compassion in her eyes. “We want that for you. If Ada truly cared, she would have shown you that she wanted what was best for you.”

“I wish you weren’t right.” Tears brimmed at my eyes and threatened to spill forth until a soft blue glow lifted a tissue to my eyes, dabbing them free of moisture. I smiled appreciatively at my new friend. She was right about this too, as she was with many things, I was finding.

Twilight entered the living room once more, three cups of freshly brewed coffee steaming a trail behind her. The promise of receiving precious caffeine distracted me from my thoughts enough to improve my mood a little as we sat and talked over coffee.

My mind was dreading going back home. This was a nice day away from things, but I was going to need to sort out a lot of stuff before moving to Equestria. I was going to need to officially file for divorce and transfer our house’s lease with Ada, which I wasn’t looking forward to in the slightest. I needed to figure out how to quit my job, another unpleasantry in a long line of them. I almost considered bothering telling my mum about everything, but the further I could put between her and myself, the better. If she forgot I existed, that would be preferable.

Was this really okay? For me to just drop my life and escape for something better? Was I being selfish, throwing away all connections just to disappear from the earth?

No more hesitation! You’ve gone through this already, Poppy. Once you’re gone, everything in this world will be forgotten. Your worries, your issues, your entire life.

This was a chance to start anew. All the regrets that I had in this world would be washed clean.

“Hey, Poppy?” Twilight said, a hoof waving in front of my face.

“O- oh, uh— what’s up?”

“You were just staring off into space and started crying. Is everything okay?”

“Y- yeah, I’m just… thinking about things again. I have so much stuff to do before I go away, dealing with… D- divorce papers, b- but also just sorting out my affairs before I pop out of existence.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that!” Twilight said, a proud look on her face. “I’m very familiar with filling out paperwork. I can also forge documents to make sure that no-human comes looking for you, or files a missing person's report.”

“Ooh, are we seeing a little of Twilight's rebellious side, eh?” Sunset waggled her eyebrows and nudged the princess who rolled her eyes, giggling along with the yellow unicorn.

“That would be… gosh, I feel like I owe you so much. You’ve already done so much for me.” I murmured, looking down at my hooves in guilt. They had, accident or no, helped me discover and become my true self, in many more ways than one.

“You don’t owe me a thing, remember?” She smiled at me, the warmth in her expression something I had seen so many times in such a short time.

It put into contrast Ada’s coldness even more. The limited affection she showed me made sense, with her admittance of not wanting a partner involved in her own private life. I wasn’t one to judge, I mean hay, look at me, but I wished I had known before we were married. It was antithetical to what I wanted from a relationship.

I mentally hit myself, how could I have not seen the signs before now? I almost wished that she hadn’t said yes to my proposal and had just broken up with me then. It might have hurt, but this feels worse.

“W- we still have to go back to my house today. I’ve still got to go to work, and I have to start getting those papers together for you, Twilight. I know Ada and I are…” I sobbed, and the two mares nuzzled against my neck softly, an action which was beginning to feel like the pony equivalent of a hug. I let the tears flow, letting out my anxiety in wracking sobs. My friends stayed by my side, even long after I had stopped my cries.

“It’s okay, Poppy. It’s still quite early in the morning back home, so just chill for now. We’ll get to it when we get to it.” Sunset said, her kind words calming me, at least for a little.

“Thank you, girls. I- I feel luckier than any mare in the world, having you two as friends.”

“I can’t wait to introduce you to Ponyville, you’ll be able to meet even more friends! Pinkie will insist on a welcoming party, Applejack will definitely make you try some of her cider, and I can promise you that Rainbow would love to teach you to fly. Trust me, Poppy, there are more ponies out there than you could possibly imagine, and I’m sure they can’t wait to meet you too. They just don’t know it yet.”

I felt tears bubbling up again, this time not of sadness, but joy. Hope. The words of my now closest friends had done more to assuage my fears than any internal conversation ever had, and cried tears of joy into their forelegs as I was held and nuzzled.

The future was brighter than it had ever looked before; a promised warmth and safety that I had always wanted. My whole body shook with conflicting emotions of grief, joy, sadness, longing, and love, none of them taking hold completely, but the prevailing emotion was that of hope. Today, I would be going to a house, cold and emotionless. But soon, I was going home.

Letting Go

With a bright flash, we popped back into my living room, my hooves appearing just a little off the ground before I dropped down with a thud. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get used to the strange feeling of teleporting from one place to another, but I couldn’t deny how cool it was being in Sweden one second, and home the next.

The morning was still, most of the neighbourhood asleep soundly, not knowing that three and a half magical beings were teleporting around in the crappy rental next door. Nothing seemed out of place, looking exactly as it had when we left the day before.

It was almost dead silent if it weren’t for the sounds of someone crying softly through the drywall. My heart clenched, knowing who it was and exactly why she was crying. I wanted to hit myself, the guilt of having caused this whole situation overwhelming me. I turned to Sunny and Twilight, who nodded to me knowingly, and I made my way quietly up the stairs to the bedroom.

Just as I reached the top step, I heard it creak loudly, and the sobbing inside the room stopped. I raised a hoof up and knocked twice. After a few seconds, and still silence, I knocked again.

“Ada?” I said, my newly feminine rasp catching as I said her name. “I’m coming in.”

I pushed the door open, walking in on a lump hidden below a duvet on our bed, trying to remain still and quiet. Based on the size of the lump compared to before, I could only assume that what was below the sheets was an almost completely pony Ada.

“I- I can leave, if you want?”

“N- no.” She replied, voice rough from crying. “I’m sorry, Poppy.”

“Oh Ada, you don’t have to be sorry. I do.”

“No, Poppy!” She pulled the sheets off her head, revealing a beautiful sky blue and pink gradiented mane, almost sparkling in the morning light. Her fur covered her entire upper body now and was a deep midnight blue, snout poking out from her face distinctly. Her amber eyes were glossy with tears, the whites tinted red from incessant rubbing. Atop her head, a very short blue nub of unicorn horn was visible, just peeking from the strands of her mane. I could tell she was trying to hide the less changed lower half of her body underneath the sheets in shame.

“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“Oh my, you’re…”

“Disgusting.”

“Gorgeous!” I trotted forward, closing the distance between us.

“What?” She laughed in shock, wiping a tear from her eye. “H- how could you possibly think that?”

“Your mane! And your snout, your cheeks! They’re really cute!” I complimented her genuinely, slowly seeing a smile creep its way back onto her face.

“Th- thanks, J— Poppy. I’m… sorry. About everything.”

“It’s okay, Ada.” I said warmly, her letting my hoof brush a strand of her mane from her eyes. “I had a big talk with Sunset, and I’m more sure of my decision than ever.”

“I know.” She nodded, resigned to our situation. “I know that I messed up.”

“I’m assuming you still want to separate…”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I still can’t be with a girl. You’re wonderful, and smart, and you look so cute like that.” She laughed nervously with a sob. “But… I know you don’t want to change back. I need to change back. I need to get back to my life. My friends. I’m sorry.”

I leaned in and nuzzled her, letting tears flow, trying my hardest to keep my composure despite how close I was to falling apart. She flinched before slowly accepting my affection and nuzzling me back. It was strange, showing a much more platonic affection toward somepony I had been with romantically a day prior, but I knew that I would regret holding back more. I also knew that I would regret it if I didn’t use this chance to let go.

“I just want you to know Poppy, I still love you. That hasn’t changed, just because we can’t be married anymore. You’re amazing, and honestly, maybe we can be better friends than we ever were as spouses.”

“Y- yeah,” I smiled somberly, unsure of how confident I was in that, but her positivity was infectious, as her mood always was with me. “I still love you too, Ada. I’m… sorry. I didn’t tell you about this, about being trans, I–”

“No, Poppy. I was wrong, what I said before. I was… scared. You didn’t lie to me, I just didn’t listen to you until it was too late.” She said, lifting a hoof up to my face and touching it softly. “Gosh, you really are cute. I feel bad for all those times I called you such masculine things…”

“That’s nothing to be sorry about, you thought you were complimenting a regular cis guy, not a… trans m- mare.” I said, a shy giggle accompanying sparkles of joy at the words I chose to use.

She laughed along, mane bobbing along with her chuckles. I felt the tension held deep in my chest throughout this confrontation finally release, my heart slowing itself as laughter filled the room. I heard a knock behind us, the sound of hooves clopping on the floor outside our room, and I called out.

“Come in!”

“Hey, uh, it’s all okay for us to enter?” Sunny said as she slowly opened the door to the room with a twinkle of magic.

“Yep, come on in.” Ada sniffed, wiping her eyes free with a hoof as the two mares walked in.

“Hey Ada, how are you holding up?” Sunset asked, worry in her eyes and a nervous expression across her face.

“I’m okay, all things considered.”

“We talked about stuff.” I nodded, silently thanking Sunset for her caring words. “Things are okay now. I- I hope.”

“Yeah.” Ada smiled, leaning forward and nuzzling against my neck. “I’m sorry for how I acted before, you two. Especially you, Twilight.”

“It’s alright, Ada, you were scared and worried.” Twilight said as she approached from behind Sunset. “Sometimes fear makes us act in ways we don’t like. We say things we don’t mean, and make decisions we regret.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” She smiled, genuine appreciation in her voice. “I really do regret what I said, it wasn’t fair on any of you. You’re trying your hardest to help me get back to my old life, and I’ve just been rude and cruel.”

“It takes a lot of maturity to admit that, Ada.” Twilight smiled sagely at my now separated wife.

“I was actually wondering, uh…” She lifted a hoof up and nervously played with an ear. “I have work in half an hour, would it be okay to…?”

“Oh, yes, of course!” Sunset trotted over to her, a teal glow growing from her horn and spreading forth to cover her again, a familiar flash preceding the appearance of human-mode Ada.

“Thank you so much, Sunset!” She said, her regular perk returning somewhat. “And Poppy, I’m sorry again for all that I said and did—“

“Hey, now it’s your turn to stop being sorry. I forgive you. For everything. I’ll let you get ready.” I smiled up at her, our height differences now more exaggerated than ever. I turned around and walked out of the room with the other two mares in tow to let Ada change in privacy before closing the door behind us.

After Ada left, I had some breakfast with the girls; some waffles with banana that Sunset made for us, and shockingly delicious. Not too long after, I got to work, booting up my laptop and switching over to our internal messenger. I had to tell them I had lost my voice from the flu just to avoid questions about my new and overwhelmingly feminine sounding tone.

I hung my head in my hooves, brain still a mess from this morning. I was feeling fuzzy, stressed, and tired, and it definitely wasn’t going to get any better during work hours. I eyed the clock, groaning when I realised I still had four hours left of work.

“Gosh, I just wanna quit.” I stopped. Wait a second. I could just quit! Remembering our previously discussed plans around moving to Equestria, immediately my hooves went into action, writing up a long letter explaining my departure; some made up excuse about finding a better paying job in another country. It didn’t matter where I picked, it just needed to be far away enough that they wouldn’t be shocked to never see me again.

I finished off the letter, calling over Twilight, and we worked on collecting the required documents together for my departure. She helped me cancel all my bank accounts, transferring the tiny amount of remaining money to Ada and making sure that all my various subscriptions and ongoing payments had been canceled too.

It felt almost cathartic, going through and destroying all of the structures that held together my old life. A burn off, removing the leaf litter for life to sprout anew from the ashes. A canceled account there, a deleted archive here, and slowly all trace of my past self was disappearing.

Twilight worked efficiently, almost scaring me with how fast we managed to get through everything on our list. She had either some crazy transferable skills, or she’s done this kind of thing before. I was almost too scared to ask.

“Okay, so your car registration has been transferred, your addresses have been scrubbed, and nearly everyone online who comes looking will see that you’ve moved to this “Cuba” place.”

There was only one thing left to do, and it would be to quit my job. Luckily for me, my contract didn’t include anything about giving prior notice to resigning, and with a simple email, the deed was done. I sighed in relief, leaning back in the office chair, glad to have finally gotten through it all.

Sunset had been idly drinking a bottle of Pepsi and playing some MMO all day until we finally finished our tasks, closing the game and jumping up from the couch when she heard my exhausted cheers of relief.

“So, Poppy, what now? You’re a free mare.” Sunset grinned widely at me. “Gotta feel pretty good, right?”

“Yeah, it kinda does,” I nodded, “I’m mostly glad I don't have to worry about my old job anymore. That place sucked.”

“What did you even do?”

“Copywriting, mostly. Transcribing speech into subtitles, or filling out text in app menus, or signage… stars, it was a drag.” I groaned, remembering all my late nights spent finishing off a massive project just before deadline, only for my effort to mean nothing in the end. No one cared if I did a good job or not, they just cared that I didn’t screw it up completely.

“Gosh, I can only imagine. I mean, I can hardly complain. My job is hard, I put a lot of work into what I do, but it’s cushy. I don’t answer to anyone except my fans, and push comes to shove, I can ignore them. It’s still not what I want to be doing though, it’s just something I fell into because I liked playing games, and it’s a way I could earn money.” Sunset shrugged, walking back to the couch with me as we spoke, Twilight remaining behind to finish off a few more loose ends.

I jumped up onto the couch with a high pitched ‘hup!’ and found a comfy space next to Sunset, now also having hopped up a few seconds after me. I smiled again, appreciative of her presence. My head was still rushing with thoughts, but Sunset was a regular anchor for me, helping piece together the scattered pieces of my messy brain.

I lay my head down on my forehooves, eyes closing in relaxation as I slowly let myself lean up against Sunny more and more. Being able to be this close with a friend was something I had never really been able to do, and she really was the best friend I had. Twilight was obviously a close second, but the yellow mare and I had more in common than anyone else I had ever met; both of us were trans. Both of us felt that same incongruence with our bodies that made being a pony feel so much more correct than being a human.

My curled up position let my eyes drift to my flank, another pang of that strange incongruence hitting me, at least this time knowing what it was I was thinking. It was that mark, the unique pattern that grew on both sides of Twilight and Sunsets rumps.

“H-hey, Sunny?”

“Mm?”

“What are these things on your flank? The sun shaped thing.”

“Oh, that’s… honestly I don’t really know what it is. It showed up one day a couple months into me being a pony, after I invented that glamour spell.”

“That’s your cutie mark!” Twilight piped up, having finished up with the paperwork and now slowly trotting toward us. “It’s an embodiment of your special talent. Sunset from the other human world had a cutie mark representing her talents with magic; sounds like you have the same special talent!”

“Damn!” Sunset grinned ear to ear. “I mentioned before that I was always interested in magic, so knowing that’s my special talent? That’s pretty rad.”

I glanced back to my blank rump, feeling the anxiety hit once more.

“S- so what does that mean for me?” I gulped down the lump in my throat. “I- I don’t have a special talent?”

“No no no, it just means that you haven’t discovered it yet.” Twilight smiled, approaching us and taking a seat next to both Sunset and I on the same couch. “Sometimes it takes a pony to adulthood to discover their special talent, but it’s always there, just waiting to be found.”

I smiled back weakly. I’d never given it thought, what I would do with myself if I wasn’t stuck doing this job that I hated. The chance to imagine a version of myself where I did something that I truly liked, that I was really good at, never presented itself to me. It never was a reality I could pursue.

“I dunno, I just never got the chance before.”

“Uh, yeah, before. Poppy, you just quit your job! You’re going to Equestria!” Sunset threw a hoof around my withers, pulling me closer.

“She’s right. You have the chance to figure out exactly what you want to do with your life in Equestria. We’ll give you a house in Ponyville, and a stipend of bits for food and essentials.”

“R-really? You don’t have to do all of that for me…”

“Nonsense, Poppy! It’s not just for you, anypony who needs housing is provided for. You’re a pony, important just like everypony else.”

“Me?” My chest began to flutter a little. “I-I’m not important.”

“Everypony is. Me, you, Sunset, all the little ponies and creatures in all of Equestria and beyond.” Twilight said, nuzzling both of us softly. It wasn’t just me who was beginning to feel flustered, a hopeful but nervous expression clearly visible on Sunset's face. “Nopony is unimportant enough to let them go without care and help that they need.”

I felt the tears threaten to come forth again and I leant into Sunset, hiding my face in the softness of her coat. I felt her do the same, my wing pressed up against my two friend’s on each side. I sobbed freely now, feeling guilt at wetting Sunset’s coat, but not pulling away.

“You’ll have every chance in the world to figure out what you want to do with your life.” Twilight said, a large wing draped over both Sunset and I. “You too, Sunset.” Twilight winked, smiling warmly at the unicorn.

“W- wait, me?”

“Yes. There’s space for everypony. Ever since you started talking about your interest in magic, I’ve been excited to introduce you to my friends, Starlight and Trixie. They’re talented magicians in their own right, and I’m sure they’d love to meet you and share their knowledge with you. Plus, I’m the princess of magic, Sunset, I’m so excited to have reading sessions with you and the girls!”

“I- I dunno,” she shied away, “I have my streaming career here, and I love doing that, but…”

“But?”

“… But I do want to explore my magic. I was interested in that far before I got into gaming, and it still interests me more. This world feels so… limiting.”

“Well, we did discuss before that this world has no ambient magic. Your reserves are never at their full potential, and the effectiveness is far lower.”

“Oh yeah.” Sunset blanked. “So wait, I’ve been hamstringing myself this entire time?”

“Before I showed up, you didn’t really know there was another option.”

“But now there is…” she ruminated, a hoof on her chin. “I- I think… you’re right, Twilight.”

“So does that mean…?” I perked up, my tears having stopped a short while ago. “A- are you coming to Equestria with me!?”

“I guess so?” She smiled nervously and I launched myself forward, grabbing her tightly in my hooves.

“W- woah!” She yelped as we fell backward into the couch further, laughing as we hugged closely. “Okay now, down, Poppy!”

“Never! I can’t believe I get to have my best friend come with me to Equestria!” I smiled, my head filling with bubbles of happiness.

“Alright, fine.” She said, resigning herself to my nuzzles of joy.

I sighed, relaxing my grip a little and lying with her on the couch. The way I behaved right now felt new and different, being so affectionate and close with a friend, but being in this body made it feel right. Even just a few days ago, this was something I had never imagined I could possibly experience.

Eventually I released her from my grasp, an embarrassed blush on my face as we sat up again, still close to Sunset and feeling her coat against mine.

“So what will you do with your time, Poppy?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm,” I raised a hoof to my chin. “Well, I know I wanna go for lots of runs! Like we did before; that was incredible!”

“Me too!” Sunset smiled happily.

“I might try starting a garden.” I said, eyes wandering off as I daydreamed. “I want… a flower patch.”

Giggling, Sunset and I nuzzled again.

“I’ve always wanted to do stuff like that, but… being a m- man, it was always something that was seen as feminine. I know how stupid it is, but our world has some pretty whack views on what stuff is assigned to what gender.”

“That is strange.” Twilight interjected. “The best flower gardener I know is Green Hooves, a stallion from Appleoosa, but there’s ponies of all walks of life with all kinds of special talents.”

I nodded along. “I- I think I’d love to get into art. I was always doing various kinds of things like that as a kid, music and such, but the school I went to stopped offering classes for it, so I just kinda… stopped.”

“That’s preposterous, why would a school take away the ability for their students to thrive?” Twilight baulked and I shrugged in response.

“It’s just how our world works. Some ponies— people get forgotten. If you don’t make a big enough impact, or don’t make enough money, you just kinda… fade into the background, I guess.” I sighed, ruminating on my past. I did want to create, to make art, it was something I’d always dreamed of doing, having the energy and time and mental space to create beautiful work. I resented my past experiences, knowing that if I had been given the chance, I might already know what I wanted to do with my life.

“Well trust me, there’s no such thing as a lonely pony in Equestria. With the proper support, both you and Sunset will be able to explore your full potential.” The princess said softly, earning an appreciative smile from both Sunny and I.

Behind us, a familiar click, and Ada walked in, smiling at us as she shut the door behind her.

“Evening, girls.” She said, throwing her work bag down on the floor before sitting on the couch next to us. “How was the day?”

“Great! Poppy quit her job and sorted out the last of the paperwork for moving to Equestria!” Twilight beamed, “I helped too, of course. Just a little.”

Ada froze for a moment but smiled and nodded along. I could tell this was still getting to her, but she was trying her best, and that’s all I could ask for.

“And I decided that I’m going to be moving to Equestria with Poppy and Twilight!” Sunset interjected, throwing a hoof up for attention.

“Aww, I’ll miss your streams, but I get it.” Ada laughed, smiling at us. Her expression shifted slightly and she gripped an arm anxiously. “I was thinking… I kinda want to try hanging out tonight, with you all. As a pony.”

My eyes shot open wide and I jumped to my hooves, shocking Sunset a little who was still pressed against me when I hopped. A wide grin on my face, I stepped back and forth rapidly, shaking the couch and the two mares next to me.

“Really!? You mean it!?”

“Hey, don’t get too excited!” She laughed playfully, smiling at my reaction. “I-it’s just for tonight, okay? I just wanna… see what it’s like.”

“Hell yeah!” Sunset shot up as well, stepping down off the couch and approaching Ada. “I’ll pull the glamour when you’re ready, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded resolutely. “Make me a horse.”

A teal glow from both Ada and Sunny’s horn, and the previously human Ada slowly faded away, revealing the currently true form of my now-ex-wife. Unlike this morning, her changes were now completely finished, her body completely covered in dark blue fur. Her mane was straight and shiny, fading from a lovely soft blue to a bright pink near the ends. Her lower half had completely transformed now, and alongside her rear hooves was a short but silky tail, trimmed to shape as her regular haircut was.

I blinked in amazement, watching as the pony form of Ada settled down on the floor once her changes were done. She tripped as she landed, clearly not having gotten used to standing on all fours yet, and I rushed forward to catch her with a foreleg.

“Thanks.” She smiled up at me nervously, glancing down at her new equine body. “Th-this is surreal. It doesn’t feel like I’m even me anymore.”

“Y- you are, Ada.” I said, a lump forming in my throat. I was happy to see her trying out these new things alongside me, but this solidified how different our perception of this situation was. “You just look different for a bit. It won’t be forever.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She muttered in an apologetic tone. “Sorry, I- I’m still adjusting to it.”

I smiled understandingly at her, helping her to remain balanced with my withers pressed against hers. She stumbled a bit more and I chuckled lightly as I helped her once more. With an appreciative look, she took a tentative step forward.

“Okay, I think… woop!” She stumbled once more. “I think I got this. One leg at a time…”

We made our way over to the couch and she hopped up, pulling her tail in close as she scrambled nervously onto the seat. I let Twilight jump onto the cushion next to her and made my way to the other couch with Sunset.

“So,” Ada chuckled nervously, “what now? We just hang out?”

“Yep!” Sunset grinned ear to ear while a game controller floated through the air. “We just chill. Ooh, hey, I got an idea! Do you have a barbecue?”

“I think so; might need a clean.”

“Perfect!” With a squint of her eyes and a teal flash, a simple plastic box appeared in Sunsets aura. “After going pony, I all but gave up on meat. I do still love to grill however, so I couldn’t help but figure out how to make these!”

She opened the box, a wonderful spiced smell wafting forward. Inside was a collection of carrots and sliced potato, marinating in a sweet but rich sauce. We all gazed inward, transfixed by the delicious smell and prospect of some really well made vegetarian food.

“I know, right? Tastes amazing once they’re cooked too; let’s get to it!”

I pushed open the door to the back yard with my forehoof, the old door creaking as it swung. On my back was a pile of plates, lightly clacking together as I held them there in between my wings. It was surprisingly handy, being able to lift such a weight using my sturdy legs and hooves, and allowed me to carry almost the same weight that I used to be able to as a human.

I hummed a tune to myself, enjoying greatly my increased vocal range and pitch. It was wonderful, finally having my voice actually hit the notes I wanted to when I hummed, finding things like tremolo and falsetto substantially easier than I had pre-horse.

Ada and Sunset were chatting happily together as a sizzle could be heard from the barbecue they were standing around. A wonderful smell permeated the air and I breathed in again, appreciating once more my changed sense of smell; it certainly was stronger than before, and I picked up on notes that were far more subtle than I was used to as well.

Twilight trotted the perimeter of the yard, a light purple glow coming from her horn as she scanned the perception field she had set up for us; apparently it was the same spell she had used in the park as to not cause a panic from the sound of her portal ripping open. I had only heard it because a small flaw in her spell had let the sound leak through, and I just happened to be the one that heard it. I silently thanked her for her mistake now, but also thanked her for setting up this spell to keep our backyard shenanigans private.

“Gosh that smells good!” I salivated, reaching the backyard table and placing the cutlery on it carefully. A soft amber glow lit up a plate as I was placing it down and I gasped, glancing over to Ada, whose horn was glowing that same pastel orange.

“Woah, Ada!” I beamed at her, eyes sparkling wide. “You learned how to levitate? That’s so awesome!” I punctuated my joy with a little hop, a blush tinting Ada’s cheeks.

“I-It’s not a whole lot, Sunset just showed me while you were inside.”

“Of course it is, Ada! That’s so impressive! Some foals take years to find a connection with their magic and you just picked it up in five minutes.” Twilight strode over to her, smile as wide as mine. “I could teach you so much! You have a natural talent, you know?”

“D’aww you flatter me.” She said, a sly grin on her face. “I didn’t say stop.”

Our laughs echoed throughout the yard, eating and joking with eachother loudly, luckily not audible to outside ears due to Twilight’s spell, and our merriment continued into the night. I was more than just happy to see a smile on Ada’s face, and was even more sure that I had made the right choice for both of us. Somehow, the distance between us by not being married meant that we were able to be even closer than before, and she chatted with me in a way that I had never experienced with her. Not as a husband, not even as a wife, but as a friend.

Sunset had kept by my side the entire night, a gesture that I greatly appreciated. I was still feeling nervous, so her unspoken acknowledgment and support was more helpful than I imagined. I found myself gravitating toward her as well, hanging close to her and talking about our interests with each other. Twilight and I were close now, no doubt about it, but last night's conversation with her had strengthened our bond further and I couldn’t help but relate to the mare on a deep level. It felt strange, in stark contrast to the way I had felt when married to Ada.

We started a small pit fire later in the night, the bright yellow flames lapping softly against the crackling wood. I gasped after a log dropped and I giggled, a spray of sparks being sent up into the air. I lay my head down as Sunset and I rested together, laughing to myself as I realised just how close the colour of the flames were to Sunset's gorgeous mane. She snored softly, her nostrils flaring slightly with each quiet breath.

“Y’know, she’s good for you.” Ada said and my ears perked up, looking over to her. “I can see how happy she makes you.”

“Eh-what?” I stammered.

“You know what I mean. I can see it in your face, Poppy. It's the way you look at me too. I can see how much love you have going on behind those eyes.”

“L-Love!?” I jumped, lowering my voice when I heard a snore from Sunset. “What are you talking about?"

“Do you think I'm blind?" She laughed, my face beginning to heat up even more under the warmth of the fire. “If not you, then Sunset here has definitely been sizing you up.”

“It doesn’t sound so nice when you phrase it like that,” I said with a blow of air from my nose. Ada giggled at the decidedly horse-like sound and I couldn’t help but laugh a little myself. “For real though, you’re just messing with me, right?”

“Nope.” She said, her satisfied grin eliciting an even stronger blush, my face heating up even more under the fire pit’s warmth. “I’ve been watching you two. Particularly her I guess.”

I planted my face into my hooves, keeping my embarrassed expression from my ex wife, causing her to laugh yet again. I sank further into my forelegs.

“I don’t want you to be alone, Poppy.” She said, her voice softening and losing its sarcastic edge. “I’m serious. I care lots about you, and I… I know how much you need support from others. Sunset seems to really make you happy, otherwise you wouldn’t have spent the entire night cuddling with her.”

“I- it’s not cuddling!” I huffed indignantly and she laughed at me again. “It’s just a cold night, and her fur is soft, so I just didn’t…”

“You’re so obvious.”

I planted my face into my hooves yet again.

“No.” I said, a muffled defiance only just audible.

“Yes you are. We were married for like, three years, Poppy, and dating long before that. I know I might have been a shit wife, but I still notice those things.”

I looked up at her, a regretful smile on my face. I felt guilty still, for all I’d done to her, but the others were right. I couldn’t look back and resent the past now. The only way to move was forward.

“You weren’t shit, Ada.” I gave her a warm look, trying my hardest to let her know I had forgiven her. “I mean, I don’t know what I want now. After e- everything, I don’t know if I want a… m- marefriend. At least for a while.”

I felt my heart soar, the word marefriend sending sparkles throughout my body.

“You’re not a very good liar.”

“Sh- shoosh!” I said with an embarrassed blush. “I- I won’t say I haven’t had thoughts about it, and it’s not like I mind the idea, but…”

“Well, you might not have a choice for very long. Just don’t be surprised if a certain unicorn starts to proposition you.”

Again I felt my face full with warmth, slamming my face into my fetlocks in shame. Ada’s laughs couldn’t help but make me heat up all the ways to my ears and I covered them with my hooves.

“Y’know, you really are adorable.”

“No…” I muttered in weak defiance.

“You are. You make a good girl.”

“M- mare.”

“Huh?”

“A g- girl pony. A mare.” I said, voice faltering as I nervously corrected her. “Sorry, Twilight just told me the word the other day and— sorry, I’ll stop.”

“Mare it is, then.” She said with a chuckle. “And seriously Poppy, it’s okay. I know that this might be a bit too much for me to commit to, and being in a pony body still feels wrong, but seeing the happiness this brings you? Why would I ever try to take that away?”

I smiled at her, looking down at her form. She did seem to be sitting quite uncomfortably, propped up with her legs hanging over the edge.

“You know, it might be better for you if you didn’t keep trying to sit like that.” I chuckled, Ada raising an eyebrow at me.

“What do you mean?” She looked down, forelegs shifting to glance at her awkwardly positioned rear hooves.

“Like a human. Go with the flow, remember? You’re a pony right now, maybe give sitting like us a try.”

“I dunno, it already feels so weird…” She began to shift downward, tucking her legs in close and glancing at me and a still sleeping Sunset. She looked at herself nervously as she adjusted, her expression softening as she placed her forelegs close to her barrel and used the full length of her body to sit on her chair. “Oh. Okay, wow, that’s…”

“Far less uncomfortable?”

“Yeah.” She chuckled, her expression relaxing even more as she settled into her new position. Her tail flicked closer to her and she cautiously lowered her head until it was at a comfortable height, body curling inward on itself for warmth as I was. “Yeah, okay. I should have tried this before, my back has been killing me all night.”

I giggled, eliciting laughter from Ada as well. “See what I mean? I know this stuff is hard, and I’m sorry you have to go through it, but you should just embrace it. Hating yourself for it right now won’t make it easier to deal with.”

“Y- yeah, I know. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about this before. Tonight has been… really fun. It really is silly, but I feel like I can get to know you far better now that you’re living as your genuine self.”

“Th- thanks, Ada. It feels good to talk with you again. Properly. Without this… I dunno, barrier between us. I really do feel like I’m being my genuine self. Before, I locked myself away, not having the confidence to even leave the house for exercise, but now? I want to run. I want to jump, and flap my wings all around!” I beamed, my wings instinctively flicking and ruffling as I talked about them. “I… I’m me now. It’s so bizarre to think about, but I’m me. I’m not a fake version of myself, hiding behind layers and layers of wax. I can walk as myself, talk as myself, shout as myself, sing as myself!”

“Hmba?” A voice came from beside me and I gasped, looking over to see Sunset’s head rising up sleepily. “Whas tups? Hmm?”

I giggled at her babbling and nuzzled her softly. “Go back to sleep, Sunny. Sorry for shouting.”

She looked at me, a sleepy smile on her face before her head lowered once more and her cute, light snores began anew. She shifted over slightly, the velvet of her fur brushing up against mine again.

“My god.” Ada said quietly, rolling her eyes in the most exaggerated way possible. “You really are hopeless, you know that?”

“What?” I raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind, Poppy. You should get to sleep too, it’s almost midnight.” She said, laying her own head down on her forelegs. I shook my head and did the same, never knowing what she meant when she said things like this.

With the warm fire heating up one side of my body, and a unicorn heating up the other, I felt my eyes flutter closed, mind filling with thoughts of the future. Hope and nervous excitement that I could finally find a place I belonged after years of the opposite. I sighed, a feeling of utter peace taking over me, and I drifted off to sleep.

Out With the Old

“I don’t know how you do it Twilight, but you’re a goddamn miracle worker.” Ada exhaled with a sigh of relief, hanging up the call she’d been in. “Three weeks. Three whole weeks of paid time off. Are you sure you don’t work for some organised crime group? Cos you probably could.”

Twilight laughed as a box floated through the air in her purple aura. Placing it down on a pile next to other assorted boxes and bags, she turned to me. “Alright, that should be the last of it.”

“Thanks. Twi.” I leant forward and nuzzled her in appreciation. I had been helping as much as I could to move my possessions from storage and pack everything up in preparation for the move, but unfortunately, pegasus wings were nowhere near as helpful for lifting heavy boxes; all of which were double in comparative size to what they were when I was human. “Has Sunset gotten back to you yet?”

My laptop lifted over in Twilight’s magic, tabbing through webpages to find her messenger window before typing in a quick message. “Looks like she’s just wrapping up now.”

A little beep, and Twilight looked closer at the screen. “Hmm, she says “Make sure the hall is clear”. What does that mean?”

With a bright teal flash, a large collection of boxes and bags poofed into existence behind us and fell to the ground, filling up the hallway with various junk as it scattered loosely from their containers. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned.

“She could’ve given us more notice.” Ada muttered, scratching her head. “How are we gonna move all this stuff?”

Twilight grinned and her horn began to glow, the same aura spreading to the collection of boxes that Sunset had teleported in. She lifted them through the house and out the back door to the yard where we were preparing to open the portal.

Ada watched in awe, turning to the few remaining boxes that Twilight had left. Her own horn lit up with an amber glow and she smiled happily as she carefully lifted the much lighter load outside. I followed behind, my own single bag with me between my teeth. I felt somewhat pathetic, carrying not even a quarter of what Ada was, but I also didn’t get a horn or magic, so I could hardly blame myself.

I ruffled my feathers happily and felt my sides immediately become slightly warmer with the extra insulation. With these wings, I wasn’t complaining.

I made my way outside and spat the bag onto the floor next to Ada with an audible ‘pwah!’. Twilight was seemingly engrossed in something else, a pencil scribbling back and forth, and I turned to Ada. She was in the middle of flipping a colander around in golden orange magic, eyes sparkling with joy as it twisted around.

“Finally found something about being a pony that you like?” I started, my interruption causing her to lose focus and drop the colander on her head. She looked over at me with a blush, lifting the implement back into its box with another glow of her aura.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you stop.”

“No, it’s… ugh, sorry, Poppy. I know I said I would try to be more open about this stuff. I was having fun.”

“It’s okay!” I said genuinely. “I’m happy to see you learning how to do more stuff with your magic.”

“It’s cool, right?” Her eyes lit up and she turned to me. “I can lift things, of course, but Twilight started teaching me to turn an apple invisible! I can’t manage to get it to disappear yet, but it’s getting there!”

“Woah, really? That’s so cool!”

“She’s a fast learner. One of the first pupils of mine to grasp illusion magic so quickly.” Twilight interjected, trotting over to us. “So, you’re all packed?”

I glanced over to my tiny pile of possessions, dwarfed by Sunset’s veritable trove of stuff. She had packed all of her gaming gear and PC setup, despite Twilight insisting that they didn’t have electron based power and instead used magical power for equipment. Sunset had insisted, promising that she’d find a way to do it with her magical talents.

“You’re not bringing anything else?” Ada asked, “That's not a whole lot of stuff, and you haven’t brung any furniture out.”

“Well, the scale is a little off. The coffee table alone is tall enough to be a dining table.” I chuckled, remembering how big everything had seemed compared to my new body size. “But mostly, I just kinda want to… make this a fresh start.”

Ada smiled and nodded knowingly. I was very happy to have felt us growing closer together again over the last few days, and seemingly Ada’s understanding of my needs with it. Our talks and subsequent time spent around each other was far less stressful than I thought it would be, and being around her without the secret I was keeping from her was far less passively stressful. Only now that the secret was out did I truly understand how hard it had been to keep everything hidden.

I had been sleeping on the couch since before the barbecue, mostly to give Ada some space and avoid any awkwardness. Not that I had any problem with sleeping on the couch, but Sunset had unspokenly continued to sleep next to me, coming and cuddling up with me even when I had fallen asleep before her. Even thinking about it now, the weird anxiety mixed with bubbles of happiness filled me. I cursed myself, knowing now what these feelings were, and how they had increased in intensity since my conversation with Ada. I almost wanted to kick her for putting the thoughts into my head in the first place, if it weren’t for how weirdly correct she was.

Over the last week, Sunset had absolutely been getting closer and closer with me, and if I was being honest with myself, I was letting her. I couldn’t deny that she was kind, smart, and extremely funny, her quips earning a loud laugh from me every time. She had been treating me with an open warmth I hadn’t been prepared for, but was welcome all the same. Just this morning I had woken up with a plate of pan fried tomatoes and baked beans with a coffee that Sunset had prepared just for me. It filled my heart with warmth, even thinking about her now, and I had to mentally slap myself to bring my attention back to the others.

“So,” I turned to Ada. “You excited? Remember, treat this like a vacation.”

She nodded nervously and smiled receptively. “Y- yeah, as long as I have a way of getting back afterward, I’ll be fine.”

“Well, we won’t be having any issues in that department; I got here in the first place, with enough magical power, another portal is no issue. Speaking of which, have you been practising the magic syphon spell I taught you?”

“I have, but I’m still not sure how it works. I can feel it open up, but my magic just stays there, almost like a spigot that needs an extra push.”

“That’s perfect, Ada! The magic will flow out when I start my side of the spell, so all you’ll have to do is keep it up and I’ll be able to open the world gate.”

Another teal flash like the one we saw before came from inside the house, and I felt my heart leap as I saw Sunset stepping out the back door with another bunch of packed equipment.

“Sunny!” I squealed and ran toward her, nuzzling her familiarly as she stopped to return the affection. I blushed and turned away, glancing over to Ada. The smug expression on her face was unbearable and I rolled my eyes playfully, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks regardless. “So you’re all packed now? No more teleporting?”

“Yep!” She replied with a smile and a light trot, her magic lowering down the few boxes she had held aloft. “The house is sorted too; all empty and ready for the next people who are gonna stay there. I hope they don’t mind the horse smell.”

I laughed out loud again, earning yet another knowing look from Ada. I ignored her this time.

“Are you two ready?” Twilight said, a familiar glow beginning around her horn in preparation. “This might tire you out a little, so fair warning.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. It was happening. It was finally happening! I couldn’t help but reminisce on the week past, thinking again to how unlikely our situation was, but infinitely overjoyed at where it had led us.

Twilight turned and the light from her horn intensified, glowing brightly. Ada and Sunset’s horns began to do the same in their Amber and Teal coloured auras, familiar ribbons of magic flowing forth and collecting in a spiral toward Twilight. It twisted around the bony protrusion, the glow becoming stronger and stronger until a massive violet emission exploded outward in front of us. The same boom I had heard a week ago filled the yard, bouncing up against Twilight's perception filter; hopefully it held fast this time.

The tear in space opened before us, and for the first time, I was able to get a proper look at it. The edges sparked with bursts of flowing purple magic, spiralling inward toward the centre of the portal. The entrance felt cavernous, a vast scape of dark matter almost pulling us forward with its gravity. A bag flew past my head, and I blinked in surprise, feeling my own hooves begin to lighten and lift off the ground.

It didn’t just seem like it was pulling us inward, it was! I kicked my hooves as they lost contact with the ground and I tried in vain to reach for anything to grasp onto. Twilight and Sunset reached out to Ada and I respectively with their magic, stabilising us before I tipped upside down, my wings ready to flap in a panic. They did the same with our piles of boxes, collecting any loose items together with their magic as they pulled both of us closer to them.

“Are you okay?” Sunset shouted over the warping thrum of the portal. I nodded nervously and she grinned at me with her signature confidence, immediately invigorating my own. I let my nervous frown turn into a look of tentative excitement, staring down the barrel of the portal as we drifted with increasing speed toward it. A feeling of wind whipping past my ears, and all sound disappeared as we crossed the portal's threshold. I glanced behind us, the colour and light of our backyard ripping itself into darkness as the portal itself pulled away any light, leaving it looking similar to how it had been seeing it from the other side.

Goodbye, earth.

I turned back around as we shot forward in the soundless space before us, darkness eventually fading to a small pinprick of colour. The other side of the world gate, scaling up before us until a blurry vision of a room appeared, multiple colour shapes shifting around on the other side. We slowed down as we reached the portal's threshold once more, my eyes blinking rapidly as I adjusted to the bright blue room.

“Twilight!” Two consecutive voices shouted and the two coloured blobs, now coming into focus, ran forward and threw their hooves around the young alicorn. With a yelp, the trio of mares tipped over and collided with the floor. I giggled, my hooves coming into contact with the crystal tiles beneath us, and Sunset’s aura dissipating as she let me down.

I had the time to glance around now, staring in awe at the strange juxtaposition of the advanced looking scientific equipment around us with the ornate crystalline walls that surrounded us. Were we in some kind of castle? The nearby window let in no light; was it the evening?

Twilight laughed in happiness as two mares nuzzled her lovingly over and over. One, an alicorn similar to Twilight, held both her and the other mare, a pink unicorn, close together, planting multitudes of kisses on the blushing princesses head.

“I can’t believe it, we finally found you!” The unicorn sobbed with happiness through her wide smile. ”L- Luna and I, we’ve been searching through so many worlds, w-we never thought we’d find you!”

“You, find us?” Twilight laughed. “I’m sorry, Starlight, but we found our way back on our own.”

“Oh, you’ve adopted the royal “we”?” The midnight blue alicorn questioned. “I thought that had gone out of style.”

“No, I meant them!” Twilight motioned over at the three of us, standing awkwardly and silently behind the glowing purple portal. I gasped as it slammed shut behind us, hooves crossing over themselves, tipping me forward and—

A teal aura surrounded me, lifting me back to my hooves and placing me down softly. I looked over with embarrassment at Sunset as she walked over and nuzzled me.

“Third time this week, huh?” Sunset laughed and I frowned at her playfully before joining in with her laugh.

“Wait, Sunset Shimmer?” Starlight said, releasing Twilight from her hooves and trotting over toward us. “Why are you here? I thought you said you hadn’t seen Twilight?”

“Ah, funny thing about that, I’m not the same Sunset Shimmer you know.” Sunset smiled and flicked her mane. “There’s nopony like me.”

“Hmm, well, you certainly act like the Sunset I know.”

“Sunset is from another alternate world to ours!” Twilight piped up as she and the alicorn I assumed was her other marefriend, Princess Luna, walked toward us to join Starlight. “She, Poppy, and Ada here, are all from “Earth”. They saved me from a monster that chased me through the portal, and I’m the one at fault for their current condition, so it’s my responsibility to change them back.”

Sunset coughed.

“So I can help Ada change back.” Twilight corrected herself.

“Condition? They look fine to me.” Luna picked me up in her magic and turned me around

“Wha— Hey!” I yelped. “What’s with you princesses and picking ponies up?”

“Hmm, a scan doesn’t reveal any abnormalities. Is something wrong with her?”

“Well, not wrong, but she was a human originally, and not in the same way that the Sunset Shimmer from Canterlot High is. Their world had no magic, so when exposed to it, they changed into ponies like us.”

“Just to be clear, Sunset and I are happy like this.” I folded my forelegs grumpily as I slowly spun around in Luna’s deep blue magical aura. “Ada wants to change back, but not us. Hey, can you put me down now?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, Luna?” Twilight grinned and put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. I felt myself lower to the ground and I nodded back appreciatively at the dark blue princess. Her gaze was unreadable, aside from the knowledge that she was reading me just fine.

“I’m just happy you’re safe, Twi-twi.” Starlight whispered, nuzzling her and Luna together again.

“Aww, Twi-twi? That’s adorable!” Sunset squealed and pressed her cheeks together with her hooves. “You call me Sunny, maybe I should come up with a cutesy nickname for you too?” She sidled up to me and bumped me with her rump.

“W- we’re not dating!” I stammered out and Sunset laughed loudly in response.

“Nopony ever said that, Pop-pop. Ew, okay no, that sounds like something I'd call my uncle.” She scratched her chin with a hoof, ignoring the growing embarrassment showing itself in red on my face “Popster? Poppin’ off? Eh, we’ll workshop it.”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot!” Starlight suddenly shouted, freeing herself from her partners’ hug. “I promised Fluttershy and the others that I’d let them know if anything came up! I'd say you popping in out of nowhere is definitely something, so I’ll be back!” And with a blue flash, she was gone.

A few minutes had past of us sitting and getting more acquainted with Luna when a low, rising rumble interrupted our conversation. I turned just in time to see the doors to the room slam open, six colourful mares barging into the room all at once.

“Twilight!” They yelled in unison, bar Starlight, who let the princess have a group hug with her close friends.

“Oh, Twilight!” The pink maned pegasus said, her soft smile turning to a worried frown. “What did I say to you?”

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy, I thought—“

“You ran off without telling us, Twi!” The one I could absolutely assume was “Rainbow Dash” shouted hoarsely, a pony I recognised from stories Twilight had told me.

“I know, but—“

“No buts ‘bout it, missy.” An orange earth pony said with a southern drawl before a white unicorn stepped in front of her.

“Really, darling, after all these years, you couldn’t trust that we have your back?”

“I know, I’m sorry, everypony, I…” Twilight trailed off and her gaze drifted to a pink pony sitting still with a wide smile on her face. “Aren’t you going to get mad at me too, Pinkie?”

“Me? Oh, no!” She chortled. “I’m just happy you’re back!”

Twilight sighed and smiled, looking between her friends contentedly. “I’m sorry I worried you all. I should have trusted you and asked for your help before running off, thinking I could deal with the issue alone.”

“So, who are these fine young mares?” The white unicorn, presumably Rarity, asked as she approached us calmly. I giggled and blushed, trying to not let on how nicely her words made me feel, but knowing by the heat of my face that I was probably failing.

“This is Poppy and Ada,” Twilight motioned to us and I lifted up a hoof to wave in welcome. “They saved me from that bear, and gave me shelter after, so I owe them a lot.”

“Nice to meet you, uh…” Ada strained a smile.

“Oh, Rarity!” She said, with a flourish of her mane. “This is my marefriend, Fluttershy.”

“Hello.”

“And I’m Rainbow Dash!” The blue pegasus said, zipping in front of the two other mares and giving them a small fright. The southern sounding pony shoved her way in front of Rainbow and tipped her hat at us.

“You’ll have ta’ forgive the missus. She gets excitable around new ponies she thinks she can make an impression on.” She chuckled, earning a huff and a blush from Rainbow. “My names Applejack, and the other loud one over there is—“

“Pinkie Pie!” A pink blob popped up in front of my vision and I reeled back a little before the shape shrunk from my view a little. I relaxed as I saw the pink pony being held back by her tail by Applejack, who offered me a knowing and sympathetic look. “You’re new here, which means I need to throw you a party! Ooh, can I? Twilight says I gotta ask ever since my last surprise party sent Goldie Delicious to the hospital!”

“A party?” I felt my chest sink. “I dunno, I only just got here, I don’t…”

“Hey, it’ll be fun!” Sunset said, throwing a hoof around my withers. “I’ll be by your side the whole time too, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

I crumpled, her trademark wink convincing me long before my rational brain could protest.

“Fine.” I huffed. “You’re a menace, Sunny.”

“I know.” She winked again.

God damn it, that mare.

“Soooo…” Pinkie Pie trailed off, head slowly tilting to the side.

“Yes, you can throw her a party.” Ada said for me and I shoved her playfully.

“Yay!” The pink mare shouted with a hop, her mane almost puffing out with her as she jumped straight up.

“Just… not too many ponies, okay?” I chuckled nervously, watching as Pinkie Pie hopped up and down. I couldn’t help but feel a smile creep its way onto my face, her joy almost infectious.

“You got it, Pop Star!” Pinkie landed after a final hop and grinned widely before turning around and bouncing out the door, calling as she left, “You can thank me later, Sunset!”

“Damn, that is good!” Sunset smirked and ruffled my mane. I pouted up at her, yet couldn’t help but eventually break and smile along with the doofus unicorn. “Pop star. Poppy Star.”

“S- stop!” I whinged and frowned at her, jumping when I heard a collection of mares laughing behind me. I didn’t give them the response they wanted and kept my head forward, that familiar heat filling my face.

“Well, Poppy, how about we show you around town a little?” Twilight said, interrupting their giggles, and I gave her my silent thanks. “Would be great to meet some ponies too!”

“Uh, n- new ponies? So soon?” I stammered, and Sunset put a hoof around me.

“Not more than you’re comfortable with, okay, Pop Star?”

My face flooded with warmth once more, alongside those familiar tummy sparkles, and I cursed myself again.

“Fine.” I pouted, “let’s just get this over with.”

Ponyville was positively idyllic. A soft, warm summer breeze filled the town with the smell of nature, wafting in from the bountiful local trees and forest. The elixir of smells drifted around the town, earthy and fresh, and overwhelmingly homely. A market stall here, a bale of hay there, and the smell of the local bakery was practically intoxicating.

The others had left to get back to their days, happy to see Twilight safe, which left Ada, Sunset, and I, as well as Twilight and her partners, to explore Ponyville.

Sunset looked around with similar awe. The town was somewhat similar to the place she used to live, but the lack of roads was fairly palpable. No huge machines, towering buildings, and speeding cars, meant that the only sounds around were all from nature and the ponies that inhabited Ponyville.

I blinked and waved back nervously as a grey pegasus gave me a warm smile, shaking a hoof in greeting before taking off to the sky with her saddle bag full of letters. A stallion pulling a cart full of carrots tipped his hat toward me and wished me a good morning as he passed us. I was shocked; at least compared to my previous experiences, I was being treated so kindly, and with seemingly open hooves. The ponies I passed on the street at least seemed to be open to interaction, despite my anxiety causing me to shrink from conversation when the others stopped to talk.

Twilight explained studiously as we walked around town, the locality and its history, the stores and their owners, the ponies and their personalities; it was beginning to overwhelm me a little, and I almost spoke up to let the others know when Twilight came to a halt in front of us and spun around.

“Here we are, girls!”

I raised an eyebrow, nothing but a small set of cottages in front of us, like any other we saw around Ponyville.

“Uh, where are we exactly?” Sunset asked with a similarly confused demeanour.

“Your new house, of course!” She said, a hoof motioning toward the front door of the closest thatch roofed cottage.

“W- wait, really?” I asked, disbelief in my voice. “You weren’t joking about the whole ‘giving us a house’ thing?”

“Of course not! There’s actually a few vacant houses in Ponyville for this purpose; it gives ponies a chance to get back on their hooves, still with a roof over their head, and then when they move out, the house goes to the next pony in need.”

“My god.” Sunset gawked. “Back on earth, they’d call you a filthy commie.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“So, we just… move in?” I questioned Twilight.

“Not just yet, we need to take the dust covers off the furniture, make sure the plumbing and appliances are all clean, but that should only take a few days, then you can move right in!” She beamed, Luna walking up beside her and looking down at us welcomingly.

“We’re so glad to have you here in Ponyville, you three,” the princess addressed us, "truly your presence will improve Ponyville, that I am sure of,"

"R- really?" I looked up hopefully at Luna, who offered a sagely nod and a soft smile in return. I had never felt like this before, coming to a place and immediately being welcomed with open hooves, and I felt the now quite common sparkles of happiness spread through me. "I don't know what to say, girls." I looked between them, feeling tears of joy begin to well up in my eyes, and they closed in for a hug, holding both Sunny and I tightly. I sobbed lightly, so not used to this type of welcome and affection that it almost overwhelmed me.

Sunny leant over and pulled Ada into the hug, tears of happiness on the yellow unicorn's face as well. Ada giggled nervously, but conceded to the hug, letting herself join in wholeheartedly. I pulled myself from the hug, still remaining close to Sunset after we had parted.

"Let's start moving our stuff in then!" Sunny smiled, her infectious grin spreading to me as well, and we walked back to the castle together to grab our stuff.

It was evening by the time we had finished moving all our boxes into the small cottage, but we had spent far longer moving things in than we had spent taking them out of the old house. Sunset had been surprisingly particular about where her stuff went, directing the other unicorns and alicorns where she wanted her currently non-functional gaming setup placed. I silently thanked her for not saying anything about the blush on my face when she told Twilight to put my stuff into the same bedroom as hers.

Sunset was getting closer and closer to me, and I was going to have to talk to her about it sooner or later, but the suspense was killing me. I was far too nervous and socially awkward to approach her about it and every time I thought about it, I froze up and began to cold sweat. I glanced over at her as she chatted with Twilight, the both of them finally having sat down after the hours of moving.

Her mane was so pretty, shining with flecks of golden sparkles as It bounced when she laughed. Her eyes were the most intoxicatingly bright teal, just like the aura of her magic, and I didn't even notice myself staring into those bright blue orbs.

"Equestria to Poppy. What are you lookin' at?" Sunset smiled at me with a cheeky grin and I snapped out of my stupor.

"N– nothing!" I yelped, quickly averting my gaze to fixate on a particularly uninteresting portion of wall.

"Sure," she said with a laugh, "don't worry Poppy, I'd be staring too."

The wall became slightly more interesting as my gaze remained transfixed on it and the other mares in the room laughed at my reaction, or lack thereof. I couldn't talk to Sunset about how I felt, especially not now!

But how did I feel? I knew for a fact that I was crushing on her pretty hard, but I had gone through crushes like this before. I may have related with her quite intensely when we first met, but my past experience had taught me that this feeling wasn't necessarily anything special and would have every opportunity to fade. No matter how rationally my brain thought through this, however, I could not deny the feelings I felt, and they were doing anything but weakening over time as of yet. I gulped down my anxiety and tried to change the subject.

"A– anyway" I yipped again, earning a knowing chuckle from Twilight and Sunny, "when are the others getting back? They're off getting new furniture still?"

"They should be back any mo– oh, that must be them!" Twilight stopped half way, interrupted by the front door being opened. Starlight and Ada backed into the room, a large, double sized bed being lifted in by Starlights magic while Ada guided her carefully through the entry.

"Ooh, thanks girls!" Sunny jumped to her hooves and smiled at the two mares as they maneuvered through the hall. I saw Ada glance at me and grin as the mattress was lifted up and placed into Sunset's room, my face turning red when I realised that the bed was for both Sunset and I to share.

Oh dear.

Warmth and Welcome

True to what Twilight had said, the plumbing to the house was still in the process of being set up, and we subsequently traveled back to Twilight's castle to stay for the evening, and the following few days. As we sat, conversation spread happily around a large table alongside Ada, Twilight, her marefriends, and the other mares we had met before. I shrunk into my seat a little, but Sunny stuck by my side without me needing to say anything, keeping my confidence from dipping into 'escape mode'. Every time she saw me retreating, she shifted her attention to me, checking if I was okay, before continuing on with her conversation.

A small, purple dragon with even smaller wings, entered the room, carrying a platter of roasted vegetables, steaming softly from the oven's heat. "Evening, ladies, " the dragon spoke with a child's cadence, "your dinner is now served!"

"Thanks, Spike, this smells amazing!" Twilight chirped and the sentiment was echoed by the others at the table. I couldn't help but still feel nice every time I was referred to with feminine terms, even in a group like Spike had just then.

Once we had finished with our admittedly delicious meal, we retired to our quarters for the night. Twilight had given us first choice of the guest rooms and, as expected, it was taken as a given that Sunset and I would be staying in the same room. As the night wound down, and we had settled into our dwellings for the evening, I sat on the bed and watched idly as Sunset brushed her mane. Her hooves deftly maneuvered a toothbrush over her teeth while her magic pulled the comb through her scarlet and golden strands.

My gaze drifted to her face, reflected clearly in the mirror she was grooming herself in. Even with sleepy eyelids, drooping with the weight of oncoming rest, her bright teal irises shone through the dim light of the room. She was beautiful. Her gaze caught mine and she smiled sleepily, winking at me before going back to her evening routine.

I curled up, hiding my embarrassed face from Sunny as she finished before stepping over to the bed, her hooves softly echoing off the silent and cold crystal walls. Even in this castle full of other ponies, right now it felt that no pony else existed except us two.

"Hey, is something up?" I heard her say from behind me, a hoof reaching forward and stroking my wings. I felt myself immediately melt at her touch, my feathers ruffling instinctively. A pang in my chest, one I knew all too well, and I pulled away from her.

"S- sorry, I… is it me?" Sunset's voice cracked, and I couldn't help but turn over to face her, despite my conflicting emotions. "If I've done something wrong, you can tell me."

"No." a hoof touched hers, having found its way there regardless of my conscious intentions. "No, Sunny, I just…"

How could I tell her how I was feeling? How could I confide in her, of all ponies, even though she sat here before me, eyes focused intently on mine, offering to hear me out? I couldn't pull my gaze from her, eye contact suddenly feeling good instead of awkward. Something I had only experienced before with…

"I don't… I don't know how I feel."

"About what?"

"Us! This! The thing we're doing, you know?" I gasped, and Sunset looked back confused.

"I'm not too sure what you mean, I think–"

"You're messing with me, right?" I laughed in exasperation. "Sunny, we've been… staying in the same bed together. We've been talking and hanging out all the time, you sit next to me at every single meal, and you've been… winking at me!"

"I wink at everypony."

"Not like that, you don't. And I just suppose it's a coincidence that everypony just thinks we're dating already? You gave me an adorable nickname just this morning, and it… gosh, it made me feel like you were just teasing me, trying to get me to break first."

She laughed nervously and I frowned at her. "Look, I'm sorry, I j- just thought it was cute! Not to mention, you're the one who started calling me 'Sunny' first. N- not that I'm complaining. I just… I want to know what you want; how you feel."

I pulled myself closer to her, shuffling over the rumpled sheets. "I… I don't know what I want. Everything has been happening so fast, and I've known you for like, a week and a bit, but I can't deny the way I feel. And… I'm feeling something."

"Poppy, I… oh stars, I'm so bad at this." Sunset hung her head, though she didn't pull away at all, instead shuffling closer to me, our coats almost touching. "I m- mean, it's up to you, I just think you're cool and n-nice, but it's your–"

"I want you to say it, Sunny." I sobbed, my overwhelming emotions finally spilling forth. "I can't be the first to say it. I can't… I can't go after somepony again. I was an absolutely horrible partner, I just didn't know what I wanted and I fucked up so much. I can't trust myself, after everything that happened with Ada, I just– I can't."

Sunset stiffened at my touch, biting her lip nervously. If I had any ability to read faces, I might be able to tell what this nervousness meant, but all I could do was wait. And wait.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I mean, if you don't like me, that's okay, and I-I can move on with my life."

What had I done? I had all but screamed my intentions to her. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and her twiddling hooves.

She sat in silence for a few moments more, taking a deep breath in and out, her face relaxing before turning to face me once more.

"I'm… I'm in love with you, Poppy."

With those words alone, the dam within me broke. I felt the flood of happiness spread through once more, filling my every being, and my body exploded with bliss. I launched myself forward and held Sunny in my forelegs, fully and openly taking in her warmth. My legs kicked out backward in sheer joy, stimming and shaking with the rush of endorphins flooding my entire self. I hummed happily and without repressing anything. Sunset laughed with joy and relief as her forelegs wrapped around me and pulled me closer.

I laughed too and felt my muzzle sink deeper into her fur, fully taking in the subtle, sweet smells that her body naturally gave off. It was distinctly horse, distinctly her, and it filled me with a deep joy as I breathed deeply once more. It reminded me of happy times, of all the moments of intimacy and closeness that had been trickling in throughout the week. The night we had stayed up, talking about our shared desire to be a pony. The morning she brought me food and we ate together side by side. The many times I had woken up to find I had crawled closer to her in my sleep, or to find that she was beside me despite falling asleep alone.

I relaxed my body fully, finally slowing my heartbeat enough to comprehend what had just happened. Sunny's hoof brushed over my mane, compressing the curls with each soft stroke.

"So…"

"Hm?"

"This means you lov– that you like me too?" Sunset stammered out, her usual bravado and confidence having melted away to reveal a nervous filly, as new to this as I was. I giggled and looked her in the eyes.

"Yes, Sunset. I love you too." I learnt forward and placed a soft, dainty kiss on Sunset's cheek. I watched them redden until she shoved her face into her fetlocks, a reaction not unlike what I was used to doing.

"I-I was so nervous, I thought you would think I was some kinda creep!" Sunset let out with a wobbly laugh, peaking out from behind her fetlocks.

"Seriously? But you seem so confident, how could you possibly be nervous?"

"Ever heard of masking?" Sunset grinned for a few seconds and then fell back to her nervous smile. "That shit is the only reason why everypony doesn't see me as a nervous wreck, but I am! I'm still nervous right now. What if I screw this up? You're like, kind and sweet, and you're really pretty too, I just feel like I'm not good enough for you. I have the same fears as you, like… what if I hurt you? "

"Well there's nothing to worry about anymore." I leaned forward again and felt my lips instinctively drift towards hers, unexpected bubbles of joy spreading through me as the short kiss came to a close. Even that tiny contact, that small instant of intimate connection, and I had melted into a putty once more, giggling like a child at how raw and pure this feeling was. "I don't ever expect a relationship to be perfect. You have my answer, Sunny. I love you."

"Y- yeah?"

"Yes."

"For real?"

"Yes, for real."

Sunset looked at the back wall, her forelegs still wrapped around me, while her expression hung loosely in a surprised smile. I felt very similar, almost in shock that we had found ourselves here after I expected tonight to end like every night prior had.

"This is real." Sunset laughed and turned her gaze back to me. "I'm a horse."

"Me too." I giggled in reply.

"I'm actually, really a mare, and now I have a marefriend."

Hearing that word finally be used in reference to me hit harder than I could have anticipated. Not just a girlfriend, but a marefriend. I had a marefriend!

"I guess… That makes us gay, right? I always wanted to be gay." Sunset said with a deadpan, earning a laugh from me."Guess my brain never understood that I could like girls and still be gay. Well, before I was a mare."

"Hell yeah, me too. I think even using the word lesbian just… feels nice." I said as I planted my face into Sunset's coat once more. I rubbed my face all around, nuzzling her and cuddling with her warm, soft form. I sighed in relief, incredibly happy that this night had not become some awkward confrontation. I had no idea what I would have done if she said no, but luckily for me, I didn't have to contend with that possibility.

"I'm gay for you, Poppy Star."

I laughed again and looked back up at my new marefriend.

Marefriend!

"I'm gay for you too, Sunset Shimmer, like, so gay it's unfathomable."

She returned the chuckle and closed the distance between us, hugging me tightly and nuzzling against my fur. She hummed in contentment, the vibrations of her deep voice spreading throughout me. It was incredible, feeling so close and warm, so content and truly at peace for the first time in ages. I couldn't help but think back on how Ada and I had been around each other, particularly in these last two months. That distance, the cold and nebulous wall between us was in stark contrast to the warmth that Sunny radiated. She bent down to kiss the top of my head every few minutes, each time filling my tummy with bubbles and sparkles of joy.

I leaned my ear onto her barrel, her powerful heartbeat racing in my ear. My eyes fluttered to a close and I fell into the strong rhythm of her heart, pulling my mind deeper and deeper into relaxation. All worries disappeared, all sounds, all of the tense feelings that had collected in me. Everything except the sound of Sunset's lungs breathing in and out, and her heart beating, slower and slower as she too fell into the warmth of my forelegs.

"Thank you, Sunny." I whispered sleepily, my words hardly audible through the muffling of her fur.

"Hm?" She muttered. "Why're ya thankin' me?"

"For loving me back."

She pulled me even closer, my entire being seeming to meld with hers as sleep began to take me. I felt her kiss the top of my head once more as I drifted off, head rising and falling with Sunset's breathing.

"There was never any doubt."

I woke with my face surrounded by a soft, golden embrace. Its warmth filled my vision and my senses, an unconcerned hum escaping from my throat. The warmth moved and spoke at me.

"Hm?" I questioned it, pulling myself closer, conscious thought slowly returning to me as I began to remember the events of last night. I smiled, finally recognising the warm mass I was cuddling with as Sunset, one of her hooves tapping on my wing rapidly.

"Uh, Poppy? Wake up please." She said with a somewhat panicked tone.

"Mmm, morning Sunny." I pried myself from her slowly and yawned, stretching my forelegs out. I felt so wonderful, so refreshed! I hadn't had a night of sleep that restful in years.

I opened my eyes properly after rubbing them free of sleep, only to see Sunset grinning awkwardly at something across the room. Spinning around, a pit dropped in my stomach at the sight of Twilight standing in the doorway, her eyes wide and her smile wider.

Uh oh.

"Oh my stars!" She snapped back, her expression changing immediately to one of extreme embarrassment. "I– I'm so sorry, I should have knocked, I usually always knock, Spike gets so mad at me when I don't, and this is the first time I've forgotten in years, I'm so–"

"Twilight!" I shouted an interruption, "I– It's okay, I just, uh…" I looked awkwardly between Sunset and her, a no doubt similarly anxious expression on my face as was on Sunset's. "Can- uh, can we help you?"

"Oh! Yes, that's right, I came to tell you that breakfast is ready; oh, and that the house will be ready to move into by tonight! A few townsponies heard about your plight and decided to volunteer!"

"Oh wow, r- really?" I sat there, shocked. There were ponies in this town this willing to just drop their plans to come help prepare a house for some strangers they'd never met? Equestrian ponies surprised me every day with a new way to help me feel welcome.

"Isn't it great? I hope you don't mind, Poppy, but a few of them wanted to come to your welcome party and I tentatively told them yes."

"Oh, y- yeah!" My heart fluttered. They really wanted to meet us? "Of course!"

"Yay!" She chirped, clopping her front hooves together happily. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell anypony else." She hopped up and walked out, closing the door behind her without another word.

We sat there, neither of us saying anything until slowly laughs overcame us. I fell forward into Sunset's forelegs, planting my face firmly into her slightly longer chest fur, giggling all the way.

"I guess that's one pony we don't need to announce anything to." Sunset said, a hoof ruffling my mane.

"Yeah." I said with a playful huff. "Whether we like it or not, apparently."

"I think she could see it coming."

"Seriously?" I grunted "How did everypony except me see this coming?"

"Wait, who else saw this coming?"

I froze.

"Oh, ah… Ada." I pursed my lips nervously as Sunset looked back at me incredulously.

"You're kidding me. How did she react?"

"I think she's the same as me, she just kinda wants me to be happy after our divorce, so she uh… encouraged me." I let out a nervous chuckle. "I told you, I'm not the best at sharing my emotions, but I'm also not the best at hiding them, I–" I felt a hitch in my throat. "I think I was crushing on you for… for a while."

Sunset's hiring grew cheeky and she raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh really~? I could tell it was only a matter of time until you would fall prey to my charms."

"Okay, look me in the eyes and tell me with a straight face that you didn't have a crush on me either."

"Oh no, I never said that." She smirked again, kissing me on the forehead. "Don't put words in my mouth, Poppy."

"Th- then why were you- you're such a tease!" I bumped her chest playfully with a hoof. I left it there before relaxing my face and letting my head down, nuzzling up against her neck.

"You love it."

"I do, " I sniffed, "and I love you, Sunset Shimmer."

"I love you too, Poppy Star."

My tummy bubbled at the use of her new name for me and I pulled my muzzle deeper into her fur, absorbing the wonderful, sweet, and horsey smells of my marefriend.

"We better get ready."

"No." I snapped softly, pushing my snout into her warmth.

"The others will start to wonder what's taking us so long~" Sunny's hoof trailed along my back stroking down along the base of my spine, across the soft down feathers of my wings, and as she reached the base of my tail, I gasped and pulled it in-between my hind legs.

"Good point, okay, let's go!" I hopped up quickly, tail remaining in place as I walked straight out the door.

"Wait, Poppy!" Sunset laughed as she chased after me. "Wait a second, your mane!"

"What about it?"

"I think you got a little too invested in rubbing your head into my barrel last night, your mane is a mess; here, let's give this a try." Sunset stuck out a tongue as her magic lit up, pulling on my mane softly and neatening up the shape. A nearby vase lifted from the table it was on, and the plain beige-brown cloth underneath was levitated toward us. Folding it over and pulling it under my mane, she collected my curls into a bun, tying the cloth into a shawl that held all the loose and annoying strands free from my face.

"There!" Sunset grinned, eyeing me up and down as she took in my new look. "Wow, that actually suits you really well! I'll have to throw Twilight a couple of bucks to replace that cloth."

"That's if she ever finds out. She's got a castle full of them." I joked with a sly wink, Sunset laughing in response and trotting after me down the hall.

We entered the dining hall, pushing the large door open together, stopping when all heads turned to look at us. I bit my lip, preparing for the worst. Had Twilight told them about Sunny and I, despite what she had said before?

I got my answer as the mares in the room greeted me calmly and with no hint of the excitement or noise-making that might have occurred if Twilight had blabbed. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way over to the dining table with Sunset at my side. I couldn't help but notice the slightly overly excited expression on Twilight's face as we took our seats, but her mouth stayed shut.

It seemed that the others had all gone home after last night, leaving Ada, Sunset, and I alone with Twilight and her marefriends. She chatted happily with Luna, while Starlight and Ada conversed as well.

After we had been seated, we ate another one of Spike's home cooked meals, this time a plate of mushrooms that had been pan fried with various spices, and was letting off a wondrous aroma. I thanked my pony senses again for making what was definitely already a delicious meal taste even more intense and nice. The mushrooms were juicy and moist, each sweet and full of flavour. We all thanked Spike for yet another lovely meal, and slipped naturally into conversation with the other mares at the table.

I sat mostly in silence, listening idly as the others conversed about things; life in Ponyville, the families and friends of the ponies we had met so far, with Twilight particularly focusing on how we should get to know Fluttershy more. She brought attention back to her multiple times, which left me wondering as to exactly why, but I didn't think too much about it.

Ada seemed to be staring at me more this morning than usual, and once I began to notice it, I saw that the others were side-eyeing me too. Did Twilight actually tell them? Or am I that easy to read?

"Nice headwrap. Very art 'decor'." Spike commented as he passed with a glass of juice and I felt my face redden. Of course that's what they were looking at… At least they weren't suspicious of anything, right?

"So, what's the plan for today?" Sunset asked, wiping her face clean with a napkin after having finished her plate,

"Well, I have a lot of friendship school related issues that need addressing, and I need to send a lot of letters… I've been shirking my duties while on Earth, so I have plenty to catch up on."

"I tried my hardest to keep the place in order, but you know how they can be… " Starlight muttered, Luna reaching a wing around her and kissing her on the head.

"You did amazing, my dear." Luna said as Twilight smiled happily over at them before turning back to us.

"Unfortunately, there's lots of stuff that I need to be there to do, signing official documents and such, so how about you and Sunset go over to Fluttershy's cottage for a visit? I'm sure she would love to get to know you two better."

There it was again. Why was she so insistent? I decided to nod along with Sunset in agreement. There wasn't any reason not to hang out with her, besides my anxiety telling me something was up.

"S- sure, we can go soon, I guess." I offered my response.

"Great! Ada will be helping us out with the reversal magic today, so feel free to explore the town as well."

After breakfast wrapped up, Sunny and I made our way across town, stopping only once for a short talk with Applejack, and eventually finding the path at the outskirts of Ponyville that led to Fluttershy's cottage. I cautiously knocked at the door, listening out for any noises of movement inside, only for the door to swing open with no warning. I hopped back in surprise, Sunny catching me with a hoof before I tumbled any further.

"Oh my, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, a small white rabbit peeking around the door corner. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Don't worry about it Fluttershy, I'm just… naturally anxious." I explained, Fluttershy giggling knowingly.

"That's something else we have in common. Oh, how thoughtless of me, come inside and I'll get you both some tea." Fluttershy turned around and we followed behind her, Sunny shutting the front door for us with a twinkle of magic. What did she mean by 'something else'?

As we took a seat on the couch, I glanced around at the cottage. It was warm and homely, the open window in her kitchen perfectly mixing the smells of brewing tea with the fresh scent of the nearby forest. A small wood fire burned in a stove, the flames boiling the cast iron kettle that sat on its surface. Fluttershy deftly maneuvered the tea bags and cups, surprising me with how precise she was able to be with such non-prehensile appendages. Maybe I could ask her, or somepony else, for some pointers.

"How are you finding Ponyville so far, girls?" She called out from the kitchen.

"It's great! Ponies here are so cool and nice. We caught up with AJ on the way here too." Sunset said, and I nodded in agreement.

"I'm so glad! We try our hardest, but not everypony can feel like they belong here. I'm glad you two are able to feel welcome so far." Fluttershy smiled warmly, two steaming cups of tea held deftly on a serving tray. We took them and muttered our appreciation.

"Thanks to Twilight and you girls, mostly." I added. "Knowing that there are even a tiny few ponies that are thinking about me is more than I'm used to anyway. Life before was hard. Hardly any friends, and the few friends I did have ghosted me years ago."

"That's horrid!" Fluttershy gasped. "Well, I'm sure you'll meet lots of other nice ponies in time. Actually, that's kind of why I had Twilight ask you two here." Fluttershy started, her expression becoming slightly more nervous. "I- I'm not sure how much Twilight told you, but I'm also transgender."

"No freakin' way!" Sunset jumped to her hooves, shocking me a little and almost causing me to drop my tea. "Oh crap, sorry Poppy, I just– this is so damn cool!"

Fluttershy giggled softly and looked between Sunny and I with a smile. "I'm glad you think so as well. I know all too well what it's like to come to a new town without knowing any other trans ponies like me, so I wanted to extend a hoof before you began to feel alone."

"F- Fluttershy, I don't know what to say." I smiled warmly at her, feeling a very similar excitement to what Sunset was feeling. "Thank you so much for confiding that in us. You didn't have to tell us."

"Oh, I'm happy to! I used to hide it, but my friends taught me to how to confident in being myself, which includes being trans, and now I'm happy to share that with as many ponies as possible."

"I'm glad we got the same philosophy! Being loud and proud is the way to go, if you ask me." Sunset grinned widely, her smile infectious.

"I agree. The main reason I asked Twilight to invite you two here was to tell you that, but I also wanted to offer an open invitation to come to one of the queer meetups we have in Ponyville."

"For real? That sounds like a great idea! What do you think, Poppy?"

I didn't know exactly what I thought, but as always, I knew that I felt nervous. What would ponies think of me? There would be so many new faces, so much untread ground, but my desires echoed in my mind. I didn't want to be alone, or to be isolated from other ponies around me, ever again.

"I- I wanna go!"

"Oh, I'm so happy! There are so many friendly ponies in Ponyville. I can't wait to introduce you to Lyra and Bon Bon too! Lyra is trans and her partner is cis, but I think it would be great for you to meet another lesbian couple."

Wait.

"Uh, come again, 'another'?"

"I also know how isolating it can be to not be around any gay couples either, but ever since I met Autumn Blaze, I've felt far less alone knowing lots of other gay couples. Hopefully it will be the same for you and Sunset!"

"I– but, we're n– ugh, why does everypony assume Sunset and I are dating!?" I groaned in embarrassment.

"Oh, you're not? I'm so sorry, I really thought you were! You two seem so close."

I looked over at Sunset, heat rising in my face, and I noticed that we were, in fact, pressed close together on the couch. My instincts told me to pull away, but a yellow hoof wrapped its way around my side and pulled me closer.

"We are! I think it just might not seem too real yet, since I only told her I liked her last night." Sunset answered for us and a shot of happy feelings spread through my belly. Having Sunset so confidently and happily assert our relationship to others was really nice, especially compared to how scared Ada seemed to even admit she had a 'husband'.

"Really? Only last night? I'm so happy for you both!" Fluttershy smiled, her positivity infectious. "You're both trans too, right? That must be lovely. Dating somepony who relates to you on such a deep level is an amazing feeling."

"That's how I feel too." Sunset said softly, nuzzling an ear with her snout and instantly causing me to melt into her forelegs. I was never one to reject PDA, but after Sunset and I had confessed to each other, I couldn't deny that each time she touched me, brushed up against my side while we were walking, or held me in her forelegs, I only felt safe and warm. The embarrassment clearly came only from being seen as weak, seen as needing to rely on comfort from another pony, but as time was progressing, the prospect of it seemed less and less weird. So what if I was weak? So what if I was emotional, and let it affect my decisions? I felt a sense of pride in being open with how I felt, and sitting here in Sunset's forelegs, I couldn't help but want to be open and proud about my relationship with her too.

I conceded to my admittedly wonderful fate and nuzzled up against my new marefriend, hugging her soft barrel tightly. It felt so, so wonderful to openly express my love for Sunny in such a public way, and I held nothing back, even pecking her on the cheek as we separated from the embrace.

"The next meeting is next week, if you wanted to come?"

I nodded shakily. "We'll be there! A-are there any other trans ponies who are going to be there?"

"Oh yes, plenty! My marefriend is also trans, and she'll be there too."

"Oh hell yes," Sunny cheered, "I can't wait to meet them. I had like, zero trans friends back on earth, so it'll be great to meet more."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you two as well."

"Oh hey, we're gonna be having that welcoming party sometime soon, you should invite your marefriend along. I'm sure Poppy would love to meet her before the queer meetup too, so she knows at least somepony else before we show up."

I smiled up at Sunny with immense appreciation. "Th-that would be great! I- I mean, if she wants to meet me too."

"Of course, she will absolutely be there!"

We finished off our tea and brunch, reluctantly saying goodbye to our new friend as we wandered back into Ponyville proper. I had entered feeling anxious, but Fluttershy was too nice, too kind and welcoming to feel uneasy around for long. The prospect of meeting Fluttershy's marefriend was exciting too, yet another trans pony who I might have the possibility of being friends with, alongside the yellow Pegasus herself.

Trotting through the central area of town, Sunset sidled up to me and I felt her flank pressing against mine as I slowly walked in lockstep with her. I lifted a wing up nervously, placing it with care around the withers of my marefriend. She turned her head toward me, her smile warming my heart, and I couldn't help but lean over slightly for a nuzzle. As I did so, my muzzle bumped against hers clumsily and I almost tripped over my hooves in distraction, only to be stabilised by the wing I had draped around her as well as Sunset herself with an outstretched hoof. I giggled nervously at my mistake, only to burst out into full blown laughter alongside the beautiful unicorn beside me.

I stood still and let her nuzzle up against me once more, brushing my cheek with hers, and we made our way down the cobble road. My mind wandered into daydreams of hope and peace, all I had ever desired, now possible for me to have for the first time in my life.

Past and Potential

We walked in through the gates of the castle, Sunset and I side by side. The entry hall was empty, but before I could call out to see where the others were, a loud violet flash interrupted me from the other room. We approached and entered cautiously, stopping to make sure no more magic was being cast before stepping through.

Twilight, Starlight, and Ada were all gathered around a table, papers and scientific looking equipment having been strewn around, not even resembling an organised chaos. Ada's mane was frizzy and distressed, strands messily hanging away from her tired expression. She turned to face us alongside the other two mares and offered a weak smile, clearly all her energy could muster at the moment.

"Alright, scratch that idea. You feeling alright, Ada? We can stop anytime." Twilight frowned in concern at the fatigued looking unicorn, who shook her head in response.

"I-I'm good. Let's keep going."

"You girls look like you've been busy. Any luck yet?" Sunset asked, and a series of dour looks confirmed our suspicions.

"No, unfortunately not. I've confirmed through inspection of the mirror portal to the Other-Sunset's world, the physiology of humans there is still quite different, they have quite a lot of latent magic. It gave us somewhere to jump off of, but…"

"Unless Ada wants to be going back to earth with blue skin and hair, not to mention spreading magic around and turning other folks into ponies, we can't exactly use that avenue." Starlight finished for her marefriend.

"I'm gonna miss the magic, but I absolutely understand. Don't want this situation to happen to anypony– anyone else. Without them wanting it, of course." Ada said, motioning at me toward the end of her sentence.

"Well, hopefully you can figure it out soon."

"How did your day go, girls?" Twilight asked Sunny and I.

"It was great! Fluttershy invited us to the Ponyville queer meetup, and we got to take a walk down to Sweet Apple Acres. I didn't know a place could smell so strongly of apples. After that, we went and tried a hayburger– thanks for the recommendation, Twilight, it was shockingly good! " I babbled, my brain joyously jumping between the events of the day.

"Oh, you'll be at the meetup? See you girls there!" Starlight winked at us, Twilight giggling along. I should have guessed that Twilight and her marefriends would be there, but the realisation made me feel even more confident in going. I would have the friendship of so many ponies to back me up. Not to mention, Fluttershy was going to introduce me to her marefriend at the welcome party, and who knew how many more I would meet there.

"So the visit went well? Twilight told me that she was getting you to meet her trans friend." Ada approached me as Sunset got distracted joking about something gay related with Starlight and Twilight.

"Yeah, it was so nice. Meeting somepony who is also both trans and a lesbian was great. That meetup they mentioned sounds like it might be a great way for me to meet new friends." I explained to my ex with a hopeful smile. She smiled back warmly, listening intently.

"Ah, so you're definitely into mares only, huh?" She chuckled.

"I- I think so. Who knows, if I meet the right stallion, but we would have to connect on a pretty deep level. I don't think that will happen any time soon, though. I got much more important stuff going on."

"It's good to focus on your new marefriend before thinking about meeting other partners anyway. Only so much you can handle at once." Ada explained.

"Right, and who knows ho–" I froze. "I- I mean, I'm not w- worried about dating j-just yet, and s–"

"Poppy, you are the easiest pony to read in all of Equestria." Ada said with a knowing laugh. "You and Sunset went to bed one foot apart, and left the room this morning practically making out with your eyes."

"A- Are you kidding me!?" I gasped in exasperation. "Ada, I- I'm so sorry, it was so f- fast, and she…" I was going to say that she told me she loved me first, but despite that being the technical truth, I knew the reality. "Ughhh..."

"Hey, relax, Poppy!" Ada smiled warmly at me, placing a hoof on my withers. "If I remember correctly, I gave you my blessing to go after Sunset. Plus, how cool is it that my ex is dating 'Shimmer Code'? Even if she had to end her streaming career." She joked with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "I'm serious, Poppy. I was… I was not a good partner for you. You deserve a partner who can meet your needs, and make you truly happy. I can see how happy Sunset makes you, and I wouldn't do a thing to take that away."

"Th- thank you, sweetie. You know that I'd do anything to make you happy too." I nuzzled her, slipping into the way we used to talk one last time.

"Me too. I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to be that."

"Hey, remember? No more sorries." I grinned widely. "So! What's for dinner?"

She laughed, smiling at me happily, the way she once did, but now without pretense or secrets.

"Apparently Twilight's old teacher is coming over for the evening, so I assume something special."

A full three course meal sat before us, the usually empty kitchen bustling with temporary service staff. I was taken aback, never having seen a meal this lavish in my life, not to mention for the visit of a single pony. Just who in Equestria was Twilight's old teacher?

Twilight herself was running around, directing ponies nervously while Luna and Starlight tried to calm her down.

"Please take a breath! She's not even your superior anymore, and you are a princess!" Starlight begged her marefriend, who was too busy talking to a nearby unicorn about cake choices to listen.

"Star is right, Twilight, you must calm yourself." Luna followed behind, looking concernedly between her two marefriends. "You know Celestia well, and you haven't acted like this around her for years."

"Because this is different, Lulu! This is–" her eyes shifted toward Sunset and I for a brief moment. "This is just– just different, okay?"

I looked questioningly toward Sunny, who offered just a shrug and a similarly confused look in return. Twilight, now finished talking to the wait staff, approached us both with a forced smile, sweat practically dripping from her as she shakily greeted us.

"H-Hey girls! Sunset! Do you mind if we talk for a second?"

"Sure? What's this all about, Twi?"

"W-Well… You know how I mentioned your other self, the one through the mirror?" Sunset nodded in response. "She also used to be the student of my old teacher, and the last time she saw her, things didn't end the greatest."

"Right, right, the whole world domination thing."

"Yeah." Twilight deadpanned. "I just don't want you to worry too much if she acts weird around you."

"I'll be fine. She knows I'm not the same Sunset Shimmer she knows, right? … Right?" Sunset chuckled. I was getting to know her enough now to see through the mask, and I pulled her closer to me, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"I'm here, Sunny."

She nuzzled me in appreciation briefly before turning back to the purple alicorn. The door to the dining room opened a foot, and a familiar squat purple dragon squeezed through. Spike came to a stop, catching his breath before whispering in Twilight's ear. She shot up and swung her gaze to the door just in time to see it swing open completely with a golden glow. In stepped a large alicorn wearing a beautiful taupe chiffon dress. Her mane was flowing and long, currently tied into a neat ponytail behind her neck. As she entered, her eyes drifted to us and froze, gaze locked on Sunset for a second before moving on.

I could feel Sunset shaking in anxiety next to me and I pushed my body closer to hers. She calmed just a little as my fur rubbed warmly against hers, but I could still feel her trembling form next to me.

"Pri– Celestia, it's so good to see you!" Twilight rushed toward the alabaster alicorn, whose name I now recognized as the one Twilight had off-hoofedly mentioned many times. As far as I could garner, she had seemed like a mother figure to Twilight, so her being an alicorn was something I was taken aback by, but not completely surprised.

"Hello, Princess Twilight." She said serenely, and Twilight blushed in response. "I hope you and Starlight Glimmer have been treating my sister well, yes?"

"Of course they have." Luna said with a low chuckle. "I wouldn't expect any different."

"Nor do I. Greetings to you too, Starlight." Celestia said with a nod toward her ex-student and her marefriends. "So," she said, suddenly turning her attention to Sunset and I. "I've been informed that you two are the new arrivals to our realm."

Sunset nodded shakily in response. "Y-Yes ma'am. P-princess?"

"Not anymore, so 'Celestia' is fine." she said with a smile. "And you are Poppy, yes?"

"Yep, that's me!" I said cheerily. I knew that Sunset's usual confidence rubbed off on me, so I was hoping mine would do the same for her. "Poppy Star's the name!" I nudged Sunset knowingly, hoping my use of her nickname for me would help her out. "And this is my marefriend, Sunset Shimmer!"

"It's very nice to meet you, Sunset." Celestia said with a nod toward her. "I'm sure Twilight has mentioned that we have… met before."

Sunset froze, her teeth gritting together tightly as she looked up at the alicorn, who looked back with a calm, serene expression.

"U-uh, hey C-Celestia," Sunset shivered. "About the whole t-taking over Equestria thing, I swear that wasn't me, just a pony that looks like me, and acts like me, and... Oh stars, I'm not helping at all."

Celestia giggled warmly in response. "Sunset, please do not worry. I'm aware that you aren't the same Sunset who was once my student, but I know there are similarities between our lives. I just… want to apologize. If the other world version of me said something to you, as I did so regretfully to my student, I wanted to say sorry for how she– for how I treated you."

Sunset laughed nervously, a palpable relief spreading across her face. "Oh no no no, I've never even met the Earth version of you."

"That's… good to hear. We can start off with a completely clean slate." Celestia gave us a similar look of relief. "I must admit, it may take time for me to stop thinking of her when I see you, Sunset Shimmer; you are both so alike, it is quite uncanny."

"I'm sorry, I can… I can leave, if that would make things easier." Sunset looked down at her hooves, avoiding eye contact with Celestia.

"No, Sunset, please stay." She said, her calm tone slipping slightly. "It would make me very happy to get to properly know you. That means you, and not the Sunset Shimmer that I have already met."

"R-really? I mean, i-if you wanna leave at any time…" Sunset pawed the castle's crystal floor with a hoof.

"I do not. You have already begun to help my mind calm itself, knowing that the other version of me has not… hurt you." Celestia said to Sunset with a warmth I hadn't expected, but it immediately caused my marefriend to relax almost completely. She looked up at Celestia, still nervously, but with a sense of hope.

"M-Maybe, if it makes it easier, you could just call me S- Sunny instead."

I felt my heart soar as I grinned widely at my marefriend. She was using the name I gave her, just as I was using hers! She cared about me and liked the name enough to actually use it with other ponies too!

"Hmm, Sunny! I do like that. So it shall be, Sunny." Celestia said kindly, bringing a blush and an embarrassed smile out of the yellow unicorn.

"Now, Twilight," Celestia began and the princess looked to her former mentor with bright eyes. "I hope that this lovely meal wasn't all for me."

"Heh, w-well…" Twilight stammered, and Luna stepped forward to stand alongside her marefriend.

"Of course not, sister! For I hunger as well, and I simply cannot leave such a large dinner for you alone." She joked with a playful wink, offering some much needed levity to the tense atmosphere.

Sunset seemed to be far more calm after our introduction with Celestia, and we took our seats at the table alongside the other ponies in the room. The meal was delicious, my new pony senses tasting the fruity and complex flavours of all three courses. By the end, I had hardly touched the third course and was leaning back in my chair contentedly. Sunny and the others soon finished off their meals as well and began talking amongst themselves intently.

I looked around the table happily, feeling an odd calmness as I glanced at all the ponies I had met thus far. There were even more than just the ponies in this room, and already I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed, in the best possible way. I didn't want to make any of my new friends feel any less special, but I was beginning to wonder how I would find time for them all.

The atmosphere was much lighter now, and Sunset had begun talking with Celestia about her past life, what our version of earth was like, and eventually the conversation drifted to queer rights and the stark difference between here and Earth. This place was practically a utopia for queer people! Magical and medical transition was easy to access and could be magically customized to reflect your wants. Apparently gatherings like the Ponyville queer meet-up were still small, but many more ponies came to them than the ones on Earth, and not to mention there was a plethora of workplace protections in place and active unions. It really filled me with a sense of hope, to be finally somewhere that might accept me in such a way that also assured protections and didn't make me feel like a target was painted on my back.

Dinner finally wrapped up and we said our goodbyes to Celestia and the others. Twilight and Luna followed us down the Ponyville main road and toward our new house, chatting happily along the way. Ada and Sunset were conversing idly about a game that Sunset had played on stream a few months ago, while Luna and I walked silently alongside each other. I flared my nostrils, taking in the cool and crisp evening Ponyville air. It felt so untainted by smog, by the smells of the street, anything that resembled the industrialised world. It was just like Sunset's home in Sweden, but somehow even more refreshing.

"How are you finding our realm so far, Poppy Star?" Luna looked down at me and I grinned back, extremely happy that my new name was catching on.

"It's…" I searched for a way to put it all into words. "It's honestly incredible. It feels like it can't be real. There can't be this many ponies that care about me…"

"No doubt you will meet even more ponies who will become a vital part of your life. I was once like you too; new to a life in– well, in modern Equestria. I found myself to be shocked at the rate that I made friends and found purpose alongside my two wonderful marefriends." She said sagely, a soft smile peeking through the cracks. "You are also lucky to be coming here with your marefriend as well. It must bring you great comfort."

She wasn't my marefriend before we got here, I thought to myself and chuckled.

"I know it's not much, but I did want to thank you, and Starlight, and… everypony else, really. I feel like I'd get overwhelmed without you and the others to guide me. I mean, hay, I'm already getting a little overwhelmed, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I'm glad for that." Luna responded before cutting herself off and looking forward. "Ah, here we are!"

I stared at the exterior of our new house alongside Ada and the others, still trying to grapple with the fact that this was ours. I was aware that we'd eventually move from this little cottage to a larger one, more suited for multiple ponies, but seeing this place filled me with hope and joy.

I glanced regretfully at Ada but for a moment. I felt such guilt for everything that had happened, but I still loved her regardless of our marital status. I wanted deeply for her to be happy. Part of me still wished she would stay here with us, but I felt her departure looming. How long was it until she was returned to her old form and left for Earth again? Would that be the last time we'd see each other? I tried to ignore the tightening in my chest, feeling again that we were drifting further apart.

The house was dark still, and I flicked a light on as we entered the room. It was exactly as we had left it, besides the fact that water flowed freely from the faucets, and I was able to use it to wash my hooves free of any dirt I picked up from our walk through town. Luna and Twilight said their goodbyes and went back to the castle, leaving us to settle into our new dwellings. Ada, Sunset, and I sat around the coffee table, drinking an evening cup of tea. It was funny how normal it had become to see Ada and the other unicorns use their magic; something which I hadn't even believed existed before now.

I shivered as I felt the night air begin to set in, and I drew myself closer to Sunset. She hopped up, and with a spark of magic, Sunny lit a woodfire stove in the corner of the room, placing a few logs in to help feed the fire and warm the room.

"So, what even happened today, Ada? You look fried. Hopefully you weren't literally fried." Sunset joked, walking back to her seat next to me and picking up her tea again with a soft glow of magic.

"I feel like I got fried, so I might as well have." She responded, laughing happily with my marefriend. "We were just trying a bunch of stuff; I didn't really understand what was going on, really, bunch of magical nonsense to me."

"Ah, sounds like my kinda nonsense."

"You can come help out tomorrow if you like. Gosh knows Starlight could use a break, she looked like she was at the end of her rope."

"I was thinking of taking Poppy out to the market tomorrow, but I can probably help out the day after."

"That would be great, actually! Gosh knows I want to get back sooner rather than later."

I stared at my hooves. "So… I guess we won't see each other again after you go back to Earth…"

She froze.

"O-Oh. I… I hadn't really thought of that." Ada's expression shifted.

"I… I'm sorry, I'm ruining the night, aren't I."

"No, of course not. I… I don't want to say goodbye to you forever, Poppy. That's not at all what I wanted."

"I'll talk to Twilight about it, okay?" Sunset said, offering me a reassuring nuzzle that I reciprocated. "There's gotta be some way you can keep in contact."

"If she can open up a portal between our world's, then she must be able to do something." I muttered.

"I promise, I'll find a way to come see you again too. Maybe we could ask Twilight to open another portal? M- Maybe not anytime soon. Apparently it takes even more magical power than she let on, and it puts a strain on her body too." Ada said somberly. She shook her head lightly and smiled up at us. "That can come later. For now, I wanna know who confessed to who first? Poppy, or Sunset?"

I coughed, a small sputter of tea coming from my lips. Swallowing the rest hastily, I responded. "Wh-what?"

"You and Sunset!" She stared cheekily and my cheeks began to redden. "Which one of you was the one to finally break."

Sunset's laugh was full of tense nerves, but she responded far before I could even begin to think on how to respond. "Oh yeah, it was me." She replied. "Poppy may have hinted at things, but I most definitely told her I loved her first."

"Ooh, jumping straight to love, huh? I remember when we first started dating, Poppy, you were too nervous to even say "love"! You used to go around saying "I really like you" instead." She laughed loudly and I retreated inward a little, only for a foreleg to wrap around me and pull me close to its owner's soft fur. I instantly felt calmer at Sunny's embrace, only for the awkwardness to return slightly when I saw Ada looking kindly warmly at us both. "She's worth it."

"I… I really do love her, too. She's…" Sunset looked down at me, wrapped in her forelegs tightly. "Precious. She's funny and smart, and she makes me… want to be a better pony. Not just so that I can be a better partner, but so I can be my best self."

Ada nodded. "She helped me do that too. I'm happy I met you, both of you. I know it might seem weird, but it does make me happy to see that you've already found love so soon after we…" she trailed off, forlorn again until I spoke.

"It's okay, Ada. I don't regret meeting you, you also helped me better myself." I filled the silence, reassuring her once again.

"I think if anything, I was holding you back. Now you get to be your true self."

I blushed, idly looking down at my mare's body. I really was my true self now, wasn't I? I wasn't faking anything anymore. I wasn't pretending to be straight, to be cisgender, to be human. Thinking back on my life on earth, ever since I could remember, I had never felt like I really was a human. To now be in a body that felt like mine was enthralling. I remembered that time Sunset, Twi, and I went to lunch with the glamour spell on, how the feeling of wrongness and incongruity had returned, and I knew I had made the right choice.

My wings ruffled in the cold of the evening and I lifted one up and over Sunset's withers, prompting a soft coo from her as she accepted the hug. I melted into her touch, a warmth filling me that I hadn't felt with Ada for years. Instead, I felt a different warmth from Ada now. A reassuring warmth, one that told me I wasn't wrong for being myself, and for being in love with Sunset.

We talked a little while longer before heading our separate ways; Ada heading to her room, and Sunset and I to ours. Softly closing the door behind her, Sunset approached me in the dim of our bedside lamp. I smiled warmly as she approached, her hooves thudding lightly against the carpeted floorboards. The cottage was small, but still two stories tall, and our room was located on the top floor, giving us a lovely view of Ponyville.

It was warm and cozy in our room; the woodfire stove in the room below had a metal exhaust which led through our room and out the roof, and the heat radiating from that had left the room toasty long after the fire had been put out.

With a light squeak, I felt myself tackled to the bed by Sunset, who immediately began rubbing her face around in my fur, humming enthusiastically as she stimmed with the texture of my coat. I giggled in joy, feeling the tickle of that wonderful mare's muzzle against my belly. Eventually, she managed to remove her face from the dense fur on my barrel enough to look up at me with a content smile. She hummed contentedly, her mouth still covered in fur as she stared into my eyes. I couldn't help but look back, her beautiful teal irises reflecting the light from our lamp.

"I meant what I said before, Poppy." She mumbled, her muzzle still somewhat muffled by the fluff on my chest. "I really love you."

"I-I really love you too, Sunny." sparkles rose in my belly. "You're amazing."

"No you."

"Hey, both of us, okay?" I said with a cheeky smile. "If I say something nice about myself, you gotta do the same about you."

"Wh-wha?"

"I'm a cute little mare." I said, the vocalisation of that phrase alone bringing forth another surge of light happy feelings. "I'm k-kind, and I'm… I'm worthy of your love."

Sunset's eyes began to shine in the dim light, her slightly watery eyes illuminated by the lamp. "It… wow, it feels really good even if you say it about yourself… but I don't know if I can…"

"You gotta! I did it, now it's your turn." I booped her on the snout with a hoof. "Repeat after me. I have a cute muzzle."

She buried her face into my fluff once more and mumbled. "I have a cute muzzle…"

"What was that? Speak up, filly." I joked and Sunny pushed her face further in before pulling it out and looking me in the eyes.

"I'm… I'm cute. And I have a cute muzzle. And I'm… I'm good at magic too." Her expression was grumpy, but I could see a smile peeking out from her lips. I learnt forward and kissed her nose lightly, feeling a shock of happiness as I did so. This time, she didn't retreat in embarrassment at all, instead leaning into it further. I kissed her nose again and she scrunched it slightly, giggling at the sensation. I kissed her again, and again, until I was peppering her face from top to bottom with little pecks of affection.

"S-Stop!" she yipped, her giggles taking over. "Poppy! Ahaha!"

"Never!" I proclaimed. "I see your muzzle and I must kiss it!"

I continued my assault until Sunny's hooves shot to my face, holding me still for a moment. I stared back, my lips pursed between her hooves. She learnt forward and her lips connected with mine, a jolt of euphoria through shooting through me like lightning. Unlike our first small kiss, this one did not end after a moment. Sunset relaxed even further and I pressed in more intensely, feeling the soft and wonderful warmth of her lips on mine. With a soft moan, I sank further and further into her forelegs, the moment taking me away from reality completely.

I felt her lips part slightly and her tongue brushed lightly against my lips. I felt the shot of endorphins hit me again, my whole body bubbling and sparkling with happiness, and I couldn't help but open my lips, feeling the velvety texture of hers do the same. I learnt into her fully, feeling her tongue push further into my mouth, and our bodies pressed tightly together. My hooves found their way to her mane and I stroked it softly, caressing her as softly and as lovingly as I possibly could. She reciprocated fully, moaning lightly with me from the pure joy and closeness we both no doubt felt.

The world faded away. It was just us. Just her and I, our lips and bodies so close that we may as well have been one pony. I felt so warm, so content, so in love, that nothing else mattered, not one single thing in the entire world was important besides her. And stars, she was important. I could tell, not a thing would be able to make me love her less. I could feel our hearts becoming closer, our very beings intertwined in a blissful rhapsody. I was hers, and she was mine, our forelegs tangled around each other in a knot of passion as our kiss intensified.

Finally, after what seemed like a millenia, our lips parted and we stared deeply into each other's eyes. She looked at me, I looked at her, and we didn't need to say a single thing. We just gazed into each other, cherishing how close we were at this time, and losing ourselves in it. I leaned in and kissed her again, passion and happiness radiating from the both of us. Our lips parted once more and I could help but giggle, Sunset slowly joining in.

"I really… oh gosh, I really liked that. I've never… oh wow." Sunset said in bewilderment, a hoof bringing itself up to her forehead to clear her stray mane hairs. "I've never done something like that before."

"Wait, really?" I gawked. "That's impossible, your previous partners never kissed these irresistible lips?" I said in half jest, but still curious.

"I've… uh, I've never been in a relationship before. You're my first."

I couldn't help but feel my eyes widen. "No way. No heckin' way, I'm your first!?"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"N-No, Sunset, I'm actually… I'm happy I could be your first." I smiled with as much warmth as I could possibly show. "I mean, Ada was my first partner, and… I can't deny that I have regrets. Mostly for not having realized my true self before letting it get that far." I shook my head, dispelling that train of thought. Now wasn't the time for regrets, now was the time to show Sunset just how loved she was.

"Y- Yeah, I just– I dunno, I've just been very picky with partners. They gotta be pretty, uh…" She blushed, teal irises sparkling in the lamplight. "They gotta be pretty special, and I gotta like them a whole dang lot. You might be surprised, but it takes a lot for me to crush on somepony, and… you are the perfect storm of adorable, kind, sweet, trans, pony, and most importantly, you love me back. I've… no-one has ever loved me before. Not my mum or dad, nopony before I met you."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping my forelegs around her and brushing her mane lightly with an idle fetlock.

"I promise you, Sunset. I love you. I love you so fucking much, and I can't wait to continue to grow and learn alongside you." I sobbed out, my emotions overwhelming me as I finally let the tears flow. She cried as well, the first time I had ever seen her do so, and I held her close, caressing her and loving her as she deserved. She buried her face into my coat and wailed. I cried too, thinking of all the emotional weight she must have been carrying with her this whole time, and knowing very intimately how painful it was to carry that with you.

Together, we cried until we couldn't any more, sniffling still as we both held tightly onto each other. I looked into her eyes again, glistening even more now, and she looked into mine. We didn't say anything again, both just staring into the other mare's eyes, until the draw of sleep pulled us both in and we drifted off in each other's forelegs.

Farewell and the Future

The quiet sound of ponies moving about outside our window slowly woke me from my sleep. I lifted my heavy eyelids open to yet another morning of wonderful, all encompassing warmth. My face was once again buried in my marefriends coat, but this morning, I also found myself unable to move, being hugged close by Sunny. She stirred as I woke, her bright and lovely eyes showing she was clearly awake for a while before I was.

"G'mornin, Poppy. How's my little star?" She cooed softly, kissing the top of my mane. "Sleep well?"

"Mmm, yeah." I muttered, pushing my face back into the fluff of her chest. Waking up to this every morning was now a somewhat normal occurrence, but one that I never tired of. It had been about a week since we had moved into our little cottage, a week that was filled with some of the most amazing experiences of my life. Being in an openly gay relationship was incredibly eye opening. Thinking of myself and being openly perceived as a gay couple alongside Sunny really made parts of my brain and identity I had felt lost on suddenly flip into place. I was a lesbian. I was transgender, and happy about it, just as Sunset was. Finally being able to solidly pin down labels I could relate to felt incredibly validating.

I yawned and smiled once more at my marefriend. Her mane always looked so pretty, but the light of the morning sun always shone off it in just the right way. I sighed in contentment. "My sleep was good, but waking up to you is even better. How did you sleep, sweet pea?"

"I had the wildest dream. You and I were back on earth, but we were still ponies. You were driving a car with your hooves perfectly while we ran from the cops."

I snorted. "What? Heheh, I hate to tell you, but I can't actually drive."

"Dream-you certainly could. We ended up stopping for gas but then just walked off into the forest and found some mushrooms to eat."

"Hmm, not gonna lie, that sounds kinda tempting– and I'm only half joking."

"Well, Fluttershy actually dropped off some mushrooms she collected yesterday, how about I cook you some for breakfast?" Sunny offered with her signature grin and I nodded enthusiastically, the promise of some deliciously juicy and nutty wood mushrooms making my mouth water.

Sunny knew how to cook them just right too. Over the last week, she had fully revealed to me her love of cooking and food, her and I having created some delicious meals together, serving them for Ada and many other ponies that had come to visit.

It was incredibly nice having ponies that came to see us instead of the expectation that I would always be the one to put in the effort, like it had been among my human friends. Twilight, Luna, and Starlight were the most common visitors, usually accompanied by Fluttershy and Spike as well, give or take a few ponies on certain days. Applejack and her wife, Rainbow Dash, came around a few times to talk to us about the queer meetup, and to ask if their sisters could come to the welcome party, to which we enthusiastically accepted.

For the first time in years, I had had an entire week off work with no looming pressure on the horizon. I was relaxed and energised, able to do things when I felt up for it rather than being forced. I went for a walk last morning with Sunny, and even though my body still carried across my unfortunately quite debilitating health issues after becoming a pony, I was able to feel comfortable while going for a walk for the first time in my life.

Being on all fours really did feel right, and I felt far more confident, far more secure on my hooves than how I had felt with two legs and feet. Something about having four legs and my fluffy wings to help balance was far more comfortable. It was even becoming normal. I feared if I ever tried to walk on two legs again, I would have major issues with balance, even more so than what my disabilities had given me.

Despite my health problems still being prevalent, we left the house often. Ponyville was simply a wonderful place to just go for a walk around in. Sweet Apple Acres had become a regular trotting spot for us, the lovely smell of the orchard always serving to comfort me. Seeing Applejack and her wife every few mornings was also lovely, and they often invited us in to have tea and breakfast. Her family was so kind, quickly welcoming us both and making us feel like we were in a home away from home. Her sister, Applebloom, seemed to take a liking to Sunset very fast, always greeting her enthusiastically when we showed up.

I had felt content and calm for the entire week. No major fears or stresses, no sense of impending doom. I was happy. Truly, truly at peace. I trotted down the creaky stairs after refreshing myself and washing my hooves, my involuntary grin spreading to Sunny almost immediately. She had already started in the kitchen, the lightly sizzling pan spreading a garlic and spice smell through the house. With a light tumble, she tipped the bag of mushrooms into the pan, their presence immediately starting a louder sizzle and slowly filling the room with their woody scent.

"Mmm, smells great!" Ada said from the living room, smiling at me as I stepped down the stairs. She hopped up after placing down her coffee with an amber twinkle, trotting over toward Sunset and I. "Morning, Poppy! You look well rested." She chuckled, looking up at my frizzy and askew mane. I brushed it futilely with my fetlocks, finally giving up when a fly hair sprung outward for the fiftieth time.

"Morning, Ada." I smiled back sleepily. "You seem on an up today."

"Y- Yeah, I guess so." She muttered.

It wasn't long until the wonderful breakfast Sunny had prepared was ready, the golden brown mushrooms steaming lightly and again filling the room with a lovely smell. I ate them quickly, my mouth getting ahead of my stomach as I snuffled them down. Sunny and Ada ate with a similar fervour, if quite slower and neater than I did.

With our stomachs full, Sunny and I began to prepare for our day. With the welcome party in the evening, we had an entire day ahead of us to spend doing whatever we might want. Just as we were about to head out the door, Ada approached me with an unreadable expression.

"Hey girls, can we talk for a moment before you go?" She asked, her tone betraying her nervousness.

"Of course, Ada." Sunny responded. "What's up?"

"I just thought I'd tell you that… Twilight and Starlight have perfected a way to turn me back into a human and keep me that way, so I think… I'm going to go home tomorrow."

I felt my stomach become a pit.

"O-oh…"

"I… We also haven't found a way for you and I to communicate regularly. Apparently the book that Sunset Shimmer from the other universe uses to communicate with Twilight also radiates magical energy passively, and any kinda spells are off the table."

"Wh- What do you… does this mean I'll never see you again?" I murmured, gulping as the pit in my stomach grew larger.

"You mean a lot to us, Ada, I couldn't fathom not seeing you again." Sunset added.

"N- No, you'll be able to see me when Twilight opens up a portal again, but that will be… only once a year."

"Oh…" The tension in my belly remained. "Okay, b-but you gotta get, like, a week off work for my visit."

She giggled and nodded in response. "Got it. You two better do the same, I wanna see my two favorite girls as much as I can, ya hear?"

I nodded, wiping the tears which had begun to well up from my eyes. "Got it."

"I won't hold you two up much longer, so you head off. I'll see you at the party tonight, okay?"

I nodded shakily, the uncertain tension still in my belly, but I was determined to not let it affect me and Sunset's day. Apparently she had something nice planned, and had been hinting at things throughout all of yesterday. I was pretty damn oblivious in general, but could tell she was trying to tell me something.

The morning was crisp and cool, the early morning air lightly biting the inside of my nostrils, but filling my body with a rejuvenating freshness. Sunny stepped up next to me, immediately feeling the chill of the morning become less harsh as her coat brushed against mine. She glanced at me, but the glance turned into a look, turned into a stare. I stared back into her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay, Sunny?" I asked, and she shook her head rapidly, clearly being off in some train of thought.

"Yeah, just thinking about all of this, yknow?" She motioned vaguely at me with a hoof as we began our trot down the street. "I don't know if I've ever felt as lucky as I do now. I get to be a horse, with an awesome horse marefriend, in a town full of other horses like us. Feels a bit unreal. I get to have the stuff I always dreamed about."

I giggled and nodded along with her as she spoke. This morning was particularly wonderful, the soft morning mist still lingering in the air. Dew collected on flowers and bushes, evaporating into the mist with a beautiful steam that shone in the morning sun.

"I agree. I feel like we keep looping back to talking about it, but this place feels so…" I started, trailing off as I searched for the right word to use.

"Like a new home?"

"Exactly like a new home. I'm so happy that I'm here with you, Sunny." I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, the warmth of her cheeks lingering on my lips even after I had pulled away. She raised an eyebrow at me and lunged forward, locking her lips with mine and invading my mouth with her tongue. I accepted the kiss immediately, melting into it, before it ended as soon as it started.

I stumbled a little, the shock of being pulled from the kiss so fast discombobulating me. Sunset laughed and stared at me as I regained my balance. I giggled along with her and leaned my weight back into Sunny.

"You're such a bottom." She commented, and I burst out laughing.

"Ahaha, what?" I snorted, feeling as my laughs resonated against her barrel. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, you know… You'd do anything for a kiss, wouldn't you?"

Immediately I felt myself nodding, only to catch myself and feel my face begin to redden and warm itself despite the cold morning air.

"See?"

"It's not my fault your kisses are so nice…"

"I dunno, I think you're just a mega bottom."

"I still have no idea what you mean by that." I whinged, desperate to actually understand what was happening. Was she teasing me?

"I'm saying," she pressed her muzzle against mine, "that I can make you do anything for my affection. I could make you… beg for it."

Oh stars. I leaned inward and tried to kiss her, only for her to suddenly pull back.

"And that," she said, punctuating her point with a tap of a hoof on my muzzle, "is what makes you a bottom."

My face was boiling red with embarrassment and I planted it into Sunny's fur, hiding my blush from any other ponies that were out this early.

“Okay, you proved your point. Now give me an actual kiss.” I huffed, and her sly grin only grew bigger.

“Say please, like a good mare.” She stated very plainly, and my face exploded with warmth. I stepped back and forth on my hooves, trying desperately to hide my overwhelmed state.

“C-can I….” I stuttered out, looking up at my tall and beautiful marefriend. “Can I h- have a kiss? P- Please?”

“Of course you can.” She leant forward and placed an incredibly short peck on my cheek. I gawked, silently begging for a proper kiss by following her lips as she pulled away, but she was faster than me.

“Y- You’re really trying to make me beg, aren’t you…” I huffed again.

“You bet.”

“P- Please, Sunny, I… I love you so much. I want to kiss you all the time, every time I see your beautiful snout and pretty mane… I need to kiss you, sweetie, please.” I raised my pitch as I spoke, leaning inward to feel as much of my body against Sunset, only realising a little too late that I was using too much weight. I fell forward, flinching in preparation to collide with Sunny only for her hooves to shoot up and catch me.

"Okay, okay, down there Poppy!" She chuckled. "A little too keen, huh? Well, I think you earned this." She learnt into me as I was held in her foreleg, her lips pressing against mine.

I exploded with joy from the kiss, feeling the softly rising sparkles in my belly spread throughout me, down my legs and up into my wings. I flapped them happily, the joy uncontainably bubbling out of me as she held me in a soft embrace. Eventually, we parted, and I was left a flustered mess, still held in a foreleg by my marefriend.

I glanced around quickly, sighing in relief when I realized that no pony had seen our brief, yet intense, kiss. "You're so mean, Sunset." I joked, huffing again, but with far less dedication.

"I know. And you love it."

"I do." I giggled. "I really do."

We reached the café in the middle of town after our short walk from the outskirts where our cottage was. It looked to be just opening its doors, a wondrously sweet coffee smell wafting out. I took a seat on one of the benches as Sunny went inside, ordering us a few oat milk coffees before coming back out. In her magic, she carried a few small biscuits, placing them on the plate between us as we waited for our coffee.

We relaxed as we waited, again taking in the beautiful Ponyville morning. Life was just kinda like this now. Waking up to the sounds of birds chirping, like something out of a movie, the sun slowly rising above the rooftops. Now, the morning mist had cleared, and more ponies seemed to be awake and going about their day. I even recognized a few of them, going about their business from a distance, but being in a community of ponies I truly might get to know in the future was freeing. How many more friends were out there?

Our coffee was delicious and warming, filling us with a rejuvenated vigor, and helping me push to continue on our morning journey. I still dealt with the chronic energy issues I had from when I was a human, but having a wonderful marefriend like Sunny was great. She often offered for us to take a break and sit on a bench, a suggestion I accepted when I could. It may have taken longer for us to get to the market than other ponies, but I got there with a good amount of energy still in me.

Once we were there, the bustle of the market roared before us in its full glory. I didn't expect it to feel like it had in my dream, but it was uncannily accurate. Ponies and creatures all around, buying and selling trinkets, food, saddlebags, seeds, anything that the average townspony could need. We stopped at a jewelry store and I hung back a little while Sunset browsed, watching as a foal ran past with her mothers, the two of them laughing as they failed to keep up with their daughter. I laughed along, my mind drifting as I daydreamed.

I wondered what it might be like, if Sunny and I eventually had a foal like those two mares. I blushed at the idea of being called a mum, the concept of using the warmth and love I held inside me to support the life of a wonderful foal. I shook myself, never really having let my brain go down this line of thinking before now. I… I was a mare now, wasn't I? According to Fluttershy, even being a trans mare, magical conception was a very common thing, as the magical side of the transition process usually lets you choose whether you wanted to be fertile or not. Apparently, based on Twilight's inspections, I had a fully functioning set of ovaries, as did many other trans mares that decided on this path. Meaning with the right spell, Sunset could be very capable of…

I shook myself rapidly. Not the kind of thing to be thinking of in public!

Luckily Sunny hadn't noticed my strange behaviour and I focused on keeping my eyes straight forward, happy to have avoided Sunny's teasing comments for now. Thinking about how she might react if she knew I was daydreaming about being bred by her, I–

Groaning in annoyance, I shoved a hoof into my maw and chewed on it.
Shut up, brain! Shut up, shut up!

"Hey, you alright, filly?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm fine." I laughed unconvincingly.

"You can tell me about it, you know that I'm no pony to judge. Hey, if it makes you feel better, I–"

"Okay, I promise to tell you later, but please stop." I whinged. "it's… it's very embarrassing, okay?"

With a raised eyebrow, she nodded. "Okay, as long as you're sure. I'm here to listen, okay?"

"I'm sure. Th- Thanks sweetie."

We continued on through the market, my brain now able to focus on the things around me rather than my inner thoughts. Passing by multiple bright and interesting shops, I stopped and stared at a particular something, a square bandanna hanging up in a nearby stall. My gaze lingered on it for a moment before Sunny stepped forward, picking it up with a glow of her teal magic.

"Ah, like that one? I embroidered those little flowers myself." The pony behind the counter commented as Sunset twisted it around in her magic. There were small, pretty flowers of many colours along the corner rims of the small beige square, spirals of green stems reaching down the sides.

"This is perfect." Sunset grinned at the piece of cloth. "We gave back that other head wrap to Twilight, so how about this as a replacement?"

I look in awe at the somewhat simple piece of fabric. Thinking about it filled me with that familiar bubbling feeling in my tummy, a feeling I had grown to trust.

"I-It's really okay for me to have it?" I asked my marefriend, her warm smile filling me with reassurance even before she said anything.

"Of course!" Sunset levitated a hoof full of bits to the store keep, who accepted them with a wide grin. Sunny spun me around in her magic, shocking me for a short moment, before I felt her lift up my mane in a similar way to how she had done twice before, collecting my curls together into a bun before trying the shawl behind my mane in a loose knot. I shook my head, testing how the new head wrap felt, and concluded that it was perfect.

"Oh stars, th- thank you, Sunny. I… oh gosh." I stammered, my reddening face combined with my sparkling happiness overloading me yet again. I threw my forelegs around her, nuzzling up against her soft face repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"H- Hey, it's okay!" She stroked my mane as I hugged her tightly. "You know I'd do anything for you, Poppy."

"I- I'd do the same." I glared at her with a mixture of determination and overwhelming love. "Anything for my mare." I leaned forward and placed a loving kiss on her lips, emboldened by the fact that ponies walking by could see my affection for my lovely marefriend.

Eventually, we parted, and I lifted a foreleg up, fluffing my mane up lightly with a fetlock. I couldn't see my reflection, but I felt incredibly cute. From Sunny's transfixed look, I could tell that she felt the same.

"Oh, hey!" A young voice piped up from behind us and I swung around, seeing as Spike and Twilight rounded the corner. "It's the new girls!" Spike smiled at us, flapping his little wings to speed up his approach,

"Hey, lil' guy." Sunny said, ruffling his spines with a fetlock. "How's your morning been?"

"Eh, Twilight and I have been looking for a new desk for Starlight's office, but no such luck." Spike shrugged, Twilight trotting up behind him.

"Well if a certain little dragon didn't keep getting distracted by every food stall we passed…"

"Yeah, yeah, like you didn't also spend ten minutes picking out an ice cream." He huffed, folding his claws against his chest. Twilight giggled before turning to us.

"So, what have you two lovebirds been up to?" Twilight waggled her eyebrows, Sunset groaning as the princess sidled up next to her. Ever since we had gone fully public with our relationship, Twilight had taken every possible opportunity to rib us about it, and how she could 'see it coming from a mile away'.

"We had some breakfast this morning– Sunny made the best mushrooms, and then we went out for coffee before we got here." I chirped happily. "Then she bought me this!" I lifted up a hoof, brushing my mane to the side to better show off the new shawl.

"Nice! This one doesn't even have a ring stain on it from a vase either." Spike grinned up at me, my face beginning to warm up in embarrassment. Twilight chuckled knowingly and I retreated inward further.

"It looks beautiful, Poppy." Twilight commented sincerely, only deepening the blush on my face. "Suits you perfectly. Spike and I were just about to grab some hayburgers for lunch, did you two want to tag along?"

I looked nervously over at Sunny. My energy issues were starting to get to me already, but I was determined to make this a nice day. I nodded.

"Let's do it!"

It was a bit longer of a walk to the burger joint than I would have preferred, prompting me to hover a little of the way, flapping my wings softly to hold myself just above the ground. I was pretty bad at it, and often tipped to the side while hovering, but it gave my tired hooves a rest at least. Over the last week, Rainbow had futilely tried to teach me to fly, but Fluttershy's method of slower flying was far more conducive to the way I flew, and she had subsequently taken over my flight lessons. I appreciated her kinder approach too; some ponies might thrive under pressure, but I wasn't one of them, and Rainbow really knew how to lay it on thick.

By the time we reached the hayburger restaurant, I was puffed, and flopped down onto the seat next to Sunset. I put a wing around her, resting my weight against her. She leaned into me too, nuzzling me softly and cooing softly at the comfort.

Twilight took our orders and went off to the counter with Spike, coming back not long after with a tray of messy looking burgers. I eyed the greasy sandwich, drooling as Twilight placed mine down in front of me. I had become a very big fan of hayburgers ever since the first time I tried one, and this one was no different than before. I picked it up in my shaky hooves, making sure to not to drop it, and savouring the rich, but distinctly-not-meat taste of the hay pattie.

I had gotten engrossed with my meal, only now tuning in as Sunset and Twilight began talking about the cottage.

"Yeah, I mean, the place is small, but it should be okay for just the two of us once Ada goes back to earth tomorrow." Sunset said, following up with a long slurp of her drink. "I mean, you won't just kick us out, right?"

"No, stars no!" Twilight said with a nervous laugh. "For all intents and purposes, that cottage is yours now. You can stay there as long as you like, your whole life, if you decided on it. Most ponies move on and hoof the cottage off to the next pony in need, but you don't have to. We have many cottages set up in Ponyville for situations like yours."

"Oh, so humans turning into ponies and showing up here is a regular occurance?" Sunset grinned.

"What? I– no, pfft." She joined in with my giggling, realizing Sunset's joke just a little late.

"Are you sure it's okay?" I questioned nervously. "You've all done so much for me, and I feel like such a burden."

"Yes, Poppy. I'll answer the same no matter how many times you ask." Twilight replied warmly. "You're welcome here in Ponyville. There's a space for every creature here."

I nodded, tears of happiness threatening to burst from my eyes, but I held them back. Only just. Sunset held me in her forelegs yet again, my body instantly melting into hers.

"So," Twilight started, "You two have any plans before tonight? Everypony seems so excited to meet you properly!"

"I have a lil' certain something planned for Poppy– a surprise." She said, glancing down at me and offering a sly wink. I blushed brightly, nuzzling against her coat. "And, no Poppy, you don't get any hints."

I almost squeed in joy, even just the thought that Sunset had prepared something specifically for me felt incredible. My brain was full with possibilities, but in all truth, she was incredibly good at hiding; I had no idea what she had planned!

After our meal, we said our goodbyes to Spike and Twilight, trotting down the path side by side with Sunny. I glanced at her, taking in her beauty in the midday sun. She was just as beautiful as every other time I looked her way, which was more often than I might like to admit. I just couldn't tear my eyes away from her wonderful two toned mane, and her glowingly blue eyes, or her sleek and powerful horn. She was the perfect mare for me, confident and commanding, a pony who knew what she wanted; and got it. Especially if it was something I could give her, I would do it in a heartbeat.

We walked slowly down the road towards… well, I wasn't really sure where, but that was all part of the surprise that Sunny had in store! I trotted happily beside her, newly invigorated by the meal and sugary drinks we had just consumed.

"So, you're sure about the whole 'no hints' thing?" I pleaded.

She chuckled, planting a quick kiss on my cheek as we walked. "Yes, Poppy. We're almost there, okay? Just a few more minutes."

I hopped between hooves as we traveled down the road, flapping my wings around happily. Sunset giggled, watching as I ran around in a circle stomping my hooves against the compounded dirt road. I flung up dried leaves and dirt with each powerful kick, skidding around and jumping with all four legs.

Eventually, Sunset joined in, running alongside me as we once had in the stream back on earth. It was much warmer than it was then, but the wind passing us by cooled me plenty as I raised my run to a canter. The wind rushed past me and I lifted my wings so they caught the air in a perfect line, until a flap lifted me off the ground. I was far more confident in my flying now, and this was far from the first time I had flown, but the exhilaration was there every time. I had never taken flight at this speed before either, and with that I was able to shoot upward, gliding speedily above my marefriend.

Sunset laughed in pure joy as she watched from below. I glided along for a short while, slowly closing my eyes as the breeze passed softly over my fur. As I opened my eyes, I realized suddenly that I was tipping slightly, and pulled down. I swooped low to the ground, grazing my hooves against the grass before landing calmly ahead of Sunset. For the first time in a while, I hadn't sent myself tumbling after a high speed landing like that, and I fluffed my wings up in pride.

Sunny came to a stop, panting heavily and smiling at me with bright eyes. "Woah, that was fast!" She said, still catching her breath. "Those wings are more powerful than you think. They're… stars, just watching you fly was so amazing. Your wings are so pretty and beautiful."

I giggled, spreading a feather appendage out and looking it up and down. It was fluffy all over, having the appearance of down feathers even closer to the tips of my pinions. I folded it up against my barrel happily, their mere presence providing me with a sense of comfort.

"Y'know what? You're right." I said with determination. "I am cute. I'm a cute little Pegasus mare, and I got the cutest unicorn in all Equestria as my marefriend."

"Damn right, filly!" Sunny said as she threw a foreleg over my withers, knocking the air out of me a little. "Look, here we are!"

In front of us was a large collection of plant boxes, filled to the brim with widely varied plants. Ponies and creatures wandering around, carrying tools and wheelbarrows around with them as they went about their tasks.

"Eh- what is this place? It seems so cool…" I stared around in awe, some incredibly impressive plants on display before us. "It's a garden?"

"A community garden." Sunset said, trotting off into the crowd of creatures. I hung behind nervously for a tiny moment before running off after my marefriend.

I ducked and weaved through the busy garden, eventually coming to a stop when I found Sunny standing next to an empty plot of dirt.

"Wh- what's all this about, Sunny?"

"This is yours!" She motioned toward the plant box, an ever widening smile on her face. "Fluttershy said she'd come with you to find some nice seeds to get started with; something a little hardy, so you don't have to worry too much."

I stared at the dirt, my brain snapping into motion as I slowly put context clues together.

"This is… for me?"

"Yep! We don't really have enough space at the cottage to grow anything, and I know you wanted to start a little flower patch, so Fluttershy and Treehugger helped me set this up for you. We can get equipment whenever you like, too."

My eyes welled up with tears of joy and I launched myself at my marefriend, assaulting her face rapidly with as many kisses as I possibly could. She stumbled a little from my weight as I hung off her squeeing in joy as I did.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Sunny, oh my stars, thank you!"

"Y-You can thank 'Shy and Treehugger, they set it all up, I just… I dunno, asked for their help."

"You did this for me! You make me feel… oh stars, I feel so happy!" I pried myself from her for just long enough to look at the plant box before throwing myself at her again, kicking my hind legs out in joy while my muzzle rubbed against her coat rapidly.

I forced myself to give her some space after a good minute of hugging her and humming in contentment, still looking rapidly between my wonderful marefriend, and the new future flower patch she had found for me. I would have to go for roses first– no, they were too finicky, how about some sunflowers? Or maybe even zinnias…

I could think about what flowers I was going to grow later, for now I was focused on peppering the snout of my wonderful marefriend with kisses.

"Okay, okay, enough, Poppy!" She cried dramatically, returning a few of her own kisses as she lowered me down. I giggled anxiously, my face warming up as I reflected on the scene I had just made.

"H- How about we head out, huh? I- I think the excitement and the flight before has tired me out a bit, hehe." It wasn't a lie either, the events of the day were wearing on me quite heavily. "I might need a nap before the party tonight. Y'know, recharge my batteries a bit. I was wondering, maybe you'd like to…?"

"Of course, I'll come take a nap with you. I'm pretty puffed myself, that run was intense on me too." She gave me yet another wink and bumped her flank against mine playfully. I followed behind her lovingly as we trotted out of the garden and back toward home, catching up and once more draping a wing over her shoulder for balance. It was a little awkward, seeing as Sunny was a good half head taller than me, but the extra stability it offered my clumsy hooves was welcome.

Besides, I would never look past the opportunity to get as close as possible to Sunset.

We entered the house to find it empty, Ada having left some time before. It was mid afternoon now, maybe about five hours until the party started. Sunset and I sleepily trotted up the stairs to our room, flopping down onto the soft duvet with exhaustion. I stared at the wooden roof for a moment before rolling and again appreciating the presence of my wonderful marefriend. The golden yellow unicorn turned as well, reaching a hoof across to lock fetlocks with me. I smiled warmly, looking directly into her eyes.

This was it, wasn't it? I was going to be able to spend my days with Sunny, growing closer and closer with each passing moment, finding fulfillment in my life through pure access to opportunity. I wasn't held back by that horrid copywriting job anymore, nor did I need to find a replacement just to survive. I had been given that feeling of freedom to choose the direction of my life, and all of it felt laid out before me like a map.

I hummed as Sunny stroked my barrel with a hoof, starting at the fluff on my chest and eventually finding her way to the blank spot on my flank. It still filled me with those pangs in my chest to look at that area, but at least I knew what the feeling meant now. Longing. Yearning. I sighed, eyes transfixed on my spotless rump.

"Something on your mind again, sweet pea?"

I slowly nodded in response.

"I think… It's mostly about my cutie mark. I still don't know what I want to do with my life, and what if it takes me forever to find out my talent? Do… Do ponies get judged for that kind of thing?"

"I'm not sure, but even if they did, they're thinking about it the wrong way."

"Whad'ya mean?"

"Why would you make fun of somepony for that? They have all the excitement, all the joy of discovery ahead of them. I discovered my talent pretty fast, but that's not the 'better' way to go about it." Sunset explained plainly as I listened with intent. "I just think it's cool, okay? I get to help you too; to help support you in your quest to find a mark, and you get to have a moment of self discovery. Sounds like a solid deal to me."

My brow furrowed in concentration as I thought. She was right, wasn't she? The blank spot on my flank represented possibility. It could be anything that showed up, but I had a feeling that when it finally did appear, it would be something I knew to be mine. Something unique and special as Sunset always insisted I was.

"What if it takes forever?"

"Then it takes that long. I doubt it will though; you're free of responsibility right now. Free to try out all those things you always wanted to do, like the gardening we got you that plot for." Sunset gesticulated with a hoof as she listed things off. "You could try your hoof at learning an instrument. I'm not too shabby at guitar myself; maybe I could teach you sometime."

"I guess… I mean, I kinda like to sing, so who knows. Maybe we could play together." I tapped my hooves together and Sunny shuffled closer until our bodies were pressed together. I sighed as her warmth spread to me and filled me with those familiar butterflies and sparkles of happiness.

"I'd love to hear you sing for me, Poppy."

I laughed. "What, now?"

Her expression betrayed no joke. "Damn right. Now."

"Um, I… oh dear, I've never sung anything in front of any pony before; at least, not seriously." I stuttered, my cheeks reddening with a blush as Sunny smirked my way.

"Just go for it. Anything at all."

"Oh stars, okay, um…"

My brain spun it's gears, trying to think of something– anything to sing for Sunny.

Wait, Sunny? Sunshine…

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath in and out before opening my mouth and singing.

"You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy
When skies are grey."

I sang quietly, hardly pushing my voice beyond its minimal limits, and letting out a sweet and sonorous tone. The notes reverberated softly off the wooden walls of our bedroom, creating a pleasant and warm toned resonance

"You'll never know dear,
How much I love you,
So please don't take my sunshine away."

It was a simple song, one that basically anypony knew. I cringed a little at my choice, almost about to open my lips to apologize at its cheesiness when I noticed tears dripping from Sunny's eyes and down her cheeks.

"Nopony's ever sung for me before…"

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, Sunny, I–" She locked lips with me, interrupting me with a fervent kiss. I almost tried to protest, but the passion was too much, and I felt myself sink into the wondrous embrace. She forced me down further, pushing her weight into me, which only made the sparkles in my belly intensify, and I moaned involuntarily.

She took that as an excuse to escalate the kiss further, passion radiating off of her in the most scorching heat. Her body was pressed against me, the friction of her fur against mine intensifying the warmth between us and creating proverbial sparks from our love.

I realized after a short moment that this wasn't a proverbial spark, but a real one, as small magical particles flew from the tip of Sunset's horn. As she kissed me deeper, the sparks intensified, illuminating the room slightly with its teal glow.

When the kiss finally ended, I fell down, panting to desperately catch my breath. Sunset, who was previously positioned over me, fell to the side as well and pulled herself close to me. The bubbles of joy in my tummy calmed down slightly, but spread slowly to the ends of my legs, relaxing my entire body with a slow wave.

I felt the tension in my muscles fade away, instead focusing on the feeling of Sunset's velvety soft coat against mine. I rolled and draped my legs over her, pulling her in as close as possible.

"I love you, little Sunshine."

"S- Sunshine?" She murmured, still clearly reeling in shock from the kiss.

"Y- Yeah. You're my little Sunshine. I mean, I don't have to call you that or anything, if you don't like it, I'll stop–" a hoof softly pressed against my lips silenced me.

"I love it. And I love you, Poppy." She planted a short kiss on my snout, still filled with passion however brief. "So, did you wanna tell me what was up at the market? You seemed a little off, I just wanna make sure you're not upset or anything." A hoof stroked my mane idly while holding my head to her chest. I could hear her heart beating softly.

"I'm not upset. I…" I reflected back on my thoughts. "I'm not sure what I want. I was just… I dunno, watching that couple before."

"Ah, the two mares that were chasing their kid?"

"Yeah." I stopped, twiddling my hooves together while Sunny continued to calmly stroke my head. "They looked… really happy. It just got me thinking about… ugh, it's stupid, I'll stop."

"No, Poppy, please talk." She lifted my chin up with a fluffy fetlock, her hoof shifting to cup my cheek lovingly. She looked into my eyes, and I looked back at hers. "Whatever you wanna say, I won't judge you."

"I…" I gulped down my nervousness and forced myself to continue. "I started thinking about… maybe, if we ever… are together f- for long enough, and we are stable enough to support somepony else, you might want to… try for a foal."

I felt her tense slightly, and prepared myself for a loud and vocal rejection, but none came.

Of course, I should know better by now. The only words she ever said to me were ones of love.

She continued to look at me with her slight smile, growing softly as she pulled me closer.

"Poppy, I would love to have a foal with you."

I felt the torrent of euphoria yet again, feeling the oh-so familiar wave of joy wash over me. I felt almost emotionally burnt out with how much happy today had been filled with, but this reaction from my wonderful marefriend was more than I could have ever asked for.

“Are— Are you serious? You really would have a foal… with me?” I gasped, still holding her as close as I possibly could, and still in disbelief. “G- Gosh, I… oh gosh.”

Sunset laughed with her beautiful low chuckle, her mane bobbing slightly. “I’m serious. I’ve never really thought about having a foal before, but heck, I never thought about being a pony before either. Every time something new and exciting happens to me, everything gets better. I embraced being a girl. I embraced being a pony. I embraced coming to Equestria, and I’m embracing you right now.” I chuckled excitedly at her joke, my heart still racing while I listened intently. “Being a m- mum… I don’t know, but it sounds exciting! Raising our little foal together, and teaching them to be a loving and caring pony… it seems pretty great to me.”

I buried my face into her chest fur, feeling the tears of happiness flow forth. She stroked my mane yet again, the calming motions helping my heart relax and my thoughts collect themselves.

“You’re sure? I know, it’s a huge decision to make—“

“And so was all this too. Moving here with you meant throwing away my streaming job, and I did that in an instant. I’m serious when I say that coming here was one of the best decisions of my life, next to becoming a girl and transforming into a magical horse.” She chuckled. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m sure. I want to be with you, Poppy. I wanna spend my life with you. If you want a foal, then I want a foal too.”

I couldn’t help but explode yet again, stimming rapidly with leg kicks and high pitched squeaks. Sunset just laughed and held me close, as she always did when I had happiness overloads like this. I knew at my core, I was at home here, in her forelegs, held close to the radiating warmth of her love.

With my head pressed against her barrel, I could hear her powerful heartbeat, now slightly more powerful and faster than before. Being in equine bodies seemingly made our heartbeats stronger, a fact I appreciated right now as the solid, steady beats calmed me.

“I love you so much, Sunset.” I murmured sleepily, feeling my eyelids droop in relaxation and contentment. “Thanks for listening to me…” I trailed off as my consciousness began to phase in and out, sleep almost taking me.

“No problem, sweet pea. You have a nap, okay? I’ll wake you up when it’s time to get ready for the party.”

“Okay…” I murmured happily, hugging my marefriend tighter, too enraptured in bliss to care about any kind of denial. With our legs tangled together, I drifted off into sweet dreams of love and bliss equal to the waking world.

I had woken from my nap feeling rejuvenated and energised, Sunset shaking me lightly with a hoof. I rolled over and got up eventually after begging for a short little extra cuddle— which I received. Sunny brushed her mane calmly as I continued to wake up properly. Standing and trotting into the bathroom where she was doing her makeup, I nuzzled up next to her with a loud yawn.

“You’re so beautiful.” I murmured. She looked even more beautiful than usual, her eyes accented by sharp and strong eyeliner strokes. Her irises shot through the contrast, making her gaze seem somehow more striking than usual. She had a leather jacket on, collar popped and tucked under her mane, which was pulled into a high messy ponytail. Collected strands hung from her fringe, framing her snout perfectly while giving accent to her new style.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. You look badass.” I kissed her neck, eliciting a gasp from her. “Hot.”

“H- Hot?” She said, letting out a decidedly non-badass wimper.

“Of course.” I kissed her neck again, earning me a poorly muffled giggle, trailing pecks up her cheek until I planted one on her black lipstick coated lips.

“Oop!” I gasped, swinging to see my lips also now stained slightly with that same lipstick. I giggled playfully as I wiped the pigment clear, still leaving a hint of it behind afterward. I shrugged to myself.

If somepony sees that and notices I’ve been kissing Sunny, good. I want everypony to know that I love her.

“Are you gonna put anything on?”

“I- I dunno, I don’t really want to be the center of attention or anything…”

“Filly, this is our night. Ponies are coming tonight because it’s our welcoming party. They’re gonna be paying attention to you no matter what.”

I blushed instantly, lifting a hoof up to shield my embarrassment instinctively. “Okay, maybe.”

“Great!” Her horn lit up and after a short moment, a row of dresses levitated into the room, stopping in front of the two of us. “Rarity dropped a bunch of these by the other day; I think she knew we might need a few choices for tonight.”

I looked over the selection, my eyes darting between each of the beautiful garments. “I- I dunno, what do you think?”

“Well,” she glanced down with a half lidded stare. “You’re a soft little ball of happiness.”

“Wh- what?” I sputtered.

“I’m saying that we need a dress which shows off how cute and bubbly you are, y’know?”

“I- I’m not cut—“ I started, but Sunny ignored me.

“How about this one?” A garment floated in front of me before being quickly whisked away. “No, not with your colour of coat. Hmm, how about … ha! Here we go!

With a flash of light, I looked down to see that a real sundress, almost exactly the same buttery yellow as the streak in Sunset's mane, was magically placed on my body. I stepped from side to side, giggling at the feeling of the fabric brushing up against the dock of my tail. It still let the appendage flow free and I spun around, again enjoying the feeling of the wind passing me by. Coming to a stop, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. Combined with the lovely short dress, and the new shawl I had been given, I really did feel like the prettiest filly on the block; only shadowed by the unfiltered hotness of the unicorn that stepped up beside me.

"Wow, Poppy." She leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of head. "You're so pretty."

"I… I feel pretty." I said with a determined nod. "Th- Thanks, Sunny. For forcing me to try this on. I really… really like it." I admitted with a bright blush and a raised hoof nervously brushing my mane.

"So, want me to do any makeup on you?" Sunset offered, a collection of brushes and palettes levitating before us in her magic.

"N- Nope." I stammered out quickly. "I think this is enough for tonight, if that's okay… Even the dress makes me feel like ponies will be watching me."

"Absolutely, Sweetpea. If you ever want me to do your makeup for you, just say the word." She said warmly and lowered the makeup paraphernalia back to the bathroom bench. "But the only reason why somepony might stare at you is because of how beautiful you are."

"I hope so…"

A knock on the front door, and Sunset called out in response. "One sec'! So, you still feeling okay about this?"

I nodded once determinedly. "I'm okay. Besides, Ada will be leaving soon… this might be the last chance I get to properly celebrate with her for like, a year. Not to mention, I gotta meet all those ponies who came here to meet us, right?"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Sunny grinned and pecked me on the cheek before leaving the bathroom and opening the front door. Outside, Ada and Twilight stood, dressed quite nicely themselves in evening wear. Ada was in a long black evening gown that flowed all the way down to her hooves, while Twilight was in a very simple purple dress, quite similar to mine, besides the longer skirt.

"Wow, Sunny, what a look!" Ada commented, grinning as she inspected my marefriend's outfit. "Gives me rockstar vibes. Or some kinda stereotypical teenage delinquent."

"Jokes on you, I was a stereotypical delinquent." She flicked her ponytail with yet another one of her signature flourishes. "Never got to be a rockstar, unfortunately. You two are looking great too! Love the dress Ada. Very 'you'."

"Thanks!" She replied with an appreciative smile before turning to me. "You also look lovely this evening, Poppy. I see the clothes Rarity gave you are getting some use."

I smiled, but shied away somewhat. "Th- Thanks, Ada. You t- too."

As we walked together through the evening Ponyville streets, I could further appreciate the pleasant feeling of the dress on my body. With each step, the fabric brushed against my flank lightly, emitting a soft 'swish, swish' with each hoof fall. It still wasn't something I felt like I'd want to do outside of special events, but wearing a dress and getting all prettied up was a validating experience. I was a pretty mare who got to dress up in a lovely dress and go to a party with my beautiful marefriend. What could be better than this?

As we approached the castle from a distance, we could hear a soft pulse of bass coming from the foyer where the party was being held. A slowly shifting coloured light pulsed from the windows; I had asked them not to use any bright flashing lights so I didn't get overwhelmed. It was a little embarrassing to ask for accomodations like that, but Twilight had insisted. "It's your party!" She had replied, so I had shyly asked for the music to not be too loud too.

We pushed open the large front doors, walking into a bright, music filled room. Despite everything, the party hit me like a wall, the noise and pure amount of ponies here shocking me. Ponies previously wandering about and conversing among themselves turned to look at us, immediately greeting us with warm smiles and bright eyes. I grinned back shakily, feeling the immediate awkwardness with everyponies attention on us.

"Poppy! Sunset! It's so good to see you." Rarity trotted up to us, flanked by Fluttershy and an orange maned pony with a very unique horn and scales on her body, who Fluttershy seemed to be figuratively hanging off the side of. I rushed to prepare myself for social interactions, our arrival still leaving me discombobulated. "Very nice choice of garment, Poppy. The colour suits you both." She winked at Sunset, who chuckled when I fell back into a blush.

"I'm gonna go mingle, okay? See you girls later." Ada and Twilight waved, walking off into the crowd as the group of mares approached us.

"Hey, Rarity! Great to see you too." Sunny turned, greeting Fluttershy and the other mare boisterously. "Is this your marefriend?"

"It sure is!" The pony stepped forward, picking up Sunset's hoof and shaking it rapidly in greeting. "Oh wow, I'm so excited to finally meet you! You must be Sunny, right? Fluttershy has talked so much about you and Poppy!"

Both I, and the butter yellow Pegasus, shrunk in embarrassment.

"Good things, I'm sure!" Sunny responded, matching the energy of the bubbly mare.

"Great things! Oh duh, of course you'd wanna know my name which is Autumm, I'm Autumn Blaze, Hi! This is my marefriend, Fluttershy." She grinned as she threw a foreleg around the still nervous looking pegasus. She seemed to be used to this, not letting the loud and outgoing personality of her partner affect her at all, besides making her smile grow larger.

"I- I'm really happy to finally meet you, Autumn. Oh– is it okay if I call you that?" I raised my voice, and she turned her attention to me.

"Of course, bestie! Oh– is it okay if I call you that?" She chirped, giggling and glaring at me. I laughed in a mixture of anxiety and genuine feelings. She was growing on me fast, but already the party had begun to get to me. The noise of ponies talking, the confusion of trying to process what everypony else was saying, especially combined with the music, it was all starting to get a little bit too much.

"Oh, hey, so I gotta go for a short bit, but I promise you I'll be back, got it?" She tapped a hoof on my chest and I slowly nodded in confused response. "Sweet! See ya soon." She spun around and shot off into the crowd.

Fluttershy walked up with a heavy blush still visible on her cheeks. "Sorry about that, Poppy. I know she can be a bit much at times…"

"O- Oh, not at all! I- I like her a lot. She's nice."

"I'm so happy you think so!" She smiled warmly at me. “I think so as well.”

“D- Did you maybe wanna go get some punch?” I asked nervously. This was my chance to try and bond with my new friends, and I was still pumped up by Sunset's pep talk. “I heard Pinkie made it.”

Sunny piped up immediately. "Heck yeah, I'm thirsty."

"Of course." Fluttershy gave us yet another welcoming smile and we walked off toward the buffet.

We sat in the corner together, sipping our drinks, while the party went on around us. Every once and a while, somecreature would approach us and introduce themselves one by one. I found myself reeling quite intensely from the speed and quantity of ponies I was meeting, but I told myself to stick through it.

'They're here to meet you.' I tried to tell myself, but it didn't help too much. What did help was Sunset staying by my side the whole time. As she had done so many times before, she sat with her foreleg draped idly over my withers.

I couldn't believe how lucky I was. Was I just going to live my entire life like this? Being loved and welcomed openly, not just despite my trans status, but already because of it! I hadn't forgotten the fact that Fluttershy had told me Autumn Blaze was trans, but looking around, I still couldn't see her. Before I could wonder longer where she might be, Ada and Applejack approached, flanked by three bubbly looking fillies with matching cutie marks.

"Howdy, ladies." Applejack greeted us as we sat in the circle we had formed earlier in the night. "If'n I remember correctly, y'all were open to meeting my sister 'n her friends?"

"Hi, Poppy! I'm Sweetie Belle!" A short white unicorn piped up, trotting forward alongside "Applebloom told me so much about you!"

"M- Me!? Wh- Why me?"

"Yeah!" The orange Pegasus sped forward, her muzzle almost colliding with mine. "We're here to help you out, but judging by your age? Yeesh, we got our work cut out for us, girls."

I reared backward a bit, Applebloom, walking forward and pulling down her excitable friend. "Hey!"

"What Scoots was tryin' to say, is that we're here to help you find yer cutie mark! That's kinda our whole thing." Applebloom said as she stepped in front of her friends.

"Oh. L- Like, now?"

"No, not now!" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "It's time to party, not to look for a cutie mark."

"We can get started whenever you like, Poppy." Sweetie Belle interjected. "Doesn't have to be now, or even this week."

"Kinda can't be this week anyway; I got a Wonderbolts show in Cloudsdale to go to!" Scootaloo hopped, buzzing her wings as she floated to the ground.

"Sounds like a great idea, Pop Star. Hey, maybe you could try singing? You're pretty good at that." Sunny offered with a sly grin, and Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up.

"You like to sing too? I love singing~!" She spun around, lifting her pitch to a high tremolo. My heart pounded. The idea was incredibly tempting, exciting even, but the red light syndrome was already hitting me hard. I had only ever sung in front of Sunny so far, and even that was nerve wracking.

"I'd love to come with you, Poppy! If you're comfortable with it, of course." Fluttershy offered and I nodded enthusiastically in return. "Oh I'm so glad, I love to sing, and all my animal friends love to listen when I do."

"And, of course, I'll be there too."

"Sounds great!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "That's something we can try before Scoots gets back from Cloudsdale."

"Honestly, it'll sound even greater if I'm not there; you've heard my singing before, Sweetie Belle." The pegasus filly joked, earning a playful laugh from her friends.

"Ooh, ooh, there you are!" I heard a somewhat familiar voice call from across the room. Autumn Blaze trotted toward me happily, a mint unicorn and creamy beige earth pony walking with her.

"Hi, Autumn Blaze!" Sunny cheered as the kirin stopped in front of us. "Who's this?"

"These are my friends, Lyra and Bon Bon! I was off trying to find them."

The teal unicorn was the first one to pipe up. "Hi! So you two are trans, right?" I almost spat my drink at the directness of the question. I smiled nervously while Bon Bon rolled her eyes comedically.

"Forgive my wife, she can be a little overzealous."

"That's okay!" Sunny said with a widening smile. "We are trans,"

" – and proud of it!" I added, followed by a nervous giggle. "Fluttershy mentioned you before, I think.”

“So there’s like… my gosh, five trans mares here. That is so cool.” Lyra giggled playfully, the rest of us joining in.

I looked between my new friends, the feeling of rising joy passing through my whole body. This was a dream come true, finally meeting others who were just like me. There were so many of them, and they all wanted to be my friend! Lyra seemed friendly and cool, just as all the other new ponies I had met so far. It was getting me excited. How many more ponies like this would I get to meet?

Fluttershy and Bon Bon trotted over to Sunny and I and they struck up a conversation about the beige earth ponies candy store, and Lyra’s musical career. I managed to pipe up every once and a while too to add to the conversation, feeling more confident around these mares than I had with any previous friend groups I had in the past, but every time I spoke, I felt the nervous tension in the back of my head rise.

Sunset still sat by my side, nuzzling me in affection regularly, both of us planting and receiving kisses on muzzles. It felt wonderful, being able to openly display affection like this. I was trying not to dwell any longer, but it couldn’t help but make me compare this moment to my previous experiences with Ada. I was always starved for attention, needing so desperately to be comforted and loved, specifically in situations like this where my anxiety was usually at its highest.

Despite her best efforts, I could still feel that nagging feeling at the back of my head. The pounding noises and so, so many ponies…

"It can be hard, coming to a new place for the first time." I tuned into the conversion as Bon Bon spoke. "Lyra and I didn't know any ponies when we got here either."

"We've been pretty lucky, meeting you and the others so soon after coming here." Sunset added.

"Yeah, Pinkie's parties are always a good way to meet somepony new, and I can assure you now, they're a very regular occurrence."

The buzzing in the back of my mind continued as ponies passed us by. I tried to focus on the conversations being had by the others, but it wasn't working. I stood up, shocking Sunset somewhat as I hastily slinked off to the bathroom, ducking and weaving between ponies to reach there as soon as possible. There was some voice behind me, calling my name, but I couldn't hear them, instead picking my trot up to a canter.

Finally reaching the bathroom, I rushed past a unicorn and slammed shut the stall door behind me. I immediately felt the stress of the evening slam into me like a wall. I don't think I had interacted with that many ponies in years, and it was just as bad as I remember it. My head pounded and buzzed, overwhelming me further than the loud party already had. The clenching tightness in my chest just wouldn't leave and I held a hoof to it in some futile attempt to calm my heart.

I heard the other pony leave the bathroom, and being alone, immediately began to cry. Why was I doing this? Why was I like this!? Tonight had been such a nice night, and I was going to ruin it by being me. I wanted to scream, but I clenched my teeth and my entire body instead, feeling the strain through my neck and shooting painfully into my wings. My whole self felt horrid, curling inward while I pressed my hooves to the back of my neck. I rocked back and forth, not caring that I could hear something break and come loose on the plastic seat.

The bathroom door opened again and I froze. Hooves clopped slowly off the restroom tiles, slowly getting closer until it stopped. The pony stood there for a few moments outside my stall before speaking.

"Hey, anypony in there?" An unfamiliar voice called out. "Sorry, I really gotta go, and the other stall is busted."

I pushed my way out the stall and past the pony, galloping for the door and shooting back out into the crowd. I was bombarded yet again by ponies, voices, and music all around me. It had been slowly building in intensity, but this tipped me over the edge, and I rushed for the exit. I pushed the castle doors open and rush out into the cool Ponyville air.

It was almost instantaneous that I felt the relief. The noise was, for the most part, gone, and the bright lights of the party was far behind me. The cold and still night was a blessing, not even noticing until now how laboured my breathing had become. slowing my canter to a run, then to a walk, I looked ahead and downward, mentally berating myself for having this kind of reaction. This was something a child did, running from parties like this and wandering out into the night. What was I doing?

I found a bench and sat on it, looking up into the cloudy night sky above me. I felt so small. That party was for me, and I had ruined it. Just as I was starting to feel okay about everything, I had to go and do this. It was typical. Me, ruining everything that I had worked for by being emotional and careless.

I recalled many moments like this in the past. Being bullied at a scouts night and running off to climb a fence and cry, just to get away from others. I recalled being injured during a sports game and walking away because nobody understood how painful it was to my broken, disability addled brain. I covered my face with a hoof, sobbing into it silently.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

I shot up, seeing as Sunny approached. Her jacket had been taken off and her mane was pulled down into its regular look, forgoing the hair tie she had used before. She smiled warmly at me, though I couldn't help but hide my face from her.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here." I felt a hoof on my withers, futilely shrinking inward. I wanted to brush her off, my indignant brain seeking that needless solitude, but I knew it wouldn't help. It never did.

"Y'know, I love nights like this. Quiet." I snorted and nodded in response. "I'm sorry, Poppy."

"Wh- Why are you being sorry? I should be, I ruined your night." I motioned with a hoof, off toward where ponies were having fun. Without me.

"It's not ruined, sweetie." She said as she took a seat next to me. "You having sensory overload isn't a thing to feel bad about."

Is that really all it is? I sighed heavily, leaning up against her idly. I sighed again, this time in relief, as the comfort of her soft coat against mine instantly relaxed me. The comfort of my cheek on her chest, and a foreleg thrown around me had already started to calm my thoughts enough for the guilt to hit me again. I was such a disappointment… scared of a few ponies and a little noise.

"I dunno." I sniffed. "Just feels like I shouldn't have shown up. I should have just stayed home while you went off to party without me."

"I don't want to do that though." She planted a kiss on my cheek. "What I need is for you to be happy and comfortable. I wanted to go tonight because I got to meet ponies with you, not because I like going to parties or something." She shrugged.

I leaned on her chest further, her heartbeat once again prevalent in the quiet of the night. She wanted to be with me… Not just for some vague concept of having company, nor because she needed anything from me except my love.

"I'm sorry. For doing this, y'know. I wanted to have a nice night. I was having a nice night."

"I did though! I had a great night. We got to meet Lyra and Bon Bon, and Autumn Blaze too. We got to hang out and talk, and we had a good time regardless of everything that's getting to you."

"I love you, Sunset." I mumbled, my face still pushed into her fur. A hoof cupped my cheek lightly and lifted it to face her. I looked once again into those beautiful teal orbs and felt myself being sucked in by them. Their brilliance shone, even in the darkness of the Ponyville night.

I leaned forward and kissed her, letting out all my love, all my appreciation and care, all of it. She kissed me back fervently, the warmth of her sweet and soft lips carrying a faint taste of the drink she had earlier. Previously fuzzy and overwhelmed, I was now able to fully let myself immerse myself in the kiss.

It was like all our other kisses, but for some reason, this one felt special. It didn't just say 'I love you', this one had a completely different message. This one said 'you are mine and I am yours'. I let myself become fully hers in that moment, knowing for a fact that I would stick by her side for my whole life. This mare meant more to me than anything in Equestria in this moment. She was practically a goddess, her warmth coming off her like some sort of benevolent being.

Regretably, the kiss ended, but my attention was still pulled inward by Sunset's beauty and warmth.

"Did that make my little Poppy feel a little better?" She cooed and stroked my mane, earning a cute giggle from me.

"Yeah… but your kisses always make me feel better." I tried to reply with a playful tone, but it only came out as sincere.

"So, don't feel like going back to the party? Everypony will understand if you don't want to." She stroked my mane as she always did when she knew I needed comfort. I really did love this mare.

"No, I kinda… just want to sit a bit." I sighed, relaxing once more into the embrace of my marefriend. "I'm glad you're here."

"Of course, sweet pea, you're important and you needed me. I know when my mare needs me." She nudged me and gave a playful wink.

I giggled in return, but shook my head. "No, I mean like… Here, here. In Equestria. In my life." I planted a hoof on her chest, feeling the soft thud of her heart through the frog of my hoof. "I… I've mentioned how lonely I was before. Now, here in Equestria, and with you by my side, I feel safe, for the first time in my life."

She smiled softly and kissed my muzzle. "I'm so happy I'm here with you, Poppy. I didn't struggle with the same things you're going through, but… well, you know. I wasn't the most friendly pony when I was younger, mostly just… mad at the world. Who do you take it out on except people around you?" She said with a shrug.

"Well, you're the most lovely mare I've ever met."

"Well, you are the most wonderful mare that I have ever met." She shot back.

"I- I guess we'll both have to be wonderful mares, huh?" I smiled nervously up at her and she laughed in return.

"You bet. Together." She pecked me on the nose once more.

"So, wanna go back home? I think I might be all partied out for the year."

Her foreleg, still snaked around my neck, pulled me closer. The two of us sat in the still and calm evening air, the only distinct sounds audible being the quiet breaths of my marefriend.

"How about we just stay here a little bit longer?" Sunset looked up at the stars and my eyes followed. They shone so brightly above us, unhindered by any form of light pollution. Despite how far above they were, I felt I could pluck one from the sky and place it in Sunset's mane. This perfect mare, who came into my life by accident, was more than enough for the entire night sky.

"You know what? I couldn't want anything more."

Author's Note

my gosh thats it, it's finally done ;-;

I've been embroiled with pony TF since the beginning of the fandom, and didnt realise how intrinsically connected it was to myself. I used this story (particularly when i explained how my "pony dysphoria" felt through Sunset) to explain these feelings, not just to others, but to myself.

thanks to all who have been reading from the beginning, and to all that picked it up along the way. When i first started writing this story, i wasnt sure if i was even going to finish it. I have a habit of doing so, and i was very dejected when it got dislike bombed for having trans content. regardless i stuck through it, and now it's done.

Thanks again for reading, and I'll hopefully be releasing the first chapter of my new story soon, (A Luna/Ditzy romance story where Luna starts working at the same post office Ditzy works at) so stick around for that :3

The Pony in the Park

Author's Note

Thanks everypony for reading the first chapter of my first fic in 5+ years! I've always wanted to explore a story dealing with the idea of embracing change and ponification, and the conflict that can arise from rejecting it, and now it exists. Please enjoy!

If you have a problem with trans stories and hearing about trans experiences, I couldn't care less and i will remove your comment! my story isn't the place to admit your bigotry publicly. have a nice day

The Pony in the Park

I stretched my aching back out, sighing in satisfaction from the pops and cracks of my spinal joints adjusting themselves. My arms settled at the desk again and I got back to work, fingers tapping away with trained precision from years of typing. This particular document was boring me more than usual, the dry language I was being forced to conform to only worsening the experience. Hard to achieve, but somehow, my bosses knew just how to make my job harder.

I looked over to the clock in the corner of the screen. Seven PM. Only one hour left and I could clock off, smoke a cone, and collapse entirely for the night. The fatigue I had accumulated throughout had left me too distracted to do anything but somewhat blankly stare at the screen for the rest of the work day. Idle typing interrupted the silence every few moments, and I incessantly checked the clock until it finally ticked over to eight PM.

Logging out of my PC, and saying goodnight to my workmates over our internal messenger, I sat still for a moment, trying in vain to recuperate some vestige of mental functionality before abandoning the attempt. Standing and shuffling drowsily over to the kitchen to seek out dinner, I smacked my arm into the rim of the door between the office and living room, grunting and scowling, the knock having snapped me back into the waking world.

“Damn shoulders, ow…”

The stomping of footsteps from the other room clued me in that my wife, Ada, had gotten up from bed and was awake now as well.

“Hey sweetie, you doing okay? Heard a thud.” She rubbed her eyes drowsily, pushing her messy brown hair away from her face in the same motion.

“Yeah, just… too big, y’know.”

“Aw, I’m sorry Jo.” She spoke softly, walking toward me and taking hold of one of my hands. She brought it to her face and kissed it lovingly. “You’re very handsome, sweetie.”

I chuckled, the unfortunate low tone of my voice and the words my wife used sending a pang of weird feelings throughout my body.

“I’m under no illusion, Ada.”

“Hey! I think you’re attractive.” She huffed childishly, winning me over almost immediately.

“Sure. You sleep okay?”

“Like a baby. Now, dinner? I got some burger patties if you just wanna do something simple.”

“Yeah, if that’s okay, I’m just really tired after work and I wanna get an early—“ I stopped in my tracks, a much louder sound than our conversation interrupting it. The boom rattled the house, bassy and low frequencies clattering dishes and shifting our photo frames. Longer than the rumble of thunder and much more… wavy sounding than an earthquake.

I span around as the sound was reverberating, noticing a bright purple light fading quickly out of view in the park next to our house. If I hadn’t just caught the end of the light fading from view, I might not have not seen where it came from at all.

“What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” Ada lifted an eyebrow.

“Seriously? It just shook the house, how did you not—?”

I stumbled to the window and looked out over the street. There! Another, much smaller purple flash, accompanied with a shorter, less wavy boom.

“I’m not sure. It looked like it was fireworks, maybe, but that sound…”

An explosion? A crash? None of these explanations gave me any clue what the hell that purple light was.

“I’m gonna go look.”

As I turned to leave, Ada caught me by the arm.

“Hey, don’t just go wandering off into the night after some… weird sound.”

“Ada, There might be someone hurt.”

She froze for a moment before I turned and walked out the door. Guess I wasn’t getting an early night after all.

“Jo, what are you doing!? Wait up!”

The street was dark, only illuminated by the few dingy street lights that actually had globes installed. Half of them were turned off or blown, making it much harder to see than other places in their neighbourhood. It certainly didn’t help the mood right now, as we ran across the street in the dark, the loud smack of our shoes reverberating throughout the stillness of the night. From the volume of that boom, and the fact that it rattled every dish and object in the house, I expected more people to be checking it out, or at least peeking out their doors, but there was no-one in sight.

“Seriously, you’re scaring me!”

I glanced around, again checking to see if anyone else was around, but to no avail. Just as I turned to Ada to mention what I had noticed, a second, much shorter explosion sounded not too far in front of us, a bright purple flash coming from behind a nearby toilet block. Ada stared back at me and froze.

“I- I saw it that time.”

Cautiously, we approached the toilet block, walking slower and more quietly as we got closer. What was I even hiding from? Was that purple light from something dangerous? Something alien? Both?

I took the lead, shimmying close to the side of the concrete wall of the toilets, my shoes making more noise than I wished in the still quiet of the night. Finally, Ada and I reached the corner and with my heart racing, we slowly inched our heads around.

Twilight ran for her life, the sharp branches of the Everfree forest’s trees scratching at her fur, almost as if to hold her down and keep her from escaping. She daren’t look behind for even a second. Any hesitation could mean that thing would catch up to her, and then… She shoved those thoughts away, focusing on pushing her body to its absolute limit. She grit her teeth and her horn flashed, jumping her forward twenty or so feet and sending her scrambling from the change of hoofing for a few precious moments. It didn’t help that one of her wings hung limply at her side, preventing her from being able to adjust her balance as well as she was used to.

Twilight was quickly back on her hooves and focused her horn again, galloping faster than she knew she could. The great bear that was on her tail wouldn’t stop for a second, and neither would she. Another flash, and she was ahead again, the crashing trees behind her quieter than a moment ago. That wouldn’t last long; she got up and ran yet again.

Oh Celestia, why didn’t I listen to Fluttershy!? She told me to wait! She told me to trust her! This is all my fault! And Starlight… Luna! They…

She couldn’t leave Fluttershy, or her marefriends alone… She had to live!

Another flash from her horn, and suddenly Twilight was not in the forest anymore. Instead, a gaping chasm was beneath her and she let out a breathless scream, flapping her one not injured wing, plummeting toward the ravine’s stony bed and surely her own demise.

“NO!”

She reached deep, deep inside herself, searching for it. Aha! Her horn filled with a power she had kept held inside, a fragment of magic from each of the royal alicorns, gifted to her when she first fought Tirek all those years ago. She had told the other princesses that a small amount of power had remained in her, but they had told her to consider it a gift, something to hold onto for a rainy day.

Just then, a curdling roar pierced her ears, looking above her to see the demon bear jump after her off the cliff.

Well, today couldn’t get any more rainy.

Her horn fizzled to life with a rainbow of gold, cyan, royal blue, and purple, growing in brightness and intensity, culminating in a blast of bright purple magic, which smashed into the bed of the valley and tore open a magical hole beneath the two falling creatures. They both fell in, one screaming at the top of her lungs, and the other roaring with an insatiable anger.

Behind them, the tear slammed shut with a deafening boom that rocked the entire forest and echoed into the night.

I blinked, unsure if what I was looking at was real at all. A giant creature with a worm for a head, but the body of… a bear. And standing next to it’s still form, was a small horse… pony… thing? It was very colourful, not what most people would be used to seeing on a horse, and this one had more than just that which set it apart. A glowing spiralled horn, clearly the source of those lights before, peeking out atop its colourful mane. Two wings graced its side, though one far less gracefully than the other, many feathers being out of place and stained brown with half dried blood.

“Is it… dead?” The small purple horse said, relaxing her stance, the glow from her horn dimming and eventually fading out completely. That was another thing that set it apart from normal horses. She spoke. Surely if she spoke, and in such a soft tone at that, she couldn’t possibly be a threat.

I stepped out from behind the toilet block, Ada only noticing when I was already out of her grip. She wordlessly mouthed for me to stop, but amongst everything, I didn’t notice at all.

“Um, excuse me little horse?”

“GAH!” The equine gasped and spun around, her horn lighting up temporarily before her expression relaxed. “Oh, A human! Wait, how did you see through my perception filter spell?” She shook her head dismissively. “Never mind, that’s not important. I sure am glad to see you here!”

The purple coated creature limped up to me and held out a hoof.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship!”

I stared at the hoof, then at her, then back at the hoof.

“Oh, um…” she put her hoof down, rubbing the back of her neck with a nervous blush. “I guess you don’t know what I am… I’m guessing since I didn’t get here through the mirror, I didn’t change to look like one of you again, but… You don’t know what any of that means, so I should just stop talking!” Twilight laughed nervously as she looked up at me.

“Do you…” I started, glancing down at the injured wing of the creature calling herself Twilight.

“Need help?“ She finished for me, nervously. “Yes please. I don’t really know where I am now, and you don’t exactly look like...”

“Jo?” Ada said, peeking out from behind the toilet block where she had been hiding.

“Ada! It’s okay, come over, she’s safe. I think…”

“Oh, hello! I’m not sure if you heard before, I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship!” As she nervously held out a hoof again, a twitch of pain caused her to drop to the ground before Ada could even consider accepting the hoof-shake. She lunged forward and caught the pony before she hit the dirt, lifting her up and into her arms instinctively.

“Woah!” Twilight said as she was hoisted off the ground unceremoniously.

“Oh, uh, sorry little horse!” Ada chuckled nervously. “You’re just so small, I kind of… uh…” She put her down again, a blush tinting her cheeks.

“Ahem, well.” Twilight brushed her coat down with a hoof. “I suppose in my state, you might as well carry me. I think i might have lost a little blood when that bear swiped at me earlier and – THE BEAR!”

Everything flipped. I felt a powerful something smash into the side of my head, instantly sending me into an aerial spiral. The hit left my mind blank, only the ringing of concussive force filling my head. I gasped suddenly for air as it was all pushed out of my lungs, the collision I made with a nearby tree forcing it free from my body. I fell to the floor with a thud and lay there groaning, the suddenness of the attack leaving me dazed and throbbing with pain all over. I gasped, sensation returning to my body after the initial shock, the odd angle of my leg suddenly making sense.

“Oh god…” I tensed my muscles, preparing for the pain I knew to be coming. I grunted, my leg throbbing as I pushed myself off the floor. Another warping boom, and the flashes of magenta light from across the clearing told me the danger had all but passed.

Twilight held the form of the giant, shaggy beast in what I could only assume was magic, a beam of magenta connecting the bear-worm hybrid to the tip of the purple ponies horn. She scrunched her face in exertion, colours suddenly emitting from her horn and spiralling around, sending sparks of blue, gold, and purple out from Twilight like a firework. With a high pitched scream, a huge magical tear opened itself in front of Twilight, and Ada lunged forward, pushing the bear through the gap with the pure strength of her arms. It’s elongated head whipped around, spraying spittle everywhere as it roared. Just as it was through, Twilight screamed yet again and the rip closed itself, severing the beam connecting her to the bear and sending it shooting back to her like a cord.

The silence of the night suddenly returning was almost deafening. All that broke it was the staggered pants of Twilight and Ada, finally able to catch their breath after such a sudden and violent encounter.

“Ada…” I grunted out, the oxygen still not properly filling my lungs after my collision with that tree. “Are you okay?”

“I… Think… So…” Ada stuttered between breaths.

The pony beside my wife looked down, grunting again as her horn glowed and pulled her wing up to her side. The small amount of dried blood on her wing simply dissolved and fell away as her feathers righted themselves. She stood there glowing for a moment before she sighed and released the wing, stretching it out to test its mobility. Was that… healing magic?

“Twilight? That’s your name right?” I called out weakly, the purple horse also breathing heavily from the strain she had just put herself through.

“Y-Yeah. Princess of… oh forget about it.” Twilight breathed heavily before perking up and walking slowly over to me.

“I’m so sorry I put you in danger like this. Jo, was it?” Twilight offered a smile and held her hoof out to me once more. This time I smiled back at her and shook it.

“Don’t mention it. Though, if you’d like to make it up to me, some of that… magic stuff might be cool right now. I sort of…” I trailed off, gaze drifting down to my broken leg. “I mean, I don’t know if you can heal a broken leg or whatever. I’m pretty new to this kinda thing…”

“Of course! It’s the least I could do. Just hold still for a moment, this might tingle.”

Twilights horn lit up and a soft lavender glow enveloped my broken leg. At first, her warning of tingles seemed to be mostly accurate, as the broken leg moved around, bones seemingly righting themselves under my skin. After a few seconds, however, the tingle turned to an itch, turned to a burn, and turned to the most searing paid I had ever felt in my life.

“Ah! Stop, please stop!” I screamed, overwhelmed in pain, and the glow dissipated from my leg, dropping it to the floor in a painful thud. “Argh, god damn it!”

“Jo!” Ada pushed the princess away, sending her sprawling for a moment until she gained her composure. Ada looked over my body rapidly, eyes transfixed on where the break was. “What did you do to him!?”

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Twilight yelped, stepping even further back from us. I looked down at my leg, now seemingly healed of the break it had before, but burning in pain on the surface of my skin. Some sort of glowing purple residue was seemingly left behind on my leg. I leaned forward and brushed at it, attempting to fling it off, but it stuck like glue to my hands, burning them too.

“What is this stuff? It feels like it’s burning my skin off!” I whimpered, the pain overwhelming me. My mind started to go blank, filled with nothing but the searing on my skin.

“It... It shouldn’t have stuck to you like that! That’s magical residue, and it usually just fades away after I cast it, why isn’t it—“ Twilight stopped as the glowing residue started to seep into my foot, sending more wracking pains throughout my leg and body. I screamed at the suddenness of the pain, clutching at it in hope for it to do something, anything at all to get this pain to stop!

She stepped tiptoed back and forth for a moment before reaching forward and brushing the residue off me physically with a hoof, sending it into the grass. It fizzled out and sunk into the floor, the glow eventually disappearing.

“Oh Celestia I’m so sorry! I was only trying to help, I didn’t—“

“Twilight, it’s okay. I forgive you.” I interrupted her, still wincing a bit from the pain but controlling myself enough to calm down the princess. I held out a hand and put it on her withers, the princess stopping her nervous fidgeting for a moment and looking appreciatively at me. “I don’t think you did this on purpose, and it does actually seem like you healed the break.”

I stood up, tripping slightly only for Ada to rush to my side and help me keep balance.

“Well, as long as you forgive her…” she looked apprehensively over at Twilight. “I can forgive her too.”

“Thanks sweetie.” I kissed her on the cheek. “Now, I really want to get inside please.”

“Most definitely. Lead the way?” Twilight smiled nervously and motioned for us to continue.

Once we were inside, and properly situated on the couch with some water and fruit brought out by Ada sitting in front of us, I finally let out the tension I had been holding in me since we first heard that boom. Neither of us touched the fruit, but we all were pleased to have some water to bring us back to life, proverbially.

Twilight was a little bit of an odd sight, sitting on the couch next to me with a disposable plastic bottle held between her front hooves. She sipped tiredly at the water, still catching her breath and recovering. I did the same, the ordeal we had been through being more than enough excitement for my year. She was definitely not the kind of horse I was used to seeing, her eyes slightly more forward and bright than those of a regular horse, not to mention the horn on her head and wings on her side. Her hooves looked very similar to an earth-dwelling pony's, the smooth keratinous nubs fading into fluffy fetlocks and fuzzy fur, but it seemed she was able to manipulate them in a far more prehensile way.

My leg twitched and I looked down at it. The magic residue had left some weird green colouration on my skin, which left me feeling incredibly uneasy. I wasn’t going to put any extra pressure on her right now, but I was going to need answers when Twilight had recovered a bit.

Ada re-entered the room, having finished cooking the burger Patties we were going to have earlier. Luckily I preferred veggie burger patties, as I wasn’t sure if horses ate meat, let alone magical horses from another world.

“Oh my, thank you, Ada! Twilight grinned, the burger levitating toward her in a purple glow. “Hay burgers are my favourite.”

“I think these are mostly beans and other plant stuff, not, uh… hay.”

Twilight wiped her mouth with a napkin, smiling as she chewed. “It’s delightful anyway.” She set the burger down and finished her mouthful.

What Twilight said before had left me infinitely curious.

“What does hay actually taste like, Twilight?”

“That’s right, of course humans don’t eat hay.” She giggled. “Well, it’s kinda sweet and earthy, but you can make it into plenty of things! Burger patties, fries, or even just fresh is nice sometimes.”

“Oh wow.” Now I was even more curious. Did hay taste the same to humans as it did to ponies? Or was it something about pony biology that made it taste good?

“Thank you both. For helping me before, for letting me take refuge here, and for being so welcoming to me even though I hurt you.” She looked toward me sympathetically, placing a hoof on my hand. “I know this is all very confusing.”

“Yeah, we don’t exactly have…” Ada looked Twilight up and down. “Unicorns? We have horses here on earth, but they don’t look like you at all.”

“Ponies. And me specifically, I’m an alicorn. Wings and horn and all.” Twilight corrected with a blush.

“You said something when we first met… about a mirror?”

“Oh, yes! The mirror that links our worlds together. It’s disguised as a statue in front of a local school, Canterlot High.”

Canterlot? That much be a joke.

“I don’t think I’ve heard of that school before. What state is it in?”

“Um… Equestria? I think? Oh gosh, I wish Sunset had taught me anything about her world before I left.” The young alicorn gripped at her face in frustration.

“Well,” Ada said, tapping through her phone with precision and speed “it doesn’t look like there’s a Canterlot or an Equestria in our world. It keeps trying to ask if I mean “Camelot” or “Equestrian”, but neither of those are places. Or at least, not real ones.”

“But… that can’t be possible! Unless…” Twilight pondered for a moment, glancing at me and Ada.

“What… fur varieties do you have over here on “earth”?”

“Uh, well humans don’t have fur, but we have all kinds skin tones.”

“Any blues?” Twilight asked nonchalantly.

“Huh?”

”Oh, you know, blue, lilac, green, the regular varieties.”

“Uh… I don’t think so. Maybe if I had jaundice, or frostbite, but human skin varieties don’t come in anything super bright like that.”

Twilight pursed her lips and look off contemplatively, tapping one hoof against her chin.

“I’m going to assume that this isn’t Sunset Shimmer’s version of this realm. Come to think of it, knowledge of magic is far and wide in sunsets realm, and I’ve cast it on her before. It never burned her, nor left behind residue that strong.” She glanced over to my leg, her eyes widening slightly. “And I’ve never seen it do this before.”

“Wait, what did it do?”

“These marks… the green splotches on your leg. I’d use my magic to diagnose it, but there’s no telling what kind of adverse reaction you could have to that.” She tapped her chin again in thought. “I’ll have to monitor it, make sure that it’s not injured.”

“Well, it feels fine now.” I replied. “I can still feel the lingering sting from before, but the bone seems to be all fixed.”

“I’m not convinced that this isn’t something more serious.” She turned to face my wife. “Sorry, Ada, but I’m going to need to stay here while I figure out what is happening to him.”

I cringed a little at the last word she used, but said nothing.

“That’s okay, Princess Twilight. Thank you for helping Jo in the first place.” She looked on nervously, trying and failing to keep her eyes off my magically affected leg. “I know you’ll try your best to fix… whatever this is. Just don’t make it worse.”

“It could be nothing,” Twilight added “but it could also be something. I’m not sure, I just want to make sure I didn’t… I don’t know, give him some kind of magical disease.”

“Do… do those exist?” I nervously asked.

“Not as far as I know, but it’s been theorised, especially when magic interacts with non magical things. You seem to be a non magical creature, correct?”

“Yeah. Magic doesn’t really exist here, beyond parlour tricks and sleight of hand, but that’s illusion, not magic.”

Twilight giggled. “I’m meaning like the type of magic you saw me use before. But if we can confirm your species isn’t innately magical, then that helps us narrow down possibilities.” She added with a nod before yawning widely. “Speaking of which, I think I may have kind of sorta exhausted myself doing all that magic before. Is there somewhere I can sleep?”

“We have the couch down stairs, or our bedroom up stairs.” Ada mentioned, standing up to retrieve a throw blanket and pillow for Twilight. ”If you don’t mind sleeping on an old mattress, I can set you up in our room?”

“Thank you, but the couch should be fine.” Twilight smiled lightly, which soon turned into a loud yawn. “Ooh, sorry everypony, I think I gotta hit the hay. Thank you again for helping me back there. I promise you, we’ll figure this out.”

The night was turbulent. Dreams of my body warping and being ripped apart, skin dissolving from the effects of the magic residue. Losing Ada and our new friend, Twilight, to that bear, back for revenge. I shook my head, clearing the memories from my head and the half length curls from my face. I looked to my side at Ada, still soundly asleep.

She and I had met at school together and remained together ever since. We had lots in common, and she really was such a great friend to me. I chuckled, thinking back on what Twilight had called herself last night. The Princess of Friendship. Was that even a real thing? Sounded almost like a made up title you’d give yourself to sound important, but what did I know. It’s not like I had much experience with the subject.

I let out a sigh and looked down at the sleeping Ada. At least I had her.

I squinted, something on her hand catching my eye. A darkened spot on the tip of each of her fingers. It was very subtle, but the skin there was definitely a deep blue hue. Something nagged at the back of my memory and I threw the sheets off, staring down at the place Twilights magic residue had seeped in last night. The green had gotten substantially further, now almost covering the entire front half of my shin. I instinctively gasped a little and froze, not sure how to proceed. Eventually, I reached a hand forward to feel the green spot and— Oh god, what was that?

More coloured splotches had spread on my now outstretched hand, presumably also from the small amount of magical residue that stuck to my hand when I was trying to brush it off.

I collected myself and slowed my heart enough to reach forward again and feel at the spot on my leg. My hand came into contact with it and felt… wonderful.

What!? Why did it feel so soft? It was almost like a plush toy, felt and velvet combined together to create what was just the most incredible sensory experience I had ever felt.

I pulled my hand back, almost sending myself into a panic from shock at the experience alone. My heart was beating so hard, it threatened to jump right out of my chest. What was happening to me that was making my leg feel so… incredible? My heart was fluttering, a feeling I was not at all expecting to be filled with. Touching that spot was so calming, relaxing… I shook my head, there were more important things to think about!

Twilight might not have all the answers, but since my condition was advancing, she might have more insight on it. Not to mention that experience I had felt while touching it… surely Twi would have something to say about that.

Twi? Gosh, snap out of it, Jo. You only just met her, it’s not really appropriate to go around shortening her name.

But… she could still be a friend. I didn’t have to push Twilight away, like I did everyone else in my life. I squinted my eyes and stood up, attempting to divert the road my thoughts were going down.

Twilight was already awake as I went down the stairs, apparently making herself comfortable in the kitchen and humming loudly as she levitated things around. I was about to call out her name when a batter coated spatula floated into my head, shocking me slightly and causing me to lose my balance. I held my hand out for purchase but found none as I tipped backward. Hearing a high pitched yelp from Twilight as I fell, I braced my body for an impact… that never came.

I slowly opened my eyes only to see a soft purple glow enveloping me. I gasped and struggled for a moment, expecting the burning sensation that I had felt all throughout me last time, only for it also to never come.

“Uh, Twilight?”

“I’m so sorry, Jo!” She lifted me the rest of the way to my feet with her magic, a second glow covering my vision and brushing my forehead clear of spilled batter from the spatula.

“I was trying to make you both some breakfast with what was in the cupboard, to make it up to you for your help, I didn’t mean to end up hurting you by—“

Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped in shock.

“Jo, I used magic on you!”

“I know!”

“The residue just dissipated? And it didn’t burn?”

“Not this time, apparently.”

“Fascinating…” Twilight began looking me up and down.

”Speaking of which, I thought you might have something more to tell me about this.” I said, pulling the pant leg of my pyjamas up to reveal the now spreading spot. Wait, had it gotten larger since I woke up?

Twilights attention was immediately transfixed on my leg and she circled around me, humming and hrring like a true scientist.

“I gave it a touch before, and I thought you should know, it was… kinda weirdly soft and nice. Velvety.”

I jumped a little as Twilights hoof brushed the front of my shin, tracing the area of skin which was now coated in green fuzz.

”Hm, funny.” Twilight chuckled. “It feels just like—“

Her expression fell blank, besides her slowly widening eyes. Suddenly, I felt myself hoisted into the air with a purple glow.

“Woah, holy— jeez Twilight! Put me down!” I yelled, to no avail. “I get that you can use magic on me now, but that’s no reason to just do it whenever!”

We entered the front room of the house, where our couch was, where she plonked me down unceremoniously, pushing me to lay down and swivelling the nearby pedestal lamp over my leg.

“Whas’goin‘on?” I heard Ada say from above, making her way down the steps and into the front room with them.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Twilight perched over me, intently inspecting my illuminated and furry green leg.

“Everything okay over here?”

Twilight didn’t respond, her eyes intently fixed on a fine strand of fur she had plucked painlessly from my shin when I wasn’t watching.

“Is that… oh damn, it got bigger?” She glanced over Twilights shoulder at the growing patch.

“Yeah. It’s fine, doesn’t hurt or anything, but I still have no idea what’s up with me.” I said, glancing down at Ada’s hands. The blue had definitely spread down her fingertips since I saw them this morning.

“As I thought.” Twilight interrupted us, swinging around to look at Ada. “It’s pony!”

“Uh… what’s pony.” Ada blankly stared at the alicorn who was now grinning ear to ear.

“I figured it out! The patch on your skin is growing pony fur! This must be some kind of reaction to the magical residue being absorbed into your skin. It makes sense, what with this world being adjacent to Sunset Shimmers, humans would be similarly transferable between pony and human forms when exposed to enough Equestrian magical energy, which is what I imagine triggers the change when travelling through the mirror, an—“

“Twilight, please! Slow down. Can you please explain this in like, the dumbest terms possible. Pretend you’re talking to literal children over here.” Ada interrupted her ramblings with a hand over the pony’s snout.

Twilight lifted a hoof up to push Ada’s hand away, but instead snapped to attention and lifted the hand toward her face.

“It’s happening to you too!”

“What!?” Ada wrenched her hand free and stared at the blue on her fingertips. A soft fuzz had begun to accumulate around the blue patches, just as it had done on my legs and hand.

“Okay, explain please.” Ada shoved her nervously jittering hand back into Twilights face, causing her to reel back and scrunch up her nose. “Like, now please. I’m gonna have a panic attack if you don’t explain what’s happening right now.”

I stood up and held Ada close in my arms, feeling her shaking subside a little in my embrace.

“It’s okay, honey. I’m here.” I stroked her hair, feeling a few weak sobs come from her as she rocked back and forth.

Twilight walked up beside her and put a hoof on Ada’s leg. Ada turned from me and smiled at the small purple impossibility before us.

“I’m sorry all of this happened, but as I promised Jo, I promise the same to you. I’ll figure out what’s happening to you two, and I’ll fix it.” Twilight reassured us, accepting the hug we both gave to her.

“Now, for the explanation. You might want to sit down for this.” Twilight said, leading us toward the couch and sitting up next to us with a small hop. “This is still just a theory based on what very little information I have about your condition, so please don’t take this as a definitive answer.”

“Okay… I’ll try” I said, my heart racing as I swallowed my anxiety.

“In my world, there exists a mirror that takes us to the world I was mentioning before. Sunset Shimmer, a dear friend of mine, lives in that world with her human classmates. Now, this world clearly isn’t the same as that world, but it is adjacent to it, magically.”

“Okay, I think I follow so far…” I scratched my head nervously.

“However, when we travel through the mirror, it changes our forms to be more acceptable to the dominant sentient species of your world.”

“So not dolphins?” I grinned, only receiving silence from the other two. I stayed silent as well.

“Humans. When I opened that world gate, it didn’t have with it any of the magic that changed me when going through the mirror, so I can only assume that’s why I’m still an alicorn. This world, however, doesn’t have any magic.”

No magic?

“How can you tell?” Ada asked.

“It’s in the air. Well, it usually is. I can’t feel any magical power here, which might make… certain things a little harder.” She turned a little and began to rub her chin in contemplation. “Ah!” She span back around. “No distractions! So, this world, no magic.”

I nodded.

“When I tried to heal you before, the magic residue wasn’t properly able to dissipate into the magicless atmosphere and collected on your skin. You, having no natural magic, took all of it inside you and it’s not gonna leave.”

“Oh. So like, you just gave me radiation poisoning?”

“No!” Twilight squeaked. “Nothing so dangerous as that. If my theory is correct, and it usually is, you’re going to eventually be covered in this fur, and you’ll look just like me. Well, obviously not just like me, but you’ll be a pony.”

“WHAT!?” Ada shot up, her eyes gaping wide. “We’re gonna look like… YOU!?”

“Yeesh, I know I’m not conventionally attractive…” she pawed at the couch with a hoof.

Meanwhile, I was sitting there, my heart racing and my mind going ever faster. No way. No god damn way.

Something was bubbling up inside me. A strange, indescribable feeling. My chest felt warm and excited, a strange rush of endorphins entering me. What had Twilights words done to elicit this?

“I have work tomorrow!” Ada whimpered, sitting down heavily next to me and holding me for comfort. “Am I just gonna like, start growing a horn like you in the middle of my shift? My manager would kill me!”

I hugged her back, and tightly too, but not out of panic. Something else was going on in my head, something about this that I didn’t understand, but it made my skin tingle, and my new patch of fur stand on end.

My fur. My. Fur.

It was mine.

I had fur.

I could feel the worry in Ada, and sympathised with her, but I could not convince myself to stop my heart from beating faster and faster. I felt a smile creep onto my lips, but dispelled it before anypony noticed.

I cleared my throat, consciously lowering my volume and pitch to make my words seem less… excited. “So you know how to fix this?”

Twilight nodded. “I do. It’s complex, and involves a couple of chained reality hops so we can first reach our world, and reverse your condition before taking you back here using a correct form of world gate.”

“That sounds… How long is this change going to take? I can’t be a god damn pony.” Ada gasped in desperation, looking up from her hands.

Is it really… that bad?

“I can only assume, at the speed it’s growing at right now, that the process will take around a week. Jo was exposed to more magic than you were, so maybe faster for him. It must’ve been when you were helping me push the bear back through the portal that you were exposed.”

“Great. Last time I help anyone ever.” Ada sighed and planted her face back into her hands. The strange, awful feeling in response to her words remained.

“I’m sorry, but I have more bad news.”

“Really?” Ada asked incredulously. “Worse than turning into a pony!?”

Twilight and I both winced, she clearly hurt by Ada’s words as well. She didn’t have to say it like that, especially after all Twilight had done for us so far…

“Err…” Twilight continued “Well , as I mentioned before, this world doesn’t have magic. When I came here, I used a massive amount of magic to open that portal, and pushed myself even further when I opened it again to send that creature back to the Everfree— where I was before I came here.” Twilight explained, pawing nervously at the couch. “All ponies generate a little bit of magic in their bodies; it’s why Equestria’s air is so filled with it, but we also benefit from the magical air, helping us recharge our reserves faster. Usually after using a spell that size, and under Equestrian atmospheric magic, I’d need a few days to recover. Maybe a week at most.”

“Wait.” Ada shuddered. “What are you trying to say.”

“Well, for me to have any chance of helping you, I’m going to need my magic to recharge enough to open another Worldgate. I need my lab, equipment, and lots of reserve magic. None of that’s here, and since I’m going to need it, I’ll need to take you to Equestria with me. Temporarily.”

“What does that have to do with your magi—“ I stopped. “Oh gosh, how long is it going to take for your magic to recharge enough to open that portal up again?”

“It may take up to a month.”

“A MONTH!?” Ada shouted, and I winced away from her at the sudden volume and anger in her voice. “I can’t do this! I have work! Friends! Family to see! I promised to help my cousin move next week!”

Twilight chuckled with a nervous smile. “Um… that’s a month here. Once we get to Equestria, I’m not even sure how long it might take to reverse your condition.”

“SCREW THIS.” She shouted and stormed into the office, slamming the door behind her angrily. I stood there with Twilight in silence. I hadn’t seen Ada show that kind of anger since her step dad visited. I shifted my gaze to the short princess beside me and offered a weak smile.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, she… can get like this sometimes. I’ve learned that when she does, she just needs time alone to think.” I said, glancing at the closed door nervously. I wanted her to open up to me, let me into her heart fully, but sometimes it felt like a blank box. No way to tell what was inside without actually doing something about it.

“No, Jo, it’s my fault. I should have found out a way to break this to you both more softly, I can’t imagine how horrible you must feel right now.”

A tingle in my chest. I said nothing about it again.

“I’ll be fine, I think Ada’s taking it… far worse than me.”

“It’s still my fault this is happening in the first place. Gosh, I’m such a horrible princess.” She planted her face into her hooves and sobbed. I shuffled closer to her and put my arm around the shaking alicorn.

“You’re not. You’ve done everything you can. I don’t blame you for being chased by… what was that thing?”

“A MindWorm. That bear wasn’t the creature we were fighting, that worm had attached itself to the bears head and taken over it, making it attack us. Poor thing didn’t know what it was doing.” She sobbed again. “And I almost killed it! Fluttershy would never have forgiven me.”

Fluttershy? Must be one of Twilight’s friends.

“All that aside, it’s not your fault.” I said, unconsciously stroking her mane. “I’m sure being a pony isn’t all that bad.”

“I mean, I think it’s great.” She said with a chuckle and wiped an eye free of tears. “I have so many friends who love me, and two wonderful marefriends. I have a teacher who trusted me to work alongside her as a princess, spreading the joy of working together throughout Equestria and beyond!” Her tone picked up toward the end, the smile on her face growing to almost outshine her tears. I smiled too, her joy almost contagious. To be honest with myself, the stuff she described sounded pretty great too.

“Plus, I have magic! All ponies do, so I can only assume you will too.” She smiled at me and heart picked up the pace yet again. That did sound great! What kind of magic would I have?

“You mentioned that you’re an Alicorn pony specifically before. Does that mean there are other pony varieties?”

“Oh of course! There’s winged pegasi, horned unicorns, and the robust earth ponies! Alicorns like me are far rarer, mostly being princesses or other powerful ponies who achieved a great magical feat and were transformed into an alicorn. I was actually a unicorn before I got wings.” She said, a proud yet anxious smile on her lips.

My mind raced with possibilities. All of those sounded so wonderful…

“Ooh, I have an idea! If you don’t mind, Jo, I’m going to scan you with my magic.”

“Sure! Uh, what are you looking for?” I responded as her horn began to glow, coating my entire form in a thin pink glow. I giggled embarrassingly as the magic passed over me, tingling behind my ears and in other such miscellaneous places.

“I’m trying to see if I can detect what kind of— aha! Well, Jo, looks like you’re going to be a pegasus!”

Another jolt, that strangely happy warm washing over my body.

“A P- Pegasus? They have…” my mind wandered, the possibilities of what I might look like rushing through my head. Soft feathered wings, keeping my body warm and giving a distinct silhouette to my form. Spreading them wide and stretching out, the beautiful pinions shimmering in the sunlight.

“You’ll look like me, minus the horn.” She tapped it once for emphasis. “Pegasi can control the weather, too! That’s the magic I was able to detect within you just then. I’m sure you’ll make a fine stallion.”

“Stallion?” The word was familiar; I knew it had something to do with horses, but not exactly what.

“Oh, that’s just the word for a male horse.”

Suddenly, the joy I had been holding in my heart this whole time was dropped like a stone, and my thoughts came crashing back to my harsh reality. Of course. I was still a man. That wouldn’t change, even though the rest of me would.

“I… did I say something wrong?” Twilight placed her hoof on my hand, moving closer to me.

“No, it’s…” how could I tell her? How could I tell anyone? I had only just discovered it within myself recently, and the burning desire at the back of my brain scorched like a wound. I couldn’t bear the burn any more, and this outlet felt like exactly what I had been searching for. “I’m fine, I just— I… I wanted to… god, I don’t know how to say it, I… being a… s-st—- I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m not… comfortable. With the way I am. My body, it just feels… It’s complicated.”

“Jo, I… if it’s something about what I said before. About you turning into a “stallion”? If you’d allow me to be blunt, I have a friend who is just like you. She was born a colt and later transitioned to be a mare. I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my boundaries, but the way you were talking about it sounded just like how she described her feelings.”

“No, you’re right.” I nodded and I swallowed a huge lump of anxiety that had been building in my throat. I was finally going to actually say it instead of keeping it all inside. “I’m transgender.”

I sobbed, the relief spreading through me as Twilight pulling me in for a hug, stroking my back with a hoof. I wrapped my arm around her, accepting the gesture of kindness wholeheartedly. I was so happy to finally have told someone. Somepony.

My gaze drifted anxiously toward the door, trying to imagine what my wife’s reaction could possibly be. I just wish the one I told first could have been Ada.

“I won’t tell Ada, if you’re worried” The princess said, following my gaze but keeping her hug with me close. “I’d never do anything make you regret confiding in me.”

I smiled and shook my head, sniffling my tear clogged nose.

“I have no doubts.”

Twilight smiled again and put a hoof on mine once more, her presence and words comforting enough to me that—

Wait

She placed her hoof. On my hoof.

My right arm jerked upward and I focused my attention on the tip of my ex-hand, wiggling the solid beige lump which comprised my now-hoof. Twilight gasped and held her own hooves to her mouth in surprise.

“Did I— did that happen when I scanned you before?”

“I mean, you’ve been casting magic on me since I woke up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if all that was accelerating the process.”

Twilight giggled. “You sounded like me just then.”

SLAM.

The door to the office smashed open and Ada stumbled out, hiding her hands underneath each armpit.

“Twilight, please.” She sobbed. “You have to make it stop.”

Ada pulled each hand out slowly, revealing, like mine, that each hand had begun to change. Hers, unlike mine, looked far less advanced, her fingers only now cartoonily disappearing into her hands like a balloon filling out and losing all its creases. Huh, so that’s what it looked like when it was actually happening.

Ada swung her gaze to me, looking me up and down angrily. “Jo? Why are you not angry!?” She pointed a vestigial hoof at Twilight. “She’s doing this to us!”

I stood up, placing one of my hoof-hands and my other still human hand on her. She jerked away, looking down at me. Wait, down? Wasn’t I taller than her?

“Your hand! It looks even worse than mine!”

“Ada, please stop, you—“

“No! Look at your leg, it’s also gotten worse!”

I looked down at my leg, still visible from my previously rolled up pant leg. My foot was in a similar state to Ada’s hands when she came out of the office, slowly changing before my eyes. It had almost finished morphing fully into a hoof when it came to a halt.

“Woah!” I said, a smile threatening to show on my lips.

“Why are you so nonchalant about this!?” Ada screamed. “I can’t— Jo, you’re so selfish.”

Pacing around the room, Ada smacked her leg against the coffee table. “Damnit! Damn, crap, argh!” She clenched her leg, leaning down and grunting heavily in pain.

“Ada, please, you have to calm down.”

She stopped, whimpering and sobbing on the spot. Eventually, exhausted, she stood up and stumbled over to the couch, sitting down with a thud.

“Ada… do you… still want to hold me?”

She glanced up at me and then down to my changed hoof. Apprehension.

“S- Sure…” she nodded, and shuffled over slightly on the couch to give me space to sit next to her. I sat next to her almost as apprehensively as the stare she was giving me.

“Ada,” Twilight started, “I know this is scary. No doubt Jo is dealing with the same thoughts right now,”

Was I? Did I really fear this as much as Ada did?

“But I promise you, this is all reversible. I was changed into a human once when I travelled between Equestria and the other human world. Magic is… well, magic! It can do a lot of things, including changing the shape, form, and biology of creatures, as you’re experiencing now.”

“That doesn’t fix the fact that I have work.”

“Hmm…” Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin. “I can possibly create a small illusion spell. It will make your boss just sorta forget to think about you. It won’t make him forget about you completely, your absence just simply won’t register to him.”

“Yeah, well it better work, cos if it doesn’t, then I’ll be coming back with no job.”

“I did this once before to go see a Sapphire Shores show when I was supposed to be studying,” Twilight giggled with a wink. “Trust me, my mum noticed nothing.”

“Okay.” Ada nodded, standing up and pulling away from my grasp. Did she want me near her or not? “I need… I need to lie down. I can’t deal with all of this right now.” She turned and noiselessly walked out of the room, this time walking up stairs and closing the door to our room calmly. Twilight and I sat in silence, the dead air starting to become awkward after not too long.

“Are you okay, Jo?” Twilight said, “I know this is all so hard to deal with, I wouldn’t be upset if you hated me for this too, I deserve—“

“Twilight,” I interrupted. “I’m not… I’m not upset. I’m not mad. In fact, I’ve been trying to collect my thoughts all morning, but I think I might be… excited about this.”

“Wait, really?” Twilight deadpanned. “After how your wife was reacting, you’re really okay with all this?”

“I’m worried about her, I really am.” A frown creasing my brow. “She’s been very distant from me in general, and I’m scared that this will push us further apart.”

Twilight nodded and looked intently, waiting for me to continue.

“I know this is a lot for her. Hell, if it weren’t for how disconnected with my gender I feel, maybe I would feel the same as her. But, I just don’t.” I stated flatly. It was a weird feeling, to be expressing such raw emotions in such blunt terms. Twilight showing up, and this whole situation surrounding us, had somehow brought all of my previously hidden thoughts to the surface. “The way she talks, about friends and work and everything. I just can’t relate with her. I feel like an alien in my own body.”

“Oh, Jo, I’m so sorry, I can only—“ she stopped herself, ears perking up in recognition before lowering again in embarrassment. “How thoughtless of me, I should have asked! Do you want me to call you anything different? I know many trans ponies go by different names than the ones their parents gave them.”

I sat still for a moment, only having recently considered the thought.

“Well,” I started, “W- What kind of names do ponies use?”

Twilight grinned in acknowledgement. “Usually, ponies are named through a process called a naming dream. It’s something a parent has when they’re pregnant with their foal. Princess Luna would be able to explain it better, but I’ll try my best.”

I nodded for her to continue.

“It usually comes in the forms of visual metaphors that the parent can interpret in the way they like, but it’s ultimately up to the parent what the foal is named. My mother told me that I was named Twilight Sparkle as a combination of my mothers name, Twilight Velvet, and her naming dream where she saw beautiful stars sparkling above her.”

“I wish I had been named like that. I was named after my Uncle, who kinda just hates me now and won’t speak to me anymore.”

“Now sounds like a perfect time to change it then.” She smiled at me warmly. Another soft tingle in my chest, my mind now racing with possibilities. I had always loved flowers, and without acknowledging it, my mind had been subtly thinking about names I would prefer to have. In fact, there was one name I had already spent hours thinking about.

“How does… P- Poppy sound?” I suggested, and Twilight instantly clapped her hooves happily together.

“Poppy! I love it! You know, I have a few friends in Ponyville who I’d love to introduce you to! Rose, Lily, and Daisy run the local florist, and I’m sure they’d be excited to meet another flower pony.” She said, emphasising it with a wink.

My heart filled with warmth once again, even just thinking about what Twilight had suggested. Friends. A new place. People— no, ponies who loved me and wanted me to actually be there.

“D- Did I say something wrong?” Twilight lowered her voice, placing a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. Was I…? I brought my hoof to my face and cleared away the tears I only just realised had begun to stream down my face.

“No, Twilight.” I smiled through the tears, returning her gesture of comfort with my own hoof on her shoulder. “I’m crying because… I think, for the first time in my life, I feel like… I might be able to feel like myself.”

Shimmer Code Switching

Ada hadn’t left her room the entire day. The pancakes Twilight had made and left for her outside our bedroom door eventually having gone cold, I took them away, dumping them into the bin. I could hear her making various phone calls through our thin plasterboard walls; telling her work that she wouldn’t be in for a few days, calling her friends and family to tell them she was sick and would be out of commission for a while. I thought I may as well do the same, but checking my phone, I realised just how long it had been since my mother called me last. I supposed work would probably want to know if something was up, but as long as I still had my computer, I could still do my job. Probably. The hooves might become a problem, but at least I could just avoid turning my webcam on in meetings.

Twilight gave me a concerned look as I came back from disposing of Ada’s meal. I sat down next to her silently and closed my eyes. She and I had spent the meal talking, mostly about Ponyville, her life, her friends… It made me so jealous. I couldn’t help but fall into it, desiring the things she talked about, wanting so much to have that peace. Alas, I sighed. Eventually, Ada and I would be fixed and we’d return here.

My foot had advanced throughout the day, minty fur now covering almost the full circumference of my leg, the hoof at the bottom of my leg having also finished coming in just before it. I noticed that all over my body, small peach-fuzz-like hairs were beginning to spring up. It was difficult to notice without the right light and angle, but they were almost definitely the pastel green fur my leg and hand were covered in now.

My thoughts drifted to Ada. I had knocked on the door multiple times, trying desperately to reach out to her, to no avail. I wanted her to be safe and happy, but it was impossible to do when being pushed away so adamantly. Her changes had probably also advanced, though to what extent, I had no idea. Hopefully she would leave the room and talk to me, but she was showing no signs of exiting anytime soon.

Was she scared of me? I looked down at my hoof, inspecting it closely for the fiftieth time. Its smooth, rounded shape was a lovely beige, lightly lined with natural markings down the length of it. It faded into the slightly longer, shaggy green fur on my “fetlocks”, as Twilight had informed me. Learning names for various pony anatomical parts was interesting, if a little awkward when she went into the more sensitive areas without warning.

I shook my head, knowing Ada probably wouldn’t even bother trying to learn what I had just been taught. She was in full on denial mode. For me, however, this whole situation was becoming less and less unreal seeming over time. It may have been different, yes, but something about it felt so much more right than I had expected.

Thinking on how Ada might feel, however, made my chest sink. I didn’t mind if she couldn’t embrace it as I was, but the utter disgust she had shown when she looked at me- no, glared at me before, made me doubtful she could even accept that I might be okay with this, let alone accept that I was trans. I had probed her on the subject before and received nothing concrete that would let me guess how she felt about it.

“Poppy,” Twilight said, my heart skipping a beat happily at the use of my new name. “Is there anywhere I might possibly do some research? I’ve been thinking of trying to see if this world does in fact contain some sort of magic. If we can source it here, then I may be able to open a portal faster than I previously thought.”

“Really?” I perked up. “Ada will be excited to hear that.”

“I don’t think we should try to get her hopes up this early on; she’ll feel even worse if this turns out to be a dead end. Maybe once my research bears some fruit, but I’d rather just keep the possibility between us until then.”

I nodded, knowing she was right. “I have a laptop, if that suits you?”

“A laptop?”

“Oh, uh, it’s like… a powered book that does complex and fast maths equations to display images, store data, read information, all interactively.”

“Fascinating!” Twilight’s ears stood at attention. “I’d love to play with— I mean, I’d love to try doing some research with it.”

I pulled my work laptop out from under the desk where it was stored and placed it in front of Twilight. After a very short tutorial to an apparently incredibly fast learner, Twilight was happily typing away, using a levitating pencil to tap keys, run search terms through google, find scientific papers on archival websites, and last I saw, was going through old internet forums for mentions of magic. I had warned her that she would find her fair share of misinformation and lies out there, but she assured me that if she found anything, she’d be able to tell herself whether it was legitimate or not.

As I had suspected, the search was long and boring. I left Twilight tapping happily on the keyboard and walked over to my computer to start doing some work. I had neglected it during the daylight hours, but I picked my own hours for the most part, filling in for my lost time now. It was far more difficult than usual, using my left hand for most of my typing, and the right hoof for clicking and moving the mouse, but I could tell I was getting the hang of it by the time dinner came around.

Making dinner was similarly hard, but didn’t require anywhere near as much fine motor movement compared to computer work. I sliced some vegetables and fried them up with some delicious soy sauce and various spices, working in some freshly chopped cashews and parsley. It was simple, but it was more than enough to satisfy Twilight and I. Having left a plate for Ada, I smiled when I came back to see that it had been eaten. Another knock, followed by silence, confirmed that she still didn’t want to see me.

I sat and talked with Twilight for the rest of the night, her also having called it quits temporarily on the research. The more and more she described her home, Ponyville, the more enticing it sounded. They didn’t have a system of debt there; public funded programs having paid for nearly all if not every single basic need for everypony. Travel was free, food was plentiful and not thrown in the waste when needy ponies were there. I wished that Ada was here and would actually listen instead of reacting with fear. Twilight was clearly here to help us, and felt immense remorse for involving us in her affairs, but so far Ada had only pushed both of us away.

Night time came once more, and I tiptoed toward Ada’s room, listening carefully to hear light snores coming from inside. Happy that she was able to get to sleep, and not wanting to wake her up, I walked back down stairs and set myself up on the second couch next to Twilight.

“Not going to sleep next to your marefriend?”

I shook my head.

“She’s not taking this well and I’m just scared to do anything which might make this worse for her.”

“Surely your presence would help her?”

I shrugged.

“She never had issues sleeping alone. Always would complain that I would wake her up, accidentally moving in my sleep.”

Twilight stayed silent, gazing down at her hooves.

“Besides, I think she needs a break. She still works hard, and has lots of issues going on in her own head. The biggest problem is that she bottles it, storing it under the floorboards until it explodes in— well, you saw before. Slamming doors. Trying to avoid me. I’ve just learned to let her have space, but it hurts to avoid her when all I want to do is comfort her.”

“I know how you feel. It’s never nice to not know how to help somepony, or whether you can help at all. Sometimes, if that pony refuses to let you in, then there’s not a whole lot you can do. Plus, the feelings you have matter too. She might be shutting you out for her own health, but you’re your own mare, with needs and wants that should be respected.”

I smiled sadly at her and let out a single laugh. The word “mare”, something I recently learned meant a female pony, raised my spirits

“Th- thanks. Y’know, you’re good at this.” I shot her a grin. “You should get a job doing this kind of thing.”

She laughed with a snort, falling backward onto the couch that was currently her bed. We laughed together until my laugh turned into a yawn and I conceded that it was time to hit the hay. A phrase which was beginning to develop a newly ironic meaning, what with our ponifying condition.

I drifted off, thinking about the possibilities that the future held, and dreaming far more peacefully that night than I had in weeks.

I woke up to a quiet house, the sun only just beginning to peak over the horizon. It wasn’t the only light in the room either, I noticed, turning to see Twilight scrolling through webpages on my laptop, bags under her eyes.

“Twilight? What time is it” I said, lifting my right hoof and rubbing my eyes free of sleep.

“Four AM. You should get back to sleep.” She said, eyes transfixed on the screen. She sipped at a lukewarm looking coffee which she had made herself at some point earlier in the night.

“Sounds like you should get some sleep too, Twi.”

She sighed. Smiling at me, she closed the laptop and levitated her coffee over to the table.

“You’re right. I’ve hit a dead end, and I just don’t think there’s anything out there magical in your world.”

“I thought so.” I nodded, dejected, but expecting this outcome. Ada was just going to have to exist as a pony with me for a while. Who knew, maybe I could get her to accept it; or stop freaking out at the very least. Twilight had done all she could to assure us it could be reversed, and we’d be able to get back to our mundane lives. The banality of it was almost comedic in comparison to the described world of ponies, magic, friendship, and love that Twilight described. Unlike this world, with its rampant destruction and corruption, Equestria was nothing short of utopian.

I went to stand up, thinking that a coffee might be in order, only to trip slightly, falling further than I expected from the couch.

“Um… Twilight?”

She sleepily looked over to me, eyelids half way down her face.

“Mm?”

“Do I look… Shorter to you?” I looked myself up and down.

She forced her sleepy lids open and stared at me for a moment. “Oh dear. You do, don’t you?”

Pulling up my pant leg yet again, I observed that not only had the entirety of my right leg been covered in minty fur, but the bones in my leg looked almost broken again. On closer inspection however, I noticed that it wasn’t broken at all, and instead the various bones in my leg had begun to either shorten or lengthen to represent their pony counterpart. The heel of my foot no longer hit the floor; no longer needing to, since my toes– now my hoof, provided adequate support. Slightly less easy to balance with, but that was to be expected now that my toes couldn’t flex to support micro-adjustments in posture. Almost as if to prove a point, I tripped slightly attempting to put pressure on the adjacent leg.

I pulled up the other pant sleeve to see that the changes had begun to sprout from an all new spot, seemingly on the inner side of my legs that had been pressed together while sleeping. The left leg was ever so slightly longer than the hooved right one, explaining my loss of balance when trying to shift weight between the two.

“Uhh, this is fine, right?” I questioned her, trying again to stand up straight. “It’s— woops!” I stumbled again. “It’s much harder to move now. I wish the other side would hurry up already.”

“Hmmm…” Twilight stood up and trotted over. “Let me try this…

A concentrated glow of magic began to form on my left leg and the changes began to accelerate rapidly, continuing their spread until the left leg’s bones were at the same scale as the right. I watched in strange fascination as my toes disappeared for a second and last time, rounding out into the familiar beige hoof that was on my other toe.

“There! Just a teensy dose of raw magic, and this side should be growing at the same rate.” Twilight smiled. “It was going to happen sooner or later, so now you can at least balance.”

Almost as if to punctuate her words, I tripped again, this time fully falling back onto the couch. She and I both laughed at the timing of it, being careful to remain quiet in the still morning silence.

Smiling, my brain buzzing with the unexpected joy of this strange new experience, my mood dropped when my mind wandered to Ada. She was still asleep now, as could be heard from the loud snores leaking through the aforementioned thin walls.

She would wake up and most likely freak out at her changes, had she still not been able to reconcile with herself yet. To her, this could be a holiday; an excuse to get away from the job that she clearly despised, based on our many conversations about it. I could understand her apprehension, but we both knew that this condition was more than reversible. I sighed. Reversible. Twilight was going to reverse this after everything was said and done.

“Well, I was about to make myself a coffee. Would you like me to make you a cup? Since you’re currently still… adjusting.”

“That would be wonderful.”

I looked to my side, a barely noticeable creak having caught my attention. Walking down the stairs was Ada, hands under her armpits yet again.

“Make that two coffees, Twi.” I said, standing to go meet Ada at the bottom of the stairs. I held my hooves out for her to take as balance as she got to the bottom of the stairs, but she ignored my gesture and stepped around me, walking toward the couch.

“Ada, please.” I said, softening my voice as I clumsily walked over on my new hind-hooves and sat down next to her. “It’s going to be okay. Please, just trust me, I’m going to be here for you throughout this.”

She side eyed me, the expression on her face unreadable. Eventually she pulled her hooves out and placed them on my lap, reluctantly moving closer to me. It wasn’t the opening up that both of us needed, but it was a start.

I didn’t mention the obvious changes that had happened to Ada over the course of the last day and a bit, but I couldn’t help but take note of a blue tint spreading from the tip of her nose, outward to the rest of her face. She was still hiding it, but her front hooves had almost definitely finished forming, the blue fur now being noticeable quite far up her arms. It wasn’t the time to bring it up, especially now that Ada was at least not hiding from me anymore.

After a minute of quiet, Twilight trotted in from the kitchen, three steaming coffees floating just behind her, suspended in a purple glow. I never could get over how cool that was, smiling a little wider than I should have when the cup floated in between my front hooves. I giggled with an oddly cute snort, shocking even myself with the unabashed femininity of the action. Nopony else said anything, so I let it remain ignored, but anypony watching would have seen the light pink of a blush begin to dust my cheeks.

Plonking her rump down happily on the couch, Twilight lifted her own coffee to her lips and took a sip, some of the energy coming back to her face. If she was anything like me however, she’d sleep soundly after caffeine, despite its purported effects. She looked over to Ada and smiled.

“Good morning, Ada. I hope your sleep was restful.”

She nodded apprehensively. “I slept like… maybe half of yesterday and all of last night. Can’t sleep much more though, so I’m up now.” A slight smile and a laugh. I held her closer, even the tiniest improvement on her mood rubbing off on me. She sank closer into the hug, now embracing at least my touch, if not my changes. She noticeably still avoided touching my hooves, but I again said nothing. It was more important that she be comfortable than me, after all.

“So, you’ve been researching?” Ada broke the silence, motioning to the piles of paper and notes that Twilight had uncovered. “Any luck?”

Twilight, in the middle of yawning, shook her head sadly at Ada. “No, and I was up all night too.” She looked over to the open laptop begrudgingly.

“I’m sorry. I’m almost certain I’ll be able to reverse your conditions, in time, but it will be by the timeline I mentioned before.”

Ada sighed. “Well, it’s not bad news. Just an absence of good news.”

Twilight nodded, looking down at her hooves in guilt. “Unfortunately, most “magic” in your world is as you said. People with superstitions performing what they think will work; not the worst idea, since magic can only come with experimentation, but without knowing what could happen, they could potentially cause a catastrophe.” Twilight lifted the computer over to herself with a glimmer of purple magic, beginning to tap away. “At first I thought that these ”Furries” were magical creatures, but unfortunately I found out that it’s a fandom and not a grouping of species’.”

I blushed, childhood memories of time spent in particular Internet forums filling me with embarrassment. I decided not to mention it.

“Then there’s these “VTubers”.” Twilight began, only for a gasp to come from Ada. I smiled, knowing the rant that was about to come.

“I love VTubers! I follow so many! There’s Gawr Gura, and Korone, and Shimmer Code, who I really like. Then there’s—“

“Wait-wait-wait, go back.” Twilight held her hooves up. “Did you say “Shimmer Code”?” Her eyes grew wider.

“Uh, yeah? There’s this girl who has like, a really complex 3D pony character. Some very impressive rigging and animation setup too, much cleaner looking than any—“ She froze.

Twilight stared back at her. Her ear twitched.

“You don’t think…”

Not responding, the princess began slamming away at keys with her magic, and only a few seconds later, the screen shifted to a YouTube video compilation named “Shimmer Code Best Moments”. Hitting play, we immediately saw a short, golden yellow unicorn, a game controller floating in front of her with an incredibly distinct and familiar look, apart from the difference in colour.

“Oh my god.” Ada chuckled. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about Shimmer Code! I guess with all the confusion the other night, it never crossed my mind.”

“How do we get in contact with her?” Twilight said, bumping the screen with the tip of her hoof as she pointed out the red and yellow haired unicorn.

Hey, careful with my laptop…

“She has a Twitter, I suppose we can send her a DM?” I mentioned, using the touchpad to click on the link in her channel description. The webpage loaded, showing the profile of your typical Youtuber/streamer. Links to videos, funny moments, compilations of facial expressions captured at key moments.

“There’s no doubt about it, that’s Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight clapped her hooves excitedly as my scrolling came to a halt on a particularly funny image of Sunset falling back in her chair.

“Let’s send her a message.”

Twilight moved the mouse over to the DM button and began tapping at the keys.

“Dear Sunset Shimmer. I know who you are, and—“

“Woah, hey,” I said, taking the laptop out of her magical hold. “I think that might sound a little aggressive as a first message.”

Twilight blushed and chuckled.

“How about this…” I placed the laptop awkwardly on my lap and began typing using one hand, and the very tip of my right hoof.

“hey shimmer code! I know this might seem a little weird, but my name is twilight sparkle and I am a pony just like you. I come from another world and am familiar with an alternate universe version of you named sunset shimmer”. I dictated as I typed.

"There, that’s a better start.” I smiled, hoofing the laptop back to Twilight.

“If you wanted to contact me, it would be of great assistance. I am currently trying to help two humans who are dealing with a condition that is slowly changing them to be ponies like us, and I need a little magical helping hoof” Twilight read her message aloud, ending it with a small “:3c” emoticon at the end. She learned fast.

It was a few minutes before we received a reply, faster than I had expected.

“Okay, that’s creepy as hell. Alternate version of me? I haven’t told anypony my new name, so yea. It’s a bit much, but I guess I believe you. I am a pony, and I went through the exact thing that’s happening to your friends there, so I got no reason to believe you’re lying. To be honest, you’re the first ones like me I’ve ever met. I’ll help you guys out, but honestly, I don’t know what I can do.”

“I’m not too sure she can help us either. I mean, I can’t help but notice she’s still a pony, not a human…” Ada shrugged, pursing her lips in uncertainty.

Twilight efficiently typed a response a few moments after finishing reading Sunset’s.

“Wait, so you were a human and also became a pony? How interesting. How did that happen? Our issue is mainly due to the fact I magically burnt myself out getting to this universe in the first place. I’m an experienced magic user, but as you’ve probably noticed, the air in this world lacks magic.”

“I kinda just thought that was normal. For me, I was interested in the occult since I was a kid. I started messing around with some stuff and ended up blasting myself with a pure beam of magic. I had no idea it would have the effect it did.”

“So this world does have magic! That’s promising.” Twilight said aloud before returning to her conversation.

I looked to Ada with a smile, happy to see her own expression cheering up at this most recent development. I bounced excitedly on the couch, turning back to read more of Twilights conversation, which had continued while I wasn’t watching.

“…So yeah, I ended up just going with it. Now I stream games as a pony and make a killing. VTubers being a thing gave me the perfect cover; I’m friends with some 3d artists too, who appreciated being given “credit” for making my model ;) Anyway, getting back to it, I’m still not too sure what I can do for you.”

“I can think of a few.” Twilight responded. “I’d need to get you here though, to the house of the humans who are in need.”

“No problem. Send me the address and I’ll be there in… gimme like fifteen minutes, I gotta shower so bad.”

“Well, that’s that!” Twilight piped up, closing the laptop lid after sending through one last message. “Looks like I have some good news after all, Ada! If this world’s Sunset Shimmer is magically active, she might be able to help me cast the worldgate spell!”

Ada sighed in relief, a wide smile on her face. I couldn’t help but smile too, her happiness infectious, though Twilights words nagged the back of my mind, telling me to think more and consider my own feelings about this. How happy thinking about my possible future might‘ve been.

I pushed them down. That wasn’t important right now. Ada was happy, and that was all that mattered.

The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, slowly filling the living room with the dim, soft morning light. I composed myself to get up, standing and slowly walking on my new hooves toward the kitchen to make breakfast for Twilight and my wife. I had gotten used to walking like this, for the most part, especially after Twilight had helped me balance out the rate of changes between legs.

Making up a simple breakfast of beans on toast with eggs, I hummed a simple tune to myself. I was feeling more perky than usual, and curiously, my hums sounded far more sonorous, and dare I say, on pitch this morning. I was never the worst singer, but it struck me as odd to hear the notes I did. I felt at my throat with my remaining hand, the five am shadow I was used to feeling far less rough than usual. I guessed it made sense, the rest of my skin being coated in the same velvety fuzz as my leg, that the same would happen with other body hair. Wait, did magical ponies grow facial hair? I sure hoped not.

“So she said she’d be here soon, right?” Ada said, arm leaning over the back of the couch to watch me as I carried our breakfasts into the living room on a tray.

"Wait, I thought she lived in Denmark or Finland or something, how would she be able to—“ Flash! A magical sparkle, followed by the form of a short buttery unicorn both materialised in the middle of the room, giving nearly everypony the scare of their lifetimes, and almost making me drop the already precariously balanced breakfasts. Before us stood Sunset Shimmer, who flicked her red and yellow mane stylishly on arrival, horn glow receding after her teleport spell had concluded.

“The mane mare is here.” She shot us a smirk.

“Sunset! It’s so good to see you!” Twilight shouted, hooves clopping as she ran up to the new arrival, wrapping her front legs around Sunset’s shocked looking form. Sunset chuckled and pushed Twilight away gently.

“Hehe, okay there tiger. I’m not the Sunset Shimmer you know, remember?”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed. “Right. Of course.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, heh.” Sunset chuckled, turning to look at the still stunned Ada and I at the other side of the room. “I take it you two are the…? Oh wow, yeah, those are hooves.”

Sunset trotted up to us, first inspecting my lower hooves, then shifting her attention to Ada, who was smiling wide, her face filled with joy and excitement.

“Um, Shimmer Code? I just wanted to say, I’m a huge fan!” Ada said excitedly, bouncing from toe to toe.

“Oh, a fan, eh?” She smirked, a mischievous smile gracing her lips. Uh oh. “I don’t really get to meet many, for… obvious reasons. Hey, want an autograph?”

With a playful waggle of Sunsets, eyebrows, Ada was in the kitchen and out again, carrying a pen and paper surprisingly effectively in her hooves. Sunset levitated the pen with a quick flourish, marking her signature with a tiny cartoon pony drawing. Heh, cute. Ada gasped, holding the signature to her chest.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you—!” She squealed, picking up Sunset in a hug, spinning around before placing her back down. “My friends are going to be so jealous.”

Sunset smiled as she regained her balance, this time a little blush showing up below her golden fur. “Oh it’s nothing. W- Well, anyway!” Sunset stammered, her initial confidence being clearly overridden somewhat by embarrassment. She turned, Twilight walking up to us, laughing at the display.

“So, how can I help?” Sunset smiled, her bravado returning. I decided to take a seat, realising finally that I was still holding breakfast. I placed it in front of everypony and we began eating as we spoke. Luckily I had made more than I expected us to need, so there was plenty for Sunset as well.

“So,” Twilight addressed Sunset, her voice swapping to that analytical tone I was so familiar with by now. “I noticed that you’ve developed quite the repertoire of spells! Impressive, what with there being no formal education resources on magic here.”

Sunset’s blush returned. For someone so confident, she sure did get flustered easily.

“Y- Yeah, well,” She chuckled, “I’ve been interested in magic my whole life, so becoming a pony was probably one of the best things that could happen to me!”

Ada raised an eyebrow.

“I get to stream still; something I was doing before I became a pony, and when I wanna see my friends, I invented a glamour spell that lets me appear to others as a human!”

Ada’s eyes shot open.

“WHAT.”

Sunset jumped back, the sudden intensity of Ada’s outburst almost physically pushing her back.

“YOU HAVE TO TEACH ME.”

Sunset gulped. “I— uh, sure! As long as you turn out to be a unicorn.” She punctuated with a tap on Ada’s forehead, doubling as a way to push away the over-zealous half-pony.

“S- Sorry,” Ada jumped backward, the breach of personal space suddenly registering in her brain.

“That gives me an idea,” Twilight trotted up to my wife. “Hold still for a moment, Ada— I’m going to scan you with my magic; it won’t hurt at all, you’ve already absorbed enough magic that it won’t cause you any pain, as Jo knows.”

Ada still stiffened awkwardly as the magic passed over her. I saw her pursed lips break their composure temporarily, letting out a small laugh as she no doubt was being tickled as I was from the magical glow.

“Good news!” Twilight smiled. “You’re not only going to be a unicorn, but I detected a fair amount of magical adaptability in you! That means that you’ll be more than capable of casting the types of spells that Sunset and I cast.”

“Woah, magic?” Ada’s eyes almost sparkled. The secondary joy I experienced made my heart soar and I hugged her closer. Maybe she was actually beginning to embrace these— “Maybe I can help you figure out how to change us back faster!”

And just like that, it was gone.

“That’s what I’m hoping for. In the meantime, once your horn grows in, Sunset and I can start teaching you the glamour spell, and some other simple spells to help you get used to the concept.”

I smiled at Ada, still happy that she was going to be able to change herself back faster

Us.

Change us back.

I sighed. What Ada wants is important. She deserves to be happy

Happier than me.

“As I was saying,” Twilight continued, “Luckily, I don’t think I actually need much from you, Sunset. I just need a dose of magical energy from you, and hopefully Ada as well. I burnt through my magical reserves, and you both should be building up magic within yourselves as we speak. By the time the week is up, and your transformations are complete, we should have enough combined magic to open a portal to our world; Equestria!”

Everypony in the room was chattering, happy that we finally had a plan, but I noticed quite oddly that Sunset and I were smiling wider than the others in the room.

We happily continued our breakfast now, conversing amongst ourselves. I smiled, the air in the room positively buzzing with energy. After such a depressing atmosphere hanging over us for the last few days, Sunsets appearance was a proverbial ray of sunshine. Even Ada seemed to be enjoying herself, now talking to Sunset about her favourite VTubers, and giggling with her at the time that she tripped and pulled down her green screen, almost revealing her identity.

“Oh hey, Ada, right?” Sunset turned to my wife. “You got a little blue on your nose.”

“Ugh, really?” She whipped out her phone and turned on the face camera, inspecting what was indeed a growing blue patch, starting from her nose and spreading outward. “I don’t suppose you could cast the glamour spell on me instead, right?”

“Actually, I can!” Sunset smiled, her horn glowing teal for a moment before enveloping Ada in a soft light. She flashed briefly, revealing a regular, every day Ada. No hooves, no blue, no fur.

“Oh my gosh, thank you!” She said, overzealously hugging Sunset once more and hopping to her feet. She flexed her fingers and pulled out her phone again, inspecting her normal seeming nose. “How long does this last? ‘Cos I got work today, and if I can show up despite telling my boss I was feeling nauseous, I’ll be back in their good books for sure!”

“Oh, it’ll last like the entire day, or until I turn it off. It’s basically a “second skin” spell. Your hands will work as normal, even though they’re basically just your magical field projected over your hooves. Just don’t let anypony pick you up once you’ve finished changing. Once you’re this size, you’re gonna weigh this much regardless of whether the glamour spell is on or not.”

“Seriously, I can’t thank you enough!” Ada spun around, looking down at herself again. She stopped suddenly, glancing up at the clock. “Oh crap, I got work in like, twenty minutes!” She said, tugging on her dirty pyjama shirt and turning to run up stairs to our bedroom.

I sighed, forcing a smile.

Good for her.

I heard sunsets hooves clopping as she walked up to me. “So you’re next, right?”

“Oh, um, no, I work from home, so I’m not-“

“It’s really no issue! You’re not a unicorn so it’s gotta be hard to use a PC.”

“Seriously, I’m fine, I think—“

“Its not like it takes much effort either, it’s one of the easier spells I’ve lear—“

“NO!” I grit my teeth, the strange puberty-esque voice crack shocking me almost as much as my outburst. I hadn’t had a break like that in years. “Er- what I mean is—“

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Sunset grinned knowingly at me raising one eyebrow as she looked me up and down. I felt my cheeks rush with blood. “I understand. Hey, why do you think I stay as a pony instead of casting such a simple spell on myself? I get you.” She placed a hoof on my chest, which was now beating more rapidly than it ever had before.

“Thanks, I just… I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“I know that feeling all too well, and I didn’t have someone like Twilight or me to guide you through this, so don’t worry.” She placed a hoof on my shoulder and winked playfully. “I got ’yer back.”

I sighed, listening as I heard Ada get ready in the other room. I couldn’t say I was exactly jealous of her. She had the things that she enjoyed, and I had mine. I suppose this was just one of those things, but Ada had reacted so… violently to this. How could I possibly tell her how I felt? Her outbursts scared me, and to tell her that this might be something I actually wanted? That scared me even more. My throat sank even more, remembering that I had yet another gargantuan secret I was keeping from her.

I looked down at my hooves, my previously masculine hands not visible at all through the now transformed appendages. I flexed them, the muscles beginning to feel natural, despite their differences from my regular biology.

Ada came bursting out of the room, work clothes haphazardly thrown on, but neat enough to be presentable. I stood up, moving closer to her. “Okay, so this won’t just like, stop working, right?” She asked Sunset Shimmer, throwing on her shoes mid stride. “My boss would kill me if I had to call in sick again.”

“Nope! Even if any changes happen throughout the day, you won’t notice it until I turn the spell off tonight.”

“Great, thanks!” She said, grabbing her keys and stepping out the door.

“Bye, honey, I love—“

Slam. The door shut, leaving us in silence.

“—you.” I sat back down, staring at my lower hooves. Sunset and Twilight both walked over to me, concern in their eyes.

“J— Poppy, I’m sorry. I think she was just caught up in the excitement.” Twilight said, placing a wing around my shoulder in comfort. The feathers were soft and light, the comfort and warmth they radiated filling me with a similar warmth. Held back my sighs of relief, careful not to get carried away in the feeling and embarrass myself further. Being called Poppy again by Twilight, now that Ada was out of the room, sent similar pleasant feelings through me.

“Poppy?” Sunset asked, an ever so slightly noticeable smile beginning to creep onto her face.

“Y- Yeah. I haven’t told Ada yet, so don’t go blabbing or anything, but… I’m trans.”

“EEEEEE!” The high pitched squeal that Sunset let out forcing me to bring my hoof and hand to my ears in shock. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t- I mean,” An unbelievably wide smile was plastered across her face. “I’M TRANS TOO!”

My eyes widened, and what must have been the hundredth time in two days, all I could think was No way.

“Y-You—“ a smile was forcing itself onto my lips, Sunset now joyfully gripping my shoulders in her hooves. “You’re trans too!?”

Twilight said nothing, eyes sparkling as she glanced between the two of us, hooves clasped together.

“You bet! And proud of it.” She said, performing another stylish flourish with her mane, accompanied with a wink. “I transitioned like, three, maybe four years ago? Started my streaming career just after it too. Trust me, you’re gonna love this pony biz.”

“But, wait…” I stopped. “Your voice. You sound so… well, cis.”

“That’s what I was saying! You’re gonna love the whole being a pony thing, cos most likely?” She shouldered up to me, whispering in my ear.

“It’s gonna make you a mare.”

I came to with a splash of water on my face. Sitting up rapidly, I saw Sunset and Twilight giggling as they used their magic to clean up the spilled water off of me, drying my clothes and body.

“Wh- what happened?” I said, but head spinning still from having woken so suddenly. We were talking about being a pony, and—

I froze.

My vision slowly shifted over, until I was staring at Sunset in disbelief.

“You fainted, filly.”

“What you said before. You were serious, right?”

“I sure was.” She smirked, and my heart began to race even faster. “I was already on hormones, but when I got ponified, it kinda… finished the job, so to speak.” She laughed nervously.

“Wait, you mean…?” I tried not to look down to my crotch.

“I do. So if you got any last errands to run, I’d do it now.”

My cheeks flushed with red.

“N- no thank you.”

“Eh, suit yourself.”

“So wait, could you just like… I dunno, blast me with magic or something? Finish this up?”

“Hmm, probably not. Apart from the fact that it’s already dangerous to flood a pony’s body with magic, we have no idea what would happen if we did it to a half-pony.” Twilight interjected.

“Hey, don’t worry about it too much,” Sunset grinned, nudging me with an elbow. “It’s exciting! I mean, honestly, going through the process of transition is cool as hell! Both for gender and for being a pony.”

I felt my heart jump. She was right, wasn’t she? The last few days, I had been feeling strange. The weird fluttering in my heart when I looked at my hooves. The warmth in my belly when Twilight told me I was going to be turning into a Pegasus. The joy just now that I felt when Sunset mentioned it might turn me into a mare…

“Wait, how are you sure it’ll turn me into a mare? What about Ada? Is she going to be a— what did you call it? Stallion?”

“Probably not.” Sunset shrugged. “But hey, if it does happen, we can just change her back when we change her back into a human. Oh and based on that voice crack before?” She nudged me yet again. “I wouldn’t worry about not turning into a mare too much. That’s exactly what happened to me too.”

My heart leapt for joy and this time, with Ada out of the house, I couldn’t control my happiness any longer. I jumped up and down, not even stopping when I almost lost my balance on my less than nimble lower hooves. I was buzzing with pulses of intense happiness, hopping from hoof to hoof and squeeing uncontrollably.

It felt unbelievable. Unreal. All the things I had desired, every wish I pushed away for the sake of others happiness, were all coming true!

“I can’t believe it, I’m—“ I breathed in and shouted, my voice not breaking; this time unabashedly feminine, no longer forcing it lower than it had been changing into.

I’m gonna be a girl!

“I’m gonna be a mare!”

Roots of a Poppy, Growing in the Cracks

The entire day, I was buzzing with energy, my co-workers even commenting on it as I worked. I focused hard, the sound of my hooves tapping on keys sending all sorts of auditory joy signals to my brain. The sound of my mechanical keys was even more satisfying when combined with the tapping of my hooves against their plastic surfaces.

Just as it was beginning to annoy me, the asymmetry of my hoof and hand began to correct itself, the left finally beginning its transformation into a cute beige nub. I had asked Twilight, who despite her apprehensions, was egged on by Sunset to accept my proposition to blast my left hand to balance it out, similar to how she had done with my leg.

I giggled, giddy with joy as I watched the hoof morph to be the same as the right hand, now covered in the familiar fuzz that the rest of my body was becoming slowly enveloped by. Sunset laughed with me, my voice now even more obviously feminine than it had seemed before. I had my paranoid doubts, a voice in the back of my mind telling me that I was getting my hopes up, but the pitch and cadence of my laughs solidified what she had said before; I was becoming a mare!

“This is… Unreal! I still can't believe any of this is happening, I… I feel like I almost have to thank you, Twilight."

“Naw, me? Pssh.” She dismissed with a shy wave of her hoof. “All I did was almost get myself killed wandering off into the Everfree alone after a demon bear. All this was just… Happy coincidence I guess."

“Still, Twi, can't you tell this is what she wants?" Sunset threw a reassuring hoof around her withers, both of them seated on the couch together. “Besides, just let the filly thank you. I'd have killed to be a magical horse girl as a kid.” I smiled again at the use of my pronouns, Sunsets wink confirming that she was doing it on purpose.

The rest of the day went fast, my improved mood meaning I got through much more work than I expected despite my hooved limbs. I thanked the stars for my flexible work hours as I clocked off and went to go sit down with Twilight and Sunset, who had recently pulled out a bag of chips and my old Xbox; with my go ahead. Watching a horse play video games so skilfully with a controller held between her two forehooves was one of the more impressive things I had seen this week, despite seeing Twilight rip a hole in reality only a few days ago.

I picked up the second controller and gave it a try, but unless we played something a little more simple in button input speed, like a racing game, I was far too new to my hooves to keep up with the experienced mare. Not to mention, she had a perfectly good magical horn there too she could be using to play with, as Twilight was, but refused to.

“I like the challenge." She explained, with her signature wink.

Just as I was leaning back, having finally given up from being beaten into the ground in Mario Kart, I yelped at an odd pain at the base of my spine. I leant forward, foreleg reaching around inquisitively, searching for what it was that was sticking into me, only to brush up against something that sent a weird shiver through my entire body.

“Is that…?" I peeked over my shoulder, trying in vain to get a look at it.

“Hell yeah, filly.” Sunset smirked, pulling out a phone from heck knows where and taking a photo. I was about to protest when she shoved the phone in my face. “Checkitout! It's your tail!"

“Oh wow." I said, inspecting the small appendage now peeking out from the base of my spine. It was green and fuzzy, as was the fur over most of my body, apart from a tiny tuft of bubble-gum pink growing from the very tip. I felt it with a hoof once more and it twitched, shocking me a little, but clueing me in that there were a few extra muscles there than I was used to. I flexed them to the best of my ability, heart leaping when I felt it move back and forth, brushing against my pant waistband. “Oh wow. “

“Yeah.” Sunset laughed. “Trust me, once it grows in, it'll get even better."

“You don't think…" I looked to Twilight, who gave me a flat look in response.

“No, Poppy. No more magic until you're fully transformed.”

“Aww." I sighed in jest, huffing like a child. “Fi–ne. I'll be patient."

The three of us laughed happily, only stopping when we heard a click from behind us, the front door to the house opening and Ada walking in. She looked surprisingly happy, Sunset’s glamour spell still active and working well, by the looks of it. She stopped when she saw me, staring down at my four hooves, now all visible and transformed. I instinctively felt myself drawing inward, her gaze sending stings of anxiety into me.

“So,” She broke the silence, looking away from me coldly toward Sunset and Twilight. “Busy day?”

“Oh, not really. We’re basically just waiting for our magic reserves to recharge, so the best thing for us to do in the meantime is not overwork ourselves; or use much magic outside of your glamour spell.” Twilight responded, eager to distract her and seemingly aware of what the awkward silence before had meant.

“No problem.” The awkward silence returned. “Well, I think I might get some sleep early tonight.” She said, dropping her handbag to the floor and heading up stairs. I glanced at the clock. Only six thirty in the evening.

“No dinner?” Sunset probed.

“I had food on the way home, so I’m good. All this vegan pony diet stuff has left me starving for meat, so I went for some fried chicken and chips.” She said flatly, taking off her shoes outside the door to our room before opening the door and going inside, closing the door behind her quietly. She was avoiding me. Again.

“Hey,” Sunset put her hoof on my shoulder after the door had shut. “I’m sorry she’s acting this way. I’ve seen a fair share of friends go through of bad relationships in the past, so I understand.”

Was it a bad relationship?

A pit formed in my stomach.

“No, she’s just… she’s just stressed. This is a lot to deal with for her, and she’s got so much going on, I just—“

“Poppy.” She interrupted me with a hoof over my mouth. “Do you hear yourself?”

I froze.

“Has she even once seemed like she was thinking this much about you?” She said, her hoof moving to my shoulder in reassurance. “If you don’t think about what you want, what you need, then you’re gonna fall apart.”

“She’s right, Poppy.” Twilight piped up, her soft voice helping to relax me a little. “I’ve seen you put Ada first a lot over the last few days, but you deserve to be happy as well.”

“Y- yeah, but what makes her happy is what makes me happy, so—“

“You know that’s not true. I get what you’re saying, like, making your marefriend happy is gonna make you feel good, sure.” Sunset interrupted. “But you have needs, Poppy. Does she even know you’re trans?” She asked, voice lowering toward the end of the sentence as to not let Ada in on our conversation.

“No, but—“

“No more buts. It’s time you thought about yourself for once. Tomorrow, I’m gonna help you come out to her.”

“Woah, hey, don’t you think that’s a bit… I dunno, fast?”

“Seriously? Poppy, you’re gonna be a mare much sooner than you think and she’ll be far more shocked if you come out to her after becoming a girl.” Sunset frowned sternly, but caringly.

“I- I guess…”

“Well, don’t worry, you don’t have to guess, just trust me on this. We’re here for you, and we’re not going to force you, okay?” Sunset moved closer to me on the couch and hugged me, Twilight joining in a few moments later. I tried to catch myself, stop the tears from flowing forth, but failed completely, crying into the withers of my new, yet somehow, closest friends.

“No… you’re right.” I said, sniffling and reluctantly releasing the hug. “I can’t keep running, and… well, now I can’t run at all. And not just because of the hooves.” I chuckled, eliciting a polite laugh from the other two ponies.

My eyes drifted toward the bedroom door at the top of the stairs. I felt a clench in my chest, mind rushing through the possibilities. What if she hated me? What if she wanted a divorce? What would she say if… I wanted to stay this way? As a pony, as a mare. Finally who I want to be.

I needed this. I felt a yearning in my heart, deeper than any want I had felt before. I clenched at my chest, the uncertainty overwhelming, but deep inside me, I could feel it there. The need. Keeping it all hidden was painful, it hurt so much to feel like I was lying to Ada every day she didn’t know. Something in me knew, however, that it was deeper than that.

It wasn’t just an incongruence with my gender, but I knew that at my core, something else was wrong. I looked at my hooves, taking in their shape and form properly for the first time, really feeling them. That first time I noticed my changes flooded my memory, remembering the joy I had felt when brushing my fingers against that velvety fur on my leg. The pulsing in my heart when I had heard I was going to be a Pegasus. The fluttering in my belly when I had felt the correct muscles to swish my vestigial tail back and forth. There was more than just gender to this, and I knew it.

“I- I’m gonna do it.” I nodded shakily, Twilight and Sunset throwing their hooves around me, eliciting a small “eep” and a blush from me. They were right too, my voice was changing, and by this time tomorrow, confrontation was going to be unavoidable.

“For now though,” Sunset pulled out her phone, tapping on the screen to wake it up. “I’m ordering us some pizza!”

“Woo!” Twilight and I both cheered at the same time, falling into laughter together on the couch, forgetting temporarily the looming events of the coming day.

Our night was filled with laughter and cheer, shouting jovially every time somepony was knocked off the map in Super Smash Brothers; something which happened to me far too much to admit. We ordered a vegetarian pizza, and maybe it was just the vibe of the evening, but it tasted delicious. The capsicum was sweet and intense, the sun dried tomato was an explosion of flavour in my mouth, and even the sauce had more pop than usual.

“My god this pizza is good.”

“Mm!” Sunset perked up, swallowing the bite she had most recently taken. “That’s another cool thing! Turns out, things like meat used to taste good cos that’s the kinda nutrients our body wants, right? But now you’re a pony, that stuff doesn’t taste so great, but plants? Now that’s where it’s at.”

“Makes sense. Ooh, hey, how’s grass?” I laughed, only now remembering the fact that horses were grazing animals.

“Eh, I mean you can eat it in a pickle.” Sunset looked to the side, levitating a pickle out of a jar and into her mouth before swallowing again. “But it’s kinda meh? Tastes like lettuce, just a little more...” She gesticulated, levitating another pickle around. “Earthy? Yeah.”

“Hay is far better.” Twilight added. “Mostly because you can make it into basically whatever you like. Fry it into chips, turn it into a patty, you can even make wraps and pitas out of it.”

“Oh yeah, you mentioned hayburgers the other day, right?” I leant forward, taking another piece, this one with pineapple. Even the sweetness of pineapple was beginning to taste different, now appealing to me even in this form.

“It’s a versatile meal replacement, and it grows fast in optimal conditions, so it’s used to make sure that nopony goes hungry. Earth has similar alternatives for humans, but strangely utilise them sparingly.” Twilight said, looking particularly funny trying to explain something in a scientific tone with a mouth full of pizza.

Sunset and I both snickered, her nerdy charms winning both of us over. We laughed into the night, eventually tuckering ourselves out and heading to bed. I left Sunset and Twilight to sleep on the two couches in the living room, slowly making my way to me and Ada’s bedroom, opening the door quietly and closing it behind me with similar care.

In the dark room, lit only by the dim moonlight leaking in through the window, I could tell immediately that the glamour spell had worn off. Ada’s hooves, deep and blue as the night sky, lay propped above our white sheets, their colours in stark contrast. Her nose was that same blue, almost a good third of her face now changed into a snout and shape similar to the other two ponies in the house. She looked adorable, lying there asleep, snoozing soundly. I frowned, knowing however nice I might think she looked, she would no doubt freak out in the morning.

I sighed and took my usual spot next to her in bed. Despite feeling the heat of her body against mine, I couldn’t help but feel the distance between us. It felt colder than her warmth could make up for. Shivering, tears fell from my face, pressed up against Ada’s back, and I cried until slumber took me.

All four hooves hit the ground hard.

Thump!

I smiled, having just jumped down from the farm cart carrying me and my friends to the market in the centre of town. I breathed in, feeling the fresh and clear Ponyville air filling my lungs. Not only that, but scents of familiar nearby stalls flooded my senses, causing my nostrils to flare and my ears to perk up instinctively.

“Woah, that smells amazing!” I called to my friends, jumping out of the cart to follow me to our favourite hangout. I grinned cheerily, as —— approached, smiling just as widely. We had decided only last night at our weekly sleepover to visit the market this morning, as we usually did when all of us had free time at once.

“Can we go home already?” Ada said, standing next to me with her arms folded. “You can hang out with these pony things some other time, I got work early tomorrow.”

“W- well, we just got here, and it’s my day off— “

“Ugh, Jo, can you please stop being so selfish?”

I stepped back, a lump building up in my throat.

“H- hey, I’m not being selfish, you can go and—“

“Can’t you see how hard this is for me?” She yelled, the volume causing me to flinch in fear. “First you want to be a pony, now you want to live here? There isn’t anything else you’re not telling me, right?”

I shrank down, her form looming over me.

“I can’t believe you. You’re hiding something from me aren’t you?” Her screams were beginning to overwhelm me and I looked to my side for my friends, but nopony was there.

“N- no, I— well, I have something to tell you, b- but—“

“So you are keeping secrets from me!” Her voice was booming now, my hooves losing grip under the gravity of it all. I fell to the dirt and kept going, my body in a freefall. I strained my wings in vain to stop my fall, only to look to my side and see nothing at all.

That’s right.

You’re not a pony. Not a real one.

You’re nothing at all.

I shot up, gasping for air. A shiver ran over me, now feeling the cold chill of the morning after I threw my duvet off of me in my shock. I looked to my side, my heart racing, fearing that my sudden waking had also roused Ada, only to see an empty impression next to me where she was prior. With a glance to the clock, I sighed in relief, knowing that she was probably just at work. I pulled myself up, ready to get dressed and prepare for work myself when— woah! I tripped and fell forward, catching myself on my front hooves.

As I composed myself, I realised something odd. My posture was balanced and my hooves felt planted, all four of them now flat on the floorboards. Standing still, only with slight micro adjustments, I looked down at my front legs, now extending down a little further than usual to meet the floor. As I began inspecting my rear legs, which had also changed proportions somewhat since I had last seen them, I noticed with a flutter of my heart and a gasp, that much more of my tail had grown in. It was now tipped with curly pink fluff, similar to my previous curly mop, yet far more voluminous, smooth, and most importantly, pink. On further inspection, I noticed that thin strips of white graced my tail fluff along its length, which sent more bubbles of joy through my belly.

Taking a wary step forward, I began walking slowly to the mirror on the other side of the room. Hoof by hoof, placing them one in front of the other carefully, and only tripping once or a dozen times, I began to get used to the pattern of steps it took to make me move forward, and finally reached the mirror.

Oh WOW.

My hair— no, my mane had begun to change colour to match my tail, streaks of pink and white starting from the roots and ending halfway to the end of my shoulder length strands, the difference in length from yesterday to today only hitting me now. What stood out even more though, were the tiny little green nubs of ears sticking out from near the top sides of my head. I tapped them lightly with a hoof, feeling them twitch as I had my tail, and used that sensation again to flick my ear of my own accord, swivelling them from side to side and giggling at the subtle yet noticeable change in my hearing.

I stopped still for a moment. Wait, that laugh was seriously me? I opened my mouth and spoke.

“H- hi, I’m Poppy.”

It was sweeter than any honey. A slight rasp, a holdover from how my old voice sounded, as it was still distinctly me. There were some differences, but if you had told me that this voice belonged to my non-existent long lost sister, I would’ve probably believed you. More than anything though, the happiness I felt from this particular change spent sparkles throughout my entire body and I couldn’t help myself from spinning around on the spot, gasping as I lost my balance mid turn, falling clumsily to the floor with a loud bang.

I heard as hooves stomped up the stairs and a few seconds later, the door slammed open with a twinkle of cyan magic. Sunset and Twilight rushed into the room, smiling when they saw me lying on my back in a tangle of hooves and tail. They giggled playfully before lifting me up in their magic and cleaning me down.

I breathed in sharply, remembering what I had not before in my shock; I was completely, absolutely naked.

“Ah- um, oh geez,” I scrambled for the sheets to the bed, desperate to cover up but only succeeding in tripping over my own hooves again and slamming into the floor.

“Hey, calm down, remember? Ponies are kinda naked all the time. Besides,” Sunset said, trotting up to me and extending a hoof for me to hold onto as I got back on my hooves. “It’s not like there’s much left back there to “stick out”, as it were.”

I immediately felt a rush of blood to my face, hotter than any embarrassment I had felt this entire week. Scrambling forward, I sat down on my haunches, facing away from the others and cover as much of my front as possible with both sets of hooves. I sat still in frozen silence, my heart beating a million miles an hour and still unsure on how to react.

“Uhhhhh…” I trailed on for a good ten seconds. “Ah- should I, like… put on some pants?”

“I dunno, do you wanna cut holes in every pair for this thing?” Sunset smirked, trotting up to me and flicking my tail. I jumped and pulled it close to my body, my yelp yet again causing me to blush with embarrassment. “If it was me, I’d just give up on the whole clothes thing. Trust me, it gets a lot easier to get ready in the morning too.”

I laughed, her joke breaking through my nervousness as I relaxed my posture a bit. Looking down at myself, they were right. Especially when seated and with my tail close, not much was visible in that general area and I relaxed a little, nervously laughing as I stood up again.

“Don’t worry, if you wanna chuck on some clothes before coming down, we won’t judge you.”

“No! I- I mean, y- you’re right, there’s not a whole lot of point in wearing clothes much more. I might just chuck a shirt on, since, you know… no fur there yet.” I laughed again, scratching the back of my head anxiously.

I also didn’t want to mention to them that I had seen my nipples sliding down my chest to reposition somewhere lower down, and wearing a shirt would help me avoid that uncomfortable situation. I coughed, finally getting across the message that they should leave so I could get changed. I looked through my closet and picked out a simple shirt, throwing its now oversized cloth over my form.

As they left, suddenly, the impact of what had just happened hit me, and my heart soared higher than it ever had before. I was a girl! A mare! Sunset was right, that was sooner than I expected. I must’ve looked incredibly strange, sitting in the middle of the room and grinning widely at my crotch. I didn’t care. This was a day that I had been waiting for nearly my entire life, whether I knew it or not, and the shock of it finally hitting me had sent me over the moon.

I hopped up and trotted happily across the room again, smiling at myself in the mirror, actually kinda shocked at how cute I looked. My head was a little awkward, not having yet changed fully, but the strangeness of my half pony torso was hidden by the oversized garment. I shrugged, happily flicking my mane from my face as I made my way downstairs, rump bouncing happily with my new-found gait

The day was peaceful for the most part. It was a day off for me, so I spent the majority of it chatting with Twilight and Sunset as we shared our interests with each other. Sunset took control of my pc, using her “riches from streaming”, as she put it, to purchase and download a load of games onto my laptop to show me throughout the day.

Twilight had been apparently browsing YouTube in the wee hour of the morning, enthusiastically telling us of her favourite funny and cute videos she had found. Sunset couldn’t help but feel dejected when Twilight mentioned she had gotten too distracted watching YouTube poops to check out her channel, but I could only laugh, surprised at the content that she had gravitated towards.

I was happy to see my changes progress even further today, and not just because it was beginning to balance out the weird remaining human parts to be far more pony. It had only been what, three days since we had met Twilight? And almost definitely as a result of how much magic she used on me, my transformation had accelerated that come next morning, there might not even be a single thing distinguishing me from Twilight and Sunset, form-wise.

As I relaxed in the afternoon cool, chatting with Twilight about the time Ada and I went on a road trip, I felt a tug at my shirt. I swivelled around, expecting to see Sunset trying to get my attention, only to see nopony. Oddly, that tugging feeling remained, and as I adjusted my shirt a little, I felt a very peculiar feeling against my back in two distinct locations. My smile grew wider and I threw my shirt off, no longer caring about my nudity with a good seventy percent of my torso covered in fluff.

Twilight yelped as the shirt missed her by a hair’s breadth, but she was soon as distracted as I was by the two little wings that now could be seen peeking from my sides. I felt at the area, experimenting with flexing muscles until I found the connection to my new wing and stretched it in and out. I felt that oh so familiar bubbling feeling in my belly, grinning from ear to ear and flapping my cute, tiny, little, green wings.

Sunset, now entering the room from the kitchen, almost dropped her glass of water. “Woah-ho-ho-ho, check it ou~t!” She cheered as she trotted toward me. “Nice! You’ve already got a hang on how to move them, huh? I’m sure you’ll be natural flier.”

I smiled up at her, letting out another feminine giggle. Today had felt amazing. I was talking, walking, singing, and even just existing as my genuine self, and I couldn’t be happier.

Behind us, I heard a familiar click my heart skipped a beat. Oh no. That was Ada. Who didn’t yet know I was trans, and was about to walk in on her husband, now a girl, and almost completely a horse. I panicked, eyes darting around the room before I saw the blanket Twilight had been sleeping with, diving under it and hiding my form from view.

The door swung open, the footsteps of my wife resounding throughout the entryway. “Hey girls. You seen Jo?”

Please stay quiet, please don’t tell her I’m here, please don’t—

“Yes, they’re hiding under the blanket over there.”

Sunset! Curse you!

“Uh, hey, can we talk?”

“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, trying in vain to lower it to it’s previous gruffness. My new voice was absolutely way too singsong to hide. “Sure sweet-heart.”

Ugh, that was the least convincing thing I had ever heard.

“Jo? Is that you? What in the…” She whipped the blanket off my head and stared down at me. I looked up at her, retreating into myself and curling my body as close to itself as possible.

“I’m… sorry?”

“What in the world happened to your voice?”

“I- it’s… well, so it happened like this, um… I… ate a bunch of helium balloons?” I grinned up at her, her flat expression telling me more of her disbelief than words could. “Okay, okay, shit, uh…”

“Oh, for ponies sake.” Sunset trotted over. “She’s a mare now.”

Ada blinked.

“Uh, “she”?”

I gulped. It was now or never.

“A- Ada, I… I love you. The joy you’ve brought me over the last few years is incredible, you’ve taught me so much about myself, but most importantly, you’ve been there for me when no one else has been.”

“Jo, you’re really scaring me.”

“Ada.” I breathed in one more time. “I’m transgender. I’ve known for a while now. I’ve known something was wrong for my entire life, and every single bit of it, every single hardship and struggle, all of its come to this.”

“Jo, I…” She stepped backward, her face an unreadable slate.

“I know this is hard. I’m sorry, but pushing this deep down, running away all the time and never stopping… it’s killing me. For whatever reason, turning into a pony has also turned me into a mare, and I just can’t run any longer. I guess this is things catching up.”

She stared at me, my heart throbbing through my newly elongated ears. My heart threatened to burst out of my chest, thudding so heavily that I could hear each pained beat.

“You… I can’t believe you kept this from me.”

I shrunk. It was happening. Everything I feared.

“You hid this from me, knowing the whole time? When did you plan on telling me!?”

“I- I don’t… I don’t know, I didn’t know if I was ever going to!” I sobbed, my eyes stinging as they were flooded with tears.

“You mean you were just going to keep lying to me?” Ada screamed, her voice reaching a fever pitch.

“Okay, you have to stop right now.” I heard Sunset growl, an unexpected aggression coming from the unicorns outburst. “She is not lying to you.”

“Wh- what!? Are you kidding me?”

“No. I’m not. Look at her!” She pointed a hoof at me, making me flinch and regress further into myself. I sobbed again, uncontrolled convulsions in my stomach forcing the cries out. “She’s terrified of you! If she was expecting this kind of reaction, then maybe that’s somepony else’s fault.” She punctuated with a hoof, pushing lightly against Ada.

“Jo, I’m…”

“Her name is Poppy.” Twilight piped up, stepping in line with Sunset.

“Y- You…? He— sh-she… she told you?”

“She was scared.” Twilight said, her tone soft and caring as she trotted over to me, placing a hoof on my shoulder and nuzzling the top of my head. I felt my heart rate slow, and I looked up appreciatively at my new friend. “She confided in me because she needed support, and a friend. I think that you…”

“You should have been that for her.” Sunset finished for Twilight, who nodded appreciatively. “But she clearly had good reason to be scared of your reaction.”

“I’m…” Ada stammered, the tears finally also reaching her face. “I- I’m sorry.” Her tone was still flat and distant.

“This is… a lot.” Ada began. She fiddled with her hands, looking down at them and clearly imagining the hooves hidden just underneath. “This whole situation has been terrifying.”

“I- I know, Ada, but—“ I started, flinching again as she interrupted me.

“My whole life has been upended, and now this is—“

“Ada.” Sunset growled again. “Listen. To. Her.”

The silence that followed could only be broken by me continuing, so I did just that.

“I- I need you to know, Ada. I know that you’re scared, you’ve told me so many times now.” I said, the grief in my heart bubbling forth. I swallowed my fear and kept going. “But me? I’m not.”

Twilight pulled me into a short hug, Sunset joining her not too long afterward. Silently thanking them, I turned back to Ada.

“To me, this is exciting! I get to experience something new, something joyous! I- I… I don’t feel this normally, Ada. This is not a feeling I’ve been able to experience before today. Y- you get to go out with your friends, never taking me along—“

“Th- they’re weird, they don’t like—“

“Ada! Let me speak, please!” I cried, my voice breaking under the strain of my sadness. “I don’t… I don’t get to be happy. I don’t get to have friends, or family, or fun. I know we both work, but you never want to spend your free time with me. I- I’m beginning to think you regret marrying me.”

She froze, her lips pursing tight, and I knew what I had said was true.

“I think…” I gagged on my words, unable to keep my voice stable. “I think I’m going to go to Equestria. With Twilight.”

She stepped backward and sat on the floor in the entry to the living room. I felt my eyes sting, another round of tears threatening to force their way out, but all I could think of was the stoic and blank face of Ada, staring at the wall, straight past me.

“This is what I need.” I said, resolutely. “I’m… tired. Of not thinking about myself, of hiding, of being sad all the time, and only being ignored by you. I care about you, Ada. I wanted to take you on this adventure with me, even if it meant that you and I would part ways at the end, but… I don’t know. I’m not sure you even wanted to be with me in the first place. I feel like you forced yourself to be with me, even though I could never meet what you expected from a husband.”

Ada stared straight forward.

“P- please, Ada. Say something.”

“You’re right.”

“Wh-what?”

“I’m… I'm sorry, J— P-Poppy…” Her face finally broke, a single tear dripping down her face. “I do regret this. Not because you’re a bad person, not because I don’t love you, because I do love you.”

“I know. I love you too.”

“But… I know something has been wrong. I could tell, we just rushed into this, blind with the honeymoon phase I guess. I’m straight. I can’t be with a girl.”

I hung my head, expecting to hear that sooner or later, just not in such blunt terms.

“But still, I know there’s more to it than that. I… I’m sorry, but I prefer to live a separate life from my partner. I don’t want to have the same friends, I don’t want to necessarily share the same interests, I just want someone there for me at the end of the day.”

“B- but Ada, I needed somepony there for me too.” I picked my voice up, frustration at her words mounting. “I felt that you didn’t want to be there for me. It’s not one sided, and by just expecting me to not want to even meet your friends? It hurts.”

“I’m sorry—“

“Stop.” I held up a hoof, sniffling futilely. “I don’t want to hear you say sorry any more.”

“Okay.” She said, her face returning to the flat stoicism she showed me every day.

“Twi, Sunset, I’m r- really sorry you had to see that.” I sobbed, the blankness in heart breaking as I sobbed once more. They closed the gap between us faster than I could blink and held me close in a deep hug. I cried freely now, soaking the coats of my two new friends with my tears. I almost pulled away, fearful they would be annoyed, but their grip tightened, and their muzzles brushed against the top of my head in calming nuzzles.

I cried loudly now, the confusing joy and grief combined overwhelming me. Behind us, I heard Ada stand up and approach slowly. I held in my tears best as I could and turned to face her, still in the hold of my two friends.

“P- Poppy, do you… want me here still?”

“I…” I grit my teeth. “I wanted you here with me yesterday. And the day before that, and the day before that. Today, it’s too late.”

I turned, not caring to see her reaction. I heard her walk up the stairs, opening and closing the door behind her without any theatrics.

The dam had finally burst, screaming my grief and fears, all releasing all at once into an overwhelming wail. I didn’t care anymore. I needed to just let it all out, my grief, my horror, my relief, my regret, my love, my hate, every single emotion that I had held deep down inside me. It all flooded forth, wracking my whole body with sobs and tears.

After what seemed like forever, my sobs slowed and my thoughts returned to everything that had just happened. I didn’t want to do that. I loved her so much. I wanted her in my life, and I cared so deeply for her that it hurt.

Maybe, that hurt shouldn’t feel so painful.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped before, Poppy, I kinda just…” Sunset began, but I shook my head, pink mane shaking with me as I did so.

“You didn’t overstep, you stepped up for me. I- I’ve never had anypony do that for me before.” I giggled through the sobs, trying to latch onto anything positive right now. “Plus, I think the fact that she idolised you a bit made your words hit harder than even mine could, so thank you.” I nuzzled her in appreciation, the action of deep friendship filling my heart, and seemingly hers as well if her wide smile was anything to go by. Now I could understand why they did it.

“You too, Twilight.” I smiled, turning to the young alicorn. “Thank you for standing up for me. And being here for me. And… for making all this happen in the first place.” I laughed, eliciting a giggle from the other two mares.

“Happy accidents!” She smiled back, leaning in for a nuzzle alongside Sunset.

This time, I let nothing ruin the moment. I didn’t turn to look at the bedroom door, and I didn’t let my mind wander to thoughts of Ada.

“Twilight,” I said, looking down at my almost completely changed torso. “I- I know what you said before, about not overloading me with magic, but…”

“Poppy,” She nuzzled me once more. “The amount of magic it’ll take to finish your changes is minimal. If you’d like to take your place, we can get started.” She motioned to the centre of the room with a hoof, and I stood up, walking slowly to the middle of the room. I was still fresh on my hooves, tripping once- only for the glowing magic of Sunset and Twilight combined to lift me to my hooves. I blushed and thanked them with a nod before finishing my short journey.

“So…” I said, my heart beating with an unknowable anticipation. “This is it, huh?”

“Yep!” Sunset grinned, preparing her horn with a soft cyan glow. “Welcome to the club, filly.”

My brain flooded with endorphins and I couldn’t help myself anymore, twisting around and hopping happily from hoof to hoof. My small tail swished as I spun, only hinting at what would soon be completely mine. I stopped after a few seconds planting all four hooves on the floor at once to balance myself.

“Okay~!” I sang, my voice hitting a tone that was both sweet and high, filling my heart with joy even more. “Let’s do this!”

The glow on Twilight and Sunsets horns grew brighter and brighter until a soft fabric of magical energy spread forth from both of them, enveloping me in their light. I giggled, the tickle of the spectral cloth brushing over me sending little prickles over my skin. I looked down, watching the little hairs I had noticed earlier begin to grow softer and longer, filling out the patches of remaining skin on my body.

With another brush of magic, and another rush of joy, I looked behind me to see my wings begin to fill out, soft and light feathers sprouting from the previously down feather coated nubs. I laughed, flapping them as they grew out before my eyes, the primary and secondary feathers lengthening to be just a little shorter, and slightly different structured, than Twilight’s.

Behind me, my tail lengthened, small hairs turning to long, puffy curls of pink and white. I similarly experimented with it as I had my wings, shaking my rump happily as the beautiful tail hairs glinted in the teal and magenta glows of my friend's magic.

A twitch of something else, and atop my head, I watched as my remaining brown hair lengthened and fluffed out a little, the pink and white strands now visible in my vision passively. I giggled, thinking as it grew longer and longer, that maybe it was a little too visible, half my vision becoming completely blocked by the fluffy curls. That was soon fixed though, as Sunset levitated a hair band toward me, pulling my fluff back into a loose bun, assisting in keeping my vision clear.

“Hehe, thanks Sunny!” I laughed joyously, not noticing as Sunset blushed at the nickname.

Another twitch on my head and my ears began to grow out, lengthening to be slightly longer and rounder than Twilights. Little pinpricks dotted them as tiny fur strands began to grow, softening their appearance and making them feel much cooler, now that they weren’t kept heated by the insulation of my mane.

My nose began to itch and I focused in on it, no doubt looking very silly as my eyes crossed and I stared at the end of my snout, watching it elongate to take up more of my vision than before. The change in vision from my eyes reshaping themselves slightly more than compensated for it, and soon, it felt very natural seeing my snout at the bottom of my face. Peculiarly, I felt my teeth change shape as well, flattening out and widening, both to fill out my longer jaw shape, but also to accommodate my new vegetable focused diet. I ran my tongue along them, the new shape feeling somewhat strange, but a welcome change nonetheless.

My face began to morph alongside my snout, cheeks rounding out into a far more cute and feminine shape, becoming coated with fur like the rest of me. I felt my neck finish readjusting itself, my shoulders thinning out and pulling downward to better accommodate my quadrupedal stance.

Finally, my legs finished their changes as well and the two ponies lowered me down slowly, properly balancing me and leaving my hooves planted firmly on the ground. I stopped for a moment, looking down at myself, heart still racing faster and faster and faster. In the relative calm that followed, with the glow of Twilight and Sunsets horns dissipating, I was finally able to take in my transformation.

Everything felt so right. The way my hooves felt on the carpet, hind and forelegs combined. The posture my new stature offered me, supportive and strong, all limbs firmly on the ground. My ears twitched and adjusted to the slightest sounds, following their source to better hear whatever it may be. My wings settled by my side, filling me with a sense of warmth and pride, the feathers sending sensations down their length that I never had felt before.

Behind me, my tail swished back and forth, the slight breeze cause by its passing tickling my hind legs and brushing up against my—

I froze a little, heart picking up the pace yet again. I had mare parts. I was a girl. A mare. A pony. A pegasus. I was cute, feminine, and most importantly, I felt a sense of contentment and warmth, joy I had never felt, happiness that I had never let myself feel.

“I- I…” I spoke, my higher pitched voice now having fully completed its transition as well. “I don’t know what to say, Twi. Sunny. All I can do is thank you.”

I stepped forward carefully, my new posture even more different to what I was used to before. It no longer felt like I was a human walking on slightly extended arms, it felt right. My hooves fell in front of each other naturally, my muscles flexing and moving just right to send me slowly forward. I came to a stop in front of Twilight and Sunset, my eyes beginning to brim with tears once more.

“I… Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”

“S- seriously, it was no biggie.” Sunset blushed and rubbed a foreleg, smiling back at me appreciatively.

“It makes me so happy to see you smile like this, Poppy. If I can do something so simple to see that smile, then of course I’d do it.” Twilight said and offered me yet another hug, which I graciously accepted, instinctively lifting a wing as she did, covering each other with the soft feathers.

“D’aw, you’re gonna give me a heart attack.” Sunset laughed, smirking at us. Not for long! I lunged forward, pulling her by the withers into our hug, both of us wrapping another wing around our friend. She froze in shock for a moment before laughing and joining in, solidifying the deep connection I felt with both of these two mares. They had been here for my time of need, listened to my feelings, and genuinely shown their care for me.

I knew, in that moment more than any other, that this is what I wanted. This is what I had needed my entire life, and it just took some world bending, reality travelling pony creatures to help me realise it.