Chapter Four
Questionable
Alex grunted as he lifted himself up off the bed. Instead of stopping at a standing position, his forward momentum continued, leading him downward and into the cold embrace of the floor. Alex slammed into the tiles and groaned drawing the attention of doctor Hart.
The stallion nearly jumped out of his fur. "Are you alright?!" he asked with shock and concern.
"Yes," Alex replied, "and no. My legs just have to adjust from being useless for the last dozen or so hours." He attempted to push himself up off the floor and stood for a few seconds before falling back onto the bed. "Damn. Do you guys have any crutches at all?"
"I'm afraid that we don't have any that would accommodate your specific species," Hart responded plainly. "Oh, that's right!" he tapped his forehead with his hoof, "I don't even know your species! What, may I ask, are your types called?"
"Humans. Homo sapiens," Alex elaborated. "There are a few who would consider us to be apes that have evolved over millions of years, those people being the more scientific." He shrugged, "Take your pick."
Hart visibly contemplated his next question, "Would you mind if I studied you in more detail? I'm simply fascinated with your internal anatomy and physiology. The placement and layout of your internal organs and such is quite fascinating."
Alex leaned away a bit, a bit perturbed, "Did you cut me open?!"
"Oh, no, no, no!" Hart waved his hoof, his expression a tad shocked. "That would be quite wrong, going into somepony's body without permission! We performed an internal scan," he quickly explained, "you were never harmed aside from any injuries you had already sustained."
Alex let out a breath, unaware that he had been holding it in the first place. He readjusted his position on the bed so that he could prepare to stand again. He pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the bed's headboard for support. When he felt steady, he released his grip slowly and examined himself, nodding in approval. "Better." He turned back to Hart, who gave him a small smile back.
"Just wait a few moments. Your muscle strength should return in a bit," he said, proceeding to shut down the various monitors, occasionally glancing back at Alex. The human stood next to the bed, eyes downcast, staring at the floor. Hart turned to face Alex, slowly, "Are you alright?"
"It's all real. Isn't it?"
Hart was confused by the question. "What do you mean?"
"This," Alex gestured to the room. "You," he pointed at Hart, "a talking horse."
"This is unfamiliar to you. I understand," the pony said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I read the report."
Alex just shook his head, "There's no way I'm getting back, is there?" The previous issue, in his mind, was now dropped. His home was in New York, not... whatever this place was. His head drooped lower. He hadn't noticed, but Doctor Hart had come up behind him, his hooves barely making a sound on the floor. Strange.
"Whatever do you mean 'no way of getting back?'"
Alex ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back along his head. He then let out a long sigh, "I'm never getting back to my world." He sat back down on the bed, wincing as his leg hit the side.
"Where is your home?" Hart asked, coming up beside the bed. The pony had both a look of genuine concern and interest upon his face.
Alex looked up and faced him, giving a small, halfhearted chuckle. "I'm from New York."
"I'm not entirely sure where that is, I'm afraid," Hart admitted. Alex gave another chuckle at the statement. "But," Hart continued, "I'm sure the Princesses would know."
Alex looked back at Hart, confused. "What?"
"The reason I came in here was to bring you to the Princesses for... questioning," he elaborated. Hart crossed over to the far wall and stood by the door. "I'm not sure what they're going to ask, so be prepared."
The pony opened the door and was about to step outside before Alex spoke up, "I only have one thing I've to ask."
Hart turned to face him, halfway out the door. "And that would be?"
Alex looked down at his bare chest and then back to the doctor, "Do you know where I can get a shirt?"
The pony opened his mouth to speak, but closed it promptly. "Um," he started a few seconds later, "I'll see what we can do." The silver form of Hart quickly stepped out the doors, closing it behind him.
The sound of the lock sliding into place prompted Alex to fall onto his back, the mattress cushioning his drop. He sighed and put his hand over his eyes. "Just be patient, Alex" he quietly reassured himself, "you'll have time later."
Celestia sat at a large, thin, rectangular table in the main dining hall, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony sitting around her. The room was elongated and spacious, with stained glass windows lining the walls, the colored light bouncing of the marble columns and bathing the space in color. Celestia looked eagerly to the large, oaken double-doors, patiently awaiting both the human and Luna, the latter of which was late. The mares around her were just as anxious as she was, chatting nervously amongst themselves.
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight looked up at the near god-like alicorn next to her.
Celestia looked down at her faithful student, "Yes, Twilight?"
"What do you think about him?" the purple unicorn asked her mentor, her expression serious.
The teacher shook her head slowly in response, "I'm not sure yet. I feel quite guilty for reading his thoughts soon after he fell into unconsciousness. Though, he was definitely unsure of his surroundings." Celestia returned her gaze to the doors, "Still... I want to be sure."
Suddenly, the doors were opened, and about a dozen guards filtered in. Next came a stallion with a silver coat and white mane, doctor Hart. He was still wearing his lab coat, but was carrying a clipboard under his left foreleg. He had also taken some time to don a black bow tie, making him appear slightly formal. It looked a bit out of place with his medical attire, and Celestia even heard some of the elements giggle.
Finally, Alex entered the room, another set of guards close behind. Alex was now wearing what looked like a black curtain that was crudely sewn together, with jagged arm holes at the sides. His right arm was exposed out the side, while his sling was hidden beneath the covering. The guards led him over to the table, encircling him as they approached in case he tried anything, if at all. Hart followed behind as Alex made it to the table and sat down, facing the seven mares across from him. The table itself was at least fifty feet long, and Alex wondered if he would have to shout just for them to hear him. He felt a sudden tightness in his wrist and found a pair of guards securing metal cuffs onto him.
"Not that tight, please," Alex asked, "I really don't want to end up chafing." He wasn't sure if the guards acknowledged him or not, but he was satisfied that the bands were no longer digging into his skin.
"Are you comfortable?" Celestia's voice echoed around the room, startling Alex. She was speaking at normal volume, but the size of the hall was helpful in carrying the sound.
"I find the cuffs to be a bit unnecessary," he said, lifting a hand for emphasis.
"I'm sorry about that," Celestia replied, her tone genuine. "It's just a precaution."
"Any chance I can get them off?" Alex asked.
"Not at the moment. My apologies for the inconvenience," she said. Her white horn was briefly illuminated by her golden aura, and a small stack of papers appeared beside her, along with a manila folder.
"Why am I here?" Alex asked.
The question hung in the air for a moment before Celestia gave a small smile, "We're just going to ask you some questions. Is that alright with you?"
"Seeing that I may not have a choice," Alex nodded, his face showing no emotion. "Still, I'd like to know if I can ask questions of my own, afterward."
"I would hope so," Celestia gave a nod of her own, "I would like to hear what you may have to say." The alicorn cleared her throat, and a quill hovered above the parchment, "Now, what is your name?"
"Alex," he replied.
"Your full name," Celestia specified, politely.
"Alex Francis Harper," he elaborated.
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"Mm-hmm." A quill hovered next to Celestia as she scribbled something down on the paper. "Next question: Where are you from?"
"Earth."
"More specific."
"New York City," he replied dully.
"Please, Alex," Celestia said softly, her tone was kinder, "we're just trying to figure out how we can help you."
The two stared at each other silently, Alex's previously uninterested expression was slowly replaced with one of reluctant acceptance. He raised his hand up, defensively, "Alright, Princess. Let's just get this over with so you can send me back to my planet."
There was some small chatter between the ponies at the end of the table, especially between Twilight and Celestia. The two of them seemed to be arguing about something, but it was too quiet for Alex to make out. Suddenly, the Princess gave out an exasperated sigh, the mares around her stopping to take notice. She turned back to Alex, now with an angered look on her face. Alex wasn't sure, but he swore that the colors on Celestia's mane darkened for a second. Twilight sat beside her with a slightly smug expression, but it still contained a hint of the same anger.
"Next question," Celestia continued, "How did you get here?"
Alex's mind briefly blanked in response to the question. He frowned, surprised that he felt like he was caught off guard. He lifted his hands and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I, uh... fell down an elevator shaft."
Celestia nodded, this little motion Alex found repetitive, and scribbled down more notes, "Do you know if you were sent here by anything specific? Did you upset someone? Did you perform a spell?"
Alex shook his head, "I was sent here by-" He stopped. Something was beginning to nag at the back of his skull. He felt like he should tell them about Devilin, but... he couldn't. It felt like something was preventing him from telling them. "I was sent here by..." he tried again, "... no one." Alex's mind had a panic attack moment, searching for evidence of why he said what he did, but nothing was found. 'What?! Why did I say that?!'
"Alex?"
He looked up and immediately found every single pair of eyes on him, excluding the guards who were already watching him.
"Are you alright?" Celestia asked.
"Yeah, I'm..." he put his hand to his forehead and ran it back through his hair, "...I'm fine. Probably just the concussion messing with my head."
Celestia looked like she didn't believe him for a second, but the suspicion left her face quickly. The stack of papers were shuffled about in her golden aura before they disappeared. Seconds later, a new piece appeared before her. Celestia read it carefully before sighing and looking back at the human seated at the end of the table. "Mister Harper... Alex," she corrected herself, "I'm going to skip the formalities for now and let any further questions wait. Until then, you shall be put under the watch of Doctor Hart and," the princess suddenly frowned as she continued, "Captain Witt."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Who's Captain Witt?" he inquired.
"He's a downright pain in the flank," Hart, who had been completely silent up until now, answered. "Sorry, Princess," he apologized upon realizing what he said. "He's a pain," Hart repeated, "and, anyone will admit, a tad insane."
Alex felt his eyes roll in their sockets. "Wonderful," he muttered, "We can both bunk in the same padded cell."
Hart shook his head, "He's not that kind of insane."
"He's not entirely nuts," Twilight, also previously silent, spoke up.
"But he's still crazy," Hart voiced back.
There were muttered agreements going around the room, even between a few pf the guards. 'Wow,' Alex thought, 'what a reputation.' "So..." he returned his attention to the room's occupants, "exactly how crazy is this guy?"