Celestia smiled. John steeled himself for their ultimatum. Celestia nodded to her sister. Luna approached John, her gaze far harsher than Celestia’s staring him down.
“John Walker, as Equestria’s rulers we are tasked with the protection and well being of all who dwell in Equestria. In our offer we extend the same privilege to you, in return you must render us a service.”

Luna paused to let this sink in. John gritted his teeth.

“It is unfortunate, but my sister and I cannot attend to all the needs and woes of our subjects. Which is why we want you to be one of our errants.” Luna stopped again.

John still had nothing to say.

“As an errant, not only would you be helping us, but you would be doing Equestria a great service.” Luna finished triumphantly, giving him a small, hopeful smile.

“What is an errant?” John asked cautiously.

Luna gave him a surprised look, before she could answer Celestia stepped in.

“The errants are our royal agents. They dedicate their lives to seeking those who are beyond our reach. They are a friend and a protector, they are comfort and peace. They determine their own path, as it is a lifelong journey both for the mind and the body. They face adversity everyday yet their strength knows no bounds. Their spirit stands as strong as the day they were knighted. They are our messengers, our sentinels, and our beacon in the night. They are the Equestrian errants.”

Her words flowed with the same wisdom and strength that she had first greeted him with.

“We do not choose candidates lightly, as it is a tremendous undertaking.”

John was awed by Celestia’s explanation, and was at a loss for words once again.

“If it would make you feel better, we can allow some time to consider our offer. To, sleep on it, if you will.”

“What happens if I refuse?”

“Then I’m afraid your search will be much more dangerous and difficult.”

“That’ll factor in.” John said under his breath.

“Then it’s settled, John will stay overnight here in Canterlot and come to a decision by tomorrow morning. Captain Ray Shear!”

Ray Shear entered the room, trotting up to John’s side. “Yes milady.”

“Take him to the guest quarters, and assign him an escort should he need something.”

“Yes your highness. Follow me John.” he calmly trotted away, John doubled his pace to keep up. Once out of the room the Captain spoke up. “I presume the meeting went well, seeing as we’re not headed for the dungeons.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” John smiled lightly as they walked.

“You're quite privileged you know, being considered for becoming an errant. It is one of the greatest things you can do for your fellow pony. We’re here.” he abruptly stopped at large pair of doors.

He pushed it open and led John in. His jaw dropped at the stunning amount of luxury that permeated every square inch of the place. Never in his life could he afford such extravagance back on Earth. The bed alone was big enough to get lost in. He went forward and pressed his hand in it, it swallowed up his arm it was so plush. He backed away for fear of falling in.

“I will send somepony to stand guard tonight. You will find everything you need in here. As well, the tailor will arrive shortly. In the meantime, relax. You will have a busy day tomorrow.” Captain Ray Shear turned to leave.

“Excuse me, Captain?” John asked.

The Captain turned his head slightly.

“..I...uh” his thoughts were battling inside his head. Each thought fighting for intellectual supremacy in order to be expressed.

“How did you know that’s what we were talking about?”

Ray Shear gave him a wise smile.

“It doesn’t take a thousands of years of wisdom to see an errant in the making. Well, maybe just a few.” he said.

He slipped through the door and shut it behind him. John sat on the foot of the bed, where it gave way causing him to roll backwards into the soft bed. He struggled to pull himself into a sitting position.

"What have you got yourself into," he said, " Hey Atlas? Can you-"

John looked at the dim gauntlet. He let out a deep sigh and flopped back onto the bed, sinking in about a foot. A repugnant odor invaded his nostrils. He shifted his towards his armpits. He winced as the terrible smell burned his nose and he swam out of the bed.

“Oh man, I was right in front of the Princesses too.”

Luckily there was a bath in the suite, and a spacious one at that. He let it fill with hot soapy water and stripped off the nano-suit.

“Gotta find out if this thing is machine washable.”

The hot water scalded him as he gingerly inserted himself in the basin, relaxing as the sweeter smells replaced the foul ones.

“I could get used to this.” his thoughts trailed back to the Princesses. The luxury of the moment put the world into a haze, his eyelids became heavy as he let the comfort envelope him. A knock on the door jolted him awake. He looked for the source. It was coming from the entrance to his room.

“The tailor is here, do you want her to come in?”

“Not now, I’m in the bath.” John called out.

“Yes of course.”

That voice sounded familiar. He scratched his cheek as he pondered.

"When was the last time I shaved? It's never been this thick."

He moved to get out of the tub, placing his hand on the edge. As he stood up he slipped and fell flat on his face.

"Ow," he muttered.

He was felt positively waterlogged. Dazed, he brought his hoof up to his sore nose. Hoof? HOOF!? He launched himself off the ground trying to stand on his hind legs, trying to make sense of what used to be his hands. In the process of doing so, his legs slipped out from underneath him sending him careening backwards into the tub. His surprise made him gasp in a mouthful of hot, soapy water. He barely pulled himself out of the water before drowning, coughing up water as he did so. He whipped his head around, then clambered out of the tub, and, with difficulty, made his way to a mirror. It was fogged up so he tried to wipe it away with his hand, only to shatter it with his hoof. He let out a yelp at the shattered glass and his transformed arm. He fumbled with a towel before bringing it up to the largest unbroken piece. He dreaded what he was about to see, as he slowly wiped away the fog. He wished, hoped, pleaded that this was all dream, that he was still in the bath. He came face to face with his new equine form.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” he shrieked.

The doors burst open and in came a pegasus that knocked him to the floor and pinned him there.

“Who are you? And what have you done with Orion?” he demanded.

John, terrified as he was, looked directly at the pegasus.

“Dice! You gotta help me! Something terrible has happened!” he grabbed onto him, shaking him as he spoke.

“What!? I never met you in my life, now where’s the guy?” he slammed John back into the ground.

“No, no you don’t understand it’s me, John! The human. I’ve been ponified!”

“Don’t lie to me, that’s not his name, you’re going downtown buddy.”

“Wait I can prove it too you! On the carriage ride over, you bet Sandblast five bits that I came from the stars and you won, now please help me!” Dice relented slightly.

“How did you know about that? Nopony knew we were transporting him except those who were there. Are you a spy?” he gave John’s leg a painful twist.

“No I swear it’s me, look over there, there’s my stuff, the suit, the boots, everything. I was just in the bath minding my own business, you guys knock, I reply, then next thing you know I’m a freakin’ pony!” Dice eyed him heavily.

“I still don’t believe you.”

“Argh! Geez, you wanted to collect on bets you made in your childhood!”

Dice’s hardened face instantly turned to shock. He stepped off John and took a few steps back.

“Is that...is that really you?”

John nodded as he awkwardly got to his feet. Trembling as he did so. Whenever he tried to get up on two feet he would find himself careening towards the ground and he would flail his front legs to prevent him from face-planting. He awkwardly made his way over to the sink to support him as he stood up. He looked over a Dice who was trying extremely hard to hold his breath.

“What!?” John snapped

Dice could no longer hold it in. His voice box exploded with laughter as he fell to the ground, holding his gut. John raised an eyebrow as the guard regained a little composure.

“Oh Celestia, you should see yourself right now. You look like a newborn foal trying to walk.” he let out another round of laughter. “When I heard that girly scream, I thought you were in trouble, so I dash in, take you down, but your face, your face was absolutely priceless ahahaha!”

John couldn't believe what was happening. He had been turned into a pony and this guard thought it was some kind of joke.

“And now you’re here, all wet and scared like a little filly, trying to stand on two legs.”

He then retreated in another fit of laughter. John grimaced as he carefully inched his way towards Dice. Dice peeked up and snorted in laughter.

“Oh man, this is great, this is too good. I can’t wait to tell everypony about this.”

“I still have a problem here!”

“Hey relax, if anything this opens up opportunities for you.”

“And what would that be!”

“For instance, I was asked to keep you on the castle grounds so you don’t scare anypony. Seeing as you’re not human anymore we can have a night on the town.”

“No way, I am not going out in public like this!”

“Aw come on it isn’t that bad. Come down from the wall. Let’s take a look at ch’ya.”

John let his hands hit the floor, it felt weird at first, having all four limbs touch the ground, but he let the stability it offered comforted him. Dice gave him a nudge towards the mirror. He threw his legs forward to catch himself.

“Okay good, now move your back legs.” he guffawed.

He slowly lifted his left leg and brought it slightly forward. Then his right one.

“Great now try moving all of them together.” Dice encouraged. John moved each foot one at a time. At first methodically moving the front then the back legs, this elicited several snickers from Dice.

“No, try and find an alternating rhythm between your front and back legs.” John did as he was told. Slowly but surely he found a comfortable way to walk and was now at the mirror facing his reflection, awestruck at his current form.

“Honestly you’re a lot easier on the eyes now. Overall you’re not a bad lookin’ colt.”

John looked over his skin now covered in a light gray coat. His mane and tail were cropped short and matched his original color of hair, which was dark blonde. Even a few of his features transferred over. Dice was thoroughly examining him.

“Hm, yeah, not bad. Fairly muscular. Guess that’s expected of an earth pony.” he then grabbed John’s ears, peering into both of them. Then grabbed his mouth and opened it.

“Yeah you got good teeth too, everything seems to check out. You even have a cutie mark to boot.”

John whipped his head around to look at his rump. There it was, just stamped along his leg. A golden fist surrounded by a shining halo, with spikes jutting from it like beams of light. He sat himself on the floor staring at his new body. This is way too surreal, he thought. He let him arms drop, he felt like fate was just taking one big dump on him after another. Dice took notice of this.

“Hey, it’s not all bad. At least you didn’t turn into a mule.”

“Oh yeah a mule is the worst thing I could possibly turn into.” he said sarcastically.

“Look if it makes you feel better we can always get Princess Luna to change you back.” he smiled hopefully. John gave him a deadpanned look.

“I don’t know, last time they used magic on me, it didn’t go exactly as planned and it hurt.” as an afterthought he added, “a lot.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad, but hey, how about that night on the town huh? Show you the sights, the sounds, it’ll be my treat. Now whataya say we get you cleaned up and out of here? It’ll be fun.”

"Dice, I've had enough fun for one day."

"Come on," he grinned, "You're gonna be stuck here for a while, enjoy your freedom while it lasts."

John shot him a look and sighed.

"Alright."

“Yes!” he yelled as he leaped into the air. “Okay, you get cleaned up, forget about clothes you won’t need 'em, and I’ll tell the tailor to come back tomorrow. Chop, chop, let’s go!” he zipped out the door leaving a dripping John as he stared back into the broken mirror.

John certainly was taking in the sights. He didn’t expect these ponies to have such nightlife. All around him there was activity. Carriages took up the main pathways while slower traffic stuck to the sidelines, and John was definitely the slowest of the traffic.

“Come on pick up the pace, the night is still young, but we’re going to waste it at this rate.”

“If I go any faster I’ll find myself eating dirt.”

It was true, he attempted getting up to a trot but found his own legs got in the way of each other.

“Fine, we’re almost there anyways. I know some of the ponies, so I can vouch for you to get in.”

“What place?” his ears involuntarily twitched in the direction of small building with a long line out the front of it. Thunderous music could be heard blasting inside. He could feel the vibrations in his hooves even from where he stood.

“Heavy.” he said.

“I know right? Come on we’ll go in through the side entrance.” he took John and slipped into an alley. They rounded a corner a nearly bumped into the biggest unicorn John had ever seen. He was nearly twice his height and ugly as hell. His gigantic golden shod hooves would sway any wayward scum from tangoing with him. John put this up as the second scariest thing he had seen in his life, just underneath being turned into a pony. Dice just walked up to him and smiled.

“Hey Frankie, how’s it going?”

“Ah hey, not bad little guy. I gotta thank-you for the advice the other day, I won big at the tracks.” he said proudly.

“Did I tell ya’ or did I tell ya? Hey listen do you think you can hook me and my friend up here. He’s new in town so I thought I'd show him a good time.”

“I don’t know Dice he looks a little suspicious to me.” he began eyeing John menacingly. John felt his facial features go slack. Dice’s smile wavered as his eyes darted back and forth. The giant unicorn then began to laugh. John and Dice joined him, albeit nervously.

“I’m just yanking your chain, you go ahead, enjoy yourselves, but don’t make me have to come in there and get you. And Dice you owe me one.”

“That I do, thanks a bunch Frankie.”

He passed through the door that was previously hidden by Frankie’s hulking frame, John followed suit, his brain had finally learned how to move him faster. Inside it was dark. They had to move down a small passage way to get to the main room, with each step forward the music was getting louder. The bass was so deep he could feel it grab his heart and shake it as violently as possible. The sight before him was reminiscent of dance clubs he went to in his younger days. The strobe lights, lasers, giant subwoofers. He looked to see who was playing the music. It was a pure white unicorn with electric blue hair. She sported a pair of dark shades while expertly manipulating the tracks with her hooves and magic. John couldn't believe the entire scene, it was just so archaic, so primal, but it resonated with him. He turned to Dice who was grinning maniacally at him. He trotted off before John could say anything, not that he could with volume up. Instead he followed him up to a bar and propped his legs up on it. Dice waved to get the bartenders attention, few gestures later he produced to mugs and two small blocks of salt. John just stared at the drink in front of him. Dice tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He then took his salt block and dropped it into his drink, which began to fizz and bubble. He grabbed the mug with his teeth and sloshed it back. He turned back to John with a satisfied grin on his face and motioned for him to do the same. John looked from him to the barkeep, which was looking at him expectantly. John sighed. He reached for the salt block before realizing that his mouth might work better, he spit it into his drink and watched it as it fizzed as Dice’s did. He bit the mug and sloshed back the drink. The carbonated salty sweetness filled his mouth as he drank. He couldn't help but grin as he finished the last gulp and put the mug down. He gave Dice his nod of approval who then excitedly ordered another round. They both downed them as quickly as the first. Dice motioned for him to follow. John followed him to the dance floor, where Dice gave furtive glances to every mare that turned his way, most of them turning their nose in disgust. He would just shrug and carry on his way. John just hung by the sidelines and watched as he mingled, he also noticed he was getting a few stares too. It was soon after he was beginning to realize that he could hear voices again, the music was dying down and allowed for somewhat normal conversation to occur. He saw Dice was making his way over to him.

“Oh pony, You should’ve been out there. The mares are just crazy tonight, think it has something to do with that bombshell up on the decks.” he half yelled.

John looked up at the DJ sort through her vinyl records. He felt his heart drop like a stone. Those were almost nonexistent back home. The ones he did see were treasured artifacts of museums.

“Yeah she’s amazing isn’t she, come on lover-colt, let’s go where it’s a bit quieter.”

Before John could object, Dice trotted off, nearly leaving him lost in the sea of ponies. He was lucky that dice waited for him by a door that was guarded by a smaller yet just as brawny bouncer pony. He stepped aside to let them in, and moved his monolithic self back into position once they were through. The room inside was definitely quieter. booths lined the walls filled with all manner of ponies. Diced picked one along the wall, where he could get a full view of the room. He motioned for a waitress pony to set two of the same drinks as before on their table.

“You got some connections.” John said, taking a swig.

“Yeah comes with being a guard pony, well that and my previous lifestyle.”

“And what was that like?”

“I’d rather not talk about it. let’s just enjoy the rest of the night. Speaking of which, you fancy that DJ mare up on stage, don’t cha?” he grinned.

John choked on his drink, setting it down before he spilled all of it. “No, it was just the vinyl.”

“That’s what I thought too, I’ve been to so many of her concerts and she puts on an awesome show every time, I kind of had a feeling it was her based on how loud it was. But you haven’t been back for more than a few days and you’re gushing over her like a fancolt.” John tried to sputter out an answer before having an entire hoof shoved in his mouth.

“M’fa hall?” he mumbled

“Just be cool, drop dead gorgeous mare at twelve o’clock and she’s staring right at us.” he immediately removed his hoof and propped his chin on it, casting his most seductive gaze in her supposed direction. John spat out what Dice’s hoof left behind and simply turned to see what was so fascinating about this mare. He set eyes on a slender figure sipping a dainty drink through a straw. Her voluminous pink mane reached back down to her hind quarters and nearly covered her peach colored body. He locked eyes with her shining pink eyes before he took a quick glance at her cutie mark, three simple hearts. She slowly turned back to her drink, a small smile on her lips. John turned back to Dice, who was giving him a wide grin.

“You dropped something buddy.”

John snapped his jaw shut, and gave him a hard stare. “Do you have idea how stupid you look right now?”

“Probably no more stupid than you.” he was still wearing that stupid grin. “She’s probably had her eye on you ever since we came in. It’s obvious she’s interested.”

“I’ve been getting a lot of weird stares.” John said defensively.

“Oh don’t give me that crap. She’s been checking you out. Trust me I would know.”

“It still seems weird to me.”

“Ah, how could you say no to that? Look at her, she’s perfect. Her mane looks tantalizing, like it’s drawing you in.” he noticed John was oddly entranced by his description, he continued slyly. “And those eyes. You could stare into them forever like fuchsia stars. Her coat looks velvety smooth even from over here. Makes you wanna run your hooves over her body, from her slender neck, past her chest, around her slim waist and ending around her curvaceous...”

John just realized he was doing exactly as he was saying. He snapped out of his trance and whirled on Dice.

“Stop that.” he warned.

“...but that’s just my opinion.” Dice summed up before taking a swig.

John sighed and leaned back against the booth. He was beginning to regret going out of the castle. A waitress stopped by their table and placed two more drinks in front of them.

“Compliments from the Lady across the room, she also wanted you to have this.”

She passed a small note to John. John took a moment to read it.

Please join me after you’ve finished your drink

His heart began thumping in his chest he could feel his blood pumping to his face. He stole a glance to the peachy mare across the room who was glancing back at him. He raised his glass in a small toast. She nodded and turned back to her booth. He immediately slapped his hoof to his face. Dice was just finishing his drink.

“Wha’s wrong?”

“This is getting out of hand.”

“Hoof *hic*”

“Yeah, right, whatever, I think we should go.”

“What a sec’ wha’d tha’ note say.” he deftly grabbed the note before John could. His eyes went over it, and widened at the end of it.

“Ho boy, you gotta go now.” he said gleefully.

“Not a chance”

“Ah come on, wha’s the worst she could do?”

“I don’t want to find out.”

“Why nat?”

“Dice have you forgotten that I’m actually human.”

“She doesn’t need to know that.” he snickered.

John facehoofed once again, he stole another glance in her direction. She was now idly playing with the straw. John turned back to Dice who was nodding his head in her direction. John sighed.

“Okay, I’ll go see what she wants, and then we leave, got it?”

“Go get ‘er buddy.”

John awkwardly stumbled out of the booth. That drink was a little stronger than he expected. He slowly made his way over to the Mare, her eyes never left his face once he started moving. He tried looking everywhere but directly at her. He nearly bumped into her table as he preoccupied himself with a stain on the floor. Her subtle smile broadened just slightly

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come, please, sit.”

Her sultry British accent, just put John off even more. Even so, he took a seat opposite her, unable to find words.

“Let me introduce myself, I am Aurora. And you would be?” she offered.

“Oh...uh, I would be...” he wondered if giving out his actual name would be a good idea. “Orion...Orion Pax.” he added. She raised an eyebrow at him. John smiled back nervously.

“Well, Mr. Pax, are you a hunter from the heavens that has taken the guise of a pony? Fancy that mare's make for good sport?”

“Uhh...” he stammered. She smiled.

“Relax Mr. Pax. I actually wanted to know about your cutie mark. It is quite a fascinating, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Would you care to share how you got it?”

“I...uh...well...you know” he stammered some more as she smiled expectantly. “It just came out of nowhere.”

“They seem to do that, don’t they.” all this woman needed was a cigarette and a stick to hold it in and the image would be complete, John thought. He struggled to find words.

“I got it for historic studies. Yes, I find the past very interesting.”

“Really? I find it's more of a mark of the warrior. The champion of justice if you will. There's only a hoof-full of cutie marks out there that truly reveal a ponies character. ”

He had himself pressed against the back of the booth. He considered bolting out of there at that moment, but he didn’t want to leave Dice behind. But this woman knew his secret what was he going to do? How did she even know? Just what the hell is going on? He suddenly noticed a few ponies grouped around his previous table. They were discussing something with Dice, and he was trying to peek past them at John. He could see that he was trying to signal him come back. John quickly turned back to Aurora.

“I have to go” he was all too grateful to leave the table. He felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“I recommend you take a bubble bath.” she said.

John looked at her as if she were crazy. He walked up to the group gathered around Dice.

“You gave us phony numbers kid, you have any idea what this means?”

“I told ya’ ta’ use ‘‘em with discretion *hic*.”

“Discretion, every number you gave us was a loss, you expect us to use discretion when we ain’t even gotta chance at winnin’?

“Anypony could see they were bogus, you’re just too stupid to figure it out yerself.”

“That’s it you little punk, you're stayin’ in the gutter tonight, compliments of Mr. Stone and Mr. Crush. Take ‘'em boys.”

“Hey what's going on?" John asked.

The grouped looked around to see the owner of the voice. John looked to each of the three ponies.

"You work here?"

Dice nodded vigorously behind their backs.

"Yes." he said simply.

"Oh, okay. I guess, uh, I guess we'll leave then."

The short lead pony turned around.

“Look out!” Dice yelled. John looked his way before feeling a massive shock to his jaw. His body crumpled to ground as his brain sent mixed messages everywhere. He felt the ground meet him and heard cackling laughter above him.

“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe he fell for the oldest trick in the book! Oh pony, that is just priceless. Holy Luna I wish I had a camera right now so I could cherish this memory forever. Anyway, drag 'em out to the alley and finish Dice and toss him over with his friend. Enjoy yourselves boys.”

The blurry silhouette of the leader vanished, leaving two large, blurry shapes dragging him and a struggling Dice out the same entrance they used to get in. What ensued was the sound of an opening door. Some surprised exchanges and then two heavy thuds hitting the ground. John rubbed his head and looked at the mass that was blocking his view. He then slowly looked up to the beast that was Frankie. He let out small squeal.

“What happened?” he growled.

“Some ponies tried to get Dice.” John groaned. "I tried to help him

“Some help you were, he looks pretty drunk, gotta take him to back home” he looked back down the way he came. “Do you know where the castle is? Take him there. They take care of the royal guards.” he hoisted Dice up and placed him on John’s back. “If anything else happens to him, I will find you and I will crush you. You got that?”

John nodded and started off in the castle’s direction. He was glad he could move at faster pace than before, even though he had a heavy pony on his back. Maybe this place wasn’t so different from Earth after all. He wiggled his jaw to remove the numbness. The Princesses expected him to wander Equestria, getting into situations like this? Sure he was willing to help, but how was he going to last a day by himself? He heard weak moans emanating from his back. He turned to check on Dice.

“Dice are you okay?” John was met with a crooked smile.

“Did you score?” he then fell into a fit of giggles.

John shook his head.

“We’re almost at the castle,” he turned to see the gates up ahead, "sorry I couldn't help"

“S’alright, they can’t kick worth shit. So what’d she want? You gonna hook up later?”

“Knock it off, it was just weird. The entire time she was dropping hints that I she knew I wasn’t a pony.”

“She’s probably into that kind of thing.”

“Damn it Dice!” John bucked him off onto the castle grounds. He turned his face to the battered pegasus. “This is nothing to joke about, I don’t like being a pony, and I especially don’t like the fact that I get stares even though I look exactly like everyone else. Worst of all, you’re trying to trick me into liking mares. As a human it goes against every fiber in being.”

“Are you sure tha's the way you really feel? Not even a little bit? Cause I used to know a guy like you who had nooooo problems.” Dice fell into a laughing fit.

“I...ugh.” he didn’t want to talk any longer “Let’s just get you some help.”

“Where hast thou been all night?”

John froze in place. Princess Luna had made her appearance.

“John, Corporal Dice, explain yourselves.”

John slowly turned around to face the moon princess. She looked even more intimidating now that he was a foot shorter. Dice groggily stood at attention.

“Princess I...”

“I convinced him to let me out of the castle thinking I was less conspicuous. It turns out I was wrong and Dice came to get me.” John interrupted.

“I see.” she looked to each of them with a discerning look. “I guess that will have to do, Corporal, I commend you for your actions of taking your charge seriously, step forward.”

“With all due respect Princess, I can hardly stand.”

“Very well.” she approached him and lit him up with her horn, a few seconds later the glow faded and he looked good as new. Dice permitted himself a small smile.

“Thank-you Princess,” he bowed. She turned to John.

“I’m surprised you managed to turn yourself into a pony. Was thou curious to how my little ponies lived?”

“I have no idea how this happened, and I’ve been a pony long enough to last a lifetime.”

She smiled “Thou hast obviously not been a pony long enough. Perhaps I should leave you this way. It would certainly make our lives easier.”

“No, please change me back, I like being me.” he said desperately. Luna sighed.

“Very well, be still.” her horn began to glow John felt himself being lifted off the ground as swirling light enveloped him. He shut his eyes expecting pain that is usually associated with magic, all he felt was a tingling sensation all over his body. He opened his eyes and found that he had hands once again. The magic gently set him down and faded away. He smiled as he felt his face and wiggled his fingers. Luna and Dice were staring in shock

“Yes!” he cheered. The draft caused him to look down. “No!”

He then felt a flash of electricity shoot through his body and he toppled backwards. He immediately propped himself up off the ground to find that his body reverted back to pony form. He hung his head in disappointment. The princess and Dice looked sheepishly around.

“It seems the source of the transformation was caused by something else, I’m sorry Orion but you are to remain as a pony for the time being. Corporal take him to his chambers and make sure he stays there, I will send for a second guard to aid thee. I bid thee goodnight my little ponies.”

“Good night Princess.” Dice stated. As soon as she left he turned too John. “You didn’t have to do that you know.”

“It was the least I could do since nothing else seemed to help.” he said as they trotted back to his room.

“All the same I owe you. Next time it’ll be more fun, less hurt. And since you’re staying as a pony you know what that means.”

John looked at him quizzically. The pegasus took on his stupid grin again.

“We gotta get ‘ch ya a fillyfriend.” he hopped to the side as John tried to punch him. John was wishing he had his fingers so he could strangle this idiot. He sighed and let the momentarily dark thoughts leave him.

“You’re never gonna let up are you?” John asked.

“Nope.”

They were approaching his room. A unicorn guard was already waiting there. John recognized him as Sandblast from the carriage.

“Should have known it was you. Only you would’ve been idiotic enough to take a risk like that. By the way is that him? I was informed by I didn’t quite believe it," said Sandblast

“Yeah it’s him, you should see him in action, this guy's a total stud.” this elicited grimaces from both of them.

“Okay I’ve had enough, I’m going to bed, hopefully this was all a bad dream, and I’ll wake up in a normal human body. Sandblast take her easy.”

“It’s going to be a long night.” he said sardonically. John walked in and kicked the door shut behind him. This was certainly a night to remember, no matter how much he wished this was a dream he knew that he was going to be like this in the morning. The bed looked inviting. He leaped into its center and lay there. A thought popped into his mind, he hadn’t given any consideration to the Princesses offer. At most he had a few hours until sunrise. He turned to his side and saw a shadow in the window for a fleeting second. John picked up his head, staring after it. He looked to the door of his room. He could hear the soft mumble of conversation coming through the door. John struggled to remove himself from the bed. He went to the window and nudged it open. He stretched his neck outside seeing nothing but the grounds below. A glint caught his eye from the ledge. It came from a small vile filled with herbs and tied to it was a note.

This should help.

It was in the same writing as that mare from the club. John took one last look outside before bringing in the vial and closing the window. John set it on the desk by his bed and stared at the note. Things were just getting weirder and weirder. His attention turned to the vial of herbs. What could those be used for? he asked himself. He was interrupted as the discussion outside became more heated. He decided it was best to wait for morning before tackling this mystery. He climbed back into the bed and waited for sleep to take him.