A bay stallion sat at a table inside a brightly lit room. The room was made of crystal, from what he could tell. His image reflected back at him from a thousand different angles. The light in the room did not come from any one source, rather it seemed to emanate from the room itself; nothing cast a shadow in this place. There were no doors, and no windows; only a hollowed jewel kept him contained from the outside world.

Atchmon --once a Human from another world, who was transformed into a Pony stallion-- explored the room thrice over, he found no flaw on its pristine solid surface. But that was some time ago, and he grew bored and hungry with only the ghost of his reflection to keep him company; but more than that, he felt alone and fearful for the future.

His heart leapt as Twilight Sparkle suddenly walked through the crystalline wall without warning, the magics at work made the previously solid surface warble like ripples in a pond, before settling solid once again. Her long purple horn was wreathed in pinkish magic, before dropping the spell.

Twilight gave him a sympathetic smile as she sat on the seat cushion by the table opposite him.

Atchmon couldn't return the smile. The seriousness of the situation prevented him from faking any of the usual formalities.

“Just tell me what happened.” Twilight asked calmly.

“You know what happened.” Atchmon said curtly.

“I do know, but this is for the investigation.”

“How much trouble am I in, Twilight... Princess Twilight.” Atchmon sighed in resignation.

“Thank you. I don’t feel comfortable with you calling me by my title anymore than you like saying it, but I have to come off as unbiased. ”

Atchmon shook his head in disbelief. "You know it wasnt me... Twilight tell them it wasn't me!" he raised his voice.

Twilight extended a hoof to calm and reassure him. "I'm on your side, Atchmon; but I'm not going to lie to you, you may be looking at some time in the dungeons... maybe even Tartaros." She finished in a whisper, and started chewing her lips.

Atchmon stared angrily at the table. "I've always been told I'd end up in jail..."

"I'm sorry, Atchmon; but the Ponies of the Crystal Empire need safety, closure, and assurance that this incident will never happen again. Just remember that the Ponies of the Empire believe in full transparency; just speak truthfully from your heart, and all will be made clear."

Atchmon lowered his head, feeling defeated.

"How about we start at the beginning." Twilight suggested.

Atchmon breathed a long resigned sigh, and nodded his head. "Sure..."

The memory was all a blur, but Atchmon could never forget the feeling of having Rarity collapse in his arms.

The worry, stress, and panic, all hitting at once.

"What happened to her!?"

"She's just fainted."

"Let's get her to the hospital."

The air pressed in around him, the tight pressure against his chest was almost suffocating. The strange sensation of movement without moving at all was second to the mare in his forehooves; and in that same instant, they were somewhere else entirely.

From a cold, dank, dark cave in an overbearing forest; to a bright, warm, wide open field.

A town with yellow thatched roofing sat nearby.

Starlight Glimmer growled in frustration, breaking Atchmon out of his dazzled state. "This is why I don't like teleporting with other Unicorns." She sighed in anger. "If we can't agree on where to go, then what's the point of pooling our magic?"

"H-huh?" Atchmon said in confusion while shaking away the strange sense of vertigo.

"Twilight took Rarity directly into the hospital; which is stupid, because somepony else could have been seriously hurt. It's okay though, I'm sure she remembered to reappear in the Emergency Port-a-Chamber." Starlight Glimmer explained.

Starlight's explanation went largely ignored by Atchmon as he realized Rarity had disappeared from his hooves.

Starlight watched with a bemused expression as the stallion looked his forehooves over for the missing mare. "Come on, we can go see if they're checked in already. Can you walk on your own, uh, Hatchmon, was it?" She asked, emphasizing the 'H'.

Atchmon didn't like Rarity being away from him, but all he could do was trust in this new 'person' he just met. She didn't seem overly concerned with the fact two of their party were nowhere in sight, and from that intuition, he figured it would be best to follow her.

"Yeah, I- I think so." Atchmon said as he stood on shaking legs, though he couldn't tell if the shakiness was from his new transformation, or from the surreal experience of teleportation for the first time.

Maybe a bit of both.

Starlight watched impatiently as he tried to take a step with the wrong hoof forward, then promptly stumbled and fell on his face with his forelegs crossed.

Starlight grimaced in pain from the hard fall.

Atchmon smiled sheepishly up at Starlight Glimmer while his cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, then put on a look of determination as he pushed himself up, and reared up on his hind legs, while flailing his forehooves around wildly to keep his balance as he tried to walk on his hind legs.

Starlight Glimmer balked in confusion, as Atchmon fell to all fours.

Atchmon looked down at his hooves. "This is weird, I can't feel the ground under my feet." All he could feel was pressure and vibration as he scraped at the ground with a hoof. His mind went back to the experience of walking on all fours as a human. His forelegs bent forward instead of outward unlike his old arms.

He was just getting the hang of it when a tingling sensation wrapped around his body.

Starlight couldn't wait any longer, and lifted the stallion with her magic. "Sorry about this, but we don't have time to mess around."

"Y-yah-ah!" Atchmon yelped, reaching for the ground as it shrank away. His stomach lurched along with the feeling of weightlessness as he floated behind the Unicorn sorceress. His hooves naturally curled beneath him, while the pair approached a large, white building.

A red medical "plus" symbol above the double doors clued Atchmon on what the structure was used for, before they entered the building.

The lobby of Ponyville General smelled somewhere between the familiar sterilized smell of a hospital, and the subtle rank odor of a veterinarian clinic.

Atchmon's senses were overrun. Every smell was as distinct and unique as its owner. The room was awash with colors he hadn't seen in ages.

Several pastel colored Ponies were sitting in the waiting room, along with a couple foals playing with children's toys in a corner. The mare's seemed displeased with how Starlight was carrying him, while the few stallions looked concerned. Others were either too sick or injured to care.

Starlight Glimmer paid them no mind as she roughly set Atchmon in a chair, and trotted off to talk to the mare behind the counter.

Atchmon adjusted in his seat to keep from sitting on his new tail. He stared at his new appendage for a moment, before Starlight returned shortly.

"Stay right here, I'll go see how they're doing." Starlight said and walked away without waiting for a response.

"Uh, alright..." Atchmon said as he watched the purple Unicorn leave through a pair of double-doors.

He sat in the hospital lobby, and took stock of his surroundings. Some of the other ponies around him were either visibly sick, or injured; a couple mares looked bored--one green coated with silvery hair, and the other cream with two-toned pink and blue hair--flipped through old, worn out magazines provided by the hospital. The green mare sat in an unusual position; exposing her sex, though no one seemed to care, as the other ponies mostly kept to themselves. The foals seemed unharmed as they played together, occasionally belting squeals of delight as they made their fun.

Atchmon studied the movement of his new legs. They were so rigid and lacked any mobility other than back and forth. He could feel the powerful tension in his tendons. But past a certain point, those 'locks' broke down and he could move his foreleg much more freely; like his old arms, but still to a limited degree from before. There were some movements that were just impossible now.

He won't be scratching his own back anymore for sure.

"Double-jointed, maybe?" he murmured to himself, while turning and flexing his 'arm' before putting it back down and felt those 'locks' bind once again.

Starlight Glimmer trotted down the halls of the Emergency Room. She found Twilight Sparkle looking in on one of the rooms.

"How is she doing?" Starlight asked as she watched the nurses tend to Rarity's wounds. Seeing her friend awake, and clearly irritated, while laying bare on a gurney. Her dirty saddlebags and leather barding were already removed.

"I absolutely refuse to be seen to further, until I've had a proper bath!" Rarity complained.

"They woke her up with some smelling salts," Twilight replied. "She's... a bit fussy."

"I don't need a Dip, I haven't a single bug on me!" Rarity's voice carried from the room.

The nurses present were trying to convince Rarity to go through a full check up. They tried explaining to her that the small wounds could turn into something worse if not treated properly; like an infection, or she could develop cysts or an abscess.

"I am the number one expert of my own body, I shall see my own Doctor, thank you." She finished firmly, pulling her hoof away from a nurse trying to bandage her.

Twilight continued to answer her student. "Overall she's okay, just some minor cuts and abrasions, a few bruises... I'm more worried about her mental state; she spent all that time alone with that, that, whatever that creature was."

"I've never seen anything like it either, what do you suppose it was?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"I don't know, but-" Twilight stopped short and perked her ears. "Where is- 'he' now?" She asked worriedly.

"He's sitting in the waiting room." Starlight Glimmer answered.

"Alone? Does that sound like a good idea to you?" Twilight asked in an accusatory tone.

"Seriously?" Starlight Glimmer said as she cocked an eyebrow skeptically at her. "We literally just witnessed the source of all Light and Harmony in Equestria turn him from --whatever he was-- into a stallion." She emphasized in a whisper. "Which, by the look of it, turned out to save his life. Does that sound like there's 'evil' afoot to you?" Starlight finished, returning that same belittling tone.

Twilight thought for a moment. "Nurse Redheart," she started, gaining the nurse-mare's attention. "When you're done with her, there's a stallion outside I'd like for the Doctor to have a look at too, please."

"Of course, Princess; your friend has been through quite an ordeal, but there's nothing I see here physically that she can't recover from. We'll clean and treat her wounds and give her some antibiotics, after giving her a thorough washing and then settling her in a room." Nurse Redheart said, after getting a look from her difficult patient.

Every nurse-pony in the room were wearing medical masks to filter out Rarity's stench. The ripe smell of unwashed mare practically rolled out of the room in a fog.

"Thank you, Nurse Redheart." Twilight said before turning to her pupil.

Starlight Glimmer leveled a look at her.

"It's just a precaution!" Twilight said defensively.

"Mmhm, I'll go back and check on him." Starlight Glimmer said as she turned to leave.

"Starlight?" Twilight called out to her pupil, when she turned to leave; and placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder.

They didn't need words to say what they were both feeling.

Relief that everything turned out alright.

Twilight Sparkle watched Starlight go through the double doors on her way back to the ER waiting room; before turning her attention on Rarity. The mare kept her ears pinned down as she received treatment for her minor wounds.

Twilight took a breath, and prepared herself for the berating to come. Only... how should she apologize? As a friend, or a Princess?

She stepped in and stood before the foot of the hospital bed.

"Rarity, I am so, so sorry for what happened to you; I promise to compensate you for your pain and suffering because of my careless mistake." Twilight bowed her head, and tried her best to keep tears from welling in her eyes. She could see it already; the end of their friendship. She wouldn't blame Rarity if she never wanted to see her again. She was prepared to give up her crown if it meant she'd still have her friend.

"Twilight," Rarity started sternly.

Twilight Sparkle balked and lifted her head, but kept her submissive posture; looking at her friend through misty eyes.

This was it.

The beginning of the end of their friendship together.

Twilight knew it was only the first of the many punishments she deserved.

Rarity took a breath and spoke soothingly. "The only things I want right now are my family, friends, and a hayburger," she thought for a moment. "Hayburger first."

Twilight nearly fell over, but recovered and composed herself. "S-sure, anything you want!" she sniffed and turned to leave, but not before turning back, meeting Rarity's eyes.

Rarity gave her an easy smile, and Twilight knew everything was alright between them.

She teleported off in a burst of purple sparkles to get her friend what she needed.

Rarity sat back and sighed; glad that the tension was over, and awaited her bath.

Starlight returned to the waiting room. "Right where I left you." She said under her breath; seeing the stallion she carried in still sitting in the same seat. She watched him hoofing curiously through a magazine that was left on the table next to him.

He struggled to turn the next page; as he tried to tenderly insert the edge of his hoof between the pages.

Starlight approached the stallion. "Hey, any good reads?" She asked with a mix of casual nervousness.

Atchmon looked at the pink Unicorn mare before turning his attention back to the pages. "Jus' lookin' at the pictures. Some of y'alls letters are backwards, so it ain't e'zactly an 'easy' read." He said, pushing the magazine away. "Rarity had one of 'em with her, mare-mags is what she called it.... Is she doin' alright?" He asked in worry.

Starlight sat in the seat next to him. "She's fine. The nurses are taking good care of her." She assured him.

Atchmon released the breath he was holding and looked visibly relieved as he nodded his head.

Starlight watched him cautiously, as he gave her a sheepish grin, while casting glances her way.

"So you're Starlight Glimmer? Rarity mentioned you a few times." He said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"All good I hope?" Starlight squeaked at the end, knowing full well she didn't deserve any praise for her recent disaster with using magic on a friend.

Atchmon balked and looked uncomfortable. "Ehhhhaha, she- she said you're really great with magic." He recovered after that flounder.

"Heh, really, wow... I thought she'd hate me for sure..." Starlight said, feigning enthusiasm.

"Well... she did say something about turning your hair green, but I don't see how that's much of a revenge." Atchmon commented.

"It is when there's worms, sticks, and birds pooping in your mane." She snarked.

Atchmon looked taken aback, but the duo started chuckling despite the mental image.

Atchmon laughed because he felt relief after hearing good news about Rarity's wellbeing, as well as successfully making a new friend without making an ass of himself. And Starlight laughed because Rarity was still her dear, melodramatic friend.

The duo's conversation tapered a few moments, then grew into a full pregnant pause.

Atchmon's mind raced as he tried to say anything to keep the conversation going. He struggled to come up with anything he felt worthy of conversation, but anything that did come to mind just didn't seem like it would interest the new acquaintance he just made.

Starlight Glimmer felt equally uncomfortable and awkward. She was sitting next to a magical anomaly. An alien in her mind.

Luckily the two were saved further embarrassment as they were interrupted by a nurse.

"Hello Miss Glimmer, I'm Nurse Sweetheart; is this the stallion we're tending to today?" The nurse-pony asked. She had a pink coat that matched Starlight's, and a two-tone purple and white mane which was done up in a bun; she only wore a nurses cap with the red medical symbol stitched in.

"Yep, this is him," Starlight answered. "Are you ready to get checked out-er up, I meant to say 'check up'." She laughed awkwardly.

Atchmon looked around at the other sick and injured ponies.

He hadn't sat there for very long, and it just didn't seem right that he should go before them.

"I-I feel fine, you should let someone else go ahead of me."

"It's okay," Starlight reassured him. "I'll be right here waiting on you when you're done."

Atchmon looked at her a moment, he couldn't believe this 'stranger' would actually look out for him.

"Besides, the sooner we get out of here, the better; I really don't like hospitals." Starlight said with a shudder.

After a moment, Atchmon leaned forward, put his forehooves on the ground, and guiltily got out of his seat to follow the nurse through the double doors.

He looked back, seeing Starlight give him an encouraging wave farewell, before the doors block her from his sight.

The nurse lead Atchmon down the hospital hallway. On the way, he couldn't help but stare at the nurse-pony. Taking in the 'newness' of her coat.

She was a shapely mare, visibly heftier than Rarity. She kept her tail hiked as they walked, giving Atchmon glimpses of her pale-purple-ish sex.

Atchmon remembered when he first met Rarity, she also kept her tail hiked up like that. But as the weeks rolled by, she eventually kept it lowered.

It made Atchmon think she was going through another bout of depression again.

When he asked if she was okay, they had a discussion about proper pony posture. Ponies were viewed as more confident if they kept both their heads and tail held high. Atchmon compared it to humans slouching or standing up straight with their shoulders back.

It was an interesting bit of cultural learning, but now he was shorter than his human self; and certain aspects of the nurse-mares 'posture' revealed more than he ever noticed of Rarity.

Sure, there were times he'd guiltily sneak a peek at her snatch, but he was a guy, a horny, lonely guy; besides looking wasn't a crime, right? They don't even wear clothes!

Atchmon shook his head to get away from where his thoughts were leading him, then flushed and tried to avoid staring at nurse's sex, but the hallway was bereft of any distractions.

He glanced again, this time shamelessly staring at the nurse's rump.

She was a cute, chubby little thing, an "Earth" pony, Atchmon noted as he looked to see if she possessed a horn.

The nurse stopped and turned around abruptly.

Atchmon shot his head up, trying to cover up his guilt.

"The doctor will see you shortly." Nurse Sweetheart said and opened a door for him to walk through.

"Oh uh, thank you," Atchmon said and walked in, not noticing the nurse checking out his flanks before she shut the door behind him.

Atchmon gazed around the room he was in. A doctor's office by the look of it. With a nice windowed view overlooking the town in the distance.

The doctor's office wasn't much different from the ones back home. Except everything in the room was clearly made and used by a pony.

There was a padded exam table with that annoyingly thin sheet of paper, and a doctor's weight scale.

The anatomy posters around the room showed the basic inner workings of the equine body, another warned about Hay Fever and encouraged the reader to get vaccinated. Another listed common hoof diseases like Thrush, and how to easily prevent them with daily cleaning and proper trimming; in the end the poster recommended the reader to seek help from a professional farrier.

The much larger weight scale in the room was just big enough to accommodate his size, it looked designed for a creature who walks on all fours with a base plate that took up a significant portion of the room.

Atchmon closely inspected the little medical baubles on the counter beneath some shelves, and poked a hoof at a wooden model of a pony heart; the contact caused the heart to immediately fall apart in pieces which had labels naming all the different muscles and arteries. Atchmon panicked and tried to put it back together, but without his fingers he only managed to shove all the pieces into a pile, then watched as it fell apart again a second later.

He decided to walk away and pretend it didn't exist. And if any pony asked, that was just how he found it.

He turned and trotted towards the window.

Everything outside was so bright and colorful. Not anything like the drab greens and various browns of the forest.

Was it because it was all new?

He could only remember the Forest being this beautiful in those first few weeks of his arrival.

The sky seemed cleaner, and clearer than any day he'd seen before. Beyond the hospital grounds was the town with the yellow thatched roofing with a single tall building towering above the community.

And above the town were flying ponies! No. Pegasi!

Atchmon shrunk away in fright as a pegasus suddenly appeared right in front of the window he was staring through. The pegasus flitted its wings like a hummingbird while hovering in midair.

The yellow pegasus mare wore a tan janitors shirt and hat, leaving her rear exposed showing off three blue raindrops Cutie-Mark. The janitor-pony gave Atchmon a merry wave hello before cleaning the windows.

Squeegee! Squeegee!

Atchmon cracked a smile at the absurdity of it all, and waved back in disbelief.

The yellow pegasus mare gave Atchmon a happy wave goodbye before fluttering away to clean the next window.

As Atchmon took the view in again, he noticed something strange with his eyesight. Turning his head from side to side, there was a slight bend in the center of his vision.

"It's... almost like a bowtie." He muttered to himself.

He studied his increased field of view, and noticed he didn't seem to lose any depth perception. He could see his muzzle, little more than his old nose.

The human-pony continued to nose around the room, inspecting and studying all the various medical equipment and posters, until his eyes landed on the wide body mirror.

Atchmon stared at his reflection. He marveled at the length of his body, taking interest in his new chestnut colored hide. His eyes trailed from his long, black, disheveled mane, to his thick neck, then gazed over his withers and down his bare flanks, ending at his long, black tail.

He concentrated on that area, lifting his new appendage, feeling the workings of new muscle groups, before letting it drop; sending his long black tail hair into a satisfying wave. He played with his new appendage, quickly waving it to-and-fro while watching the hairs flick up and down, and side-to-side.

Atchmon chuckled at his fun and turned to face the mirror fully.

He curiously inspected the features of his pony face. His dark brown eyes, he noticed right away, were larger. He touched his newly formed and longer jawline, his round cheeks were more horsey-looking than he'd like, but there was something vaguely familiar about his visage.

He smiled, showing off his teeth. They didn't feel much different from before, they were cleaner and whiter than ever; a few extra molars were added; he even kept that one canine tooth that was still a little crooked from the others.

He poked at it with his tongue, as if making sure it was real, then opened his mouth, and stuck out the rest his tongue. It freaked him out to see so much of the wet muscle come out of his mouth. It was much broader and longer than his old one. And more flexible too! As he proved by touching the tip of his snout.

He laughed at his fun as he made funny pony faces in the mirror, working the new muscles around his lips.

"Eyes are bigger, tongue is definitely bigger..." Atchmon muttered to himself, still taking in his visage.

He then grinned deviously, as thoughts rushed to other parts of his anatomy. His cheeks flushed as he bent down to look between his forelegs.

His sight was greeted by the flabby, fleshy pouch of a sheath. Accompanied by a large pair of dangling testes contained within taunt-looking dark skin covered in velvety fuzz.

"Oh my goll!" Atchmon gasped in astonishment, before grinning proudly.

His family jewels were significantly larger compared to his little old coin purse. Now they looked like a pair of ripe hanging fruit ready to burst with its juices.

Atchmon carefully sat down like a dog, looking curiously at his new maleness, then gingerly poked, prodded, and nudged at the flabby, fleshy folds of his sheath with the tip of his hoof-- working out complex mathematical equations on the balls-to-body ratio-- while cupping his large testes.

He then noticed his hooves were solid throughout.

It felt strange not having his hands. He could almost feel the ghostly presence of his appendages haunting within the ends of his limbs. But try as he might, the mental signals he sent to flex --his now nonexistent digits-- went unanswered.

He shifted the weighty appendages, letting them flop back and forth on his 'wrists'; the only real sensation of feeling were where his wrists would have been.

He took the tip of one hoof and pressed it into where his palm would be on the other, and felt nothing on contact. Not even a dull pressure; at least, not one he imagined.

He stared at his 'palms', examining the hard, flat surface as well as the lines and crevices that formed the 'Y' pattern of his frog.

"Guess only girls have those soft pads underneath," he muttered, having only one reference to example; that being Rarity. He worried about her, and wondered how she was doing. He knew she was in safe hands... 'hooves' he mentally corrected himself, uttering a mirthless chuckle.

After a moment of staring off into space, alone with his thoughts, Atchmon dashed his worries and went back to treating his body like a playground with a stupid grin on his face.

"Didn't your dam ever tell you, 'you'll go blind, if you play with that'," a man's voice said beside him.

Atchmon stood up and whipped around so fast, his tail sent a tray of various medical supplies flying around the room, he tried to save the tray from falling but ended up causing an even bigger mess as the tray and everything else clattered to the floor.

"Ah, sorry," Atchmon kept his head down as he apologized bashfully.

It'd been so long since he heard another man's voice. The diamond dogs sounded like gargling beasts. Only... the new voice didn't match what he expected to see. Another pony, a bewildered looking stallion in a white coat, greeted him between the doorway.

Atchmon tried to subtly sweep the mess underneath the medical bed with a back hoof while hiding an embarrassed smile.

The pony in the lab coat was stunned silent for a moment before regaining his professional composure. "Hello, I'm Dr. Stethoscope, or you can call me Doc Scope if you like," the unicorn Doctor introduced himself with a small bow.

"Hi, uh, Atchmon," he greeted while studying the newest Unicorn.

He noticed right away the more masculine squared head and muzzle, and started comparing the Unicorn Doctor to Rarity's more feminine, rounded features. He was distinctly male, a fellow stallion. But the doctor was a head shorter and thinner compared to Atchmon's own height and bulk.

An intellectual type.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Ashmun. I'm here at the behest of Princess Twilight Sparkle to give you a full physical examination." The doctor said, and used his magic to reassemble the model pony heart in only a couple seconds.

Atchmon smiled in excitement. Wondering what kind of magical exams were going to be performed on him.

The examination fell far short of his unrealistic expectations, but learned some new things during the examination. The doctor measured his height in "hoof widths", and his weight in "stones". Then took his temperature which was measured in "farenhoofs". Atchmon almost couldn't stop giggling at the absurdity of the words to allow the doctor to continue.

Dr. Scope checked his ears, which he found difficult to keep still, which agitated the good doctor. Then moved on to checking his other ear, then eyes, and throat; asking him to say 'Ahh'; which Atchmon overdid, stretching his larger mouth just to see how wide it would go, before the doctor had to clamp his mouth shut himself.

"Hmm, you've got some very unusual Hooks in your molars, and pronounced canines. Doctor Colgate in Canterlot is a fine dentist. I'll write you a recommendation to see her. She'll float your teeth and get you smoothed out. You are a little underweight for your size, but other than that, you seem to be a picture of health for your age."

"So... you could say I'm 'healthy as a horse'," Atchmon chuckled nervously.

"Err, quite," Doctor Scope wasn't sure what to make of the near manic laughter of his patient, or the half-crazed look Atchmon's eyes made.

Dr. Stethoscope's stethoscope wasn't as cold as Atchmon expected when pressed against his sides. He had to do a double take and a barked laugh when the Doctor pressed it against his sides to listen to his heart and lungs, but not his chest.

Atchmon sat patiently on the medical bed, trying not to rip the sanitary paper beneath his rump, while the doctor scribbled notes on his clipboard.

Doc Scope shifted away and started pulling rubber pony-shoes over his hooves. "Okay, go ahead and drop for me Mr. Ashmon."

Atchmon stared in silence as he tried to figure out what the doctor wanted. "Uuh, whut?" He said dumbly.

"Now, now, there's no need to be shy or embarrassed Mr. Ashmun. It's just us stallions here." Doc Scope reassured.

"I'm sorry 'Doctor', but drop? Drop what?" he asked keeping his head perfectly still, while his eyes searched for the answer.

"It's perfectly alright, lots of stallions find it difficult to relax in this situation." The doctor sighed.

Atchmon stared cluelessly at the doctor, who then began motioning hoof at his sheath.

Atchmon followed where the doctor was pointing, while everything dawned on him at once. "Oh! Well... I'm not sure I can, or how..." He trailed, looking down at the fleshy pouch of his sheath.

Doc scope cleared his throat. "If you'd like, there are a couple of options that I can offer you, but I must insist on you choosing one so we can finalize your exam."

Atchmon slid off the bed and onto his forehooves. "Alright, what're my options, Doctor?" Gosh, it feels weird calling him 'Doctor'. Were ponies who worked with animals still called 'vets'? Atchmon briefly wondered, and could only assume so. Then closed his eyes and gave his head a little shake to put his wandering mind back on track.

"The first and most commonly selected is that I can stimulate you myself with a bit of physical contact along your more erogenous zones." The doctor offered.

Atchmon made a face at that. Clearly do. Not. Want.

Doctor Stethoscope looked bemused at his patient's reaction to the first option.

"We could do things 'the old fashioned way' and use a more natural remedy. There is also alchemical assistance, though there is a risk of spontaneous premature ejaculation," he finished.

"Natural! Let's do natural," Atchmon said in a rush.

"Very well, if you insist." The doctor went to the cabinet and pulled out a pink glass bottle. Then with his magic, uncorked the bottle and used a rag to absorb whatever substance it contained.

Atchmon pulled away as Doc Scope held the rag in front of his face.

"Come now Mr. Ashmon, I have a lot of other patients I must see to; just take a deep breath." Dr. Stethoscope said laconicly.

Atchmon leaned in a took a small 'test' sniff. The odor off the rag was acrid and somewhat familiar, but there was something else there; an aroma which left his senses craving more. He inhaled more deeply, and melted into the sensation. It had such smooth and rich undertones that teased his nasal passage in the best way possible. He wanted more of it. To smell it, to drown in it, to taste it.

The doctor pulled the rag away, and Atchmon let out an agitated nicker, following where the rag was going. Almost pushing the doctor aside just to get to it.

"Mr. Ashmon, get a hold of yourself!" Dr. Stethoscope's voice raised, while pushing back.

Atchmon's temper spiked and fell as the effects of the rag dissipated, and he came back to his senses. A primal thought had crossed his mind. That this other stallion, his competition took away something that was rightfully his.

He recognized it as an odd thought to have and stopped.

"What- what was that?" Atchmon asked while 'pinching' his eyes and shaking away the remaining effects.

"Was that your first time smelling pheromones? " Doc Scope asked in confusion.

"Pheromones?" Atchmon questioned in disbelief.

The doctor floated the pink bottle in front of his muzzle. The sultry look of a mare blowing a kiss greeted his vision. The bottle turned in the mustard yellow magical aura. There was a lot of pharmaceutical mumbo jumbo written on the label, but there was one distinct line on the ingredients section which read: 'Contains 85% mare-in-heat urine'.

Atchmon stood motionless and distraught as he tried to process what he just read, along with how he felt earlier.

"Most young colts would get used to it, but you're well into your stallion years." Doctor Stethoscope said thoughtfully. "Though, it seems to have still produced the desired results."

Atchmon looked down at where the doctor was gesturing.

A long tube of dark pinkish flesh --about a foot long-- spilled forth between his hind legs. The floppy appendage hung heavily beneath his belly.

Atchmon looked away as the doctor checked his penis.

"I must compliment you on your excellent hygiene Mr. Ashmun." Doctor Stethoscope praised idly.

"Uh, thanks? I try." He answered uncomfortably.

"Ohhhkay Mr. Ashmon, I need you to hold still while I check around your urethra for any beans."

"Beans?"

"Yes beans, though judging from the cleanliness of your shaft, I doubt you'll have that problem."

Atchmon's face contorted into varying expressions ranging from wincing in discomfort, to pleasurable disgust as the doctor's magic manipulated the squishy glans of his penis.

Atchmon gasped like he'd been punched in the gut as the Unicorns magic filled the pocket around his pee hole.

"And sure enough, clean as a whistle!" Chirped the doctor.

Atchmon sucked in a breath as that magical grip wrapped around his testes.

"Go ahead and cough." The doctor ordered.

Atchmon squeaked, before clearing his throat and giving a more manly cough. He could feel the weighty heft and size of his dangling fruit as the doctor finished his examination. A slight discomfort caused him to involuntarily stomp a back hoof.

The magic dissipated, leaving Atchmon to release the breath he was holding. 'He didn't even use his hooves, so what was the point of the gloves?'

"Yes many stallions come in for a cleaning once or twice a year." Doc scope continued, idly talking more to himself. "The smell helps to deter mares from making any unwanted advances. Unfortunately that also means they'll have developed beans, and thus have a little discomfort while urinating. Usually that's when they start to come in for a cleaning; no matter how much stress I put on how important it is to them to regularly wash down there. Even the threat of getting it amputated from infection isn't enough."

Atchmon shook his head. "Yeah... you won't have that problem from me, Doctor."

"Wonderful. Now, I just have to take a blood sample and we'll be all done." Dr. Scope assured.

Atchmon sat down and lifted a forehoof.

Dr. Scope looked at him with an unamused expression, before pushing Atchmon's hoof down and levitated a pair of electric clippers, and buzzed off a tiny patch of hair from his neck before wiping it with a sanitizing cloth.

"Okay, here comes the needle."

Atchmon sat still while the doctor applied antiseptic to the bare patch, then winced when he felt the sting of the needle pierce his jugular, but otherwise stayed stock still.

"We're all finished. Now that wasn't so bad now was it, widdle fella?" Doc Scope chuckled at his teasing. "Do you want a lollipop for being such a big, brave colt?" he continued to tease, while baby-talking.

"Lollipop? Candy!?" Atchmon's eyes went wild, looking for his treat. "Yes, yah, yeah-yeah-yeah, gimme it!" He said in an excited rush, while sticking both his hooves out and nodding excitedly.

The Doctor actually looked a little frightened, and wondered if he took his joke a little too far. Yet still relinquished a tiny lollipop--which were usually only for the little colts and fillies--to the wild eyed, desperate, and large stallion in the room.

In excitement of receiving his prize, Atchmon quickly sucked air in, causing him to squeal a horsey sound he'd never made before. The 'squee' surprised him, but was still secondary to the prize being offered to him.

"I'll... leave you to enjoy your reward Mr. Ashmon." Doctor Scope said uncomfortably as he left through the door, looking a little frightened as he watched and listened to the savage grunts and growls of the stallion mauling the tiny candy wrapper.

Atchmon couldn't tear off the paper wrapping fast enough as he clasped the stem of the lollipop between both of his hooves. No lack of hands or fingers or the impenetrable wax paper could stop him from getting to his sugary prize.

After a short struggle, he 'mmm'd' in pleasure like he'd never felt before; as the flavorful sweetness washed over his taste buds.

He savored the Green Apple flavoring of the tiny lollipop, before crunching down on it, filling his mouth with a huge burst of apple flavor.

Moments after the Doctor left, Atchmon finished his treat in less than three licks.

He stood up, then did a double take at the body mirror. Wondering when he had grown a fifth leg. He just stood there, staring wide-eyed at the sizeable shaft between his legs, and gave the biggest, toothiest grin ever. The tip hung down to his knees!

Taking a hoof, he ran his wrist along the underside of his thick length, playing with his floppy horse dick. He felt his arousal building as his cheeks began to heat up along with the hardening of his shaft.

Then, after feeling a compulsive need to 'flex' his member, Atchmon nearly jumped at the sensation of his cock bumping against his fuzzy underbelly.

Atchmon looked at himself in the mirror again. His thick cock was fully engorged. His eyes leapt between each new detail, from the sheer girth of the base and its bulging veins, to the newly added medial ring, all the way down where the smooth shaft met the flared ridges of his head.

Another involuntary flex, and the crown of his flare doubled in size. He stared wide-eyed and mouth agape at his massive horsecock. The swollen head reminding him of when he'd ball up his fists.

Atchmon took a breath in order to control his excitement. Watching as his enormous flare deflated into a more familiar looking cockhead.

Though it was still a pony dick overall.

'Maybe this won't be so bad.' Atchmon thought with a deviously proud smile.

"Well, how is he?" Starlight Glimmer asked, waiting eagerly outside the door Doctor Stethoscope just exited. "Any mutations, or aberrations?" she asked quickly while biting her lip.

The doctor leveled a look at her over his glasses. "He seems like a perfectly healthy stallion to me; a bit underweight for a stallion of his size; but other than that, I don't see what the Princess was so worried about." Doctor Scope said as he tucked his notes away into a folder that was floating in his magic.

"Complete transformation..." Starlight trailed as she stared off into space.

"Yes... Well, if that will be all Miss Glimmer, I do have other patients to attend to; please give the Princess my regards."

"Right, of course, thank you, Doctor!" She laughed nervously while waving him goodbye.

Doctor Stethoscope rolled his eyes and trotted off to his next patient. "You can take him back whenever you're ready."

Starlight Glimmer took a breath to calm her frazzled nerves. "There's no reason to get excited, you knew there'd be nothing wrong; besides... what happened, happened and there's nothing else for it." She finished, taking another breath, before opening the door to the Doctor's Office.

She found Atchmon posing in front of a mirror, showing off his muscular bulk.

Atchmon noticed the door open a second too late, and quickly tried to hide his embarrassment, and pretend like he wasn't doing anything.

Starlight glanced down and saw a thick fleshy tube flopping beneath his belly. She coughed in embarrassment and pretended to not notice, shielding her eyes away. It was far from the first time she saw a stallions cock, but it was polite for mares to not notice. "Oh, Sorry, I just came to see if you're ready to go- I-I mean, to come get you." She stammered.

Atchmon felt his humiliation quickly retreat back into his sheath, leaving a tightness in his groin; like it didn't go back in quite right. "Heh, sorry 'bout that, uh... do you think we can go see how Rarity's doin'?" he asked.

"Sure!" Starlight chirped. "She's done with her shower and set up in a room now, that's the reason why I came to get you." She added, hoping that he didn't think she came to peek on him.

Atchmon didn't notice, and followed Starlight out of the office.

After awhile, the pair trotted down one of the hospital wings and stopped before one of the doors. It was nice to know ponies had modern conveniences like elevators for their use, since Atchmon didn't feel very comfortable climbing up the stairs.

Starlight started idly talking to herself. "Let's see... Two... Two twenty... Two twenty-one... and there's twenty-two, so three should be..."

Atchmon's ears popped as a burst of purple sparks went off behind them. He squealed like a horse and jumped his rear away from the magical explosion, spinning in place.

"No teleporting inside the hospital!" One of the nurse-mares crowed.

"Sorry!" Twilight Sparkle apologized meekly behind them, bowing repeatedly in the direction of the berating nurse. "Is Rarity ready to receive visitors?" she asked.

Nurse Redheart still frowning in disappointment. "Yes, Princess, we just got her situated in a room; you can go in to see her now."

"Wonderful; thank you, thank you!" Twilight bowed again gratefully.

"Where did you go? The nurse said you left!" Starlight Glimmer frowned at her teacher.

"I'm sorry I took so long, I had to pick up a few things for Rarity; her family is downstairs getting their visitor badges right now." Twilight said, while floating a greasy paper bag next to her, while her voice gradually picked up in a crazed rush the longer she spoke. "I didn't want her food to get cold, so I told them the good news first, but there was a new cashier at the Hayburger who didn't know how to work the register, then I realized I didn't have my Bits with me so I teleported to the Castle and told Spike the situation, and teleported back to the Hayburger, but by then a huge line had formed, and I didn't want to use my Princess Privileges to get ahead, because who knows what ponies would think of the Princess of Friendship if she cuts in line to get her hayburger fix; that and I was still embarrassed by the picture that one ponyrazzi took of me when I was being a sloppy eater and that article they wrote of me; and I know I've gained weight, but I swear I'm going through some kind of an Alicorn growth spurt!" She nearly squeaked at the end, having run out of air; then sucked in a big gasp to catch her breath.

"O-kay... I'm glad you made it back." Starlight Glimmer grinned uncomfortably after Twilight's rant while she caught her breath.

Atchmon stood beside himself as he watched the purple Alicorn. The feeling of 'not belonging' started to creep up his spine. He wasn't sure if he should say something, but for now he was just along for the ride.

Just then a rainbow streak appeared down the hallway, before doubling back and stopping just short of the trio; a heavy gust of wind blew over them, along with medical paperwork caught in the gusts' wake; causing the ponies present to clench their eyes away from the wind.

"No flying in the hallway!" Nurse Redheart chastised, but was otherwise ignored by the newcomer.

The sky-blue coated, rainbow-maned mare that looked worse for wear had appeared. She had dark circles under her eyes, and an unkempt, wind-blown hairstyle that stayed flared back, as if she used way too much hair spray. She and her letterman jacket looked dirty and disheveled, her feathers were ragged and sticking out in places, in need of a good preening.

"Twilight! Thank Celestia I found you, I got great news; I found these!" Rainbow Dash said as she buried her muzzle into the saddlebag on her flank and pulled out several tattered red ribbons.

"Rainbow? What are you doing here? How did you know-" The Princess tried to ask, but was cut off by Rainbow's own rushed explanation.

"I came back to the castle as fast as I could and asked Spike where you were; he said some stuff, but all I heard was 'hospital' so I came right here looking for you." The mare said in her dry, scratchy voice. "I followed Rarity's trail, but eventually it just ended. I searched the whole area as far as I could before the storms came. I'm sorry Twi, I got bogged down by the rain, but I came as soon as I could to bring you these, I couldn't out fly the storm clouds, and I didn't find anything else."

"Rainbow it's Ok-" Twilight Sparkle tried to calm her down.

"She's out there Twi-"

"Rainbow."

"Rarity's out in the Everfree forest, I know it!"

"Rainbow!"

"We gotta go get her!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted over her frantic friend.

Rainbow waited, but her body shook as though she were ready to take off at a moments notice.

Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It's okay, Rainbow; she's right here in her room and she's fine; she just needs a bit of rest." She explained calmly.

"Oh, thank Celestiayahahahaaa!" Rainbow wailed with tearful eyes as she fell to her flank. As all the weight of the world seemed to fall off her shoulders. "C-can we see her -sniff- is she really o-okay -sniff-?" She sniffled snottily.

"We were just about to go in to see her." Twilight explained, as Rainbow tried to compose herself.

Atchmon stood to the side watching the dramatic scene unfold as guilt wrenched his gut.

If he hadn't been so selfish, they would've been rescued a week earlier and never had gone through such a dangerous journey. Rarity wouldn't be in such a state and he wouldn't have been...

Killed.

The thought chilled him to the bone, and he dashed it away just as quickly. Not wanting to think about it.

He saw Rainbow Dash glancing at him, and looked away. He didn't know where to put himself--other than to the side of the door, so he'd be out of the way--but he also couldn't take his eyes away from the rainbow-haired pegasus. His guilt, and the feeling of 'not belonging' quickly melted away as the awareness and sight of something totally new was present before him.

A pegasus.

A real-live pegasus was right in front of his eyes! She looked tired and ragged, the colors of her mane were mixed, making it look like a rainbow had vomited on her head; but with those wings, Atchmon thought she was the coolest, most awesome thing he'd ever seen.

Rainbow Dash was getting uncomfortable with this strange pony looking at her. Rainbow knew she looked like a mess, her wings were thrashed from flying for so long. Her feathers stuck out in every direction, some were obviously broken and would need to be removed, she stank, but none of that matter to her. And why was he still staring?

"Who's this guy?" Rainbow asked curtly, looking at the only stallion present, while she rubbed the tears from her eyes and sniffed away the last of her snot as she toughened up.

"This is- uh," Twilight Sparkle did a double take as she tried to explain; and looked to him to fill in the gaps of her knowledge.

The human-pony realized after a moment that she couldn't remember who he was. "A-Atchmon, my name's Atchmon," he looked around at the others. They were all looking at him, and suddenly he felt very self conscience, and tried to shrink into himself just to hide from their prying eyes.

"Ack-man? What kind of name is that?" Rainbow Dash scrunched her nose, like the name tasted sour, then rubbed her chin in thought, while glowering her eyes suspiciously at him. "So, why are you here, exactly? Do you know Rarity? 'Cause if not, you can beat it," she puffed out in all her brashness.

"Uh..." Atchmon wasn't sure where to put himself. He didn't want to be away from Rarity, but he didn't want to cause trouble either.

"Atchmon is the one who's responsible for putting Rarity in the hospital." Starlight Glimmer explained, but realized too late how that sounded.

"Oh, he is, is he?" Rainbow said as she narrowed her eyes at him, and reared up while thrusting her forehooves like she was punching the air. "Let me at 'em, I'll teach you to mess with my friend; I don't care if you are a stallion!" Rainbow Dash rushed forward and squared up against him.

"Rainbow, stop!" Twilight Sparkle shouted and wrapped the pegasus in a field of magic, stopping her from doing anything stupid; not that she probably would.

Atchmon shied away at the little mare, feeling and looking very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Rainbow frowned deeply up at him as they squared off, and tried to puff herself up to look bigger, but despite her efforts, she still looked tiny compared to him. She was even visibly smaller compared to the other ponies present.

Obviously the filly was suffering from 'little mare' syndrome.

"What Starlight meant to say was that Atchmon here is the reason she's safe in the hospital." Twilight explained while releasing her magic.

"Yeah, sorry, I've been doing that a lot today for some reason." Starlight Glimmer chuckled bashfully.

Rainbow Dash elbowed Atchmon in the chest in a 'friendly' way. "Really? Oh, well, nothing personal, huh pal?"

"Yeah..." Atchmon chuckled nervously trying to ease his own discomfort.

The four ponies entered Rarity's hospital room. Atchmon went last, finally laying his eyes on the white mare. She looked better than she had in weeks. Her coat, while still unkempt, looked closer to a pure white. Her deep purple mane lay flat and clean, with a slight sheen to it.

"What on earth is going on out there?" Rarity asked.

She was laying on her back in the hospital bed with her upper half propped up on a pillow, while her lower half was covered by blankets. Medical Gauze wrapped around her head, forehooves, midsection, and several small bandages placed all over her body. She looked like a beautiful beacon of light as the sun's rays shone through the windows, making her look as though she were glowing.

A small, young, white filly with a two toned pink and purple mane suddenly burst through the door; followed slowly by two other adult ponies, who entered the room behind her. A hefty pink mare with a purple 'beehive' style mane; and a white, overweight stallion wearing a straw hat decorated with traveling pins and an actual mustache for facial hair.

"Rarity? Rarity!" The filly squeaked, before diving her head into Rarity's chest and giving her an embrace. Then bawled after seeing her older sister for the first time in several weeks laying in the hospital bed. "I'm sorry! Are you okay!? I'm so sorry; I promise I'll be more 'sponsible; please don't be mad at me; I didn't mean what I said; I missed you so much, and I-I'll never be dis-specful or-" Anything else the inconsolable filly said was lost in a mess of high pitched squeaks, sobs, snotty sniffs, and hitching coughs.

"Oh, there, there, darling; I'm quite alright, don't you see? No, of course I'm not mad at you. Oh, Sweetie Belle, I missed you too; Of course, I thought of you every night and day and every time in between, darling; Oh, precious thing, don't cry, it's okay." Rarity tried to console her younger sister in a soothing voice, though her own eyes and blubbering voice betrayed her emotions as tears cascaded from her cheeks like a pair of waterfalls.

After a time, Sweetie Belle was calm enough to look up to her older sister; both siblings eyes were red and puffy. Rarity brushed her younger sister's hair from her damp face, and they shared a sibling hug.

The filly kept ahold of her older sister. "Rarity, who's that pony over there?" Sweetie asked just above a whisper, while casting glances at Atchmon.

"I-" Atchmon hesitated as the half-dozen ponies in the room looked at him with their freakishly large eyes. He could feel them boring into his very soul. It was cute when it was just Rarity, but now it was terrifying. He swallowed his nervousness and worked his mouth, then looked to Rarity for guidance; unsure of whether or not to introduce himself, or what to say.

His brain stalled as questions rushed to the forefront of his mind, while he both searched for answers while avoiding everypony's gaze.

Who was he? Was he anybody, or anypony now?

'Who am I? Am I still me? What do I say? Say anything! Oh, I'm blowing it; blowing it! What am I doing!? Wake up, Stupid! Wake up!' Atchmon's mind blanked, as he frantically tried to remember who he was; while fighting not to 'freudian slip' and say the only familiar thing he was glancing at; which was Hondo's cutie mark.

'Football. Football. What's three footballs even supposed to mean!' he thought while glancing at Rarity's father.

Everypony in the room waited awkwardly as the stallion stayed frozen in silence.

This was good. If he stayed perfectly still and quiet, they won't notice him; maybe they'll lose interest and go away. Ponies based their hunting on movement and friendship, right?

After only a couple seconds, Rarity cleared her throat; gaining everyone's attention. "I'm glad you asked, Sweetie Belle; everypony," she addressed all who were gathered in the room. "This is Atchmon."

Atchmon tried to stand a little straighter, but his nervousness and anxiety were fighting with the fact that he was afraid of a bunch of candy colored little horses; and he couldn't understand why. He subconsciously lowered his head in shy submission.

"He saved my life," Rarity gave him a knowing smile across the room from her hospital bed.

Atchmon's heart warmed as she smiled at him. That one gesture was like a life preserver as he fought to keep from drowning under the strong current of social anxiety.

But that swelling feeling dropped like an anchor as all those big pony eyes in the room were turned on him again. He subtly shrank into himself, before working up the courage to stand straighter. His anxiety rose and breath quickened as they approached him; too close for comfort. Then Hondo--the only other stallion in the room--swiftly took Atchmon's hoof in a tight grip and started shaking it hard; causing Atchmon to nearly vibrate.

"Thanks for bringin' my baby girl home, champ!" Hondo cheered.

"Ha! Welcome to the club, pal." Rainbow Dash laughed as she flitted above him.

"He's quite the catch, honey; do I hear wedding bells in the future?" teased Rarity's mom.

"M-mother!" Rarity's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Well it's about time you found yourself a stallion, hun; I can't wait to meet my grandfoals," Hondo laughed uproariously, while roughly patting Atchmon across his withers.

"Father!" Rarity whined, and covered her head with the sheets.

"Uh!" Atchmon squeaked, and felt his instinct to run kick in.

Sweetie Belle wasn't sure how to feel about the stallion, as she silently watched all the adults pass around greetings and gratefulness for saving her sister's life. She had a deep foreboding feeling that things were going to be different from now on...

After the exchange and introductions, everyone was more comfortable having Atchmon around. They all took their time asking and getting reassurances from Rarity that she was, indeed, alright.

Twilight spoke up. "Oh, Rarity, I almost forgot; I got you some food from the Hayburger," she sang while shaking the paper baggie in her magic. "I got it just the way you like it when you're having one of those extra stressful days; a double hay with extra cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, pickles, and no tomatoes, with a large order of shoe-fried potatoes!" She finished with a cheer.

Rarity bounced in her bed and made a horsey squeal of delight, while clopping her hooves at the wonderful meal. "Twilight, darling, you didn't have to go through all that extra effort for my sake."

"I know, but after... you know, I just want to make it up to you any way I can." Twilight admitted sheepishly.

"Believe me, dear, it's all water under the bridge." Rarity reassured her as she floated the food out of its bag with her magic. "You only got one? What about Atchmon?" She questioned worriedly.

Twilight looked guilty, before laying her ears back. "Oh, I- Uh... I didn't think of him."

"That's alright, darling; I don't mind sharing. What did you bring us to drink?" Rarity asked.

Twilight's eyes shrank to pin pricks. "Drink? The drink! How could I have forgotten your drink!? What if you choke and didn't have something to wash it down!? I can't have that on my conscience!" She disappeared in a flash of purple sparks.

Rarity sighed and shook her head, knowing that it was going to take awhile to pull Twilight out of her self-deprecating ways.

Starlight Glimmer gave her a sympathetic smile, knowing exactly how she felt.

Rarity patted the bedding to her side and magicked over a food tray for them to place their meal upon. "Atchmon, darling, why don't you come over here and partake in this wonderful, heart attack-inducing meal with me."

Sweetie Belle put on a look of betrayal, but kept her mouth shut.

Atchmon felt unsure, but cautiously trotted over into the middle of the crowd of ponies, and sat on his haunches next to Rarity's bed. His large size making him almost level with her.

"I hope you all don't mind if we have a bite, I'm absolutely famished."

"Don't mind us at all, honey." Said Rarity's mom.

"Just go ahead and eat up, hun." Said her dad.

"Yeah, you need to get your strength back!" stated Rainbow Dash.

She used the wrapper and greasy brown bag with the Hayburger logo as a makeshift plate, before dumping the horseshoe fries into a pile. Then with magical dexterity, Rarity evenly parted the buns of her burger along with all the delicious veggies within.

But... There was something really off about the sandwich.

As she parted them, Atchmon noticed some fibrous, grassy material filling the majority of space between the buns.

It was definitely cooked on a grill, judging by the smell and look of char on the grassy food, but it also had hay undertones.

Rarity wasted no time and took a large, crunchy-slobbery bite out of her hayburger. She moaned and laughed in delightful pleasure at the deliciousness of her meal, before levitating a trio of horseshoe fries and munching on each individual one as they floated into her mouth, before she'd even swallowed her first bite.

Atchmon's stomach took the opportunity to make it's protests known right at that moment. His mouth watered excessively at the smells assaulting his nose, but his human mind prevented him from taking a bite.

Rarity came down from her food high, and noticed Atchmon having some trouble. 'That's right, humans don't eat hay. I seem to remember him mentioning that before.' "Here, darling, let me help you with that." She said while levitating his portion of the hayburger for him.

Atchmon stared at the floating mass. 'This isn't what I imagined my first burger would be like after getting back home.' He could almost feel a single tear falling from his eye; realizing that he would never enjoy the flavor of a genuine flame-grilled beef patty.

"Hey," Rarity said to get his attention. "Remember, you had me try a bite of that fish? Just give this a try, I can guarantee you'll love it."

Atchmon swallowed his drool, smell was enticing enough. 'I'm a pony now... So maybe I can eat pony food.' His hunger overtook his sense of reason.

He leaned forward, and bit into the floating greasy sandwich.

The first thing he noticed was the incredible crunchy texture: The bun was soft and spongy, easily parting between his pony incisors, then his ears twitched at the crunch of veggies and grill-fried hay; before laying back in tasteful pleasure. A burst of flavor washed over his tongue, like thousands of tiny explosions cascading over his taste buds. It was so crunchy, so greasy, the pickles-so flavorful, and the whole thing was oh so salty.

He loved it!

After that first bite, his voracious appetite took over, and he savagely attacked the sandwich; pinching it between his hooves, before gobbling it all up. Not caring at all about the slobbery-crunchy sounds he was making.

Rarity smiled proudly as she watched Atchmon devour his first Equestrian meal, and joined him in the feast. She levitated a few shoe-fries for him, and watched with gleeful mirth as he hungrily nipped each one out of her magic.

'Looks like the reigns have switched hooves my dear, sweet, Atchie. It feels oh so satisfying to feed you like you did me those first few days when we first knew each other.' She reminisced.

The other ponies shifted uncomfortably as they waited for the two ponies to finish their meal; which didn't take long.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Ehh... I'm not gonna judge."

"So, darling, what'd you think?" Rarity asked curiously, while biting her lip in giddy anticipation.

Atchmon sighed a belch. "It was good, like, really good." He said looking surprised at his own answer, and smiled at her.

With food like this, things were definitely looking up.

*Pop!*

Twilight Sparkle reappeared, her mane looking a little frazzled.

"Twilight, you're going to hurt somepony teleporting around like that!" Starlight Glimmer chided.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want their drinks to get warm!" Twilight apologized while bowing her head a couple of times, before levitating their drinks. "Rarity, I got your favorite; a Dr. Tuber. I wasn't sure what you'd like, Atchmon, so I got you a Yoke-a-cola." She said while setting their drinks on the tray.

"You're so sweet for going through all this trouble for us, darling." thanked Rarity.

Atchmon cocked his head at the slight mispronunciation of his soda. "Yeah, thanks," he said gratefully while picking up the drink.

The cup, he noticed, was designed in a way that allowed hooves to easily 'grab' the beverage; requiring him to use both hooves and 'pinch' the cup between them, while letting gravity 'hang' the drink on the edges of his hooves; and as a bonus, it thankfully already had a straw in it.

He took a sip. The sugary sweet acidic drink washed over his palette. 'Yes! Now this is more like it!' He thought in delight, before taking a bigger sip and drinking it down without really savoring it. The soda bubbled and fizzled all the way down his long pony throat.

The pair finished the drinks just as quickly as their meal; filling the room with sounds of straws sucking in empty cups.

Rarity and Atchmon finished simultaneously and both gasped thirstily, before each gave a hearty belch, then laughed together.

They looked at each other, neither speaking a word, but both knowing they made it through a perilous journey.

Sweetie Belle caught the looks they were giving each other. She looked to her parents, they leaned on each other and nuzzled; both also noticing the affection between this stranger and her older sister.

But Sweetie Belle wasn't convinced.

"So will the others be along soon?" Rarity asked curiously to Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight's eye twinged. "GAHH, I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell the others!" She yelled before disappearing again in a burst of purple sparks.

"Maybe she should keep a list," snarked Starlight Glimmer.

Rainbow Dash snirked. "Good one, Starlight."

*Knock* Knock*

Everypony looked towards the door as Dr. Stethoscope entered. "I'm sorry to interrupt; is our patient feeling more Equine now that she's had a bath?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh yes, Doctor, very much so; thank you again for letting me wash up first," said Rarity.

"Wonderful, I have your test results back, you don't appear to have any illnesses that we can tell; but given that you've had prolonged exposure to the Everfree Forest, I'd like for you to be on antibiotics and worming medication for the next month just in case."

Rarity nodded along. "Yes, that sounds good, but what about the rash on my shoulder," she asked while motioning to her right shoulder.

"The Rain-Rot can be treated with over-the-counter ointment; as of now, it's not bad, but if it gets worse just come back in and let us have another look at it." The Doctor informed her nonchalantly.

"I'll need to fetch some cream from Zecora's hut, she works wonders with her potions." Rarity said, speaking more to herself.

"And as a last bit of good news, you've lost two and a half Stone since your last check-up," Doctor Scope finished.

It shouldn't have been too surprising, given that Rarity was away from junk food for a full month, plus a few days; forcing her into healthier eating habits, along with eating less overall in order to ration out the food with Atchmon. Not to mention the work he put her through carrying firewood and any other goods they might need; and also the amount of time working on her crafts just to distract herself in order to avoid dying of boredom. Her body also rejected most of the 'raw' vegetables and fruits those first couple of weeks, which caused them to eject from either one of her ends.

"Two and a half Stone," Rarity gasped. "That's incredible! This time I swear to keep it off." She swore to herself.

"Not if you keep eating hayburgers and oat flavored ice cream, you won't," teased Rainbow Dash. "I keep offering to be your workout buddy, but you never take me up on it." She shrugged.

Rarity balked at that. "Ha, yes, well Wonderbolt training is a bit too intense for me, but I always appreciate the offer, Rainbow Dash." She laughed nervously. "Is that everything, Doctor; will I be discharged soon?" she asked.

"There is one last thing," Doctor Scope started. "I recommend we get you a Dip to eliminate any possibility of fleas, ticks, or any other parasites you might've picked up in the Everfree Forest."

"I don't want it, I haven't a bug on me." Rarity said haughtily, turning up her head and looking away while laying her ears flat with a look of indignant disdain.

"Please, Miss Rarity, it's not just for your sake, but the entire towns; I really must insist." The Doctor was apathetic and looked to the others for help. "The last thing anypony wants is a lice outbreak."

"C'mon Rarity, it can't be that bad," said Sweetie Belle. "Pleeease." She smiled brightly.

Rarity wasn't going to budge. She knew very well that the Dipping process would dye her coat green for most of the summer. It wasn't just an ugly color, but socially everypony would know she got Dipped. It was an embarrassing thing to go through, and practically be forced to parade around in public announcing to whole town 'I'm a filthy, flea-bitten pony'. She envied ponies with darker colored, or complimentary coats which could hide the the Dip.

Atchmon spoke up. "Why don't you take the Dip, Rare; you know, just in case." He suggested, much to the surprise of the others around the room.

Sweetie Belle pursed her lips at Atchmon, clearing put off by his attempts to supercede her sibling authority.

The others gave the stallion varying looks of pity. Usually it took pulling teeth to get Rarity to agree to anything she didn't want to do. Until something unexpected happened.

"Oh alright." Rarity acquiesced with a sigh, relaxing her features.

Everypony's attention rose in disbelief, everyone in the room looked around at the others as if looking for confirmation on what just happened.

Did this strange stallion just do the impossible before their very eyes?

"Wow, did you seriously just convince Rarity to do something without all the drama?" Rainbow Dash said aloud without any tact, getting chuckles from everypony else in the room.

Atchmon smiled knowingly, already familiar with Rarity's infamous stubbornness.

Rarity frowned at Rainbow while giving her the stink-eye, but couldn't argue with her.

"Wonderful, now if everypony would be so kind as to exit the room, we'll get Miss Rarity Dipped and later discharged; you can wait for her in the lobby or outside if you like, and we'll wheel her out once we're done." Doctor Stethoscope finished while motioning everyone out of the room.

Atchmon got up reluctantly and gave Rarity one last look and a smile, getting a smile back and a hoof-wave goodbye from her, before following everyone else out.

Rarity waited until the door closed before addressing the Doctor. "Doctor, there's something I wanted to speak to you privately about." She started, while mustering up the nerve to speak about something embarrassing to a stallion doctor. "I haven't gone into my heat cycle yet, and I know it should have started within the first couple of weeks of summer, but, uh... Should I be concerned or..." She trailed, waiting for his answer.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "From what the Princess has told me, you've been through quite the ordeal these last few weeks. I can only guess that your heat has been delayed. And from a biological standpoint, it makes sense. It would do you no good to go into heat while in a hostile environment." he said while shaking his head. "The smell of your estrus alone would attract predators to you. Stress also plays a major role in the timing and cycle of heats, and given where you've been, I've no doubt that you were under a lot of stress."

Rarity nodded along. Everything the Doctor said made sense.

The Doctor continued. "If you haven't gone into estrus before the end of summer, then come back in for a check up, but otherwise, I don't think you should worry. I recommend you avoid stress, rest, and relax until it comes, I'm certain that once things have calmed down for you; things will be back to normal."

Rarity looked aghast. "But Doctor, I can't relax now, I still have to come up with new designs and cloths for all three of my shops, not to mention making my payments in Canterlot and Manehatten. I'll have to be on a train by tomorrow morning if I want to stand a chance at keeping up with the trends, and in the fashion industry that means I'll already be behind everypony else!" She exasperated while dramatically throwing her hooves up in the air, then covering her eyes in dramatic fashion.

"Well, if you want my suggestion, the Nurses were wanting scrubs with a little more flare; something with patterns and maybe cartoon characters for the foals, if that helps any." Doc Scope smiled sympathetically at Rarity's plight, getting a disgusted 'ugh' for his effort.

There was so much still left to do. Not only reuniting with family and friends, but there was the unknown state of her shops. Perhaps she could take today to simply enjoy being back home. The day was over halfway done anyway, ponies would be getting ready to close up shop. There wouldn't be anything Rarity could do anyway.

Rarity laid back and sighed, waiting for her Dip bath to be ready, before her eyes lit up. She had her tattered saddlebags and other possessions in a baggie beneath her hospital bed, and inside those bags were her notes. Notes which contained alien ideas. Human fashion technology would give her the boost she desperately needed to get ahead in the industry.

She smiled toothily, knowing exactly how she was going to pull everything off.