As they walked through the mall, Jon’s small hands fidgeted with the hem of Zoe’s borrowed dress. The comments they got—“your daughter is so sweet”—made his face flush.
Daughter… no, I’m Jon. This is temporary, he repeated in his head. But his little shoes slowed when a splash of color caught his eye.
The shop window glittered with pastel pinks, yellows, and blues. Shirts, skirts, sneakers, even backpacks were on display—each one carrying bright pony characters. Jon’s breath caught when his eyes landed on one in particular: a pink pony with curly hair and a huge grin.
“Ohhh—Pinkie Pie!” he gasped, tugging Karyn’s arm without realizing. His voice came out high and excited. “She’s my favorite!”
Karyn raised her brows. “You… know who that is?”
Jon’s little-girl mouth answered before he could stop it: “Of course! Pinkie Pie’s the funnest one, she makes everypony laugh!”
He bit his lip, confused at how natural it felt to say that.
“Wanna go look?” Karyn asked.
He should have said no. He should have walked away. But his small head nodded quickly, pigtails bouncing. “Yes, please!”
Soon Jon was holding up a pink t-shirt with Pinkie Pie’s smiling face on the front, a pair of blue jeans shorts with balloons stitched on the pockets, and Pink boots with little pony cutie marks on the sides.
“These are perfect…” he whispered, hugging them to his chest like they belonged to him.
Karyn guided him into the changing room. Jon wriggled into the new outfit, tugging the shirt down over his tiny frame and fastening the shorts. He slipped his feet into the boots, which flashed little rainbow lights when he took a step.
The mirror reflected a little girl with painted nails, hair in pigtails, and a smile that looked way too natural.
I’m Jon, he told himself. I’m Jon. This is just clothes.
But then he giggled—an airy, girlish giggle—and spun on his new boots. “Look! I’m just like Pinkie Pie!” he chirped.
Karyn crossed her arms, watching as Jon bounced happily from foot to foot, his voice and mannerisms slipping further into those of the child he appeared to be. Every step in those boots, every glance at the smiling pony on his shirt, made it harder for Jon to remember who he had been.
