Waking up slowly, my eyes opened to be greeted with the same sight as the day before. And sadly, the day before that. I'd been in the hospital for three days already, largely unsure of what was going on. The nurse had let me get up and stretch, walking around occasionally, but she hadn't wanted me leaving her care for a couple days. She said it was to make sure that I was full strength again but I knew the dangers of a concussion without needing her to say anything. Besides, it's not like I really had anywhere else to go. Once I had to leave here, I was essentially on the street.
Aside from her checkups, we didn't actually talk much. Something told me that I'd made a fairly bad impression on her that first day and she was a little nervous around me. There was a second nurse who apparently shared responsibilities at this clinic as well. Nurse Tenderheart I believe. They dressed similarly but she seemed quite a bit more unsure of herself than Nurse Redheart. I didn't see much of her regardless, aside from checking in occasionally.
The first day I'd woken up, I discovered several books by my bedside table with a note resting on the top of them. It was written in small, very delicate handwriting that had an odd sense of precision about it. Somehow I had guessed it was from Twilight before I had even read it.
Mr. Earth Pony,
It's unfortunate that I don't know your name but I had to leave you a message. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there when you woke up after our session, but I was unsure of when you would and have my duties at the library to attend to as well.
The nurse mentioned that you'd be there for several days so I decided that you should probably get as acclimatized as possible. The best way to go about that of course, is books! I've loaned you several on different subject matter about our world and magic here. I thought you might find those interesting.
When you get released, feel free to return the books to the library. I'd like to talk in length with you about your memories and the events surrounding your arrival at Ponyville. I obviously deeply respect your privacy so I won't go into details in this letter. May Celestia bless you with a speedy recovery and I hope to see you in a few days!
Your New Friend,
Twilight Sparkle
I had read it dozens of times in the past two days since I awoke. Three books were stacked in an extremely orderly fashion under the note, alphabetized and in very good condition. I smiled almost immediately when I saw them. Seeing the work of someone else can tell you quite a lot about them. She seemed an incredibly organized, tidy individual, and definitely loved books.
Of course I had no problems with books myself. They were often better company than others could be I felt. It was the strangest sensation, having a certain feeling and desire but not knowing why. I knew that I enjoyed the company of written text though, and losing myself in a good story. I didn't need memories for that as I had a perfect example the last two days.
The first book was simple. A Geographical Study of Equestria. It listed major cities, gave information about them, and went into basic information about the land itself and what was where. Apple crops appeared to be heavily influential in this region, maintained by a healthy amount of Earth Ponies. I guessed Applejack had something to do with that, vaguely recalling apples on her flank.
Historical Documentation and Important Dates was as expected. I was mostly interested in the cultural statements it made and in how things were run, of course. Two goddesses, then one, and now back to two. That last part wasn't in the book as it was a bit older, and I was surprised to acknowledge that it had recently changed again. Of course they weren't called goddesses, but Princesses. I idly wondered how accurate the statement was in the first place. Were they truly physical goddesses? Celestia, whom I kept hearing about, was one of them. Apparently her younger sister, Luna, had recently returned from Exile and redeemed herself with the help of, much to my surprise, Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
It was kind of an honor to be partially mind-raped by a celebrity. I sighed and took the third book off the stand again. It's not like I was bitter, exactly. I knew she was only trying to help me but I just wished she had slowed down a bit and, I don't know, asked me if that was what I wanted? Maybe I'm just being a chicken but I like to take things one step at a time. Getting excited was one thing but doing things safely took precedence. Of course, this was largely due to my own blundering into the village itself. I should have prepared more before trying to observe them.
Looking down at the third book, I smiled gently. Magic of the Lands: A Practical Look. It was a little older than the other two but very beautifully maintained. Dutifully, I'd saved it for last, deciding to go through the books in order. She probably hadn't intended me to but I guess I might be a little weird like that as well. I was a good fourth of the way through it by now and fascinated by every word. Stepping back however, I decided that it was probably a good thing that I read it last. My mind had opened up a little by the time I got to it and I wasn't in as big of a rush anymore.
The second book had corrected me significantly about a lot of the culture around me. There was quite a gender differentiation here. The ratio was skewed heavily in favor of the females but it didn't really come up all that often in day to day lifestyle, it would seem. Stallions were given just as much freedom to do whatever they wished as the mares and there wasn't the segregation I thought there would be. Surprisingly, a large amount of crime I'd anticipated was all but non-existent except for in the largest cities. This was an amazingly peaceful world compared to the foggy memories of my only other comparison. Part of me was happy that I was here instead of there, and not just the alive part.
Another part of me was uneasy however. I had nothing to my name at all. No skills, no money, no place to live, and no friends. The last part of Twilight's letter always snagged me no matter how many times I read it. My new friend? The mare who'd seen the horror I barely remembered didn't seem like a likely candidate for friendship. Part of me was worried as to what she'd told other ponies but I heard nothing of the outside town, regardless. Nobody had visited, which kind of made sense. I was a crazy little pony who showed up long enough to get his head caved in by a rock, then shuffled away to a hospital. That wasn't all that eventful was it? Applejack and Rainbow Dash had jobs. Friends. I wasn't one of them so why would they visit?
There was a certain bitterness I felt inside of myself at not fitting in very well. I'd stuck out too much and screwed up royally by assuming things. This is a new world, totally unfamiliar to me for the most part. Jumping to conclusions should have been the last thing I did and that irritated me.
But there wasn't anything I could do at this point. I continued reading the book carefully, absorbing all the information I could. It contained no spells or even hinting as such, but I hadn't expected it to. Their system was quite different from what I had known but I could apply what I knew easily enough. Wording had changed and theory was totally unrelated but I knew enough to make a reasonably healthy educated guess. Well, healthy might not have been the best wording, especially should I actually try some of it but I'm sure you knew what I meant.
I made a mental note to stop talking to myself, as expecting an answer was the first sign of insanity I supposed. Leafing through the next chapter, I noticed that I was getting out of theory and into practical applications. They used magic for most things in their day to day lives it would seem. From producing the weather to more mundane things like cooking. A lot of older technology was mixed in however, and I was impressed by the foundation it all seemed to form. Their community was very stable. Sadly, without the ability to 'channel' the energy outside of my body there wasn't much I could do, personally.
Shifting to a more comfortable position, I nudged the pillows higher up and sat up against them. My back hardly even ached today and I could tell that my body was recovering much faster than I had anticipated. I wonder if this is the norm for this new form? The small lamp next to me spread a soft glow over my bed and I took my book back up again, smiling. I'd kept very irregular hours, with the nurses urging me to sleep as much as I could. I'd guessed that it was a few hours past midnight at this point. Reading for a few hours then sleeping again sounded pleasant, in a lonely sort of way.
I almost didn't hear the absurdly light tapping on the glass. My ears twitched and shifted towards the window above and to the left of my bed. After a few moments, there was another light tap and I frowned before closing the book again. Raising an eyebrow, I decided to investigate and get this over with. If a tree grew that close to the window, why did they put a window there in the first place? Posterity? Oddly, I vaguely recalled looking out the window before. Just peeks through the blinds of course. I don't remember a tree being there.
There was a moment of surprise, followed by a sense of horror slowly sinking into the pit of my stomach as I saw the blue pegasus outside of my window. She looked a bit tired and her rainbow mane was pushed up against the glass as she watched me, both forehooves framing each side of her face. Slowly, I started retreating from the window, unable to help but remember the prismatic explosion that had almost killed me. Chances were she had no intention of doing so but a more primitive part of my mind reasoned that it was dangerous to be this close to her.
Rainbow Dash's violet eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly, making a pawing motion with her right hoof. I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. What was I doing chickening out like this? My friends had already grinned into the face of death, wherever they may be now. I'd be laughed out of the barracks if they saw me running away from a rainbow colored pony.
Swallowing, I stood more upright and walked back to the window, mustering a determined look. Dash smiled and nodded as I slid the lock on it gently to the side and opened the window a crack. She wasted no time in wedging her muzzle into the crack and forcefully nudging the window up. In less than a second, she touched down on my floor with a light flick of her wings. Damn she was fast!
Her hair flicked as she rapidly turned her body fully to face me. In my surprise during her sudden movement, I had fallen backwards and stumbled over and onto my bed again. Composing myself as best I could, I rolled over onto my side and looked at her.
There was a long and awkward silence where we just stared at each other. There was no force behind her eyes at all and she looked more like she was staring through me than at me. Finally, she gave her head an exasperated shake and huffed. "I'm not very good at this kind of thing, so I'll just come out and say it. I know Twilight told me to wait until you were up and moving again but I saw your light on down here and didn't feel like waiting around anymore," she rapidly released
"To do what exactly?" I asked wearily, starting to feel a bit fidgety again. I knew the book said their society didn't endorse violence and murder, so I tried to keep my conclusions on a tighter leash this time.
She let out an irritated sigh and gave me dagger looks. "Hold on a minute will you? I don't do this often so consider yourself lucky!" She declared, raising her head a little.
I shrugged. "I just thought you didn't feel like waiting around is all," I reminded, probably a little more bitterly than intended.
Rainbow glared at me, looking serious this time. I backed away from her a little, remembering what she was capable of. "Ah, sorry," I hastily added.
Her eyes softened instantly and she looked down again. "No, that's just what I came here for. Look, I'm," she started, before swallowing painfully, and finally finishing, "I'm sorry. For dropping a bag of apples on your head and then hitting you while trying to land in that storm."
There was a long moment where she simply stared at the floor. Rainbow Dash didn't seem like the type that apologized often so I was a little surprised.
"I'm none the worse for wear so there's no serious harm done. I forgive you, of course," I replied, after a bit of thought.
She glanced up at me, eyes peeking through her bangs. My mouth dried a little when I realized how cute she was. Wait, no! Bad hormones! "I wasn't talking about your body. I've never had somepony scared of me before. I just, ug, wanted no bad blood between us. How about we start fresh?" She offered, raising her right forehoof towards me.
After a few moments, I realized she was right in a roundabout way. Even if she didn't want to say so, I sympathized. Having someone scared of me would leave an awfully bad taste in my mouth. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all?
I smiled and nodded, pushing my hoof against hers and 'shaking' with her. She smirked at this and that familiar cocky expression returned. "Good! Thank Celestia that's over. I mean, it wasn't really bothering me and was more AJ's idea but I guess if you're gonna be hanging around for a while, having you cowering all the time would be bad, right?" She reasoned.
Thankfully I was laying down or I might have fallen off the bed. "You're really something, aren't you?" I asked in disbelief, trying not to chuckle.
"Of course I am! I'm Rainbow Dash, best flier in Equestria!" She announces, hitting a hoof proudly to her chest.
My overhead light suddenly turned on and I almost wet my bed in surprise! "Then you'd best show some speed in leaving, Miss Dash. Visiting hours are well done and over with!" I heard from the doorway, turning in time to see Nurse Redheart staring disapprovingly at her.
Oh crap. I didn't want to get Rainbow in trouble again. "I'm sorry, Nurse Redheart. I let her in and shouldn't have," I apologized, bowing my head to her.
"Ah, no way! I showed up and was the one who wanted in. I just had something I really needed to talk to him about is all. I'll take off now," Rainbow explained, smirking at the nurse.
She didn't want to say she had felt like apologizing, I saw. Respecting her wish, I nodded but kept my mouth shut.
The nurse rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Just use normal visiting hours next time, alright?" She requested, looking irritated. Frankly, I'd forgotten she lived upstairs above the three room clinic.
Rainbow Dash through her a sharp mock salute before looking over at me, winking, and adding, "Will do! See you later, okay? And think of a name for yourself!"
With that, she was gone out the still open window in the blink of an eye, leaving a shimmering rainbow trail in her wake. A name huh? Nurse Redheart walked over and closed the window again, re-locking it. "She's so stubborn. I take it you were already awake?" She asked, gesturing towards the book near my pillow with her head.
I nodded weakly, looking at the book as well. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. She saw my light on," I elaborated.
"Well at least she didn't wake you to do whatever," the nurse muttered, turning the overhead off again.
I smiled, remembering the cute mare. Ug, I needed to do something about this. There probably weren't many females in the military in my world and my hormones were going crazy. Maybe there was a spell that I could cast on my insides at least?
"I think I'll go back to sleep for a while," I muttered, earning a gentle smile and nod from the nurse. I turned off my bedside light as she slowly closed my door.
* * * * *
Adjusting my saddle bags for probably the tenth time, I stood in front of the door to the library, looking up. Wearing these felt absurdly awkward but they were really convenient. The nurse told me Twilight had left them with the books the other day. Surprisingly, it was nice to wear something, even though they didn't cover much. I was still a little embarrassed about being naked.
Apprehensive about seeing this particular mare, I hesitated while raising my hoof towards the door. She had meant well but could have been gentler about things. I didn't know what she thought of me, though.
All was going well until a sudden outburst to my right, "That's not how ya knock on a door, Silly!" I almost fell off the step in surprise. "This is much better!" a pink mare with an equally pink, curly mane exclaimed suddenly, from next to me.
She then, to my shock, leapt at the door! She released a series of rapid fire knocks followed by a double stomp, a spinning kick, and finally a light, rhythmic tapping. "Just a second, Pinkie! Relax!" was shouted from inside. That sounded like a very irritated Twilight Sparkle.
Seconds later, the door slammed open magically and an indeed very irritated looking Twilight Sparkle glared out at Pinkie. I decided her name was very fitting as she was extremely pink. Now that I looked, the only thing not pink on her was her eyes, which were light blue, and her Cutie Mark, which was three balloons of blue and yellow. She looked unfazed by Twilight's glare and beamed at her. "Hiya, Twilight!" she greeted, loudly. I started to notice a pattern.
Twilight shook her head and then glanced over at me, suddenly. Her expression shifted instantly from anger, to surprise, and then to a light blush as she regarded me. "Oh, hi. It's you. Uh, do you wanna come in?" she asked tentatively, as if she wasn't used to talking to ponies.
Somehow, Pinkie was in her face almost instantly, eyes bugging out suspiciously. I hadn't even seen her move! "Oooooh? Are you two hiding something? Are you getting all super duper lovey dovey with him and not telling me?!" she accused, her entire body twitching.
"Oh Pinkie Pie, don't be ridiculous! We're just friends," Twilight explained, looking away from Pinkie with a large blush on her face. I felt heat rushing up into my cheeks too, regardless of the situation.
Pinkie suddenly wasn't there. I was shocked and really did fall off the steps this time, as she practically landed on me, somehow from above. "Really!? And what do yoooou have to say about this, Mr. Mysterious Stallion?! I've never seen you around town, before!" she declared, giving me a stare that would surely haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.
"Uh I, um, have no idea what's going on?" I offered, worried she was going to give me similar treatment as the door.
"Pinkie! He's our guest and you're being rude," Twilight dejected, glaring at her as she stood on my side.
Pinkie Pie didn't look like she was listening. She glared at me suspiciously for a few more moments, before suddenly gasping as if a bird just flew up her…
"Oh my! I haven't seen you around town before! And I know every pony around town! So that means that if I don't know you, you're new here! We need a party!" she suddenly screamed out and was gone in a flash.
I stared up at the lip of the library roof, shaking still. It felt like she somehow violated me just by her very presence. Where did all that energy come from?! Surely, she was breaking some form of laws of conservation of energy, somewhere! "Oh dear, I'm sorry. She's like that with new ponies in town," apologized Twilight, who wandered outside and helped me up.
"Ow. Thanks, Twilight. Does she always have that much energy?" I asked wearily, looking back over my shoulder at the pink blur disappearing into town.
Twilight sighed and nodded before turning and heading back into the building. I followed after her at a slower pace, trying to get the saddle bags back on properly. They probably weren't fully attached to begin with but I thought I'd done pretty good for my first try. The door closed quietly behind me and a sign dangled down in the window, reading "Out To Lunch."
She wandered into the rather spacious main area. There was a set of stairs going up towards what appeared to be a loft but it would seem that the entry was on the library area. Well that did kind of make sense. She wouldn't want library goers to have to wander through her bedroom to get to the books. She sat down quietly at one of the tables and nodded towards the chair across from her.
"I was hoping you'd visit me when you were feeling better. Did they just release you today?" Twilight asked as I sat down at her table.
I nodded quietly before sliding the saddle bags off my back with my teeth, and resting them on the table. "Yeah, I was just released a half an hour or so ago. I'm still not very used to walking yet so it took me a couple minutes to get over here. Thank you for the books," I added, attempting to not sound awkward.
Twilight smiled gently at the books I lay down before nodding. "Books always entertain me and I hazarded a guess that you liked reading. And you mean walking on four legs, right?" she asked, shifting her attention to me instead, still smiling.
I had kind of assumed she'd be able to draw quite a few conclusions from our little memory session. "Yeah. Apparently I was a biped prior to arriving here, although you probably know as much as I do about that," I muttered, sliding my hoof in circles on her table.
I started slightly as a small plate suddenly slid my way, having not been paying attention to what she was doing. There was a sandwich on the plate, and some sort of fried, battered sticks it looked like. Maybe similar to fries in my memory? "I figured you'd be hungry, having just been released. Dandelion sandwich with hay fries. I'm uh, not a very good cook," she explained, flushing slightly.
"Probably better than me, but thank you," I replied, chuckling at her expression. It was followed by, "And I take it you haven't told anypony about me yet, huh?"
Twilight shook her head while she took a bite of her own sandwich. I tried a bite of mine while she was pre-occupied. It was surprisingly good if not a little sour. "No, I haven't told anypony else. It stays between us, everything I find in your memories. And well, I'm sorry," she apologized suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere.
"For what?" I asked, unsure of her intent. My chest, I suddenly realized, relaxed as I ate. There was an unknown restless feeling that I had been plagued with for a couple days and I just noticed, a tense sensation in my muscles as I walked through town in broad daylight. But something was truly simplistic about just talking, and eating a meal in this library. It felt like things weren't as complicated as I had thought and that I could just relax.
Twilight Sparkle looked back up at me, a bit of guilt showing through in her eyes. "In truth I had only ever read about that magic, never actually done it. I used too much force and it probably hurt you. Plus, I should have explained it more before doing it. I was just too excited to try out the new spell that I didn't consider your feelings in the matter," she elaborated quietly.
I looked at her for a long moment but she remained staring towards the table, sandwich floating a little ways from her head. Eventually I sighed and shook my head quietly. "As long as you tell me what you're doing in the future, no harm right?" I added, smiling again.
Twilight's expression shifted to a grin and she nodded before taking another bite of her sandwich. I idly wondered what was in these. The texture was that of some sort of flowers or something. Given my newfound diet however, I guess I'd best get used to them. Then I remembered something.
"Uh, did Pinkie Pie really mean it when she said she was planning a party?" I suddenly asked.
Twilight momentarily choked on her own sandwich before she started laughing. "Yeah, Pinkie wouldn't be herself if she didn't throw new ponies a party. And put together one for everypony's birthdays. And holidays. And special events. And well, whenever she felt like having a party, which is most days," she explained, unable to stop her snickering throughout.
"Ug, so she's throwing a party for me? I don't even have a name. Now what am I gonna do?" I asked, suddenly dreading the social event. I wasn't very good at socializing in normal circumstances. What was I going to do with a party thrown for me?
Twilight kept smiling though. "Well I'm sure you can just pick something to call yourself, right? A name you really like or maybe something historical. Or you can ask us to help you think of one. Rarity or Applejack would probably be the most serious about it," she offered.
That struck a chord. I winced, and looked down at the table again. "I don't think Applejack likes me very much. Maybe I'll ask this Rarity pony," I contemplated.
She sighed and shook her head towards me. "You two just got off to a bad start is all. That, and she was worried you'd well…" she started to explain, trailing off and frowning towards the end.
I raised my head and looked at her again, frowning myself. Twilight seemed to understand and nodded without me asking. "I know. I'm on your side and I understand now why you acted the way you did. She was concerned for her little sister and thought you might have done something to the three fillies and Apple Bloom just didn't want to say anything," she finished, frowning again.
My eyes widened and I suddenly had difficulty swallowing my bite of sandwich with the lump in my throat. "But why would I hurt them? I only wanted to get away at the time," I muttered, feeling a chilled sensation sinking in my stomach.
She nodded in assurance. "I know. Applejack's just rather protective, especially of her sister. When you mentioned eating ponies she apparently freaked out," she explained, wincing at the thought herself.
My appetite went away, suddenly. "No, I don't eat ponies. I thought that, ug," I tried to defend, giving up. She already said she understood my side. Defending myself was kind of pointless.
Twilight Sparkle nodded gently and finished off her sandwich, looking as if she was thinking about something. Feeling suddenly tired, I lay the side of my muzzle down on her table and stared at the sideways view of the couple bites left of my sandwich. I guess in my assumptions, I had made a rather poor impression. Reality was starting to sink in again.
The facts were obvious. I died. The spell I had used had killed me. But something happened in that instant of casting that caused something. Instead of dying, I was brought here. I don't know if a new body was formed or if my old one just changed, but I was a pony now. My world however, for all practical purposes, was gone. Either destroyed or taken over completely. I didn't have a place to return to even if I had wanted to. I was stuck here, in this form and in this reality. This wasn't temporary but something I needed to face as my new existence. The people here, ponies rather, were my new species.
"Don't worry about Applejack. She'll come around soon enough. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and myself already vouch for you and that's got to mean something to her," Twilight reassured, after a few quiet seconds.
Raising an eyebrow, I shifted my gaze to her. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy too?" I questioned, wondering why they did.
I got an enthusiastic nod in return. "Yup! Rainbow Dash apparently visited you to apologize and you made quite an impression. And Fluttershy said you had gentle eyes or something," She added, looking a little perplexed at the last part.
A gentle blush slipped into my cheeks. Her eyes were beyond gentle after all, so she would know. I felt an indescribable calmness after locking eyes with her that time. I didn't know what to think of her ultimately, but it was definitely good thoughts!
Suddenly, I snapped back to attention, and noticed Twilight wearing a smirk towards me. "Hey! What?" I denied, blushing harder and looking away.
"Heh, I saw your memories you bad boy. Cute, isn't she?" Twilight asked, mirthful and amused.
I buried my head in my hooves and sighed. "Shush. It's just been a while since I've interacted with girls," I protested, trying to regain my composure. Of course that was just a guess on my part. I hadn't actually known how much interaction with females I'd had prior to arriving here.
Twilight snickered but added in a more serious manner, "Relax, I'm teasing you. Just be careful because she doesn't react to strangers very well. Get to be her friend before putting moves on her."
"I'm not one to 'put moves on' in the first place. I probably won't do anything at all," I muttered, face still hidden. One would think I'd remember a mate if I had one. Of course, I didn't even recall my old friends which was depressing enough. Given my age, maybe I had never gotten one? Might as well leave that as is for the time being. I was more interested in finding a way to not starve to death on the street, anyway.
There was a long moment of silence and I got curious, finally glancing up at Twilight. She wore a soft smile as she looked down at me. Catching my gaze, she nodded. "I'm sorry. You must still be adjusting to things but you are indeed nice. I shouldn't have needed Rainbow Dash to tell me that, but I guess I was just a little wary considering what I discovered by accident in your mind," she reasoned.
"What, the situation of my arrival?" I asked, snuggling against my forelegs and feeling comfortable, now that my stomach was finally telling my brain it had food.
Twilight shook her head, however. "Given what you'd been through. That would have turned a lot of ponies very bitter. Or worse. I'm glad that you're not one of the majority," she elaborated, smiling then.
I closed my eyes softly, suddenly ready to fall asleep right here. "Yeah. I, well, think I can vaguely recall it happening to others but nothing specific. I'm just me." After I said it, I decided it probably sounded reasonably nonsensical. I had such a way with words, my mind retorted sardonically.
Twilight giggled however, and agreed, "You are indeed just you, which is a good thing. Have you thought about what you're going to do? If you don't mind, I'd like to do a few more sessions to try to bring your memories back. And I'd like to investigate into how you came here. All in good privacy, of course," she requested.
"I don't mind. I'm more worried about a place to stay and a way to get food, though," I explained, frowning again. I'm assuming they had some sort of currency here and that I could acquire some through labor, or similar, but getting a place to stay probably cost significantly higher than what I could achieve in what little was left of the day, meaning a bed for tonight was out of the question.
Twilight thought for a moment, before tentatively nodding. "I know how you feel but you should hold off work until you fully recover. You've only been released today. Wait at least a week before you do anything strenuous, okay?" she requested, sounding a little concerned.
"But how am I going to get currency? If I'm going to afford a place to stay and food to eat, I'm going to have to work, right?" I asked, probably letting more worry through than intended.
"You can stay with one of us for a while of course. I don't have a lot of room here but getting a cot or hammock wouldn't be that hard. I'd like to run a few tests on you, anyway. I'll also ask Applejack about possibly employing you on her farm after you recover. That's good work for an Earth Pony like you," she started to say, almost as if thinking out loud.
Sitting up again, I asked, "Are you sure Applejack would like that?" I was also concerned about making this up to Twilight but something told me that she'd get a lot of enjoyment out of turning me into a guinea pig for her experiments.
She was unfazed and just nodded. "Of course. Like I said, once we get her to see that you're really a good guy, she'll be all for having competent work for the farm. They're always expanding the business and you seem like you'd be a hard worker," she promised.
In truth, I was looking forward to doing manual work that didn't involve killing something. The thought of that caused my stomach to tie itself in knots. I can't imagine I made a very good soldier. "And what about you? What do you want in return for me staying here?" I asked hesitantly, unsure of how to go about this.
Twilight shook her head gently. "You seem like you're going to be a good pony to be friends with so don't worry about it. I don't mind company on occasion and it'll be nice to have another pony to practice my spells on. Spike starts complaining if I use him too often," she furthered, winking at me. I swallowed nervously but nodded. Figured she wanted a guinea pig. Wait, who was Spike?
Wham! The door opened and a large stack of banners with two purple, scaly legs walked in. Well this was certainly an interesting new creature. Twilight watched the moving stack with a slightly confused expression, probably mirroring of mine.
"Spike, what is all that?" She asked after a few seconds.
The stack was set down on the floor carefully and a tiny purple fellow stepped around it. He was half my height when I stood, but quite a bit different. He had scales instead of a coat, claws for hands, and a purple ridged back and tail. A lizard of some sort?
"Well I was over at Rarity's, you know, helping her with things, and Pinkie Pie burst in and started getting fabric for a party. She then hauled me halfway around Ponyville gathering supplies and sent me back here. Apparently there's a new pony in town!" He explained.
There were several awkward moments, followed by, "Wait, she's having it here?!"
"Yup. She looked everywhere but couldn't figure out where they were going to live, so she just decided to lure and surprise them here. Hey, who's he?" Spike asked, finally glancing over at me after explaining.
Twilight coughed lightly and glanced back to me. "Uh, he's the new pony," she muttered. I suddenly felt extremely awkward. Whoops. I wasn't supposed to have heard all that.
Spike looked amazingly like I felt, though. "Aw, what? Dang it, now Pinkie's gonna be mad at me. Can ya work some magic to make him forget or something?" He protested. I'm pretty sure I paled considerably at that point.
"Spike! I don't use my magic for that," she berated, before glancing back to me and asking, "Can you come back later for the party? Apparently we're having it here now."
I nodded, swallowing a bit uneasily. I'd not cherished the thought of going out there again, and naked this time. Twilight looked like she wanted to say something but glanced at Spike and went quiet. She didn't want to discuss anything about my memories in front of him, it seemed.
Understanding, I turned around and headed out the door before I further complicated her day.