I held the blanket tight as I sucked on my pointer finger. I cracked my nail across the tip and just bit it off. It stung but it wasn’t as unsightly as a chipped nail just waiting to scratch somewhere unpleasant. It’d be like a chipped hoof, only kinda worse. Long story short they led me outside to another part of the tree. It was actually several trees, the largest in the center and where the library was.
I followed the deer through the halls and out of the dormitory and into the light of the world again. I was honestly impressed. Before me was a wide open forest with trees larger than should be real that had been molded, or remolded, into something else. Trees were linked with wooden bridges held up with vines and everything was so vibrantly green and fresh.
The canopy was so high above us it seemed as though the sky was green, with the sunlight shining through the green leaves that were as large as a Ponyville house is wide. There were so many of them. I could count the veins in the leaves and follow them back to the branches of the trees they were attached to.
“Where are we? The trees weren’t this large where I was before you… Hey, what did you do to me? I was doing fine before I passed out”
I recalled sitting with my rifle in my arms and a wave of chills running over me then I fell asleep.
“We use magic lamp to make sleep.”
I looked to my left to the lead deer. “Magic? A magic lamp none the less? Where was the genie?” I mused.
“All Djinn leave world long ago, we use lamp for sleep magic.”
I snapped my jaw shut and looked at her. She was serious. “You’re serious? A genie? In a lamp? And you use magic? How do you know it’s magic? Can you do some magic to convince me?”
She shook her head at me. “No, we no magic. Can use… How you say?” she scrunched her muzzle and face in concentration, “Stuffs? They have magic, we use. Gems, mostly.”
“Well, who makes them?”
“We get from across world. We show you map,” she said turning back and walking into the tree ahead of us.
“Can I see Lom and my armor first?”
She stopped and looked back to me, a soft smile on her muzzle. “Yes, you may. Lom and friend in reading room, armor in safe place.”
“Can you take me to my armor first, then? I really need to see it, make sure it’s okay before I plan to move on.”
“Hoo-nym, you choose. Maps, friend, or shell?”
“Shell? Oh, I get it. You think it’s my shell, well in that case I’ll see my shell, I can take notes that way and get my clothes. What’d you do with my uniform I was wearing, by the way? It was green.”
She looked to me and raised an eyebrow. “You mean you no shed skins? Hoo-nym, confusing people.”
I slowly raised my right hand to my face and groaned. “No, we don’t shed. Where is it?”
“We take and leave it with shell, maybe custom, maybe not. We not be rude to you people traditions.”
I sighed. “Well, at least I have clothing options. Now I definitely have to go there first. My people wear clothes as tradition and rarely take them off.”
“Oh,” she said sharply as her ears pressed to her head, “I-We, sorry. We, not know.” She cursed to herself and I heard it.
“Don’t do that, you’re not at fault,” I walked to her and placed my left hand on her back. I felt her tremble at my touch. She turned to me and lowered her head as she bent her front knees and bowed to me. “You really don’t have to do that. Please, stand up. I forgive you of this egregious mistake.”
She snorted and stood back up. “You are funny, Hoo-nym. Come, let us make fast to you shell and skin.”
I grit my teeth in my mouth, semi audibly. “Sure,” I grumbled. It’s one thing to be called by your species name in a different way, it’s another to add in the skin thing. It was, for some reason, insulting to me to be thought of more machine than a man. So, I raised a finger to my mouth and click, right ring finger nail; gone.
We walked through and around, down and through, until finally we exited the tree we were in; the dormitory as I called it. We were near the floor, ground, whatever it was it was full of tree roots that were as impressive as the trees they were feeding, and that means that they were impassible by even the most agile of deer.
And trust me, they could jump higher than you’d believe with a grace that would rival a pegasus taking to the air.
We walked across a very strong wooden bridge that was held with green vines that led from the bark of the tree to the other tree and the vines had smaller vines coming off them. They had tied the vines’ vines together and somehow molded the trees into a walkway, but with cracks that made it looked like they were boards.
I know it sounds confusing but it was really cool, walking on molded tree. “How do you do this? This tree stuff? Like making the trees into a walkway or bedrooms.”
“We,” she hesitated but kept leading me to the next tree over. Must have been a good two hoofball fields and away. “We not know. We find this long ago, make Collective.”
“So, this was made before you? Who would leave all this,” I gestured with my right hand over my head, “behind? Don’t you have any books or something? There must have been something from the builders.”
She stopped and looked back to me, the first time I saw annoyance on her face. “We not know. Stop asking, please. We find generations ago. No idea who made, but impressed, so we make home.”
“Ah, got it. Let’s just get going, I can use clothes. This blanket, as great as it is, doesn’t give me a lot to go on, and I have to hold it. Must, get, clothes… er, skin.”
She smiled back to me. Dang she was cute, like a toy I could give to a child before bed. We walked the rest of the way in silence with her two aides behind us and me gawking at the massive scale of the workmanship used. Walking in I was greeted by smiles and acknowledgement by each of dozens of deer offering advice or putting books back, Wolfkin, a group of Diamond Dogs… Every creature was welcoming, or ignored me with a sneer.
It was a place of knowledge. No hostilities were allowed, save for debate and arguing over knowledge. As a level ten geek I was dying to ask everything I could about every species there, but I was still a soldier and I was without any of my tech. I had my implants but they only worked when I was within a few meters of my equipment. Even then it was more for getting bullets to targets.
I almost lost sight of her and rushed to her, my blanket waving behind me. I didn’t care about clothes, only Wolfkin and Diamond dogs wore clothing, that I had seen, and even those were loosely covering their junk and chests.
Yeah, junk. You know, privates… Ugh, I know you don’t think they’re private since ponies don’t wear clothes, for the most part. But some cultures don’t have them on display. Whatever! Just let it go, we’ve got a lot to cover.
So, she led me to my armor and I was so happy to see it. They had even washed its exterior and my clothes were draped over the arms. I wasted no time and dropped the blanket, running to my armor, grabbed my pants and gave them a good snap, making sure to get any dust off.
Slipping them on was almost refreshing, then I turned to the rest of my uniform and quickly covered my dark flesh with green. My boots were behind the armor and socks were in them. Oh, I was so happy I coulda cried. Shoes! No more stubbed toes, no more risk of splinters, no more stubbing my toes. Yeah, that was a big deal to me.
I went to my armor and reached in to grab my portable camera and decided I’d check System, make sure it was okay.
It shut and the HUD came up, seventy seven percent repaired and fifty nine percent power. A bit of time in the sun and the power would climb.
“Dar’ling, can you move this into the sunlight?” I asked through the voice modulator to a very confused doe. I said it again and she took a step back. I opened the armor and stepped out, grabbing my recorder and placing it on my head, a little screen across my left eye gave me various stats and features of the recorder.
It was a better device that was based on tech from the 21st century called Goompa Glass. I think it was anyway, the company didn’t last but their tech did. Military applications were endless and the governments did what they wanted with the tech, what with end of the world and all.
Anyway, gosh I tangent a lot. Or is that talking in circles? Maybe it’s- Gah, why’d you throw a pencil nub at me? I was totally on topic! Just thinking out loud, was all.
So, with a bit of pride and dignity restored I asked my question again. “Can you move this into the sunlight? It needs sun to get better, stronger.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Why you go in and out of shell? Is not normal.”
“Well, for my people it is. This is like a turtle shell, I can hide in it or leave it for fun.”
“Ah, We understand. Sort of. Come, I take you to maps.”
“No, Lom.”
“You like to see Poh’Nee? Odd,” she said turning and leading my back to the doorway but walked with me instead of ahead of me. “Poh’Nee tribe very dangerous when trouble. Throw weapons, hurt, kill. Then run away, hide, do again. Not talk peace, only war with all. We see you, different, help.”
“Well, they were nice to me. Maybe because I helped Lom and killed a monster that was eating one of their herd.”
“Ah, they accept you then. We are sorry, think you in danger. Act without thought.”
“Ya know, you have words I understand, but do you know what verbs are? Nouns? Sentence structure that adds words so you don’t talk like that.”
“We, not understand. We not speak good to you?”
“Oh, no, no, no. Not that, but it’s kinda hard to understand when you’re saying when I’m listening and filling in words you don’t use. Gosh, I sound like an asshole right now. I apologize.”
“Is, okay. I will talk more gooder. I have read many books, scrolls, words,” she cleared her throat, “is this better for understand you?”
“Well, we’ll see. Don’t hurt yourself speaking complex words, I was just being a jerk.”
“Is okay, We are Collective, to help. Turn left and go down stairs with me.”
I followed her direction and was led through several turns and stairs, several creatures stopped to look at me as I passed, mostly due to my height, I believe. I was as tall as the tallest Diamond Dog, but so different. The deer were almost as tall as I was, at the head height, and many other creatures came up to my shoulders, with ponies at my hip level.
I remember thinking a nasty thought as a female earth pony walked past me and I got a glare from the leader doe and told to control my thought against thinking such things. I didn’t know the gems worked both ways and regretted my lustful curiosity.
A long quiet walk later I stopped before a room with the same vines that had entrapped me in my room. Gods I was so embarrassed of what I did in there. I coulda just rubbed one out to put icing on the cake.
Oh my gosh! I didn’t mean it like that, sorry, sorry! I didn’t think before I spoke. I just thought you’re kinda cute when you blush and it distracted me. (Facehoof) Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.
I saw Lom and Retina… Retalia, in the room laying on a grass bed, only the room was an obvious reading room. It was larger than my room and had empty shelves across the walls, a simple desk molded from the roots, without a chair, was in the far corner opposite the sleeping pair.
“Lom?” I called softly. She stirred and her ears moved around before she fell back asleep. I called her name again and her head slowly raised to look to the wooden wall with a curious look. She turned to examine the room and finally she looked to me. A smile that quickly turned to a grin shone upon me and it was contagious.
She hopped up and trotted to the vine doorway. “Mocha, you alive and safe? Lom happy! Mocha friend! Retalia here too, sleeping! See?” She pointed to him as I watched her in awe, of sorts.
“Lom, I understand you,” with a bit of restrained excitement I reached to the vine doorway.
She gasped and jumped in the air squealing with glee, I thought it was as cute as you. She woke up the male with her and he looked to me, narrowing his eyes.
“Mocha Lom friend, not mine. Lom, be still and quiet, I sleep,” he stated in a deeper voice than I would have thought.
“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” I scolded him as Doe, I’ll call the lead doe, Doe. Easier that way. Why are you blushing again? I didn’t do anything. Whatever.
He sat up taller and growled. “You speak now? Why not then? Danger? Esi?”
“Esi?” I looked to Doe who shrugged, the meaning was lost on us both. “No, I’m a friend of Lom and all Poh’Nee. You’re my friend too,” I said calmly. He stood up and walked to the door, standing taller, almost to my neck his head reached.
“You have much to prove if you friend with deer,” he practically spit the word deer out. Lom pushed him roughly and glared at him.
“Be nice to Lom saver, what you do? Run away when I’m hurt. He help me, fool.”
Retalia looked to her and softened his gaze as he relaxed. “Ah, I, I sorry.”
I have to teach these creatures verbs, among other things. I feel like I’m in a racist movie from ages past.
“Great, you made up. Can they come out?” I turned to Lom, “Can you read, Lom?”
“Read?”
“Nice, can we teach her to read?!” I asked Doe excitedly. This was a new world and I was gonna take whatever chance I had before I was magically poofed back to earth.
“Will take time, but they learn fast. Maybe two moons.”
“So, two moons? Doesn’t sound too bad.”
Doe opened the door and Lom hopped on me, knocking me to the floor and I almost hit my head against the wall.
“Mocha! You friend, friend, fri~end! So happy see you!” She gasped, “You have magic now? What powers? Can make food? Water? Healer?!”
I coughed as I sat up and she moved back, still smiling as Retalia stood just inside the doorway watching, calculating.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I have no magic.” She reached and tapped my necklace. “This? It’s to help me communicate, er, talk to you.”
She cocked her head to the left and looked at me. “You have blue pretty, use for magic, yes?”
“Damn you’re so cute when you talk.”
Doe answered the question. “The gems are for to talk to all, not to make magic. Nuts are for eat less, stay energy up.”
“Great, and I broke one. What was the one I broke?”
She hummed and tapped her chin with her hoof. Damn she was slender. I wondered if I could ride her without her limbs breaking. She looked at me.
“We are stronger than you know. You break shell of… We don’t know word, um, stomach no upset?”
“Ah, acid reflux? Nausea?”
“No, poison and bad eats. That word! Your language hard, many many words.”
“Well, can I just get a new shell?”
“No. New necklace, but not free. Must trade. You have nothing we need. This blue gem will last until magic gone, then you must trade for new one.”
“I know things you don’t, give me a chance. I bet I can teach you something. Like gooder grammar.”
She pondered it and then smiled. With a curt nod she raised a hoof. I looked at it then pounded it. That means we hoofbumped.
“Well, I have to see this map now,” I said firmly to Doe then I turned to Lom, “are you ready to learn stuff?”
She smiled but I could see she was confused. I nodded to Doe and she turned, walking without waiting, leading me to this map.
Awestruck is an understatement. I was in a library just a few levels above where Lom was, and it was something from Beauty and the Beast. Let me just say; the Royal Canterlot Library would be put to shame. There were three levels and creatures of all types were reading, looking for books, and holding intense discussion while I admired the size of the thing, in a hollowed out tree. There were even large windows letting green tinted light in.
But, it wasn’t hollowed, it was molded. The shelves were the tree, the tables, chairs, podiums, everything! I walked in and gawked for a moment before I saw a group of creatures arguing over a large red book. It sounded heated and a deer was standing behind, watching carefully.
“Are they going to fight?” I asked Doe.
“No, no fight here or banned. No creature would risk such loss.”
“Ah, I see. Fair rule. So, Lom,” I turned to look at her, standing tall and proud as I said her name, “what do you do in your tribe?””
“Lom gather and search for safe food. Strong stomach. Retalia keep safe with spear.”
“Retalia no keep safe from Mocha and boomer,” he said from behind us. I totally forgot he was there for a minute.
“Well, at least we’re all the best of friends now,” I said with a hint of sarcasm. Retalia huffed but stayed quiet. I, we, were led to a side room, the doorway was massive. Large enough for a centaur, but I didn’t know that back then. I figured the creators may have been huge, or something.
The room was lit by those bug worm things crawling all over the walls. I was gonna ask what they ate but the sound of pages turning gathered my attention.
“Look, we here. Home,” Doe tapped the page as I walked over and took a look.
“Start recording,” I stated to my camera as I walked over. “Click,” I said, and it took a photo of the map.
The map of the area was impressive. Topography and colored with a trio of giant trees in the center.
“How big is this world?” I asked casually as I looked at the map in more detail.
“Hm, this big,” she held out her hooves across about a meter, “times 150,000.”
I gasped and began coughing on my spit as the number registered. Falling to my knees I hit my chest trying to get my lungs clear as I thought it over. I passed calculus two and studied science in school, mostly to prove Minnie wrong. That was roughly the size of a gas giant, one of the largest planets in my home worlds solar system. Hey, just because I was a soldier doesn’t mean I was dumb. High school education was standard.
“How, how am I not crushed under the gravity?” I finally sputtered out, “What about the atmosphere? Holy crap?! How am I even breathing? The pressure should be massive.”
Doe giggled into her hoof lightly. “The magic is why. You and all on Home are welcome.”
I cleared my throat loudly with a last cough as I stood up again. “So, the only reason I’m alive is cuz of magic? This’ feeling more like a cartoon every few hours. Where everything seems to make sense by not making sense.”
A quizzical look was passed between the three that accompanied me. “Nevermind,” I stated looking over the map with my nerves still making me twitch.
“This world doesn’t make sense, it’s huge, massive, magical. What about cities?”
“Many cities,” Doe said as Lom walked to a wall and began examining the bug-things. Retalia just sat by Lom, facing me with a scowl, “many tribes and races, all here.”
“Wow,” I said as I raised my hand to my mouth, covering it slightly, “what about leadership? Is there a king or queen? What about the sun, it moved suddenly a couple days ago.”
“Ah, yes. Home has magic, sometime plays tricks on eyes. Have little trust of what you see when what you see make little sense.”
“I… Guess that makes sense,” I said questionably. “What about those two, can we get a teacher and start teaching them literacy?”
With a growing smile across her slender muzzle, Doe nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes. We teach, love to teach. I, no can,” she said excitedly, like a foal being offered candy, “however, others can. I get them!” She turned and galloped from the room, almost into a rolling book trolley that was being pushed by a donkey.
I raised an eyebrow to see a mule doing mule work, but shrugged it off. I turned and sat cross legged beside the table, reaching Lom’s height, just a bit shorter though. I opened my arms. “Mocha friend, Lom. How are you?”
With a toothy grin she trotted into my arms and wrapped a foreleg around me, hugging me tight. I felt a wave of warmth flood over me and sighed. Maybe more magic? Happiness? Love? Nope, she peed on the floor and it was soaking into my pants.
I couldn’t wait for her to be taught how to use a toilet.