Pony Tales

Macy barely looked up from her laptop as Rob came in the apartment.

"Do you have your share of the rent?"  Macy asked as she typed up her paper on the birth of feminism in Renaissance Florence.  Her hair was cut short and dyed to be a dark black rather than its natural dark brown.  Her eyes, behind thick black framed glasses, moved across her computer screen in time with her typing.  She paused to rub her pierced nose and then started typing away again.  "We're two months behind and the landlord is threatening to evict us.  I sufficiently debased myself enough to my parents to get my share.  Nick is selling his video games and cds."

Rob ignored her and went over to the large flat screen tv, set up on an old coffee table like an icon of a religious alter.  He opened a case and slipped a disc into a dvd player, which sat on the floor.

"Here, you have to see this."  He told her.  "It's unbelievable."

Macy kept typing.  "Can't.  Got to finish this paper for class."

"Come on."  Rob implored.  "It will just take a few minutes."

Macy sighed.

"You won't regret it.  This is amazing."

"Ok."  Macy surrendered, figuring she needed a break from her work.  She got up, and ran her hands down to flatten the wrinkles to her short black dress.  A white oval of skin beamed from a hole in her black stockings.  She sunk into the  dilapidated plush chair across from the tv.  Macy had come to trust Rob's sense in video.  He had a knack for finding hidden gems nobody knew about it, from experimental Soviet underground cinema to surreal French pre-sound shorts.  She noticed he was wearing a dark blue gem just below the neck.  It wasn't held by a chain.  It seemed like it was fixed to his skin somehow.  She figured it must be some new piercing.

Rob crouched by the dvd and started it up.  The title of the disc was displayed, "Pony Tales: New Friends."

An image of a circle of dancing cartoon ponies appeared on the screen, all signing an insipidly childish song as they pranced.

Now we're going to sing and play
Hip, hip, hip, hip hooray
Come and watch our pony tales
You'll laugh and clap without fail
So join us as we sing and play
Hip, hip, hip, hip hooray

Macy's jaw dropped.  She looked at Rob who was staring at the tv with a wide grin.

"You have got to be kidding me!"  Macy protested, preparing to stand.

"Wait.  You have to watch.  This is great."

Macy felt like she was in a joke and waiting for the punchline.  She humphed, deciding to wait Rob out to see what he had up his sleeve, and sunk back into the chair.

A typical children's show episode unfolded.  The cartoon ponies, each with their own exaggerated personality trait, lived in the magical town of Canterville.  In the first episode, they competed with one another to give the best gift to their ruler, Mayor Mauve, for her birthday.  Wacky antics ensued as they thwarted each other's gift plans.  But when they all worked together, their cooperation was the best gift the mayor could ask for!  The moral was as banal as any Saturday morning cartoon, but the pony dialogue was snappy and laced with amusing pop cultural references.  Macy was mildly entertained enough to watch another 8 minute episode even though she knew she should really should return to writing her paper.

In the next installment, the ponies made fun of a newcomer, a unicorn named Polychroma, called Poly for short.  Polly was different then the other ponies.  She had a horn and was many different colors while all other ponies were just one.  Polly was hurt by their teasing but nonetheless used her magic horn to rescue the others when they were captured by an evil wizard.  The episode ended with all the ponies recognizing that differences didn't mean someone was strange, they meant someone was special.  Macy found herself deeply affected by the episode even despite its overbearing delivery of a simple message.  As cynical as she was, she appreciated the good will that the story intended.  And she had to admit that the ponies, with their big eyes and lush manes and tiny bodies, were awfully well animated and very cute.  (This appreciation was a bit strange to her since, as an adult, she disdained cartoons in all their forms.)  Odd as her reaction to the pony cartoon seemed, Macy's paper beckoned and she did not have the time to give it due reflection.  She still felt the overwhelming desire to watch more, but she told herself she could see the whole disc when she was done.  The only problem was that Macy found she could now barely move.  It was if something was blocking the brain's message to the body so that her limbs could only listlessly and feebly respond to her commands

"Rob."  Macy said numbly.  "Something's wrong.  I can't move."

"I know.  Rob replied casually.  "It makes the transition easier."

Rob bent down over Macy, almost completely frozen in the chair.  He had in his hand a jewel of bright red that resembled the one he wore above his chest.  He pressed it on her just above her chest.  It passed through the fabric of her shirt as if it wasn't there and affixed to her skin.  A chill gripped Macy's spine.  Before she could protest, a new cartoon episode began.  The screen seemed to expand, filling and dominating her vision, crowding out the room, even any sound other that which took place there.  Macy's perceptions were overwhelmed before she could try to comprehend what was happening and she was immediately attentive the new story.

This time the pony who handled the medical affairs of their community, a purple pony called Nurse Violet, found a baby of a ferocious monster who had become separated from her mother in a storm.  The ponies argued over whether or not to help the helpless infant beast but their good nature came to the fore and they took it in and cared for it.  When an evil wizard unleashed a scheme to enslave the ponies, the baby monster's parent arrived.  The monster realized the ponies had saved its baby and joined with them to defeat their enemy.  As Macy watched she found herself wracked with the emotion the plot meant to inspire.  She laughed merrily at the simple pony jokes.  She was frightened as the evil wizard plotted and planned against the ponies.  She sobbed with joy at the happy resolution.  She was in awe at how generous the ponies were at taking in the baby and told herself she had never known such kind selflessness in human kind.

The episode ended and Macy's mind was able to reflect on what was happening to her.  Her thoughts puzzled her.  She had never seen such kind selflessness?  What about Martin Luther King?  Mother Teresa?  Gandhi?  Stranger still than what she was thinking was how she was feeling.  She felt cold about the chest as if her shirt had become saturated with cold water.  She looked down to see that the jewel that Rob had laid upon her seemed to have melted and a liquid that looked like running plastic was spreading out over her chest.  It absorbed the fabric of her shirt and affixed to her skin.  Its cool malleability reached below the surface of her flesh.  Whatever the jewel had become, it was not only absorbing and changing her clothes, it was doing the same thing to her body.

"Rob."  Macy protested sluggishly.  "Something's happening.  I'm changing into...into something."

"Yes.  Isn't it wonderful."  Rob said pleasantly.  

Macy turned toward him and gasped.  Where the young man had been standing only moments ago was a strange amalgam of the cartoon ponies and a human, a humanoid pony-man of dark blue.

"Oh god, Rob." Macy said hesitantly through her dulled lips.  "What's happened to you?"

"The ponies.  They transformed me.  They transformed me so that I could live in their world.  They made me into Navy, the sailing pony.  They made me so I could gather others.  So that the herd would grow.  You'll love being a pony, Macy.  The ponies have great plans for you."

"Please.  I...I don't want to be a cartoon pony, Rob."  Macy struggled to say.  As she said the words, the reddish goo on her front began to recede returning her body and clothes to their original form.

"That is what I thought at first."  Rob told her.  "But the more I watched their shows, the more I realized how wonderful they are, how wonderful their world is.  I didn't want to be human anymore.  I wanted to be like them.  I wanted to think like them.  You'll see.  The more you watch, the more you will understand.  You were destined to be part of the pony herd."

"No!"  Macy protested.  From what had just happened with the red substance on her, she guessed that as long as she could keep a grip on her mind, she could stop herself from becoming a cartoon pony like Rob.  She clenched her jaw as she tried to sweep away the appreciation for the ponies and their show that had been deposited there.  It was working!  The liquid was almost back into its gem form.  Then another episode started.  Macy's concentration was broken as she stared at the television.

This time the beautiful Coral, lifeguard at Pony Pond, was comforting her sister filly Cerise about her awkward looks, telling her she was the same way at a younger age but how a beautiful swan could come from an ugly duckling.  Forced to be a spectator, Macy found herself entranced by the ponies' radiant coats, their large sparkling eyes and flowing, silky manes and tails.  They cantered with such grace and their voices were laughingly gorgeous.  Macy found herself convinced that these creatures were the most beautiful of any she had ever seen.  Tears ran down her cheeks at the sight of the pony sisters.  Even Cerise, who bemoaned her adolescent looks was like a demi-goddess in Macy's eyes.

"They're so beautiful."  Macy moaned, unable to contain her admiration of the cartoon characters.  She found an obsession with them planted in her mind like a weed, impossible to uproot.  Her inability to get rid of the belief let it grow into acceptance.

"Yes, they are."  Rob concurred.  "I especially love Coral.  She is my girlfriend."

Macy slowly turned toward Rob after the episode ended, envious that he was so close to that wonderful creature on the screen, now oblivious to the belief that it as ludicrous to have a romantic attachment with a cartoon character.  Her heart throbbed at the sight of him in his pony-man form.  How beautiful was his color.  How strong were his hooves.  How masculine was his aura.  She hated to admit it but she was turned on seeing him this way.

Thinking of herself, Macy's skin seemed so colorless.  Her hair lacked luster  Her eyes were dull. She was an ordinary human in a form that paled in comparison to cartoon ponies like Mayor Mauve, Nurse Violet and Coral.  Macy felt the coolness spreading about her chest again.  She was loosing the battle against the jewel but a growing part of her didn't care and wanted her defeat.

The last episode came on. Mayor Mauve and her friends were lost in the forest.  When the other ponies started to panic, the Mayor calmed them by saying their friendship and faith in each other would enable them to reach home safely.  Macy sighed.  If only she had friends like this, who stuck together in this way, who had believed in each other.  She didn't even realize her last defenses had been overrun and the bright red goo from the crystal was oozing over her body.  It slid down her tummy and waist.  It went up her arms and neck.  It swept over her scalp and up every strand of hair.

"Hey, look everyone."  Mayor Mauve told her pony herd.  "Navy has found us a new friend."

Macy realized that the mayor was looking straight at her.  Mayor Mauve herself was acknowledging her existence.  It was a dream come true.  It was not a dream of Macy's creation but her mind had been so assaulted to believe it was.  In response, the coolness fell down her forehead and cheeks, covering her pale face in a red mask.  It slipped up her fingers and down her toes.  Her entire body shined in a plastic red gloss.  Her defining features were lost under that sea of red that crawled on and merged with her flesh.  She sat in the chair like a red mannequin.

"Come to us, friend."  Mayor Mauve said in a pleasant but commanding voice.

Macy looked up at Rob.  He nodded his cartoonish head.  "Go to them."  He told her.

For the first time since the dvd had started, Macy had fuller command of her body.  She stood up and immediately started to wobble as if her legs were made out of rubber.  She reached out in front of her to gain some balance.  The substance that that had oozed from the gem to cover her body was now at work work changing her form.  Macy's hands seemed to flow back into her wrists, leaving her with flat circular stubs she could flex forward but not back.  She never had arms that would be considered toned but now those limbs had lost all definition, becoming like long red cylinders. She could only bend these back and together with what had become of her wrists she could now only curl her arms before her.  Macy's arms had become like the forelegs of the cartoon horses she had been watching.

"I'm going to be a pony!"  She said in a state of partial wonder and misery.  "I'm going to be a cartoon!"

Macy's mind was bending to adjust to the changes as they were happening.  She had the sudden impulse to go on all fours and her torso changed as she obeyed it.  Her now flat chest was being decreased in segments.  The same thing was happening to her tummy but it was even shorter.  Her ankles had stretched high while her calves and thighs surrendered  their length.   Her feet receded into thick spade-like lumps.  Instead of sloping on her hands and feet, her limbs were now uniform in length so that she could stand on all four quite naturally.  She was now totally pony from the neck down.

Macy lifted her head up, and as she did her neck stretched long.  Her short black hair flowed down its length into a thick, long, lush playful mane of black hair.  The field of her vision went wide as her eyes expanded taking up most her cheek.  Her nose curved downward toward her mouth to look somewhat equine but for the most part her face was recognizably human.  Her ears pushed upwards through her hair, standing like long twin towers above over her now cutesy head.  A plume of hair shot out from above her butt, descending into a long wavy hair.  It was a long plume as much as a tail.

Macy pranced nimbly on her new hooves, swirling in circles, chasing her tail.  The only reminder of her former self was the thick pair of glasses which still sat on her nose, untouched by the trans-formative ooze.

"Come to us!"  Mayor Mauve called.

Macy batted her long lashes and furrowed her brow in confusion.  "But how?"

"Just go."  Rob said.  "It's magic"

Macy clopped to the tv and nuzzled the screen with her nose.  To her surprise, it was now permeable.  She leaned back on her hind legs and then sprang toward the screen.  She broke into the cartoon world, landing in a circle of laughing ponies.

"Good job!  Nice one!  Glad to have you!"  They said.

Macy was sheepish and confused.  "So what do I do?"

Mayor Mauve came up to her and kissed her on the head.  "You're a smart pony.  You'll figure it out."

Macy had always thought of herself of smart, though she never bragged about it.  Now her intelligence seemed to become the focus of her existence.  She was smart.  She was smarter than everyone else.  She looked smart too, even as a pony, and she had the glasses to prove it.  Soon, her belief in her high intelligence was the definition of her ponyhood.

"Why yes, I am smart.  Very smart.  I am the brainiest of all the ponies."  She said in a voice, that increasingly took on an affected haughtiness.

"You're so smart, you'll make an excellent librarian for the Canterville Library."  Mayor Mauve told her with a wink.

That made perfect sense to Macy.  "Why yes.  I can educate the less intelligent ponies...meaning all of them...at the library and get smarter still by reading all the books there."

Cerise nuzzled her way to get a closer look at the newcomer.  "So what's your name?"  

Macy was about to answer but her human name did not seem a appropriate.  "Scarlet."  She said, renaming herself after her color.  "My name is Scarlet, the Canterville librarian."

All the ponies cheered.

Rob had entered the pony world, assumed the full pony form of Navy.  He came next to Mayor Mauve.  

"Good choice, Navy."  The mayor told him.  "I adore her.  She is so arrogant.  She'll get into all sorts of troublesome adventures and need to be rescued."

"And teach the value of humility."  Navy nodded.

"Yes."  Mayor Mauve agreed.  "We are all about values here."

* * *

Nick came into the apartment to find it empty.

"Hey, I got my share of the rent!"  He called out.  There was no answer.

"Hmm.  Rob and Macy must be out."  Nick said to himself.  He plopped down before the tv set.  The dvd menu with the pony cartoon was playing and replaying in a loop.  Nick picked up the dvd case that was lying near by.

"`Pony Tales'."  Nick said reading the cover.  "`Introducing the new pony friends, Navy and Scarlet'.  Huh."  There was something strangely familiar about the faces of the blue and red ponies on the cover.  Nick figured he most have seen them in some fast food promotion.

Nick picked up the remote and started the first episode.  The cartoon absorbed his attention in an instant.