The Future Will Change

The young man crawled out on all fours, still used to being a dog and unable to properly ambulate on two legs just yet. He had found some of Shining Armor’s old clothes that were passed down to Twilight--specifically a pair of camo-colored cargo shorts and a green basketball jersey.

“...you’re okay, Spike,” the spectacled raven called out to her friend, “I’m right here.”

“...Twilight? What happened to me? Wait, what happened to you?” he asked as he tried his best to stand, only to stumble in the process.

Twilight adjusted her glasses and squawked against her will. “Awk! I-I mean…I think I know what’s going on. But we need to conduct more research before we do anything. The media is actively pining against anyone they see that’s even remotely non-human, and I’d certainly be arrested on the spot for going out.”

“...but not me, right?” Spike asked as he scratched behind one of his ears with his hand, “I won’t be judged for looking different, will I?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think so. You’ll be fine. The rest of us, however…I need to check up on them. Rainbow Dash already called me and told me she had turned into a rabbit creature. And Applejack said she became an ox.”

“So that leaves Rarity, Sunset, Fluttershy, and Pinkie,” Spike counted them off as he raised his fingers with each name, “...I see.”

“...huh,” Twilight muttered as she put her claw-hand on Spike’s forehead.

“What’s wrong? Do I feel funny?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s just that I didn’t expect you to look like this. Or react like this.” She giggled, “I always imagined that if you turned human, the first thing you’d do would be to try and get Rarity’s attention.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “...come on, Twilight, you know I’m not interested in her. We’ve been over this.”

“Right, sorry. I shouldn’t be teasing you when your whole life’s been changed,” she noted his new appearance, and started to take measurements, “We have a lot of tests we need to run.”

“If it’ll help, I’m all for it,” Spike agreed with a smile on his face, “Let’s see what we can find.”

Meanwhile, with Aidon…

The cerberus-man had to adjust his daily routine. Going outside in this state was no longer an option due to his appearance, though Luna was intent on at least doing shopping with a hoodie on to mask who she was, much to the chagrin and concern of Aidon.

Thankfully, she didn’t take very long.

“I’m back!” the fox-lady yipped as she removed her sunglasses and hoodie to let her hair flow down, “You won’t believe this, Aidon, but a lot of people out there actually like me like this.”

“...really? That’s a surprise,” he replied with a raised eyebrow as he glanced up at her from the couch. He had been watching the news rather closely to see if anything else had arisen. “But I’m glad. Seems as if not everyone is swayed by the media’s outrage.”

Luna walked to the kitchen and started to put away the groceries she had purchased. “Speaking of which, have you received any new information from--?”

Aidon’s phone would buzz and it would be a call from the Masked Figure who appeared on his screen. “Are you prepared for your first test?”

“Fine. What do you need from me?” he asked as Luna approached from behind with her tail wagging expectantly.

“Who’s all pink and loves to eat to their heart’s content like a ravenous animal?” the figure would give the first riddle, “See if you can find them before things get worse.”

“Wait what--?!” Aidon yelped but he got no answer. The call ended and he grumbled as he put his phone away. “Dammit. They’re gone.”

Luna had already figured it out though and was busy texting on her phone as she hummed an idle tune. “Hm…”

“Have something?”

“Yes,” she replied, “Whoever that is essentially gave it away when they mentioned pink. It has to be Ms. Pinkie Pie.”

Aidon recalled how Pinkie’s appetite was essentially bottomless. But that also begged the question of why she was their next target. Could she already be afflicted with the Anima Curse?

“...I see. We need to contact her immediately,” said the hellhound man.

“Already done,” Luna replied as she showed him her phone, “She’s currently doing a catering job for a party at one of the nation’s elite estates near Vanhoover’s hockey stadium.”

“I have a feeling something bad is about to happen if our Masked friend is trying to egg us onwards. Here’s hoping Aoife is doing okay as well--wherever she is."

Luna put a paw-hand on his shoulder and smiled. "...you sound like a father worried for his daughter right about now."

"...do I?"

The fox-woman giggled and wagged her tail. "Come on, let's get up to that hockey rink."