Neigh!

Chapter 2 - Girl?

[ - May 08, 2021 - 9am - ]

 

I couldn’t go back to my original body. I’d tried everything I could think of with the plushie, but the only thing that seemed to work was saying ‘Neigh’ and transforming between a beautiful mare and a beautiful womare. I can switch back and forth with ease, but seem incapable of returning to my normal form. I’d tried dozens of trigger words and pleas, but my plushie remains unmoved.

 

I’d also gone online and looked up more tips for breaking out of dreams, since all of this is absolutely insane and all. Nothing had come from that effort though: my clocks are still all telling the same time, I can read text clearly on my phone, and I can’t float or push a finger through my palm or anything cool like that. 

 

The next thing on my list is to find some clothes to wear, as it’s a bit chilly in the house. I end up pulling on an extra extra large red tee shirt that just barely fits my boobs and goes down to my knees, a stretchy pair of underwear, a pair of old gray gym shorts, socks that are way too big on my feet, and my similarly too-big slippers. It’s at least enough to keep me relatively warm as I putter about the apartment and try to figure out what the hell to do.

 

I grab my phone and pull up my texting app. Maybe it’s time to call in some help.

---

May 8, 2021

[Sunny D. - 9:15am] Heya, u up yet?

 

[Helen S. - 9:16am] Yeah, what’s up?

 

[Sunny D. - 9:17am] There’s no way in hell you’ll ever believe me, so wanna come over today?

 

[Helen S. - 9:19am] Uh, sure. Just let me finish this chapter and I’ll head over.

 

[Sunny D. - 9:20am] Thanks, I’ll owe you one. 

---

I set about cleaning up the house and trying to prepare myself for meeting my best friend with a completely different face and body. 

 

Helen and I have known each other since seventh grade, and neither of us likes the name we were given at birth. No one else knows me as Sunny, no one else knows her as Helen. Though, Helen’s actually a girl on the inside she thinks. I just like the name Sunny. And being called she. We keep each other’s secrets and support each other as best we can. If anyone is going to believe I’m still me, it’ll be her.

 

I had basically gotten nearly all my dreams to come true this morning, what with turning into a mare, and I had an idea for how to make the same happen for Helen. Namely by going back to that grocery store and getting her one of these apparently-magical plushies. 

 

First though, I have to survive waiting for her to get here. I feel anxiety creeping through my thoughts, at what she’ll say when she sees me, if she’ll even give me a chance to explain. I decide I don’t super want to deal with these fears right now, so I pick my plushie up from where I’d left it on the kitchen table, and neigh at it softly. 

 

I don't know how fast the transformation works, but it always seems to happen when I'm not paying attention. I don't bother trying to catch it, just accept that it'll happen when it happens. 

 

I trot back to my bedroom with the plushie’s clip in my teeth and hop up onto the bed. I pull and push at the blankets with my hooves until a little nest is formed that I can lie in comfortably. I've got a bit of time before Helen will be here, she lives on the other side of campus and who knows how long it’ll take her to finish reading. 

 

I settle down into my soft and cozy nest, and try to doze off.

---

The doorbell buzzer rings and startles me out of a light sleep, far louder than I’m used to. I shoot to my hooves in alarm, then relax slightly as I recognize the racket. My sensitive ears slowly unfold themselves from their flattened position against the top of my head, and I look around for the plushie. 

 

It’s nowhere to be seen.

 

My heart rate spikes as my eyes dart around the room, searching frantically for the little equine. I let out a whinny of alarm, and hear a ‘Mrow’ in response from somewhere towards the front of the house. Oh good, I think, Byte has the plushie.

 

A spike of dread shoots through me. Oh Goddess Byte has the plushie.

 

I leap down off the bed, images of the plushie torn to shreds cluttering my mind. My hooves slide on the wood floor as I try to explode into a gallop, and I fall flat on my chin. Thankfully this body seems pretty sturdy, and it doesn’t hurt too bad.

 

I canter cautiously out to the hallway and skid to a stop midway down it, rearing back on my hind hooves and hitting the ‘DOOR’ button on the wall-speaker to my left with the edge of a forehoof. I hold it for a few seconds, then fall back to four legs and continue my canter to the kitchen. 

 

When I arrive, I find Byte curled up in their usual spot by the floor vent. They yawn, stretch, and blink lazily at me, then curl back up around the intact tan pony plushie.

 

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and carefully walk over to them. I nudge the plushie and neigh, then I yank it away from Byte and hold it aloft in a hand. 

 

“Mine,” I say to the cat, “please don’t touch this again.”

 

“Mow,” Byte responds dutifully.

 

I roll my eyes, I know it’s not the cat’s fault. I berate myself for leaving this powerful artifact unattended. I quickly set about pulling on my makeshift outfit from where it’d fallen on the floor earlier when I shifted forms, plushie in hand the whole time. I’m checking myself in the bathroom mirror when I hear a knock at the front door.

 

Wordlessly, I go to the door and pull it open, shielding myself from view with it as I do so. Helen walks in confidently. 

 

“So what’s this thing I’m not going to believe?” she asks, then she actually turns to look at me as I shut the door behind her, and she freezes. 

 

“Hello,” I say awkwardly.

 

“Fuck I’m so sorry ma’am, must be the wrong apartment,” Helen says. 

 

“No Helen, this is the right place,” I say solemnly. 

 

Helen curses. “What?” She turns to the rest of the apartment. “You swore you’d never tell anyone that name! Bastard!” she calls out. 

 

“I didn’t,” I insist, “Look how about I just show you, okay? You’re about to see something impossible so can you try to stay chill?” 

 

“No, I’m not participating in thi--” Helen begins frustratedly.

 

“Neigh,” I say softly, then I look up at her.

 

Her eyes are wide, and her mouth hangs open. I flick my pony ears at her and wiggle my pony body and tail.

 

“What the fuck?” she asks.

 

I place a forehoof on the plushie that had fallen on the floor when I changed. 

 

“Neigh,” I neigh. 

 

I realize a critical problem with this plan as Helen’s face goes bright red and she averts her eyes from my naked human body. 

 

“Woops,” I say embarrassedly, gathering up my clothes from the floor and turning around to dress myself quickly.

 

“Woops?!” she exclaims, “You’re claiming to be my best friend who can turn into a magic pony and a hot pony girl, and you just exposed yourself in front of me, and all you can say is woops!?”

 

“Listen,” I say from inside the t-shirt I’m struggling to get on my body, “The exposing myself wasn’t part of the plan. Actually there is no plan, I didn’t ask for this, and it’s been a really fucking confusing day Hel. I was hoping maybe you could help me tell up from down, because so far this really doesn’t seem like a dream.”

 

“Okay, further point deductions for divulging your silly pet name for me to this actress,” Helen says with a frown.

 

I sigh and finish pulling on the gray gym shorts. 

 

“Is there any way I can prove to you that I’m me, that I’m Sunny?” I ask with more than a little bit of frustration.

 

“Sure,” she says. “If you can tell me what my flank marking would be, I’ll consider thinking about it.”

 

I blink at her, then nod. 

 

“You’ve never told me what your mark would be and you make a point of concealing it in all the art of your OC because you’re afraid people will use it to track you,” I say, “But once you sent me an artwork without it blurred out on accident, so I know it’s a bow with the bass clef as the limbs and an arrow knocked.”

 

“Damnit you really need to learn how to forget,” she says. But she follows it up with a hesitant smirk. “So that’s really you in there? What’s your favorite color?”

I give a little wave. “Yes it is, and you know I could never pick just one. Orange and green,” I say with a grin.

 

“Sunny Dee, how the hell did you get yourself into this situation, and can you repeat the process for me?”

 

“As a matter of fact I might be able to,” I say excitedly. “Yesterday I got groceries after going to the con, and I picked up this little one from a vending machine near the exit to the store. This plushie is what’s magical, I think. And I bet these things will still be there if we go now,” I say, holding aloft the plushie.

 

“That’s a lot to take in,” she admits, “But okay, say we do go out right now. Are you okay going like that?” She raises an eyebrow.

 

“Hopefully,” I say with a shrug, “I don’t really have anything else to wear that fits any better, so this is gonna have to do.”

 

Her other brow rises as well. “I meant, y’know, as a woman, a pony-woman, Sunny. How are you handling that part of things?”

 

I feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “Oh,” I say sheepishly, “Um, I guess I kinda like it? I know I’m a dude and all, but you know this is my dream as much as yours.”

 

Helen smiles slowly. “I don’t think either of us have ever been dudes,” she says seriously. “I’ve been trying to find a way to bring it up these past few weeks, but I think I’m transgender and I think you are too. We’ve always wanted to be girls because we are girls!”

 

I blink at her. “Oh,” I say. Something clicks in my head. “Oh,” I say.

 

That kind of makes sense. Why would a boy want to be a girl? Maybe because she’d never been a boy to begin with? It seems like a dangerous idea to parts of me, threatening much of what I’d believed up until this moment.

 

Her smile broadens. “Yeah, ‘oh’ is right,” she says. “So, how about after we get the plushie, we go get you some new clothes?”

 

My eyes widen with excitement. “Holy shit really? You’re taking this all in stride huh?”

 

“Oh I’m freaking out,” Helen says casually, “but if this is my one shot at a miracle transition I’m going to take it. So, where are we going?”

 

I nod firmly, then give her the address as I gather my things. I find an old 2XL hoodie that I end up throwing on, and I pull the hood up over my ears then stuff my tail up into the back of it. I end up shoving my phone, wallet, and keys into a blue drawstring sack I got from a career fair. I sling it on my back and follow Hel out the door. 

 

We make it down to the bus stop just in time to catch the next bus. Several people do a double take as they catch sight of my ears beneath the hood. I follow Helen down the aisle towards the open seats at the back, trying not to pay them any heed. Then I have to navigate sitting down without squishing my tail uncomfortably, which is a chore in itself. But at last, I’m settled as the last few people get on and the bus starts moving again.

---

“These are all frickin’ adorable!” Helen says, as we stand before the vending machine with all the knitted plushies. 

 

“Which one are you hoping for?” I ask distractedly. My tail is hanging out in the open because I can’t get it to stay in my sweatshirt. People have been staring at me for the entirety of our trip, and it’s wearing my nerves thin. My ears and tail aren’t nearly as inconspicuous as I’d hoped.

 

Helen puts a hand to her stubbly chin in thought. “I’m not actually sure? A fox might be nice, or a wolf?” She glances up at my big tan ears, and looks a little reluctant as she says, “A pony would be okay too.”

 

My eyes widen fractionally. I’d known she liked the show but she’d always kept her distance from it, almost never talking about it. To hear she might be considering becoming a tiny equine is certainly news. “Really?” I ask, firmly keeping the glee out of my voice. 

 

She rolls her eyes and slides her toonie into the slot, then twists the handle with a hefty ker-clunk. “Yes, really,” she says.

 

When she retrieves her capsule we can see only the vaguest hint of pink inside the frosted plastic bottom. 

 

“How do we know if it’s magic?” Hel asks quietly. 

 

“You’ll have to try it out when we get back to my place,” I say, “Unless you want to deal with a whole new body out in public.”

 

“Right,” she says, “well, lead the way pony girl. I’ll crack this open once we’re safe.” 

 

We make it back outside and wait near the bus stop. Several folks are already waiting, and most give me at least one confused glance. I’m incredibly grateful that Helen’s here with me, I don’t think I would’ve handled all this attention nearly as well on my own.

 

The bus arrives not too much later. Aside from all the stares, the bus ride passes by blessedly uneventfully, and we make it back to my apartment in under half an hour. 

 

I follow Helen inside and close and lock the door behind me. It’s still weird to me that the lock has risen about ten centimeters from my perspective. But I kinda like the reduction in height. It’s like a little jolt of gender euphoria everytime I notice something’s taller now.

 

I hear a pop! from the direction of my best friend, and turn to find her extricating a pony plushie with a light pink coat and dark purple mane and tail from the plastic capsule. 

 

I keep quiet, but take a few steps closer. It’s an identical plushie to mine besides the colors and maybe being a little smaller. It’s got light blue threads for eyes, the same plastic clip attached to its back, and the same conspicuous lack of tags. And... wait, hers has a little unicorn horn! 

 

“Oh yeah,” Helen says happily, “this will do just fine.” She turns to face me, her green-blue eyes bright with excitement. “So how does it work?” 

 

I try to hide my feelings of jealousy towards her plushie’s horn, and instead grin at her enthusiasm. “Touch it and say ‘Neigh’,” I say, “at least that’s how mine works.”

 

“Neigh,” she says immediately. 

 

And in an instant, there’s a pink and purple pony in her place.