It was almost time for the interview.
A few days earlier, someone had contacted me on the internet about a job opening. I’m in dire need of work at the moment, so I can’t afford to be picky. A man has got to eat, after all. My home wasn’t far from the offices of the company in question, so I decided to send an application. I didn’t expect anything to come out of it, but to my surprise, they wanted to interview me right away.
The job advert was pretty weird, though. It was extremely vague about what kind of work it even was. It only said that it was an entry-level job that had something to do with entertaining people. Even stranger, it was not listed on the company’s recruitment web page. I only got to it via a link provided by the person who contacted me about the job.
I had arrived at the office.
“So, this is it. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time,” I thought as I entered the building.
Soon I was sitting in a small room with the interviewer. We introduced ourselves and the interview began.
“The job description was kind of unclear,” I said. “What sort of work is this, really? It only mentioned something about entertaining people, no special skills or education needed.”
“You would perform as a mascot of sorts and entertain people, mostly children, at various different events. Our company specializes in providing life-like characters from popular franchises, for entertainment purposes. This particular position involves a character similar to those seen on the show ‘My Little Pony’.”
My eyes widened with excitement. It was starting to sound better than I could have hoped for. I asked:
“Do you mean that I would get to wear a pony costume, or something like that?”
“In a way, yes. We’ll get to that later. But judging by your enthusiasm, I think you might be the right man for this kind of work. When are you able to start?”
I was stunned. I thought to myself:
“What kind of job interview is this? Usually they ask all kinds of inane questions but this time there’s none of that. I only came in ten minutes ago and now I’m already being hired! What is going on?”
I pushed the questions out of my mind and said:
“I guess I can start right away.”
“Let’s get to the paperwork, then. Take all the time you need to read through them before making your final decision.”
I quickly skimmed through the text and signed the contract. In hindsight, I should probably have been more suspicious but I got caught up in the excitement.
The interviewer said cheerfully:
“That’s everything. Welcome aboard! Come here next Monday at 9 o’clock. We’ll have everything arranged for you by then. You will spend the first few days at the training facility outside the town. You don’t need to take anything with you, we will provide everything you need.”
I left the building.
Monday came quickly.
I returned to the office and the people there handed me a bus ticket and a leaflet of some kind. Once I got on the bus, I started to read through the leaflet I was given. Apparently there was going to be some sort of medical examination waiting for me when I got there. The rest of the leaflet had directions to the training facility and other general information.
The view outside became more rural with every passing minute. I had been traveling for almost two hours. Then the bus got off the highway and turned to a small country road. According to the leaflet, I was getting close to my destination.
I got off the bus in the middle of the countryside. There were some buildings in the distance and I started to walk towards them. At first I was worried that I’d got off at the wrong stop. From a distance the place looked more like a farm than what I would call a 'training facility'. But as I got closer, I saw a sign with the company’s name on it. This was the right place after all.
I walked through a gate. The entire facility was surrounded by a chain-link fence. It seemed somehow ominous but I shrugged it off as me just being nervous. Everything would soon become clear. The entrance was right in front of me.
Once inside, a man wearing a labcoat approached me and said:
“Hi there! I’ve been expecting you. You’re the new employee, correct?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. Now, forgive me, but we’ll have to get started on your medical examination right away, as we’re on a tight schedule right now. We were expecting you to arrive earlier but I assume the bus was delayed. There will be time for us to get to know each other later.”
The man escorted me to a brightly lit room and asked me to sit on the chair in the middle of the room. He walked over to a cabinet and took something out of it. I winced when he turned around, holding a syringe in his hand.
“Not fond of needles, I take it? Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing. It’s just something to prepare you for what comes next,” the man said calmly.
“Wait! I never-”
Cutting me short, the man injected the liquid into my arm and I immediately began to feel woozy.
“Feeling tired? Just lean back and close your eyes. We will take care of the rest,” the man said.
My vision blurred.
“We’ll take care of the rest...”
I woke up feeling numb. I was lying on my side. I had no strength to move. After a few minutes I could finally get my eyes open, though my vision was still a bit hazy. This time I was in a dimly lit room, lying in a bed. I was able to make out that there was a window on the wall, and that it was dark outside.
“Where am I? I don’t remember anything of what happened after getting in that chair. Did I faint? I know I’m afraid of needles but that has never happened before. And that doesn’t explain why I’m so weak that I can’t move.”
Soon after I fell back to sleep.
Next time I woke up, the room was bathing in sunlight. I looked down and saw my hairy, orange forearm poking out from underneath the blanket.
“Why does my skin look orange? Did the stuff they put into me do that? Did something go wrong, and I’m in the hospital now?”
I tried to move. I was still weak but I managed to pull my arm into view. My skin truly had turned orange. The entire forearm, all the way to my... hoof? A feeling of realization washed over me.
“This can’t be real,” I thought as tears started to form in the corners of my eyes. “Surely this must just be some weird dream. Or maybe I died and went to Equestria? But if that were true, why would I remember stuff from my previous life? It doesn’t make any sense...”
Hours passed. I just kept lying on the bed, contemplating my predicament. Eventually I felt my strength return.
I slowly rose until I was sitting upright. I could now take a good look at my body. Short, orange fur all over, though the fur around my hooves was of a lighter shade. Then I noticed my tail – I was sitting on it. I pulled it out from under my rump and slid my hoof along its length. It was blonde in color, with subtle reddish streaks.
The sun was still shining brightly outside. It had heated up the room and I was dripping with sweat. I was about to swipe it off my forehead when my hoof hit something.
“Is that... a horn? Am I a unicorn? I wonder what my face looks like...”
My gaze wandered around the room, searching for any reflective surfaces. There was no mirror in the room, or any other furniture apart from the bed. My attention turned to the window. Maybe that could work?
I jumped out of the bed and fell down on the floor. I had not realized how small I was until now. Once I got back on my feet I clumsily walked up to the window, only to find that it was too high up. Even when standing up with my hooves against the wall I could barely see the tip of my horn reflect off the window.
Defeated, I walked around the room until I got used to walking on four legs. The sound of my hooves on the concrete floor made me think of tap dancing. After a while I climbed back into the bed. The initial shock had passed by then and I burst into tears, burying my head under the pillow.
“What on earth have they done to me? This isn’t what I signed up for! I mean, I’ve often dreamed about being a pony – in Equestria! But it looks like I’m now a pony in the human world! That’s not how it should be!”
The door opened up behind me but I was too upset to notice it. Then I felt something bump against my shoulder. When I turned to see what it was, I saw a blue pony looking right into my eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry,” said the blue pony. “I know how you feel.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name’s Cloud. Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”
“I’m... uhh...”
“Oh, right. I forgot they haven’t given you a name yet. Anyway, they told me that you had woken up and needed some cheering up.”
“Who’s 'they'?”
“Our, um, masters. That’s what I call them.”
Tears started to fill my eyes again and my face turned red. Cloud jumped up on the bed and sat next to me. He wrapped his hooves around me and said:
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I know this must be difficult for you. All of us have gone through the same emotions.”
“All of you? There are others?”
“Yes. Well, the others are away at the moment. You’ll meet them later. It’s just the two of us here this weekend.”
“Weekend? Have I been sleeping for five days?”
Cloud looked at me for a while and said:
“You must be famished. If you feel like it, we could go to the canteen and get something to eat.”
My stomach began to rumble.
“Let’s go! It’s this way,” said Cloud.
I followed the blue stallion out of the room. His gray mane and tail swung from side to side as he walked. We made our way through a long corridor and arrived at the canteen. It was furnished with small tables and there were pillows placed on the floor around them.
“I’ll show you how it works,” said Cloud. “Just put an empty bowl on the counter and push it under one of these food dispensers. Then press the button and the dispenser fills up the bowl.”
I attempted to pick up one of the plastic bowls. I managed to hold it between my hooves for a few seconds, until it slipped out and fell on the floor. Cloud looked away to hide his smile. I picked it up again and this time successfully placed it under one of the dispensers. Then I pressed the button and my bowl was filled up with oatmeal.
“You can’t possibly expect me to be able to walk while holding the bowl!” I exclaimed, looking at my hooves.
“You won’t need to. Watch this!”
Cloud placed a small cart with wheels at the end of the counter and slid the bowls on it. He then pulled the cart next to a table and finally moved the bowls on it. We sat down at the table. I looked at my bowl of oatmeal with disdain.
“I’m guessing you weren’t a vegetarian before,” said Cloud.
“No, I’m not.”
“Well, you are one now. You’ll get used to it. After a week or two you won’t even remember what meat tastes like.”
“Are you saying that I can’t eat meat even if I had some?”
“I did try meat once, after I became a pony. It only gave me a terrible stomach ache. I guess this body just isn’t built for eating meat.”
We finished eating and left the canteen.
“The canteen is always open, so you can have a bite anytime you’re feeling hungry,” said Cloud. “And the food options change from time to time, so you will surely find something you like.”
I didn’t say anything. I was still vexed about not being able to eat meat anymore.
Cloud went on:
“Let’s take a walk outside. You should get some fresh air after spending the whole week inside. I promise you’ll feel better once you see the garden.”
Wind ruffled my mane as we got outside and entered the garden. It was a very tranquil place. There were lush trees and colorful flowers growing all around it. There even was a small soccer field.
“They have created a small slice of Equestria for us to live in,” said Cloud. “I love spending time in the garden in my free time. There are all sorts of things to do here. No need to worry about getting bored.”
“Speaking of them – our masters, as you call them – why are they nowhere to be seen?”
“They tend to stay in their own part of the building and let us live in peace. They usually interact with us only when it’s time to prepare for the next performance.”
“Performance?”
“That is our job. We get to play with people at various events. I’m sure you’ll love it! It’s not difficult, although it can be a bit exhausting sometimes. All you need to do is to look cute and let them pet you.”
“Am I allowed to talk to people?”
“Yes, of course. Just mind your manners.”
We continued walking through the garden. It slowly transitioned into a forest and the terrain became rougher. We began climbing up a hillside. A few moments later, we reached the top of the hill. There, we came across the chain-link fence I had seen when I first arrived, preventing us from going any further. Beyond the fence was a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside.
“Are we imprisoned here?” I asked.
“Depends on how you look at it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, before I came here I was just a lonely guy with no close friends. I was stuck with a dead-end job and felt that I had no purpose in life. Here, I have both friends and a purpose. I look cute and people love to play with me. Giving up my freedom in exchange for that seems like a small price to pay. But it’s not like any of us have a choice. I came to terms with that fact years ago.”
“Years? Just how long have you been a pony?”
“Almost four years, I think.”
I was starting to feel anxious. The whole situation seemed unreal. An endless stream of questions was flowing through my mind. I asked nervously:
“What happens if anyone tries to escape?”
“Some have tried to run away in the past. They were always caught soon after and returned here. Even if you managed to escape, what would you do then? There’s no way you can go back to your old life in that form.”
“I don’t understand! How can they possibly get away with something like this? Haven’t any of you ever thought of exposing them?”
“All of us have likely thought of it at some point. But what good would that do? If we did that, this little world of ours might cease to exist! Like it or not, it is in our best interest to keep things the way they are.”
I was speechless. Desperation was building up inside of me.
“It will take some time to accept that, I know,” said Cloud, talking in a serious tone. “In essence, we are just pets now. We are someone else’s property. The sooner you accept your fate, the better.”
The blue pony walked away.
I sat down on the ground and quietly stared into the horizon.
I’m not sure how long I sat there. Several hours, at the least. I tried my best to make sense of things, without success. I did not know what to think anymore. I did not know what to believe anymore. There was a burning feeling in my throat that was making me thirsty. At first I ignored it but as time passed it became unbearable.
Looking around, I saw a small pond nearby.
“That’ll have to do. I must get something to drink.”
I made my way to the edge of the pond. The surface of it was perfectly still. As I lowered my head above the water, I saw an orange unicorn with green eyes looking at me with a surprised look on his face.
My thirst was gone. I just stood there, petrified.
“Is that really what I look like?”
The unicorn in the water blushed and began to smile.
I sighed.
“I suppose I’ll just have to try to embrace my new form. Maybe everything will work out in the end. And I do look kinda cute for a stallion...”
The sun was setting, and I began to walk back to the building. As I approached, I saw that Cloud was talking with a woman at the door. They took a quick glance at me, and the woman went back inside. Cloud trotted over to me and said:
“I’m glad to see you’re alright, Solar Blaze! I was starting to become worried.”
“Solar Blaze?”
“That’s your name! She just told me. I must say, it matches your cutie mark.”
“My what?” I exclaimed as I turned my eyes to my flank. “Was that there all this time? I didn’t even notice...” I said as I looked at the yellow sun-shaped symbol on my thigh.
“Sure it was! Do you like your new name?”
“It’s fine, I guess. Though I’d prefer just 'Blaze' for short.”
“You got it, Blaze. Are you feeling better now that you’ve had some time to think?”
“Yeah... It’s probably going to take a while to adjust...”
“It will, but you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here for you, and the others are as well. They should be back by tomorrow afternoon. You know, there are 22 of us living here. No, wait. 23, since you’re here now.”
I was relieved. At this moment, for the first time since I arrived, I was optimistic.
Cloud turned towards the door and asked:
“Would you like to watch a movie before going to bed?”
“Really? I think I’d like that.”
We went inside and I was led to a small auditorium. Cloud set everything up and the movie began. It was some old action movie.
“Don’t you feel strange watching a movie about humans as a pony?” I asked.
“Not any stranger than watching a show about ponies as a human,” Cloud said amusedly.
Once the movie had ended, we walked to the sleeping quarters. It was a long room with a row of wooden bunk beds along the walls. The floor was covered with rugs in order to muffle any noise from hooves.
“This is the main bedroom,” said Cloud. “There are also a few single bedrooms along the corridor if you want more privacy. But most of us choose to sleep in this room. There is just something reassuring about sleeping close to each other. Choose any bed you like. We don’t have designated beds.”
I got into one of the bunk beds. Cloud turned off the lights and climbed the ladder into the bunk above mine.
Cloud yawned.
“Sleep tight, Blaze. You’ve had a rough day.”
“You too, Cloud. Good night.”
Author's Note
This is the first time I've ever tried writing a story of my own. Any feedback is appreciated!
