We walked along behind our new friend, Leonard. He was quickly getting used to having feet instead of hooves, and seemed to be making it a challenge to himself to walk as quietly as he could, something we couldn't hope to do. It was nice to see him enjoying himself, though one thought nagged at me. "Just to be clear, we can't go turning everyone back into a human. Like the doctor's wife, Gentle, a lot of people have gotten used to their new identity. It would be very cruel to force them out of it now."

Leonard paused in his walking a moment. "Not really up to me, even if they could figure out how you pulled that fucking miracle off. If someone fancies their fur coat, whatever, just don't force me into it."

Cindy smiled. "We'll see what they say about the one that wants to go the other way."

Another pony crossed our path and stopped dead in his tracks, peering at Leonard. "Lenny? What the hell are you doing in a hospital robe, and as a human?" He looked past him at us, then back at him. "Is this a trick?"

Leonard held out a hand and wriggled his fingers. It was a signal the other soldier got and met the hand with a hoof in a low five. "Nah man, it's really me, and I'm back! It's all thanks to her, uh, them. They turned me back. You want it? It's fucking painful as shit, but it worked."

The soldier looked uncertain, stepping from one hoof to the other and ruffling his wings. "I'm not sure..."

I felt the need to butt in. "No rush. If you like being what you are now, then stay with it. There's nothing wrong with that."

The soldier smiled, seemingly relieved at the words. "Just, you know, I like flying, and I got used to it." He snorted softly. "That isn't so weird, is it?"

Leonard shook his head. "Nah, stick with it, but I'm going to enjoy humanity, thank you very much."

The pony pointed past Leonard to us. "You realize you're walking with the same few ponies that could turn you right back into one, right? You sure you want to be their escort?"

He went stiff at the reminder. "Well, yeah, but I don't think they're rushing to undo their work. Someone who's been there has to be the one reporting this in."

Cindy shook her head. "We don't want to turn anyone into a pony, unless they really want to be. We have to talk about that."

The pegasus soldier moves on with a parting salute to Leonard, and we soon arrived at a metal double door. Leonard rapped on it a few times. "Hey, the visitors want to talk to you. Got a moment?"

A slit in the door slid open and a pair of human eyes gawked out at Leonard a moment before the door opened. "The hell happened to you? You're on the hooved list."

Leonard performed the classic jazz hands. "Not anymore. They wanted to talk to you about that." He hiked a thumb back at us.

The new man frowned. "Those are the infectious ferals. Keep them far away from me, if you please."

Cindy frowned. "We are not feral. We have important things to discuss."

I nodded in agreement with Cindy. "We turned one of your doctors back to a human too, but there's a human that wanted to be a pony, and we wanted an OK for that?"

"Why don't you turn everyone back into a human and be done with it?" asked the seeming leader.

A voice called out from behind him. "What are you talking about?" A familiar mare stepped into view, "L-lenny? Son, you're back!"

Ranks were forgotten for a moment as Leonard dropped down in a crouch and shared a sincere-looking hug with Major Leo. Leo looked at us. "Did you do this? How?"

I let out a little breath. "Complicated. But we can do it again if need be. We don't plan to try to turn back everyone, that would be pretty fucked up."

Leo nodded shakily. "It would..." She looked up at the other leader. "Why are you even thinking of making calls about this? I am the ranking officer here."

The man scowled. "If you don't think we should use this cure immediately, maybe this 'condition' has affected your mind. If you're not fit for duty--"

"Can the crap!" Leo stomped the floor. "Aside from suffering what is, at worst, a period, I am fine. As if we had enough members to consider a tribunal anyway, Christ on a stick."

He gestured to me. "Our new 'friends' have brought the information needed to establish contact with the rest of the standing military command. I'm told they even have a General that would outrank you."

I snorted softly, which got his attention. I rolled a hand at him. "The general is on four legs, at his choice. It cured a lethal condition he had. He's doing quite well now, even has a girlfriend, human."

The lesser officer blanched at the news and fell back, stuttering.

Leo burst into genuine laughter. "Oh man that's good! Look, Lieutenant, go get a drink and calm the ever-loving fuck down. This whole thing, it has us all on edge. Just go, relax, and we'll all forget it happened."

The Lieutenant fled with all the dignity he had, leaving us with Leo and Leonard. A thought struck me. "I don't suppose you're technically Junior?"

Leonard frowned, I found him out. Leo just found the whole thing all the more amusing. She waved us in. "Come on, tell me all about what's going on, and what you have in mind."

We all filed into the office. Captain Leo hopped up onto a chair and settled to look at us. "So, you have a cure? Why didn't you mention that before?"

Cindy shrugged my shoulders. "It didn't come up, but it did now. We're actually here about the other way."

"Other way?"

I nodded and gestured out to the hallways. "We ran into someone who seemed to want to be a pony, but was terrified of saying as much, and we wanted to talk about that with someone in charge." I raised a brow. "Being shot for making some guy's wish come true seems a bad trade."

She tapped her chin. "Can you... make me a guy again?"

Cindy tilted her head. "A human?"

Leo shook her head. "Stallion. I don't mind most of this, hell, you just told me a general got used to it, I'm not going to let him show me up, but I'd be just fine ditching the slit and getting the dangly parts back."

~Can we do that?~ I thought at Cindy.

~He doesn't have anymore energy, gift that is.~

I shook my head at Leo. "It's pony or human. We can only guide people as they become a pony, after that, it's over."

Leo rolled a hoof. "Well that sounds easy, turn me into a human, then back again right."

Leonard coughed into a fist. "You're more of a man than me if you can handle that. Imagine every bone in your body being shattered, now do it twice."

Leo grunted and flicked her tail. "Will it kill me? If not, I'll get over it."

Cindy shook her head. "It might. It's no small amount of trauma for a pattern to recover from. I wouldn't even suggest this for the weak, though I think most of those died the first time in, but twice rapidly? I couldn't recommend that, and it would be very hard for us too."

Leo settled on her belly. "Fine. I've lived with it this long, I'll keep on dealing with it."

Leonard pointed towards the hospital. "They fixed the doc too, by the way."

A thought seemed to come to Leo as she recoiled. "I forgot to tell you! I found your mother."

Leonard looked surprised. "Where the hell was she?"

Leo chuckled. "She was a he, and a pegasus. We're a matching pair I guess."

Leonard raised a finger, then let it slowly drop. "Fuck it. Still, what the hell were you thinking, dad? If you did survive and became a guy horse, I imagine mom would murder you for making it gayer than it already is."

Leo turned his attention to us. "I won't stop someone who wants to be a pony from being one, just don't make them, uh, strange. I've seen some of the odder variants, and they're usually less mentally stable too, present company excepted. Hell, if he doesn't have a specific request, go for unicorn." She tapped her horn. "At least that retains dexterity. Now go on, me and Leonard need to catch up, and re-introduce his mother."

Leonard smirked at Leo. "I'm looking at her. You mean father, right?"

Leo glared at her son as we took the opportunity to step out, permission in hand. We trotted lightly down the hallway to run into a female unicorn. "Hey! You're the one fixing people, right? Turn me back!"

She wasn't alone. An earth pony got in front of her and tried to nudge her back. "Look, you really don't want that. I remember what you were."

"Well I don't!" she cried. "But I wasn't supposed to be a horse and they can fix me."

The earth pony winced. "Look, you were... You were born a little loose, up here." He tapped himself on the head. "You were in a wheel chair. Now you're a horse, sure, with a horn, and you can do magic, and talk straight."

She backpedaled a few steps. "I was a retard?! Why didn't you ever tell me about that?"

He smiled gently. "It didn't matter? I was your friend before, and I'm still your friend now." He sat down to the side. "If you really want to, go ahead. I'll be a friend either way, but I don't think you want to do this."

She took a little step forward, then stopped. She glared at her friend as she settled to her haunches. "I just want to be normal..."

He moved in on her and wrapped her up with a hug in his forelegs. "You are a wonderful person, and you don't have to prove a damn thing to anyone." She began to cry, but he held her tight.

We hadn't said a word. Neither of us could think of a thing to say that would improve the situation. It seemed clearly between the two of them. Just as we thought we escaped, we felt a tug on our tail. We looked over our shoulders to see the female had our tail in her magic. "Sorry about the screaming match. Um, thanks anyway." She smiled at us, then walked off with her friend.

Author's Notes:

The plot, it thickens, like the density of typos as we progress! Now where is that boy that wanted a fur coat?