//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 - The Discussion 
// Story: An Alternative Beginning 
// by ultrapoknee 
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[Ponyville Hospital - Late Afternoon That Same Day]






Gregory’s first memory after slowly clambering back to consciousness was the smell of antiseptic along with a heart monitor beeping regularly. Groaning, he opened his right eye, then his left. The latter felt like it was covered a bit by bandages, but to his relief he could see some slight light from it. His forehead and cheek which were both above his left eye burned along with his left arm and he found it impossible to breathe without some sort of pain in his chest. Looking around with the only eye that wasn’t covered, he saw that he was in a very familiar looking recovery room, pretty much identical to the one that Rainbow Dash had recovered in during the Read It And Weep episode.

Quickly, the events before his passing out came back to him. He felt his anger rising, and in response the heart monitor’s beeping sped up. The pain in his wounds only increased at that, and he had to force himself to take slow, calming breaths. The heart monitor’s beeping slowly returned to its previous BEEP…BEEP instead of the BEEP BEEP BEEP that it had been doing while he was angry. Oh, he was still pissed off, but calmer rationality prevailed. It wouldn’t do him much good to get his heart rate up. 

He looked up at the dark chartreuse ceiling, tracing the lighter patterns with his eye and letting his mind wander. He could still see the amount of hatred in all three of the ponies’ eyes when they’d attacked him. The revulsion was undeniable. He had no doubt that if he hadn't accidentally found his two small weapons in his car not half an hour before that he’d be in a much worse place and possibly even dead. 

He quickly began going over his options. His most logical course of action would be to take Princess Luna’s offer to move to Canterlot, or it would have been had it not been for this attack. If Blueblood had been behind it, which seemed about half likely, he’d be in even more danger. From what he’d seen of Canterlot in the show, it was full of snobby rich folk who would ignore a cry for help from a kitten if need be. There were probably some good nobles, but he wasn’t sure about which ones he could trust, if any.

Staying in Ponyville wasn’t the best option anymore, especially since he now realized just who those guards had been. The earth pony guards had been part of the ones who had attacked Jason on Filthy Rich’s orders in the dream that the Gjallarhorn had shown him. He hadn’t quite recognized them at first but now that he was looking back, he knew now why his instincts had screamed at him that they were dangerous. At any rate, he knew that if he could do so, he would be pressing full charges against them and whoever had tried to attack him.

As he thought, his conversation with Twilight the night before the attack came back to him. He remembered that Twilight had mentioned that Starlight Glimmer had built a brand new school somewhere up north. A school for other creatures. Twilight had admitted that she wasn’t really privy to all the details about the school. Still, he remembered that the Gjallarhorn had shown just how Starlight had stood up to her friends regarding Trixie’s treatment by the Elements of Harmony and if that brief glimpse at her personality was anything to go by, he felt like he would be in a much better place at Starlight’s new school than in Ponyville. Hell, he might even become good friends with her, although with things being as they were, he resolved to be even more careful going forward. He resolved to at least send a letter of inquiry to Starlight and see just what the school was about. Perhaps he might even ask to come and see this new school.

Just then, the door to his room opened. Gregory slowly lifted his head up as the door was on the opposite side of the bed. Standing in the middle of the doorway, he saw a familiar looking nurse walking in. She was a somewhat plump earth pony mare, with somewhat pinkish fur, a purple and white striped mane and tail, freckles on her face, dark aquamarine eyes, and a white cross with four hearts coming out of the corners of said cross for a cutie mark. Her mane was tied up in a bun and she had bangs, and on her head was an old style nurse’s cap. She had a nametag attached to her chest area which read NURSE SWEETHEART. She was looking over a clipboard when she came in, but when she looked up, her eyes widened and she dropped said clipboard. “You…you’re awake already…” she gasped.

Gregory, not being in the best of moods, almost responded with a snarky reply, but held his tongue. “Yeah, I just woke up,” he said. He tried moving his head but the pain in his chest only increased and he lay back down, breathing in slowly.

The nurse came over quickly. “Please don’t move,” she said worriedly. “You’ve been out for a few hours. You might tear out the stitches. Also, you lost a good deal of blood and we don’t have any way to replenish it. The doctor said our blood wouldn’t work.” 

Gregory paused. What she was saying made plenty of sense, now that he thought about it. When he did move, the pain in his injuries only increased, so he lay still. “Okay, that’s fair,” he said. He slowly turned to her and asked, “What time was I brought in?”

“Um…nine ten this morning, I think,” the nurse said.

“What time is it now?”

The nurse looked around, then saw something on another wall. “It’s 4:13 in the afternoon,” she replied.

Quickly doing the math, Gregory muttered, “I’ve been out for more than seven hours?”

Sweetheart nodded “You were…well, really bleeding a lot.” To her credit, unlike Twilight, she didn’t look like the sight of blood sickened her. Then again, he reasoned, she was a nurse. “The doctor tried his best to stop the bleeding, but his magic didn’t seem to be working on you part of the time. We had to stitch all your wounds closed manually. We didn’t know what kind of pain medication to use, either. Does it hurt?”

“Like a motherfucker,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. He quickly amended, “Sorry. Yeah, it really hurts. My arm, above and below my eye, and my chest feels like it’s been caved in.”

Sweetheart’s ears flattened at that. “I’m really sorry we couldn’t do more,” she said apologetically, and to Gregory’s ears, it sounded like she meant it. “We didn’t want to risk doing anything more to you.”

“That makes sense,” he said, “it’s not like you have a medical journal on humans. Thanks for what you did do, though. I’d like to see the doctor, if I can.”

“Oh, of course!” she said. “He’s been waiting for you to wake up. And you have some visitors, too.”

“Understood,” he replied. “Doctor first, please. If he’s available.”

Sweetheart nodded and galloped out of the room, leaving her clipboard on the table beside him. Barely a minute later, another familiar pony came walking in. Gregory first thought he was the same doctor who had treated Rainbow Dash in that Read It And Weep episode, until he saw the lack of a horn. His nametag read DR. GREYMARE. “Mr. Graystone,” he said in a professional tone as he picked up the clipboard with his hoof, “good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

Once more, Gregory refrained from saying anything snarky as he replied, “My left arm and the spot above and below my eye feels like they’re on fire, my chest feels like it’s been crushed in, and it hurts to breath and move.”

The doctor nodded, picked up a nearby pencil, and began writing this down on the paper. “You received some pretty nasty injuries,” he said. 

“What kind, and don’t hold back,” Gregory replied.

“Your left arm was pretty deeply cut,” the doctor began, “but the cut above and below your eye seems to have been more shallow. You do have a pair of bruises on your chest, but we took an X-Ray and from what we can tell, you don’t have any broken bones.” He looked back at Gregory. “We closed the injuries as fast as we could. We had to stitch them closed without anesthetic or pain killers, so I am sorry about the pain. Frankly, we don’t have any idea what we could have used and we didn’t want to cause any more harm to you. We almost used ketamine to help you sleep through it better.”

“Ketamine could have killed me,” Gregory replied. “In powdered form, it can cause seizures, psychosis, permanent loss of senses, brain damage, internal bleeding, and even death.”

The doctor’s face paled, and he quickly wrote that down. “Good to know.” He turned back to Gregory. “Any questions for me?”

“Well…not sure if you can answer this with any degree of certainty,” Gregory began, “but how long will I need to be here?”

The doctor frowned again, looking thoughtful. “I would recommend a few days,” he began, “but I received word from Princess Luna that she would prefer to get you out of the hospital as soon as may be.”

Gregory raised an eyebrow. “Keep me away from any ponies hoping to finish the job?” he snarked again before he could stop himself. Upon seeing the frown on the doctor’s face deepen, Gregory apologized. “I tend to get pretty snarky whenever I’m really pissed off.”

“I understand, sir,” the doctor said. “I can’t speak for other ponies in town, but my nursing staff and I are professionals. We’ve all taken the oath to do no harm, and we stand by that.”

“Good luck trying to explain that to Jason. Or Cranky Doodle for that matter,” Gregory replied.

The doctor looked at him in alarm. “You know about that?”

“The Gjallarhorn showed me,” Gregory replied. “I’m surprised you even want to treat the likes of me.”

The doctor looked guiltily away. “That was my twin brother who did that,” the doctor replied. “He’s quit being a doctor because of the ridicule. Your point is taken, though. We betrayed our oath and didn’t help either Cranky or Jason, and we’ve paid for that.”

Gregory was surprised by how sincere this doctor sounded. Even the nurse from before appeared to have been remorseful. This was the first time, aside from Twilight, Pinkie, and possibly Applebloom, that he’d seen any pony show any kind of remorse for what they’d done. He took a few slow breaths to calm himself. “So,” he said, quickly changing the subject, “the Princess said she wanted me out of here ASAP, huh?”

“Yes sir,” the doctor replied. “I’d like to keep you overnight, though, just to be safe.”

“You’re the doctor,” Gregory said.

Dr. Greymare frowned deeper. “I just want to be sure that the stitches will hold. We did the best we could, but you’ll probably have scars. One of my nurses told me that Princess-pardon me, Miss Sparkle-has promised to look for healing spells and potions that she can use to speed up the healing process. She’s outside waiting to see you, actually. She hasn’t left the hospital, the poor mare.”

Gregory lifted his hand and touched the still smarting cut above and below his left eye. Both spots were warm. He moved his hand down. “Visitors, huh?” He frowned. He didn’t feel like he could be friendly to anyone at the moment except maybe Twilight and his guards, but he knew he had to see them at some point. “Who is out there?”

“Miss Sparkle, your guards, Cozy Glow and some members of the CFE, and I believe I saw Prince Blueblood as well,” the doctor replied.

That surprised him. He remembered clearly that it had been his seal on the letter that had sent those false guards after him. Either Blueblood was a bigger idiot than he realized, or very bright. After all, who would suspect that the man behind the attack would show up to see the injured party? Whichever it was, he kept his thoughts to himself. It also surprised him that Cozy Glow wanted to see him. He wasn’t sure why that young filly of all ponies would want to see him, but he knew he had to be careful around her. “Alright, I think I can handle some of these visitors, if not all. But before I see them, I’d like to at least be sitting up. I wanna speak with them with a little bit of dignity at least.”

The doctor nodded. “I’ll try and help you up as best I can, sir,” he said.

It took about two to three minutes but eventually he was sitting up against a good number of white pillows. He saw then that he was indeed naked, at least his upper body was. There were a couple of heart monitor wires stuck to his chest. He thought he felt that he was wearing something under the bed, and when he checked he saw that the pants he’d worn while being attacked were still on. The doctor saw this and said, “We had to tear your clothes off to work on you. I’m very sorry.”

“Do you still have them?” Gregory asked.

“We’ll give them back to you when you leave,” the doctor promised.

“Thank you,” Gregory replied. “I’m ready.”

“Anypony you want to see first?” the doctor asked.

“I don’t have a preference,” Gregory replied.

“Alright. Would you like something to drink?” the doctor asked again.

“A glass of water, please,” Gregory said.

“I’ll have the nurse bring in some for you,” the doctor replied. “Again, I’m sorry we couldn’t do more, but we didn’t have the knowledge necessary.”

“You’ve done plenty, already,” Gregory said in as best of a reassuring tone as he could muster, “so don’t worry. I have a copy of a general medical book about humans with me somewhere I can loan to you sometime.”

“That would be nice to have, thank you,” the doctor said. “I’ll send one of my nurses back after the visitors are gone and check on you.”

“Could you send Nurse Sweetheart?” Gregory asked. He liked the plump pony mare. She might have been nervous at first around him, but even though it was probably her job, he appreciated being spoken to by another pony with respect.

“Of course,” the doctor replied with a nod.

“Thanks, doctor,” Gregory said.

With a nod, the doctor headed out. A few minutes later, Nurse Sweetheart came back in, pushing a cart which had a glass, a jug of ice water, a spoon and what looked like a small bowl of applesauce and a plate of some kind of gelatin. She placed the tray in front of him, opening its legs so that it stood in front of him. “The doctor said to bring you something to eat, too,” she said as she poured him a glass of water. “He thought something light would be best. I brought some applesauce and some strawberry gel treats.”

Gregory was a bit confused, mostly because he knew gelatin had meat products in it. He quickly dismissed it, since he also knew from a bit of research back on Earth that there could be vegan gelatin substitutes. “That’s more than enough, thank you.” He finally realized how hungry and thirsty he was, seeing as he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. 

“Are you ready for your visitors?” Nurse Sweetheart asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Gregory replied, slowly reaching out to grab the glass with his right hand.

“I’ll let them know,” the nurse said, then pointed to a small remote on the end table. “Press the red button on that if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Gregory watched her head out and waited. He took a sip of water, appreciating how cool it was going down his parched throat. As he was clearing his throat, the door opened again. The nurse was there, and behind her stood Twilight and Prince Blueblood. He felt his anger return, but he held himself back, at least for the moment. Maintaining a placid expression, he placed the cup down. “Hello,” he said, nodding politely towards them.

“Gregory! I’m glad you’re okay,” Twilight exclaimed as she rushed up and looked him over with a worried expression.

“For the most part, I’m alright,” he replied. “They haven’t given me any painkillers, so everything still hurts like a bitch, but that’s to be expected. After all, what works on ponies will likely kill me. Like ketamine.”

Twilight gasped at the thought. “Oh, of course! Why didn’t I consider that? I’m sorry.”

“Now, now Princess Troublemaker, you can’t fault yourself with a creature you met three days ago,” Blueblood said with a smirk. “After all, who knows what kind of pathogens he’s carrying?”

Gregory turned towards Blueblood, as if he had just spotted him. “Well, well, well, this is a pleasant surprise,” he said, not really caring now if his snark did come out as he locked eyes with the royal. “Come back to see whether or not your precious goons finished the job?”

Blueblood arched a brow at this. He was silent for a few moments as if in thought before breaking out in laughter. “Oh my Faust! That is too rich! I’m beginning to like you humans. You are delightfully naïve.”

“You don’t get to joke!” he snapped. “You dare show yourself here after trying to have me killed!?”

Blueblood continued laughing, which only angered the human more. When he was winding down, he looked back at Gregory with that same smirk on his face. “Hmm, alright. Let me answer that with a question of my own,” he replied, “and for that, I need to screen your bodyguards. You two may come inside.” At Blueblood’s words, the door opened again, and Swift Sprint and Moonlight came inside, shutting the door behind them. He faced them as he said, “Now, would you two explain how your timely rescue of your charge happened.”

The two mares threw up a salute. “Your Highness. I discovered those ponies had ill intentions when my magic interacted with the documents they presented as per protocol.” Moonlight said.

“And what did your magical scan reveal? Pay attention, Gregory; this is the moment you’ll be shown as an idiot.” Blueblood taunted.

“My magic revealed that the letter was enchanted to look like your seal,” Moonlight concluded. “After that, Swift and myself quickly subdued them and hurried to our charge.”

Blueblood clapped his hooves in response. “Fine detective work. Truly, auntie chose well. Too bad their charge is lackluster.”


Gregory raised an eyebrow at this. In a way, it did make sense. Magic in this universe seemed to be able to do a multitude of things. Illusion spells were pretty much a given in this universe, especially considering the fact that changelings existed. He rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, so it wasn’t you, or so you claim. Whoever was behind this chose the perfect scapegoat, then, didn’t they?”

“Can I help it if I am the most desired stallion in Equestria?” Blueblood asked with a boastful tone, putting his hoof to his chest and sticking his nose in the air in that typical Canterlot noble fashion that he’d seen in the show. “It really is becoming a hassle.” 

“No, but you can help it if you’re the most pompous little shit Equestria has to offer,” Gregory retorted. “Actually, I take that back. That’s an insult to shits taken everywhere.”

“Oh, your barbs are as horrendous as your disposition and visage,” Blueblood replied with a grin, “and here I am about to extend to you a special invitation.”

“If it’s coming from you, Blueballs, give me one good reason why I should accept,” Gregory replied. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Twilight looking more and more nervous, but he ignored her, focusing entirely on the prince before him. “You’ve done nothing but insult me since coming here, and while I admit that what you first said to me had merit, but if you’re going to continue and make an ass out of yourself, you can do me the pleasure of fucking right off.”

“I do believe I told you that we are not here to act on your expectations of us,” Blueblood said with a sneer. “If you have an issue with how I am treating you, then my only retort is to deal with it. I am a prince and I have duties, yet, here I am constantly making the commute to check on a guilt project. Does that seem fair to you? Is that how human royalty acts for your world? Perish the thought of humans having royals in the first place.” 

Gregory’s scowl was growing with every word. “Nobody asked you to come check on me,” he snapped. “In fact, I would have preferred someone like fucking Rainbow Dash checking up on me to the likes of you. You want me to deal with it? I am a being of conscious thought, same as you. If you can’t treat me with respect or even with kindness, one of your tenets or harmony, then I reissue my previous comment: fuck off back to Canterlot where you can indulge in all that yor cozy lifestyle has to offer!”

“Well, as much as I am tempted to ‘fuck off’, I cannot,” Blueblood replied, “seeing as how the council has shown special interest in your plight and issued this mandate.” Blueblood’s horn glowed as a scroll appeared hovering in front of him. Blueblood cleared his throat, looked down, and began to read. “To Mr. Gregory the human. We the council express our deepest remorse for your recent assault. While we are working tirelessly with the crown to bring about the change Equestria desperately needs, we cannot stop every issue that pops up. We are a large nation after all. And, change takes more time than a simple year can provide. However, what we can do is offer you better security. As one of only two humans in the world, you and Jason Wright are considered an endangered species. Henceforth, you both fall under the Endangered Services Act. This law offers any endangered species the chance to peacefully thrive in luxury at our glorious capital. If it is possible, we wish to extend this protection to Jason Wright as well as yourself. We look forward to seeing you here.” 

“The council sent a response?” Twilight asked in surprise, looking over the letter.

Gregory threw back his head and laughed. He could instantly tell just what was going on, and it amused him that they would consider him an endangered species. Not when he wasn’t endangered. “Hah! A gilded cage to control me, huh? Let me clarify something, seeing as how I see you to be of the intellectually stunted variety,” he replied, throwing back a variation of Blueblood’s words into his face. “I am not an endangered species. That would imply that there’s a chance I could repopulate my species in this world. Jason and I are both male, so I can see that a pony of very little brain like yourself can see the issue there. I can’t have progeny with any creature here, either. It’s simple genetics and it’s just not possible.. No no no no no, Jason and I don’t belong to an endangered species, but an extinct one. Unless you can summon some human women for us, we’ll die here without any children. You can tell those who are puppeting you that I am honored by their offer, but I prefer my freedom.”

Blueblood rolled his eyes as the letter poofed out of existence. “Hmm, well, that is your choice. However, I strongly advise you to visit Canterlot soon. Princess Luna would like another word with you. I haven’t the faintest idea why. Either way, I must bid you adieu. Pleasant dreams.” 

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Gregory replied.

As Blueblood left, scowling slightly, Twilight’s eyes widened at his phrasing. She quickly turned and approached the side of the bed. Giving Gregory a pleading look, she said, “Gregory. I think you should go to Canterlot and take the offer.”

“Not happening,” he replied. “I won’t be held prisoner just for being who I am. I’ll die a free man if need be.”

“Sir, you’re looking at this the wrong way.” Moonlight said. “It’s clear that you’re too exposed here. Yes, Swift and I were able to intervene, but, what about the next time? At least in Canterlot, you’ll have Princess Luna's watchful eye with you.”

“In Canterlot, I would be kept in a gilded cage to keep me from doing something to upset the balance,” Gregory retorted. “Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer the fresh air. And let’s not forget that even without magic, I managed to hold my own for a while. I even cut a pegasi’s wing off and stabbed another earth pony.”

“Sir, are you conveniently forgetting the part where one of those earth ponies placed you in the hospital?” Swift reminded him.

“No, I’m not forgetting that,” Gregory replied, “but neither am I going anywhere.”

“Gregory, I think you should get some rest and reconsider the offer. It might be refreshing to tackle this situation with a calmer mind,” Twilight insisted.

There was something in Twilight words that caught Gregory’s attention. He stared into her serious expression for a time before it clicked for him. He made no reaction, however other than to take a slow breath. “Fine, fine. If nothing else, I guess a good night’s sleep will do me some good. But there was someone else who wanted to meet me. I hear that Cozy Glow is out there. I’d like to meet her first.”

“She opted to wait a little to let you rest,” Twilight explained, “and you should do so as soon as possible.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll sleep soon,” he replied. Just then he remembered something, a promise he’d made to the foals from the night before. “Oh, and when you go back to the shelter, would you go to my room for me? There may be a group of foals sitting at my door waiting for me to read a story to them like I did last night. Please let them know I won’t be able to for a while.”

“You read to them?” Twilight asked, a look of astonishment on her face along with curiosity. She approached. “What story was it? Was it one of the same stories you–? Wait, composure Twilight, composure. Alright, I’ll let them know.”

He chuckled. “I was reading a fantasy story to them called The Hobbit. I read the first chapter to them and they seemed to like it. I promised them I’d read that book and other stories from the same fantasy universe to them, but I can’t really do that now, can I?” He paused a bit, then looked at her. “Anyway, are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just disappointed,” Twilight replied, looking exhausted, almost as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Then, a look of anger passed over her face. “This happened in my shelter. My shelter! I thought everypony still considered it a sacred place of harmony and friendship! But then the same awful ponies that hurt Jason came back to hurt you! Don’t worry, though, they will be punished for this! Ponies can’t abuse others freely anymore!” She finished her sentence with a stamp of her hoof on the ground.

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place with Jason or with any other creatures,” Gregory said. “I learned a lot about Ponyville’s history from the horn. The beginnings of this town were shown to me. If you’re curious, look up a zebra uprising at the very beginning of this town’s history. Granny Smith might know. She was here over a hundred years ago. The problem runs deeper than you can even imagine. If Ponyville was like this from the get-go, imagine the rest of the country.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re right. Granny Smith might be a treasure cove of information. Sadly, I can’t go to the farm. We’re not on speaking terms these days…” Gregory saw a wave of guilt and regret passing over her face. 

“Yeah, makes sense,” he said with an understanding nod, “although I didn’t see her in any of what the horn showed me.” Gregory turned to his guards. “Thank you for saving me. I know this is gonna sound cliché, but I owe you a debt I can’t ever really repay.” 

“You’re welcome, sir,” Moonlight said.

“All in a day’s work,” Swift added.

“Think I’ll be getting into any trouble for maiming those ponies?” Gregory asked Twilight. “I did manage to permanently injure one of them, after all.”

“Self defense is a broad category,” Twilight informed him. “The guards came at you with weapons and you responded in kind. So, equal force measures are in play here. Besides, as bad as things have gone, it could’ve been worse. And don’t worry about Granny. I know a pony who she’ll be happy to talk with, provided she’s not there already.”

“If you mean Pinkie, I believe you,” Gregory replied, “but I think Granny already knows I’m here. Applejack saw me, after all. They all saw me.”

“We’ll get to them in time,” Twilight promised. “Get some rest now.”

After saying his goodbyes and being left alone, he slowly ate the food given him. It might not have been much, but it at least partially sated his hunger. The nurse came back after a while, took the tray away and helped him back into a sleeping position. She turned off the light and Gregory closed his eyes. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts leaning towards his former home world. It was with these thoughts that he fell asleep. And dreamed.






[The Dream Realm - Gregory’s Dream]






Gregory sat in the local bar and grill joint that he regularly visited during his last year on Earth. He was eating a cheeseburger and just watching the crowd with a bemused smile. All around him, the sounds of the townsfolk eating, laughing and talking could be heard. It was a familiar sound to him, and the smells were just as he remembered as well. The TV on the wall was showing a random football game and a group of burly loggers were cheering one of the teams on.

As he took another bite, the chair opposite him was suddenly occupied. He looked over and saw a beautiful looking human woman with dark blue skin, darker blue flowing hair, and wearing, of all things, a business suit. She was the spitting image of Vice Principal Luna, albeit with a more realistic look. Her eyes gazed at him with a piercing look. “Well met, Gregory Graystone,” she said.

“Nice to see you again too, Princess Luna,” he said, putting the burger down and wiping his mouth with a nearby napkin. “Nice look, by the way,” he added, pointing to her human form. “You look good for a human woman. Very attractive.”

“Hmm, yes. Dreams have a way of resonating with the subconscious mind,” she explained, looking at herself with a curious expression. “I was able to gleam this form from your unconscious mind. Does it better suit your expectations?”

“I did say you were attractive, didn’t I?” he chuckled. “Yes, you’re very sexy in this form.”

“O-oh, we thank you for the flattery,” Luna replied with a small blush and a stammer.

“Of course,” he replied with a nod before his smile slowly vanished. “ However, I would appreciate it if you didn’t look into my mind again, please,” he added. “I prefer not to have my memories looked at without my permission. It’s a breach of privacy for me.”

Luna smirked at the request. “I did not violate your mind,” she replied, “that’s not how my dream magic works. Your subconscious allowed me entry. You will find that creatures are more honest here as it is a place where the mind can roam free and express itself. That is the very essence of dreaming.”

“Hmm, it works differently for humans, so unless it’s an emergency like this, I’d appreciate you staying away,” he replied. “But where are my manners? Here.” He held up his hand and snapped. Instantly, a plate of French fries along with a small plate of salad and dressing on the side appeared. A glass of ice water showed up as well.

Luna looked down at the plates of food with surprise. Slowly, she looked up. “Astonishing. You are a quick learner, Sir Gregory.”

“I’ve had some experience with lucid dreaming,” Gregory explained. “In fact, this place is a bit too boorish for royalty. Allow me to change that.” With another snap, the scene shifted, and they were in a magnificent restaurant in a tall building overlooking a random city full of skyscrapers. They were sitting next to the window which overlooked a vast metropolis. Cars drove by below and people walked to and fro on the sidewalk. The night was coming on, and despite the bright city lights, the sky above was full of brilliant stars. His clothes had changed as well, and he now wore a well tailored suit. The food in front of him had changed as well to a well cooked steak, a baked potato and a side salad. For Luna, he’d conjured a plate of a mushroom Wellington, a bowl of well garnished tomato soup, a vegetarian lasagna and a side salad. They now each had a glass of water and a wine glass of dark red wine. The city outside spread out seemingly forever and was a conglomeration of different cities from Earth. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.

Luna giggled as she took a bite of the Wellington before holding out the fork, looking at it then at him. “Food for thought, Sir Gregory?”

“Food of thought, Princess Luna,” he retorted with a chuckle as he held up a glass of wine. “Cheers.”

After the two drank the wine, Luna became more serious. “Firstly, we want to apologize for the attack. The assailants are in the Canterlot dungeons awaiting trial. You may appear as the defendant, but your presence is not needed for we have sufficient evidence already. But, the main reason for this meeting is that I want you to accept the offer provided by the council.”

“And why should I accept living in a gilded cage, Your Highness?” he asked.

Luna didn’t back down. She leaned forward and replied, “Because the ones in the council are the same ones behind the attack. Prince Blueblood is working closely to expose these ponies with me. We would like your aid as well.”

“Oh, well that makes it all the easier to answer. Hell no,” Gregory replied. “You expect me to work alongside that asshole? You’re asking a lot of me, Princess. He has insulted my intelligence, mocked me at every chance he can, and is all around a royal pain in the ass. I tried to treat him with respect when we first met, and he threw that back in my face.”

“That is a part of the act,” Luna quickly explained. “Blueblood plays the role of the entitled buffoon because that is what these corrupt nobles are to their core. He plays to their ego and works to ensnare them with it. He cannot break character in view of the public or else he’ll lose his advantage.”

Gregory frowned. He’d heard of other fanfictions playing with this trope, but he never thought much of it. Still, he had to know more. “Then prove it,” he replied. “Let him join this dream and prove it to me. Or if he’s still awake, prove it to me another way. I can’t work alongside someone I can’t respect.”

“Very well.” Luna’s horn glows before Blueblood appears in the Dream Realm. “Nephew. Sir Gregory wishes to parlay.”

At first, Gregory was surprised at how quickly Luna had catered to his wish. However, his attention was now on Blueblood. The prince, unlike his normal appearance, was a handsome young man with straw blonde hair and pure white skin. He was wearing a suit that mimicked the few bits of clothing he wore in reality. “Parlay? Nah, I just wanted proof,” Gregory said as he snapped, creating a third chair at the now larger table. An identical meal to what Luna was eating appeared in front of said chair. “Please, sit down and join us.”

“Thank you, Sir Gregory.” Blueblood said.

Gregory was almost taken aback. The tone Blueblood used was actually one of respect. Still, he couldn’t help but slam Blueblood with one more jab. “‘Sir Gregory’, huh? Well look at that! He can afford manners!” Gregory chuckled as the now human Blueblood moved to sit. He cleared his throat and added, “Just don’t slip when trying to figure out how your new body works. We wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”

“Yes, well. I mean no offense, but the human form is very awkward to say the least…” Blueblood replied as he looked over his hands, opening and closing them repeatedly with some fascination.

“And the pony form for me would be just as awkward,” Gregory said before snapping. His form shifted and he became a tanned alicorn stallion with light brown mane and tail. He had no cutie mark, but he stood and walked around a bit warily, spreading his dream wings and looking at them curiously.. “Yeah…very awkward. Then again, I probably did it wrong.” He raised his head, and his horn glowed bright blue. He was instantly himself again and he sat back down. “Anyway, your aunt has been telling me some very interesting things.”

“I am sure she has. You wish to know if I am being honest? Well, look at this.” Blueblood held out his hand which glowed. A screen formed in front of them and several memories appeared. Gregory watched intently as one memory showed Blueblood approach Princess Luna with a folder. It had the names of all the ponies in his club that also act as the puppet master for multiple incidents working to undermine Luna. “These ponies are Traditionalists in every sense of the word. They do not see the events of The Trial as anything out of the norm. The council is nothing more but paid sycophants catering to their whims.”

“What is this council meant to do, anyway?” Gregory asked, taking a sip of the dream wine.

“They are supposed to handle the issues that I cannot address,” Luna explained. “My sister’s last act was to compose elected nonponies for more representation. However, the nobles saw this as an opportunity to seize power.”

“So these nonponies are being bribed?” Gregory asked.

“More like they were in their employ from the very start,” Blueblood replied. “All of them are current servants of each of the club members. I must say it was very shrewd how they did it. With all the guilt from the actions of Ponyville, it was easy to take advantage and place in moles.”

“What we need is proof of their corruption,” Luna explained. “However, the House of Lords have covered their tracks well. We know they have documents of all their operations. However, we will need to do something drastic to get to them. That is why we want to enlist you. Your presence is another wrench in their plans. Another human after Jason is something they cannot ignore. I know you may not wish to be involved, but, the truth of the matter is that you were involved the moment you came here.”

Gregory snorted. “You need a mole of your own, is that it? Someone to get close to these nobles and gather their secrets and proof?”

“No, nothing like that,” Luna replied with a shake of her head. “Sadly, it is impossible for you to gain any sort of trust from them. They see other creatures as inferior. So, they will keep you at hoof’s length. What we shall do is utilize the CFE.”

“Well, far be it from me to throw a wrench into that idea, but I have information about the CFE you might want to hear,” Gregory replied, “More specifically, their leader Cozy Glow. There’s something about her you really need to know.”

“And what’s that?” Blueblood asked.

“In the show, Cozy Glow was in league with Tirek,” Gregory replied. “In the show, she joined Twilight’s School of Friendship and pretended to be friendly and kind, but in reality she wanted to harness the power of friendship. When that failed, she was sent to Tartarus by you and Celestia. I don’t know if she’s in league with Tirek now, but if she is, then she’s using the CFE for something nefarious. It’d be a good idea to keep a very close eye on her.”

“That is quite disturbing,” Luna said, frowning at this sudden news. “However, I think it is best that you show us this mysterious show that you speak so we can properly have a frame of reference before we do anything.”

“I suppose I could do that,” Gregory conceded. “Would you prefer if I showed my memories of the episode, or the actual show itself? I brought it all with me.”

“We would like to know all the relevant information please,” Luna replied.

“That didn’t quite answer my question, but alright,” Gregory said. He snapped and the screen that had been displaying Blueblood’s memories shifted and it showed Gregory’s memories. The three sat, ate, and watched the two part episode School Raze. Almost an hour later, the episode was over and Gregory dismissed the screen. “You need more information than that? And yes, Star Swirl was mentioned in part one, but that’s another story altogether and not relevant to the current situation.”

“While that was enlightening,” Luna said, “I would like to see the rest of this show in the future.” 

“That will take a lot of time,” Gregory replied, “and we don’t have that. Back to the topic at hand, though. What is it you are hoping I can do? I should warn you that if I do agree to this, I’m going to have a few conditions.”

“What kind of conditions?” Luna asked warily.

Gregory held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I’m not an unreasonable man,” he said, “I’m willing to negotiate on a lot of what I want out of this. Let’s start with number one, which involves my living arrangements and is non-negotiable..” With that, he began outlining the conditions he wanted…






[The Same Evening - Sweet Apple Acres]






Pinkie sighed as she walked up the dirt road that led to the Apple family farm. It had been a full year since she walked along this path. “Everything feels so different now,” she muttered as she looked around the property, which unlike before had an air of gloom about the place. Before, the farm always had a feel of warmth that welcomed anyone. There was a soothing calm about the place that was mixed with the sensation of inspiring those on the farm to work hard. Nothing seemed physically different about the farm. The apple trees were still standing, the house and barn, along with the silos, were all still fairly well maintained, and the animals she passed looked well fed. Pinkie started recalling all the times she’d come here for parties, helping on the fields, or simply catching up with the Apples.

Now though? Pinkie didn’t know what to expect. There was a shortness of breath as trepidation set within her. Every step she took to the farm house felt heavy and slowed down. Finally, she reached the door and gently knocked. After a time with no response, Pinkie started to think it might be too late for a surprise visit. However, the distinct sound of barking could be heard, followed by multiple sounds of scratches. Wyonna, the Apple family dog, burst out of the doggy door with an excited look on her face. She saw Pinkie Pie and instantly went to greet her.

“Wyonna! How are you doing, girl?” Pinkie asked as the dog reared up and licked her face. “Hehe, I missed you too.”

“Ah haven’t seen her this wound up in a while,” a familiar voice said. Pinkie looked up to see Applejack standing in the doorway with a soft, yet melancholy smile on her face. “Hey there, sugarcube.”

“Hey, Applejack,” Pinkie said with a smile. She then took in the farmer pony’s current appearance and the smile faded. Physically, Applejack hadn’t changed to the party mare. However, her voice was tired and mirthless. There were bags under her eyes and the distinct smell of alcohol wafted off her. “You’re looking well,” she said.

“Thanks,” she said with a dry smile, “but ah know ah’m a bit of a mess, so ya don’t have to sugarcoat it.” She looked more closely at Pinkie, raising an eyebrow. “Yer looking different, though. Ah can’t really put a hoof on it, but ya seem less bouncy?”

“I wouldn’t use the word bouncy,” Pinkie replied, “but I did do a lot of thinking in my time away. How is your condition?”

Applejack took a seat next to her while drinking a sip from her cider. “It’s about as painful as the day ah threw it at Jason.” She smiled self-deprecatingly. “Ah got to say that ah did some good work. When the pain flares up, ah can’t rightly move. It feels like having an apple tree slammin’ into me. Y’all just caught me durin’ the downtime…”

“...I can’t imagine how that feels…” Pinkie said softly, solemnly dropping her head. Applejack offered Pinkie a sip of the cider, which Pinkie took gratefully. “Thanks.”

“Yer welcome, and don’t ya fret none,” Applejack replied in a reassuring tone, “ah mean, ya got off scot free. From the look of it, y’all had a better time than the rest of us. So, what brings ya back other than to catch up?”

“Oh, you know, Pinkie sense got to tingling and I got to running. I’m sort of glad that it did. I haven’t had a twitch since…” Pinkie paused as she was trying not to go back to the conversation of The Trial. With a heavy sigh, she faced her longtime friend and distant cousin. “AJ, did you happen to see Ponyville’s newest guest?”

“If yer talkin’ about that other human fella, then yeah, ah did,” Applejack replied with a guilt ridden expression “Ah got no plans on meetin’ ‘im, though.”

“Do you still not like humans?” Pinkie asked worriedly.  “Is it because of Jason’s punishments?”

“Eeynope,” Applejack replied with a shake of her head, “ah got what was coming to me. So did the rest of us. Ah’m not going to meet ‘im because it would be better fer ‘im if ah don’t.”

“That’s no way to make up for things, Applejack,” Pinkie said sadly.

“Maybe,” the farm mare replied, “but what’s the alternative? Go up and say hi? Act like last year didn’t happen? If the horn didn’t let that human know already, then am’m pretty sure Twilight would have filled the fella in ‘bout The Trial. Frankly, ah wouldn’t come near me with a ten foot pole after hearin’ that.”

“But, seeing you girls might make him feel better,” Pinkie insisted. “Did you know there was another attack? A bunch of ponies pretending to be guards hurt Gregory pretty bad and he ended up  in the hospital. It’s up to us to smooth things over. We’re the Elements of Harmony–”

“Stop!!!” Applejack’s sudden shout made Pinkie flinch and Wyonna yelp in alarm. “Just stop, Pinkie. If what yer saying is true, and ah ain’t callin’ ya a liar, then we’re the last ponies that should be doing anything. It's a darn shame, and ah hope the fella pulls through, but he should take this as a sign and leave! Ponies around here are just no good, mahself included.”

Pinkie looked down deep in contemplation. “Have you even left the farm in all this time?” she asked with concern. “Have you spent all year drinking cider and feeling sorry for yourself?”

“Seems like a good of a plan as any,” Applejack said bitterly, “and besides, ya should see Rares and RD. Those two were the last ponies ah’d ever peg as drinkin’ buddies, but they’re always at the local saloon every Friday.”

Pinkie’s heart sank at this. It hurt to hear that her friends would turn to the bottle to deal with their troubles. “Then, I guess I know where I’m going tomorrow,” she said with a sigh. 

Applejack didn’t say anything for a bit, just nursed her drink and pet Wynnona. After a bit, she turned to Pinkie. “Do ya want a room to shake up? Ah don’t know if you've been there yet, but Sugarcube Corner closed down sometime after The Trial. Nopony wanted to go there anymore on account of Mr. Cake leading that mob. With the business droppin’, the Cakes took the twins and skedaddled out of here.”

Pinkie suppressed a shudder at the news as she hadn’t gone to the Cakes store yet, opting to spend her time with Twilight. “...No, I didn’t know that,” she said.

“...Yeah, them's the breaks…” Applejack said softly.

“Thanks for the offer though. But I’ve been staying with Twilight,” Pinkie said. There was a brief pause between the two mares as Pinkie spoke up again. “I would like it if you come with me to talk to Rarity and Rainbow. We don’t have to meet up with Gregory just yet, but we should try and work on ourselves first.”

Applejack let out a mirthless chuckle before taking another sip. “Ah don’t rightly know, sugarcube. The girls haven’t been the same, and ah get the feeling some of us ain’t too keen on patchin’ things up.” Applejack gave Pinkie the bottle as she ushered Wyonna back inside. “Ah know ya mean well Pinkie, but ah think you should just head on back home now. We ain’t worth the trouble.”

With those last words, Applejack heads back inside. Pinkie lets out another dejected sigh as she finishes the cider. “You girls are always worth it to me. I just have to remind you all.”






[Ponyville Hospital - The Next Morning…]






Gregory awoke with the sun shining down on his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the ceiling of the hospital. Groaning, he pushed himself up, only to realize that unlike the day before he had done it without any pain. He looked down at himself. He was still half naked from the night before, but the bandages he’d had before were gone. Looking down at his left arm, he saw a nasty looking scar going down its length. Now that he saw it, he knew just how lucky he’d been. He could easily have bled out and died. 

He reached up and touched his eye. The touch smarted a bit, but it didn’t hurt as much. It felt mostly sore whenever he touched it. His chest also felt much better. Slowly, he turned his legs around and pulled the blankets off. The wires that had been connected to the heart monitor were gone now, so he slowly pushed his way onto his feet. Fighting off the nausea, he grabbed onto the side of his bed for support while his body adjusted. Soon the nausea and dizziness vanished and he could walk. He explored his room and saw that while it wasn’t the same size as the hospital room that Rainbow had slept in during her recovery, it at least had a bathroom, which he used gratefully. 

While he was in there, he got a good look at his face. The scars he now bore there were fierce. One cut had gone from the top of his forehead and had cut through his eyebrow. The second cut from the same swipe had slashed his cheek almost all the way to where his beard would grow if he let it grow. It looked like it had gone through a few weeks of healing all in a single night. It was still tender, but it only hurt if he touched it.

There were still two horseshoe imprints on his chest from when that one pony had bucked him. The outline was hardly visible, but it was there. He was extremely grateful that there were no broken bones. 

He had just come out when Nurse Sweetheart came in with another tray of food. She had a panicked look in her eyes when she looked at the now empty bed, but when she saw him, she relaxed. “Sir, you shouldn’t be up yet. You still need time to heal. Healing magic can only do so much.”

“I thought there wasn’t anybody here who could do that?” he asked as the nurse gently nudged him back to his bed.

“Someone came in late last night and healed you,” the nurse said as she placed the tray on the bed in front of him. “She didn’t say who she was, but she was a very powerful unicorn who healed you. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make the scars go away.”

“I’m not upset about that,” he replied. “It’s a good reminder to myself.”

The nurse’s ears and tail drooped at that. “I’m dreadfully sorry,” she said.

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault,” Gregory replied as he looked over the meal. He had been given a plate which consisted of two slices of buttered toast, hash browns, scrambled eggs, a sliced apple, and to his surprise, a small bowl of cottage cheese. He also had been given a glass of orange juice. It all smelled quite delicious. “Thanks for breakfast,” he said. 

“You’re welcome, sir,” the nurse said. “The doctor would like to see you at some point. He feels like you’re well enough to be discharged, and he’d like to talk with you before you go.”

Gregory nodded. “Please tell him I’ll see him after I’m done eating,” he said.

“Of course, sir,” she said, “please enjoy. Push the button when you want to see the doctor.”

After she left, he ate in silence, enjoying the first real meal he’d had. The food he’d had last night was alright, but it wasn’t too filling. He was just setting the tray aside after pressing the button when Dr. Greymane came in. He looked even more exhausted than the night before, but he walked over to Gregory’s bedside. “Good morning, Mr. Graystone,” he said, “I hope you slept well.”

“I slept like a rock, thank you,” Gregory replied. “I hear you think I’m well enough to be discharged?”

“That’s what I came here to check,” he replied as he looked over his clipboard and grabbed a pencil that was stuck behind his ear. “First, are you in any pain?”

“Only if I touch my scars,” Gregory replied.

“Hopefully that will go away,” the doctor said, “so my advice is not to touch them without need. Second, my nurse told me you were up and walking when she came in. How are you feeling in regards to walking?”

“I mean, I’m probably going to rest a bit more anyway,” Gregory replied.

“Excellent call,” Dr. Greymane said. “I can send somepony over to check on you, if you want.”

“If you think it’s a good idea, I’m alright if Nurse Sweetheart comes and visits,” Gregory said, “but I don’t want to tie up your staff just to make a housecall.”

“It’s no trouble at all, sir,” the doctor said, “and I’m sure Nurse Sweetheart wouldn’t mind. Third question, and I probably should have asked this last night so I apologize, but do you have any allergies we should know about?”

“None that I know of,” the human replied, “and if you’re looking to make some kind of medical record for me, I can actually save you the trouble. I had one made for me by my old doctor before coming here.”

“Understood, sir,” the doctor said, writing his answer down, “and if I have any other questions, Nurse Sweetheart can relay them for me. For the time being, I think it’s safe to say you’re free to go. Miss Sparkle and Miss Pie are both waiting to come help you back to the shelter.” He pointed towards a wheelchair that actually looked big enough for him. “The mare who helped heal you also gave us this. Hospital policy is that you have to leave in a wheelchair, but I would recommend you let Miss Sparkle and Miss Pie push you back to the shelter. It’s a long way to walk.”

“Alright, thanks for letting me know,” Gregory replied as he sat down in the wheelchair, which was quite comfortable and well padded.

When he reached the lobby, he saw Twilight looking anxiously in the direction of the door with Pinkie looking over a magazine. The doctor had been pushing on the wheelchair, but Twilight rushed forward and took the doctor’s spot. “I can take over from here, doctor,” she said as she put her hooves on the back of the chair, standing on her hind legs and beginning to push.

“Let me do it, Twilight,” Pinkie said, joining her friend, “I’ve been pushing and bucking rocks for a year. I can push it better.”

Twilight looked conflicted, but soon she got down and Pinkie took her place. After Twilight signed Gregory out, the three walked out and down the main streets of Ponyville

The walk back to the shelter was silent. Ponies gave him a wide berth, many giving him angry glares. Gregory heard angry words being spoken in his direction, but he ignored them. Soon, they were back at the shelter. He had to get up so that they could lift the wheelchair up the stairs since there wasn’t a ramp. Finally, they made it to his room, where he got up and walked to his bed. His two blades which he’d used to defend himself were there, as were their sheaths. He sheathed them both and placed them beside the bed. After the two ponies left, he went to his belongings, grabbed a pen and a notepad, and began to write…