2. A Farewell to Hooves

[fourthgenerationprincess]

ACCIDENTAL VIDEO

[ CRASH. The video snaps on just in time to catch a fist raising away from the screen. Twilight's taken to setting an alarm in the morning so that she can get to the library before anypony else does; she likes the quiet of the early morning hours there. But this morning, she's in no mood to get up. She feels exceedingly woozy for some reason. So the snooze button sounds like a good idea.

Unfortunately, her alarm is on the same table as her journal. Hence the video.

The video shows Twilight's bed, and the (human??) fist extending from it. Twilight is a lump underneath it. After several minutes of incessant beeping from the alarm, she shakes the blanket off and her head emerges.

Her... human head.

At first she tries to go back to sleep. Then she opens her eyes slowly when she realizes something's off. Looks at her still-extended fist. Uncurls her fingers.

Fingers. ]

... what is GOING ON?!?

[ She flexes them a few times, and feels her head. It's so much smaller than she's used to! And yet she barely fits on her own bed now. The covers are falling off her to reveal a blue hospital dress, which she definitely wasn't wearing last time she went to sleep. Which was... how long ago?

At some point she notices the video is on, and pokes at it with a fist a couple times to get it to turn off. Still not used to fingers, yet. ]


ACTION

[ Twilight will spend some time still in the pony house and surrounding area, getting used to walking on two legs, examining her new fingers and toes, and recording everything she does. This is a moment of SCIENCE, after all. Disorienting and troubling as it is, she must record all of it.

Eventually she will move to the village, making a beeline for the clothing store to find something more suitable than a hospital gown, and the library to do as much research about humans and the anti-ponification thereof. Find her there, or wandering the streets, marveling at how tall she is now. ]


{{ Responses will come from manely_harmless }}

Comments

[manely_harmless]

[ Twilight's attempting to carry a stack of books about humans and walk at the same time. MULTITASKING. It has some success, but this requires a fair bit of coordination. When she sees Ami, she drops all the books. ] Ami! What do you think?

[ She found a blue skirt and top at the clothing store, and twirls in them, much harder to do on four legs. NEW HUMAN LEGS except then she falls over. Again. ] Ow! How do you humans coordinate these?

[geniustheveil]

[Ami starts picking up the books, and peers up at Twilight quickly to check the outfit.]

They look very nice. [She gathers a couple more books.] I think for humans, we're used to it - and even then it takes us practice. Our mothers teach us to walk properly.

[manely_harmless]

[ She rolls over onto her belly and rises up to two legs from there. Easier to move from a stance she's used to to the stance she's not. ] Well, I'm getting lots of practice falling over. I got all of these to read up on humans as much as I could! It's more important than ever that I learn everything I can about you! … About us. [ She frowns. ] This can't be permanent? Others here have had changes and then changed back, haven't they?

[geniustheveil]

Yes; it's likely you'll change back within days, or a few weeks. Rarely, it lasts longer, but I've never heard of it being permanent yet.

[So relax and enjoy the new experience, maybe? Ami has to wonder what it'd be like to be a pony now...]

[manely_harmless]

[ She flexes her fingers. ] Well, in that case... [ she brightens ] you should show me what you like best about being human!

[geniustheveil]

What I like best about being human?

[She has to think about that.]

I like what humans can accomplish, what they can achieve.

[manely_harmless]

[ She laughs. ] Anypony could do that, silly! I mean about being human, specifically!

[geniustheveil]

[Something inside her tells her that isn't quite true, something buried among the half-memories of a past life. Humans were unique in those ways, in everything they built for themselves without the advantages of other races.

Of course, she sidestepped any argument on the point.]

I think I still love best what they create.

[manely_harmless]

Hmm. Maybe I should try sculpting something with my hands, then. There must be clay in the town somewhere!

[geniustheveil]

Do you like art, then? Painting and drawing, too?

[The daughter of an artist father, she's always wished she had more creative talent herself - actually, she likes to think she does have it, and she'd like to find the chance to develop it.]

[manely_harmless]

I like research more than art, but I'm not against the occasional hoofpainting! Really the sculpting would be for the sake of science. Fingers are so much more flexible than hooves, after all!

[geniustheveil]

Mm. You might be able to use finer detail, and different techniques. Of course, it would mean relearning various methods...

[manely_harmless]

Oh, this could be so exciting! We should talk to Rapunzel, too, she seems like she's really good at this sort of thing.

[geniustheveil]

She has a lot of talent in art. [Ami's definitely quick to agree there, from what she's heard and seen so far. Some day, it'd be nice to see an art gallery or exhibition here...]

[manely_harmless]

She seems to! I've just heard about her arts and crafts club. I've been meaning to go, and I suppose this gives me as good an excuse as any!

[geniustheveil]

Have you thought about keeping up with the book club, too? [And the school, and the science club, and she should absolutely start a chess club...]

[manely_harmless]

Oh, I help run it! Such as it is. Helios let me help choose books for it as something to do when there's nothing to shelve.

[geniustheveil]

I'd like to attend again, if it's alright.

[manely_harmless]

Of course! We're reading... [ she frowns. Oops, she's read too many books recently to remember. ] Wait, we can find out, I left it at the front desk.

[ She walks - quite shakily - towards the front desk, holding onto things as she goes. ]

[geniustheveil]

I'll find a copy and start reading it right away, so that I'll be ready when we all meet to discuss it.

[manely_harmless]

[ Twilight finds the book behind the counter and shows it to Ami. It's a work of nonfiction on the sea passages of a faraway world. SCIENCE. ] This month's was my pick. It's really good so far!

[geniustheveil]

[It's alright, Ami's thrilled by the topic. She just hopes all the others will be, too.]

It sounds very interesting. I'd like to learn more about it anyway.

[manely_harmless]

It is! I've never really learned about ocean currents before. I'm usually interested in the astronomical side of science.

[geniustheveil]

Really? I've always especially liked Astronomy, too. [Now the question is, does she mention-? Yes, yes she does.] Maybe we could study some of it together.

[manely_harmless]

Oh, that sounds wonderful! We could have a study party right here in the library!