> Scorched by Fate
>  by Scorch215
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter1: This is Not Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Planting!” I shouted into the mic I wore as I started to plant the explosives on the computers in front of me.

“Got your back.” I heard in reply from one of the two others with me.

“Shit contact!” Another voice said and I heard weapons fire to my lift. I ignored it as I focused on the task before me knowing I was in good hands. After a few more moments an alarm started to sound as red light flashed from the explosives I just planted. 

With the task done I spun around and raised my rifle just as an enemy soldier ran through the door behind, I didn’t have time to aim so I just pulled the trigger and the rifle kicked in my hands as the enemy soldier dropped. “Get ready they are going to be on us any second.” I said as I moved to a corner of the room and lay on the ground.

Aiming down my scope I swapped between watching the two doors into the small officer I was in. I could see another soldier dressed in tan and carrying a LMG with a box mag posted up at the windows overlooking the main warehouse we were in to my right while to my left another soldier with a carbine was covering the catwalks that lead to the second story officer.

I could hear boot falls and something being said in Russian between the sound of the alarm that continued to blare from the computer against the wall. A moment later all I could hear was the LMG as my squad-mate opened up on the Russians as they rushed the room to try and disarm the explosives before they could detonate. 

As I lay there I heard the carbine join in on the gun fight as the Russians came at us from the catwalk as well, and then I saw a small object come sailing through the window leading towards the catwalks and my blood ran cold as I start to move. “GRENADE!” I yelled. The other two started to move to get clear. 

My squad-mate with the LMG managed to just get clear but the other was much closer and I saw his body sail through the air as the small explosive went off in the small room. “Damnit Jedi is down.” The soldier with the LMG said as he got his feet under him.

As I moved to help the downed soldier my mic exploded with a single word. “FUCK!”

I flipped around just in time to see a gasmask wearing Russian empty his mag into the only other standing soldier before he could bring up his LMG. I wasted no time aiming down my scope and putting three rounds into the enemy soldier.

I started to move to help my recently downed squad-mate but before I cook more than two steps another soldier rushed into the room. I quickly dropped him as well and then staggered as I was shot in the back. I dropped and spun around, rifle still up and dropped the Russian that just came in from the catwalk door.

I looked back at the LMG soldier on the ground. “Damnit.” I said as I saw it was too late to save him which meant I was on my own. I could hear more boot falls heading for the stairs as well as more on the catwalk outside. I was on my own against what remained of the enemy and they knew it.

I quickly reloaded and just finished as the first Russian entered the room and the fight was on.

The room was filled with the sound of automatic weapons fire and me repeatedly yelling “Shit shit shit!” over the sound of the alarm behind me. When my rifle clicked empty I quickly drew my pistol and emptied its mag into another two enemy soldiers.

I ran to the far wall to try and take cover as I desperately tried to reload my pistol but before I reached it my body jerked and I went down as the last Russian soldier in the area flipped around the door leading to the stairs to the main floor.

I could only watch as the black armored Russian ran for the flashing computers as the alarm changed. Just before he could reach it though the explosives I had planted went off and destroyed the computers.
“HA!” I yelled and a moment later everything went dark and message appeared in front of me.


YOU HAVE BEEN KICKED FROM THE SERVER


“Oh come on really?!” I yelled in anger.

“Admin kick you too?” The voice of the LMG soldier said through my headset.

“Yeah, what about you Jedi?” I asked.

“Same.” The carbine soldier, Jedi, said in annoyance.

“Guess he didn’t like the fact we wiped the floor with him and his team.” The LMG soldier, Havoc, Said.

“I hate when they do that.” I said in annoyance. “I mean that was the first game we found that wasn’t anything but full eagles on their team and noobs on our side.” I grumbled as I clicked the message away.

“Yeah well the admin is a little bitch who doesn’t like to lose.” Jedi said with a chuckle.


“Yeah well it’s not our fault we kick ass.” Havoc said.

“I hear that.” I said with a chuckle. Suppose I should explain yes? These are two of my closest friends Jedi and Havoc are what they go by for the most part and we just got kicked from a round of Rush in the game Battlefield 3 because we managed to take out five of the objects on our own and the server admin kicked us for it because he was on the other team and thus was losing bad. We are used to that because me and my crew, don’t ask why we call ourselves that but we do, are highly tactical, we tend to only chat between games and while in came we only speak when needing to. Where we are, what we are doing and where the enemy is and such. We have been gaming for a couple of years now and know what each other is going to do in combat without having to be told for the most part. We did have a fourth man but he recently had a kid so that has kept him busy, we don’t mind as the three of us can still kick all kinds of ass.

“So shall we look for another game?” Jedi asked.

I glanced at the clock and blinked as it was already after mid-night. “Actually think I’m going to head out for the night and get some sleep.” Is aid.

“Dude seriously just one more match then you can sleep.” Jedi said.

“Naw we have no idea how long the match will last and I’d like to get some sleep.” I said.

“Sleep is for the weak.” Havoc said in a deep voice to sound like some sort of ancient warrior from a movie or something.

I rolled my eyes as I know he is joking. “But I like my sleep and besides we have all day tomorrow to game and I’d like to be awake to deal with the responses to our request for a fourth man for heists.” Is aid. Do to us being down a man we had been looking for someone to help us do the heists in GTA online for the sixth time, it was not going well because so far everyone who response to our call on the social club was lone wolf hotshots who did not play well with others nor like to stick to plans and it really screwed with our group dynamics and had a habit of being beyond annoying as they kept dying on us.

“Yeah I suppose you’re right.” Jedi said. “So tomorrow then.”

“Till then.” Havoc said.

“Night guys.” I said and left the party before shutting off my Xbox.

Grabbing something light to eat before bed so I don’t wake up to hungry in the morning I drop into bed and let sleep claim me.


<<<O>>>


I groan and mumble a few curses under my breath as sunlight assault my eye lids and I reach for the blankets to pull them further up to block the offending light but can’t seem to find them. Rolling onto my back while keeping my eyes closed due to them not wanting to open do to sleep I shift my hand along my bed as I keep shifting. For some reason lying on my back is extremely uncomfortable as I feel something digging into my back.

However my sleep addled brain is focusing on the fact my bed feel very strange and I carefully crack an eye lid open see what’s wrong. All I see is dirt and not my mattress or blankets so that explains it and I roll over to put my back towards the morning sun.

About a minute later my eyes shoot open as I register the fact I was looking at dirt and not my mattress or blankets or anything from my room.  I quickly roll over and stare at the ground I am laying on blinking several times as I work through the sleep to try and figure out where I am.

Carefully I look around and all I see are trees, trees, trees and a single bush around me. Blinking once as I take in my surrounding I speak. “How the hell did I get in the woods?” 

I freeze at the sound of my voice, at least I think it was my voice as it said what I was thinking but definitely did not sound like my voice in the slightest, it sounded more…feminine. “Ok I misheard.” I said and carefully listened to my voice. “Or I am still half asleep and so am just not hearing things right, yeah that’s it.” I said in my still feminine voice.

I reach up to rub my eyes in an effort to wake up more and pause as I stare at my hand and try to figure out what is wrong with it. It wasn’t that hard. “Where the fuck is my hand!?” I yell as I look at the dark grey stub where my hand should be.  I can still feel my hand but it is clearly not there and I lift my other hand and find it has suffered the same fate as my right hand, both ending in dark grey stubs.

Trying to shift my hand I watch as the stub moves as if it’s attached to my wrist. Carefully I tap them together and I hear a clopping sound as if they are made of something hard like wood. Behind them I notice my legs laying on the ground and vary carefully I roll over and sit up and stare.

My feet have suffered the same fate as my hands and both end in dark grey stubs however the dark blue and black tail that is resting under them holds my attention as the care lays spread out on the ground and I blink.

Very calmly I look down and find myself wearing a black jumpsuit of some sort with pocket on my chest and down the sleeves that end half way down my arms. These are definitely not the jeans and shirt I went to sleep in.

“Well then this is definitely the strangest dream ever and I’d like to wake up now.” Is aid in my feminine voice that is one of the many things I am adding to the mental list of why this dream is strange.

Ignoring the fact my brain is telling me everything around me is real do to the fact I can feel it I decide to prove to myself that this is a dream. Normally I’d go with the cliché of pinching myself but without fingers that’s not really an option so I go with the next best thing and slap myself across the face.

Did you know that slapping yourself with something that seems to be made of a substance that is harder then your normally soft hand also hurts a lot worse? Who knew eh?

“FUCK!” I said as I pick myself up off the ground and rub my stinging cheek with my stub of a hand. 

It was at this point my theory of this being a dream shatter and my eyes shrunk to pin pricks as adrenaline was dumped into my system. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!!” I yelled as I jump up and start to run in a random direction. I didn’t even make it a single step before I fell flat on my face and got to find out what the dirt tasted like.

It was lying face down in the dirt I realized my face was no longer flat but that I had a muzzle that my nose and mouth was attached too.

Trying to stand back up against I find standing on two legs is impossible as I keep following over. The third fall I manage to catch myself with my arms under me and that seems to keep me stable. Apparently whatever I was did not walk on two legs but four.

Taking a few deep breaths, the shock of my faceplant having calmed me of my panic, I noticed my vision was partly blocked by my hair with matched the tail I seemed to have in color scheme. Ignoring that fact I brush it out of my eyes I work on another theory as to what’s happening considering the dream theory didn’t pan out.

“Ok the only other thing this could possibly be is I’m in some sort of coma or something. I probably got up in the middle of the night and tripped or something.” Is aid and nodded. “Well time to wake up from this coma dream.” I said as I eyed the nearest tree.

Making my way over to it as best as I can, I have no idea how to walk on four legs but it seems to be a bit like crawling in how I have to move my legs. Stumbling a few times and ignoring the fact I need to practice walking like this as I’ll be waking up soon I rear up and place my stubby arms against the tree and lean my head back. 

“Wake up!” I said as I smash my head against the tree.

“Wake up!”

*Thwack*

“Wake up!”

*Thwack*

“Wake up!”

*Thwack*

The third hit causes me to lose my balance and I stumble to the side, I swear I actually see stars flying around my head as I collapse on the ground and lost consciousness.


<<<O>>>


I have no idea how long I was out for but waking up with a splitting headache made me remember the fact that if I was in a coma caused by head trauma it probably wasn’t a good idea to add to it by smashing your head into a tree over and over again even if it was just inside your own head.

Groaning I reached up and gripped my head in what I assumed were hooves now that I thought about it, even if I had never seen hooves that were covered in the same fur as the legs but it was the only thing I could really think to call them.

As I rubbed the side of my head to try and get the headache to leave I became away I was laying on something soft like a bed. Carefully opening my eyes afraid it was just a trick of the mind I looked down and found myself laying in what could only be a hospital bed. Noticing a steady beeping noise I looked to my right and smiled as I saw a heart monitor and an IV drip beside the bed with a small night stand with a vase and a single flower in.

I have been in hospital rooms for many different reasons in my life from extreme sickness, to a broken are to emergency surgery and despite being in many different hospitals it was impossible to mistake the white walls and smell of disinfectant in the air that all hospitals used, the only difference was the decoration and the color of the blankets and curtains.

“Hah it worked! Take that head trauma!” I said pumping my fist only to freeze as I saw my dark grey foreleg and heard my still feminine voice. Damnit head trauma one this round.

Sighing I lay back in bed and looked around, there was a pitcher of water beside the bed and I licked my lips as I became aware of how dry my tongue was. Reaching for the pitcher and glass I paused as I stared at my arm that ended in a hoof. How the hell do I pick anything up?

Come to think of it why does this look like a hospital? How did I get here? I had a brief flash of some random hiker finding me and calling the cops and then me somehow ending up in the hands of some scientists or something but I dismissed that I doubted id be placed in a hospital room if that was the case. At least not without some guards around or a camera watching me. 

Checking the walls and ceiling I confirmed there was in deed no camera anywhere in the room, least none I could see and I don’t think they would hide it.

Licking my lips once more I became aware again of the fact I was thirst and began to try and think of how to get the water.

Carefully I tried to grab the glass with both of my hooves but the damn thing just slipped from my grasp and bounced onto my bed. I tried several more time and managed to hold it stead but that was while it was empty, if it actually had something in it id be soaked.

Sighing I dropped the glass on the bed and stared at it as the gears in my mind turned. Slowly I raised my hoof and looked it over, turning it this way and that. It moved with the same range of motion as a hand attached to my old wrist and I could feel my hand still despite clearly not having one.

Concentrating I thought about opening and closing my fist and I could see and feel some small muscles flex where hoof met leg. Blinking I eye the glass and opened my “hand.” 

Reaching for the glass I closed my finger around it and lifted my leg, the glass came with it as if it were suction cupped to the blunt hoof. Well that is a big F.U. to logic now isn’t it?

Filing that little impossibility away for later and partly chalking it up to coma dream logic and placed the glass back on the table and carefully grabbed the pitcher in the same manner as I did the glass. Slowly I began to pour the water into the glass, making sure I kept an eye on it in case I started to lose my non-existent grip.

Once the glass was about half full I placed the pitcher back where I got it as I didn’t want to press my luck incase logic decided to return to the world. Grabbing my glass of water I brought it to my lips just as the door to the room opened and I could hear voices talking on the other side of the curtain.

“Fluttershy I’m sure she’s fine, like Redheart said she only had a minor bump on the head,” A feminine voice said.”  She probably just flew into a tree or something, you’ve seen Dash crash worse and have almost no injuries, pegasi are built to take impacts like that.”

“I know but…I just found her lying in the middle of the path and when she didn’t wake up I was worried.” Another softer voice said.

“Well you did the right thing bringing her here Miss Fluttershy, she could have been injured but luckily she was fine.” A third feminine voice said. It was then the curtain was pulled to the side reveling three being.

All three were had four legs, one was cream colored with red hair, another was purple with darker purple and pink hair and horn and the last was yellow with bright pink hair and wings. That one eeped and hide behind said hair as she saw me sitting up in bed, glass of water almost to my lips as I stared at the three of them.

The cream colored one blinked in surprised and I noticed she had a nurse hat on. “Oh, you are awake well that’s good, how are you feeling?” It asked in the third voice I heard before the curtain had been pulled to the side.

I felt my eyes become pinpricks as my mind could only come to one logical conclusion on what I was seeing. “DEMON HORSES!!” I yelled and threw my glass of water at the closest one’s face.

> Chapter2: Run for Freedom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After throwing my water in the face of the nurse hat wearing demon horse I threw the actual glass at the purple one, sadly it was one of those non-breakable plastic one but had the desired effect of making it stumble back. I expected the yellow one to attack but that one had hit the deck when I yelled which with the other two off balance for the moment by my surprise attack of half a glass of water and plastic cup to the face I had a clear shot to the door.

I wasted no time jumping from the bed and reaching the door where I sprinted down the hallway, and by sprint I mean stumble like I was black out drunk and seemed to hit every single bed, cart and random piece of medical equipment currently sitting in the hall, seriously why was there so much crap in the hall and why did it all seemed to be magnetized for me to hit?

Anyways I sprint/stumbled down the hall for my life. I swear I could feel movement on my back and almost felt like I was lifting off the ground several time as my ears were filled with a flapping sound periodically.

However I was much too concerned with the fact there were more demon horses out in the all dressed like doctors and nurses and all of them looking at me in surprise while I ran/stumbled past them. All I could assume was that I really wish I had a BFG or something as the random uniforms of the demon horses really reminded me of the Union Aerospace Corporation facility on Mars from Doom 3. I kept expecting an Imp or a Pinkie to jump out at me and either throw a fireball at me or try to eat me as is their custom when trying to make friends with you.

Sadly I wasn’t a space marine on Mars with military training and armor; I didn’t even have a flashlight!

“Stop her before she hurts herself!” I heard one of the demon horses yell behind me, no clue why they knew English or who they were talking about but that didn’t matter, what mattered was making it out of this place and finding help or a place to hide.

In a flash of light the purple demon horse appeared in front of me at the end of the hall, thus proving their hellish origins, though I didn’t see the telltale pentagram appearing on the floor to signal the spawn that was beside the point, this was my mind and it was drawing from my knowledge of video games it seemed to create monsters to attack, which means if I found a dark corner out of the way I’d even find a PDA or a weapon laying around or some other useful item meant to keep me alive.

The purple demon horse opened her mouth to speak but I chose that moment to drop down low as I rushed forward, I did not trip over my feet, and my shoulder met its chest and we both went rolling.

I landed on top as I planned and quickly untangled myself from the purple monster and headed down a side hall, I swear I actually lifted a foot off the ground and floated a several feet through the air as I ran at this point but I’d deal with that later as I saw two demons dressed as orderly block the hall ahead of me. Ok they were bigger then the purple demon horse so the same tactic probably wouldn’t work on them.

Looking back I saw the purple demon had gotten to its hooves and was now chasing me as was the cream colored demon with the nurse’s hat. I was trapped. 

It was at this point another demon, this one bright pink with blue and yellow hair and another nurse hat stepped out of one of the doors along the wall and gave me a new route.  I ran towards it and it yelped in surprise as I jumped over it, somehow easily clearing it as I jumped really high and far.

Landing on my face I scrambled to my hooves and slammed the door shut and used a char to block the handle of the door. I could hear the demons banging on the door from the other side. “Hah! You’ll have to work for your meal!” I yelled at them through the door.

“Hi, can I play whatever game you are playing?” A small voice that sounded like a kid behind me asked.

Crap a kid was here I needed to get them out of her; I turned to grab the kid and run but froze as I saw two other demon horses sitting beside a bed staring at me while a smaller one lay in the bed smiling evilly at me. Dear god they are getting smaller, I needed to be careful of swarms.

Oh hey the window is open perfect. Keeping my eyes on the three demon horses who had yet to move for some reason, they did menacingly track my movement as I slunk to the window, climbed onto the window sill and leap out.

It was at this point I realized I seemed to be on the fourth floor of the hospital. Do to the fact my voice had already sounded feminine I am not ashamed to say I screamed like a girl as I plummeted to the ground bellow as I flailed my arms in a vain effort to fly or grab something, which ever worked.

My body seemed to move on its own as I shifted so my back was facing up and just before I reached the ground I stopped so suddenly my teeth chattered in my skull. I blinked as I seemed to hover a foot off the ground slowly bobbing in midair.

Blinking I felt movement on my back and looked behind me to see a pair of dark grey wings slowly flapping, my body bobbing every time they swooped down slowly. “Ok that’s just another F.U. to logic right there.” Is aid and in answer the wings snapped to my side and I fell on my ass with a soft thud.

Rubbing my ass I looked up to see the purple and cream colored demons looking at me from the window above and I smirked. “HAH! Catch me now you damn demon horses!” I taunted before I started to run. I managed to take six steps before faceplanting again, I was getting better at this walking with four legs thing.

I heard a poof behind me as I got to my hooves and then suddenly I was wrapped in a purple aura that lifted me into the air. I flailed my armed to try and hit whatever it was holding me but all I met was air.

Cursing I slowly started to move back towards the infested hospital, struggling all the way. “Calm down before you hurt yourself.” The purple demon said as I was turned around to face it, I could see a matching aura around the single horn it had, huh so it was a unicorn demon, hell was getting weird with its unholy abominations.

“I have not yet begun to fight!” I said defiantly as I took a swing at the unicorn horse demon of death. Sadly I was a bit too far to make contact.

“We aren’t going to hurt you, we are trying to help.” It said as I kept trying to get free.

“Yeah right, I know how this ends and if this is game over I hope I give you indigestion.” I said, I was pretty much quoting movies here or at least partly but hey they were good lines and I doubted a hell-spawned-unicorn-demon-horse-of-doom would know that, least I don’t think they have movies in hell, wouldn’t think they’d have good movies down there what with it supposed to be miserable and all.

The unicorn demon blanched at what I said, hah! It has a weakness and it seemed to be movie quotes, or plagiarism, either way it worked to my advantage. As I ran through my memories of related movie quotes the demon looked at me. “Will you calm down before you hurt yourself or somepony else.” It said.

I stopped at the word “somepony’ do to how absurd it sounded and stared blankly at the demon.

“Thank you.’ The demon said and signed and I saw the cream colored demon and two larger demons dressed as orderlies came out of the front door of the hospital and the purple hellspawn turned to look at them. “I managed to catch her.” It said.

“Thank you Twilight, I’d hate for her to hurt herself in her panic.” The nurse hat wearing demon said as she got close.

I hung there trying to figure out who they were talking about while plotting my escape when the cream colored demon looked at me. “Miss are you ok?” She asked.

It took me several second to realize she was talking to me and I blinked several times. It then took me a few moments to realize she just called me miss. “Uh…yes I’m fine…but I’m a dude.” I said, yes I realized how absurd it was correcting a demon horse but not much else I could do while suspended in the air by cheating monster abilities.

The two demons blinked and looked at each other before the cream color one spoke to the purple one. “Seems the blow to the head has confused her, we will keep her overnight to make sure she is completely ok.” it said.

I blinked as they referred to me as her and she again and then a creeping thought slowly entered by mind. My voice sounded feminine. With a growing horror I slowly reached down between my legs and felt around while the demons were distracted. My eyes became pin pricks as I felt around more franticly and felt absolutely nothing but uninterrupted skin.

My rapid breathing caused by my growing panic drew the two demons attention; the two larger ones stood a ways off as they didn’t seem to be needed, and they blinked as me as I kept feeling around for my manhood and found nothing still.

“Uh….Miss are you ok?” The purple one asked.

My jaw worked as I gave up my search as it was clear there was nothing there but nothing came out at first. When I found my voice all I let forth was what I believe was the longest and loudest, definitely girlyest, scream of my life.


<<<O>>>


So after I screamed myself till I was blue in the face, I know this do to the muzzle I still had turned a bluish grey color, I finally stopped and hung there gasping for air, screaming is tiring. The two demons removed the front hooves from their ears and rubbed them as they looked at me once they realized I was finished. “Ma’am are you ok?” The cream colored one asked and I slowly shook my head my eyes still pinpricks. “Are you in pain?” Another shake. “Discomfort?” I paused at that one not really sure if finding out you are swapped genders counted as being uncomfortable. I decided it did and nodded my head. “Can you tell me what’s wrong?” The demon asked with what sounded like genuine concern.

I mumbled my response and the cream colored demon leaned closer, her ear turning towards me. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that could you speak up?”

“It’s gone….” I muttered a little louder.

The nurse demon seemed to work on making out what I said before she seemed to get it. “What’s gone?” She asked.

“It is…” I said once more still in shock.

The two horse demons exchanged looks once more probably not really sure what to make of what I was saying, though how could they? They probably didn’t just find out they changes genders! 

“Let’s get her inside and back into bed.” The nurse demon said and the purple one nodded before carrying me still in the air back into the hospital. I didn’t really pay any attention to the trip and it was all pretty much a single long blur and only realized things had changed when I felt the soft bed under me once more.

The shift from being held in the air to resting on the bed and the blanket being placed over me snapped me somewhat back to reality, I’d most likely have a break down later once the adrenaline wore off so I figured I should take advantage of the relative calm I was in. And seeing as it was clear the horse demons didn’t plan to eat me by the fact they put me in bed rather than….well….eating me.

So it was I decided to get some answers as to what the hell was going on by asking just that.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked.

The three horse demons, till I knew what they were they are demons, seemed confused by my curse. It was the nurse demon who spoke up. “You were found lying unconscious in Whitetail Woods by Miss Fluttershy who went and found Miss Sparkle and together they brought you here.” She said. “Do you remember what happened?”

I slowly nodded as it was clear as day to me. “Yeah I finished gaming with the guys, grabbed some food and went to sleep in my bed, next thing I know I woke up in the woods and…sort of thought I was in a coma so decided to try and wake up but bashing my head into a tree…..kind of didn’t work….”I said sheepishly.

The nurse frowned at this. “You thought you were in a coma so you decided to fight possible head trauma with more head trauma?” She asked.

I chuckled nervously. “To be fair I was sort of not in the best mind set what with waking up someone other than my bed.”

The Nurse sighed and shook her head. “Be that as it may you are lucky to only be suffering from a minor concession. “She said as she opened the draw on the medical cart sitting in the room and pulled out a stethoscope. She placed the cold metal against my chest as she placed the ear pieces in her ears. While she worked on examine me I looked at the other two demons in the room. The purple one was looking at me curiously while the one I assumed was a Pegasus from mythology, if the unicorn was here why not a Pegasus? Not like this coma dream could be any weirder really as it was drawing on what I knew.

I stared at the two for a bit as I didn’t want to interrupt the nurse as she worked by speaking and I cocked an eyebrow at them and they got the hint.

“Oh!” The unicorn demon said. “My name is Twilight Sparkle; it’s nice to meet you.” She said smiling friendly. What kind of a name was Twilight Sparkle? No matter I nodded and looked at the yellow one who hid behind her aggressively pink mane and squeaked.

I tilted my head at this that was odd as that was not a normal gesture for me but may have something to do with the body; I mean it had wings that had a mind of their own so why not add in gestures?

The unicorn leaned down and spoke softly to the hiding Pegasus and after a moment she peeked out from behind her mane a bit. “I’m……I’m….Fluttershy…..”She said so softly I barely caught it. I smiled and nodded but she still retreated behind her mane and the unicorn sighed before looking at me.

“Anyways what’s your name?” She asked with a small smile.

I glanced at the nurse who took a step back so I could speak and picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed to most likely write it down. For my part I opened my mouth and blinked and nothing came to mind. This was…concerning to say the least as I could remember my friends names, my parent and pretty much everyone else I knew but when I thought of mine I drew a blank, all I remembered was my Gamertag which was what my friends called me mostly.

This was very unusual and the three continued to stare at me expectantly. I glanced around to try to find a way to buy time while I worked this out and saw the pitched of water, the glass having been return to its place beside it. “Could I have some water?” I asked, I never did get my drink and after running and screaming I was even thirstier now then I was before.

The weird purple aura wrapped around the pitcher and it poured itself into the glass before the glass levitated over to me, why my mind keeping coming up with reasons to tell logic to screw off I have no idea as I always saw myself as a very logical and practical person, but I was too busy dealing with the fact I couldn’t remember my name as well as the other earth shattering truths I had recently learned to care at this point so I filed it away for later freak outs.

“Thank you.” I said as I grabbed the cup in my hand-not-hand and took a drink as I thought. I thought back to the times my mom called me or spoke to me and she used my name. I could remember exactly what she said but when it got to my name there was only a buzzing sound as if the information had been erased. No matter the memory I was the same, remember writing my name on my school work? It was smudged all to hell and unreadable. I introduce myself to someone? Same buzz.

No matter who said it was a buzz and anywhere it was written was smudged and unreadable.

Needless to say this was very concerning as the only name I remember was my Gamertag and when remembering being called that was clear as the rest of the memory. Now as much as I liked my Gamertag it wasn’t really a name, least not a proper one.

As I sat there slowly sipping my water, drawing it out to buy time, I thought about the three names I had heard so far, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Redheart who I assumed was the nurse. None of them were names like in the waking world that was for sure but neither did they match my tag.

I needed something that matched it cause if I am stuck here in my head I might as well blend it a bit. As I sat there I thought about how this day had been going so far and what all had happened and slowly I took my tag and modified it with a bit of new information I have.

Finishing the water in a large gulp I placed it to the side and sat back, having to shift my body a little bit do to the wings on my back, those would take some getting used to.

With the water finished the purple demon, Twilight, leaned forward a bit. “So what’s your name?” She asked with the same friendly smile.

I looked over at her and the nurse readied her pen. “My name is Scorched Wing.”

> Chapter3: Tour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I watched as the nurse demon wrote down my name as well as other information I am assuming her exam revealed she then grabbed a small pen light from the medical cart and approached me. “Ok I just need to check your eyes and we are done Miss Wing.” She said with a smile and I nodded.

Gently holding my eyes open she turned on the light. “Please look straight ahead.” She said and I did as asked, this was not the first time I had this test and I figured since they already said I had a concussion she was seeing if I made it worse with my run through the halls and jump from the window.

As she ran the light over my eyes I remain still with my eyes firmly locked on her face, now that the initial surprise of talking colorful horses had worn off and I wasn’t thinking with adrenaline in my system telling me to run for it and with one so close to me I could see now that they actually looked rather harmless for the most part, almost cartoonish actually.

I am still calling them demon horses though as none of them seem to be natural colors and with whatever that aura was the unicorn one can use, definitely not being normal, they are hellspawn. That and the contrast between these cartoony horses and the demons I am used to seeing in video games and movies amuses me.

Anyways the nurse horse finished checking my eyes and smiled. “Well then you didn’t seem to aggravate anything and while I was going to have you stay overnight, I think we’ll discharge you in a few hours if nothing else comes up.” She said.

I nodded once at what she said and was glad to hear it as I really wanted to explore that town I had been running for when the unicorn demon caught me with her cheating force like power. “I’m glad to hear it, though I do have a question if I may?” I asked.

“Certainly you can ask anything and I’ll do my best to answer.” The nurse said.

“Can you tell me where I am?” I asked.

“Oh well you are in Ponyville General Hospital in the small town of Ponyville.” Redheart said.

I blinked at the name. “Ponyville? Seriously?” I asked.

Twilight stepped up beside the nurse. “Yup, the friendliest town in all of Equestria if I do say so myself.” She said with a big smile.

“Equestria? As in Equestrian or Equine meaning horse?” I said blinking several times.

“Well we are ponies not horses.” The purple mare said.

“Ponies….right.” I said as I processed the fact I was with multi-colored horses, ponies, who lived in a town called Ponyville in a country that basically meant horse. Well could be worse.

Twilight nodded. “Yes ponies.” She said once more smiling.

“So any other towns nearby?” I asked to learn the area.

“Well Canterlot is only about a day by train.” Twilight said thinking. “Are you ok?” She asked looking at me in concern.

The reason she was concerned was because my hoof met my face rather hard at the mention of Canterlot.


<<<O>>>


About three hours later I was discharged from the hospital and wheeled out in a wheelchair, it seemed Ponyland had the same rules about patients walking out of the hospital in that you are taken to the door in a wheelchair.

In those three hours I had played twenty questions with Twilight, well more like several dozen questions but twenty questions sounds better, and I learned what I could. The mare seemed to be all too happy to impart her knowledge to me which was good since apparently my mind had created an extremely complicated world with a detailed back story to it.

During the talk the shy one seemed to relax more as she realized I meant no harm and wasn’t planning on throwing anymore glasses of water at them. What I learned from Twilight was…strange. I learned how Twilight was the personal student of someone named Princess Celestia who apparently ruled the nation from the city that was a butchered name of Camelot, I wondered if it was a silly place as well.

I asked Twilight and she said it was not and was one of the finest cities in the land and was apparently bolted to the side of a mountain in a huge F.U. to physics and structural engineering. I was beginning to see a pattern here.

After that I learned a bit about the town I found myself sitting it. It seemed it was a rural town, much to my happiness as I did not like cities really do to being raised in the middle of nowhere for most of my life. Very friendly as twilight as said as the place threw her a party her first day there when she was over seeing something called the Summer Sun Celebration  a month ago which was crashed by someone named Nightmare Moon who sounded both like a real bitch who was insane and full of a lot of ham.

Apparently she was a real threat though which I learned when I pointed out she sounded very much like a clichéd villain from a TV show. Also Equestria didn’t have TV which wasn’t that big of a deal as I didn’t really watch TV do to the internet being far more entertaining, which they didn’t have either. That fact sucked a lot.

Anyways after beating this Nightmare Moon character with something called the Elements of Harmony which sounded like a rainbow colored super weapon, it was learned that Nightmare Moon was actually Celestia’s sister driven mad by jealousy and had been banished to the moon.

I questioned how that was possible and apparently Celestia did it with the elements over a thousand years ago, oh yeah the Princesses are immortal apparently, my mind is weird. After questioning why they were called princesses I learned it was a preferred title as it made them more approachable then a queen. I doubted it as royalty is royalty regardless of title.

Anyways this town was founded about two hundred years ago, the fact I found myself living in another two hundred year old town in my head added credibility to this being a coma dream.

Overall this placed basically sounded like a typical rural American town only with ponies and not humans and no cars.

What caught me the most off guard was when I asked how she used the force and if she was a Jedi. Long story short it’s magic, all of it is magic, this entire place is run by magic that if I were to believe half of what Twilight told me just said Fuck Logic at every turn.

That was actually what most of the three hours was spent talking about. Now you see I have always been a practical person, this up is up; down is down, sour croute smells beyond foul, the usual. So when someone says “magic” and they means real magic and not stage magicians magic but real legit magic I am inclined to disbelieve it do to the simple fact this is my coma dream and I know magic is not a thing.

However that practicality extends to seeing is believing because I have seen things that have defied normal logic as we know it and is beyond explanation. So Twilight ended the debate by simply demonstrating said magic by doing several spell. Needless to say I admitted magic is a thing and the rest of the discussion was spent learning about magic, and the fact that as a Pegasus I can’t do spell.

However apparently I can fly, which I have seen and done by accident, as well as manipulate the weather and walk on clouds.

To say this place makes my head hurt is an understatement.

Anyways after the long discussion of some of the basics of this area Twilight “Unicorn Demon” Sparkle offered to give me a tour of the town. Naturally I accepted because it’s easier getting a tour then trying to find my own way.

And thus I am now following her down the road away from the hospital, I still question why a supposedly rural town had a four story hospital but apparently this place regularly suffers disasters or something which makes me question why a town is here in the first place if it’s so dangerous. Oh well coma dream logic.

As we walked I focused on moving my feet in the correct order, I was getting used to having four legs as long as I focused on it and treated it as if I were crawling on my hands and knees as it was basically the same movement. Though if I stop paying attention then I get to taste dirt with a faceplant.

Anyways it did not take us long to reach the actual town, the hospital being built outside the town limits and a ways off from it. This town hurts my eyes do to being a riot of color, seriously the place looks like several dozen paint cans threw up everywhere and that’s just the buildings! The other ponies are much worse as they seem to be every bright color that ever existed.
Anyways it was here at the town where Fluttershy left us saying she needed to get back to her animals, she was either crazy cat lady…erm…pony, or she was a vet or something of the like. Either way it was just me and Twilight now

As we walked I noticed I seemed to be the only dark colored pony around, don’t get me wrong there were other gray ponies and other dark colors but for the most part the ponies in this town were more brightly colored.

Most of them greet Twilight without friendly hello or a nod though some seem focused on their own tasks and don’t seem to notice her. Most of the ones who greet her also stop and greet me and ask if I am new in town to which I answer in all honestly that I am. Everyone smiles at that and welcome me, when Twilight said this place was friendly she was not kidding as everyone seemed to be going out of there way now to welcome me, even the ones who ignored Twilight stopped to greet me.

I questioned what they wanted as for the most part usually people being this friendly are wanting something, yes I know that is a bit cynical but I am basing it off my own experiences here.

Anyways as we walk my unicorn demon guide pointed out several buildings such as the clock tower and the town hall and the like. This place all seemed pretty standard for small town; though it was missing a water tower and the roofs being thatch was odd. The place was basically a cross between small town America and something out of a fairytale.

Eventually we reached a building that was different from the rest in that it was circular, white and looked like someone modified a merry-go-round into a building.

“And here.” My guide said. “Is Carousal Boutique where my friend Rarity makes dresses.” She said smiling.

“So…she’s a tailor?” I asked in surprise as I’m used to mass production, I mean I know there are still tailors around, hell the town I lived in had a legit shoe repair shop situated right next to a J.C. Penny’s so I know this old stuff is around still, just very rare.

I paused at the accidental pun and my hoof met my face once more.

“Would you like to go in?” Twilight asked looking back at me after I dropped my hoof.

I looked down at the jumpsuit I wore; dressing back in it with hooves had been a battle worthy of writing a grand epic the likes of Beowulf as even if I had figured out how to pick things up I had not learned the finer points of defying physics with blunt hooves.

“No I’m good.” I said as I looked back up at her, while I questioned why they actually had a tailor when everyone but me seemed to not wear clothes, and the fact that was not weird to me was because even if they have strange coloring they are still horses and horses do not wear clothes normally. The only reason I was wearing one was because I was used to doing so and when I had realized I wasn’t wearing any in the hospital I had covered myself with my blanket and asked for my clothing back. And thus the epic battle had taken place.

“Alright, you will meet her alter I’m sure.” Twilight said as she started to walk again and I followed behind keeping my mind on putting one hoof in front of the other in the correct order. I was getting rather good at this…

So the dirt in town taste just like the dirt back at the hospital which I learned when I moved my left front leg and then my left back leg and was thrown off balance.

Spitting out dirt I got back up to find Twilight giggling at my spill and felt my ears splay back against my head, this new body was really expressive, way more than what I am used to being.

“Don’t worry I’m sure that they will get back to working order after you recover fully.” She said as she started walking again.

“Yeah…right.” I said as I started to follow her once more.

We reached an area in the town that reminded me of Saturday Market back home as the street was packed with small stalls and carts with ponies standing behind them talking to customer or patiently waiting for some to come by.

“And this is Ponyville market where the local ponies sell their goods that aren’t sold in the stores.” Twilight said sweeping a hoof over the market place.

“Yes I can see that.”  I said as I looked around, this am deme think I needed to figure out if they used money or a bartering system here, I was familiar with both but I would have a better chance with bartering do to the simple fact I had no money to speak of do to leaving my wallet in the waking world.

Twilight looked around the market place and smiled as she saw a cart and she quickly made her way over to and I followed so as not to lose track of my guide. 

As we neared the car I saw it was filled with barrels of apples and had an orange pony standing behind it who actually was the first one I had seen wearing clothing in the form of a cowboy hat, normally I wouldn’t count hats as clothes but when everyone else beside me was naked I’d count a bowtie as clothing.

Oh hey we reached the cart and the pony behind it smiled as she tipped her hat back. “Why hey there Twi’ what ya out and ‘bout at this hour? I’d have thought you’d hold up in the library readin’ or somethin’.” The pony said and I blinked. Was…..was she from the south? Like….literally she had a southern accent and I had actually been to several southern states so I’d know and that was a somewhat stereotypical southern drawl.

“Oh just showing Scorched Wing here around.” Twilight said gesturing to me and the southern pony looked at me and tipped her hat to me.

“Pleasure ta meet ya Scorched Wing, names Applejack. Ah Run Sweet Apple Acers just outside of town.” She said gesturing down the street.

I arched an eyebrow at the name. “Is that some sort of farm?” I asked, there was no way my mind would conjure up a southern stereotype.

Applejack nodded. “Yup, we grow the best apples in all of Equestria.” She said with pride clearly in her voice.

You have got to be kidding me! She is a total stereotype of a southerner. Does she also have a rifle and shotgun and sit on her front porch on a swing while sipping ice tea?  I thought as I resisted the urge my hoof had to meet my face once more by looking away and squeezing my eyes shut. I was starting to get the feeling I was going to be doing that a lot in this dream.

Sighing and looked back at the two ponies and found my vision filled with two blue orbs. Took me a second to realize they were eyes and I was basically muzzle to muzzle with another pony.

“GAH!” I said as I shoved myself back, my front hooves flailing as I crashed  to the ground on my back with a muffled thud and some pain as I landed on my wings. This time my vision was filled with the face of the aggressively pink owner of the eyes as she looked down at me with a large smile that seemed unnatural.

“Hi hi!” The pink pony said louder then she needed to considering she was only about three feet from me. “I’m Pinkie Pie. What’s your name? I know I don’t know you because I know everyone in Ponyville and I’ve never seen you before which means you are new which means you don’t know anyone and so when I saw you here with Twilight talking to Applejack I just had to come over and ask who you are so I know what name to put on the invitations!” The pink pony said in a single breath.

I just blinked up at her as my brain processed the barrage of words that just assaulted it. After a few moments I managed to translate what she said. “Uh…Scorched Wing and what party?” I asked confused and still a little stunned.

“Why your welcome to Ponyville party of course!” The pink pony said as she grabbed my hoof and hauled me back to a standing position. I opened my mouth to thank her and blinked as she was gone. I looked around and sure enough I could see no sign of the aggressively pink pony and looked back at twilight and Applejack. “Um….you two saw that right? I didn’t just hallucinate all of that right?”

Twilight giggled once more. “That’s just Pinkie Pie, she likes to throw parties for all the new ponies in town and she can’t get excited rather easily.” She said.

I plinked at the name, while it was definitely accurate I couldn’t help thinking of a certain enemy from Doom 3, still that was beside the point. “Ok…so….where did she go?” I asked looking around once more.

“Most likely to plan your “Welcome to Ponyville Party.” Twilight said.

I could only dumbly nod at this and marvel at just how strange all of them kept getting. “Ok…well then…shall we continue the tour?” I asked hoping the walk for the tour would help clear up the headache I found starting to form.

Twilight nodded. “Sure.” She looked at Applejack who still stood beside the apple cart. “I’ll talk to you later Applejack. See you later.”

The southern stereotype tipped her hat. “See ya later Twi, Scorched.” She said with a kind smile. That’s right just keep being a stereotype. With a sigh I followed my purple tour guide out of the marketplace to see the rest of the town.

> Chapter 4: "Welcome to Ponyville"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I followed Twilight from the market place as she showed me the town. Honestly there wasn’t much else to see though she did take me to the edge of town and point out Applejack’s farm in the distance and explained it was the Apple family who founded the town a couple hundred years ago and she told me about Granny Smith, Applebloom and Big Macintosh. I was starting to see a theme with these ponies and their names.

Well after the tour of the town it was around midafternoon and Twilight suggested a lunch. It was here the issue of not having any money came into play but Twilight was nice enough to say she’d pay and thus I found myself standing outside one of her favorite places to eat in town staring at it.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” Is aid as I stared at a building with a red sign topped with three gold arches out front and the name of McDoodle’s proudly displayed.

“What is it?” Twilight asked looking back at me with some confusion.

I just sighed and shook my head. “It’s nothing, this just reminds me of another place I know.” I said while staring at the place, least it’s a familiar place.

“Well that’s good.” Twilight said with a smile before heading for the door and using her magic to open it as I followed her in.

Inside the place just added to the fact this place was definitely a McDonalds’s as even the inside had the same themes and wouldn’t look out of place back in that fast food chain and o wondered if they had free Wi-Fi as well, though due to the lack of internet that was very doubtful.

There were several other ponies of all the different types gathered here, some sitting alone while others sat in small groups chatting about this or that. We had either beaten the lunch rush or had just missed it, either way meant the place was calm and the food would be fresh. Come to think of it how can there be a fast food burger place? I wouldn’t think a horse based species would eat meat though with some of the other aspects of dream I wouldn’t put it past it to disregard biology.

As we approached the counter the young stallion, he was definitely older than the standard teen and when we cause close the reason why was revealed by the fact his name tag had MANAGER above his name of Blue. Yes that was his name and yes his coat was indeed a dark blue and his mane was a lighter shade of blue, his parents were real creative with his name.

Anyways when we approached Blue smiled in that manner all those employed in an industry that required you to be interact with customers regularly. “Welcome to McDoodle’s how can I help you today?” The stallion asked.

“I’ll have a McDoodle’s Special with a medium drink.” Twilight said and looked back at me.

“Uh….I’ll have the same, but with cheese if it doesn’t come with it already.” I said and manager behind the counter nodded as he somehow pushed the buttons on what looked a lot like a modern cash register.

“Alright that will be nine bits.” He said. “Will that be for her or to go?”

“For here.” Twilight said and the stallion nodded before pressing another button on the register as a small bag appeared from somewhere held in her magic and she pulled out the money. I looked at them, as she placed them on the counter. They were small and gold colored. Before the manager grabbed them I saw one side had a stylized sun on it while the other seemed have a crescent moon on it, I made a mental note to learn the significance of the symbols as my curiosity was quipped.

The stallion gave Twilight the recite and told her the number before handing us the cups, I was glad to see they were in fact proper medium cups and not the size of a large.

Twilight held one out to me in her magic and I took it in hoof, only pausing for a few moments to stare at the cup defying gravity before following her. I would like to go on record in saying while I was getting used to walking on four legs that did not translate into walking on three and after two steps I face planted onto the floor of the fast food joint.

“Are you ok?” Twilight asked as she held out a hoof to me.

“Just peachy.” I said as I took her hoof and she helped me up as I rubbed the end of my muzzle. My ear swiveled around towards a group of other ponies as I heard them quietly laughing and a quick glance confirmed they it was at me as they spoke quietly and kept glancing and pointing towards me and I think I caught the word “Derpy” said. I felt my ears splay against my head and some heat touch my face. It seems this new pony body was very expressive.

Twilight glanced over at the group then back at them. “Just ignore them; I should have remembered that you’re still having trouble walking.” She said her own ears drooping as she looked down a bit.

“No, no it’s fine, I’ve pretty much gotten walking down with the tour and you didn’t know I’d have trouble.” I said quickly, I did not like to see people sad especially when it was because of me.

She looked at me. “You sure?” She asked and I could tell she was really upset about my fall, I’ve heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve but these ponies seemed to show all their emotions without much restraint though it may be the larger eyes and ears that seemed to do as they pleased.

Slowly Twilight cheered up and used her magic to pick up my cup from the floor before going to ask for another one. I didn’t much care that it had been on the floor as the place looked rather clean and it’s not like it was a wet object that will cause things to tick to it but I figured she was doing it to make up for the fall and I was going to let her do what she thought she needed to as I went over to where the drinks were.

What I found caused me to stare. There were only a few to choose from but that wasn’t why I stared.

Hilltop Dew
High-Dee Orange
Dr. Pebble
Pug Root Beer
Lemonade
And Pepsi

The only thing that was off were the names but the colors and logos were all correct, and Pepsi was actually Pepsi. I was literally staring at soda’s I knew with only slightly different names.

“You ok?” I jumped as Twilight asked from beside me and I felt my wings unfurl slightly till I realized it was her. She looked at me with a bit of concern. “You ok?” She asked again. “You’re just staring at the drinks.” 

“Uh…yeah just trying to decide what I want.” I said and she stared at me for a moment, I thought she may have seen through what I said but then she shrugged and stepped up to the drink dispensers. 

“So what would you like?” She asked.

“Uh…Pepsi.” I said and she nodded before filling one of the glasses with a bit of ice and then filling it with the drink as she filled the other with Dr. Pebble.

With the drinks filled and straws in tow me and my unicorn guide headed for an open booth and took a seat. We had just gotten our straws in our drinks when our order number was called, out of habit I started to get up to get it as I usual picked up the orders when with friends or family as I was faster and could maneuver through crowds easier when the place was busy but before I rose very far Twilight said she’d get it and I remembered fact I couldn’t really carry the tray easily.

So I took a sip of my drink and within a few moments the unicorn had returned with the tray held in her magic and it was placed in the center of the table. Using her magic Twilight separated burgers and fries, I was happy to see they were indeed French fries though something told me they probably weren’t called that.

Not wanting them to get cold because no one likes cold fries I started to eat them first. Not going to lie sitting in a fast food place eating food that is not the healthiest for me and hearing the quiet murmur of other patrons of the place was very calming, probably because it was the first truly familiar and normal thing I had done since waking up. I could almost forget I’m now a totally different creature in a world of more of the same creatures.

“So tell me where you are from?” Twilight asked as she also ate her fries first, thus proving once more no one wants to risk them growing cold before you could eat them.

I thought about either saying I didn’t remember but discarded that thought as ridiculous because that made little sense. Finishing what’s in my mouth I spoke. “Well technically I didn’t live in a town but was near one.” I said.

Twilight nodded. “Uh-huh, what town? It will be easier to get you home if I knew the name.” She said.

“Place called Alintora, you heard of it?” I asked, I was wondering what the town would look like in this strange coma dream.

Twilight furrowed her brow as she ate a few more fries before speaking. “I don’t think I’ve heard of a town called Alintora but then there are a lot of small towns and villages all over Equestria.” She said and then smiled when she saw me staring at her in shock. “Relax I’ll check a map when I get back to the library.”

I blinked at that last bit. “You work in a library?” I asked.

She giggled. “Well that and live there. “She said.

I blinked. “You’re joking right?” I asked.

“No the library has a living place on the second floor so it’s also my home. “She said “Is that weird?” She said ears drooping a bit.

“Are you kidding? That is beyond awesome!” I said with a large smile and she blinked at me.

“Really? Most ponies think it’s a bit strange…”She said trailing off a bit.

I shook my head. “Not me, you’re looking at someone who was my local libraries live in patron so to speak, I spent every chance I had there either reading or checking out books to read at home.” I said. 

I swear her eyes lit up as I spoke. “Really?” She asked with a large smile. “Fiction or non-fiction?” She asked.

“Mostly fiction but some non-fiction if it sounded interesting, which was mostly history.” I said.

She nodded. “History can be so interesting; I don’t know why most ponies don’t like it.” She said. “I mostly read magic theory books as well as study other sciences when I’m not reading other books.” She said.

I nodded. “Yeah I know, history is full of interesting stories that are even more interesting when you factor in they are true.” I said, I almost started to list off facts about World War Two as it was an era I found very interesting but caught myself as I had a feelings Equestria didn’t know anything about the world wars and so talking about them as fact would lead to a few issues and the last thing I need is to be labeled as crazy as if I am stuck in this coma dream for however long it takes me to wake up I’d rather have an easy time at it.

Come to think of it this entire world seemed to have its own lore and such which meant…

I felt a large smile split my face. Which meant new stories and new history to research, maybe being stuck here wasn’t so bad eh?

“I know it is.” Twilight said responding to my last statement, her face wearing an equaling large smile at I assumed finding someone who enjoyed reading as much as she seemed too.

I had already planned to visit the library after it was pointed out to me as it had been a while since I read any new books, I had long since read all the books I owned and so had been out of a good book to read due to the fact it was hard for me to reread books due to the fact I usually remembered the most minute details of them even months after I had read them last.

Needless to say the topic of conversation was on reading and research, I had to catch myself on mention the history I know and only mention vague isolated stories I knew that only had significance as interest trivia but were individual stories that didn’t play out on grand scales like treaties and such. My assumption was right in that Equestria had never had anything on the scale of a world war, the closes being the Nightmare Moon rebellion and that has been akin to the civil war on a smaller scale as for the most pare the two sisters did the fighting while those loyal to them fought skirmishes in the surrounding area.

Other than that there had just been a few skirmishes and the occasional boarder clash here and there but nothing to major or recent.

Twilight did mention a few battles that took place after someone named Discord was dethrones and there was a large vacuumed of power and the land was in chaos as everyone tried to cut their own slice of the so called pie. I was definitely looking forward to reading up on an entirely alternate history then the one I knew.

Long after the meal and our drinks had been finished we finally noticed how much time had pasted as we left our own little world.

Twilight looked outside as it had gone from afternoon to late afternoon early evening by my own estimation. “Hehe, suppose we should head out.” She said a bit sheepishly and I nodded in agreement. We both got up from the booth and Twilight dumped our tray while I went to the door to wait.

I walked out first and held the door open for my companion as it was my habit to hold the door open for people and twilight smiled and nodded in thanks and we headed down the street.

It was as we walked I became aware of a very concerning issues, namely I had no money for a motel or anything and thus had no place to stay. This issue I voiced to the mare beside me who was fast becoming a friend as far as I was concerned. It’s not every day you find someone interested in reading so heavily, least not back home as I was the very small minority in my school who read books extensively and could understands the stories beyond the words on the page.

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry about that, I have a guest room you can use.” Twilight said in answer to my issue.

I blinked at her. “Uh…you sure about that? I mean we did just meet today.” I said.

The unicorn nodded. “Yes I’m sure.” She said. “It’s not a problem at all and you do need some place to stay till we can get you on track to get home.” 

I nodded not really used to people being this trusting, though I guess I hadn’t done too much to be seen as untrustworthy besides throw a glass in her face when I first met her but that could be written off as disorientation inducing panic and confusion from me smashing my face into a tree after waking up in the woods. “Well ok, then thanks a lot twilight, I owe you one.” I said.

She giggled. “Don’t mention it.” She said as she walked beside me. I nodded and made a mental note to find a way to repay her, I always repay my debts somehow even if it’s not with money.

Soon we reached the library; I still found it ironic that it was inside a tree that was somehow still living despite having been hollowed out and filled with furniture and the like. I wonder how much of the wood was used to make more books like the ones that now sat inside of it? I chuckled internally as the thought that the books inside were made of paper that were in turn made from the very wood that used to be inside this tree and that its inside had returned changed into something else. 

Don’t look at me that way, I have a very dark sense of humor and find things like that humorous in a way.

As we approached the door I asked if today was a day the place was usually closed seeing as she would have to close it due to not being there all day and twilight told me her assistant Spike had ran it today as he usually did when she was absent. I was very interested in meeting a pony named Spike to see how he got that name due to the way these ponies named each other.

Twilight used her magic to open the door and I frowned as I saw inside the library was dark and I looked around at the fading light, plus the fact every library I had ever been in usually had lights on even when they had large bay windows, which this one did not have, so people had plenty of light to read by.

“You sure you assistant was around today?” I asked as I eye the darkness, something about it seemed darker than it should be, as if the windows were not admitting light into the interior for some reason. I couldn’t help being reminded of a scene in a survival horror story I read where the character walked through a dark hallway filled with an unnatural darkness that their flashlight only went a few feet in and the pair of night vision goggles they had didn’t go much farther as the darkness threated to consume them and fill them with fear so they made mistakes like the rest of their friends had already.

In short I felt the hairs on my back stand on end at the same time my wings shifted uncomfortably as my eyes narrowed.

Twilight was looking at the dark door way in confusion so she didn’t see my reaction to the darkness. “He was supposed to be, he probably just stepped out for a moment.’ Twilight said as she walked forward. I followed her simply because I wasn’t letting her go into the unnatural darkness alone but couldn’t stop her as I had no real way to explain why I was uncomfortable.

As we entered the darkened main floor of the library the door behind us closed on its own and the library was plunged into absolute darkness. My mind went into overdrive a split second before the lights snapped on.

“SURPRISE!!”

I leapt back towards the door and felt my wings flare wide on their own to make myself look bigger I assumes as I took what I thought was a defensive stand by having my upper body lowered close to the ground, legs bent and reading to leap forward if need be. All of this was just my body moving on its own so I assumed it was some instinctual part of my body reacting to me being startled.

What I saw was a room full of streamers, balloons, a table of food and some very surprised looking ponies in party hats.

Me and the group stared at each other before I slowly started to relax seeing as nothing was jumping to attack me. I slowly stood back up and folded my wings back to my side as I looked at the ponies who still stared back at me. I slowly got the feeling they were not used to that reaction to a surprise party but in my defense unnatural darkness and doors closing on their own are not something that usually says “come hither I shall not harm you” and usually screams “I am going to kill you in the most horrible fashion possible.”

“You ok?” Twilight asked as she looked back at me in surprise.

I felt my wings ruffle a bit as I collected myself from the massive adrenaline dumb that comes from fight or flight response. “Yeah just….was not expecting this.” I said gesturing to the room of ponies. Judging by the large banner that said “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE” I assume this was that party for me I was told about.

This seemed to satisfy everyone as slowly the looks of surprise faded and were replaced with mind embarrassment and some small chuckles of understanding and embarrassment.

It was at this point the one I assumed was responsible for this party because she said it’s what she was off to do, bounced out of the crowd with the same large smile on her face and landed between myself and the rest of the crowd. “That has to be one of the best reactions if seen to a surprise party ice seen since Fluttershy!” She said with the broad smile before looking back at the other ponies. “Come on everypony don’t look so down this is a party to Welcome Scorched Wing so let’s party!” She said with a big jump and throwing confetti I didn’t see her holding. When she landed music started to play from a stereo that no one was near somehow.

Come to think of it how is it they have a modern looking stereo in a town that looks like it’s pulled out of the Middle Ages?

I would be looking into this when I could but this party did not leave much chance for me to read as people tend to get annoyed when you ignore the party in favor of reading, I imagined it would be even more annoying ignoring that party when it was being thrown for you.

With the music now played, some remixed party tune it seemed which meant they had synthesizers here in Equestria and yet they used horse drawn carts, which is also odd due to them being a type of equine. I can already feel a headache forming as I try to make sense of this. I decided to push it all aside till later as I headed for the refreshment table, my eyes locked on the large punch bowl.

Arriving at said punch bowl I carefully poured myself a glass of the red liquid and moved a ways off so as to not take up space incase others wanted some which by the small group that arrived moment after I settles  near the wall I was correct in my assumption.

I stood sipping my drink as I surveyed the room before me. I was ignoring the multi colored ponies and looking at the walls of books. There were many of them all different sizes from large thick tombs to small thin pamphlet sized books. All of them placed upon the shelves with great care in great respect to the words held within their covers. I couldn’t wait to begin reading them.

When I finished my punch I made my way over to the food table and looked over what was there. Every single item was a pastry of some sort much to my annoyance. Don’t get me wrong I like cakes and cupcakes as much as the next guy….erm….I guess mare would be more accurate?

Anyways I like pastries and baked goods as much as the next pony but honestly I always preferred fruit, I know shocking but that’s the truth and the lack of any form of fruit or vegetable with dip was disappointing. There weren’t even any chips.

However I did find something that made up for it in the form of a certain type of cake I loved. It wasn’t hard to mistake the cake for anything else then what it was what with its darkish brown cake topped with white frosting with a single dab of orange and green in the shape of a certain root vegetable.

I am of course speaking of carrot cake, my second favorite cake on the planet just under angel’s food cake but that did not seem to be present sadly. No mater carrot cake was an excellent substitute. 

Happily I grabbed a plate and carefully made my way to an empty table with it, making sure to watch my step as I was on three legs again and definitely did not want to drop my cake.

Placing my cake on the table I grabbed a seat and happily started too much on the slice of cake.

“So enjoying the party Scorched?” I jumped slightly as Twilight spoke behind me before coming around with her own slice of cake hand in her magic 

I nodded my head as I still had the fork in my mouth from the cake I had just place din it and she giggled at the sight of me before I noticed a blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and a white unicorn with a styled purple main sit down with their own cakes.

I blinked at the two knew ponies before Twilight spoke up. “This is Rarity and Rainbow Dash.” She said gesturing to the unicorn and Pegasus in turn. “Two of my closes friends, Rarity is the one who owns Carousel Boutique and Dash is head of the Whether Team here in Ponyville.” 

“And the best flyer in all of Equestria and future Wonderbolt!” The blue pegasus added puffing out her chest a bit in a show of arrogance. Just the type of person I like being around. I thought barely surpassing an eye roll before looking at Rarity who smiled politely.

“And as Twilight said I am Rarity and proprietor of Carousel Boutique.” She said and I could hear the high class accent and I questioned why she was in a small town. Only three options came to mind. She came from money and lost it all, she came from money and preferred the small town setting, or she wished came from money and thus emulated those type of people. We shall see which she is soon enough I figured.

I nodded my head and swallowed what was in my mouth before speaking. “Pleasure to meet you miss Rarity.” I said politely, if she did come from wealth best not to piss her off as that could lead to a lot of trouble.

The unicorn smiled as she looked over my clothes with a critical eye. “May I ask where you got those…clothes?” She asked a bit hesitantly.

I looked down at the jumpsuit I was still wearing since I woke up. “Uh…I’ve always had it, don’t really know what I got it.” I said in all honesty.  

She nodded once more. “Well if you ever desire a proper dress to wear do come by the boutique as I could make you look fabulous darling!” She said with a smile.

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind miss Rarity.” I said as I grabbed another bite of my cake. Twilight was smiling as she looked between me and her other two friends apparently happy I was getting alone with them.

“So what are you an athlete?” Rainbow dash asked suddenly.

“Uh…not really, why?” I asked as I blinked at her, the question was rather sudden.

“Me and AJ have a bet on what you do, I said you are some sort of athlete as you have the build.” She said looking at me with an appraisal eye. Was she…checking me out or merely just trying to settle a bet?

I looked down at myself and while I wasn’t entirely sure how I looked as the only two pegasi I had seen were Fluttershy and now Rainbow here I didn’t know how my body really compared so I would have to take her word for it being an athletic build. Personally I wasn’t very athletic before so I had no real idea if I was now or not.

“You tryin’ to settle our bet without me” Applejack said as she walked over with a plate of three cupcakes and took a seat at an empty space at the table.

“Hey nopony said you had to be present for it.” Rainbow said looking at the orange farmer.

I looked at them and I know Pinkie was running around somewhere in the party so that left one missing and I spoke up. “So where is Fluttershy?” I asked as I expected her to be here.

“One of her animals wasn’t feeling well so she couldn’t make it but don’t worry the party wont stopped anytime soon! “I heard Pinkie’s voice beside me. And I looked over to thank her for the info.

What I saw made my eyes become pin pricks as I was staring down the barrel of a light blue cannon with the fuse lit. Now I may not have been a soldier or a cop or anything of the like but I have seen the effects of firearm and what they do to people who stand around and I also had seen what cannons can do to unprotected people who take direct hits from them in games, movies and TV shows so I think I had a very appropriate response to finding myself face to face with a cannon about to shoot me point blank with a smiling pink mare behind it.

“FUCK!” I yelled and threw what remained of my cake into the face of the mare trying to kill me and kicked the cannon so it was aimed elsewhere before I was out of my seat and halfway across the room so fast I swear I teleported. My wings automatically opened and now that I knew they were there I allowed my body to act on its own as they gave a flap and I took to the air. This allowed me to move faster as I wasn’t relying on what my legs could do and only had the air to resist my movement.

In short I took off like a bullet straight for the nearest exit which was an open window as I was getting out of there ahead of the coming stampede of panicked ponies as the library was about to become a death trap. I knew twilight could deal with the killer mare with her magic as I had experienced it but I didn’t have magic and so I was getting the hell out of there.

As I flew through the window I heard the cannon go off behind me and then I gone racing through the darkened town as fast as I could.

> Chapter 5: Realizations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m not sure for how far I flew, all I knew was I was putting as much distance between me and the library as I could and I am not ashamed to say I was scared out of my mind, but I think that is an understandable response to having a cannon aimed at you from only about three feet away.

Anyways I flew not far off the ground till I was far enough away that my mind calmed down and I registered I was flying. It was with that realizations my wings lost their coordination as it was no longer instinct driving them but my actual mind seizing control, my mind that did not know how to fly and was basically screaming at me that this was physically impossible.

And thus  I fell the two feet I had been off the ground and face planed into the dirt as I slid along the ground,  I was becoming a real dirt coinsure as I could tell you the dirt in this part of Ponyville had more sand in it then the last part of town I ate dirt in. It also wasn’t packed as tightly so my slide also created a small pile of dirt before me.

How I was not in a lot of pain I had no clue, coma dream logic I suppose, but either way I hurt but no more than I would have had I tripped and fallen on the ground normally as the slide seemed to have had no effect what so ever.

I slowly peeled myself off the ground and swore I could see stars flying around my head before I shook it to clear the shock and the last remnants of adrenaline form my mind.

Looking around is aw that the street I was on was deserted, which made sense considering the sun had gone down and most small town shut down around that time, except for bars, bars were always open, I wonder if Ponyville has a bar? Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t drink and never really planned to but this was just idle curiosity as I reoriented myself after my mad dash from a crazy pink pony armed with a legit canon. 

I didn’t hear anything that indicated the event I knew was taking place behind me but the library’s walls seemed to have been somewhat thick so that could be muffling the sound, plus I probably flew a good distance away. Either way the point was I was safe, and also realizing I ditched Twilight. Now she was capable with that cheating magic of hers and she most likely took down the mad mare after I bolted but still the canon had gone off which most likely caused a panic and that could have been an issue as I’ve seen what happened when crowds of people are scared and trying to flee and it is never pretty.

I had stood there debating between what to do, choices being head back and see what happened and make sure Twilight was ok, or find a cop or whatever they called them here and report it and let the armed law enforcement deal with it as they could deal with a panicked crowd as well as get emergency aide to anyone who was hurt.

However I was saved from this dilemma by a voice calling out above me. “I found her, she’s over here!” Looking up I saw Rainbow Dash swoop down and land before me with a very unamused look on her face as she glared at me. “What the hay was that about?” She demanded.

I blinked at her use of the word hay instead of hell and then blinked again as she seemed to be mad at me for running for my life when a canon was pointed at me. “Uh…running for my life when a canon was pointed at me?” I said wording it as a question rather than a statement.

This seemed to confuse the other mare for a moment before her glare returned. “What are you even talking about? Why would you run from Pinkie? You upset her after all the work she put into that part for you!”

Ok at this point I glared back at the cyan pegasus for treating me like the bad guy for defending myself and I could see the others running up the street as I spoke with a raised voice. “Upset her? She aimed a fucking canon at me and I reacted like anyone with an ounce of sanity in their head would react when about to be killed and got the fuck out of there before the shooting started.” I yelled.

This confused the mare even more and I was vaguely aware of the same confusion worn on the other faces as they slowed their run to a walk. “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked again.

“Do you even know what a fucking canon does? Well I do!” I shouted waving my hooves in the air. “They fire a fucking canon ball, usually made of iron at a very high velocity that will blow through any poor son of a bitch unlucky enough to be in its path before impacting the ground with enough force to cause a small explosion of dirt that can send someone sailing through the air just from being near the damn impact point!” So excuse me for running when I have one of them fucking three feet away from me and aimed directly at me about to go off and kill me!”

“Nopony was trying to kill you!” Rainbow shouted back at me. ‘IT was a party why would anypony want to kill you! Who does that anyways!?”

I opened my mouth to retort that apparently pink ponies when another voice spoke up. “Dashie stop, you shouldn’t be yelling at her.”

Me and Rainbow both looked at the speaking who stood behind the rest of the group who were also looking back at her. It took me a moment to recognize them as the same mare who had been behind the canon before due to her mane being completely straight.

“But she ruined your party after everything you did for her.” Rainbow said jabbing a hoof at me.

“Yes but it was my fault.” Pinkie said, I was trying to figure out how she had gone from talking and acting like she was on a sugar high to….well…this.  “

“No it’s not its hers.” Rainbow said stomping a hoof.

“No it’s not Dashie, I pointed a canon at her and she didn’t know it was a party canon. She thought I was about to hurt her real bad.” Pinkie said. “It’s my fault for aiming the canon at her and assuming she knew it wouldn’t hurt her. I’m sure if she had known she would have been fine.” The pink mare said before she slowly walked over to me, I felt my wings shift slightly due to me still not being sure of whether I was in danger or not.

The mare sat before me and looked at the ground clearly ashamed and upset at what had happened. “I’m really sorry Scorched Wing for scaring you and ruining the party….”She said and I could hear the quiver in her voice as if she was about to break down, scaring me that bad had really upset her I realized. She looked up at me and was clearly on the verge of tears. “I’m really really really sorry and I can understand if you don’t forgive me….”She said.

I blinked several times as I processed what had happened so far and replayed everything in my head. Looking back no one else reacted to the canon except for me and the fact Twilight did not strike me as the time to remain friends with someone who was actually dangerous or let them walk free I could only conclude what the pink mare said was the truth.

I sighed and looked at the ground for a moment before looking back at her. “It’s alright; you didn’t mean to scare me like that. It’s just I have never heard of a party canon and only know of the legit canon that are weapons so…yeah when I was staring down the barrel of one I sort of panicked.” I said. “I’m sorry about that and for disrupting the arty.” I said.

The pink mare wiped a hoof over her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t need to be sorry I’m the one at fault. And I’ll make it up to you somehow.” She said.

“You don’t have to; it was just a mistake, not like you meant anything by it.” I said. “besides you did enough setting up that party, that must have been difficult to due on such short notice you are very skilled.” I said.

The pink mare nodded. “Yeah it’s my special talent…”She said.

“Special talent?” I asked, not sure what she meant but if I could steer the conversation away from her blaming herself for my actions, justified at the time as they were, then I’d take it.

“Yeah, my special talent is parties, I like to do parties for all sorts of occasions. “She said, her voice picking up. 

“Hmm…well if that’s the case if I ever need a party set up I know who to call.” I said with a smile.

This seemed to perk her up a bit as she stared at me. “Really? You’d let me plan a party for you even after this?” 

I nodded. “Sure why not? The party was good, way better than anything I could set up in that amount of time so why not leave it to the experts eh?” 

I plinked as the mare’s mane poofed up with a “Thwomf” noise and the too big smile was on her face again as she threw her hooves around me in a bone crushing hug, literally bone crushing as I felt my ribs starting to bed. “Oh thank you thank you thank you Scorch!” She said as I struggled to breathe. I was thankful when she let go and I dropped tot eh ground gasping for air as she bounced around me somehow. “Oh I promise the next party I do for you will be even more super-duper stupendous then this one was by a factor of ten!” She declared happily.

I slowly got to my hooved once my lungs got the air they wanted and I watched in bewilderment as the mare pounced around like a rubber ball. Despite not liking her at the moment I leaned over towards rainbow and whispered out of the corner of my mouth. “Uh….how is she doing that?” I asked the mare who was also watching Pinkie bounce around in excitement.

“It’s Pinkie pie, don’t question it.” Rainbow replied in a way that made it seem like she said that a lot, either to other ponies or herself I didn’t know but either way it sounded like advice I should take.

With everything sorted out and the hour late The other decided it was a good time to return to their own homes and sleep with Rarity and Applejack heading off in one direction while Rainbow zipped off towards home after a sort of apology for yelling at me, I say sort of as I had the feeling she was not sued to apologizing for her actions. Pinkie apologized again and promised the next party would be even better than this one before she took off so fast she left a dust cloud in the shape of herself behind much like the classic Road Runner. I had to marvel at that one but I remember rainbows advice and with some effort I didn’t question it.

With the others all gone it left me and Twilight standing there in the deserted street. “So…shall we head back?” The unicorn asked looking back at me as she had been staring where the hyperactive pony had been standing like I was.

“Yeah sure, after today I could use some sleep.” I said with a yawn.

“Yeah you and me both.” She said with a much larger yawn. “I knew staying up all night to study would be a bad idea…”She mumbled before heading off with me close behind.


<<<O>>>


Me and Twilight walked back to the library without much incident however along the way she did start to talk to me about what happened.

“So...I wanted to thank you for what you did for Pinkie Pie.” The unicorn said glancing at me as we walked.

“What do you mean?” I asked not taking my eyes off the path, I wasn’t skilled enough at walking for that and I still needed to focus on my steps.

“After you ran away she was really upset you had run off, I’ve never seen her like that but she was nearly in tears.” Twilight said and I winced slightly. “Don’t get me wrong, after you explained why I understand why you did, I’ve seen what canon do when the Royal guard was doing training with them so I completely understand your reacting to having one aimed at you.” She said and I nodded my head slightly.

“But anyways she was really upset your party had been ruined and I know they say the first impression is always the most important.” She said looking ahead once more. “So thank you for giving her another chance to make a party for you some time later, it means a lot to both her and me.” 

“Well it’s not her fault like is aid before so why wouldn’t I give her a second chance?” I said. “Though I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with a canon of any type being aimed at me I should in theory be ok with being around it, but there is no account for involuntary fight or flight responses.” 

Twilight giggled at that. “True so I guess we can’t hold you accountable if you throw food or water in our faces again.” She said.

My ears went back against my head slightly in embarrassment and I chuckled a bit. “Yeah….suppose not.”

Shortly after this discussion we reached the door to the library and I was happy to see the lights were on inside as Twilight opened the door however I did not expect to what I saw in the library.

The place was a total disaster of overturned tables and chairs, popped balloons and a torn banner; it seemed some sort of chain reaction had happened while I was away running for my life.

However what caught my attention more than the destroyed room was the small purple lizard in an apron and kerchief tied over its head mopping up spilled punch. “The hell is that?” I asked staring at said lizard.

Twilight blinked at me like she had the first time I said hell, I’d need to ask about that later. “That’s spike, my assistant, he’s a baby dragon.” She said as she walked into the library.

“Wait wait wait.” Is aid following her in. “Baby dragon? As in fire breathing, armored scales, sharp teeth and claws, keeper of a massive hoard of gold, jewels and the occasional princess?”

Twilight blinked at me and Spike stopped his cleaning to stare as well. “Well…yes to the fire breathing, no to the armored scales due to being a baby still, yes to teeth and claws, no to a hoard as he would eat all of them and what do you mean about  princess?” She asked blinking. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a dragon ever taking a princess before.” The mare said scratching her chin with a hoof as she looked thoughtful.

“Just stories I’ve heard.” Is aid. “What do you mean eat his hoard?”

“Dragons eat gems; they are like candy to them.” Twilight said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I just stared at her for a bit before looking at the small dragon. How sharp were his teeth to bite through gems? Gold was one thing but gems are ridiculously hard. 

“Anyways an as much as I appreciate your help Spike it is way past your bed time and you need your sleep.” Twilight said looking from me to the dragon.

“I’m fine Twilight I can help.” The dragon said causing me to speak, it talks too apparently but I guess if horses can talk why not a dragon?

Twilight shook her head. “No, you need to sleep you are still growing, I can clean up the library.” Twilight said levitating the mop away from the small dragon before removing his apron and kerchief, apparently the dragon is naked too, does anyone wear clothing in the place or just me?

Spike sighed and crossed his arm. “Fine.’ He said and started to head for the stairs; about half way there I cause him trying to suppress a yawn, so he was a lot like a little kid when it comes to sleep, wants to stay up late but simply cant. I couldn’t help smiling at this as the dragon disappeared up the stairs to his bedroom I assumed.

After the dragon left I became aware of a certain issue that demanded my immediate attention. “Hey twilight where is your restroom?” I asked looking at the mare as she was using her magic to pick up plates off the floor.

“Second door on the right, between Equestrian history post Nightmare Moon Rebellion and Magical Theory on transformation spell and teleportation.”  She said gesturing to a door on the far wall besides the stairs and between two bookshelves. “Danka mein Fraulein.” I said and received a look from the mare that I couldn’t help smirking at as I headed towards the bathroom; seem the dream didn’t give the character knowledge of the few German words and phrases I know.

Reaching the bathroom I closed the door behind me after flipping on the light, it was then I became aware of a second issue, that being I had no idea how to go to the bathroom as a pony. I could ask Twilight but that would be a rather weird question to ask someone you knew for just a day, actually that would be a weird question to ask anyone no matter how long you knew them for come to think of it.

This left me alone to try and figure out how to use the toilet which looked like a normal toilet for the most part.

I am not going to go into details but let’s just say there was a titanic that took place, not as grand and epic as my battle with my jumpsuit but still a great battle the type they would write ballads about and would be a foot not in history if anyone had seen it, even if it did only last like ten minutes at the most before I figured it out, the hardest part was the jumpsuit. Now that was a battle much like the previous one before the battle within the restroom.

With the mysteries of bathroom use solved for the most part, whether it was correct or not I had no clue but I could look it up later when I had the chance and privacy I went to the sink to wash my hooves.

It was here I caught sight of my reflection for the first time. I had not thought to ask for a mirror at any time do to my mind being focused on other things at the time but now I saw myself.

I had a short mane that was somewhat messy and colored black with dark blue highlights here and there. The dark grey fur that adorned my legs and muzzle covered my face and neck and I assumed the rest of my body like every other pony I had seen. I had two dark grey wings folded at my side, the feathers the same color as the fire of the rest of me. My eyes were large and very expressive as were everyone else’s and were colored a very dark green color instead of my old hazel color. My muzzles was short and rounded and I had two ears atop my head that swiveled and twitched t every sound or shifted based on my feelings and I had hooved instead of hands sitting under the running water in the sink as I stared at the mirror and my reflection which stared back.

This was when the realization fully hit me that I wasn’t human anymore. I mean I knew I wasn’t due to the whole four legs thing, wings and muzzle. But this was me seeing it, actually seeing it for the first time. I wasn’t human, I was in the body of a pony, a completely different species and to top it off I was a female pony to boot.

Everything that had happened from the time I woke up in the woods to this very point passed through my mind like a speeding freight train, and much like a speeding freight train it plowed through anything and everything in its path, vaporizing ever down, every thought, every idea that this was somehow a dream.

It hit me so hard and fast I had no time to prepare for it, this wasn’t some coma dream, this was actually happening, this was real. I somehow went from being a human male to a pony female on a totally different world then the one I knew where everything was brightly colored and looked like it was taken from a fairytale at times and magic existed.  I didn’t know how it happened, I had no idea how it could have happened.

With the new realizes I wasn’t dreaming I did the only thing I could do in a situation like this.

I screamed, long and loud with my new voice.

I saw the door wrapped in a purple aura slam open in the mirror as Twilight rushed it as twilight rushed in. “What’s wrong, what happened, what’s going on??” The mare asked franticly. I was too busy watching my reflection scream at the top of her lungs as she stared back at me to answer. The purple mare in the mirror grabbed the dark grey one and spun her to face her so my vision was filled with a clearly concerned Twilight. “Scorched what’s wrong?” She asked, having to yell over my scream which I didn’t stop till a purple aura wrapped around my muzzles and snapped it shut cutting off my scream. “Scorched you need to calm down and tell me why you are screaming like that.

I felt my heart thundering in my chest as it tried to escape my body and my eyes were mere pin pricks as my breaths came in short rapid bursts. Twilight released my muzzles to allow me to speak. “I’m a female and a pony.” I said quickly. “I wasn’t a pony before and I was a guy. This isn’t how things are supposed to be!” I yelled and started gasping for breath as I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Scorched you need to calm down you aren’t making any sense.” Twilight said hooves on my shoulders as she tried to calm me.

“Sense? Sense? None of this makes any sense! How does one go from being a human male to a female pony in a land of other ponies? Huh?” I asked as I held the sides of my head with my hooves. “Nothing about this makes any sense and I thought it was just me being in some weird coma dream but this is real, everything is real and it doesn’t make any sense, none of this is physically possible!”

Twilight looked confused at what I was saying but she seemed to choose to ignore it in favor of calming me down. “Ok I don’t understand anything your saying Scorched but I can assure you this is real and you are completely safe.” She said calmly as I continued to hyperventilate.  “I’m not sure what a human is but I think you had a dream while you were asleep in the hospital.”

“You can’t dream twenty four years of friends, family and life and remembered it all clearly!” I shot back. “That’s not how dreams work, not how they are supposed to work! This is all insane!”

“Maybe you came in contact with some magical artifact and it did something?” Twilight offered. “I don’t know but all I know is you need to calm down or you are going to pass out.” 

“Calm down? Calm down?! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when I am the wrong species and gender!!” I yelled. “This isn’t how things are supposed to be, this isn’t—“

I was cut off when Twilight went with the old tried and true method of calming people down who are panicking. She slapped me clean and hard across the face. The sudden burst of pain gave my mind something to focus on other than my racing thoughts and growing panic and everything organized in my mind as my breathing drastically slowed. I was still clearly distressed but I was calmer and more under control then before.

“Th-thanks…”I mumbled rubbing my cheek as I looked down at my single hoof resting on the ground. “This is really real huh? You ponies, this tree, magic all of this nation?” I asked quietly.

“Yes, it is, I’m not sure what you were going on about and I’m sorry for slapping you but it was the only thing I could think of short of a sleep spell.” The purple mare said.

I slowly nodded. “No….no its fine don’t worry about it, I needed it.” I said before slowly looking back up at the unicorn. I just stood there staring at her a she stared back with concern. She was literally the only person id consider a friend here so far in all this craziness as she had only helped me out since waking up, possibly Fluttershy but I hadn’t really spent much time with her so she was more an acquaintance and everyone else was a stranger.

It was for this reason I did what I did and that was put my hooves around her shoulder as I buried my face into her shoulder and I’m not ashamed to say I bawled like a child. Cried other the loss of my old body, my old family and friends and my old life. I sat there crying over all the stress this had me under while twilight simply stroked my back, she didn’t say anything as I doubt she knew what to say to try and make me feel better, though I doubt there was anything that could be said. The fact was I had lost everything of my life and was having to restart in a world I knew nothing about and only knew a single person here. I had no idea what I was going to do or how I was going to live with a new body when I knew so little.

And so I sat there crying into my only friend’s shoulder.
> Chapter 6: A New Day and a New Plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m not entirely sure how long I cried into Twilight’s shoulder, all I’m sure about is that I must have passed out as I woke up to early morning light and the smell of breakfast being made.

I slowly cracked open my eyes and looked around the small room I was in, based on how the walls were I was definitely still in the library and from the look of the semi-decorated room a guest bedroom. Twilight must have moved me here after I passed out, I’d need to thank her for not leaving me on the floor or dumping me onto a couch.

I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes before just staring at my hooves. The realization I made last night was still fresh in my mind but after my breakdown and a  night’s sleep I was more stable, not ok with any of this by any means mind you, but stable and that is the best I can hope for while I get used to everything.

I moved my hooves around a bit, missing how I used to pop my knuckles and wrists every morning upon waking up. However it seemed something’s are still normal as when I bent my wrists all the way to ninety degrees there was a satisfying pop from both of them. While I can’t pop my fingers as I used to, least one of my morning routines was still intact so I hadn’t lost everything of my old body.

I should point out I wasn’t thinking I had lost my humanity or anything. Ones humanity is who you are, it’s your thoughts, your memories, your feelings and all that stuff, I have only lost my human body but was still definitely me. Even if I am now female my mind was still my own, the rest is merely physical and so I shall adapt to it eventually.

As I stared at my hooves I slowly became aware of my stomach demanding that I seek out the smell of food and let it become well acquainted with it and so I slipped from under the blankets and onto the floor where I stretched. As my wings automatically stretched I heard and felt two good pops from the joints in my back where wing met the rest of me, seems my knuckle popping had only migrated to my wings.

After cracking my neck I became aware of the fact I was no longer in my jump suit. Normally I slept in whatever I was wearing unless I did change for bed on the rare occasions I did so but the fact I was in the middle of a mental break down last night till I passed out it meant Twilight had most likely been the one to remove my clothes. To say this caused me to feel as if my face was about to burst into flames was an understatement, I was quite sure you could fry an egg in a few seconds on my face with how much it burned.

Taking several deep breaths I calmed myself by remembering everyone else was naked so to her there wasn’t anything to it and she meant nothing by it. Still with embarrassment still present if subdued I found my jumpsuit neatly folded on a small chest-of-draws against the far wall.

While I had learned more or less how to dress with hooves I still was not used to it so while it took less time than the first titanic battle it was still at least a skirmish that I won in the end.

Fully dressed I made my way to the bathroom and prepare for the day. Once that was done and my hooves washed I stared at my reflection in the mirror. “So….definitely not a dream huh?” I asked it, to which its only reply was to mimic my every action, in this case staring at me waiting for me to blink. While I definitely was not used to the person who stared at me from the mirror it did not have the same reaction as last night, unnerving yes, surprising me when I looked up and saw a dark grey mare staring back, most definitely, but not a runaway freight train anymore, that had been stopped thankfully.

“Ok Scorched Wing, you can do this, you’ve been through a lot in life and it hasn’t beaten you yet. No way this will either.” I said and smiled after the pep talk my reflection gave me. “Let’s seize the day and try to figure out what the hell we are going to do about…well…everything…” My reflection said. My stomach growled rather angrily at my delay in following the smell of food and I nodded. “Ok first part of the plan, eat breakfast, and thank Twilight for helping last night, then shower and…..I guess see what I can learn about this place.” I told myself, nodding at the plan for the day I left the bathroom to complete phase one of my day plan.

Walking out onto the library’s main floor I looked around. I hadn’t really asked where a dining room was but it shouldn’t be to hard to figure out as there were only three other doors on the main floor, one under the stairs I had carefully made my way do, walking down stairs as a pony is scary as all hell as it forces me to lean forward and I almost felt like I was falling. I ended up walking down the stairs sideways and doubted I’d ever really is comfortable walking down face first. 

Anyways I assumed the door under the stairs was a closet as that was a normal place to put one. The other door was a little ways away from that one and was a closed door. The last one was a doorway with a green curtain over it. Seeing as I could smell food easily I took a guess that lead to the kitchen and since someone was clearly cooking id find someone there for sure.

Walking over to the kitchen I poked my head through the curtain as I didn’t know how big the kitchen would be but the library wasn’t that big so I thought it would be a “cozy” kitchen.

Needless to say seeing a full size kitchen with plenty of counter space along one wall as well as a decent sized table with four chairs around it and there was still a lot of left over space. Needless to say the library clearly employed some form of TARDIS technology as there was no way the library itself could actually house the books shelves, and this kitchen/dining room combo inside the tree I saw from outside. Come to think of it the second floor contained the halls and my full size guest bedroom and I assumed at least one other bedroom for Twilight. 

I bereted myself for not noticing that early though I did defend myself with the fact I wasn’t exactly in the best mindsets last night and was still recovering when I woke up this morning so I could forgive myself overlooking the spaceil anomaly that was this building.

Anyways inside the room itself I saw the dragon, I’m bad with names and since I met him only last night I have forgotten it, was standing on a stool in front of the stove as he seemed to be making pancakes and whistled some tune. I noticed he had the same apron on I saw last night. Sitting at the table was a Twilight who looked like a member of the undead as her glassy eyes started at nothing, a steaming cup of what I assumed was coffee based on the smell rested in her hoof and she took a large gulp of the drink as I watched.

In short my host was not a morning person and ran on coffee. So having found where the food was I slowly walked the rest of the way into the room. “morning.” I said and Twilight mumbled something unintelligible that sounded like “hork fargony” as far as I could tell before she took another drink of coffee.

“Morning Scorched.” The dragon said looking back over his shoulder with a friendly smile. “I’ll have breakfast ready in a couple of minutes, there is coffee in the pot if you want any.” he said pointing at a modern coffee pot sitting beside a modern toaster on the counter. Come to think of it the stove looked like a normal gas stove you’d find in any house.

“No thanks, I don’t drink coffee, I prefer OJ.”I said as I moved towards a free seat at the table. 

“Oh well there is some in the fridge.” The dragon said pointing at an equally modern fridge. “Help yourself glasses are in the cabinet beside the fridge top shelf.” He said before looking back at the pancake in the skillet.

I nodded and made my way towards the fridge questioning how this place could have thatched roofs while looking like a medieval village while having totally modern appliances. I pushed that question to the side as juice was more important that questions about the world around me.

I stood carefully on my hind legs and opened the cabinet where I retrieved a glass and placed it on the counter. Letting the cabinet close I opened the fridge and saw typical fridge items of vegetables, eggs, milk and a pitcher of what I sought.

Recovering my objective I bumped the fridge door with my hip to close it as I placed the pitcher on the counter and looked at it. I took a deep breath before carefully pouring a decent glass of the orange drink into the glass, I know I had already poured water before but that was when I was still in denial about all of this and was recovering from initial shock, now my mind was telling me this shouldn’t be possible as my hooves are blunt but at the same time it pointed out that I had picked up many things already so the impossibility argument was invalid.

Successfully pouring the orange juice into the glass I opened the fridge once more and carefully placed the pitcher where I found it. Now came the task of returning to the table with my drink without spilling a drop, I mentally prepared for this monumental task.

It went off without a hitch and I was now sitting at the table and sipping my juice with a smile, take that lack of coordination! 

Looking at the other pony sitting at the table I saw she seemed to have refilled her coffee while my back was turned and she looked to be returning to life, it’s a miracle! “It’s alive!” I said and pointed at the mare who blinked in confusion at me, her mug halfway to her lips.

“Wha….”she said as her brain seemed to be still waking up.

“Nothing,” I waved a hoof. “Welcome back to the land of the living. How did you sleep if you don’t mind my asking?”

Twilight blinked as she processed my words and I saw when it all clicked as she took another sip. “Oh, it’s fine.” She said. “I slept fine….what about you?” she asked looking at me with concern.

“Eh….I slept well I suppose all things consider.” I said sipping my juice. “Thanks by the way for last night.” I said.

She downed a more normal sip of coffee as she woke up more. “Don’t mention it, what are friends for?” She said with a smile. “Are you ok? Last night you weren’t making any sense.”

“Yeah, just….a side effect of my concussion.” I said. “I was sort of confused last night and it freaked me out.” Not a total lie, but if I told her the truth I could expect a one way ticket back to the hospital and from there an asylum most likely. Much as I’d love to get back home I would need to bide my time for now and get my life together and become more than just someone people met yesterday, they would be more inclined to believe me if they knew me longer. I know if I met someone one day and they suddenly told me they were from a different world and were the wrong species and gender I would be hard pressed to believe them, even less if I met them in a hospital after a blow to the head. I’d take them back as something would clearly be wrong.

So I decided the best course of action would be to keep aspects of my former life on the down low till things were more secure. Thinking of that I would need to set up somewhere and seeing as I only know a single town’s location and that town had the only person I would call a friend in it, it looked like Ponyville would be my new place of residence. Once I found a residence that is, and a job to pay for it. This was going to be a real pain and it looked like my plans to research this world would need to wait as I needed to prioritize finding a place to live and a way to earn money.

While I am sure I could stay here for a few days I did not want to live off Twilight after she was nice enough to let a total stranger sleep in her guest room so the next few days were booked in finding a job and either renting a room somewhere or renting to own a house. I didn’t want to take up the library’s only guest room even if living in a library would be beyond awesome.

The only issue was I had zero references or job history here, not that I had much of any of that back home really I had even less here; I didn’t even have an ID. I’d need to ask Twilight for help as people seemed to know her so she could vouch for me with any potential employers.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Twilight speaking up. “So what do you have planned for today?” She asked as she used her magic to pour a third cup of coffee, that mare definitely ran on coffee.

“Well I figured after a shower I’d go look around town and maybe look for work.”  I said.

Twilight blinked at me. “You don’t want to see about heading home?” She asked.

I shrugged. “I like here better.”

“But what about your friends and family?” Twilight asked in shock.

“Don’t have a family.”  That hurt to say as I left behind my mom when I ended up here and I know she is probably panicking finding out I’m missing but if I want any chance of getting home I need to move slowly. “As for friends I’ll send them a letter, they know I’ve wanted to move for a while.” I said, I so wished I could actually write my friends and family but I doubt letters can travel to other worlds.

Twilight seemed to accept this as she nodded. “Alright, what you going to look for?” She asked.

I shrugged. “No clue, I mostly did odd jobs to pay rent back home so I don’t have much in the line of skills.”

Twilight looked at me confused. “Why don’t you get a job based on your special talent?”

“My what?” I asked blinking.

“You know your special talent, the thing you found that gave you your Cutie Mark.” Twilight said staring at me with a bit of confusion. I stared back with a blank expression. “How can you not know about Cutie Marks, every pony gets one when they learn what their special talent is.” She said.

I taped the side of my head. “Hit my head remember so refresh my memory if you would be so kind.” I said, this blow to the head was turning out to be a blessing in disguise.

“Right, sorry.” Twilight said. “A Cutie Mark is something that appears on your flank whenever a pony finds their special talent.” She said and it took me a few moment to figure out what flank meant as I don’t think she was using the same definition I knew, plus this wasn’t a first person shooter but the image of some picture sudden appearing to flank an enemy team was very amusing.

I nodded. “Right, I’ll check that after breakfast.” I said as breakfast was almost ready.

A couple minutes later the dragon places plates of pancakes on the table before taking his own seat once he retrieved the syrup.

Now breakfast was a simple affair once I was able to butter and syrup my pancakes, Twilight used her magic to heat the syrup up inside the bottle so that was a very nice. Eating had been interesting as Twilight had her magic to use her utensils and the dragon had claws with opposable thumbs while I was stuck with my illogical hooves. After a bit of trial and error I managed to figure it out and I must say those were some of the best damn pancakes I ever had.

Breakfast was quiet as I didn’t really have anything to talk about as I doubted it would make any sense if I started talking about the latest Xbox game or some random TV show and the like seeing as there didn’t seem to be anything like that here. I wasn’t surprised when despite starting to eat late I was finished eating before Twilight and the dragon, even when I am relaxing and taking my time I have always been a fast eater without noticing it.

So when done I excused myself from the tables, rinsed my plate off before setting it in the sink and left a somewhat surprised unicorn and dragon behind to finish the last fourth of their pancakes while I went to shower.

I tossed my jumpsuit onto the countertop in the bathroom before turning on the shower, how creatures without thumbs end up designing their plumbing to look exactly like back home I do not know but I’ll just roll with it.

Looking at my clothes as the shower got up to temperature I made a mental note to see about getting some other clothing as I couldn’t wear the same thing every day without washing but I didn’t know how long it would take to get a job and get paid. I’d need to see if I could borrow money from Twilight to buy some other clothing and then keep track of the interest to repay her.

Actually I was supposed to investigate that Cutie Mark stuff to find my “special talent”

This plan consisted of me of looking at my ass, or flank as it seemed to be called. Sure enough there was indeed a tattoo there. I looked it over and what it was, was simply a dark blue hard back book with a blank cover and two feathers crossed behind it, as I looked closer I could see the feathers somewhat looked like quills….so my “special talent” had to do with books, I would say reading as I was an avid reader but the presence of the quills made me think it might have had something to do with writing.

While I had done some writing in my early high school career on a website I never became very popular except with a few people only, granted those people absolutely loved the small bits of writing I had done but with schooling and friends I ended up falling out of writing and hadn’t ever gotten back into it do to time, lack of motivation and lack of any idea what to write.

I mean I had several groups and characters I have developed years ago and would love to have written about but could never come up with any stories that were thought out enough to even attempt writing them so I hadn’t written anything in years.

Yet here was a magical tattoo on my ass telling me that that is what I should be doing. While I know being a writer can pay well the fact is you have to have a name before then and a random no name guy…..mare who hasn’t written anything in years and has no history in the world definitely doesn’t have a name. Which means if I were to follow this special talent business I’d need a day job to pay the bills.

As I noticed the mirror was fogging up due to the fact I was standing there staring at my own ass while my hot shower continue to run down the drain unattended I figured I should ponder this all while actually showering, besides some of the greatest ideas of mankind were thought up in the shower.

Carefully getting into the show so as not to shock my system with the sudden temperature change I let the water run over my head as I thought.

I supposed I could get a job connected to writing in some way, I first thought of editor but then thought of the fact my high school English class had focused more on reading and understanding stories and how a simple paragraph can have a lot more meaning do to for shadowing, subtlety, implications and what isn’t said rather then things like grammar and spelling.

Basically I was taught to be a storyteller and not a writer as I could read between the lines and understand what sentences are implying and predict what was going to happen in a story just based off a handful of sentences, but writing that down with correct grammar and spelling was another matter.

In short editing was way out so I needed another idea.

My mind then jumped to the writing I had done throughout my high school life, this being my publications class which was the fancy way my school chose to say writing for the school paper and making videos for pep rallies and other types of entertainment media. In short I generally knew how to be a reporter and write for papers even if my only experience was a school newspaper I had heard that while the other kids in school didn’t care for my articles as I chose to report on events going on not just in school but elsewhere in the country. Those kids’ parents read my articles’ and it was actually the only reason they read the school paper when their kids brought it home so whatever I had been doing must have been at least somewhat correct.

Ponyville may have been a small town but every town had a newspaper, the only questions were did they have a space open and if they would hire someone off the street with no way to prove experience and a total lack of references. Still it was a plan at least and there was no harm in looking into it, if it didn’t pan out I could look around town.

With a plan firmly in mind it was time to actually do what I came into the bathroom to do, and you lot get your minds out of the gutter because if you think you get to watch me in the shower then you’ve got another thing coming as I am definitely not that type of mare.

> Chapter 7: Job Hunt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You know there is nothing like a nice hot shower to help you feel relaxed and calm and like you can face anything the day can throw at you. I ended up taking a somewhat long shower and when I finally emerged from the room I was accompanied by a billow of steam. 

I did feel weird about putting my jumpsuit back on when it hadn’t been washed but since I didn’t own any other clothes and I doubted Twilight owned any, and if she did it wouldn’t most likely be dresses or some sort and I had no plans to ever wear a dress, female now or not I am going to be a tomboy mare.

It took a few moment for me to realize I referred to myself as a mare without even thinking and I blinked at that as I was either finally getting used to things after a shower or I was due for another mental break down, out of the two id take the first one as adapting was much more preferred to mental break downs even if I didn’t plan to live as a mare forever.

Anyways I went to the last place I saw Twilight to see if she was there and all I found was spike cleaning the kitchen. “Hey there….um….”I said fumbling for his name; I had forgotten to ask what it was at breakfast.

“Spike.” The dragon said helpfully and thankfully he didn’t seem offended by my lack of memory.

I nodded in thanks before I spoke again. “Hey Spike where is Twilight?” 

“She’s down in her lab.” The dragon said as he continued to wipe down the counters.

“Right….lab.” For some odd reason I was not surprised the mare had one. “Where is that?”

“First door on the left before you reach the closet door under the stairs.” Spike said helpfully.

“Thanks.” I said before turning and heading for the designated door. I gave three good knocks and waited for a response. When I received none after a couple of minutes I knocked once more and again didn’t hear anything. Shrugging I carefully opened the door. “Twilight?” I called as I looked down the stairs, seems her lab was in the basement.

When I didn’t hear anything I begin to slowly descend the stairs in my crab like manner till I neared the bottom and it was then I heard something. It wasn’t very loud but it would be impossible to mistake the gentle hum of machines, the scritting of needles on paper, the shuffling of paper and let us not forget the indistinct muttering of someone heavily focused on whatever it is they are currently doing as they talk to themselves. Needless to say I was on the right trail to finding the purple mare.

I was not prepared for what I found in the basement though.

When Spike said lab I had thought of maybe a work bench, magnifying glasses, a computer or two and few tools here and there, a place to tinker or what have you.

That was not what I found. Instead I found a room filled with a lot of equipment I couldn’t even begin to guess what it did as lights flashes and charts spilled out onto the floor. There were several stainless steel tables one of which was topped with all sorts of chemistry equipment while the other held random tools, a microscope, several books, a few test tubes, a beaker and graduated cylinder. A scattering of papers.

There was one of those containers I’ve seen used to mic potentially dangerous chemicals that will release toxic gas and you put your arms into the rubber gloves to avoid touching them. What look like a seismograph. , several chart covered the walls with sticky notes on them. I had no idea what most of this stuff was for but it looked very expensive so I was going to be extra careful I didn’t touch anything.

After getting over my shock of finding an actual lab hidden in the basement of a small town public library I noticed the person I was looking for standing in front of the only other object in the room I had yet to notice. This being a chalkboard that she was writing equations I was sure she was making up on the spot has she wrote them with the chalk held in her magic while she was nose deep in a book also held in her magic while muttering.

“Force of individual mana output, combined with the ambient innate magical energies, multiplied by users own skill. Minus target area’s resistance to alteration…” She was saying. I knew mana meant magic from several RPGs I had played and I was generally able to guess she was either talking about bending space and time to her will, or she was talking about picking up a pebble, I don’t know I’m a pegasus with an interest in history, not a unicorn with cheating magic.

Anyways before she could get much further I carefully stepped into the room and cleared my throat. This had no effect on the engrossed unicorn and I theorized that when she works she ends up in her own little world where nothing else exists but herself and whatever objects she is currently working with. This called for drastic measures.

“Hey Twilight I—“that was as far as I got before I gained the unicorns attention in a way I didn’t mean to.

“AHH!!” Twilight yelled as she jumped a good three feet off the ground, spun around in midair and landed with the book held to her chest as a shield as she gasped for breath and looked like I just caught her with her hoof in the cookie jar. After a couple moments she registered it was me and blinked several times before I noted her cheeks grew a slightly darker shade of purple, apparently it is possible to blush with fur.

“Oh….hello Scorched, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come down and you sort of…” She trailed off.

“Scared the ever living hell out of you?” I offered helpfully.

“Yes…well…….what does that word mean?” She asked “I’ve heard you use it several times but I’ve never heard it used before.”

“What word?” I asked tilting my head to the side as is my new habit since becoming a pony.

“Hell.” She said. “I did a bit of research and couldn’t find any reference or definition for that word anywhere.” She said with a frown as if she was offended she failed to find the word.

Apparently there was no hell in this world. “It’s a word used for emphasis where I’m from, I’m not surprised you can’t find anything on it as its only really used in the very tiny area I lived in by a few of us.” I said. “It basically refers to a place of fire and brimstone that you really don’t want to go to as it contains the worst of the worst people.” Is aid.

“So it’s another word for Tartarus.” She said and I blinked in confusion as did she being confused at my confusion. “The ancient prison used to hold the most dangerous monsters known to all of Equus and is guarded by Cerberus the three headed dog.” Twilight explained and taped her chin with the chalk still held in her magic giving herself a small white goatee. “I suppose it makes sense why you might not be familiar with it as it has been a couple generations since the portal there was opened to send anything there.” She said.

And like that pony hell exists and is a place you can actually visit for a vacation if you want, lovely 

Shaking off that disturbing fact and making mental note about never wanting to meet anything from pony hell I simply nodded. “yeah pretty much.” I said agreeing. “Anyways I was wondering if this town has a newspaper as my special talent is writing and so I figured I’d try to get a job writing news.” I said.

Twilight nodded. “Yes we do, it’s called the Ponyville Gazette and is owned by Good Reads.” She said with a smile. “I don’t know if they are looking for any more reporters but I’d be happy to give you directions.” She said.

I nodded. “Thanks I’d like that, also can I use this place’s address for an application since I don’t have an address?” I asked.

“Of course, you’re staying here aren’t you?” She asked with a  giggle as  she levitated over a piece of paper and quill, yup advanced lab equipment and using quills dipped in ink to wright, I’m starting to think Equestria’s technology level is set to whatever the hell it feels like.

She wrote down the directions to the Gazette office as well as the library’s mailing address and passed it over to me. “Thanks Twilight, I’ll be back somewhere around lunchtime if I can be.” I said.

“Hold on.” She said as I turned to leave, I looked back and a small bag poofed next to her in her magic and she held it out to me. “Take these in case you get hungry and want to eat out or something.” She said with a smile.

I blinked at the small bag of money. “No, that’s alright I’ll just come back here and you’ve already done a lot for me.”

“Scorched I insist, take it and treat yourself to something nice on me.” She said. I could tell by the tone of her voice and the look on her face I was not going to win this argument so sighing I grabbed the bag of cash and placed it into one of the pockets on my right shoulder.

“Thanks Twilight.” I said smiling. “If there is nothing else I’m going to head over to the paper’s offices and see a pony about a job.” With that I turned uninterrupted back to the stairs and headed up them, through the library and out into the streets of Ponyville to begin my hunt for a job.


<<<O>>>


The walk over to the Ponyville Gazette was as eventful as watching the grass grow for the most part, peaceful but nothing really going on. The headache inducing abilities of residents of the town due to bright color overload seemed to be greatly reduced. Either coming to terms with the fact I am a pony like them or yesterday’s time spent walking around has damaged my eyes and I can’t see as well I used to is why I’m not getting as bad of a headache. I’m going to go with that first one because it is more optimistic and I wasn’t in the mood to be a pessimist.

I ended up having to ask for some help from another pegasus carrying a mail bag due to the fact this town was set up in a totally random pattern as it seemed people just built their houses and shops wherever they felt like it and Twilight directions were written with a lot of detail that made no sense to me since I was still new here. I ended up asking the mare because if she was a mailman, or is it mailmare? Whatever, point is as a member of the postal service she would know where everything was.

I saw the pegasus rummaging around in her bag as she stood before a mailbox and walked up to her. “Excuse me but could you give me a little help?”

The mare lifted her head out of her bags and I blinked in surprise as only one of her eyes focused on me as the other rolled off a bit to the side. The mailmare smiled friendly at me. “Yes-I-can-help-you. What-do-you-need?” She asked slowly saying each word with care.

I blinked once more before pulling out the paper with the directions Twilight had given me. “I’m looking for the offices of the Ponyville Gazette but I’m new in town so don’t know my way around.” I said. “I was given some directions but this town is set up rather strangely.” I said rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. “No offence to the town.”

The mare laughed and waved her hoof. “None-taken.” She said carefully. “Their-offices-are-just-down-this-street-and-when-you-reach-Berry-Punch’s-motel-take-a-left-and-it-will-be-the-sixth-building-on-your-right.”

I nodded my head as I looked down the street. “Thanks a lot, you saved me a lot of time of aimlessly wandering around.” I said, I was always a firm believer in asking for help when lost rather than just remaining lost, saves so much more time.

“Don’t-mention-it. We-all-need-help-sometimes.” She said with a smile.

I still thanked her once more before heading up the street and leaving the pegasus to her job.

The office of the Ponyville Gazette were situated right between  a grocery store and what looked to be some ones house and unlike everything else in the town wasn’t brightly colored as it was a muted blue color with a  simple sign above the door that said in the most basic text imaginable “PONYVILLE GAZETTE”

Well least I knew I was in the right place.

I walked to the door and opened it before walking in. The room I found myself in was pretty much a standard waiting room with a couple of chairs, a small table with some magazines stacked on it and a potted plant in the corner.  So basically it was a stereotypical waiting room you’d see anywhere.

Across from the door was a desk topped with a couple of quills, ink wells, paper, a small flower and behind it was a very board looking normal looking green furred, blue and yellow manned pony mare seeming only vaguely interested in the magazine she was looking at.

I walked up to the desk and politely cleared my throat. “Ahem…um…..” in hind sight I should have figured out how you go about asking for a job at a place like this. Either way while I was standing there trying to think of what to say the mare lethargically looked up at me and blinked. “Uh…hello I was wondering if—“

“Through the door, down the hall second door on the left.” She said in a board tone before going back to her magazine. I know I am emphasizing how board she seems but she just seems THAT board.

Either way I stood there a moment not having been prepared to be cut off like that before looking at the door on the wall she was more or less guarding. I looked back at her and it was clear that as far as she was concerned I didn’t exist anymore so with a shrug I walked over to the door and proceeded deeper into the building.

On the other side of the door was a hall lite by two lanterns hanging from the ceiling which left a lot of it mostly dark. Alone the right side of the hall were three doors, one labeled “storage/files’ and the other with a name plate that read “Blue Velvet, Sandy Cinders.” With the door beyond that being unlabeled.

The left side of the hall had just two doors on it, the first one was labeled “PRINTING PRESS” and as I reached the second door on the left it had a plaque beside it read. “HEAD EDITOR: GOOD READS” just under the plaque was a clipboard of applications. I took one of them and knocked on the door. After a moment a somewhat gruff voice called out “Enter.” 

Opening the door I was greeted with the side of one wall lined with a bookshelf, the other had two painting, one of the town of Ponyville at what looked to be mid-day and the other the same scene set late at night. In the middle of the room where two cushioned chairs that sat before the desk of the editor. There was a window behind the desk, or I assumed there was based on the lighting but frankly I couldn’t see it due to the piles of papers and files that sat on the desk complexly blocking the view of the pony behind the desk. “What do you want?” the voice from before said from behind the wall of papers.

“Uh….I’m looking for work?” I said phrasing it more like a question.

“Fill out the application.” The voice said and I looked around till I spotted a quill and inkwell resting in the single clear space on the desk and I took a seat in one of the chairs. Grabbing the quill and dipping it in the ink I began the long process of filling out the application. This was a difficult task due to me trying to fill out a paper without a hard surface, and because most of the info it asked for I didn’t have.

In the end it took me about half an hour to fill out the application and the entire time the Editor remained quiet as he did whatever it was he was doing behind his wall. When I had placed the quill back where it had been when done the editor spoke up. “Pass it over.” I blinked before standing on my hind legs, using the desk for balance as I held the application over the wall and it was promptly snatched out of my hoof. “Sorry but we aren’t hiring anyone right now.” The Editor said immediately.

“What? But then why did you have me fill out the application?” I asked as I got back down on all fours.

“Because I am supposed to allow anypony to apply for a job at any time as it is your right to apply for work anywhere.” The voice said. “But we are not looking for anypony right now so have a nice day and get out of my office I am very busy.”

I scowled at the wall of paper and turned around to head for the door. I had just placed my hoof on the door handle when the editor spoke up. “Wait a moment!” I blinked and looked back to see a dark orange normal pony with slicked back red hair’s head looking at me over the wall of paper as his blue eyes read over my application. “You put your current address as Golden Oaks, is that correct?” he asked looking at me and I nodded.

An orange hoof appeared from behind the stack of paper and rubbed his chin. “Hmm…interesting…we’ve been trying to get that Twilight Sparkle to agree to an interview for weeks now but she always declines and you live with her yes?”

“Yeah, what about it?” I asked.

“She defeated Nightmare Moon and brought Princess Luna back to Equestria, she a blasted hero but she doesn’t want to talk to the press.” The stallion said as he thought while looking me up and down. “Tell you what, you conduct an interview with her and if it’s good you have yourself a job.”

I blinked not really sure what to say so I just nodded my head. “Good, bring me back an interview by twelve tomorrow and if it’s decent the job is yours.” He said with a nod and vanished behind the wall of papers. “Now get out of my office and don’t come back without that interview.”

I blinked and left the editor’s office. As I walked down the hall my mind raced with how I was going to go about both getting an interview and conducting one to a mare who is both my friend and was involved with an event I knew almost nothing about. That’s if Twilight would even agree as she seemed to want her privacy and I wasn’t about to violate it and risk losing my only friend.

Well in the end the only thing I could really do was ask her about it and see what she says.

> Chapter 8: Interview with a Unicorn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With an objective now set of interviewing Twilight, or trying too. If she had refused talking to the press this long I wasn't sure how good my chances were, probably better than the rest of the press but still not the best. Either way worst that could happen is she says no.

As I was retracing my steps back towards the library, once more trying to fathom why anyone would build a town like this. I idly wondered if I'd run into the letter carrier again though since it had been about an hour I doubted she'd still be in the area. Still wanted to thank her again as I doubted I'd have found the newspaper offices without her help, least not so quickly.

As I thought she wasn't anywhere on the route back so I'd have to thank her later if I ever came across her again.

The library was right where I left it, still inside a tree rooted to the ground. I made a mental note to ask how and why inside a tree later.

As I opened the door I found Twilight helping a couple of ponies find some books and I waved to her when she looked over before going and looking over the shelves to wait for the other ponies to leave so I could talk to her about the task I was given by the paper.

It took about half an hour for the ponies to leave, mostly do to a third one arriving and needing help. Soon though it was just me and Twilight.

“Hey Twilight, how are you?” I asked her.

“Fine, did you find the newspaper offices alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah, had a bit of trouble but a letter carrier helped me out.”

“Ah that's good, a mailmare would know their way around.”

I stopped and blinked, seriously? Mailmare? Was that the official name or….come to think of it it was called a mailman back home so I guess it wasn't that odd. To not look like a weirdo I nodded once again. “Yeah, I need to remember to track her down later to thank her.”

“If I recall she lived above the post office with her daughter.” Twilight said screeching her chin.

“Ah, okay I'll go by there tomorrow then.” I said making a mental note to ask where that was. “Anyways the paper is given me a trial run on a story before they hire me.”

“Oh that's good, what is the story? I might be able to help.”

I sighed, here came the moment of truth. “They want me to interview you about Nightmare Moon.” I said and her friendly smiled dropped a bit as she sighed.

“I might have guessed, they've been hounding me for one and they are harder to ignore then the others since they are here in town.” she said with the barest hint of annoyance. She looked at me a bit harder then rocked her head side to side as if thinking then she sighed and looked at the floor before turning and heading towards the door to the kitchen. “I guess I can give in and let you interview me since it's the only way they will hire you, and it will get them to leave me alone.” she said with less of the usual friendly demeanor she'd had up to this point.

I blinked in surprise as I had expected her to say no since she had before to whoever came before me. It took me a moment to realize I was just standing here watching her disappear into the kitchen. I quickly followed her just ask Spike came out most likely to mind the front.

Stepping into the kitchen I saw Twilight making tea at the stove. “Mind if I grab some juice?” I asked.

“Oh, I was making tea for us.” She said looking back.

“I figured but….I'm not the biggest fan of tea….”I said rubbing the back of my neck, I know it was rude of me not to accept what she was making but I really didn't like teas and they made me feel sick after a couple of drinks and I'd rather not have her make me a cup and it just go to waste.

“Oh, um...okay yeah, there is some apple juice in the fridge.” She said, I think she was thrown off or surprised by my not liking tea.

I made my way to the fridge and carefully poured myself a glass of juice once I found it, I was more or less comfortable at walking, only stumbling a few times, but I did not fully trust myself with pouring drinks. So I went slow with it and in short order I had the glass poured and the juice put away. It was then I realized the fatal flaw in my plan in that I didn't pour the glass at the table but rather the counter by the fridge, which meant I now had to carry the glass of liquid to the table rather than the sealed jug of juice.

I was as delicate as a surgeon walking my glass over to the table, paying close attention to my three legs, four I was comfortable with, three I wasn't even close. I went very slowly, one step at a time and after almost a minutes I reached the table a few feet from the counter and sat across from Twilight who was staring at me with the most bewildered look on her face I had ever seen.

I felt my cheeks heat a bit and chuckled sheepishly. “I'm still not fully comfortable with my hooves yet.”

She blinked and then slowly nodded as she poured herself some tea and set the pot back down. “So then….where do we start?” she asked and it was here I realized I did not have anything to write with or on.

“Uh...might I borrow a pen and paper?” I asked smiling, such a professional I was!

“Paper? Pen?” she asked tilting her head. “Um...you can borrow a scroll and a quill yes.” she said as the items appeared in her magic.

“Thanks.” I asked taking them as she held them out to me. Great they have electronic music but still used quills and parchment. Glad I knew a bit how to use a quill, contrary to popular belief it is not like using modern writing implements.

I pulled the cork from the ink well and set it to the side before unrolling the scroll and dipping the quill, wiped it on the edge to get the excess off so it doesn't drip and immediately realize I have no idea what to ask. Yup I am amazing at this.

She sits there waiting as I scramble for what to asked. “Uh…..so where were you born?” I blurt out as it was the first thing that came to mind.

“I was born in the upper part of Canterlot. My parents are Twilight Velvet and Nightlight and my older brother is Shining Armor.” she said as if this was a normal thing to be asked.

Okay that's good, I quickly write that down and then it hits me. “Upper part of the Canterlot? Isn't that the capital city?” I asked looking at her. “and the upper part would be for….”

She sighed. “Yes yes, the highest echelons of Equestria, mom is a best selling author and dad is head of the Royal Observatory, as well as my brother being the Captain of the Royal Guard.” she said as her ears dropped while I just stared do to the fact I am sitting her with someone of rather high rank and status, well not rather high, extremely high status.

Her ears splayed backwards and she looked down and I blinked. “What's wrong?”

“Just….ponies tend to….act differently when they find out and try to get my favor because of it as well as my connection to the Princess….” She said still looking down.

“Lonely at the top.”

She nodded. “I just wanted to study things as the times I tried to make friends ponies were either scared off by my status or tried to use me….”

“And so you focused solely on your studies as there was no one to try anything.”

She slowly nodded. “There were a few who were acquaintances of mine but by then I only focused on my books and research…..then I came here…”

“And no one knew who you were and only saw you, and without realizing it you took a chance.” I said and she nodded. I sighed and sat back. “Guess that's why you avoided interviews.” she nodded again and I watched her still looking down.

After a moment I started to write. “was born and raised in Canterlot by her parents and older brother.” I said out loud what I was writing and she looked up at me.

“You aren't writing who they are?” she asked in surprise.

“Should i?” I asked. “I mean I was just told interview you about taking down Nightmare Moon, I don't see how your status or your families jobs has anything to do with that.” I looked up at her. “Do you?”

She blinked at me as if trying to understand what I was saying. “But…..that would guarantee your job.”

“Maybe so, maybe no. But it is clear this is something that has nothing to do with what I was assigned to do nor does it hurt anyone not knowing.”

She blinked and slowly a smile crept onto her face. “Thank you.”

“For what? I’m just doing what I was assigned to.” I said back innocently.

She chuckled and took a sip of her tea. “So what's the next question?” she asked with more life then before, it was clear I made her more comfortable assuring her i wasn't going to talk about her status.

I thought. “Well what are some of your hobbies?” I asked deciding to stick with the more personal questions and work up to the major ones.

“I enjoy reading and doing magical experiments as well as learning new spells.” and I wrote.

“So what's it like being Celestia’s personal Student?” I figured since that was part of how she introduced herself she didn't mind that part being known or it was just such common knowledge it didn't matter.

At this she smiled wide. “Oh its wonderful! Princess Celestia is the best teacher ever and taught me so much about magical theory, science, mathematics, just everything. And she is so kind and caring and always willing to listen…” I sat there trying to keep up as she kept going on about how great Celestia was till I finally just wrote, “It's great.” and just sat there to listen. 

It wasn't hard to see how big of a fan of Celestia she was, I made a mental note she was a bit of a zealot and to be careful about that.

After what I estimated was about ten minutes she seemed to wind down and finally took another sip of her tea, looking at it confused as it had long since stopped steaming. 

“Sooo…...how did you learn about Nightmare Moon? did Celestia tell you?” I asked as she seemed to use her magic to reheat her tea if it glowing purple and starting to steam again was any indication.

She looked back at me. “No, I was reading an old book I got from the Canterlot Library and it talked about the legend. Something about it gave me a bad feeling and upon further research I found that Nightmare Moon was due to return that very night.”

“I wrote a letter to Celestia about my findings and...she told me not to worry about it and sent me to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration preparation and to make friends.”

“So she knew about the return and her response was to send you to supervise an event?” I asked surprised.

She nodded taking a sip of tea. “Yes, you see the only way to stop Nightmare Moon was with the Elements of Harmony, which required 6 bearers who each have to embody at that particular Elements trait. Applejack was Honesty, Rarity Generosity, Pinkie was Laughter, Dash was Loyalty, Fluttershy was Kindness and I was the Magic.” she said.

“I don't think Magic is a personality trait.”

“It's not so much about personality, but more about aspects of who you are.”

“So….virtues basically?”

“Yes exactly.” She said nodding.

“Hmm….” I wrote and thou thought what to ask next. “So how did you learn about these Elements and how to get them?”

“There was a book here in the library that said where they were and somewhat how to find them.” she said. “I mean….it said where they were but...was a bit vague on how to use them…..now now that's not to say it didn't tell me how to do it!” she said the last part quickly waving a hoof frantically as if to ward off some attack. “I just didn't understand it at the time.”

“So….you had to learn? It was some sort of lesson?”

“Yes exactly. I had to learn to trust my friends and see the good in them and just….see them as friends.”

I nodded and wrote. “It seems a lot could have gone wrong with this entire quest, change one thing and it all comes crashing down.”

She stopped and stared at me eyes widening as if she hadn't thought of that. “I…..I guess you're right….but it did work out!”

I slowly nodded. “Suppose so…..so tell me…..what was it like going after Nightmare Moon? I mean she was an insane alicorn with who knows what kind of power at her disposal and you were just a small group of ponies.”

She nodded and sipped her tea. “Yes….to be honest….looking back...I guess not for how focused I was on saving Celestia….I really don't think I could have made it, I mean don't get me wrong there were many times along the way we're I was scared….just...I wasn't as scared as I think I should have been….once the challenges were overcome I was back on track.”

“So what you're saying was because of getting tunnel vision you didn't notice how terrifying what you were doing?”

She nodded. “I….guess?”

“So….what was it like actually being face to face with Nightmare Moon herself?”

“I guess a lot like going to face her….only….less so….I’m not sure how to explain it….I mean...I was even more determined than before after overcoming all the challenges getting there.”

“I see….so...Nightmare Moon was really Princess Celestia’s sister along?”

“Yes, I was shocked as I never knew she even had a sister.”

“And….she was driven mad by jealousy correct?”

“Yes, back then ponies feared the night and what it held and she worked hard on her nights but no one appreciated it. She was alone and...felt like no one cared….i….really can't imagine how that felt….”

“I’d imagine pretty horrible, she did try to commit regicide…..my question is, is she still mad?”

“No, the Elements drove out the darkness that was corrupting her and repaired her mind.”

“I see...but what's to stop history from repeating itself?”

“Princess Celestia will never allow that to happen.”

“It happened once, who's to say it couldn't again?”

“Because Luna wasn't the only one hurt by it…..i….head Celestia one night a few years ago singing in her room to the moon….I didn't know why she was singing a lullaby to the moon but….the sadness of her voice...and….I think I saw her crying….I know now she was singing to her sister…..and...and nd so ponies don't fear the night as they used to….many enjoy it a great deal actually.”

“Life can be one of the cruelest of teachers at times.”

“I….guess that is a way of putting it.”

I nodded as I thought. “So where is Luna now?”

“With Celestia in Canterlot. She has 1000 years of history to catch up on.”

“Hmm...that must be hard I'd imagine….I mean she is a mare out of time in a world nothing like what she remembers.”

“Yes….I imagine in will take some time for her to learn all she has missed, a lot has changed.” 


I nodded as I wrote. “So what are your thoughts for the future now that Princess Luna has returned?”

“Oh I'm sure many things will change. Though I know Princess Celestia will take it slow and ease Princess Luna back into ruler as she learns how things are now.” She said smiling. “But I do know things will change now that Equestria has two rulers, one for the day and the other the night.”

“I have to agree, things are going to get a whole lot more interesting from now on I imagine.” I said as I finished writing. “Well I think I have what I need Twilight. Thank you, this really means a lot.” I said as I got up and stretched then downed the last of my now room temperature juice, not the best but better than cold tea I'd imagine.

She nodded. “You're welcome...and..thank….for not noting who my family is.”

“Twilight I have no idea what are are talking about, didn't you come from a normal family?” I asked and she smiled back nodding again.

With that done I rolled up my scroll and started to head off.

“Don't forget your inkwell and quill.” She called after me and I looked back confused. “Keep it, I have 17 other inkwell and 42 quills.” she said happily.” And I'll be having Spike pick up more next week.”

I blinked at that but who was I to argue with it? I returned and placed the stopper back in the inkwell and moved it and the quill to a poker before heading for my room to compile the interview into something more presentable then my notes.