Darlene knew she had to get out of the playground before she became a real pony. She ran on aching feet toward Sonya, knowing that all eyes on the playground were on her. She was angry at Sonya, but more than that, she was terrified at what was happening to her.
Fortune was in her favor. Sonya had been watching her keenly and knew exactly what was going on. As Darlene approached, she jumped off the bench and shouted "Here, Darlene! My little human sister!"
That was enough of a command for the collar to obey. Darlene's feet stopped aching, and she could feel the brown fur covering her body receding. She reached Sonya, jumping into her embrace. She felt tears running down her cheeks and realized she had been crying.
Sonya put her down and took her hand. "Let's go." Darlene walked away from the playground, glancing back at the kids and parents who continued to stare at her. Most of them probably had no idea what had just gone down. Hopefully what happened won't be reported to any newspapers or anything.
They got back into the car and drove off. Darlene sat in the back seat with crossed arms.
She and Sonya caught each others' eyes in the rear view mirror. "I'm sorry," Sonya said. "I didn't think that kind of thing would happen."
"Well, you wanted payback for me turning you into a duffel bag, and I guess you got it." Darlene idly scratched her left sock, which was still itching after all this time. The collar was obediently following Sonya's passing mention of their discomfort. It was reassuring to a degree, as that meant the collar would always do exactly what they wanted, but at the moment what Sonya wanted was not in Darlene's favor.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Kind of. But...actually, I don't really care about being seen like that. Nobody will know who I am once I'm turned back to normal...or into anything else. I'm more worried that you were seen with me."
"What?"
"It's not like most chicks go around calling their siblings 'little human sister.'"
Sonya giggled. "It's weird hearing you say 'chicks' in that little girl body."
"Change me back, then," Darlene huffed. Sonya didn't respond. Then Darlene noticed the trees out the window. "Are you driving FURTHER into the park?"
"We need a place without bystanders," Sonya explained. "And since we're probably going to be turning ourselves into a bunch of different animals, it seems like the perfect place."
Darlene couldn't argue with that one. A natural setting, secluded enough, would leave them open to trying anything at all.
The paved road turned to dirt and gravel. Sonya pulled the car over at a small picnic area and the two got out.
Sonya looked over the spot. There wasn't anyone in sight. "Okay, let's have some fun."