Its glossy red surface gleams in the sun, and the scent of sugar and crisp apple hits your nose like a memory of childhood fairs. You bite into it — the crunch is perfect, the sweetness wraps around your tongue, and a warm, satisfying sensation spreads through your chest.
You finish it faster than you expected.
And then… you want another.
You're not sure why. It's just candy, right? But your hand is already in your pocket, already pulling out more bills. The next candy apple tastes even better — as if the sugar knows exactly how to trigger pleasure in your brain. You crave more. You need it. There's a kind of jittery buzz in your limbs now, like your body is preparing for something.
One by one, your dollars vanish.
You're out of money.
But your mouth still waters. Your stomach twists, not with hunger, but with an aching longing. And just a few feet away, there's a tray of untouched candy apples on an unattended vendor cart. It's like they’re calling to you. No one’s watching. No one will notice.
You stumble forward. Your fingers tremble as you reach out, but… you don’t use your hands.
You lean in and take a bite with your mouth.
You don’t even register how strange it is to do that — it just feels right. Natural. Like you’ve always eaten this way.
As you chew, your body begins to shift.
You don’t feel your shoes anymore. Your toes, once curled in tight sneakers, now stretch and harden into something broader, heavier. Your stance changes. Your legs bend in ways they never have before — your balance redistributes as you drop lower to the ground, your spine adjusting. You don’t notice how your clothes have started to strain against your back, or how the sleeves are being pushed outward by new muscle and bone.
You reach for another apple — again with your mouth. Your fingers are fusing together now, skin darkening, thickening into Hooves. But you're too lost in the taste to notice.
Your nose itches — you snort, but it sounds deeper. More guttural. Your face pushes forward, slowly, subtly, into a horses muzzle. Your ears twitch as they grow longer, higher on your head, but you simply shake your head and lean in for one more bite. You can’t stop now.