Chapter Three:
A Brand New Day

Little Horn was in her bed, sleeping soundly next to her cousin, Harmony. The young filly had a bad dream in the middle of the night, and chose to snuggle up next to Harmony in her bed, feeling secure and peaceful while she slept, snoring softly. The morning came, and the alarm clock sounded on the nearby dresser.

The young tan unicorn filly slowly opened her eyes, seeing the sleeping form of her cousin. Little Horn stretched and rolled over to face her.

‘Note to self:’ Harmony thought, ‘Must invest in some ear plugs. This kid snores like a freight train’.

“Morning, L-H,” she mumbled, half-asleep.

“Good Morning, Harmony. Did you sleep well?” The filly attempted to roll out of bed, but got caught up in amongst the sheets.

“Ahh! I’m stuck!” Little Horn cried out. Being small in stature had its disadvantages. The little filly tried to use her magic to untangle herself, only to make it worse. “A little help here, please?” She begged her cousin as she had her front hooves caught in the bed sheets.

Harmony sat up with an amused smirk, “You alright there?” She threw the bed sheets off with complete disregard, releasing the filly from her cloth prison.

Little Horn grumbled as her older cousin freed her from the bed sheets with ease, “I’m fine, cousin...just not used to being this small, that’s all. Do I have to go to school?” The filly wondered if there were any schools that would accept young ponies like herself.

“You’re a twenty-five year old ex-human,” Harmony deadpanned, “I think your previous education will suffice for now, unless you’ve forgotten it all already”.

Little Horn finally got out of the bed sheets to hear her cousin’s comment, “Do I look like a 25-year old human to you? I’m a little unicorn filly who happens to be your cousin. I can do some magic, like when we made muffins. Those were some good muffins!” Little Horn licked her lips, “Are there any more left?”

“I think they ran out when you scarfed down the last one, remember?” Harmony raised an eyebrow.

Little Horn smiled and blushed a bit, “Yeah, I guess I was really hungry! What are we having for breakfast?”

Just then, Little Horn felt a sudden urge to answer nature’s call.

“Um, Harmony? I gotta go to the little fillies’ room,” The filly announced as she blushed. Little Horn was looking around anxiously, “Can you help me find it?” The little unicorn filly began to fidget nervously, looking at her cousin for assistance.

“Down the hall, third door on the left. Right where it usually is,” Harmony replied offhandedly as she tried to re-organise her bed. Harmony reminded herself to teach Little Horn how to make her bed later.

Little Horn went into the bathroom as her cousin indicated, and closed the door behind her.

The bathroom was not really all that spectacular, with a rather plain colour theme of white. There wasn’t anything fancy about the bathroom, with the usual sink, bathtub, and toilet located within easy reach of each other. There was a rack along the wall for the towels and washcloths for the shower.

After a few minutes, a flush was heard, and Little Horn trotted out of the bathroom, feeling better.

“I’m going to take my bath now, unless you want to first,” She politely offered to her cousin.

“Nah. I’ll have one later,” Harmony shrugged, “I’ll probably go get breakfast ready while you’re doing that”.

She turned about to walk off, before stopping herself, “... You DO know how to run your own bath, right?”

Little Horn frowned. “How hard can it be? Just turn on the hot and cold water, get in, get wet, shampoo, soap, and rinse. I have magic, you know,” The tan filly tapped her horn, before adding in a cheeky tone, “Unless you think your little cousin cannot bathe herself.”

“Just making sure...” Harmony’s voice trailed off into an incoherent mumble. Harmony would help Little Horn with her bath if needed, but if her younger cousin was to be a big pony as she claimed she was, she would leave the personal hygiene to her.

Little Horn nodded, and headed back into the bathroom, again closing the door before selecting a blue towel and matching washcloth for her first bath experience at her cousin’s house.

Little Horn focused on the hot water spigot, turning it on by using her telekinesis alone, just like Harmony did with the muffin trays the night before.

That shouldn’t be that difficult. I have my magic, so that helps, The young unicorn filly focused on the cold water to make sure the water was at a safe temperature. Once it was adjusted to her liking, Little Horn eased into the tub, and began to get her coat and mane wet. The sound of splashing water could be heard from the doorway as Little Horn continued to make herself presentable for her cousin, like her mother taught her at the hospital.

After she got her coat and mane nice and wet, Little Horn looked around for the shampoo. There was a bottle of Mane n’ Tail where one would normally expect to find the shampoo and soaps for baths or showers. Little Horn smiled as she levitated the bottle of the all-in-one soap and shampoo and lathered herself. Eventually, the young filly rinsed off and pulled the plug on the bathtub with her magic, allowing for the dirty, soapy water to go down the drain.

She dried herself off with the blue towel she found, and hung the wet washcloth on the washcloth bar inside the tub to dry. She hoped that her cousin would be okay with that, unless she said otherwise. The towel then was placed around her waist as she left the bathroom to notify her cousin she was finished with the bathroom and the shower was empty.

“Harmony, the bathroom’s empty!” The tan unicorn announced as she sat down at the kitchen table, “So, what are we going to do today?”

“I dunno,” Harmony’s disembodied voice replied from across the house, “What do you want to do? I don’t have any major plans for today.”

Little Horn’s ears picked up on her cousin’s voice. “I’m going to get some breakfast. You want to join me?”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Harmony answered.

The tan unicorn filly asked her cousin, “Is it okay if I go outside and explore? I promise not to eat anything that will make me sick or run into any creeps.”

The unicorn filly frowned at the mention of her last bad experience. Perhaps she would have a better time outside if she was more aware of her surroundings or if her cousin went with her..

“Don’t stray too far from the apartment, alright?” Harmony cautioned, “There’s a cafe run by a sweet old lady next door who I’ve known for years, and that’s about as far as you can go, otherwise I’ll have to come down with you.”

Little Horn nodded, “Is there a way we can communicate with each other if I get into trouble? I know you are supposed to look out for me.” She then added, “I’ll need a copy of the apartment key, some money, and...”

Just then, Little Horn’s stomach growled, “Breakfast.” The little filly finished as she blushed. “I’m hungry, Harmony. Can we have breakfast together?”

Harmony’s response was drowned out by the sound of the shower running.

Little Horn had her usual oatmeal and apple slices for breakfast, along with some orange juice. She washed her breakfast down and levitated her empty bowl, cup, and spoon in the sink.

“I’m going to go outside and explore, okay, Harmony?” The little unicorn announced. She did not hear any response from her cousin on the matter of leaving the sanctuary of the apartment, for Harmony was in the shower and did not hear her cousin’s announcement. Little Horn levitated a pen and some paper, and began to write a note:

Harmony,

I want to go outside and explore. I will be back in time for our magic lessons. I wish we had some sort of cell phone to allow us to keep in touch. I think we need money for that. Maybe we can get jobs so we can afford cell phones and other stuff. Speaking of money, I borrowed some money from you so I can buy something to eat at the cafe you mentioned earlier. I promise to pay you back. Maybe you and I can go eat out together. There should be some place that serves vegetarian meals.

Love,

Little Horn

The note was neatly left on the kitchen table as Little Horn telekinetically grabbed her key to the apartment with her magic and wore it with a blue lanyard around her neck. She even found a small change purse to put money in. She hoped that her cousin would not be mad she “borrowed” some money to eat on. It was enough for at least two meals for one little filly, if she budgeted it out correctly. If she met anypony else, they would have to pay for themselves.

As Little Horn traveled outside the apartment with the change purse and her key, she locked the door, and marvelled at how everything was big compared to her. The smells of the clean air assaulted her nostrils as she inhaled, and exhaled, producing a calming affect on her. Her small size kept her from most larger achievements, but the little unicorn traversed the stairs with some trepidation, and up to the sidewalk of the apartment complex. As the little tan unicorn stood on the sidewalk of the complex, her mind wandered off to what happened to her school friends: the Pegasus, Scootaloo, her fellow Unicorn, Sweetie Belle, and the red maned Earth Pony filly, Apple Bloom, as well as the two bullies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders had fled when Discord attacked Ponyville after their teacher, Miss Cheerilee, ordered them to hide. Perhaps her friends had ended up stuck as humans, and were looking for her?

Little Horn felt she needed to find all her friends from Ponyville, but where would they be on Earth? Or, more specifically, who were they on Earth?

As Little Horn began to make her way down the block towards the cafe her cousin mentioned, she wondered it was open and if the nice lady was as her cousin said she was. Little Horn also wondered what kind of fare did the cafe serve and if it was within her budget.

Upon entering the establishment, Little Horn saw some tables and chairs neatly organized where patrons could sit and have their meals. She hoped that being a small unicorn filly in a restaurant would not cause a scene. Her little hooves tapped on the floor as she slowly made her way to the end of the line, and waited her turn to order. Several of the human patrons saw the adorable filly enter. Some took pictures on their smart phones of the filly and others just stared at the sight of a small equine waiting in line just like everyone else.

The person behind the counter, as Harmony stated, was an old lady, who was diligently serving up a cup of coffee for a patron. She didn’t seem to notice as the small pony joined the queue.

Little Horn waited in line for someone to serve her as she examined the menu board options. She did not know what she wanted yet, but she hoped it would be delicious and nutritious. After all, she was a growing little pony!

“Next waiting, please,” the old lady called out.

Little Horn noticed she was the next in line and stepped up to order. “Hey, down here! I’m next in line, Ma’am!” The filly said in her cutest, adorable voice. If the owner would look down from her position, she would see a tan unicorn filly with a brown mane and tail standing there, smiling, her blue eyes shining brightly.

“Eh?” The lady glanced over the counter. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh! You must be that relative Holly was talking about several days ago!” She tilted her head, “Is that right?”

Little Horn nodded, “Yes, I’m Holly’s cousin. You can call me Little Horn. I’m sorry about my appearance.” The little filly’s ears drooped as she hoped she would not be judged for her being a pony.

“Eh, don’t you worry none!” the lady smiled cheerfully, “You’re not the first person I know that’s suddenly turned into a talking horse overnight. Now, what can I getcha?”

Little Horn’s eyes widened as the cafe owner mentioned that there were more humans-turned ponies, “Really? I thought my cousin and I were the only ponies on this block.” She covered her mouth with her hooves, “Ahem, sorry, Holly’s a unicorn, like myself. We can do magic. She’s been teaching me a lot of cool spells!” Little Horn’s stomach growled, “Oh, well, what do you have for a little filly to eat?”

“Well, I could tell you nearly everything about everyone in this here block, and I can tell you that Holly’s little transformation there didn’t exactly go unnoticed. But anyway, I can get you a salad sandwich, if you want.”

Little Horn waved her front hooves as the owner claimed she knew everyone in the block area, and that her cousin’s transformation did not go unnoticed. “Oh, it’s okay. I really didn’t need to know about everypony here!” The little unicorn blushed, then composed herself.

“I’ll take the salad sandwich and a glass of lemonade, if it’s okay with you, please? My cousin gave me some money.” She focused on the change purse and pulled out some money with her blue aura. “Is this enough for the food and drink?”

“Yep, that’s fine. You just wait right here and I’ll be back in a jiffy!” the lady nodded and accepted the money, opening up the till with a loud clink and placing it inside, before closing it again and disappearing behind the food display.

Little Horn smiled as she made a new human friend. Still, she wondered if the lady’s claim was true about her cousin’s transformation being publicly known. Her own transformation was kept a secret as per her parent’s deal with the hospital administration. She would have to ask her cousin about this, but for now, the sandwich she ordered was being prepared, along with her beverage.

The other thought that raced through the young unicorn’s mind was that there may be humans who became ponies on the block. She would have to contact them and find out who they were. Maybe her classmates or her teacher were in this vicinity. The possibilities of running into a pony in this neighborhood would be nothing short of a miracle!