"No, I won't leave you girls behind," Emily said.
Emily wanted to escape and go home. She knew however that the guilt over escaping and leaving the others behind (even if she had no real choice) would haunt her forever.
The force that had changed Nicole and Evelyn seemed to sense Emily's guilt.
Emily's feet felt strange. Soon after she started having trouble balancing on two feet. When she took a few steps, she heard and the sound of hooves clopping on the cobblestone. Emily gasped when she looked down to see that not only were her feet were hooves but that brown fur had covered her legs.
Her face tingled and felt warm. Emily felt around her mouth only to realize that her mouth was now a fuzzy donkey muzzle.
Nicole and Evelyn were watching Emily change. Both had managed to stop braying. Their faces showed their concern. Despite their older age, as the little donkeys they'd become, they appeared more vulnerable. Emily felt a need to comfort them. She walked between then and put her arms around each of them.
"It's not your fault," Emily said. "You girls showed me the beer and stuff but I still chose to smoke and drink. I also chose to come here. I'd probably have still turned into a donkey even if I didn't drink or smoke."
They both looked at Emily and nodded. Emily couldn't believe how innocent and cute they looked.
To Emily being scared was an understatement. She didn't know what was going to happen once she’d finished changing. At the same time however, her guilt was fading.
Emily's hands were next to change. Watching and feeling her hands change into hooves was one of the strangest, most disturbing and frightening things Emily had ever experienced. Emily could only stare at her hooves. Knowing she now had parts nature never intended her to have been wasn't nearly as terrifying as knowing her hands were gone.
She took a few steps backward.
"Oooh! I'm going to be a donkey! A stupid donkey!", Emily lamented.
Her skin itched as donkey fur sprouted all over her body.
Emily cringed as her balance changed even more. Her proportions and seemingly everything else about her body that wasn't changed already began to change. It was an odd sensation to say the least.
She closed her eyes as she felt herself fall onto all fours.
When the odd sensations faded, Emily opened her eyes. She didn't need to a mirror to know that she was now a little donkey wearing only shorts.
Evelyn and Nicole looked at Emily. They seemed bigger now.
"What do we do now?" Emily asked. "Why did we become donkeys?"
Evelyn and Nicole both blinked.
"I wonder why I can still talk," Emily said.
Evelyn and Nicole looked at each other and then at Emily.
"They must have wanted this to happen to us! We gotta hide or something so they don't find us," Emily said. "Maybe if we wait long enough, they'll give up."
Nicole and Evelyn nodded and brayed. Emily wished she could understand what they meant. Even if they'd forgotten how to speak, Emily hoped they were still at least trying to convey some meaning.
Emily wondered how long it would be until she was braying as she led the way back to some stands.
Articles of clothing littered the park. Some of the stands appeared as though someone had kicked them and a lot of the lights were out, making the park much darker. Ribbons, discarded food and other assorted debris also littered the area.
The scent of popcorn and other treats however still lingered.
"Come on, we can hide behind one of the stands. Maybe they'll forget about us," Emily said.
Emily walked over to a stand, stood on her hind legs to peered over it. There seemed to be enough room to fit all three behind if they stayed close. When she turned around, Evelyn and Nicole were gone.
The sound of them braying a few seconds later made Emily wonder what they were going on about.
Emily followed the braying until she saw two donkeys near a beer keg. Evelyn licked up the spilled beer on the floor and Nicole tried to stick her snout into a mug that was there to drink what little beer was left.
"Evelyn, Nicole, are you crazy? They're gonna see us," Emily said.
Indeed, they were more or less asking for someone to catch them. Emily however, could see what they must be thinking. They were already donkeys. If it was too late and they'd fallen for a trap then they might have fun while they still could.