They all trotted up to the large double doors. Before David could try his luck with the new doors, Lyra pushed it open with a quick application of her magic. Lyra bounced past the others in an energetic canter, "I'll get to reading!"

Bon Bon trailed behind her, "I'll make sure she's reading something relevant."

Rough looked over at David as they trailed behind, "Sorry. This isn't what I planned on for your first convention."

David gave a bit of a shrug as his eyes wandered over the bookcases and their contents, "I am so spoiled by computers."

"Huh?" asked Rough, walking alongside David as the former-human wandered the stacks.

"Remember that thing I showed you, with your picture?" asked David. When Rough nodded, he continued, "I used to read books on things like that all the time. Now here I am with a bunch of real books, and not even some fingers to turn pages with." A sudden impulse hit him and he glanced around, "Well, about to learn how this body does things."

"Does things?" asked Rough, "You've been doing things since you became a pony."

David raised a brow, "Bathroom things." Turning in place until he saw a sign for the rest rooms, he trotted off quickly. Everything worked as it should, thankfully, and he soon emerged, though there was an issue...

Rough tilted his head, "Why are your pants hanging on your ankles?"

"Sorry, I couldn't pull them back up properly," explained David, twisting back towards the fallen pants with an utter lack of grace. His exposed flanks showed that he was blank, a fact that made Rough raise a brow.

Rough moved in to assist, then paused, nose wrinkling, "Back." He started nudging David, pushing him right into the restroom he had emerged from, door swinging shut behind the two. They emerged a few minutes later, clothing in order and Rough rolling his eyes, "Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"That I have no idea how to do any of this with hooves?" asked David sheepishly. "Thanks..."

Rough softly bumped against his side, "It's like I have a little big brother all of a sudden. Don't worry, big bro Rough Draft is going to show you all the tricks to being a stallion."

David snorted and bumped back, "Stop being stupid, but thanks. Let's find Lyra and see what she's learned?"

With a nod of agreement, the two trotted off together, looking for a splash of mint green and cyan in the library. As they went, Rough asked, "Did you know you were a blank flank?"

David tilted his head, "I thought that was a rude thing to say, but I kinda noticed when I was, you know."

Rough raised an ear, "Do you think it's because you haven't figured it out, or because you just became a pony?"

"I've read fanfics with it being either," said David, "No reason to stress about it. It's not like having one would suddenly give me super powers."

Rough snorted, "Well, sort of? When I realized what mine was, writing got a lot easier. It just felt... right, so I kept doing it, and the words splattered all over the paper, all the paper I could find!" He raised a hoof to point to the next floor up, where Lyra was seated on a couch the 'wrong' way and had a book floating in front of her. Bon Bon sat beside her in a more equine position, looking mildly bored.

With their target spotted, they headed for the stairs and ascended swiftly. "So, how bad is it?" asked Rough, "You know, being a pony, instead of a human?"

David considered this as he reached the top of the stairs. "Well, when I'm not thinking about it, everything just works on its own. If I pay attention to everything--" He raised a hoof and wobbled it to and fro before putting it down, then taking a slow step. He then swished his tail and flicked his ears around, "--It feels strange, but not... bad? Just new. It's like the body already knows how to be a pony, and the brain is catching up with it."

"Unless we're talking about relieving yourself," said Rough with a merry snort.

"Hey," objected David, "The body handled its part just fine." He turned and leaned in, bumping his snout against Rough's, "Maybe when we get this fixed and Lyra feels confident, we can do this again, when we're not at a convention."

Rough perked an ear, "You want to be a pony again? I thought you were in a hurry to be human."

David smiled and shuffled awkwardly, "I'm in a hurry... to make sure there's a way out, but once we know for sure? I want to explore this, a lot. I want to have twitchy ears and swaying tail for a while, as long as I can get my fingers back later." He reared up, balancing on hind legs and starting to clip clop his way towards Lyra, "Besides, it's not like I even have to go on all fours if I don't want to."

Rough followed and soon they arrived beside their new friends. Rough called out, "Any luck?" before he hopped up beside Bon Bon, taking up the rest of the couch's space.

Lyra looked up over her book and burst into giggles when she saw David standing like a human despite being a pony. "Hey guys! I found just the book." She spun the book around in her magic. David realized he couldn't see the glow anymore and frowned.

"Huh," he said, "It really is human eyes."

Bon Bon tilted her head, looking up from her own book, "What is?"

"The colors, and the light, from unicorn magic. I don't see it anymore," explained David as he pointed at Lyra with a hoof.

Lyra looked a little sad as she spun the book back around, "I'll fix it, promise... please don't be angry."

David reached forward, gently rubbing a hoof on Lyra's closest shoulder, "I'm not, even if I should be. If you can fix it, all is forgiven."

Lyra smiled brightly at the words, "Well, we could... try now? We just need a heart crystal."

"What's that?" asked Rough and Bon Bon together.

"What they said," offered David afterwards with a sheepish grin.

Lyra spun the book again as the pages flipped, showing a pendant of crystal shaped like a heart, "Exactly what it sounds like! They sell them in lots of jewelry stores for unicorns. It helps anchor personal spells, like... transformations."

David raised a brow and an ear, "But you didn't have one when you made me a pony."

"Ah... yea..." said Lyra, looking more and more ashamed, sinking into the couch.

Bon Bon frowned, "What did you do, Lyra Heartstrings?"

Lyra heaved a loud sigh, "Well I kinda messed it all up. You're not supposed to do big magic like that without one unless you're crazy powerful, like Princess powerful, which I'm not."

David fell to all fours with a clop, "Am I stuck like this?"

Lyra shook her head quickly, "No! I mean, I don't think so? The book says the spell, uh, clings to you if you don't use the crystal, which means some of it may meld or whatever in strange ways."

Rough Draft waved a hoof, "Can you translate that for the non wizards in the crowd."

Lyra shook her head, "Not really? It means he may have some pony in him even after we change him back."

David tilted his head, "So, what, a tail? Fur coat?"

"Maybe," squeaked Lyra, "Look, let's just... do it and see what happens, OK?" She slipped to the floor with the book floating along with her. "I'm really sorry. I'll pay for the crystal."

Rough was on the floor next, Bon Bon soon behind. Rough shook his head at Lyra, "He's my hu... OC. I'll pay for it."

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, "You can both pay half. Let's get this over with, David looks like he's going into shock."

David was off in his own little world, thinking about everything and not paying attention. He followed the others on a sort of auto pilot as he wondered what might stay or go. Would it be something big and obvious like a tail or the ears or a fur coat, or something that hides under a jacket, or, heaven forbid, would he end up without fingers forever? That would suck...

David came back into focus when he bumped into Bon Bon from behind. Her tail... smelled nice, but he quickly backed away from it before he could incur the full wrath of the mare, "Sorry!"

Bon Bon frowned back at him, "Are you alright? We're just heading to a jewelry shop."

The shop was only half a block away and across the street. After braving Manehattan traffic once more, they found themselves in a tiny shop. There were three display cases filled with various glittering pieces. The proprietor was a mare bedecked in hoops, rings, studs, and bangles. She smiled broadly when the four entered and approached instantly.

"Welcome to Deep Shine's Jewelry Store. I'm Deep Shine," she glanced between the four, looking thoughtful, "Double marriage?"

Three of them blushed as Bon Bon snorted, "Not exactly. We need a heart crystal." She thrust a hoof back at Lyra, "So she can fix her mistakes."

Deep Shine nodded her head, jewelry bouncing and jostling, "Heart crystals, we have a few of those in stock, follow me." She trotted around one of the cases and drew out three crystals that could have easily fit in the inside of a hoof. Two were heart shaped, the last was more spherical. "Here we are." She pointed at the sphere, "This one is a rare treat from Zebrica. Purest of natural manufacture and untouched by any craftspony, it should channel magic well."

Lyra leaned towards it with wide eyes, "Wow! I can feel it from here. How much is that one?"

Deep Shine quoted an amount that made Lyra flop to the ground, unconscious. Rough Draft rubbed at the side of his head with a hoof, "That's a bit... much.

Deep Shine bobbed her head, "Good jewels usually are, but we do have an excellent payment plan option. You can pay it off in two years in twenty easy payments that you don't need to be rich to afford."

While they conversed, David was wandering the store, looking from one piece to the next. For not having fingers, ponies knew how to make nice jewelry. Thinking back, David recalled that gems were often found pre-cut, at least in the show, but that didn't explain the housings and bands of delicate make.

Rough Draft nudged Lyra back into waking. "They can split it up into twenty payments over two years," he explained, "Can you handle half of that?"

Bon Bon scowled, "No, but she will anyway." She reached forward and bonked Lyra lightly on the head, "And maybe she'll remember it next time she decides to just throw magic around without knowing what she's doing."

Rough Draft produced his half of the first payment and set it down. Lyra's own share floated over to join it. They gave their names, addresses, and Deep Shine also took note of their cutie marks and colorations. "All yours," she declared, gesturing at the round crystal.

Lyra snatched up the crystal in her magic and saw it was dangling on a fine silver chain, "Is this part of it?"

Deep Shine nodded, "Heart crystals are no good without a string, and thinking of such a wonderful crystal on an actual string offends my sensibilities. It's yours with it. Please enjoy it, and do come back soon." She looked at Bon Bon, "You could use a nice blue ruby necklace. It would accent your mane so marvelously."

Bon Bon blushed and smiled in appreciation, and soon they had exchanged their goodbyes and were back on the road again.

"Alright," said Lyra, "Let's give this a try and get our human back to his marvelously biped self."

Author's Notes:

Will it work? What side effects await our world walker? You could help decide! Fire suggestions into those comments and let nothing hold back your fingers. At least he'll have a heart crystal so mares can stop messing him up in odd ways with their magic.

All of those books were a bit overwhelming. I may have spelled something in old Equestrian by mistake.