//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Introductions // Story: Nobody // by Blazer //------------------------------// "Princess?" The lavender unicorn paused mid-step, almost as if her hoof-clop would be an offense to her addressee. "Twilight? You're here." The majestic alicorn rose slowly, her marble-white coat accented by the rays of sun streaking through the nearby window blinds. "Thank you for coming all this way; I apologize for the short notice." "Oh, I don't mind it at all, Princess," Twilight mumbled abashedly. "Anything from you is always of the utmost importance! Oh, and it's usually..." She trailed off at the Princess' grave expression. "...exciting." There was a small pause before the Princess spoke up. "That nether dust I requested you mail to me..." Twilight's ears flattened for a moment before standing upright once more. "Ehehe.... The nether dust..." "You didn't mail it, did you?" the Princess ventured. The unicorn's ears fell flat once more. "No... No, I thought I could speed things up..." Her eyes rose to meet the Princess, suddenly filled with fear. "What happened? Did something happen to you? Or somewhere nearby? What happened? Is that why we're in the hospital?! Oh, gosh! I didn't know! I--!" "Calm yourself, Twilight. Nothing happened to me, and there was no harm that came to anypony. All is well." Twilight let relief flood her for a moment with a trembling sigh. Her gaze started to drift downward. "Oh." Suddenly, the Princess added, "...Or so we think." The unicorn winced. "Oh... I see." Another pause. This time, Twilight ended it. "So, why are we in the hospital, then?" Celestia started off past her, a massive wing turning Twilight around to follow her. "I'll show you." For a few minutes, they walked in silence. Two guards were posted at every threshold they passed, giving them both quick bows as the two equines passed between them. There wasn't a single medical staff member to be seen; Twilight guessed the guards had removed anypony not involved with the Princess. After almost a minute of walking through identical corridors, they arrived at a room labeled "617". A single guard clad in blue and gold plate armor kept vigil at the side. As they approached, the guard turned towards them with a crisp maneuver of his hooves, giving a slightly over-enthusiastic salute. The Princess smiled and passed him, entering the room. As Twilight passed, she noticed the guard had a swollen lower lip, the purple skin starting to show between the fine fibers of his white fur. Doubt and fear flooded her gut almost instantly, albeit in small amounts. She had the Princess to back her up; there seemed to be little to fear. "Teeeen hut!" The clanging of armor and hooves standing at a sudden attention filled the tight space, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts and back to reality, as well as sending a jolt of adrenaline up her spine. Skin still tingling from the scare, she slipped in behind the Princess. The interior of the room was slightly more furnished than the average hospital room. A couple of wooden-framed chairs sat in the corner, unused but looking ever-welcoming. A large window was situated on the far wall, blinds semi-closed. A few rays of sunlight cut through, permeating the flecks of dust disturbed by the occupants of the room. Speaking of, Twilight noticed that only two soldiers occupied the room. A grizzled looking officer and a younger subordinate. They addressed Celestia with a low bow. "Princess." "Captain. This is Twilight Sparkle. She's my personal pupil." The captain stood up, glancing at Twilight with his piercing gaze before giving a curt nod. "Ma'am." Twilight smiled sheepishly, unsure of what she was supposed to say. "Permission to speak, Ma'am?" The captain asked. "Granted, Captain." "I dealt with that greenhorn lieutenant out there personally, ma'am. I hope you'll excuse his rudeness; he's fresh out of officer school, ma'am." "Not at all, Captain. They're your colts." "Thank you, ma'am." Celestia nodded towards the seemingly-occupied bed that sat behind the two guards. "I'd like to talk with Jay for a bit, along with Twilight." "Ma'am." The officer gave a brief salute before turning to the other guard. Sharing a glance, they immediately marched out of the room, giving Twilight a clear view of the bed's occupant. It was a pony. A goldenrod coat clashed with the stark white sheets of the bedding, along with a coarse black mane that topped its head. Deep, indigo eyes, edges reddened and puffy, peered out from half-open eyelids--they almost looked black in the failing sunlight. They shifted up, staring straight at her before moving to the Princess. "Jay? You awake?" The Princess ventured, although the answer seemed obvious. "I'm awake now." The pony, revealed to be a colt, slowly struggled to a sitting position. He gave a small smile before his face promptly darkened. "Doesn't a Princess have more important things to be doing than visiting me?" "I assure you, Jay, you're very important," Celestia chimed, giving the usual warm smile before nodding towards the unicorn beside her. "This is Twilight Sparkle. She's my--!" "I'm her pupil!" Twilight blurted out. There was an awkward silence. "Well, nice to meet you," sighed the colt. "N-nice to meet you, too," Twilight mumbled. Sensing the awkward silence starting to return, the Princess went on. "She's partly responsible for you being here, but she's going to be the one trying to get you back home." "What?" "What?" Both Jay and Twilight were looking at the Princess before glancing at each other, unnerved by each other's interest. "Twilight, when did you attempt to send the nether dust?" The unicorn tapped her chin. "I believe it was the day before yesterday..." "That was the day this pegasus--!" Jay inhaled sharply, as if he was going to reply, but quickly fell silent. The Princess continued. "That was the day this individual appeared in my chambers, as if he himself had cast the spell. He was unconscious when he arrived." Twilight's jaw dropped open while Jay's jaw clenched. "I'm not sure how he arrived here, but the magic I believe you used is one of Starswirl's. However, that spell is designed for general magical supplies, rather than for something as volatile as nether dust." "So, it was some 'accident?'" Twilight noticed that Jay's hooves were gripping the bedside tightly, but his face remained unchanged. "Yes, and I can assure you that this is a reversible mistake." Jay's hooves relaxed a little. "Really?" "Magic, while being an already heavily-studied and explored subject, is always revealing new things. New spells and theories come out almost daily here in Equestria, and this unicorn is quite passionate about it." "So I've heard," Jay murmured. Twilight's ears flattened. "Which is why she's going to be helping you get home," the Princess finished. "There was a picture on that card you were carrying, and if you are who you say you are, then I can deduce you aren't from Equestria, let alone, this planet." "Card?" Twilight asked, surprised at how dry her mouth felt. "Jay was found with what appeared to be a gym bag of sorts filled with his possessions," the Princess turned to Jay, "We'll have those ready for you when you leave the hospital. But, for now, we've arranged for you to stay here for awhile." The colt's eyes started to glaze over. "Oh." "Twilight will be here for a bit; I think it's best that you two get acquainted." The unicorn in question glanced up at the Princess, eyes pleading. "You'll be working together for awhile. I have some important decisions to make involving Discord..." "What? What is there to decide?!" Twilight demanded, suddenly angry. "In due time, Twilight. I'll discuss that with you at a later time." "But how can you talk about it in front of... Well... You know!" The Princess chuckled. "I assure you, he has no idea what we're talking about." Jay's frown deepened, but the colt made no response. "That's true, but... does that mean...?" "If you could, Twilight, please keep an eye on him. I'll keep the detachment of guards here as long as Jay needs to stay here. I'll notify Spike and the others about your circumstances as soon as I can." "But...! But..." Twilight trailed off as the Princess turned to leave. "I'll leave you two to converse. Let the guards know if you need anything." Celestia gave Jay a sympathetic smile. "Either of you." The two watched as the door opened, then closed. Silence returned, hanging over the room's remaining occupants. Neither looked up at each other for awhile, simply looking at the door that had just slid shut. "So... Your name is Jay?" Twilight ventured. "Yeah." "Oh. Good." "So... nether dust, huh?" "What? Oh, yeah. I'm... I'm..." Twilight hung her head. "I'm sorry. If everything the Princess says is true, then... I'm... I'm sorry." Silence. The corners of Twilight's eyes stung a little. "I'm sorry, too, I guess." Twilight looked up blearily. "Hm?" "About this... situation." "Oh. Yes..." More silence. The conversation was halting and jarring; replies were irregular as a tangible tension filled the air. "Well, don't be." "Why?" "You'll be helping me out of here, anyways, right?" "Oh, of course! I mean, it's the least I can do." "Mmm." The unicorn frowned. The longer she sat here, the more she could almost feel Jay's eyes bore into the top of her head. "Is there... anything I can do for you?" "..Actually, can you?" Twilight's head jerked up, her eyes almost hesitant to follow. "Y-yes?" "Can you get my gym bag? Or, at least tell one of the--!" "No, no. I'll go get it myself." "You sure?" "Yep! I'll be right back." Jay leaned back as his gaze dropped. "Well, okay, then." The unicorn practically cantered to the door, zipping through the threshold. After waiting for the door to slip closed, she let out a long, shivering sigh. This is your fault. Passing the guard at the door, she continued down the hall, not really sure of where she was going. Why didn't you listen to your friends? She stopped, taking another deep breath before continuing on. Her gaze slowly became hardened with a familiar determination. Fix it. Like you always do. She broke into a gallop down the hall. *** "Yep! I'll be right back." I leaned back as my gaze dropped. "Well, okay, then." I watched as the unicorn promptly vanished, leaving me alone. My eyes returned to the blinds, which were still half-open. The sun was now shining towards my bed, the rays starting to creep across my form. I winced, covering my eyes with one hoof. Probably should've asked her to close those... My eyes became glued to the back of my hoof. Panic began to seep into my bones, but I managed to shake it off. It's real. Get used to it, Jay. A wave of soreness swept across my back, or rather, in that region, as a wing partially unfolded involuntarily. Gritting my teeth, I willed my wings to move, spreading them out to look at them again. The long feathers looked pretty, at least. I wondered if I could even fly. But I didn't want to fly. I didn't want this. I shook my head. Folding my wings back, I started another absentminded stare out the window. I took in a long, shaky breath. Then another, and another. The more breaths I took, the more I began to tremble. My teeth chattered, but I wasn't cold. Is this real? I scrunched my eyes shut, as if willing this reality to melt away. Don't you cry again, you pussy. Don't you fucking dare. After a minute of increasingly-shaky breaths, my eyes slowly opened again to the same view. The same, sickeningly-white, sterilized room of a hospital greeted me mockingly. I sneered at the empty space, spiting it with every cell in my body. How long do I have to be here?! And how could they treat my situation like it's such a...! Filled with frustration, I angrily ripped the sheets off of my legs, tossing them towards the window. I lashed out at the wall next to me, swinging my right hoof out towards the wall. Other than a loud, resounding CRACK and a minor chip in the paint, nothing seemed to happen. Surprisingly, I felt no pain, although it was probably due to the fact that my hands were now hooves. After hearing nothing but my own heavy pants for a minute, a cold smile worked its way across my face. Getting tired of your shit, Murphy. I let out a long, trembling sigh. Slumping back into the bed, I glanced at the door, listening intently for any approaching footsteps. My ears were met with the muffled chirping of birds outside. And then, footsteps. Rhythmic, but in fours rather than twos. I straightened visibly as the door swung open. "I-I'm back," Twilight entered, her horn glowing purple and my gym bag floating through the door, enveloped in a similar light. My jaw dropped involuntarily. "Brought your bag," Twilight continued, dropping it on my lap. "Also," she began, turning around. Before I could take a look in my bag, a tray of various pastes and vegetables was shoved into my face. "You should eat something. You're probably hungry."