Soup. The heavenly scent of soup filled the air causing a stir from the bundle of blankets. How delicious it smelled. Someone of a superstitious mind would argue that it could awaken the dead and some might argue that it had. The smell of tomatoes mixed with a variety of ingredients. It was alchemy at its finest. Ingredients that separately are considered unremarkable are brought together into perfect balance and produce something extraordinary. It is the perfect way to awaken.
And that’s when pain happened.
“Oof!” came a surprised voice. “Oi! What do you think you’re doing?” Looking up from under the blankets the figure came face-to-face with his attacker; a rabbit furiously jumping on the figure under the blankets. Curiously it appeared to be scowling.
Any further complaints were lost when a single glance revealed his surroundings. He was lying on what appeared to be a couch in the middle of a modest-looking cabin. Most disturbingly was that he was surrounded by a variety of animals. Birds, mice, a raccoon, and he was certain he saw a bear wave at him from the corner and they all seemed to stare at him almost expectantly.
“Well this is creepy,” he deadpanned and looked around a second time to confirm that he was alone, “and now I’m talking to myself.” A kick from the rabbit reminded him of why he was facing this odd predicament to begin with.
“You!” pointing at the source of his discomfort and then losing his breath in shock as he took in the sight before him.
“WHY DO I HAVE A FUCKING HOOF?!” the, now standing, equine creature shouted from atop his couch. “WHY DO I HAVE TWO HOOVES? WHY DO I HAVE HOOVES?” He couldn’t seem to stop shouting at the piling revelations, with each limb causing increasing levels of concern.
“Um,” a concerned voice came from the general direction of the delicious smell, “are you, umm, ok? You seem, um, distressed.” An unexpected sight, consisting of a winged horse-like creature with a yellow coat and pink mane and tail, came through the door at that point causing further confusion for the creature standing on the furniture.
"YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT I AM DISTRESSED!" he exclaimed with righteous fury. A moment later he regretted his outburst and sense returned to the confused male. “I feel as though either some questionable things may have occurred or I am having the weirdest dream ever,” he replied dryly and began to settle into a laying position, to then be interrupted by a pain emanating from his abdomen. “There appears to be an injury here, so much for the dream theory, and a bandage- was this you?” his mouth operating too fast for his train of thought.
“Um,” she almost squeaked due to apparent nervousness, “yes, I hope you don’t mind. It’s just that, um, there was so much, um, blood…” she trailed off into dialogue so soft-spoken that the rabbit would have difficulty understanding her. This caused the equine on the couch to raise a hoof to settle her down.
“I am making you nervous,” stating the matter as it were. “I thank you for your care but I doubt that I can offer anything to make it up to you. So I have to ask, why save me?” The question only brought a confused look on the other’s face.
“You needed help,” that simple statement being enough to distract her from her nervous streak. “You looked like you needed an act of kindness, anypony could see that.”
“Anypony?” a confused look spread across the equine’s face followed by one of understanding. “Pony, I see. I am now a pony?” it was as much of a statement as a question. “Ok, well that explains the hooves, but what about the butterflies on your flank?”
“My cutie mark?” confusion working itself into her voice. “Why do you- Oh my goodness! Did you hurt your head too?”
“No,” he replied dryly, “I am suffering from no known head injury. Let me be frank. I was not a pony when I suffered my injuries. So, what is a cutie mark? No, wait, what is your name? We can go to cutie marks afterward.”
“I’m Fluttershy,” her voice dropping to just above a whisper, “and you weren’t a pony? What kind of critter were you?” genuine curiosity creeping its way into her voice with a hint of excitement.
“Not important,” claimed the one on the couch.
“But I love meeting new critters,” Fluttershy’s eyes were almost pleading.
“Listen,” a soft but firm tone finding its way into his voice, “I can only make assumptions right now and that first assumption is that whoever left these injuries is not going to be happy if it’s discovered that I survived. So this is as much saving your ass as it is mine. I will not tell you who or what I am, or was, or whatever. Gah! I’m confused. For now, call me John and I’ll promise to tell you more if I can guarantee everyone’s safety.” From that Fluttershy appeared to wilt slightly at the abrupt denial of information but then she nodded and wore a determined grin on her face.
“John,” she raised a hoof, “it is so nice to meet you.” Thinking he understood what was happening John raised his hoof and bumped hers. A moment passed while she was thinking. “I wasn’t sure when you would be waking up so I was preparing some soup. If you are hungry, that is, it should help with your recovery.” A low growl escaped from the vicinity of John’s stomach, to which he nodded and began the act of standing up. “Oh no, you just stay there and I’ll bring it to you.” With that, she started toward the door she came from.
“Hold on,” cried John, “it occurs to me that I do not know exactly what I look like. Do you have a mirror?” Fluttershy looked at him with concern, apparently lost in thought.
“I am so sorry,” she began, “but the only mirror I have is in the bathroom and right now you need to rest. We will see if you are good to move after you eat, so just sit tight, please.”
She said please. For whatever reason that one word had an effect on John as he found himself wanting to do exactly what she said without objection. So he agreed and a few moments later she returned with two bowls of soup balanced perfectly on her spread wings. He hadn’t given much thought to the wings before but now, as they were prominently displayed, he found himself wondering if they would work for flight. They appeared to be too small to supply lift for a creature the size of Fluttershy.
Curiously he turned his head to examine his own body. He discovered a light gray coat and a dark brown tail along with the white bandage around his midsection but no wings. He wondered what this could mean and came to the conclusion that he was a different species, or sub-species, of “pony” in this world.
However, curiosity became alarm when he noticed the mark on his flank. A small dragon carrying a coin purse was on prominent display. Panicking, he looked down at his chest and noticed the discoloration of his light gray coat, a stark white coming through forming the letter “T.” His hopes for anonymity shattered, he looked at Fluttershy and felt a pang of guilt as he noticed the expression on her face. She was concerned for him and that somehow made it worse.
“I have to leave,” John suddenly stated. “Was there any equipment nearby where I was found? A cloak, bags, and weapons amongst various other supplies.”
“Yes, but-”
“I need them. Right now! You could be in danger! I have to leave and leave no trace that I was ever here! I was hoping that I could remain anonymous but I need to know one thing. These cutie marks,” he gestured toward the mark on his flank, “are they unique to the individual?”
“Yes, but what does-”
“Then I can be identified,” he visibly deflated. “This mark is the emblem of my guild. And this scar on my chest is the mark of an identified thief. I need to leave and you need to forget that I was here.”
“No,” she seemed almost stern.
“You are not dying for-”
“You need to rest,” she gazed at him. “Please, eat your soup I will ask my friends for help. Mr. Bear will watch the door,” and surprisingly the bear nodded and stepped through the door, “but we need to make sure you are healed before you go anywhere on your own.” It all made sense, too much sense, but John couldn't argue against the logic. As he looked down at the bowl of soup before him a terrible noise brought his attention to the exterior of the cabin.
“Nightseer!” a voice bellowed loudly. “Show yourself and undo this trickery!”
The look of surprise on Fluttershy’s face was only matched by the look of terror on John’s.
“Is that who you are hiding from?” she managed to whisper.
“Worse,” John declared, “he is my friend.”
“Oh how delightful,” came a new voice. When John turned around he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Sitting on the couch was a creature that looked like a mixture of various animals thrown together. A lion’s paw rubbed the base of his goat-like chin while a claw tapped on the armrest and a dragon’s leg lay crossed over a hoofed leg. A sly grin stole John’s attention away from his mismatched horns. “Your relationship seems wonderfully chaotic and I want to hear this story.” A snap of his claw manifested a bowl of popcorn and the strange creature settled in to get comfortable.
“And why should I tell you anything?” the chill in John's voice was almost tangible.
“Because you haven’t told us anything my little pony. The fact is that you have been omitting the truth the entire time you've been conscious and that is incredibly rude to your host,” the creature nodded as if to say that was final. “Now why don’t we start with the basics? How does an elf wind up with a name like Nightseer? And then you can tell us all about whoever it was who tried to kill you.”
“Trust the truth to a creature who doesn’t offer his name?” it was John’s turn to grin. “I would be just as foolish as that pony shouting in the woods.”
“How rude of me,” the creature offered his paw. “I am Discord, master of chaos.” He dropped his paw when it became apparent that no one was going to take it. “But I do believe you are mistaken, you see your friend is not a pony.”