> Wake Up > by Taint3d Royalty > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Stay with me, I won't let you go..." It's hard to tell what I'm feeling... I feel my mind moving but not my body... My eyes are shut, I can't open them nor can I move any part of my body... I can't hear anything but silence... What can I dwell on? What can I tell myself when I'm like this? What is that sound? It sounds familiar, yet it's new in the black void I seem to be in. It's high pitched, but it's in short beeps. The sound's fading in slowly as if someone is turning up the volume just for me to hear. As a matter of fact, I can slowly start to feel my body awaken, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. I can feel, which is great, but I feel pain in a couple places. It seems to be a little in my stomach and head, but mostly on my back. It feels like a pain that you'd feel if you've been laying on it the wrong way for a bit too long. I still can't open my eyes, but if I can just move my-there we go. If I can wiggle my finger just a bit, I am able to move something, that means I'm coming to, but really really slowly. Now I can move the whole finger and my middle finger on each hand. Slowly I get better results... All fingers... Wrists and toes, but still restricting movement... What? What's going on? My body stopped recovering for a second... Wait... My eyelids feel a bit sore, maybe if I just... My eyes slowly open, but everything is insanely blurry, but I can tell the room I'm in is barely even lit. It's dark but not completely dark. I can't keep my eyes open for long, they seem to dry as soon as I open them. After a few more minutes of slowly moving body parts and exercise my eye lenses, I can mostly make out what's near me, rather than what's further away and I've gotten so far as to move my calves and forearms. I look to my left to find that my arm is hooked up to an IV and a machine to check my heart rate, you know, the high pitched beeping sound from the "black void" I described earlier? So I'm at a hospital? Why? What happened to me? I don't remember anything! Oh no! I'm starting to panic. I've gain control of my body! Finally! I pull the IV out in a rushed state and sit up. I need to get out! I don't need this at all! I sit up to relieve my back pain and hop off the bed, only to collapse into the floor. I want to cry out in pain, but I can't seem to use my voice just yet. Come on arms, don't fail me now... I start to crawl towards the door that leads to the dark hallway. I try and help myself up with the help of a window sill that would be up to my hip if I were standing upright. My legs struggle, but in time, I am able to stand up with the help from the support of a wall. I slowly make the rest of the stride stumbling and almost falling while trying to open the door with one hand on the wall. Once I open the door, I sense a strange sensation, a bit lightheaded and the pain in my stomach coming back up. Just ignore it. I thought before I found myself using the door frame as support as my upper body hunches over and forces me to vomit onto the floor. Luckily I got the mess away from my path... Well, at least I won't be stepping in that in my bare feet. It already sucks to be wearing nothing but a hospital gown... I begin to move my legs towards the way to the exit sign, at least I think that's what that light green sign says at the end of the hallway. C'mon David, just a little bit and I'll be there! Just a few more minutes and I'll be outta here! At least that was the plan before the wall I was using stopped and turned into another hallway, leaving me to hold onto the very end of a corner. I test out my leg strength by putting my weight on them and letting go of the wall. Nope, still not good but I think I can make it if I launch myself in the direction of my destination. I ready myself by taking a stance, preparing to make the "jump" but as soon as I flex my arms to launch, I hear whistling coming from where I came from, followed by a disgusted grunt from where I came from. Shit! It's now or I end up back on the bed or somewhere worse depending on my actions before ending up like a helpless elderly man! I get ready again and launch myself, leading me to stumble and fall right in the middle of the hallway. I can't move anymore! No! Please! I have just enough strength to turn my head to look back to see a flashlight flashing, and a silhouette making its way towards me. There's nothing I can do now... Just have to let it happen now... I find myself slowly losing consciousness as my eyes start to water. I shut them and hear whoever came for me start painting and say something into what I can make out as a radio from hearing a bit of static noise before completely going back into the black void. Oh boy... Here we go again... Hello darkness my old friend... > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You're going to be fine. Just trust me..." I felt a warmth over come my body before I was able to open my eyes once again. Luckily, I didn't have to adjust like last time. As my eyes slowly open I look around the room. I'm in the same room as before but I wasn't alone this time. A figure stood at the window, seemed to be a woman at how wide her hips were compared to her narrow waist. Look, I'm not a pervert nor is this story going to go that route so I'm just stating female anatomy. She was wearing a white business coat and white slacks. I couldn't really make out anything else but her hair was as golden as the sun's rays. It was wavy and went down to the middle of her back. I wouldn't doubt if she had a stylist to do her hair like that everyday. I adjusted myself to sit up and tried to be quiet but the sound of her voice gave the sign that she heard the rustling of the sheets. "Good morning! Or should I say good afternoon?" She giggled lightly at her motherly pun. She turn against me and I finally saw her face. Her skin was tanned and had deep magenta eyes and a comforting smile. "It's about time you woke up. I was beginning to think you were a goner." I sat there in silence. I was confused to why she acted so casual. I opened my mouth to speak but all I could get out was a whisper. "Um... Do we know each other?" She gave a look of sadness and disappointment then immediately changed back to what it was. "Sorry. My name is Celestia. I am the one that watches over my subjects during the day." "Subjects? What are you a queen of some sort?" I snicker at my smart-ass response. "A princess actually." She smiles like she's very proud to state that. I sat there with a dumb look on my face. A princess? Should I be formal? Did I go too far? "I-I so sorry, Your Highness!" Trying to bow was the worst mistake I could have done. My stomach started to hurt really really bad. "Khah!" My abdomen felt like I was stabbed by something. Celestia rushed over to me and held me back down to the bed to lay me down. "Are you ok? Here, this should help," she reached her hand out to my stomach and a light glowed in her hand. The familiar warm feeling came over me as the pain became nothing but a memory. "It's nice to see magic is a thing," I said." Without it I definitely would've hated this wake up call even more. I'm sorry I gave you such a smart mouthed question..." I looked up to see her with a smile that she wore before. "Don't worry about it, David. I'm not much of a formal being to begin with. Only when I have to." She gave me a playful wink and stuck out her tongue. I chuckled silently. "So I'm guessing my name is what you just spoke? David?" "Indeed. You are very... unique. You have a very friendly personality, one that can befriend even the worst of po-" she stopped herself before sneezing in a subtle feminine way. "...one that can even befriend the worst kinds of people." "You knew who I was?" "Well, we weren't too close. I still had my duties as a princess but you were more close to the people here in this little town, Ponyville." Ponyville? Strange, but what do I know? I woke up out of a hospital bed and have no memories whatsoever. At least she gave me my name back. She began to walk towards the door. "I must attend my throne now. I still have a job to do but that doesn't mean I won't come back to visit. We have much to talk about. Also, please don't pull any stunts like you did last week. Stay in bed and rest. Can you promise me that?" "I promise." I crossed my heart with my right index finger since my left arm was hooked back up to the IV. "Wait, that was last week? How long have I been out, Celestia?" "In five more days, it would've been 2 years... I'll catch up with you later, David." She left and the door shut itself with a click. 2 years? That's ridiculous... No wonder my escape didn't work out as planned. I look to my right to see a mirror laying on the nightstand by the bed. I grab it and take a look at myself. I had short black hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. From the looks of it, I seem to be of Asian descent but the beard on my jawline and the slightly dark peach fuzz on my upper lip I grew in my sleep said otherwise, Hispanic I am. It seems someone kept me groomed while I was unconscious. Thank god. I didn't want to wake up smelly, too long hair and a patchy beard and prepubescent mustache. Enough of admiring my looks. I set the mirror back down and leaned back in my bed and look out the window to my left. I can see a dirt road leading down the town. Small houses surrounded the road as people walked on the sidewalk on each side. It wasn't over crowded but it was pleasant to see this town so relaxed. My eyelids felt a bit heavy as I pulled my head back to a relaxing position. I shut my eyes and prepare to go back to sleep until a sudden knock on the door interrupted the silence in the room. The door opened to reveal another blonde haired woman, but in a plaid buttoned shirt and a pair of denim jeans and boots. She looked up to show she's got green eyes and light freckles on her cheeks and under her eyes. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ehhh, should I be asleep for this?" Minutes after Applejack walked in, she already started getting my muscle exercise in to help speed my recovery up. Turns out that Aj here used to be my closest friend before whatever happened. She said there was just a minor incident involving 2 people and carts colliding or something like that. Oh well, whatever happened, happened. As of now my right arm was being pulled to my left but was also being it of its socket. "Maybe..." I took a gasp of air as my shoulder popped, "We should stop cause this is putting stress on my body!" I managed to get out as she let go of my hand, making me smack back down on the bed. "Ah guess yer right, sugarcube. Sorry 'bout that." She let out a nervous chuckle as she shifted towards me. "Y'alright?" I was panting slightly, rubbing my shoulder with my IV-free left arm. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I appreciate the help and everything but it's a bit too much for me right now. Maybe tomorrow is a better day, hopefully I'll have my voice back by then." My throat was still a little bit scratchy but my mouth made a soft stuttering voice instead of a whisper by now. My body is sore and she only did my arms after trying to massage my shoulders in an awkward position involving me trying to avert my eyes away from her own. Having someone in my personal bubble isn't really my best interest. I get that people hug and stuff but not when they just lay their hands on you like you're a part of them or they claim you as their own. Especially if they're massaging you... Anyways, before I got a rub down from a 2 star masseuse, Applejack insisted that I call her Aj to lessen the formality between us quicker. I guess she wishes to have the old me back but she could be suppressing that inside that way it doesn't bother me. Then again, I'm sure that's what Celestia's sudden frown meant earlier. Oh no... The princess mentioned that I had made an impact on other people due to my personality. Not only did I get the frown twice but I'm going to have to get used to getting it from almost everybody I meet. Why must I bear this burden. "Daviiiid~" Aj crept up on my ear. "You in there?" "Ah!" I jumped in response to the second breach in my bubble. "Jesus, don't do that. Trying not to go back into my coma, thank you." She chuckled at my comment, earning some laughter from myself. "So Appleja-" She instantly glared at me with the eyes she'd use to stare down someone that she had beef with. "Ahem, So Aj, what do you do for a living?" "'Ah work on mah family's farm just outside o' town. I reckon to see you there once y'er up and walkin' around." She said, proudly standing with her chest out to show she takes pride in what she does. I let out a huff, "Sounds like you're pretty confident that I'd like to see you again." I teased. Soon after I stated that, her smile began to fade a bit. I felt crushed. "No, Ah of course I want to see you. I didn't meant to say it like that. I was kidding. I-" I was cut off by a vertical finger splitting my lips in two. "Gotcha." She started to laugh hard. "You should have seen your face! Haha! I've never seen you so flustered!" I gave a look of anger but my mouth frowned as my eyebrows raised themselves. "I guess that's what I get for saying it that way." I looked out the window to see that the sun is still up as the digital clock on my nightstand says 4:37pm. I yawn and stretch out my arms without the assistance of my 'new' friend. "I guess I should get more rest. I still feel a slight pain in my abdomen and I wanna sleep it off while I still feel sleepy. Is that cool with you?" She nodded politely. "Of course. I'll have to tell the others to come visit tomorrow. You have a couple more friends to reintroduce yourself to." "That's fine by me, but please, a couple at a time. I don't want my room to be filled with people I don't know. I'm trusting you to handle my visiting hours, Nurse Freckles." She smiled at the teasing name I gave her. "Alright, get some rest, y'hear? If you need anything, give me a holler so long as you don't ask to cuddle you." She winked at my now flustered blushing face making her way to the door. "Ah'll come by soon to check up on you again. See y'later, sugarcube." And with that, she left and the door made a familiar click. So that just happened... That was a lot of information in a little under an hour. At least I know someone has my back whenever I need help with anything. Aj seems like someone I can depend on even in the darkest problems. Cute too, should I pursue? No, it's the first friend I talked to in 2 years and the second person I've talked to while being conscious again." After a few moments of pondering about what Celestia and Applejack said, I shut my eyes for a much shorter coma to awaken and meet new people in this strange second life I'm having. Hopefully it's fun, or whatever. > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Don't worry, things will get better in time. I promise..." "Oh come on, he wouldn't notice a bit. Not only that but his bangs are growing a bit uneven and I just need to trim this part," I felt a gentle pull on my hair as if someone is trying to give me a quick trim. "here." *snip* "Gah!" I jumped to full attention, sitting up straight. My eyes quickly adjusted and found myself staring at two girls hugging each other in shock with scared looks on their faces. "Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." They eased their arms for a second before looking at each other and laughing, releasing and back away from each other. Uh, did I miss something? Why does it feel slightly colder on my lip? I take a quick peek at the mirror from before and noticed that the fuzz there had disappeared. "No! My Charlie! Oh god, whyyyy?!?" I hear muffled giggles from my left. "I'm sorry darling, but the *ahem* Charlie had to go. It was way too distracting. Almost as distracting as a couple loose hairs from your bangs." I look towards the ladies to find a pair that would put any man in a coffin to only send him straight to a bottomless pit called love. The woman on the right was wearing a yellow top that had a hint of frills on the short sleeves that had her long pink hair resting on it. The low cut didn't show any sign of cleavage and only showed off the type of skin you'd want to snuggle your cheek against near a warm fireplace. The white capris she was wearing complimented her semi pale skin tone. The woman on the other side though... she is quite the looker. She had long lavender hair that had waves a professional surfer would have trouble riding. She wore earrings that made a small loop in her lobes as well as a light pink gloss along her lips. Her eyelashes were long enough to let you wonder if it'd really be possible to get lost in her dark sapphire eyes. She wore a white dress that complimented her figure well. Her bust wasn't that unnatural, c-cup most likely if she didn't use padding. If you traveled a bit south you could see that those hips weren't even close to lying. I caught myself staring a bit at them then turning around to check my appearance again. My hands checked to make sure my hair was in place. Okay, two girls came to visit, but one's cute and the other's sexy.. Which do I want? Romance or something fun? Or maybe both? That's it! If I go with the sexy one, then I could pretend something bad happened to us later and come crying to the cute one and she could get the rebound. Then a couple years later, I'll be living in happily ever after! It's the perfect plan! I turn back around slowly and clear my throat. "Ladies, I'm sorry to inform you but my doctor insisted that I have only have one dream come true," I extend my hand out and hold the sexy one's before me, "perhaps I could settle with you for the rest of my life." She looked at me with widened eyes and a dropped jaw while the other woman mimicked her expression. I felt the hand slide out of mine to cover the owners mouth to help keep the laughter from escaping the room. "HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!" I looked at her clueless and started to get embarrassed. "Hehe, I didn't think it was that cheesy..." I trying to avert my eyes away from the situation. "No darling!" she laughed a bit more before composing herself. "I found it funny that you pulled the same pick up line after getting wrecked into by Rainbow Dash." I looked at her with a blank expression, "You mean... Oh my god... I'm so stupid." I hit myself with the palm of my hand on my forehead. Why didn't I think of past David? I blew it... "Almost two years and he's still a charmer, right Fluttershy?" she looked towards the soft woman. This 'Fluttershy' went back to her soft posture before speaking. "Um, I could've predicted that but I don't think I would've been able to see it in person." Her voice was a mix of a whisper and average room volume. It fit her to have such a comforting voice. I bet it's heavenly to just fall asleep to it. > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So you're saying that Rainbow smacked right into me after doing all these kinds of tricks?" A couple minutes passed after my little humiliating act and we're discussing what it was like before the sleep had occured. "Did she make it out ok?" "Of course she did. She tried to slow down right before the impact but it wasn't enough. The doctor said you were lucky to walk away with only one broken rib." Fluttershy seemed a bit scared of me when she walked in but quickly warmed up, seeing I 'hadnt changed a bit, as Rarity put it. "I don't think I've ever seen her act that sad before. She was afraid you'd be mad at her for weeks on end. She wouldn't even leave her house for awhile." Rarity jumped in, seeing how my frown seemed to be showing. "But past you demanded to talk by throwing small rocks at her house, eventually leading one to smack into her wing. You weren't mad that the whole crash happened though, you were more mad about being avoided at all times." She giggled lightly, "You guys were inseperable for a good week or two after the whole situation solved itself." Well, at least I solved more problems than creating them. "Speaking of Dash, it looks like she came by earlier." Fluttershy pointed towards the mirror. I looked but I didn't see anything. "What?" I looked on the nightstand and didn't see anything until I looked behind the mirror. It was a silver pocket watch with wings engraved on the outside as decoration. I grabbed it and opened it by pressing the button on the side. "10:42. Well, at least I can tell the time no-" On the lid there was an inscription. In case you need to Dash somewhere. In the background, there was a cloud with a thick lightning bolt behind the words. "Ok, this has to be expensive... It's awesome! Why didn't she wake me up?" I look back at the women who were smiling and whispering to each other. "Uh, girls?" "Oh! Sorry darling but we must go. We have a spa appointment together a a we don't want to be laaate~" Rarity sang the last word with a high voice. "We'll visit tomorrow, we promise." As if on cue and had been practiced before, they sang along with each other, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Fluttershy started heading for the door but Rarity leaned in and kisses my forehead. "I'm so glad you're ok. We've all missed you so much. Until next time, David." I sat there, blushing and frozen in place. She giggled and left the room with Flutters. Did that really happen? > Chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You think you can outrun me? Out of anybody here?" a raspy feminine voice echoed. "Well, I've been known to run faster than the bullies that picked on me before. Does that count as a reason?" I responded back with a hint of uncertainty. "Whoa, hold on! Who bullied you?!?" She asked with a concerned voice. I chuckled, "I'm talking about the past, not the present. Relax and put your money where your mouth is, and remember; no wings!" "David? Hellooo~" A pale nurse waved her hand in front of my face. I blink a couple's times before wiping the hypnosis from my face. I guess I lost myself in the watch. Something about it just seems so familiar. "Oh, hey uh, Nurse." I responded, finally engaging the conversation. "It's time to see if those massages paid off. We had given you massages throughout the previous week to help strengthen your muscles since we didn't expect you to awaken so early last week." I hold up a hand to stop her from going further, "Wait, what exactly happened last week? Did I hurt someone? I don't remember anything about waking up before..." She giggles lightly. "Don't worry, nob-body got hurt." She stumbled on the word and let out an additional chuckle, but this one seemed to let out a nervous tone. "You woke up a bit earlier than we expected from our previous scans. You ended up trying to escape, though you weren't in the best shape. You stumbled all the way across the hallway and you almost got to the staircase. Only Celestia knows what would happen if you tried going down in that state." She shuddered from picturing what would've happened in her head. "Thankfully you passed out and a guard caught you just in time to get help and lift you back to your room. Thank goodness we had a unicorn in our security team cause I don't think we could've lifted you back with the few staff that was on the clock." "Oh jeez," I let my face fall in my palm on embarrassment, "I'm sorry about that." "Oh, no worries! It happens sometimes with the other patients." At least I'm not that too different from them then. She continued, "Anyways, I'm going to need you to try and stand on your own but don't worry, I'll catch you if you lose balance." Her hands glowed to show she knew her way around magical levitation. I scoot myself to the edge of the bed and have my feet dangle over the edge. I look up at the nurse and she nodded, giving me a reassuring determined look. I then gently slid one foot to the floor and the other came soon after, but I quickly grabbed the bed for support before falling. The nurse lifted me back on the bed with a blue aura which led her tiring herself out. I quickly jumped up, "Are you ok?" "Yeah," she was breathing a little bit heavy as if she went for a short sprint next door and back, "just not used to picking up anything your size. No offense." "None taken, but I don't look too heavy, do I?" I check myself but there wasn't a hint of flab anywhere. There's just a bit of muscle and the rest are bones. "Not at all, " a new voice came from the door, "In fact, you look better than the last 2 years you were under." I turned my head to the voice at the door, a girl with glasses, straight midnight blue hair with bangs that came complete with purple and pink highlights. This woman wasn't anything special really. She wore a black buttoned up shirt with sleeves rolled up on each arm. The tight blue jeans were something straight out of the denim collections you'd see in "fashion" magazines at a mall. Can I rest for 2 seconds before getting a visitor? I thought. I don't feel like letting another person down. Just look at her face! Eyebrows curled up and a smile on her mouth. That's a face waiting to make a frown at my lack of memory. "Hi, David. I'm Twilight Sparkle, your new roommate for the next couple days." She began to write small, 3 word notes on a clipboard. "I've been assigned to keep track of your recovery. Though, you won't be mooching off of me forever. After a week, you'll be able to go back to the home you previously owned." "Huh, that's too bad. I kinda wanted to mooch off of you for at least a couple centuries." I joked. If I start being kind now then it won't be too awkward if I end up doing something stupid and embarrassing myself later. "As much as I want to see you slouching around in underwear 24/7, I think I'll pass." She scrunches up at this picture. There's got to be a story behind that. "Anyways," getting back on track, she adjusted her glasses, "I also have orders from Princess Celestia herself to take you home with me. So as soon as you get out of that hospital gown and into these clothes, the sooner we can get going." She levitated a small stack of clothes that contained a red shirt and beige cargo shorts. "We will be waiting outside the door. Signal is when you're dressed and ready." She smiled and opened the door for the nurse while following her out. I shuffled around while trying to get dressed. My muscles ached a tiny bit but it was manageable. So a week at this girl's house, huh? Let's hope nothing escalates from this. I struggled to put on my socks to finish clothing myself. "I'm ready!" Twilight came in with a wheelchair and I'm guessing the nurse went about with her other patients. "I already filled out all the paperwork and the release forms so you are good to go." She lifted me with ease, causing me to float into the chair gently. This chair is very comfortable, way better than that bed. She wheeled me out to the desk on the ground floor. We made small talk about how it will be in her home. Guest bedroom, knock first on the bathroom door, etc. All the basic need-to-knows for when staying at a friend's house. "Twilight?" "Yes?" she replied. "You know, lecturing me about common courtesy is only going to put me back into my coma, right?" I fake started to fall asleep. "Now wouldn't be a good time to go back to sleep. I'd have to put you back in the bed." "Kinky, are we?" I gave a smug grin at her. "Oh cut it out. Fine, I'll give you a break." She began to push me out of the hospital entrance and on our way to her house. "Ok, before you say anything about how I live," she said, "I just want to let you know that I live in a giant tree." She began to brace for any negative feedback. "A tree? Let me guess, the very thick one that's just about to come to view?" He bushy leaves were peeking over a couple houses. "Yeah. " she chuckled nervously. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. What are you embarrassed about living in it?" She sighed in relief. "No but I do recall someone poking fun at me from time to time." "Then that someone isn't really much of a cool person if you ask me." We reached an opening that led to the giant treehouse. Once at the front door, she opened it and pushed me inside. It was quiet and very roomy in here. The walls were carved to have books aligned in them and stairs that led to a couple doors on the second story of the tree. Hehe, story. > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Quite roomy in here." I observed as Twilight moved a bit to my right side, holding up a hand as if she's showing off a prize in a tv game show. "This is my humble abode. The guest room is on the second floor, the last door in the hallway." She informed me while I managed to wheel myself slowly around the room. Taking in the exquisite carving that was done to the innards of the tree. The walls were smooth to the touch, no splinters. Each shelf that was carved in the wall didn't have any rough edges of corners as everything was rounded off. There even was a mini horse head in the center of the room that was carved from a log of some sort. "Whoever did the art in here is one hell of a craftsman." Twilight walked up behind me as I was staring closely at the horse head. "You always had a thing for artsy stuff. It could be the reason why Rarity went so far as to groom you in your coma." She scratched her chin lightly. "Come to think of it, she was acting a bit strange ever since we heard what happened last week." "Please, I don't want to be reminded of the incident..." I looked down in embarrassment. I don't want to be constantly reminded about how bothersome I was. "Oh, sorry." She held her head down for a bit before I could feel her hand on my shoulder and her gaze looking my way. "We all missed you. We weren't sure about when you would wake up. Rainbow ended up giving up..." There was a good pause in the atmosphere before I spoke. "Rainbow... gave up?" Another pause occured. "Yes..." she spoke softly, enough for me to hear the sorrow. I didn't know what to say. I haven't met her yet but my heart aches. Rainbow must have grown impatient and assumed that I would never wake up. I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat before I mustered up the courage to speak again. "Well, I wouldn't blame her. If I was close to a friend that has been in a coma for an unspeakable amount of time, I'd want to at least put him out of his misery..." I said in a monotone voice, keeping my eyes glued to the floor. "David..." She whispered. "I-" "D-David?" A voice creeped into the room from the door behind us. I looked up and turned my head toward the door to see a young teen with short green hair and eyes. He wore an unzipped dark purple jacket over a white t-shirt. His legs were covered in dark blue jeans and had white socks to cover his feet. He then suddenly rushed to me, wrapping his arms around my neck to hug me tight. "So it's true! It's so good to have you back, big bro!" I didn't really know how to react so I ended up returning the hug with one arm, patting lightly on his back. "Y-Yeah, I'm back alright." I smiled, giving a light chuckle. "So uh, who exactly is my little brother?" "Oh, right!" He let go and stood back a bit, giving me a small salute in a childish manner. "I'm Spike. You used to show me a bunch of cool stuff and give me cool advice. Isn't that righ-Twilight? What's wrong Twilight?" I look at Twilight, who was on the opposite side of me, to find that she was wiping away a tear from her cheek. She adjusts her posture before speaking. "Oh, it's nothing, Spike. I'm just happy to see David again." Oh crap... I did the inevitable in less that 10 minutes from walking in the front door... "Oh Spike," I spoke quickly to try and get Twilight in a better mood. "You should've seen her bounce in my room! She was bouncing over the walls, trying to get me into reading that way I wouldn't be bored in the hospital. She was all like, 'You should read this one. It's about this guy falling in love with a girl just by looking at her.'" I ended up putting on my best Twilight impression with the information I gained from her personality I experienced from the walk here. "Then I was all like, 'If it doesn't have action scenes and hot babes then it's a no-go, bro.'" I put on my most manliest voice on to emphasize my masculinity. My efforts weren't in vain as I heard laughter from both sides of me. I look at Twilight and reassured her. "But here I am, better than I'll ever be." She nodded to take the hint to look ahead and no behind what had happened. She cleared her throat, "Spike, can you go get the package Celestia sent us?" "Sure thing!" Spike zoomed off and came right back with a small box. He then placed it on the table beside the equine carving. Twilight spoke up, "So, Celestia ended up getting her top scientists, including me," she batted her eyelashes proudly, "to help research the best way to keep you at your healthiest. We developed these pills to substitute the things we don't have here in our world. They have all the protein you need in a day." "Protein? There's no meat her-" Twilight held up a hand to interrupt me. "The meat here has been filled with substances your body isn't used to digesting. We had to artificially build the protein without the use of any magic, which is not the easiest thing to do." I took the box and opens it on my lap. It contained pill bottles that lined up 5 horizontally and 3 vertically. It seemed to be stacked onto one more set below it inside the box. "I appreciate every bit of effort that was put into this... What exactly did I do before these were made?" "You had to drink a milkshake that was made with a lot of powder. You never liked it and no-one could blame you." She winced from remembering what it tasted like to her. "Too bad you can't eat gems," Spike said, "If only you could taste how sweet emeralds are." I cupped my jaw with a hand, imagining the dental work that would be done if I tried gnawing on a gem. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be eating any rocks anytime soon." I said sarcastically. "Should you run out of any," Twilight continued, "you can always send a letter to Celestia through Spike. He always has a roll of enchanted paper to send the princess any letter you wish to send. But that doesn't mean you can spam her with ridiculous requests. Got it?" I nodded, "Yes ma'am. Important letters only." I wonder if the princess would like a love letter. She's probably been so busy and stressed about her princess duties so maybe she wants to wind down with a nice gentleman like me. I chuckle a bit to myself in this humorous fantasy. "What're you laughing about?" Twilight asked with a cocked eyebrow. Uh oh... "Uh, I thought of a funny joke just now." I said half confidently. "Don't worry about it." "Nevermind then." She gave a me a dead panned face. "Are there any questions you have that doesn't involve any form of puns?" "Actually, yes." I looked at my hands curiously. "I saw that a couple people have magical powers. Do I have any magical abilities?" I reach my hand out towards a bookshelf and tried pulling a book out from it. The book I had targeted shifted a bit before slowly floating to me and I grasped it with an amazed look. "No, you don't." Twilight said. I looked toward her to find her hand glowed a mild magenta hue that seemed to be coating the book that was in my hand. "But that doesn't mean you're nowhere near weak without it, no matter what anybody says." Disappointment filled my brain as I looked at the book cover. "The History of Equestria and How It Came to Be? No thanks Twi, but I'm not reading a history book. The last thing I need right now is more backstory in a place where I just woke up. What I need now is some tender love and care from a close friend of mine." She blushed for a bit, coming close for a hug. She carefully wrapped her arms around my neck, getting as close as she can. "Um, Twilight?" I spoke up, leaning a bit back in confusion, making her lean more against me for balance. "Y-yeah?" "I meant pizza..." My stomach growled loudly, enough to make Spike laugh out loud and make Twilight jump back with a flustered tomato face painted on her face. I chuckled at the funny display of embarrassment. "That's one meal I'd like to get behind right now." Twilight rushed into the kitchen to hide shouting jibberish. The only thing I understood was "I'm gonna go order it" and a bunch or sorries. What a nerdy gal. > Chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Celestia? What do we have to do to ensure his safety?" "Ah!" A short, sharp yell escaped my lips as my healed vocal chords exerted themselves. I panted heavily in the dim lit room. I rushed to look at my hands, making sure I'm in one piece. "Thank god..." First nightmare in the waking world and I can't quite make out a single thing from it. From dealing cards to dogs at a poker table to... to... What exactly happened again?" I looked to my right, looking at the closed curtains as the sun hit them from the other side. Slowly making my way out of bed, I stand and open the curtains to a mid-morning gaze into the small town. I took a deep sigh as I thought, Does anybody else have nightmares here? Everyone seems so happy and can't be disturbed by any inner thoughts. A couple rushed footsteps were heard before a slam of a door, my door, echoed through the room, causing me to jump a bit. "David! What's wrong? Are you hurt?!" Twilight exclaimed. She took a bit before averting her eyes from my boxers. "Can't you wear something more to bed at least?" Wow... It took her less than 3 seconds to not care if I was hurt anymore. I wore only black boxer briefs and didn't mind being indecent. After all, it is the normal human body, right? "Well, what good of a host are you if you don't follow your own knocking rule?" I chuckled as I walked over to the dresser across the bed to grab a pair of gym shorts. After slipping them on, I sit back down on the bed and continue to look out the window. "Besides, I get a bit hot while I sleep." She took a deep breath before speaking in an uneven voice. "Well, I suspected you were injured since you screamed." "I didn't scream." "You didn't? Then who did?" She sounded confused so i thought I'd answer her with a bit of sass. "I yelled. See, a scream is what a woman does when she's distraught. Yelling is when a man-" "I get it." I turned to her to see her in some space themed pjs. A simple long sleeve shirt and pants and flip flops. She had her glasses on, but it didn't hide her 'tired of your shit' face. "I've been here for half a day and you're already used to me?" I stood up and started to stretch. "Actually, don't answer that. That was rhetorical. I can already tell you've listed a couple points in your head to prove that." "Now who knows the other best?" She countered as I heard her walking away. "Touché." I simply stated before taking a minute to recollect my thoughts on my nightmare. Well, I had to have been spooked by something really stressful if I woke up like that. I just... I can't remember now. I guess Twilight distracted me out of remembering the dream. I sighed before standing back up to grab a shirt out of the same dresser, but in a different drawer. Shortly after, I walked slowly down the steps on semi-wobbly legs. I was healing fast, but not fast enough to take the slight pain away from my stomach. I can't argue though, I'm just glad to be alive and kicking. ...metaphorically. The smell of syrup flooded the air, making my mouth water. I had eaten last night before bed but it wasn't a good meal. "Look out chef, here comes David." I state as I walk in the kitchen door to see perfectly dressed Twilight in an apron and a a mimic of what she wore yesterday, just a blue button up shirt and black jeans. "Wow... You dressed fast." "Uh, best to get ready fast than to have others waiting, I guess." Chuckling nervously, she swung two pancakes on a plate and handed it out to me without looking at me. I guess she was more focused on making pancakes than coming up with a better reason. I took the pancakes and sat down at the table. Added a healthy dose, or three, of syrup on top and dug in. "Wow, thith isth prethy gooth, Twi." "You know better to not talk with your mouth full." She simply stated as she flipped a pancake onto another plate and turned the off and set the skillet on a cool side of the stove. She took a seat on the other side of the table as I swallowed and noticed someone missing. "Where's Spike? Isn't he gonna eat?" "He's out doing something with the Cutie Mark Crusaders." "The Cutie Moody Crusoodies?" I purposely butchered the name as she took a bite, making her cover her mouth to keep the bite in. As soon as she swallowed, she corrected, "The Cutie Mark Crusaders. They're three local kids trying their hardest to find out what their special talent." "Why are they called Crusaders? And what exactly is a Cutie Mark?" "A cutie mark is something that appears when they find out what their special talent is. Since mine is magic," she stood and started unbuckling her jeans. "Hey! Whoa! i just want to eat my pancakes and get a simple explanation." I blocked my vision with a hand to block her rear from my eyes. "Well if you don't want to see the mark, it's a 6 pointed pink star with a couple white ones around it." She stated in a deadpanned face, that was removed when she thought about something and came to the conclusion in her head. We went back to eating calmly after she pulled her pants back up. "Do these kids know what an actual crusader even is?" "No, at least i hope not." It didn't take long before we finished. Once done, she levitated the plates to the dishes and let her magic clean away. "thanks again, Twilight. I need a good meal." I walked out of the kitchen once I heard a 'Thank you' and went to go sit on the couch. I leaned back and yawned. Perhaps I leaned too far back as my eyes started to drift away. "I don't think so, mister. We have people coming over to say hi to you." Twilight sat next to me, making me feel the light bounce from the cushion over. "C'mon, Mom. I just want a couple more minutes of sleep." I joked while letting my torso lean over the arm rest to put some effort into laying down horizontally. "Call me mom again and you'll have to stay at Applejack's house where the only way you'll 'heal faster' is to put you out to work your fingers to the bone." I sat up as fast i did this morning, wide awake and quickly replying, "Yes, ma'am."