Chapter 4 - Things Get Weird(er)
It became apparent that brushing my tail was going to take about as long as the mane. My tail hair was rather thick, though not quite as tightly curled. I felt an odd pinching sensation near the base of my tail and had to glance behind me to see that Rarity had grasped it in her magic, likely to prevent too much tugging on my hindquarters.
"I'm told that you can recall that you are from Manehattan," said Rarity.
"Yes, though I don't recall the exact area."
"No worries at all. There is hardly an area of Manehattan that I don't like myself."
So just how familiar was she with the place? How much could I fudge things? "Did you come from Manehattan originally yourself?"
"Oh, no, darling, I cannot count myself that fortunate," Rarity said with a chuckle. "I simply adore my visits there. I believe I would be quite at home if I had to live there."
"Though we're glad she doesn't," said Fluttershy with a small smile.
"I did like living in Manehattan," I said, which was an accurate reflection on my attitude towards New York. I may have let a wistful tone creep into my voice.
"Oh, I have no doubt about that. It is good to talk to somepony who has. I meet so few of those in Ponyville."
"Are you friends with the other ponies I've met?" I asked.
"If you mean those whom you met at Sweet Apple Acres, then, yes," said Rarity. "And Twilight, of course. I would miss them dreadfully if I ever did move."
"Fortunately her boutique in Ponyville is very successful," said Fluttershy.
"I am looking to open another in Canterlot if the right place opens up, but I fully intend to stay in Ponyville."
I took a wild guess and assumed "Canterlot" was someplace rather important given its similarity in name to the less puntasticly titled place from Earth legend. I wondered if that was the castle-like city I had seen on the way to the hospital.
I felt I had to contribute more to the conversation. I wanted to, actually. So I tried what I had thought of doing earlier: grafting my real life onto this world. "My mother started off in a small town but moved to Manehattan when I was really young and, well, never looked back."
She had actually moved to New York City, and she had built her fashion business there.
"My stars, raised in Manehattan?" Rarity said. "In that case, Ponyville will definitely be a change of pace for you."
That was for certain. I was never much for "country living" back on Earth. Maybe mentioning I had lived my childhood (foalhood?) there was a little too audacious, but I was tired of being an enigma.
I rather wished Fluttershy would talk more. If she was going to be a persistent reminder of Michelle, I wanted to know more about her. Maybe it would make the experience seem less uncanny. I supposed I was going to have to force the issue. "Fluttershy, what do you do?"
Fluttershy seemed surprised at the question. "Oh, um, me?"
"You live in Ponyville, too, right?"
"Yes, I do. I work with animals."
I paused, hoping she would follow that up, but nothing was forthcoming. Was she a veterinary, perhaps?
"Fluttershy is being quite modest," Rarity said. "She does wonders for the animals about Ponyville. I do not believe any other town could boast such a happy, healthy population of animals."
Fluttershy blushed but smiled.
Michelle had liked animals but had no such amazing skills. She had preferred to help other people, often at the expense of her own comfort. She had often fretted more about others than herself. She had been about as modest as Fluttershy as well. "So, how long did it take you to develop that skill?"
"Oh, it's a bit of a long story how I discovered my special talent, but it's what gave me my cutie mark."
So these marks were related to talents or skills? I supposed that explained Fluttershy's butterflies. Strange that Rarity's would be diamonds. If she were a dressmaker, I assumed it would be a needle and thread or something like that. It made sense for Applejack's apples and Pinkie Pie's balloons. I guessed stars represented magic. What was Rainbow's mark again? Something weather-related, I thought. That struck me as rather funny that a pony as brash as her would be a meteorologist.
I was still a bit wary. I was warming up to Rarity and Fluttershy more so than the other ponies, but something about this arrangement still seemed contrived, like some sort of outside force was manipulating me.
Rarity released the base of my tail, and the brush floated onto the table. "There you go, my dear. You are looking much better now, save for a bit of wildness to your mane, but that's nothing my stylist can't fix." She trotted over to the dresser and opened each drawer in turn with her magic. "Ah, here we go." She levitated a mirror from the drawer and brought it over to me.
She had indeed made my hair lay better. If I ignored the lurid colors, it actually looked quite nice. Especially the tail. The curls were indeed a little looser there, making it look like a wavy cascade that ended about half a foot from the floor.
I was torn between wanting to accept my new body and clinging to my remaining humanity. This was supposed to be the way I would be for the rest of my life, but that idea met with such defiance that I had no idea how to resolve it. At least I could give Rarity a sincere comment. "It does look better, thank you."
Rarity smiled and levitated the mirror to the table. I so wished I could do that.
"I am afraid we must take our leave of you now, dear," said Rarity. "But if you are okay with it, we can come back again tomorrow."
"I'd be fine with that," I said, again in all sincerity.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope you do get to feeling better."
"It was nice seeing you again," said Fluttershy with a soft smile. At least this time she seemed a little less put off by me. I wished I could claim quite as much improvement in my feelings towards her, but that was my problem. I must have managed not to let that show, for she kept her good demeanor.
"Same here," I said. "See you tomorrow."
Doctor Horse soon informed me that the afternoon would be the earliest they would run more tests. I thought I was going to be left with nothing to do except stare at the walls until the doctor levitated a book into my lap. "This is courtesy of Princess Twilight. It's one of her favorites, and she thought you might like it."
"Um, thanks," I said.
Like when I first heard the spoken language back in the apple orchard, my brain took a second to realign itself. What had been random symbols at first became legible text in a few seconds.
Seriously? The main character was named "Daring Do?"
The book was at least mildly engaging. This Daring Do seemed to be the pony equivalent of Indiana Jones. I was not much for action stories, but it was something to do. Granted, there were a lot of cultural references I just wasn't getting.
I did learn one thing: the name of this country (nation? empire?) was "Equestria."
I also learned that a common phrase to note surprise or shock was "by Celestia" or "in Celestia's name." Perhaps this "Celestia" was their deity. These ponies did not seem particularly religious, so maybe it was an old belief that wasn't practiced anymore. That would suit me fine. Last thing I needed was to violate some sacred rite out of ignorance.
I had to admit, the idea that a princess would enjoy the pony equivalent of pulp fiction was amusing. My mother had a rather sharp disdain for such things.
Eggs weren't on the menu for lunch. Oh, well. At least I liked vegetables and greens enough. Very soon after lunch, I was taken for the first of the tests that the doctor had ordered, and I was already anxious.
"This is not going to take very long, but could very well be of great assistance to you," said Doctor Horse. I was seated on my haunches on a cushion, a female unicorn with a creamy light brown coat and corn-silk mane standing next to me. The doctor gestured with a hoof towards her. "This is Doctor Lovely Memory. She's one of our experts on amnesia and other memory impediments."
Oh, fun. I should have realized they would do something like this.
"She is going to cast a spell on you that is designed to lift any memory blockages resulting from emotional trauma."
I tried not to let my nervousness show in my voice. "And if my memory loss is not from that? What happens?"
Lovely Memory spoke up. "No worries, it will simply have no effect in that case. I need to warn you, though. If this is indeed a trauma-based blockage, you will start to recall that trauma. The spell is designed to release it slowly to allow you time to cope, but Nurse Redheart will need to keep a close eye on you in case you need counseling."
I nodded. Of course, this was going to be a bust, but at least I had a time cushion where I could think of what to do in the meantime.
"There is, however, the matter of your pendant," said Doctor Horse.
Here we go. "I need to remove it?"
"I am afraid so. Nurse Redheart tells me you can indeed remove it yourself."
She must have told the doctor that she had seen me with the pendant's clasp undone.
"It is critically important nothing interferes with this spell," said Lovely Memory. "I do not wish to take the least bit of chance that any outside magic will interfere with it and possibly harm you as well."
I was about to rail yet again at the idea that this thing was even remotely magical when Doctor Horse said, "For example, your pendant ruined the X-rays we tried to take yesterday."
Was he serious? Or was this just some lie to get me to give up the pendant?
Lovely Memory moved to one side and revealed a small table where a half-sphere of what looked like shimmering glass lay around it. "This is a secure holding spell I cast. When a pony places something inside it, only that pony can retrieve it. Your pendant will be safe."
With my lack of knowledge of how magic worked here, they could very easily deceive me. I really didn't have any choice. If I still refused, I would definitely cast suspicion on myself.
"A-all right," I said. I trotted over to it and opened the clasp on the pendant after some fumbling. My hooves trembled, and I dropped it. The pendant suddenly glowed with Lovely Memory's magic and was placed back in my hooves.
"Um, thanks," I murmured sheepishly, my cheeks warm.
The half-sphere was actually an energy field. My hooves tingled a bit as they passed through it. After I deposited the pendant inside, Lovely Memory stepped over and tried to move her hoof through, but it was like it had become completely solid. I was still able to poke my own hoof through it.
"There, it should be nice and safe now," said Lovely Memory with a gentle smile.
"Thank you," I said as I returned to the cushion.
Lovely Memory levitated a parchment and a quill. "The spell also relays to me information concerning your mental functions, which I will be noting here. Rest assured that I will not be seeing any of your memories, and your thoughts will remain private. Ready?"
Not really, but I nodded anyway.
Lovely Memory's horn glowed. "You should feel no more than a mild tingling, if even that."
I did feel it, like a faint maddening itch just under my mane between my ears, but it was tolerable. Soon the quill started scratching across the parchment. I could see what she was writing, but it was a mix of medical and magical jargon I didn't understand. At least it proved she wasn't recording my thoughts.
This continued for a few minutes, so I guessed, before the glow in her horn faded. She lowered the parchment and quill, smiling at me. "All done!"
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Ah, this appeared to go splendidly," said Doctor Horse. "Please note it will take at least a few hours before any memories become unlocked. Best you just rest for now when you get back to your room."
I trotted to where my pendant lay and put it back on. So maybe I had misinterpreted what Nurse Redheart was doing earlier? Where did caution end and paranoia begin?
"Perhaps later you would consent to another try at the X-rays," said Doctor Horse. "We can have a technician cast a secure holding spell for you there as well."
I managed a smile. "Thanks for understanding."
Nurse Redheart was waiting for me outside the testing room. "I do hope this goes well for you," she said with a gentle smile. "If for no other reason than we can learn what to call you."
I had to admit to toying with the idea of coming up with a "pony name" and claiming I had "remembered" it. Then again, where my exposure to pony names was limited to the few I had met and characters in a Daring Do book, that was not likely the best idea.
She escorted me to my room. "Perhaps you should consider taking a nap, dear."
"Oh, well, I'm not really all that tired," I said as I headed for the bed.
"Trust me, these sorts of things can quite exhaust you."
I saw something flicker at the edge of my vision, like a faint greenish light from somewhere behind me. When I turned to see what it was, my vision blurred for a moment, and I stumbled as a wave of weakness passed through me.
Nurse Redheart rushed forward, throwing a foreleg around me. "Oh, my, are you all right?"
My eyelids sagged. "Umm ... m-maybe you were right."
"Extreme sleepiness is an occasional side-effect of that spell."
I wished they had told me about this. One moment I was wide awake, the next I felt dead on my hooves.
"Here, let's get you into bed," I heard Nurse Redheart say, her voice sounding thick and muffled.
"Urm, yeah, okay," I murmured, barely cognizant of what I was saying.
I scarcely remembered Nurse Redheart drawing the sheet over me before I blacked out.
I stirred from a dreamless sleep. My head felt full of fuzz. Pain throbbed in my temples. I narrowed my eyes to force them to focus.
I could not tell how long I had been out, as the sunlight from the window had been replaced by a gray pall. As I became more lucid, I heard the gentle patter of rain. I felt a chill against my side and realized the sheet had slid from my body.
No, the sheet was torn.
This incongruity brought me to full wakefulness, and my eyes widened as I saw that the sheet was in tatters, as if it had been ripped apart. I gasped as I cast my gaze around the room. The table near the wall had been overturned, the mirror that Rarity had placed on it smashed. The dresser lay on its side, some of its drawers missing. As my eyes tracked across the room, I found them lying in pieces. Gouges on the wall suggested they had been hurtled against it. Light glittered off shards of glass in the doorway to the bathroom, hinting that the mirror had been shattered as well.
What the fuck?!
My head jerked up as the door glowed and opened, and my heart thumped as Princess Twilight stepped into the room, a deadly serious expression on her face. "Well, it appears to be just as bad as Nurse Redheart had said."
"Wh-what? I don't understand."
Twilight stepped more fully into the room and shut the door with another magical push. "She told me you had another episode with your uncontrolled magic. I almost didn't believe her when she said it was this bad."
"Wait a minute, I didn't do this!" I cried.
"Please, it's best to just admit what happened."
"I was asleep! The room was like this when I woke up!"
Twilight considered and sighed. "It's worse than I thought. You must not have been in your right mind and don't even remember doing it."
This was the alley all over again, being accused of something I had not done. "That's ridiculous."
"They told me you had a memory charm applied to you earlier."
"Well, yes, but--"
"And you had the pendant with you."
My hoof flew to it, pressing it against my chest. "I had taken it off."
"But it was still close by. It must be infused with magic, and it must be affecting you somehow. The memory charm only exacerbated that."
I swallowed hard. Could she be right? She was supposed to be the Princess of Magic. Maybe she had been telling me the truth all along, and this thing was a danger to me.
But, dammit, I would've remembered having an episode like this! Wouldn't I?
Twilight took a step towards me, and it took great effort not to retreat. Though where would I go? Even if I tried to run past her, she likely could use magic to stop me. I was trapped.
"I want to help you," Twilight said in a gentler voice. "But you have to trust me."
"Y-you want me to give you the pendant."
Twilight smiled. "I'm glad to see you finally understand."
I was trembling so badly the bed frame rattled. I pressed my hoof tighter to the pendant until it bit into my skin through my fur.
"The pendant is clearly a danger to you and potentially everypony around you," said Twilight. "Do you really want to be responsible for somepony getting hurt?"
Shit. I didn't ask for this. What had Michelle done to me? Had she even known this thing was magical? How could she? She was an ordinary human being like me.
No, like I had been. That part of my life was over, and it was time I accepted that. This stupid pendant was tying me to something I could never have again. Maybe without this pendant I would stop being special and be just another pony.
Before I could respond, my attention was drawn to a commotion in the hallway.
"Wait, stop, you need to talk to the nurse first before you visit!" came a distant voice from down the hall.
A rush of wind in the hallway rattled the door, and then a slightly raspy voice from right outside said, "Sorry, doc, too slow! Twilight can vouch for me anyway."
The door burst open. Great. Just what I needed now, that damn rainbow-maned pegasus.
"Twilight, there you are!" Rainbow Dash said, flying into the room and hovering before Twilight, her hindquarters towards me. I barely avoided being slapped in the muzzle by her prismatic tail. "I've been looking all over for you."
Twilight sighed. "Rainbow Dash, I am a bit busy at the moment."
"Look, I know you're still sore at me, but just listen, please!"
"This really needs to wait until later."
"But I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I talked to Spike, and he said you ..." Rainbow trailed off as her gaze swept the room. "Whoa, what the hay happened in here?!"
Twilight paused, then glanced past her pegasus friend. "Perhaps you can help. The filly here is still a little reluctant to give me her pendant."
Rainbow whirled around to face me, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, she is, huh?"
"She had a magical accident, which is what trashed the room."
Rainbow folded her fore-legs. "Accident. Sure. I believe that. Now try to sell me a bridge in Manehattan."
"I don't remember doing this!" I yelled. I was going to give up the pendant, but I didn't need this shit from her.
"Rainbow, I'm not blaming her," said Twilight. "All I care about is getting that pendant from her so nopony gets hurt."
"You heard her!" Rainbow said. "Cough it up!"
"G-give me a minute, please," I said.
"Why?"
I was almost in tears, but I refused to break down in front of her. "It means a great deal to me! I-it ... it's a symbol of a close friendship I once had."
I wasn't sure why I said that. I had not wanted to reveal any details concerning Michelle, but ... did her face soften just a touch?
"So just give me a moment to work up my courage, okay?" I snapped. "Or maybe you're so full of yourself you didn't notice I'm rather scared right now!"
I thought my insult would set her off again; I needed to vent, and she was a convenient target. I wanted her to argue with me, yet it seemed to have the opposite effect. She blinked a few times and rubbed a hoof through her mane. "Yeah, you do that," she said in a subdued voice. She turned to face Twilight. "Twilight, please, I want to say I'm sorry for earlier."
Twilight looked increasingly impatient. "Rainbow, it's fine, I forgive you."
"Wait, just like that?"
"Well, why not? We're friends, right?"
"But you yelled at me like I never heard you do before, and then you just teleported away. Spike said maybe you were still upset over the stuff that happened at Cadance's wedding even after all this time and--"
"Rainbow, not now. It's not important."
To be honest, I was barely listening to them. I pieced together that part of the conversation later. I was dealing with my own grief. I felt so terribly guilty. I had let Michelle down once before and was going to do so again.
"Hey."
I looked up. Rainbow had turned to face me again, still hovering. Did she ever actually walk like other ponies?
She glanced to the side. "I, uh, see you got the book Twilight sent."
I stared. "Huh?"
"The Daring Do book. I like them, too."
"Oh, um, it's okay, I guess."
Rainbow's eyes widened. "Just okay?! But ... er ... never mind."
"Look, do you want the pendant or--"
"I'm glad you like it because it was my idea to send it to you."
"Rainbow, she's going to give me the pendant," said Twilight. "Why are you prattling on about the book?"
"Did you hear what I said, Twilight? My idea to send the book."
"Yes, I heard. I thought you had a great idea back then, and I still do now."
I had tuned them out again. I started to manipulate the chain of my pendant. Suddenly, a cyan hoof nudged my own hooves down.
"Keep it," said Rainbow in a low voice.
"Huh? But I thought--"
What happened next was just a blur of motion. I could only deduce what transpired from the aftermath, when Twilight was abruptly lifted off her hooves and hurtled backwards. She smacked against the wall with enough force to crack the plaster. My jaw simply dropped as she slid down the wall, her hoof rubbing the side of her face.
Did Rainbow just deck her??
I barely had a chance to breathe when Rainbow lunged at the fallen princess, grappled with her, and threw her against the wall near the bathroom. Twilight fell atop the fallen dresser with a loud, wood-splintering crash. Rainbow turned to lunge again, but the princess was ready. I gasped as a bright beam of green light erupted from her horn, striking Rainbow and throwing her into the opposite wall.
"Gaaaah!" Rainbow cried until she struck the wall. The back of her head impacted with a sickening thud. She slid down the wall, groaning, her eyes skewed.
"What in Celestia's name is going on in here?!" cried Doctor Horse from the hallway as he appeared.
Twilight was on her hooves and charging for the door.
"Doctor, look out!" I screamed.
"Princess Twilight, what--?!" the doctor began.
Twilight shoved him aside with her magic and disappeared down the hall.
Rainbow shook her head violently and leaped into the air. "Stop her!" she bellowed as she disappeared in a colorful blur. A flash of green light illuminated the hallway for an instant before I heard Rainbow growl, "Rrrgh, she's gone!" In another prismatic blur, Rainbow was hovering before me again. "You all right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"
To say I was a little shocked was an understatement, not just from what happened but from the sincere concern in Rainbow's voice and eyes. Numbly, I nodded.
"What in Equestria just happened?" said Doctor Horse.
Rainbow whirled around to face him. "Doc, have somepony contact the Castle of Friendship! Get Twilight -- the real Twilight -- down here, fast!"
The real Twilight??
The doctor was similarly shocked. "Oh, heavens, d-don't tell me that was a changeling?!"
"Okay, I won't. Pretend it was a manticore if that makes you feel better. Just get Twilight down here!"
"I will, Miss Dash, but I insist you have one of the physicians attend to you. That was a nasty hit you took on the back of your head."
"Okay, okay! But have them do it in here, because I'm not leaving this filly alone until Twilight gets here. Ugh, I knew this summit was a bad idea!"
Doctor Horse sighed. "Very well, I will see to it at once."
Rainbow turned to face me. "Lucky for you, I have a thick head." She winced as she rubbed the back of her head. "In more ways than one."
I was too stunned to respond. What the fuck just happened?!
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Awesome can't wait for the next chapter, wonder why the changelings want the pendant
6825155 I suppose that just like all the other, they believe it to be some crazy-powerful old relic from Starswirl.
And maybe it is, it got dumped trough the mirror and Discord decided to bring it back to create some chaos.
He did use a weird tone when he said he wouldn't separate Rachel from the pendant...
OOOHHHH, Changelings!!!! GRAB THE PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES, WE'RE GOING ON A BUG HUNT!!!
um maybe not a bug hunt but one queen ling
*Slaps mag into C7*
Right boys, lock and load! We got some bugs to kill!
6825155
Thanks!
6825208
Discord is fond of being random, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have an agenda from time to time.
6825760
Thank you
6825787
6827016
Don't forget the big industrial sized can of Raid just to be safe ...
6827188
I'm glad you enjoy my writing style
Thank you very much!
6826526
Interesting speculation. Naturally I won't be giving any spoilers
Uuuuuuu... (Sets TARDIS scanner for ponyvil hospital) HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT???
6827225 No, you put the Raid in a pool disguised as water, then when the on fire changelings dive in to put out the flames...... FWOOOSH!
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/552/690/2d0.jpg
6827225 I'll get the liverspread!...what you can get hungry at bug hunts OK?
Holy throne! That happened!
Get the iron sword, with fire. We have witches and changlings to kill! Yeay!!!!
That is the most used title in these types of fics.
6998570 followed by "my penis fell off" and "how do these hooves work anyway".
That plot twist made me feel as if I was decked in the face.
6998570 Personally, I think it would have to be either 'Arrival' or 'And so it Begins.'
Okay. ..
6828866 that picture reminds me of a story: a guy dressed like Spiderman got drunk and disorderly at a party, and an off-duty policeman dressed like Batman arrested him!
What the fook...? What a twist!
Dang. I hate you. You managed to make a story that I know if I had the skill, I could put together. But I'm just not good enough at reading. Or putting together secrets with just enough material.
Very nice story so far, good work.
Oh things just got interesting
Discord, who was sitting on the arm of his couch at home, smiled not-so-innocently. "Who, me?"
You called it! I know there were hints in canon, but this did end up happening.
And goodness, I shouldve known how clever Rainbow Dash is! I felt something off with how quickly Twilight showed up after the whole "Maigcal accident", and Rainbow thought it was weird too. And then her idea to test it! Very smooth