Transference

It was a new day, and the sun shone brightly through the windows.

I could feel a pile of warm bodies leave my side the instant I woke up.

There was a lot of commotion going on in my, or rather Fluttershy's bedroom. I could hear voices with strange accents all around me, all asking the same question.

Who was I and what had happened to Fluttershy?

They knew I was an imposter. Just like Winona did so long ago...

"So noisy", Discord said annoyed as he was snapping his fingers.

The animals had all vanished when I looked around the room. Any eerie silence now filled the cottage.

"What did you do, where did they go?" I asked, still drowsy from waking up.

"The Everfree. They're finally... free," Discord chuckled. "Fluttershy and I can't take them with us anyway, and I doubt you want to tend to them afterward."

Unsure of what it all meant, I looked around the room again to orientate myself.

Then Discord approached me while I was still lying in bed.

Surprised by his sudden proximity, I raised a hoof to cover my face on instinct, just for him to gently shove it away again.

Discord put the earlier shown dreamcatcher around my neck like it was some sort of collar. It actually looked quite good on Fluttershy, I thought, not that it mattered much.

"One day and one night you will wear it," Discord looked at me while he spoke, "Don't dare try taking it off. I'll be around should there be any interference."

And just like that, he poofed into nothingness.

I felt quite nauseous but was unsure if that was due to the hippy necklace I wore around my body.

Despite feeling sick, I enjoyed the sensation of being alive again. I just lay in bed for a while, breathing, and thinking about my now possible future. Enjoying the sunlight on my skin. True bliss after all this time in the dreamscape.

Finally, I had a body of my own again. Sure, it was an older mare, but I didn't care at all. I was long over all the gender stuff. I just wanted to live again on my own.

When this was all over, I'd just leave Ponyville. Walk away from it all, and start anew, live like a simple vagabond. A smile crept on my face at the thought of it.

I wondered if I would be able to keep Fluttershy's talent of being able to talk to animals. It surely would come in handy along the way.

When I finally found the motivation to get out of bed, I made a beeline for the kitchen. I was craving food badly. I hadn't eaten for decades, after all.

With a tasty pickle in my mouth, I was wandering around the cottage taking it all in. The smell was so friggin bad. How could anypony live like that? Fluttershy was like the ultimate cat lady, just worse.

It was kinda weird seeing the cottage so empty after Discord had 'freed' all the animals. Were they really fit to live in the Everfree on their own?

Surely, Discord wouldn't have done something against Fluttershy's will...

I thought about that for a moment and came to the same conclusion as before - I had to leave as soon as possible.

What if there were some pets in my care at that moment? Not that I actually cared about the animals, but I didn't want to think about the possible confrontation with the owners and the drama it would invoke.

Thinking about it, did I have to stay in the cottage for the process of taking her over? I looked down at my new necklace, seeing a weak yellow glow starting to come from the stone in the middle of the web.

No, I could leave immediately if I wanted to, leave this all behind without further ado.

So I started packing.

Fluttershy had all the essentials in her cottage. Food, warm clothing, and medical supplies, just in case, should I need them along the way.

Despite Fluttershy's uncertain future, I was feeling more excited than ever since I had arrived in this world. Finally, I'd get the adventure I had been so desperately hoping for in this pastel world.

With two full saddlebags on my back, I stood a the entrance door, ready to leave, contemplating my options and consequences.

Should I leave right now or wait until the body was fully mine? I still had an uncertain night before me... Where would I find shelter when night fell?

A bit disappointed, I lay down the saddlebags next to the door. I had to wait until the next day until the takeover was complete. Just to be safe.

So I waited for the day to end and went back into bed. Waiting for sleep to take me again.

Heartbreaking crying filled the air.

"Where are you?" Fluttershy cried out loud, running around her empty cottage and the nearby surroundings outside, looking for her missing animals in her dream.

I was hiding under the little bridge that crossed the small river to her cottage, hoping she wouldn't see me.

I realized that leaving the dream would be impossible. There was no exit. I'd just reappear in the middle of the dream if I tried to.

"You!?" Fluttershy cried out, sobbing as she finally noticed me as she was looking below the bridge, still looking for her animals. "But... how? Why are you here? We banished you!"

I noticed the surroundings change in color. The dream was changing into a nightmare.

"Calm down, Fluttershy!" I tried to appease her. "This is just a... eh, dream?"

"A... dream," Fluttershy repeated, actually calming down a little. "So my animals are still around?"

"Yes, of course!" I lied directly in her face.

I noticed that she steadily became see-through. An effect of the ongoing takeover I assumed.

I couldn't do this. I had to tell her the truth.

"Fluttershy..." I started. "Discord... I... I'm taking over your body as we speak."

Fluttershy looked at me, disbelief showing on her face. "But... I told him, I don't want this."

Fluttershy sat there, holding her face, crying.

I just stood there, with half my body submerged in the cold stream, awkwardly looking at her. I felt terrible.

"What about our foal?" Fluttershy said, still crying into her hooves.

"Wait, your what now?" I asked, hoping I had misunderstood her there.