//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Who am I? Where am I? // by Ferote //------------------------------// “Ugh, what happened?” I open my eyes to see what appears to be a hospital room. It was kind of small, not just the room, everything, from the bed to the doors, was scaled down, like it was meant for smaller people. Something catches my eye, a hat, camouflage having the opposite effect in a sterilized white environment. “Must be mine, why else would it be sitting on the same bed as me?” I reach for it and put it on, why? Because it was the only clue I had to who I was. “Why does it seem like this happens a lot to people? Wake up in a hospital with no clue to who you are, seems cliché for some reason. Oh well, might as well call the nurse and see what’s wrong with me. Aside from talking to myself.” I reach for the remote on the guardrail and press the button with the red cross on it. “These buttons are pretty big, especially since everything else is so small, weird. Might as well get some shut eye.” I tilt my hat so the brim covers my eyes. *Beep beep beep* “Somehow that’s not annoying at all, reminds me I’m alive. Wow, I have a strange sense of humor.” “Sir? You pressed the button?” “Yes I did. Nurse, where am I?” “You’re at a hospital in Ponyville.” “Okay, hospital I could of guessed, Ponyville… I don’t know.” “Is there any reason I’m here?” “You had a concussion, you’re lucky to be alive.” “Figures” “Will I have to stay here much longer?” “Normally we would take some tests to ensure your health, but we’ve never had a patient like you.” “Like me? What does she mean?” “Nurse, what are you talking about?” “It would be easier if you just removed your hat.” I do what she says, and I see, a…pony. “Okay I may have had a concussion, but I think that only affected the memories of my past. I still remember what everything is, the sky is blue, the sun is yellow, and animals don’t…talk.” “Sir, are you all right?” “More or less, I just didn’t know animals on earth could talk.” “Unless…” “What’s earth? You’re in Equestria.” “…that. OKAY, just got to roll with this, I’m good at that, I think.” “Right, Equestria, don’t know why I said earth.” “I guess I’m a good liar, not something to be proud of though.” “All right, I want out of this hospital, wait a minute, how long have I been in here?” “About three weeks, don’t worry about ponies being scared of you, enough have come to see you that word has gotten around.” “There’s the silver lining. I’m guessing to get out of here I have to sign some paperwork.” “Yes, mister…” “Tennison.” I say this automatically, but pause when I realize what I’ve said. “Okay Mr. Tennison-” “Call me Michael.” I say reflexively “Where am I getting these names from?” “Okay Michael, can you stand?” I sit up, then turn so my legs are hanging off the edge. I pause to rotate my ankles, making sure that the muscles still work, then push off of the bed, bending my knees on impact to keep myself from falling over. “That answers that, heh. Now where’s that paperwork?” {Two hours of hand cramping paperwork later} “Thank god that’s over. Nurse, did I have any clothes on when I was admitted?” “Yes you did.” She walks over to a bin resting on the ground. “Here they are.” “Great.” I open the box and pull out a pair of jeans, a pair of black boots, steel toes, two crew socks, and a plain black T shirt. “Where’s the nearest bathroom?” She points down the hallway with her, hoof. “Just got to roll with it.” “Second door on the left.” {Outside the hospital} “Okay, first things first, I need a job.” I look around and see a purple pony walking away from me. “Excuse me!” She looks back, I can tell it’s a she from the shape of the body, and I see something on her head “Strange”. I jog over to her, and I see that it’s a horn “…roll with it man…”. “Hey, my names Michael, I just got out of the hospital, and I need a job, do you know of any places that need help?” “Hello, my names Twilight Sparkle, I run the library here in Ponyville, I could use an assistant now that Spike is on vacation.” “Is everyone here this polite? Or is Twilight the exception to the rule?” “Now that that’s settled, are there any places to stay?” “You can sleep in the guest bedroom.” “Really? Wow thank you. Now just where exactly do you live?" “I live in the library, and it’s this way.” She points, north, judging by the sun. “Living in a libra- I’m not even going to say it anymore.” “All right, let’s get walking.” {Five minutes of walking later} “Why are you walking like that?” “Like what?” “Just look at your legs, most creatures with long legs take long steps.” I look at my legs and see what she’s saying, my steps are short, and they seem to keep a steady rhythm. After watching my feet for a little bit I begin to notice my other senses, hearing in particular. Every time a foot strikes the ground, I hear a clop to my right. I look over and realize that I’m walking in cadence to her hooves. “Why am I stepping in time to a sound? Was I in marching band? Not only is my basic perception of reality being thrown out the window, I don’t even know who I am. I could be some mercenary, some programmer, a nerd who lives in his parents basement, or even a man whore. You know what? I don’t care who I was, I want to find out who I am.” I stand tall with a smile on my face and take in the sights. “Is that building made out of pastries?” A pink pony with a matching mane walks out of the structure in question, looks around, and upon seeing me, opens her mouth to an almost impossible angle, jumps straight up, stays in the air, and flies off. I blink a couple of times, never breaking stride. “Keep calm and carry on, who knows, maybe that’s normal around here. God only knows what these ponies are capable of, they did build this town after all. Ponyville I think it was called, at least that’s what the nurse said.” “Twilight, what is this town called?” “Ponyville.” Her voice was calm, but I could tell from the way she was walking that she was just barely containing her excitement. “Excitement for what?” “There’s the library.” She nodded her head to point it out. I looked ahead and see, a tree with, windows? “Damn it Michael, stop questioning everything. You’ll end up hurting yourself if you don’t.” I quicken my pace to reach the door before her “I’m polite, I got that going for me”. When I reach the door, finding that it opens inward, I grab the doorknob, and am surprised when it doesn’t turn. I try fruitlessly to loosen the handle for few seconds, then experimentally push forward. Finding that the handle is just for decoration, I push on the door itself, standing aside so Twilight can walk inside. “What a gentle colt.” “Colt? Given the context I'd say it refers to the fact that I am male, or something along those lines.” "Is something wrong?” “She must have seen my expression” “It’s just that where I come from, wherever that may be, the word gentleman is used. I just need to learn this world’s terminology.” “Well, I have plenty of questions to ask you, and you probably have just as many to ask me. You can start.” “Okay, is there any reason that some ponies are unicorns and some aren’t?” “It is determined by your parents, but we have no control over it.” “Genetics” “And there’s also pegasi.” “Is there anything one race of ponies can do that others can’t?” “Pegasi can fly and walk on clouds, earth ponies are very strong and are connected with the plants” “Farmers” “and unicorns can use magic.” “And about the terminology, whenever one of us uses a word or phrase that is said a different way to the other, but means the same thing, one of us will say the equivalent. Seem like a good idea?” “Sounds perfect. Any more questions?” “Plenty.” “I hope my head doesn’t explode from everything I know being shattered and thrown out the window.”