I jumped awake, my breathing rough and shallow. The air was cold, the room pitch black. Yet I could see, strange faces, all asleep beside me. Cold Stream, her family, a doctor in the corner of the room flipping through charts. I tried to sit upright, Cold's body laid sideways against my chest kept me pinned. "There isn't much we can do," the doctor mumbled, looking up to me. "I don't know who you pissed off, but this isn't just a bite."

I rubbed my arm, the two pinprick still there. "What? Bite- oh...oh right."

The doctor hopped down from his chair, setting the clipboard down in his place. "It's not even poison. It's a potion, fangs dipped in a potion." He walked up to my side, letting out a soft huff. "Someone bit you in plain sight with a coating of potion on their fangs, just to do this to you." He rubbed his face with his foreleg. "This is truly impeccable."

I took a deep breath, feeling something sharp against my lip. "What? What happened? Why the hell am I in the hospital again?"

The doctor looked off to the side. "Are you aware of Equestrian humans?"

I scratched my head, my hair strangely soft. "What? Like, people that live here, yeah."

The doctor shook his head. "Not quite. Ponies have been trying to, for lack of a better word, assimilate humans into different lives." He walked around the edge of my bed. "A human in Saddle Arabia can be changed, their skin will be darker to compensate for the sun, their hair will grow coarse and thick to compansate for the lack of water. A human in Fetlock will grow up taller and stronger, Cloudsdale will walk on clouds and have lighter bone structure. We've been researching this since your kind arrived, and now," the doctor put a mirror on my leg, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry- what? What happened?" I shouted, causing the room to stir. I scrambled for the mirror, pulling it up to my face. Despite the darkness I could see it all. My skin was no longer brown, the color washed out completely to a soft white. My teeth were sharp, canines turned to fangs overnight. "No!" I screamed, touching my face. "No, Jesus fuck no!"

Cold Stream snapped awake. "Clark?"

"Oh dear god my face! My skin, what the hell?" I shouted, my heart beating like wild. "What happened to me?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "Bat ponies, that's who did it. I can only come to the conclusion that's what's happening to you." He lowered his head. "We've already contacted Canterlot. They'll be here to take you there for treatment soon."

"No!" I shouted, causing the room to snap awake. "I can't go!"

"We can't treat you here." The doctor explained, walking to my side. "They might have something to help you in Canterlot. And unless you're willing to live like this permanently, I don't know how much there is I can do for you."

I clutched my head. "Oh god, no, no no." I sank back into my bed, clutching my forehead. "I took pictures, I was nice, I tried to get away from her. I know it was her!" I pushed out of my bed in a flash. "Who else? I- I go to that medieval city, I- I take pictures. They had people like this, fucking vampires! I can't!" I jumped out of the bed, Cold Stream rolling onto her side as I rushed to the door. "I can't go back!"

I ran to the dark hospital room door, pulling it open in one sweep of my arm. What stood beyond the door was hell, a trio of ponies standing before me in the dark hall. The smell of bitter chocolate filled my nose as Luna stepped forward, flanked by two bat ponies. They stood in the darkness, sharp eyes staring me down. Luna stepped forward, smiling at me. "Clark, hello."

I felt my heart sink, my arms and leg grow weak, my eyes burn as I tried to speak. I dropped to my knees, face to face with my horror. I didn't know what to do. "Please no."

Luna walked proudly over to my. "We understand your changes will be difficult, we will be here to help you." She wrapped a hoof around me, pulling me against her neck. "Now I believe it is time we go. We have a home waiting for you."

I felt cold, my life seeping away as I stared at the foreign ponies standing before me. They wore strange clothes, something medieval, something I'd seen in Transylmania. "I can't." I mumbled, deaf to the screams of my family.

Luna held me against her, the ponies marching past me as I was dragged into the hall. "You'll be safe."

I could hear the muffled shouts and cries as I was dragged away from my mare, my life, my home. I was a monster now, my life was pulled out from under me and I couldn't protest. I was a pale fanged freak, and soon enough I would be used by the princess as nothing more than a play thing. My camera, my life, everything needed to burn.

I watched as I was laid down, a pair of bat ponies holding a stretcher for me. Luna leaned down over me, kissing my hand. "We appreciate your acceptance." She walked out of view. "Time to head back I think."

I watched the dull tundra sky rise, the ponies carrying me flexing their leathery wings and lifting us all into the air. I wanted to scream as I was carried south, I wanted to kick and free myself. But I could only sit there, something weak and petty, something changed and less than human. I was a monster, and I could only hope the princess would grow bored of my quickly and end it soon. Next Chapter: Mare Of Iron Estimated time remaining: 17 Minutes