There was pain.

So

much

pain.

And then it stopped. It stopped so suddenly it was as if Michael's brain just shut off his ability to feel, to see, to move, to... anything.

"I'm dead," said his voice, disembodied and omnipresent in the void of his mind, "Or I will be soon."

He imagined himself floating, suspended in that void.

Then he felt himself flip over. He didn't do it, so someone else must have.

"Oh. It looks like my inner ear is still working. So I'm not dead. I must be in shock. That's nice..."

"MICHAEL!!!"

Twilight, her own illusion spell now gone, ran and began ripping the canopy off of him.

A shallow pool of blood had already formed around him by the time he was completely uncovered. She turned him over quickly to see if he was alright, but immediately reeled back.

She had expected him to still be clutching the capsule, a little roughed up, but more or less alright. Instead, she began crying and shaking, horrified at what lay before her.

Michael was no longer holding the capsule that now lay beside his tremoring body; he no longer had hands to hold them with. The nanites had eaten away all of the flesh until around half way up his forearms, stopped only by the salt kicked up from the floor by the pressure of the capsule's spray.

Swallowing her tears, she opened up his shirt, the black material seemingly soaked with blood, dusted with a layer of salt. The front of his torso looked like an apple given to a five year old. Fist sized "bites" were all over the front of his torso, some deeper than others, but most had penetrated his muscle tissues, exposing whatever bone or organ was underneath. Most prominently, though, was a dotted line of holes running straight up and down his chest just right of center; an exact match to the gap between the buttons on his shirt. Through one of them, Twilight could see Michael's heart beating shallow and quickly.

"Oh no..." whimpered Pinkie Pie as she and the other ponies started to approach the gruesome scene.

Princess Celestia stood beside the others, "I don't understand... The gas was supposed to change ponies into humans. What in the world happened?"

Twilight wiped her eyes with her forearm, "It was me..."

"Twilight?" said her mentor.

"He..." she choked through the tears, "He must have known this would happen. He knew that if I had been hit with the gas before the canopy came down, the same thing would have happened to me. He- He used himself as a shield to stop the gas and protect me until I was safe."

"Is...” started Rainbow Dash, "Is he... You know..."

Twilight wiped the last of her tears and steeled herself.

"No! We're not going to let him die! Rarity, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna," She said, turning to each of them, "I'm going to need your help."

"What can we do?" asked the younger princess.

Twilight glanced over to Michael, then back at her friends.

"We're going to teleport the four of us and Michael to the conversion bureau."

Everypony gasped.

"Twilight," Rarity started, "I- I'm not sure if ponifying him will save him. His condition isn't... well, promising."

"We've had people come in with cancer all over their bodies and go out in perfect health. There's a chance-"

"Yes, but he's made it very clear that he doesn't want to BE a pony..."

Twilight was beginning to get irritated, "I'm sure he'd rather live than die! There's no time for questions! If we don't try there definitely won’t be any chance of him getting through this!"

Rarity tipped her head, "Of course, you’re right."

Celestia nodded, "Let's begin."

Twilight, Rarity, and two pegacorns began to concentrate on Michael, causing him to rise from the floor and float between them. Then, with a flash, they were gone.

As the palace staff began escorting ponies away from the floor, Pinkie Pie began walking towards the gardens.

"Pinkie Pie," asked Dash, "Where are you going?"

She turned back towards her friends, her eyes downturned, but still smiling, "To the hot air balloon. Twilight needs us right now."

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other, nodding approvingly.

"Yer right," said Applejack, "C'mon girls, let's go!"

Michael's mind was quiet.

"So, this is the disconnect between brain and body. Tranquil... Nice..."

For a moment, a burst of static filled the void, jarring him.

"What the hell was that?"

Materializing in the heart of the conversion bureau, Twilight, Rarity, and the two princesses rushed the still hovering Michael through the hallways towards the ponification ward. As they ran past the dorms, Twilight spotted Jack walking the opposite direction.

"Move!" she shouted.

He quickly pressed himself up against the wall and watched as they ran past. After a moment, he realized who was leaving the trail of blood on the floor.

"Michael? MICHAEL!" Jack screamed, chasing the group.

Twilight turned to him, "Jack?"

"Twilight? Is that you?!" he asked, trying to keep up with them, "What happened to you? What happened to Michael?" He looked at Celestia and Luna, "Aren't these the Princesses?! Why are the Princesses here?! What the hell is going on?!"

"There's no time! We need to get Michael ponified right away!"

"Ponified?! Him?! He is NOT gonna like that!"

"If we don't he'll die!"

Jack's eyebrows peaked, "Well, you can't always get what you want. What can I do?"

Twilight pointed in front of them, "Go ahead and clear the way! Hurry!"

Jack nodded and sprinted ahead, clearing the halls of people and ponies alike until they arrived at the magic controlled doors. Opening them as fast as she could, Rarity began instructing the other attendants and getting the needed supplies.

Slowly, Michael was lowered onto one of the beds. Jack stood over him, taking in the sheer amount of damage done to his friend's body.

"Oh man, Michael, what the hell happened to you? What did you do..." he whispered, covering his face with his hand.

Celestia put a hoof on Jack's shoulder, "He saved a great many lives over the past few days. These injuries were the result of one of the bravest and most selfless acts of heroism I've ever seen."

Twilight took Jack by the hand and slowly led him away from the ponification ward.

"Twilight, Is Mike gonna be alright?"

She sighed and walked him to the family room, the designated waiting area for the friends and family of those getting ponified, "I don't know. We're going to do our best, but all we can do is keep our fingers crossed. Just stay here, alright? We'll keep you apprised."

Jack sat down, took off his glasses, and began massaging his temples, "Alright."

Twilight sat beside Michael's bed in his new quarters. Because of the extent of his wounds and his inability to take the serum orally, the ponification process took much long than usual. It restored his arms and healed his wounds, but after the grueling two hour long procedure, Michael did not wake up. He simply continued to lay there, unconscious.

It had been nearly five hours since they moved him to the room.

Twilight put her head down on his chest.

"Wake up. Please, wake up."

Michael felt a pressure on his chest. It was light, but it started pushing him down through the void.

"Wake up... Please, wake up..."

Twilight's voice echoed through the void.

"Twilight?"

"Twilight?"

It came as a murmur; barely audible, but there.

She lifted her head off his chest and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, Michael, it’s me…. Please wake up. I need you."

The weight lifted.

"Please wake up... I need you..."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay."

Twilight watched as Michael's lungs filled themselves completely, then exhaled. His eyes opened at a slow, consistent pace.

They focused on her.

"Hey, you’re alright..." he groaned through a weary smile.

She smiled back lovingly, "Yes, thanks to you. You were really injured when we brought you in. You almost didn't make it. Those nanomachines would have consumed you entirely if it wasn't for your dumb luck."

Michael let out a weak laugh, "So you figured it out. Well, I'm alright now. Actually, I feel great! You must have done one hell of a job healing me."

Twilight's whole face changed as she looked away. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her smile was gone.

Michael looked up at her, confused, and sat himself up, "Twilight?" He reached out to her, "What's wro-aaaah!!'

He held his hooves in front of his face which had morphed into the image of terror, "Hooves?! Twilight, what's going on?!"

She leaned in and grabbed his new extremities, "Michael, please calm down!"

"Calm down?! I'm A PONY! How do you expect me to 'calm down' when I'm a PONY?! WHAT. HAPPENED?"

She tried to explain, pleading, "Michael, half of your arms were gone! There were gaping holes in your body! You would have bled out if we didn't ponify you..." she started breathing heavily, trying to speak between her tears, "I didn't want to lose you. I just couldn't..."

Michael felt awful for yelling at her and gently pulled Twilight towards him, wrapping her in his forelegs. He started rocking her, "Shhhh... It's okay. I understand. Thank you, Twilight. You saved me."

After a few moments, she sat back on her chair and wiped her eyes.

"Okay," he started, "Let's see what we've got to work with,” he examined his hooves, "Beige... Beige is okay." He began feeling his head, "Ears, good. Eyes... big. Hm. Nose? No, snout? No, muzzle? Bah, whatever. Chin, blimey... Hair..." Michael felt how long his mane was, "I'm a girl! No, not a girl, just... long." Pulling a lock of it in front of his face, he sighed, "Still not ginger. Grey, though, that's... new."

After a little bit more self-inspection, Twilight helped Michael learn to stand and, eventually, walk. Once was comfortable with his new legs, he walked to the mirror and took a look at himself.

"Not bad... Not great, but not bad."

Twilight stood next to him, "Well, I think you look very handsome."

"Oh, come on; you're biased."

"No, really, I mean it!"

He turned himself around, "Oh, hey, look!"

Prominently displayed on Michael's flank was the image of an apple with speed lines emanating from the top.

He looked up at Twilight, "I was under the impression that ponified humans don't get their cutie marks right away."

"It happens sometimes, but that just means you've already found your true calling." She looked at it quizzically, "It appeared just after the ponification was complete, but we didn't know what it meant."

Michael smiled broadly, "It's a falling apple!"

"What does that mean?"

"Isaac Newton... His discovery of gravity stemmed from his observance of a single event: an apple falling from a tree. He was probably the closest thing to being the father of physics."

"Congratulations!" Twilight said warmly, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around his neck.

An abrupt knocking interrupted their embrace.

"Yes, come in." Michael answered.

Jack peeked in, then entered, moving towards his friend.

The two sized each other up, then gave each other a quick man hug.

"Jack, I thought for sure you'd have gotten ponified by now."

"Well, I had some second thoughts, no thanks to you. I was just about to sign out when you were rushed in." Jack sized up the pony in front of him, "But you! Mister 'holding out for humanity'! You run off chasing a hunch and you come back missing your arms and bleeding everywhere!" He let out a small laugh, "And now you're a pony!"

Michael rolled his eyes, "Spare me. I'm already almost drowning in the sheer irony of it."

"Well, for your sake I hope you get over it soon, considering you're stuck this way."

"Not if I have any say over it."

"Yeah, yeah..." Jack scoffed, "Anyway, I was sent to see if Twilight needed anything but, considering you're up and about, why don't you go say 'hi' to everyone?"

"Everyone?"

Twilight put her hand on his shoulder, "Everyone else is in the family room. They've more or less been there since you were brought out."

He took a sideways glance at himself in the mirror and let out a deep sigh, "Well, I guess we'd better not keep them waiting any longer."

Michael stood at the precipice of the family room's door, Twilight and Jack standing behind him.

Leaning down, Jack pointed at the door. "You know, you can just PUSH the door open," he said, condescendingly.

Michael grunted, "Yes, thank you for that tremendous insight."

Taking a deep breath, he nudged the door with his nose and pushed through.

There they were; "everyone". All of Twilight's friends, plus the princesses, plus Irene. It took them a moment to register that Twilight and Jack were "with" this new colt, but as soon as they did, he was surrounded. Pats on the back and hugs came from nearly all sides as he tried to make sense out of all the congratulations.

To Michael's relief, Jack intervened, "Alright everyone, give him some space."

He looked up at his friend, "Thanks."

Looking around the room, Michael became acutely aware of how much bigger everything was compared to himself. The ponies, now his own size (or, rather, that he was their size), seemed more relatable to him and, looking up at Celestia, he understood their instinctual reverence.

However, he mentally reassured himself that this was not going to be his body forever.

Irene approached him, "Michael, how are you feeling?"

He shrugged, "Fine, given the circumstances."

Applejack raised her eyebrow, "'Given the circumstances'? Sugar cube, you do realize ponification is a one-way trip, right? I'd say you'd better get used to your 'circumstances'."

"Yeah yeah, we'll see," he answered smugly, "Anyway, how do I look?" Michael did a quick turn-around, his mane flying out slightly from the centrifugal force.

Twilight put a hand on her hip, "I told him he looked very handsome."

"Very handsome indeed!" Rarity commented excitedly, "I simply must make up something for you! A suit, perhaps?"

"That's very generous, but-"

Pinkie Pie began bounding around him, "OoH! And I'll throw you a 'ponification day' party!"

"That's really not necessary, I won't be-"

Jack chimed in, "And I'll get in touch with your sister to help sort out your house-"

"ENOUGH!" Michael hollered.

Pinkie Pie immediately stopped her bouncing as everyone in the room took a step back from Michael.

He took a deep breath.

"I really, truly appreciate your generosity and your good intentions,” he said, frustrated, “but I won't need a new suit or a party or help sorting my affairs because I will not be staying a pony."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rainbow Dash, "Applejack just told you; ponification is kind of a one-way thing."

Twilight put her hand on Michael’s shoulder, “You’re planning on using the other two capsules, aren’t you?”

He nodded, “If they haven’t yet been destroyed, yeah, that was the plan.”

Rarity began to look concerned, "Twilight, Michael; you know it takes some time before a newfoal is back to full strength. Even if this plan works, you would have to wait some time..."

"How long?" Michael asked abruptly.

"What?"

"How long would I need to wait?"

Rarity thought on this, "Two weeks at least. A month to be safe."

Michael's face turned to a fierce excitement, "A month, then." He turned to Princess Celestia, "I trust that the capsules can be kept safe for the duration?"

"If you are certain, then I will ensure their safety," the Princess paused, "However, I'm curious, what do you plan on doing during your month as one of our subjects?"

Twilight lit up once more, "I know just the thing. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, if I could speak with you two privately, please?"

The three of them walked out of the room as everyone else was left scratching their heads.

"What in 'tarnation was that all about?"

"Search me..." Michael answered, equally puzzled.

It was then, for the first time in this body, that his stomach growled.

Jack laughed, "C'mon, I'll treat you to a dandelion sandwich or something..."

As the group headed towards the cafeteria, Michael lamented silently to himself.

"No meat for a month..."

As the sun set over the arboretum, Michael rested on the park bench where he sat on his first night in the ponification center. His eyes closed as he relaxed and took in the sounds and smells of the pseudo-nature.

From the left, he could hear a rhythmic trotting. Turning his head to look, he was greeted by a familiar face approaching from down the path.

"Hi, Michael,” said Irene. She took a seat next to him.

“Hey, Irene.”  

"Are you here by yourself?"

"For the moment," he answered, "Twilight is supposed to be joining me later."

"So,” she adjusted her mane, “how are you adjusting?"

"Well, apart from still having to get used to the fact that I'm naked," he said, slightly exasperated, "I think I'm okay. I've stopped bumping into things, for the most part."

"That’s good."

"Well, yeah, I guess," Michael sighed, "Although, I still feel weird when I see myself in a reflection."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it in time.”

“Well, hopefully not too used to it.”

Irene turned to face him directly, “Hey, I had this idea.”

“What’s up?” He turned to her.

“Why don’t you come live with me in Ponyville? I want to finally give you that dinner I promised.”

Michael’s heart sank. He knew where this was going.

“Irene, listen, I- I can’t live with you.”

“Oh! No, don’t worry; I’ve got plenty of space.”

He sighed, “It’s not that, it’s- Look, before, when you were a human, I really cared about you. I know that you didn’t realize it and, until you got ponified, neither did I, but I just don’t have those feelings for you anymore.”

Irene was taken aback, “What? But, at Twilight’s house…”

“I know,” he put a hoof on her shoulder, “When we kissed, I thought I was getting what I always wanted. But… it felt off somehow. And it didn’t take me long to figure it out.”

“Because I was a pony?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

She smiled, “But I’m still me, you know that.”

“Yeah, but-“

“And now you’re a pony too!”

He leaned back against the bench and pushed his mane out of his face, “No, Irene, I’m not.”

“Michael,” she sighed, “What are you talking about?”

He sat up straight, “Look, when I close my eyes and picture myself, I don’t see a beige pony with grey hair. I see me; a human. A five-foot-eleven, brown haired, human.”

“After everything, you still don’t want to be a pony?!” she yelled, exasperated.

“No, I didn’t and don’t want to be a pony. Being human is part of my identity. Becoming a pony was to save my life; the equivalent of putting a cast on a broken leg. And in about a month, the cast comes off.”

She got up off the bench, “So, what? You don’t love me? We’re ‘just friends’?”

That cut him deeply and he rose to meet her at eye level, “Excuse me, but we were ‘just friends’ the entire time we knew each other before you left! Yeah, I didn’t stay to see you ponified. Yeah, I disappeared for a couple of weeks, but do you know where I was those two weeks? I was spending every night in a different bar and hotel in Newark trying to sort myself out. It wasn’t until a bartender cut me off and set me straight that I came out of it.” He let out a deep sigh, “Irene, I couldn’t see you off because I didn’t want my memory of you to change. You were beautiful and I loved you just the way you were. And I know that you’re still the same person but… I- I can’t love a pony. Not yet.”

Irene eyed him critically, her cobalt eyes cold and distant.

“You know, I didn’t think you were that shallow.”

Without even another word, she walked right past him and out of the arboretum.

Michael sat back on the bench and slumped down, beginning to develop a headache.

“Dammit, that could have gone better.”

After sitting in silence for some time, he began hearing the sound of slow trotting and footsteps.

“Michael, there you are!” called Twilight, approaching the bench with the two princesses in tow, “Sorry for taking so long.”

He straightened his posture, “No, it’s fine. So what’s up?”

Twilight smiled, "I have a very special surprise for you!"

An excited grin tore across Michael's face, "A surprise?" He loved surprises and, at this point, any pleasant news was welcome to him.

"Yes, I asked the Princesses if you could teach for the remainder of the semester at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!"

He was shocked, "But- But what would I teach at a school for unicorns? They'd be learning magic, right?"

Celestia stepped forward, "It's true that the curriculum is mostly magic centric, but relying on magic to solve every problem would be foolhardy. I was intrigued by your description of your 'applied mechanics' course, and I feel that your course would be of great benefit to our students. It's true that there's only half a semester left but, if you're willing to... extend your stay with us to six weeks, we would honored if you could teach our pupils until the end of the fall term."

Michael was well and truly stunned. Again, after so long, he could teach. Against his own will, tears began to well up inside of him and slowly rolled down his face.

"Thank you. All of you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me," he wiped his face and struggled, but finally managed to stop the tears.

"I, uh," he stammered for a second, "I, um, I just need an assistant during the class."

Twilight beamed, "Already taken care of."

"If you'll have me," Luna offered, "I'm sure I can prove myself as a capable assistant for your class."

Michael smiled broadly as he shook her hoof, "The job is yours!" He looked to Twilight, "What about you? What are you going to be doing during that time?"

She shrugged apathetically, "I'll be here running the bureau until you get back. After that, who knows? Maybe after you get turned back into a human, you can take me to visit your sister and nephew?"

"That sounds like a great idea," he said, smiling warmly at the idea of seeing his nephew again.

“And maybe while you’re there, you can try your hoof at magic again,” offered Twilight, “I mean, I know you’re an earth pony now, but if you could do it as a human-“

“Yeeaah,” Michael emoted, “I’m pretty sure that was just a fluke. I mean, you told me that ponification made you the type of pony you become based on genetic traits; I ended up an earth pony, so I’m probably not supposed to use magic anyway. Besides, I was pretty useless when you tried to teach me back in Ponyville, remember?”

"I wouldn't say 'useless',” she intimated, "I wasn't any better when I tried my first time."

Michael smiled, "Says the private pupil of one of the two most powerful magicians alive."

"It's true that she had an extraordinary amount of raw talent," said Princess Celestia, looking at her pupil, "But that talent needed an equally extraordinary amount of training both by me and at the school before it became what it is today."

"Speaking of which," Michael began, "How's your magic holding up?"

Twilight teleported next to him and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Still going strong.”

Princess Celestia watched the two of them and smiled gently, “So, do you have any more questions?”

Michael looked at Twilight, then the princesses, and smiled broadly.

“When do I start?”

Michael stood nervously at the front of the lecture hall as the thirty or so unicorns began filing in.

He whispered to Luna, "What do you think of our lab coats? A bit much, maybe?”

"They’re a bit restrictive around the wings,” she whispered back, “but I think they look nice. And the pockets are very functional. But I think maybe you should take off the goggles. They look a little-"

"-Stupid?"

"Intimidating."

He took the goggles off, "Nah, they look stupid. Now a fez... that would be cool..."

Once all of the students had taken their seats, Luna sent a syllabus floating to each of them.

Michael took a deep breath.

"Good morning, class. My name is Dr. Frost and for the next six weeks you will leave your world of magic and spells and step firmly into the world of physics…” Next Chapter: Epilogue Estimated time remaining: 3 Minutes