When a human wakes up in a strange world, he can make enemies fairly quickly. And in Equestria, it is no different. But, without any memory of his past, must blindly follow the allies he makes in order to regain his memories.
When a human wakes up in a strange world, he can make enemies fairly quickly. And in Equestria, it is no different. But, without any memory of his past, he must blindly follow the allies he makes in order to regain his memories. Through regaining his memories, he will hopefully learn how to get home. If he can go home, or even if he ever wants to go home.
NOTICE: Memory Lock is undergoing a total rewrite! Everything has been scrapped! I am starting fresh with a new, but similar story. And I'm even getting rid of a few characters that may or may not be introduced later. Only time will tell.
Written by me, Edited by me, and enjoyed by you! New Chapters every 2 Weeks!
“Colonel Sir? Could you please remind me again what we’re looking for?”
With a heavy sigh, the grey stallion in full riot gear turned, his visor facing the new meat, eyes filled with distaste for the young buck sitting across from him on the metal bench.
“For the last time private, we were given a rather vague description!” Frustrated with the new recruit’s constant prodding, Colonel Barricade turned his eyes to gaze out the windows of the armored train car he and his platoon were traveling in. The lush green landscape was bright, and he dearly wished he and his son could be passing around the hoofball in the yard back at his home on the outskirts of Manehattan. Instead, he was called into work right after breakfast.
Work for him was different. He didn’t go to a cubicle and slave over pieces of parchment. No, his work was being sent out to capture, and imprison those who pose a significant threat to Equestria.
Colonel Iron Barricade: Hostile Capture Specialist. HCS for short.
“The reports from the townsfolk only stated that the disturbances were caused by a sudden flash of blinding light, and then the sudden appearance of a large, hairless primate.”
The private raised a hoof as if to stay something, but thought better of it, instead opting to return to staring straight ahead. Having repeated the report for the fifth time today, Barricade started to realize how ridiculous it sounded. Why couldn’t the guardsponies in Ponyville just take care of the disturbances themselves?
The entire train car rattled, and the metal wheels screeched against the metal rails as the locomotive began to slow down.
“All right everypony!” Colonel Barricade yelled over the deafening racket. “Remember the briefing! Shields in front! The first thing we secure will be the town square! That was the last known location of the target! As soon as these doors open, file out quickly and fall in. The residents have all been told to stay in their houses, so civilians getting in the way will not be an issue. Remember, our mission is to capture the target alive!”
The moment Barricade bellowed out the last word, the bay door fell open with a bang, and his ponies filed out.
Flashes of faces appeared in my mind’s eye, but they disappeared too quickly for me to recognize any of them. Colors swirled together, occasionally creating images. A house. A river. A dog. I was falling, and I would’ve been screaming if I could feel my mouth. At least, my body was telling me that I was falling. I honestly couldn’t feel any air flowing around me. Pain instead covered my body.
Burning, stabbing pain. Throughout every nerve.
My legs and arms were ridged. Every time I tried to even curl my fingers, knives would shoot though my veins, causing me to cry out. If I could that is, but once again, my mouth felt like it was glued shut.
A mixture of frustration and terror was sending my mind into an out of control spiral. Towards what? I had no idea. I couldn’t see.
There was nothing I could do.
It was then that I finally noticed a muffled sound breaking through the silence. It was a very strange sucking sound. It started off soft, but it gradually crescendoed. Like a raging tornado descending out of a churning grey sky. I couldn’t feel any wind, but the sound of it was definitely there. Almost like if I was in a vacuum cleaner. Then, almost instantaneously, it stopped.
The last thing I heard was a thundering boom that made my body quake.
And my vision went white.
The full battalion of armored ponies lead by Colonel Barricade erupted onto the train station platform. They moved uniformly and in rank. A line of unicorns, their horns sustaining transparent magical shields in the front, followed by earth ponies carrying a various assortment of nonlethal weaponry: stun spell grenades, electric prods, and the like. The pegasi in the group instantly hid among the thatched rooftops of the quaint little town, staying out of view of any hostile… things in the area.
The group of ponies waited on the platform, taking cover behind the building, waiting breathlessly for an order.
“Colonel Barricade,” a voice spoke in the commanding officer’s ear.
“Any sign of any targets?” the colonel responded gruffly. He, and every pegasi were linked to a web of communication spells, allowing him to be in constant communication to any of his recon specialists.
“Negative,”
“Nothing yet.”
“It’s quiet sir.”
Satisfied with the reports, Barricade stepped forward, moving to the cobblestone streets. With a wave of his hoof, the rest of the ponies on the platform followed the stallion into the open.
The ponies stuck to the walls, moving in tight rank behind their shielded comrades. Moving through the town. Street to street. Always checking down every alley, and behind every trash can.
The streets were bare of anypony. Thankfully, for once, the ponies actually seemed to listen to the dragonfire notice that was sent, telling them to go home, and lock their doors. They weren’t actually sent by dragonfire, but that was beside the point. Normally, there would’ve been at least a few still in the streets, shaking in terror as an army washed through their town. Colonel Barricade hated seeing the look of fear in their eyes, and was thankful that for once, he couldn’t see any of their faces today.
However, Barricade knew that as the small army of armored ponies crept in the shadows of the homes and businesses of Ponyville, the citizens watched silently through gaps in their curtains. Some watched with awe. Others watched in fear.
His heart ached with a slight guilt.
“Colonel!” one of Barricade’s scouts radioed in. “You might want to see this. Town hall. Right next to the fountain.”
“Any hostiles?” the colonel questioned, motioning for his troops to follow.
“I’m… I’m not sure, sir,” was the response.
Not feeling too assured, the commanding officer and his ponies closed in on their target’s last known location. He was taken aback when he saw the scene in the middle of the courtyard, town hall and fountain in view.
Golden armored ponies, six of them, littered the ground, lying unconscious. Each adorning a crest.
The crest of the royal guard.
Barricade’s ponies readied their weapons and spread out, filling the street. Each one of them wearing stoic, afraid, or angry expressions upon spotting the bodies. Some wore all three.
The unconscious guards were still breathing, thankfully. Each one of had their own bloodied bandage or two. The medic who tended to their wounds was still a mystery.
Until, however, they saw a yellow pegasus mare currently staring at the army of ponies with terrified eyes, which were still red from crying. She had been tending to another victim, hence the gauze she held in her hoof. Nopony could identify the creature she was tending to. It was lying on its back, bleeding from multiple cuts along its torso and limbs. From what they could tell, whatever it was, it was in bad shape. The only way they could describe it was a:
I opened my eyes. Blinding light caused my eyes to burn and water, and a high pitched whine filled my ears. I blinked away the tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I tried moving other parts of my body. I grimaced at the pain that shot through my arms as I flexed one of my fingers.
Fuck. That.
As my eyes adjusted, I gazed up at a beautiful blue sky, small white clouds dotted the azure canvas.
There was a light breeze that much I could tell. My body was still numb and in pain, and I wasn’t feeling much of anything. My senses limited, I had no other option but stare into the never-ending sky.
I felt something bump into my arm, sending more electric pulses through my body. I still was risking sending myself into a world of hurt, but I still insisted on letting my neck to twist slightly to try and see the foreign object that touched me. As I did, pain exploded throughout my entire body as expected, but what I didn’t expect was what I saw.
It was blurry, and I couldn’t make out any definite lines in its features, but there were two things that I could definitely see. Yellow and pink. It was some kind of animal as far as I could tell. However, it was unlike anything I have ever seen. It had a short snout, and impossibly large eyes. Seriously, they were the size of dinner plates.
And I could swear I could make out a wing.
Whatever it was, it was leaning over me, moving quickly around my body. The creature lifted my arm with its… leg? It wrapped a soft cloth around my bicep, the white fabric instantly stained with red. I felt… whatever this thing was, pulling the makeshift bandage tight, causing me to wince at the pain that shot through my body, and that’s when I heard a soft gasp.
My vision clearing slightly after a few blinks, I discovered that the thing tending to me finally figured out I was awake. It looked… surprised to say the least. Scared? No. It looked concerned, its giant eyes looking very watery. For what reason, I don’t know.
Now able to get a good look at the creature, I took it all in. Turns out I was correct about the wings, but what caught my attention most was its feet, or hooves rather, that were somehow able to hold and manipulate the roll of… something in her hoof despite their flat surface and lack of appendages. Her feminine like eyebrows, round eyes, and narrow build gave away her gender. I guess she was some sort of equine.
It took me a second to realize that there were things covering my body, causing my skin to itch irritably. Looking down at my chest, I noticed the multitude of bandages that covered my pectorals and stomach, the gauze mummifying my legs and arms, and a few bleeding lashes that remained uncovered. That explained why I was hurting this much.
I turned to the oddly colored mare next to me, and saw the first aid kit next to her, contents sprawling out across the ground. She was the one who dressed my wounds, it couldn’t have been anyone else. There was no one around. What was with this pony? Was she intelligent?
I found my answer in the tears that streamed down her eyes, and the sobs she was trying so desperately to muffle with a hoof. She was choking back the tears, trying to keep them from falling. It was a fruitless battle.
I remember this feeling. The feeling of failing. Failing to the point where you were overcome with grief. But, was she fussing over me like a woman whose dog was dying on a veterinary table? When was it when I last felt like her? The act of searching my mind caused a migraine to bludgeon my brain, causing my arm to reflexively shoot to my forehead, starting a chain reaction causing my arm to erupt in fiery pain, causing a muffled grunt to make it out past my gritted teeth.
The little pegasus next to me gasped in shock due to my sudden movements, and somehow, my actions have caused her to hide behind one of her wings, holding onto it tight with her forehooves. I could still hear her a soft crying behind the curtain of feathers.
Gingerly, I let my hand fall from my face, resting it on my chest. She shouldn't cry because of me. Despite the lingering pain, I picked up my other arm, once again ignoring the knives that tore through my nerves. I brushed her wing to the side, and the mare’s sobbing stopped suddenly, her eyes opening wide with her pupils becoming pinpricks in the whites that surrounded them. Her whole body trembled in fear, and I could feel my own heart instantly regretting my intrusion.
No turning back now, I slowly reached a limp hand towards her face. Pushing her mane to the side, I let my hand gently rest flat on her cheek, her whole body tensing at my touch, ears tall and alert. Shaming myself for my brashness, I internally cussed at myself. I brushed a tear on her cheek away with a thumb.
At the gentle touch she turned to me, eyes still in shock. When she looked me in the eyes, I just smiled as I stroked the fur on her face gently with my fingers. All the tension in her body seemed to melt away as I massaged her face in small circles.
Noticing that her ears began to fall, I reached up, lightly scratching where they met the back of her head. She let out another gasp. But instead of fear, her eyes closed as she smiled, humming happily, and melting into my hand, absentmindedly placing a hoof over it.
I couldn’t talk, or I was just too lazy to try. I felt like I was too weak to really form any words, so I guess I let my hand do the talking instead. I had to try and thank her somehow, cheer her up a little. Just enough for her to stop crying at least.
She opened her eyes halfway, irises and pupils at what I assumed to be their correct sizes as she looks at me, her bright eyes looking so gentle and at peace. I have to admit, despite their rather freakishly large size, the pegasus mare had quite pretty eyes of the softest teal with long, full eyelashes. She did have a rather nice mane too now that I thought about it. The way her long pink hair fell practically completely straight until it curls back up right around her shoulder. Honestly, not too bad looking for a horse. Not my type, I prefer things of a more bipedal stature, but still. She kind of reminded me of someone I think. I tried to remember. As soon as that thought popped into my head, the migraine returned in full force, like a mother smacking her child’s hand away from reaching the cookies. I gave up on the endeavor.
She gazed almost sleepily at me, and we both forgot that I was still bleeding. I just kept still, laying in the middle of the still cold cobblestone road, listening to the gentle breeze and the soft bubbling of what sounded like a small water fountain. Pushing my hand away, the mare returned to dressing the remaining wounds that crisscrossed my body.
She laid bandages across my still oozing lacerations, being a bit more gentle and relaxed. So relaxed in fact, she began humming to herself. Horses can’t do that! But then again, this pegasus wasn’t like any equine I have ever seen. I listened as her soft voice carry the beautiful melody as she worked the bandages on my chest.
I vaguely recognized the melody, and miraculously was able to remember how the next part went. I hummed the next few notes, my incredibly sore throat making the sound turn into more of a growl, but I kept on pitch the best I could.
Hearing my attempt, the pegasus’ eyes brightened and smiled with glee. The leaned a little bit closer humming the notes of a major chord, the notes flowing into each other harmoniously. I responded by doing the same, trying to match key the best I could.
My attempts at singing caused the mare to let a strange noise, kind of like the sound a pet’s squeaky toy would make. I tried to hold back my laughter, but was only able to stifle it with a chuckle. That made her blush in embarrassment. She let out a light laugh, covering her mouth with a hoof.
Her face suddenly shifted. Her pupils shrank again, and ears swiveling as if to focus in on something like how a radar dish would. The ground softly rumbled as I heard the sound of heavy footfalls coming from somewhere behind me, and approaching. I turned my head around, looking down a stone road flanked by houses with thatched roofing, and pink colored bracings. Plant boxes under the windows held brightly colored flowers, and some doorways sported potted plants next to them. I could see rolling hills of green trees beyond the houses, but what caught my focus was the moving mass of shadow that was approaching, filling the entire street.
As they got closer, I could make out a couple of shapes. They were definitely equine, like the mare that dressed my wounds, but they wore sets of armor. Helmets with glass facemasks looked at me through transparent blue shields. The shields looked similar to glass as well, despite the fact that ripples seemed to cause the surface of them to gleam slightly in the sunlight.
They flooded the courtyard. Some pegasi that I didn’t notice before flew out from behind chimneys and roof ornaments and hovered above the growing army of armored ponies. There were too many to count.
I couldn’t see most of their faces behind their tinted face masks and shields. I couldn't see much of anything under their armor except for some brightly colored forehooves that stuck out of their barding.
One of them, the one in front, held up a hoof, and motioned for the massive army to stop. I noticed that they weren’t necessarily looking at me, but at the courtyard around me.
Bodies. At least six or seven of them. Wearing a gilded armor. Some wore matching helmets, others with their helmets lying beside them on the stone ground, all donning bandages that have been stained red, and all unconscious.
Oh fuck.
Looking back and forth from the butter colored pegasus, to the weird ape-like thing, Colonel Barricade was, to put it simply, confused. As the two stared, frightened by the Colonel and his platoon, Barricade couldn’t help but ponder why this pegasus had decided to help such a strange creature. He was thankful that she dressed the wounds of his fellow guardsponies that were scattered around the courtyard, but the ape, he couldn’t figure it out.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to have you step away from the creature.” Colonel Barricade announced. At the sound of the stallion’s voice, the… thing, flinched, eyes going wide in what could only assumed to be shock. The expression of the mare however, that was a different story. Her fearful expression had slowly hardened, sternly glaring at the commanding officer. One pony facing over a score of heavily armed guards. Getting up, she rounded the creature, putting herself between it and the army that threatened to take him away.
“No.”
Her voice was harsh, quiet, but still cut like a blade through steel. And her eyes. Her eyes stared down the ponies, and even though their masks were tinted, each of the guards felt like she was looking into each of their souls, freezing them to the spot. However, Colonel Barricade didn’t lose his resolve.
The Colonel was getting impatient. “This is a matter of Equestria’s security miss, I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.”
“Why?” the mare questioned, her voice cold as ice. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
He? Glancing at the creature, it did have a rather… masculine physique. What really was plaguing the Colonel however was what the mare had just said:
‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.’
But he was under orders.
“Miss… miss…,” the colonel paused, trying to think of the mare’s name, and realized that he had never asked for it. “What is your name miss?”
“Fluttershy,” was her blunt response.
“Ms. Fluttershy, under the authority of the princess’ I am required to ask you to-“
“And I already told you no!” Fluttershy said, cutting the guard short. “Can’t you see that this creature is hurt?!” The butter yellow pegasus stood firm, scolding the grown stallion behind the mask, reminding Barricade a little too much of his late mother. Against his own volition, the stallion took a step back, trying to avoid the verbal assault. Her name betrayed her actions.
“The last thing that this poor guy needs is to be dragged to a cage!” The mare continued, standing like a guardian over the ape. “He needs medical attention!”
“That thing knocked out six of our fellow ponies,” The colonel said, his own anger overcoming Fluttershy’s mental attacks. “You’ve seen what this creature can do. He needs to be detained.”
“He needs rest!”
“Do I get a say in this?” A fatigued, gravelly voice spoke. All eyes turned towards the ape lying on the ground. Fluttershy’s eyes widened with a look somewhere between shock, fear, and a foalish glee, barricade wasn’t visibly shaken, but was still taken aback. A few of the guards in the front row let out gasps.
“Should I take that as a no?”
I had the strange suspicion that I should have just kept my mouth shut. The enormous eyes of every one of the sapient, talking ponies were locked onto me. Some in terror, other’s in amazement. I couldn't see them, but I could guess. The courtyard was silent except for the wind gently pushing a creaky sign hanging from some sort of giant gingerbread house. Time seemed to freeze as nobody wanted to say another word.
“You can… talk?” The yellow pegasus asked, her voice barely above an excited whisper. Quite the contrast from how she was yelling at the stallion telling her to step aside.
“I could be asking the same question to a certain talking herd of horses,” I joked. I immediately questioned whether a sense of humor was appropriate for this situation. I was regretting my lack of skills in decision making.
The armored pony leading the group stepped forward, lifting up his visor.
“Well this changes things,” He said a slight grin crossed grey his muzzle. His army advanced, weapons still trained on me. Now that I could see him more clearly, I tensed up. His grey fur was rather unkempt, sticking out in some places. The scar on his cheek was easily visible.
“Colonel!” a mare from the crowd shouted in warning.
“Private, put your weapon down,” Barricade keeping his focus on me. “The situation has changed.”
One by one, the private (as well as the rest of the army) eventually lowered and put away their armaments, some even lifting their visors, a multitude of colored faces now stood out in the sea of black armor.
“Care to explain what happened?”
I didn’t know what kind of answer to give, so I just ran through everything (which really wasn’t much). Just darkness, pain, and headaches. Not much of a story to tell. It only took a few minutes.
“So… no explosion?” the private asked.
Explosion? What? The Colonel raised a curious eyebrow at my confused expression.
“You mean you don’t know?”
“I just told you,” I said, a bit frustrated. “I blacked out, and woke up here covered in bandages. It doesn’t help that I can’t move without hurting myself.”
“Can you feel anything at all?” the mare Fluttershy asked in a concerned motherly tone. Her voice was so soft I could barely hear her. If this is how she normally talks, I probably just saw the greatest case of split personality disorder of all time.
The question seemed silly to me. If I was feeling pain, that means I could feel something.
“Um, yeah. I’m pretty sure I can feel myself bleeding.”
“That’s, um… not what I meant,” She responded. “Try moving your legs.
Again I thought it was a rather silly request. Until I tried it anyhow. I tried to bend my knee, and it didn’t even budge. I poured so much effort into moving my leg that it started shaking. It didn’t even move. Felt something inside me burst from the strain I was putting into trying to move. I howled in pain.
“We need to get you to the hospital,” Fluttershy said demanded.
“Get a stretcher! Somepony!” the Colonel bellowed. “We need to get him to the nearest hospital,” he told Fluttershy. I could feel myself slipping. The Colonel's voice was muffled, like he was talking through a pillow. Darkness crept on the edges of my vision. Fluttershy’s face bent down over me, worry in her eyes.
“Sir, Stay with me…”
My eyes were so heavy. I just wanted to sleep. The exertion I went through trying to move my leg coupled with the pain I felt every time I tried to move was too much. It was like drifting away. Why should I fight it?
“He’s losing consciousness,” I heard one of the ponies say.
Was I dying? I felt myself cough, and I could feel some sort of liquid run down my chin through my dulling senses. My throat erupted into flames, and I could do nothing to stop it. It felt like flames licking my body, burning my skin, smoke burning at my insides. Why didn’t I feel this before.
Adrenaline.
That’s what they would say in school, right? In times where the body is in extreme agony, the body dulls the pain with rushes of adrenaline. I may have been dying this entire time and not have known it. But the pain was going away again. It felt so good to slip away. To just leave my body.
Fluttershy told me to stay with her. In consciousness I mean. But how could I do that when every second I’m awake is a real living hell.
“His heart rate is too high, we need to get him to the hospital, now!”
The wind howled fiercely on top of the snow capped mountain. It was almost enough to send me tumbling down the cliff face, but my feet stayed firmly planted on the ground, ankle deep in white fluffy snow.
Moonlight brightly lit the white landscape, casting a blueish glow over the land. Surrounded by forest, this mountain was high. Very high. Impossibly high. Like someone decided: ‘Hey! Why don’t we make a mountain so tall it goes higher than airplanes?’ It was definitely high enough. If it was cloudy, I wouldn’t have been able to see the trees below. Lucky for me, the sky was clear enough for me to see the ground.
Wait… if I was really that high up, how was it I was breathing? At an altitude like this, the lack of oxygen in the air would’ve killed me by now. Also, why wasn’t I cold? And if I was above cloud level, why was there snow on the top? Snow comes from clouds.
“Who art thou?!” a voice bellowed, carried by the roaring wind, but was somehow louder than it. The force of the sound waves hitting my chest made me fall backwards, landing on my ass. Surprisingly, I landed on rock. I realized that the voice blew all of the snow off the tip of the mountain. The force knocked all of the wind out of me. I couldn’t speak.
“We will ask thee once more, what is thy name?”
Catching my breath, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My name? I searched my mind for the simplest thing in the world. It was gone. No, it was there. I knew it. I had to. A migraine cut my thoughts short, causing me to double over, clenching my head, curling into the smallest ball possible.
My name was there. Why couldn’t I find it?
“We are waiting, whelp!”
I was trying, but the migraine kept pushing me away the closer I got. One step forward, two steps back.
“I- I don’t know.” I choked out through the rising bile in my stomach.
The wind stopped.
“You don’t know?” the voice asked, lowering the volume immensely. Clearly female, but very regal. Like how I imagined old European queens must have spokn. I sat in silence for another moment, letting the contents of my stomach settle. The headache was fading, and I let go of my head, breathing heavily as I sat on my knees.
“I don’t. I don’t know why I don’t,” I said, looking at the sky, searching for something to explain the voice, finding nothing other than the sky, its moon hanging high above the mountain, which was a feat in itself.
The moon!
There was something about it. The craters. I could see them, the darkest ones made a shape.
The head of a horse.
I thought it had been a dream.
“I can assure you, that this is the dream, and that you are asleep,” a beam of light emanating from the moon landed on the mountaintop next to me, and like a shadow, a figure immerged from it like a shadow under a neon streetlamp.
Four hooves, a pair of wings, and… a horn? A fucking unicorn with wings. What the hell did I have to drink last night?
Her dark blue coat almost blended in with the night sky. Her mane. It was impossible. It was like water, reflecting the night sky itself as it wove in a non-existent zephyr.
“What gives?” I asked facetiously. “You horses can read minds now too?”
She seemed to appreciate the joke, letting out a small chuckle from behind her armored hoof, stepping fully out of the light of the moon.
“Humor in the face of adversity is a good sign,” she declared, a lot more gently I should add, but her voice never dropped that impressive, royal tone. Not like some pompous noble, but very elegant.
“I guess you could say I can read thoughts, yes,” the tall mare said thoughtfully. “However, it is more similar to I can see your dreams. One’s subconscious mind is more easily seen than a conscious one.”
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to stand up, only able to get one knee off the ground.
“Princess Luna of Equestria, Princess of the Night.”
Princess… So she was royalty.
She took a step forward, and I instinctively scooted backwards, sending a pebble rolling down the mountain.
“You have nothing to fear,” she said. “Forgive me, I am not as… approachable as my sister.”
“Sister?” There were more of them?
“Yes, but that isn’t the issue at hand,” her voice getting ominous at the end of the sentence.
“Issue? What issue?”
“Your issue,” was her blunt response.
“Wha-“ In an instant, she was inches away from my face, glaring down at me. Eyes filled with a blue fire.
“Are you, or are you not here to harm Our ponies!?”
Wait what? If this was all real, why would I try to harm the one thing that saved me? Then I realized something. Something I temporarily forgot about.
“H-How could I?” I stammered, unable to escape her stare. “I’m dead!”
“Dead?” she repeated. Obviously that wasn’t the response she was expecting, her face twisting into a look of confusion.
I was panting. I was dead. This was it, wasn’t it? The Afterlife? I was… gone? I continued to hyperventilate.
“I can assure you little one,” she said, placing a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “You are not dead. If you were, I would have not been able to reach you. I see dreams, not the afterlife.” It took me a second of silence to comprehend what the princess’ words meant.
“Then… Then I’m alive?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes, however your body has been put under an artificial coma in order to keep you stabilized,” she said, keeping her tone even. “We needed to know if you were worth saving.”
Worth saving? What did she-
“My sister, as I had mentioned, thought that your intention in Equestria was of evil motives. Now I can see that she was incorrect,” a small smile forming on her face. “Your mind is not tainted by bad intent. You’re clearly just confused. Just as confused as we are.”
Removing her hoof, she sat in front of me, her horn glowing a bright blue as the scene around me shifted like a mirage. The frigid mountain and howling winds faded away, replaced by a cozy room, with a window showing the moon, a crackling fireplace lighting the table we sat at, a kettle and two mugs set on top of it, steam rising from the cups. Tapestries along the wall depicted a bright crescent moon, glittering jewels representing the stars on a purple night sky.
“How did you do that?” I asked in awe.
Princess Luna cocked her head to the side upon hearing the question. “Have you never seen magic before?” I shook my head. “I see. We are currently in your mind. As princess of the night, I can use my magic to manipulate your dreams. You must come from a world without magic, which would explain your lack of knowledge when it comes to the subject. Where do you hail from anyhow?”
Before I could respond, the headache came back in full force, interrupting any thought process I was having. My hands again instantly returned to my temples. What was I thinking about?
Looking back up at the pony princess, a look of worry spread across her muzzle.
“You can’t remember, can you?”
I nodded weakly in response.
“It’s worse than I thought, not only has your body experienced physical trauma, but your mind… Would you allow me to delve a little bit deeper?” Luna asked.
I looked at her quizitively from between my hands. “What do you mean by that?” I ask, clasping my hand around the handle of the mug in front of me. Raising it up to my nose, I took a sniff. It was probably the sweetest tea I have ever smelt. I took a sip, letting the liquid slip down my throat, warming my insides, a sweet, flowery taste covering over my tongue. But wait. This is a dream. I could make it taste any way I wanted. I took a second sip, thinking about a warm mug of hot chocolate. I took a second sip. The taste of the richest liquid chocolate filled my mouth. My favorite.
“I wish to try and see your memories,” Luna said, looking at me sternly. Boy she was serious. “I need to know the extent of the damage done to your mind.”
“Haven’t you done that already, being able to see my dreams or whatever?”
“I could not at the time,” she responded. “In order for me to delve into the memories of anypony, or anybody as the case may be, without their consent.”
As much as I disliked the idea of someone other than me rummaging through my mind, I reasoned that it was the only way for me to figure out what was wrong with my thinking-box. Besides, I don’t have any memories I am too uncomfortable with sharing… Do I?
“I won’t pry into any private matters if that’ll help,” Luna stated.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “Do it.”
“Excellent.”
Sitting upright in my chair, I watched as Luna lowered her horn, aiming it right at my head, closing her eyes as the tip of her horn glowed a hot white. I stared in shock and awe as a tendril of white light snaked out of the tip of the horn, coming straight for me. It hovered between my eyebrows, making me go a bit cross-eyed. The light didn’t give off heat. It turned the air around it cold.
“This may feel a bit… odd.” Princess Luna warned.”
I braced myself for whatever she was about to do. I closed my eyes. I felt the light touch my forehead, and I closed my eyes.
Darkness.
That’s all I saw. A swirling darkness. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. I felt the floor slip away from underneath my feet as I fell. There was no wind, there was no sound.
“Think little one,” the disembodied voice of Luna echoed through the void. “Try and show me something with your mind’s eye”
I thought. And as soon as I tried, the migraines started again. The pain would’ve been blinding, had my eyes been open that is.
“You must fight it. Fight through the pain.”
Regardless how bad I wanted to give in, I kept going. Pushing against the pain. It was trying to push a brick house across a football field. I wasn’t getting anywhere.
Then I felt it. It was like opening an airlock without depressurizing it first. I was being sucked down, being pulled by some unknown force.
I landed face first in a puddle, the cold water soaking my leather jacket, shirt, and jeans. I must have tripped over something, and now I was sopping wet. A raised concrete slab maybe got in my way. Pushing myself off of the sidewalk, I got to my knees, squinting my eyes against the cold raindrops that were pelting my glasses. My teeth started to chatter as I continued down the road. It was pitch black, the rain clouds blotting out the moon, preventing the light it cast to reach me. There were few buildings to be seen. Just a forest with the occasional farmland with a small house off in the distance. I would pass the occasional street lamp, only a small few were casting their orange glows, while the others were dead, flickering in the darkness. I held my arms tight to my chest, trying to keep warm. Needless to say, it wasn’t working. I let out a deep breath, my voice shaking, and the air from my lungs forming steam in the air.
After a few more minutes of walking, I came across what I assumed was my destination. On the opposite side of the road was a green three story house, with steep roofs, with a lights illuminating the second floor windows. One foot off of the sidewalk sent a feeling of dread through my body. A second step across the road, I could feel my legs growing heavy. The third left me halfway across the road. Turning my head, I saw bright beams of light coming around the bend, the rumbling of an engine closing in. The fourth left me in the middle of the oncoming lane, the car rounded the corner much faster than it should have.
I willed my leg to take a hasty fifth step and bolt out of the way, but my body froze, locking up in sheer terror.
The driver laid heavy on the horn, drowning out the sound of the rain. He tried to turn, to veer away from the man that was stopped in the middle of the road. His tires left contact with the ground, gliding atop the thin layer of water covering the street. He slammed on his brakes, screaming in terror as he watched as his car slid uncontrollably.
The wheels screeched as they reunited with the ground, but it was too late. I raised my hands protecting my face. There was nothing I could’ve done to guard my legs.
CRACK
I heard bones shatter as the bumper of the car slammed into my knees. I felt several bones splintering on the initial impact.
Time slowed down to a snail’s pace.
I watched in terror as I fell slowly towards the windshield, the eyes man behind the driver’s seat were wide, pupils the size of needles. I flew through the air, helpless to do anything but let gravity and physics take control. I listened to each individual raindrop hit the hood of the car.
My face inches away from the glass, time decided to resume its normal flow.
I felt my head explode in stars as I hit the glass.
I was lost again to blackness.
I bolted upright, like I woke up from a nightmare. Looking around the room, nothing much has changed. The mugs and tea kettle still sat on the table, vapors rising from the cups. Luna still sat opposite me, holding a hoof to her forehead.
“Well that was, interesting,” she said through gritted teeth. Looking past her hoof, she met my eyes and shook her head. “I wasn’t able to see anything more than that chariot hit you.”
“You mean the car,” I clarified. This only seemed to puzzle the princess.
“What a curious word. Under different circumstances you must tell me more about these strange things you have where you come from, but for now we must focus on what we know.” The princess sat upright, pulling her hoof away from her face, staring me directly in the eye. “I could however tell that certain memories in your mind are being blocked.”
Huh?
Luna pondered how to best phrase her explanation.
“It’s like someone has moved your memories, and locked them in a safe. Most of them are still there, in your mind, but you don’t have access to them. And, without the code or key, there is no way for you to open the safe.”
“How is that even possible,” I said under my breath. How could someone so easily tamper with my mind?
“It is a very old magic. Nopony truly understands how it works anymore. To my knowledge, there has never been a creature capable of casting such a spell.”
The princess of the night was clearly studious, for she droned on for what felt like hours. I tried to listen, but her voice was lulling me to sleep, my eyes growing heavy. My head started to droop down, hanging lazily by my neck. I heard Luna say something, but was too tired to truly comprehend what it was. My sleepy mind tried to respond with a simple ‘huh?’ but that wasn’t what came out.
“Not now professor, I’m trying to study,” I said with a yawn.
“Perhaps I was rambling,” Luna said, prodding me with a hoof from across the table, stirring me awake.
With a gasp I sat up, staring wide eyed at the winged unicorn I was sitting across from. Embarrassed, I rubbed the back of my neck, giving a sheepish smile.
“S-Sorry. I guess I’m just a little tired as all,” I apologized. Wait, wasn’t I still dreaming?
“No need to apologize young one,” Luna waved a dismissive hoof. “That is common after I delve into one’s mind. It is usually pretty taxing on their psyche.”
As if realizing something, Luna touched her hoof to her chin as if in thought.
“Now here is a predicament,” she said, obviously thinking of an answer before she asked the question. “If you can’t remember your name, then what shall I call you? Unless you desire for me to reference you as ‘Young One,’” her voice dripping sarcasm, a smirk forming on her muzzle.
She did have a good point though. If I was going to meet any more ponies, I couldn’t remain anonymous. There was something we called people that didn’t have a name back home, and I’m not talking about newborns. Jim? No, but it definitely started with a ‘J’. Jerimiah? No, that was some sort of religious thing wasn’t it? Was I religious? No, the sound of it tasted sour on my tongue as I sounded out the word. John! That’s what it was. A John Doe.
“Wandering Spirit,”
“John Doe,” we both said simultaneously.
We looked at each other, chuckling at our impeccable timing.
“Where did you get that from,” I asked, taking another sip from my mug.
“Why, I thought it was fitting since you have that odd pendant around your neck.”
Pendant? I looked down at my chest, and sure enough, a silver chain was hanging from my neck. Nothing fancy like a gaudy piece of jewelry, but a simple strand of shiny metallic beads holding up a solid disk with three simple symbols etched onto the face of it.
S&W
How had I not noticed this before? And why did it leave me with a bitter sweet taste in the pit of my stomach? I looked at the necklace with a mixture of sadness and a longing. I could swear it was given to me by someone. Someone important. I accidently let a tear seep from my eye.
“You recognize it don’t you?” Luna asked a hint of sorrow in her voice. I just nodded as I wiped my cheek with the back side of my hand. “Sometimes our subconscious minds can conjure images of memories that we do not remember. This is yet another sign that your memories are not completely gone.”
Clutching the small pendant in my hand, I let a small smile cross my face. There was definitely a sadness that came with the jewelry, but also a warm comfort. It was strange. My brain was trying to remember something, I could feel it. But it wouldn’t surface.
“Wild Spirit sounds better than John Doe,” I said just barely loud enough for Luna to hear me. She smiled supportively, which was appreciated.
“That settles it then,” Luna responded.
We sat in relative silence as the minutes ticked by. I relished every moment I held onto that necklace, holding onto any comfort, and bearing the emotional strain. Desperate to think of anything to take my mind off of the necklace I tried to change the subject.
“So, you said there was… physical trauma?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer. I could have changed the subject to anything. Literally, anything other than that. But no, my mouth had to doom me to bad news. Fuck me.
Luna nodded. She explained everything that she had knowledge of. She only heard of me from the reports from the pony guards that moved my body to a hospital. She herself was in a far off city called Canterlot. I had to keep a straight face, trying not to chuckle at the obvious horse pun. Apparently my body was in really rough shape. However, the report was extensive, and very detailed. I have to give kudos to whoever wrote it. One of my lungs had collapsed, there was a shocking amount of internal bleeding, the two bottom vertebrae in my spine were broken, and the bones in my legs were shattered, 18 fractures in all.
I wasn’t a doctor, which I was sure of. But I’m pretty sure I would never be able to walk again.
“Your body, as it is, could not support you if you were conscious,” Luna explained. “We have our best medical ponies doing what they can, slowing the internal bleeding, and healing the gashes on your skin. They do not, however, have enough knowledge of your anatomy to heal your skeletal structure, or your organs. It’s likely that if we wake you up, best case scenario, your legs will be unusable.”
My fears were confirmed. Today couldn’t get any worse.
“Worst case scenario, you die as soon as they bring you to consciousness.”
Well, I was wrong.
So my choices were limited to staying in a coma or risk dying. Neither were optimal options. I looked down at my hands, thinking over my options. Honestly, I would probably rather give up than live without my legs. I’d probably just kill myself anyways. No, no I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I would want to, standing right on the verge of doing it, and just chicken out. I spent a few moments in thoughtful silence. I argued back and forth with myself in my own head, debating the pros and cons when there were no pros, and only cons.
“There is a third option,” Luna said matter-of-factly, startling me, bringing me out of my train of thought.
“Seriously! You need to stop reading my mind! I have enough problems with just me in there!” This only made Luna giggle. Her laughter did little to ease the shame I felt for interrupting royalty. “But, what were you saying about a third option.” I really appreciate it if this option didn’t involve killing me, or crippling me for life, or worse.
“I’m not sure you will enjoy the idea as much as will be enjoying your reaction to it,” Luna said, a smug smirk crossing her muzzle.
“What do you mean?”
Luna place a forehoof firmly on the table with a stony look on her face. Why did she consistently make me regret asking questions? It took the lunar princess to speak, but after a deep sigh, she laid down the news, and she laid it heavy.
“We could temporarily transform your body.”
Luna was right, my face was probably priceless. What the fuck was she talking about? It’s wasn’t possible. Then again, why wouldn’t it be possible? And if I had learned anything about myself in the past hour or so, it would be that I was really good at listening. I didn’t need the mind reading princess to remind me that in this world, these ponies had magic. The extent of their capabilities, but if Luna was one of their rulers, she must have an immense knowledge of the “arcane” sciences. Was that the right term?
“Yes it is,” Luna said a smirk.
Great, she was reading my mind again.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to learn so quickly just by hearing my blabber about things I assume sound nonsensical to you,” She continued. “It appears you must be rather studious. One more piece to a puzzle without a picture. Now we need to find where it goes.”
I nodded in response. I did my best to piece together what we already knew from everything that had happened ever since I have been in this dream state. Being in my mind for so long was definitely proving to be useful. But we couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. There was still the matter of actually surviving waking up, and Luna just provided me with one of the most curious propositions I have ever had to debate. Transforming my body.
“I agree,” Luna said, her face returning to her serious, vaguely intimidating form. “Let us not ignore the topic any longer.”
I forgot one other thing I learned today. Luna had no concept of personal privacy.
The winged unicorn opened her mouth to respond to my internal comment, but I held up a silencing hand.
“Just tell me what you had in mind,” I said, rather fed up with her mind reading antics. Luna let out a disappointed sigh, and continued.
“As you wish,” she said. She pondered her next words carefully. When she finally found a phrase she liked, a devious smirk crossed her blue muzzle.
“So, Mr. Spirit. How would you like to be a pony?”
I felt my jaw drop to the table.
The smile stayed on the pony princess’ face, but she didn’t even laugh.
“You- You’re serious?” I stuttered, my mind scrambling, trying to fully understand the idea Luna was proposing.
“I told you that there was an option that allowed you a 100% chance of survival, and this is it.”
I was originally horrified at the prospect of being turned into a horse. Being reduced to that of an animal. Then again, these ponies weren’t just animals. They were intelligent, and from what I could tell, compassionate. Just like me. Luna proceeded to explain that, while it was possible to wake up without jeopardizing my life in the process, the chances of it actually succeeding were incredibly low. The doctors could do their best to heal what they could, but I would never be completely healed. If I were to undergo this procedure, all of my new body’s organs would be restored in pristine fashion. Perfectly healthy. The more she continued, the less I was opposed to the idea.
“Not to mention, you will be able to walk. The magic we would use would also rebuild your bone structure. You wouldn’t have to worry about being immobilized,” Luna added.
It was almost too good to be true. I wanted to cry tears of relief, but at the sake of my pride, I held it in. There was one other reason for it too. Luna was looking at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. But there was one question I needed to ask.
“Luna, is there any chance that I could eventually change back?”
Luna gave me a knowing gaze, her features softening.
“I cannot guarantee anything of the sort,” Luna said softly. “But if it is within my power, and can be done safely, and with your consent, I will do it personally.”
I was expecting that kind of answer, but if it means I can be saved, just like that…
“I’ll do it,” I said with confidence, a determined glint in my eyes
Luna’s eyes instantly brightened at my words.
“Excellent, I shall begin preparations immediately!”
With a flash of light, Luna was gone, and I remained in the dream. Alone. With a warm cup of hot chocolate that would never empty.
“If all of them are as kind as this,” I said to myself. “Then I think that I’m in good hands.” Thinking about it, I had to correct myself. “Or rather, hooves.”
I’ve been waiting in this room for hours, pacing back and forth in the sunlight pouring in through the open door that leads to the marble balcony. The rays make the star shaped gems on the tapestries seem to twinkle against the dark violets and blues of the night sky behind them. Walking out onto the balcony, I take a breath of fresh air. It’s probably better if I describe it as what my brain is interpreting what is fresh air. This room is really just a dream after all. The time alone has allowed me to over analyze the entire room. Like how the floor tiles are asymmetrical in relation to the room by about 6 inches.
To put it simply, I’m bored.
While I had all that time to myself, I have already relived the past day or so in my head. Twice! None of it seemed real. Colorful ponies that talk and do magic? It doesn’t make sense. It defies all logical reason! I swear if there is one of them that can pull impossibly large objects out of thin air, I am going to have a stroke, and I’m barely in my twenties! I think anyways. The only thing that makes sense right now is the piece of the memory that Princess Luna had shown me a few hours ago. Even then, it was strange to think about surviving getting hit by a car like that. It sends shivers down my spine.
Since the time Princess Luna left to help prepare for the surgery, I have been going over the consequences of what I had agreed to. Transforming into a pony? I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. I don’t think any other human would. Not having fingers, walking on all fours, and becoming a vegetarian are the least of my worries. In truth, I’m most worried about losing my goddam mind in this place. These worries are the reason I’ve been carving a rut into this floor. As the image of a trench in the floor enters my mind, I find myself actually standing in a groove making a circle in the tiling/.
With a sigh, I step out of the hole.
“How could I be so stupid?” I mutter to no one in particular. I am not ready to go through with this decision, but in a way, it is already too late, isn’t it? The (quote unquote) surgery is being prepared, and there is no going back now. With a thud, I flop unceremoniously back into the wooden chair. I look at the table to see my empty mug. (As soon as I was getting tired of the endless flow of hot drinks a few hours ago, the mug emptied itself, like it knew I was finished.) I let out a frustrated groan, both out of frustration and boredom. I would give an arm and a leg for something to distract myself from the coming consequences of my mouth that refused to stay shut. Then again, I already am paying for my life, with my limbs. Not a concept I am entirely comfortable with.
‘Wait a second. This is all in my head. I can do whatever I want!’ I close my eyes and I let my mind imagine the first thing that it can think of. I focus, willing whatever it is in my mind’s eye to manifest itself in my dream. When I open my eyes again, an acoustic guitar appears beside my chair.
I look at the instrument curiously. Did I even know how to play the guitar? Only one way to find out.
With a finger, I reach and pluck the fattest string. The guitar responds with a deep twang, forcing a smile to cross my face. I pick the guitar up off of its stand, resting it on my leg. Reaching up for the neck of the guitar, I let my fingers curl into a natural position on the frets. It feels so easy, like I have done it a million times before. I play each string, each note blending harmoniously with the ones before it. The sound reverberates off of the walls of the large room, filling it with the beautiful sound of what I think is a G chord. I’m not sure how I know what it is, but I do nonetheless.
I can feel my eyes brighten as I can already almost hear so many songs filling my brain. Lyrics, melodies, and rhythm fill my mind.
Looking at my hands, I instantly know a song I can play by heart. I strum in a vivaciously cheerful rhythm, letting my body do the work rather than my brain. Each chord flows into each other as I merely enjoy the music my subconscious was providing me. I find myself getting lost in the chords that I lost touch with the world around me. I barely notice that I began to hum the melody, my voice blending with the chords almost perfectly, despite the few sour notes that make me cringe. Next thing I know, I’m singing the last few words to the walls.
“It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life.” I hold the note while I give one last strum of the guitar. Taking a deep breath, I chuckle to myself. It’s strange, but playing to no one in particular gives me a calming sensation, relieving some of the stress that was bottled up inside my head.
“You play beautifully,” the voice of Luna said from behind, startling me. I whip my head around to collide with the tip of Luna’s sharp horn. With a howl of both pain and surprise, I fall out my chair onto the floor.
So much for playing without an audience.
“How do you not understand the concept of knocking?” I say indignantly, rubbing my forehead. The very amused princess of the night didn’t move to help me. I look at her crossly as she giggles behind her hoof.
“It was merely meant to be a compliment,” Luna says, composing herself. “I did not mean to harm you, even though in a dream one cannot feel pain,” Luna said with a smirk. With a huff, I cock my head indignantly, not believing her. I reach my hand up to my forehead where her horn had struck. Sure enough, when I try to feel the spot where I face-planted into her horn, the sting vanished.
“The hell?” I say in wonderment.
“As we,“ Luna pauses, correcting herself. ”I mean ‘I’ was saying, you cannot actually feel pain in a dream.” I look at the pony princess, still bewildered by the fact that she appears and disappears out of nowhere and constantly makes me feel like an idiot. “You do not need me to have you perceived as a fool, Wild.”
Go suck on a doorknob Luna.
“I would rather not,” Luna mocks.
“Get out of my head!”
I don’t even need to look up from my hiding place below my hands to know Princess Luna is trying not to laugh.
The presence of Luna reminded me of the looming fears I was having earlier that I forgot for a few blissful moments.
‘I’m not ready for this. I can’t be one of them,’ a tiny voice in my head tells me. ‘But its either that or losing my legs,’ I retaliate, trying to reason why it must be done. ‘I could die!’ I internally argue with myself. I try to tell the little voice in my head to shut up, but he persisted. I was so caught up in my internal struggle, I didn’t notice Luna’s worried eyes fixate on me.
“Your mind is conflicted. Are you alright?” I feel Luna place her hoof gently on my shoulder.
“Do you mean with or without your constant mind penetration,” I say facetiously. Luna’s stern reaction is enough for me to know not to push her buttons like this. Letting out a sigh, I met her gaze. I point to my forehead. “I bet you already know what I’m about to say. You have a habit of asking even after you read my mind anyways,” I let out a shallow laugh.
Luna nodded solemnly. “We can understand your concerns. It is not irrational to entertain these thoughts. However, you are correct on one other subject. If we do not use this method, there is a rather high chance that you will not live to see tomorrow.”
“Then there really is only one option for me, isn’t there.”
“I am afraid that assumption is fairly accurate.”
I breathe shakily, trying to compose myself. This is my chance to think before I speak, but I made up my mind hours ago.
“No going back now. Let’s do this.”
Luna let out a relieved sigh. “I am glad you trust me enough for you to make such a decision.” The statement left me rather confused.
“You’re a princess,” I respond, “and you’ve shown me nothing but kindness when you could have easily let me die. I see no reason not to trust you.” Luna turns her back to me at hearing that.
“Let us say that we have done some rather… unforgivable things in the past.”
It is my turn to give her the worried eyes. Luna gives me a sideways glance, the remnants of a tear still on her cheek. “I would rather not talk about it. A later time perhaps, under better circumstances. I am not comfortable talking about the matter amongst my subjects.”
Ignoring the fact that she was royalty, I reach out placing my hand on her shoulder.
“All things considered, Luna. All that you’ve done for me so far. I trust you enough that I can call you a friend.” I watch the lunar princess’ eyes brighten, holding her breath. Another small tear traces her cheekbones. In a flash, I was wrapped in a tight hug, crushing my diaphragm. Pulling back, Luna looks away, seemingly embarrassed.
“Apologies Spirit,” Luna says softly. “It is just very rare for somepony, or someone as the case may be, to say such things to me.” In a flash, her gaze hardens. “But we have much more serious matters to deal with at the moment.”
“I know. So what’s next?”
“Next is for you to wake up.”
“Fluttershy! Is everything okay? What happened?” The panicked voice of princess Twilight sparkle fills the waiting room of the Ponyville Hospital. The butter yellow pegasus looks up from her hooves to see her friend rushing though the open doors. Luckily there are no other ponies in the room besides the receptionist, or else her intrusion may have resulted in a heart attack.
“I’m fine,” Fluttershy says, as Twilight rushes over to inspect her friend, the lilac alicorn searching her for injuries. Not seeming to hear her, Twilight continues to scan for any bruises or gashes in the yellow coat. Still not satisfied, Twilight lights her horn, preparing some sort of spell.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy says in a stern whisper, “I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” That seems to snap Twilight out of her antics, as her horn stops glowing, and her face contorting into a confused look.
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m afraid that’d be my fault.”
From the main hallway, a grey, scruffy coated unicorn steps into the lobby, a neutral stare towards the two ponies across the room.
“And who might you be?” Twilight asks skeptically.
The grey stallion steps fully from the hallway. “Colonel Barricade,” he said gruffly. “HCS equestrian royal guard. Princess Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure,” The colonel bows at that. He was respectful, but his eyes lacked any sort of emotion. Twilight glares at him though calculating eyes.
“And may I ask why a guard of your ranking and position is posted within a civilian hospital?”
“I am afraid we had no other choice your majesty. Your friend, Ms. Fluttershy, was very persistent in bringing the creature here.”
“What creature?” Twilight questioned, never dropping her commanding tone.
“The one that appeared in Ponyville earlier today, princess. He, as well as the few other injured guards were in need of dire medical attention.”
“Is this true?” Twilight turns to Fluttershy, who was watching the exchange from behind her mane. She meekly nodded in response. With a deep breath, Twilight returned her gaze to the colonel, who now stands up in attention, looking down at the princess while maintaining his stiff posture.
“Colonel, have you informed any other’s about the status of this, creature’s condition?”
“Yes ma’am. Princess Luna is tending to it as we speak. There is talk about an operation to possibly save his life. Celestia is skeptical, but is trusting her sister to deal with the matter with discretion.”
“Thank you colonel, that will be all.” With that, Barricade marches backward, flanking the entrance to the medical wing, where Twilight can only assume is where the… thing is being held.
“So… are the others coming to? I’d hate for Applejack to drop everything for a false alarm,” Fluttershy asks after the only other pony in the room gave the two friends some privacy.
“Honestly, I have no idea. The only other pony I saw on the way here was Rainbow. She’ll probably be along soon enough.”
“Oh dear. You don’t think-“
“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy,” Twilight says reassuringly. “I’m sure if we need them, they’ll be here.” Twilight’s mind wanders to the prospect of a never before seen creature arriving in Equestria. The possibilities that studying such a thing could bring. The things she could learn. The books she could write.
The door to the waiting room is thrown open wildly, startling Twilight and Fluttershy as a rainbow maned blur busts into the center of the room. The sky blue pegasus is knelt over in a stance as if she is ready to pounce. She scans the room, not noticing either Twilight or Fluttershy, choosing instead to lock her cutting stare on the only other pony in the room, Colonel Barricade.
“Where’s Fluttershy?” was her simple, yet potent question.
With a roll of his eyes, Colonel Barricade simply points a hoof at the butter yellow pegasus. Seeing her friend, Rainbow Dash seems to relax, standing upright. Before letting her guard down, Rainbow analyzes the mysterious guard, mentally scanning him to see if he is a threat. Satisfied, Rainbow lets out a relieved sigh and quickly trots to her friends’ side.
“When I saw Twilight running here, I knew something was up. Applejack said she saw you with mister tall dark and suspicious over there,” Rainbow said, gesturing to Colonel Barricade. “What happened Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy goes on to try and explain the events that happened earlier today. Twilight listens intently, trying to understand the best that she can, and Rainbow Dash half listens, not really fully understanding her friend’s actions.
As Fluttershy’s story was ending, the sound of galloping hooves is heard down the hallway. The three mare’s ears swivel in that direction, and turn their heads to see an out of breath stallion, whom was wearing medical scrubs and a facemask. His eyes lock on to Twilight immediately.
“Princess? So it is you. Ms. Cloven Heart here told me you were here,” the stallion said in a trottish (British) accent, motioning to the receptionist. Neither Rainbow, Twilight, nor Fluttershy noticed her leave in the first place. “We’re about to go through a rather advanced procedure and-“
“And we might need your magical assistance,” Luna said, suddenly appearing behind the doctor, also wearing a surgical mask around her neck.
Looking at twilight, Fluttershy knows that Twilight is contemplating her choices, analyzing the situation.
“I don’t know Princess Luna, he could be dangerous.”
“He is not dangerous!” Luna booms, cracking the floor with a hoof. Her eyes turn from furious to apologetic as she realizes that she had overreacted.
“I- I’m sorry, I will pay for the damage I have caused to your floor,” Luna says to the doctor. He just nods and turns back down the hallway. Luna turns back to Twilight.
“Please, Twilight Sparkle. He’s… he’s a friend of mine. As princess of the night, I’m begging you. Help me save this man’s life.” Tears begin streaming down Luna’s face. Fluttershy found it strange that Luna would take to this creature so quickly, and suddenly cares so much about his wellbeing, but holds her tongue, knowing that it was neither time, nor the place.
“If he means that much to you princess, I’ll help.”
“Thank you,” Luna says, quickly regaining her composure. “Then we have no time to loose. He will be waking up soon, and we need all hooves at the ready.”
“Think you can handle this Twi?” Rainbow dash questions, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know dash,” Twilight responds, following Luna deeper into the hospital. “I don’t know.”
