//------------------------------// // Chapter 34: A Questioning Future // Story: The Bridge Between Worlds // by Artemis Orion //------------------------------// A Questioning Future "... and twist the other way..." my studious companion instructed again and again, making me perform all these strange and seemingly mundane stretches and exercises. I followed the instructions in reluctant lethargy, wanting to get it over with. It had been a few days since the operation, and as the physical-magical plasma moulded into place, I found that I could perform physical exercise that once limited me. I had become more flexible, but not to a point of a free-will contortionist. Trotter magically wiped the lens of his wide-rimmed glasses, all the while jotting down notes into a little black book he had brought along. He had been overseeing my recovery for the pass few days, and he always returned in the same happy manner. "And... we're done!" He closed snapped his black pocketbook shut, shifting his pale blue eyes to another end of the room. "Now would you kindly stand up against the wall for a moment?" "Can I at least put my shirt back on?" I pleaded. The lack of having proper human hospital gowns lead to Rarity, kindly producing several silky sets of clothing. The town's fashionista had thought ahead to keep the measurements of me from the first time I got here. Not that I ever complained, but it was definitely more comfortable. "Fine." The scholar moaned. "I don't really see the point, though; wearing something over your body all the time." "Its common decency." I replied plainly, pulling over the clean white fabric. "And besides, it's not as if you've never seen ponies wearing clothes either. You live in Canterlot, you should know." "Even so, they don't wear pants." The blood-red stallion himself wore a brown robe. The emblem of the Scholars of Magic was embedded on the flank side of the robe. The robe itself was a little worn; it wasn't torn or tattered, but merely faded with the loss of its former glory. It only made visible the amount of time this Scholar had spent under the the royal council, no matter how cocky he was. "Isn't it irritating, or itchy to say the least?" "You get used to it." I shrugged off the topic. I felt it was rather meaningless at the time. Trotter motioned me to the wall, as he coiled his crimson-coloured magic around a measuring tape. It was part of the procedure, measuring and making sure that the magical mould held in place, preventing stunted growth or greater dislocation. It did however, have unintended consequences. Trotter magically extended the tape, bringing its tip to the top of my head, and pulled it down to the floor. He then stood up on his hind legs, leaning against the wall to measure. It was a slightly awkward position, if anyone were to be watching. After a moment, Trotter dropped back down to his hooves, pulling back the tape and turning his attention back to his black book. "What was your height again?" He asked without looking up, scribbling away in his little book with magic. "Five feet seven." "That would be approximately eight hooves six." He glanced up from his book for a short second. "Is it normal for your kind to grow an inch in two months?" "No... wait, what are you saying?" The question brought a small surprise. I stepped away from the wall, sitting back down onto my bed. It was only recently did I begin to feel how empty the ward was, and it increased my urge to leave the infirmary as soon as I could. "Well, you have grown, somewhat. It seems the implants have grown unintentionally. Don't worry, it won't be getting bigger anymore. They've been made permanent now." Great. Now I can only hope nobody at home notices. I let out a sigh, staring and fiddling with my hands. I had grown restless in my time in the ward, and it honestly wasn't much compared to the downright adventure I just had. But then again, I realized that such adventures weren't for the ordinary man. "Anything else I should know about this?" "Well, your nerves have been slightly altered as well..." Trotter examined the scanned picture of my spinal structure that stood on a stand at the foot of the bed. "You might actually feel less pain now. Lucky you!" My regular bones alternated with bright yellow ones, that were magically copied off of the others; it was in the arrangement of alternating white yellow all the way down my back. I had seen the picture several times myself, and no matter how awesome I thought it was, there would now be the constant problem of hiding it. "That's not what I'm worried about Trotter." I ran a hand through my hair, thinking about the inevitable confrontation about my disappearance. "I'm just worried that people will notice." "Ah,yes... your family and friends..." The Scholar's smile faded, trotting to the side of the bed were I sat. He came to rest opposite me, eyeing me intently. "You do know what happens from here right?" He asked out of the blue. In all my time here, Trotter never bothered to inquire about my life on Earth. That was, until now. "I know..." it was a subject I had contemplated many times in my mind, throughout the journey. "I just hope nothing goes wrong..." I slowly rose from the bed, weakness from the operation now diminished. I had to remember to commend the surgeons on their work. I trudged over to the full-length mirror they had set up in the ward. With nopony else to share it with, there was a lot more space. Slowly, I pulled off the silk shirt again and turned my back to the mirror. "Suppose things don't go according to plan. I mean... what if they see this?!" I gestured backward at the mirror. The image reflected was a disgusting ripple that ran along my back. Lighter skin contrasted with old, cut and bruised skin, forming an uneven, unpleasant line along my spinal column. "Now,now. With the help of magic, that scar will be gone in no more than a few months." The scholar assured, as if he were also a doctor at this hospital. "And that's not the only problem. It's going to be hard as hell to be living a double life like this." I flopped back onto the bed. "But you're welcome here, human. You always will be! You now hold a key, a key that lets you travel between worlds at will! Isn't that exciting?!" The Scholar of Magic went slightly into his nerd mode. Now I have to isolate myself from the people I love. The thought was depressing, yet there was joy in it. It would mean being able to spend more time with the ponies, and at the same time, I need not necessarily shun my loved ones entirely. "Don't be down." Trotter lay a light hoof on my shoulder. "Anyway, today's the day you're discharged. I'm pretty sure your fed up with being cooped up in here." He turned to the door, holding his posture in Canterlot's usual high-class attitude. "I'll be outside waiting. We'll leave as soon as you're ready." And with that, he shut the door behind him, leaving me alone to get dressed and freshened up. I got up off the bed once more and walked towards the corner of the room where almost all my possessions lay. The clothes I had originally arrived in lay neatly folded in a pile, clean and stitched up to look as good as new. Rarity had certainly done wonders with covering up the burns, holes and tears. It almost looked like those incidents never happened. I changed out of my hospital clothes and went back into my plain white t-shirt, black jeans and hoodie. As block and basic those colours were, they were my favourite. Next was my bag, also made with the help of Rarity. The contents of my bag only took up half of the space, which was my phone, wallet and an empty glass bottle that once held the potion of truesight. I placed the empty glass bottle on the table, without a use for it any longer. I pocketed my phone and wallet next. I had turned off my phone to save the battery. It wouldn't have been able to last much longer anyway. I checked my wallet another time, and found something rather strange. The bar codes and pictures on my cards were no longer invisible; all the images and symbols return, bringing the plastic cards back to their value. Like many subjects in Equestria, I was left wondering why. Beneath all the items was the crumpled scroll I had taken from the ruins of the human civilization. I reminded myself to seek Ingot before I left, to make see if he might be able to help me again. Next was my weapon. Or at this more appropriate time, weapons. Now I had two swords to carry with me: one strapped to my waist, and the other, bigger one strapped to my back, along with matching shoulder guards to boot. The sheath of Legion's blade was different. When pulled, a mechanism clicked outwards, allowing the long sword to be drawn easily and without harm. I fumbled with his weapon for a moment, confused as to which way the should guards were meant to face. The gold-plated metal came to rest on my shoulders on the same strap as the sword's. Carrying both weapons like this made it a little tiresome to walk. And last but not least, there was the Medallion. Hanging on the wooden chair by Celestia's royal hair. A smile spread across my face, knowing that that pendant had opened my eyes to many new things, and probably many more to come. It had taught me things about humans that I never knew off, or I ever hoped to in us. I recalled how it saved my life countlless times so far, and how it might do likewise in the future. As I pulled the Spirit of Harmony over my head, another thought hit me; I couldn't rely on the pendant's abilities forever. I was going to have to learn, to practice, to train. I had to be able to fight without the need for supernatural help. I mentally took a note to focus on this in training. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I got up from my knees with another sigh. I could only hope things would go according to plan when I got back. Spilling the secret on purpose or by accident would just wind me up in a mental institution, or worse. I pulled on my white-striped black Adidas shoes, now more worn than before. It amazed me how long those shoes had lasted on me. Pulling at the knot ends tightly, I made myself ready to leave. Not to leave Equestria yet, but to leave this damn infirmary! Just a couple more days. Then, I'll have to go back. Once I settle a few things here in Ponyville first. I mentally convinced and prepared myself before twisting the doorknob to leave. Turning my head to take one more look at the sparse ward, I knew that it also wouldn't be the last time I'd be here. What lay ahead was an unknown path, and a path that I was willingly going to take.