To be Human

by Raptor

Question

Later in the evening, the Boy was sitting in the crowded restaurant, surrounded by his family, who all gathered here for a small reunion, and strangers, who came for their own purposes. The Boy looked at all the people around him. "Each one of these people has a story to tell," he thought. "A long story, for each and every one of them. With high points... and low points... everyone here has a story to tell." The Boy's eyes fell upon the girl, and he smiled. "Well, except for you. Your story isn't that long, and the rest is yet to be written." He looked around again. "That goes for all of you. You have a long story to tell, but your story hasn't ended. There is always more to write.

"Everyone's story never stops writing."

"...For better or worse."

---

---

The hike back to the hospital was difficult for a unicorn like Twilight. Not only were they a good distance away from the edge of the forest, but she had to support a strange wounded stallion who, apparently, didn't know how to walk properly. He remained silent for a long while, which was interesting, considering he had so many questions not moments ago. Every once and a while, Twilight would steal a glance at him. He looked like he was deep in concentration, but it was hard to tell. He had such an empty gaze... almost as if he were... hollow. Several minutes passed, filled with awkward silence. Awkward for her, at least. Twilight felt that she should probably comfort him in some way.

She cleared her throat. "So..."

"Where are you taking me, again...?" the stallion asked suddenly.

Twilight was surprised at the change. "We're... going back to the hospital."

The stallion scoffed. "So that's what they call it, huh...?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean...?"

The stallion glanced at her briefly, pursing his lips, but said nothing. A few more minutes passed before the stallion continued with his next question. "What did they do to us," he said, "back at the 'hospital'?"

"'Us'?" Twilight repeated. "They didn't do anything to me. The tended to your wounds, I just came by to visit, since I was the one who found you. I was just worried about you." She smiled. "Which is also why I came looking for you."

The stallion remained silent for a moment, showing no gratitude. "I mean..." the stallion paused. "What did they do to make us look like... this."

Twilight rose her eyebrow again. "What? Everyone looks like this."

The stallion scoffed again, this time in a more amused manner, nodding a bit with the slightest smirk on his muzzle. "Yeah, I'm sure they told you that, too," he muttered. "I think you mean, 'everyone I know looks like this.'" He shook his head and looked off into the passing trees.

Twilight wore a very puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?!" The stallion said nothing. Twilight sighed and focused on the pathway. They had finally cleared the forest when Twilight spotted the doctor and the nurse in the distance. She called out to them; "Doctor! I found him!" Both ponies' heads turned, and they started galloping towards her. The stallion looked up at the approaching figures, and raised an eyebrow. When the two came up to them, they quickly examined the stallion. "I found him in a clearing past the thick brush in the forest," Twilight explained. "He's got some serious cuts and bruises."

The doctor noticed the wounds all over the patient's body. "Sweet Celestia, man, are you out of your mind?!" he exclaimed. "You could've killed yourself out there! Why did you try to escape?" The stallion narrowed his eyes at the word "escape", but said nothing.

Nurse Redheart put her hooves to his side and examined one of the cuts up close. "Doctor, we should bandage him right away," she said.

The doctor nodded. "Agreed," he said. He turned to Twilight. "Thank you for your help, Twilight. Redheart and I can take it from here. Could you please tell security we've retrieved the patient?" Twilight nodded and let the nurse support the stallion while she ran off to the security guards milling about down the road. The doctor helped Redheart with the stallion, carrying him back inside the hospital.

---

---

The Man woke up once more. This time, he was in a much brighter environment. He was in another white room, staring up at the ceiling. Sunlight shone through a window behind him. There was a breeze brushing through the nearby trees as birds chirped happily. The Man groaned. He looked down at his stubbed body, noticing several bandages everywhere. At least he wasn't hooked up to anything his time. A clock on the wall showed that it was around 2:30, most likely in the afternoon. I guess I really was tired. He thought back to the events of last night. He escaped the "hospital", found the clearing, found the other... subject, then returned to the "hospital". That was when things got strange. The doctor and the nurse also had similar bodies... what could that mean? Were the more "trusted" subjects allowed to wander the compound? Was there some kind of isolated community of these... subjects, in which some were entrusted with jobs, such as the two in the medical field? Whatever the reason, the Man wanted answers. And yet, he had a feeling he wasn't going to get anything useful out of the others. The way that purple female reacted to his questions certainly said something about what these things knew. Still, he may as well give it a try.

The Man had his eyes closed when there was a knock on the door. He woke up from his dozing and looked at the clock. Several minutes had passed since he woke up. Before he could mutter the words "come in," the door opened, and a cute white face poked in. The Man had to admit, the simplicity of these bodies made them look like some sort of adorable pet. He recognized the face as the nurse from last night. When she saw that he was awake, she smiled at him and entered.

"Good morning!" she said kindly.

The Man furrowed his brow at her. "Isn't it the afternoon...?" he said.

The nurse walked in. "It most certainly is," she said, keeping her warm, friendly tone. "You slept for quite a while after we treated you." She walked up to the end of the bed and examined the clipboard. "Considering how much you had been through, I'm honestly surprised you're awake now." This nurse was certainly good at her job, the Man gave her that. She wasn't focused on why he did what he did, but more on how he was doing. He struggled to sit upright, only to get a stab of pain shoot through every muscle in his torso. The Man cringed, and the nurse quickly went to his side. "Now now," she said, "take it easy." She gently supported his torso and helped him into a comfortable upright position. "You suffered some pretty bad cuts and bruises, along with some minor lacerations. Don't strain yourself too much." Once he was sitting in a comfortable position, he nodded to her in thanks.

"Now," she said, stepping back, "unfortunately, we have some paperwork to do later on today." There it is. "But for now, is there anything you need?" She cocked her head and smiled at him.

The Man shook his head. "No, thank you," he said.

"Are you sure?" she replied. "Are you hungry? Thirsty, maybe?"

The Man's throat was dry as a desert. However, he wasn't going to go trusting these things just yet. "I'm fine, thank you," he replied. An old motto suddenly popped into his head... "Take no risks, trip no traps." He didn't remember where or when he heard that, but he still got a feeling that it was only half of the full saying.

"Well, alright," the nurse said, walking towards the door. "Just press that button over there if you need me." She backed out slowly and gently shut the door behind her. The Man looked over to where she had pointed, noticing a red button on the wall labeled "CALL NURSE". He laid back against the propped-up pillow. I guess now's a good time to think up some questions, he thought.

---

An hour passed. The Man had dazed in and out of consciousness. But his questions were, for the most part, ready by the time the nurse returned. She knocked on the door, like she did before, and the Man permitted her entrance. She entered, and gave the Man a kind smile, like she did before. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, like she did before.

The Man gave a small, stiff shrug. "Fine," he muttered. "Is it time for the paperwork now...?"

The nurse appeared slightly surprised by this, but didn't show it much. "Oh, well, we can do it now, if you're up for it." The Man nodded slowly. "Alright then." The nurse went over to the clipboard at the foot of the bed and grabbed it with her right stub. "Before we begin," she said, looking back up at the Man, "is there anything I can get you? Food? Drinks...?"

The Man shook his head. "No, thank you."

This time, the nurse furrowed her brow and cocked her head at him. "Are you sure?" she said in a more confused manner. "You were unconscious almost all day yesterday, you didn't eat or drink at all. Aren't you hungry or thirsty?" The Man sighed. He was very hungry and thirsty. Eventually, he would have to accept sustenance from these... things. Might as well start now. Besides, if they wanted to poison or drug him, they could've done it at any time while he was sleeping. Now that he thought about it, avoiding food and drinks given to him seemed like a dumb move on his part.

"Fine," he said. "I mean... yes, some water would be nice." The nurse returned to her smile and exited the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a tall glass of ice-cold water resting on a tray, which she held in her mouth. The Man felt that to be a bit odd, but compared to everything else he'd been through so far, and with the body configuration, it was... understandable. She set the tray down on a small table next to the bed, and the Man noticed that there was also a plate with half a small loaf of bread and an apple. When he looked at the nurse, she smiled at him.

"Just in case you get hungry," she said. The Man couldn't help but smile at her in appreciation. "Now, then," she said, walking over to the clipboard again. "Shall we begin...?" The Man nodded. He'd let her ask her questions first, then he'd ask his. She took the clipboard off, went over to a chair, sat down, and took out a pencil. "Okay, first. Name?"

The Man frowned and looked at her. "You don't know my name...?" he questioned.

"We found it odd, too," the nurse replied. "For some reason, the Equestrian database couldn't recognize you. Are you a resident here?"

The Man blinked. What do horse races have to do with this...? he thought. He shook his head. "Uh, no, I'm-- well... I don't know, exactly..."

The nurse slowly nodded. "I... see..." she whispered. "So, what is your name, then?"

The Man hesitated. His name was John Clarke. But they didn't know who he was. That meant he could at least hide his name, as an extra sense of security. Not for him, but for his... He narrowed his eyes. For... someone. Someone else named... Clarke... Still, refusing to give these things a name would be pretty suspicious. He thought for a moment.

"...Connor," he said. "Connor Ramsey."

The Nurse raised an eyebrow at him, as if it were an unusual name. "I... see..." she said again. She looked down at the clipboard. "Could you spell that, please?"

"Um... sure." Was that name really that uncommon to them...?The Man watched as the nurse put the pencil in her mouth and lowered it to the paper. Another odd thing to do, but once again, it seemed the most appropriate, given the bodies. "Connor: see-oh-en, en-oh-are, Ramsey, are-ae-em, es-ee-wie." The nurse seemed to be able to write fluently and with precision with the awkward holding technique. When she finished, she looked up at him and dropped the pencil in her stub.

"Alright, date of birth?" she asked.

"June 2nd, 1987."

The nurse once again looked at him quizzically. "...What calendar is that...?" she asked.

"The... Astronomical calendar...?" This was getting stranger and stranger.

"I... see..." she whispered once more. "Sex, male... Blood type?"

"B positive."

"...Any medical disabilities...?" The Man paused. He only now realized how quickly he answered the past few questions without thinking. How did he know these things with little to no memories? And now that he reached this question, he couldn't think of anything.

"I... don't know, I... can't remember."

"Oh, alright, then, that's okay. Medical insurance coverage?"

"Um... no."

"None...?"

"None."

"Alright... Is there someone you want us to contact?"

"..."

"Mr. Ramsey...?"

"...No. No one."

"There's-"

"There's no one."

"Oh..." The nurse's face showed sorrow and confusion. "Okay, then... Are you a citizen of Equestria..?"

...

...The fuck is Equestria...?

"Uh... No."

"Really...?" She said, again giving him a confused look. "Well then, where are you from?"

The Man thought for a moment. "Uh, the United... Um... The United... Kingdom...? No, that was... No... States. The United States. Of... Er... America. I think..."

The nurse just stared at him for a moment. Then, she set the clipboard down and cocked her head. "Sir, how much of this do you actually, truly remember?" The Man felt very confused. Why were these answers so hard for the nurse to believe? Were any of these memories true, or were words and numbers just jumbling around in his brain? Did the human mind even work that way? Then again, he wasn't sure if he was human anymore.

"I... Don't know," the Man whispered. "I'm sorry, I just... I just don't..."

"It's okay," the nurse's soft, calming voice chimed in. The Man looked at her, and she smiled. "We can worry about all this later. How about for now you take some time to rest and gather your thoughts, okay...?" The Man still had his questions to ask. He needed the answers, and yet... after realizing how much he had to know about himself, he came to the conclusion that he should question the past before he questions the present. Not to mention all this was causing him to lose focus altogether.

He closed his eyes, sighed through his nostrils, and nodded. "...Okay." The nurse smiled, placed the clipboard back on the end of the bed, and walked to the door. "Nurse...?"

"Hmm...?" The nurse turned and faced the Man.

"...What's your name...?" he asked quietly.

The nurse smiled. "Redheart," she said. "Nurse Redheart." The Man hesitated. It was a somewhat odd name, so it fit well with everything else.

"Redheart..." the Man repeated. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Ramsey." The Man cringed. He already felt a small pang of guilt for lying to her. She turned and walked out the door, flicking the light switch on her way out, plunging the room into a soft darkness, revealing several lines of sunlight peeking through the shades behind the bed. She started closing the door.

"And, nurse...?" She poked her head in and looked at the Man once more. He smiled at her. "...Thank you." Redheart smiled back at him, and closed the door. The Man's smile slowly faded. He sighed, closed his eyes, laid back, and gritted his teeth.

---

---

Redheart sighed as she walked back to the desk. Dr. Stable was already there, and saw her approaching. "Find anything about our special patient, nurse?" he asked.

Redheart shook her head. "Not much. He's been giving me a lot of gibberish. Said his name was 'Connor Ramsey'. He can't remember much, all his thoughts are jumbled. We should give him some time to relax and collect himself."

The doctor slowly nodded. "Hrm... what did you find out?" he asked.

"Not much. He said he was born in the year of '1987', according to the 'astronomical calendar', that he had no insurance or emergency contacts, and that he wasn't even from Equestria."

Dr. Stable blinked. "Really, now...?"

Redheart nodded. "Yes. He said it like he hadn't even heard of it before. It was then when I asked him if he could really remember anything correctly. He seemed so confused, so I guess we can discredit almost every piece of information he gave us."

The doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses. "...Alright. We'll keep an eye on him for now. If he remembers anything, be sure to let me know."

"Of course, doctor."

He glanced at the clock above the front desk. "Well, my break's just about done. I've got something else to attend to. Keep me posted." The nurse nodded, and he trotted off.

---

Stable opened the door to his darkened office, the dust particles in the air illuminated by the light slipping through the the blindfolds behind his desk. Comfortable with the low-light environment, the doctor walked around the desk and sat down. he looked around the room. On his right was his doctorate on the wall and a picture of his family on his desk. In front of him as the door and blinded windows leading out to the hallway, and a dusty, barely used chair sitting across from him. Stable never really used the office that much; he really only used it to store his coat and belongings for the work day. A potted plant rested calmly on a small table to the left.

But out of the corner of the doctor's eye, to the left of him was a tall, silver figure. He shut his eyes and sighed deeply. His eyes opened, but when he turned to look at it, there was nothing there.