//------------------------------// // Cheese - What's Next // Story: Two Minds // by Thethhron //------------------------------// Contact the Authorities         The afternoon was coming to a close. By the time I moved out of the hospital, It was probably around 5 o’clock, though I had no way of knowing for sure. I miss my wristwatch already. I feel naked without it. Looking at the paper, I took my time to follow every direction to the letter. As I was floating around, I got a better view of the town. I was moving through a shopping district. Fish vendors, fruit stands, and bakeries all existed in equal amounts. A huge number of races were present, just as diverse as the stands. There were ponies and griffins and diamond dogs and the cat-people, all in seemingly equal representations, all milling about happily. Felt like I was in some twisted version of a sci-fi space hub. As I floated by, many of the residents gave me strange looks. Understandable, considering I certainly didn’t see any other floating crystals meandering about. I was probably quite the oddity. Nothing new. I was an oddity as a human. Come to think of it, why am I a crystal? Of all the things I could have turned into or been turned into, why did Monsieur Universe pick a crystal? I suppose there’s no use asking. Who can understand the means by which God accomplishes his tasks? And why am I here? I mean, it’s not every day one gets booted to another dimension, especially one from a child’s TV show. There was something at the end of the memory train....”Please Help Protect This World.” Right! ...Er, how am I supposed to do that? I arrived at the city hall then, breaking my thoughts up. The receptionist took my name and took a short trip to tell whoever the mayor was that I had arrived. The waiting room for the hall wasn’t terribly large and was empty save for myself. A few red chairs like the one I had set myself in lined either wall. After a couple of minutes a griffin came out from the back. He walked over and waved his hand in front of me, to which I responded by waving back with my directions. “You must be Cheese. I’m Mayor Bluebeak.” He had been a bit startled by my wave and backed up. I floated myself off the chair and spoke. “Yes, I am he. I’d like to thank you for the positive welcome I’ve received upon coming to town. Where I’m from, individuals would not be so keen to go about their normal business after seeing something strange like me. Though I suppose it is only a couple of days after Hearth’s Warming.” “Ah, you can talk! Yes, about that. You say you are human?” “Yes, before I woke up in the jungle yesterday, I was a human. You can thank Dr. Quiet Peace for putting a spell on me letting me talk. It’s not permanent but I plan on learning the spell. It’s hard to talk in writing.” We walked back to his office. Well, he walked and I floated. “I see. That may explain your strange form. Over the past year or so, humans have been appearing all over the world in a large variety of shapes. Most arrived a good deal of time ago, so I've heard, so you seem a little late. There’s not much I can tell you about though. I just know they are here. “ He opened the door to his office. The office was about what one would expect from a mayor: lots of reference books of some kind, with a large desk made of dark wood. He sat behind it in a large comfy chair, while I let myself rest in a chair set in front of his desk. “For now, what do you plan to do? I can set you up on a ship traveling to the mainland, if you want to go to Equestria. You could get directions to the rest of the towns, such as Canterlot, from there. If you want, I can even send a letter to Princess Celestia in advance if you plan on going there.” “Wow. There’s a lot going on that I don’t seem to know about. Um...well, I don’t plan on leaving Signal for a while yet. I’m new in this body and need to take some time to learn how to use my magic at a basic level, as it’s the only way for me to interact with the world. I don’t suppose you have a library in town? Equestria does sound pretty awesome but I don't know if my search will take me there. As for the letter, why not? It’d be cool to send a letter to the Princess. In fact, do you think you could let me write one?” “We do have a library, though it’s not very big. There might be some books on magic there. You can ask almost anyone else about magic as well.” ’What does that mean?’ “As for the letter, I don’t see why you couldn’t write one. Let me get you some paper and a quill.” He reached under his desk to get the supplies. “Here you go. Hand it to me when you’re done. I’ll need to write my own, so take your time.” After passing me the supplies, I thought for a minute and began to write. Now, writing with a quill isn’t like a normal pen. No, it kind of acts like a fountain pen but is more touchy on the paper. After a few failed first attempts, I wrote: Dear Princess Celestia, Today, I learned a valuable lesson about hospitality. Even when you’re far away from home, just meeting the right people can be all it takes to feel at home again. So long as you make others feel welcome, they’ll be just as friendly as someone you’ve known your whole life. One should always take the time to make everyone's day a little brighter, even just by saying hello!         By the way, I’m Cheese MF Oak. I come from a distant - very distant - land. I arrived on Signal Island the other day by accident and am in need of some guidance. The town has been very friendly to me so far. I didn’t even know Equestria had islands! I plan to stay in Signal for a while yet, however, to get used to my new surroundings. I plan on travelling through Equestria and would be honored if you would have an audience with me. I have some questions about myself that I'm hoping you might be able to answer. Your faithful not-student,                 Cheese MF Oak P.S. Happy Hearth’s Warming or as I would say, Merry Christmas. I rolled up the scroll and placed it with the quill on the mayor’s desk. He had, conveniently, just finished his own letter as well. “Ah, perfect timing. I’ll send these out shortly. Now, you said you wish to stay in Signal for a time, yes? I can offer you a room at a hotel, for a few days at least. I’ll set you up with someone who can help find you a temporary job and get to know the town better. At some point, you’ll have to find a way to pay for your own lodging, but seeing as your physicality is rather unique, it may be quite a bit less expensive than for the average citizen. I’m guessing you don’t need to eat?” “As far as I can tell sir. I don’t believe I have any internal organs at all. Rather nice, I think, not having to eat. Takes a little more off the daily schedule. Where should I go to for lodging? And what are the hospital and library hours? I feel I may be spending quite a bit of time in both places.” “The visiting hours for the hospital are 10 am - 6 pm. The library is open about the same hours. Tomorrow is the first day it will be open after Hearth’s Warming too. For now, I’ll set you up in the Galloping Griffin, near the hospital. I’ll have someone over there around 9 AM to get you started. Sound good?” He passed me directions and a letter stating my business. “It sounds great. Thank you for taking so much time to help me, especially on what must be your day off.” “It’s just how we run Signal. All are welcome so long as they commit no crime. And humans are...a little more concerning than most things. I have had plenty of time with my family, so don’t sweat it.” “Just like any town. I’m glad to see that holiday cheer is a constant between worlds. Well, I suppose I can see myself out. Have a nice day Mayor Bluebeak! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” “Anytime Mr. Cheese! And to you as well!” A thought stuck me as I left the building. I can call myself Señor Queso now. YES. ... Why didn’t I think of that earlier!? That's so much better than Cheese Oak. Oh well. Onwards to great victoriez? Onwards to great victoriez! I left the establishment and wandered over to the inn I was staying at. It was probably around seven or eight now. That had taken longer than I expected it too. Most of the.... people? Beings? I need a plural to call everything. Durn is that hard. Most of dem peeps bez already in deyz houses, hiding deyz kidz and wives and husbands too, cause they be raping everypony out here. .... Note to self: never think anything like that ever again. Seriously. I feel nauseous. The Galloping Griffin was one of those taverns that doubled as an inn. As I floated in, it seemed there was some kind of karaoke going on. No, wait, that’s the Hearth Warming carol. The fire of friendship lives in our hearts As long as it burns we cannot drift apart Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few Laughter and singing will see us through We are a circle of merry friends A circle of friends we'll be to the very end As the song was going, I found myself singing along, unbidden. Still, I managed to move over to the barkeep to show him the letter. He nodded and passed me a room key, singing all the while. I still had some time before I wanted to sleep, so I decided to float my way over to the music section. Beings stopped and stared as I passed them and the room was silent. After telling the band what I planned, I moved onto the raised platform serving as a stage. A unicorn spoke up. “You’re that thing that saved the Bast scout earlier! What are you doing here?” Assent murmured through the crowd. “Me? Yes, well, I’m not from around here. Since you seem to know of them, I’ll say this: I’m a human.” The whole place gasped. I swear I was in a wind-tunnel. All that air whipping past me was quite loud. “Wow. I guess that’s a big deal? Anyway, right now, I want to sing to you. Hearth’s Warming was only a couple of days ago and I felt I should sing one of the carols for it from my world.” “You have Hearth’s Warming on your human planet!?” “Not quite but something similar. Anyway, I have a song I wish to share. Will you listen?” Apparently they were drunk enough. A ‘hear hear’ went up from them. So I sang. I probably don’t have the best voice ever but I like to think that I’m pretty good. I do practice when I can. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping on your nose... The crowd was enthralled and soon, they joined in. The band provided a minimal accompaniment, providing a subtle layer to the song. As I neared the end, the entire bar was singing along. ...And so I'm offering this simple phrase, To kids from one to ninety-two, Although it's been said many times, many ways, Happy Hearth’s Warming to you As I sang the last section again, I saw many happy faces in the crowd, full of the love I had put into the song. They clapped - not a rowdy, drunken clap, but a polite, practiced clap. I’d have been grinning from ear to ear if I could. I didn’t even question how the band had known the song. Soon a cry went up. “Encore, encore!” Good thing I no longer have to take breaths. That’s so useful, not needing internal organs. Makes it easier to reach some notes too. “What kind of song should I sing then?” “A fun one!” “I wanna dance to it!” “Yeah!” “Okay....I have a couple in mind. Do you wanna hear both of them?” “Sure!” “Bring it on!” Here goes nothing. Jingle Bell Rock seemed like an appropriate match. The patrons got into the beat pretty quickly. Didn’t even seem they cared if they understood the words I was singing. I was singing in a lower key than the song was normally sung in but that was okay. It still worked. The next one was quite a bit sillier. I like silly and there aren't many Christmas songs sillier than The Christmas Can-Can. Some of the crowd even joined me for the background parts, even though I was sure they had never heard the song before, though if other humans had been here, it wasn’t impossible. Or it could be freaky cartoon logic. That’s an interesting thought. Cartoon logic? I’ll think about it later. And yes, they made a can-can line. When I had finally finished, the crowd was roaring. Some of them were even throwing bits at me. That was pretty surprising. It must be 'cause they're drunk. I was also finally growing tired. My magic wasn’t anywhere near as low as it had been the past two times I had “slept” but I was still tired enough to make my lower point scratch lightly on the ground. So, I thanked the crowd, gathered the bits strewn about the stage, and exited towards my room. They moved right into another song, one I didn’t recognize. Must be an Equestrian tune. "Spread your wings, Neon Pegasus..." The rest faded out as I floated away. In the end, today went well, all things considered. Met the mayor, got a temporary room to stay in, discovered some things about the world I was in and even made some bits. I had not expected things to go this well. Certainly better than what I would have gotten on Earth. And for the first time since I arrived on Equus, I prayed. Now, I’m not the kind of Christian who goes around mashing it in other people’s faces. That doesn’t do anyone any good and just makes people dislike you. But I am a pretty devout Christian. I don’t pray every night. I really don’t think there are many who do. Earth is a pretty busy place. This night, however, was special. A journey into a new world, a new adventure - and, if push came to shove, a new life, had just opened up. That was definitely deserving of a prayer. ’God, thank you for providing me with this opportunity. I don’t know why you’ve sent me here or why you chose me, but whatever I’m to do here, I will try to do it to the best of my ability. I will be your instrument in this world. Guide me as you always have. Amen.’