Techno Blue's Travels

Present time

I woke up. Not slowly or tiredly, I just woke up. Without looking around I knew I was in hospital and in bed. The sights and smells were too familiar. 'What happened?' I thought, remembering an explosion, pain and then…blacking out. Further examination of the room revealed many other patients lined up around the room. Either I wasn't given a private room or this is the Intensive Care Unit.

I looked at my forelegs and chest. I knew that the explosion had hurt but I didn’t look injured. There was something odd though... I couldn't figure it out. Something was missing or wrong. It hurt my head to think about it.

Doctors and nurses were all walking back and forth to other patients, checking equipment and chatting to each other. There were a couple of other ponies, clearly family members of the other patients, some with children visiting. A wooden-brown earth pony with a cutie mark of a catheter trotted up to me. I wondered 'Was he proud of his cutie mark? Do the other docs make piss weak puns at him?' This must be my doctor.

The pony looked at me with an uncaring glare and said with a gruff tone, "Finally awake. I'm Dr Stone, not that it matters to you.” This was not what I expected from a doctor. “You were caught at the front of an explosion, despite the fact you don't look it apart from the damage to your head from whacking into a wall." He pointed to the top of my head.

Wait! "What about my head?" I said. I started looking around frantically for a mirror or any reflecting surfaces. The doctor picked up a hand mirror from a nearby draw and show me. My eyes had changed colour. Instead of my calming blue there was a sharp, scary red. But that wasn’t catching my attention as much as my horn... or what used to be it.

What was there was a white bandage where my horn should be. It was taped around the remaining edges of my horn. Dr Stone lightly tossed the mirror at my front hooves, expecting me to catch it. I didn't and it fell reflective side up onto the bed. I pulled myself up to stare down at the mirror and gazed deeply towards where my horn should be.

"You’re a lucky sod to be alive. Consider losing your horn a decent price for your life and no broken bones.” He picked up my medical chart from the end of the bed and examined it. "Ugh! There are no personal details here. Not surprising given the urgency of your situation. Mind telling the nurses? I don’t really give a crap right now." I didn't respond. I continued to stare at the white bandage on my head, that can’t be me in the reflection. The doctor got annoyed when I didn't answer. "Well you're out of the woods now, but we want to keep you here for the night just for observation." I wasn't listening or caring. With that he left the room mumbling loudly to himself.

After a few minutes of staring at where my horn had been, I couldn't take it anymore. I thought ‘My horn had to be there, it needs to be there.’ I pulled my hooves up to remove the bandage, my mind racing back to a disability I've had all my life. I don’t have the ability to hold things in my hooves. it’s such a rare disability, it doesn’t have a name. I was fortunate enough to get around this problem using my magic.

I started using the edges of my hooves to push any small opening in the bandage into a larger one. It stung on every push. I would consider myself fortunate that nopony was paying attention, but my mind was elsewhere.

The bandage came off bit by bit. My head was now facing up to the ceiling in the odd belief it gave me better access to my injury. Finally I could put both of my hooves on either side of the bandage, crushing it with pressure and ripping it off. The underside of the bandage had a rainbow-like tint to it, some kind of magic protection gloss.

I looked back down at the mirror and I saw Octarine. Octarine; the colour of magic, a greenish-yellowish purple colour. Octarine in any form is magic at it's purest form and wildly unpredictable. Liquid Octarine was inside the cavity of my horn and slowly flowing to the edge of the hole in my head. Three drops fell from the hole in my head. Two drops hit the bed sheet, one of which grew a blue flower instantly. The second drop landed turned into a small flame. The fire spread very slowly, burning the sheets and the flower. The last drop turned into a bubble in mid fall and floated out of sight.

"AHHHH! Where is it?! Where is my horn?!" I screamed. Using my back legs I pushed myself up the bed frame. I wasn't running from the fire; I was too concerned with less life-threatening things. My forelegs were searching my scalp for my lost horn. I went crossed-eyed, trying to see where my horn was meant to be. I was trying to find something that just wasn't there. "It has to be there somewhere, where's it gone?"

Some doctors and nurses rushed over to me concerned, not just for the fire, but the terrifying spectacle I was putting on. One started patting out the small fire while the others were trying to contain me. I continued to scream as some of the staff started pulling me down. Patients and families stared at me. A mother tried to cover her filly’s eyes to the scene.

"Sedate him!" yelled one of the doctors as he tried to grab me, but with my limbs flailing everywhere I wasn't making it easy. A nurse unicorn stared at me. Her horn glowed and my body started feeling light; my eyes started drooping. The group of medical ponies were pulling me down easier. "Strap him down in case he does this happens again," the doctor ordered. "Is this one of Stone's patients? He probably used that fantastic bedside manner as always," he continued sarcastically. I was losing consciousness again and could feel my hooves being restrained. The last thing I heard was,
"Better do something about that hole now."

-_-_-_-_-

I awoke...again. I couldn't move. I felt straps holding me down. I could budge a little, but not much. A blanket covered me and the straps underneath. I looked around my surroundings. I was in a single room now. "Probably didn't want me to scare anypony else," I mumbled.

I was still thinking about my horn. I couldn't see it - it’s still gone - and it wasn’t a dream. I could tell I was getting frantic again. "Breathe Techno, breathe," I told myself over and over. Eventually it worked, took slow deep breaths and calmed down. 'Try and get free,' I thought. I summoned my magic. I planned to use telekinesis to undo the straps. I could feel the stub start to glow.

"Aiieeee!" My head erupted with a pain I never thought possibly. My eyes stretched wider than ever before. It felt like my brain was expanding and contracting; wiggling and jumping at the same time. I was having a fit in my straps as I was trying to get my forelegs to cradle my head, but they could not break free. Despite the magic spell having stopped a few seconds ago, the pain was ongoing. Where was Dr Stone or a nurse? The pain wouldn’t go away, shouldn’t somepony should be attending to me? I then realised the screaming was only in my head, but I had convinced myself I was yelling to the world. The pain had stopped me from saying a word, my mouth was wide open trying to find the ability to scream. I was there for who knows how long, just writhing in an agony that I couldn’t comfort.

Eventually the pain subsided like an ice-cream headache and my world came crashing in on me. I was now a cripple, unable to use magic and unable to grab things with my hooves. Would I be reduced to grabbing plates with my mouth? What about cups? How would I drink from them without a straw? I've never used my mouth for anything but eating and talking. My research; the only thing I really enjoyed... could I even continue it?

After sometime, the door creaked open slowly. A head bobbed around slowly - it was Brick Beak. She opened the door fully and walked in, still using her professional, proud manner, carrying a suitcase. She looked down at me. "Hello sir. The doctors said I shouldn’t unstrap you, but if you promise to behave I will. Will you?" she said.

I nodded and she started releasing me, starting with my forelegs and then my hind legs. I looked at where the straps had been on my legs - my fit during the magic attempt had left a noticeable mark which would probably bruise later. "I have your belongings here, including anything you may need for the night. So you are aware, your lab activated its magical lockdown, seconds after I rushed you out of there, but I can tell you what I saw when I came-"

"Stop!" I muttered loudly. "I have other issues right now rather than dealing with a burnt up laboratory - or maybe you haven't noticed? My. Horn. Is. GONE!" Brick Beak was trying to be sympathetic, understanding and professional, but I didn't care for any of it.

A long pause filled the room. She really wanted to talk about the event. "As you wish, sir," she pressed on. "Your sister will be in soon to check up on you; there was a problem at the nursery when a young colt brought a puppet to life," Was she trying to break the tension with a joke or was that true? Brick Beak placed the saddlebags on my bed. "Do you have any need of me now sir?" Brick Beak asked.

"No. On your way out, tell the staff I want a doctor other than Dr Stone," I ordered coldly. Brick Beak nodded and went to the exit, her tail wagging showing her dislike of my treatment of her. I was being a jerk...more than usual, I never treated her or Poppy like this. She didn't deserve this. "Brick Beak!" I shouted before she was out of sight. She turned around and faced me, not saying a word. "Thank you....for rescuing me," I stuttered not looking at her. I don't stutter easily.

Brick Beak cocked her head to the side and replied, "You've rescued me before, so we're even." She closed the door and left me with my thoughts.

I rescued her? Nope, seems like something I would remember; saving ponies or griffins wasn't in my nature. I first met her at the management building at my mine, she was working in finances. I appreciated her record keeping and efficiency and offered her a position as my assistant for the company. She took a day to decide, but took it nonetheless.

'What am I doing?' I thought, trying to get back on track with current problems. I decided to see what was in my saddlebags. Knowing that the only way to open them was with my mouth, I bent closer whilst using my forelegs as a brace to keep the bag from moving. I positioned my teeth and bit at the strap wrapped around the buckle. "Come. On. You. Little. Sod," I sputtered on every yank. I was getting nowhere. Changing positions constantly, coming from different angles, nothing was working.

Every so often I had to rest, either because my mouth and tongue were strained, or because the constant pulling had worn me out. I had been trying to undo the bags for half an hour or so. This was so frustrating and I thought, 'Is this how my life is going to be?' I was now standing on the bed with my rump higher than my head. I would have fallen off the bed if it weren’t for the metal bars on the side that had helped keep me restrained earlier.

The door to my room reopened. In came Poppy and another female earth pony wearing a lab coat over her black fur and white mane. I couldn’t see her cutie mark. 'My new doctor,' I presumed. It was then I realised how odd I must have looked standing up with a bag strap in my mouth.

Poppy understood my predicament right away and trotted over to help me. I slumped back into bed as she loosened the bags and put them down next to me. "How are you, Techno?" Poppy asked, deeply concerned. She looked at my new red eyes and I think she felt scared of them.

"I don't feel hurt…anymore. I can feel part of my horn but not all." I'd realised that being grumpy with Brick Beak had gotten me nowhere. The best I could do was act brave for Poppy. "I was in an explosion in my lab. That certainly hurt, but I feel.....fine now. But I can't do any magic; I'm getting a thrashing headache when I try." I looked towards the doctor for advice.

"Yes, hello, I'm Dr Mort,” the doctor said finally given a chance to talk. I started having second thoughts about this hospital's staff, the ponies here seem to have the oddest cutie marks and names. "I'm sorry but there was not much we could do about your horn. Sometimes a horn can be reattached; given time and nature of the injury. According to your griffin friend, you horn was beyond shattered. You have had a number of spells set on you to heal minor fractures and bumps. You were fortunate not to have a broken leg or spine; the only damage we could see was the horn and a red mark on your cheek.”

“Oh, here, let me help you with that.” Dr Mort reached for my horn and removed the bandage with her hoof. “We covered the hole with a magical glue. It should be hard as a rock now, but you will need to reapply some from time to time as it will erode. You might want to consider some blue body paint so it isn’t a grey mess. What is left of your magic is still in there, but you sadly can’t focus it without your horn. There is only so much magic can do.” She sighed knowing this information wasn’t comforting me. "So you know, just because you lost your horn, doesn't mean you can't have a full and rewarding life.” I glared at her and then sunk my head down.

Poppy could see I how distressed I was and replied timidly for me, “Techno has a unique condition... he, um, can't pick things up with his hooves." She started rubbing my back to comfort me but it didn't work.

'The magical ability of all ponies to hold items physically in my hooves was beyond my grasp.’ I mentally kicked myself for that pun.

Dr Mort looked at me, stunned for a few seconds. I could see she didn’t know what to say. "I'm...sorry.” Dr Mort said, and with that all chances of a normal life left my body. "There is nothing we can do."

The next hour or so was spent with Dr Mort explaining that I could be put down with a disability. She mentioned what I will probably experience over the next couple of days: depression, anger and all the other cliché stuff. She suggested counselling, but I had no intention of seeing a shrink. I think most of what she said was aimed at Poppy so she could help me through it. I just nodded along in a daze until she left.

We sat in a long silence. Poppy was trying to find the words to comfort me, but she could find none. I continued to stare down and the terrifying future which kept getting bigger and bigger in my mind's eye. A future of being spoon fed, having a nurse’s aide help me for everyday living. I was slowly being enveloped in a darkness I couldn't fathom. Poppy got up - I guess she had to get home for her family.

Suddenly I felt warm and safe. Poppy was hugging me. Her face was buried in the side of my head. "I'll help you. We will find a way for you to hold things," Poppy cried into my ear. My world returned to normal, the darkness retreated and I was mentally back in the hospital room. I was shuddering but I wasn't cold or scared. I think it was jitters from recovering from that hellish vision.

"Thank you," I said softly. The embrace went on for several minutes. I pattered her side to ask her to let go, hesitantly she let go slowly. "You should go home, it's getting late and I'm sure Staples is worried by now."

"You’re sure?" Poppy said weeping slightly.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow to pick you up,” Poppy was rubbing her eyes clear. "See you tomorrow." She walked to the door, took one more glance at me and then she was gone. I was alone again.

I decided to go where I left off by checking my bags. Inside was my money pouch; a couple of gems for more costly goods. My journal and quill; I carried these things everywhere, never made a damn note in it and worse couldn't now (I wrote using my magic and had never learned how to write by mouth). There was a small set of tools for both magic and mechanical equipment, and finally there was my house key.

It was now that I noticed the window in my room, it was positioned directly behind me so I had never paid it much attention. It was certainly late, the moon was high in the sky. A full moon, the beam of moonlight was covering me. I wondered, 'Is this Luna's embrace?' and considered I was being cared for more than I knew. 'I should get to sleep,' I thought, so I laid down and closed my eyes.

-_-_-_-_-

I rolled to my left, I rolled to my right. I had to admit I was not sleepy, clearly I had had too much sleep earlier. I laid in bed and started wondering about my future. “Stop it, stop it!” I whispered loudly to myself trying to remove the random fantasies. I needed a distraction and so I got up and went out of my room. Turning the door handle was a unique feeling: smooth metal ground against my teeth sending disturbing vibrations throughout my body.

I was now in a predictable hospital corridor: linoleum floor, grey and cold. Most of the lights were off, allowing the darkness of night to be reflected inside the building. White walls littered with signs to other wings of the building. Just down from my door was a nurse’s desk, glowing brighter than anywhere else that I could see. I slowly approached it and found a well-built, earth pony. She was doing a crossword with a pencil in her mouth. She had a pair of thin framed glasses on. She noticed me as I approached, peered over her glasses and removed the pencil. “What are you doing up?” she asked.

“I couldn’t sleep. I need something to do or I’ll go mad,” I said wearily.

She continued to stare. “There are some magazines over there.” She pointed towards a small bench with a stack of glossy books and then resumed her crossword without a further care to the health and safety routine.

“Thank you.” I replied and slowly walked to the bench. I used my hoof to push the magazines off each other to get a good look. “Let's see; ‘Gossip Bridle’, ‘The Buck’, some children’s book and ‘Magic Miracles’,” I mumbled to myself. Discarding the rest, I picked up Magic Miracles in my mouth and placed in on the floor. I was using my face to turn the pages, which was an uncomfortable action. I think the nurse was giving me odd looks.

I skipped multiple adverts and finally came across an article, a rarity in magazines these day. It was about Magic Thread.

Magic Thread™ is a breakthrough in not only the medical world but for multiple other industries. Magic Thread™ is primarily used in surgery for stitches and shows promise for a replacement for motor control over frayed nerve cells. Currently, Magic Thread™ can be as small as 2 microns thick. It even allows alternate magic to run through itself like an electrical current. Magic Thread™ is recharged by just touching any source of magical energy without it. It disappears after 24 hours, so a constant connection can power Magic Thread™ indefinitely. Alternate uses include sustaining liquid octarine, sending electrical signals and network wiring…

The article went on and had a few diagrams. Sadly I knew half of this already. My magic analyser uses Magic Thread. I didn’t know that it could be used for replacing nerve cells or could conduct magical currents. Sadly this new information was of no use for me and barely distracted me.

I went to turn the next page using my mouth this time. It got stuck to my lips and ripped out of the magazine. I looked up. The nurse was peering over her glasses again at me. I wasn’t sure if I should spit it out, so using my tongue I pulled bit by bit into my mouth, crushed it down and swallowed. I couldn’t stand being here anymore. I felt fine and nothing has happened to me yet.

I got up and said, “I would like to go home now.” Waiting here wasn’t doing me any good. If I stayed here doing nothing my mind would continue to send me further into a deep depression. I am a pony who prefers to do something rather than wait.

She re-positioned herself in her chair, ready to argue that I was here for a reason. “You are under observation. Your chart says you were at the front of an explosion, but there are no burns and practically no damage. Don’t you think you should be observed if there is some magical problem with you?” she asked.

I didn’t feel like arguing. “Just a minute please,” I said as I walked back to my room. I grabbed my saddlebags with my mouth and flung them over my back. They fell off, so I tried again. On the third try it stayed there. I couldn’t fasten it so I had to walk carefully. I went back to the nurse, and I picked out my money pouch. Shoving my face into the bag, I pulled out a big gem with my teeth “sHOWth sABOUTh-“

“NO!” barked the nurse “You can’t bribe me over your own health. Go back to bed before I force you there myself.” She shoved her hoof violently towards my room.

‘She has no right to keep me here,’ I told myself but I wasn’t in the mood to fight. I sighed and spat the gem back in and slinked off to my room. She watched me the whole time. I creaked the door closed until it was ajar. Placing my ear to the gap I waited for the light sound of pencil scratchings…

Scratch Scratch

That’s my cue. Slowly, very slowly, I opened the door and crawled out of my room. I headed down the corridor in the other direction. When I got a considerable distance I stopped being sneaky and aimed for the exit... if I only knew where that was.

This was the largest hospital I had ever been in. I had been wandering for what felt like hours. Whenever I saw a window I used it to get my bearings and give me an idea of where I was going, but I still got messed up. I tried using the method of sticking to the left wall, but that proved fruitless as well. I had returned to my starting point and at no time did I double back or get stuck by a dead end.

Every time I found a different nurse’s station, I turned back not wanting to get caught. I even found the first one I had visited but from another angle. I could see the exit sign, but to get to it meant going past the nurse who no doubt wouldn’t let me pass. I turned around and tried again.

I was so frustrated that I hadn’t made my way out that I had not thought about my physical problems since starting this little trip. I found the window again. The faint glow of the sun rising could be seen from between the towers of Manehatten. ‘Had I really been wandering that long?’ I wondered.

I found my way back to my room despite knowing I never came down this path. I got to the door when I heard the Nurse shout “Yoo-hoo! Come here.” She was waving her hoof, beckoning me towards her.

‘This will not be fun,’ I thought as I went up to her.

She had an annoying smirk, “Did you have a nice walk? See all the sights?” I was confused, sure she would have found out I was sneaking about, but she seemed pretty certain I would come back.

She continued, “Problem patients are a dime a dozen here in Manehatten, so we got some unicorns to warp the unused sections of the hospital into a maze. So if the patient tries to sneak out and then relapses, we don’t have to go far to get them. Occasionally you would find your way out of the maze. An emergency exit of sorts, but then you specifically walked straight back into the maze from another entrance. There are easy exits everywhere...” she waited deliberately to see if I would figure it out. “Since it’s the unused areas, the patient’s rooms weren’t manipulated and some have exits to the outside, but nopony wants to invade another pony’s room.”

I was feeling really stupid and I had let my frustration get the better of me by not stopping to think about it. The nurse pointed at me and said, “YOU are now the record holder for longest time in the maze.” I would kick myself if my legs weren’t tired from walking around all night. “Fortunately for you, you may now leave. Luckily for both of us, you haven’t collapsed after several hours of constant walking, so you must be ok to go.” I didn't reply. She passed me a form for my hoof print. I paid my dues and left.

Outside was still cold. The sun was not visible still, just beams of light coming from in-between the buildings. The streets were empty, a slight breeze making me shudder as I found my bearings for home. I should probably have waited for Poppy to come pick me up. I’ll have to apologise later. I wished that I had my lab coat. It wouldn’t keep me warm but it would at least stop oncoming stares to my rump.

The further I got, the more active the city became, starting with newspapers being delivered, the odd jogger or two and cafés setting up for the day. A few ponies stared at me on their way past. They stared at my horn or lack of and then my backside. My mind raced back to what Dr Mort said - that I would need paint to cover up the magic glue so I look somewhat presentable. Did I currently have a grey blob covering my hole? If I did, I must of stuck out like a Diamond Dog at the Grand Galloping Gala.

Finally I reached home. I was just about to use my magic to open the door, when I realised the pain I would have suffered if I tried. I then reached for the door…knob. I have a door knob. Why? Even if I could open it, earth ponies and pegasi couldn’t open it…could they? Poppy had had no trouble before. I reached for the door knob, placing my flat hooves on either side, increasing the pressure. I went to turn it, but slipped, almost losing my balance. Tried again; failed, again; failed.

It was now I figured out the door was locked, as it should be. I reached into my saddle bags and bit the end of the key. I could feel my teeth grating the metal. It made me think on a griffin’s talons on a blackboard; a bad feeling with a bad sound. I had now worked out that the key was around the wrong way. Taking the key into my mouth, I swirled it around with my tongue, the metallic taste making me scrunch my face a bit.

I finally got it positioned right. I aimed the key for the hole and turned my head ninety degrees to align it. When the key was near the hole, I couldn’t see the key or keyhole anymore. I took a guess and pushed forward. I guessed wrong. The key missed and started moving sideways as I hit the door with my face. The key flung from my mouth, bouncing on the ground until it lay in a small corner a drain covered in mud.

I will not shove my face into dirt for delicious apple cider soaking into the ground, let alone my key. So I left the key in the dirt. I had tried to be patient. It had taken about five minutes to the key out and align it correctly. I was tired of being tired. I turned my back to the door. I raised my back legs into the air and bucked the heck out of the door repetitively. On the fourth buck I heard something give, so I gave it one more buck, putting more effort into it than any other.
BANG

I looked back during the buck. The lower hinge came off first, followed by the other hinge before the door did a complete flip, going past Brick Beak’s desk and finally lying on the ground. I didn’t consider myself a strong pony, but I was quite proud of that kick. As I went inside to make breakfast, I heard somepony call out, “Quit it with the racket!”

I entered my kitchen, stepping over my front door in the process. Time for breakfast. I thought about what would be easier to make using only my mouth to grab things. If I had toast, there would be no way of buttering it, so I decided on cereal. I grabbed a box of Celestia Crunch - somehow I doubted Celestia endorsed this sugar snack; it seemed beneath her. I had to open my mouth extra wide to get just the side of the box in. Placing the box down, I moved my jaw around to relax it from the strain.

Getting the milk was easy apart from the fridge door; cold, rough metal clenched between my teeth again. This isn’t a feeling I would get used to anytime soon. I got a bowl. Plastic was a much better choice than ceramic as it didn’t hurt, it didn’t taste it of anything, and it was nothing but a piece of warped polymers. Fortunately the cereal was already open. I tipped the frosted flakes into the box using the alternate corner as leverage. I had to shake it a bit to get enough cereal into the bowl. The problem was that I got equally as much outside of the bowl as I did inside. I put it down as my first try and it might get easier with time.

Pouring the milk was a challenge, I had to bite the lid off. Lifting the bottle proved troublesome as the liquid sloshed from side to side. When I had a decent grip I tilted my head towards the bowl. ‘TOO MUCH!’ my mind screamed at me as milk gushed from the bottle, almost filling the bowl. In my desperation to control the flow, I moved my head sideways, not upwards as I should. Milk now poured onto the bench and dripped onto the floor. I got control of the milk again and put it back down. I now realised too late that I couldn’t reattach the lid of milk to the bottle, so I simply left it there to go off.

Right, it had been a struggle but the meal was ready to eat. I thought about a spoon and quickly realised that wasn’t possible. I looked at the breakfast, an overfilled bowl of milk with a sugar snack now getting soggy. There was only one thing I could do. I wanted it over quickly and so I face planted the bowl. My added snout now made the milk overflow. I closed my eyes in how sad this must of looked. I slowly slurped up my meal, waves off depression were taking over me. I could feel the ripples created as my slurping sloshed the milk around. It was the saddest meal I ever had.

I didn’t bother with cleaning it up afterwards, what would the point be? I would end up making more of a mess than what was already there. Plus I wasn’t in the mood.

I looked towards the basement door. I wasn’t going down there. ‘I never wanted to go down there again,’ I thought, though eventually I would have to.

I decided to move to my lounge room while I tried to figure out what to do with myself. The lounge room doesn’t have much to it; I concentrated on my work and never bothered to decorate it. It just has a couch, some chairs and a small side table with a radio on top. I didn't entertain guests, except for Poppy. I sat next to the radio on one of the chairs. I was happy that the radio could turn on with the tap of my hoof.

It’s a bright sunny day,
all my cares, just fly away.
Not a problem to be,
I’m just a happy old me.

“Arghh!” I yelled. I swatted the radio with a hoof. It flew backwards and hit the wall then fell to the floor. It continued to play.

I’m gonna put on smile,
make it all worthwhile.
I will stand up high on my hooves,
and show the world how I groove.

I had to force myself over my seat, pushing the table to the side. I reached the radio and started slamming my hooves onto the box. The music was stunted at first but kept going.

I’ve had days of sorrow,
SLAM!
but CSSSHHH better tomorrow.
SLAM
I’ve seen CSSSHHH worst
SLAM
but I am gonna CSSSHHH
SLAM, SLAM, SLAM

The radio finally stopped working, probably because it was now in tiny pieces. I wasn’t satisfied. Beating the radio up didn’t make me feel better, so I turned my anger towards my furniture.

Unfortunately my taste in furniture was strength over style. I spent the next five minutes trying to beat up and rip open furniture that could take the brunt of my attack. When I was spent, I saw the results of my rampage. Excluding the radio, the couch was now turned a couple of degrees and one of the chairs was lying on its back. But they weren’t broken, beating up or a shadow of their former selves, like I was.

I just sat there not knowing what to do. I don’t know how long I sat there. The room got warmer from the sun rising higher into the sky, but it didn’t lift my spirits. I thought Brick Beak would be in soon, but realised today was her birthday and she wasn’t coming in today. I hoped she was having a better day than me.

I continued to wallow until I heard a “Hello,” coming from the front door. It was Poppy, who was looking very distraught. She came up to me, putting her hoof around my back. “Did somepony break in? I didn’t know burglars ripped doors off. Did they take anything?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I broke down the door, I couldn’t open it.” I moped.

“I know you’re distressed, and I think you need a distraction. I have an idea that might be able to help you with your problem,” she said as she started pulling me with her hoof. I slowly got up and followed her to the front door. “Before we go, we need to do something about the door,” Poppy said.

I pointed to Brick Beak’s desk. “Top draw...Talisman,” I mumbled.

Poppy trotted over and opened the draw. Inside was a small circular rock. Carved onto it was a picture of a brick wall. “How does it work?” she asked. I waved her towards the doorway. She grabbed one of my lab coats and my saddle bags and she then helped me get them on.

“Put it down just in front of the door, then tap it twice with your hoof.” She did just that and a light pink energy filled the doorway, creating a force field. “We take the talisman with us and do the same thing we want to get back in,” I said in an miserable tone.

We started walking. I think we were heading towards her nursery. “Are we going to your work? I don’t think children are going to help me.”

“You may not like it the idea. But nurseries are where fillies are taught the basics of everything, for example body control. Hopefully we can find a way to get your hooves to pick up things, so we start with the toys.” It wasn't like I hadn't tried when I was younger. I had been taken to several specialists as a young colt and none of them could do anything for me.

As we walked along, we passed a number of ponies all of them stared at my grey stub of a horn, some even snickered. “Just ignore them,” Poppy said, trying to comfort me. We just started to pass a small twenty four hour store. “Idea!” Poppy raced in and exited out with a baseball cap. She put it on my head covering my stump, creating extra pressure around my skull. It was uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. “How’s it feel?” she asked.

“It’s nice,” I lied back sheepishly.

“Oh good,” she beamed back. Her smile made me feel a little better. We continued heading down to the nursery. I still had ponies staring at me. One female who was quite large gave me a wink. I didn’t want to think anything of it with my current problems going on.

It was at this time I realised something, something very important. I asked, “Where is Staples?” Poppy took Staples to her nursery all the time.

“Check List has her. In a one in a million chance, it’s ‘bring your daughter to work day’.” How oddly convenient.
“Cough, cough,” went Poppy covering her mouth.

“Are you alright?” I said, trying to adjust the hat.

“Oh yes, the air is just a bit dry and cold.” I could agree to that, but i didn’t think it was that bad.

We eventually reached the nursery. It was still early in the morning so we were the first ones here. When we got in, I saw a mirror and looked at myself with the cap on. There was some text and a large red heart on it which was hard to read backwards.

“I Love Big Bottomed Ponies”

I didn’t know what to think about this, I had so many other problems running through my mind, it was hard to be mad at Poppy. I knocked the hat off and put it on a hook designated for one of the fillies. ‘I guess its Innocent Lily’s problem now,’ I thought as I read the name above the hook.

I noticed a puppet in the corner of the room. It had large black eyes and its strings were cut. I swear it was grinning at me, mocking me. I picked up a blanket from a shelf and threw it over the disturbing item. ‘Was this the doll that came to life yesterday?’ I wondered.

Poppy had been turning the lights on, tidying up bits and pieces around the building. During one of her trips passing me she said, “Why don’t you see what you can do with the toys?”

I looked over at an open box filled with toys for the yearlings. I decided the coloured blocks would be best. The problem was getting them out, but I realised that that was part of the reason I’m here. I placed my front right hoof onto it and lifted. Nothing. Maybe there is a thought process to this. I started thinking, ‘I will lift the block,’ as I went to try again. Nothing. I sighed and said to myself, “I will lift up the block.” Still nothing. After a few attempts of feeling confident, I just sat there placing my hoof on and off the blocks. I gave up, but I didn’t want to upset Poppy.

Sometime later a herd of young ponies raced into the building, all cheerful and active, running around the room aimlessly. Some went to the hooks and put their jackets and scarves on them. One filly with a lily pad for a cutie mark said “Where’d this hat come from?” Some of the other ponies gave her a playful tease about it. Some older ponies came in, some of whom I recognized as other staff members. There was a pony carrying some baby twins on her back, she kissed them goodbye and left them with Poppy and the rest of the staff.

Then the worst thing happened: the older children noticed me. They rushed over, forgetting everything they should know about stranger danger. “Who are you?” one asked. “You are old, mister,” said another. One unicorn asked, “Why don’t you have a horn and why is it grey? You’re a freak!” I wanted to yell at her, I can’t deal with kids. But I couldn’t, I didn’t have time, their questions just kept coming and I was being swamped into a corner. I needed Poppy to save me.

“Children,” Poppy spoke loudly, “Go get your things for class, we are going to do some painting today.” The children ran around the room picking up their brushes and paper. “Are you alright?” Poppy asked me, seeing I was shaken to my core.

‘A freak.’ That’s what the unicorn called me. Is that what the ponies in the street thought as well? I was used to being disliked by some ponies around the city. I never went out of my way to make them hate me. But just having my horn gone made me a disturbing freak around ponies and it made them uneasy.

“I… I want…to go home.” I said.

“No, you can’t. We are going to fix this and you need to be here.”

She got the younger ponies set up and they started painting. Some used their mouths to hold the brushes, some used their hooves and that unicorn from earlier was using her magic. While they were distracted, Poppy grabbed a brush and some paint from the back of the room, it was meant for decorating walls. It was a light blue, almost the same colour as my coat and horn.

“Sit still please.” Poppy dabbed the brush onto the dried up glue. I could feel the pressure of the brush but nothing else; like the expectant coolness of the paint. I could always feel the horn when it was there, to know you are touching something but not feeling it was a horrifying experience. It didn't take her long. “Done, it came out really well.” Poppy said looking quite pleased with herself. She took me to the mirror I saw before.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My new red eyes stared back at me. Even when depressed, they looked frightening. I looked at where my stub was. She was right; it was a good job, but it reminded all the more that my horn was gone.

I looked myself in the eyes again, ‘Is this how you’re going to do this?!’ My eyes seemed to yell at me, ‘Continuously feeling sorry for yourself. Get over it! It’s gone! Find something to do about dealing or fixing it. Just get it done!’ But I didn’t know how to fix it. I took a big breath and exhaled. I looked at myself with some determination, ‘Okay,’ I thought, ‘Step one: Get over it.’ Easier said than done but I would try.

One of the staff ponies came over to Poppy and asked, “Poppy, the twins need a diaper change, could you please? I’ll take over the fillies and colts. Maybe your brother could help?”

“Sure we can,” replied Poppy. “Come on Techno, this will be a new experience for you.” We walked over to a small table, the twins were lying on their backs without a care in the world. “Ok, I’ll do one and you do the other, just follow my lead,” Poppy said as she reached for a diaper. Her hooves moved at great speeds removing the diaper, I couldn’t keep up with her. I didn’t get any of that. How did she undo the pins? She then pick up the diaper using her…MOUTH!

I felt like gagging as she threw the used cotton garment into a bin. I backed away thinking, ‘No, there has to be a better way. If I was expected to use my mouth to clean this up, forget it. It will never happen.’

Poppy saw I was retreating. “Techno, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Poppy, thank you for helping, but I’m gonna look elsewhere. There’s just some things I just can’t...won’t do,” I replied quickly. I raced for the door. What luck, a door handle. This I could use, pushing it down and pushing the door open, I bolted out of the nursery and aimed for anywhere but there.

-_-_-_-_-

I found myself wandering the streets aimlessly, just looking for something to distract me. Some ponies were too busy to notice my stump as they passed by, but not all of them. The word ‘Freak’ ran through my mind with every stare I caught. They would stare just up to the point I crossed paths with them. They had clearly never saw a unicorn without a horn and neither had I.

I found a fairly empty street with a bench I could sit on. Across the road was a construction yard. I sat and watched the work ponies move lumber around, while a crane picked up rubble and disposed of it from a large pile of scrap. Its massive three prong claws grabbed the junk, lifting it up and then letting go of its hold into a massive skip. It felt like it was mocking me with its ability to pick things up. Every time it grabbed some rubbish the cable retracted so it could get high enough the dump its contents. I stared at it until I heard a, “WOOOOO!” noise. The sound of some alarm from the construction yard. Probably their lunch break or something.

I was left alone with my thoughts again. "One day...It's been less than one day and I can't take it," I said, looking across the street. I thumped my hoof on the arm rest. My saddlebag shook and an apple fell out. I looked down at it. I reached down to try to pick it up again, as I touched the apple nothing happened. I sighed with my head low to the ground and foreleg stretched out.

I looked up and stared at the hanging claw, no longer being operated. It swung gently in the breeze. Then I had an idea, the first good idea. I now knew how I could fix my problem. My mind started whirling with plans and every time I found a flaw in it, I compromised. Pieces slotted together and I finally had something that will work.

But to do it, I needed parts, bought and created. I would need to visit two guilds in Manehatten; the Guild of Magic and the Guild of Science. Two large organisations that worked to create new magic and new technologies. They disliked each other as they were both competing to be better than the other, but they hated me more; due to my stance on magic and science.

My mind started filling in mores gaps in the plan, but I compensated straight away. I would also need to go to my mine outside Manehatten and grab some more money, a gem. I also needed a gallon of artificial liquid Octarine (something like that is only possible at Cloudsdale). The last thing I needed was to find a medical practitioner. One willing to ignore ethics and perform a dangerous operation. Fortunately I think I know one now. I wasn’t feeling sad or happy anymore, just determined to get something done.

Cloudsdale would be easy and hard, throw enough gems and they’ll sell you their entire rainbow supply. But since I can’t walk on clouds, I’ll just send Brick Beak. Rocky won’t be back at the mine yet, probably doesn’t know what’s happened to me either. So I can get in without any issues and grab what I need.
I had a plan. I didn't know if it would work, but it seemed a lot better than moping around Manehatten. I headed off to create something never seen before.

End of Chapter 2.