Becoming Spitfireby An A10 WarthogChaptersChapter 1: Now for a plan...Chapter 2: Plan in MotionChapter 3: ThunderboltChapter 4: Who am I?Chapter 6: The Road to ChicagoChapter 7: Empty CityChapter 5: Moving On With ThingsChapter 8: Forgotten PlansChapter 1: Now for a plan...It was still dark out when I woke up, like none of the sun was even beginning to become visible. Which, for me, is strange, I rarely ever got up very early. I moved my hand over to my over the shoulder light resting next to my bed. And for some bizarre reason, I couldn't feel my fingers. So, I looked over at my 'hand' and saw that in its place was a stump. Great. I was in some elaborate nightmare that made no sense. So, I threw my covers to the ground and got out my bed, attempting to be quiet. I face planted right on to my carpet. I mentally swore and attempted to stand again. The end result of this was similar, and ended with me hitting the ground with force for the second time now. I pushed my stump of an arm against the floor when an idea hit me. I could crawl across the floor. To my surprise, crawling had better effects than walking upright. I reached the bathroom, flipped the light switch with my stump of an arm and hoisted my self up to get a better view of myself using the mirror. I saw an orange face staring back at me. In my grogginess, I didn't immediately recognize the face. All I knew was my day, and possibly a much longer period of time had just gone to hell. I knew from my reflection that I had somehow turned into a pony. I've had weirder dreams. I looked again, trying to identify the pony that I had turned into. When I saw the cutie mark, I knew I was Spitfire. She wasn't the worst pony by a long shot, but a large amount of the fannon about her was clop. Well, this was awkward. I rushed back into my room, neglecting to turn off the bathroom light in the process. Oh God, Oh God, I thought to myself, What am I gonna do? I'm a pony, and I don't know how. Is it just me? Or is the whole world going to start falling apart now? After calming myself down, This situation seemed familiar. I remembered something about bronies turning into ponies, but it could have just been fanfiction. The whole situation was incredibly cliche. Racking my head with my hoof, I decide the internet has answers. It always does. How am I going to use my laptop? I should've thought this through. After some thought, I decided a stylus or similar instrument, such as a pencil, could help me use my tiny keyboard. Apparently, this had been happening to random people for a few days by this point and what people were supposed to be doing was going to New York. But I had thirty five hundred miles between me and New York City, and time was presumably of the essence. I didn't know how I was going to get there, but I soon reminded myself that I could fly.That's if I could figure out how to though. I was also doubtful I could cross the whole country in any decent amount of time. It's not like I could just buy a ticket and get on a jet either, for multiple reasons. However, it was obvious to me that being seen wasn't a big deal with the world knowing about this situation already. Now I just needed to figure out how to fly. Maybe, I had Spitfire's muscle memory? I certainly hoped so. But it was hellishly unlikely. I probably would have to figure out how to fly, that is if I decided to head for the city. She mentioned that only for those who were 'Elements of Harmony' so it was kind of fuzzy for what I should be doing exactly. Sure, heading to New York seemed like the most logical thing to do, you know with everyone else presumably heading there. But it seemed like a pointless trip, when there was nothing I could do to help those that were in New York, and I'd probably slow them down. And I hated to slow others down. Now came the question: where exactly do I fit into this? I obviously wasn't alone here, and I definitely had a major lack of understanding regarding the situation, but I couldn't just go on with my life like nothing happened here, right? Out of all of the things to happen to possibly happen to me, the most confusing and surprisingly boring happens to me, I thought in dismay, I'm a freaking pony! The world is probably going to fall to pieces, and all I can do is sit here and pretend nothings wrong. I needed help. That was obvious. But, was it really worth going to New York to get it? I facehooved, remembering I did, after all, have the greatest invention ever! Yes, I am in fact referring to the internet. I needed to contact the people in charge, or ponies as it may be. I entered a query on Google, Pony Crisis Help Information I didn't get a convenient page with FAQ's or anything like that, much to my chagrin. So, I tried a similar query. I encountered absolutely nothing of any value to me.I wondered how the whole internet had so little on such an issue. As was such, I decided improvisation was necessary. If you knew me, then you'd know I don't like to do things that are risky or stupid, so I have no idea how I decided on what I was going to do next. I moved out of my house, spread my wings, took off. I have no idea how I actually knew how to fly, but I managed to do so. It felt amazing to actually fly under my own power. In awe of this I was still for what was likely a minute, I snapped back to reality as I heard a helicopter fly past me. I had a completely genius idea. I was going to the airport. Chapter 2: Plan in MotionI was almost at the airport, but my flight had given me sometime to think. And I was considering bailing out. What the hay is wrong with me? There's no way I'd ever try to hitchhike. It was only then it dawned on me: it wasn't me who had made that decision. It was Spitfire. That was why I had very little trouble flying. Am I going to turn into her? I hoped not. No way was I actually going to hitchhike on a jet. First off, I'd probably get killed either getting on, oxygen deprivation or falling out when the doors opened. And that was if I was lucky! Screw it,I'm going to do this the old fashioned way! I decided that it made more sense to spend probably two or three days traveling. And maybe find some of those other people who were effected. I wondered if there were other members of the Wonderbolts here as well. That would certainly be interesting. But I needed to get back to my house. I couldn't get very far with no supplies. Resting on a cloud above my house, I waited until everyone left. And thought. I wondered if it would be a good idea to tell my family what was going on. One of the things that kept coming back to me is how I would explain it to them. I was going to have to, I decided. They wouldn't know what happened if I didn't come back. Now that was a disturbing thought. What if my personality was gone? Buck, I didn't know anymore. Wait, what? Finally, the premises were clear and I rushed in. I grabbed a bag, my laptop, makeshift stylus, charger, an old GPS, some food, some beverages and wrote a note down quickly. Now, I didn't proofread it, and I am not sure if it was legible. But, I didn't have time to do so. I could only hope they got the message. I sped out of my house and completed my journey in what I estimated to be about fifteen minutes. After taking flight, I set off towards a place I could hide (and get free WiFi, that's really what I needed). I guess the nearest one was the roof of a Starbucks. So I hid on the roof and opened my laptop. I used my pencil to see if there was any updates on the situation. I checked the first thing I thought might have something: EqD. I rarely use Equestria Daily, but I hoped it was my key to finding a plan. Sure enough, I found another affected like me. I sent one of the Equestria Daily mods a message telling them about my predicament, with a webcam photo. I hoped they'd get back to me, but I couldn't be sure. I tabbed over to YouTube, to distract myself while awaiting a reply. It took them ten minutes to get back to me, and I was given a Skype username belonging to some guy on the East Coast; this guy claiming to be a pegasus as well. I copied the username to my Skype, added it, and called this guy. I got a quick reply from him. So we had a quick discussion, and we decided to rendezvous in the Windy City and then operate from there. The time frame we had was minimal, so I left without any further delays. I flew off towards the east, my GPS in my hooves. I had no idea how I intended to use the infernal device, but I wrote that off for the moment. I was getting some signal, so I knew which way to go. I had been flying for twenty minutes, but I wasn't getting anywhere near even the state line. I had plenty of time to think about what had happened to me so far, so I did. It really hit me now that I really was a mare. But that didn't bother me that much, because unlike what appears most bronies, I never wanted to go to Equestria, or get turned into a pony. I mean sure, it's kind of cool to be able to fly yourself around anywhere. But still, I had faith in humanity, unlike the apparent majority of the fandom that acted like humans were worthless. But, I'm getting off topic here. So, I thought about the fact that I was a pegasus. That's kind of cool. But at what cost? Was I going to lose my personality? I'd already lost my humanity, and I'd lost my manhood. But I knew I could lose a lot more than that. I was still myself, a teen who watches a show for little girls and plays video games in his free time. But that's not it. I took flying lessons, I'd driven boats countless times. But what made me special? Nothing. I wasn't special. I wasn't immune to whatever the buck was doing this to the people of this planet. The calender was screwed up already, but that's not that big a deal. OK, yeah it was, but I could survive that. But now I thought it was the end of days. It certainly could be. I hoped it wasn't, but it could be the end of the world. Two hours later I had made it out of California and was somewhere above Nevada. I heard a noise in the distance, it sounded like an engine. Unfortunately, there isn't much cloud cover above the desert, so I couldn't hide anywhere. And when I saw the aircraft, I knew I didn't want it to see me. It was a pair of A10 Warthogs. Chapter 3: ThunderboltWell, that's appropriate, I thought. The two jets had to have seen me. I wasn't sure if they were going to follow me, or if they would ignore me. I don't know about you, but for obvious reasons I didn't want two A10s following me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it didn't matter that much, the planes turned to follow me. So I continued flying. So, there I was, a teenage guy turned pegasus mare followed by two A10 Warthogs above the Nevadan desert. I decided I'd best find a place to land, as I was getting tired, and the jets were a little unnerving. So, I flew downward, towards what looked like a town, a couple of miles away from me. I looked behind me to see that the jets had bugged off. As I got closer to the town I noticed there was only a couple buildings- a post office and some homes, all running adjacent to the highway. A sign on the Interstate 80 indicated the town was called Golconda. I didn't want to stop in such a small town, so I just continued flying along the Interstate. It only took me five minutes to reach a larger town, the sign identifying it as Battle Mountain. This town had a somewhat decent size, what I'd guess to be around twenty thousand. What I decided was I needed to find a place with WiFi, so I could check up with the others. And a bathroom. Having not used the restroom today out of sheer avoidance, I definitely needed to do so. So, I focused on a random coffee shop, with a free WiFi sign. For the reason that I didn't want too much attention, I landed on the flat roof of the building. I opened my laptop, and checked my email. I'd yet to receive a response. Thoughts ran through my head telling me I needed to find my team before all else, and it wasn't even my team. This gave me a startling thought. Was I going to turn into her? Or what? I didn't want to suffer personality death, hay, if I'd been offered a choice between that, and ending it all immediately, I would have taken the latter. Why? Because I didn't want to die slowly and painfully. I'm also pretty sure that most would take the cowards way out, in that situation. I just hoped that wasn't what was going to happen. But that wouldn't get me anywhere. I went back to searching for other ponies, however I had no luck. I relaxed a little bit and pulled a bottle of Coke from my bag. I put my hoof on the cap, attempting to remove it. But I realized quickly it was pointless. So, I took off and headed onward. Still need to find a restroom, I reminded myself. Not wanting to do so at a coffee shop that I wasn't even willing to go into. I headed towards a rest stop about twenty miles away. Contrary to my day's fortune so far, I found the entire area empty which sort of surprised me. But, I didn't care, I went into the restroom, used a toilet in the least awkward way possible, washed my hooves, and left. Unfortunately, when I left, it wasn't as empty as when I entered. A gold Toyota minivan had just pulled up, and a family had just disembarked. Seeing them, I darted for cover. But my cover was blown. The little girl had spotted me and was pointing. Buck, I decided, I could have been killed by A-10's but no, I am going to die at the hands of a little girl. Rather than embrace my fate, I took flight with a running start. I didn't worry about the family that had spotted me. I doubted they could, or would do anything. I flew as fast as I could for what I'd think is a reasonable distance before I slowed down just a bit. I didn't think that I'd be so scared of public confrontation as I just was. But, I guess anything can happen when you're a pegasus mare in Nevada. I had made about halfway through Colorado and it was dark when I stopped to eat some of my food on a cloud. It was a wonder I'd managed to pop the cap on the bottle of Coke with the back of the pencil I had brought. For once, not having an eraser on a pencil was actually helpful. So, I ate my food while sitting on a cloud. Now that's something that most people can't say. I decided that now was a good time as any to get some rest. Well, nothing ever seems to work out as soon after I shut my eyes, I heard a couple rounds whiz through the air. I jumped off the cloud, and tried to gain some altitude, flinging my bag over my left shoulder. Another round snapped through the air near me. Who the hell wants me dead now? I decided that my best bet for evasion would be a populated area, such as Colorado Springs, which my ancient GPS told me was nearby. I sped off, which I thought would give me a quick advantage over the shooter. ZING! Nope. So, out of options and lacking the proper self control required not to, I stopped, turned towards the location of the bullet's origin, and sped towards it with the speed of a pissed pegasus. Right before I hit him, I saw his terrified face on the back of a 4x4 holding a .30-06. Chapter 4: Who am I?The man flew backwards off of the pickup, his rifle flying another direction from his body. Rather than get pulled off to my doom, I turned around towards the offending vehicle. The truck continued moving, the driver blissfully unaware of the fate of its passenger. I picked up the rifle, a plastic strip on the stock reading Winchester, and took off with it. I didn't want to proceed with my journey unarmed when people were trying to kill me. I made the mistake of taking another glance at the limp body of the man who I'd probably just killed. My stomach turned upside down as I looked at him. He wore a red baseball cap, it was flattened two feet away from his head, and blood was starting to pool up around his head and torso. I involuntarily grimaced, as I knew why he'd died. He had tried to kill me, but still he was probably only a couple of years older than myself, maybe seventeen or eighteen- I couldn't be sure with these bizarre creatures. Wait... what? Yep, Spitfire was definitely creeping up on my consciousness. I wasn't the kind who wanted to leave the Earth, who had no faith in humanity, who liked the Conversion Bureau concept , and if it came down to it would probably have even shoot my favorite pony, Rainbow Dash, in such a scenario. Now, I liked ponies, just wasn't fanatical to such a ridiculous level. My name isn't important. Names serve a purpose- to identify someone, to give one individuality. But you don't know me- who I am, who I was. Who I was, funny thing is that's for sure not who I am now. I would never have charged a man holding a rifle. I groaned. I suddenly realized I had barely even heard my own voice yet, and hadn't even listened to it when I did speak. No, my voice wasn't the one from the translated version of The Best Night Ever in Swedish, but it was definitely Spitfire's. It was simply a cold reminder of the fact that I wasn't me anymore. I decided I was going to rest on a cloud, near a mountain top tonight, simply to avoid any more people trying to kill me. So, I flew off towards a mountain top, chose a big fluffy cloud and took a deep breath. It was going to be difficult to get to Chicago, but I had a good start. I awoke to see my own face staring back at me, actually not my face, Spitfire's. Why the hay is this so damn confusing? So, I decided to say something to the face, something I kind of thought was funny. "Are you me, or am I you?" She rolled her eyes and replied to me, she looked slightly confused by my statement, slightly to my surprise, "You've turned into me, but I'm not sure what will happen to us." Let me tell you, I typically don't get much out of my dreams because they're typically dumb and involve a large number of explosions for no apparent reason, but this was information, which surprised me. The way she said us... that bugged me. Were we going to merge minds? I doubted she knew, otherwise she'd probably tell me. Or I hoped she would. One can never be sure with the one they are slowly turning into. "Do you even know what's going on, at all? I don't mean offense with that, but I mean really, the Elements of Harmony are in New York as is Celestia, and I actually am starting to get a bit curious about what the ponies in Equestria think is going on." Her expression shifted, becoming unreadable, something told me this skill would be important for someone like her due to her being an officer, "So that's what happened, eh?" For some reason, I expected a different response. "More or less," I replied. Everything swirled away into blackness as she started to ask another question. I shot up immediately as I woke up, the crisp air refreshing me. Great, no bucking guidance and no plan, I've just got to get to Chicago, and not get killed. So, I did just that. I took off of the cloud and flew away towards what my GPS indicated was Chicago. But the question still had to be answered; was I still me? I didn't know. I could only hope my soul- don't question the meaning of the word, you know very well what I mean- would survive. I didn't want to lose my existence- especially slowly. It kind of reminded me of those people who were just gone you would see in horror movies. Nonexistence always seemed a worse fate then death. Everyone dies- being slowly and utterly annihilated seemed much, much worse. Off that happy note, I realized I couldn't get very far with the rifle, it was heavy and awkward, so I simply abandoned it in a tree. I had no idea how I'd fire the damn thing anyway. So, I flew off above the peaks of Colorado towards Nebraska, and I remembered my friend who had family there, and my first grade crush who moved to Colorado which alluded me until now. Not like it mattered anyway, a voice stated, I am not sure if it was mine or Spitfire's but it was right: I had to get to Chicago. I stopped to rest, and eat, somewhere near Lincoln, hoping that no more rednecks would try to put a bullet in me. While I was stopped, I tried to make sense of my life and where the world was going in this situation. If what I'd read was accurate, Discord was involved. And assuming the fanfiction I'd read, was accurate to a degree as well, then I'd best prepare to get arrested for copyright infringement with the amount of pop culture references that were going to try and kill me. I frowned as I thought of the possibility of the Hulk chasing me down, or a giant robot. Don't think about it, a voice urged me, I believe this one was Spitfire's. I knew that she would know more about what this damn villain could do and how he operated, so I thought about something else, as difficult as that was. A loud roaring noise echoed down across the plains and I looked up at a Boeing 737 flying past me. I let the thought of the jet distract me momentarily, as I attempted to guess where it was going. It could be Omaha, or maybe it shared a destination with me. But that was barely a matter of importance as I was done with my break, and I was ready to get back in the air. As such, I leaped off the cloud and into the air, letting my wings take me to Chicago; where disco lives forever. Chapter 6: The Road to ChicagoThe orange mare stared at me quizzically. It was clear why. “What do you think I should do then?” I asked her. She shook her head, “I don’t know how long it really matters for, John.” “What do you mean?” “I think that it doesn’t matter- I think we’re going to merge soon.” “That doesn’t sound good.” “I don't like it any better, but that's the way it is.” “Well, shi-” The colors of the sky above the farmland that this area was adorned with filled my vision quickly. It must have been early morning, because the sky glowed a brilliant orange. I heard the buzzing sound of what could have easily been a Cessna, or a crop duster. I decided now was a good time to get a start on my day, so I jumped off the cloud and flew off towards Chicago. It was a cold day. I think it should be Tuesday or Monday- I didn’t remember. It didn’t really matter to me. All I knew was somepony was waiting for me in Chicago. Wait, wha- I processed my own use of dialects that were certainly not mine. Today was not off to a good start, that was certain. It took me quite some time to realize something majorly wrong with my plan: how would I find the others I had contacted once I reached the city? It wouldn't be easy to find anypony in a city of that size. Damn it, if I actually knew the city maybe this could have worked, but I had no actual hope of finding them without a meeting point. It was incredibly dumb, in retrospect, to have come up with such a ambiguous idea. So, what if I couldn't find them? I knew that I couldn't just sit around looking for them forever, but part of me wanted to. Zoning back to reality, I noticed a plane, a Learjet, to be specific, flying straight at me. Just then, I simply blacked-out. Good timing is key. I was looking at what I was looking at before, and feeling what I felt, but I wasn't in control. It was apparent that Spitfire was as surprised by this as I was, as she didn't immediately take action. I mentally shouted for her to duck, to avoid the expensive corporate plane. Luckily, she seemed to know what to do and went straight downwards. So, she somehow knew which direction to go, probably from my guidance, or the GPS in her hooves, most likely the latter in hindsight, but that wasn't important. What was important is that we were going to Chicago, we had to get there soon, and I had no idea for what we were going to do once we got there. Author's Note Trying to do this a bit differently, so be patient. Also, sorry for it being short, but I have to negotiate with my collaborators at this time. The next chapter will start in the Windy City, (Yay! No cliffhangers for once!) and it will be longer. Chapter 7: Empty CityIt was a sunny day in the city, but that didn't mean much- I could scarcely see any movement from my position twenty miles away. I knew I had to get there, and it was exciting to know I was going to be there in less than an hour. I took off from my cloud and moved towards it. But I felt something was wrong. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I still wasn't quite sure what exactly I was forgetting. Buck it, I decided, I'm going in. The closer I got the more I realized that I had no plan on a rendezvous spot. How the hay did I forget that? It didn't matter now; they were no doubt in the city, and maybe I could find them. However, I wasn't too sure about that. It was certainly annoying to be doubting my own actions so frequently, but I guess it was just something I had to deal with now. It was no doubt a good course of action to find a place to access the internet again, as it would be the only imaginable way to find my so-called 'teammates'. So, without many other options I rested myself near a conveniently placed Starbucks and brandished my laptop. Nada... There were a couple replies, but none of the contacts I had since gained in the human-turned-pony business were online, but rather than wait for them to go online, I just shut the lid and left. I slid the laptop back into my bag, and took off. It seemed to me that even bothering to still be here was a lost cause, but I had been through a lot just to get here, so I wasn't just going to go off in a random direction. Now, I wasn't sure much about who I was anymore. I wasn't sure what part of me was controlling my actions, and I didn't like it. I didn't think it was Spitfire, because she said the contrary in my head. God damn my life is crazy, I thought, which was a nice little comic relief right there, but as it turns out, in real life, it's not very comical nor very relieving. I wish I had an idea as to what I was doing, or why I was doing it, or who was doing it. But, as I soared between the buildings in the city, looking for something, I wasn't granted the luxury of knowing quite what that was, and that was no doubt more than slightly dangerous, granted my own flawed logic when I knew what was going on. My vision started to fade, and I wasn't sure why, but within a minute I was out completely cold, or in this case unaware of what was going on. I regained my vision on top of a skyscraper. The city laid out below me, as I stood triumphantly on the building. Even though I had no idea why, it still felt badass. I heard something land behind me, and whoever was controlling my body turned around. The pony that was in my vision I didn't recognize; a pegasus mare, near a fusha in color, and a confused look on her face. She was the first to speak up, "Nice to finally see another pony," My voice replied to her, which was quite jarring, "Welcome to my world, sister." I could practically hear Spitfire laughing at me in her revenge, the reasons for which being quite obvious. So, Spitfire, do you have any idea who the hell she is? I asked the voice in my head. "Nope," She replied quickly, "You think I know everypony in Equestria?" Worth a shot, I replied. "I think you should come with me," The unidentified mare said. Don't do it, don't do it, Spitfire and I both echoed, with slightly different choices of language, but, apparently we were the only two here with enough common sense to know not to follow a stranger without as much as their name to go by. "OK then," The stupid bitch who I still didn't know jackshit about said before extending my/her/our wings and taking flight. Today just got weirder... I was somewhere outside Chicago when suddenly I realized I was in control again. The mare had given some name like 'Citrus Wind'¹ or something like that. I had to speak up, because I had no idea what the hell was going on. "Hey, Citrus, just where exactly are we headed?" "You'll see." I stopped. "I need to know it's not a trap, give me a reason to trust you, and I don't want that 'I am a pony, not a filthy human, like you' bullshit, I want a legitimate answer. This could be a ploy by some random Prince of Nigera or something!" I questioned my own logic in basing my fears off a famous chain email scheme from the 1990's, but I wasn't called out on it, and she did at least start to answer me. "Jeez, somepony's being a bitch," She said in a heavily sarcastic tone, "If you must know, we're headed to-" Something came through the cloud layer directly behind her; the object in question being a navy blue Boeing 737. The instincts I apparently had but wasn't aware of kicked into action, "GET THE BUCK DOWN!" I hollered, tackling her and bringing her downwards with me. The aircraft nearly deafened me, but I was still alive, and so was my new 'friend'. "You were saying?" I urged her on. "I was headed towards New York, as most of the people are, I heard. But I was looking forward to getting to know you." I should have let that plane rip her apart. Author's Note ¹; Made up entirely on the spot. If you're thinking it's a reference to something you're wrong. Chapter 5: Moving On With ThingsSo, just the day before, I killed a man, and I had brushed it off quickly. This bothered me, even more than the young adult who's body rested in the dirt, blood pouring out of his skull. It didn't matter I'd done it- it was self defense. It was more that I did it. I killed a guy, when I could have simply ran. I had no reason to turn back and knock him off his truck, and knock his brains out against the field. I'd also not cared enough to even acknowledge his importance, and completely ignored the fact I'd killed a human being. It wasn't my own conscious that reminded me that I couldn't do anything about it,and she was sounding far less than sincere in doing so. But, I knew that I was right. Who was- what? I shook it off, knowing it didn't matter. It was completely possible there wouldn't be anyone left alive on this planet, and I needed to help save it. But I don't want to kill anyone else. The fact that I was so insensitive to the guy who I'd killed was still permeating through my brain, and it could easily do so until the day I die. And I tried to avoid reminding myself that could be damn soon. I shuddered involuntarily. It shouldn't take long to get to Chicago from where I was, which was somewhere near Omaha. Then I realized a flaw in my oh-so perfect plan. Where in Chicago was I going to meet the other 'Bolts? It wasn't a small city, and I knew right of the top of my head that it had well over three million people. So, how the hell was I going to rendezvous with someone that I wasn't sure I knew- hell, I'm sure I don't know him, but hay I'm sure I do. Of course, I head to deal with that. The thing was, I was becoming less and less sure of who that was. If it was Spitfire or me. And it's only been a day and a half! What's it gonna be like in ten or fifty or a hundred! What about a whole year? Did I even know who I was? I reminded myself that yes, I did. I was still the unfortunate bastard who woke up at four in the morning on a Saturday that I'd rather have spent hanging with my one of my friends or playing video games. Damn it, did this body come with ADHD or something? I didn't really want an answer to that, but another thought hit me. I'd always let my mind wander in the past, but never this much. The fact was, I was clearly changing, and not like the changes an average Call of Duty player is going to have in six years. I mean, there's almost no possibility this could end and I'd still be me, kind of changes. But, I had no choice but to try to finish this and hope for the best. I still had a task, and even though it was tedious, I didn't know if letting my mind wander was such a good idea. Don't get me wrong- it felt amazing to fly under my own power- if not a bit tiring- but, overall, it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. But is it worth it? The question hit me like a high-powered rifle round. I knew what my subconscious was implying, and it was very plainly obvious why it threw me off- I didn't want to die. It was getting pretty dark by the time I got to Illinois, maybe ten or eleven that night. Rather than trek onward towards, Chicago, I decided I should try to get some rest on a cloud. So I found a cloud that suited my needs, and rested myself on it. Tired from my day of non-stop flying, I nodded off almost immediately after laying down. My dreams offered no refuge from the the weirdness that my life has become. So, there she, or I or whatever, was. In a endless white void that made no sense whatsoever. She gave me a look that made me feel like I'd missed something. I wasn't sure what- but I knew that's what it meant. "I guess this is how it's going to be then." I said to her, surprisingly lucidly. She nodded, little to my surprise. "I have to ask you this; what do you intend to do once we get to Chicago?" I barely noticed the we, but as loose as it was, I still caught it. I simply chose to ignore it, however. "I have no idea," I replied honestly, "Regroup, I guess?" She nodded, seemingly understanding. "And then what? Do you even have a plan?" I grinned a smug smile, "I never have a plan." Chapter 8: Forgotten Plans"Do you know what that was?" I asked in an angry tone towards the pinkish mare. "A plane?" She asked confusedly. "Yes. A commercial plane. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, more precisely. But that's besides the point. You could have killed more than just yourself by being where you were." "It was heading towards me-" I facehooved. "That's besides the point. There are hundreds of innocent people on the plane. The plane was planned to be there for Celestia knows how long. The point it this- we were the ones who were in a place we shouldn't have been. Thus it is our responsibility to clear the way." "But how are we gonna avoid them?" "Fly low. Less than a thousand feet above the ground. No aircraft fly that low." She nodded. "Why does this bug you so much?" I rose an eyebrow. "Why do you seem to have lost your touch with humanity?" Soon, we were in the air again. I wasn't sure when or where I was, I realized with a start and a fact I hadn't realized mere seconds before was no irritating me to no end. But, as I knew it, was the existence of problems with people on this planet in a nutshell. And, as a wise man might have said once, 'If you don't know, ask someone else'. "Hey, Breeze," I nearly yelled to the pony about fifty feet to my right, "Do you know what today is?" The other pegasus shrugged. What the hell. Is it really that hard to figure out what day it is? I decided that I would stop and figure it out the next opportunity I got, which would hopefully be soon. That night, I still hadn't figured out what day it was, as my laptop's power had gone dead the day before. As I lay on my cloud, I began to wonder about the events that had lead to this. I still wasn't sure what was going on. How the hell did any of this happen? And why? This didn't make sense...I expected the end of the world to be a bit more epic. I didn't expect it to take time. I still maintain it could have been an awesome final battle in a generic large city. That was the way all the movies showed it. Hell, it didn't make sense the world would end with a bunch of people turning into copyrighted characters anyway. I decided that thinking about this were thoughts for another day, so I simply went to sleep. The next morning I woke up remembering something I didn't before. "I have a daughter." Author's Note Yup, another rushed chapter done by yours truly. I blame deadlines.
Chapter 1: Now for a plan...It was still dark out when I woke up, like none of the sun was even beginning to become visible. Which, for me, is strange, I rarely ever got up very early. I moved my hand over to my over the shoulder light resting next to my bed. And for some bizarre reason, I couldn't feel my fingers. So, I looked over at my 'hand' and saw that in its place was a stump. Great. I was in some elaborate nightmare that made no sense. So, I threw my covers to the ground and got out my bed, attempting to be quiet. I face planted right on to my carpet. I mentally swore and attempted to stand again. The end result of this was similar, and ended with me hitting the ground with force for the second time now. I pushed my stump of an arm against the floor when an idea hit me. I could crawl across the floor. To my surprise, crawling had better effects than walking upright. I reached the bathroom, flipped the light switch with my stump of an arm and hoisted my self up to get a better view of myself using the mirror. I saw an orange face staring back at me. In my grogginess, I didn't immediately recognize the face. All I knew was my day, and possibly a much longer period of time had just gone to hell. I knew from my reflection that I had somehow turned into a pony. I've had weirder dreams. I looked again, trying to identify the pony that I had turned into. When I saw the cutie mark, I knew I was Spitfire. She wasn't the worst pony by a long shot, but a large amount of the fannon about her was clop. Well, this was awkward. I rushed back into my room, neglecting to turn off the bathroom light in the process. Oh God, Oh God, I thought to myself, What am I gonna do? I'm a pony, and I don't know how. Is it just me? Or is the whole world going to start falling apart now? After calming myself down, This situation seemed familiar. I remembered something about bronies turning into ponies, but it could have just been fanfiction. The whole situation was incredibly cliche. Racking my head with my hoof, I decide the internet has answers. It always does. How am I going to use my laptop? I should've thought this through. After some thought, I decided a stylus or similar instrument, such as a pencil, could help me use my tiny keyboard. Apparently, this had been happening to random people for a few days by this point and what people were supposed to be doing was going to New York. But I had thirty five hundred miles between me and New York City, and time was presumably of the essence. I didn't know how I was going to get there, but I soon reminded myself that I could fly.That's if I could figure out how to though. I was also doubtful I could cross the whole country in any decent amount of time. It's not like I could just buy a ticket and get on a jet either, for multiple reasons. However, it was obvious to me that being seen wasn't a big deal with the world knowing about this situation already. Now I just needed to figure out how to fly. Maybe, I had Spitfire's muscle memory? I certainly hoped so. But it was hellishly unlikely. I probably would have to figure out how to fly, that is if I decided to head for the city. She mentioned that only for those who were 'Elements of Harmony' so it was kind of fuzzy for what I should be doing exactly. Sure, heading to New York seemed like the most logical thing to do, you know with everyone else presumably heading there. But it seemed like a pointless trip, when there was nothing I could do to help those that were in New York, and I'd probably slow them down. And I hated to slow others down. Now came the question: where exactly do I fit into this? I obviously wasn't alone here, and I definitely had a major lack of understanding regarding the situation, but I couldn't just go on with my life like nothing happened here, right? Out of all of the things to happen to possibly happen to me, the most confusing and surprisingly boring happens to me, I thought in dismay, I'm a freaking pony! The world is probably going to fall to pieces, and all I can do is sit here and pretend nothings wrong. I needed help. That was obvious. But, was it really worth going to New York to get it? I facehooved, remembering I did, after all, have the greatest invention ever! Yes, I am in fact referring to the internet. I needed to contact the people in charge, or ponies as it may be. I entered a query on Google, Pony Crisis Help Information I didn't get a convenient page with FAQ's or anything like that, much to my chagrin. So, I tried a similar query. I encountered absolutely nothing of any value to me.I wondered how the whole internet had so little on such an issue. As was such, I decided improvisation was necessary. If you knew me, then you'd know I don't like to do things that are risky or stupid, so I have no idea how I decided on what I was going to do next. I moved out of my house, spread my wings, took off. I have no idea how I actually knew how to fly, but I managed to do so. It felt amazing to actually fly under my own power. In awe of this I was still for what was likely a minute, I snapped back to reality as I heard a helicopter fly past me. I had a completely genius idea. I was going to the airport.
Chapter 2: Plan in MotionI was almost at the airport, but my flight had given me sometime to think. And I was considering bailing out. What the hay is wrong with me? There's no way I'd ever try to hitchhike. It was only then it dawned on me: it wasn't me who had made that decision. It was Spitfire. That was why I had very little trouble flying. Am I going to turn into her? I hoped not. No way was I actually going to hitchhike on a jet. First off, I'd probably get killed either getting on, oxygen deprivation or falling out when the doors opened. And that was if I was lucky! Screw it,I'm going to do this the old fashioned way! I decided that it made more sense to spend probably two or three days traveling. And maybe find some of those other people who were effected. I wondered if there were other members of the Wonderbolts here as well. That would certainly be interesting. But I needed to get back to my house. I couldn't get very far with no supplies. Resting on a cloud above my house, I waited until everyone left. And thought. I wondered if it would be a good idea to tell my family what was going on. One of the things that kept coming back to me is how I would explain it to them. I was going to have to, I decided. They wouldn't know what happened if I didn't come back. Now that was a disturbing thought. What if my personality was gone? Buck, I didn't know anymore. Wait, what? Finally, the premises were clear and I rushed in. I grabbed a bag, my laptop, makeshift stylus, charger, an old GPS, some food, some beverages and wrote a note down quickly. Now, I didn't proofread it, and I am not sure if it was legible. But, I didn't have time to do so. I could only hope they got the message. I sped out of my house and completed my journey in what I estimated to be about fifteen minutes. After taking flight, I set off towards a place I could hide (and get free WiFi, that's really what I needed). I guess the nearest one was the roof of a Starbucks. So I hid on the roof and opened my laptop. I used my pencil to see if there was any updates on the situation. I checked the first thing I thought might have something: EqD. I rarely use Equestria Daily, but I hoped it was my key to finding a plan. Sure enough, I found another affected like me. I sent one of the Equestria Daily mods a message telling them about my predicament, with a webcam photo. I hoped they'd get back to me, but I couldn't be sure. I tabbed over to YouTube, to distract myself while awaiting a reply. It took them ten minutes to get back to me, and I was given a Skype username belonging to some guy on the East Coast; this guy claiming to be a pegasus as well. I copied the username to my Skype, added it, and called this guy. I got a quick reply from him. So we had a quick discussion, and we decided to rendezvous in the Windy City and then operate from there. The time frame we had was minimal, so I left without any further delays. I flew off towards the east, my GPS in my hooves. I had no idea how I intended to use the infernal device, but I wrote that off for the moment. I was getting some signal, so I knew which way to go. I had been flying for twenty minutes, but I wasn't getting anywhere near even the state line. I had plenty of time to think about what had happened to me so far, so I did. It really hit me now that I really was a mare. But that didn't bother me that much, because unlike what appears most bronies, I never wanted to go to Equestria, or get turned into a pony. I mean sure, it's kind of cool to be able to fly yourself around anywhere. But still, I had faith in humanity, unlike the apparent majority of the fandom that acted like humans were worthless. But, I'm getting off topic here. So, I thought about the fact that I was a pegasus. That's kind of cool. But at what cost? Was I going to lose my personality? I'd already lost my humanity, and I'd lost my manhood. But I knew I could lose a lot more than that. I was still myself, a teen who watches a show for little girls and plays video games in his free time. But that's not it. I took flying lessons, I'd driven boats countless times. But what made me special? Nothing. I wasn't special. I wasn't immune to whatever the buck was doing this to the people of this planet. The calender was screwed up already, but that's not that big a deal. OK, yeah it was, but I could survive that. But now I thought it was the end of days. It certainly could be. I hoped it wasn't, but it could be the end of the world. Two hours later I had made it out of California and was somewhere above Nevada. I heard a noise in the distance, it sounded like an engine. Unfortunately, there isn't much cloud cover above the desert, so I couldn't hide anywhere. And when I saw the aircraft, I knew I didn't want it to see me. It was a pair of A10 Warthogs.
Chapter 3: ThunderboltWell, that's appropriate, I thought. The two jets had to have seen me. I wasn't sure if they were going to follow me, or if they would ignore me. I don't know about you, but for obvious reasons I didn't want two A10s following me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it didn't matter that much, the planes turned to follow me. So I continued flying. So, there I was, a teenage guy turned pegasus mare followed by two A10 Warthogs above the Nevadan desert. I decided I'd best find a place to land, as I was getting tired, and the jets were a little unnerving. So, I flew downward, towards what looked like a town, a couple of miles away from me. I looked behind me to see that the jets had bugged off. As I got closer to the town I noticed there was only a couple buildings- a post office and some homes, all running adjacent to the highway. A sign on the Interstate 80 indicated the town was called Golconda. I didn't want to stop in such a small town, so I just continued flying along the Interstate. It only took me five minutes to reach a larger town, the sign identifying it as Battle Mountain. This town had a somewhat decent size, what I'd guess to be around twenty thousand. What I decided was I needed to find a place with WiFi, so I could check up with the others. And a bathroom. Having not used the restroom today out of sheer avoidance, I definitely needed to do so. So, I focused on a random coffee shop, with a free WiFi sign. For the reason that I didn't want too much attention, I landed on the flat roof of the building. I opened my laptop, and checked my email. I'd yet to receive a response. Thoughts ran through my head telling me I needed to find my team before all else, and it wasn't even my team. This gave me a startling thought. Was I going to turn into her? Or what? I didn't want to suffer personality death, hay, if I'd been offered a choice between that, and ending it all immediately, I would have taken the latter. Why? Because I didn't want to die slowly and painfully. I'm also pretty sure that most would take the cowards way out, in that situation. I just hoped that wasn't what was going to happen. But that wouldn't get me anywhere. I went back to searching for other ponies, however I had no luck. I relaxed a little bit and pulled a bottle of Coke from my bag. I put my hoof on the cap, attempting to remove it. But I realized quickly it was pointless. So, I took off and headed onward. Still need to find a restroom, I reminded myself. Not wanting to do so at a coffee shop that I wasn't even willing to go into. I headed towards a rest stop about twenty miles away. Contrary to my day's fortune so far, I found the entire area empty which sort of surprised me. But, I didn't care, I went into the restroom, used a toilet in the least awkward way possible, washed my hooves, and left. Unfortunately, when I left, it wasn't as empty as when I entered. A gold Toyota minivan had just pulled up, and a family had just disembarked. Seeing them, I darted for cover. But my cover was blown. The little girl had spotted me and was pointing. Buck, I decided, I could have been killed by A-10's but no, I am going to die at the hands of a little girl. Rather than embrace my fate, I took flight with a running start. I didn't worry about the family that had spotted me. I doubted they could, or would do anything. I flew as fast as I could for what I'd think is a reasonable distance before I slowed down just a bit. I didn't think that I'd be so scared of public confrontation as I just was. But, I guess anything can happen when you're a pegasus mare in Nevada. I had made about halfway through Colorado and it was dark when I stopped to eat some of my food on a cloud. It was a wonder I'd managed to pop the cap on the bottle of Coke with the back of the pencil I had brought. For once, not having an eraser on a pencil was actually helpful. So, I ate my food while sitting on a cloud. Now that's something that most people can't say. I decided that now was a good time as any to get some rest. Well, nothing ever seems to work out as soon after I shut my eyes, I heard a couple rounds whiz through the air. I jumped off the cloud, and tried to gain some altitude, flinging my bag over my left shoulder. Another round snapped through the air near me. Who the hell wants me dead now? I decided that my best bet for evasion would be a populated area, such as Colorado Springs, which my ancient GPS told me was nearby. I sped off, which I thought would give me a quick advantage over the shooter. ZING! Nope. So, out of options and lacking the proper self control required not to, I stopped, turned towards the location of the bullet's origin, and sped towards it with the speed of a pissed pegasus. Right before I hit him, I saw his terrified face on the back of a 4x4 holding a .30-06.
Chapter 4: Who am I?The man flew backwards off of the pickup, his rifle flying another direction from his body. Rather than get pulled off to my doom, I turned around towards the offending vehicle. The truck continued moving, the driver blissfully unaware of the fate of its passenger. I picked up the rifle, a plastic strip on the stock reading Winchester, and took off with it. I didn't want to proceed with my journey unarmed when people were trying to kill me. I made the mistake of taking another glance at the limp body of the man who I'd probably just killed. My stomach turned upside down as I looked at him. He wore a red baseball cap, it was flattened two feet away from his head, and blood was starting to pool up around his head and torso. I involuntarily grimaced, as I knew why he'd died. He had tried to kill me, but still he was probably only a couple of years older than myself, maybe seventeen or eighteen- I couldn't be sure with these bizarre creatures. Wait... what? Yep, Spitfire was definitely creeping up on my consciousness. I wasn't the kind who wanted to leave the Earth, who had no faith in humanity, who liked the Conversion Bureau concept , and if it came down to it would probably have even shoot my favorite pony, Rainbow Dash, in such a scenario. Now, I liked ponies, just wasn't fanatical to such a ridiculous level. My name isn't important. Names serve a purpose- to identify someone, to give one individuality. But you don't know me- who I am, who I was. Who I was, funny thing is that's for sure not who I am now. I would never have charged a man holding a rifle. I groaned. I suddenly realized I had barely even heard my own voice yet, and hadn't even listened to it when I did speak. No, my voice wasn't the one from the translated version of The Best Night Ever in Swedish, but it was definitely Spitfire's. It was simply a cold reminder of the fact that I wasn't me anymore. I decided I was going to rest on a cloud, near a mountain top tonight, simply to avoid any more people trying to kill me. So, I flew off towards a mountain top, chose a big fluffy cloud and took a deep breath. It was going to be difficult to get to Chicago, but I had a good start. I awoke to see my own face staring back at me, actually not my face, Spitfire's. Why the hay is this so damn confusing? So, I decided to say something to the face, something I kind of thought was funny. "Are you me, or am I you?" She rolled her eyes and replied to me, she looked slightly confused by my statement, slightly to my surprise, "You've turned into me, but I'm not sure what will happen to us." Let me tell you, I typically don't get much out of my dreams because they're typically dumb and involve a large number of explosions for no apparent reason, but this was information, which surprised me. The way she said us... that bugged me. Were we going to merge minds? I doubted she knew, otherwise she'd probably tell me. Or I hoped she would. One can never be sure with the one they are slowly turning into. "Do you even know what's going on, at all? I don't mean offense with that, but I mean really, the Elements of Harmony are in New York as is Celestia, and I actually am starting to get a bit curious about what the ponies in Equestria think is going on." Her expression shifted, becoming unreadable, something told me this skill would be important for someone like her due to her being an officer, "So that's what happened, eh?" For some reason, I expected a different response. "More or less," I replied. Everything swirled away into blackness as she started to ask another question. I shot up immediately as I woke up, the crisp air refreshing me. Great, no bucking guidance and no plan, I've just got to get to Chicago, and not get killed. So, I did just that. I took off of the cloud and flew away towards what my GPS indicated was Chicago. But the question still had to be answered; was I still me? I didn't know. I could only hope my soul- don't question the meaning of the word, you know very well what I mean- would survive. I didn't want to lose my existence- especially slowly. It kind of reminded me of those people who were just gone you would see in horror movies. Nonexistence always seemed a worse fate then death. Everyone dies- being slowly and utterly annihilated seemed much, much worse. Off that happy note, I realized I couldn't get very far with the rifle, it was heavy and awkward, so I simply abandoned it in a tree. I had no idea how I'd fire the damn thing anyway. So, I flew off above the peaks of Colorado towards Nebraska, and I remembered my friend who had family there, and my first grade crush who moved to Colorado which alluded me until now. Not like it mattered anyway, a voice stated, I am not sure if it was mine or Spitfire's but it was right: I had to get to Chicago. I stopped to rest, and eat, somewhere near Lincoln, hoping that no more rednecks would try to put a bullet in me. While I was stopped, I tried to make sense of my life and where the world was going in this situation. If what I'd read was accurate, Discord was involved. And assuming the fanfiction I'd read, was accurate to a degree as well, then I'd best prepare to get arrested for copyright infringement with the amount of pop culture references that were going to try and kill me. I frowned as I thought of the possibility of the Hulk chasing me down, or a giant robot. Don't think about it, a voice urged me, I believe this one was Spitfire's. I knew that she would know more about what this damn villain could do and how he operated, so I thought about something else, as difficult as that was. A loud roaring noise echoed down across the plains and I looked up at a Boeing 737 flying past me. I let the thought of the jet distract me momentarily, as I attempted to guess where it was going. It could be Omaha, or maybe it shared a destination with me. But that was barely a matter of importance as I was done with my break, and I was ready to get back in the air. As such, I leaped off the cloud and into the air, letting my wings take me to Chicago; where disco lives forever.
Chapter 6: The Road to ChicagoThe orange mare stared at me quizzically. It was clear why. “What do you think I should do then?” I asked her. She shook her head, “I don’t know how long it really matters for, John.” “What do you mean?” “I think that it doesn’t matter- I think we’re going to merge soon.” “That doesn’t sound good.” “I don't like it any better, but that's the way it is.” “Well, shi-” The colors of the sky above the farmland that this area was adorned with filled my vision quickly. It must have been early morning, because the sky glowed a brilliant orange. I heard the buzzing sound of what could have easily been a Cessna, or a crop duster. I decided now was a good time to get a start on my day, so I jumped off the cloud and flew off towards Chicago. It was a cold day. I think it should be Tuesday or Monday- I didn’t remember. It didn’t really matter to me. All I knew was somepony was waiting for me in Chicago. Wait, wha- I processed my own use of dialects that were certainly not mine. Today was not off to a good start, that was certain. It took me quite some time to realize something majorly wrong with my plan: how would I find the others I had contacted once I reached the city? It wouldn't be easy to find anypony in a city of that size. Damn it, if I actually knew the city maybe this could have worked, but I had no actual hope of finding them without a meeting point. It was incredibly dumb, in retrospect, to have come up with such a ambiguous idea. So, what if I couldn't find them? I knew that I couldn't just sit around looking for them forever, but part of me wanted to. Zoning back to reality, I noticed a plane, a Learjet, to be specific, flying straight at me. Just then, I simply blacked-out. Good timing is key. I was looking at what I was looking at before, and feeling what I felt, but I wasn't in control. It was apparent that Spitfire was as surprised by this as I was, as she didn't immediately take action. I mentally shouted for her to duck, to avoid the expensive corporate plane. Luckily, she seemed to know what to do and went straight downwards. So, she somehow knew which direction to go, probably from my guidance, or the GPS in her hooves, most likely the latter in hindsight, but that wasn't important. What was important is that we were going to Chicago, we had to get there soon, and I had no idea for what we were going to do once we got there. Author's Note Trying to do this a bit differently, so be patient. Also, sorry for it being short, but I have to negotiate with my collaborators at this time. The next chapter will start in the Windy City, (Yay! No cliffhangers for once!) and it will be longer.
Chapter 7: Empty CityIt was a sunny day in the city, but that didn't mean much- I could scarcely see any movement from my position twenty miles away. I knew I had to get there, and it was exciting to know I was going to be there in less than an hour. I took off from my cloud and moved towards it. But I felt something was wrong. I felt like I was forgetting something, but I still wasn't quite sure what exactly I was forgetting. Buck it, I decided, I'm going in. The closer I got the more I realized that I had no plan on a rendezvous spot. How the hay did I forget that? It didn't matter now; they were no doubt in the city, and maybe I could find them. However, I wasn't too sure about that. It was certainly annoying to be doubting my own actions so frequently, but I guess it was just something I had to deal with now. It was no doubt a good course of action to find a place to access the internet again, as it would be the only imaginable way to find my so-called 'teammates'. So, without many other options I rested myself near a conveniently placed Starbucks and brandished my laptop. Nada... There were a couple replies, but none of the contacts I had since gained in the human-turned-pony business were online, but rather than wait for them to go online, I just shut the lid and left. I slid the laptop back into my bag, and took off. It seemed to me that even bothering to still be here was a lost cause, but I had been through a lot just to get here, so I wasn't just going to go off in a random direction. Now, I wasn't sure much about who I was anymore. I wasn't sure what part of me was controlling my actions, and I didn't like it. I didn't think it was Spitfire, because she said the contrary in my head. God damn my life is crazy, I thought, which was a nice little comic relief right there, but as it turns out, in real life, it's not very comical nor very relieving. I wish I had an idea as to what I was doing, or why I was doing it, or who was doing it. But, as I soared between the buildings in the city, looking for something, I wasn't granted the luxury of knowing quite what that was, and that was no doubt more than slightly dangerous, granted my own flawed logic when I knew what was going on. My vision started to fade, and I wasn't sure why, but within a minute I was out completely cold, or in this case unaware of what was going on. I regained my vision on top of a skyscraper. The city laid out below me, as I stood triumphantly on the building. Even though I had no idea why, it still felt badass. I heard something land behind me, and whoever was controlling my body turned around. The pony that was in my vision I didn't recognize; a pegasus mare, near a fusha in color, and a confused look on her face. She was the first to speak up, "Nice to finally see another pony," My voice replied to her, which was quite jarring, "Welcome to my world, sister." I could practically hear Spitfire laughing at me in her revenge, the reasons for which being quite obvious. So, Spitfire, do you have any idea who the hell she is? I asked the voice in my head. "Nope," She replied quickly, "You think I know everypony in Equestria?" Worth a shot, I replied. "I think you should come with me," The unidentified mare said. Don't do it, don't do it, Spitfire and I both echoed, with slightly different choices of language, but, apparently we were the only two here with enough common sense to know not to follow a stranger without as much as their name to go by. "OK then," The stupid bitch who I still didn't know jackshit about said before extending my/her/our wings and taking flight. Today just got weirder... I was somewhere outside Chicago when suddenly I realized I was in control again. The mare had given some name like 'Citrus Wind'¹ or something like that. I had to speak up, because I had no idea what the hell was going on. "Hey, Citrus, just where exactly are we headed?" "You'll see." I stopped. "I need to know it's not a trap, give me a reason to trust you, and I don't want that 'I am a pony, not a filthy human, like you' bullshit, I want a legitimate answer. This could be a ploy by some random Prince of Nigera or something!" I questioned my own logic in basing my fears off a famous chain email scheme from the 1990's, but I wasn't called out on it, and she did at least start to answer me. "Jeez, somepony's being a bitch," She said in a heavily sarcastic tone, "If you must know, we're headed to-" Something came through the cloud layer directly behind her; the object in question being a navy blue Boeing 737. The instincts I apparently had but wasn't aware of kicked into action, "GET THE BUCK DOWN!" I hollered, tackling her and bringing her downwards with me. The aircraft nearly deafened me, but I was still alive, and so was my new 'friend'. "You were saying?" I urged her on. "I was headed towards New York, as most of the people are, I heard. But I was looking forward to getting to know you." I should have let that plane rip her apart. Author's Note ¹; Made up entirely on the spot. If you're thinking it's a reference to something you're wrong.
Chapter 5: Moving On With ThingsSo, just the day before, I killed a man, and I had brushed it off quickly. This bothered me, even more than the young adult who's body rested in the dirt, blood pouring out of his skull. It didn't matter I'd done it- it was self defense. It was more that I did it. I killed a guy, when I could have simply ran. I had no reason to turn back and knock him off his truck, and knock his brains out against the field. I'd also not cared enough to even acknowledge his importance, and completely ignored the fact I'd killed a human being. It wasn't my own conscious that reminded me that I couldn't do anything about it,and she was sounding far less than sincere in doing so. But, I knew that I was right. Who was- what? I shook it off, knowing it didn't matter. It was completely possible there wouldn't be anyone left alive on this planet, and I needed to help save it. But I don't want to kill anyone else. The fact that I was so insensitive to the guy who I'd killed was still permeating through my brain, and it could easily do so until the day I die. And I tried to avoid reminding myself that could be damn soon. I shuddered involuntarily. It shouldn't take long to get to Chicago from where I was, which was somewhere near Omaha. Then I realized a flaw in my oh-so perfect plan. Where in Chicago was I going to meet the other 'Bolts? It wasn't a small city, and I knew right of the top of my head that it had well over three million people. So, how the hell was I going to rendezvous with someone that I wasn't sure I knew- hell, I'm sure I don't know him, but hay I'm sure I do. Of course, I head to deal with that. The thing was, I was becoming less and less sure of who that was. If it was Spitfire or me. And it's only been a day and a half! What's it gonna be like in ten or fifty or a hundred! What about a whole year? Did I even know who I was? I reminded myself that yes, I did. I was still the unfortunate bastard who woke up at four in the morning on a Saturday that I'd rather have spent hanging with my one of my friends or playing video games. Damn it, did this body come with ADHD or something? I didn't really want an answer to that, but another thought hit me. I'd always let my mind wander in the past, but never this much. The fact was, I was clearly changing, and not like the changes an average Call of Duty player is going to have in six years. I mean, there's almost no possibility this could end and I'd still be me, kind of changes. But, I had no choice but to try to finish this and hope for the best. I still had a task, and even though it was tedious, I didn't know if letting my mind wander was such a good idea. Don't get me wrong- it felt amazing to fly under my own power- if not a bit tiring- but, overall, it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. But is it worth it? The question hit me like a high-powered rifle round. I knew what my subconscious was implying, and it was very plainly obvious why it threw me off- I didn't want to die. It was getting pretty dark by the time I got to Illinois, maybe ten or eleven that night. Rather than trek onward towards, Chicago, I decided I should try to get some rest on a cloud. So I found a cloud that suited my needs, and rested myself on it. Tired from my day of non-stop flying, I nodded off almost immediately after laying down. My dreams offered no refuge from the the weirdness that my life has become. So, there she, or I or whatever, was. In a endless white void that made no sense whatsoever. She gave me a look that made me feel like I'd missed something. I wasn't sure what- but I knew that's what it meant. "I guess this is how it's going to be then." I said to her, surprisingly lucidly. She nodded, little to my surprise. "I have to ask you this; what do you intend to do once we get to Chicago?" I barely noticed the we, but as loose as it was, I still caught it. I simply chose to ignore it, however. "I have no idea," I replied honestly, "Regroup, I guess?" She nodded, seemingly understanding. "And then what? Do you even have a plan?" I grinned a smug smile, "I never have a plan."
Chapter 8: Forgotten Plans"Do you know what that was?" I asked in an angry tone towards the pinkish mare. "A plane?" She asked confusedly. "Yes. A commercial plane. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, more precisely. But that's besides the point. You could have killed more than just yourself by being where you were." "It was heading towards me-" I facehooved. "That's besides the point. There are hundreds of innocent people on the plane. The plane was planned to be there for Celestia knows how long. The point it this- we were the ones who were in a place we shouldn't have been. Thus it is our responsibility to clear the way." "But how are we gonna avoid them?" "Fly low. Less than a thousand feet above the ground. No aircraft fly that low." She nodded. "Why does this bug you so much?" I rose an eyebrow. "Why do you seem to have lost your touch with humanity?" Soon, we were in the air again. I wasn't sure when or where I was, I realized with a start and a fact I hadn't realized mere seconds before was no irritating me to no end. But, as I knew it, was the existence of problems with people on this planet in a nutshell. And, as a wise man might have said once, 'If you don't know, ask someone else'. "Hey, Breeze," I nearly yelled to the pony about fifty feet to my right, "Do you know what today is?" The other pegasus shrugged. What the hell. Is it really that hard to figure out what day it is? I decided that I would stop and figure it out the next opportunity I got, which would hopefully be soon. That night, I still hadn't figured out what day it was, as my laptop's power had gone dead the day before. As I lay on my cloud, I began to wonder about the events that had lead to this. I still wasn't sure what was going on. How the hell did any of this happen? And why? This didn't make sense...I expected the end of the world to be a bit more epic. I didn't expect it to take time. I still maintain it could have been an awesome final battle in a generic large city. That was the way all the movies showed it. Hell, it didn't make sense the world would end with a bunch of people turning into copyrighted characters anyway. I decided that thinking about this were thoughts for another day, so I simply went to sleep. The next morning I woke up remembering something I didn't before. "I have a daughter." Author's Note Yup, another rushed chapter done by yours truly. I blame deadlines.
