Chapter 1: Time Hurts

“And then,” my speaker, a sky-blue pegasus paused dramatically. “There was this BLINDING flash of light, and you seemed to fall from it! Then, there you were, falling rapidly through the air, and that’s when I rushed and saved you!” she finished.

The pegasus had just spent the last 15 minutes or so explaining what she and her purple-coated alicorn friend were doing in the Everfree Forest. I hadn’t heard much, but apparently the alicorn (alias Twilight Sparkle) had declared that she was going to some ruined castle in the Forest, to just look around, apparently. That’s when Rainbow Dash (the pegasus) interjected, explaining that the Forest was way to dangerous to be going into alone, and after several minutes of arguing, Twilight finally consented. The rest… well you pretty much heard the rest.

I must be dreaming, I thought, as the room begins to go from a blur to slightly fuzzy.

Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Oh come Rainbow Dash, you weren’t the only one who saved him. And besides,” she said, cutting off the pegasus’ argument. “We didn’t save him entirely. If we had, he would be able leave and fly home.”

The room cleared accompanied by a sharp pain coming from either sides of my body. Pain. I grit my teeth and do everything I can to not scream in agony. The best way of telling that 1) You’re still alive 2) That this isn’t some crazy dream. That meant that I really was in a hospital, and was really talking (if you can call it that) to the Rainbow Dash and the Twilight Sparkle.

“So,” Twilight turned to me. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend and flight instructor, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash nodded.

I nodded in return. Great. My worst fears are confirmed. I’m in a fantasy world filled with multicolored horses, no. Multicolored TALKING horses. I know I’m not supposed to be here, but where am I supposed to be? In other words, where did I come from?

Twilight’s voice snapped me back into reality. “The real reason we’re still here is because we were asked to question, uh, question you.”

I raised an eyebrow. Great. This day just keeps getting better. My memories of where I came from are all but gone, these crazy wings (wait, what?! wings?! Who’s bright idea was THIS?) of mine feel like they’re about to fall off my back, and now I’m going to be extensively interrogated by neon-colored equines.

“Ready?” she asked.

I nodded once. Ready as I’ll ever be.

“Okay. Question number one: What is your name?”

My name? Oh right, my name is… uh….

“Denim,” I replied as neutrally as I can. “Black Denim.”

“Denim…. Deeniimmm,” she rolled the name over her tongue, as if it’s somehow familiar to her.

“Uh… Equestria to Twilight,” interjected Rainbow Dash, waving a hoof in front of Twilight’s face. “Heellooo? Anypony in Ponyville? Twilight? Twilight!”

Twilight returned to reality and leveled her gaze at me.

“Right,” continued Twilight. “Sorry, I was just seeing if I remembered seeing you, well, anywhere. Question number three.”

“Two,” corrected Rainbow Dash and I simultaneously.

“Right, two. Question two: Where do you come from? As in, what city, what occupation?”

“I, uh don’t quite get what you mean,” I answered nervously. Oh great.. here goes…

“I mean, what region of Equestria do you come from?”

I cocked my head at a confused angle, and looked at her blankly, which caused her to facehoof.

“For the love Celestia’s mane,” she muttered under her breath. “The question is quite easy. ANSWER IT! WHERE IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU COME FROM?! Saddle Arabia! Manehattan! Fillydelphia! Los Pegasus! The Everfree Forest! Canterlot! Ponyville! ANYWHERE!” she exclaimed, punctuating her sentence by stomping her hoof loudly.

I swear I saw steam emanating from her nostrils at that point. Mayday, you got her mad. I swallow hard, and replied with “Why do you want to know?” which I mentally kicked myself really hard for. Idiot! You got her mad, and you’re answering her question with a question?

Expecting to understand firsthoof the meaning of “Hell hath no fury like a woman (or in this case, a mare) scorned,” Fortunately, I’m met with an entirely different approach.

Twilight takes a deep, calming breath. “Over the last few months, we’ve been getting reports of changeling and incredibly dangerous magic activity, which we think may be a growing threat to all of Equestria. However, the portal that you came through was (obviously) the most recent, and the most powerful example of magic we’ve had so far.”

“A.. portal?” Brilliant work, Denim.

“That’s right. A Trans-Dimensional Gateway to be precise, similar to the one in the magic mirror in Canterlot Castle. Now, while that one opens every 30 moons, this one can be opened at any time, under the greatest and most precautionary magical procedure. The amount of magic required for it to work would have to be exponentially better than anypony’s I know.”

My slightly slow mind’s gears began to turn, putting pieces together, and after a minute or five, something clicked.

“You think that somehow my entrance to Equestria is related to the ‘dangerous magic’ activity?” I asked, expecting the worst. “Honestly, I have no idea where I came from, or why I’m here. I just know that here is where I’m not supposed to be.”

“Oh, I don’t think,” replied Twilight. “I know.”

Without warning, Rainbow Dash flies straight at me, and pinned my forelegs and broken wings to the wall behind me. I screamed involuntarily.

“Enough beating around the bush! Are you a changeling or not?” she demanded. Oh crap. This is it. I’m so dead.

“Rainbow! Careful with him! He’s still recovering!” called Twilight. “Besides I don’t think he’s a changeling…” Saved! “Because I’ve never seen his original anywhere, unless this really is the original, or you killed the original Black Denim, and buried the evidence?”

I shook my head vigorously, eyes wide with panic. Wow, ponies are scary when they’re angry.

“Besides, Rainbow. He doesn’t seem like a bad pony. Now, drop him.”

Rainbow obliged reluctantly, and I slid down the wall onto a pillow.

“I’m telling you both the truth!” I cried. “I honestly don’t know where I come from, heck, I hardly even know who I am! Please, don’t kill me.”

Twilight’s expression remained skeptical. “Alright. I believe you. You might be the greatest liar I have ever met, or you may be telling the truth. I’m going to be optimistic, and assume the latter. But be warned. I am watching you, and if you take a hoofstep in a way I deem even remotely treacherous, I will drag your sorry, steel-blue butt to Canterlot and personally execute you.”

I swallowed hard and nod.

“Good!” said Twilight cheerily. “Great talking with you! Hope to see you up and around Ponyville real soon!”

As she and Rainbow Dash were leaving, Rainbow turned around and did the “I’m watching you” motion with her hoof and exited without another look back.

I just sat there, bandaged wings and all, playing the odd conversation that just unfolded in front of me in my head.

No, I can’t make any sense of it! Am I really a changeling, but have no memory of it? Then, why would the ruler of the changelings try to knock my memory out?

I kept sitting there, and after a minute or so more, I decide that I should inspect my aviation situation (yes, I made that rhyme intentionally).

While unwrapping the bandages, I gasped out loud. The whole scene was a pegasi’s worst nightmare. The bones in the wings were broken in several dozen places, the skin and feathers alike looked like someone took a fine cheese grater to them, and held nothing back, leaving them a shredded, bloody mess. Muscle has been exposed, torn, and scratched in even greater numbers than I have ever counted.

I must’ve been staring at this horror scene for quite some time, because once I look up, there’s a light-orange coated unicorn standing in a spot I swear was vacant not 2 minutes ago. From all appearances, she was a nurse pony, wielding a clipboard, a pencil, and a wry grin.

“Enjoying the show?” she asked.

“About as much as I’d enjoy Hell,” I answered with a dry laugh. “It’s almost like a car wreck, you know it’s horrible, and should look away, but you just can’t.” I waited for a second. “How bad is it?”

“Oh, pretty bad,” she replied casually.

“Define,” I demanded.

She regarded me with a grim face. “You have broken the wings in about 30 places…” Not as bad as I thought. “… each. Your left wing getting the brunt of it.” Crap. “Shall I go on?”

I replied with a nod.

“Also, a large portion of your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and skin alike have been at least scratched. Some all the way through, especially right near your back. If you’re not careful, the wings could just fall off your back. In addition to that, the largest of your flight feathers are practically torn to stuffing. To sum it all up, it’s going to be quite the wait till you can fly again. But, not too long until it’s safe for you to leave the hospital.”

Thank heavens.

“And how long would that be?”

“About 1-3 weeks, depending on how fast you recover, and how little movements you make with them.”

I sighed and fall back on my pillows. The nurse jots a few notes down, and begins to leave.

“Oh, uh, nurse?” I called. “Could you bring me a small hand mirror?”

The nurse looked at me like I have suddenly developed some new disease, but the look is gone in a second, and so is she. Half a moment later she returned and handed the mirror to me.

I sandwiched it gently between my hooves and angled it towards my face, and I find that a steel-blue coated, dark-brown maned, green-eyed pony is staring back at me. Slowly, my mouth dropped open.

That’s what I look like? Shoot. Not too bad. But, something doesn’t feel right about being a pony. Something….

The nurse cleared her throat, but I didn’t hear her. “Mr. Denim!” she shouted.

My eyes snapped away from the mirror, mouth still hanging open.

“You okay? You seemed to space out there for a minute. I mean, I know that after an accident, ponies can lose their memories, but that was a bit weird.”

“Yea, yea! I… I’m fine.” I replied. I think.

The nurse plucked the mirror out of my now-paralyzed hooves with a doubtful look.

“Well,” she said. “Just, sit tight.”

Ha. Ha. Like I have a choice. She left, leaving me with nothing to do except think over what had just happened with my talk with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and wonder why it doesn’t feel right for me to be a pony. Well, everypony else is a pony, and they’re fine with it. I just don’t quite understand why I feel like it’s wrong for me to be one.

The thoughts of confusion, broken wings, magic, and changelings played and replayed in my head until I finally fell into a restless sleep.

Author's Note

Gahhh. I don't know what I'm doing. What do you guys think? I have other chapters ready and waiting, but this is just a test. If you like it, I'll keep posting, if not, I'm done.