//------------------------------// // A Bedside Chat // Story: Becoming Somepony New // by bluemoon1996 //------------------------------// Okay, time to stop screaming! It's time to stop screaming! As the cries of panic died in my throat, I continued to stare down at myself. Okay, breathe, Keith! Passing out will only make the situation worse than it already is. Oh who am I kidding, the only way this could get worse is if I still had a dick or something. Damn it, don't think about that! That's not helping at all! As I lay there, trying to calm myself down, I swear to God my ears twisted about as I heard what sounded like hooves on tiles running. And they were getting louder. Okay, another thing to add to the rapidly growing What the Fuck! list. As the sound grew louder, the shadow of someone in the textured glass window of the door appeared before it stopped and the door handle turned. I waited for the worst, but all I got was confusion. He was human shaped at least: two arms, two hands, two legs, a head on shoulders. And he was clad in what looked like nurse attire. But that was where the similarities ended. He was like me; but covered in deep red fur instead of brown. Gargantuan grey eyes stared back at me in complete surprise as I stared at him, the nurse's ears tilted down as his chest heaved. “Horsedude?” He, honest to God, looked a bit like a horse… if a horse was upright, talking, wearing pants. It was then that I saw a little red horn sticking out of his forehead. Okay, I'm staring at an upright talking hors- no, unicorn wearing clothes. So I.. I must be one too then? But a quick look up and a hand run through my hair cancelled that thought. “You're awake!” The unicorn stood at the door, huffing in-between his heavy breathing. Jeeze guy, how far did you run? “Umm… of course I'm awake? How is that an issue?” I said, coughing a little from the dry throat. “Umm… Can I maybe get some water?” The unicorn stared at me in confusion for another second before finally reacting. “I.. I need to go get the doctor,” he said and before I could even respond he was already back out the door. “And don't forget the water!” I called out. Suddenly finding myself alone again, I took the opportunity to look around the room some more, as by now my vision seemed back to normal. Okay, some sort of heart monitor off to the side there, clamped to my finger. Well, not anymore, I thought to myself as I took off the finger clamp and the monitor’s steady beeping flatlined. Crap, I hope that doesn't bring more horse nurses running, I don't need any more attention. It took a moment, but I clamped the sensor back on my finger; I did not need more attention. That guy alone looked like I’d returned from the dead. Returned from the dead. That thought left a sour note in my mind as I looked over some more hospital stuff around the area in front of me. This has to be some form of afterlife, it has to be. Maybe it's where that Discord hails from? He said he owns my soul so it'd make sense for him to keep me close. I couldn't help but shudder at the thought. No, it's best not to think of that right now. Let's focus on the matter at ha- hello? What's this? As my gaze landed on the small nightstand next to the bed, I saw a simple picture frame. I picked it up and looked at it in curiosity. Three horse people stood on a beach, blue water behind them as they stood in a little group, two in front of one. On the left side in the back stood a lime green mare, I thought that's the right term, wearing a modest simple black bikini. Short red hair hung in the shade of a wide brimmed sunhat. Beside her was a gu- no, a stallion. His coat was a rather drab brown and his close cut hair looked to be in a military style to me. What really made me look at it in surprise was the fact this guy had wings! Like seriously, a pair of wings were coming out from behind him. Sure, they looked too small for him to fly but they were still flipping wings! And between the two of them, smiling up at the camera, was a mare looking younger than the two horse people behind her. That one had wings like the male behind her and her coat made me pause as I looked at the picture. Her coat was the exact same color as mine. The same shade of brown as I could see under the hospital gown I wore. Was that my sister or something? “They miss you, you know?” HOLY MOTHERBUCKING CHEESE AND CRACKERS!! I jumped in surprise as I developed a sudden case of butterfingers, the picture falling from my hands to the floor as I pulled the blanket over myself. Standing in the doorway to the room was another unicorn stallion. From the way his voice sounded and the fact his pale blue hair and moustache seemed more grey than blue, it was safe to assume he was an older horse dude. And the white doctor’s coat showed that he was a doctor, too. A pair of glasses were perched on his nose as he looked at me with comforting eyes and chuckled a little as I let the blanket down from in front of me. As he closed the door behind him, I grinned a little. The nurse dude did hear me! This horse doctor had a cup with what I assumed was water in it. “Relax Ms. Brew, I didn't mean to startle you,” he said, stepping closer and handing me the cup which I took and sipped from. The cool water felt absolutely divine in my parched throat. But, Ms. Brew? “Miss Brew?” I asked in confusion as I looked up at him. “That's your name,” he said. “Meadow Brew. You do remember that, don't you?” The doctor just looked at me with a placid look on his face as I shook my head. What? I couldn't say that's not my name. He'd think I'd gone nuts or something. Oh Hai, I just met you and this is crazy but I'm an alien guy stuck in a girl's body now! Wow, that even came out to that damn tune. And what kind of name is Meadow Brew in the first place? Sounds like a damn coffee brand! “Hmmm, well, Miss Brew,” the Doctor began. “Around…” The doctor paused for a moment, mumbling to himself, sounding like he was counting. “About fifteen months ago, you were in an accident and have been in a coma since.” An accident? A coma? What in the world? Did this Discord give me a backstory or something? “An accident?” I asked, the confusion genuine in my voice as I looked at him and he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. “First off, may I ask you a question my dear?” The doctor asked as he stepped in close to me and picked up the picture I had dropped when he startled me. “Of course, Doctor…” “Green Shift,” he said, giving me a polite smile as he held the picture in front of me. “Can you remember anything? Do you know who these ponies are?” He pointed at the mare and stallion in the photo and frowned as I shook my head. “Ahh, I see. There were complications.” “Complications? What are you talking about?” “Miss Brew, those are your parents.” What? My parents!? That's bloody impossible! Mom died five years ago and my dad died back when David was barely two! There's no way in bloody hell that's them! Unless they got reincarnated as horse people, I doubt that's my mom and pop! The doctor just sighed softly as he placed the picture back on the table. “Miss Brew, you were put into a coma due to suffering severe trauma to your Temporal Lobe,” he said, tapping the left side of his forehead. “That's the portion of the brain that contains memories amongst other thi-” “BRAIN DAMAGE!” My eyes sprang open and behind me something else sprang open. Turning my head back, my already wide eyes practically popped out of my skull. “HOLY FUCK I HAVE WINGS!!” Suddenly spread open in alarm, a pair of brown and creme wings were spread out from behind me. Gawking like an idiot, I just stared at them. Oh my God! I have bloody wings! They look too small to fly, but I have WINGS! “Umm… Miss Brew?” Green Shift tapping on my shoulder drew me out of my excitement as I turned back to him. “You don’t remember the fact that you're a pegasus either?” Shaking my head I still grinned like an idiot. The doctor just shook his head, frowning a little. “Well, as I was saying Miss Brew, your temporal lobe suffered trauma and that is the portion of the brain involved in speech, memory, and emotions. And since you’re not slurring and aside from that sudden outburst, it appears that you suffered no damage aside from memory loss. Memory loss? Well, that could be the easy way of explaining not knowing anything without seeming like a clueless idiot. Besides, If the naming system is this utterly dumb what else could be different? “Memory loss, just great just absolutely peachy! I couldn't even remember my own name till you said it Doc. Let alone my own parents or the fact I have wings on my back,” I said, letting out a defeated sigh as I looked up at the doc. “Is there any way to fix this?” Please pay off, those two years of theatre in high school, please! The doctor shook his head. “No, not that I know of. The memories may return in time but the mind is a fickle thing Miss Brew” “Oh okay…..” I said softly, nodding at what the doctor said. Thank God, he believed what I said. “Doc?” “Yes?” “Is that a restroom?” I asked, gesturing over towards the second door, “I.. I need to use the little bo- little mare’s room.” I didn't really need to go but if there was a restroom, there's a mirror and I needed to see what I looked like. The impending weirdness of peeing without dangly bits could wait till later. “Yes it is but there is currently an issue,” Green Shift looked over at the door I pointed at before turning his gaze back at me. “And what is that?” “You have a catheter.”