Total Eclipse of the Sun

Chapters

1 : A birthday far, far away
2 : Talking to the the Moon
3 : Encounter of the moon kind
4 : Change of mind
5 : A supper between sisters(?)
6 : I dream of the Moon
7 : Long Live Pony
8 : Dissonance
9 : Acceptance
10 : Cake and headaches

1 : A birthday far, far away

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 1 : A birthday far, far away

April 30th
As my GPS spoke of the arrival at my destination, my feet exuberantly announced their happiness once I finally exited my gray Nissan Cube. I had left Montreal before the sun had begun to rise up and it had been set for several hours by the time I reached my destination. Muscatine wasn't exactly the closest place to my home, and probably not the most popular one for someone to spend his vacation, but I was there so I could spend some time with my friend, Michael Weston.

While Michael and I have been friends for a long time, the distance between our respective homes prevented us to truly see each other in person. We first met in a game of Starcraft 2 soon after its release. The map we used back then was a 3 players free-for-all. All I remember from that match is that the third player was constantly attacking me, leaving little time to expand and explore the map. After a rather big attack, the game informed me that 3rd player had left the game. The match ended quickly when I saw the large army belonging to a certain player that I hadn't seen so far. While watching the replay of the match, I noticed that the first player hadn't bothered with Michael, whom had used that stupidity to build his army unhindered while I struggled to defend myself. To be honest, I never did well with real time strategy games. I prefer the turn based variant because they give me enough time to actually plan my moves at all times.

After that frustrating match, I decided to leave the game to play a bit of Left 4 Dead. Killing a horde of infected had a strange calming effect when I was 15. At the very least, that was what I had planned to do at the time. Until a certain player using the same user name as the one which had just defeated me joined. Oh, I must not forget to mention that I was using the same user name too and that we were both using microphones, so naturally, Michael started to insult me. Normally I would just have muted him, but I had already reached my limits. So I did the only reasonable thing at the time; I insulted him back. After a while, and a few players leaving as soon as they joined, he suddenly started laugh rather loudly and I soon joined him. We had become friends in a rather messed up fashion.

We didn't actually meet in person until five years later, when he accidentally bumped into me at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. To say that I was surprised to hear his voice when he excused himself would be a major understatement. His parents have the odd habit of planning things without saying a word to their children. So while I knew that he was gone with his family, neither of us knew where they were going. I do remember that his face had been hilarious when I turned around to face him. He took that opportunity to properly introduce me to his family. Especially his two younger sisters, who knew me only as their big brother's WFF (Weird French Friend).

A year later, he received a small inheritance from an uncle which allowed him to buy a small house. While he wouldn't admit it to me, I knew that he chose to stay in the same city as his parents so that he could still see his younger siblings when he wanted.

Speaking of him, my black-haired friend was slowly approaching, his azure eyes giving an odd look at my choice of car; his face was truly worth it. I had taken this model to provoke reactions into others after all. Once he was near the car, he seemed unsure if he should say anything at all, still trying to cope with my decisions. You would have thought that, after having known each other for ten years, he would have been used to my antics by now.

Apparently he wasn't, and I couldn't resist the urge to use this opportunity.

“I'm sorry about the car, they were out of curves when I had to buy a new one so they went for a cube instead.” I told him very seriously. He shook his head at my absurd statement and muttered something about curves.

After a few seconds, Michael finally managed to snap out of it.

“So Alex, how was the trip? I hope there wasn't too much traffic.”

“The traffic actually wasn't all that bad, and the trip was much more enjoyable once I left the roads from the province of Quebec.” I frown toward the end. There is nothing to be proud of when you can easily know you left the province you were born in by a great reduction of bumps and potholes in the road.

”I'm tired from all this driving though. Let me gather up all my stuff and then we should probably call it a night.” I quickly added as I started to walk towards the trunk of my car.

Once I was in possession of my bags, Michael showed me the room I would be staying in for the next week. Once he had left the room, I changed myself into the pyjamas I brought with me and quickly fell asleep.

++C++

May 1st
The return to reality due to the alarm from my phone was as bad as usual. While I had no problem waking up early, you couldn't say that I was truly conscious until I drank my daily dose of coffee. Or have that weird dream I have once in a while.

The dream itself is about a tall white horse with the horn of a unicorn and the wings of a bird. Its multicolored flowing mane was matching its tail. There was also the tattoo of the Sun on its flank. It is fighting a beast from hell with the help of what I can only describe as a chimera on a great volcano. The fight in itself is great, though it would have been more epic if the image part of the dream didn't look like a cartoon. Later during the fight, the white horse is struck by beast, sent flying toward the edge of the mouth of the volcano. The chimera teleports itself next to the equine at the call of its ally. At first, the chimera looks like it is about to help its friend before it starts to laugh like a stereotypical evil character and simply kicks the horse into the lava.

As it is about to touch the lava, the dream's location change into a rather well decorated room with several symbols related to the sun. The chimera reappears in front the horse, who's traits clearly display anger towards the chimerical beast. Then, after a few words, there is a flash of white that ends the dream. The weirdest part about the end of the dream is one of the emotions that I can feel resonating from it; a great amount of guilt.

As the last remnants of sleep left me, my alarm was finally turned off. The only problem was that I was still lying on the bed. Turning my head, I noticed the rather angry face of my friend next to where I had left my phone yesterday...

“While I don't mind that you like to wake early, don't you think that you could LOWER the volume a little bit?” He then proceeded to look at the display of phone before adding, “6:32 in the morning! Don't you think that that's a little too early when you are on vacation?!”

“I'll turn down the volume... I'm sorry!”

I looked at him sheepishly. It might be better if I don't tell him that it normally takes me a good 5 minutes before I notice the sound of the alarm, even at full volume. On the other hand, he already knows that I am used to waking up early no matter what. I think that his irritation about the time has more to do with the fact that he had been woken up a little too early.

“I'll go make some coffee.” He answered flatly.

He left the room, closing the door behind him. At first I wondered why he had closed the door as I was following him, until I noticed that I was still wearing my pyjamas from last night. Okay, I might need a cup of coffee too after all...

++C++

Once I arrived in the kitchen, properly dressed, I noticed that Michael's mood had greatly improved since I last saw him in the guest bedroom. I also found a cup full of the magic brew that I needed waiting for me on table. Well, I think it was for me considering that my friend already had an empty one beside him on the same table.

Once all of the miracle liquid had been absorbed, a pleasurable flowed through my now awaken body. Once I reopened my eyes, I noticed that there was also a bowl containing O-shaped orange and green cereals. Hearing laughter emanate from within the room jerked me back to my senses; I had forgotten that my reaction to coffee normally amused others. Especially those who aren't used to seeing me in the morning. Ignoring my friend's reaction, I decided to simply sit at the table and start to eat the cereals that he served me. They had the taste of apple. And sugar of course.

Once Michael's laugh finally died out, I decided to strike up a conversation with him.

“Thank for the coffee by the way, I really needed it.”

“It was my pleasure, in more way then one.” He answered as his mouth turn into a grin. “I know you told me that you weren't all there when you wake up, but I never imagined it was that bad.”

I sighed and decided to change topic.

“So, any plans for today?”

“Well, I thought that you could decide, considering that it is your birthday today after all. Beside, you're here for over a week. We don't exactly have as many places worth visiting compared to Montreal anyway.”

Oh right, I had forgotten about my birthday. It's not that I don't like my birthday, but one more year don't change much once you reach the legal age of 18. While 25 is a nice number, it isn't as if it will bring any change to my life.

“Yours is in two days, right?” I asked him unsure as I remembered that I was only a few days older than him.

“Sunday, yes. Are you still sure you want to accompany me to the dinner? The pests will be there.”

Now it was my turn to laugh at his expense. While he did love his sisters, Fiona and Samantha hardly listened to him.

“You know that I like to see your IES (Insane English Sisters). Besides, it's their birthday too.”

“Right... So, is there anywhere you wanted to go?”

“I think you mentioned that you had a Gamestop? There's a game that came out this week and I didn't have the time to pick it up.”

It was one of the inconveniences of this early vacation. I had to make sure that the parts of the code I was working on were finished considering that it was critical for the next phase of the project. The code didn't cooperate until Wednesday, but I managed it in the end. I was thankful for this because it would probably have taken the duration of my vacation for another programmer to figure out my code. The bad part is that I'll need to work on the documentation once I'm back. Great, it is my favorite part...

“Yes, there is one not too far.”

“Also, I'd like to buy a few things from the supermarket. You need to try one of Quebec's delicacy. I can't believe that you still haven't tried poutine.” I replied, maybe a little too enthusiasm.

“I'm not sure I would call french fries with sauces and cheese a delicacy...” He replied half heartedly.

“Okay, I'll admit that it will not be as good as the real thing back home, but you have to try it. It is my birthday after all.”

“Fine, you win. But it can't be too healthy.”

“Like several American dishes...” I muttered to myself before pulling out my phone to look at the time. “I guess that 7 o'clock is a little too early to go out.”

“Definitely... Did you reduce the sound of that evil thing?”

“Eh, nope. I forgot about this... I think I'll just remove it.” I proceeded to make it so. “I guess it won't hurt me to wake up a little later. What do you think about starting a small game of Civilization to pass the time?”

“As long as the map isn't too big. It would be fun if we manage to complete this game before you need to go back home.”

We took care of the dishes before starting our match of Civilization 7. I was happy to have brought my gaming laptop because Michael was one of the few persons I knew that was still challenging to play against.

++C++

After a couple turns, we finally noticed that over 3 hours had already passed. Once we were certain that the game had been properly saved, we took Michael’s car to travel to our first stop : the local GameStop.

While looking through the newly released games on the Playstation 4, I first noticed that they finally released the third installment of Destiny. While I was interested into this game, I was in no hurry to buy it. I have always preferred to play first persons shooter games with friends. Considering that we only had one console available back at Michael's home, I preferred to wait to be back in Montreal to buy it. Beside, Michael have already bought it on its release.

On the other hand, I grabbed the other game on the self that caught my attention. It was a proper remake of Final Fantasy 6 for this generation. While the original game was released before my birth, a friend back home had me try it a few years ago on a fully functional Super Nintendo! I was entranced by the story, though I couldn't stop from feeling that certain parts of the story felt familiar somehow. It's weird though, didn't they make a remake of all the Final Fantasy except the seventh at this point?

Once the game was bought and the offer to protect it declined, we traveled to the nearby Walmart. It's probably not the best place to do groceries, but it will do for our needs. Actually, when I think about it, we could have skipped the GameStop and bought the game here. We first grabbed a bag of frozen fries. Then, after a few minutes of reflection, I decided to take a jar of Bolognese sauce. It had been a while since the last time I had eaten an Italian poutine.

Once we reached the dairy products, I let Michael take care of the cheese while I grabbed a few yogurts. My friend wasn't too happy when he saw me coming back with them. I might have overused that joke just a little too much. At the very least, those were coffee flavored yogurt.

Our final stop was a Quiznos at my insistence. While Michael had proposed several other choices, I preferred to stay with what was familiar to me. I ordered a Black Angus sub on Rosemary Parmesan bread while my fried preferred a Veggie Guacamole sub on wheat bread. Once we had our dinner, we were on our way back to Michael's house.

++C++

Once we reached Michael's home, it was four minutes past noon. We quickly placed the food we bought into the fridge. My friend had given the yogurts a dark look as we closed the fridge.

“You know, they won't hurt you.”

“It is not the yogurts that I don't trust, it's what you want to do with them.” I could easily feel his anger hanging on each word...

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean this far with that joke...” I decided to try to defuse the situation with a little joke. “Besides, it's coffee yogurt. You can never go wrong with coffee.”

The first traces of a smile appeared on his visage. I hoped that I didn't make him remember my moment of awfulness this morning though.

“I'll be fine. Just don't bring this up again. I didn't think that it was possible for a sane person to be angry at a yogurt.”

“Who said that the two of us were sane?” That comment was the coup de grâce to his bad mood that I had provoked. I continued, more seriously this time.“I promise that I won't bring up the yogurt again.”

It wasn't the first time that I had gone too far with one of my jokes and, unfortunately, Michael had been on the receiving end most of the time. The first time that it happened, he didn't speak to me before a week. It took some time to mend our relation, but it proved to be mutually beneficial in the end. Michael even based his first book on our relation.

“Speaking of food, shouldn't we eat our subs while they are still hot?” With the little yogurt accident, I had completely forgotten my empty stomach. A fact that it didn't waste time to remember me.“I'll take that as a yes.” Michael was definitely smiling now.

We each took our respective sub from the microwave, where my friend placed them to keep them hot, and sat across the table. As I was about to take my first bite, the world suddenly stopped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~fear~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“...sister is already gone...”
~ ~ ~ ~exploding anger~~
“...won't be able to protect...”
~ ~ ~ ~undying regrets~ ~ ~ ~
“For five score, divided by four...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Actually the world hadn't stopped, considering that a cylindrical object had replaced the food in my hand. An object that I quickly dropped as it was now my turn give my friend a dark look. The redness of my hand indicated that it had been in contact with the ice for a few minutes.

“I'm sorry, when I saw you freeze I couldn't stop myself,” Michael started while laughing. “but I thought that it would have snapped you out of it. It has to have been five minutes since you stopped moving. Are you fine?”

That was a stupid question! Why would I be fine?!

“Of course I'm fine! Everything normal! After all, it's normal to have a blackout!”

I noticed too late what I had just told him. Somehow, the blackout had flared me up considerably and now I felt guilty about unleashing my anger on him. If only I knew what provoked those emotions.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to ...” I started until Michael interrupted me.

“Don't worry about me.” His facial expression had greatly changed. It was now showing concern. “It's probably only the stress from the week that finally caught up with you. Just eat up and we'll find a way to make you relax afterward.”

I wish he was right, but I knew that last week hadn't been that bad. The best way that I could explain what happened was as if my emotional state had been replaced by the one of another situation. But this is a little too crazy to have truly happened.

Anyway, I had bigger problems; like my thighs itching seriously ever since the blackout.

++C++

Once I had finally devoured my dinner and calmed down slightly, Michael agreed to let me play my newly acquired Final Fantasy game. He was interested in seeing the game in any case, though I made him swear to keep his opinion to himself. He has always been overcritical about the stories from the different forms of media. I always have attributed this to the fact that he was an author.

Once his PlayStation started up, we were greeted by a stupid message telling us that we needed to update the console to be able to sign in. The good side of the situation was that it gave me the perfect opportunity to check my thigh. I had been scratching my legs ever since I started to eat, but it was still itching.

After telling my friend my intention of using his bathroom, I quickly traveled there. Once safely inside, I took off my pants only to notice an image that covered my thigh.

A tattoo of the sun.

On both sides.

Great, Michael apparently did more than play with some ice...

2 : Talking to the the Moon

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 2 : Talking to the the Moon

May 1st
“Are you sure you only had a little fun with the ice while I was out?”

Once I was done with my business in the bathroom, I wasted no time confronting Michael about my little discovery. To be honest, the itching was still as terrible as before.

“Yes. I was worried when you didn't react to the ice.” After a small silence, he continued a little more quietly, “I might have considered using whipped cream though...” He looked nervous after confessing his crime. It probably had nothing to do with my reaction earlier.

Wait! What did he say? Whipped cream? That wasn't the crime I was expecting. I may have facepalmed, my hand free of cream obviously.

“That is not what I meant,” I told him as my eyes fixed his. ”I was talking about the new tattoos of the sun on each of my thighs.”

The answer didn't make itself wait.

“It wasn't me!” He brought his hand to his chin. “I wish I would have thought of it. It would have been a good payback for this morning.”

I blinked a few times. That was strange. I know from experience that if Michael had been the culprit, he wouldn't have denied it. Especially considering how well that would have succeeded.

“If it wasn't you, then who could have done this. I am sure I was tattoo free this morning when I dressed up.”

My friend seemed unconvinced by my statement if his elevated brow is of any indication.

“What? Believe me, I couldn't have missed them.”

Still the same look... I don't think he'll put any credit in my pre-coffee observation skills. I know that I don't put much into them myself.

“Ok... But they weren't there when I went to sleep yesterday.”

A rather awkward silence proceeded to claim the room until Michael decided to say what we were both thinking.

“So, somehow, someone used a copy of my key to enter my house, went to the guests bedroom JUST to tattoo you with the big yellow star?”

If only he knew how right he was about the size of the tattoo. I had a suspect, but I arrived way past her bedtime.

“I wouldn't put it past Fiona. But I doubt that your parent would have let her leave their home at the time I arrived.”

“That makes two of us.”

Fiona wasn't much of a prankster, but I'm certain that she would have wanted to leave her mark on my visit. Though, the fact that she is only eight years old, soon to be nine, made it highly improbable that it was her handiwork.

“I guess that leaves the case of the solar tattoos open for the moment.” Michael was the only pony that I knew that would describe the situation that way. I just hoped he wouldn't use this in his next book.

“What do they look like?” That was a rather pertinent question considering that I wasn't going to drop my pants only to show him. I mean, who would be crazy enough to do this?

“They are kind of cute.” His earlier eyebrow came back. I don't see why women would be the only ones allowed to like cute things. Equity of sexes work both ways after all. “What? It is a very well done stylized sun.” I muttered the rest to myself. “I wish it didn't look like it come from a cartoon though...”

“See the bright side, it is only temporary.” Michael seemed to have caught the cartoon part. I wouldn't put it past him to have deliberately chosen his words as a reference to the sun.

“Yes... Temporary...”

Me, on the other hand, I wasn't as optimistic. A part of me was telling myself that there was more to those tattoos then a simple joke. Also, I couldn't I shake the feeling that I had already seen them somewhere.

++C++

The rest of the afternoon went quickly by as we finally decided to play a few games together. The itching had finally died out, but I couldn't remove this nagging feeling that there was more about those tattoos that met the eye. After our simple supper and the delicious black forest cake, I expressed my desire to spend the rest of the day alone. After today events, Michael understood that I needed to collect myself.

Taking an extra slice from the cake with me, I went back to the room where I was staying. At first, I thought about taking a nap. It seems that today had taken more out of me than usual. Still, the matter of the tattoos was still obsessing me and it would have prevented me from closing my eyes. That or I would probably have a dream filled with tattoos. I don't know which case would be worse.

I knew only one place that could probably help me solve this mystery, the mighty Google. Though, after a few minutes looking through the results of my search, I came to the conclusion that the situation could have been worse. The tattoo could have been of a smiling sun. Seriously, what was it with cartoon suns needing to smile?

I eventually found an image which was the exact representation of what laid on my thighs. Clicking on the image to trace back it to its source, I found myself on a wiki page about a certain Princess Celestia. I also found out that I shouldn't have tempted Murphy earlier. On the page, there was a picture of the horse from my dream. And it had the same image that I was looking for on her flank.

I quickly closed the tab as soon as I connected the two together. This was impossible! I never told a single soul about that dream, how would anyone know which image to use? Why are those elements of my dream on the web? And, more importantly, why does the name Celestia sound so familiar...

Most would probably only see the whole thing as a mere coincidence. But I am not one to believe in coincidences. I will stay away from the wiki page for now, for I have the feeling that I wouldn't like what it says.

This all started with the tattoos, so they are probably the key to this mystery. The only thing that I know is that it is highly unlikely that anyone I know would have done this. Even worse, the only persons who know where I am at the moment are my parents, Michael, and his family. So, the tattoos appeared on their own?

That sounds rather crazy, but weirder things have happened, right? That makes a good start point in any cases. I should probably take a small break first though. After all, I still haven't eaten that piece of cake I brought with me.

Once the cake was dealt with, I looked at the time. It was only a few minutes past seven. Well, back to business.

The first few results of my search were stories about something called My Little Pony. I didn't stay long on those pages. My Little Pony, that sounded like the name for a little girl's show. I don't think that I'll find anything of use there.

After a while, I finally found a message that seemed relevant :

To any whom it may concern,
So, have any of you who are reading this post have a cutie mark appear on the side of your legs recently? I could definitely use some as I appear to be turning into a pony. Any help is appreciated.
Sincerely Needing Help,
We are the Meta

Cutie mark? That sounded familiar, and like it's coming from a media for little girls. Okay, I might have been wrong about that part...

The message had been posted an hour ago and it had already received the usual internet junk answers. Other messages implied that the poster was a rabid fan gone too far. I was going to answer until I saw them. I had almost forgotten that a part of the web would love nothing more than ruining somepony's day.

At that moment, I decided to keep a low profile. It was impossible for a human to transform into a pony after all, right? As I was about to proceed with my search, a gravelly voice resonated through my mind, leaving a simple question, “Will you let your suspicions stop you from finding help?” It is weird how having your feelings exposed to you so simply can leave you undecided about what to do next.

After my black out during dinner and the discovery of the tattoos, I wasn't sure what to think anymore. If the next step was becoming ponies, then being in contact with someone else in same situation would probably be useful. Though, I failed to see how those marks appearing meant turning into ponies. Maybe something else happened. In the worst case, I am more than able to return the favor to the person.

Considering that author of the thread had decided to write his original in the format of a letter, I decided to copy him.

Dear We are the Meta,
I'll take a guess that a cutie mark is one of those strange tattoos that appeared by itself. If that is the case, I might be in the same case as you. However, changing into ponies just seems like a weird and rather farfetched conclusion just from the appearance of those marks, unless there is something weird that has happened to you so far.
Sincerely,
Sarikano

For a moment, I almost signed Princess Celestia. I was probably more tired than I thought if I had thought that using a name I discovered only a few minutes ago was a good thing. With the message sent, all that was left was to wait for an answer. Maybe I could play a little before going to bed.

Fate had other plans as I drifted into Morpheus' arms as my game was booting.

++C++

There was a celebration going on. The whole village had gathered. A whole village of polychromatic ponies.

On my right, there was a blue coated mare taller than the rest of the ponies. Her cutie mark was a black shroud with a white moon. She was wearing a black crown in her light blue mane and a regalia of the same color around her neck. The mare had both the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn like me. But, more importantly, I felt very happy to see her again.

At first, she seemed a little sad until both an orange and a pink pegasus filly gave her a welcome wreath. Oh, how had I missed that smile all those years.

And it was at this moment that a beep woke me up.

++C++

May 2nd
When I opened my eyes, I noticed was that my head was laying on my keyboard. Shifting my eyes to my laptop screen, I saw the newest Civilization game title screen. I was definitely much more tired than I thought. Personally I would sleep a little more, but my improvised pillow wasn't that comfortable. Besides, I could tell that it was the morning already.

So I decided that should go prepare some coffee, I should be the first person awake anyways. Or at least, that was what I thought until I checked the time on my phone. It was almost nine in the morning. Okay, that was way past being tired. Still, some coffee wouldn't hurt to properly wake up.

On my way to kitchen, Michael walked past me talking to the phone and giving me a weird look. But he seemed too busy with his call to make a comment. I'll look on the return trip to my room. I wouldn't notice the problem until my first cup of coffee anyway.

Once I reached the kitchen, I was greeted by the scent of fresh hot coffee. Thankfully, there wasn't anypony in room, that would had been a embarrassing. Wait, anypony? Since when did I start to ponify words? Not that it wouldn't make a funny pun to use, but I think that this situation is starting to get to me much more than I wished.

With the coffee flowing through me, it was time to take care of my bathroom business. Once done, I finally noticed what surprised my friend earlier. I had trimmed my hair before leaving for my vacation, but now my hairs looked like they did before the cut. Actually, didn't my chestnut hair seemed to be lighter than usual? The worse thing, however, was that my normally brown eyes had started to take a hint of... pink.

Whomever was responsible for those changes, I officially hate you.

I guess that made the idea of turning into ponies not so farfetched anymore. I wonder if We are the Meta has answered to my message. There is only one way to know.

Once I was back my computer and closed the game, I finally noticed what had woke me up. It was a chat invitation from Meta that was sent over ten minutes ago. Duh! I hope he didn't get too impatient, I don't normally make people wait for so long... Meta started the conversation quickly enough.

We are the Meta : Hello? You there?
Sarikano : Yes, I'm here.
We are the Meta: So I saw that you replied to my thread with the possibility of turning into a pony?

Well, he's rather direct. I did take a while to accept to start the chat. Maybe a little joke would help to lighten the atmosphere. So, pony... Lucky Luck could work. But Jolly Jumper would be too obvious. Oh! I know!

Sarikano : Only if the sudden hair growth I noticed this morning is part of the changes. But, it could be worse, I could be turning into Rantanplan.

There is a brief pause. He probably didn't understand the joke. I guess the dog dumber than his shadow isn't well known. Then again, maybe his name is different in English.

We are the Meta : What?
Sarikano : …
Sarikano : Nevermind.
We are the Meta : Lol ok. So anyways what's your name? My name's John Sappington.

Wait, we're already at the name giving phase? That was a little too quickly for my taste. I might as well proceed though, it isn't as if he'll be able use it to find me.

Sarikano : My name is Alex Mercier.
We are the Meta : O.O
We are the Meta : As in the Prototype guy?
Sarikano : No *facepalm*

Seriously, this joke is starting to be get to my nerves. I'm starting to understand how Michael felt yesterday...

We are the Meta : You have to admit though, it is kind of fitting; something supposedly bad happens to you, and now you want to figure out what happened.
Sarikano : I guess that comparison could work. I just hope I don't need to absorb people to learn more.
We are the Meta : So anyways, have you found who you might be turning into?
Sarikano: Yes... Apparently it is somepony named "Celestia".

Wait, did I ponify a word again? I hope he won't notice it.

After a minute without any answer, I started to think back on last night dream. It was different than usual. It was at a first person perspective rather than the usual third person view. Somehow, it also seemed a little more real. Although, the weirder part was that blue pony. I think that she was a pony, she was rather similar to the others. However, there was more about her. It was almost as if I knew her. This is crazy, I don't think I could forget a unique creature like her. The worst part was that I feel that I know her name. I think that it start with a L.

John decided to finally interrupt my thoughts at that time.

We are the Meta: ...
We are the Meta: You're being totally truthful with me, right?

Wait, I can't believe it! Why would I be lying about something like this. Besides, he is the one who asked for help first...

Sarikano: Maybe, or maybe not
Sarikano: Well, you mentioned being turned into a pony first in your post, I'll guess that you know more about what is going on than me.
We are the Meta: Well, on the contrary, I actually don't know much more than you do. Although I must ask this since it'll make this whole thing go a little more smoothly.
We are the Meta: Are you a brony?

Poor you, this isn't your day.

Sarikano: I'll just go ahead and guess that you aren't talking about the chocolate.
We are the Meta: That would be an affirmative.

Eh, what? I guess that's what I get for trying sarcasm on the web.

Sarikano: Eh, I meant that as a no.
We are the Meta: I know that! I was saying affirmative to your assumption!
Sarikano: Oh...
We are the Meta: Anyways, can you tell me where you are at the moment?
Sarikano: Wouldn't it be better if you tell me who you think you are turning into?
We are the Meta: Alright, straight down to business I see. I'm turning into Luna.
We are the Meta: You know, it's kind of odd that we found each other since Luna and Celestia are sisters in the show.

Ah, Luna! That was the name I was... looking... for...

The name invoked several powerful emotions at the same : happiness, sadness and even regrets. But, the most powerful at the moment was relief. It was almost like what had happened yesterday. Oh, and apparently I wrote an answer while I was overwhelmed by the emotions.

Sarikano: Lulu...
We are the Meta: Hey, I just met you
We are the Meta: And this is crazy
We are the Meta: But here's my number
We are the Meta: So don't ever call me a pet name again, or I will find you, and I will kill you.

Apparently I just walked through a mine field and managed to activate them all. Temper, temper mon capitaine.

Sarikano: Sorry, I didn't mean to write that.
We are the Meta: It's ok; I've been having the same things happen to me recently.
Sarikano: How often?

Really? If the change is also mental that could turn ugly for both of us. Also, didn't he mention something about his number?

Sarikano: Oh, and you still haven't given your number.
We are the Meta: XD I was joking about the number. Anyways, I only recently started thinking random thoughts.
Sarikano: How random are we talking?
We are the Meta: Like, looking at this cutie mark and thinking, "Maybe Twilight or somepony good in magic can help me."

Twilight? I hope he isn't talking about the movies. Wait! I do know somepony named Twilight something. But unlike earlier, I only felt a slight hint of pride toward that person. But the words "my faithful student" resonated through my mind, again and again.

Sarikano: Is Twilight some kind of student?
We are the Meta: Yes, actually, she is. How did you know?

Maybe the full name would provoke a bigger reaction. Then again, it might be better if I leave it there. Those reactions are rather powerful and most of all confusing. Where do all that those come from? I wish I could talk to John face to face, he might be able to help me understand those surges.

Sarikano: Arg, this becoming too confusing. I wish we could meet, it would be much simpler.
We are the Meta: Yes it would. Do you happen to live anywhere near Muscatine, Iowa?

Muscatine! Michael, you have no idea how much I'm happy to have met you at the moment.

Sarikano: I don't live there, but I'm currently visiting a friend who does.
We are the Meta: Really?!
We are the Meta: Okay, this can't be a coincidence.
Sarikano: Is there anywhere we can meet? Like a coffee shop or something?

It took a few moments before John finally gave an address. That took him a while, I have a few coffee shop addresses from Montreal memorized. Then again, I might not be considered normal when it comes to coffee. And cake.

We are the Meta: Okay, I have a place. Go to the Starbucks at 2400 2nd Avenue. I'll be inside at sometime around 4. You'll see me with the longish, light blue hair. Anything I should recognize you by?

Four o'clock? That's almost seven hours from now. I am not sure I want to wait that long... Besides, long blue hair? While it is fitting with the pony from my dream, I hope that it is just John that had a weird taste for his hairstyle. Otherwise, I think that the universe hates me a lot considering what I recall from Celestia's mane.

Sarikano: Wouldn't it be possible to meet earlier? About the appearance, I'll take a guess and suppose that your hair wasn't like that earlier. Unless you like anime a little too much...
We are the Meta: Hey! There's nothing wrong with anime! But yes, you are correct; my hair didn't used to be blue.

Yes universe, the hate is reciprocate.

Sarikano: I didn't say that there was anything wrong with anime, just that there are limits... If your hair changed, then I suppose a physical description won't be of any use.
Sarikano: Well, there is my car I suppose; I own a gray Nissan Cube.
We are the Meta: Well, that'll be easy to spot.
Sarikano: That's why I bought it *Wink*
We are the Meta: Well to answer your earlier question, I just woke up and need to play some games before we meet up.
Sarikano: Gaming...

I guess I could use some time to sort my thoughts. That burst of emotion at the mention of John's pony name didn't leave me the most stable.

Sarikano: I guess I can't really talk, seeing as how I've fallen asleep playing Civilization...
We are the Meta: Well color me surprised; you actually turned out to be a gamer.
We are the Meta: We can talk more at Starbucks later. Until then, my number is 1-563-555-3241. Yours?
Sarikano: I'm sorry; I forgot to mention that I was from Canada. My number is 1-514-555-5246.
We are the Meta: All right, see you at four.
Sarikano: See ya.

Well, that was interesting to say the least. I hope that John don't have a short fuse or that rendez-vous later might turn ugly for me...

3 : Encounter of the moon kind

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 3 : Encounter of the moon kind

May 2nd
With my rendezvous with John almost seven hours away, that left me with more than enough time to think. Oh, I should probably warn Michael about the changes too. I just wished that it would be easy to convince him... Considering my history, I wouldn't be surprised if he would think that it is only an elaborated prank. Hey, I am not sure I would believe it either if someone else would have told me they were turning into ponies. Well, at least I wouldn't have before the whole tattoos incident.

Then again, there is this pinkish color in my eyes and the sudden growth of my hair; that should be proof enough that something wrong is going on. That reminded me that I forgot to ask John how quickly his hair had changed. If it was quick, then it might become a little embarrassing to go out. Thankfully, my jacket has a hood that I'll be able to use should the need present itself.

The eyes on the other hand...

A knock on the open door broke my train of thought. Michael was standing in the door frame looking at me and he seemed tense. Suddenly it seemed like a very bad idea to try explain him my situation. What could have put him into that mood?

Thankfully, my friend answered that question quickly.

“Do you mind if the girls spend a few days here with us?” He asked uncertainly.

I wasn't expecting that question. If I'm truly turning into a pony, I would prefer to stay away from little girls, especially Fiona. On the other hand, why did he seems to be so bothered by the question? He did not know yet about what was happening to me. Unless...

“Why do I feel like you didn't have much of a choice in the matter?” The extreme irritation in my voice made it clear that I had a good idea of what was going on.

His grunt was the only answer that I needed. His parents dared to leave for one of their impromptu vacations the day before the birthday of all their children. I can't understand why they couldn't have the decency to wait a few more days. Personally, I think that they are exploiting Michael's unusual closeness with his younger sisters too much. They know that he would never refuse to spend time with them.

“Don't worry, I'll be more than happy to spend time with them. The more like fools we are, the more we laugh.” I tried to sound happy, but I had just lied to him. I had learned a long time ago that leaving a girl with a pony was a very bad idea. I'm not certain how much fun I would have in that situation.

Michael's facepalm was a rather unexpected reaction to my answer.

“I think what you wanted to say was, "The more the merrier."” He sounded a little exasperated by my error, but I simply shrugged. My conversations with him were the reason my English was as good as it was, but it was still far from being perfect. I had considered writing letters at first, but it seemed counterproductive with the internet. Emails, on the other hoof.

“I knew you would understand.” His answer resonated with his relief. My friend's stature became much more relaxed with this problem dealt with. His trust made me feel uneasy as I had finally settled on waiting until after I meet with the possible Luna before telling him of the ponification process.

His sudden question did not help with the guilt.

“By the way, what happened to your eyes? I thought you hated pink.”

He had to notice my eyes of course. While that color isn't known to be manly, I had a rather bad experience with it when I was younger. To be exact, it started on the day of Halloween while I was in first grade. Somehow, I had the brilliant idea to disguise myself as Princess Peach. After all, Halloween is the day where you can be whatever you want, right? My parents tried to make me change my crazy idea, but I was too stubborn at the time. Eventually, they yielded. Let just say that on that day, I found out that everyone else wasn't as open minded as I thought.

On the weeks that followed, the other children continued to make fun of me. At first, it was about the whole costume, but they quickly reduced it to the color pink. Eventually, I couldn't take it and I got in a fight with boy a year older than me. The poor boy had no chances. He had been overconfident and discovered that I was stronger than I looked and that I could handle his strikes easily.

Unfortunately, that fight solved nothing. The others students still continued to act the same despite what had happened. To be honest, I have no idea what would have happened if that weird gravelly voice hadn't spoken to me. It gave me advices that allowed me handle the whole situation a bit better. Eventually, most lost their interest about me and the color pink, but the wound never fully healed.

“This wasn't my idea... My eyes were like this when I woke up.” Some of my anxiety was visible through my voice. He probably attributed it to how I felt about the color.

I'm sorry Michael, I hope you'll understand why I didn't tell you everything now.

“You mean that someone came in again? This is getting ridiculous! I should probably change the locks.” He was irritated. I facepalmed mentally at my stupidity. I should have thought that he would probably continue on with his conclusion from yesterday.

“There is no need to do that.” I think I might have answered a little fast, considering that Michael was looking at me suspiciously. “There are other ways to catch the culprit.” I added a smirk for good measure.

“It's your body. Don't complain to me if you wake up with your hair dyed pink tomorrow.” He added a smirk of his own.

I had to facepalm yet again at that one. Please Michael, don't give any idea to whatever is responsible for the changes...

“Anyway, I need to go out to retrieve the two pests and their belongings. I should be back for supper. Will you be fine alone?” He seemed to be worried about me. Why would h-. Oh, right I did shout at him yesterday for no reason.

“Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.” He didn't seem to be convinced by my poor attempt to reassure him. I might as well tell him what I planned to do. “Actually, I learned that an old friend was living here this morning. We decided to meet each other at around four o'clock.”

Okay, I just met John, but old is a rather subjective term anyway.

“I see. Don't come back too late then.” He was giving me a knowing smile.

Wait, what! It isn't that kind of friend... A chuckle from my actual friend revealed he had his fun from my embarrassment. That was very mature Michael...

My friend was about to leave me, when he seemed to remember something he wanted to ask.

“You do remember where I keep my spare key for the house, right?”

“Yes, yes. Just go on.”

I wanted to be alone at the moment, as the embarrassment from before hadn't died yet...

++C++

The next few hours went by quickly.

I first checked my usual places on the net, but there was nothing worthwhile going on. Next, I decided to look for the local news. One article in particular caught my eye. Apparently, a girl that had been missing for a week had been found. The girl in question claimed it was a certain Princess Luna that helped her find the way back home. Apparently, she also sang very well.

Luna? The girl could have imagined the encounter, but it could also be John that helped her. I'll need to ask him when I see him. If it was truly his doing, then the man earned my respect. I wonder why he didn't make himself known though. Maybe he was too shy. Or, it could have been because of his blue hair. The most important question of all is : Does he truly sing well?

From what I could understand from our little chat, that guy seemed to be easily angered if you push the wrong button. He also have no problem with striking back with some wits of his own. He doesn't seem to restrain his attacks though... Why do I have the feeling that our encounter will test my patience?

There was nothing else interesting in the news, so I decided to pick up my laptop and travel to the living room to plug it into an HDMI port on the television. Looking at a nearby clock, I noticed that it was already noon. I should probably eat something to appease my tyrannical stomach. I also wanted to see if the changes had progressed since this morning.

I first stopped in the kitchen, my stomach's bestial growls had made it a priority. I had forgotten to eat breakfast with all that had happened this morning so I quickly looked through the fridge. Hmm, those apples look much more appealing than usual. In the end, I took both an apple and one of the coffee yogurt that I bought yesterday. It wasn't a proper meal, but I didn't care at the moment. Besides, there was a form of coffee included. I quickly devoured the apple, which seemed tastier than those back home, and the yogurt.

With my belly mostly full, I traveled to the bathroom. I started by looking in the mirror. To say that I didn't like what I saw would have been a major understatement. The pink in my eyes was now more prominent, leaving little brown visible. The change to my hair was even more radical.

Unfortunately, Michael had been right about it earlier. It was now undoubtedly a dark shade of pink. Even worse, my hair now went just past my shoulders and was at mid-level with my shoulder blades. I thought about cutting them it at first, but in the end, I decided not to waste my time until it had stopped to grow. Or, at the very least, until I prepare myself for my rendezvous at the Starbuck. After a full body check, I noticed nothing else worth mentioning. I was actually surprised that the cutie mark did not have any other change. I was expecting fur or at least something like that.

It was almost half past twelve when I reached the living room again. That left me with three hours to kill, so I decided to watch again the Star Trek: Voyager pilot. That seemed to be fitting considering my situation. After all, I was thrown away into the unknown with no certitude that I'll ever see my home again. Like the crew of the Voyager, I shall do everything I can to return to normality. But there is nothing preventing me from exploring the new capacities that I'll gain. “For science!” as a certain potato would say.

The pony I am turning into had both wings and a horn after all. Who hasn't dreamed of flying at least once in his life? The horn, well I think it was used for magic. In the worst case, I'm certain that it would make for a good improvised spear. Somehow, that should make up for the dreadful hair color. When I think about it, shouldn't my hair be more colored than just pink? I guess that make another question for later.

Now that I think about it, I have no idea what triggered the change in the first place. So far, I could only come with two ideas : DNA re-sequencing and magic.

It would be weird if it would actually be DNA re-sequencing. That would raise a question; Why ponies? I mean, if the technology had been developed, I could see it being used to create super soldiers. Unless it was meant as weapon from another country. Then, why did they bother with the cutie mark? The last option I could think of was a mad scientist but I would prefer to ignore that option for now.

Magic, on the other hoof, could explain everything. If it would exist that is. But at this point, I think that impossibility kind of lost its meaning for me. Now that I think about it, that could explain the kind of mental changes I noticed far better than my other idea. But, if magic truly does exist, does that mean we have a particular blond cheerleader to thank for preventing the apocalypse several times?

Okay, I should probably stop my reflections there... It is never a good sign when you start to think that a television might actually be true. Besides, the current episode just ended. Actually, wasn't it the episode with the midget Doctor? Two hours had already flown by... Oh well, let's watch the next one, then I'll be going.

At the end of the episode, I noticed that I had unconsciously played with my hair during the whole time I was in the living room. That had an odd calming effect on me. Considering the stress that the upcoming events will certainly bring, I should probably keep them as they are. Enough thinking about my hair, I should do a final inspection before I leave for the coffee shop.

Back in my new favorite room of the house, I looked at the undesired reflective surface. My eyes were now fully turned into this evil color. To be honest, the color was actually a mix of pink and purple. My hair on the other hand... it was now of a light pink shade. I couldn't resist the urge to wave at the mirror. Hello, Momo! Those mystic powers did bring a miracle...

Otherwise, it had grown again; it now reached the middle of my back. If anyone would see me from behind, they would probably wrongly guess that I'm a woman. The worst part was that my hair was a mess at the moment. I must have entangled them while watching the episodes. I didn't have the time to try to rectify the situation. To be honest, I don't think that Michael even has a brush that I could borrow.

The rest of the inspection went like last one. With that done, I went back to my room to collect my jacket and the bag for my laptop. I might as well bring it with me, since you never know when it could be useful.

With my laptop secured and my hair hidden with the hood of my jacket, I picked the spare key to Michael's house and left for the Starbucks. It was half past three. I have more than enough time to reach the place.

++C++

Buck the god of traffic lights! I got all the bucking red light on the way to the Starbucks.

After a few lights, I had accidentally ponified one of my curses. That had been a little weird considering that I was swearing in french at the moment. Apparently, the ponification of words ignored the language barrier... After a few slips, I decided to adopt the new swear.

It was exactly four o'clock when I finally arrived at the Starbucks. Once out of my car, I looked around to see if I couldn't see someone with blue hair around. I had no such luck. Maybe he got lost on the way. That wouldn't be the first time that my rendezvous found itself at the wrong place. Oh well, I might as well buy something while I wait for him.

As I headed toward the door, I noticed that I caught the attention of a few persons. Great, just what I wanted... I sincerely hope that no one will notice the weird color of my eyes or hair. I have absolutely no reason to be nervous after all. To make the matters worse, my shins had started to really hurt ever since I took off from Michael's home.

Thankfully, there weren't many people inside the coffee shop. While reaching the waitress, I managed catch a few words of interest. Apparently there was someone with a hood that had dyed his hair light blue. Way to go John! You had to hide the only way you gave me to recognize you, didn't you?

I quickly gave my order of Earl Gray tea to the waitress. Coffee would have been a very bad idea considering the state I was in. Lucky me, I could tell that the waitress had noticed my weird colors by the face she made. At least, she had the decency not to say anything about it. Setting our meeting in a public place had been a bad idea after all. Why didn't I think more about that possibility before offering that stupid idea...

With my tea in my possession, I quickly moved toward the door as I did not see anyone with a hood inside. I hoped that the waitress wouldn't tell anyone about me. I really did not need the extra attention at the moment.

Once I was back outside, I quickly noticed a few blue hairs sticking out of a hood. Wait, wasn't that one of the persons that was looking at me since I got out of my car? Couldn't you have tried to call my name? This whole meeting is just getting better by the minute...

As I neared the table, I decided to call him out about his hair.

“You know, I may not have been able to find you if your blue hair wasn't down in your face.” I had managed to keep my frustration from earlier from seeping in my voice.

The possible John reaction wasn't exactly what I had in mind as he quickly shoved the blue sticking out hair back into his hood. Really? At worse, people might considered as an anime fan that went too far. Or a Final Fantasy cosplayer. I chuckled when I remembered that I had briefly thought wrongly that one of the character with blue hair in the thirteenth installment had been female.

“So, you must be Jo...na?”
Wait, what just happened? Did I just swap the name I wanted to say half-way through? I should probably expla-

“Then I take it you're Alexia.” His answer took me by surprise. John just made it clear that that he would leave no opportunity to use his wits go. Great, excluding the pony changes, could this day get any worse?

Beside did he have to feminize my name? I know that pink seemed to have invaded every part of me, but that was uncalled for. Can't she consider how I feel about the whole thing?

Wait, wasn't the pony I'm turning named Celestia? I vented my recent frustration. John had only answered back to my slip by merging my name with my pony's name too. I really need to calm down, it is unlike me to come to that kind conclusions so quickly.

The next idea that came to me made me smirk. That would surely put us on equal ground.

“I kind of wish that name wasn't going to become more fitting soon.” I was fairly certain that he would understand the hidden meaning of my message. I'm not the only one who is turning into a mare.

After a moment, a smirk appeared on my interlocutor face. Please, Luna don't say anything you'll regret. His next response showed that he had actually reconsidered.

“Look, as much as I would like to argue with thee, I don't believe it would be wise.” John's choice of words surprised me. Isn't thee a very old English word? I was wondering if it was intended until I noticed a reaction in him that I had a few time today. The ponification was already bad enough, but at least it was easy to understand the original meaning. Now, if our whole language goes back in time, we might need a translator...

So his proposition for a truce was sincere. As long as he respects it, I shall reciprocate. I should probably also apologize to him for earlier.

“I agree, I could easily do this all day if I wanted. However, I didn't mean to merge both names. It just kind of slipped out...”

That remind me, those slips seem to be increasing in frequency. The worst part is that I probably didn't notice a couple of them. I wonder if John had it as bad as me.

“Hey it's alright, I know the feeling. Anyways, how much do you know about the show?” His question made me remember what had happened yesterday. Unfortunately for her, that was a very sensitive topic for me. That dream had always bothered me and the fact that there was a possible link between it and the changes just made my blood boil.

“Actually, I didn't know it was a show. I found myself on a page from a wiki that told me much more then I wanted to at that time.” My answer was much colder than intended. At least, it should make it clear that I didn't want to talk about that subject any further.

“Hey, would you mind if we took this conversation back to my apartment? It'll be a little more easy to explain things to you there.” This is a good point that John just brought up. If we want to go into details about the changes, it might be better not to have too many ears nearby. I didn't need the additional attention. Looking around, I'm certain that I saw a few people looking at me before swiftly looking elsewhere when they noticed that I was looking in their direction. Great, it seems that I have already succeeded in grabbing the attention of other people. Returning my attention to the man in front of me, I finally replied.

“You might be right, but I worry about further transformations. My hair almost stopped me from going out. You know, pink isn't exactly the most popular color men.”

After a moment, I received a rather unpleasing answer. John burst out laughing and her next answer didn't make it any better.

“You have most certainly got that right!”

So this is how you truly want to play it? You propose a truce so you stab me in the back when it please you? Laugh now while you can Luna, I'll get you back later.

”Anyways, maybe you shouldn't worry about the transformations. I mean, as far as we know, there is no way to stop this, so you might as well just accept this instead of worrying over single little thing.”

How can he be so calm about this? It might another mental change or she might have wanted that change. I'm not sure which of the two is worst at the moment. I know that I am curious about the changes, but I plan to try to reverse this as soon as possible.

This is beside the point I wanted to make anyway.

“I was more thinking about needing to go in public. I'm not sure how easy it would be to conceal further changes, KOS-MOS.”

What was I thinking, this was actually a poor attempt of a joke. Or not, if I consider her confused look. Revenge is sweet and his indignation just make the whole thing better. I do need to remember not to go too far this time.

"So, what? Do you not expect me to have very much food? It would just so happen that a couple of days ago, on my birthday, I bought enough food to feed a small army."

That is a lot of food! John is much more farsighted then I gave him credit for so far.

“Sorry, it's just that I usually only buy enough food for me to last a week."

In my case, I should be able to convince Michael to shelter me once I reveal to him what is happening. His home is on the edge of the town and his backyard is hidden from the eyes of his neighbors thanks to the trees he planted. Hopefully, he won't be too angry by the fact that I didn't tell him earlier that I knew what was going on. Now that I think about it, I hope that what is causing those changes isn't contagious. We would have an epidemic on our hooves thank to me and John.

So food is good. What about accessories? I'll be fine with any touchscreen thanks to my special stylus I carry with me. However, I don't think that I'll be able to use the keyboard properly with hooves. Great...

"Do you think there could be any accessories that could be useful later on?"

"No, everything we have now is made specifically for humans, so it would be hard for us to even use them. I also don't think we'll need any equine medications, because just because we may be turning into horses, that doesn't mean our immune system changes. We'll probably still be resistant to most viruses." She shook her head to illustrate her point.

Well, they might not have been made for pony use, but I am sure that it is nothing that a few magnets can't solve. Otherwise, she had a good point about the medication. Considering that bacteria in general can only contaminate organisms having a certain DNA, you would think that a magic pony with a horn and wings would be sufficiently different to be protected. To be honest, it was probably only wishful thinking. I really didn't want to see the needles for those.

"Or our DNA could become too different for them to even affect us. Thanks, by the way, for this beautiful image of a syringe." The mention of the syringe seemed to amuse him.

"Well, it is what I am here for." And the teasing only confirmed it... Soon after, he left his chair and threw his cup away in the nearby trash can. "I'm thinking we should head back to my apartment; it'll be a bit more comfortable."

"It would also be less likely for someone to overhear something weird." I told him while nodding.

As soon as she placed back her chair, John noticed my own cup and decided to get rid of it.

I was more than happy to be able to finally leave this place. But, when I started to return to my car, John called out to me. "Hey, are you standing on your toes?" This stopped me in my tracks.

"What are you talking abou-" At first, I had looked at her to see if it was another one of her tricks. Considering the surprise on her face, I decided to look down at my feet. This is when I stopped to speak. "Ok, that's new." I was on my toes just like he mentioned.

I tried to drop my heels back on the floor, but the pain in my shins made it clear it was a bad idea. Just what I needed. Now I just need some tights and a tutu and I would probably look like a perfect ballerina. Fiona would have a dancing partner... I shouldn't give her that idea, as she would so do it even if I'm a pony. It was at this moment that I noticed that John was talking to me.

“As I said earlier, we should just accept this because there is nothing we can do to change it.” I had missed the rest, but I could guess what it was about.

Seriously, I don't think she can speak so far, seeing as I had the worst of the changes between the two of us.

"Says the guy who's hair isn't all that girly."

I quickly regretted saying this aloud. I looked around to be sure that no one had heard anything. I didn't notice anypony looking at me. That had been a close one. "We might want to wait until we're at your apartment to continue this conversation."

"Alright, hold on." For some unknown reason, John decided to go back inside the Starbucks. I decided to wait for her at my car. Thankfully, she quickly came back.

"Alright Alex, follow me in your car." John entered the green rover next to my car and pulled out of the parking lot.

I started to follow him through the roads of Muscatine. The worst part was behind us now.

Author's Note

First author notes I guess.

The part of the story at the Starbucks is meant is meant to keep Alex frustrated because of what is coming soon.

Actually, John shouldn't have managed to riled up Alex so easily. There is a subtle clue in that part to explain why ;).

4 : Change of mind

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 4 : Change of mind

May 2nd
The drive to John's apartment gave me the opportunity to think back about our meeting at the local Starbucks. To be honest, I'm still a little surprised with the ease that she accepted her changes. I only wished that she would stop trying to push me to do the same. My changes had reawaken some bad memories and I'll need time if I am to come to terms with my new colors.

It seemed that my mysterious voice decided to pick this time to add to my frustration. “Tell her the past.”

Sure, good advice. I should definitely tell a stranger about one of my worst moment. One that would find the whole thing hilarious. It took me three years before I felt comfortable enough to even tell Michael and he is my closest friend. There is no way in Tartarus that I'm going to tell John that story.

Anyways, I'm more than able to contain my anger until we finish our little meeting. This did bring another problem to deal with though. How does she manage to rile me up so easily? After my little incident, the school thought it would be a good idea to have me consult for my 'anger issues'. As much as I hate to admit it, it helped me greatly to remain calm most of the time. But this John somehow managed to bypass all of my defenses and hit a sore point every time.

I was roused from my thoughts when the green Rover finally pulled over in front of an apartment block. The ride had only taken about ten minutes. I was slightly surprised that nothing happened while on the road considering how badly the rest of the day went by. Maybe things were finally starting to look up for me.

Once my car was properly parked, I snatched my laptop bag front the back seat before leaving the cubemobile properly locked. John had met up with me and we “walked” toward the doors on the front side of the building.

Everything was going well until Ms Blue decided to remove her hood, revealing her long cascade of light blue hair to the world. Didn't she use a hood to hide them from the public in the first place? The logical decision would have been to wait until we reach her apartment before she remove her hood.

Her action also acted as a reminder that I was using a hood too to hide my own PINK hair. This uncomfortable reminder made me look around hoping to see no one nearby before addressing a question to John.

"Isn't it a little counterproductive to remove the hood now? We could encounter somepony along the way."

"Eh, people mostly stay in their rooms here, and even if they do come out into the halls, they'll be too high or drunk to notice."

Drunk and stoned people, this place sound so great... This was worthy of an eyes roll. At least, even if someone does notice something, nobody would believe them. Still, back in Montreal, a place like this would be dangerous to live in. I hope the same don't apply over here.

"Great place to live..." When I noticed that John was looking at me, I realized that I must have spoken my thought aloud. Really? This whole situation must have gotten to me more than I thought.

Soon after my blunder, John arrived at the elevator with me not far behind. When the doors opened, a man stumbled past my fellow mare-to-be, and almost crashed into me. He stank of the characteristic odor of alcohol. Out of reflex, I pulled my laptop closer. Gamers laptop aren't just given to them freely you know. I'm certain that he also saw my hair...

Apparently, John knew that man as she called his name. The only answer she received was a simple grunt as the drunkard left the building. Somehow, my sis- companion thought that this little accident proved her point.

"See? Nothing to worry about. There's only really one other person next to my apartment who isn't ever drunk or high, but she's incredibly nice." You obviously never encountered a violent drunkard. Not that I was worried about that possibility. I'm more than able to defend myself, but I prefer to avoid fighting if I can. Knifes hurt more then I like to remember...

The closing elevator doors startled me, bring me back from the depth of my thoughts. Somehow, I managed to do another blunder only a few minutes after the last one.

"That's encouraging-I wonder who would want to stay here though..."

Twice in less than ten minutes... This will end badly for one of us. Probably me...

Somehow, John sudden smile made feel uncomfortable. Why do I have the feeling that I just avoided a reprimand? Because, I had more then earned it... Shoo, Alex. Stop thinking thinking this way. It was not doing me any good considering how down I was.

"Well, the rent is pretty cheap, and if you ignore all of the neighbors except for Fiona, then it's an ok place to stay."

Michael's sister's name was not something I was expecting to hear at this point. John was obviously talking about another Fiona. Still, thinking about her managed to slightly improve my morale.

"I wouldn't say the same about the Fiona I know," I quickly added, smiling at the thought of the ballerina, "She is quite the excitable filly."

Why was John smiling like this? I didn't say an- You have to be kidding me!

"Did I just say filly?"

Expressions like somepony aren't too bad and somehow funny. But employing words that I didn't know the meaning before hand was a little scary. Let see the good side of this, now I had the image of Fiona as a cute little pink pony in my head. I need to remember to tell Michael once I have explained him the situation. I'm sure this will amuse him as well.

We soon reached a door that John unlocked while exclaiming, "Welcome, to my lair!"

Seriously, a generic evil mastermind quote?

Ouch. That facepalm hurt a lot. It has been long since the last time I actually hurt myself thank to the practice Michael give me. And why was the evil one smirking?

"So, where are the birds?"

In any case, I should probably remove my hood now that we are safe. Or at least, this was my plan if it wasn't already done. When did I lose it? Oh well, it was too late to change anything.

Wait a second, did she mention birds? What the hay was she talking about? "What birds?"

At first, my host was going to give an answer when she simply kept quiet. Wait, what was this all about? She must have meant to rile me up.

"Eh, forget about it." This just confirmed my suspicious...

Neither of us was doing anything for a while, until John decided to open a drawer full of games. Why was she looked through it? It wasn't the time to play, we had a lot to talk about. Ultimately, she grabbed a copy of Portal 2 to show to me before starting to talk to me. "You really probably should brush your hair."

After all that happened today, the mention of my hair from the woman who teased me about it all day long broke something in me. And I lost control of my temper.

++C++

The return to reality was brutal. My throat was burning, my face a little sore. Oh, let not forget that I was laying on an unknown floor. Next to a frying pan.

What happened to me?

Looking through my memories, the last that I could remember clearly was entering John's apartment then she made a comment about my hair that had been the last straw. Oh no! I hope I didn't do anything stupid.

I sat up and noticed my sister, her face was red. Wait, did I just consider John as my sister? Never mind, it isn't important at the moment. Why was her face so red? Looking back at the skillet, I noticed that it was slightly deformed. I felt a little guilty. I think that her face became acquainted with it with my help.

Continuing digging through my memories, the next thing I remembered was a poor attempt to calm me down. The effect was the opposite. I think I said something about pink hair. Somehow, I don't see anymore why it bothered me so much at the time. I think that my hate for the color might have diminished, probably thanks to the mental changes. I'm not sure if I should consider this a good or bad thing considering that I'll be stuck with them for a while.

I was walking toward the exit when a crushing noise snapped me out of my daze. I had stepped on a copy of Halo 2 that belonged to John. Her reaction when she noticed the state of the disc was heartbreaking. She had fallen on her knee and began to stroke the broken disc. She kind of reminded me of Gollum. I decided to put my hand on his shoulder as I felt bad about my wrong doing.

The next memories froze my blood.

John began to shake before releasing a bestial growl. I stepped back, initially surprised by the sound. When our eyes meet when she stood and I knew that I was in serious trouble. Whatever was in front of me was no longer human. It was a beast and it was clear from the way its looked at me that I was its prey.

For the first time in my life, I panicked.

There was the most terrifying roar I had ever heard. I tried to run away, but it threw me on the floor. Once I got back on my feet, I try to run away again, only to be thrown in the kitchen this time. What can I say, panic make ponies act stupidly.

I have to admit, John was much stronger than I had given her credit. Actually, I'm surprised that I managed to rise up from that one. I knew that I was resistant, but that greatly exceeded my normal threshold.

This time, I tried to defend myself, but it was like Garrus. It had the reach and it punched me in the face. The next thing I knew, it lifted me in the air and started to strangle me. It was hopeless, until I noticed a frying pan laying over the counter. It was my only hope. After a few tries, I managed grabbed it and hit the beast as hard as could. Once I was free, I wasted no time to get back up on my feet, only to notice that it was still conscious. I think it said something, but at that point there was only one thing that I wanted : To be safe. So I hit it again. As it finally felt on the ground, darkness came to claim me.

By the time I finished to review my memories, I was shaking. Suddenly, I only wanted to run away far from here. To go back home, or at very least to go back to Michael's house. I hadn't told her where I was staying, so I would be safe.

The level of fear I was experiencing was too high to be normal. Had the changes progressed far enough to override my instincts with those of a pony? I started to try to regulate my respiration, hoping that I would manage to calm down.

The fear eventually started to recede and another emotion made itself known. I was truly worried for Luna's mental health. Her outburst was anything but normal. There must be something that I can do for her. Following this new feeling seemed to be the right thing to do compared to just fleeing. Then, what should I do with John? Maybe I could tie her up on a chair so I could extract some answers on the subject later on. Oh, and it would be a sweet revenge at the same time.

We seemed to be in a kitchen, so a chair should be easy to find. I might as well place her on one right now. As I lifted her, I noticed that she was lighter than I would have thought. Those discrepancies in my physical abilities were starting to get weird. I wonder if it could have to do with the changes happening to us. In any cases, John was now placed properly. I only needed to find something to immobilize her.

As there was nothing I could use for that purpose in the kitchen, I decided to search the living room. My eyes settled quickly on an object that made me smile, a duct tape. You didn't know the power of the tape until you had seen a gift wrapped by my father. You can't unwrap them, you actually need a pair of scissor to cut it open. I quickly picked up the tape and returned to the kitchen to proceed with my evil plan. This should be a suitable vengeance for now.

Now that John was properly neutralized, I finally decided to look at time on my phone. Surprisingly, despite our rather one sided fight in the favor of John, my cell was still intact. It was now 7:07. It had been a good idea to tell Michael that I would be out as I had no idea how long I'll need to stay with John. Actually, it might be a better idea to stay for the night. I did hit her head rather hard, twice. She could have a concussion for all I know and I don't think that either of us would want to spend the night at the hospital considering our changes.

Well, I guess the only thing I could do now was to wait for John to wake up. Great... At least, I'm not the one who will be waking up with the headache of the century, tied down on a chair in my own kitchen. Actually, that sounded a little cliched when I think of it..

Speaking of headaches, I should think about my 'sibling' problem while I have no other distractions. Ever since I returned to consciousness from our fight, I have been thinking of John as my sister... It felt weird to be caring so much about her state considering how wary I was when we first arrived at the apartment. I felt responsible for her safety, and it wasn't because I used a fry pan of John dazing +3. I wouldn't be surprised if I would be tempted to question her if she had any coltfriend at this point. Or girlfriend, you never know which way she is bending. Somehow, I found those new feelings comforting even if I knew that that they were false. Deep down I always wanted to have a sibling even since the birth of Michael's younger sisters. Unfortunately, my parents thought that one child was more than enough trouble.

On the other hand, this new feeling could be a problem if John hadn't been affected by the same changes. If only I knew how she was feeling about me, especially considering my little tantrum from earlier... If I was the only one feeling this way about our possible sisterhood, the situation will become rather awkward between us and fast...

Eh... When did I start consider John to be female? Other than her long hair, there was nothing feminine about her! Scratching my head, I thought back on our encounter at the Starbucks. I considered her to be male at the beginning of our discussion. The same couldn't be said toward the end... This seemed to be much more than a simple mental change like the others we both suffered so far. It was almost like- You have to be kidding me! I could no longer distinguish John from Luna! Somehow the two identities had simply melded together in my brain... Well, strangely Luna's gender had taken precedence. It might be safer for me not to tell her that part. I wouldn't be surprised if it was also the reason why I felt so sisterly about John. Oh well, it wasn't like I could do anything about it at the moment. I just wished I wouldn't have been so distracted that I didn't notice such a major change before now.

It was now 7:11 and John was still unconscious. I might as well visit the bathroom. I did my business quickly and, once my hands were clean once more, I noticed the golden grail; a hair brush. I should be able to finally remove those tangles. It was sadly ironic that I was doing exactly what Luna suggested when I made the first move that started our little fight. You know what? Should was actually the key word... After a few minutes of brushing, I somehow managed to worsen the state of my hair. I should probably wait for the expert to wake up.

It was 7:22 and there was still no signs that John was going to wake soon. Did I hit her too hard?

Calm down Tia, there is no need to worry yet. You have been awake for less than half an hour and you weren't that hurt. The changes must be taking a lot of energy out of us. I'll wait until eight o'clock. If she still haven't waken up then I'll call Michael. I have no idea how the medical system works in the States...

In any case, maybe I should move her. The kitchen wasn't the most comfortable place in the apartment. Remembering that my laptop was still in the living room, I decided to move the future pony there so I could keep an eye on her from the couch.

With the move done, I thought that a little game of Solitaire could help me to wind down, so I recovered my computer from where I deposited it when we arrived in the apartment. I opened the bag and removed the content of the bag. I had brought my laptop, a headset, a mouse and a support for the mouse. I never liked to use the integrated mouse of portable computers. Just as I was about to boot my computer, I heard a noise from the kitchen that I decided to investigate it. I didn't need any other surprises today.

I quickly arrived in kitchen, but a thorough inspection revealed nothing of interest. Still, this room made me nervous. It probably had nothing to do with the fact I had almost been strangled there. On the return trip to the living room, I noticed movement from the chair where I left John. Thank his Noodlyness, she was finally awake. I leaned on the nearby door, planning my next course of action. I wasn't overjoyed with what I was going to do, but I needed some answers. As John head turned to face me, I decided start the show with the heavy guns.

"You know, the tantrum you had back there made the Hulk look like a spoiled brat."

"Alright, fine, I did deserve that insult, but could you let go now?" She sounded like she was in a hurry to change the subject. Unfortunately for my sister, I did not take lightly assassination attempts.

"Actually, I think you owe me an explanation, after all, you only tried to kill me."

"I know this'll sound crazy, but I think a much more, primal, version of me took over when you broke my Halo 2. That game has always been precious to me as it was the one that sucked me into the world of gaming."

I'll admit that it was a good reason to be furious at me. But the intensity of her anger had been disproportionate, like my 'accident' all those years ago...

"Is that it? That isn't a normal reaction really, for anyone," I lowered my voice before instinctively adding, “or anypony...” I could tell that she wanted to end this conversation now, but it is my role as her sister to watch over her. Did I just consider myself to be female too? I'll blame all the pink for that one. "Is this the first time this has happened to you?"

"Yes. I have come close to that point before, but I have always been able to stop myself before I got to that point."

It hurt me that she didn't trust me enough to talk about this. I mentally facepalmed briefly afterward. Luna had some good reasons not to trust me, I was mostly only a stranger to her. I sighed. I wouldn't be able to help her until I managed to either to gain her trust or that she suffered from the same mental changes as me. At least, it answered one of my questions...

Considering that I would get no further information from her at the moment, I might as well as free her.

"Fine, I'll let you go, but you'll have to help me with something first." I was hesitant toward the end. I wasn't sure how John would react when I'll ask her to help me with my hair. It does sound strangely girly...

I should probably make the first step in trying to mend our relationship and I knew how to proceed. It will also allow me to answer another of my questions at the same time. This made me smile, it was perfect! "Besides, I kind of have to trust you since you were able to lead that one little girl home."

"Hey, how do you know about that little girl? Wait, was it because of the News?"

"Yeah, it was in the News. I wasn't sure at first that it was true, but you just confirmed it. By the way, where do you keep your scissors?" The confirmation that John had saved the little girl filled me with pride. And those constants reflections about my almost sister were starting to be irritating... Did Michael constantly go through the same thing about Fiona and Sam? To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised it was the case...

"Well, that confirms my suspicions that that wasn't actually a dream. Oh, uuuum, they're in the third cupboard from the right in the kitchen."

The kitchen, just the place I wanted to go back to... I quickly moved out of the living room, there was no need for Luna to see that I was scared of that room. Once I finally returned to place of horror, the sight of the frying pan still laying on the floor reminded me of what occurred there. It also brought back unwanted memories from my past. Did the boy I fought see me in the same way that I did for John while my fury lasted? I had been lucky to have help when I needed it. Unless we manage to find a pony psychologist, I am the only one who will be able to help her...

Then I noticed that I had been standing thinking for a few minutes. Good going Alex, John was certainly starting to get impatient waiting for my return with the scissors. Thankfully, they were exactly where she mentioned. With the loot in my possession, I hurried back to the living room to finally free the blue haired woman. I tried to look apologetic for the time my little excursion took.

John wasted no time to stand and properly stretch when I cut through the tapes. She was immobilized for a while after all. Once done with her stretching, my almost sister turned to face me before thanking me. "Why thank you, kind sir."

It was strangely polite. I guess I should be grateful she hadn't called me madam. I know I would have in her place... Maybe I was more easily affected by the mental changes than Luna. If it is the case, I'm not looking forward to start acting like a princess... I certainly don't need a prince charming to protect myself.

John was about to go to his computer when he suddenly turned toward me. "Hey, what was it you needed help with earlier?" Oh, only a girly hairy problem. Nothing to be embarrassed about, after all my hair color is already girly enough.

"Eh, it's actually about my hair..."

"Ah ha! That's what's different about you! You tried to comb them out earlier! Is that the other reason you asked about the scissors?"

My answer was accompanied by frantic shaking of my head. "What? Oh, no no no. If I had wanted to cut them, I would have done it before leaving for our Starbucks meeting." My reaction might have been little excessive. My new hair had grown on me. Pun intended. Still, my earlier reaction made me feel uneasy so I decided to look at the floor. “If only a manual was included on how to take care of it.” Okay, I had to admit that my earlier failure was more humiliating that I wanted to make myself believe.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." I look back at John as she enter the bathroom I visited earlier. Well, she did drink a coffee before we felt unconscious.

Considering that I was alone for the moment, I decided to send a message reading “Need to talk to you. Be on Steam soon.” to Michael with my phone. While I would have prefer to tell him that I would probably be absent for his birthday face to face, it is for the best that I don't get out for the moment.

Before sitting on the couch, I grabbed my laptop and finally boot it up. As I sit, I feel a rather painful sting where my coccyx, commonly known as tailbone, is made me stand up. Great, sitting down will be literal a pain in the flank. Oh, let's not forget the shout I heard, "What the heck?!" as my ears swiveled towards the bathroom.

Wait! Since when does ears move?

I didn't need long to receive an answer as Luna bolted out of the bathroom. She had two cute pony ears covered with fur of a darker blue than her hair. Considering my luck so far with the fidelity of the pony I am turning into, the ears must be pink as well...

5 : A supper between sisters(?)

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 5 : A supper between sisters(?)

May 2nd
Pony ears? Except the possible color problem, those could be useful if you considered the swiveling feature. I'll bet they are fluffy too. I might actually miss them a little once we manage to reverse the changes. While I'd like to feel their fluffiness with my hand, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the cause of John's panic. It might be better if I waited until later, when I am alone, to check them in more detail.

Speaking of John, didn't she mention several times that I should be more accepting of the changes we are subjected to because there was nothing we could about it? Apparently, my blue haired companion wasn't as accepting as she tried to convince me of. How will she react when the bigger changes will happen? Especially when we will be properly marefied...

To be honest, this was an issue that I tried not to think about ever since I finally fully accepted the theory that we were changing into ponies. But the new girly color of my hair made it certain that I wouldn't be forgetting about that part anytime soon. Males don't make good princesses after all... While I am not enthusiast about this fact, being on the other side could be an interesting experience for later. Besides, I guess that a change of gender is a rather minor problem compared to the fact that we are turning into ponies. As long as we don't meet stallions later on...

The throbbing pain still coming from my coccyx returned me to more immediate and comforting concerns.

John finally decides to come out of the bathroom she was hiding in. "Remind me not to call you KOS-MOS again as a joke. I think you actually hurt my coccyx when you threw me against the wall earlier." John was amused by my comment. It was obvious that she wasn't the one suffering...

"So, just what is this coccyx?" John closed the distance that separate the two of us as she was speaking. I wasn't surprised that she ignored that it was the scientific name of the tailbone. I tend to remember random pieces of information I heard here and there.

The sudden closeness between us coupled with her earlier panic evoked the weird need to nuzzle her. This uncomfortable new need left no question about the progress of the mental changes. Beside, why nuzzle if you can simply hug? I still have my hands at the moment. Apparently Luna misunderstood the uneasiness that developed from this new thought as she backed away.

Once I managed to erase the new pony's urge from my mind, I finally answered her previous question, "It's the useless bone at the end of the spine, which is actually the remnant of a vestigial tail." It was ironic talking about a vestigial tail when we'll end up with one at some point. The unfortunate pain from my tailbone reminded me of another use of that bone. John's ears swiveled toward me as I muttered the following, "Useless except for causing pain whenever you sit down in a bad position." If the swiveling meant what I think, I'll need to be more careful with what I say.

"Oh, so that's what the scientific name for this is called." She reached back to probably feel the area I just talked about before pulling something rather unexpected, a long, light blue tail. I might have talked too fast about the lack of a tail. An awkward silence followed as neither of us knew what to do at the moment.

My false sister was the one to finally break the silence, "Okay, I got used to the ears kind of quickly, but what is this?!"

At this point, the surprise from John's tail had faded. Besides, I was much more interested in having a look at mine considering it was probably the source of my pain. Still, I couldn't waste the perfect opportunity for a little fun. "I would guess that that's the not-so vestigial tail."

My azure companion wasn't impressed by my humor and decided to make an attempt of her own, "No, I thought it was a gummy worm."

Gummy worm, seriously? I'm not sure I can compete at this level of ridiculousness. "Right... Just try not to eat it."

At this point, my curiosity got the best of me. I unbuttoned my cargo pants and lowered the back so I could let out my new found tail. Cutting a hole in my pants was out of the question as I didn't bring any spare clothes with me when I took off for the Starbucks. It didn't surprise me when I noticed the pinkness of my new addition. Well, at least it matched my hair... Also, it was surprisingly soft to the touch. I'm starting to understand why girls like ponies so much.

On the other hand, I think I am starting to see things. I swear I saw a few hairs of my tail slightly moving by themselves despite the lack of movement or wind. Thankfully, Luna managed to break me out of my delusions, "Uh, I think your hair needs to be called a mane now."

I was more than happy to look away from my tail for now so I looked at her planning my retort. While I did not mind the changes in the words that applied to me, I had no clue what a mane was... I'll need to search for more information about ponies anatomies while I still can easily do so. Still, the talk about my hair reminded me the poor state I left it... "Personally, I'd prefer to just call it a mess at the moment."

John took her time to look at her own mane-thingy, probably to compare it to the disaster of mine. I'll probably need to learn how to properly use a brush before long. After a moment, my host finally spoke up again, "Hey Alex, I'll help you with your hair, but first, We have something that We need to do."

As far as I was concerned, I had no idea what she wanted us to do. It was weird that she didn't tell me what she wanted to do. I proceeded cautiously to question her on the matter, "We do?"

John rose an hands to emphasize her answer, "I'm sorry, I meant to say I have something to do." Why didn't she just say so in the first place? This was weird, though it was probably nothing. It wouldn't be the first time I misunderstood what she wanted to say.

In any case, I did have something to do myself. I wouldn't be surprised if Michael was a little tired of waiting after me. Pointing at my laptop still on the couch, I decided to ask the local master of the web how to access the mighty Internet, "I see. Is there any internet access point I could use?"

"Alex, my friend, any place in this apartment has access to the internet." Seriously? Who did she take me for? The laptop wasn't just for fun! Mostly. I needed more than to know that if I wanted to be able to connect to the router.

"Yes, I noticed that there was a wireless access point. But I need the password if I want to use it..." I'll be honest, I had no idea if there was truly a wireless router for the apartment. I had taken a guess considering the number of devices which would benefit from an access to Internet. The room would be a mess if Luna used cables for that task.

John seemed frustrated at her previous mistake, but I didn't expect her answer when it finally came, "Well, the password is, Password." I can't believe she used that as a password! I quickly typed what was probably the most used password of all time. "Very secure..." I quickly glanced at John before finally tell Steam to go online. She was lucky that she wasn't truly my sister or she would have received a lesson on computer security. A long one.

As soon as I was connected, I received a message from none other than Michael.

PeachWriter : It took you long enough.

For some reason I ignore, my friend always had an obsession for peach and he had decided to use the fruit in his usernames. It could be worst, it could be about cupcakes.

In any case, I knew why he was impatient. It was only a few minutes past eight, which meant that his sisters were still up and running. Literally.

Sarikano : Sorry, I got distracted by something. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'll be sleeping at my other friend home tonight. She got in a fight and received a hit to the head, so I'll keep an eye on her to be sure that she is fine.

PeachWriter : Oh? You are such a gentleman now, aren't you? Knowing you, I'm sure that the person who hit the lady must be regretting it now.

It was a good thing that he didn't need to know that I was the one who hit Luna on the head.

Also, at this time, my ears took interest in what John was saying across the room, but I decided to ignore her when I noticed that she was probably talking to herself. Still, the fact that my ears possessed a will of their own was a strange feeling.

Sarikano : Actually, my friend managed to protect herself well enough without my help. She also has quite the temper.

PeachWriter : I see. Actually, how are your eyes? Did your iris return to normal?

Oh right... He had noticed the start of the change of color of my eyes this morning. I wasn't yet ready to tell him about the whole changes, but I wasn't going to start to try to mislead him on things he already knew. It would only bite me back later when I'll actually ask for his help.

Sarikano : No... They now look like a mix of pink and purple... Thankfully, it is probably only a new kind of dye for the eyes.

PeachWriter : Oh, magenta you mean? I can't wait to see this tomorrow ;)

With the ears and a variety of unknown changes on its way, I didn't think I would be able to go in public tomorrow and I did not want to cause more troubles than necessaries for the twins.

Sarikano : About this, I won't be able to accompany the three of you tomorrow. There is something that came up. I'm sorry, but I can't talk to you about this at the moment.

PeachWriter : I see

While his answer seemed simple enough, I knew that he wasn't too happy about being kept in the dark, but I wasn't yet ready to talk to him about the ponification.

Sarikano : So... Could you tell the girls that I wish them an Happy Birthday tomorrow?

PeachWriter : I'll pass the message.

Yep, definitely angry.

Sarikano : Good night, I promise to tell you the reason I can't be there tomorrow as soon as I can.

PeachWriter : Good night.

I could tell from the shortness of his answers that I had properly offended him this time. Not that I had expected a different reaction considering that I had just told him I wouldn't be there for his own birthday without giving him any reasons. Not only it was highly unusual for me to withhold any information that directly concerned him, but I was supposed to be in this town for his birthday!

This whole turning into pony was frustrating! The main problem rested in the fact that I was keeping my best friend in the dark only because I wanted to have the opinion of a stranger first... What in my- God's name is wrong with me!

Oh, come on! Now I'm going to use my name as if I was some kind of god? What next? Thinking I can move the sun around?

"What's wrong?" Apparently, I must have voiced my frustration loud enough to attract Luna's attention. I wasn't in the right mood to explain her my current dilemma concerning my friend. Besides, I don't think that either of us was ready to have that talk today. At the moment, I only wished that day would end soon.

"Something I can't do anything at all to fix."

I had to admit that it was an answer that was rather vague, but I was surprised when John didn't question me further. The silence made me concentrate on the her face, only to catch a brief hint of sadness in her eyes before she decided to try to cheer me up, "Hey, I know things are kind of rough right now, but the best way to distract oneself from something like this, is first with a good supper, and then video games!"

At the mention of food, my stomach betrayed me and growled at the lack of substances ingested in the last hours, "I guess my apple and yogurt from earlier are long gone by now."

John quickly became serious as she asked me, "What type of foods do you like?" Her sudden change of mood startled me. Now that I think about it, it wasn't the first time since we met that she had such a change of behavior, one in particular that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

"I would eat just about anything right now." I did not want to impose anything to my host. I had to admit that meat sounded less appetizing than usual, but my stomach only cared that it was digestible at the moment.

"Alright Alex, just wait here for a few minutes and I'll have something ready." I nodded before John left for the kitchen and gave a quick glance at my friends list. Michael was offline.

Hopefully, I'll be able to solve this problem soon enough...

++C++

After a while, I finally decided to take a closer look at my ears in the bathroom. The mirror showed me a miracle, the fur covering my new set of ears was a beautiful shade of white! Wait, wouldn't white be hard to keep clean? Oh well, I can't be picky. They weren't pink at the very least.

I spent some time looking at my reflection in the mirror as I experimented with moving both my ears and new tail. It was a strange to move muscles I didn't even have an hour ago. Yet, it was also as if it was a natural thing for me to do. Right, as if the changes weren't weird enough already.

I finally decided to return to the living room to spend some time on my computer. Of course, I had to sit directly on my tail. The sudden surge of pain made me jump off the couch. I now truly sympathized with all the cats whom had the same happen to them. I finally tried to sit again, being careful to keep the sore appendage away this time.

Properly sat on the couch, I decided to search for information about ponies anatomy. I grinned when I noticed some pictures of what must be pegasus and unicorn from the show John mentioned earlier. There was no way to know how precise those were, but I'm sure a real pony wouldn't have a description of their wings.

It was half past eight when I finally heard a call coming from the kitchen, "Alright Alex! Supper is ready!" I wasted no time to set down my laptop on the couch and decided to send a confirmation that I heard the message, "Okay, I'm coming!"

As I tried to stand up, I almost tripped in the hairs from my tail. Unlike cats, the tail was rather short and covered by rather long strands of hairs. Even longer in the case of the pony I'm becoming.

As I entered the kitchen, I was surprised that John had taken his time to cook an elaborated meal considering the time it was. There was some pasta graciously covered by cheese, a few bread slices properly seasoned and some steamed broccoli.

"I hope that you like this Alex, or else We may need to force thee to eat it." I could tell from my sister's tone that she intended to sound threatening, but the slip of 'thee' made it rather funny.

I couldn't stop myself from winking after replying, "Thee have nothing to worry about." I'd admit that I felt a little bad for teasing her about something she had no control over, much like my sistering of her. Just a little bit bad. "Actually, it's a bit different than what I ate yesterday for supper."

"Well, don't let me keep you, dig in! In fact..." Wait, why is she- , "WE ORDER THEE TO TASTE THIS SCRUMPTIOUS MEAL!"

The main problem with our new ears was that they focus toward the source the speaker of our dialogue. The side effect of this was that if somepony suddenly decided to shout loudly, it was horribly painful. Thankfully, my ears instinctively laid down to reduce the damage. John's tail twitched soon afterward, but the meaning of this act was lost on me at the moment.

“Ouch! Luna, lower the volume! These ears are a bit more sensitive..." The pain I felt at the time prevented me from suppressing the slip of name as it occurred. Considering John reaction to being called by her pony name so far, I hoped that she wouldn't react too badly this time.

"Hey, don't call me Luna quite yet; it just doesn't feel right. Anyways, let's eat!" While I was happy that she let my error pass by so easily, the meaning of her message wasn't lost. If she was so uneasy about accepting the name of the pony she was becoming, there is no way to know how she will react when she learn about my new found feelings. This was going to be so fun...

Still, I wanted to tell her that I didn't mean to use the wrong name, "Oh, sorry."

John simply shrugged and motioned me to a nearby chair at the table. As I sat down, she prepared a plate with the meals on the table and eventually placed it in front of me before preparing her own. I had to admit, if you forgot her attempt on my life, my azure haired companion had been a great host.

++C++

The dinner itself was rather awkward for me for I had largely underestimated how badly my perception of John had been affected by the mental changes. Thanks to my good host preferences to concentrate on eating, it allowed me to bury myself in rather uncomfortable thoughts.

While the whole slew of questions that bombarded my mind weren't anything new I couldn't suppress at the moment, I felt that they originated from a foreign thought pattern. It was probably only my imagination, but my mind was clearly affected at a subconscious level and it almost scared me to know there was nothing I could do about it.

I was so deep in thought that I almost did not hear John speak, "So, how was it?" Looking back at my plate, I found it empty.

Great, I ate without noticing it. I answered her question before returning to my thoughts, "It was good."

I was left with a problem if I was to spend any extensive time with the future copy of Luna; I didn't know how long I would be able to pretend that nothing was wrong with me. I should probably tell her as soon as possible. She wasn't going to like that news, I could already tell.

Finally breaking out of my thoughts for good, I noticed that the table was now empty. My host had taken care of the dishes and leftovers while I was in the zone. Well, at least this was something normal happening to me for a change. My return to reality was timed perfectly since my ears perked at John voice, "So, for our video game, do you have any preferences on console, which game, anything? Wait, did you even bring games?"

While getting our current problems out of our minds was tempting, a quick look at my pink... mane gave me an idea to reveal my small problem to my host. Hopefully I won't regret this. With my new plan in mind, I pointed to my h- mane with a finger to put emphasis to my words, "Eh, maybe we could deal with this first?" I suppose it will take time before I get used to employ this new word for my hair.

John winced when she took a closer look at my mane. It might be in a worse state than I thought. Remembering that I hadn't answered her original question, I quickly corrected that mistake, "As for games, I guess something cooperative for a change?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good genre of game to play right now. I have a few for the PC that'll work. I'll just try to think of one while I attempt to untangle your hair." Luna left me alone in the living room, probably going in the bathroom to collect the hairbrush I tried to use earlier. I was happy that she agreed on my choice of game, I had enough competition for the rest of the day.

I decided to sit back on my favorite couch, careful with my tail, while waiting for the return of the hair brush bearer. I also decided to lay down the tangled thing on my head so that my little sister could easily do her magic.

Eh, little? Whomever was responsible for those changes either had a weird sense of humor or paid no attention to details. John was a great deal taller than me and she seemed to be near my age if I had to guess. On the other hoof, the Luna pony from my dream was smaller than me. Actually, all the ponies were smaller now that I think of it. Well, not that I expected a dream to be accurate.

Once my own Luna came back, she began the process of untangling my mane. The sudden urge to nuzzle returned. The situation wasn't awkward enough apparently...

Well, time to make things even more awkward, "L-John, there are a few things I need to talk about."
The name slips were starting to get enervating. Was I going to call every John I meet Luna from now on? I hoped that it wasn't the case.

My host cheerfully responded, "Alright then? What did you need?"

She seemed to be in a good mood, so I should see what she thinks about me staying for the night, "I hope you don't mind, I kind of invited myself for the night."

"Oh, don't be stupid. I invited you to my house, so don't ever think that this was wrong." Well, that went more smoothly than I thought. It would have been problematic if I had to face Michael again today...

"What else did you need to talk about?" Oh, right. That problem...

How should I bring such a delicate subject up? I can't simply tell her as if it was the most normal thing in world happening... An indirect approach then, "Do you remember when I asked about possible mental changes?"

"Yes, why?"

Oh, why did it have to be me... I should just say it and be done with it, "And the ponies we are becoming are well, *cough*sisters*cough*."

The silence that followed my statement was heavy. I think I just broke her. I muttered my thought on the current situation, "Yes, awkward..."

Well, at least the cat was out now. Actually, I felt much better. The need to nuzzle John was still present, but that one will stay repressed at least until I actually had a muzzle. Or forever, I think I preferred that one.

A teasing voice revealed to me that my fellow ponyfolk was functioning again, "Well Sis, your mane's done." I was happy that the mess I previously made was finally undone. It was probably a good idea not to use my mane again as a stress reliever again; I don't think Luna would be happy having to brush it again so soon...

On the hand, it irritated me that she dared to make fun of my situation. Didn't she understand how serious that kind of change is? "Don't laugh about this, you'll probably literally mean it before you know it."

"Hey, you don't have to go and bite my head off about it. Anyways, I've decided on a game; we are playing a match in Homeworld 2!"

I sighed at John's answer; I was too tired to argue with her at the moment. The game she chose could be interesting considering I heard several good comments about it. "I've never played Homeworld, but I guess I could give it a try."

She decided to pat me on the back while giving me the disc that she just retrieved. "Don't worry, we'll be on the same team, so there's a sixty percent chance that you won't die." Apparently teasing was the best that I'd get from her for the moment. Well, I preferred that over her foul mood anytime.

With the disc in hand, I placed it DVD player in my laptop next to me. As the installation progressed, I gave a sad look at the headphone I brought with me. Thank to my ears new found flexibility, I wouldn't be able to properly use them so I decided to store them back in my bag.

Once the install was done, John finally decided to sit down at her computer and started to reach for her own headset before coming to the same conclusion I previously did.

Once the game was set, John declared the beginning of the festivities, "Alright, let's do this."

++C++

I had to admit that I had much more fun than I originally expected. The most interesting part of the match was when the expert of our group decided to warp a fleet of nineteen battlecruisers right behind the enemy line, quickly ending the game. At that moment, I was very happy that I wasn't playing against John.

With the match over, I closed the game and looked at the time; It was almost midnight. It was no small wonder I was so tired; it was way past my normal sleep time. As if to confirm my exhaustion, I let out a rather loud yawn. It obviously attracted John's attention as she decided to wave her hand at me. She was about to speak, but she needed to stifle a yawn first. Those are contagious after all. "Well Alex, I think it's time for us to go to bed. You can have my room and I'll take the couch."

I tried to talk, but I was interrupted by several yawns before I managed to let the words out, "Actually, it would be better if I took the couch; I tend to wake up pretty early." To be completely honest, the real reason I wanted to sleep on the couch was because I was too lazy to stand at the moment. Another yawn managed to infiltrate itself before I could ask a question of the highest caliber, "You do have coffee, right?"

A simple nod quickly calmed my fear of having to try to wake up without my favorite brew. It was then that John collapsed on the floor, without any warning, and start screaming. This made me panic and stand up to assess her situation. At least, that was the plan until I was trounced by a pain far worse than my earlier one from my tail. It was almost as if a nail decided to pierce my forehead, from the inside.

The pain eventually faded. Luna mumbled something, but I didn't hear it as I was trying to stand up.
"Ça fait mal en Tabarnak." The pain had been enough to make me forget that wasn't home. Once I was sufficiently stable considered both the pain and my sleepiness, I looked back at the other victim just in time to see her bring her hand to her... horn? Right, how could I forget those...

Once she finally noticed her new little addition, she turned to me looking very surprised, "Um Alex, not to freak thee out or anything, but thee have the beginning of a horn."

Really? I think that it is a little too late to warn me! "No really? I thought I was being sent to Klingon." Okay, that was uncalled for from my part. But I was really too tired right now to think properly...

I think that John tried to tell me something else, but I just literally fell asleep on the spot, probably falling down on the ground. Well, it was an improvement over a keyboard.

Author's Note

I'm sorry for having taken so much time to post a new chapter. But, as you can see in the latest chapter from Lunar Phases, I'm still working on the story. So, next chapter will cover the dream and the morning.

6 : I dream of the Moon

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 6 : I dream of the moon

May 3rd
The sun was shining, heating the sand I was using to work on my masterpiece, a castle on the top of a mountain. I'm happy that mommy agreed to let me go to the beach today, but it was unfortunate that Lulu couldn't come with me; it wasn't the same without my little sister...

Once it is completed, I'll name my fortress Camelot and I shall be its prince. Let be honest, kings are overrated. They have to do diplomacy with other kingdoms, be sure that the budgets are corrects and be nice to the snobby nobles. You have much more freedom as a prince. Besides, it would have been awkward if Luna finally decided to join me. She'd want to be my equal and I'm not sure I'd like the meaning of her being my queen.

Suddenly, I noticed a girl near me with a shovel and a bucket. She was wearing a blue knee short dress and shared the same mane and eye color as my favorite sister. While I didn't mind some help with my castle, I was wondering who just surprised me. "Who are you?"

"Well, Alex, I could be many things, but right now it would appear that I am a human version of young Luna." It was Luna? She must have practiced some transmutation magic before joining me at the beach. I preferred her normal pony body, but I guess that hands were more useful for building castles. And she was talking weirdly. Well, she was always a dramatic one.

Still, I was happy that she changed her mind and joined me after all. "Oh! That explains why you look so weird little sister."

"Um, yeah. So, you know this is a dream right?"

A dream? I think that Luna was taking her title of Alicorn of the Night a little too seriously... Beside, who did she think I was? We obviously both were on a beach at the moment, "Eh, this is a beach Lulu, not a dream. They don't look the same, and you should know that!"

"Alright, who am I talking to? Are you Alex or Celestia?" Okay, this wasn't funny. I knew that mommy and daddy would have called me Celestia had I been a girl, but this was kind of a low blow coming from her. She might have miscast a spell again...

"This is Alex... Luna, you are making even less sense than before. Who is this Celestia?" That was a little low from myself, but she had started it.

"If, you're not Celestia, then why do you keep calling me Luna?" Why was she insisting on it? Besides, she was the one who presented herself as my sister. Well, unless she was a changeling who was trying to pass itself as Luna to feed on my emotions. I really hated those bugs.

"What?" I shouted very loud. "If you aren't Luna, then GO AWAY!"

Mommy rushed to my side when my voice alerted her. Several other persons started to surround the being that pretended to be my little sister. They were probably friends with my mommy. As the intruder retreated in fetal position, I started to feel bad about what was happening. Still, it was its own fault that it got in this situation.

Then an evil voice resonated in the air, "Heh heh heh, just what I needed, a little dash of fear!" Everypony was confused by the strange voice and started to look around for the source of its origin. They suddenly froze in place. The stranger managed to reach me thanks to the confusion the voice provoked. I didn't trust it at this point.

A horn echoed out from across the water. It warned us that we should be transported to the most terrible imaginable; the otherworld. Everypony, except that stranger, had left me to fend for myself. I was so terrified that I hoped I hadn't soiled my underwear. Mother would be mad if I did.

What followed was even worse; the familiar mist from the town of Silent Hill started to roll over the surface of the beach. The world itself started to change. The ground of the peaceful beach slowly started to flake apart; leaving a floor of the most evil color ever discovered; Pink. The fog then darkened to that same color and started to become heavier.

I couldn't take it anymore. The omnipresent of the color reminded me too much of what happened to me daily at the school. At that moment, I only wanted to disappear, to go away. It was at that moment that the whispers started and my world was turned over.

“Aren't you a cute boy, wanting to be princess.”
“You are in the wrong castle.”
“Only girls are scardey cats, oh wait you are one, Alexia”
"Why do you wear pink? It's a girl color!"
"What are you, gay?"
"I can't believe you dressed up as a girl!"

A single shout worthy of Gandalf put an end to my nightmare, "Enough!" The world around me started to break down leaving only darkness. But, more importantly, the voices had stopped.

It took me a few moments to take my bearings, only to figure out that I was in a black void. Somehow, I knew that it meant I wasn't presently awake and it surprised me how familiar this place was. But that was impossible, right? I would remember a place like this.

Taking some time to look around, I noticed a familiar little girl nearby. Thinking back on my time on the beach, I recalled that I had mistaken her for Luna. One thing was certain; she had an unusual obsession over the pony I was becoming, Celestia. This was weird, unless it was a manifestation of John from my mind. Well, I might as well have some fun, it was my dream after all, "That's a nice dress."

The sound of a sigh reached my ears. Well, the simulacrum was acting close enough to real deal. The girl in question started to approach me, preparing her herself to ask me a question, "So, do you know this is a dream now?"

That girly voice was too cute. I could imagine all too well how badly John would react if she was stuck with that voice. The question was weird considering I needed to know it was a dream for my mind to ask it. Well, if my mind wanted to play, it was a game we could both play, "That would explain your lack of any pony features." This reminded me that my dream had turned into a nightmare quite suddenly. Maybe, my mind servant knew what happened. Also, I'd like to know how much worse my vision of John became. "So...What just happened? Or, more importantly, is it really you John?"

"Well, first off, yeah, it's really me. Secondly, just because I'm a young girl right now doesn't mean I can't kick your ass into next week if I needed. And lastly, I believe I just dispelled a nightmare forced upon you by the Nightmare." Yep, that temper confirmed that it was John, not that my little sister Luna wa- Okay, that was weird. I'll need to try to figure out how the mental changes worked once I'm up tomorrow...

Dream John should know better then threaten me when I had access to the ultimate weapon, "You know, I can probably summon that frying pan to me in this dream." I also stuck out my tongue at her. It wasn't the most mature action I had done lately, but I was a young boy presently, so, why not?

What did she mean by the Nightmare? It probably had something to do with whatever source the changes used as a model. I should question the dream entity about it; it might be information that the real John could use. "But more seriously, the Nightmare? I don't think you're talking about Soul Edge here."

"Yeah, you got that right. It may be a little like Soul Edge, but this one seems to me to be more like a second personality than the real thing." For a moment, I was surprised that she finally understood one of my references. Until I remembered that she was a fragment of my mind. At that point, I was finding the void depressing so I decided to shift it back to the beach from earlier.

I didn't like the meaning of that news. If the same is true for my John, it was urgent that I told her without delay. Oh, also for some stupid reason, I decided to ask the construct about its well-being, "Will you be fine?" It was ridiculous to be worried about something that only existed in my dream.

"Yeah, I will be. Anyways, what was with all the pink earlier?"

Right... My subconscious wasn't exactly subtle in telling me I should confess the truth to the real John. I might as well practice now for later, "The Otherworld... I guess that I no longer have any reason to keep this secret." Considering the look that my otherworld took, it was clear how much of a problem that event had been for me. "It all started with the costume I chose to wear while I was still in first grade. It was Halloween, so I decided to disguise as a certain Mario character that I'll let you guess."

A rather unexpected question interrupted my monologue, "Mario?"

What? I knew that John rarely understood my references, but my mind had pushed a little too far. Why, even my grandmother knows who Mario is! "You know, the plumber who keeps saving the same princess from the scaly guy?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. Please continue." Before I could do so, the dream construct decided to make a comment à la Luna, "Oh! I know who it is! Toad!" Great, my own mind was trolling me. This was a too perfect version of John.

"So, like I was saying, I decided to dress as a certain PINK PRINCESS. I think I don't need to explain what happened during the next day."

I felt the need to sit before continuing with my story. The memories of what I had endured all those years still haunted me on some nights... "As you probably suspect, they didn't stop with their fun afterward. At first it was about the disguise, but it quickly evolved around the color pink." It wasn't easy to tell so much to a mental projection, I had no idea how I'd manage to tell the same to my sister. "To be honest, it lasted until I graduated from High School."

I was still angry about the way I reacted to the constant harassment, I should had known better... "But it wasn't the worst that happened. I eventually had enough of the whole thing, so I got into a fight with a boy a year older than me." The rest was much harder to tell... "The poor guy was lucky that others managed to stop me."

I recognized the same fury that had taken over me when John tried to kill me. My hope was that telling her of my greatest error would lead her to open herself to me. Her anger issue wasn't something she could solve alone; I knew at least that much...

"Alex, the dream is collapsing, so I'll be pulled out soon. I'll talk to you in the waking world." Huh? That was yet another weird reaction from my dream companion.

That reminded me that my project was still unfinished, "Oh shoot. I didn't get to finish my sand castle."

And the world became black.

++C++

I slowly opened my eyes, waking from my strange slumber. The first thing I saw was the floor, again... I really shouldn't make a habit of this. I slowly forced myself to stand, more sloppily then usual; I blamed the lateness of which I have fallen asleep last night.

Dragging my feet along, I directed myself toward the kitchen, where the holy relic of the morning should be. Once I arrived in the room, a quick glance around was enough to locate the container for the coffee. Setting the new destination in my internal GPS, I progressed toward my objective; only to end on the floor with a loud BANG!

Great! I just slipped on the floor, landed of my tail again and found myself back to the same spot as yesterday. My name is Alex Mercier and this is my favorite spot in the kitchen. The familiar pain brought more serious concerns; how do ponies manage not to step on their tail so often? Sitting down was a real health hazard now!

I briefly tried to get back on my feet, but they lacked the necessary adherence thanks to the tiling of floor. This morning was getting better and better... Considering that I wasn't going anywhere alone, I finally abandoned my attempts and waited for my sister to check on me. I hoped that the bang would have woken her up.

After a moment, a sudden loud voice literally made me jump out in the air, "Alex! Wake up! We are going to make breakfast and you're in the way!"

I was surprised that my little sister had managed to sneak up on me from the front. "Ah! Luna, when did you-" Oh right, morning... I almost forgot that my awareness in the morning was legendary for the wrong reasons. "Never mind. I seem to be unable to stand."

Luna was about to reach down to help me when she proceeded to copy my earlier fall to the letter. I knew all too well how you’re feeling at the moment sister. For some reason, she was fumbling with her rather flat looking foot. Why was she removing her sock? I'd prefer not to smell her foot being so close up.

Oh, that was unexpected. The sock revealed a blue hoof and some fur of the same color up to her ankle. I stared at her hoof absentmindedly while she removed the other sock and managed to stand back up easily. This gave me the idea to look at my own feet, as they might be the source of my immobility. "That might just be the reason why I can't seem to stand again."

Pulling my own socks away, a new set of pure white hooves and fur was predictably revealed. The oddness of such an extremity captured my attention for while. It would also explain why I didn't feel my toes this morning. A distinctive clip clop sound broke me out of my trance. I noticed Luna was moving towards my previous objective. I wasn't going to try to stop her if she wanted to make some coffee.

I wouldn't want to be in her way either so I might as well wait at the table until she is done with her coffee. This time, I managed to stand back up easily, which was weird considering the smaller surface of contact that my hooves held with the floor. Even weirder was feeling the ground through thickness of the hooves.

I quickly reached the nearest chair, my own hooves' noise resonating through the room. I'll admit that it was annoying, but I suppose we would eventually get used to it. At least, I hoped we would for the sake of our own sanity.

A new set of clip clop brought my attention back to Luna. Stealth was out of the window now; neither of us was going to mimic Snake anytime soon. I was so surprised when she handed me a cup of coffee that I wasn't attentive enough about what I told her, "I'm sorry. I don't normally have that much of a problem with preparing coffee." Sometimes I could be very stupid; I should have thanked her for the coffee.

My little sister placed her own cup on the opposite side of me on the table before addressing herself to me. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's my pleasure to cook for a guest." Before I could correct my previous mistake, she quickly added, "Hey, I'll be right back."

I didn't mind that she needed to go somewhere, probably the bathroom, considering that I finally had my coffee. As long as she came back once I'm done with drinking it. There were a few things I needed to ask her. I should also tell her about my current situation with my friend Michael, though I wasn't sure how well she would take being indirectly responsible for our current fall-out.

I quickly smelt the liquid essence of the dawn before finally thanking her for the brew, "Thanks for the coffee Luna." Once I was done, she quickly left the kitchen. I took a first sip of the liquid aphrodisiac and I was highly surprised. Luna had prepared my coffee exactly to my preferences without my help! Though it wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened in the last few days.

A few more sips quickly cleared my mind. I quickly came to regret that clarity. I had a few awkward moments in the past in my pre-coffee state but nothing equivalent to what happened this morning in the kitchen. Hopefully, Lu- John won't have noticed how out of it I was. Who was I kidding; she was going to remind me of this for the years to come...

Now that I think about it, didn't I refer her as Luna the whole time? This was just perfect... The changes had progressed further during the night. I really didn't ne- “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” The rather high-pitched shout that interrupted my thoughts came from the bathroom. It was so unnerving that I almost spilled my cup, but I managed to stabilize it with both my hands. John soon came running back into the kitchen. Oh, come on! This was starting to be ridiculous, what change did she notice this time...

I don't know which irritated me the most, John habit of storming out of the bathroom or the fact that I almost spill my precious, "What is it this time?"

"Well, ma'am, I would suggest going to the bathroom and checking below the border, much like how you got here." Eh... Why did she just call me ma'am? I wouldn't have been surprised if I made that error considering it had been a while since I started to consider her to be female. But it didn't seem to be an error on her part... And what was it with those Americans and their weird expressions?

"Ma'am? South of the border?" Wait. Didn't Luna’s face look a bit different? More round and feminine... A quick glance at her clothes revealed another disturbing fact; they were loose on her body. How did I manage to miss those details earlier? Oh, right... Probably for the same reasons I missed the hooves...

Wait, if she was officially female now, it must mean that... A quick glance at my own clothes revealed a similar conclusion then earlier. Well, this morning will definitely end as one of the most interesting I have ever had. The good part was that I no longer needed to worry to address her as a female on accident. "Why do I have the feeling that going to the bathroom is much different now Luna?"

Okay... What did I say to freeze her in place this time? I only confirmed what she weirdly said earlier. Wait; did I actually call her Luna without noticing the slip this time around? This was starting to get ridiculous! I had stopped to worry about every small slip, as long as the name one stayed contained to her. But if she was going to be reacting badly every time I did call her by the name that came much more naturally to me, we were going to be disputing often. We'll need to discuss that later. "I meant to say John…"

"Suuuuure you did. Now get going and see for yourself before I call you Celestia." I'm neither confirming nor denying the implied claim. The name on the other hoof didn't bother me as I thought it would, but I was still partial to Alexia if I had to adjust my name to fit my probable new gender. It would be more fitting considering our situation. It was too bad that Jona didn't sound as feminine.

In any case, I should probably do as my grumpy sister says and have a look at my body even if I wasn't a sex bomb. She was obviously having a terrible morning. Maybe it was that time of the month for her. Na, she was just being moody as usual. Still, I wasn't looking forward to experiencing that first hand myself; women can be very scary when that time comes around. And there was no telling how badly ponies reacted during that period...

I finished my cup before getting ready to use the bathroom. As I was about to leave, I turned to face Luna, still amused by her attempt to get me with my pony name, "I'm not going to stop you if you want to use that name, but it is slightly longer then my own."

She rolled her eyes at my flawless logic only to take a jab at me, "Whatever Celly." Great, now I was a vegetable. I almost replied with my own nickname for her that had made her go crazy last time, but I thought better of it and turned my back on her; making my way towards the porcelain throne room. Besides, I was starting to get used to her temperament, yay me. As I entered the bathroom, I heard a girly squeak coming from the living room. I did not want to know what caused that cute sound to escape from her mouth...

My first priority was to do my usual business. Well, as usual as it could be considering that something was obviously missing once I removed my underwear. After using the toilet like a mare, I simply flushed it. A few clip-clops later, I found myself in front of the sink and the mirror above it. A flat-chested woman wearing a shirt too short for her stared back at me. She seemed to be cos-playing for some kind of anime, pink hair flowing from her head with two cute white pony ears sticking out on top. I had in fact changed sides during the night and had apparently also had a growth spurt.

Once I had washed my hands, I proceeded to do my now routine analysis. There was only one new change worth mentioning. My cutie mark was now covered by the same type of fur as that of my hooves. I wonder how effective this fur is at protecting us from the cold. Or how bad it will be for the upcoming summer.

Having finally finished with the bathroom for the moment, I decided to join back with my sister. Oddly enough, despite the major changes I suffered during the night, I was feeling just fine. Who wouldn't with such a sunny day? Once I arrived in the kitchen, I found it empty. Luna had probably moved to the living room while I was away.

As soon as saw her sitting next to her computer, I felt more cheerful than usual, "I'm back little sister! Any idea on what you want for breakfast?" Wha-What! Please tell me that I didn't just call her little sister right to her face. I know I told her how I felt about her yesterday, but I doubt that she'll be too happy about being called that so openly if her sigh was of any indication of her feelings.

Apparently, I was up for another surprise today, "Yeesh sis, we didn't think you should be this happy in the morning." Her own blank face told me that she didn't intend to reciprocate the sisterhood feeling. I'm sorry sister, but once the conversion have begun, resistance is futile.

Before I could ask her why I should be in as bad mood as her, she moved back to the nearby kitchen to open a cupboard door containing a few cereal boxes and directed me to another cupboard, probably where I'll find the tools necessary to eat breakfast. "That's where you can find stuff for breakfast. I have something I need to go do in town. Oh, there is one other thing." she pointed to the shelf on the wall next to the T.V, where a big colorful pastel box was particularity standing out. "You may want to start watching those while I'm gone. It'll explain a lot."

I was guessing that those must be the tapes of the famous cartoon about the ponies we were becoming, but it wasn't the most important point at the moment. Why must she go out so early? We still hadn't talked about the cause of our changes; or anything really. All I knew so far was that she was temperamental and loved video games, some more than others. The accident with Halo 2 was still fresh in my mind.

What truly worried me was how she would react when everypony would start to treat her like the woman she now was. Considering her freak out from earlier, I was fairly certain that she wouldn't like that. I should probably test her before she leave, "Are you sure you should go out considering your current state miss John?"

The glare she gave me the only answer that I needed to my little test. I hoped that I had helped her to prepare for further situations like that at least. There was no way for us to know how long we would be stuck with that gender so she should get used to it.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Now, I should be back by this afternoon." As she spoke, Luna started to put on various items to either hide her pony features or be more at ease in the case of the cargo pant she put on. Considering the sensibility of our tail, I couldn't help but agree with her choice.

On the other hoof, it worried me that she didn't make any witty come backs on that one. I felt the need to make my intentions clear at the very least, "Okay…just promise me you won't react that badly if somepony treats you like a woman."

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about it. See ya later!" A quick wave and she was gone.

Great... First I cannot accompany my best friend for his birthday, and I manage to greatly irritate him thanks to this pony problem. Now, I'll be spending most of the day alone watching a show for little girls. This wasn't how I imagined I would spend the day when I left home three days ago.

"Great, all alone now…could this day get any worse?"

Wait, did I just tempt Murphy?

Author's Note

I'm sorry that it took me this long to publish this chapter. I made the error of starting to read the Blue Angel fic (Those who are reading that fic will understand what I mean :raritywink: )

In any cases, the chapter will cover at least the time while John was away, hopefully helping to explain what happened in the newest chapter of Lunar Phases.

Also, feel free to leave any comments or ideas. One cannot improve without feedback. Oh, and Buck, please keep the trolling at a minimum :rainbowwild:

7 : Long Live Pony

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 7 : Long Live Pony

May 3rd
My stomach quickly reminded me that I still hadn't eaten this morning. I also think it has gotten much louder ever since the ponification started. Or I might just not have eaten as much as I needed. I'll admit that I always had reservations about accepting gifts from others, or food in this particular case. I still intended on paying Luna's generosity back later.

I procured a bowl rather easily and I was surprised when I spotted a cereal box with a familiar image on it, the green and orange O-shaped cereals I ate yesterday. It was appropriately named Applejack considering its delicious apple taste. It was too bad this particular brand of cereal wasn't available back home, or I might have become addicted to it.

The bowl was soon filled with the apple-sugar delicacy and milk that I borrowed from Luna's fridge. The first spoon revealed that I hadn't been as thorough as I thought when I checked myself earlier. The cereal tasted nothing like last time; the apple taste was much pronounced and delicious. Yep, I was definitely becoming addicted to it. I used my tongue to feel my teeth to notice that I no longer had any canines. Apparently, I had also joined the rank of vegetarians during the night.

A few minutes later, I had devoured my cereal, cleaned the bowl and spoon I used, and was back in the living room, eying the strangely colored box on the shelf. I must really be desperate to truly consider a cartoon as a source of information. Then again, I was becoming a mare that originated from the show. Oh, wasn't that the future me on the box? She must have eaten a lot of cake to be so much bigger than the other ponies.

The first disc of the first season quickly found its way into my computer that I had previously connected to TV. As the first part of the pilot started, I was greeted to a female voice telling the story of two royals sisters whom ruled equally across the land. One controlled the sun and the other one the moon. Talk about being overpowered. Besides, moving the sun would be kind of dangerous as moving an object with such a large gravity well would cause a massive amount of chaos in the neighboring celestial objects.

The rest was the usual in children stories. The older sister got too stuck up with her ego and failed to notice her younger sister's sorrow. Eventually, the younger sister got so jealous of her sister, she eventually refused to lower the moon. Her sister attempted to reason her but failed, finally making me realize how stupid I was to not have noticed her plight earlier. It was much too late, as my little sister had already been corrupted by the Nightmare.

I was forced to fight her in an attempt to subdue her, but her strength equaled mine. Eventually, I was left with no other choices but to use the Elements of Harmony, the symbols of love and friendship that had once united us, against her. In her arrogance, she didn't think I could manage to use them on my own. She was wrong as the Elements sealed her in the moon. In the end, a dark figure was left on the surface of her moon, serving as a reminder of the foalishness of both of us. I'm sorry Luna. I failed us both...

Wh-what was that? Where did it come from? Memories blended in with the narrator's story. But those weren't mine. At least I don't think they were. Arg, what was I thinking? I was never a pony before, so those couldn't be my memories. I hoped that it was only a fluke...

In any cases, a familiar voice attracted my attention back to TV, just in time to notice a lavender unicorn before the theme song started. I wasn't impressed in the slightest by the song, but it was fitting for a foals' program. The next interesting part was when Spike was constantly being hit while trying to help Twilight finding the book Predictions and Prophecies. Thankfully, baby dragons are much tougher than what everypony would think. After learning about when the villain that the narrator introduced would obviously return, she made her assistant write a letter to warn her teacher, the Princess of Day, of the danger to come. And my head decided that it would be the perfect moment to ache; a lot.

I could barely contain my misplaced excitement at the possibility of seeing Luna again, even if only in her corrupted form. It had been far too long since the last time I have seen her, every passing year only serving to remind me of how much I failed her... I knew that she would come for me in her fury, but I would be no match for her this time; raising and lowering her moon had taken its toll on me over the last thousand years and I had lost my connection to the Elements of Harmony on the night I used them on my dear sister. But that didn't mean that I lacked a plan to deal with the twisted form of Luna this time around.

Oh, a scroll coming from my most faithful student! Normally, I couldn't be happier to receive a letter from little Twilight, giving me a much-needed distraction from my daily paperwork. But today was an exception. There was much to do in the case that my plan would fail… or exceed my expectations. The young Sparkle did have the habit to surprise me and there was no way to tell how the Elements would react at their full potential. Then again, I had to send her a letter to put the final and most important piece in place.

I was pleasingly surprised by the content of my student's letter. She had done a remarkable job, as always, but she apparently still haven't learned the true meaning of a vacation... I should answer her quickly before her home lay in ruins. Heavens know how bad she can get when she was stressed out. A chuckle escaped my lips as I imagined too clearly the young unicorn reaction to the first part of my reply. As for the rest, I may have set her up so that she'll meet the Element Bearer candidates that I had found. Well, except for Pinkie Pie, but I have heard that there was no new pony in Ponyville that didn't meet her on their first day, so it is safe to say that Twilight Sparkle would meet with the rather strange candidate for Laughter. Once the message was sent, I returned my attention at the others matters at hoof. Oh, I was so not looking for the beating that Nightmare Moon would surely give me...

I froze in place as the scene changed from the tower to a chariot guided by two pegasi. What the hay is happening to me! It was no fluke, now I was certain of it. The worse was that those manufactured memories felt so real, as if the situation had happened to me. Weren't they happening to a pony princess? I might have a hard time trying to distinguish them from my real memories once the changes will be more advanced. The show was obviously the cataclysm that provoked those fake memories, but I couldn't stop watching that episode as it specifically dealt with the pony that John was becoming. Considering that her first appearance was as a villain, I had the feeling that I would learn some rather interesting bits of information about her. I only hoped that the knowledge would be worth the addition of the memories of a princess...

The rest of the episode went by with no more memories incidents, but I'll admit that the various meetings with the different ponies were quite funny, though I wouldn't touch a cupcake covered in hot sauce. That was a waste of a perfectly fine cake. On the other hoof, John will earn herself a new rendezvous with the frying pan if she ever start to act like Nightmare Moon. Seriously, she was just a typical villain with the usual overconfidence and egocentric problems. I was happy that her appearance didn't trigger another of those memories though; being defeated by such a being wasn't something I'd like to experience first hoof.

The episode dared to end on the evil laughter of the scoundrel. This won't do! I started the next episode in ten seconds flat. Yep, I shamelessly stole a quote from Rainbow Dash. As much as I hate to admit it, this cartoon was much more endeavoring than I first thought. I was of the proper gender at least, as for the age part, I think I was old enough that it no longer mattered. I meant 25 by that, totally not over a thousand years.

Oh, great move on to the part with guards; a pony who managed to capture the princess who can harness the power of the Sun and they think that only three of them, all pegasi, would be enough to deal with the culprit? They might need a lesson in common sense... And let not mention the fact that Twilight didn't start by looking at the letter E for information about the Elements of Harmony. Then again, she usually keep her own library sorted... by... subject... first... There is no reason to panic Alex, you knew that it would happen as long as you are watching the show. This was obviously only a more subtle fake memory, right?

Keeping my concentration on the TV seemed a much better option than trying to reassure myself that I wasn't starting to go crazy. At the moment, the group had just entered the Everfree Forest, soon followed by a landslide. Ouf, that part with Applejack was bad... Wouldn't it have been better if she simply told Twilight that the two pegasi would catch her? Thankfully, it was the only awful thing that happened while they navigated the forest. Well, the way Pinkie Pie acted did remind me of somepony I knew, except that the orange pony in question liked to drink a little too much.

The revelation at our old castle, destroyed a thousand years ago during my little altercation with Luna, about the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the spark was a little cheesy. It could have been worse; they could have said that they would punish Nightmare Moon in the name of love and justice! And don't get me started on how the villain thought it would be so easy to destroy the Elements; especially considering that she was once one of their Bearers.

And I lost all contact with reality soon afterward... I was flying toward the ruins where I hid the Elements after I lost my connection to them. I could feel the wind flowing through my fur and the feathers of my… wings? This... this can't be happening! This wasn't a simple memory like earlier; I was fully conscious that it wasn't the reality, though I felt every movements of the body and every thoughts. Or the overpowering sensation as my mind reached out for the sun to finally raise it.

I quickly arrived at the ruins with the perfect timing to make my entrance. I was pleasantly surprised to see John back in her original form. My most faithful student had succeeded where I once failed, I couldn't be more proud of her success. Twilight wasted no time to reach me, making the height difference between us all too apparent. My body decided to nuzzle her soon enough out of happiness. The sensation of our fur rubbing proved to be very weird for my still human brain.

After a small monologue of telling my student that I knew she would prevail, I turned my attention to my little sister still lying unconscious on the floor. We had been separated again for 25 years... Wait! No, it was the first time and it lasted a thousand years. I could only hope that she would be willing to forgive me after all those years, all had started because of my negligence after all...

The mention of Luna's name was enough to wake her up and gather he attention. My younger sister step back at first, fearful of how I would react. Her reaction hurt me a little, but I understood why she would be scared of me. She was so vulnerable at moment and would be unable to protect herself if I decided to punish her like she thought she deserved for her actions. I told her that all I wanted was to reconcile our differences. She hesitated at first, but we were soon embraced together in a hug. Well, a pony hug that is. That scene would have moved me even if I weren’t experiencing it first hoof. For a moment, I was no longer a princess; I was only a pony who had finally reunited with her little sister after all those years apart.

The world faded before being greeted by a too familiar sight; a crowd of ponies. The current memories playing corresponded perfectly to the dream I had the night before meeting Luna in the flesh. If that dream was an actual memory of this Celestia pony, then it meant the memories didn't need anything to trigger them. Yeah, screw you too Murphy...

Soon, the memory ended and the world returned to normal briefly before fading again as the music of the credits stopped.

++M++

This day was going to be perfect. Alex had accepted to spend a week over here after a little convincing from my part. The original plan was to bring him with me at my parent house for the usual party my parents prepared in honor of mine and my sister’s birthdays. Sure, the fact that the party was mainly for the girls meant that they decided its theme. They had been obsessed with ponies ever since they saw one rerun of the friendship thing show.

Everything went south on a single day. First, my parents decided that it would be a good idea to go away for two weeks just in time for my birthday. I have always hated when they left on one of their impromptu vacations, but this was the worst ones so far.

Then there was Alex. What the hell was he thinking deciding that he wouldn't come at the last moment! At first, I made fun of him about having finally found a girlfriend, but I was starting to think that that might the truth. It was as good a guess as any about the mystery he was keeping. Pff, he could be becoming a pony for all I knew. I wish it was possible, it would be a proper way to excuse himself from the girls. One thing was certain; he was in for it when I see him again.

On the bright side, I successfully managed to move the party to my house on such a short notice and it had been a great success. My friend going Yoda on me was already enough of a blow on my sisters morale, they didn't need their friends missing the party. To be honest, I was a little jealous of them. There are times when I wished I could be young and innocent again. Well, not that I would use innocent to describe Fiona, but my point stood.

In any case, I should probably start to clean the remaining of the party up. It was already one o'clock and everybody else had already left. First, I should find something to occupy Fiona and Samantha while I was busy. The little gift I gave them should do the trick.

“So, what do you want to do while your big brother is busy?”

Their answer was rather predictable as they both shouted at the same time, “PONIES!” Their excitement made me smile. My life would be so empty without them.

I reached for the ten years celebration box of My Little Pony that also contained several figures and a guidebook about several ponies. They had already played with the figures along with their friends after we had finished unwrapping our gifts. Strangely, my sisters had taken possession of three ponies and they pretended that they were us. Fiona was a pink pegasus filly with a light blue and white mane and tail, free to move with the wind, and there was a peach carried by a breeze on her flank. Sam was the light blue unicorn filly with her mane and tail styled in a ponytail in the colors of white and pink and she had a peach strangely glowing of a green color. As for myself, they used a pink pegasus filly with a purple and light blue mane, decorated with a green bow, and tail; and, unlike the others, she had no images on her flank... Children...

I decided to play their favorite episode; thanks to the booming business the Sugar Cube Corner received after winning the national dessert competition, the Cakes had hired a new pastry chef to help answer the increasing demand. Unfortunately for Strawberry Frosting, the pink and yellow maned pink earth pony chef, her coworker, the infamous Pinkie Pie, decided to help with her shyness. Pinkie had even tried to have the shy pegasus to coach Strawberry! In the end, what worked was to have her baby-sit three young fillies while their parents had to go to Canterlot for royal business. Wait, weren't those the same fillies that my sisters played with? Well, that would explain why they loved them so much.

Soon after the episode started, something very strange happened; Fiona actually froze in place. I have never seen her so calm in my life, even asleep. This scared me; didn't the same thing happen to Al-

~~~~~~~~~~

This had been fun! Everypony in town had followed Pinkie’s example to play a massive hide and seek game with Dissy. That was until my big sister Breezy was unable stand still and we were discovered by one of the many seekers on the other team. I was surprised at first that some of the Princesses' guards agreed to play with us, even if they did not seem to be having much fun.

Mommy and daddy were shaking while the guards escorted us back home. A quick glance at both of my older sisters revealed that they were as clueless as I was about the reason our parents were so scared. The guards were the good guys, right? I mean they must be, especially those whom worked for Luna. She had been so much fun to play with during Nightmare Night last year. I wonder if miss Berry has been caught too. We have been eating only things 'good' for our health since we left two days ago. I'd like to eat one of her delicious cakes.

As we entered Ponyville, the buildings looked like the Crusaders had decided to try to earn their cuties mark in home improvement. Splashing gray paint all over everypony in the process. It also seemed that they had mixed a potion from Zecora again in with the paint, as the ponies that passed by us were looking rather dull. They will get in so much trouble this time around; I was so happy that I had not joined them when they pressed me to. In any case, the activities they normally do in their attempts to find their special talent are more of Peachy Breeze’s style anyway.

We soon approached the nearest landmark to our home, Sugar Cube Corner. Actually, the building seemed to be more like cake than usual. Discord stood in front of the building with the words 'I am evil now' written on his forehead. Only him and Pinkie Pie would do something this weird. He did seem more sinister than usual though; the fact that my sisters placed themselves between the two of us didn't make me feel safe anymore.

“Well, well, well, what have we here? Four petites pêches and some snow trying to escape the harsh summer? We can't have let you do that now, can we? After all, the winter does need to be wrapped up."

He started to approach us slowly, obviously intending to do something very bad to us. Mom and dad still haven't moved ever since they saw the Discord.

"Now, let see. Who shall I eat to make sure you ponies won't try to exile yourself from my great Empire of Chaos?" He removed a spyglass from his left ear as he spoke and he used it to look at me. The creepiness made me start to shake and bounded my wings to my sides.

“Don't tremble ma pêche, or else you will make me feel like a péché myself. Oh, isn't it a great idea. I have never eaten une pêche rose.” He pointed his claw toward me, retrieving a pink peach from the air when my sisters gathered even closer to me. Breezy wings flared and Glow’s horn was glowing its usual green color as they tried to appear menacing, “Stay away from her!” I would have expected Breezy to say those words, but I was surprised that it was Peachy Glow that did.

It obviously didn't work well as Discord started to roll on the floor, leaving a black solid substance on it. The lack of noise from our parents to our display worried me, so I glanced behind me for a second. They looked grayer than usual.

“Aren't you two cute, defending your little sister from the big bad monster.” Breezie looked a little hurt of being called cute, but I knew that deep down she loved being adorable. “It seems like I'll need a bigger package to send you away.” He threw a box behind himself that wrapped itself in a gray paper as it fell on the floor. “I was wondering how well the group discount worked.” He took a scroll and started to roll it, putting a seal on the paper when he was finished.

The sky started to blacken and thunder rose from the ground to reach some clouds in the sky.

For Five Score! Divided by Four!
Your memories removed, your bodies confused!

To punish your parents, you shall pay
Cast off in a galaxy far far away

The protectors shall become the protegees
For the first shall become the last

I hope you shall have fun
In a world you don't understand

Breezie disappeared in a flash of white leaving us stunned. But it didn't last long as we soon followed.

~~~~~~~~

Breezie- I mean Fiona was waving her hands in front of my face when I recovered from whatever just happened to me. Judging from the fading theme song, I was gone for a couple minutes. My little daydream also left me slightly shaking until I noticed it. Pony feathers, I didn't need to worry the girls any further after that little accident.

I wanted to comfort my sisters, but Fiona was faster, “Are you okay sis?” I mentally cringed when she called me sis, but I decided not to push the matter further. The lack of amusement in her tone made it clear that she did not plan to make fun of me. This reversal of roles was surprising for me too.

“Don't worry, I'll be fine,” I rose an eyebrow, “what about the two of you? You did black out first.”

My two bi- little sisters looked at each other before Glo- Sam spoke for the two of them frowning, “We aren't... We missed the start of the episode.” Yep, kids were the only who considered missing the start of an episode worse than blanking out. If I consider the numerous errors I had done so far, I would guess that the experience left me rather shaken.

As I proceeded to sit on the sofa between Fiona and Sam, I decided to address their problem, “Don't worry, I'll restart the episode. I'll even watch it with you.” I gave them a smile for good measure, which they reciprocated by snuggling me. I don't know if it had something to do with my weird pony dream, but I felt much more interested in the episode than usual. I wasn't in any condition for cleaning duty anyway.

There was still one fact that greatly worried. Alex had a black out like this two days ago and he had acted weirdly afterward. I hope this wasn't a sickness that he had passed to me and my sisters. Even so, I couldn't help but be worried for him at the moment. Please be safe Princess.

Author's Note

Here is the next chapter. It did not covered as much stuff as I wanted on Celestia as I got a little caught in with Michael side. While he isn't as important then Celestia to my story, Michael and his sisters will have a role to play in our little collab going on.

The next chapter should cover the rest of the day on Celestia side and a little panic on Michael side as he notice the cuties marks.

As always, feel free to leave any comments or ideas.

Also, for those wondering where my title come from, check this video ;)

8 : Dissonance

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 8 : Dissonance

May 3rd
I woke up to a rather familiar tune playing only to be surprised by the scene before my eyes; I wasn't in my room this morning. Oh Luna, what prank did you play on me this time around? It was weird that she left me alone in her living room with her box of moving pictures. It looked oddly like a miniature version of the screen in movie theaters.

My tail was oddly constrained... Please, don't let it be a pink dress like last time Lulu decided to dress me up as retaliation to one of my pranks. It wasn't my fault if poison joke liked to dye alicorn's coats pink. Besides, she did it first. I tried to sit up on the couch to have a better look at the clothes I was wearing as my neck felt uncooperative this morning; I noticed a weird feeling coming from my forelegs as I applied pressure to them. I decided to have a closer look at my right forehoof only to see a... weird... appendage...

Luna would never go so far only to prank me, so this must be Discord’s doing. Great, this was just the best way to start the day... I hated having to deal with the self-proclaimed lord of Chaos more than I had to, a feeling that he fortunately shared. I brought one of the new appendages, a weird voice in my mind was telling me it was called a hand, up to my forehead, thankfully confirming that my horn was still there, though it was much smaller, almost like it was back when I was still a young filly.

At the very least I will be able to fulfill my duty once I find Luna and that she was done rolling on floor. This was my plan until I felt that it was almost 6 o’clock in the afternoon. This is so wrong, who rose the Sun this morning? I did not feel Discord magic affecting my sun and it was unlikely that Luna would have left me oversleep that much, not with the Solar Court open. Actually, I could feel a presence through my link with my star. This shouldn't be!

“It isn't the time for you to wake up yet Sun Princess. Go back to sleep until acceptance is reached.” The gravelly voice was definitely coming from the link. I didn't know who the source of the voice was, but I wasn't about to bow down to its command. What did it mean by acceptance? I shook my head at this nonsense; and everypony thought that I was cryptic. “He is not ready, sleep.” The mysterious voice was more forceful this time around. My body suddenly felt much heavier. I tried to resist in vain as I quickly entered back Luna's realm.

++C++

Ouch, why is my head pounding so hard... The last thing I remembered was watching that pony cartoon and my memories going high-wire. Next, I was dreaming about actually being the white alicorn and went through one of her typical day. It was really boring except for the parts involving her little sister and one particular orange unicorn guard set to protect the entrance of throne room while the Solar Court was taking place. I think her name was Fireball. Ponies really had weird names... The rest of the dream was blurry. It was like I had been an observer in my own body while Celestia had somehow taken control of it. Yeah, too much science fiction coupled with ponies seemed to be a terrible mix.

The good thing was that I was finally clear of mind. Considering how badly watching two episodes had been for my mental health, I decided to stop watching the show for the moment. At least until my little sister is back at home to snap me out of it if I began to relieve one of Tia's memories again. I did not need to accelerate the mental conversion any more than necessary.

As I sat up on the couch, I felt two rather sensitive bumps on my back; considering the location of those new additions, they were probably the start of my future pair of wings. As if my tail didn't give me enough problems already when trying to sit down, I had to deal with flying appendages now. I'll really need to find a new way to sit once the physical portion is complete...

And the music of the menu was starting to get on my nerves. I couldn't understand why my ears seemed to like it so much. Maybe pony ears loved pony music... My stomach chose this exact moment to rebel too. Okay, it was 6:13 pm so that would mean I had been unconscious a good 8 hours this time around. So I missed dinner and it was my normal time for supper. It was no wonder I was so hungry; I wonder what Luna has in her fridge that could make a fast meal. I still had a weird craving for cake; well, it was stronger than usual but I doubted that that my sister would have left me alone if she had any in stock.

Eh, that was creepy. I was thinking of the future Luna more as a sister than just words; like I grew up with her... To be honest, it was starting to get on my nerves how easily I was influenced by the mental change compared to my companion; unless she managed to keep her progress hidden from me. Tia, Alex, Tia, you shouldn't think of her like this. She'd trust you enough to tell you if her mind had been greatly affected, right? I did decide to stay despite being almost killed by her and I came clean about my budding sisterhood feeling yesterday despite how awkward I knew it would make it between us.

Wait a second, how did I figure out the time? In the past, I could usually make an approximation of time during the day, like I was a living solar clock. I clumsily took out my phone only to see that I had been right. Oh well, it was probably only a lucky guess.

In any case, I should snatch some food and figure out what to do until my host came back, if she hadn’t come back while I was unconscious. But first, I should put an end to that hellish noise. When I proceeded to pick the remote, I noticed some rather disturbing alterations to my hands. I felt more clumsy, my middle finger grew bigger in size and my nails had taken on the same whitish color as my hooves. I knew I would eventually lose my hands, but it did make their disappearance harder to forget. Hopefully, I'll be able to find an alternative to use keyboards. I couldn't afford to lose access to the Internet if I was to reverse the changes at some point. On the good side, I won't need to use nail polish to add some color to my hands.

Oh well, there is no need to worry about it for now. As I stood up, another potential problem presented itself. My knees felt different, as if there were no longer at their usual place. Not paying attention to it because at this point it was only another weird change, it was while walking to the kitchen that I noticed two more important changes. Walking was more awkward and I did not feel the usual rubbing of my nipples on my shirt. The last was disturbing enough to have me check underneath my shirt only to see that I was now a flat chested woman. Literally. Considering that so far the changes were mostly conversion from human to the pony equivalent, that would mean that I now had a... a... No! I'm not saying that word!

I was still shocked about my full marefication of the places that mattered when I finally arrived in the kitchen. As I opened the door for the fridge, a delicious bag of apples was calling my name. Not literally, that would have been crazier then turning into a pony princess somehow. It was weird how much fruits and vegetables looked more appetizing now. Foals probably don't complain as much about having to eat their greens. Who am I kidding? Foals are foals, no matter the species. Once I grabbed a couple of the shinning apples, I was about to close the door when I noticed that a yellow aura was keeping it open. Eh, this was my doing? As to answer my silent question, the aura dissipated and the door slowly closed itself.

That was interesting. I knew from the episodes that unicorns could levitate objects, but to see it with my own eyes was interesting; if you didn't count the fake memories. As I made my way to the table to eat my prize, my little magical feat occupied most of my thoughts. It would be almost make the changes worth it if I could manage to learn how to use some advanced forms of magic. The telekinesis grip would have to do at first; it would make the perfect replacement for hands. Geez, I wonder how those with no horns manage to go on with tasks requiring dexterity.

The apples I placed on the table as I sat would make a great practice target. It isn't like I could turn one of them into a bomb on accident; that would be ridiculous. I gobbled a few of the delicious apples to calm my stomach, or was it plural now, before trying to figure out how real magic works. It was weird how much a simple apple could taste so much better than a good large steak; and feel much more appealing too... Well, it is a good thing that I never was the biggest meat eater in the world. Rice on the other hoof…

Thank to my extensive fantasy knowledge, figuring out how to operate the magic should be simple; at least I hoped there wouldn't be too many critical failures before I manage to master the levitation spell. If Luna had only been angry yesterday when I broke her game, I would definitely be a goner should I blow up her kitchen... So, where do I start...? It would be much simpler if I had someone to teach me. As to answer my prayer, I felt the now familiar pain preceding the forming of a memory of the Sun Princess.

I was in a circular white room with a simple low wood table in the center with large windows letting through the light of my Sun. On the table, there were several geometric shapes of a variety of color for the purpose of my newest student’s first lesson. A young lavender unicorn filly entered the room bouncing, obviously in a very happy mood. Her antics made me smile; it has always made my day to see a young one with so much enthusiasm. Luna ha- No. There was no need to taint such a perfect day with memories of the pasts.

“Now now, calm down my little pony. The goal of the lesson is to teach you how to properly levitate objects, not yourself.” At first, little Sparkle froze in place, thinking that she had done something wrong but the newly formed smirk on my snout was enough to calm her down. Mentally I sighed at that display; I had much work to do about our teacher-student relationship until she no longer reacted so badly to my every move.

Once we were both seated near the table, I decided to begin my little lesson. “So, my faithful student, what are three core principles of magic?” Unsurprisingly, the little unicorn eyes sparkled at my question. Puns were much too easy to make with her name.

“Oh, I know this one! There is focus, will and control. Focus is keeping in mind the effect that you want to achieve. Next, we have will, which mean your determination that is incorporated in spell. It’s most important when you are confronted by another mind. Finally control is about not channeling too much energy so that the spell doesn’t become unstable.”

My student had been thorough as usual, “Control is the most part for us, isn’t? After all, we don't want to add new potted plants to my collection.” Her face was quickly covered by cute little blush at the mention of the events at her entrance exam. We had to work a lot on her control over the energy she use during our first few lessons together because of the raw power she possessed.

“Now, I shall teach you how to levitate an object. Follow my lead my student. First you need feel out your surroundings. Each object radiates energy. Do you feel it?” My young student closed her eyes as I taught her and nodded soon afterward. “Now, I want you to find the aura of the purple star in front of you.” I proceeded to locate the aura of the golden sun shaped piece. “Then will it to rise in the air.” I lifted my piece two or three hooves in the air, where it was soon joined by a purple star for a few seconds before falling back on the table. I still had some relapses to the old unit of measure from time to time...

“Good job. I'm so proud of you my dear student.” She was euphoric about her success, I felt almost bad to bring her the bad news. “Now Twilight, we shall work on improving the duration of your levitation.”

I shook my head as the remaining of the memory dissipated. I would still prefer not having them forced into my brain, but that one was rather convenient. It will be much easier to learn the little trick I needed now that I had the instruction inscribed in my head. I might not be enthusiast about my mind being rewritten into her mindset, but I had to admit that she seemed to have good sense of humor, especially for a princess. She also looked like a competent teacher if the last memory was of any indication.

I decided to try to follow my own instructions. Erg, Celestia instructions... I was unsure on how to feel this aura over everything at first. Considering that the description she gave my-her student was awfully similar to the Force, it probably have to do with concentrating on my surrounding. As I tried to empty my mind, instincts kicked in and before long I could feel the objects just like in the memory. There was two auras that particularly intrigued me; particularly one that felt farther and more powerful than all the others. It was almost calling me. I was about to reach out for it source when I was interrupted by my mysterious voice, “Don't. The Sun bends to no one’s will.”

The... the... the Sun?! This was ridiculous! The power necessary to even attempt such a feat must be enormous! I certainly did not even have a sli- I facepalmed at my newest stupidity, being careful this time to keep my newly amplified physical strength at a minimum. I was turning into Celestia, the alicorn of Sun; this meant that I was slowly regaining my strength. I meant gaining hers. Those mix up were becoming alarmingly frequent, I did not like what it meant for me...

I decided to ignore that problem at the moment; I'll deal with it once Luna is back home. In the meantime, I should work on making apples fly. Resuming my earlier concentration, this time I reached out for an apple and imagined it floating in the air. In response to my command, the apple fired at high speed and splashed upon the ceiling. Duh, I think I forgot to take one factor in consideration... Oh well, I'll clean that later; you know just in case other apples decided to accompany it.

So, I needed to channel less energy in the spell, but I had no idea how to do so. It shouldn't be hard to figure that part out if a little filly could do it. The unicorns seemed to be the only type of pony that possessed the ability to manipulate objects with magic, so that meant that they must use an organ unique to them. The horn! This must be the use of the pointy thing on my forehead. Oh well, I'm sure it would make a great spear too. Gungnir would make a great nickname.

With this new piece of knowledge, I decided to give it another attempt. I concentrated as before, and then focused on another apple. I didn't will it up this time; I had to find the way to regulate the flow of magic I used for channeling the spell. My first idea was to feel my horn in the same way as the apple, but there was no distinction between it and the rest of myself. So much for that idea... The solution to my problem came from my mysterious voice. “It is an internal function as much as breathing is. All you need to do is to feel the flow of magic inside yourself young Padawan.” I am not sure if I should be worried that my little voice apparently grew a sense of humor lately...

Well, if my inside voice is correct about this, it should be easy enough to do. I doubted it was as easy as breathing though... This time, I concentrated my mind inside myself, looking for anything unusual. I quickly found a new sensation coming from my head; touching my horn with one of my forehoof- hands, the weird feeling coming from it confirmed that the two were related. That was a start, now I only had to regulate the flow of energy. The best way to fine-tune it, it would be using magic, so I wasted no time to focus on one of the remaining apple on the table. This was the place responsible for the flow of magic alright. I was overpowered by the amount of magic I was letting out, but it scared me a little further. Despite the amount going out, it barely tired me... Adjusting the flow was like using a faucet. Before long, the apple found itself at the same level as my mouth as I proceeded to munch it out. Today eating an apple, tomorrow copying the scenario of Majora Mask! The rest of the apples were eaten in same fashion. I could get used to it, even though I felt a little lazy.

Once my lunch was over, I used a rag to clean my splashed apple on the ceiling. There, no trace of any accident happening. It was a good thing that I could clean it before Luna came back; she would either have found my miscast hilarious or angry about my mess, or both. Now that I think about it, my new sister had been gone for too long. Something must have happened to her. I grabbed my phone from my pocket with my new found telekinesis and levitated it to my hand. Magic was starting to be a second nature to me, but it unfortunately didn't work on a touchscreen. In any case, I wasted no time to compose the number she gave me. I was quickly greeted by a strangely familiar male voice that I couldn't place, “Hello?”

This did nothing to help with my worries, “Hello Mister? I'd need to talk to the owner of the phone you are using.” The other person seemed not to be interested by my statement. “Please Mister, I really need to talk to my sister!” Did I really said that out loud to somepony else? Oh well, I did not feel like trying to solve that mistake. The continued silence was starting to get on my nerves, I was not used to just being ignored.

Let’s just say that I was surprised when I finally received an answer, “Nah, just kidding, leave a message after the beep." This finally made me realize where I had heard that voice before. It was how Luna sounded yesterday; I had just been trolled by my little sister. How could I not notice it was her voice earlier... I decided to leave her a message in the case that she just had closed her phone.

“Hello Lun-John? It's Ti-Alex. I only wanted to know how you were doing. On my side, watching the first two episodes of My Little Pony proved to be a rather disturbing experience... Well... I hope that you are safe.” I interrupted the call once I was done my message. That went smoothly; she'll definitely not worry once she hears it...

I briefly considered going out to look for her, but I quickly abandoned the idea; I had no idea where to start looking for her considering that she left without giving me any clues of her destination. I should have insisted more this morning... Taking this in consideration, it was much better that I stayed here until I had any kind of news. I could check on Internet; who knows, a blue pony-girl might have found itself in the news of the town.

Needless to say, it did not take me much time to open my computer and look through the local news, only to find nothing interesting. Oh well, at least she haven't been caught. On the other hoof, I found a rather interesting article about an unexplained explosion in Seattle. The journalist responsible for the article reported that the police had been unable to find any traces of explosive residues near the center of the explosion. Could it be of a magical nature? It was wishful thinking, but that would also mean that me and Luna aren't the only ones in this situation. If it was the case, then I needed to find a way to communicate with them without raising too much suspicion. This won't be easy... Unless I use the reliability problem of the web to my advantage; however, it will have to wait until the physical changes are done to remove all clues that could direct anypony to me.

Once I was done wandering the Internet, I looked at my steam friend list only to notice that my friend was still not available. If it hadn't been for Luna's sake, I would have called Michael; not that I was looking at explain him why my voice was female at the moment. For the first time since the changes began, I was truly wishing that nothing had happened. It had been interesting at first, but all this worrying about a stranger and my degraded relationship with my best friend brought my morale at an all-time low. Music always had a calming effect on me, so I decided to go through one of the play list I made especially for one of those times. Ironically, the first song on it was Stamp on the ground from Italobrothers. This was kind of funny considering that I was properly equipped to do so.

++C++

An hour passed and I still had no news from Luna. What could take her so much time...? Thankfully, I was snapped of my gloomy thoughts when the next song started: Fear not this night from the game Guild Wars 2. It had always been a favorite of mine as it meant for me that no matter how desperate events became, it was important keep hope alive for it is was the only way that we could truly find a way out. It was oddly fitting with my current situation.

As the song ended, I was in for a big surprise as my ears caught the clapping of hands from right behind me before a much anticipated voice spoke up, "Well done, well done. I was actually really touched by that piece of art." I turned around to confirm the identity of the one who startled me. The blue ears and azure mane could only belong to Luna. Wait, why did she spoke of the song like I was performing? Oh no! I must have been singing along the music, again... It was weird though that her voice didn't sound sarcastic; my singing normally made everypony cringe.

"Wha- When did you come back?" Yeah, that was real smooth. I wouldn't be surprised if my worries were a little too obvious. I was about to have a better look at her to see how she was doing when I was distracted by the start of the next song. I quickly put an end to it using my magic so I could return my attention to my sister. She better have a good explanation for having been away for so long.

With the distraction away, I returned my glance to my sister; I regretted that idea quickly. Her clothes were shredded all over, and wa- was it blood there? Sweet heavens, what happened to you Luna! Having a confirmation that my worries were justified didn't help with my current emotional state. She spoke some words but I had already lost the control of my body; it had proceeded to bring her into a hug. Time slowly passed as we stayed like this, it felt strangely comforting after the events of the day. I am brought back to reality by light pressures near the base of my forming wings, but I wasn't ready to release the hug; her proximity felt so good, it felt so familiar...

The next second, I was in a different room coming from the past, with a much younger, and cuter, version of pony Luna in front of me. Emotion wise, I wasn't in a much better state than before the memory began; it was almost like somepony had removed a part of my soul. What could have happened to cause her such pain? The answer came from little Woona, "It's alright Tia! That stallion was a butt anyways!" Arg, so this was about a stallion; it was probably a rupture. Unfortunately, I couldn't but agree with little Luna here; I meet more than my share of stallions caring little more than bragging about their conquests. A naive young alicorn would make for a great prize for them. As the memory faded, the beginning of a smile started to form on my snout thanks to my younger sister antics.

As I returned to reality, I found myself face to face with my very own Luna. She probably pulled me away while I was reliving my memory- living Celestia's memory. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?”

Did I want to? I knew that I would have to tell her about the memories eventually, but it wasn't the right moment for that. I don't recall ever feeling this miserable in my life, I blamed the new hormones flowing through my body. It was no wonder that mares had always been a complete mystery to stallions... I tried to give my sister an answer but only one word found it way out, "I-I-" Great, I was stammering now. Cake would be so good right now...

In response to my plight, Luna tried to look more sympathetic, but she never was very successfully at it. At least, she did sound worried, "Tia, it's alright, you can tell me what's wrong." I heard you the first time. Asking a second time doesn't change the fact that I need time to recover. I was about to try to speak up again, but she seemed to have blanked out. If I had to guess, she was currently living a memory from her pony. Well, that will surely make it easier to tell her about my day at least.

The time she spent gone on the memory line allowed me to recover from my previous shock. More or less. Once I noticed that she was back with me, I finally gave her an answer, "So-sorry, I haven't felt well lately." This wasn't perfect, but it was certainly an improvement from my earlier narcissism. In any cases, I decided to delay my explaining the most I could. Beside, addressing my worries would certainly help my mood. Right, considering the state she currently is in, I'm sure she must have an interesting story to tell me. She better have one. "What happened to you?"

In response to my question, my sister step back. Did I just scare her? It wasn't like I would send her to the Moon or anything... "Well, earlier I received a message from someone, telling me that they were in the same boat as us.” Wait, this was the reason she left this morning? Didn't she think it would be a good idea to tell me? It isn't like I'm transforming into somepony known by about everypony. Oh wait, that right, I am the Princess of the Day! The rest of her explication didn't fare much better, “So, I went to go investigate and it ended up being an ambush by these soldiers in black. After I was able to fight them off, I realized that I had been drugged. I barely managed to hide myself in the nearby forest before I fell asleep. Once I awoke quite a while later, I catalogued the new changes, got back to my car, and started to drive back. However, I accidentally drove into the ditch, hence the cuts all over my body."

Despite all I did for her, she decided to play it solo and got in trouble because of it? Have it your way then! See if I care anymore. "So, you receive news from somePONY else, who are also possibly in the same situation as us, and you don't TRUST me enough to tell me?! Why did I even bother to stay here after you tried to kill me? Do you have any idea what I did for you because I wanted to trust you based on a feeling that isn't even mine to begin with? I kept my best friend in the dark because I thought it would be better to talk about the situation with you! But now, I've had about enough of you! I'm leaving once the night has fallen!"

She have made her decision, it was time for her assume the consequences. I left her alone in the living room and entered the first room I encounter and slammed the door shut behind me. I leaned back, trying to return to my senses. I had my bursts of anger in the past, but never like that. But this time I felt like I had betrayed by my sister? No. Not sister... only a stranger. I should never have trusted this new feeling in the first place.

A quick look at the room revealed a bed. This must be L- John's bedroom. It was a good thing as my body started to feel much weaker. I let myself fall upon the bed but it did not made me feel any better; my eyes started to water. It was probably only dust in my eyes. The temperature of the room wasn't helping either, I was feeling so hot. And there was that pain in my chest. Maybe I should rest a little before leaving; convincing my only friend in this town that I am who I pretend to be will not be easy. Thankfully, darkness lost no time to claim me.

++M++

I must admit that I appreciated the episode much more than the last few times I watched it. I wish I could meet someone like Miss Berry in real life; my parents could use a babysitter for the girls. The pink pegasus Peachy Breezy was a lot like Fiona and Strawberry Frosting handled her easily. This was a great feat in itself; I had too much experience in the matter. I briefly thought of watching more episodes with my sisters, but cleaning wouldn't have been done by itself.

Once I was done with the very boring task, I joined back Fiona and Glowy in the living room. The last time I had as much fun watching a cartoon like My Little Pony was when I was around my sisters age. This was a little weird, but it was probably only affected by my sisters’ excitement. Nothing interesting happened until the girls decided to pester me to go to the local McDonalds. It wasn't as much for the foods as for the games they had. I certainly did not mind having them burn some of their limitless energy.

Things started to get weird while I was giving our command to the cashier; Sam accidentally addressed me as Pinkie Peach and failed to notice it until I was giving that crazy look by girl serving us. Needless to say, Fiona liked that pony name and she used it instead of my name ever since. I tried to discourage her, but my lack conviction probably didn't help. For unknown reasons, the name felt like it fitted me more than my own. Right, I totally identify myself with a pink pegasus filly...

When we came back home, the twins started to play with their pony figurines again. I briefly considered joining them, but I came back to my senses. This was so wrong! I was supposed to be the responsible one and watch them to be sure they didn't get into trouble, not losing myself having fun. I needed to clear my mind, so I put my television on the sci-fi channel. Breezy tried to make me join in their fun several time, but I refused every time. It was almost like she was worried about me.

Eventually, it was almost their bed time so I sent them to take their bath. The girls undressed themselves while I adjusted the temperature of their bath. I turned around when I heard a shout of excitement coming from both of the girls.

They both had the cutie mark of their respective figurine on their thigh. What have they done this time...?

Author's Note

Finally the next chapter. Sorry if I took a while for this one, but I worked on another fic that should be posted soon. I hope.

The part with Celestia will make more sense on the next chapter. Michael will have a greater part in the story soon.

As always, feel free to leave any comments or ideas.

Oh, and feel free to guess whom the voice is.

9 : Acceptance

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 9: Acceptance

May 3rd
I woke up floating in a weird starry void. When did I get here? Or more importantly, how could I be here. The feeling of weightlessness started to get to me when several bright lights gathered underneath me in the form of a road on which I slowly landed. At the moment of the landing, I was surprised to feel my toes; I was getting used to my hooves. This weird spectacle brought a rather important question in perspective. What the hell is happening! Wait, I can use that expression correctly now?

“The pony part of your brain has been used to give life to me my little human.” An amused voice came from behind me. I decided to turn around to face origin of the seemingly familiar voice. I wasn't surprised to see a tall white alicorn with a pastel rainbow mane; actually, to be honest, it looked awfully like the sky at dawn. I was staring at the pony I was slowly turning into, Celestia.

I thought that my ability to be surprised was depleted thanks to the last few days, but this one took the cake. Erg, me and my obsession with cake... In any case, if the changes were far enough to be able to generate such a detailed mental construct, I was in great trouble. Still, I decided to ask her the only question that mattered. “So, what is going on?”

“Oh over here? I only reshaped your dream so we could have a little talk. Dreams might be our sister’s domain, but I have learned some interesting techniques to protect ours.” She spoke as if I should know what she was talking about. Wait, Luna has power over dreams? Thinking back on last night dream, I'll admit that it was rather weird. But that would mean that... Na, I doubt she could use that kind of power, not consciously at least. “You Miss have a big problem. And the way you just treated your sister didn't help the situation.” I could easily feel the anger toward me ingrained in her voice when she mentioned Luna. There was also a hint of... guilt, like she could have prevented that situation.

Still, how dare she judge me based on that incident? I wasn't the one in the wrong after all. I decided to voice my annoyance, “First, HIS name is John and he isn't even the real Luna. And there is no way that he could be my sibling.” In any case, it seemed to be counterproductive to be angry at what was most likely another part of myself; though I doubt that pony me only wanted to talk about this matter, “So, what do you really want to talk about?” Actually, if she really is a representation of my pony side, then maybe she knows a way to return me to normal! “I suppose you don't happen to have any idea on how to reverse the changes...” Now that I think about it, why would she help me with that even if she knew it would mean her death? Maybe we could reach some kind of compromise.

Celestia was taken back by my answer for an instant, but her stance quickly returned to her usual mask. To any unsuspecting party she looked like she was genuinely smiling, but I knew she was still disappointed at my behavior toward the one she perceived as our sister thanks to her memories. In the end, she did concede my point, “You are right, she is as much the real Luna as you are the real Celestia. And as much as I'd like to help with your curse, I'm afraid that I already done more than I should have.” Her mention of a curse surprised me. It wasn't because it confirmed the source of the changes was magic, it meant that someone was behind this and he or she had ill intents toward both me and L-John. It made little sense considering that the two of us had so little in common. I wonder how much I could trust what this Tia was telling me. The traits of the pony in question became much more severe before she proceeded, “The topic I need to discuss with you is about the memories that you are gaining. You can't continue to belittle them anymore.”

“What do you mean?” I did not mean to say my thought out loud, but her unusual straightforwardness took me by surprise. She probably thought it was a grave problem. Well, it was her memories after all.

“If you continue to try to block them, the sheer amount of memories will eventually bury your own and form a personality of their own.” As she was done speaking, the solar alicorn realized what she had unknowingly insinuated, “I meant outside the dream world.”

As much as I hated to admit, she was probably right. If I did not manage to halt the mental changes, her memories would eventually overshadow my own, possibly redefining my sense of self. There is also no way to know for certain how my brain would react to having two distinctive set of memories. Oh no! What if my dream from earlier wasn't one? It would mean that I was already screwed. Still, it didn't stop me from doubting the motives of the being in front of me. “So you expect me to simply accept them because you say so?”

“No, I do not. I wouldn't have taken over your dream if I thought it would be so easy to convince you.” So she wanted to convince me. It was good to know that she preferred the more peaceful way, confirming what I already knew of her personality. “I shall start out by giving you a better view of the situation.” My body started to tingle as she finished. Bringing a hand in front of my face, I could see that it was quickly being covered in a white fur and my fingers merged together as the resulting one nail grew to cover much of the top of the forming hoof. She had reshaped my body back into a pony. Celestia was fairly amused at her handiwork, “You look much cuter that way.”

Other the other hand, I was much less amused; I did not need a reminder that I could be stuck on all four tomorrow. I craned up my new pony neck so I could stare at the Princess. The action felt really strange; this will take time to get used to. In any case, the height difference between the two of us was much too obvious. I decided to voice my opposition to the change, “Ch-” The voice that escaped my mouth was much more childish than how I sounded before going to sleep. Great, she had turned me into a young filly too... “I don't see how making me a filly will help you convince me...”

“This wasn't the reason why I changed you.” Her grin widened. Uh oh, what is she planning? “Tell me my little pony, why are you refusing those memories?” I rolled my eyes; she had changed me only so she could use her favorite expression. I wish I had that kind of power in the real world; it would be worth it for a few pranks.

“It's simple. The memories are only a fabrication of whatever spell was cast on me.”

The princess of the Sun seemed to be less than pleased at my answer, “Young filly! We both know that it isn't the real reason. Don't forget that I know what you truly think.” She proceeded to ask me in a more caring voice, ”What is it that you truly fear?”

It was my turn to use the change she forced on me at my advantage, “Yes mommy.” My 'mother’s' eyes rolled at the sound of my come back. What did I fear? If I accepted those memories as my own, my hypothesis was that it would change who I am, and how I think. Or more importantly, that it might affect my relationship with my friend. “I don't want to lose myself...”

Celestia started to close the gap between the two of us, prompting me to back away. Well, I tried to go backward but my inexperience with quadruped movement made me trip. Thankfully, due to the fact it was only a dream, the fall didn't hurt me. On the other hand, I let out a cute surprised “Eeep” when I felt the contact of fur on my right side. Celestia had just nuzzled me? “I'm sorry, I did not mean to scare you away little one.” I looked up at her to see that she looked genuinely sorry. That mistake however made me wonder about the identity of the being in front of me. I don't think that the 'real' Celestia would have done such a stupid mistake if she had been a public figure for centuries. Now that I think about it, the alicorn in front of me was acting oddly like my inner voice would. Eventually, the mental construct opened her mouth again, ”It is inevitable that you'll change one way or another. But who said that it couldn't be beneficial for you?”

To say the least, I was unconvinced by her statement, “Beneficial?”

The Princess paid no attention to my suspicions, “Celestia does possess over a thousand years of wisdom. Beside, you base your fear on the hypothesis that you are too different from your other self. Tell me Alex, how would you reign over ponies for centuries?”

Whatever took the form of Celestia had a habit of bringing the proper points to me, much like my inner voice. The alicorn of day possessed a great amount of power, moving both the Moon and Sun everyday was surely no small feat. But then why did she bother protecting other ponies at the cost of her only sister. Why would I protect them? It was hard to imagine myself in her place (for now), but when given the choice in games, I usually picked the selfless choice. A line from a famous super hero came to my mind that seemed to be oddly fitting, “With great power comes great responsibility.” My correspondent seemed confused by my words. “I meant that I would feel the need to use my power to keep them safe from those who would try to hurt them.”

The Princess nodded once I expressed myself more clearly, agreeing with my statement, “As Celestia has over the years. Even when she had to fight her own blood...” Her voice lowered toward the end, but there was something artificial about the mood she pretended to be in when she talked about the Nightmare Moon event. I also noticed that she avoided relating events to herself.

In the end, she was right though. Those memories, real or not, will have an impact on me whether I like it or not. Normally I would prefer to suppress them, but if I don't manage to reverse the changes fast enough then the effect would cripple me. The other option meant becoming more like Celestia. Like dream Celestia pointed out, I knew from the memories I have lived that, either me and Celestia were already mostly similar or the changes could only be beneficial in the matter. The only problem lies in my own feelings about the one Tia considers her sister. It was still the better choice of the two options.

It didn't mean that I couldn't have fun with the form she gave me. So, trying my best to appear to be pouting I addressed myself to her, “Fine... You win. I'll do as you said.“

The dream alicorn’s face brightened at my declaration, “Thank you. There is one more thing that I'd like to discuss with you though. I'd like you to mend your relation with Luna.” Great, that… My companion must’ve noticed my reluctance because she quickly added, “It is only a personal request from an old mare. Don't feel obliged to do anything.”

Now that I think back about what happened, I now see that cutting all ties with the only other person in my situation was too irrational; she just had caught me off-guard at the worst time. Yet, at the moment, it would be best if I keep my distance, at least until I have fully integrated the memories of Celestia and erased any confusion in my mind. “I'll try to work out a truce with her, but I can't guarantee anything more.”

The other Celestia looked happy that I’d abide to her request, “That is all I ask.”

The world around us started to fade away, like last night. The other pony decided to bid me farewell, “It is time for me to take my leave. The dream is fading away because of outside interference.”

Outside interference? Oh no! I must have fallen asleep on Luna's bed! This will make for a good impression...

++C++

May 4rd
I usually take coffee to solve my morning awareness problem in the morning. Of course, I figured out other ways to do so. And apparently, somepony just found a new one. For some reason I was suddenly awoken by a sharp pain in my back, making me let out an “Ouch” to recognize it. I wasn't too happy with this impromptu wake up method to say the least. Even worse, I had gotten entangled in the blankets.

The anger didn't last long however as the memories of both the room I was currently in and my dream last night came back to me. Duh, it was no wonder that Luna wouldn't be too happy this morning if I stole her bed. Actually, I heard some kind of giggles coming from behind me as I was facing the beautiful... wall. Well, I guess it was as good as any time to try to make up for my outburst last night. “Eh, I'm sorry for taking up your bed. I didn't plan on falling asleep...” I told her sheepishly.

“Hey, don't worry about it. So do you want to look at whatever changes happened overnight? Or tell me about any odd dreams you may or may not have had?” Her answer was chirpier than what I expected. It seemed that somepony was in a good mood this morning, and most likely at my expense.

“The changes can't be that bad, I haven't heard you shouting while fleeing the bathroom. That would have been as good a wake-up call as any.” I did not lose the chance to get her back for having much too fun pushing me on the floor. Unfortunately, it made me notice several things out of the ordinary. For one, my mouth felt different when it moved to pronounce words. Actually, I noticed a white spot in my vision moving as I spoke. I now had a muzzle; great, I can finally nuzzle others properly...

Actually, now that I pay more attention, my field of view seems to have grown and I could easily notice the paint flakes on the wall. Next, I tried to move my fingers, but I was greeted with an absence of the necessaries muscles. Not the fingers, I loved those! Not that I actually needed them thanks to magic, but still, fingers! Unfortunately, the frustration caused by my lost of pinkie and its friends contracted a muscle that I previously lacked and compressed my wings against the shirt I was still wearing. It was just like in my dream; there was no denying the state of the changes. “We are full ponies, aren't we?” I told her in defeat.

"Well, if you'd just look at me, then you'd have your answer!" That would be a great idea, but I kind of landed so as not to look that way after somepony pushed me. Of course, I wouldn't tell her out loud; I don't want to know what else she could do to me while I was already on the floor, and the frying pan was simply out of reach.

I still took the opportunity to humor myself, “I don't know, that wall seems strangely interesting at the moment.” Then I rolled on the floor as well as I could considering my situation with the pillows and the blanket until I was face to face to Luna all in her pony majesty, “You are rather... blue and… nude.” I did not expect her to be without clothes, though my wings constant contact with my shirt made it clear why she made that choice.

Considering her nice red blush that contrasted perfectly with her normally blue fur, I'd say that she didn't spend much time thinking about that part. Wait, how does fur change color? You know what, never mind that. Magical cartoon ponies don't need to make sense.

I decided to change subject before I reached insanity, “As for the dream, it's rather weird that you ask me that question. You could say that I had a talk with... myself,” That might sound a little too crazy when I think about it; I should try to explain it more clearly to her. “It was most likely only a coping mechanism. These last days weren't the most calm I’ve had in my life. Talk about a birthday present.” I only muttered the last sentence to myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if she caught it with her new pony ears.

My hunch soon proved to be true, "Yeah, no kidding. So, how are you holding up?"

How was I holding up? Surprisingly well considering how badly my life had been severely altered in only three days. That vacation had came at the perfect time. It was no wonder that she asked me though, considering how I acted up yesterday. I sighed before giving her my answer, “I'm feeling better than yesterday.” She had been nice with me for most part and here she was caring about my emotional state. It didn't make me feel any better about my outburst from yesterday. “Thank you for asking. I just hope that we'll quickly find a way to change back...”

I gave a quick glance at the state of my clothes; my shirt had been shredded, from the shift in my bone structure, not, because I gained more weight. Especially not because of the cake I like to eat. “As fun being turned into ponies might be, my clothes don't seem to appreciate it.” I tried to remove my shirt with the hooves that had replaced my hands and Luna seemed to be amused by my lack of success.

"Y'know, why don't you just use your magic to take off the clothes? Of course, then you'd be nude just like me." This was really embarrassing on two levels. I had practiced with my new found magic yesterday, especially to avoid situations like this one, and I can't believe that I forgot about the whole nudity part, especially after having so clearly explained it my si- Luna. I really need to stop calling her my sister... At least until I manage to attain better control those memories. Beside, is it me or has the room got a lot hotter suddenly?

“I had forgotten about my magic. It is only the second day that I can use real magic.” I told her sheepishly. Following the instruction from yesterday, I finally succeeded in removing my shirt. Unfortunately, I put too much magical strength in the effort and the piece of clothing flew right toward the face of Luna, successfully lodging itself on her head. Oh oh... “Sorry! I didn't mean to shoot it at you. It's your comment about being nude that caught me surprise. That is my excuse and I’m standing by it.” I mumbled the whole thing really fast. I don't know why, but I feared some kind of retaliation. Not anything serious like our little fight, more like... a prank? Great, even more mental changes to deal with, “As for the actual problem, well I guess I'll pretend that my fur is actually the clothes.” I did manage to quickly add in a more normal fashion

Now that my wings were free, I decided to stretch them to their full glory. They were much wider than I expected, but I fail to see how they could lift me in the air unless I lost some weight during the changes. Actually, I feel more like I’ve gained a few pounds since Saturday, and it isn't because of my eating habits this time. There are a couple of feathers out of place that I'll need to put back in place later on… once I'm granted the memories on how to properly take care of them. If I'm going to be stuck as a pony for a while, I might as be at my best. "So, how were you cursed and brought to Earth. I mean, it is shown in the show, but there's nothing like hearing it from the one who experienced it!" My wings quickly snapped to my side at Luna's shocking exclamation,

Her nonsense was met with a surprised shout, “What?!” This made no sense! I'll give her that if magic was involved in our changes then we had been cursed, but, as far as I'm concerned, I was born on Earth. I wonder how she could think that we were the real thing that somehow found our way to Earth. It was impossible! I was about to argue, but I managed to stop myself in time. I took a depth breath to cool down my mind; I did not want a repeat of yesterday.

Why did she come to believe this idea? She must have been overwhelmed by the memories coming from the spell! Hopefully it isn't too late to help her, “John, you do know that it make no sense that either us would come from a world described in a cartoon.”

"Yeah, and you realize that it makes no sense for us to be turning into ponies either right? And besides, we not only came from that world, but this world as well." I'll admit that logic has been thrown out of the window as of late, but belonging to both worlds? She means reincarnation... Overcomplicating thing won't win over her side of the argument. Besides, how does she explain the show?

“Heard of the Occam's razor? Which is more probable? We were humans that were cursed by some kind of magic and we are turning into a specific pony and gaining forged memories or we were ponies that somehow got sent away by a powerful being to be reborn as human and for some reason we are reverting to our true form? The end result might be very similar, but it does not make us them.” A sigh escaped my muzzle once I was done. If the mental changes go all the way, it won't matter who is right in the end anyways.

"Well, seeing as how you think those memories are based off of the show, let me tell you something; most of those memories we gained were never shown! The only explanation is that we experienced those times ourselves!" I only had her word about that part, which in this discussion wasn't worth much if she lost it. What followed caught me by surprise, "I even have someone on my side who backs my theory, and I'm willing to bet you have someone who backs my theory as well."

I wonder whom she is referring to. It wasn't a pony or she would probably have used somepony instead. Who could it be? I had barely told her anything about myself. Did Michael call me while I was asleep and she answered it? Even if it was the case, I don't see what he could have told her that reinforced her position. The only solution left is asking her directly, “Then, you won't have any problem to present them to me.”

"Well, didn't you talk to someone in your dreams last night?"

This was going nowhere! My impatience grew even more when my stomach rumbled to remind me that we had been doing this for a while. “Like I told you earlier, I 'spoke' to myself last night,” my wings had moved on their own to put emphasis on the quotes, “I don't think that either of us will be able to convince the other at moment. It would be better to drop the subject for now.”

"I know I'm right, because I talked to Selena last night through my dreams. She told me the truth of what happened to us originally." Her last statement caught me totally off guard. Why did she bring in the Greek goddess of the Moon? What did she have to do in all this? Well, I can say Luna is good at giving me a headache, and it was growing fast.

“What do the Greeks have to do with all this now...” This whole pony situation was starting to truly enervate me. Is it so hard for it to make just a tiny bit of sense? I mean, at this point Alice in Wonderland made much more sense than our situation to me.

"Well, not the Greeks, but Selena. From what I can tell, she sort of adopted the Greeks as her personal fan club.” That headache was starting to get bigger and she wasn't helping. She took a moment to think on how to proceed and she managed to catch me even more off-guard than at the mention of Selena. "Look, ever since these changes started, there's been some mysterious voice speaking to me and giving me advice. I think, the same has been happening to you."

A voice? Could she mean? No, that's impossible! And yet... It knew about that link to the Sun, something that even I had no knowledge about before hoof. There is only one way to know if it's the truth. I searched for the Sun's link and reached for it like last time. If her theory is right, then it must be how they communicate with us. So, I concentrated my thought on it, 'I assume that you are Helios. That dream, it was your doing.'

The answer removed any hope of me winning this debate. 'So you finally found out Sun Princess.' That explain why it wanted me to accept those memories. They were mine all along... I slowly lay down on my temporary bed on the carpet before addressing myself again to The Luna in a defeated tone, “You are wrong.”

Luna, no my sister, seemed to misunderstand what I wanted to say and simply snapped at me,

"You know I am right, Celestia! You need to just wake up and accept the cold hard facts of reality." As she spoke, she moved closer to me until she was right in my face, "Yeah, guess what! You really did banish me to the moon for a thousand years! Accept it! I don't care if I hurt your feelings right now, because you just need to grow up, and shoulder your responsibilities!" The unfiltered anger from her words made me back away from her, "This is our life now! All we can do is help out others with the same problem, which I have been doing, while you just sit around and eat my food. So I am ordering you, to remember who you once were, and help me like you're supposed to!"

Her tirade took me by surprise. I didn't expect a simple misunderstanding to provoke such a reaction. Even if she did have a point that I haven't done much to help, but then again, she didn't give me a chance either. Her desperate tirade also brought up something in light. While she pretended to be fine, I could easily tell that she had suffered too from what happened. And it was my duty to help her, as her older sibling. As I know that my friend did so often for his own sisters.

I burst out laughing, which of course wasn’t the best reaction to the current situation. “Calm down, you misunderstood me little sister. I have been hearing Helios since I was a little filly. There was no need for such a passionate display.”

An angry Luna shouting at me so close did nothing to ease my growing headache. “Say, do you think that aspirins are safe for ponies?”

Author's Note

Yay! Finally posted the next chapter. You know what's funny? I was 95% complete before I started to watch two animes and start to play Tales of Graces F... Anyway, here you are.

The next chapter should come MUCH sooner. It will include a little chat with Shadow and Fireball.

Also, I plan to recheck my previous chapters to do some modification (especially the first) and actually move Michael parts in his own separate side story chapters.

10 : Cake and headaches

Author's Note

A Note from your friendly american Buckshot2825:
WARNING, commas may or may not be in stock
So yeah, he writes in past tense, i write in present tense, big shock that i’m having trouble with this (i assume you found errors)
He’s also half canadian and a big teddy bear feel free to comment any mistakes you find, also if you’d love to help him, and me, and don't mind broken english, volunteer your services and i’ll personally give you an internet hug.

A note from your friendly Quebecer Sarikano
Any I not properly in upper case is Bucky fault.

10 : Cake and headaches

Total Eclipse of the Sun
Chapter 10 : Cake and headaches

May 4rd
“No, I don't. I'll let you figure it out, as well as find them on your own. I have something I need to do,” Luna told me in a cold demeanor before turning her back to me and walking away.

Oh, come on! I’ll admit it was stupid on my part to laugh out loud considering the situation, but she doesn’t need to be so callous. I’m only asking for painkillers! Forget it! I’m in no condition to deal with her AND my growing headache. I’ll find the aspirin myself, then deal with her afterwards. But first, I need to make it clear we aren’t done talking yet.

"Fine, but I need to speak with you over breakfast if possible," I told her, trying to sound as stern as possible.

She paused briefly, only to dismiss me, waving me off using her right front hoof. In light of earlier revelations, it seem we have a lot of work to do on our relationship. Later.

I took a step forward, only for my face to meet the ground. Oh right, I forgot. I’m a quadruped now, meaning that I have four appendage to control. On the bright side, Luna wasn’t there to witness my fall, or she would be the one laughing now while accompanying me on the floor.

I carefully got back on my hooves, taking care to distribute my weight more evenly along my now four appendages. It’s weird how quickly I found the proper balance considering the novelty of the position. It’s almost like I used to be a pony before. Oh right, I did. While I can’t refute the truth of my situation due to hearing Helios’ voice most of my life, I can’t help but find the whole thing completely crazy.

Hopefully it means I’ve recovered my old muscle memory when i changed into this body, because i have better things to be doing than learning to walk again. Actually, considering how easily Luna was moving about earlier, I surmise it must be the case.

I carefully took a few steps, one hoof at a time, before my face met the floor again. That was a major improvement from not moving at all at least. The weirdest part was actually walking on what used to be hands not so long ago. If I am to get used to this newish body, I’ll need to break that association and think of them as nothing more than another pair of legs. Break the association I made while human...

I got back on my hooves once again and decided to try something. If I did have the muscle memory corresponding to my pony body, that mean I should focus more on where I want to go then the how to walk. My body will do the rest of the job for me. Thus, I focused on getting to hallway. And before I knew it, I was successfully out of Luna’s bedroom! It worked perfectly!

Not to be satisfied by only a small success, I start to move toward the living room. Despite my head still hurting as Tartarus, I felt the irrational need to check on how Luna was doing after our earlier dispute. Fearing that she would just vanish. Oh please, don’t let me be an overprotective sister! Considering Luna’s independent personality, this wouldn’t go very well at all!

A quick glance in the living room revealed a rather busy Luna working her magic with her computer. She looked so funny sitting in her chair like a cat. I would laugh at the strange sight if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t want to compound my headache with more lunar trouble. At least, she seem to have calmed down already. This will make talking to her easier... Hopefully.

I really need that painkiller though, so I left Luna to her own devices and set off toward the nearby bathroom. As I entered, I started looking around for any pills I could use in the pharmacy. It proved to be much more arduous than I first thought. The place was a complete mess! You have a toothbrush, cologne and deodorant all on the same shelf. There’s a comb and an electric shaver that I doubt will be of any use to her anymore. Mixed in with those objects, is a variety of medicine. That one is syrup for the cold, ibuprofen, Vix cream… Oh finally, aspirin!

I levitated the phial to me, only to notice that it was childproof. Great, how am I supposed to open it now that I only have hooves? Maybe I could apply some pressure on the lid with my magic? Eh… Why is that toothbrush floating and glowing golden? And why is the rest of the objects in the bathroom floating too? That’s just perfect… I must have subconsciously grabbed the other things too when I picked up the aspirin with my magic. Oh well, I might as well order that mess while I’m here. Honestly, I don’t see how Luna manages to find anything in here.

It took me only a moment to put back everything in the pharmacy thank to my magic,and everything is easier to find now.While I missed my hands, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the task as fast using them. Somehow, I feel magic is going to make that loss much easier to get over.

Enough about it though, I still need to take that aspirin. I took back the bottle in magic, making sure that it was the only thing I grabbed this time. Then I applied a small pressure on the cover and slowly turned. Crap! Luna won’t notice the TINY cracks that formed, right? After all, it’s not like it’s really my fault if the plastic is so cheap? Or that I don’t fully control my magic yet, right? I’m so getting blamed for it. On the bright side, the phial is opened now. That’s the only thing that matter, right?

I put a pill aside on the sink before returning the phial in the pharmacy, making sure to hide it from view as much as possible. She can’t know what she can’t see, right? I really didn’t need a angry Luna at the moment. Considering how badly it went for me last time, I definitely don’t wish to see first hoof what she can do now with magic.

A moment later and I found myself with yet another problem. I had the hopefully not deadly pill, but I needed something to help swallow it. With no glass in sight in the bathroom and not willing to ask Luna for one, I was left with no other choices then drink the water from the faucet like an animal. How fitting… At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if a higher being was laughing at my continuing misfortune.

Oh well, a pony must do what a pony must do. I opened the faucet, swallowed the pill then did my best to drink from the jet of water. The feeling of water flowing down my now elongated mouth and rushing down my much longer neck was so strange. And, to be honest, it felt so wrong to drink that way. I guess a few things don’t change whenever you are a pony or a human.

My headache hopefully dealt with, that left me with my other problem. Luna. The stranger I met who happen to be my long lost sister. With whom I had a rather stormy debut to our relationship. And to top it, add in that we seem to have difficulty to interact with each dues to our differences in our personality. It seem that we’ll both have a lot of work to do in that regard. On the bright side, we did manage to make it work in the past if my lingering feelings of Luna are of any indication.

A past that know nothing about. Unless those episodes I saw yesterday were accurate. And I’m afraid that they were considering the memories I recalled that wasn’t a part of them. The worst of it being the feelings that accompanied them. If I learned anything of that event, it’s that I’m not ready for facing the events related to related to Nightmare Moon rise and fall. Even if I feel I’ll have no choices in the matter. I greatly doubt they would be fit for a show for foals.

Pushing aside those potentially dark thoughts, I finally emerged from the bathroom in mostly a better shape than when I entered. Correction, mostly emerged. I couldn’t help but slip and end on the floor. Again. Though this time it wasn’t my fault. Hooves are not made to trot on such slippery tiles. I’m thankful that the rest of Luna’s appartement isn’t that bad. What worry me is the sensation that it’s nothing new. It’s not like I lived in castle with a floor made of marble. Right?

Enough with the floor. I got back up and carefully got out with a few minor slips. I was now bathroom free! Honestly, I’ve had it with bathrooms during the last four days. I swear something happens every time I step into one of them!

Looking toward the living room I noticed big blue eyes staring at me. Luna’s eyes. Just great… Did she notice my fall while exiting the bathroom? Probably not considering the lack of laughing. Hopefully.

My head was still aching, but it seem that fate had conspired to make me confront Luna right away. And… apologize for my earlier outburst.

"I'm sorry about my outburst earlier Luna. It's not every day that you learn that you were born as a pony princess in your last life," I told her.

Yet another thing that’ll take time to get used to. I haven’t even began to think what being a princess mean. And from the episode I’ve seen, I was a rather loved one. Meaning that much is most likely expected from me. That’s bucking fantastic! Getting back into my horseshoes is going to be so much fun...

"I can forgive you, after all, I did try to murder you earlier," replied Luna after careful consideration.

I shivered at the memory. Did she have to bring that back?! I can’t help but think what would happened if I didn’t get a hold on that lucky frypan. And that was only over a video game! I’d hate to see how she’d react to something more serious... like, let’s say being overly jealous. Oh right, bringing eternal night.

Never the less, I did already forgive her. Besides, I sincerely doubt she was entirely herself at the time. I know I wasn’t thanks to those changes that were happening.

"I suppose it won't be the last mistake either of us will make in the next few days," I tried to downplay the issue. Nothing good would come from it.

Beside, it isn’t entirely false. Despite our feelings, we did barely know each other and our contrasting personalities will be sure to clash from time to time. I wonder what our relationship used to look like before we cursed. Wait, the curse? That right, Luna seemed to know more about that matter.

"That reminds me, you said we were cursed by someone? I'm afraid my memory is still lacking of that event," I told her.

"Alright, I'll explain what happened to me, and what I assume happened to you later; first, I want to get a shower," she replied. Now that she mention it, there is an omnipresent smell of sweat in the room. Pony sweat. Yes, a shower sound like great idea.

"That works for me. I'll just keep myself busy until you are done," I told her before slowly walking toward my laptop to check my mails and the News to see if anything interesting happened lately.

Wait. When was the last time I took a shower? I don’t remember taking one since I arrived in Muscatine… All that sweat impregnating that white coat of fur… Urg. I should really take one too. I must be smelling so bad…

"Actually, I'd like to take one after you do if you don't mind," I told her, absentmindedly turning my head toward the mare behind me.

Wait, behind? I didn’t expect my neck to be so flexible! That’s a full 180 degree turn! I wonder what else that newish body of mine can do.

Wait! Why is Luna smiling at me? I have a really bad feeling about it.

"What, don't wanna take one together?, " Luna told me, winking at me before starting to walk toward the bathroom.

Huh?! W-what!! It’s much too early to such a thing. We barely got to know each other again! She can’t be serious!

Then laughing came from Luna. That was a joke? Oh, that was very mature of you… I guess I did earn it after laughing in her face when she woke me up.

"Don't push it!" I warned her, not too seriously.

Laughter continued to resonate until the bathroom door closed. Something tell me things will get interesting with Luna arround. For some reason, I can’t help to think that the fun have been doubled for some reason.

With Luna busy with her shower for a while, I decided to lay on the sofa pony style and focus on my laptop. Especially since she’ll most likely have fun to find out how to properly take one as a pony.

My headache thankfully started to recede, meaning that the aspirin I took was working properly despite my new body. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting yet on the web, giving me time to think properly about the latest developpement.

This morning had been so different from yesterday. Especially Luna. I would never have guessed she could be so playful after these last few days. Although she does seem to be… fickle. I’ll need to be more careful with how I treat her from now on.

The biggest news is still our identity. I can’t believe that I used to be an actually pretty pony princess twenty five years ago. Well, hopefully pretty. Being ugly always brings unwanted problems for public faces.

And from what I gathered, I supposedly ruled a kingdom for several thousand years. Out of it, a thousand years was all by myself. Yeah… That’s going to be a problem since I don’t have the slightest clues on how to rule a kingdom. Despite Helios’ reassurance last night, I can only hope that I’ll remember that part of my life sooner rather then later. Thankfully, I have Luna to help me with that matter.

In all that happened lately, the most surprising is how well we accepted being ponies in the past. While I can’t say for Luna, my reason to believe is a voice in my head that I’ve heard for most of my life. Human life… A sigh of madness for most that proved to be an anchor of stability for me. After the Halloween incident, he really helped me to get through… everything that happened. Especially dealing with Summer. I’m surprised that voice belong to such a big… being.

There’s one thing bothering me though. How does Helios know so much about my pony self? That shouldn’t be possible considering my lack of memories of that period.

I might have forced my way through the barrier concealing your pony memories.

Helios?! What do you mean by forced your way through? Even more important, you aren’t always listening, right? Those are personal thoughts!

I was curious how a human could have such a strong link to me, so I searched through your memories when you were much younger. I quickly encountered a great barrier that I pierced through a small hole. What I saw was quite a surprise as you can guess.

You… You knew? Why didn’t you not tell me earlier?! It would have made things much simpler when I was turning back into a pony! And don’t think I didn’t notice you avoided my other question.

Because of the side effects my visit had on you. You still remember that fateful day when only a fraction of a memory sipped out when I found the truth about your origin. I had already upset your life that one time, so I decided to wait until you were ready. As for your thoughts, I can’t help but listen as you shout them at me all the time.

That one time? Oh no, you mean that?! It was your fault?

Yes...

I can’t believe it! My worst moment was due to the Sun being too curious! That’s ludicrous! And I doubt my parents would believe me if I told them that I wanted to disguise as a princess as I used to be one. Today is just getting better and better… Maybe I should just go back to sleep...

The idea was scrapped when I heard a loud beep coming from… my little sister’s computer. Curious, I used my magic from the sofa to push her mouse, removing the screensaver. Hmm, she didn’t lockdown her computer before leaving for the shower. Interesting. A quick look at her computer would tell me much about the mare. I only hope her shower is going to take a while.

I carefully got off the sofa and walked toward her computer. I decided not to sit on her chair once I reached the computer. There was no reason for me to leave any more clue about me prying into her personal stuff. A quick look at the screen showed the website we first met on three days ago. It sure feel like it was weeks ago now.

A glance at the page revealed that she had received a new private message since she last checked, most likely before heading to take her shower. Normally, I wouldn’t have checked further, but consider she told she was turned on this site and the mess from yesterday, I prefer to make sure I’m not left in the dark this time. As much as I want to trust her, I’d prefer not to have a repeat of yesterday; she might not be so lucky this time.

Clicking on the new message icon, I quickly found the new message titled ‘Letter from Shadow’ from a certain Reckless Inferno. Huh, letter? Who use that as the subject of a message? I really hope I didn’t stumble on a weird roleplay that Luna participate with that Inferno person. I decided to still have a look into message.

Dear Princess Luna,
We are currently in Spearville, Kansas but are making good time northwards (if nothing goes wrong). So where are you? You mentioned that you wanted to meet up to discuss some things and, well im still shaken up by the turn of events of the past few days. Also, i think Fireball has a Skype account, it would be much easier if we communicated through that.'

P.S Fireball says to tell Celestia 'Hi' if you meet her. Also that she is sorry for the exploding cake the other day. Apparently it was too tempting an opportunity.

Awaiting your reply,
Your faithful guard,
Shadow

The opening revealed that it was a pony matter as it was addressed to Luna directly. It worried me though. Did Luna found a new pony without telling me? I have to say that the part about the exploding did sound interesting though very ran-dom. Oh! My head!

What a long day! As much as I love my little ponies, hours of hearing their complaints and demands would be tiring for anypony. Thankfully, it make those dinners with my adorable little sister so much more worth it. That and the cake of course. There is nothing as good as dessert, no matter what the royal dietist say. Beside, I’m sure that it’s Luna who hired him in hope to reduce our size difference. Whatever they say, I’m not overweight! I’m just storing more magical power than usual.

The diner was succulent as ever, our chef having outdone himself as always. And I must say that I’m relieved to learn that sister have adapted well to modern Equestria. More importantly, I’m happy that my, no our little ponies have finally started to accept her. It so good to see her excited for her upcoming court this evening. It’s so different than it was a thousands years ago…

But enough reminiscing, the best part of the diner is finally here! The cake! The sugary delight just in front of me! I’m not overreacting no matter what Luna is saying. I know she does the same when moon pie are involved. I wouldn’t be surprised it’s the reason it’s called that way.

I almost feel bad of eating such a delicious pastry in front of Fireball. Though, as much as I love the orange unicorn mare, she is one who asked to be posted in the diner room today. Now that I think about it, that’s unlike her to ask to guard such a place when she could be home drinking beer. It’s like she’s expecting something to hap-

A loud bang momentarily deafened me and got me momentarily blinded as well. A bomb?! But who could be responsible?! There haven’t been an attempt on me for centuries! Especially since explosions barely have any effect on me.

I tentatively wiped off whatever material covered my eyes, hoping that it wasn’t the remains of anypony in the room. It would be highly unfortunate, not only for the poor soul, but also because of Luna’s presence. She really didn’t need to be reminded of those events so soon after her return. I was quite surprised when I recognized the moist texture of the substance my hoof actually touched. Cake?

I quickly wiped off the cake off and was greeted by a rather clean room, proof of the weakness of the bomb, and a missing cake.It was as if the goal of bomb was merely to blow the cake. In my face. Thank goodness, it was only a prank. One that I don’t approve of though. That poor cake.

Now, who could be the culprit? A quick glance toward the usual suspect revealed a shocked Luna, innocenting her. I’m half surprised, half relieved that it wasn’t her doing. We did ban explosives from our pranks so we don’t accidentally injure our ponies. Wait, explosives? Could it be her?

A glance toward Fireball guard post confirmed my hypothesis to the culprit as said mare was on her back, laughing so hard that I worried for a moment that she would choke down. I should have suspected something like that from the mare when she got extended guard.

A loud exasperated sigh brought my attention back to a facehoofing Luna. I couldn’t help but smile at the scene despite the lost of my cake. Oh, how much did I miss those moments during her… time out.

My head… What just happened… A memory? About an exploding cake? If I was a character in one of Michael's book, I would say it was a very convenient developpement. Never the less, it’s just proved that the message is genuine. Unless it’s a well known event in the cartoon I started to watch? Nay.

This does leave the mystery of the fact they knew how to contact Luna. She didn’t mention them to me before hoof. Although she did mention dream walking in passing. They could be involved in that event. I guess I’ll need to wait before clarifying the whole thing with Luna. Explaining how I learned their name won’t be fun.

In any case, I should probably try to contact them. That Shadow pony did invoke Murphy, and from what I gathered from the memory, trouble seem to find them rather easily. Or to be more exact, Fireball. So, I noted the Skype address from the message then got back comfortably on the sofa.

I added the new contact to my list then decided to look at my usual gaming sites waiting for a response. Hmm, a new Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed coming out soon. How unsurprising, except for the fact they still manage to find eras for their game. I wouldn’t be surprised they reach the stone age at this rate.

It only took a couple of minutes before there was a response from Skype.

Fred : Who is this? It sounds like you got my message but…

From the look of it, it was that Shadow pony if the mention of the message is of any indication. He does seem to take me for my sister. While it could be fun to pretend to be her, I’m afraid I don’t know enough to actually do it. So I decided to correct him.

Alex Mercier : The princess you are looking for is in another castle.
Alex Mercier : Actually, I saw your message on my sister's computer and I thought I could get in touch with you while she is busy.

An awkward silence followed. Did I just break him?

Fred : Princess Celestia?
Alex Mercier : There is no need to be so formal my little pony. It feel a little too weird at the moment to be called Princess...
Fred : Um, alright…

A moment later and Skype told me that Shadow added me to his contacts. I wonder though. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t help from writing the little pony line. Maybe it was something I kept saying when I was a pony.

Fred : So Princess Luna is busy? And Fireball says 'hi'.
Alex Mercier : Yes, she is taking a shower at the moment. It could take a while.
Alex Mercier : And hi Fireball
Alex Mercier : By the way, I had forgotten about the exploding cake until she reminded me (devil)

Was the devil emoticon out of character? To be honest, I still barely know what other ponies expected of pony me. And the opportunity was just too good to forget.

Fred : Ah, okay… well i guess you might be able to help. Princess Luna talked about meeting up with you two. Could you help us with location?
Fred : Also, that emoticon is very strange coming from you

She did? I wish Luna had warned me about potential visitor earlier. I’ll talk to her about it once she is done in the bathroom. And it seem the emoticon was out of character after all.

Alex Mercier : We are currently in Luna apartment in Muscatine, Iowa but I don't the exact address. I need to talk to a friend who live on the fringe of the town later on though.
Alex Mercier : As for the smiley, how would you qualify setting up a certain orange unicorn to guard the throne room when the Solar Court is open?

I’ll admit I might be pushing it a bit with the court part. But from what I gathered from my memory, she seemed to be an excellent deterrent.

Fred : Oh alright, I guess i will have to find that on the map…
Fred : Or i could look up on Google.
Fred : I think I'll just let Fireball handle that second question while i plot a route.

Fireball? It’s sure to be interesting.

Fred : Hey Celestia! I must say, it is so much fun being at the front door like that. :D I get to meet tons of ponies, some who are very interesting.
Fred : You wouldn't think at first glance, but some of the royal ponies are very quick on their hooves. Wonder why they are in such a hurry though…
Fred : Anyways, have fun!
Fred : P.S Still don't know what the devil smiley means :/

Yeah… Maybe I did push it too far with the smiley.

Alex Mercier : Never mind, it was probably a side effect of the melding... Speaking of that, how the two of you are holding on?
Fred : I’m fine, well as far as I know, I don't know about Shadow though. He seems to be acting like he is taking this well for my benefit.
Fred : Though I do remember him saying something about 'acting like he was fine'. I’m somewhat worried that what happened to him affected him more than he is letting on.

Oh that. Considering how great of a change transforming into a fluffy pony is, it’s unlikely that most adults male would take it just fine. Honestly, I’m barely fine either, but I have Luna. I’m afraid they both are too far for me to be able to help them at the moment.

Alex Mercier : Oh, I see... Does he seem to accepting that his pony memories are as real as the human ones? To be honest, my sister would be a better choice to help him out considering she know him better than me.
Fred : Shadow is a hard pony for me to guess at. He seems fine but then again it could be just a shell.
Fred : Maybe you're right, that Princess Luna would be better at talking to him, but I'll try to help him if something comes up.

Wait, isn’t Fireball a mare? Considering that Fred would hardly be a woman name, that mean that whoever he used to be much had quite a surprise while turning back into a pony. Just like me and Luna.

Alex Mercier : Considering your name, am I right to suppose you found yourself in a similar situation as I and woke up as a mare a few days ago?
Fred : …
Fred : This has now turned into an awkward situation
Fred : But yes.
Alex Mercier : Oh, I'm sorry! If it is any consolation, I had problems that I won't go in detail thank to the hormones yesterday.
Fred : Sounds fun :/

I should have known it would be a touchy subject. I should try to change the subject to something else. Oh I know! Considering she’s a unicorn, she should be able to use magic!

Alex Mercier : That remind me, did you have any luck with your magic?
Fred : Well I almost incinerated Shadow on purpose. Not my fault he rolled out in the way, I swear I aimed a (foot? Hoof?) away from him…
Alex Mercier : Ponies use the metric system. Do I need to remind you that as a guard you shouldn't try to set everypony on fire? You know, with great powers come great responsibilities

I wonder where that bit about the metric system came from. Maybe some minor knowledge is coming back to me at the same time as memories.

Fred : Well I try not do it on purpose but he was being a grumpus flank, if it makes you feel better, he scared me to death afterwards as payback.
Alex Mercier : I see... Just don't try that on Luna.
Fred : Heh, challenge accepted… Oh here is Shadow again (don't mention any logical impossibilities around him, he doesn't react well)

Somehow, I can’t help but be worried for Shadow. Hopefully there isn’t too much combustible material around them.

Fred : …
Fred : Anyways I’ve plotted a route thankfully around any cities and such. If we don't run into any more trouble we should be there in 11 hours.

That mean they could potentially get in town today if they drove all day. I’ll need to talk with Luna about the matter later. There is no way we should have so many ponies in her appartment. Maybe Michael would agree to help on the matter once I revealed my change to him.

Alex Mercier : I'm sorry you are stuck with the perfect guard for the Element of Laughter.
Fred : :) No worries, I love the mare and she helps keep me on my toes.
Alex Mercier : Toes? What are those toes you are talking about? (cool)

Yet another weird thought. How would I know that Fireball would fit so well with Pinkie Pie. More subtle knowledge I guess. Then again, I couldn’t help but shiver at what both mare could do if Pinkie Pie representation from the show is any true.

Fred : Speak of trouble, the police are here. Sorry to cut our conversation so short but we have to go. Bye.

Oh great… Just what we need. While it’s kind of ironic that guards are pursued by the police, I personally hoped they wouldn’t attract the attention of the people who were after Luna yesterday.

"Tia! Shower's open now!" was shouted in the room.

I jumped in surprise and quickly noticed the blue alicorn responsible for the noise. Luna was finally done with her shower…