Chapter 3 - Crash Landing
I woke up unaware of my surroundings with blurry vision, when my eyes focus I realised that I was drifting towards a large planet. It wasn't Earth that's for sure, the colours looked more vibrant than an ordinary planet. As I got closer and closer, the force of the gravitational pull increased, pulling me with out any feeling.
"Wait... shouldn't I be suffocating right now?" I said out loud. Then suddenly I started to choke. "I...spoke...to soon" I said desperately gasping for air that wasn't there.
As I passed the planet's atmosphere, oxygen returned and I could breathe again.
"Yes! thank Celestia for that!-" my eyes grew wider and my pupils shrunk "-Wait what did I just say?" then suddenly, I realised that I had to deal with another problem... the ground. I looked down, my acrophobia kicked in and I started to panic but I couldn't do anything so I just accepted that there is nothing I can do and braced myself for impact. After passing the atmosphere I started to catch fire but I felt no burning sensations on my skin.
The ground got close now and I could tell it was night time because it was a full moon, "That moon looks strange" I said out loud but my thinking was interrupted from the impact of hitting the tress, I must gone through a forest because the amount of objects I hit was a lot. Pain shooting through my body as I was being hit by trees every second like being the punchbag in a gym. Soon I hit the ground with a tremendous thump that can be heard for miles, the pain was too great for me to bare. I tried to scream but my lungs failed to deliver any air for a single note in my voice. Their was nothing I could do, the darkness swallowed me into the abyss.
***
Sight returned eventually as I started to wake up, but barely conscious. I looked around with blurry vision and found that I was in a crater. Losing the strength to investigate the surroundings, my head collapsed to the floor with a thump which made a thick cloud of dust hang in the air. I closed my eyes for a brief second, but my vision was still blurry and heard two distinct voices in the distance. I rolled onto my back with a large grunt, but something was wrong. A sharp impulse of pain shot through my back from something that shouldn't be there. Something was on my back and I did not know what it was, too weak to find out I lay there lifeless and in pain.
I started to lose consciousness again but was able to pick out two figures above me. Before I zoned out the last thing I heard was "We have to get him to the hospital". Then I was swallowed by darkness again.
***
I woke up again but in a different location. Lights were shining in my eyes but wasn't natural, my vision was still blurry but the pain was gone now and felt something wrapped around my back probably a band aid. I heard constant bleep noises come from a machine that I couldn't see, there was chattering beside me and could have sworn I heard a male voice saying I had a broken wing, but tiredness took over me and I surrendered to the darkness once again.
***
I woke up again but this time no alarm was ringing in my ears. "Damn that alarm" I mumbled with annoyance. I kept my eyes shut until I heard a voice, "Hello?" I froze, there shouldn't be anyone in my house I thought. "Can you hear me?," the voice said again, Why does that voice sound familiar. I slowly opened my eyelids, finding the source of the voice. I went to a state of shock, my pupils shrunk down to the size of a bead to find who was hovering right in front of me.
It was Rainbow Dash. She was an inch close to my face and eyes squinting, to my reaction I scurried back and slammed my back against the headboard and we both screamed in unison. "What the heck?!" I shouted. I felt scared but at the same time relieved, it's better than being transported to an alien ship and have big green man looking over you.
"Wait a sec... Rainbow Dash? And Princess Twilight?" I said nervously.
"Twilight is just fine, how do you know our names?" asked alicorn looking at me with confusion.
"Yeah! Are you a spy?!" Dash shouted. She grabbed me by what seems to be a hospital robe, so that answers where I am. She squinted her eyes in suspicion. I felt a bit fearful but wanted her to let go, "No, can you let go of me?" I said calmly.
"Rainbow..." Twilight said. Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder to Twilight waiting for an answer, "Let him go." Rainbow Dash slowly released me but gave me a look of distrust. I couldn't figure out why.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"You are at Ponyville hospital," Twilight replied, "You're not from around here are you?"
"No I'm not."
"Are you from Trottingham? Because you sound you are from there" Twilight asked.
"No, not from their either," I replied, "this is impossible, you two can't be real!"
"Oh I think we are pal," said Rainbow Dash, "You haven't answered Twilights question. How do you know our names?!"
"You won't believe me if I told you," I said.
"Try us... we have had strange things happen here" said Dash.
"I come from a different universe. Try that" I said in an even tone.
"Another Universe? That's impossible. It would require a lot of magic and power to do that," Twilight explained as she rubbed her chin with thought. "And besides why do you look like Rainbow Dash?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not a pony," I said with confusion spread across my mind
Twilight used her magic to levitate a portable mirror to me and I grabbed it, I saw my hoof. Then I looked directly into the my reflection and it was true, I somehow became a pony. My mane was orange and yellow, my body was covered in dark blue plush fur and my eyes were red. I threw the mirror onto the solid hospital floor in shock to what I have become. the glass broke into shards with a loud smash that echoed around the room.
"You used magic on that mirror!" I shouted
"No I didn't, this is you," Twilight said calmly.
"You look like me, but you look...different" said Rainbow Dash with her daggered eyes.
"Wait a second if i'm a pony then that means..." I looked at my cutie mark to see my special talent and it looked a lot like Rainbow Dash's only it was fiery.
"What the hell?, how have I got your cutie mark?" I asked
"You are" Rainbow Dash looked at me with one eye open "a spy! Or a changeling!"
"He isn't a changeling Dash," Twilight explained "He's just unexpected."
"You've got that right!" I exclaimed in a humorous manner.
"I can prove it," Twilight generated a purple aurora from her horn and it connected to my body. The sensation of the spell tickled me and made my laughter too much to control. "Please... stop! Ha ha ha!" I shouted under my voice. The tickling stopped and I took a moment to catch my breath.
"See," Twilight said proving her point to the pegasus, "he's telling the truth."
Rainbow Dash looked at me with an untrusted expression "Can you give us a sec..."
"Yeah, sure" I replied. Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and walked to the corner of the room to make their voices unheard.
"Look I don't trust this guy Twi," whispered Rainbow Dash.
"I know but he seems to be telling the truth I mean what possible explanation could there be for him falling out of the sky?" explained Twilight.
"Ok, ok fine I see what you mean, what do we do?" asked Dash.
"We find out where he comes from and how he got here."
Twilight turned to face me, breaking the huddle and placing a smile on her face. "So we have to find out how you got here, but in the mean time-" she then turned to face Dash on her right "-Rainbow Dash give uh... sorry I didn't catch your name," Twilight said rubbing her chin with her hoof in curiosity.
"James" I replied
"James? Isn't that kind of a weird name?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Well it's what I'm called back at home. Besides... I think your name is weird," I didn't mean it I just needed a come back at the time but it didn't work out... Rainbow Dash's face tensed in anger as she flew up to me. "Oh yeah tough guy?"
My heart started to race as my adrenaline kicked in as I got angry "Yeah!". Twilight quickly ran between me and the blue pegasus "Break it up you two!" she shouted to gain control of the tense situation being built up.
"Now, we need to find out who you are and where you come from, and it would help if you two would stop bickering!" Twilight inhaled with a hoof pulling into her chest and then out with an exhale."-Rainbow Dash can you give James a tour around Ponyville?" Dash frowned and folded her arms in a pout.
"Behave!" Twilight grinned as she started to walk out of the door.
"Oh and one more thing" Twilight stated. My eyes drew to her attention. "What happened?" she asked.
"I...I don't know" I replied.
Twilight left the room with a puzzled look on her face as she was coming up with theories on the recent event. Just after Twilight left the doctor entered the room with a clipboard being levitated by his magic.
"You are free to go, just be careful of your wing it's still a bit tender," said the Doctor.
"Thanks Doctor" I replied. The thought of being outside gave a flush of relief as being in a hospital for a long period of time can be suffocating, like being locked away.
"At least I get to see the outside again." My scientific mind curiously pondered the fact of is the air different here? Is the dart different here? Is the Sun any different here?
"Yeah I guess it beats being stuck inside all the time," said Dash.
"The fresh air always feels good nowadays," I replied. The silence crept in and made the environment awkward. "Anyway, you can go if you want Rainbow, you don't have to show me around," I finally said looking away from the pegasus in shyness and the occasional awkward feeling.
"Twilight said I should stay with you, so I'll stay," said Dash. I always admired her loyalty throughout the show, Maybe I can learn more about her and the rest of the mane 6! I thought in excitement.
My happy thought soon turned to realisation "Hang on... I remember this room" I said while looking around.
"You do?" said Dash with confusion.
"Yeah the time when you came here from your injuries... this is where you started to read!" I said with excitement. I am in a room from the actual show!
Dash turned in surprisement, her eyes wide open and said "How did you know?"
"I told you, I'm from a different universe," I replied with a smile. I guess I was quite calm about being here and that my mind didn't implode with the thought of how I got transport here and how this is even possible.
"Yeah but that still doesn't explain how you know about us" she said placing her hooves not he sides of her head "My brain hurts."
I let out a chuckle and said "I'll explain, later."