Neither Here Nor Mare

Morning Blues

I woke to a stuffy darkness, trying to interlock my fingers as I stretched I was taken aback when my hooves made contact, reminding me that I was no longer human with a soft "clop".

Peeling back the covers using my hooves as pincers I was met by a room just as dark as the space under the covers I'd emerged from. Assuming only night staff would be about I decided to fight off the remainder of my covers and tentatively slid down the side of the bed. There was no point in examining myself further, I'd already had a good enough look when I freaked out and I'd probably do the same again if I could see clearly. Instead I decided to ignore the fact my body was.. weird, forcing myself off the bed and wobbling I tried to stay upright.

It was strange, I could wobble a little, but every time I tried to move I found my self pitching forward, it was like some invisible force pressing into my gut, trying to tie it in knots. My hips started to twinge and burn uncomfortably and I landed on all fours with a soft clip-clop.

"I don't care what I look like , I'm still human.." I fumed to myself, leaning against the bed again, maybe if I turned round.. I lasted just a little longer this time and managed a half step before succumbing to the same tension in my gut and hips. This body just wasn’t designed to be like this, but I'd be damned if I was gonna run round like an animal.

"Come ON, my stubbornness has got me through worse than this, like when I got thrown out of.."

I faltered as a memory flitted through my mind, an argument. I couldn’t bring a name to mind, but the face was familiar, important even but I'd been angry, stormed off.

Noticing I was on all four hooves again I kicked out at the bed, sending it sliding a couple inches, my wings shooting out for balance.

“AHA! who says you cant be smart and stubborn”

Pushing up again I used my wings for balance, I managed to get as far as the small bathroom before having to fold my wings to get through the door.

"YES! round one to me eh-oh-OH" my hips trembled in rebellion and I plopped down to all fours again, striking the door with a loud crack sending it bouncing on its limits to smack back into me, feeling stupid and hoping no one had heard me I quietly closed it behind me.. then frowned.

This place was way too big, even rearing up with my hooves braced on the basin I couldn't see more than the tip of my ears or tip of my nose in the high mirror.

"Right, toilet" I said to myself, glad the lights in here at least were automatic. ...how do ponies go to the toilet?

I didn’t think I'd fit on the standard toilet, getting up there would be a bit of a pain too. I considered the walk in shower and its floor drain, cheeks turning crimson . "No, I only look like an animal..."

"What did a horses equipment even look like?" I hadn’t really paid attention back when I did biology and I wasn't a vet either. I craned my neck under myself to take a look..

If anyone had been there to see my face they would have found it either adorable or hilarious; my pupils shrank to near non existence and my bandaged ear freed itself with a twitch before I let out a scream in that same way girls usually do when confronted with a spider.

"I'M A GIRL!! I CAN'T BE  A GIRL, I know I wasn’t one, why the hell am I one now?" My mind was reeling, once again I started to tear up. Every time I opened my eyes lately everything got turned upside down and I didn’t even have a reference point in my past to latch onto. It wasn't FAIR!

A knock at the bathroom door grabbed my attention, someone had definitely heard me.

"Are you OK in there, I heard a bang and screaming" The voice was male, kinda husky in a sexy kinda.. I shook my head, clearing the chain of thought. "Definitely not ready for that"

"I'm fine, its OK, I uh." -I wiped away my tears and thought for a moment, what was I going to say? I freaked out because I'm missing a life long friend? Pfft, no, much as I hated the thought of stereotypes I guessed this one wouldn’t hurt- ..Saw a spider, those things are seriously creepy, but its gone now"

I sniffled again, having no trouble sounding a little embarrassed and upset at the situation.

"Are you sure, I can come catch it if you want, no problem" the voice outside persisted, if I didn’t know better I'd say he just wanted to be nosy.

I launched myself at the door as the knob took on a shimmering green glow and started to jiggle. Front legs moving awkwardly, I clamped my mouth on it when my hooves couldn’t get a grip. "YICK.." It tasted like copper, dirt and I didn't want to think what the other one was.

"Ush hine luhlee" I mumbled round my mouthful. If this is what door knobs tasted like I didn’t want to think about all the other things I might have to use my mouth for.

After a grumble about stubbornness the owner of the voice left, I immediately tried to rinse my mouth out, thankfully the taps had all had push type tops fitted, eventually I gave up trying to get my mouth under the taps as there just wasnt space,  resorting to soaking a towel and sucking on it before managing to actually use the toilet. I'll definitely miss standing, I can tell you that.

When I finally decided I was done I grabbed the door knob with my hooves, it jiggled but failed to turn. “You'd think they'd use actual handles..” I muttered, vexed at how the day was going, it wasn't even sunrise yet.

I tried using my mouth again, gagging at the taste and tried to turn my head while biting down, causing the knob to spin across my tongue, I let go as a foul taste made me retch. Just as I poked my tongue out flat in disgust the door clicked open with that green glow again and I came face to face with Mr Voice.

The blue Stallion from the previous night had to stifle a laugh at the sight before him, the mare's red mane half squashed flat and dripping as her overly expressive face contorted into one of the strangest expressions he'd ever seen.

“I just wanted-" snirk "- to be sure after your performance earlier. We-” He glanced at the damage I'd done to the door, then the mess of soaked towels, then to my damp and tear-streaked face ”-do have restraints if necessary.”

“Great” I tried to flip my wet mane from my face with a hoof, loosing my balance and flopping to the floor like a clumsy foal.

“The first person I meet post freakout and he thinks I'm a nut job”

From down here I could see his flank, he had one of those weird tattoos like Antonia but his seemed to depict a heart shaped padlock. I blushed when he blocked my view with his face, big mint green eyes narrowing.

“Something interesting there?”

“Uh, no, I just uh..I mean your..” Damn it, I was blushing again, what the heck was wrong with me?

“I'm kinda sensitive about it” He added as he held out a hoof to pull me back up to a sitting position, he was still taller than me dammit. “I'm Leroy, night porter for the dorms since we converted them, though everyone keeps calling me love lock since that thing appeared. I hate nicknames”

“Uhm, Summer” I replied, trying not to look like a complete derp, I'd been staring at him blankly. “And thank you, but I'm fine, this body just sucks is all.”

A fleeting spark crossed the stallions eyes and he seemed to perk up at some inner realisation.

“You're the mystery mare! Oh man this is awesome. We had bets going on when you'd wake up, I lost 20 bucks but it's no biggie, some didn’t think you would...” His tail curled against his flank as he spoke, I guessed it must be a subconscious thing since I couldn’t seem to control mine either.

I closed my eyes to compose myself, this guy had all the tact of a flying brick and was definitely a kid, maybe 20 at a push, uni student maybe?

I put on my best and most polite 'you're irritating me' face and he seemed to get the message as I stood up again with a slight wobble, headed for the window where the lightening blinds were indicating sunrise. I only lost my footing twice on the way there, Leroy taking it upon himself to snag my tail with his teeth as my hind legs slid out from under me, yanking painfully was enough to sour my mood further.

“Look-” I said in the calmest tone I could muster, noticing he was still looking at me like my face had just sprouted dandelions ”-I'm not having a good day, I just woke up, found I have no memories, hell I'm not even human and no one thought to tell me. I can't walk properly, I'm a hell of a lot shorter than I’m sure I should be and you looking at me like I'm crazy isn’t helping, so unless you're going to tie me to the bed like a loon kindly take your tattooed blue butt to the door and leave.” I sighed and tried to climb onto the bed, ignoring the guilty expression on his face as he studied his hooves.

“Sorry, I was just trying to help..” he said to the floor, meanwhile I'd given up on the bed, pulling the covers onto myself instead. I kinda felt bad now, "Maybe I should give the guy a chance" He hadn’t jumped on me the day before after all.

“Tell you what” I piped up in a faux cheerful tone “Show me where I can get something to eat and find Dr Weiss or Antonia and I'll forget about the bets you mentioned” He seemed to brighten at this and after helping me finish drying my mane, we headed out for the cafeteria.