Side Effects

by Blue Insomniac

1.2 I Woke Up... And The World Wasn't There

"... Okay, now I need you to stick this under your tongue. Don't give me that look, your medical scan said you haven't been vaccinated in who knows how long. So we're checking for everything right now."

I merely grunted in annoyance as I grabbed the thermometer with both hooves and stuck it in my mouth to the best of my ability.

I couldn't help but sigh in my mind as I waited for the damn thing to take my temperature, then for Nurse Redheart to write it down once again to see if anything had changed. This was my life from the moment I woke up in the hospital till now, and wasn't that a fun way to find out I was very much far away from home.

I couldn't really remember the first time I woke up, but I do remember having feelings of being safe and warm. But that wasn't the point, the point was that wherever that fucking rainbow beam thing transported me was no where near to where I started. At the very least, I don't remember talking technicolored ponies being the dominant species on Earth.

"Okay, that should do it for today. Remember to come back next week for another check up alright?" Was said by the mare as she smiled before turning towards the back of the room and started
speaking to the other pony in the room.

And wasn't that a nice twist to all the shit I was already dealing with. It turns out that I was younger than what I originally was back on Earth, and with that came all the legal baggage that being a minor in this world would mean for me. Essentially, they needed an adult to consent for me and all that jazz, so who better than have 'my savoir' be the acting guardian for me.

Ah yes, when I passed out back in the cliff face I did in fact not hallucinate the quiet gasp that I heard. It actually came from a pegasus who was traveling near the edge of the forest I was in. She just so happened to be traveling there for her job or whatever, and she heard me screaming at the (what I now know as) Timber wolves to fuck off.

Yada yada yada she rushed me to the nearest hospital located in Ponyville (what kind of name was that?) And here I was. Being tested for every kind of disease known to man.

Her name was Fluttershy, and is my temporary caretaker. Or at least until whatever counted as their government here decided what to do with my furry ass. But until that happens I was under her (extraordinarily shy) care. Honesty if I hadn't seen the sheer determination in her face at the thought that I was gonna be sent away to who knows where if she didn't take me in, I would have felt bad for the mare. Instead I just kinda felt awkward as she mumbled her way through what the nurse was saying and signing the needed paperwork to legally be my guardian.

That also meant that today was the day that I was to go with her and finally leave the hospital.

'Why are you just agreeing to go with a total stranger and be treated like a kid?' Is what I would be asking myself right about now. But what choice did I have. I still had no idea where I was, had no way to prove that I wasn't the kid (colt?) they saw me as, and I almost didn't believe it myself. And I fucking lived through it!

There was also the fact that I wasn't a pony at all, but that was an entirely different can of worms that would never be believed at the best of times.

No. Better to just lay low and then think about what I could do about it later. That didn't really make me feel better about my situation, but at least it was a start. But my plan also meant that I had to blend in as best as I could in this strange new land I was in. In fact I nearly blew it when the many, many medical staff first asked me what my name was. I very nearly said my true name before I realized how... alien... it would sound to these ponies.

The name Jacob Herbert didn't really fit in with what I heard thought my extended stay in the hospital. They had names like 'Flowery Scent' and 'Yellow Bell', never mind Jacob Herbert. So what did I go for my new name while I was stuck here?

"Aerial Ace? Are you ready to go now? I-if that's alright with you." Was whispered by Fluttershy.

"Yeah, let's go" Was whispered by me in turn. Yeah, I named myself after a Pokemon move. Not the best choice I had but it fit in the moment, so why not?

That reminds me, "How far away is your home by the way?" I asked, once again as a whisper.

She seemed to be expecting me to ask this question, as when she responded it was without a single stutter, though still in a whisper. "Oh. It's not far, just a little down the road."

"Okay, thanks." I said, once again in a whisper.

I learned the hard way that my guardian was extraordinarily panicky and shy. The one two combo in terms of being introverted to the extreme, not that I minded though. I was also a quiet person, at least till I got angry and scared. But isn't that everybody? It also meant that she most likely wouldn't ask any uncomfortable questions. I already felt bad enough lying to the hard working medical staff back at the hospital. I fear it would break my heart to lie to the pony who saved me from certain death from within the forest.

It also didn't help that these ponies were hitting my 'ohmygoshsocute' buttons like there was no tommorow.

As I stood still while being tied up in my thoughts, Fluttershy stood to her full hight and started to slowly fly away from the hospital towards what I assumed was her home. Shaking my head to dislodge my thoughts I quickly faced towards Nurse Redheart and gave her a smile and a hand wave (hoof?) of goodbye, no need to be rude after all. Before following Fluttershy's slow flying pace with my own walking.

If you had told me that these wings I had on my back would let me fly, I wouldn't have believed you. But now after having been living here for a few days. I couldn't help but feel at least a little bit excited about learning now that I knew that not only was it possible to fly with my too tiny wings, but that I could reach incredible speeds that I had never had the chance to experience.

At least, that's what Fluttershy's friend Rainbow Dash claims. The few times she visited alongside Fluttershy were invaluable for me to learn about this new world and how things worked. It was through her that I learned that magic was real in this world, not just some fancy parlor tricks and slight of hand. But the real, you need to study and manipulate Mana, version.

Unfortunately you needed to be a unicorn to do any of that. So no sorcerer supreme Aerial Ace the terrible I'm afraid. Still, wings were a nice substitute for hands and would (eventually) let me fly.

You win some and you lose some.

Though now that I was out of the hospital, it was time to find out how (or maybe why) I was brought to this alien world. And hopefully find a way to get back home. I don't remember much after my vision was overwhelmed by the strange rainbow light back home, but I do remember that the world stood still as though time itself had stopped. And for now, I would choose to believe that was still the case. So I'll keep looking for a way back home, but for now...

For now, my name is Aerial Ace. I truly don't know how I got into those woods, and lied about not knowing anything else. In this body I had no parents and refused to say anything else due to past trauma.

Now how far did Fluttershy say her home was again? Cause 'a little down the road' looked like a good hours walk from here...

Author's Note:

So most chapters will probably be 1k to 2k on average but an occasional 3k may pop out every now and again.

Sorry if you wanted longer chapters but I don't nearly have that level of dedication. Though I will update often so there is that.

Have a nice day!

- Blue Insomniac

Comments

[TheKingIsDead]

For now, my name is Ariel Ace. I truly don't know how I got into those woods, and lied about not knowing anything else. In this body I had no parents and refused to say anything else due to past trauma.

Arial, not Ariel. Unless you're a mermaid.

[Blue Insomniac]

10184425
Oops.

Fixed

[TundraStanza]

10184425
10184431
Not to be confused with Aerial Ace, the flying-type Pokemon move that never misses. Heh heh.

[TheKingIsDead]

10184610
... point. English is not my first language, but I knew something was wrong when I saw it.

Third times the charm.

[tsaukpaetra]

Odd that Fluttershy would fly (however sedately) back home. You'd think she would carry him or walk, but to fly with him lagging behind (colt after all, he's bound to be slower and have to rest often) would be kinda rude. Perhaps she's just overly distracted by the new massive responsibility she's acquired.
Aerial Ace, huh? Hope that Cutie Mark magic will support him in his unexpected endeavor... 😂
Keep going! ;)

[Vaguely Demented]

I can’t wait till Fowlmouth has to deal with other foal. The pejorative exclamations will be glorious.

[Alaborn]

slight of hand - sleight

[umbreon1234]

10185711
was that a bird pun?

[Vaalintine]

So he is male then? That's something I was wondering. Although the fact that he has apparently decided to hide everything about himself and tell nobody only to just... fucking flail uselessly because he's a foal and will never be able to get home on his own is taking my opinion from neutral to deep negative. Everytime I find a story that does this, it leads to the protagonist just miserably failing to do anything to help themselves so they never succeed or make any progress towards fixing the problem caused by them being stuck in equestria as a foal.