//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Otherworldly Carol // by Moniker375 //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Have you ever fallen asleep in a fleece blanket and woken up so comfortable that you don’t want to move? Between that and the fact that I was finally warm after more than a few months of snowy weather, I wasn’t going anywhere. I opened my eyes to find myself in a log cabin. ‘Where the heck am I? Didn’t I die in that car crash? Is this heaven?’ My heart pounds as images of being dragged from the car and into some psychopath’s house filled my mind. As I sit up, I feel strange, like my body is off. I glance down at myself pause for a second trying to understand what I am seeing. I take a deep breath and let out the loudest scream of my life. It doesn’t last for as I soon dissolve into fits of coughing. Tears form in my eyes and I move to wipe them away. When I see my arm…no leg move, I scream more. My voice is already horse at this point. Hold on, horse? After staring at my hand, now what appears to be a hoof, I immediately check the rest of my body. It takes a while. Each new addition to my body sends shocks of an emotion I can’t describe into my mind like a tidal wave. Am I feeling anger, fear, sadness? I don’t think I feel anything, actually. The feeling reminds me of the moment I learned of my mom’s death. Shock. I think knowing what I am feeling helps me to return to myself. ‘Deep breaths Carol. Breath. Look, you may not understand what has happened to you but work with what you know. I know that I am still me in my mind so there is that is worth something. Okay, inventory time label all your body parts. Legs got four of those. Hooves also four. One torso. One tail and two wings.’ I reach up and touch my face. ‘Two eyes one nose two ears. A mouth. Also, I am covered in brown fur. Am I a deer? A deer with wings? What the actual buck? Wait buck?’ “BUCK!” I yell in frustration. My whole body shakes. I feel like I am going to be sick. I gasp for air trying to catch my breath as a chill runs down my spine. Suddenly I am being told to calm down and take deep breaths. As the Young Doe rubs my back to calm me down, I try to control my breathing. Once I have returned to normal; well as normal as a winged deer can be, I look at the fawn beside me. “Who are you? Where the buck am I?” I notice the words seem strange in my mouth now that I have calmed down. I regret my phrasing as the kid winces at my language. “Sorry.” I apologize. “It’s okay. My name is Crystal Haze and you are in my Moms cabin.” She answers, smiling reassuringly. “How did I get here?” ‘where is this kid’s mom?’ “One of the miners found you late last night. You were in the middle of a blizzard! How did you survive out there so long? You are lucky he was working a double shift last night. Or you may have frozen solid.” “Is your mom home? I would love to speak with her.” “Nah, she left to check on Moon Charm. He has been sick ever since winter came. She should be back soon though. Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Crystal asks walking out into the next room. “Yes, to both.” I call out to her. Now that I am not panicking, I inspect the room with my eyes. The room is not large, but it is clearly the living room. Beside me sits a wood nightstand with nothing on it. A large brick fireplace is on the wall to my right. Wood burns as the fire consumes it, heating the room to a comfortable temperature. Underneath me is a cot and wood floors. To my left sits a table piled with what I can only guess as medicinal herbs. In the center of the room sits a large sofa and coffee table. Below the coffee table, a wicker basket holds yarn and crochet needles. Crystal reenters the room with a tray on her back with what looks like a glass of water and a bowl of soup. Crystal sets the tray on the nightstand beside me. I reach for the water first and drain the glass, setting it back on the tray. Only then do I realize what I just did. I had just picked up a glass. With hooves! ‘I don’t even pretend to understand how I just did that.’ I had time to experiment with the spoon. Apparently, if I thought about how it worked, I wouldn’t be able to grasp the spoon. I tried multiple times but unfortunately, it continued to baffle me. However, if I just tried to lift the spoon up without thinking about how impossible it should be to hold something with perfect dexterity without fingers, I could manage it just fine. I was three-fourths done with my bowl of soup when I heard the door open. Crystal stopped telling me how the soup was created and darted out of the room. “Mom, she is awake now.” Crystal Said from just out of sight. “Great, just let me set down my bag and I will be in there in just a minute.” Spoke a calm new voice from the other room. A moment later an older doe enters the living room. She looks older than me but only by a few years. ‘What do I know? Am I an expert on winged deer now?’ “Hello, my name is Healing haze, I am the village Medicine Doe. You had quite the rough night I wasn’t sure if you would make it.” Dr. haze holds out a hoof and I can only assume it’s for a hand shake… Hoof shake? “Nice to meet you, Dr. Haze. My name is Carol Mathers.” I say as I grasp her hoof with mine and shake. “I am no doctor Ms. Carol just call me healing.” She smiles, “Do you know how you got out there in the middle of a blizzard miles from town? I have been asking around and nopony saw you get off the boat last week. The constant storms make the northern passes impossible to make it through this time of year. That means you couldn’t have come that way. Did you come from one of the larger tribes to the east or west?” Healing asks as she pokes and prods me looking for injuries. “I have no clue how I got here, all I remember is falling off that bridge and passing out. After that, I woke up here.” I can’t decide whether to tell her about the strange and alarming transformation I had apparently gone through. ‘I would sound insane trying to explain it to her. Actually, she may know something about my situation, after all, this could all be perfectly normal!’ I smile at the thought that all this could be wrapped up quickly and I could just go home and forget all this ever happened. ‘Don’t be stupid Carol there is no way this is natural they would have you locked up in an insane asylum quicker than you could say “take me to your leader.”’ “What are you not telling me? I deserve to know. You would have died last night without my help.” She takes on the firm expression that all good mothers have that says, ‘don’t you dare lie to me.’ I don’t stand a chance against that look. It reminds me so much of my own mom. “What do you know about humans?” I try to start small and work my way up to the larger stuff. “They are Mythological monsters from Tartarus that kill young fawns to wear their skin as clothes.” She says, her frown Deeping. “Well, what I am about to tell you isn’t a myth.” I say as I begin my tale. It takes a hours to get through it all, as either Crystal or Healing would stop me mid-sentence to ask about some part of my world. They seamed enraptured with the story I told. As I ended my story with waking up in the cabin and my subsequent shock. I was interrupted once more. “So, you are saying that you weren’t a Peryton when you went off the bridge?” Asks Healing tapping a hoof on her chin. “That is exactly what I am saying. You wouldn’t happen to know how to send me back home, would you?” I unconsciously hold my breath as I wait for her answer. “You do believe me, don’t you?” “I have no reason to disbelieve you. You haven’t done anything to lose my trust. I can’t say I have ever heard of somepony being in your position, but it isn’t impossible. In a world full of magic, you learn quick anything is possible. As far as sending you back or even changing you back to where and what you were, I am afraid it is far beyond my capabilities. I am no unicorn pony.” I start to ask another question, but Healing holds a hoof up. “However, if you were to get passage on a ship to Equestria, and if you made your way to the capital, and if the equestrian princesses agree to see you, then they may have the knowledge and the power to send you home.” “That is a lot of ifs. Are you sure they can send me home?” I ask, hope filling my heart. “No, but if anypony can its them. But in order to get there you would need passage on a ship bound for Equestria. That costs bits and last time I checked you are completely broke.” My ears droop as the idea of getting home seamed nearly impossible. “How much does passage on a boat cost?” I ask fearing the answer would be high. “Three hundred bits.” Answers Healing. “Is that a lot?” I have a sinking feeling that it is. “It’s a fair price for such a long journey. The next ship arrives in just over two weeks. If you don’t mind hard work, you could work in the ice mines. They pay twenty-five bits a day that would get you there just in time for the next ship out.” “Two weeks! Why so long?” I ask shocked at the amount of time a boat would take to get here. “We are a small village, the only reason anyone would come here is to collect ice to take back to Equestria. It Being the winter there isn’t a high demand for cold drinks right now.” Crystal begins to yawn, and her mother sends her off to bed. “Thank you so much Healing I really appreciate having someone believe me. I thought for sure I would get locked up for sounding crazy.” I smiled at her and she smiled back. “Your welcome Carol, I know this must be hard for you. We can go talk to Ice Pick tomorrow. He oversees the mining operation in Antlerstead.” Healing turns to leave, pausing in the living room doorway. “Just in case you need it, the bathroom is the first door on the left.” “Thank you, Healing. For everything.” “Goodnight Carol. Sleep well, I will see you in the morning.” “Goodnight Healing.” I say laying back down. Trying to fall asleep was hard I kept thinking back to the events of the day. The mystery of the voice on the radio seemed like small fries in comparison to the overwhelming transformation I had undergone. I relaxed in the bed, staring into the dying fire. The coals glowed red and the few flames left sent shadows dancing on the walls. I cried a little that night. I cried for my family and for the world that I had known my whole life. My world seemed so impossibly far away. I don’t know when, but eventually I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, I woke to a dull need for the bathroom. I rolled out of bed and promptly fell on my face. I groan and try to stand. My legs shake and I collapse with a thud. “Carol! Are you okay? What happened?” Healing asks rushing into the room. “I um don’t know how to walk in this body.” My face grows hot embarrassment. “Well then, I will just have to teach you, won’t I?” She smiles. “I imagine it’s difficult to learn quickly.” I say trying to get my hooves under me. “Difficult? Ha Ha Ha why, look here! Learning to walk is as easy as… taking your first step! Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking across the floor.” As Healing sings music plays all around us. My eyes go wide as I suddenly stand up and take a step. “Oh, no, this is going to be bad!” “Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking out the door!” At every line I take another step. “You will never get where you’re going if you never get up on your hooves. Come on, there is a good tail wind blowing! A fast walking mare is hard to beat.” I am shocked at the sudden musical number and my body moving on its own. ‘This is absolutely insane! How does this even work! I feel violated!’ “Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking across the floor. Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you be will walking out the door!” Healing is smiling at my progress as I walk towards the doorway. My hooves clicking on the wood floors. ‘This is just like the thing that the pied piper of Hamelin did with the rats!’ “If you want to change your direction, if your time to turn is at hoof… well don’t be the rule be the exception. A good way to start is to stand.” ‘But that line doesn’t even make sense!’ I scream mentally as my mouth doesn’t seem to be working. I turn the corner to walk down a hallway. Healing fallows me as Crystal joins in on the singing. “Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking across the floor. Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking out the door!” I feel my mouth open as I begin to sing. “If I want to change my reflection, I see in the mirror each morn.” interjects Healing. “You mean there is just one direction!” “My only shot is an Alicorn!” I say with confidence. When we get to the front door, I fling it open and walk outside. Suddenly the whole village, including myself, are singing together. “You put one hoof in front of the other and soon you are walking across the floor. Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you are walking out the door! Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you are walking across the floor. Put one hoof in front of the other and soon you will be walking out the doooooooooor!” We all hold the last note for a dramatic finish. After the song has ended, and the music has faded away, all the deer file away. I find walking to be simple and easy. So, I walk up and frown at Healing who is wearing a smug grin and Crystal a sympathetic one. “Never do that again. I don’t know what it was, but never again!” I say firmly. “That’s a variation on how they teach newborns to walk.” Chimes in Crystal. I nod at the foal and freeze as suddenly I remember what I got out of bed for. That day I learned to walk and run.