//------------------------------// // Chapter 2. Waking up, why does my head hurt? // Story: A New Teacher // by Sparky Brony //------------------------------// My mouth is dry, not as dry as when I was in the water, I can feel something in my right arm, feels like an IV. All right, some Coast Guard cutter finally made its way out to me. I turn my head back and forth, my eyes are still pretty dry, don't think I should open them yet. I can hear voices. "Where exactly did you find him?" A female voice asks. "Somehow, he was on my front doorstep, he was soaking wet, but somehow, he was very dehydrated." Another feminine voice, this one was much softer than the other. "You know, you should have taken him to the hospital." The first voice responds. "You know as well as I do that I can't carry his weight that far, and I'm just as capable of IV hydration, Dr. Bones taught me, with some of my critters. I've helped in the hospital before, I know what I'm doing. And honestly, Rainbow, do you know anypony else who can give him the care I can?" The other voice sounds abashed, "I guess you're right Fluttershy. You made the right choice." Wait a moment, hospital, I'm not on a ship. How long have I been out, to make it to land already? I shake my head, anypony, and what the heck are those names, Fluttershy, Rainbow. What the hell? I try to talk, all that comes out is a croak. "Oh, he's waking up, I'll go get Twilight, you sure you don't need me to help Flutters?" The voice, I've identified as Rainbow, says. I'm in the middle of trying to pry my eyelids open. One note, dehydration means you don't produce tears. Not very pleasant, I open my eyes to blobs of color, no definition, no focus. I sigh and close my eyes again. "No." All of a sudden the voice known as Fluttershy sounds really nervous. "I don't think he can hurt me, he is weaker than a newborn kitten." I hear something, it almost sounds like a bird flapping it's wings as it takes off. I try a second time to open my eyes. They don't react at all. A warm arm comes behind my head, as the very soft voice of Fluttershy says. "Drink now." And a bowl or cup is pressed gently against my lips. I drink greedily. In moments it's empty. And very quickly it's replaced with a full one, I finish it off too. My stomach is starting to complain about it. I lean back. My eyes are so heavy. I fall back asleep with a million questions. Where the hell am I? What happened? What about that weird Princess Luna apparition. Well, all those can be answered in time, I need more sleep, I need to recover. I wake again to voices talking. "I don't know who this is, I've never seen him before." A new voice this time. "When I found him, he was dressed in very odd clothing, it's very tough, I had trouble cutting it off of him. It didn't seem to be shaped right for his body. It had all kinds of tubes in it, especially in the lower legs." I know that voice, Fluttershy, bringer of water. I hear the sound of my flight suit being moved around. Fluttershy continues, "and look at this on the front of it." "Hmmm," The new voice seems to be contemplating my flight suit, "It says United States Navy on one side, and the other…" more thinking apparently, "Wa…chow…ski… And what are these on the shoulder?" More sounds of movement, "Two silver bars connected together. I have never seen that symbol, nor this flag on the shoulder. Red and white bars with white stars on a blue background. I have no clue." Huh? These people don't know what the good ole U S of A is? More than that, they don't know what a navy is? Aside from that new voice horribly mispronouncing my name. I swallow, I have moisture in my mouth again. Maybe I can talk. "It's my name, Wachowski" I'm able to croak out. In moments the arm is back, lifting my head up. Once again a cup is pressed gently to my lips, I can feel heat from it though. This isn't water. "There now, careful. This shouldn't be too hot, it's tea." Fluttershy's voice breathes into my ear. I sip the pleasantly warm liquid. It's liquid ambrosia. Just enough honey to sweeten without overpowering the flavor, and yet the flavor. This is the best tea I've ever drunk. And I'm a coffee drinker. I drink slowly, it's as perfect as tea can be. It doesn't beat the coffee in the officer's mess on the Nimitz, but it's excellent nonetheless. I polish off the cup quickly. I turn to the voice and slowly open my eyes. My vision is still very blurry, but I'm able to make out a yellow and pink blob, I blink my eyes and let their renewed tears work their magic. Shortly there is definition to the blob in front of me. I make out a furred yellow face, with impossibly huge blue eyes, and bright pink hair. I blink again. That face is not only not human, but… I look closer, trying to figure out what I'm seeing. That face is not human, very similar to that Princess Luna. Oh my God. I scramble back as fast as I can move. I bash my head against something, it feels like wood, I have to get as far away from this horror as fast as I can. "You're a horse!" I scream as I keep trying to move away. My panic apparently infected the yellow creature in front of me, she emits a soft "meep" and backs away from me as fast as I'm trying to back away from her. I look around. There are two more of the strange creatures in front of me. One of them, with lavender fur and purple hair with a pink stripe in that hair comes forward a little bit. "We are not horses, we are ponies. You should know that." That's the new voice from earlier. My breathing gets faster and faster. I'm trying to process everything. "You are talking ponies, that's fucking impossible." I look at the third one, her cyan face is topped by a shocking multicolored do. I'm in a bed with three ponies in front of me. I turn around, just a blank wall. I turn back, I've got to get out of here. I dart forward. My coordination has gone to shit, I'm trying to stay on two legs, I get past them and I see the bright outline of a door, I run to it unsteadily. My legs aren't working the way they should. What did these creatures do to me? I slam into the door with all my strength, I must be pretty strong, or the door weak, I break through it without really slowing down. I'm running for all I'm worth. I can't run very well though. My limbs simply do not want to bend the way they always have. About twenty feet past the door I trip over my feet and tumble end over end. I end up on my back, still hyperventilating. I hear a shout behind me, I try to get up, but my body just simply does not respond. I feel as though every part of me is immobilized. Somehow I'm lifted up and righted. I'm hovering in the air and I see the lavender pony come up to me. I get another look at her. My blood pressure must drop quite a bit, because all of a sudden I'm woozy. She has a horn, it's glowing. Something else really catches my eyes, she has wings tucked on each side of her body. She's an alicorn like Luna was. And the look on her face is not pleasant now. She actually seems confused, and angry. "What is going on?" I plead with her. "I was in the water, and….hurgk" Somehow my mouth fails to work as I'm trying to talk. Let's try again, "Some pony…gach" again, I try to talk about Luna and my tongue decides to tie itself in knots. Let's try another tack. "I just punched out of my aircraft as it was crashing, and I ended up in the water, and now I'm here. I don't even know where here is." I give her my best pleading look. She looks at me seriously. "Honestly, is this some kind of joke?" Her horn stops glowing and I drop to the ground. I'm grateful I don't face plant. I catch myself and look up at her. "I swear to Jesus Christ himself, Miss. I am not joking with you." "Jesus who?" She looks puzzled. Now I know I've got to be dreaming, someone who doesn't know Jesus Christ. "I've got to be dreaming." I say out loud. "That is the only explanation, bright Technicolor ponies, one with wings and a freaking horn. I've got to be dreaming. I hit myself in the side of the head, and OUCH!!! That hurt. I look at my offending hand that's much harder than it has any right to. My eyes bug out. "A fucking hoof? Are you fucking kidding me?" I scream at the top of my lungs. "I don't know that word…fucking…but from how you are using it, it's a vulgar word, and I would appreciate it if you don't use it in my presence, sir." The lavender pony says, an edge of warning to her voice. I hear her. But I don't really register what she's saying, at least not immediately. I'm too busy staring at the light brown furred arm with a black hoof where my right arm used to be. I shift my weight and look at my left arm. Same deal, it's another hoof. This is too much for me to process. So my brain, it it's infinite wisdom, decides to take the easy way out. My eyes roll back and I pass out. Thanks for nothing brain.