//------------------------------//
// 2: of Rebirth 
// Story: One Way 
// by jroddie 
//------------------------------//

Chapter two


I woke up. 

An odd thing to do when you don’t exist. The light was blinding. I tried to remember how to use hands, which was a struggle. I try to flop, and some grey things flop around me. I try to flop an arm, and a grey blob flops next to me. I used my new found power of movement and motor control to  move a blob up in front of my face. By the look of it things in front of my face were less blurred. Looks like my blob doesn't really have fingers, but beats being dead.
Time passes, and it becomes darker. My senses are coming back to me. I can feel. The hard rock under my... body? My hands must be numb, because I cant feel much with those. I can hear. much better than when I was alive. I can hear things in the bushes. small things, mostly.  Things that chirp, things that hum. Then I cry. It’s best not to listen, I've found out. I can taste. Crisp, clean air. Like there never was when I was alive. I taste dust every now and then.
Time passes, and it is lighter now. I heard the oddest noise, which was accompanied by another odd sound.
It was almost like... language. I can see, quite well, enough to discern that I am in a.... forest. The trees, I can smell them. The bitter whiff of evergreen, the sweet scent of rotting leaves. I think about Em, James, the train. I think I am strong enough to stand.
My eyes open from sleep. There are things above me. Very vibrant colors, Blues and oranges and yellows and browns. These colors become detailed, form lines, and finally conform into blurry faces and bodies.
“What are you?” I rasp.
“We could ask you the same!” an orange one gruffly spat.
“Easy, easy now. he doesn't look in the best of shape.” replied another face, a blue one.
“Well don't just stand there gawkin’ at ‘im! We gotta do something!” a brown one exclaimed. With that, the faces quarrelled amongst themselves

never seen anypony that pale.
-the Librarian? we could-
no, Zecora would be closer.
What? take ‘im to ‘er? 
cutie mark, never seen one like-
Why not? she could fix him. 
eh?

“Please... Water!” I spoke in a gravelly tone. They all looked at me, seemingly surprised by the fact I had the strength to make such a statement.
“Enough of your squabbling, We take him to Zecora!” yelled the orange one. They lifted me up, grunting beneath my weight. My ribs began to hurt, excruciating, as the world turned black.

I woke up to a harsh smell, like rotting vegetables and ammonia. 
“Ah, he is awake. I knew that this poultice would take.” a deep voice declaimed.
“Is he going to die?” said the gruff orange.
“I do not think so. Although last time i saw something like this, it was years ago.” replied the deep voice.
A bubbling sound emenated from a far corner. The faces shuffled around, as the deep voice, i assumed, clanked and bustled around. A door opened and closed.
“Why cant I see?” I blurted out
“Cause you’re wearing a blindfold, innit?” I recognized the voice from earlier, remembering that the face was brown. 
“Can you take it off?” i asked
“I mean, we could give you a good viddy at us, but that would be downright horrid, wouldn't it?”
“What do you mean? I don't understand!” I replied, exasperated.

You think we should, Mark?
No, but ‘ee should rather see it where we can contain ‘im if he goes bonkers.
Agreed. 


“Do you have a name?”  said the brown one, mark.
“Edwin. my friends call me ed.”
“Edwin. i am going to take off your blindfold.  do you object to that?
“No. Why would i? What is going on here?”
I felt something prodding my face, and the cloth slipped off. Everything was so detailed. There were masks all over the walls, and vibrant gourds hanging from the ceiling, bubbling cauldrons in every spot of floor. I looked around, and finally saw the faces. 
I found the strength to sit up.
“What the HELL are you?!” I spat angrily at the brown one
“Now son, i can see wh-” cautioned  Mark
“TELL ME NOW!” I shouted at the blue one, who was deathly afraid. I tried to grab him by his shoulders, but my fingers wouldn't work. He ended up just falling over backwards. I looked at my hands.
“Oh god... oh god...” I moaned to myself sickeningly. I turned and vomited into the nearest cauldron.
“I don't know what you are getting all worked up about, son.” said the orange one. “We all look like this.”
“But what ARE you?” I all but cried.
“Are you daft son? We’re ponies.” He said simply. It all made sense. the noses, the hair, the... hooves. They all vaguely reminded me of something that I knew about when I was alive. 
“How did this happen?”
“Well... When a colt finds a mare, and they love ea-” haltingly started the orange one
“No, I mean where did my fingers go?” I interjected.
“What are fingers, son?” Inquired Mark.
I had to think about this. As the cauldrons bubbled, Zecora came back from outside with hooves full of mushrooms.
“Are there computers or a library around here?” I asked impatiently. The blue pony shifted, and we all looked at him, Zecora included.
“Go on, Alec, spit it out den.” said Mark
“Er- i’m not too sure about what a ‘computers’ is, but I know where a library is. It’s in Ponyville, which is also where the nearest inn is.”
“Then we go to Ponyville at first light.” declaimed the orange... pony. The rest of them settled around a cauldron, visibly relaxing. Zecora brought out some seed rolls and water, which i devoured with a vengeance.

“It tastes so good!” I said through a mouth-full of seed roll.
“Calm down Edwin. there is enough for everypony.” said Alec. I stiffened at the odd word.
“You don't know what I've been through. It’s been a hell of a day.” I mumbled. The crowd grew visibly restless at this and said nothing
“I'm going to go outside if you don't mind.” I said curtly as i stood up. Alec tried to get up and follow me but orange stared him down. I walked out the door and immediately felt the air. What cool, what flavor, it was unlike anything when I was alive.
I stood there and thought to myself, looking out at the lush forest unfolding around my circumstances. they did not look good. losing a human body in exchange for this... this thing. I decided to investigate my new found form, which was the brightest shade of white. The hands resembled the feet, both stubby and hard at the end. My hair was jet black. The most puzzling thing, however, was that there was an odd symbol on my... thigh?
“Good evening young colt. I hope you did not plan to bolt.” said Zecora, walking up from behind me
“Zecora...” I started, hesitant.
“Speak up, son. Have something to say or let it be done”
“I’m not used to this new form. I don't even know what happened to me, one minute I was dead and the next I... Was. I just was. I had a body, with these little wiggly bits where feet should be-" I said, wiggling one of the wiggly bits in question. Zecora stopped me from going on.
"They are called hooves. They help you to move." She rhymed in her heavily accented voice.
"How do you think this happened?" I asked. She said nothing, but stood stoically looking forward.
“I once met a filly like you. But I could not help her, I simply could not do.” She replied, looking away from me, seemingly in sadness. A tear streaked down her face.
We paused and stared at the beauty of the Forest.
“Zecora, could you tell me what this is?” I said after a long pause, gesturing to my thigh
“Ah, my boy, that is a cutie mark, you see. It is what shows what we are inside, tells us what we are to be.” said Zecora in a deep accent.
“So mine means I'm good at math or something?” I asked jokingly. Zecora looked at my cutie mark, and her face grew gaunt.
“What’s wrong? Does it mean something bad?” I worried openly. Zecora looked at me, and said;
“You will come with me, to find out what the Librarian can see.”

Zecora ushered me under cover of darkness through the forest, which was a lot less beautiful when you were stuck up to your... hooves in mud.
“So why did you kidnap me?”
“I told you, daft child! To find out whether this is important or mild!” She said in a rough tone. I thought about that as we ran- no, galloped, through the forest. galloping was so much better than running, the speed was incredible. 
The wind whipped past my face as we were reaching the edge of the forest, where it grew a little bit brighter under cover of moonlight, but not much. The sky was amazing, all the stars could be seen, but... none of them were constellations. This worried me enough to wonder where I actually was. Worrying took up a good portion of the time, and before too long a modest skyline appeared. 
“What is that, Zecora?” I asked
“Ah, the most charming place, Ponyville, has a slower pace.” I did not reply, because before too long the buildings were rushing up to meet me. Zecora was weaving through the buildings at breakneck speeds,  but slowed down when we got to the opposite side of Ponyville.
“Zecora, what are we looking for?” I asked, growing impatient with walking around.
“The purple tree! That is where the librarian will be.” She replied with energy. 
“Like that one?” I inquired while pointing my hoof. Zecora looked from under her traveling cloak and squinted. 
“Ah, a keen eye this pony has.” she mumbled to herself. Zecora looked around and knocked twice on the door. She cocked an ear, and waited a second, and knocked once more. 
The door opened immediately, but there was no one in the doorway. Zecora and I walked 
inside of the tree and looked around. It was the most magnificent collection of anything I had yet to see, with books jammed on shelves carved out of the living tree. I gasped.
"Hello, Zecora. who do we have with us today?” said somepony who I could not see.
“A very good question, one of mine is the same. tell us, pony, what is your name?” said Zecora with a suspicious tone.
“M-my name is Edwin. My friends call me Ed.” I said, immediately wary of the unseen voice.
A pony appeared from behind a bookshelf and walked up to me. She was purple. Her coat was a light purple, and her mane was composed of all different shades. She looked at me puzzlingly, like I was a peculiar bug or an interesting trinket, and said:
“Nice to meet you Ed. My name is Twilight.”