REMASTERED - Chapter 4 - For Science!
One evening a week or so later Twilight and her friends, along with Lyra, carefully push Arc in a wheelchair down the road toward the library. Arriving, Spike opens the door as they wheel him across the floor and stop at the base of the stairs. Twilight turns to them nervously as Arc dozes in the seat.
“Um… so how do we get him upstairs?”
Rainbow Dash takes flight. “I could fly him up there.”
Applejack frowns. “Yeah… I’m pretty sure you’re not THAT strong.”
Pinkie gasps happily. “What if we supported his lower half while Rainbow Dash carried the upper half?!”
Rarity grimaces. “That’s still very risky.”
Lyra nods. “Yes. So much could go wrong.”
Fluttershy looks over Arch’s bandaged chest. “That and he might start popping stitches.”
Spike glances up the steps as he speaks. “It might take everypony lifting at once! After all, he does look pretty heavy.”
Twilight sighs. “I could support him with my magic to lessen the load to everypony else.”
Lyra gently taps Arc’s shoulder. “Um… excuse me.”
Arc slowly opens his eyes and looks around.
“That was a fast walk.”
Pinkie giggles. “You nodded off!”
“I did?”
Rarity nods. “Yes indeed. Sorry to wake you up, but we’re having quite a hard time figuring out how to get you upstairs to bed.”
Arc looks upstairs and shrugs. “I think I can walk up there if I take it slow.”
Applejack gasps. “In your condition?!”
“The doctor did have me walking around a bit.”
Lyra frowns. “But that was mostly just from your bed to the bathroom.”
Fluttershy nods. “Right. No stairs.”
Pinkie trots in place on the steps. “He could try it and see!”
Applejack groans. “But all it takes is one slip and he’s back to the hospital.”
Twilight puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “How about this then? Applejack and Rainbow Dash are the strongest so they could walk on either side to help steady him.
Rarity gasps. “But what if he falls backwards?!”
Lyra grins. “Twilight, Rarity, and I could combine our magic to stabilize him if that happened.”
Spike shrugs. “It’s probably the best plan.”
Arc nods. “I’m okay with it.”
Pinkie giggles. “Then it’s settled!”
Twilight turns to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Take your places on either side of the wheelchair and we’ll get started.”
The pair do so. Arc grimaces.
“Um… so do I just… pull myself up?”
Rarity nods. “If you can, yes. Or we can give you a bit of a push with our magic.”
Applejack turns to him. “Put your hooves on our backs and go for it.”
Rainbow Dash nods. “Yeah. We won’t bite. Promise.”
Arc sighs. “Okay. Here we go.”
Laying a hand on each of the mares, Arc slowly and carefully stands. Attempting to straighten up though he frowns.
“Bit of a problem here.”
Fluttershy gasps. “They’re not tall enough!”
Rainbow Dash scoffs. “Just put your hoof on my head.”
Applejack nods. “We can take it.”
Arc does so. Standing to his full height they begin walking. Taking each step one at a time they slowly make their way upstairs. Reaching the top Arc grimaces and slips backwards. Lyra gasps as she calls out.
“HOLD HIM!!!”
The three unicorns cast Telekinesis Spells to gently steady Arc. He regains his footing and arrives at the top. Spike hurries past them to open the guest room door. Making their way down the hall bit by bit they eventually come to their destination. Walking over to the bed, Arc’s escorts help him turn around as Fluttershy hops up on the bed to assist him in sitting down properly. Pinkie and Lyra help him lay back as Spike pulls the covers over him. Twilight looks over him as she speaks.
“That went pretty well. How do you feel?”
Arc grimaces. “A bit sore from all the moving around admittedly.”
Rarity gasps. “Oh my! Are you alright?!”
“I think so, yes.”
Applejack looks to Lyra. “Maybe he needs some of those painkillers?”
Lyra nods. “Yes, the drugs from the hospital should be wearing off.”
Twilight walks over and pulls a bottle from her saddlebags. “I have them right here. Spike, would you please fetch our guest a glass of water?”
“Sure.”
As Spike heads downstairs Twilight opens the bottle and levitates a single pill over to Arc’s palm. Spike returns and heads to the bedside to extend the glass.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Putting it in his mouth he swallows it with a gulp of water as Lyra watches intently as he does so. Twilight looks to the others.
“Well we should probably let our guest rest now.”
Pinkie materializes a cake seemingly from nowhere. “But I haven’t had time to give him his ‘welcome to Ponyville party yet!”
Applejack chuckles. “Maybe another time.”
Fluttershy nods nervously. “Y-yes, we should probably be going now.”
Rarity turns to Spike. “Would you like to come with me gem hunting, Spike? That is if it’s okay with Twilight.”
Spike nods happily. “Sure!”
Twilight looks to Spike. “It’s fine with me. Have a nice time, Spike.
Rainbow Dash heads to the door with Applejack at her heels. “I’m ready for a nap after all that work!”
Applejack rolls her eyes. “Walking here and helping somepony up the stairs?”
Pinkie bounces past them. “She just wants to get over to Sugarcube Corner for a snack!”
“So?! Those cupcakes are GOOD!”
A few moments later Arc is alone with Twilight and Lyra. Twilight is the first to speak.
“So… anything I can get for you?”
Arc shakes his head as he lays back against the pillow. “No thanks. I think I just want to rest for now.”
Lyra nods. “Doctor Horse said those painkillers might make you a bit drowsy.”
Twilight uses her magic to pull the covers up to Arc’s shoulders. “You just get some rest and we’ll check on you in a bit.”
She motions for Lyra to follow her out of the room. Closing the door behind them, the pair turn and grin at each other. Twilight is the first to speak.
“That went well.”
Lyra nods as they walk down the hallway together. “Agreed. Now all we have to do is observe him and record the data.”
“I am SO ready for this!”
“We’ll give him a chance to rest before beginning, of course.”
Twilight nods as she grins and holds up the bottle of painkillers from earlier with her magic.
“Honestly, we kinda have to at this point thanks to these.”
Lyra appears confused. “He did look sleepy, yes. But what does that have to do with those pills?”
“Doctor Horse prescribed these because of their side effects.”
“Oh?”
“They’ll make the patient groggy and sedated as long as they last.”
“Probably for the best. After all if any of what is believed about humans is true, we’ll need to take precautions.”
Twilight shudders. “Agreed. While he appears to be rather calm, we all saw his warrior spirit while facing that Ursa Minor.”
Lyra grimaces. “If he’s that brave when standing against such a formidable opponent, think of what he could do to a pony.”
“I’m trying not to.”
“Did the doctor make any other suggestions?”
“Well… he did suggest restraining him as much as possible. For our safety, of course.”
Lyra smirks. “But that would raises suspicion on his part.”
Twilight nods as the reach the main level. “Right. At the moment his painkillers are doubling as a restraining mechanism without him even knowing it.”
“That in and of itself may prove to be problematic though.”
“How so?”
Lyra sighs. “It may skew our data. After all, an apex predator in a cage is much less… what’s the word… ah… natural.”
“I understand that. However we need to think of safety first.”
Sometime later Arc opens his eyes. As his vision kicks in he sees two blobs in front of him. Rubbing his eyes, Arc is able to focus more clearly. Twilight and Lyra stand on either side of his bed with clipboards levitating in their magical fields. They stand there silently writing as each looks over several machines that now stand on either side of Arc. He looks to Twilight nervously.
“Um…”
Looking down, Twilight grins.
“Sorry. Did we wake you?”
“Not… really, no.”
Lyra turns to face him, pencil at the ready. “Did you really just awaken, or were you lying there for a time with your eyes closed?”
“I just woke up.”
Twilight nods as she looks to a machine. “The data checks out.”
Arc frowns. “Data?”
Reaching up, he feels several electrodes stuck to his forehead. Lyra smiles sheepishly.
“Yes. We were taking some readings from you while you slept.”
“Did that doctor put you up to this?!”
Twilight shakes her head. “No. This is for my report on humans that I’m going to write. We were recording your brainwaves.”
“But why?”
Lyra looks up from her clipboard. “Very little is actually known about humans, I’m afraid. You’re the first to ever visit to the best of my knowledge.”
Twilight frowns. “That seems unlikely. After all, the myths and legends had to come from somewhere.”
“I agree. However there’s nothing concrete regarding that either.”
Arc sighs. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
Twilight puts her two front hooves together as she smiles nervously. “Oh please let us continue. This information may be of great help to the scientific community. That and I’ll definitely get an ‘A’ on my report.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Lyra sighs. “Technically, yes. We can’t actually force you to do anything against your will, after all.”
Twilight smiles innocently. “That’s why we were studying you while you slept. In case you didn’t approve when you woke up, we’d at least be able to acquire some data.”
Arc sighs. “Fine. Just please don’t try to dissect me, or anything.”
Lyra continues recording information from various other machines. “Not to worry there. After all, you’re quite the scientific specimen.”
“Gee… thanks.”
“My apologies. That did sound rather rude. But you honestly are VERY important to our research. Especially mine.”
Arc frowns. “So what’s you take on this, miss…?”
“Lyra. I’m the head of the Equestrian Anthropology Society, and we’ve been waiting a VERY long time for a breakthrough like this.”
Twilight nods. “I suppose nopony every really thought that a human would just… show up here in Equestria like this.”
She pauses a moment before continuing.
“Could you please tell me what exactly transpired on your end to bring you here?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “You want to know what happened?”
“Yes. And please don’t leave any details out.”
“Details?”
Twilight nods. “I want to know your thoughts up to, during, and after the event as well.”
Thinking for a moment, Arc begins to speak.
“It was a day much like any other. I got up, did my thing, and went to bed. While I admit that I wasn’t exactly upset with my life, I did feel that there should be more to it. At the time I was in my backyard tending my garden. The first thing I noticed though was that yet another of my plants had vanished.”
Twilight sighs. “Sorry. That was probably my fault. I had thought it strange that I was only pulling through vegetables.”
Arc shrugs. “What’s done is done.”
Lyra looks up from her clipboard. “But how did that lead you to Equestria?”
“A small white light caught my eye. At first I just thought it was a firefly. But it was the middle of the day. That and it was growing in intensity. My thoughts shifted to thinking it was some other kind of natural phenomenon at that point. But then I saw it.”
Twilight appears confused. “Saw what?”
“Your basement.”
“The lab?”
Arc nods. “Yes. While my brain told me I should run, for some reason I was mesmerized by what I saw. Then something started tugging on my leg.”
Lyra frowns. “Something?”
“An invisible force was trying to pull me through that energy field.”
Twilight grimaces nervously. “That… that was me trying to grab a plant with a Telekinesis Spell.”
“I was able to sink on of my gardening tools into the dirt to anchor myself and held on for a time though.”
Lyra gasps. “Then how did Twilight pull you through? After all, humans are supposed to be fairly strong creatures by pony standards.”
Arc looks out the window and sighs. “I made a decision.”
Twilight looks to him. “Which was…?”
“To let go.”
Lyra gasps. “You allowed yourself to be pulled into Equestria?!”
Arc shrugs. “At that point it was kind of a stalemate. The force wasn’t strong enough to pull me through. But at the same time I didn’t feel as if I could escape it under my own power. So I surrendered myself to it and let myself be pulled through.”
Twilight bows her head. “Sorry about that. Was it a rough trip?”
“Rough?”
Twilight nods. “You were unconscious when you emerged from the Crystal Mirror. Spike and I kinda thought you might be dead for a few moments.”
“I do remember something poking me.”
“That was Spike. Forgive him, but he was a bit curious. He didn’t hurt you with his claw, did he?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, no. I was more surprised than anything.”
Twilight looks his neck over. “That reminds me. Did the trip do something to your vocal cords?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well… when you first arrived I tried to talk to you. However you didn’t respond.”
Arc sighs. “Oh. To be perfectly honest, I was in total disbelief of what I was seeing. I mean… I thought I was hallucinating, or something.”
Lyra’s eyes grow wide. “Do humans often do such things?!”
“Do what? Hallucinate?”
“Yes!”
“Not usually. I mean, unless there’s some kind of mental issue or drug use.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Drugs?”
“Chemicals that alter your mind temporarily.”
Lyra frowns. “Yes, that was one of the rumors surrounding your race. Do all humans us these… drugs?”
“No, not everyone. But many of them do have legitimate uses.”
Twilight appears surprised. “Can you give us an example?”
“Painkillers.”
Lyra raises an eyebrow. “Painkillers?”
Arc nods. “Some people need them to deal with their pain. But sometimes people will use them to make themselves feel good.”
Twilight shakes her head. “I’m glad to say that such things don’t happen here in Equestria.”
Arc frowns. “Yes, they do.”
Lyra looks up, clearly surprised. “What do you mean?”
“When I arrived, I smelled alcohol on the air and on Twilight when I carried her upstairs.”
Twilight looks away sheepishly. “Oh! Um… I don’t usually do things like that. But you see, I had been working really hard on my research project and needed some way to unwind. However it’s not a drug.”
Lyra nods. “Right. A lot of ponies have a cider of wine to celebrate or unwind. But almost nopony ever drinks so much that it impairs them.”
Twilight sighs. “Well, I guess I did.”
“Yeah. And how did it affect you?”
“I felt kinda warm and happy. Giddy almost. And… and admittedly that’s when I made the mistake of trying to pull something through the Crystal Mirror.”
Arc looks Twilight in the eye. “Physical and mental imbalance and impaired judgement.”
Twilight nods and bows her head. “Yes… I was wrong to do that. And it will never happen again. That I promise.”
“Good. I admit it’s a scary thought to imagine a creature with magical powers drunk.”
Lyra clears her throat in an attempt to change the subject. “On that note… imagination.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “What about it?”
“We believe that humans are extremely clever inasmuch as they can come up with fascinating ideas for inventions, art, and works of fiction. Is this true?”
“Very. The human world is a very busy and interesting place. There’s always something to do or see somewhere.”
Twilight holds her own clipboard at the ready. “Forgive me, but I have a somewhat invasive question to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Do humans have… deep feelings?”
“Can you elaborate?”
“Well… we ponies feel happy and sad. There’s also anger, embarrassment, fear, pride, and whatnot, just to name a few. I’m asking if humans feel these things.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Are any of them felt… more than the others?”
“Well… I suppose some humans are angry more often than others. And some are prone to depression, so more sadness. From what I’ve seen so far, we’re pretty similar to ponies in that regard.”
Lyra appears skeptical. “All humans?”
“Maybe not everyone, no. Um… can I ask something?”
Twilight nods. “Sure, go ahead.”
“What… exactly do ponies think of humans?”
There is a nervous silence which neither Twilight nor Lyra try to break. Eventually Arc speaks.
“Can I assume it isn’t exactly good?”
Lyra sighs. “Human are thought to be… and I’m only referring to the general consensus now… loud, brash, violent, and egotistical.”
Arc winces. “Ouch.”
Twilight’s horn lights up as she pulls out a bottle. “Do you need more painkillers?”
“No, no. I mean… why would they think all humans are like that?”
Lyra shrugs. “That’s just been what’s believed for as long as anypony can remember.”
“I suppose some humans can be like that, of course. But many more are very nice.”
Twilight grimaces. “Sorry, but that’s how ponies view humans. But I do have to admit that you don’t seem to be like that.”
Lyra nods. “Yes, you seem to be quite… calm and collected.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The sound of footsteps coming down the corridor ring out. The door opens and Spike hurries inside. Hurrying over to her, he breathes heavily.
“Twilight! Is everything okay over here?!”
“Um… yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I was worried that something might happen to you!”
Lyra shakes her head. “No danger over here. Did something happen in town?”
“N-no. I was just scared that the human might have eaten you!”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Eaten?”
Spike nods. “Rarity was just telling me that humans supposedly eat meat!”
Rarity enters the room, looking rather embarrassed.
“I’m sorry for barging in here like that. But Spike was a bit anxious to check up on you, Twilight.”
Spike looks to Arc and points an accusatory claw at him. “It is true?!”
Arc sighs. “Yes, humans do eat meat.”
“But that would mean…!”
Twilight frowns. “Spike! Calm down!”
“He could eat you thought!”
Lyra shakes her head. “Spike, humans are believed to be omnivores.”
“…what?”
Twilight groans. “That means they eat both plants and meat.”
Arc nods. “I like apples, but at the same time also love a good steak.”
Rarity walks over and puts a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “You need to have faith in Twilight’s decisions. She and Lyra know what they’re doing.”
“But I thought not much was known about human!”
Lyra holds up hear clipboard. “That is true, yes. However it’s something we’re trying to change.”
Twilight smiles. “We were just taking biological readings while asking him questions about his species.”
Arc nods. “And I was doing the same to learn about ponies.”
Spike frowns as turns to Twilight. “Well it’s better to be safe than sorry though, right?!”
“We are, Spike. These tests are all non-invasive.”
“I mean you need to be careful!”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “We’re fine though.”
“But he’s…!”
Twilight frowns. “That’s enough, Spike! Now I want you to head downstairs, make a pot of tea for us, and calm down.
“Twilight…!”
“Now!”
Spike turns and stomps out the door as Twilight and Rarity look to Arc apologetically.
“Sorry about that.”
Rarity sighs. “Yes, he’s usually such a nice little fellow.”
Twilight nods as she turns to her friend. “What happened, Rarity?”
“I’m sorry, but he was asking about humans.”
Lyra nods soberly. “So you told him the myths?”
“Yes, but I did my best to point out that Arc here doesn’t appear to be like that.”
Twilight groans. “I’ll have a talk with him about what we’ve learned from this conversation later.”
Arc sighs. “He’s just worried about you.”
Rarity bows her head. “That he is. But I didn’t make it any better by talking to him about it.”
Lyra shrugs. “Pretty much everypony believes that though. Myself included before meeting one face to face.”
She looks to Arc apologetically for a moment before continuing.
“But with a bit of work I believe we can change everypony’s mind by presenting our findings to the masses.”
Arc shrugs. “Some of what they believe is true, of course. But I’m guessing that not every pony is as nice as I’m led to believe.”
Twilight nods. “They’re few and far between, yes. But they do exist.”
Rarity smiles at Arc. “You’ve given us something to think about.”
Arc looks toward the door that Spike left open. “Some of you, yes.”
Lyra sighs. “He’ll come around. But we should probably hurry up and finish our observations of your vitals, Arc.”
Twilight looks over the machines. “Yes, you’re showing signs of fatigue according to these readings.”
“I could use a bit of a rest.”
Rarity nods. “Yes, of course. Your health comes first, and they’ll be plenty of time later for science.”
Twilight sets down her clipboard. “That’s true. Come on, Lyra. Let’s give Arc some time alone.”
“Okay.”
Leaving the room together, they look to one another. Twilight is the first to speak.
“He seems very sincere.”
Lyra nods. “Agreed. Perhaps all of us were wrong about humans.”
Rarity shrugs. “Time will tell. But I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Twilight sighs as she hears the teapot whistle and motions for the other two to follow her. “Now to see if Spike can do the same.”
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hero human yay
nice story
Your style is fairly unique in a good way. I was ready to click off once I saw the present tense being used, but the way you structure sentences and place your words makes your writing easy to read and highly fluid. The story is nice enough so far, just want to compliment your command of the present tense.
Love the portraits, by the way. Are those commissions or original art?
The human is not in Equestria for a moment or two and the pony who brought him in nearly causes an accident with the chemicals. It just goes to show why fans often complain that Twilight Sparkle is so focused and uptight over such little things, that she almost doesn't see the big picture as to what it's doing to her. But she is lucky the man managed to save them before an unfortunate accident took place, even though there was no time for 'proper' introductions. Well, I just hope she remembers to thank the stranger for saving her, despite the fact that she's the reason he's in this realm to begin with.
10218128
Lesson of this... "Don't work drunk. It doesn't end well."
HA! for once it is not the human visitor hwo gets nocked out ! xD
10165012
Later pictures had a higher budget. 
My apologies for not responding earlier. The pictures are original commissions from artists I've hired. I describe what I want and they make it happen.
10570224
Give it time.
First time reading this, but would it be safe to assume the mixture was similar to bleach and ammonia?
10698252
Humans are a mythical creature in Equestria, so seeing a real one right in front of her was quite jarring for Twilight. Probably not the best idea she had when she blasted him, granted. But mistakes were made. 
Nice analogy, yes.
Never judge a book by is it's cover lesson?
10754249
Exactly!
Gas you say.
"Gas gas gas put on your masks!"