Chapter 10: A Final Decision
I don't know how long it had been until I had woken up. I was never a morning person, and it always took me a while to get myself fully awake. My body felt quite a bit better, partly due to a pain pill the nurses gave to me before I had gone to bed the previous night.
The bed that I was sleeping on was a bit too firm for my taste, and I even tried to stretch my body to hopefully reduce the soreness as much as possible. And even though the stretching itself was yet another reminder of my current predicament, for the moment, I didn't really care. Even though I still wanted to go home, I now felt divided by the whole prospect of going back. On one hand, I'm missing my home country with it's technological advancements, food, and even the land itself. But on the other, America is essentially a country that is still in bad shape that made the prospect of going home a lot less appealing. If you don't believe me, you may want to give cities like Detroit a visit one of these days and get a good look around. Detroit used to be the envy of the world.
And the fact that I used the idea of Equestria as a way to temporarily escape from reality back home really didn't help matters either. Whenever I felt depressed or had a bad day, I would just either play a video game or watch some My Little Pony. And even though the land of Equestria wasn't perfect and had it's share of problems, at least from what the show presented, it seemed from the surface a much nicer place to live. But ever since I got here, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. From what I've seen so far, I get the faint feeling like I have been thrown back to the 1800s. And although it's still a bit too early to come to that conclusion quite yet, I still get the feeling that I may still have to get used to a simpler lifestyle if I get stuck living here.
The dinner that they had served to me last night me tasted good. It may not have been up to the standards of a 5 star restaurant mind you, but that still didn't stop me from polishing off the plate. It was a plate full of mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and a fresh bread roll with some hay on top of it. Since I still did not know how to use my horn to grab anything heavier than a feather, and the doctor told me not to eat straight from the plate as it would make a mess all over the bed, I had to use my hooves to grip and use the silverware that was provided to me. It wasn't the easiest task to do at first because essentially, I kept gripping the utensils at the wrong angle, and even when I did get it right, the process of getting the food from the plate to my mouth was a challenge in itself. The first few times, I had gotten food on my face because I had miscalculated where my mouth exactly was.
“So, how are you feeling Daniel?” a voice said. I turned a caramel colored unicorn doctor with a dark brown mane. He wore glasses and clothing that closely resembled a doctor's coat. And yes, he's the same doctor in that “Read it and Weep” episode. Even the voice was spot on.
However, looking at the real life version of a cartoon character is definitely different than one would expect. Have you ever been to one of those fairs that had a booth featuring an artist that drew you as a cartoon character for a few bucks? Here, there was a strong resemblance between the illustration and the pony, but the differences were still obvious.
“I'm feeling better.” I replied.
“Well, that's good to hear. But before I let you go, you need to get some immunization shots.” he said.
“Some what now?” I asked.
After getting up from bed as she always does every morning, and doing her morning routine of brushing her mane and teeth, and getting the beds made, Twilight decided to get breakfast going herself.
While Spike was always happy to do the job for her, she had decided that it was her turn to do it. Mostly because she wanted to get her mind off of that encounter with that one scientist, but it was also because she wanted him to take a bit of a break from his chores.
But what happened after the scientist's departure was what really what got her worried. Rarity came by hours after the scientist's leave, and mentioned something that Twilight found disturbing. After explaining to Twilight about her visit to the hospital and her awkward meeting with both Daniel and his mother, Rarity had explained to her of what Daniel had told her about the conditions of the camp.
Being the good student she was, had asked Spike to write a letter and send it to her teacher in a burst of green flame. After Spike had burped up the reply letter from her teacher roughly a half an our later, a longer wait than she was used to, and Spike had opened it. Spike read it out loud as he always did ever since he learned how to read.
My dearest and most faithful student Twilight,
I apologize in advanced for not responding sooner. The senate has been heavily debating what to do with the unexpected new arrivals and the viable options are still severely limited. Since we have no connections to their original governments and the scientific community is still working out the fundamentals of traveling between worlds, we may have no choice but to give the new arrivals full citizenship until a proper solution can be found. I know that many ponies on both sides will object to this decision, but we really don't have any other choice that doesn't involve making matters worse than they already are. If you have any suggestions, then please let me know right away.
As for the letter that you sent me, I am deeply concerned as I have not heard any mention of this from any members of the team tasked with running and maintaining the camp. If what you've told me is even partly correct, it could not only create an increased health risk, but could also increase tensions between citizens and the new arrivals. Do not worry as I have already ordered a full inquiry of the present conditions of the camp to hopefully get to the bottom of this.
Your teacher, Princess Celestia
PS. Be sure to show Daniel this letter at your earliest convenience. Unless another viable solution presents itself soon, we'll be making a formal announcement two days from now.
“Twilight, I've been thinking about the letter from last night. What does it mean that they will be given full citizenship?” Spike asked as he was beginning to stack books to put back into the shelves.
“It means that Equestria now has to deal with new immigrants from a world we know nothing about.” Twilight answered as she brought out her breakfast of eggs and hay hash browns to the main room.
“So, what's the big deal? From what I've seen, they're all ponies now anyways.” Spike said.
“But that's just it. Not all of them want to be ponies, or in Equestria for that matter.” Twilight replied.
“And what led you to that idea?” Spike asked as he started to place books into the proper places.
“Weren't you listening to what Rarity told me last night?” Twilight asked.
“Well...I” Spike replied, blushing a bit.
“Never mind. Daniel told Rarity that his father was angry and upset at his predicament when he and Daniel's mother came to visit Daniel in the hospital. He even went as far as calling his hooves 'worthless stumps'.” Twilight responded as she began to eat her meal.
“That's ridiculous. Doesn't he know that hooves can grip stuff?” Spike remarked.
“No he doesn't. In fact, the first day that Daniel stayed here with us, he was surprised that I was able to grip the shower valves with my hoof at all. It was as though he'd never seen a hoof before in his life.” Twilight responded, now finished with her meal. After taking her dirty dishes into the kitchenette, she cleaned the dishes and put it on the drying rack, and then headed back to the main room.
“What really gets me about all this is how completely unprepared I am with all of this. I've never been this disorganized before in my life, and that's making me wonder how prepared the rest of Equestria is when the new comers have to live here, even if they don't want to.” she said.
“Wait a minute. Are you saying that these new comers are going to be forced to live here, whether they like it or not?” Spike asked, now with his full focus to Twilight.
“To be honest, there's no other option right now. It's like what it said on Celestia's letter. With no connection with their government or to their home world, none of them can be deported, or given temporary visas. The only other alternative I can think of is all of them being thrown in jail. But since none of them have done anything wrong, it would be an inponane thing to do.” Twilight replied, now looking outside the window, watching everypony pass on by.
“But seriously, isn't there another way?” Spike asked.
“I honestly wish there was Spike. The Equestrian Government just isn't set up to handle refugees from another world. And the law here is very strict about illegal aliens. I would know because I spent all of the last few months reading Equestrian law.” Twilight responded, hinting of her pride of that particular achievement. Spike just rolled his eyes at the last remark.
“So what are you going to do now?” Spike asked.
“Well, after I tell Daniel the news, I'll just continue teaching him how to live as an Equestrian. Princess Celestia just told me to teach him, learn from him, and report my findings. So that's what I'm going to do.” Twilight stated confidently.
“By the way, where is Daniel? He wasn't in bed when I woke up this morning.” Spike asked, looking around the room.
Never before in my life have I ever gotten so many shots before. I was convinced that I was more sore than I was when I woke up this morning, but that could easily be an exaggeration on my part.
But what shocked me the most is that apparently, from what the doctor had told me, is that I am now a full citizen of Equestria. The doctor had told me this after going over some paperwork with me to verify information for their records. The doctor seemed honestly surprised at my lack of knowledge of this little fact. And because I'm now considered a full adult, I did not have to wait for Twilight to pick me up. Once they were done with me, they politely asked me to leave. Not wanting to make a fuss about it and having nothing else to do here, I made my way towards the front door.
But I still could not believe it. I was now a full citizen of the land of Equestria, with all rights, privileges, and everything else that came along with it. And none of them had even bothered to ask for my permission before doing it. But I tried my best not to let the prospect get to me in a bad way. If it turns out that I'm stuck here, I'll have something to fall back onto. Back home, I had no immediate friends, I only saw some of my relatives a few times a year during the holidays, and I was a little more than half way done with college going after a degree in Computer Networking. My immediate family was already here, sharing the same fate I was, so at least the idea of being stuck here wasn't completely unbearable.
After I had walked out of the hospital, I looked around to hopefully get my bearings. I looked to the town to see mostly houses. And unlike the illustrations that I see from the show, all the buildings had signs of subtle wear and tear. The second thing that I noticed was not only did I not know where I was, I could not see any sign of the library at all. The town seemed quite a bit bigger than I had originally imagined.
I looked over to see a closed section that was right next to the hospital, and I could easily see white tents set up with a fence surrounding the camp. Guards loosely surrounded the outer parameter, constantly watching. I just sat there, keeping my distance as I tried to discern the details of the camp. I mostly saw guards, with the occasional pony being escorted by a guard, but not much else seemed to be going on. And when a nearby guard told me to move along, I complied as there was literally nothing else to see that was of any interest to me.
The town hall itself was not that hard to spot once I caught glimpse of it towering over the other buildings, although even then, it took a while to notice it.
But before I could start my journey, a voice had called out.
“Hey, you. Can I talk to you for a minute?” the male voice asked.
I turned to see a blue Pegasus stallion. He was the same guy who had asked me if I was ever another species the other day.
“Yes?” I asked. I didn't know where this was going, but I was curious about what he might tell me.
“Do you remember me?” he asked, catching his breath.
I nodded my head.
“Yeah, I'm sorry about what happened. I could tell you were under a lot of stress, and I was just too curious for my own good. I should have stopped myself when I saw the signs.” he said, rubbing his left foreleg with the other, and his ears drooped down.
“It's okay. I'm...sure that even if you hadn't said anything, I'm sure somebod—erm, I mean somepony else would have.” I replied.
“Thanks. The missus will sure be glad that I've made a formal apology to you at least.” he said, now smiling.
“Okay. Um, by the way, do you happen to know where the library is?” I asked.
“Yes. I can even take you there now if you want me to.” he said a bit enthusiastically.
“Are you sure it won't cut into your day?” I asked.
“No. My appointment with the Farrier won't be until 10:30 and I have no other errands to do at the moment. So I was just wandering around wasting time until then.” He said.
“What's a farrier?” I asked.
He just gave me a shocked look, almost like I had cream squirting out of my ears or something like that. He broke that moment of silence with a mild chuckle, and responded by saying, “You don't know what a farrier is? Are you serious?”
“Yes, I seriously don't know what a farrier is. It sounds like something that has to do with...Ferry Boats?” I replied. I know that my answer was wrong, but I still guessed the best that I could.
“Well...it has nothing to do with boats, but a farrier is a pony who fixes and shoes other pony's hooves. See?” he said as he raised his hoof to me and showed me the horseshoe that was nailed to his hoof. I winced a little bit.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
“No of course not. I only trust my hooves to professionals who know what they are doing.” he said.
“Oh, okay.” I replied. I just continued to look at his hoof even as he placed it on the ground again. The idea of having something nailed to me didn't really thrill me at all.
“So I'm guessing that Humans don't have hooves then?” he asked when he noticed that I was staring at his hoof for too long.
I looked back to him and replied, “No, not at all. In fact—”
Then out of the blue, a large bell rang out. “Oh dear, we'd better get going if I want to get to my appointment on time. And don't worry about me, the farrier is close to the library.” he said.
“Well, okay. I'll...just follow you then.” I said.
And with that, he started heading out with me following behind. I was following right beside him, just in case he started kicking for whatever reason as I always did when I was around horses. And yes, I know he's a sentient being and seems very friendly, but I was still getting used to the idea of sentient ponies and wasn't sure what could happen.
“So, what's your name stranger?” he asked.
“Daniel. You?” I replied.
“My name is Rainy Bolt, and I fix stoves for a living.” he said.
Then that's when my curiosity of Equestrian technology came up.
“What kind of stoves?” I asked.
Rainy just gave me a confused glance. “Wood stoves, of course. Is there any other kind?” he asked, chuckling a bit.
“Gas and electric.” I replied. I knew that his question was most likely a rhetorical one, but I decided to answer him anyways. I was curious about his reaction.
“What?” he asked.
“The other kind that I know of are gas, and electric.” I replied.
“Hm, I've heard of the possibility of gas stoves, but I've never actually seen one actually developed. But, how would an electric one work exactly?” he asked.
“I dunno, something to do with heated coils or something like that.” I replied. I honestly didn't know how they work exactly except on how to use them to cook food.
“I see. Are electric stoves any safer than gas stoves?” he asked back.
“Usually. As long as you don't touch the heated coils or any loose live wires, then it should be safe to use. I've never had any trouble when I've used them.” I said.
“Have you ever used a gas stove?” he asked.
“No. My mother never trusted them. She was always worried about possible gas leaks.” I said.
“So what you're saying, is that the gas might possibly cause an explosion?” he asked, a little bit worried.
“By itself, no. But with the proper mix of oxygen it will. Assuming of course there is an open flame nearby.” I concluded. I remembered that little fact from back when I was still in high school.
“Oxy-gen?” he asked, confused.
“It's...an element found in the air. Without it, fires would not be able to start.” I said to him.
“Oh, okay. So a mixture of this oxy-gen and the gas is bad, right?” he asked.
“With the right amounts, yes.” I replied.
“So, have you ever used a wood stove before?” he asked.
“No. I mean, I've seen them before, but I've never actually used one.” I said.
“Well, if your going to be cooking anything around here, it would most likely be with a wood stove. None of those other kinds exist here I'm afraid.” he said before stopping.
I looked up and saw that I was now back at the library.
“Well, it was nice meeting you.” I said as I opened the door.
“I'm coming in too. I just want to browse through some books while I'm waiting for my appointment. You know, to pass the time.” he said.
I sighed as I entered the library. But before I could fully process the possible reason why it was so dark inside, the lights quickly turned on.
“SUPRISE!” a chorus of voices yelled. Completely shocked, I looked around to find myself to be surrounded both by ponies and party decorations of many colors. In front of me was none other than Pinkie Pie herself with a paper party hat and a large smile on her face.
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this story would have been so much better with a non real world town. No TV show FIM to go from and no first person narration
3106003
Technically, the way that I have set it up, is that the new arrivals are not from any single town/city, but instead was picked from a variety of towns/cities, so no one is from the same place. I did this to make things a bit more interesting if no one knew each other. And besides, I don't remember specifying any specific town/city in my story (if I'm wrong, then please let me know).
And as for the multiple POVs in my story, I already have been taking steps to hopefully reduce it to only the first person perspective.
3106380
the first person narration is what I like the least, and it was the real world nature of the people you'd brought it that bother me, as in they could have heard of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I think it would be far more entertaining without the comparison/familiarity with the show done by any transformed humans