>Pon-E abuse is entering epidemic proportions, Pon-E nappers are slipping a delayed acting version of Pon-E into peoples drinks, foal-napping and forcing them to learn to love their new bodies. We recommend not leaving drinks unattended and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement to prevent others from being drugged
 
>Be Aries
>You are a pretty normal person, by your definition anyway.
>Crappy name from your parents aside anyway.
>AJ is much better.
>Stereotypical maybe, considering you're a country boy, but fuck it.
>You've been living on the outskirts of Colorado for a few years now, finally having gone off on your own after your parents tried to turn you in a fail-to-launch.
>They just couldn't accept that you wanted to run your own business and not take over the family pawn shop.
>Took a bit of time, some serious investments after making sure you could actually apply your business and veterinary degree, but you made it.
>Studying from the moment you got out of highschool but here you are now.
>28 years old and you own your own veterinary practice.
>Feelsgoodman.jpg
>You hum a happy tune as you drive back into town.
>You've been helping a few nearby farms for a few days.
>Small disease that's been roving through the livestock of the farms sparked up again.
>Your practice is on call and specializes in large animals, so you've been making barn and stable calls.
>Rolls in a pretty penny it does.
>A large smile splits your face.
>Of course, the animals are the most important part.
>It's getting pretty late, so you've decided to call it a night, and park your van in the garage of your home/practice.
>Finally, home sweet home.
>Closing the garage and locking the door to the garage and the house, you head to the second floor, where your living spaces are.
>You pull off your jacket and hang it on your coat rack with a sigh, kicking off your boots.
>Everything that you've ever wanted to do, sure, but it sure doesn't make for short days.
>Ah, but you knew that going in, and you wouldn't trade it for anything.
>You smile as you walk into your living room and settle onto your couch, flicking on the news.
>Always important to stay up to date, even if most of it is preachy bullshit.
>You flick the channels off of Animal Planet and immediately end up in the middle of a news report.
>"-going epidemic, the CDC has put out a new warning, stating that the 'Pon-E Epidemic' has now entered a critical stage."
>You sit forwards, frowning.
>Drug abuse has always been a problem, but this one is a bit of a conundrum.
>Pon-E is really polarizing.
>It's really helped a lot of people, some of them with critical mental illnesses.
>But on the other side of the coin, the people who have been getting it off the street and abusing that drug have started just... vanishing.
>Vanishing in the middle of the night or even in the middle of the day with no explanation.
>Supposedly, from what you've been able to gather, there are actually several group of 'Full' Pon-E 'tribes' living.
>One of them apparently is actually here in Colorado, with the original being in Florida, for some reason.
>Of course, reports of these tribes are sparse, because they have a tendency of either converting the people that find them or just up and vanishing when the CDC and the Suits show up.
>Little Ponies they may be, but they're damn intelligent, and some of them used to be soldiers, survivalists, medical experts.
>People with real life skills and knowledge of the world that would easily let them escape and live off the grid.
>You tune back into the new clip.
>"- city sheriff had this to say."
>The TV turned to a picture of the Sheriff.
>Huh, that's your city's Sheriff.
>He's got two cats and three daughters that love horses.
>Nice family, if a little loud.
>"What these people are doing is a absolute violation of basic human rights. I promise that we will find them, and we will stop them, and bring these people home, so they can be with their loved ones."
>Wow, the Sheriff is pissed.
>No big surprise.
>People have been getting kidnapped from bars and off the street.
>One of the kidnappers was caught a few weeks back, and interrogated.
>His victim?
>A little girl, age 12.
>Force fed her two doses of Pon-E.
>She was crying, pawing- hoofing, at a collar around her neck.
>Sick bastard was trying to turn a little girl into a damn pet.
>Apparently thought he was real slick about it to.
>One of the kids on the playground he snatched her from saw him and actually memorized his license plate and called the cops.
>At least there's some good for every kid in the world having a iPhone or the like now a days.
>She's recovering, supposedly, but the little filly looked pretty traumatized and had been crying the whole time when the camera had caught glimpses of her.
>The frown on your face deepens as you continue to listen.
>"These men and women might be armed and could be extremely dangerous. Investigations into the pills they're using has confirmed that there is a new cut of Pon-E now out in the public, a very, very slow acting version that sneaks up on the victims it's used on."
>"Do not go out alone, travel in pairs. There is an ongoing curfew for ages sixteen and under, starting at 8 pm at night, ending at 5 am in the morning. Residents are advised that if they're in bars or public eateries to check for the smell of extremely spicey tomato sauce. This indicates the slow-acting version of Pon-E and should be reported to the police immediately, especially if you believe you've ingested any of the item that smells of the tomato sauce."
>Well if that just isn't a mood killer.
>You sigh and turn the TV off.
>Suddenly your urge to keep up with the news has lessened.
>A lot.
>You glance at the clock and sigh.
>Time to sleep.
>Your alarm blares in your ears as you wake up.
>"Yes I'm Slim-Shady the real Slim-Shady all the other Slim-Shady's are just intimating so won't the real Slim-Shady please stand up-"
>And with that the alarm is off and you're on your feet.
>You sigh, stretching a bit as you shake off the morning daze, smacking your lips together softly before droning your way through your morning routine.
>You're finally drinking coffee, freshly shaven and dressed for the day, contemplating the newspaper.
>Special Edition this morning, but that's not really new.
>More panicked talk and bold headlines over the girl who was forced into taking Pon-E.
>She and her family, her parents and a little boy now have all up and moved apparently.
>No ones quite sure where they went, but they were obviously try to get out of the media's eye.
>Good for them, even if you feel a little sorry for the poor girl.
>You mentally hope that she'll learn to fly.
>That'd be amazing, wouldn't it?
>You smile at the thought, leaning back a bit and letting yourself daydream.
>Soaring through the skies...
>Magical powers beyond imagination...
>Galloping full-tilt through fields, nature itself embracing your very presence.
>You chuckle a bit, knowing that last one is very, very real.
>After all, that's your life's work.
>With that in mind, you finish your breakfast.
>It's time to open up shop and see what's in store for you today.
>You nab your keys and your jacket as you walk out the door of your living spaces, locking them behind you and making your way down stairs.
>Currently, you don't have any animals under observation in the practice, so you don't have to do most of the tidying you'd have to do otherwise.
>You unlock the front door to the practice and turn the lights on, before settling behind the desk.
>You groan.
>Time to do 'boss stuff'.
>You hate paperwork.
>You know why it's a necessity, but paperwork sucks.
>With a sigh, you crack your knuckles and get to it.
 
>>>>A few hours later>>>>
 
>You finally caved in and turned on the radio, hoping some music would break up the monotony.
>Thankfully, you were able to get almost all of the paperwork you needed to get handled done and out of the way.
>Hell, you even got your taxes done.
>That deserves a pat on the back.
>Or maybe lunch, you muse as you glance at the clock.
>That is, before the bell above the front door snatches your attention and you turn your attention to the entrance to your practice.
>... Huh? No one there?
>You frown, before a little cough catches your attention and you lean over your desk.
>Sitting in front of the reception desk is one of the eponymous little Pon-E's.
>You mentally scan and review the Pon-E as they stare at you with their big eyes.
>Seems healthy enough, coat is shiny, as are the eyes. Teeth appear to be white and straight. Fetlocks are a little long, but frankly that could be taken as a fashion thing over improper care.
>"Uh, Doc? Helloooooo?"
>Over all looks healthy, if a little unusual with the dusty green coat and rusty red mane and tail.
>"Excuse me, can you stop staring at me?"
>Uh...?
>You blink, snapping out of it before letting an embarrassed flush cross your face.
>Whooops, probably not a patient.
>Now you've stuck your foot in it.
>And you've done that enough times to know the feeling.
"Sorry, sorry. Whenever I see a new animal I haven't treated before, I always start cataloging them in my mind. Makes it easier to treat them if they're hurt or in distress."
>You rub the back of your head.
"You're not an animal though, and I shouldn't have treated you as one. My apologizes..."
>You glance at the shape of the muzzle, barrel and chest of the pony.
>Ah, a stallion. Blocky.
"Sir."
>The Pon-E waves it off with a hoof, giving you a wane smile.
>"No worries Doc, I get it."
>He gives you a proper smile.
>"I'm Calm Camouflage, though most just call me Camo. Nice to meet you."
>You smile back, stepping out from the reception desk to offer your hand.
"Doctor AJ Brown. Please, just call me AJ, or Doc."
>You're pretty proud of being able to call yourself 'Doctor'.
>Getting your Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and your Ph.D in Veterinary Science was hard work.
>The title was worth it though.
>The Earth Pon-E holds their hoof out and you gently grasp and shake it, giving him a wane grin.
"So, Mr. Camo. What brings you in today?"
>You ask, sitting down on the floor besides your desk so you could stay level with Camo.
>Camo was about the size of a large dog, reach to about 2 and a half feet tall at the tallest, like most Pon-E's.
>The tallest on record was a mare in Florida who, horn not included, stood a whopping 3 feet 10 inches from hoof to head.
>My 'little' Pony indeed.
>Camo frowns a bit, shuffling his hooves before he looks you in the eye.
>"Doctor... you follow the Hippocratic Oath, right?"
>You blink at the odd question before contemplating it seriously.
>Boiled down, the Hippocratic Oath basically stated that you would help, or at the bare minimum, not cause more harm to, your patients.
>But more importantly, there was one line you knew he was looking for.
"...I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. Above all, I must not play at God."
>You quote it word for work, looking Camo dead in the eye.
>He slumps, letting out a relieved sounding nicker before he straightens up again.
>"Doc, you're new in town, and I know that there's been some panic going on but please..."
>Oh no.
>You've seen that face before.
>That's someone who's desperate.
>Something is seriously wrong.
>He's crying now and you keep a respectful distance.
>You'd like to go over and comfort him, but you know better then that.
>You're a -doctor- for the Lord's sake.
>You bring them most important comfort you can give.
>Knowledge.
>"M-my wife."
>He finally speaks, shivering in pace as tears trail down his muzzle.
>"Please... nopony knows what to do. She's pregnant with..."
>His eyes glimmer in happiness for a moment.
>"Our foal. S-she swears it's a filly, and I'm inclined to believe her."
>You smile back.
>Inwardly, you're reeling at the development.
>Pon-E patients can get pregnant while Pon-E's?
>That must mean they go into Heat.
>"B-but it's hurting her so much."
>He's babbling now as you stand up, gently guiding him to the back rooms as you start collecting your bags and equipment.
>"W-we don't have a Doctor in our community, a-and w-with those kidnappers about we j-just don't know what to do!"
>He sobs a bit, obviously worried and scared.
>You keep your face stone, but inwardly you feel a little spark of pride.
>Helping people like this- this is why you became a Doctor.
>Sure, you're a Vet, but animals are people too.
>And they're just as grateful, if not more so, when you heal and protect them.
>You finish grabbing your equipment and checking to make sure it's sterile before slinging the bag over your shoulder.
"Mr. Camo, did you get a ride or did you travel here yourself?"
>This snaps the Pon-E out of his spiral, blinking up at you in surprise before flinching and glancing around the treatment room.
>"W-wha.."
>You sigh and crouch again.
"Sir, please, time is off the essence. If you got a ride, I'll need to let them know that you won't be coming back with them. If you're insinuating what I think you're insinuating, I'm going to need you to guide me to your Herd, wherever it's hiding out."
>You softly place a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye.
"You came to me, and asked for help. I'm here to do just that. We'll take my truck."
>Back on the roads again.
>Camo is sitting shotgun, shuffling here and there with nervous energy.
>Apparently he galloped the whole way here.
>Earth Pon-E stamina is absolutely a thing, you can honestly say.
>He wasn't even tired after the sprint, which apparently was several miles.
>You were making quick time, thankfully, and soon enough, you were out of the city and into the wooded area nearby.
>Black Forest. A pretty peaceful, tranquil area that had a bunch of ranches and a small town inside of it.
>But also a lot of unclaimed land, and the namesake for the town, that being the titular forest.
>As you make your way deeper and deeper into Black Forest, the roads get rougher and rougher.
>Your truck is more then up to the task, but eventually Camo tells you to pull over.
>Guess the rest of the way is on foot.
>Hoofing it, if you will.
>You pull over to a trail-head parking spot, and get out of the truck, circling around to get your bag from the backseat.
>You then open up Camo's door for him and assist him out of your truck.
>Stamina might be proven, but you'd rather not test the durability myth.
>True or false, a injury on top of his worry would not be conclusive to helping his wife.
>"Thank you Doc. This way."
>Camo says quietly, leading you into the woods.
 
>>>A hour later>>>
 
>You've been hiking for a while now.
>Not unexpected, if a little uncomfortable.
>But hey, it's your job, you knew what you were getting yourself into.
>A grim little smile is set into your face as you follow Camo.
>"We're here."
>Camo is quiet, but his voice is firm as he looks back at you, green eyes glinting in the scattered sunlight.
>It's just starting to get towards midday.
>You nod and follow him.
>You've been off the hiking trail for a while now.
>He's leading you into a small valley, and what you see next makes your breath catch short in your throat.
>Ponies.
>Lots of ponies.
>A quick estimate shows you that this Herd is about a hundred ponies strong.
>Lord help you.
>You take a deep breath before letting out slowly.
>Easy AJ, easy. You got this.
>You put back on your confident face as Camo leads you down into the clearing.
>As you look about, you notice that there are a few humans here and there.
>Interesting.
>One is sitting on a log, reading stories to a few colts and fillies.
>A mare and a stallion are sitting by a small campfire, leaning into one another, eyes closed.
>They look so content.
>Your head swings this way and that as you take in all the details, shifting your bag back to your shoulder.
>A few mares and a stallion break off from the rest of the herd, following behind you and Camo.
>The hairs on the back of your neck prick up as you feel goosebumps run down your spine.
>Adrenalin. Now is -not- the time.
>You slowly force yourself to be calm.
>You have no doubt that you could defend yourself if need be, but you're here first as a Doctor.
>Camo leads you to a large tent, and gently pushes the flap aside.
>It's an old WWII medical tent, the white circle with red cross faded, but holding strong.
>You step in after him, and look around.
>There's a few cots set up, but most of them are empty.
>A foal is curled up on one of the cots, looking distinctly disheartened, their ears drooped and their tail hanging limply off the side of the cot they're laying on.
>There's a mare with a nurses cap tending to them, softly nuzzling and whispering soothing words to the foal.
>You reign in your gaze and focus your attention on the much more important issue.
>Camo's wife.
>The details snap into your head as you look her over, a scowl now on your face.
>They're cutting it close.
>VERY close.
>"I'm back, I brought Dr. Aries like you asked."
>You blink, and then scowl at Camo as he speaks to his wife, who gives him a strained smile and gives you a happy, if soft 'Hello'.
>You sigh, smiling again.
"Hello, I'm Doctor AJ, don't call me Aries. How are you feeling..."
>"Bella. Belladonna."
>The mare's voice is soft and lifting.
>Keeping the pleasant smile on your face, you turn on your heel and glower at the ponies that followed you.
"Listen to me and listen well. If there's anyone around here with experience in birthing foals for a horse or other livestock, I need them here. NOW."
>Your voice is sharp but calm, and the world seems to freeze at your words.
>"D-doctor?"
>You turn to Belladonna, smiling softly.
"Shhh. Just rest now Ms. Bella. You've entered your twenty-four hour window to birth your foal. Good thing you got me when you did. Is this your first born?"
>You're keeping your voice calm even as the other ponies all start panicking a bit, three of them dashing outside and calling out names, the mare with the nurses cap moving up to your side.
>"Red Cross, trained Nurse. How can I assist Doctor?"
>You turn your head to the white-and-red mare, and nod a bit.
"Nothing much at this time, though for safety we should move Ms. Bella from the cot to the floor. Do we have some straw, hay, or something else soft we can use as bedding?"
>You're calm and in control, even when Camo gets up in your face, glaring at you.
>"Why would you take her off the cot you-"
"Because the foal is going to start trying to walk the moment she gives birth and until they've been properly been cleaned and fed by her, no-one else should touch the foal!"
>Ok, you were a little snappish there, but the point remains the same.
>You quickly calm down, and gesture for Camo to do the same.
"You're making your wife restless, which can complicated the birthing process Mr. Camo, please calm down."
>Your voice is smooth and soothing, and slowly the stallion calms before slumping a bit, moving back to his wife's side and nuzzling her gently.
>You turn your attention back to the nurse.
"Like I said, we'll need somewhere soft for her to lay, and for her to birth, preferably with enough material to clean up afterwords. Her colostrum has already formed on her teats, so we're in the 24 hour window for birth."
>Credit where credit is due.
>The nurse, if nothing else, was professional.
>No panic, just calm acceptance.
>She quickly stripped a cot of the few sheets and covers it had on it, and settled them onto the floor at the back of the tent.
>While she was doing that, you started doing a comprehensive check up of Ms. Belladonna.
"Alright Miss, just take calm, deep breaths. In and out, nice and slow."
>You gently sooth her as you crouch down.
>She's laying on her side, so at the very least she's in a position that won't harm the foal.
>Though the fact that she's been laying that way for a while, judging by the sheets, makes you crank your estimate of the stage of her pregnancy up by several hours.
>The foal is going to be coming, and coming soon.
>Which means you need to get her off this bed.
>Now how to do that safely?
>Absolutely no clue what so ever.
>You feel the urge to grimace as you consider how to move the very, very pregnant mare, before you blink and resist the urge to smack yourself.
"Ms. Belladonna, do you feel capable of moving right now?"
>The mare blinks in surprise at you but nods, a wince crossing her face at the thought of getting up.
>You give her a comforting, if a little shaky, smile.
"Not that far, just to the back of the tent. Do you need help?"
>The mare gently shakes her head before carefully rolling to her hooves and gingerly starting to climb out of the cot before letting out a little pained whinny.
>Your eyes open wide as you glance at the bed.
>Aaaaaaaaand her water broke.
>The foal is coming -now-.
>You quickly move to her side.
"Bella. Bella, listen to me, your foal is coming, do you feel like you can walk?"
>The mare lets out another whinny, this one much more strained and a little louder, and she's clearly not feeling like talking.
>You carefully pick the mare up, making sure not to put undue pressure on her body or shift her greatly.
>Thank the Lord these ponies are more like large dogs rather then actual ponies.
>You slowly but steadily walk over to the bedding that Nurse Red Cross set up, and gently set Belladonna on her hooves.
>The mare lets out another strained and pained sound as she gently slumps down onto her side, panting a bit.
>Camo is soon right by her, nuzzling her and trying to comfort her.
>That is, before her hooves come up and wrap around his neck and she starts throttling him.
>You can only look on in shock, awe, and a little bit of amusement as a cartoon and cliche of the pregnant wife beating the hell outta her husband.
>Considering that it's a pegasus pony beating up a colorful, if smaller and normal looking pony, as well as cuffing him upside the head with her wings?
>You wish you had a camera.
>"YOU DID THIS TO ME YOU PLOTHOLE! I. AM. GOING. TO KILYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
>Bella cries out in pain as her whole body shudders, and you swoop in to extract a now -blue- Camo from her grip as she starts contracting.
>You look him over to see how he's doing.
>Minus the dazed look and the fact that he's slowly returning to his normal color, he should be fine.
>You gently slap his muzzle a few times to make sure he's aware and he looks at you in confusion.
"Mr. Camo, might I recommend leaving the tent unless called? I'm going to need your assistance... ah, holding back the peanut gallery, as it were."
>You give him a smile and gently gesture to his wife.
"I know I was calling for help, but this process really needs to be handled by your wife alone, and that means she needs to be left be, not watched and fawned over by as many ponies as can crowd this tent. You need to keep. Them. Out. Can you do that for me?"
>Camo shifts on his hooves before nodding.
>"Yeah... yeah! Yes, I can do that!"
>Well he perked up quickly.
>You nod to the pony and let him go, watching as he runs out in front of the tent.
>Now that all the distractions are out of the way, you gesture Nurse Cross over to you, and whisper in her ear.
"Just keep talking to her. Be soothing, remind her to breath if you see her stop for any reason."
>She nods to you before moving around, settling by Bella's head to do just that, and you hear a low murmur from the other mare as Bella whimpers in pain.
>You resist the urge to sigh.
>It doesn't really change does it, human or Pon-E, giving birth is just a pain.
>You shake that thought from your head before focusing, waiting.
>Not much else you can do but that unfortunately, not till the foal starts cresting.
>The process is a little different from a human baby being born, obviously, but you're more worried about if the foal is coming out muzzle and hooves first, or hind-legs first.
>You mentally say a prayer for muzzle first.
>You have plenty of equipment with you should things get complicated, but honestly, for a first time mother, and for a Pon-E?
>You wouldn't even know where to begin and were more then a little scared of hurting her simply by not knowing enough.
>About Twenty minutes pass with you simply kneeling nearby, observing as Bella pushes and is soothed by Nurse Cross in turn.
>Finally, you see the bluish-white membrane and... yes, that's a little muzzle and two tiny hooves.
>You let out a sigh of relief, but you simply motion for Nurse Cross to continue the soothing and encouragement.
>So far this has been going much like a normal horse or pony's birth, and you'd like to keep it that way as much as possible.
>Mostly because the less interference you need to perform, the better chances of a healthy birth and a healthy mother you'll get, at least when it comes to horses.
>Slowly, more and more of the foal starts to appear, the membrane entrapping it stretched out to it's limits.
>Particularly around the top of it's head, where you spy something sharp and pointy pressing at the membrane.
>Fascinating.
>If slightly worrying.
>You shake your head.
>Not your problem.
>Or at least, not yet, not till the stud step back inside.
>Finally, after your legs are starting to get tired from squatting and watching the process, it's finally done.
>The foal is out, and gently shuffling and kicking it's legs before its free.
>Bella is crying, both from pain and relief, acting on autopilot as she watches her foal.
>It's a cute, lanky little thing with a scrunchy nose and a fluffy, splotchy green mane.
>Huh, if you squint it kinda looks like...
>... Camouflage.
>You reign in the fit of giggles you were about to have as the little pony stumbles a bit to it's mother's muzzle before slumping down against her.
>Bella immedately starts nuzzling and gently licking the little foal, and you surreptitiously check it's gender, size, and roughly estimate it's weight.
>Filly, a little bit taller in the legs then you were expecting, and healthy weight.
>So far so good.
>You let out a relieved sigh as you listen to Bella cooing and murmuring happy words to her little filly as the filly starts to respond with little motions and nuzzling back against her mother.
>A happy ending, and surprise surprise, if thankfully, you really didn't need to do anything to help.
>The Camo-and-Tan filly is safe with her Black-and-Tan mother, so you quietly shift to your feet and move to the tent flap and step out into the... moonlight?
>Oh boy you've been out here for a while now.
>"D-doctor?"
>Camo immediately is on his hooves, looking nervous.
>You notice that you're literally surrounded by ponies, and a few humans, all of them looking some combination of nauseous, nervous, and excited.
>You crouch again, ignoring the fact that your legs are bitching at you and smile widely at Camo.
"Congratulations... it's a Filly!"
>Camo's eyes lights up and he whirls to face the rest of the ponies.
>"I"M A DADDY!"
>And there was much rejoicing.
>As the ponies and humans celebrate, you snag the scruff of Camo's neck and gently drag him aside.
"Alright, talk to me, because I want to be 100% sure: You and Bella have been... mutually exclusive, I hope?"
>The stallion blinks in surprise before giving you a flat look.
>"We locked ourselves in our tent during her heat. There was nopony else."
>You whistle, nodding.
"Fascinating. Pon-E parent-born foals can be of any race then. Either that or you and Bella have recessive 'unicorn' genetics in your family. Your little filly is a unicorn."
>He blinks in confusion before looking very, very excited, and then sad, then excited again.
>Guess he's going over a 'things you can/can't do anymore.'
>You prod him.
"Well -Dad-, do you want to go see your filly and mare?"
>He blinks and gives you the widest, happiest smile you've ever seen from a pony, before gently hugging your leg.
>He then turns and trots into the medical tent, with you close behind, but not before your turn and give a light glare to the ponies that try to follow.
"Just family for now please, we need to ensure the foal is healthy."
>The ponies stop and nod in understanding and you nod back before turning around.
>Bella is singing softly to her filly, who appears to have taking her first steps and is currently getting her first meal.
>Camo is preening in his joy, and also preening Bella's wings as she leans against him.
>Nurse Cross trots over with a little smile and starts running down the basics of the little filly.
>Sounds like your estimates and guesses were correct, and the filly is very healthy.
>You let out a little sigh of relief.
>Glad that problem is solved, but it's been a long day for everyone.
>You stretch a bit, before blinking and frowning.
"Vaccinations."
>Fucking... of course.
>Well, it's probably a good thing you forgot about the vaccinations honestly, they need to be kept cold and the freezer in your truck has been doing just that.
>You smile at Nurse Red Cross and ask her politely to watch over the new family and ensure they don't get heckled by the herd before you step back out of the tent.
>The few ponies and humans now milling around the tent all look at you in excitement as if you're about to bring the new foal out to show them.
>You give them an leveled glare in warning.
"Please don't enter the tent till Nurse Red Cross is content with both the foal's and her family's safety and health."
>You say it firmly but kindly and the group settles before you start walking by, a few ponies and a human falling in step with you as you make your way back to your truck.
>"Soooooooooooooooo... um, Mr. Doctor sir?"
>Wow, that is literally the worst you've heard anyone announce that they have a question for you before.
"Yeeeessss?"
>"Y-you're not going to tell anyone we're out here... are you?"
>That brings you up short as you turn to look at the little pony that's currently at your heel.
>It's a little Filly, yellow mane, pink fur, and she's got a cute little ribbon in her tail.
>She's looking at you sadly, obviously worried.
>You blink in surprise.
"Why would I do that?"
>She frowns a bit more, scuffing her hooves.
>"T-the po... po... polease man was looking for Daddy a week ago. They said he had hurt me and they were gonna take me away."
>Your blood freezes cold as everyone around you tenses up.
>She looks up at you with watery eyes.
>"D-daddy said that you can trust Doctors and Polease man, but they tried to take Daddy away! I took the pills on my own when Daddy told me not to! P-please don't take my Daddy away!"
>You look at this little filly in shock as she starts crying a little at your feet.
>This is either the worst guilt trip you've ever been put through, or a trap.
>And judging by the uncomfortable looks on the faces of the other 'adults' around you, though you'd wager a few of of the Pon-E's are teenagers, you're not the only one.
>Thankfully, a medium-sized stallion trots up and pulls the filly into a hug, nuzzling into her mane.
>You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding as the Stallion calms down the filly and gently sends her off towards a few other colts and fillies that are playing with a ball a little ways away.
>"I'm sorry about that son. My Elizabeth... she's a smart girl, and she's always adored horses, so when I started to use 'pony time' as a way to relax on the weekends, she was ecstatic."
>The stallion looks pretty rough, like he's been beating himself up for a while.
>You sigh.
"She got into your pills cabinet while you were at work."
>Not a question, and his face gives a pretty clear answer.
>"Got home from school early... I-I come home and the first thing I thought was someone had used that horrible slow-acting shit on her."
>You crouch before gently patting him on the back, trying to give the stallion a supportive smile.
>"Hasn't even been a week... I've been so scared, especially when the police kicked in my door and tried to take my little girl away."
>... Interesting.
"How did you get away?"
>You're genuinely curious, and your question earned a slightly warmer smile.
>"The kind folks that are all around you. The Herd calls those of our number that are remaining human for now 'Daywalkers' for some reason, but two of 'em were shopping for the rest and saw the police trying to take my daughter away. A club to the back of the head later and they handed me two of the pills and got us into the back of the van."
>His face falls again and he lets out a let upon sigh.
>"Took out as much money as I could from the ATM before my account locked up. Whole world things I'm a madman now."
>You frown, wincing a bit at the thought.
"I guess that report of the little girl that a real sicko was trying to turn into a pet didn't help matters?"
>He shakes his head and you let out a little sigh before standing up again.
"I'm not a psychiatrist, but I can tell you're blaming yourself for this. Please, for the sake of your daughter, if nothing else... treat it like an opportunity."
>Where is this coming from?
>Public speaking or advice giving isn't really your thing usually.
"Keep her close, keep her safe, and let her know that no matter what you love her, every day. Let those around you support you while you support her. Make sure you always have that as a reason... Do it for Her."
>The Stallion is crying a bit but he's got a large smile on his face as he nods in appreciation before he turns and trots over to the group of parents watching the foals play.
>You smile a bit, feeling pretty good about yourself before you turn and continue walking to the car, wondering about the one female voice you hear from the small herd that had been following you when you left the tent.
>"Dear Princess Celestia..."
>What an unusual thing to say.
>Well, no matter.
>You retrieve your cooler of vaccinations sterile needles and take them with you back to the medical tent.
>Horse and Pony Vaccinations.
>Human ones might work too, but considering that the birth looked more like to a horse pregnancy and birth then a human one, you'd image that the foal would normally get a lot of it's immunity from the colostrum if the mother was give the vaccinations before hand.
>And that most likely didn't happen here.
>So best to go with all of vaccinations for safeties sake.
>You sweep back into the tent, the happy family plus slightly sleepy but curious foal all looking your way as you step in.
>Bella is glowing with matrimonial pride, her smile soft and delicate as she nuzzles her little pony.
>Camo, on the other hand, looks like he's about to explode in excitement.
>You offer the family a soft smile as you are soon joined by Nurse Cross, who settles next to the family as a calming presence as you open up the ice box.
>You search through it for the particular vaccinations you need for the little filly and let out a little sigh.
"Alright Ms. Belladonna, Mr. Camo. Your little pony is looking very healthy, but we want her to stay that way, hmm?"
>You look at them while raising an eyebrow, which earns you a nod.
"So, in order to do that, I recommend that she gets Vaccinated, and we'd start with-"
>You follow through with all the vaccinations you'd be giving, and the order you'd give them in, and what they'd prevent, the new parents nodding along.
"-And finally the Rabies vaccination, which comes in a three part battery."
>"Oh! Does that mean you'll be coming back to our herd, Doctor?"
>Bella looks quiet pleased at the thought, as does Camo and Nurse Cross.
>You blink in surprise, wondering what they're on about before shrugging.
"Well of course, unless you decide to get another Ve... Doctor to help with your vaccinations."
>The three ponies all smile at one another before turning back to you... well, Camo and Nurse Cross does.
>Bella focuses on her little filly, pulling her close and giving her soft kisses and attention as you finish setting up the vaccinations.
>You muse at a little side thought, considering that you're working with talking ponies.
>Human beings suffer from highly active imaginations as part of our base intelligence, and one of the things we end up doing to ourselves is something called the Nocebo Effect.
>Short version- thinking or being told that something would happen by someone you trust is going to effect you in negative ways will actually make those symptoms happen.
>It's why Doctors say 'This won't hurt.' before treatments like shots.
>It is going to hurt. We know it's going to hurt. But if they say that, it'll hurt a lot more then if they say it won't.
>So why is that important?
>Well, considering that it's a foal, and they are able to walk about twenty minutes after being born, they develop quickly.
>So it's likely the little filly is already learning.
>And preventing the Nocebo Effect from taking place right now would probably save her and her parents a lot of trouble in the future.
>Trypanophobia isn't fun to deal with.
"Now hold still love, this isn't going to hurt."
>Lies.
>But necessary ones.
>You work quickly, but firmly, so that you get each vaccination done as quickly as possible.
>The little filly tenses up at the first one, but otherwise relaxes, instead watching what you do with curious, little sky-blue eyes.
>She leans a bit more into her mother, sure, but otherwise she's being a very good filly.
>You gently pull the needle back and gently disinfect the area before nodding.
"There we go, all done. Such a good girl."
>You smile at the little filly, who shuffles back into her mother a bit more, much to the amusement of everyone in the tent.
>You shake your head and stand up, letting out a pleased huff.
"I'll come back next week for the follow up for her Rabies shot, and the week after for the last one."
>"Thank you so much Doctor."
>Camo is smiling brightly at you before he perks up, kissing his wife and nuzzling his filly before he gets up and trots over to you.
>"Here, let me get your payment and then we can treat you to dinner before you go home."
>You chuckle, rubbing the back of your neck as you take your bag of sharps and the vaccinations ice chest with the other.
"Dinner sounds lovely, thank you."
 
>>>About an hour later.>>>>
 
>For such a little community, they are quite well organized.
>The moment they heard about the idea for dinner, the whole Herd was a small buzz of activity, setting up what could only be described as a pallet bonfire.
>Old wooden pallets, broken and not really usable for much else are quickly set up for a good-size campfire for the entire herd to cook around.
>You hum warmly, gently petting a pony that had just up and occupied your lap, content to soak in the heat from the bonfire and your lap.
>You listen to the small party going on around you.
>Your payment was in your truck, and the problem was solved without much issues.
>"Alright, foods on everypony!"
>You chuckle a bit as the mare sleeping in your lap perks up at the mention of food and shuffles off of you before trotting off to join the chow line with the rest of the Herd.
>Food is quickly passed around to everyone, including you.
>You take a few small sniffs at the meal.
>Just basic beef and potato stew, with some carrots and as you look back to the serving line, you notice it's being strained and then hay is being mixed in to give appropriate roughage for the ponies.
>Hmmm.
>Well, you didn't smell anything too spicy.
>No Tomatoes either.
>You happily dig in, enjoying your meal immensely as you chat the night away, learning about members of the herd.
>This mare used to be a guy who was a body builder, this stallion used to be a girl who worked as a secretary, the stories go on and on.
>Sometimes swapping genders, sometimes not, some stories of daring, harrowing escapes, some of them just mundanely trotting out of their lives to find something new, something better.
>All in all, you're quite enjoying the storytime before a long yawn cracks your jaw and you shake your head, checking your watch.
>Shoot, it's that late already?
>You're gonna have to get home in a hurry if you're going to open the practice on time.
>You wave off a few of the Herd as they beg for you to stay for just one more song or just another story but you're more then capable of separating yourself.
>When you get back to your Truck, you find Camo, Bella, and her little filly, who's snoozing away, nestled up on her Dam's back, waiting for you.
>The two smile at you and give you warm greetings as you walk up to them.
>"Doctor... we can't thank you enough for what you did."
>You wave them off with a chuckle.
"You're already paying me, and you fed me a wonderful meal, and let me see your beautiful filly."
>You say with a smile, rubbing the back of your head in embarrassment.
>"Still, we'd like to repay you more. We don't exactly have much else to offer you, so... we figured this was the next best thing."
>Camo pulls out a bottle of Pon-E from under Bella's wing and offers it to you with his hoof.
>You blink as you take the stylized bottle.
>It's clearly one of the street-versions of the medication, but it's also just as clearly the real deal.
>You look at them in confusion and Camo smiles at you, holding out a hoof.
>"We're not asking you to take it, nor saying that you should, but we personally think that everyone should have a chance to see themselves in a new light."
>Camo and Bella gently nuzzle into one another as Bella whispers softly.
>"I most certainly did... especially when I met you."
>You decide to step around the issue, accepting the bottle with a smile and a nod before getting into your truck.
>You watch the two ponies trot off, their tails gently wrapped together, hip to hip, back to the bonfire, before you drive off into the night.
>It's a long trip home, but you'll get there.
>You've got a lot to think about, what you learned there in the Black Forest.
>And a firm reminder that the Herds popping up here and there aren't the enemy, they aren't a danger to you.
>The freaks on the streets on the other hand...
>Well, that's the scariest part about monsters, isn't it?
>A monster that wears human skin isn't detectable till it actually acts in a non-human fashion.
>You frown as you think about the news report as you pull into your garage and go about the usual routine.
>Into your practice, doors are locked.
>Into your living quarters, doors are locked.
>Turn on the light.
>My goodness is that a blackja-
*WHACK*
[END OF DAY 1]
>"-ld ya."
>"Oh shaddap. I'll get you later."
>"You wish you faggot. One shot from ol' blacky was all I needed."
>"Then why did you hit him twice?"
>"Shut up Moe."
>"Awwwwwww... okayyyyyy."
>The bickering voices greet you as you slowly start to come around, though you keep your breathing slow and even and resist the urge to tense up or hiss at the blistering headache you have.
>Fucking hell, this is worse then the College Parties that you most definitely didn't go to when you were 19 and drank way too much rum.
>Nope.
>That never happened.
>"Think he's gonna wake up soon?"
>"Well maybe if you didn't try to kill the quack he'd be awake!"
>"Well maybe if you weren't such a shit kidnapper in the first place, we wouldn't have to beat the crap outta him to kidnap him!"
>Oh dear.
>Quite the pickle you've found yourself in.
>"Heeyy... I think he shifted a bit."
>Fuck.
>You were trying to see if you were tied up or not because you couldn't really feel your arms or legs.
>You're definitely tied up.
>But apparently 'Moe' was watching you.
>Well isn't that just wonderful.
>"Well well well, he's back to the land of the livin'. Good Morning Quack, we've gots some questions for ya's."
>You decide to let your eyes open and immediately wish you hadn't.
>You're looking at the ugliest motherfucker that has ever lived.
>Like no shit this guy is fucking uuuuuuuuuuuugly.
>Apparently when he smacked you with the blackjack it knocked something loose, because that thought is immediately by your mouth opening.
"God above the fuck happened to your everything? Did you get launched through the Ugly-Tree forest and hit every tree on the way out?"
>The man growls and stands up.
>Oh good you're on the floorohGODHE'S GONNA-
*CRACK*
>All the wind is literally kicked out of you as a steel-toed boot that's seen better days supplants itself into your ribcage.
>You can feel them bend and thankfully not break, but that's gonna leave a mark.
[Day 2 Begins]
>Boots- part of a complete breakfast.
>You take a few breaths as you try to judge exactly where the boots impacted and how much you should be worrying right now.
>Strain, pain around the lower part of your chest.
>Not poking pain, but a constant burning.
>So at minimum, bruising and a fractured rib.
>Yes, this is exactly how you wanted your day to start.
>The fugly bastard is in your face again.
>"Alright, smartass, let's try this again, maybe without me deciding you're more trouble then ya's worth."
>You barely resist the urge to make another snarky comment.
>Interesting, apparently absolute bowl-voiding terror makes you a sarcastic, snarky asshole.
>Good to know.
>Maybe if you ever learned how to fight, you could have mixed that i-
*SLAP*
>You refocus on the ugly bastard.
>"Paying attention now? Good."
>Fugly stands up, and starts pacing in front of you from where you're laying on the floor.
>"So here's what ya's gonna do for us. We have some ah, mouichendice that ya gonna inspect to make sure it's healthy."
>... What?
"What?"
>"You 'eard me, quack! You're going to be keeping our ponies healthy, and maybe helping up turn our profit as well. Sick freaks pay a looot of money to fuck a pony."
>Oh.
>Fuck.
>No.
>You feel a cold chill of -real- terror run down your spine.
>Your mind is blank and your eyes are wide.
>You have no idea how to respond to that.
>The kidnappers find this amusing and all start laughing at you while one of the biggest, fattest people you've ever seen (Moe, apparently), grabs you by the collar and lifts you up.
>The three kidnappers start walking/dragging you along.
>"So are we gonna puts 'em in the stable now boss?"
>"... No, not immediately. He's going to help us train our pets to be good obedient little fuck toys. After all, good ponies don't get turned into glue and canned meat."
>You start praying.
>It's all you can do.
>Lord give you strength...
>Eventually you're dragged out to the 'Stables'.
>You're able to look around, and try to pull up some professional disinterest.
>You've got to stay calm.
>You absolutely have to stay calm.
>Panicking is just going to get you killed.
>Or turned into a pony forever.
>Or possibly both.
>You're shoved into a chair, your hands and feet still bound, as the three men go about their ramshackle stable.
>It's made of rusted steel and sheet-metal, haphazardly thrown together.
>They open the stable doors and grab ponies by the throats or manes and drag them out in front of you.
>A few of them look as scared as you do.
>One of them looks absolutely indifferent to the whole thing.
>You focus on that for a moment, trying to figure out more about that pony who seems to care so little for what's going on.
>She's relaxed and bored, her mane and tail silky and shiny, showing that she's well groomed and cared for.
>She gives you a glance, as if trying to figure out your value before she starts ignoring you again.
>A previous... ahem, streetwalker, then?
>All types, you suppose before looking at the small herd around you.
>These ponies are nothing like that happy community.
>Some of them are curling on themselves in a effort to get some comfort or some feeling of safety.
>One is glaring at the kidnapper trio defiantly.
>You silently urge her on.
>They ignore her.
>"Well pets, we're going to introduce you to someone new. This asshole in the chair is Doctor Quack, and he's gonna be keeping you healthy and helping you enjoy your new body and lives as fuck toys."
>The Herd collectively bristles at that, but the kidnapper doesn't seem to care as he draws a large revolver and waves it around with a grin.
>"After all, you wouldn't want what happened to Billy happen again... right?"
>The wicked grin on the fugly asshole and the ponies cowering even more gives you a pretty good idea of what happened.
>The grin and the way he's waving that revolver around means either he cracked someone with it, pistol whip.
>It's the proper size and weight to do some serious damage if he did so.
>But more then likely if you were able to do some looking you'd find a bullet hole and some blood splatter.
>The thought makes you sick to your stomach that scum like this were able to get there hands on a firearm.
>You mentally curse that you leave yours in your truck, trusting that the shotgun in a compartment by your bed was more then enough to deal with intruders.
>Of course, you were going into your own home and were expecting to be cleaning up for the end of a day, not fighting off home invaders.
>Such is life you suppose.
>You mentally review what day it was and blanch when you realize that yesterday was a Thursday.
>Never could get a hang of Thursday.
>Didn't even have your towel with you.
>"So, in order to keep Doctor Quack nice and compliant, we're gonna have a little lesson on what happens if you're not."
>You resist the urge to brace as you watch fugly twist towards you and swing the revolver, slamming it into your shoulder and knocking you off the chair.
>You hiss in pain after bouncing off the floor, not being able to catch yourself means your head rebounded a bit too and you can see stars.
>That hurt a lot.
>A concussion on top of a concussion seems to be the way you're rolling right now.
>The Pon-E's cower in fear away from fugly, and you feel some rage burning in your chest as you decide to put that lovely brain of yours to work.
>Just need some time to plan, and to be able to figure out your supplies.
>Fugly grins at you before he marches out the door, calling over his shoulder.
>"Enjoy your stay!"
>The door to the stables, a large metal pull down security barrier, is pulled down and loudly locked, leaving you in the stables with the ponies.
>The Herd have all shied away from you, obviously cautious and scared.
>With fugly on the prowl, you would be too.
>You groan, and slowly shift from laying on the floor to, at the very least, laying on your side.
>You look around at the ponies, as shy as they are, and let out a sigh before finally speaking up a few moments later as you catch your breath.
"Would one of you be kind enough to untie me? Or at least attempt to?"
>The ponies flinch at your voice, as soft and as calm as it was, and you frown a bit, thinking of Camo, Belladonna and their new Filly.
>You wish you were there, not here.
>But this is no time for fruitless wishes.
>You muster up another prayer to God before you feel something tugging on the restraints of the back of your hands.
>You turn your head a bit and see the mare who had looked so disinterested biting and tugging at your ropes here and there, and the rope getting looser and looser before you can slip your hands free.
>You let out a sigh of relief before you roll to your back, looking up at the mare.
"Thank you."
>She looks back flatly before nodding and stepping away.
>You sit up slowly, taking your time to make sure you don't get woozy and pass out or the like from sudden movement.
>You most likely have a concussion, so taking things slow would be best.
>You carefully untie your feet, again taking your time and moving slow so you don't aggravate your injuries.
>The herd has slowly started to get closer, and you mentally assess them, glancing from one to another.
>Slightly underfed. One is limping, not lame but injured for sure, judging from the way they're limping, either a dislocation or something wrong with the frog/hoof.
>Over all the herd is in decent health, but could be a lot better, and they all seriously need some sunlight and time to at least run about.
>These living conditions are unsanitary, unhealthy, and you're now seriously worried about these ponies.
>Your head throbs again and you let out another little groan, softly holding your head in your hands and gently massaging your temples.
>Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it sure as hell makes you feel a bit better now.
>"-re a doc-"
>You blink, gently looking up again at one of the quietest voices you've ever heard.
>One of the little ponies have come within about three feet of you, sitting back far enough that he's out of reach, but close enough to try to talk.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"
>The pony gulps as you speak to him, your voice calm and quiet as well, not wishing to get fugly and his mutts back in the 'stables'.
>"You're... a doctor... right?"
>You blink and glance down, realizing you're still wearing your labcoat because you didn't take it off when you got whack'd.
>"A-a real doctor?"
>You blink at that feel a small spark of annoyance, but you push it aside.
>A veterinarian doctorate is a real doctorate, damn it!
>You're just an Animal Doctor, not a people doctor.
"Yes. Doctor AJ, at your service... as stymied in my presence as I am at this point in time, anyway. The probable concussion isn't helping with that."
>You're trying pretty hard to crack a joke, as bad of a joke as it is, and give the herd a small smile.
>The stallion shifts his weight, his tail flicking for a moment as he bites his lower lip before he looks at the rest of the herd, who start nodding and softly gesturing for him to continue in reassurance.
>Interesting.
>"D-doctor, can you look at Daisy Locks please? H-her leg..."
>The stallion shrugs helplessly, obviously worried about his (friend?) herdmate.
>You mentally categorize the behavior as a trust exercise.
>You turn to look at the now named Daisy, who shies back at your gaze.
>You shift so that you're sitting down, using a stable to prop yourself upright.
"Daisy? Could you come here, please? I need to get a better look at your leg."
>You say it as gently and calmly as possible, trying to keep that smooth, professional tone you've been using to keep animals of all kind calm.
>Daisy shivers a bit, and is gently nudged by one of the other members of the Herd and the stallion, and she slowly makes her way closer and closer before standing in front of you.
>You give her an encouraging smile even as the two other ponies stay on either side of her.
"Can you hold up your leg for me, or move it at all?"
>Daisy doesn't speak, but nods shyly as she lifts her right foreleg and gently sets it in your hands as you hold them up.
>You slowly move a bit closer so that you can get a better look at her hoof and let out a small curse.
>Pon-E's hooves are different from normal hooves, as they don't actually suspend the entire weight of the pony like normal hooves do.
>Unlike the normal anatomy, Pon-E hooves are malleable, mostly due to the magic running through them, though they're more then hard enough to kick through brick, wood, people and even steel.
>Injuries to the frog of the hoof, however, still hurt a lot and if not treated properly can cause infections.
>You instantly diagnose Daisy's problem as a soft-tissue puncture injury to the frog of her hoof, just behind the hoof-nail.
>As such, putting her hoof down is causing her pain from the pressure.
>Thankfully, you've got a solution for that in your pocket.
>You glance at the door and then whisper quietly to the herd.
"Are there any cameras or way for them to see us?"
>The Herd collectively shake their heads no, and you reach into the inner pocket of your labcoat and pull out the bottle of Pon-E.
>You don't have anything else you use, and the more you inspect the hoof, the more worried you are.
>It's infected, and the way the flesh is swelling and coloration makes you fear for the worst.
>Hoof wounds, and ones to the frog in particular are the hardest to heal.
>And if they get infected and left alone, they can become necrotic.
>In short, the skin and flesh on the inside of her hoof is dead, and most likely starting to do what dead flesh does.
>You hold up the bottle of Pon-E, considering it quietly.
>Pon-E, as a drug, is very unusual, for a lot of different reasons.
>It's hard to determine what exactly it does, but one thing is known for sure.
>Missing limbs, metal plates, screws or replacements, hell, even what some people would consider completely irreparable damage is healed.
>Replaced with healthy tissue and flesh, from the ground up, almost as if you're being given a new body with your memories and knowledge imprinted on a new brain.
>You look at Daisy, and then at the pills.
>You don't have anything to treat her with, and if the hoof is Necrotic, you wouldn't be able to save her anyway without taking her hoof -off-, or at the very least surgically removing most of the frog of her foot and clearing out the infection, and hoping for fresh skin to grow back.
>You open the bottle and let out a slow breath.
"I don't know if this will work. Pon-E is... it's like a full-body reset."
>The ponies are paying rapt attention to you and the bottle as you shake one pill out from the bottle.
>About fourteen pills are left in there, but you ignore that for now.
>You hold the pill out to Daisy.
"This... I'm not going to lie. Nor am I going to sugar coat it. You're in serious danger right now Daisy. How did you get that wound?"
>She whimpers a bit and cowers a bit, taking her hoof back and holding it to her chest.
>"T-they tried to put horseshoes on me..."
>Tried being the key word.
>You hiss a bit at that, diverting your attention away from the herd with your angry look so you don't scare them and take a few deep breaths.
"Idiots. Horseshoes should never be haphazardly applied, it can cripple the horse."
>You let out a slow, slightly shaky breath.
"I... I don't know if this is going to work."
>You make sure to say that first, looking at the herd, knowing that you're repeating yourself, but that might just be the concussion talking.
"There haven't been any trials done with Pon-E on PonEs. There just hasn't been reason to do so. All we know is that two pills within a twenty-four hour window makes the transformation permanent, one pill lasts for twelve hours, and three pills causes some mental changes, and more of that is... not worth thinking about."
>The whole herd shudders at that, no doubt remembering some of the news reports that told the world about the dangers of overdosing on Pon-E.
>You shake your head and look at Daisy Locks, gently reaching out and resting your hand on her shoulder in a soothing manner, gently petting her coat.
"I don't know if this will help you or not, but I know that I would be hard pressed to save your hoof and your leg, and that's if I had all my equipment and an assistant from the big Vet Clinic on the other side of town from my practice. I have this-"
>You hold up the horse pill, mentally musing at how fitting it is for this moment.
"But this is a desperation play. Taking it is up to you, Daisy."
>The mare looks at you for a few moments, and gently sits down on her haunches, considering the pill and looking like she's about to cry.
>You feel horrible, whispering a prayer to anyone that would listen to you now, praying that this would work, that you could help this poor mare.
>A few moments pass, and all you can hear is your heartbeat. It's as if the whole world is holding it's breath for this decision.
>It matters.
>Maybe not to a lot of people.
>A lot of ponies.
>But to this small herd... it means everything.
>Finally, after what feels to be forever, she nods quietly, tears spilling from closed eyes.
>"P-please... I-I'm not ready to die."
>The world starts breathing again, for a few moments before that breath is drawn short once again.
>Daisy opens her mouth, and you gently place the pill in it and tilt her head back, holding her muzzle closed and rubbing her throat.
>Old habits, maybe, but you know that dry swallowing pills isn't something that most humans are good at, and animals usually need some help.
>You coax her into swallowing the pill, and then coax her into opening her mouth so that you can see that it's gone.
>You take the hoof she's been holding to her chest, gently extending it so you can examine the necrotic tissue and the puncture wound.
>She lets out a little gasp of pain and starts crying, her herd moving around her and getting close, pressing into her to keep her upright and show their support.
>It's a beautiful moment, spoiled by the cries of pain of the crying mare as the Pon-E does it's thing.
>A few moments pass.
>Nothings happening.
>It didn't work.
>You slump a bit, feeling your eyes water a bit.
>It was a gamble anyway.
>You didn't have any other options.
>But failing?
>Failing -hurt-.
>This mare was going to die because of those sick fucks that decided turning people into little ponies made human trafficking 'Ok'.
>You feel a wellspring of rage swell up through you.
>You had never felt anger like this before.
>You were going to make a plan.
>Fugly and his bastards were going to get theirs for hurting these people, you'd make sure of that.
>Then some movement from the hoof you were holding caught your eye, and your jaw drops a bit, the tears you were holding back actually starting to fall.
>The necrotic tissue was falling way.
>Literally falling off of her body.
>You could only watch in surprise, your analytical mind noting the whole process as the wound started healing before your very eyes.
>Clean, healthy flesh replacing infected, blackened dead flesh.
>Shoving all the gunk and disease out.
>A few more moments and it was all gone.
>The dead tissue and flesh right in front of your crossed legs, and a whole and healthy frog of flesh before your eyes.
>You let out a relived laugh, and give the herd a bright smile.
"Daisy, it worked. How do you feel?"
>The mare sways a bit as she's held up by the rest of the herd, and her flicking ears are the only things that indicate she even heard you.
>A few tense moments pass before she blinks the tears out of her eyes and looks at you, and then takes her hoof back, turning it over to look at the frog of her hoof before gasping.
>She immediately starts crying then, but it's in relief and you can tell from the expression on her face how much of a weight has been lifted from her shoulders as she rests against the stallion that approached you to speak for the herd.
>She's gonna be ok.
>The herd goes into a group hug in their relief, the first signs of joy, and dare you say it, hope, that you've seen from any of them since you got here.
>You look down at the infection puss and necrotic flesh and push yourself to your feet.
"We should move away from this... stuff. I don't suppose we have anything to clean it up with?"
>The ponies shake their heads after your words draw their attention and you sigh, gently ushering the herd away from the dead and rotting tissue.
>No sense in getting themselves infected or sick from it.
>You sit down again, on the other side of the 'stable' from where the miracle took place, putting the bottle of Pon-E back in your lab coat before you do so, the herd gathered around you.
>Surprisingly, Daisy marches resolutely, not afraid to put her hoof on the ground now, right into your lap, settling down like she belongs there, nuzzling into your chest.
>Tentatively, you start stroking her mane and she lets out a happy little whinny before relaxing against you, and is soon snoozing on your chest.
>You give the rest of the herd a bewildered look but they're all just smiling happily at you.
>The stallion that spoke for the herd's smile droops for a few moments, and his head falls as if he's contemplating something important.
>"Doctor... can you help us?"
>Help.
>You frown, crossing your arms in thought.
>Isn't that what you've been doing?
>It feels like a silly question to you, being a doctor.
>Vet, sure, but helping... that's your job.
>It's just what you do, period.
>You help those who can't help themselves.
>Even if those 'who' happen to be animals.
"Of course I'll help you, however I can."
>The ponies all perk up at that, and start muttering between one another in excitement, Daisy nuzzling more firmly into your chest.
>"You idiots. No one can help us."
>The herd freezes and they turn to the mare that's well groomed and looked after.
>The one who scoffed.
>The one who, even now, has an air of indifference about her as she steps forwards, looking at the rest of the herd, and yourself, imperiously.
>"How is a single man, a doctor who's code is to do no harm, supposed to help us? Our lot in life is set, just like it's always been."
>Damn, Debbie downer in the house.
>The ponies all slump a bit at this as you frown at her.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
>She scoffs again.
>"Those bastards -own- us. They're our pimps. We do what we need to do because they'll kill us otherwise, and they've done so before. We can't beat them, just like my last pimp."
>Ouch.
>Well, there's some conformation for your thoughts.
>She was/is a streetwalker.
>And has been for a while if her attitude is anything to go by.
>Jaded.
"So you would have them just give up? Surrender themselves to this life?"
>Like you did, you mentally add, glaring at her.
>"Of course. The strong pray on the weak, and they're stronger then us. A doctor with medication can't save us."
>You frown a bit deeper, keeping a steady glare on her.
"... I might just be a Doctor, but you're wrong about one thing- the Hippocratic Oath does not state 'Do No Harm'. Most people boil it down to that."
>The mare blinks in confusion, as if she was expecting you to back down after she challenged you, and you lean forwards, gently hugging Daisy.
"In the original oath it states- I will utterly reject harm and mischief- Because above all the oath states that you will never abuse your position as a Doctor to harm a patient."
>You lean back, keeping your gaze steady, aware that the herd is hanging onto every word.
"Book One, Epidemics, of the School of Hippocratic: 'Practice two things in your dealings with disease: either help or do not harm the patient.' Those monsters are the disease, you are my patients."
>You nod firmly.
"As a Doctor, I am obligated to help you deal with this disease."
>Now, technically, you're just spouting words to shut her down.
>But damn it, you -believe- that, with your heart and soul.
>These ponies need your help, and you're in the right position to help them.
>But how?
>You look at each pony, frowning in contemplation of them.
>A few unicorns, mostly earth ponies, and a single pegasus.
>How can you help them get by those assholes, or take them down?
>You thing carefully as the ponies talk to one another, the well-groomed one sulking a bit as she steps away from the Herd.
>You reach down, feeling the bottle of Pon-E in your labcoat.
>And an Idea hits you.
>A horrible idea.
>A brilliant idea.
>But it might not work.
"... How long do they usually leave you all alone?"
>The herd's chatter stops before they turn to look at you, before looking at one another.
>The stallion blinks, and then looks down in thought before looking up again.
>"A few hours or so... why?"
>You take a deep breath and look at the herd.
"I have a plan."
>You pull the bottle of Pon-E out again, and contemplate it carefully, swallowing a bit in worry.
>What if you're not the right race?
>What if you're not fast enough?
>Could it still work?
>What if fugly doesn't walk in first?
>Too many variables.
>Too many ways it could go wrong.
>You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding and shake your head.
>You have to think this through, treat it like you performing a surgery...
>You take a shaky breath, and after a few moments, you start searching yourself again.
>Sure enough, you find what you're looking for, the sharp that you used to give Bella and Camo's filly her vaccinations.
>You inspect it critically, and then pull a pill from the Pon-E bottle.
>The pill, bright red and white, that might hold the key to getting out of here, or at the very least, incapacitating fugly.
>You lick your lips, and feel the sluggish sloshing of the liquid in the pill as you shake it in your hand.
>A few moments pass and you pull out two more of the pills, and pull the plunger all the way out of the sharp.
>The ponies are watching as you push the plunger all the way back down to ensure you got rid of all the air before you push it into one of the pills and carefully draw all the liquid from it, before repeating the process with the other two.
>The three mostly-empty pills are quickly hidden into your lab coat, the bottle of Pon-E.
>The sharp is now filled with what looks like tomato sauce, though a bit thicker. It glows ever so softly in the dim lighting, though the light is more soothing then scary, a pinkish color.
>You carefully hide the sharp in your sleeve, knowing you're going to need to be quick with it.
>Three pills is an overdose, and while you're not 100% sure what it's going to do to fugly...
>Well, a more deserving asshole you can't think of right now.
>You whisper a prayer for forgiveness for what you're planning to do, before looking at the herd.
"Gather around my little ponies... here's what we're going to do."
 
>>>A few hours later>>>
 
>The herd is nervous.
>You doubly so.
>You're leaning against the wall, two of the ponies next to you.
>They're going to trip up the fugly's minions while you go for fugly yourself.
>You're only gonna get one shot, so you've got to make it count.
>The sharp is in your hand, and you know exactly where you're going to stab it.
>Finally, finally, the security door is lifted up. It's show time.
>Fugly steps inside, and the revolver is in his hand.
>He doesn't have time to react as you slam into him amidships, tackling him from the side, driving the sharp straight into his chest.
>He lets out a cry of pain and surprise, and the revolver fires into the floor as the herd surges forwards.
>"GET OFFA ME! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS YA QUACK!"
>His fist is pretty strong as it swings in wildly and cracks you solidly across your jaw, but not till you're pushed the plunger all the way down.
>It's done, now for the more complicated part of the plan.
>Not getting shot.
>You push harder, using all of your strength to pick the ugly motherfucker up and slam him into one of the stable doors.
>All the air is knocked out of the bastard as you do so, and you hear a pretty sick cracking noise as you bounce his head off of it as well with your attempt at a powerbomb.
>Or is that a reverse suplex? Whatever, doesn't matter, you never really watched wrestling anyway.
>The both of you topple to the ground, and you hear the cries of pain from the gormless mooks as they're trampled, bucked, and bit by the herd.
>You and fugly struggle for a bit, your hand trying to snatch at the revolver so you can try to keep him from firing again.
>You found it, and the two of you being to fight over it as he continues to take wild swings at your head.
>He's not able to get much leverage, and his punches are becoming weaker and weaker with each swing.
>You didn't quite get him in the heart with the Pon-E Syringe, but close enough.
>Definitely gonna have to do something to make up for breaking your Oath though... That is not how medicine is supposed to be used.
>The struggling slows to a stop, fugly letting out a pained whine as he finally lets go of the revolver, and you snatch it away and roll off of him, coming up to your feet with the revolver in hand.
>Well, ok, held by the barrel, but at least you got it.
>You feel a sharp pain in your leg and you're back on the ground.
>Or not.
>You look down and immediately wish you didn't.
>You didn't notice in all the excitement, but that's a fucking hole in your leg.
>Like, holy shit.
>That's a fucking HOLE.
>IN YOUR LEG.
>SWEET LORD THAT FUCKING HURTS.
>A pained whimper slips from you as you try to tear your attention away from the new addition to your leg, or subtraction, or whatever, and check on the Herd.
>Just don't think
>Stop
>STOP
>OH GODS IT HURTS WHY
>You know you're crying, but through the blurred vision, you can see the two goons are down, and not moving.
>You don't see any blood, but you're not making assumptions BECAUSE YOU GOT FUCKING SHOT.
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
>"We got 'em Doc! Doc? Docto-OH CELESTIA!"
>The ponies have noticed your plight.
>Good.
>Oh, you're feeling cold, the room is swimming, and you're feeling quite faint.
>So this is what it's like to go into shock.
>That's lovely.
>You can't feel anything.
>Probably shouldn't pass out right n-
 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
>Oh God why...
>Make the pain stop.
>Your head is spinning and ringing loudly.
>You are never drinking again if you can help it.
>This has to be the worst hangover you've ever had.
>"Be careful! You almost dropped him, AGAIN."
>"Well ex-cuuuuuse me, Daisy, if he's not exactly light! He's a bit bigger then the rest of us!"
>"Look, this is no time for arguing, we have to keep moving. You still got his coat right?"
>"Yeah, and we put the bottle back along with the needle after we pulled it out of-"
>The world spins for a moment and you fall, slamming into something head first.
>Blissful unconsciousness
>>>>>
>"-octor? Hey, he's waking up!"
>"Oh thank goodness, he had quite the trip."
>You feel a unwanted groan slip from you as your head throbs in pain.
>Nope, fuck what you thought before.
>THIS is the worst hangover you've ever experienced.
>Seriously, it's like you took every frat party you've ever been too, put 'em into a single bender, and then drank that same bender for three other people.
>Or something.
>You try to sit up, or open your eyes, only to have your body loudly complain about your actions.
>That is to say, you let out a whimper of straight pain as the light blinds you and your whole body aches.
>"Nurse?"
>"He's spent twelve hours unconscious, and somepony decided it'd be a good idea not only to give him a concussion, but to give him medication while in shock, and them move and jostle him around. Suffice to say, he's in quite a bit of pain and needs time, Camo."
>... Camo?
>"I-I know, but it's just... well, we really need to talk to him."
>"Relax sweetie. He'll be back on his feet before we know it. The bullet passed completely through his leg and it healed up nicely."
>Healed up?
>Wait, did you take some Pon-E?
>You didn't have anything for quick healing and from what you could see through the hole in your leg you were gushing blood.
>Come to think of it, that's a more likely reason why you passed out- Shock and blood loss.
>Oh dear.
>You're supposed to be dead right now.
>Or maybe this is the dream?
>Is this just real life?
>Is this just fantasy?
>Caught in a landslide.
"...no 'cape fr'm reality..."
>The room falls silent before the lights are gently dimmed and you let out a sigh.
>"Doctor? Doctor AJ? Aries, are you ok, can you hear us?"
>Now that you're listening... that sounds like Bella.
>You slowly blink open your eyes to find yourself surrounded.
>Bella is curled up next to you, providing warmth and looking into your eyes.
>Her filly is asleep on your chest.
>Camo is on the otherside, looking at you with obvious worry.
>Nurse Cross is inspecting your leg, with Daisy following right behind.
>"There we are. Good Evening Doctor. I'm told you've had quite an adventure from the last time you saw us."
>Nurse Cross sounds quite cheery for looking over someone who should most likely be dead right now.
"... 'ah, you k'n call it th'... water..."
>A glass of water in a magical aura is floated over to you, and a straw gently placed in your mouth.
>You slowly drink some of the water, and smack your lips a few times to get rid of the parched feeling.
>After a few more sips, the straw is taken away and you let out a sigh.
"Yeah... you can call it that. How bad is it?"
>You get a polite smile in return, but it's obviously not a full blown 'you're gonna be fine' smile, and more of a 'stay calm' smile.
>"Well Doctor, you had quite the experience. After your fight with Mr. Jonas-"
"Who?"
>"Ah... quite, Ms. Daisy said you called him... um... Fugly?"
"Right, just checking."
>Nurse Cross coughs as she picks up her dialog again, while Bella, Camo, and Daisy all giggle at your interruption.
>"Anyway, 'Fugly', during the fight his revolver went off, and it caught the body of your femur, fracturing the bone and causing severe soft tissue and muscle injury, though I'm told you were able to throw him?"
>The Nurse looks at you critically as you give her a embarrassed shrug.
>She sighs and shakes her head before continuing.
>"It also opened your Femoral Artery, which is why you passed out, as your heart was pumping your blood straight out of your body, after the adrenaline wore off, you went into shock."
>She turns her head and gestures to Daisy.
>"She saved your life with her quick thinking. She was able to push a Pon-E pill into your mouth and make you swallow it while you were unconscious."
>You blink and look to Daisy, who blushes and ducks her head, giving you a shy smile.
>"I-it was nothing really... you did the same for me. I just copied what you did."
>You give her a warm smile which makes the mare blush and duck a bit more, Bella giving her a knowing nudge and Camo giving you a wink that makes you roll your eyes as you shift a bit and pull out an arm from under the blanket.
>Sure enough, human again- You must have been unconscious as a pony that entire time.
>You gently pet Bella's filly, who stretches a bit under your hand and then nuzzles into you.
>Hnnnnnnnnnnnnng.
>Cutest damn thing you've ever seen.
>You want four.
>Nurse Cross clears her throat and you look to her, tearing your eyes away to see her flat, not-quite-frowning face.
>Oh dear, the bad news then.
"So... I'm guessing something went wrong?"
>Nurse Cross sighs.
>"Well, beyond your concussion, which might be affecting your short-term memory, the leg wound you suffered... returned, when you reverted back to human. We've done our best to plug it up and wrap it tight, but at this point in time our options are very... limited."
>You feel your blood run cold and you keep petting the little filly laying atop of you because you know that's one of the few things keeping you calm outside reviewing the situation clinically so you can detach yourself from your own emotions, which you know are going haywire.
"When I was waking up... you said it healed up fine?"
>"As a pony, yes. Your blood replenished and we were able to get you stable, but it was slowly rebreaking and reopening when you reverted. If we leave your leg as it is, we most likely will have to amputate it. The damage is severe enough that there's nothing we can do to fix it. We don't have a Doctor available to help you and..."
>The nurse falls silent again and looks away.
>The rest of the ponies are looking down or looking depressed as well.
>Something else happened while you were unconscious, and it's making you very nervous.
>"Mr. AJ... there's a manhunt on for you right now. Th-they said that you're a murderer."
>Oh.
>Oh shit.
>That's... that's not good.
"Wh-what? WHAT?! How?!"
>Daisy starts crying and pushes her head up against you, and you look down at your leg.
>Sure enough, the hole in your thigh is growing out again, and it's being held together by duct tape and a lot of wadding.
>"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry it's all my fault we shouldn't have let her go I'm sorry I'm sorry-"
"Ok... ok. Let's just... go through it step by step."
>You hold up your hand as you say it, gently urging the ponies to stay calm.
>You point to Nurse Cross, and start with her.
"How bad is my leg? In particular, at what point do we need to really start worrying?"
>The Nurse lets out a frustrated huff.
>"Within the hour, if we don't put a tourniquet on it. It's a major artery, so the blood flow will be quite severe. It's acting slowly and you don't appear to be in pain, yet, but we'll have a little bit of time to decide what to do."
>You frown before shaking your head.
"Better to do that now. Keeps me conscious and prevents major blood loss, which I'm assuming we don't have any way to do blood transfers...?"
>Nurse Cross nods and you nod in return.
"Tourniquet. We'll work out what else to do from there. Alright, next- A manhunt? What happened while I was unconscious?"
>Daisy hiccups a bit and looks up at you.
>"W-when you passed out, after I was able to get you to swallow a Pon-E, we grabbed you an ran, leaving the goon and Fugly behind. Fugly was mostly pony by that point in time, but was clutching at their chest for some reason."
>She looks down.
>"We left Snooty behind, because she didn't want to come with us and didn't care. We got picked up by two of the Daywalkers for the Herd and they got you here along with the rest of us."
>She looks up again, taking a calming breath before she continues.
>"We were so happy... you were alive, we got out, the plan -worked-... we were listening to the radio, the entire herd was celebrating, and some of the Daywalkers were discussing how to get you to the hospital if you needed to go after you woke up when there was a news broadcast."
>She tears up again and pushes her head into your shoulder.
>"F-fugly... h-he had a heart attack. The Pon-E overdose made his heart seize up when he switched forms and he died before the Police could respond."
>You feel your blood run cold again.
>Murderer.
>Killer.
>Betrayer of Oaths.
>"S-snooty... Snooty Strut told the police what you did. They want you for malpractice, assault, and manslaughter, and there's been some arguments over if it shouldn't just be bumped straight up to murder because you planned out the attack!"
>Daisy is crying as she presses against you, and you feel a hand rest on her shoulders as you pet her in an attempt to calm the poor mare down, as well as to keep yourself calm.
>Murder?
"But they kidnapped us... they killed some of you, they assaulted me. Why wasn't it classified as self defense?"
>The rest of the Ponies flinch, and Nurse Cross lets out a little swear before returning to the task of setting up the equipment for the Tourniquet you're going to need in a moment.
"... I don't want to know yet do I?"
>The ponies shake their heads no... minus the sleeping filly on your chest of course.
>You sigh, and rub your forehead.
"So I'm a wanted man for defending myself and others and I threw away my oath and used medicine as a weapon. Right, anything else I need to know?"
>"You still have about three hours if you want to take Pon-E without it being permanent?"
>Daisy gives you a weak smile.
>"The Herd is more then willing to keep you save, AJ. We're not going to give up on you, you've helped us."
>Camo says with a nod.
>"We can send the Daywalkers to your practice to get whatever you need, and The Herd is pretty hard to find, so we should be safe for about another week or so before we're going to move. Florida is probably a safer place then Colorado right now."
>You frown a bit, and then your eyes widen before you groan, and cover your face with your non-petting hand's elbow.
"Oh God, my Mom is going to -kill me-."
>The ponies look at you in confusion and you let out a little laugh.
"My Mom always told me that I was going to get into so much trouble running a clinic by myself, and that I should live away from my work. Sure enough, what happens?"
>You gesture to everything around you, and let your head drop.
>You're not crying.
>You just have something in your eyes.
>You feel the ponies press in, and then something miraculous happens.
>The filly tugs on your fingers with a burst of magic, making you uncover your face.
>You blink at the little camo-and-tan filly, who scooches up a bit before nuzzling your face and hugging against you.
>You got more dirt in your eyes as you hug the little filly.
>You really need that hug right now.
>You wince as you feel something snap tight around your leg, and look to see the tourniquet in place.
>You know this is the only solution, for now, but are you going to have the time for an actual solution?
>What about your leg?
>Should you just cut the damned thing off and be done with it?
>You take a breath and let it go before looking at the ponies.
"So... Florida huh? How are you... we, pulling that one off?"
>The ponies look to one another before they give you a weak grin.
>"We've got a bunch of trucks and RV campers. That's pretty much it."
>You blink before letting out a sigh.
>Sounds about right.
"... You're going to need someone on ha... hoof, to make sure you're all ok. And you can't let your little filly get too far away from me, she still needs the rest of her shots."
>You say calmly, well aware of how excited the ponies look.
"I'm coming with you."
[END 'DAY' 2]
>You sigh as you're gently pushed around by one of the daywalkers, who's doing his best not to jostle you too much.
>James, sixteen, ran off with his girlfriend, Sarah, loves horses, ponies, shooting, and weirdly enough, blacksmithing.
>He's a pretty big guy, in fact, the second biggest guy that isn't you in the camp.
>James and his girlfriend, the aforementioned Sarah, have been designated as your caretakers.
>The limp pant-leg explains why, and explains the wheelchair you're in at this very second.
[Start of 'Day' 3]
>"How are you feelin' Doc?"
"Same as I felt a few minutes ago James, you really don't need to ask every few minutes."
>He's a good kid, really, but that's the thing- he's just a kid.
>You rub your eyes as you look over the Herd.
>Preparations for getting the Herd out of Colorado and on the road to Florida are well and underway, even with the ah, less then amicable task they had with removing your leg.
>You sigh a little as the phantom limb effect kicks in again, well aware that it's going to be a constant in your life from now on.
>... Well, maybe.
>You push that particular thought out of your head, and focus on what you and James are doing.
>In particular, you've been spending a while teaching James how to drive a truck with a trailer on it.
>He picked it up pretty quickly, and today's the go day.
>Everyone, and everypony, is anxious to get underway.
"Right, so, Camo and his family?"
>"Riding in our trailer, along with Daisy, Dukes, Sarah, Lily and Bob."
>Dukes was the stallion that was speaking for the Herd that Fugly was keeping, a fairly mellow fellow who got along with just about everyone, but wasn't a huge fan of talking if he didn't have to speak for someone else.
>Lily was Nurse Cross's Trainee, a little filly who will happily tell you that she's six and a half and is as cute as a button.
>She is friends with Camo and Belladonna's filly, whom Bella named Desert Blossom, and basically declared herself Blossom's big sister.
>Bob... is Bob.
>Picture the blandest, most normal looking earth pony stallion you can think of.
>That's Bob.
>Literally has a cutie mark in being normal.
>Not that you can really tell what it looks like, the image slides out of your head because it's just so... Bob.
>Bob's ok with it though.
>He just goes with the flow, and you don't really need to think about him because he'll mind himself well enough and doesn't bother anypony.
>His wife is a Daywalker and driving one of the supply vehicles, so he's riding with you all just so he's got a place to lie down and sleep.
>Travel isn't his thing apparently.
"Good. Any last minute things to do?"
>"Not that I can think of Boss, beyond getting you into the trailer and into bed so you can rest."
>You sigh and close your eyes.
"Somehow I doubt I'm going to be resting much James, between your girlfriend, Lily, and Blossom."
>James gives you a silly grin and a mock-salute, making you roll your eyes as you settle back into the wheelchair as he pushes you to the trailer.
>You sigh as you look around one last time.
>This camp... as weird as it is, has been home for the last couple of days.
>It reminds you of everything you love about Colorado.
>Why you never wanted to leave and never were going to, outside of the odd vacation just so you could experience the rest of the world.
>But here you are, leaving again.
>For how long?
>You let out a little sigh.
>The news has been pretty bleak ever since 'The Pon-E Murder' case was spread over mainstream media.
>Your face has been in almost every newspaper in Colorado, and it has been on CNN, FOX News and even BBC.
>People have been analyzing, arguing, preaching who's right and who's wrong, and fighting over the rights of the 'former' Humans that are now Ponies.
>It's been absolute madness.
>You've apparently got a pretty large amount of support, not that you've been really enthusiastic about getting online and checking.
>Not after your mother posted on facebook.
>She was pretty much a mess, asking what the hell you got yourself into, begging for you to come home, wondering why you killed a man...
>It's a pretty bad situation, and you did call her and explain yourself, and she understands, but in the end, there's not much you can do about it.
>Dad was much better to talk to.
>He was career military, and had seen his fair share of combat.
>He asked you three questions.
>Are you alright, was it in the defense of yourself or others, and do you want to talk?
>Dads are just the best like that.
>You sigh as you and James stop in front of the trailer and after a moment, he hands you a bag and a glass pipe.
>You roll your eyes and he gives you a sheepish grin.
>In order to keep the pain down and to keep you from flipping out, the Herd and Nurse Cross decided that good ol' mary jane was a great solution.
>Never smoked weed in your life and here you were.
>It wasn't bad honestly, you just like grousing about it because being in a weed-haze wasn't fun.
>The ponies were great companions to someone who was high though.
>So soft n' plush.
>You sigh and accept the bag and pipe before James helps you to your foot and you hop/hobble you way into the Trailer.
>It's well packed and soon you're ready to get underway.
>The trailer itself is quite large and spacious, being a more modern one that a family of six that's part of the Herd owned before they decided that the pony life was just better.
>Good folks, if a little strange.
>At least they were smart about it and brought their money and transformed with their new 'home' and truck so that they could rough it with some of those creature comforts that we humans just love.
>It's got four beds and the one at the back was in a nice dark little alcove that made it perfect for resting, with plenty of room for you to stretch out.
>You immediately do so, letting out a sigh of relief as you lay down.
>Keeping your balance was a real task now a days.
>You settle in and look at the baggie of weed and the pipe before setting them aside.
>You're fine.
>You don't need it right now.
>The phantom limb pain hasn't come back yet.
>You sigh and close your eyes and settle in.
>You can't really help with getting the Herd packed up to go so you're kind of stuck just laying here in mostly-comfortable pajama pants and a teeshirt.
>Your labcoat was neatly hung by the door, the bottle of Pon-E inside.
>From the fourteen you started with, you're down to 6.
>You hum, hoping you won't have to use them anytime soon.
>You softly cross your arms and settle in.
>The alcove is nice and dark and soon you drift off for a nice nap.
>A few minutes pass and something small and fluffy pushes its way under your arms and you shift a bit.
>The fuff nuzzles under your chin before settling, and you feel yourself hug it a bit before you settle back to sleep.
>Mmmnn... plushie.
>"Awwww... that's adorable."
>"Ssssh, don't wake them up. Get the camera!"
>"I have the camera Bella..."
*click-click-click-click*
>"Oh that's so going into the album."
>"She definitely loves her Uncle Aries, doesn't she?"
>You hum, walking up to Camo and Bella talking softly, Camo holding up a digital camera that they're both inspecting.
>You yawns, stretching a bit and blinking wearily before realizing you've got something pinning down your right arm.
>You look down and see Blossom snuggled up against you and you smile.
>The little filly was now a constant in your life, and she had taken to you as her favorite person that wasn't Momma or Daddy.
>You gently pet the sleeping filly and settle back down.
>Camo and Bella notice and smile and whisper greetings to you, and you notice that Lily, Bob, Daisy and Sarah are all here as well, and the trailer is swaying softly.
>They must have gotten underway while you were sleeping.
>You nod back, noticing the amused smiles on Daisy and Sarah's face.
"Afternoon... we got on the road then?"
>You get a couple of cheeky smiles in return and you roll your eyes as you softly pick up Blossom and set her into your 'spot', where she curls up after you pull the blanket over her and shift so you're sitting before pushing yourself up.
>You hobble-hop your way over to the group, settling down at the 'kitchen' table.
>Daisy nuzzles you in greetings, and Camo shows you the picture of you holding Blossom, the camouflage-and-tan unicorn filly nuzzling up under your chin.
>You smile softly at the picture and then wince and grip what remains of your left leg, sighing in annoyance as Sarah quietly passes you the baggie and pipe.
"Still don't get why you all are so insistent on this. Just let me take some ibuprofen or moltren and it'll have the same effect."
>Your grumbles were mostly in good humor.
>You weren't really a smoker, and never wanted to be.
>But here you were, smoking weed from a pipe because it was really the only medication they had on hoof that was something they could get more of easily.
>'Easily'
>Riiiiiiiight.
>Honestly, you think it's more that the 'kids' of the Herd were trying to get you to loosen up.
>But whatever, your leg hurts, and you've got about six hours left till you can 'go pony' so you pack the pipe and open the window before you start to smoke the bowl.
>You sit back, contemplating the rest of the day.
>You hum as you feel the THC do it's thing and slowly let yourself slump, idly petting Daisy.
>Huh.
>When did she get on your lap again?
>The mare is nuzzling all over your face and your giggling a bit because she's so soft n' ticklish.
>A God send this mare was.
>She's been your 'guide dog' in a sense.
>She's a great friend.
>You hug her and nuzzle back into her mane, making the mare giggle as she settles against you.
>Mnn soft.
>... What were you thinking about again?
>Who's hungry?
>"What?"
>You blink, realizing you said that out loud.
"Anyone else hungry?"
>Man pizza sounds really good right now.
>Ooooh or chips.
>The ponies are all laughing at you, but Sarah is grinning.
>"Sure thing Doc A, let me get some snacks for ya. Sweet, salty, both?"
"Salty."
>Your answer was instant and firm, and you take one last hit from the bowl.
>You glance in it, and nod firmly, you smoked the whole thing.
>Following... well, Nurses orders.
>You giggle a bit.
>Hehehe, Nurses orders.
>You're a Doctor!
>You give orders!
>Well... you give Animals orders.
>Suddenly, a soda and a bag of chips are placed in front of you, and you smile in thanks to Sarah as you go back to cuddling Daisy and start eating your snack.
>You quickly work your way through the bowl, feeding Daisy a few chips on occasion, and through the glass of soda before you start to tire.
>Daisy guides you back to the little alcove, where you're settled back into the bed and leave the world to swirl behind you.
>Nothing is wrong, everything is fine. You've got soft n' fluffy.
>You drift into half-awareness, sleeping but not as Daisy snuggles you, Desert Blossom settled between the two of you.
>You hear the camera going, but you don't care.
>It'll be nice.
>Or something.
>You forget.
>The awareness leaves you as you drift into an easy, relaxed sleep.
>The last thought that rolls through you is when you wake up you'll be taking a different mind-altering drug.
>You slowly awaken and stretch, noting that the fuzzy things you were snuggling with are no longer there.
>Blossom is nuzzling into Bella, Daisy, Duke, and Camo seem to be locked in a serious game of Monopoly (pony edition of course), and Bob and Sarah are looking after Lily, who's practicing her mouth writing and looking pretty frustrated with it, her wings fluffing up and settling in her annoyance.
>It's quite cute, but you sigh as you roll out of the bed and hobble over to your coat, making sure to hold on and lean to the right so a sudden bounce or sway doesn't throw you to the floor.
>You take the bottle of Pon-E out of your labcoat, and realize that everyone has stopped what they're doing in favor of watching you as you open the bottle and take one of the red and white pills out.
>You close the bottle, contemplating the pill for a moment before gently lowering yourself down to the floor.
>Lily gets up and trots over to you, looking -very- serious, which is absolutely adorable, and gets a bottle of water out of the fridge with a wing and offers it to you.
>You smile warmly at the filly and rub her head with your free hand before taking the bottle.
"Thank you Nurse."
>The filly giggles warmly, her tail wagging a bit as she puffs up.
>"Glad to help you Doctor."
>You take a deep breath, opening the bottle of water before popping the pill into your mouth and chasing it with a few generous swigs of water.
>A slight tang of tomato flavor hits your mouth but otherwise you taste nothing but the water as you finish the bottle and set it aside.
>Lily takes it away and backs up so you don't accidentally hit her or someone else while you're transforming, and you wince as the pain hits you.
>You're pretty numb to the transformation pains now, and the weed helps numb it even more, so you're able to watch with curious interest as you transform.
>You hum as the pain fades and you're left with a thrumming warmth in your chest as you feel the 'magic' start running through your veins alongside your blood, starting from your heart and spreading outwards swiftly.
>You feel your jaw dislocate, and stretch out, along with your nose and the rest of your face, and you lose vision for a moment as the rest of your face reshapes to fit a proper Equestrian frame.
>Your vision returns to a square, slightly blocky and currently furless muzzle, and you watch in amazement as the stitching for your amputation melts into your skin and your leg stretches out, forming that long, slender and muscular equestrian leg, plus a hoof before fur sprouts all over your body in a instant, surprising you a bit at the suddenness of your fur appearing.
>It's soft and makes you feel a little fuzzy, but the rusty red, almost pink color is nice to look at and feels -right-, as it covers your furless legs and muzzle, making you feel a little better.
>Your hearing is the next thing to go, and you wonder idly at the spastic way the changes go about as your ears travel to the top of your head and settle there before sprouting into two flicking dishes of flesh before settling into their proper equestrian form, a light ringing being all you hear for a moment before the sharper sense of sound of an equine settles and your brain adapts to the new sensation, letting you idly flick one ear, then the other.
>You watch as your right leg finally matches up to your left, and feel the urge to lay down on your side.
>You let yourself slump over, and feel your spine shatter and reform itself, the nerves gently stretching this way and that as muscle and flesh contort to a proper stance, forming your flank, barrel, chest, and shoulders.
>Your neck goes stiff as it finishes its changes, giving you a great range of motion as you turn your head a bit more to watch your arms flow outwards into proper legs, just as muscular as your hind legs.
>You let out a little grunt of pain as you see some red running down between your eyes, and feel the slender spiral of bone stab it's way outwards, growing longer and longer before coming to a stop, it's sharp point just in your line of sight, still red for just a moment before the red is all sucked back by the magic, and envelops your horn before flowing into a light layer of 'skin' over the horn, that you know is so thin and tight to the bone that it might as well not be there, the same color as your fur.
>The last few changes happen in a flurry.
>You feel your tail sprout and give a gentle sway before settling, knowing that it's long and a little spiky, before your mane settles into it's final form, long bangs settling just out of your line of sight before the rest of it is pulled back and up, settling into what you're told is a very reasonable look of a samurai's top-knot.
>It kind of reminds you of that samurai from League of Legend's hairstyle.
>Yaso-something.
>You let out a relieved sigh as you look up at the bangs, marveling at the colors.
>It rolls from the pinker color into red, purple, blue, and green, layered in such a way to make it almost memorizing to look at.
>You quite like the colors, and find they suit you well, even if it makes you look a little bit like a darker-colored rainbow.
>Feeling the last of the pain fade away and ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of your privates finally settling into the much bigger sheath and sack of a equine, you gently roll to your hooves, looking down at your unshaven feltlocks with a little distaste.
>Even if you manipulate most things with aura, magic, or whatever somepony wants to call it, having that much hair around your hooves when you might need to use them in assisting someone medically is just unsanitary, but you need to re-cut your fur around them every time you transform.
>You look up to the smiling faces of the rest of the trailers occupants and give them a little smile.
>You trot in place for a moment to let your mind sync up to moving your new body parts, and let out a relieved sigh.
>Easiest way of removing that phantom limb feeling.
>You smile at the group and join them, getting nuzzled in greetings from the ponies and a hug from Sarah before you settle down next to Lily to help her with her mouthwriting.
>Something that you quickly became surprisingly adept at, even if you still have 'doctor writing' syndrome.
>Ah well, such is the life of a Doctor, you suppose.
>Cramped note-taking was a requirement for when you were in college, and unfortunately it kind of screwed up your handwriting forever.
>Either way, a few hours pass like this, comfortably assisting Lily as she switches from mouth-writing to drawing, though she's not a fan of how crayons taste.
>"Doooooooooc... why can't I just write with my wings?"
>Lily's whining a bit, and you know it's because she doesn't want to be in the Trailer anymore by the way her wings are fluffing in agitation.
>You personally agree, but gas station stops and actually getting out of the trailer is currently reserved for the rare occasion they come across a mostly-empty truck stop, so that everypony can get together and relax a bit.
>The Herd is more then just being a collection of ponies after all, it's a community, and almost a family in it's own way.
>You hadn't thought about it before, but you realize now that it's all about being together and resting with one another.
"Because your wings need time to develop Lily. I know you can fly, but contorting your wings in such a way could strain or hurt your flight muscles. Give it time."
>You genuinely didn't want her to get hurt, and unfortunately, you didn't have a huge amount of experience with pegasi wings, but normal wings on birds could be damaged in much the same way that a human rolls their ankle if they're rotated the wrong way or flexed in a weird angle.
>You give Lily a soft noogie with your hoof, and the ride continues on.
>Finally, now several hours into the trip, in the middle of the night, the drivers found a truck stop abandoned enough that the Herd can disembark from the various trailers, cabs, and trucks that they've hidden themselves in.
>You take a deep breath.
>It had been raining recently, and a soft breeze fills the cool night air, and the world smells fresh.
>For all of three seconds before you blasted with the smell of gasoline and have to take a few shorter breaths to clear the smell.
>You travel group laughs a bit as they watch you do this.
>"Sorry Doc, we should have warned you, we forgot you haven't been a pony in a city yet. The sense of smell can really knock you flat."
>You give Bob a little glare as he smirks at you before trotting off to see how his wife is holding up, and you shake your head as Camo and Bella take Blossom and Lily off to find a place for them to ah, explore nature.
>Big ears, little bladders, yadda yadda.
>You shake your head before turning your head and back-stepping in surprise.
>Daisy is way up in your personal space and Duke is nowhere to be found.
>You blush a bit as the mare smiles warmly at you before she steps close to you again.
>"AJ... I know we've talked about it before but... I wanted to thank you, for what you've done."
>Daisy's voice is soft and you're surprised this is the same shy mare that you helped back in the stables.
>You softly shake your head, smiling at her.
"Daisy, I've told you, you don't need to do anything, and no... nopony owes me anything."
>You have been trying to ward off offers of thanks for the last few days.
>You broke your oath, you don't deserve the thanks.
>Even if you saved so many, you used healing as a weapon.
>It actually makes you feel sick to your stomach when you think about it, but Daisy shakes her head and steps up and into you, her chest pressing against yours as she nuzzles into you.
>You feel a blush run across your muzzle, and you're mentally so glad that your fur is such a rustic red, or it might be visible.
>Daisy fur gently brushes against your own, soft and feminine and very, very attractive as the warmth of it makes you lean in just a bit.
>Her muzzle slides against yours as she nuzzles you, the extra point of contact making your head swim as you slowly start to nuzzle back.
>"AJ... you're a very, very smart man, but you're also really, really stupid."
>Daisy murmurs into your ear, making it flick as her breath washes over it.
"W-what do you..."
>Daisy huffs softly, making your ear flick and her giggle as she strides past you, her body sliding against yours before she bumps your flank with hers, making you side step before you can turn to look at her.
>She's looking over her shoulder, her blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight as she smirks a bit at you.
>"You don't understand a mare, AJ. I'm thanking you for saving me, one way or another."
>You flush red again, and she giggles.
>Guess your fur doesn't hide your blush as much as you hoped.
"Daisy..."
>"Now you listen to me AJ."
>You blink as suddenly the mare has turned around and is up in your face again, making you lean back a bit in embarrassment as her muzzle and lips are almost right against yours.
>"You and I are going to spend some time together. We'll get something to eat, learn more about each other, and spend some time just being us. You will be a perfect gentlecolt and escort me properly, and I shall grace you with my presence."
>You blink, trying to keep up as the mare steps to your side and leans against you, making you take a more firm stance to hold to two of you up.
>"Am I understood?"
"Yes...?"
>Where in the world did this mare come from?
>This couldn't have been the same Daisy who had shied away from you when you were trying to help her, could it?
>Your confusion doesn't stop you from moving as her tail gently sways over yours and urges you to walk.
>Following Daisy's lead, you're gently guided away by the mare as she continues to lean into you, softly rubbing her head into your neck and shoulder and under your muzzle.
>She's warm and soft, and honestly, you're really enjoying the attention.
>She guides you away from the rest of the herd, and soon the two of your are laying down together, looking out over the fields near the gas station.
>"I like being able to just rest like this... it feels weird to be going back to Florida."
>You look at Daisy, tilting your head a bit in question.
"You were born in Florida?"
>"Mhmm, Miami. Home sweet home... I suppose."
>Daisy gently rolls her hoof and sighs.
>"I like Colorado more... though maybe it was more being able to get away from my parents. Overbearing would be a polite way to put it."
>You hum noncommittally as Daisy moves her head under yours and nuzzles up at you.
"I'm born and raised in Colorado. It's home."
>She blinks and leans back.
>"Really?"
>You look at her, surprised at her confusion.
"Well, yeah. Why is everyone surprised by that?"
>She blinks and then shrugs a bit, settling against you again.
>"I dunno. Maybe I'm just being silly, but you don't seem like someone from Colorado? I'm probably just being silly."
>Silly Filly is rambling.
>There's the Daisy you helped.
>You chuckle a bit and rest your head atop of hers, making her stop talking and push into after a moments hesitation as you gaze at the stars.
>Honestly, this is nice.
>You've never felt more relaxed then you've felt at this very moment, Daisy snuggled into you, the cool breeze softly pulling on your fur and nothing but you, her, and the stars to keep you occupied.
>It's soothing.
>You nuzzle into her mane, humming a bit.
>Interesting.
>Strawberries?
>You like strawberries.
>You continue to nuzzle and Daisy giggles, her ears flicking lightly and softly bapping your muzzle with them.
>You smirk a bit, a idea popping into your head as you gently nudge Daisy over onto her back.
>Daisy tilts her head in slight confusion till you nuzzle her belly.
>Mmm, soft.
>She starts giggling again, and you smirk into her fur.
>So she -is- ticklish.
>You take a deep breath and her eyes widen before you start blowing a razzberry on her belly.
>The mare is laughing like wild, her hooves flailing about as you blow the razzberry, your own hooves and a bit of magic keeping her from hitting you.
>"AJ! Stop iiiiiit~!"
>The mare giggles, curling around your muzzle a bit as you run out a breath, lifting your head back as you take a deep breath to do it again.
>She suddenly squirms out of your light hold and tackles you, knocking you into the ground and onto your back, and she starts doing the same, making you squirm with laughter.
>The great tickle war had begun, and it went on for a little while, the two of you trading vicious blows, like nuzzling the frogs of hooves with fuzzy muzzles or blowing razzberries, till you're both out of breath with laughter.
>You're pinned, again, and the 'loser' of the great tickle war, chuckling here and there as Daisy lays atop of you, a pleased little smile on her face as she giggles at you.
>You look up at her as your chuckles fade and find yourself entranced by the mare in the moonlight, and smile softly, your ears folding back in embarrassment as she looks down at you before she leans forwards.
>"Thank you."
>She's whispering softly, making you lean your head towards her to hear as she lowers her head.
>"Thank you for just being you. For doing your job. For holding me."
>She ducks her head and nuzzles against you, her cheek gently brushing yours and you find yourself lost in the smell of strawberries again, nuzzling back.
>Her body snuggles neatly into yours, and you find yourself enjoying sensation of her fur meshing with yours as your forehooves gently wrap around her shoulders and hug her close.
>A wild urge runs through you, a bolt of lighting down your spine with a desire.
>A need.
>You want to kiss Daisy.
>You feel yourself push a bit closer to her, lost in her eyes as she leans in herself and her eyes slowly slip close.
>Your own eyes close as your muzzle meets hers.
>Her lips are soft and smooth, and you find yourself worrying a bit about your own.
>At least, you were worrying till she presses more firmly against you, a pleased little hum coming from the beautiful mare kissing you.
>You press back, your hoof idly trailing down her back, the feeling of her soft fur rubbing against yours and tickling the frog of your hoof making every moment feel better as you kiss her.
*smek*
>The kiss breaks softly after a heady period of time, her eyes opening softly and staying slightly closed, a smokey, pleased look on her face that makes you want to kiss her more.
>"Mmmm, my stallion."
>You smirk a little before you push up to kiss her.
>She lets out a happy murr as you kiss her, nuzzling one another.
>She shifts a bit on you so that you roll to the side, both of you hugging close as your tails gently wrap and intermingle as the kiss continues.
>Several minutes... hours? Later, the kiss ends and you let out a pleased groan Daisy sifts from kissing you to nipping and kissing at your neck.
"Daisy...?"
>"Mmmmn..."
>Daisy doesn't seem like she wants to talk right now, and honestly, you're inclined to let her not bother with talking as she softly bites at your coat and you shiver.
"Daisy."
>"Mmmph."
>Daisy looks up from her nibbling.
>"What's wrong AJ?"
"... Lets go back to the trailer."
>Daisy blinks a few times and then perks up, a little grin on her face.
>"That sounds like an excellent idea."
>She slowly walks over you, giving you a lovely view of her body as she flicks her tail.
>"Follow me~"
>You roll to your hooves and quickly trot after the hip-swaying, tail-swinging mare.
>You quickly catch up to her, running your body against hers, Daisy softly bumping her hip against yours as you come along side her.
>She flicks her tail, letting it wrap with yours as you get to the trailer and your horn lights up gently.
>As you open the door, you nab the sock from your shoe from when you transformed and you place it on the handle to the trailer, making sure it stays on as you and Daisy trot into the trailer and the door closes... and is locked... behind you.
>The mare smirks a little, gazing at you intently as she slowly makes her way to your bed/alcove, taking her time to really give you a show.
>Her hips sway as her tail slowly hikes up and out of the way, letting you get a fantastic view of her winking pussy, every step she makes sultry and hypnotic as she takes her time to draw you in.
>You move after her, feeling 'little' AJ slip fully free from it's sheath as it had been threatening to do while you were outside, and quickly hardening, smacking and drumming against your belly as you move after her.
>Your eyes are locked to not only the winking but to the mare herself, gazing over her flank and lost in her eyes as she coos at the sight of you strutting towards her.
>She lets you catch up to her and you lower your head and nip at her flank, biting firmly. Her tail flicks and brushes over your face, and a light coo filled with need rolls out of her mouth as she arches a little at the bite.
>"AJ... don't tease me like that, you naughty colt."
>She's chastising but her voice is husky and filled with need, obviously quite excited and enjoying your attention as you continue to nip here and there before she moves away, gently jumping into your bed and stretching out sideways across the bed on her back.
>She winks at you, in both ways, her hindlegs spread to give you a show before her tail flicks up to cover her.
>"Come here, you'll get to play with that in a moment, but you have to come get me~"
>Absolutely.
>You slowly climb into the bed, gently nuzzling up one of her hind legs as you do so, ghosting over her breasts as you do, making her squirm a bit as she's reminded how exposed she is, and how ticklish she is.
>You smirk a bit.
>That could come in handy later, but for now, you've got a much bigger prize to focus on.
>You're soon standing above her, her eyes locked to yours as you lower your body to hers.
>You're agonizingly slow, and you know it, but you want to draw out the moment and really enjoy it, enjoy your time with her.
>Finally your bodies meet and you're pressed into her, your cock sandwiched between your bodies and adding a delicious pressure and warmth.
>A soft moan slips her lips and that moan is muffled as your lips take hers, another deep kiss, and a little french at that.
>Tongues gently meet and circle one another, not really fighting or playing, just feeling out the other as you run a fetlock down the side of her body.
>You feel her tail flicking up against yours before tugging out from between you and her and tickling your sack before it drops away.
>You know it's limply hanging off the bed, but she's holding it there on her own to present herself.
>The kiss from her becomes a bit more insistent.
>Demanding.
>Needy even.
>You gently shift your body, drawing her head up with yours as you move to properly position yourself.
>The kiss breaks, and eyes open to continue their locked dance.
>You would write poetry about her eyes.
>Probably will later.
>But the indescribable pleasure and heat of her winking pussy kissing the broad, flat head of your cock as you push against her is the true poetry of this moment.
>Poetry in motion.
>A moan rises from you both as you finally penetrate her, feeling her firm, muscled walls pulling and squeezing at you, trying to pull you in.
>You happily comply, pushing more into the pulsating heat of Daisy's body as her moan rises in pitch.
>"A-AJ~"
"Daisy..."
>"M-more. Pleaaaaase more!"
>Hours pass as you and Daisy move as one.
>Or what feels like hours.
>Daisy moaning, panting, screaming, howling your name and to do more.
>Finally, finally, you give in, undone and unwound, your body meshed with hers.
>She lets out a last, mewling groan of pleasure as she nibbles at your neck, her hind legs locked around yours and holding you in her.
>"Mmnn... A-AJ- are you? Would you."
>You slowly push through the heady haze of pleasure and arousal to listen, your ears flicking as she speaks as the mare presses a bit closer to you.
>How that's possible you're not sure, but you like it.
>"... Are you going to take the second dose?"
>The haze remains.
>There's no sudden snap to clarity.
>No sudden pushing away.
>Just calm, quite observation of what's said and what it could mean as you gently pet the mare you're holding and consider the thought.
>You really do enjoy being a pony.
>You love magic, and Daisy has given you a very, very good reason to stay as you are.
>Having all of your limbs is a big plus.
>And of course, can't forget that you can still do your job, and quite well.
>Hell, magic makes it a bit easier.
>You close your eyes in thought, holding Daisy still.
>But there's advantages to staying human, at least for now.
>Things that hands and being a recognizable Veterinarian and more importantly, a legal Doctor, are only capable of accomplishing.
>Getting critical medication and vaccinations for the Herd, for example.
>You open your eyes, thoughts swirling through your head for a moment before meeting Daisy's eyes.
>You softly nuzzle her and then kiss her gently, taking your time before responding.
"Eventually- yes. But not yet."
>Daisy lets out a sightly unhappy sigh at that as she ducks her head and nuzzles under your chin.
>"... Because you're a Vet?"
"No. Because I'm a Doctor."
>She leans back to look you in the eyes.
>"There's a difference?"
>Her voice is coy and playful.
>You gently pet Daisy's mane, closing your eyes as you hold her.
"I can get us supplies... medications... vaccinations. Things the Herd needs."
>You are obviously unhappy about that as you hold Daisy a little closer.
"I can be a Daywalker for a while yet... but I am going to take the second dose. Eventually."
>You can't help it.
>Especially with Daisy there, her scent filling your nose and driving you wild and her soft fur rubbing against yours, you don't feel the desire to go back to being human.
>To being stuck with one leg.
>To not being able to use magic.
>I mean, hands are cool n' all, but magic is like hands on steroids.
>Might need to retrain the 'arm' muscles a bit if you want to be able to lift more then a hundred or so pounds at a time without help, but you're down for that.
>Daisy softly kisses your neck before she lays a wing over you.
>"Why don't you unlock the door love, and settle some covers over us... we'll talk about it later."
>You murmur an agreement, giving Daisy a little kiss before you unlock the door and give it a wiggle to knock your sock off of it, settling the sheets over you and your pretty little mare.
>You gently kiss her and she hugs you a bit closer with her wing, your forelegs wrapped around her.
>"Good Night, Heart Oath."
>You blink.
>Heart Oath...
>You like that name.
[End Day 3]