Waking up in Equestria

"What! How can you see them!? What to they look like?!" I asked in a mix of panic and apprehension.

"Your first feathers have broken the surface!" Twilight sounded joyous. "Awww!!!! I'm so proud!" she squealed.

"Proud?!!" I couldn't believe her reaction. "What is there to be proud of?!!" I was still leaning forward with Twilight's hoof on my back holding me in position. I saw the rag she had used to wipe my back with float past me towards a small table and land there. It was stained red.

"I'm sorry, Mason. It's just like a newborn pegasus foal! The same thing happens with their wings but when they are only a few days old. Forgive me if I get a little worked up about it... but it's just sooo cuuuteee!!"

"Just... tell me what you see." I resigned myself to her emotional state.

"A few flight feathers of each wing have broken the surface now... there's a couple on each side! Look Spike... He's going to have variegated quills!

"What does that MEAN?! Can I see?" I was still freaking out a bit and desperately wished for a couple of mirrors.

"No way! I've only seen pictures of those kinds of feathers in books!" Spike remarked.

"And look at how large the inner vane is on that one... oh Mason! Your wings are gonna be good when they finish growing!"

"Can I see?!" I asked.

A thumping scrape came from the door. "Now whatcha all hollerin about in here?!" came Apple Bloom's voice. I couldn't see her from the angle I was, but Scootaloo quickly appeared on the other side of the bed.

"No... freaking WAY!!!!" she burst in amazement and hopped up and down on the bed in joy when she saw my back.

"I know! Scootaloo... I'm so happy!" Twilight said in glee.

They 'awwed' together like a couple of girls with a newborn baby while looking at my back. I was trying desperately to maintain my cool at their lack of concern for my need to see.

"Do ya think we'll have ta go to the doctor, Twilight? I don't see any wing patches like foals have where the wings are supposed to come out." Scootaloo asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think we better get him there right away... oooHHHH I'm so excited!!!" Twilight was now positively vibrating. "Mason! We're going, can you get up?

"Wait.. where are we going? What's going on! CAN SOMEONE GET ME A DAMN MIRROR?!!!"

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Big Mac stopped in front of a large, clean building in the center of Ponyville. I was completely miserable. I'd felt like a zoo animal ever since we entered the fringes of the town from Sweet Apple Acres. There were ponies everywhere stopping and staring at me. Some waved, some didn't. Some trotted beside the cart for a while and looked at me with open mouths or asked questions. "Hey! You're that human I heard about, aren't ya?"

Twilight had told me that news had spread down from Cloudsdale about our encounter with Whipwind. The guards who came to haul the entrapped form of Scootaloo's father away had told their friends and family... who in turn told their friends and family. Most of Ponyville, Cloudsdale and now Canterlot knew there was a human staying at Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight and Scootaloo trotted beside us, Spike riding on Twilight's back while Apple Bloom rode with me in the same small open backed cart we had used to travel to Scootaloo's house that day. She seemed to be back to normal, happy and talking away with me about how cool it was we were going to see my wings finally and if I was gonna take flying lessons from Rainbow Dash. I hoped her and Scootaloo had worked things out and it sounded like they did.

There was nothing at the farm they could use to let me see whatever was going on back there and I had to resign myself to just play along. They seemed more excited about it than I was and left me little choice but to follow them as they threw a blanket around me, escorting me down to the kitchen to get Big Mac going. I asked Twilight to at least tell me what color they were, but she said something about not wanting to ruin it for me and I'd see soon enough.

And now here we were, walking into the large double doors that pushed open into a clean and well lit waiting room. It was curiously deserted. When I asked Scootaloo about it while Twilight spoke with an old mare behind the counter, my little filly friend told me that most pony problems got handled by magic, what with so many unicorns around. Only the really serious stuff needed an actual doctor. I guess it made sense.

The mare behind the counter leaned over to see me beyond Twilight's shoulder. She was a white mare with a red mane and she had a small white hat perched between her ears. She gave me an appraising look and then said "Are you positive?"

"Mason, can you please come here and turn around?" Twilight said without facing me.

I walked over and turned my back to the mare in the hat.

"Drop the blanket please." The mare said with an official tone.

She took a large gulping gasp when the blanket hit the floor around my feet. "By Celestia's sun!" she remarked with wonder. "Stay here..." and I heard say with sudden urgency and trot away.

Moments later, a door further down the white wall along the counter swung open to reveal a large dark blue stallion with a short white mane. He was dressed in the light blue fabric that reminded me strongly of the scrubs I'd see at the doctors office. "You must be the human!" he remarked with a pleasant tone and smiled. "I've heard about you, although I had no idea you'd be coming to my office needing a wing extraction!" he chuckled.

"Thank you for seeing us, Doctor Goodhoof. Now, I've done some observations and I think this will be just the same as doing a normal foal." Twilight informed him.

"Twilight Sparkle! I should have known you'd be involved in this!" he smiled again. "Are there any others coming for the special day?"

"Wait!!" I stopped him. "What do you mean others??!"

Scootaloo pressed against my side and I looked down at her. "The first time a foal spreads it's wings is special... everypony in the family wants to be there..." she smiled up at me.

"But... I'm not a foal...." it was all I could think to say.

"Duh, dummy!" she laughed and then said with sincerity, "But it doesn't make it any less special for the ponies that care about you"

"Mason, I'm sure all of us would like to see this... if you don't mind." Twilight said with a heart felt tone.

I felt conflicting emotions rolling around in a wrestling match in my head. I was scared shitless right now but everypony around me was treating it like some special occasion. They seemed so sincere that I thought maybe it would hurt their feelings if I didn't go along with it. I told Twilight that sure, I wouldn't mind.

"Aww!! Thank you Mason!" She hopped a little and gave me a quick hug. "I'll go get everypony and see you in the recovery room!" She bolted out the door, took to her own wings and was gone.

"Well! lets get this started. I'll need some extra time to inspect the area completely first. You'll be my first human to have done this on but there's nothing to worry about, If Twilight says she's done her homework well I'm inclined to believe her." the doctor held a hoof out for me, indicating I was to follow him.

My heart was in my throat. I'd never had any surgery or procedure done on me and I was filled with anxiety. Scootaloo pressed against me again. "I'll be here waiting for ya" she said looking up at me. I bent to give her a quick kiss. Spike made a retching sound from the chair in the lobby where he sat with a Apple Bloom.

Following the Doctor through the door and down a small hallway, we arrived in a good sized room with an examination table and bright lighting. A few small metal tables on wheels were nearby in the room.

"Alright, hop on up there and lay down on your stomach and I'll take a look."

I followed the instructions, getting gingerly down in order to avoid my still healing arm and felt his hooves press lightly on my back.

"Hmm... So tell me, Mason? Is it? Do humans ordinarily need wing extractions this late in life? Pardon my saying so, but you don't look like a newborn anything... unless newborn humans are as tall as you."

"Humans don't have wings..."

"Really?" he paused in his examination. "Then how on Equestria did you suddenly start growing them?"

"It's... a long story..."

"Ahh, yes well... Twilight Sparkle is involved... I imagine so." he said in an amused tone.

He continued his examination, muttering to himself and pressing gently around the area where the wings were. "Amazing flight feathers by the way... never seen anything quite like them."

"So I've heard..." I replied with a little sarcasm.

"Oh.. don't you worry! You'll be seeing them yourself soon enough. Alright, well I think this will be simple and straight forward. Your skin doesn't appear to be much different that ours and your wings are very well defined under there. In fact, I bet they'll practically pop out on their own! Let's get started."

"Wait! This isn't gonna hurt... is it?" I asked with true fear in my voice.

"Ha! You won't feel a thing, Mason. Just wait here a moment." With that he got up and opened the door behind me. He called down the hallway "Nurse! Medium application please, I won't need much time, but a little extra just to be sure."

"Time for WHAT?!" I asked, trying to see where he was. The pain in my back was bad... I'd not had any of Twilight's root for a while now.

I heard hoof steps and then a small, thin, yellow unicorn stepped into my field of vision as I lay face down on the examination table with my head turned to the side. She smiled at me, her horn starting to glow.

____________________________________________________

I opened my eyes and felt the strange disorientation of that post nap feeling you get. I was laying on my stomach and my memory caught up quickly with where I was. My back... my back felt so good! All the pain and tension was gone! I could feel a warm swath as if something was laying over my mid back.

"He's awake!" I heard a squeaky voice and then rapid hoofsteps fading away. The voice sounded like Sweetie Belle.

Feeling the light tickling touch of feathers on my skin had a dramatic effect on me. It was real. This was really happening. Feeling that sensation drove it home for me with a clarity beyond any doubt now. I had new parts of me that I could sense were attached to my body. Their presence and weight registered with my self awareness, but I was unsure of what to do about it... like my mind was trying to get used to a new set of instructions.

I was pushing myself up to a sitting position when what sounded like a stampede grew in the hallway beyond the open door of the room I was in. It wasn't the same room I had been in before. This one was smaller and private with only the bed and a chair occupying the otherwise sparse floorspace.

One by one, Twilight, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Rarity and Sweetie Bell, Rainbow Dash and finally Pinke Pie filed in the door. Rainbow Dash's cut on her head had almost healed but I saw one wing was still wrapped in a bandage.

"So....Scootaloo says you think you're gonna be faster than me!" Dash said smiling.

"Not a chance, right Dash?!" Scootaloo said, standing next to her blue friend.

"You said it!" and then they bumped hooves and laughed.

"Well.. come on... lets see them!" Rarity said with anticipation. "I'm SOOO looking forward to redoing your wardrobe to match!"

"Go on Mason... give them a stretch" Twilight encouraged.

I suddenly felt stupid. I had no idea what to do. I also wasn't sure I WANTED to... because seeing them would remove that last shred of doubt a part of me was hanging on to. "H...How?"

"Oh! You just... well... stretch.. them?" Fluttershy turned red. "I guess that doesn't help much, does it..."

"Mason, just feel them with your mind and push out, just like they're a hoof...er.. hand." Twilight said sympathetically. "I had to learn this too... I know how strange this can be."

I took a deep breath and concentrated on the new sensory perception I felt between my shoulder blades. I didn't even know what muscles to use! Trying to relax, I willed my body to move them. Confusing senses flooded my brain for a split second, then I felt the feathers on my back begin to slide outwards to both my left and right. Once they started moving, some part of my brain took over and it became easy.

It was like stretching my legs after an hours long car ride but thousands of times better. The feeling of them unhinging and extending was indescribably good. I pushed more, trying to extend them until I couldn't anymore and then I heard the room gasp.

"No.. way..." I heard Rainbow Dash say softly.

I opened my eyes and saw the looks on their face. Turning my head to the right, I finally set eyes on my wings.

I could only see the about half of the length but it was enough to get the overall effect. The feathers appeared to be a light gray color at first. But when I shifted my body slightly, the light from the overhead windows changed angles on them and I saw that they were iridescent underneath the gray overtone. Intense slivers of greens, yellows, blues all shimmered quickly in the ribs of each feather as the light struck them at a different angle, giving them a depth that reminded me of Celestia's mane and tail. The main structure of the wing, the part that flexed and moved while I watched it, was covered with a soft looking coat of downy feathers that had the same appearance as the rest but the color began to turn a darker shade the closer it got to my body making it impossible to see what it was next to my skin.

The most striking feature were the quills of the large feathers. They were a deep, blood red color that faded out to match the gray undertone of the feather around it as it neared the tips. I gave another experimental flex, watching them move in and then back out again. They didn't extend far, maybe only a foot or two past my body. Turning my head quickly to the left, I saw the same features on the left wing.

Staring at that iridescent patterns and striking color of the quills, I became overwhelmed. I couldn't stop myself from starting to cry as the whole experience I'd had leading up to this point folded in around me. My entire existence had changed in such a short time and these wings were the absolute proof of that change. Tears filled my eyes up quickly and spilled over my cheeks. I wasn't sure if I was happy... sad... or scared. All I knew is I needed to let it all out somehow.

"Aww... Mason..." I heard someone in the room say.

Closing my eyes, I gave myself over to it began to weep openly. Within moments, I felt several pony hooves guiding me off of the bed to my feet and then I was surrounded by them. Several bodies embraced me with an almost palatable love and acceptance that I could feel radiating into me. It made me cry harder because I was so glad for it.