Did he hear that right? Him? A pony? Could she do that? He hadn't figured that, stretched and twisted a bit. A different world, with different laws of physics. "I'd be a pony?" The thought struck him as hilarious, and he laughed a little. Not because he dismissed her proposal. He hadn't thought about that. With a hand he steadied Flint. "Sorry little guy, she just startled me… me a pony? How would that work?"
"Quite simple really, we'd just give you a new body. Or the body you would have had if you'd been born in Equestria. I'm not sure what you'd be though. I'd wager on pegasus, but I've been wrong before." She mused. "It's a complicated spell, powerful, only alicorns could pull it off. Although I've heard stories about a really gifted unicorn in Ponyville, I haven't followed that lead very extensively. I've been focusing on my medical practices."
"What... you'd exchange my body, or change it?" They'd gone through Kafka at the High School, in The Metamorphosis the author had woken up as a beetle. "It sounds a bit worrying... would it be hard getting me back to normal?" The proposal was... exhilarating, the thought of walking around in a new body was a childhood fantasy come true.
"Not at all. Think of it this way, you'd just be assigned a new body to fit a new realm. Human in one, pony in another. Heck, if I took you to a realm entirely populated by ostriches you'd probably be an ostrich. It's just a way of assimilation. No mental changes, no permanency." She assured him. "I'd take you back here, you'd be yourself again."
"How could I leave and... well, people would notice that Norman wasn't in his bed. Or that I wasn't in school…" He was still a bit dizzy from the proposal, and strangely giddy. Nobody had ever told him anything like that was possible. Well, fiction sure, and this was reality. "I'd love that Angel, I'd love that a lot." He wondered when it could happen. And the nagging doubt in his mind insisted that it was all a delusion.
"Therein lies the issue. Time would continue here as normal. A few days there would equally a few days gone from here." She winked at him. "I don't know about you, but I'd say a week in the hospital deserves a personal vacation, don't you?" She hinted, implying it wouldn't be completely unheard of for him to vanish for a while after discharge.
"Yes, I'd love that. Uhm, but you'll have to send a slip to my mom or dad, or something like that. They're not around much." He scratched his arm a bit. "But they still need to know if something happens to me... can I snap pictures? I can always go with that I'm an art student somewhere." How would you work a camera with hooves, asked the doubtful part of him. Damnit, I'll find out!
She shook her head, as part of him slightly suspected she would. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to bring anything between the two worlds. It is for the safety and security of both worlds. No photos, no souvenirs." She said firmly. "I can't allow it."
"Alright." He smiled "Can't have everything." He looked at Flint "Wish you could stay here little guy, but I don't know much about taking care of little baby dragons." He stroked the little baby dragon's head. "He's been very well behaved for someone who's having his first visit to another world."
Angel smiled, and returned the dragon to her back. "He's a sweetheart, just like you. Probably why you get along so well." She teased. "I'll let you rest for now, if you ever need me, all you have to do is call. I've taken a liking to you, can't say that about a whole lot of people." She confessed.
"Is this world really so bad?" He couldn't say that he wasn't proud of being human, and living here, but he wondered what kind of world she came from. Princesses who ruled night and day. It sounded… like a good thing. Those princesses would be good enough to be allowed to do that.
She shook her head. "I cannot comment on that, we come from two different places. But do me this. After you've spent some time observing my world and my culture, make a comparison for yourself. Only you can decide that. You may not to get to see or do or meet everyone you want to though."
With that, deciding he needed his rest, she parted from his company once again with a gentle "Goodbye for now, Norman!"
[DAY SEVEN]
Norman had never known four simple words to be so deliciously satisfying. One of the nurses, named Amelia, had come to his bedside that morning. He hadn't seen Angel in two days, she'd completed her tests and was likely back in... where did she say she was from... Evodia, that was it. "You're free to go." She had said with a smile, and helped him up to escort him to the front lobby. His father had come to meet him, although the man was relieved you were alright, he had an expression indicating he'd rather be somewhere else. His head was only a dull tolerable throbbing, one that hadn't gone away in two days. The woman at the front desk slid his father a stack of papers to sign and date. He looked at his son. "I'm glad you're okay." He said.
Watching Angel walk... trot... through the hall, hoofs clacking against the hard floor, and nobody noticing it as porters moved beds around her was surreal. She stood out more than anything, and yet nobody was noticing. It made him wonder what she looked like to them. He'd only ever seen her as she truly appeared, without all her elusive spells. The meeting with his father was awkward as usual. At his fathers comment Norman nodded, he was also glad he was "okay" too. Only dad I have a permanent head ache now and its never going away, and it hurt so bad this morning I almost started crying and I have to go through that again. However what came out was "I still have some things left to heal."
Alex, that was his dads name, looked down at him. "You'll be alright, kid. Give it a few days. We'll put all this behind us." He said reassuringly, sliding the stack of papers back over to the nurse, who flipped through them. "Great! You're all set to go. I had a message for you from Angel as well, Norman. She said she's sorry she couldn't see you off but she's proud of the way you've handled this. Said you'd know what that meant."
He did, he hadn't freaked and he'd eventually come to terms with her existing. That was quite a thing to process, he still wasn't absolutely sure that it wasn't a figment of his imagination. Certainly now that his was here a worry came to him again about that. However he couldn't go on simple denying what had happened. "I like her, she's offered to help me with it." She'd been tight lipped about the "vacation" and what it would imply. He'd be turned into a pony! And see a whole different world! Would she just suddenly spring it on him? The thought of suddenly teleporting made him a little antsy.
Angel had been very kind and understanding thus far, and open to all his questions. She had mentioned something about nursing being her 'destiny', although hadn't explained that any further, leaving him confused as always. His father drove him home, and apparently that was about his quota of companionship for the day. "I gotta get back to work. You need anything? Crackers? Soup?" He asked.
Don't worry, there's some powdered chicken soup and some soda. I think I'll just rest and maybe call Thomas and tell him about the pains, its a bit hard for me to talk to you about it. Just the thought was giving him a pang of head ache which he blinked away. "No I'll be fine." Was all that came out. He couldn't remember when it had started becoming hard to talk to his dad. Things had changed over the years. Or had they always been like that, and now he was only noticing?
His father would never admit what Norman suspected, which was that his father only wanted one child, and Norman had been... unannounced. Alex had always had a good relationship with Thomas, and Norman had played second wind. It was infuriating. When he'd first gone to the hospital, he knew his dad had been there, but he was fairly certainly he had finished whatever he was doing at work first, before bothering to find time for Norman. That was most likely where Angel was such a relieving presence, she always made time for him, was always very patient. Alex slapped Norman's shoulder. "Good man, raised you well." He said, and headed out the front door.
Norman nodded and waved, and slinked back into the house, closing the doors gently. He wasn't sure what said off the migraine attacks, but they seemed to come and go in waves and he was afraid he was building up to one. What had the nurse said? Only one painkiller every four hours, it doesn't help taking more than that. He'd had one this morning, so there were at least two hours until he could take the next one. He went for some cold soda.
His house was empty, but as he made progress for the kitchen, the pain in his head suddenly vanished entirely. It never lasted for more than an hour, but only happened when... he turned the corner to the kitchen, and found Angel sitting calmly by the counter, as radiant as ever. "Good morning, Norman." She said cheerfully.
You're a sight for sore eyes, Angel. "Thanks, I think the pain was building up again." He loved the horn she had, and the pony it was attached to who was still quite a mystery to him. He still got a soda.. she was a guest in his house. What did ponies like? "Uhm... want anything? I think we've got some crackers in the drawers somewhere." Did she need a trough to eat from?
"No thank you, I had too many flowers this morning, I'm rather ashamed of myself." She admitted with a sheepish grin. He could likely ask her anything he wanted, though some questions might be borderline offensive. "Just so you know, I'm invisible at the moment, except to you of course. It'd be rather strange to have your nurse or a pony unexplainably in your house."
"Oh there's no one here, except for a cleaning lady who comes by now and then." His father pulled home good money. He took a chair and opened the soda there. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon. I was afraid that you'd suddenly, POOF me off somewhere. So... are we still going to do it?" Say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes!!!
"You mean take you to Equestria? I'd love to." She said. "That is, if you think you're ready for it. Oh, I'd love for you to see Equestria. It's beautiful." She gave a half smile. "But... things don't work the same way they do here, I hope you realize that."
He nodded, and took it serious. "I know, part of that is really exciting to me, but... is there something I should know? I only know a little about that world, princesses who rule night and day. Pegasus...sii weather control, and well, that I'll turn into a pony." He had thought about that one, that would prove quite a challenge, in private he had tried picking up things with his hands balled into fists.
"I think the change will be instant, we have different rules and physics in Equestria and you'll be expected to abide by them, and your form will change to suit them. I don't know which of the three types of ponies you'll be. But I'll teach you how to walk, and if you're a unicorn, I'll teach you basic magic. Wouldn't that be nice, able to control that headache of yours without me around?"
He nodded, magic... wings. Heck if I just have a tail and hooves I'll still have fun stumbling around all day long for that week. "Phew, I was kinda worried you'd have to change me through some large complex process. Its nice to know it'll be over when I'm there. But uhm… when are we going to leave?" She hadn't said anything about that. As for how nice it would be to control his headache, that would be nice, but then... he would only be able to do that if he was a unicorn, and when he was in Equestria.
"I'll take you now. But remember, however long we're there, you'll be missing from here, so make sure you leave a note or something explaining your absence." She said cautiously. "If anyone asks, you're from Manehattan." Her voice was serious, he wasn't sure if she was joking about that. "We'll figure out the rest later."
He nodded, it was serious. His dad would lose his mind if he just up and up disappeared, although more so because he'd have nobody to sent to the store for him while the football game was on. So he spent some time figuring out what to write. Lying was easy, but he wanted to be honest so he decided to tell the honest truth. "Hi dad, the nurse Angel called me and said that I could go on a retreat for a week. Its a place not too far from here. There's still some headache issues. If you're getting worried, just direct questions to the hospital and they'll try to get in contact with Angel." He showed the note to Angel and quickly wrote something similar to his big brother, Thomas. It was an email, and a long one, he told Thomas about how he know has permanent headaches that comes and goes, and its hard to talk to Alex about it. That the nurse Angel has offered him a resort for a week. And some personal feelings he expressed, which only he and Thomas would get.
Angel nodded in approval. "Good!" She said. "Now take hold of my horn, and I'll do the rest." It was an odd request, he'd assumed the horn was a private and sensual part of a pony, but likely it was just extremely bad etiquette if you didn't ask first.
This was it, the moment of truth. "I trust you, Angel." Having put the note in a place his father couldn't miss. Namely on his work desk, he went back to Angel. Shivering a little with anticipation, expecting a few nasty shocks and apologies from her as well as her admitting she couldn't do it he placed his hands there. The horn was hard, like a rocky spire, yet it vibrated with an inner life. "R... ready."
There was a bright flash of light, and a heavy warmth that rocked through his body. The ground fell out from underneath his feet, and he had the sensation of falling, of total blackness. Was this what teleporting was like? It was terrible. The next conscious thought he had was Angel standing over him.