And So?

by Rokas

Chapter 2 - In Which the Suckage Increases

He awakened slowly, his brain still too fatigued for a rapid rise to consciousness. Gradually, he willed himself awake and then opened his eyes to take in the area around him, though his mind was still sluggish and for a time he did not comprehend what he saw.

Fortunately the sensory information kickstarted the synapses in his brain, and the pegasus blinked a few times as his mind finally slipped into figurative gear. He greedily drank in the details of the room, noting its walls of warm, light rose and the other, empty beds that stood in a row with the one he rested upon. A few paintings and other subtle, cheerful decorations adorned a spot or two on the walls, and one large window in the middle of the far wall let in brilliant sunlight, while a set of double doors sat at the far end of the room.

Where am I? The stallion thought as he brought his head up and looked around some more to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He also checked to see if he was still a pony, of course, and he snorted as this was the case. I guess I'm in a hospital, he mused as he looked over himself and saw bandages over the wound on his chest and wrapped around his right rear ankle. He could feel smaller such dressings on his face and neck, and his memory reminded him of the swipe he'd taken to the head.

So how did I get here? He asked himself, turning his attention inward. His memory offered up brief flashes of sight and sound recorded during momentary lapses of his stupor, and the stallion realized that someone had found and carried him off. Two someones, I think, he realized as precious few more details became clear from the memories.

The doors leading out of the ward opened then, and the pegasus froze in surprise as he saw a male unicorn walk through, a clipboard of some sort levitated before him and a pair of thin saddlebags at his sides. Well, if I had any doubts of being in ponydom before, they're gone now, the green stallion thought as the other pony looked up and stopped in surprise.

“Well, look who's up,” the unicorn said in a friendly manner as he resumed walking forward, a smile now on his face. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I've been hit by a bus,” the pegasus replied in a mumble. “Where am I?”

“Ponyville Medical Clinic,” the unicorn replied as he turned his attention to the chart he levitated. The pegasus grimaced and then closed his eyes as he silently screamed at the author. You are a scheming double-dealing dirtbag, you fat-arsed son of a-

The unicorn said something, interrupting the pegasus' train of thought. “I beg your pardon?” The latter asked as he blinked his eyes in surprise.

“I said my name is Doctor Light Suture,” the tan unicorn repeated himself. “I treated your wounds when you were brought in. You are quite lucky, if the mares who found you are to be believed.”

“Lucky?” The pegasus asked. Mares? Who?

“Yes. A mail pony was apparently taking a shortcut across the Everfree Forest when she saw you trying to escape a manticore. She flew and got help but you had apparently finished the fight by the time they returned.” The unicorn lowered the chart and then gave the pegasus a long look. “I've seldom heard of anypony escaping a manticore attack by his lonesome. And I don't think I've ever recalled hearing of such an attack ending with the death of the manticore.”

The green stallion blushed and then turned his head to the side. “I just did what I had to do,” he said, and then returned his gaze to the doctor. “So, how bad is it?”

“As I said, you were lucky,” Suture replied, glancing to the clipboard. “The laceration over your chest didn't sever any muscles, though it tore a few. Fortunately some mending spells have kept the damage from being permanent. The cuts on your face and neck were shallow and will heal nicely, and your ankle was only sprained.” He lowered the clipboard and then placed it on a nearby end table, and the pegasus finally realized that a light tan glow had been enveloping the object when that aura finally disappeared. “All in all, you're in good shape, though I would like to ask you a few questions about some issues I've found.”

“Issues?” The pegasus asked, sounding shocked. “Like what?” Is my pancreas a piece of crap here, too?

Suture turned his head back and then used his telekinesis to open one of the bags at his side and remove several sheets of film. “We took some x-rays to make sure nothing was broken, and we found some oddities,” he said, and then levitated the pictures up so the pegasus could see them. They were dark, of course, but after a moment Suture scrunched his face up slightly and all three pieces of film lit up as if from within. “This first one shows your wing structure, which is normal if excessive for a pegasus. Your span exceeds the national average by thirty percent, and I wanted to make sure this wasn't an effect of some rogue magic in the Everfree.”

The pegasus looked at the picture for a moment, completely at a loss of what to say for a moment. “I don't believe so,” he finally said, shrugging his shoulders as he looked back at the unicorn.

Suture raised an eyebrow at the noncommittal response. “You're not sure?” He asked, questioningly.

“Well, I kinda don't remember much from before the fight,” the pegasus lied. Yes doctor, I'm not sure because I was born a partially-hairless semi-aquatic ape in another reality and didn't have wings before so I don't know how they got that way. Like I'm really going to say that without proof! “I think the manticore knocked me on the head pretty good.”

“Hmm,” Suture hummed to himself as he lifted the clipboard back up with his magic and then read through the paperwork there. “I didn't see any indications of a concussion during diagnosis or treatment,” he said, and then fell silent for a moment as if in thought. Finally, he shrugged and then set the board down again. “But I suppose a mild one might be missed. How much do you remember? Your name, for instance? Your home town?”

The pegasus froze up again as these questions brought him to the unfortunate realities of his transplantation. Crap, what do I call myself? Where do I say I'm from? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? The last question came from his flippant side, and while superfluous it nevertheless reminded him that too much woolgathering was not going to be helpful. Finally, he just sighed and then shook his head. “I can't really remember my name right now,” he said, lowering his gaze in mock embarrassment. Suddenly, inspiration hit, and the pegasus looked back up. “I do remember I'm from the Flower Peninsula, though,” he said, hoping that his guess was accurate.

“Ah, you're quite a ways from home, then,” Suture said, somewhat friendlily. The doctor's light tone evaporated quickly, however, as he sighed and took out a tiny pen light from his saddlebags, which impressed the pegasus given all the other magical work he was doing already. “Can you keep your eyes open for me? I need to check your pupil response.”

“Sure, doc,” the green stallion replied, opening his eyes as wide as they could go. The light quickly flashed in both pupils, and the pegasus felt a small sense of pride that he only felt his eyes tear up at the temporary abuse instead of the eyelids snapping closed.

“Well, those look normal,” Suture said as he turned the light off and then returned it to its place in his bags. “I admit I'm a bit flummoxed. You shouldn't have any memory problems at all.”

The pegasus shrugged again as he maintained a calm exterior. Inside, though, his mind was racing as he sought ways to keep his secret. “Maybe that rogue magic you mentioned?” He suggested, hoping that the new track might work.

“Possibly,” Suture allowed, and then shrugged himself. “I did find a bit of unusual background magic in you during the preliminary medical scans, though it seemed dormant then, as it does now,” he said, and then again picked up the clipboard to glance through its contents. “I don't think it should be affecting your memory, but then again I went into medicine, not advanced magical studies. I may have to get help from the town librarian for this...”

The pegasus felt his eyes bulge at that as a surge of panic briefly raced through his mind. “Er, maybe my memories will come back in time?” He asked, trying to sound hopeful. “I mean, I just now remembered where I was from. I'm pretty sure it'll all come back to me.”

Suture grunted at that. “Perhaps,” he said, and then looked over the pegasus again before glancing back at the x-ray exposures that were still hovering in mid-air. “Let's see if we can jog it loose, then. Do you remember anything about your body structure?”

“Er, not really,” the green stallion responded. “Why, what's wrong?”

Suture sighed at the question. “Again, it's not so much something is wrong, just unusual,” he replied, and then moved the middle picture a bit closer to the pegasus. “Your bones show a greater density and size than most pegasi have. In addition your musculature is rather hefty for one of your breed, and you're taller than average by a fair margin. Frankly, your build is closer to that of an earth pony than a pegasus.”

The green pony frowned as he absorbed this information. “I don't know what to say, doctor,” he said, after a moment of thought. “I just can't remember a thing about it.”

Suture looked frustrated at the answer, but he kept any such feeling out of his voice as he continued, floating the last picture forward. “Finally, your teeth appear to have been damaged. It looks as if several of your incisors have had part of their tops chipped away, yet the pattern is so regular and symmetrical that it looks natural.”

The green pegasus furrowed his brows as he looked over the picture, trying to make sense of the new structure of his head. Fortunately the teeth were the focus of this picture, and he clearly made out the full set. Everything looks fine. He said incisors? They look okay, so do the molars and canines-

His mind froze as he finally realized what had perplexed the good doctor. Canines are meat-eaters' teeth. Ponies don't eat meat. But I have canines, still. He moved his tongue around his mouth to double check, and he found that the sharp teeth were indeed there, and that the teeth next to them had the usual shapes that assisted in tearing flesh.

“Are you alright?” Suture inquired, and the pegasus started a bit as he realized he'd been silent for a time.

“Yes, I'm okay,” the green pony replied, a story forming in his head. “That actually does bring a memory back: it's a congenital defect.”

“Really?” The tan unicorn asked, frowning a bit in disbelief. “I don't recall anything like this from my schooling.”

“Well, it kinda runs in the family,” the pegasus replied with a shrug. That's not even a lie. “It doesn't keep us from eating or having a decent life, just looks strange. I don't know what else to tell you about it, it just is.”

“I see,” Suture said, his voice revealing that he didn't quite accept the explanation so readily. Nevertheless, he gave his head a shake and then returned the x-ray pictures back to his bags. “Well, as I said they are more anomalies than real medical issues. Aside from your injuries, you're in perfect health for a young adult pegasus. I was originally going to have you released this afternoon, but I think I'd rather keep you here for observation if the memory loss is that significant.”

Crap, the pegasus thought, and he let his face display his feelings. “I don't think I care for that idea, doctor.” Mainly because I don't want to be in this town longer than I have to, he thought. I just know if I stay here something bad is going to happen, if not to me then to the town or its inhabitants. At the very least I fully intend to spoil the fun of the fat idiot writing this slop.

“I cannot just let you go if you don't even remember your own name,” Suture countered. “At the very least I'd want the librarian come here and give you a once over. She's quite experienced in advanced magical theory and would be able to make sure that nothing uncontrolled is at work here.”

The pegasus frowned deeper at that, and he shook his head slowly. “Doctor Suture, I do appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Really,” he added, and then emphasized this by shifting his body to climb off of the bed. He set his hooves down on the floor quickly, though he paused to wince as his right rear hoof throbbed in pain. “Okay, maybe I'm a little sore here and there. But like you said, I'm fine,” he said, as the unicorn gave him a concerned look. “I just really want to get out.”

“Even though you have memory problems?” Suture asked, disbelievingly.

“I'm sure it'll all come back,” the pegasus replied, looking firmly into the other pony's eyes.

A moment of silence stretched out between the two before Suture shifted on his hooves so he could lean to the side a bit. “You're not behaving like a fellow who's lost his memory,” he flatly stated. “You're not worried or concerned or visibly struggling to get your mind working right. Rather, you're behaving like somepony who has something to hide.”

I always did suck at acting, the pegasus thought, as his face twisted into a look of frustration. After a moment, he closed his eyes and sighed. “Look, doctor, I do appreciate that you're concerned,” he said, his voice calm as he opened his eyes again. “But I just can't talk about it.” Because you'll either throw me in the pony equivalent of the looney bin or turn me over to the government goons, he mentally added. I don't care how nice the place looks on TV, I'm not trusting my survival to merely a perceived lack of xenophobia.

“Are you in trouble with the law, son?” Suture asked, a concerned look on his face.

“What!” The pegasus blurted, his expression turned incredulous. “No, of course not! I swear to God I ain't done a thing wrong!”

“Okay, okay, calm down,” the unicorn said, raising a hoof to make an placating gesture. “I just wanted to make sure. Ponyville doesn't need that sort of trouble here.”

“Yeah, just ursa minors and rampaging dragons,” the green stallion said with a snort. He then froze as he realized what he had said. Crap on a sandwich.

Suture, though, just sighed at that and shook his head slowly. “I see we're becoming rather infamous even down where you're from,” he muttered dejectedly, with a glance to the side.

“Only a bit,” the pegasus replied, giving the unicorn a small smile to show some sympathy, as well as to let loose some of the relief he felt at not having tripped over his meta knowledge. Dang law question got me distracted. I'm going to have to work on keeping my head clear to keep from doing that again. “But you know Flor- the Flower Peninsula has its share of crazies, too. Lord knows the news services refuse to let that go.”

Suture blinked and turned to look at his patient again. “Who knows?” He asked, curious.

Oh crap, I did it again, the pegasus thought, fighting hard not to bite his lip in panic. I can't lie about this, I just can't. He took in a deep breath as he thought quickly. “The Lord God, creator of the universe, and all souls that live within,” he said slowly, cautiously picking his way forward. Multiverse now, but one concept at a time. “It is my faith.”

The tan unicorn gave the green pegasus a confused look for a few moments, but soon shook his head a bit to get some of his gray locks away from his face. “That's a new one on me,” he said, and then shrugged. “Anyway, we're getting off topic. From your reaction to my question and your blatantly poor acting from earlier, I can tell you're rather truthful about not being on the lam,” Suture continued, though he kept a frown on his face. “I suppose if you really don't want to talk about your past, I can't force you. And since you really don't have any memory problems – that is, if you were indeed making it all up?” He waited patiently while the pegasus nodded. “Then I believe I can release you after all.”

The green pony sighed with relief at that. “Thank you, doctor Suture,” he said, a more relaxed tone riding on his words. “I'm sorry I lied to you, but I like my privacy undisturbed.”

“I suppose so,” the unicorn allowed. “However, it will be a while before you can go. I want you to at least spend the rest of the day here and off of that ankle to give yourself some more time to heal,” he added, his voice and expression brooking no argument. He glanced to a clock hanging on the wall as he continued to speak. “It's about half past nine, and the healing potions should be finished mending your wounds by five in the afternoon. Until then, I want you on that bed and keeping your weight off of that ankle.”

“Nine thirty in the morning?” the pegasus asked, surprised. “How long have I been here?”

“Your rescuers brought you in yesterday a little after three in the afternoon,” Suture replied. “You've been out since then, at least. I was actually coming in to rouse you if you hadn't awakened already.”

“I see,” the green pony said. “Well, I guess I should get back into bed, eh?”

“I would prefer that,” Suture stated heavily. The pegasus gave him a sheepish little smile and then turned and pulled himself back onto the furnishing he'd been resting on. “Good,” the unicorn said with a nod. “And just one more thing: I know you like your privacy, but I'll at least need your name, if only for my records.”

The pegasus nodded at that as he thought hard for a moment. So what do I call myself here? He thought, and then pondered on his appearance. Dark green coat, dark brown tail and – I presume – mane. Odd cutie mark, large wings, probably good strength, at least for a pegasus... He noticed the doctor giving him another odd look, and so the pegasus sighed as a name popped into his head. Well, I do loves my Metal. “Call me Thunderbird, doctor,” he said, and then raised a hoof up and gently thrust it towards the other pony.

Suture nodded as he brought up his own hoof and shook the proffered limb. “Thunderbird, nice to meet you,” he said as they broke the gesture. “A bit of an uncommon name, there. I suppose you were named for the creatures that live beyond the Dragonlands?”

“Something like that,” Thunderbird answered, with a soft smile. “It fits, though, since I like to wander.”

“I see,” Suture replied. “Well then, Thunderbird, I'm sure you're famished so I'll have the nurse bring you some breakfast,” he said, and then chuckled when the pegasus' stomach rumbled slightly, causing Thunderbird to blush a bit. “I've got other work to attend to myself. I'll check back on you later, but for now, I do really mean it that you need to stay off of that hoof for the day.”

“I will, doctor,” Thunderbird replied with a smile. “Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime, sir, anytime,” Suture said as he turned and walked off.

Comments

[Rokas]

Because for some reason posting up the chapters of this crap that's already been written helps distract me from my own suckage long enough to write something decent in another story.

How? I have no idea.

So yeah, more suckage. Or is it narcissism? Probably both.
COME AT ME BRONY.

Meanwhile, everyone else has this face:

[Material Defender]

Interesting. So this is a blatant rip-off of another story of which I have no reason how the hell it received so many likes?

I think I'll just stick with this one.