A Race with a Lion/Bat/Scorpion Thing
(Proofread by KillerRobotQuote)
Trees whizzed past as I rushed through the undergrowth, dodging and weaving between bushes and shrubs. The sound of my thumping heart pounded inside my ears like the beat of a war drum. I quickly snapped my head back to see that my pursuer was still close behind, getting closer by the second.
Redoubling my efforts, I tried to avoid serious injury as I ploughed through the thick foliage, lest the creature catch up and eat me alive. I continued my desperate onslaught and begged for this nightmarish horror to cease.
I stumbled as I tripped on a tree root, but regained my balance. Unfortunately, this meant that the beast was now only a few metres away! I was dead meat if I didn't do something quickly!
You're probably wondering 'Who is this guy and how did he get into this mess?' Right? Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Scott Hilton, a 30 year old British doctor who lived in Tunbridge Wells and worked in a hospital up in London. In my free time, I was either working out or playing on my console. I had a loving mother, father and brother whom I loved dearly. So, my life was pretty good, if I do say so myself. But I was always left wanting more...
I often dreamt of travelling to a far off land, a utopia, my utopia. Away from corruption, debt, war and crime. That one day, I would find the paradise I so very much longed for and live there for the rest of my life.
And I know what you're thinking, that such a place couldn't exist and I'm being selfish because I have a decent life, with a lovely family and brilliant friends and I want to leave them behind. I'll admit that it is pretty selfish of me to think in this way, but with everything that has happened over the past decade or so, and with everything that is happening right now plus the stress of everyday life, sometimes I just feel like getting away from it all.
That's enough about me. Now on to why I was being chased through a forest by a ~~rather~~ very unfriendly abomination.
I woke up at 0630 to the annoyance that is my alarm. Hauling myself out of bed, I wandered downstairs to have breakfast. I went back upstairs after two bowls of cereal to get changed for work. I left my house and drove to the train station and caught a train to Charing Cross. Work at the hospital was surprisingly slow that day, as I had only attending to two patients. So what do most doctors do if they aren't helping patients?
Paperwork...
Lots and lots of fucking paperwork!
And that's all I did for the next couple of boring, mundane hours.
After I returned home, I changed into some casual clothes, grabbed a can of Coca-Cola and switched on the TV to watch whatever tickled my fancy. It was only when I was interrupted by the sound of my growling stomach that I decided to make dinner.
Chicken Tikka Masala and rice. You can't go wrong with that! I repositioned myself on the sofa with my meal and continued my viewing. I watched 'MythBusters', 'Doctor Who', and 'Top Gear' before deciding to head off to bed.
Completing my bedtime routine, I flopped onto my invitingly comfy bed. I was too tired to take off my clothes, but also I didn't have work the next day so I didn't need to worry about getting up early in the morning.
It was 1037 and I was lying awake, thinking about my dream destination. The image slowly formed in my head as I slowly drifted to sleep.
'A silent enclosed beach. The sun was blinding as it emerged; it rose like a yellow balloon on the distant horizon. As the sun gradually started to appear, a new day unfurled. As the gentle waves lapped against the shore, a shoal of crowded fish darted to and fro. Seagulls swooped down from the sky, determined to catch their unsuspecting prey. The never ending golden sand stretched out as far as the eye could see. The silent echo of the lifeless sea is startling as the day begins; it was almost as if it had sucked out the souls of the nearby creatures.
Shopkeepers prepared themselves for the crazy day ahead by displaying their merchandise on the pavements to attract the bustling customers. Buckets and spades adorned on the shop windows and children - captivated by the bright colours - rushed to spend every single penny of their pocket money. The golden blanket was outlining the silvery sea. A pod of large grey dolphins leaped out of the water, showing off to each other and dancing from one place to the next. It was a breathtaking sight. Every movement of the dolphins was picture perfect, the way they glistened in the sunlight and revealed that welcoming and beautiful smile. Rows of freshly painted beach huts stand proudly side by side; like soldiers on parade.
As the sun gradually started to disappear, nightfall arrived. This signified that the day was drawing to a close. The happy sounds of laughter that were once there echoed around the empty beach. The gloomy shadow of dusk descended over the sea. Feeble light from the few remaining streetlights appeared to dim as the night clouds rolled in. Birds silenced their song and fled to the safety of their nests. Sandcastles are washed away with the seawater by the changing direction of the tide. Any last remaining footsteps disappeared, and were buried beneath the sand. The wind played with the sand, tossing it around in the air like a tornado, but then quickly released it again. It was once again a perfect end to a perfect day in a perfect paradise.'
I was forcibly yanked from my musing. I rubbed my head to try to ease the headache that plagued the front of my skull. As I gingerly sat up, I observed my surroundings. Instead of being in my bed with soft cotton sheets, I was sitting in the middle of a clearing on crisp leaves and soggy dirt. What replaced my bedroom was a vast sea of dark, gloomy, bizarrely shaped trees. I looked up at the sky to see that it was morning.
"Where the bloody hell am I?!" I exclaimed to myself.
Slowly, I picked myself off the damp ground and brushed off the few clinging leaves and clumps of dirt. A deep, low roar filled my ears and kept me firmly rooted to my spot. A large shadow stood just beyond the clearing. It crept into clearing, and what I saw was unlike anything I had seen before. The creature stood at about 5 feet. Though I was a good foot taller, it scared me shitless. Its head and body resembled that of a lion, but it had a pair of bat-like wings and a scorpion's tail. My breathing became laboured as I started to hyperventilate while I leaned against the tree, pressing my back hard against the bark. My legs shook uncontrollably.
At this point in time I had 3 options:
1) Stand still and try to make myself look bigger and threatening to scare it away.
2) Slowly walk away and hope that it doesn't follow.
3) Be a complete and utter pillock and try to outrun it.
Now, I like to think of myself as an individual who doesn't panic in stressful situations, being a doctor and all. But for some untold reason, I panicked. And when I say panicked, I mean I screamed in fear and ran for my life.
So now that you know who I am and the events that lead to me being chased, let's continue with the story.
"FUCK!" I screamed as I ducked out of the way of the pouncing creature, sending it on a collision course with a rather thick oak.
Much to my horror, the force of the impact shattered the tree, firing splinters everywhere. And the thing hadn't stopped. With this, I ran harder and faster than I had in my life. My calves were burning with the building lactic acid. I was exhausted. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to keep this up.
But in the distance, I saw an opening and past that, there was a village. I'm saved only if Mr. Kitty fucked off.
'Come on, come on. You can do this! I thought, encouraging myself to make the final push.
As I reached the opening, I slowed down, not by much. But it was still enough for Mr. Kitty to get a good swing at me, sinking its claws into my back. Despite the pain, I kept running to village, hoping that the inhabitants could help me.
Upon entering the village, I looked back to see that Mr. Kitty had walked back into the tree line. I sighed in relief as my ordeal ended. Now all I needed to do was find someone to deal with my wounds.
But life works in funny ways. In my case, painful ways...
I swung my head back around and saw that I was three metres from a wall and running at full tilt.
'This is going to hurt!' I thought as I braced for the impact.
Oh boy, did it hurt. As I fell to the ground, I heard someone speak before losing consciousness.
"Oh sweet Celestia! Spike, we need to get him to the hospital! Contact the princesses!"
Author's Note
And there it is. I hope you enjoyed the opening chapter to my first story.
Tell what you thought of it and suggest anything that needs adjusting.
Also post any ideas on how the story should go because so far, I only have plans for the first 3 chapters. So you input will be much appreciated.
See you in the next chapter!
The Royal Welcoming Committee
(Proofread by KillerRobotQuote and edited by Procket12)
Pain...
That was the first thing that greeted me as I slowly regained consciousness. My head felt like it was fitted inside one of those medieval head clamps with some fucking sod slowly tightening it; and I could only compare the pain I felt coming from my back to one certain Chemistry lesson at my secondary school.
Who would have possibly thought that if you take a highly flammable liquid, add it with a Bunsen Burner and sprinkle a healthy dose of an idiot's idea of a funny joke would burn both my shirt and my back and cause me agonising pain? Yeah….some people are like that, unfortunately.
'What happened? Did I get drunk again?' I questioned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
'Okay, relax. Think this through. I remember waking up, going to work, working through a metric shit tonne of paperwork, having a nice meal, going to bed, then...' Trying to remember what happened was doing a number on my head. Suddenly, I remembered the forest, Mr. Kitty, screaming like a girl...and running into a wall. That last part wasn't one of my better ideas.
I opened my eyes only for them to be assaulted by the blinding light that stabbed at my retinas. The discomfort forced me to slam my eyes shut again. Whilst I recovered from the pain, I heard the unmistakable sound of a door latch and moving hinges.
My ears were met with the sound of...hooves? Slowly, I tried opening my eyes again. There was a lot less agitation that time. I was lying on a standard hospital bed and I was connected to a heart rate monitor. Hesitantly, I examined the extent of my injuries. The majority of my torso was bandaged up. Mr. Kitty had obviously dealt more damage than I initially thought. Reaching towards my head, I cautiously felt around the source of the pain. I winced as I discovered a lump above my left eye. What threw me off was the size of the lump; I practically head butted a wall and I only had a small lump to show for it. Surely the impact would have left the area completely swollen. Stopping my train of thought at the next platform, I took a moment to take in my surroundings.
The walls were painted cream white with the floor being the normal cadet grey seen in most hospitals. To the left there were two windows, both with the blinds rolled down. Rays of sunshine broke through the gaps in the blinds, dust swirling and dancing in the light. One of the windows was open, allowing the summer breeze to enter. I found it very soothing as it softly stroked my bare skin. But once I looked to my right, I saw a pony. A FUCKING PONY! In a hospital?! Is the the staff here crazy?! That or doctors got me on the strong stuff.
Her coat was white, not pure white, but white nonetheless. Her mane was... How do know that it is a 'she'? Well, since she had her back to me and the fact the her tail wasn't covering her private parts, it didn't take a genius to work out her gender. Now I'm not a pervert or a zoophile, I just made a observation. Honest! Her mane and tail were the same light pink colour. In true honesty, the colour reminded me of strawberry ice cream. Don't ask why and how I made the connection, the mind works in very weird ways. There were these tattoos on both of her flanks. The marking was a red cross with a heart in each corner, which were the same colour as her mane and tail. Also, she wore a nurse's hat!
'Wait a minute. She's not a nurse, is shie?'
Due to my throat being really dry, I started coughing whilst looking at the bedside table to see if there was anything to drink. My searching was interrupted by a gasp that caused me to look at where it had come from.
To my surprise, the pony looked at me with her wide, brilliant sapphire blue eyes. She rushed over to the bed and leapt on top of me.
"Thank Celestia that you're ok! I was so...I mean, we were so worried about you!" she cried as she nuzzled my chest.
'It talked! It. Just. Mother. Fucking. Talked! In perfect English! Hang on, if things like Mr. Kitty exist in wherever the fuck am I right now, why can't there be intelligent being that aren't human?' I pondered, still not quite sure what to make of this situation.
As a doctor myself, I found the way she acted to be very unprofessional. Though it would be understandable for a doctor to be relieved to see their patient pull through, crushing their ribcage is a big no no.
I pushed my thoughts aside for one moment. Before I joined in the conversation, I needed some water. Now!
"Could I please have some water?" I rasped.
She looked up at me with a shocked expression. She hopped off the bed and dashed over to the table on the far right of the room, picked up a cup of water and handed it to me.
'How did she pick that up with her hooves? Never mind that now, get that water down your throat! '
As I finished the water and placed it down on the bed side table, she smiled at me and began to nuzzle my arm. To be honest, I rather enjoyed it. Her soft, silky fur coated my arm with warmth.
"Thanks, I really needed that!" I said, breaking the silence.
"No problem. I'm Nurse Redheart," she chimed.
"Scott, Scott Hilton," I responded.
"Now," she began, picking up a clipboard and pen,"since you're a new patient here at Ponyville Hospital, I need to ask you some questions."
And what questions were they? The boring medical ones of course! 'Are you on any medication?', 'Do you have any medical conditions?', 'Do you have any allergies?'. You know, the questions you would expect. I know that they’re important for the hospital records, but they still bore me to no end.
Soon after she finished, she placed the clipboard and pen down on the table and jumped up onto the bed. As she looked at me, I couldn't help but feel relaxed. The fact that she was diabetes inducing levels of cute didn’t hurt either.
She proceeded to ask me to turn over so that she could properly examine my injuries. Reluctantly, I rolled over onto my front, grimacing at the pain that shot through my back. She cut the bandages slowly and carefully to minimise my discomfort.
Once the last bandage had been cut, the breeze rushed over the newly exposed skin, somewhat dulling the pain.
As she checked my injuries, my attention began to drift towards my thoughts. I had no idea how I got here, or where 'here' was, in fact. How was I supposed to get home? Could I even get home? Was this real or a dream? Everything seemed surreal and fake, except the pain.
Speaking of which...
I winced as Redheart prodded my back.
"Sorry!" she apologised, "Well, the medication and magic have worked quite nicely. Your injury has almost completely healed, though it will be sore for the next few days. So I advise you to avoid any and all strenuous tasks."
"Thank you. I owe you one!" I replied, turning back over.
"Just doing my job, dear," she smiled.
At this point, a hazel coloured unicorn poked his head through the door.
"Nurse Redheart, the princesses have arrived to see the patient. Could you please lead them here?" he asked.
"Of course." She hopped off the bed and walked over to the door. Changing her mind, she rushed over to the table and scribbled something down. Walking towards me with a piece of paper in her hoof, she climbed back onto the bed and placed the paper in my hand.
"If you ever need a friend to talk to or are feeling lonely, don't be afraid to come over. My doors will always be open to you," she said, blushing a bit.
She left my in the room to get the princesses.
'Why are the princesses here to see me? Have I done something wrong?'
Nurse Redheart returned with four other ponies, but these ones had wings and a horn. The tallest one stood just under 6 feet, if I didn't count the horn. Her coat was pure white, like snow. Her mane and tail, which were made up of different shades of blues, green and pinks, flowed freely in an invisible wind as it sparkled. The icon of the sun was on her flanks. Her eyes were an amazing shade of magenta. The crown that adorned her head was golden and had a purple gem in the centre. In addition, she wore a golden plate around her neck with the same purple gem in the middle and golden slippers on her hooves.
The second largest was about 4 and half feet. Her coat was a very dark blue and her teal eyes made me feel calm and relaxed. Her regalia included a black crown and neck piece, which had a white icon of a crescent moon, and light azure slippers. I didn't know how to describe her mane or tail except that it looked like the night sky. Just like every other pony I had seen, she had her own marking upon her flanks; in her case, it was the moon.
The next one sported a hot pink coat and a yellow, pink and purple mane and tail. She looked like a lollipop. What? She did! Her eyes were a beautiful light purple. She wore a gold tiara with a purple gem embedded into it, and a golden necklace and slippers. Her marking was a diamond shaped like a heart.
The final pony was the smallest of the group. She was lavender in colour with a mane and tail of violet with a strip of rose. Unlike the rest of the group, she only wore a golden tiara with a rose coloured gem at the top of each point. Her marking was that of a dark pink six pointed star on top of a white one surrounded by five smaller stars.
'I wonder if those markings have any significant meaning?' I thought to myself.
The white pony walked forwards until she stood right next to the bed, looking at me with those magenta eyes with a big smile on her face. I felt paradoxical sense of safety and foreboding.
"Let us introduce ourselves. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of this land. I rule alongside my sister, Princess Luna," She pointed a hoof towards the dark coloured mare. "And this is my niece, Princess Cadence, and my former student, Princess Twilight Sparkle," she explained as she pointed at the pink mare and then the purple one. "What is your name?" she asked, her tone soft and tender like a mother's.
"My name is Scott Hilton, your majesty," I responded, remembering how to correctly address royalty.
Celestia chuckled, " Welcome to Equestria, Scott. But I am not your ruler. You can address the other princesses and myself by name."
I nodded. I was surprised the co-ruler was being so relaxed with me. In all honestly, I was happy the royals here weren't uptight and didn't demand proper etiquette. They were down to Earth (or in this case, Equestria) rulers and I liked that. Nice change from the status quo.
"I know that you have a lot of questions but they will have to wait for the time being," Celestia said. She turned to Nurse Redheart. "Is Scott in a position to leave?"
"Yes, but before he leaves, I need to prescribe him medication to help with the pain," Redheart replied.
I lifted myself out of bed and stumbled as I shifted my weight onto my legs. They were stiff and sore after all the running. With help from Luna and Cadence, I followed the ponies to the pharmacist. I was given a bottle full of blue and red pills. Redheart told me that I needed to take these twice a day, one in morning and another before I go to sleep.
Turning around, I saw that a squad of guards had arrived and surrounded me. The thing that surprised me was that they had gone into a protective formation around me, observing all archs of sight.
"Is this really necessary?" I asked nervously. Why would they need to protect me?
"I'm afraid so, Scott. It's for your own safety. Some residents here in Ponyville are um...excitable, to say the least. This is just a precaution," Luna explained.
As Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Twilight, my escort of armed guards and I left the hospital, I found that the hospital was in the middle of a village. The infrastructure mainly consisted of medieval-style architecture. The houses were timber-framed with distinct thatched roof and overhanging upper floors. The houses and shops were built side by side each other next to a cobbled street.
The rest of the group continued to walk as I stopped to look to the scenery. It was so beautiful, so relaxed, so calm.
"Sir, we need to keep moving befo-"
"Come here, my human lover! You're going to rut me silly!"
Turning around, I saw a mint coloured unicorn galloping straight towards me!
'Bugger!'
Author's Note
And so the story continues!
Sorry if some parts of this chapter seem rushed. I've got a lot of work to do and I wanted to get this chapter finished before I go on holiday.
I hope you enjoyed the second chapter!
The next chapter should be done sometime in September (fingers crossed)
I turned around to Celestia. "Just for the record, this was in self defence."
When she gave me a confused look, I turned back to the approaching mare.
"Now we're going t-" I cut her off by slamming my fist into her face. The force of the impact sent her flying backwards and flopping onto the ground like a fish. Leaving her on the ground, I looked back at the group to see their stunned expressions.
...
"What!?"
"Sir, that wasn't necessary. We could have easily dealt with it ourselves," one of the guards stated. Whilst I had to agree that the guards were more than capable enough to deal with the crazed mare, I believe that I resolved the problem far quicker than they could have.
"Well, it doesn't matter now." I looked back over my shoulder to the unconscious mare.
"Scott, I can understand that you may be a bit on edge, given your situation, but that doesn't give you a free licence to start assaulting my subjects." Celestia's tone was very stern.
"Like I said, it was in self defence," I commented. "Besides, I'm not the kind of guy who goes around looking to punch people, or apparently in this case ponies, up the bracket."
Celestia face eased a little, though now had a confused look on her face. Probably because she didn't fully understand what punching someone 'up the bracket' meant.
"So you like to play rough, huh?" came a voice behind me.
I spun around to see that the mare had regained consciousness. Getting on her hooves, she stared at me with half-lidded eyes and one hell of a creepy smile.
'Round two,' I muttered.
Raising my fists and bending my knees, I brought myself into a defensive position, watching her every move. She responded by lowering herself to the ground, ready to pounce.
Fortunately for the both of us, Celestia stepped in.
"Miss Heartstrings, Scott here has only just being discharged from the hospital. I certainly hope that you don't want to be the cause of him returning there, do you?" Celestia stated, smiling all the while.
The mare looked between Celestia and me before bringing her gaze towards the ground with an expression of disappointment and guilt.
"No," she sighed, drawing circles on the ground with one of her fore hooves.
"Now apologise," Celestia commanded, then turning her head to face me. "Both of you!"
"Sorry," both Lyra and I responded.
I was still paranoid that Lyra was going to try something, so walked my way back to the rest of the group. Safety in numbers and all that.
'Note to self: don't come to Ponyville without a pole/cricket bat/frying pan,' I thought.
"I'll see you around, Scott," Lyra chimed as she walked off, swaying her rear as she did.
I paid her no further thought. Frankly, I was happy to see her leave and for good reason.
"Princesses, we really should be getting to Canterlot," the leader of the guards reminded.
Nodding her head, Celestia motioned for me to follow her. I did so until we reached a rather fancy carriage. It was made of gold, and precious gems were encrusted in intricate designs everywhere. Well, it is called 'the royal carriage' for a reason. The group and myself were ushered into a carriage and set off. Now this wasn't a normal carriage, oh no. This was a magical flying carriage! I kid you not.
Setting off, I looked out of the window and saw the picturesque landscape. Large pastures of long green grass surrounded by gentle hills flanked the town. It all seemed so idyllic. On the outskirts of the town was the biggest orchard I had ever seen. It seemed to stretch far past the horizon. 'There must be one hell of a work force to manage an area of land that big,' I thought.
My eyes were drawn to the forest. It had a look to it that would have gotten it marked ‘Here be Dragons’ on a Middle Ages era map. Definitely not planning an excursion there anytime soon. Turning my attention back to the inside of the carriage, the four princesses were all smiling at me. I couldn't help but be friendly and smile back. The guards, however, made no attempt to make eye contact, keeping their neutral gazes directed to the front. They reminded me of the guards at Buckingham Palace; you could do whatever you like and their faces wouldn't move.
After a short while, we arrived at our destination as the carriage came to a stop. Canterlot, the city with the most nonsensical placement ever. Of all time. It was hanging on the edge of a fucking giant mountain! When designing this place, the architects must have escaped from the local insane asylum, or were as high as fuck!
Stepping out, I saw that we had landed outside what must have been the royal castle, considering that it looked the most fancy and posh. The marble walls and golden architecture glimmered in the sunshine, making it difficult to look at directly. In my opinion, this put Buckingham Palace to shame; the castle in and of itself looked regal.
I would have stared longer, but Cadence nudged me to indicate that we were moving. Following the group inside, I saw that whoever built this place knew what they were doing, though they might have been a bit window crazy.
Celestia relieved the guards of their duties as we continued walking down the halls until we went inside a study. A large wooden desk was positioned at one side of the room with large stacks of paper placed neatly on top. The room also had a window that allowed the sun's rays to enter the small room. Sitting myself down on one of the many cushions, I made myself comfortable. It was short lived.
"Ok Scott, since you are new to Equestria, I'll be giving you a run down for everything you need to know," Twilight announced.
"Sure thing," I replied, not know that I'd just signed my own death warrant.
...
...
...
Two hours. Two hours of brain-leeching boredom. Twilight's idea of a run down was to tell me anything and everything about Equestria and Equus. And I mean everything! The history, the society, the races, the roles, the rules, the regulations, the social etiquette, the different countries and the list went on. And on, and on.
(On the note of countries, this place just takes the piss. Chneigha, Japony, Itaily? What the fuck is up with the pony puns?)
I would have told her to slow down or stop completely, but I couldn't get a word in edgeways. The other princesses, however, were enjoying my mental torture. For every groan, moan or sign of discomfort and boredom, they would giggle with smiles plastered onto their faces. But once Twilight had finally decided to finish, I sighed in relief and let my back fall against the velvety cushions. I could finally have some peace and quiet.
WRONG!
Twilight, in her ongoing quest for knowledge, started questioning me about where I came from, humanity and my own life. I was ready to just give up at that point. But being British, I kept a stiff upper lip and bit the bullet. The worst part was that after I'd finish answering one question, Twilight would be quick on the draw and ask another, with the other princesses joining in, if they got the chance to ask before Twilight did.
In the end, I had told them my profession and a bit about myself and a very brief history of Earth, considering that I never excelled in History at school; I included things like the Eygptians, the Romans, the British Civil War, the American Civil War, the British Empire, the World Wars etc, as well as some of the technological advances and discoveries we had made.
Luna was enthralled by our space programmes, as well as being completely stunned upon hearing that we had made to the moon. Twilight was furiously making notes, particularly on our scientific knowledge.
However, whenever I spoke of conflicts or wars, they became very sad and shocked, with Celestia being the most upset. They were horrified to learn what we, as a species, were capable of doing and what we have done to each other over the years, but I didn't tell them some of the more disturbing facts.
Why did I tell tell them about humanity's evils and mistakes? I don't know really, I just I thought that they deserved to know that humans aren't perfect and can be violent. Thinking about it now, I suppose that I was warning them about other humans. Since I was able to get to Equestria, that meant that others could arrive, and they might not be the most friendly. So you could say that I told them so that they would be more cautious about other humans that arrive, if any.
But one thing that seemed a bit odd to me was why Twilight had told me everything about Equestria. Yes, it was an ideal opportunity to exchange knowledge with another intelligent species but some of the topics and facts she told me about would have be more relevant if I was going to live here. Though I had to admit that Equestria is beautiful and all, but I had no desire to stay here longer than needed. I knew for sure that my family and friends would be wondering where I was and I was ready to return home.
"Well, that was very informative. Thank you Scott," Celestia said.
"My pleasure," I replied. I really had enjoyed our little discussion but I really want to return home to my life on Earth.
"Scott, could you tell me about the Large Haylon Collider again? I think I've missed a few things," Twilight said as she looked up from her note pad.
"Twilight, it's the Large Hadron Collider. I'll tell you about it later, ok?" I asked.
"All right," Twilight sighed in defeat.
"But I have one question and that being, how do I get home to Earth?" I asked, with a hint of worry. For some reason, I was worried about what the answer might be.
My worry increased tenfold when the princesses all worriedly looked at each other before looking back at me.
"I can go home, right?" I asked, mentally pleading that I could.
"I'm sorry that I have to be the one the to tell you but,...*ahem*," Celestia began, clearing her throat.
Although I hadn't heard what she had to say, my heart began to sank. There was no way that she was going to finish her sentence with 'you can go home.' Despite this, a small part of me still held on to the possibility of going home; a little voice in the back of my mind, giving me hope. In this case, that hope was most likely my own denial. I could feel the tell-tale signs that I was on the brink of tears, though none fell.
"Nopony has ever developed a spell for transporting anything or anypony beyond Equestria. Coupled with the fact that we don't know where Earth is in relation to us, even if we did have a spell to send you home, we wouldn't know where to send you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you're stranded here," Luna finished.
My fears had being confirmed. If I wasn't already sitting down, I think my knees would have buckled. Time seemed to slow down as the same words were repeated over and over again. 'You're stranded here.' My thoughts instantly turned to my family, my friends, anything and anyone I'd ever loved or cared for. My disappearance would be brought to the police, only for them to find no evidence. The more I thought about everything I was leaving behind, the more I began to break down and let my emotions spill out.
That's what I was the most distraught about; I could never tell my family and friends that I was alright. I would be presumed dead and they would never get the answers they craved.
My mind began to play out a scene. I saw my family and closest friends gathered around a small memorial, dressed in black. Their expressions for sorrow and despair as they listened to the service. My parents were already crying, with my brother struggling to keep the floodgate closed. The vision zoomed in on the headstone and it read:
In Loving Memory
of
Scott Rhys Hilton
Born 23-9-1984
Died 12-8-2014
You will always
be remembered.
Rest in peace.
I couldn't bear the thought of losing everything. I couldn't. This had to be a nightmare and I'd wake up any moment now. The vision faded until I saw the study again with the princesses looking me with concerned faces. It was only when my eyes started stinging that I realised that I was crying. Slowly, the tears snaked down my cheeks. When the first tear fell from my chin, time returned to its normal speed.
The four princesses encased me in a tender embrace with their wings, as if to shield me from the outside world. I didn't utter a word nor a sound, I was too sad to vocalise my sorrow. I hugged them back, enjoying the feeling of their feathers and fur against my skin. But it did nothing to stop the tears.
"Scott, look at me," Celestia asked.
I tightened my grip, her words falling on deaf ears. I wanted nothing to do with this world so I refused to open my eyes.
"Please look me," she asked again.
Again, I didn't move my head. The pain in my heart was the only thing on my mind. I was an emotionally broken man who had lost everything, stuck in a world that wasn't his own.
"Please, Scott. I need you to look at me," she pleaded.
Relenting, I tilted my head until I faced her. She had the most sincerely compassionate face I'd ever seen. Bringing one of her fore hooves to my face, she carefully wiped away the tears.
"I know that nothing we say or do can fill the emptiness inside you, but as long as you are in Equestria, you can stay in the castle. We'll try our best to find you a way home," she consoled.
"*sniff* Th-Thank you," I responded, "C-Can we stay *sniff* like this for a bit longer?" I was a man in need of company and the princesses were more than happy to oblige.
"Of course."
I remained in their soft embrace for, well to be honest, I don't know how long. Once I had calmed down, they retracted their wings. I could clearly see where my tears had matted bits of Celestia's fur. The door to the study opened to reveal a maid standing just outside.
"Your majesties, dinner is being served soon," she spoke, before looking at me.
"Thank you, my little pony. Could you prepare one of the spare rooms for Scott? she asked.
The maid was pulled out of her staring and then nodded her head.
"You are dismissed," Celestia ordered. With that the maid closed the door again and walked off.
"Come on, you'll feel better after having a meal," Luna stated.
We left the study and walked down the halls once more. On the way to the dining hall, I noted that the castle has a lot of different corridors, making very easy to get lost.
'The sooner I learn my way around here, the better!'
Eventually, we reached the dining hall. Inside was a large reactanglar table with chairs surrounding it. All the cutlery was polished to perfection and the napkins had somehow been folded into swans.
I sat myself down, shortly followed by the princesses. Twilight and Cadence occupied the seats next to me and Celestia and Luna sat opposite. Soon after we sat down, a cream coloured stallion with a brown mane and wearing a chef's hat walked out of one the side doors of the hall.
"Evening your majesties, and to you too sir. What would you like to eat?" he asked, whilst handing or rather hoofing out menus.
'What is this, a restaurant?' I thought, scanning through the menu. As expected, there was no meat and everything had hay in it.
"Do you have a non-vegetarian menu perchance?" I asked.
"Wait one moment please?" he replied before rushing back into what I presumed was the kitchen.
He returned with a creature I had never seen before. It stood on all-fours just like every other creature I had witnessed in Equestria. It had talons like meat hooks as well as a rather sharp beak. Its body was covered partially on feathers with the rest being fur.
From my observations, I concluded that it was a griffon. Though that was all thanks to Twilght's explanation of the several different races that inhabited this world.
"My pony friend tells me that you are carnivore like myself. Is this correct?" he asked.
"Technically, I am an omnivore," I responded.
"I see. Well then in that case, I suggest you have the roast hydra with some seasonal vegetables. Would that be to your liking?" he advised.
"I'll have that then, thank you."
He walked back with the stallion to the kitchen with our orders. I was relieved that I could still eat meat in a world of ponies.
Whilst the other were chatting, I leant on my arm and stared off into space. I was thinking about the situation I was in and what I was going to do. I didn't need to think about accommodation or food but I still wanted to work. I knew that I probably work at a local hospital, with me being a doctor and all. But whilst I was thinking, my thoughts had drifted to a possible solution to me resolving the situation. I could just jump through one of the many windows or off a balcony and end my life. Thankfully for me, my reasonable part of brain reminded me that killing myself wouldn't send me back to Earth nor let my see my loved ones again.
"How are you feeling?" Cadence asked, putting a hoof on my leg.
If I had been in a worse mood, I would have snapped out her for asking such a stupid question. But I knew she meant well so I decided against it and answered her.
"I've had better days."
And my day was about to get a whole lot worse. Walking through the main doors, there was a white stallion with a blonde mane that he had definitely spent too much time grooming. He walked with his muzzle high in the air, like he fucking owned the place. An A* example of a self-centred twat.
"Auntie, I need some bits! I'm going out with my friends," he whined. He sounded just like a fucking child and I'd bet you any money that those friends of his were only hanging out with him for bragging rights.
His appearance and the way he held himself really rubbed me the wrong way. I've always hated people who think that the world revolves around them, and that their needs are more important than anyone else's.
Sighing, Celestia magicked a bag of money to Blueblood. If it were me, I would have told him fuck off.
"Blueblood, let me introduce you to Scott," Luna said, gesturing to me with her hoof. I didn't want to any social interactions with him and Luna just pulled me into the conversation.
"Why is there a hairless ape eating at the table?" he asked, whilst I clutched my fists.
I really didn't like this guy and from the princesses expressions, they weren't happy about his petty name calling either. I kept my mouth shut, knowing that insulting him would make the situation worst.
"Now nephew, Scott here is a guest at the castle and will be treated with respect. Do I make myself clear?" Celestia asked, narrowing her eyes at Blueblood.
He ignored her completely as he turned back towards the door. With his back turned, I flipped the bird at him and I couldn't care less if he didn't see.
"Well, I'm off, for I have much better things to do than stand in the same room as a filthy animal!" he exclaimed, walking back towards the door..
As he walked back to the doors, I watched him. I waited until he had left the hall and closed the door before I spoke.
"What crawled up his arse?" I asked. The others, apart from Celestia, couldn't hold in their laughter. Seeing them laughing boosted my spirits a little.
"Whilst Blueblood isn't known for his politeness, I would advise you not insult him when he's within earshot," Celestia spoke.
"Why do you think I spoke my mind once he had left?"
The food arrived not long after that. I have to admit that the hydra was delicious. It was tender and juicy, like a steak. Looking around, I saw that others had ordered salads of different kinds. The rest of the meal went without a problem. And I have to tell you that these ponies know how to make a good sticky toffee pudding.
As I was polishing the plate off, the same maid from before walked into the hall and over to Celestia.
"The room is ready," she said happily.
"Thank you," Celestia answered, "Scott, if you'd follow me." Getting up from my seat, I said my goodbyes to Twilight, Cadence and Luna. Celestia lead me out of the dining hall and down several corridors. I was trying to remember each turn so that I wouldn't get lost I the morning.
We finally stopped outside a set of double doors. Opening the doors, I marveled at what I saw. Inside the room, the same white marble made up the floor and walls. Sitting next to one of the walls was a large double bed with posts at each corner. The bed had a light purple duvet which was accompanied by two soft white pillows. Past the bed was a balcony that overlooked the surround area. You could just about see Ponyville from there. Investigating the room some more, I saw a small fridge, most likely for booze. Finally, I saw another door which led to the biggest bathroom I've ever seen! The bath was more like a small swimming pool!
"I take it that you like it," Celestia giggled, watching me examine the room.
"This is awesome! I can't thank you enough for this! Though I would love to continue socialising, I think I'm going to head to bed. I'm quite tired at the moment," I admitted.
"I understand. Good night, Scott," she nodded.
"And to you," I smiled. Celestia closed the door behind her as she left.
I walked into the bathroom to get a glass of water. Filling a tumbler I found, I pulled out the bottle of pills Nurse Redheart has prescribed me, placing one into my mouth and drank the water. I put the glass down by the sink before picking up the toothbrush and toothpaste to clean my teeth.
After rinsing my mouth, I took my clothes off slowly to reduces the pain in my back and slipped myself into the bed. Oh boy, was it soft. I had a lot to think about. I was in a new world and was likely never to returned home. I would have thought about my situation some more, but the softness of the mattress and duvet lulled me to sleep.
Author's Note
And here it is! You've all been waiting for a long time for this chapter and I've finally finished it after many rewrites. Chapter four won't take as long to write so expect to see it soon.
Ta ta for now
