Finding your beatby scootalooftwChaptersIs this real life? (Old Version)Is this a dream? (New version)Is this real life? (New Version)Escape this realityIs this a dream? (Old Version)Is this real life? (Old Version)Author's Note ~~Hey guys, sorry for the wait on a new chapter. Busy 2 weeks has been a busy 2 weeks. After this, expect one chapter a week for however long this ends up going. I literally have very little planned for this other than it being something to have some fun with. I haven't had a chance to fully edit this yet, so if any of y'all see anything wrong, let me know!~~ ~~Just a bit of an FYI for y'all. I'm no medical expert, most of the medical shiz in the chapter is a combination of what i know from growing up with my grandfather, who was an infectious disease special, my 1 year of Psychology, and google searching medical terms i kinda knew the meaning of.~~ ~~As for my horse related mumbo jumbo, I am more confident that I got most of that right, as i spent 12 years riding the damned things, so although I'm a bit rusty in the knowledge department, I know horses (and ponies) fairly well. That said, If anyone sees anything i DID get wrong, speak up!~~ Same thing as the last chapter, a re imagining of the story is taking place, and while the original 2 chapters will be left up for prosperity sake, they aren't required reading, as there will be a decent amount of repeating going on in the new version of the chapters. "Speech Bubble" 'Thought Bubble' Is this real life? (Old Version) As the hospital room faded to black, my eyes slowly closed, everything going dark until…. My eyes snapped open as I woke up. The steady sound of a heart monitor the only sound that greeted me. As I lay there, my surroundings slowly came into focus as I took stock of my situation. ‘Ok, heart monitor, from the smell and the look of the room, I'm still in the hospital. But was I really in the hospital? That had to be a dream… But it felt so real! The clean smell of the air, the feel of the grass, and the other ponies as they lifted me. The pain…’ Lifting my head, I looked myself over, finding my left arm done up in a sling. ‘Ok, so, left arm in a sling, probably broken.’ lifting my right arm, I looked it over ‘And I have hands. Ok, so that obviously was a dream. Just a very… vivid one I guess.’ Before I had a chance to check myself over any further, the door opened as a nurse walked in to check on me. “Oh, you're awake? Give me just a minute, I'll go fetch a doctor.” After a quick once over, the nurse left, closing the door behind her. Laying my head back, I started thinking over my apparent dream. ‘What was up with that weird dream, and why did it feel so real? I mean when they lifted me into that wagon it actually hurt! A lot! And what did it mean? I mean I'm no stranger to the HiE section of FiMfiction. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I didn't entertain a fantasy of going there myself!’ Before I could go any further with that train of thought, it was promptly derailed as the door opened and a doctor came walking in. “Good to see you're awake, you took quite the spill you know?” The doctor said. “You took quite a blow to the head, so we were a bit worried.” “Wh-” I started, having to pause to clear my throat. “What happened?” “Well, according to the students who witnessed your fall, they said you passed out while going down the stairs at school. You hit your head and shoulder on the steps while falling. Along with a minor contusion on your frontal lobe from the impact, you also broke your collarbone and fractured the radius bone in your left arm. As for why you passed out, while doing an MRI on the contusion caused by the fall, we noticed that there was a reduced amount of Hypocretin-1 in your cerebral cortex. Tell me, have you been having trouble staying asleep? Or perhaps getting sleepy or falling asleep at random times during the day?” Thinking back, I nodded. “Yeah, it's been been getting worse lately, but for the last month I haven't been able to stay asleep at night, and during the day I tend to get really tired. That's actually the last thing I remember in the hall. I was getting ready to go down the steps and just got extremely tired, then nothing.” “Interesting,” the doctor stated, writing down what I told him “well that pretty much confirms what we were thinking. Judging from what we found in the MRI, as well as what you just told me, it would appear you are narcoleptic. We'd like to run some more tests, just to be sure, and we'd also like to keep you overnight for observation. Head injuries aren't something you want to take a chance with.” “Ok, yeah. Whatever you have to do.” I responded despondently. As the doctor started going over the procedure for the additional tests, I zoned out to think on what had happened. ‘Was that all a just a dream though? It felt so real… Then again, the injuries I suffered when I fell were similar to the ones I had in that… whatever it was. Was it a hallucination? I think I remember hearing somewhere that narcoleptics tend to hallucinate. I think. Maybe? Maybe I should ask the doc about that.’ Turning to question the doctor, I realized I was alone in the room. ‘Huh, I really do need to not zone out when someone is telling me something important…’ With the doctor gone, and nothing to keep me occupied, I lost myself in thought again. Thoughts of everything from the repercussions of my injuries and my condition on my daily life, to what abilities from different characters in different games would be applicable in different situations. You know, normal stuff. At some point my dad came by, having left work and driven 2 hours from Hershey after he heard I was in the hospital. Giving him the keys to my apartment, I told him he could stay there tonight if he wanted, so long as he brought me something to read. About an hour later, and countless scenarios later, my dad returned with the music theory book I had recently picked up, and after a short visit, and multiple assurances I was ok, he left me to my reading. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, with only the nurse stopping by to bring me dinner, and the doctor taking me for a few more tests. The sun was on it’s way towards the horizon, when another bout of drowsiness hit. As hard as I tried to continue my reading and power through it I could see the darkness encroaching on my vision. I closed my eyes to attempt to blink the sleep from them, and when I opened them... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The hospital room looked completely different. When I closed my eyes, I was in an off-white room, a small television in the corner, and windows with the shades partially drawn to my left. When I opened them, I found myself in a manilla room, a dry erase board to the left, with notes jotted on them. The window, which had been on my left, barely blocking the rays of the setting sun, was now to my right, allowing an unobstructed view of the sunrise. Looking myself over, I saw my left arm still in a sling as well as a cast. Lifting my right arm, I saw it wrapped in some type of ace bandage. I also noticed that both of my arms were now green, and ended in… ‘Hooves? So I’m a pony again?’ Giving myself a more thorough look, I saw that I was indeed in the body of a little green pony again. Shifting to try and get a better look at myself, I rolled to the left and instantly regretted it. I felt something get trapped between me and the bed, followed by a searing pain originating from my back, around where my shoulder blades would be. ‘Ok, that didn’t exactly tickle.’ Gritting my teeth in pain, I rolled back to my right and looked over my left should to try and figure out what I just laid on. ‘Wings, so I’m a pegasus? And it’s in a sling… Did they say something about a wing when they brought me in? I know I heard something about a break, and maybe a dislocation?’ Lifting the sheets, I decided to check myself out while I was still alone. ‘Going off my coloring, and the fact that I’m a pegasus, I’m going to go ahead and assume that I’m my OC. Which means that my Cutie Mark should be… Not there? I know I gave my OC one, unless I’m not my OC…’ After a slight moment of panic, I spread my legs to make sure I was all there. ‘Thanks Zombie Raptor Jesus, still got my dangly bits.’ Laying back in bed and exhaling in relief, I drop the covers just as the door opens. Looking up, I see a very familiar white earth pony with a light pink mane and a Cutie Mark of a red cross with a quartet of hearts surrounding it. ‘Nurse Redheart? Sweet.’ Looking up from the clipboard she’s somehow holding in one hoof while she walks, she gives me a gentle smile as she notices I’m awake. “Well hello there, little one. I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.” “Ha… Hello.” I manage to squeak. ‘Ah hell, if the lack of a Cutie Mark didn’t prove it, that voice sure as hell did…’ “Do you remember where you are? How you got here?” Redheart questioned, keeping the same compassionate smile on her face. “H… hos… hospital.” I struggle to reply. ‘What the hell is up with that? Why is it so hard to speak? I kinda figured I was young again, but I didn’t think I was that young.’ “Ah… I. Fff. Feel. Fffall.” “It’s ok, sweetie, don’t force it. Why don’t we keep it to yes or no questions, how’s that sound?” Redheart suggests, a slight bit of concern showing through her calm, compassionate mask. “K” I force out, growing frustrated with my inability to force even the simplest of words out. “Judging by your injuries, we assumed that you fell from somewhere. Do you remember where you fell from?” ‘Yeah, I fell down a flight of stairs and apparently knocked myself into another reality.’ Knowing the nurse would never believe a tale like that, I simply shook my head no. “You said you remember falling though, do you remember anything before that, or just the fall?” ‘Nothing you’d believe.’ Again I shake my head. “Do you know how old you are? Until we find some way to identify you, we can only assume based on your size. We were thinking you were between 8 and 10, does that sound right?” ‘God, I hope I’m not that young.’ I shrug, ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ By this point, Redhearts smile has all but fallen, a concerned frown forcing it’s way onto her face. “Name?” ‘If I’m my OC like I think I am…’ I nod my head. “Duh. Dree. Eem. We. Ver.” ‘Jimmeny Cricket this shiz is getting redonculous.’ “Dream Weaver?” Redheart asks, a small smile returning to her face. ‘I hope so.’ I nod in response. “Well, at least now we have something to work with! Now, before I pass what we learned on to the nice ponies trying to find your parents, how about I go over your injuries with you?” Redheart asks, her cheerful demeanor returning. ‘If I’m as young as you supposedly think I am, I don’t know how you’d expect me to really understand any medical terms, but go ahead.’ I snark in my head, nodding in response. “Alright sweetie, you have a hairline fracture on your right metacarpal, that’s your front right cannon, bone, as well as a full break in your front left metacarpal bone and humerus. You also dislocated your left wing, as well as slightly fracturing the shoulder joint. For these injuries you will need to keep your wing in its sling, and your right foreleg wrapped for about a week and those will be fine. As for your left foreleg, that will need to stay in it cast and sling for at least 3 weeks.” ‘About what I expected, recovery time. Didn’t think I had quite that many injuries though. At least there’s no head injury on this “side”’ I nod to let her know I understand so far. At this, Redheart takes on a slightly worried expression again. “As for your head.” ‘Aw shit, I jinxed it.’ “You hit your head pretty hard in that fall. The unicorn doctors did all they could to help, but you have some slight damage to your frontal lobe, more specifically the Broca’s area. That’s the part of your brain that controls speech production.” ‘And I did just take Psychology this semester, so I know exactly where this is going.’ My expression must have given away what I was thinking, because no sooner had that thought gone through my head, than Redheart’s expression became even more somber. “The doctor said it was possible that you would have trouble speaking properly once you woke up. He also said there was a chance your brain could heal the rest of the way on its own, but more than likely you will have a speech impediment for the rest of your life.” ‘Well, shit… That’s kinda dark for happy little horsie world. And she just told an 8 year old flat out like that? The hell Redheart?’ Forcing a smile Redheart continued. “Don’t worry though, sweetie, once we find your parents we can help you get set up with someone that might be able to help. I need to go drop these notes off with the doctor and check on the other patients. If you need anything, just hit the call button on the side of your bed.” With one last fake smile, Redheart turned and hurried out the door. ‘Has Equestria ever heard of using a bit of tact? Like seriously, a trained professional nurse just came in here and delivered a diagnosis to a supposed 8 year old… Like that.' Laying back in bed, I decided to occupy myself with something else. ‘Fukit, not even gunna think about it right now. This is all some kind of dream. Some kind of long, repetitive dream.’ Glancing out the window, I saw that the sun was climbing high in the sky. ‘Did… Did she seriously not bring breakfast either? From the looks of the sun, its getting close to noon, and no one brought breakfast? I’m supposed to be 8! Are the ponies seriously going to forget to bring a child food?!’ Not long after my mental tangent, a blue earth pony mare with a green mane and a Cutie Mark identical to Redheart’s pushed a cart into the room. “Alright dearie, I hope you’re hungry! Lunch today consists of a fresh garden salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of Sweet Apple Acres apple sauce, and a nice big glass of milk to help those bones of yours heal!” She lifted the lid with an extremely enthusiastic smile to reveal a spread of everything she mentioned, plus a few more things. ‘Is that Jell-O with fruit in it? Oh, I hope it’s pears. I haven’t had pears in ages!’ Noticing me eyeballing the jell-o, the nurse slid it to the back of the tray as she set it in front of me. “Now now dearie, if you want dessert you gotta make sure you clear your plate first!” ‘But the salad has tomatoes in it.’ I mentally pouted ‘Hey wait, and it has onions in it, too. I thought equines can’t eat tomatoes or onions? Well, she da nurse, I’m sure she knows better than me.’ I start devouring the salad before I notice I’m using my right wing like a hand to hold the fork. ‘Pegasus wings are prehensile?! Bad ass!’ I get most of the way through the salad before I realise something ‘Wait a minute… I hate tomatoes. And onions. Yet I just wolfed that salad down like it wasn’t shit. What?’ Shaking the thought from my head, I finish the rest of my meal. ‘I’ve got more important things to worry about than my sudden taste for foods I used to hate. Like the fact that I’m, you know, a friggin pony! And not just a pony, but a little colt!.’ Picking up the empty tray and putting it back on the food cart, the nurse turns to leave. “Well dearie, I’m Nurse Tenderheart, and the pony you met early is Nurse Redheart. We are both on this floor, so if you need anything don’t be afraid to hit that call button, okay?” With one last smile, the nurse, now identified as Tenderheart, turns and leaves the room. ‘Well alone again, wonder if there is anything to do in here. Maybe I can get them to bring me a book.’ Looking around the room, I spot a book sitting on the table next to my bed. ‘Hello there! What do we have here?’ With a bit of stretching, I manage to reach the book and bring it over to me. ‘“Music Theory for Computer Musicians” What? This is the book I was reading in the hospital. The real hospital. How do I have it here, too? Is it because this is some kind of hallucination? Is it just just filling the world in with things I already know?’ Flipping through the book, I notice something is off. ‘But wait, I haven’t finished this book, so how is the entire thing here? If my mind was just filling the world with familiar things, wouldn’t it only put the parts of this book I’ve already read? Screw it, I’m giving myself a headache. Imma just go ahead and pick up where I left off, and read till I’m human again.’ After a few hours of reading, Tenderheart returns with another cart of food, and after I clean my plate, she leaves me to my book. Not to long after eating, I find it hard to keep my eyes open, and the slowly darkening sky clues me in to just how late it’s getting. Putting my book aside, I find a comfortable position and snuggle in, waiting as sleep slowly overtakes me. Is this a dream? (New version)Author's Note And now, I present to you... (insert drum roll here) the re imagined chapter 1! The real world side of things haven't changed very much at all, the only things I changed were grammar and the wording of a few sentences I didn't care much for. The pony side of things, however... very few things about the pony side of things are the same. He still has the same injuries, and... that's about where the similarities end. Besides that, it has been completely rewritten. As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! Is this a dream? (New version) I sighed as I made my way to my car. It had been another long night of hours laying in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, only to finally get to sleep a couple hours before I had to be up for work. That's not too terribly unusual for me, between depression and anxiety, I'm no stranger to long nights of my overactive mind wreaking havoc on my psyche, but lately it had been getting worse. Add the stress of finals to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. As I unlocked my car and sat down, I couldn't help but lean back and take a moment to think. ‘Well, I was late to work today… Again. And I could barely stay awake in my algebra class today. Pretty sure I missed half the lecture just trying to find ways to keep my eyes open.’ Buckling my seatbelt, I put my foot on the clutch and put my car in neutral before pushing the button on the center console to start it. ‘At least I'm interning with my brother-in-law’s philanthropic group, so I don't need to be too worried about being fired. Although if I don't pick it up and make sure I pass my classes there may be a problem…’ Frowning slightly, I switched my radio to Bluetooth before shifting into first gear and pulling away. ‘I mean I don't think he’d fire me… The whole deal was I go back to school, and as long as I'm passing my classes he makes sure I have a place to stay and I don't go hungry.’ Driving farther up the driveway, I find a place to turn around to head out the front driveway. The “office” I work in is more of a renovated barn on my brother-in-law’s parent’s property, although from looking at it you could never tell. Although a bit short for me, standing at 6’2”, it's nicer on the inside the some houses I've been in. Hell, it's nicer than some places I've lived in. The office itself sits back behind the main barn of the property, and has easy access to both the front main drive, and the rear driveway that goes past the tractor barn. As I turn around, I notice some of the girls from the barn out taking a lesson, so I stop to watch for a minute. ‘It's been awhile since I've been on a horse. I kinda miss it… Maybe I should ask if I could get on one of the horses sometime? Nah, that would probably be weird… Pretty sure most of the people that ride here are still in high school. What would they think of some random 25 year old guy asking if he can go riding with them?’ Chuckling at the thought, I finish turning my car around and head out the front driveway. After checking both ways, I pull out of the driveway and start heading towards my apartment. ‘Well, just because I don't think he would be too pissed if I'm late, doesn't mean I should push my luck. He's really helping me out, and it would be terrible of me to take advantage of him like that.’ As I continue down the road, I feel my eyes getting heavy as sleep tries to overtake me. ‘Ugh, again? My brain is perfectly ok with me going to sleep while behind the wheel of a moving car, but as soon as my ass hits the bed it's like nope, not tired! What the actual fuck, brain? Good thing I live close to where I work, I can just take a nap or some shit when I get home.’ Pulling into my apartment, I parked my car and headed up, ready for a nap. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘4 o'clock in the morning… It is 4 o'clock in the fucking morning… And I'm still awake?’ Groaning in exacerbation, I rolled over and grabbed my phone. ‘Maybe some fan fiction will help? Usually reading makes me tired.’ Scrolling through my “read later” list, I try to decide on a fic that will help put me to sleep. ‘I don't want it to be something too interesting, because then I'll be up all night reading, again… Although some of these I don't even know what possessed me to add them to the list. I mean the premise for some of these just sounds terrible! Oh well, this one looks boring enough to help me pass out.’ My reading material picked, I switched the browser to reader mode and started reading. ‘Ok, this actually isn't too bad so far. The story started well, isn't too excessive, there aren't random things happening for no reason. The grammar doesn't make it look like it was written by a 3rd grader even! I mean, I know my grammar isn't amazing, but damn! Some of the stuff I've read is almost painful to read. The worst part is as bad as the grammar can be on some fan fictions, the story itself can be so captivating! And now I'm on a tangent, where was I again? Ah yes, I was just getting to the part where the OC helps the mane six get the elements and… Oh look, there's seven elements now… It's one of those… Well, I'll give it a chance, it's written pretty well so far, so hopefully it's not another one of those “my OC is a Mary Sue and knows the exact way to solve every problem ever” story. Those are so overdone.’ Looking at the time, I realize it's now going on 5 and I'm still awake. ‘Ugh, damnit! It's been almost an hour and I haven't even finished one chapter. Brain, stop, let me sleep, or let me concentrate on my reading. No more tangents!’ Deciding to try sleep again, I lock my phone and roll over. Finally getting comfortable, I close my eyes… Just to hear the alarm on my phone start going off. Picking up my phone, I see the time is 8:50 in the morning. “What the hell, it was just five” I grumble to myself, hitting snooze and rolling back over. I close my eyes again and lay there for a second before it hits me. “Shit!” I bolt up and grab my phone, seeing it's now 8:52. “I've gotta be at work in 8 minutes and I haven't even showered yet, damn it!” Hitting play on my phone, I put some music on, and ten minutes later I emerge from the bathroom showered, teeth brushed, and ready to go to work. “Shoes, shoes, where the fuck did I put my shoes…” Finding my shoes tucked under the couch, I throw them on and grab my keys, phone, and wallet. Checking the time as I ran to my car, I notice it's already 9:10. “Well, late again dumb ass, good job!” Hopping in my car, I pulled out and hauled ass towards work, not even bothering to put my radio on. ‘Today's going to suck…’ “I'm so glad it's Friday.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2pm rolls around, and after struggling to stay awake through English Comp, I'm finally done class for the week. After collecting my books and putting them in my bag, I start making my way towards the stairs. ‘I'm glad none of my classes are on the ground floor. I think all the walking I do on campus and the stairs are the only reason I don't weigh as much as I probably should…’ As I near the steps, another wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and I once again feel my eyes getting heavy. ‘Woah, while driving is bad enough, but now I can't even walk without wanting to pass out? Maybe I should… Maybe I… See… Doctor…’ As I take the first few steps, my vision slowly tunnels in as everything starts going black, and I see is the stairs rising to meet me,the world around me going into slow motion. As my head's about to hit the steps, I hear and feel a deafening boom sweep through me as I am blinded by a bright polychromatic light. The light clears, and moments before darkness fully envelopes my vision, I see green rapidly rising to meet me. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pain. As I awaken, all I can feel is pain. I lay on the ground for a while, eyes closed tight, trying to make sense of anything through the pain. I slowly open my eyes, taking time to let them adjust to the light. Once my eyes are fully open, the first thing I notice is I'm outside. I try to raise my head, but the pain stops me, so I set it back down while I try to talk stock of the situation. ‘Ok, I was in school, leaving class, then what? I remember getting up, heading down the hallway and getting to the stairwell… Stairs! I remember falling down the stairs! So then how did I get outside?’ Hearing noise nearby, I struggle to finally raise my head and take a look around. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying in a grassy field, what looks like woods to my left. As I start panning vision to the right, I see a colorful blob moving in the distance. ‘Alright, someone must be nearby! Now to try and get their attention’ Struggling to keep my head up, I take as deep a breath as I can manage and yell. “Haaaaa!!” ‘Well, that was supposed to be help, but as long as they can hear it.’ After a brief coughing fit, I yell again. “Hhaaaaa!!” I let out a relieved breath and lay my head back down as I see the colored blob start moving closer. ‘Well that was annoying, but at least they heard me, I hope.' After what felt like hours to my pain addled brain, I finally hear a voice. “Hello, is somepony there?” A rather young, posh sounding voice called out. ‘Somepony… What?’ “Hello,” the voice called out again, now beginning to move in my direction. “Anypony?” I opened my mouth to answer, but just before I called out the colored blob slowly came into focus, revealing a small, white unicorn with a purple mane and tail, levitating a half of a large rock behind her. ‘No way… No freakin way…’ Stunned by what I was seeing, my voice died in my throat. ‘I can’t be seeing this… This can not be real…’ The small unicorn slowly made her way towards me, and just when she was about to turn around and continue on her way, she finally took notice of me. “Ah, there you are. Excuse me, but would you happen to the one calling for…” Her words slowly trailed off, before her sentence ended with a large gasp. ‘There is no freakin way that this is happening.’ The pony, whom at this point was looking more and more familiar, dropped the rock she was carrying with a solid thud and galloped to me as fast as her legs could carry her. ‘I have to be dreaming or something.’ “Oh dear, are you alright?” she began fretting over me. “Oh, what are you asking for, Rarity, look at him! Of course he isn’t alright.” ‘I died or something. I'm in a coma. This isn't real. This can't be real! I refuse to believe it.’ I was brought back to awareness when the pony crouched down in front of me and locked eyes with me. “Can you hear me, darling?” To stunned to answer, I simply nodded my head. As I nodded, fresh waves of pain shot through my body, causing me to screw my eyes shut and clench my teeth. When the pain lessened and I once again opened my eyes, the unicorn had stood back up and was giving me a pitying look. “Oh dear, and I’m guessing you can’t stand, can you?” ‘No shit, Sherlock.’ “No, of course he can’t. Why would you even ask that, look at him!” She chided herself. Biting her bottom lip, her face scrunched up in concentration for a moment before her horn was enveloped in a light blue glow. “But maybe I can lift him…” Feeling a warm, tingling sensation envelope my body, I opened my mouth to protest, but all that left my mouth was a pained groan. The tingling sensation intensified, before it was replaced with the feeling of something pushing in on me from all sides. As soon as pressure was put on my body, everything exploded into waves of white hot agony and I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing but a strangled gasp left my throat. The pressure subsided, and my pain addled mind began to slowly drift in and out of consciousness. After what felt like days, my senses slowly began to clear up again, and I noticed the unicorn was no longer standing in front of me. My eyes wandered as far as they could without my head moving, and I saw that while the rock half she had been carrying was still here, she was nowhere in sight. ‘If that was who I think it was, she may have just solidified her position as worst pony, because god did that hurt! Looking on the bright side, I can now replace broken ribs as the most painful injury I’ve ever experienced.' I allow my eyes to wander the horizon, attempting to catch sight of anything moving in the distance. ‘I sure as hell hope she went to go get help…’ My eyes began to feel heavy, and I slowly began to drift off. Just before my eyes fully closed, another surge of pain went through my body, jolting me to full wakefulness. ‘And I sure as hell hope she hurries…’ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The sun had reached its zenith and had begun making its way towards the horizon when the sound of rapid hoofsteps making their way towards me alerted me to the presence of multiple ponies. “And you’re sure he’s here?” I heard a deep, smooth voice ask. “Yes, yes,” a familiar voice answered back. “I left my gems with him, and my horn is telling me they’re down in those bushes.” ‘She did go to get help! I take it back, you aren’t worst pony, you’re best pony! Trixie be damned!’ The thunder of hoofsteps drew closer, before the small white unicorn enter my field of view, followed closely by a large, brown stallion in a white doctor’s coat. Following behind him where two earth pony mares with a stretcher slung between them. One was light blue with a red mane and medical cross cutie mark, while the other was white with a pink mane and a cutie mark of a heart with a bandage on it. ‘And they brought the cavalry, yay!’ “Ok, there’s my stone…” Her eyes drifted from the stone towards me, and she seemed to almost overlook me before her eyes locked onto mine. Pointing a hoof in my direction, she looked over her shoulder and called out. “And there he is, doctor!” The doctor looked towards me, and, although he was looking almost directly at me, didn’t seem to see me. “Where, all I see is a bush, I don’t see… Oh dear.” Finally noticing me, the doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, before his eyes dilated to the size of pinpricks. “Nurses! Over here, quickly! Bring the stretcher!” The doctor galloped towards me, and slid to a stop just short of me. Crouching down, the horn on his forehead I had failed to notice before lit up, and a small ball of light floated out of it. Looking me directly in the eyes, the doctor shined the light directly onto my face, blinding me and causing my head to pulse with pain. Letting the light fade away, the doctor pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and began talking while writing. “Patient appears to be a young pegasus colt, light green coat with a two tone green mane.” The doctor looked up from his notepad and craned his neck to look behind me. “Cutie mark is of a blue feather quill in a black inkwell, no birthmarks or scars to use as identifying marks.” ‘Young pegasus colt… wuht?’ The two earth ponies brought the stretcher over and set it down in front of me. The doctor’s horn lit again, and I felt a warm tingling once again envelope me. ‘Oh no…. Please don’t try to move me…’ The tingling intensified, but rather than the feeling of pressure I was expecting, it instead morphed into what I could only describe as a feeling of ‘my entire body just fell asleep’. “Patient exhibits signs of a mild concussion, however a full body scan has ruled out any neck injuries, so it should be safe to move him.” ‘And here comes the pain.’ The doctor’s horn lit up and a pale white glow encompassed my body. I screwed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth in anticipation of the pain, however rather than mind numbing agony, I momentarily felt weightless as the ground moved away from my body, and then moments later I felt the rough fabric of the stretcher meet my stomach. ‘Huh, no pain…’ The two earth ponies moved to either end of the stretcher and crouched down, hooking the bars protruding from each end into some type of specially designed saddle they were both wearing “List of injuries to include two broken forelegs, what appears to be a dislocated left shoulder and wing, as well as multiple contusions and lacerations covering his neck, chest, and stomach. A more in depth scan will need to be performed at the hospital to check for further injuries.” The doctor then flipped his notebook closed and stuffed it in his coat pocket before moving around the stretcher and approaching the pony I now was sure was filly Rarity. “I appreciate you coming to get us, young filly, but you should get home now. It isn’t safe to be out this far from town by yourself, especially with all those gems. Diamond Dog country isn’t far, and they tend to wander pretty close to town.” “But what about the colt?” Rarity asked, looking around the doctor at me. “Is he going to be alright?” “We’ll do the best we can, but you getting us so fast was a big help. Why don’t you take your rock and head home, in a day or two you should be able to visit him if you’re still worried about him.” “Well, ok, if you say he’ll be ok…” Rarity’s face scrunched up in concentration once more, and with a grunt, the rock full of gems shakily rose into the air. Casting me one last glance, she turned and trotted off, the rock slowly following behind her. “Such strong levitation, at her age?” The doctor chuckled before shaking his head. “Either she has a gem talent, or she’s going to be one hay of a mage when she grows up. That’s the only way a filly her size could lift a rock that big…” Clearing her throat, the nurse hitched to the front of the stretcher spoke up. “Um, doctor… the colt?” Snapping back to attention, the doctor turned around and trotted over. “Ah, yes, let’s get him to the hospital, shall we?” ‘Jeez, speak so casually about it, why don’t ya? Prick’ “Let’s get going, but careful you don’t jostle him on the way. Don’t want to aggravate any of his injuries.” ‘Sure, now pretend you care. You know what, you’re new worst pony. I know I said filly Rarity was, but she redeemed herself. You? I don’t like you. You’re worst pony now.’ I fixed the best glare I could manage on the back of the doctor’s head as the nurses cantered along beside him. ‘And then you tell Rarity that it's “dangerous to be out here alone”, yet you make her walk home by herself. And you don’t even introduce yourself? I don’t even care what your name is, I just want to know who to put down as worst pony. You probably don’t even have one, or it’s probably something like “backround pony number five-thousand and sixty-eight”. You aren’t important enough for a name.' My thoughts finally caught up to me and I could only blink in surprise at what I was thinking. ‘Wow, I am being a complete dick. What is up with that?’ As the nurses cantered along, the surprisingly gentle ride started lulling me to sleep, and I felt my eyes begin to grow heavy. ‘This is a surprisingly smooth ride… I wonder how they do it.' My eyes slowly drifted closed, and with one final thought I faded from consciousness. ‘Eh, it’s probably magic…’ Is this real life? (New Version)Author's Note And here we have the "new and improved" (at least in my opinion) chapter 2! As of writing out the AN (about 1:15 pm EST) The third chapter is well underway! Current length is 1k words, and while I only pan for 3-4k, my chapters have been getting longer and longer recently (I'm looking at you, 10k word crossover chapter) so it may end up being longer than that. I make no promises, but I intend to have the chapter out sometime tonight, as I am on quite the roll writing right now! As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! Is this real life? (New Version) My eyes snapped open as I woke up. The steady sound of a heart monitor the only sound that greeted me. As I lay there, my surroundings slowly came into focus as I once again took stock of my situation. ‘Ok, heart monitor, from the smell and the look of the room, I'm in the hospital. But was I really in the hospital? That had to be a dream… But it felt so real! The clean smell of the air, the feel of the grass, and the other ponies as they lifted me. The pain…’ Lifting my head, I looked myself over, finding my left arm done up in a sling. ‘Ok, so, left arm in a sling, probably broken.’ lifting my right arm, I looked it over. ‘And I have hands. Ok, so that obviously was a dream. Just a very… vivid one I guess.’ Before I had a chance to check myself over any further, the door opened as a nurse walked in to check on me. “Oh, you're awake? Give me just a minute, I'll go fetch a doctor.” After a quick once over, the nurse left, closing the door behind her. Laying my head back, I started thinking over my apparent dream. ‘What was up with that weird dream, and why did it feel so real? I mean when Rarity tried to lift me it actually hurt! A lot! And what did it mean? I mean I'm no stranger to the HiE section of FiMfiction. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I didn't entertain a fantasy of going there myself!’ Before I could go any further with that train of thought, it was promptly derailed as the door opened and a doctor came walking in. “Good to see you're awake, you took quite the spill you know?” The doctor said. “You took quite a blow to the head, so we were a bit worried.” “Wh-” I started, having to pause to clear my throat. “What happened?” “Well, according to the students who witnessed your fall, they said you passed out while going down the stairs at school. You hit your head and shoulder on the steps while falling. Along with a minor contusion on your frontal lobe from the impact, you also broke your collarbone and fractured the radius bone in your left arm. As for why you passed out, while doing an MRI on the confusion caused by the fall, we noticed that there was a reduced amount of Hypocretin-1 in your cerebral cortex. Tell me, have you been having trouble staying asleep? Or perhaps getting sleepy or falling asleep at random times during the day?” Thinking back, I nodded. “Yeah, it's been been getting worse lately, but for the last month I haven't been able to stay asleep at night, and during the day I tend to get really tired. That's actually the last thing I remember in the hall. I was getting ready to go down the steps and just got extremely tired, then nothing.” “Interesting,” the doctor stated, writing down what I told him “Well that pretty much confirms what we were thinking. Judging from what we found in the MRI, as well as what you just told me, it would appear you are narcoleptic. We'd like to run some more tests, just to be sure, and we'd also like to keep you overnight for observation. Head injuries aren't something you want to take a chance with.” “Ok, yeah. Whatever you have to do.” I responded despondently. As the doctor started going over the procedure for the additional tests, I zoned out to think on what had happened. ‘Was that all a just a dream though? It felt so real… Then again, the injuries I suffered when I fell were similar to the ones I had in that… whatever it was. Was it a hallucination? I think I remember hearing somewhere that narcoleptics tend to hallucinate. I think. Maybe? Maybe I should ask the doc about that.’ Turning to question the doctor, I realized I was alone in the room. ‘Huh, I really do need to not zone out when someone is telling me something important…’ With the doctor gone, and nothing to keep me occupied, I lost myself in thought again. Thoughts of everything from the repercussions of my injuries and my condition on my daily life, to what abilities from different characters in different games would be applicable in different situations. You know, normal stuff. At some point my dad came by, having left work and driven two hours from Hershey after he heard I was in the hospital. Giving him the keys to my apartment, I told him he could stay there tonight if he wanted, so long as he brought me something to read. About an hour later, and countless scenarios later, my dad returned with a stack of books from my apartment, including the music theory book I had recently picked up, and after a short visit, and multiple assurances I was ok, he left me to my reading. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, with only the nurse stopping by to bring me dinner, and the doctor taking me for a few more tests. The sun was on it’s way towards the horizon, when another bout of drowsiness hit. As hard as I tried to continue my reading and power through it, I could see the darkness encroaching on my vision. I closed my eyes to attempt to blink the sleep from them, and when I opened them... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The hospital room looked completely different. When I closed my eyes, I was in an off-white room, a small television in the corner, and windows with the shades partially drawn to my left. When I opened them, I found myself in a manilla room, a dry erase board to the left with notes jotted on them. The window, which had been on my left, barely blocking the rays of the setting sun, was now to my right, allowing an unobstructed view of the sunrise. Looking myself over, I saw my left arm still in a sling as well as a cast. Lifting my right arm, I saw it wrapped in some type of ace bandage. I also noticed that both of my arms were now green, and ended in… ‘Hooves? So I’m a pony again?’ Giving myself a more thorough look, I saw that I was indeed in the body of a little green pony again. Shifting to try and get a better look at myself, I rolled to the left and instantly regretted it. I felt something get trapped between me and the bed, followed by a searing pain originating from my back, around where my shoulder blades would be. ‘Ok, that didn’t exactly tickle.’ Gritting my teeth in pain, I rolled back to my right and looked over my left should to try and figure out what I just laid on. ‘Wings? That’s right, that doctor said I was a pegasus. And it’s in a sling… Did they say something about a wing when they brought me in? I know I heard something about a break, and maybe a dislocation?’ Lifting the sheets, I decided to check myself out while I was still alone. ‘Going off my coloring, and the fact that I’m a pegasus, I’m going to go ahead and assume that I’m my OC. Which means that my Cutie Mark should be… Yep, there it is, quill in an ink well. Given the facts, it’s pretty safe to assume I’m Dream Weaver.’ Laying back in bed and exhaling, I drop the covers just as the door opens. Looking up, I see a very familiar white earth pony with a pink mane walk into the room. ‘Nurse Redheart? No, her cutie mark is different… Well, Rarity was a filly, so maybe this is Redheart’s mom?’ Looking up from the clipboard she’s somehow holding in one hoof while she walks, she gives me a gentle smile as she notices I’m awake. “Well hello there, little one. I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.” “Ha… Hello.” I manage to squeak. “My name is Nurse Heart Patch, but you can just call me Nurse Heart. I was one of the ponies that brought you in yesterday, do you remember that?” ‘Heart Patch… Really? Seems a little unoriginal.’ I smiled and gave her a nod in response. ‘I wonder if Nurse is part of her name, or just her title…’ “Do you remember where you are? How you got here?” Nurse Heart questioned, keeping the same compassionate smile on her face. “H… hos… hospital.” I struggle to reply. ‘What the hell is up with that? Why is it so hard to speak? I kinda figured I was young again, but I didn’t think I was that young.’ “Ah… I. Fff. Feel. Fffall.” “It’s ok, sweetie, don’t force it. Why don’t we keep it to yes or no questions, how’s that sound?” Nurse Heart suggests, a slight bit of concern showing through her calm, compassionate mask. “K.” I force out, growing frustrated with my inability to force even the simplest of words out. “Judging by your injuries, we assumed that you fell from somewhere. Do you remember where you fell from?” ‘Yeah, I fell down a flight of stairs and apparently knocked myself into another reality.’ Knowing the nurse would never believe a tale like that, I simply shook my head no. “You said you remember falling though, do you remember anything before that, or just the fall?” ‘Nothing you’d believe.’ Again I shake my head. “Do you know how old you are? Until we find some way to identify you, we can only assume based on your size. We were thinking you were between 8 and 10, does that sound right?” ‘God, I hope I’m not that young.’ I shrug, ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ By this point, Heart Patch’s smile has all but fallen, a concerned frown forcing it’s way onto her face. “Name?” ‘If I’m my OC like I think I am…’ I nod my head. “Duh. Dree. Eem. We. Ver.” ‘Jimmeny Cricket this shiz is getting redonculous.’ “Dream Weaver?” Nurse Heart asks, a small smile returning to her face. ‘I hope so.’ I nod in response. “Well, at least now we have something to work with! Now, before I pass what we learned on to the nice ponies trying to find your parents, how about I go over your injuries with you?” Heart Patch asks, her cheerful demeanor returning. ‘If I’m as young as you supposedly think I am, I don’t know how you’d expect me to really understand any medical terms, but go ahead.’ I snark in my head, nodding in response. “Alright sweetie, you have a hairline fracture on your right metacarpal, that’s your front right cannon, bone, as well as a full break in your front left metacarpal bone and humerus. You also dislocated your left wing, as well as slightly fracturing the shoulder joint. For these injuries you will need to keep your wing in its sling, and your right foreleg wrapped for about a week and those will be fine. As for your left foreleg, that will need to stay in it cast and sling for at least 3 weeks.” ‘About what I expected, recovery time. Didn’t think I had quite that many injuries though. At least there’s no head injury on this “side”’ I nod to let her know I understand so far. At this, Heart Patch takes on a slightly worried expression again. “As for your head.” ‘Aw shit, I jinxed it.’ “You hit your head pretty hard in that fall. The unicorn doctors did all they could to help, but you have some slight damage to your frontal lobe, more specifically the Broca’s area. That’s the part of your brain that controls speech production.” ‘And I did just take Psychology this semester, so I know exactly where this is going.’ My expression must have given away what I was thinking, because no sooner had that thought gone through my head, than Heart’s expression became even more somber. “The doctor said it was possible that you would have trouble speaking properly once you woke up. He also said there was a chance your brain could heal the rest of the way on its own, but more than likely you will have a speech impediment for the rest of your life.” ‘Well, shit… That’s kinda dark for happy little horse world. And she just told an 8 year old flat out like that? The hell?’ Forcing a smile Heart Patch continued. “Don’t worry though, sweetie, once we find your parents we can help you get set up with somepony that might be able to help. I need to go drop these notes off with the doctor and check on the other patients. If you need anything, just hit the call button on the side of your bed.” With one last fake smile, Heart Patch turned and hurried out the door. ‘Has Equestria ever heard of a bit of tact? Like seriously, a trained professional nurse just came in here and delivered a diagnosis to a supposed eight year old… Like that.' Laying back in bed, I decided to occupy myself with something else. ‘Fuckit, not even gunna think about it right now. This is all some kind of dream. Some kind of long, repetitive dream.’ Glancing out the window, I saw that the sun was climbing high in the sky. ‘Did… Did she seriously not bring breakfast either? From the looks of the sun, its getting close to noon, and no one brought breakfast? I’m supposed to be eight! Are the ponies seriously going to forget to bring a child food?!’ Not long after my mental tangent, the blue earth pony with the red mane pushed a cart into the room. “Alright dearie, I hope you’re hungry! Lunch today consists of a fresh garden salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of Sweet Apple Acres apple sauce, and a nice big glass of milk to help those bones of yours heal!” She lifted the lid with an extremely enthusiastic smile to reveal a spread of everything she mentioned, plus a few more things. ‘Is that Jell-O with fruit in it? Oh, I hope it’s pears. I haven’t had pears in ages!’ Noticing me eyeballing the jell-o, the nurse slid it to the back of the tray as she set it in front of me. “Now now dearie, if you want dessert you gotta make sure you clear your plate first!” ‘But the salad has tomatoes in it.’ I mentally pouted. ‘Hey wait, and it has onions in it, too. I thought equines can’t eat tomatoes or onions? Well, she da nurse, I’m sure she knows better than me.’ I start devouring the salad before I notice I’m using my right wing like a hand to hold the fork. ‘Pegasus wings are prehensile?! Bad ass!’ I get most of the way through the salad before I realize something. ‘Wait a minute… I hate tomatoes. And onions. Yet I just wolfed that salad down like it wasn’t shit. What?’ Shaking the thought from my head, I finish the rest of my meal. ‘I’ve got more important things to worry about than my sudden taste for foods I used to hate. Like the fact that I’m, you know, a friggin pony! And not just a pony, but a little colt!.’ Picking up the empty tray and putting it back on the food cart, the nurse turns to leave. “Well dearie, I’m Nurse Life Star, and the pony you met early is Nurse Heart Patch. We are both on this floor, so if you need anything don’t be afraid to hit that call button, okay?” With one last smile, the nurse, now identified as Life Star, turns and leaves the room. ‘Well alone again, wonder if there is anything to do in here. Maybe I can get them to bring me a book.’ Looking around the room, I spot a book sitting on the table next to my bed. ‘Well hello there! What do we have here?’ With a bit of stretching, I manage to reach the book and bring it over to me. ’”The Hardy Colts: The Tower of Treasure”? Seriously? A Hardy Boys book? What are these things doing here?' Flipping open the book, I skimmed through first few pages. ‘I haven’t read this particular Hardy Boys book, but it reads just like the real ones... except with ponies.’ Propping the book up, I started reading and was halfway through the first chapter before something occurred to me. ‘Wait… If I’ve never read this one in real life, then how am I reading it now? I thought you can’t read books in dreams, period, much less ones you’ve never actually read…’ With a snort, I shook my head and went back to reading. ‘Screw it, who cares. I don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I may as well take any entertainment I can find.' After a few hours of reading, Tenderheart returns with another cart of food, and after I clean my plate, she leaves me to my book. Not to long after eating, I find it hard to keep my eyes open, and the slowly darkening sky clues me in to just how late it’s getting. Putting my book aside, I find a comfortable position and snuggle in, waiting as sleep slowly overtakes me. Escape this realityAuthor's Note For those of you that didn't see the blog post the other day, a decent portion of this chapter was rewritten after I initially finished it. It originally started with about a 500 word summary of the events of the first section, was only 3,200 words long, and started at "‘Well, this is a first…’" I apologize that this took a few days longer than planned to release, but as I said in the blog, I wasn't happy with the original version, so I held off until I was happy with it. Now that Chapter 3 is done, I will be working on a chapter for my crossover fic before I come back to this one. As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! "Speech bubble." 'Thought bubble.' Whiteboard messages. Escape this reality On the morning of my second “day” as a pony, I awoke to a surprise. As I lay in bed, attempting to wipe the sleep from my eyes, my ears perked as the door clicked open, and a cart loaded with books rolled into the room, followed closely by Heart and Star. Not noticing I was awake yet, they both began noisily trying to shush each other. “Quietly now Heart, we don’t wanna wake the poor colt. He needs his sleep to recover.” Star whispered, bumping the cart into the bed with her inattentiveness. “Quiet me? Quiet you!” Heart replied, trying her best to stay quiet. “You’re the one pushing that noisy cart around, ramming it into things.” “My cart isn’t the one making all the noise,” Star shot back. “It’s you and those massive hooves of yours. I don’t care what your parents say, one of them has to be part Clydesdale for you to end up with stompers like those.” “Stompers?!” Heart gasped. “Well, my hooves may be big, but at least they aren’t flat like yours! Tell me, how much has the hospital taken out of your paycheck for property damage this month alone?” Star shot Heart a death glare and opened her mouth to retort, but froze when she saw me awake and watching them. ‘Aww, there goes my morning entertainment.’ “O-oh, good morning little one,” Star stammered, quick to recover. “How are you this morning?” Realizing Star wasn’t talking to her, Heart whipped around and put on her best fake smile. “Good morning indeed! Are you ready for breakfast?” ‘Food would have been better with the show, not after.’ Smiling at the nurses, I nodded my head. “G… good, ya… yours?” “We’re doing great, dearie, thank you for asking!” Star beamed, pushing her cart into the corner of the room. “And your morning is about to get much better. We noticed you enjoyed that “Hardy Colts” book I left here, correct?” ‘So that was her book, was it?’ I nodded before reaching out with a wing and grabbing it. Holding it up to her, I gave her the cutest look I could muster. “Ah-I fi-finished. More?” Star took the book in her forehoof and walked it over to the cart. “Oh, you want more, do you? Well, you’re in luck. I just so happened to bring my entire collection in for you, all fifty-eight books!” ‘So… many… books!’ I could feel drool drip out of the corner of my mouth and lifted a foreleg to wipe it away. “Somepony looks excited,” Heart teased. “He looks almost as excited as you get over those books, Star.” “They aren’t ‘just books’, Heart. We’ve been over this before! They are, in fact, one of the best series of books ever written. So much better than that ‘Daring Do’ book you’ve been fawning over lately. These books are classics.” While the two mares were arguing over which book was better, I struggled to try and reach the cart of books. Hooking my good wing on the headboard, I leaned out over the edge of the bed, stretching for the cart. ‘Almost… there…’ “And what, exactly, do you think you’re doing, young colt?” ‘Busted...’ Looking up, I saw both of the nurses with amused expressions on their faces. “I think this one might like books more than you do, Star,” Heart laughed. “A colt after my own heart,” Star joked, sitting on her haunches and holding her hooves over her chest. After having a laugh at her own joke, she stood up and took one of the books in her mouth. “Now, I’ll give you the next book in the series, but you’ve got to promise to eat your breakfast, ok? You need the nutrients to help you heal.” Once I nodded in agreement, Star handed me the book, and I propped it up against the tray they had brought in to put my food on. ‘Huh, when did that get there?’ Using my good foreleg to hold the book open, I picked up the silverware with my wing and dug in as soon as Heart set the tray down. Rolling the food cart to the door Star and Heart both gave cheery goodbyes, telling me to call one of them when I was ready for the next book. ‘The Hardy Colts: Identity Thief.’ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ When lunchtime rolled around, Star stopped by with my second surprise of the day. “Oh Dream, There seems to be this cute young filly her wanting to see you,” Star called out in a sing-song voice. Tucking a scrap of paper in the book to keep my place, I looked up to see Star holding the door open for Rarity, with two ponies I recognized as her parents behind her. Setting my book aside, I gave her a friendly smile and a wave. “Hello there, Dream Weaver was it?” Rarity asked. Receiving a nod in response, she smiled before continuing. “It is very nice to meet you, my name is Rarity Belle, but you may call me Rarity.” ‘I see she was even a stickler for manners as a filly.’ “N-nice to me… meet you, Ra-rarity.” “I say, are you ok?” Rarity asked, giving me an inquisitive look. “Is there something stuck in your throat? If you need, I can get you a drink.” “Rarity!” Her mother snapped. Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but her mom turned to me and started talking. “I’m so sorry about that, sweetie. It seems that Rarity,” She shot her another look. “Seems to have forgotten that the nurse had told her you were having some difficulties.” I simply attempted to restrain my laughter and waved it off. “It’s ok.” ‘Your reaction to her question was worth any hard feelings caused by it.’ “No, it wasn’t ok!” Rarity snapped, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe I could be so… so inconsiderate like that! It was so… so… uncouth of me.” ‘Wow, big words for such a little pony.’ Her dad walked over and gave her a comforting pat on the back, rolling his eyes. “Honey, have you been reading that dictionary again? We’ve told you before, you don’t have to talk like one of those fancy city ponies to make your outfit look better, you can do that perfectly fine just the way you are. You even got the cutie mark to prove it.” Upon mention of her cutie mark she instantly cheered up, and in the blink of an eye was standing on her hind legs, forelegs resting on my bed as she talked excitedly about her new mark. “Oh, that’s right, I didn’t have my cutie mark last time you saw me!” She angled herself to give me a better view of her flank and had I not been elevated above her in a bed, I’m fairly certain she would be sticking it in my face right now. “I just got it yesterday by making the most amazing costumes ever for the schools summer play.” Rarity went on and on, describing to me the dresses she made in excruciating detail. At some point while she was talking, her parents had gone to sit in chairs in the corner of the room, her father going through the books Star had left me earlier. “...and Don’t even get me started on the outfits I’ve designed since. I had so many gems left over that I just had to do something with them. Of course, I’m going to have to make them last for a while… Mom and dad grounded me for going to get that geode.” “And for good reason, too, young lady,” her dad cut in. “You got that rock from the Gem Fido foothills, that’s diamond dog territory. They don’t care how old you are, they catch you on their land, they will kidnap you and put you to work in their mines.” “But daddy,” Rarity whined. “I didn’t want to go there, my horn…” “I don’t want to hear it, young lady, you’re grounded and that’s that. If you want to keep arguing we can make it two weeks.” “Yes daddy,” Rarity sighed. Perking back up, Rarity gave me another bright smile. “But if I hadn’t been out there in the first place, I don’t think anypony would have found poor Dream Weaver here. He was so far out, and his coat blended in so well with the bush he was in. Even the doctor had trouble seeing him, and I was pointing right at him.” “...which is why you're only grounded one week instead of the four I had wanted.” Her dad grumbled. “Four weeks?!” Rarity gasped, putting a foreleg to her head like she was going to faint. “Why that would be the worst possible thing!” ‘Oh my god, she did it as a filly, too!’ “Now now, dear, it’s not that bad." Rarity's mom chided, rolling her eyes at her daughter's antics. "You’ve still got a month of summer vacation once your time is up.” “Still isn’t fair…” Rarity pouted. “And I just feel so terrible right now, here I am talking up a storm, and you can’t even talk back. How are we supposed to hold a proper conversation like this?” Before I could attempt to answer, Heart walked into the room with what looked like a dry erase board in her mouth. “I think I may have just what he needs.” ‘I still don’t understand how these ponies can talk so well with things in their mouths.’ “I noticed our little friend here is quite skilled with using his wing for manipulating silverware, so I decided to dig out one of our dry erase boards so he could write his answers to us.” “Oh, that is a wonderful idea.” Rarity’s mom complimented, before shooting Rarity a sly look. “You hear that, Rarity? You can finally have a conversation with that colt you wouldn’t stop bugging us about.” “Mom,” Rarity whined. ‘I know she saved my “life” and all, but if she keeps whining like that she won’t be best pony anymore.’ “Colts are gross. I only wanted to check on him because he was really hurt when I found him.” “Aww, that’s cute,” Heart gushed. “Does somepony have themselves a little crush?” While she had a light blush before, Rarity’s entire head turned red at this, and I had to stick a hoof in my mouth to keep from laughing at her. “I do not!” Rarity protested, her voice becoming more high pitched and squeaky. “Of course you don’t, sweetie,” Heart chuckled. “I’ll leave you two to talk, I’ve got a few more patients to check on before lunch.” Giving Rarity a few minutes to compose herself, I decided to mess with the dry erase board. Picking up the board, I searched the bed for the marker, before discovering it sitting in a little clip on the top of the board. Pulling the marker out, I noted that it was one of the ones with the eraser on the cap. ‘Huh, convenient…’ Although it took a little practice holding the marker so that my feathers wouldn’t get in the way, I managed to write my first message and held the board out for Rarity to read. The blush finally mostly gone from her face, Rarity turned to read the message I had written her. Thank you for saving me. “Thank you for… oh, darling, it was no problem at all. You were a pony in need of help, I couldn’t just leave you there.” Still, you saved my life, so thanks. “I wouldn’t go that far… I’m sure somepony would have found you out there. In fact, I’m sure you’re parents were out there looking for you, and they’re just waiting at home to hear if somepony found you.” There was an awkward silence for a few moments before I scrawled a new message on my board to try and get the conversation started again. So, you were telling me about your new cutie mark? “Ahh, yes, my cutie mark!” Rarity turned to the side to show off said mark. “Oh, I was so happy when I finally got it! Ok, so, I had signed up to help with the costumes for our school's summer play…” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rarity and I passed most of the rest of the day talking, but when Star showed up to drop off dinner, Rarity’s parents told her it was time to leave. With a quick hug, and a promise to be back in a few days, Rarity and her parents left to get their own dinner. The rest of the week passed without much of interest happening. But the night of my sixth “day” in Equestria, something interesting finally happened... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘Well, this is a first…’ While normally I would fall asleep at night in the human world and wake up to morning in the pony world, today was different. Today, I had fallen asleep in the middle of the day, passed out at my desk working. When I woke up, it was the middle of the night, and I was a pony. Taking a look around the room, I took a moment to ponder my situation. ‘Ok, so apparently if it’s daylight on Earth, it’s night time here. It was quarter after ten in the mourning last I saw before I passed out, so here it should be…’ Finally spotting a clock on the wall, I squinted, struggling to read it in the dark. ‘Ten twenty-three at night? Alright, so it looks like there is a twelve-hour difference between the time here and the time back home. That’s either very convenient or the messed up part of my brain producing this hallucination just decided to invert the time for simplicity sake… Either way, I should really be asleep right now. Or would it be awake?’ Laying back down, I scrunched my face up in thought, oblivious to the sound of hoofsteps and the clinking of armor echoing down the hallway. ‘I should be asleep here, and awake in human land. But if this isn’t real, then wouldn’t I already be asleep? But if that was the case, then I should really be awake right now…’ I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound harsh whispering directly outside my door. “... are you doing? It’s the middle of the night, and the patients need their sleep!” I recognized the voice of the doctor that had originally brought me in. “What business do you have, causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night.” “I’m sorry, sir.” A very deep, very official sounding voice answered back. “My partner and I were given orders to make sure the colt’s room is secure, and to post ourselves at his door so that only hospital staff may enter.” ‘Hold on, what?’ “What, but why? It’s late, you couldn’t have done this in the morning?” The doctor asked. “No, sir, it could not have waited. I am not at liberty to answer any of your questions, however, my C.O. should be arriving shortly to fill you in.” ‘C.O.? Not at liberty to discuss? From the way he’s talking, he must be a guard or something.’ The door to the room clicked open, and a large white unicorn stallion clad in gold armor walked into the room. His horn gave off a pale yellow light, and I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. After a few moments of silence, I slowly open my eyes and saw that the unicorn was now looking at the window, which was engulfed in the same pale yellow light his horn gave off. Casting one more glance my way, the light from his horn extinguished and he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Sitting up, I inspected the window, attempting to figure out what he had done. ‘Based on the armor, I’d say that was a Royal Guard. But what is he doing here, and what was he doing the window?’ Hearing voices in the hall again, I leaned forward as far as I could and strained my ears, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. “...t’s going on here?” I heard the doctor ask again. ‘Is he still buggin’ that guard, or did another one show up?’ “I apologize for the abrupt intrusion, sir,” An authoritative sounding voice answered, this one female. “But we made a discovery while looking for the colt’s parents, and we had to act fast to assure his safety.” “Discovery about his parents? So you found them then?” “Yes, we found them, however...” The guard hesitated. “That’s wonderful, I’m sure they have been worried sick about him! Tell me, when will they be here?” “Well, that’s part of the problem… They won’t.” “What? What do you mean they won’t be here? What kind of parents would leave their colt injured in the hospital like this?” The doctor asked, beginning to raise his voice. There was silence for nearly a full minute before the guard responded. “His parents were found dead in their home. An investigation was performed due to signs of foul play. It was discovered that they were both murdered, execution style and the time of death was determined to be the morning the colt was found. We have reason to believe that the colt’s “accident” was anything but and that he was fleeing from whoever killed his parents.” There was a loud thump right outside the door, followed by a long period of silence. ‘So, what? “My” parents were killed in some sort of mob hit, and they think I managed to survive somehow?’ Laying back in bed, I allowed my mind to wander. ‘But what are the guards for, do they think someone will come back and try again?’ As I lay in bed, scenarios of mob ponies busting through my window and guards storming through the door to fight them off ran through my head, I heard talking outside the door once more. “So the guards, they’re…” “We don’t think anypony knows he survived, but we were ordered to station guards here, just in case.” The guard answered, preempting the doctor’s question. “And what about the colt… Do we tell him? What’s going to happen to him?” “I think, for now, it’s best if we keep him here, under guard, and allow him to recover,” the guard paused once again, before continuing with a bit of hesitance in her voice. “As for telling him… It may be best if we just let him think we’re still looking. I know, I don’t like it either, but it may be better to leave him ignorant, rather than having a scared colt locked in a room, in his condition, jumping at shadows.” “What about the funeral…” The guard gave out a long, drawn out sigh before answering. “Both parents came from small families and were only foals. The mother’s parents are listed as deceased, and the father’s family disowned him. From what we’ve been able to gather, the father had quite the gambling problem, and made a habit of betting money he didn’t have. We’re thinking he owed too much to the wrong pony, and they came to collect. Attempts have been made to contact any of their more distant relatives, but so far we haven’t had any luck. If we can’t reach any of them, then they will just be given a burial without a ceremony.” “So we just leave him in the dark? Lie to him, let him think his parents are still out there? Doesn’t that seem a bit cruel to you?” “I know it isn’t the best solution, but it’s the safest one we could think of. Besides, even if I could think of anything better, I don’t have the authority to do anything. The Princess has involved herself in this case, and she is adamant that the colt’s safety be our highest priority.” The ponies had begun raising their voices again, and noise from the room next door alerted them to the fact that they were waking the patients. I heard the doctor sigh, followed by the sounds of hoofsteps moving away from my door. “Let us finish this conversation in my office, we’re disturbing the patients.” A second quartet of hoofsteps, preceded by the light clanking of armor, alerted me to the departure of the guard. Allowing myself to relax once more, I attempted to process everything I had just heard. ‘Ok, review time… “My” parents, or rather, the parents of the colt whose place I took are dead. Not only that, some type of pony mafia may be after him. Me? They’re after Dream Weaver, whose place I took, but they don’t know that. But then if I took his place, that would mean this would have to be real, and I essentially killed him...’ Shaking my head, I attempted to refocus. ‘No, bad! Don’t think like that! This isn’t real, it’s just one big hallucination. You didn’t take anyone’s place, and you sure as hell didn’t kill them to do so!’ I rolled around on the bed, attempting to get comfortable. ‘But if this isn’t real, how do I explain the pain? It sure feels real… The injuries here are exactly the same as the ones I got in real life,' I winced as I put pressure on my injured wing. ‘That doesn’t explain the wing, though… I know I didn’t hurt my back at all.’ Finally finding a comfortable position, I settled in and attempted to fall asleep. ‘There’s no way this can be real, though. This kind of stuff only happens in bad fanfiction!' I let out a yawn as my eyes begin to drift closed. ‘This is all just some kind of… of a weird dream brought on by my narcolepsy, that’s all…’ With that final thought, I drift off to sleep. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The following “morning” in the pony world, the doctor came to my room to check on my recovery. “Good morning, Dream, my name is Doctor Mender,” the doctor greeted me upon entering the room. “Did you sleep well last night?” ‘Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m asleep right now, but sure.’ I nodded my head in response. “That’s good, bed rest and nutritious foods are exactly what you need for a speedy recovery. Now, I’ve come to check on how you’re healing, and depending on the results I may get to take your wing out of that sling today.” Doctor Mender’s horn lit up as he walked around the side of my bed, encasing the covers in the same aura and pulling them back.”Just lay back and relax, I’m going to do a few scans to make sure everything is healing properly.” I did as he asked and laid back in the bed, doing my best to relax. The doctor’s horn was enveloped with a brown aura, and moments later the same aura encased my body, bringing with it a familiar tingling sensation and tinting everything brown. “Now, you might feel a bit of tingling.” That was all the warning I had before my entire body once again felt like it fell asleep. The sensation only lasted a few seconds before it stopped, my body still encased in his brown aura. “Everything seems to be healing up just fine. I’m going to do one more scan of each break individually, and after that, I should be able to remove your wing sling.” The tingling sensation picked up again, and then I felt each individual body part “fall asleep” for a few seconds each. Doctor mender frowned for a moment and did one more series of scans before pulling a notepad out of his pocket, his aura fading from around me. “Well, it seems you’re recovering quite quickly. Quite quickly indeed…” Doctor Mender tucked his notepad back in his coat pocket before his horn and my right foreleg. I watched as the bandage slowly unraveled itself from my leg, before rolling itself up and floating over to a trash bin. “The fractures in your wing and right foreleg are almost completely healed, and the breaks in your left foreleg are healing quite nicely. I’ve scheduled you for another set of scans in ten days. if the results come back as good as today’s, we will be removing the cast and setting you up for physical therapy.” ‘Physical therapy?’ Noticing the confused look on my face, Doctor Mender quickly explained himself. “With injuries such as these, it is important to strengthen the muscles, to compensate for both the degradation resulting from lack of use, and for the weakness of the bone as it takes its time to fully recover. Lean forward please.” Doctor Mender paused from his explanation to remove the sling and wraps on my left wing. “As I just stated, once your bones are fully mended, they will still be weak for a time as they fully heal. You’ll want to avoid putting too much strain on them to prevent re-injury. Fan out your wings for me, please.” I did my best to fan out my wings as he asked. As I flexed them, the left one started to burn and the right one refused to move the way I wanted it to. ‘Strange, I can easily use my wing to eat and write, but I can hardly flex them?' I frowned at my wing before getting an idea. I easily reached for the book on my bedside table and grabbed it. Holding the book in my left wing, I was able to open it up and leaf through the pages. ‘So they seem to act in place of my arms when I want to grab anything, but when it comes to basic movements they just do their own thing?’ “Interesting…” Doctor Mender was watching me carefully, taking notes in his notepad. “You seem to struggle with movements that are fairly simple, and quite important for flight control, but yet you have an amazing amount of precision when it comes to manipulating things with them.” His eyes drifted to my exposed flank. “It may have something to do with your special talent…” Doctor Mender added a few more notes to his notepad before tucking it in his pocket in heading for the door. “Just a reminder, I’ll be back in ten days time for another scan, and from there we will work out your rehabilitation. In the meantime, I’ll have the nurse stop by with a few wing exercises that you can get started on now. Just remember, any pain or strain and you stop immediately and let one of the nurses know, understood?” I nodded my head in response, not bothering to write a response to him. “Then I will be by in a few days to check in on you.” Not waiting for a response, Doctor mender opened the door with a flick of his horn and walked out. As soon as the door closed behind him, I blew a raspberry at him before reaching down to grab the covers he never bothered to return to me. ‘He’s an… interesting pony. I’m having trouble getting a lock on his personality. The nurses are both very cheerful, seem to love foals, and bicker like a married couple. The doctor… he’s acting nice and friendly one moment, then completely blowing you off the next.’ Reaching my wing over, I grabbed my book and opened to my bookmark. ‘Ah well, it's no big deal. Hopefully this… whatever it is, won’t last too much longer, and then I won’t have to deal with them anymore. I’ll miss the nurses, they’re nice, but that doctor? Meh.’ Is this a dream? (Old Version)Author's Note ~~So i sat down to finish chapter 1 of my other story, Altruism, and couldn't make words. So I opened a new Docs page and started typing and this ended up happening! I wrote this all in one sitting, and besides a quick read through of my own, didn't have anyone edit it. SO if anyone finds anything wrong please do not hesitate to inform me, it would be very much appreciated!~~ To those of you reading this for the first time, you will notice the first two chapters of this story exist twice, in both an (Old Version) format and a (New Version) format. The reason for this is I have decided to change a major point in this story, and change it from a "just for fun to get the ideas out of my head" story, into a "just for fun, but with an actual story to be told" type of thing. I will fully admit, the direction it is taking has been done before, more specifically by Fresnor and Tangent, however I've decided to write my own spin on that particular trope. I won't confirm or deny if this story will be a 7th element story (despite the jokes I may make about them, some of them are quite enjoyable), but of those types of stories are your cup of tea, I suggest checking out Fres's and Tangent's stories. If you are reading this and don't agree with the re imagining, I'm sorry that you feel that way and hope that you find what you're looking for in another story, but I will push forward regardless. To those of you reading this and sticking around, I appreciate the support and hope that I won't disappoint! "Speech bubble." 'Thought Bubble.' Is this a dream? (Old Version) I sighed as I made my way to my car. It had been another long night of hours laying in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, only to finally get to sleep a couple hours before I had to be up for work. That's not too terribly unusual for me, between depression and anxiety, I'm no stranger to long nights of my overactive mind wreaking havoc on my psyche, but lately it had been getting worse. Add the stress of finals to the mix and you got a recipe for a good time. As I unlocked my car and sat down, I couldn't help but lean back and take a moment to think. ‘Well, I was late to work today… Again. And I could barely stay awake in my algebra class today. Pretty sure I missed half the lecture just trying to find ways to keep my eyes open.’ Buckling my seatbelt, I put my foot on the clutch and put my car in neutral before pushing the button on the center console to start it. ‘Well, at least I'm interning with my brother in law’s philanthropic group, so I don't need to be too worried about being fired. Although if I don't pick it up and make sure I pass my classes there may be a problem…’ Frowning slightly, I switched my radio to Bluetooth before shifting into first gear and pulling pulling away. ‘I mean I don't think he’d fire me… The whole deal was I go back to school, and as long as I'm passing my classes he makes sure I have a place to stay and I don't go hungry.’ Driving farther up the driveway, I find a place to turn around to head out the front driveway. The “office” I work in is more of a renovated barn on my brother in law’s parent’s property, although from looking at it you could never tell. Although a bit short for me, standing at 6’2”, it's nicer on the inside the some houses I've been in. Hell, it's nicer than some places I've lived in. The office itself sits back behind the main barn of the property, and has easy access to both the front main drive, and the rear driveway that goes to the tractor barn. As I turn around, I notice some of the girls from the barn out taking a lesson, so I stop to watch for a minute. ‘It's been awhile since I've been on a horse. I kinda miss it… Maybe I should ask if I could get on one of the horses sometime? Nah, that would probably be weird… Pretty sure most of the people that ride here are still in high school. What would they think of some random 25 year old guy asking if he can go riding with them?’ Chuckling at the thought, I finish turning my car around and head out the front driveway. After checking both ways, I pull out of the driveway and start heading towards my apartment. ‘Well just because I don't think he would be too pissed if I'm late, doesn't mean I should push my luck. He's really helping me out and it would be terrible of me to take advantage of him like that.’ As I continue down the road, I feel my eyes getting heavy again as sleep tries to overtake me again. ‘Ugh, again? My brain is perfectly ok with me going to sleep while behind the wheel of a car doing 50, but as soon as my ass hits the bed it's like nope, not tired! What the actual fuck brain? Good thing I live close to where I work, I can just take a nap or some shit when I get home.’ Pulling into my apartment, I parked my car and headed up, ready for a nap. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘4 o'clock in the morning… It is 4 o'clock in the fucking morning… And I'm still awake?’ Groaning in exacerbation, I rolled over and grabbed my phone phone. ‘Maybe some fan fiction will help? Usually reading makes me tired.’ Scrolling through my “read later” list, I try to decide on a fic that will help put me to sleep. ‘I don't want it to be something too interesting, because then I'll be up all night reading, again… Although some of these I don't even know what possessed me to add them to the list. I mean the premise for some of these just sounds terrible! Oh well, this one looks boring enough to help me pass out.’ My reading material picked, I switched the browser to reader mode and started reading. ‘Ok, this actually isn't too bad so far. The story started well, isn't too excessive, there aren't random things happening for no reason. The grammar doesn't make it look like it was written by a 3rd grader even! I mean I know my grammar isn't amazing, but damn! Some of the stuff I've read is almost painful to read. The worst part is as bad as the grammar can be on some fan fictions, the story itself can be so captivating! And now I'm on a tangent, where was I again? Ah yes, I was just getting to the part where the OC helps the mane 6 get the elements and… Oh look, there's 7 elements now… It's one of those… Well, I'll give it a chance, it's written pretty well so far, so hopefully it's not another one of those “my OC is a Mary Sue and knows the exact way to solve every problem ever” story. Those are so overdone.’ Looking at the time, I realize it's now going on 5 and I'm still awake. ‘Ugh, damnit! It's been almost an hour and I haven't even finished one chapter. Brain, stop, let me sleep, or let me concentrate on my reading. No more tangents!’ Deciding to try sleep again, I lock my phone and roll over. Finally getting comfortable, I close my eyes… Just to hear my alarm on my phone start going off. Picking up my phone, I see the time is 8:50 in the morning. “What the hell, it was just 5” I grumble to myself, hitting snooze and rolling back over. I close my eyes again and lay there for a second, before it hits me. “Shit!” I bolt up, grabbing my phone and seeing it's now 8:52. “I've gotta be at work in 8 minutes and I haven't even showered yet, damnit!” Hitting play on my phone, I put some music on, and 10 minutes later I emerge from the bathroom, showered, teeth brushed and ready to go to work. “Shoes, shoes, where the fuck did I put my shoes…” Finding my shoes tucked under the couch, I throw them on and grab my keys, phone, and wallet. Checking the time as I ran to my car, I notice it's already 9:10. “Well, late again dumb ass, good job!” Hopping in my car, I pulled out and balled ass towards work, not even bothering to put my radio on. ‘Today's going to suck…’ “I'm so glad it's Friday.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2pm rolls around, and after struggling to stay awake through English Comp, I'm finally done class for the week. After collecting my books and putting them in my bag, I start making my way towards the stairs. ‘I'm glad none of my classes are on the ground floor. I think all the walking I do on campus and the stairs are the only reason I don't weigh as much as I probably should…’ As I near the steps, another wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and I once again feel my eyes getting heavy. ‘Woah, while driving is bad enough, but now I can't even walk without wanting to pass out? Maybe I should… Maybe I… See… Doctor…’ As I take the first few steps, my vision slowly tunnels in as everything starts going black, and the last thing I see is the stairs rising to meet me before everything goes black. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pain. As I awaken, all I can feel is pain. I lay on the ground for a while, eyes closed tight, trying to make sense of anything through the pain. I slowly open my eyes, taking time to let them adjust to the light. Once my eyes are fully open, the first thing I notice is I'm outside. I try to raise my head, but the pain stops me, so I set it back down while I try to talk stock of the situation. ‘Ok, I was in school, leaving class, then what? I remember getting up, heading down the hallway and getting to the stairwell… Stairs! I remember falling down the stairs! So then how did I get outside?’ Hearing noise nearby, I struggle to finally raise my head and take a look around. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying in a grassy field, what looks like woods to my left. As I start panning vision to the right, I see a few colorful blobs moving in the distance. ‘Alright, someone must be nearby! Now to try and get their attention’ Struggling to keep my head up, I take as deep a breath as I can manage and yell. “Haaaaa!!” ‘Well, that was supposed to be help, but as long as they can hear it.’ After a brief coughing fit, I yell again. “Hhaaaaa!!” I let out a relieved breath and lay my head back down as I see the colored blobs start moving closer. 'That was annoying, but at least they heard me, I hope.' After what felt like hours to my pain addled brain, I finally started to hear voices. “I'm tellin’ ya girls, I heard something!” A very young sounding girl yelled out. "Are ya sure Scoots, Ah didn't hear nothin’” Another young girl called out. ‘Wait… Scoots? And why do those voices sound familiar?’ “Oh my gosh, girls, there's somepony over there, and they look hurt!” A third voice calls out, this one higher and squeakier than the other two. ‘Somepony… What?’ “Ah see ‘em, over here Scoots!” The second voice yells out. ‘No way… No freakin way…’ The sound of multiple footsteps gets closer until the legs of three very familiar fillies enters my line of sight. “Oh no, he looks bad,” The third voice, now identified as Sweetie Belle, says. “he's really hurt, we need to get him help!” ‘There is no freakin way that this is happening, I have to be dreaming or something.' “Scoots, you're the fastest of us three, you go ‘n’ get some help, me an’ Sweetie will keep an eye on ‘im. Ok?” Applebloom said, taking control of the situation. “Got it!” Scootaloo yelled back, already running for her scooter. ‘I died or something. I'm in a coma. This isn't real. This can't be real’ “Is he still alive?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I can't tell if he's breathing or not” “Ah think so, it looks like he is, but Ah don't wanna move him, iffin he's hurt you should leave ‘im be so you don't make the injury worse. His eyes are open though.” Crouching down, Applebloom looked me in the eyes. “Hey, you still alive?” “Uhhh” I groaned out, only response I seemed capable of. ‘Ok, this is getting worrying. I know I'm hurt, and from the way things feel, pretty bad. But why am I having so much trouble talking?’ “Well, he's alive at least, and from the sounds of things he can at least hear us” Applebloom said, standing up straight and looking in the direction Scootaloo took of in. “Ah sure hope she hurries, he's in purty bad shape.” We waited a few minutes longer, Applebloom occasionally checking to see if I was still awake. Eventually, the sound of hoofsteps drew our attention, and shifting my head a bit, I was able to see a small orange blob approaching fast, a slightly larger brown blob with it. “There she is!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “And she brought… The Doctor?” Sure enough, as the blobs cleared up, Scootaloo and Doctor Whooves took their places. ‘Heh, she called him The Doctor. Ya know, if I wasn't in so much pain, this would be pretty awesome.' “Oh dear,” I heard The Doctor start “he looks pretty bad. What happened here?” ‘Thank you, Captain Obvious!’ “Ah don't know, Scootaloo said she heard yelling coming from over here, so we came over her to look and found him like this. Please Doctor, you gotta help him!” Applebloom pleaded. ‘Huh, that's nice of her.’ “Well I don't know what you expect me to do, I'm a science doctor, not a medical doctor.” ‘Well shit.’ Crouching down to look me in the eye, The Doctor continued. “Excuse me young colt. Can you hear me? You seem to have been in some type of accident, and we need to get you to a hospital. I'm going to have to move you, so this may hurt a bit, ok?” ‘Young colt, the hell? And did he say they're gunna move me? This is gunna hurt…’ “Uhhhh” was all I could answer. “Ok then, Scootaloo was it?” The Doctor asked “Bring that wagon of yours over here, we are going to load him into it.” “Are ya sure we should be doin’ that?” Applebloom cut in.” Applejack always told me if somepony is hurt, and you don't know what it is that's hurt, you could make it worse iffin ya move them.” “While that is normally true, and quite good advice at that, I fear that time is of the essence for him, and we need to get him to a hospital fast.” As The Doctor finished, Scootaloo came rolling over with her wagon, and The Doctor prepared to load me in. “Alright girls,” The Doctor instructed “I am going to pick him up now. Scootaloo, try and keep the wagon steady. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle? You two help me to keep him as steady as possible.” With a nod for confirmation from the crusaders, they all got in position and ready to lift me. “On the count of three, girls. Ready? 1. 2. 3!” At three The Doctor, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle all hoisted me into the back of the wagon, while Scootaloo held it steady. As they secured me in the cart, all I could do was groan in pain. ‘Sweet Celestia of Equestria that hurt! Also did I really just think that?’ After making sure I was in good, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle climbed into the open front and back of the wagon and held me. Once she was sure they were in, Scootaloo took off. “You girls get him to the Hospital in Ponyville! I'll be right behind you!” The Doctor called after them, the thunder of his hooves drawing farther away. The ride to Ponyville was anything but pleasant. As the scenery zoomed by, every little bump we hit sent a spike of pain through my body. After what felt like hours, the view of trees gave way to colorful, thatched roof houses, and plenty of worried looking ponies. As we zoomed through town, I'm pretty sure I heard someone yelling, but the girls kept going regardless. As we crashed through the hospital doors, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, almost throwing me from the wagon. “Nurse Redheart, quick!” Applebloom yelled, hopping from the wagon. “We found this colt out by the White Tale Woods, and he's hurt real bad!” As Nurse Redheart ran from behind the counter to get a doctor, the doors burst open again. “Applebloom!” The worried voice of Applejack called out. “What in tarnation is goin’ on! Ah see y'all three go tearin’ through Ponyville and bustin’ through the hospital doors! What's wrong? Who's hurt?!” Running around the wagon, Applebloom jumped into Applejack’s waiting forelegs. “Ah’m ok, Applejack, honest. We found this here colt out by the White Tale Woods, and he was really hurt, so Doctor Whooves helped us load him into the wagon so we could bring ‘im here.” Before Applejack could respond, the doors to the back of the hospital burst open and a doctor and a few nurses came rushing out, pushing a stretcher. Taking me in his magic, the doctor lifted me out of the wagon and onto the stretcher, while listing off my visible injuries. “Patient has multiple lacerations covering his body, contusions covering his neck, chest and stomach. Both forelegs appear to be broken, with a possible dislocation of the left shoulder. Left wing appears to be dislocated. Judging by the location and severity of his injuries he appears to have fallen from quite high.” ‘Well shit, that don't sound too good. Hopefully pony medicine is as good as all the fics make it seem…’ As they pushed me through the hospital, one of the unicorn nurses floated a needle over and stuck it in my foreleg. “Now sweetie, this is going to ease the pain and make you go to sleep, ok?” She no sooner finished the sentence as the room slowly faded to black.
Is this real life? (Old Version)Author's Note ~~Hey guys, sorry for the wait on a new chapter. Busy 2 weeks has been a busy 2 weeks. After this, expect one chapter a week for however long this ends up going. I literally have very little planned for this other than it being something to have some fun with. I haven't had a chance to fully edit this yet, so if any of y'all see anything wrong, let me know!~~ ~~Just a bit of an FYI for y'all. I'm no medical expert, most of the medical shiz in the chapter is a combination of what i know from growing up with my grandfather, who was an infectious disease special, my 1 year of Psychology, and google searching medical terms i kinda knew the meaning of.~~ ~~As for my horse related mumbo jumbo, I am more confident that I got most of that right, as i spent 12 years riding the damned things, so although I'm a bit rusty in the knowledge department, I know horses (and ponies) fairly well. That said, If anyone sees anything i DID get wrong, speak up!~~ Same thing as the last chapter, a re imagining of the story is taking place, and while the original 2 chapters will be left up for prosperity sake, they aren't required reading, as there will be a decent amount of repeating going on in the new version of the chapters. "Speech Bubble" 'Thought Bubble' Is this real life? (Old Version) As the hospital room faded to black, my eyes slowly closed, everything going dark until…. My eyes snapped open as I woke up. The steady sound of a heart monitor the only sound that greeted me. As I lay there, my surroundings slowly came into focus as I took stock of my situation. ‘Ok, heart monitor, from the smell and the look of the room, I'm still in the hospital. But was I really in the hospital? That had to be a dream… But it felt so real! The clean smell of the air, the feel of the grass, and the other ponies as they lifted me. The pain…’ Lifting my head, I looked myself over, finding my left arm done up in a sling. ‘Ok, so, left arm in a sling, probably broken.’ lifting my right arm, I looked it over ‘And I have hands. Ok, so that obviously was a dream. Just a very… vivid one I guess.’ Before I had a chance to check myself over any further, the door opened as a nurse walked in to check on me. “Oh, you're awake? Give me just a minute, I'll go fetch a doctor.” After a quick once over, the nurse left, closing the door behind her. Laying my head back, I started thinking over my apparent dream. ‘What was up with that weird dream, and why did it feel so real? I mean when they lifted me into that wagon it actually hurt! A lot! And what did it mean? I mean I'm no stranger to the HiE section of FiMfiction. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I didn't entertain a fantasy of going there myself!’ Before I could go any further with that train of thought, it was promptly derailed as the door opened and a doctor came walking in. “Good to see you're awake, you took quite the spill you know?” The doctor said. “You took quite a blow to the head, so we were a bit worried.” “Wh-” I started, having to pause to clear my throat. “What happened?” “Well, according to the students who witnessed your fall, they said you passed out while going down the stairs at school. You hit your head and shoulder on the steps while falling. Along with a minor contusion on your frontal lobe from the impact, you also broke your collarbone and fractured the radius bone in your left arm. As for why you passed out, while doing an MRI on the contusion caused by the fall, we noticed that there was a reduced amount of Hypocretin-1 in your cerebral cortex. Tell me, have you been having trouble staying asleep? Or perhaps getting sleepy or falling asleep at random times during the day?” Thinking back, I nodded. “Yeah, it's been been getting worse lately, but for the last month I haven't been able to stay asleep at night, and during the day I tend to get really tired. That's actually the last thing I remember in the hall. I was getting ready to go down the steps and just got extremely tired, then nothing.” “Interesting,” the doctor stated, writing down what I told him “well that pretty much confirms what we were thinking. Judging from what we found in the MRI, as well as what you just told me, it would appear you are narcoleptic. We'd like to run some more tests, just to be sure, and we'd also like to keep you overnight for observation. Head injuries aren't something you want to take a chance with.” “Ok, yeah. Whatever you have to do.” I responded despondently. As the doctor started going over the procedure for the additional tests, I zoned out to think on what had happened. ‘Was that all a just a dream though? It felt so real… Then again, the injuries I suffered when I fell were similar to the ones I had in that… whatever it was. Was it a hallucination? I think I remember hearing somewhere that narcoleptics tend to hallucinate. I think. Maybe? Maybe I should ask the doc about that.’ Turning to question the doctor, I realized I was alone in the room. ‘Huh, I really do need to not zone out when someone is telling me something important…’ With the doctor gone, and nothing to keep me occupied, I lost myself in thought again. Thoughts of everything from the repercussions of my injuries and my condition on my daily life, to what abilities from different characters in different games would be applicable in different situations. You know, normal stuff. At some point my dad came by, having left work and driven 2 hours from Hershey after he heard I was in the hospital. Giving him the keys to my apartment, I told him he could stay there tonight if he wanted, so long as he brought me something to read. About an hour later, and countless scenarios later, my dad returned with the music theory book I had recently picked up, and after a short visit, and multiple assurances I was ok, he left me to my reading. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, with only the nurse stopping by to bring me dinner, and the doctor taking me for a few more tests. The sun was on it’s way towards the horizon, when another bout of drowsiness hit. As hard as I tried to continue my reading and power through it I could see the darkness encroaching on my vision. I closed my eyes to attempt to blink the sleep from them, and when I opened them... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The hospital room looked completely different. When I closed my eyes, I was in an off-white room, a small television in the corner, and windows with the shades partially drawn to my left. When I opened them, I found myself in a manilla room, a dry erase board to the left, with notes jotted on them. The window, which had been on my left, barely blocking the rays of the setting sun, was now to my right, allowing an unobstructed view of the sunrise. Looking myself over, I saw my left arm still in a sling as well as a cast. Lifting my right arm, I saw it wrapped in some type of ace bandage. I also noticed that both of my arms were now green, and ended in… ‘Hooves? So I’m a pony again?’ Giving myself a more thorough look, I saw that I was indeed in the body of a little green pony again. Shifting to try and get a better look at myself, I rolled to the left and instantly regretted it. I felt something get trapped between me and the bed, followed by a searing pain originating from my back, around where my shoulder blades would be. ‘Ok, that didn’t exactly tickle.’ Gritting my teeth in pain, I rolled back to my right and looked over my left should to try and figure out what I just laid on. ‘Wings, so I’m a pegasus? And it’s in a sling… Did they say something about a wing when they brought me in? I know I heard something about a break, and maybe a dislocation?’ Lifting the sheets, I decided to check myself out while I was still alone. ‘Going off my coloring, and the fact that I’m a pegasus, I’m going to go ahead and assume that I’m my OC. Which means that my Cutie Mark should be… Not there? I know I gave my OC one, unless I’m not my OC…’ After a slight moment of panic, I spread my legs to make sure I was all there. ‘Thanks Zombie Raptor Jesus, still got my dangly bits.’ Laying back in bed and exhaling in relief, I drop the covers just as the door opens. Looking up, I see a very familiar white earth pony with a light pink mane and a Cutie Mark of a red cross with a quartet of hearts surrounding it. ‘Nurse Redheart? Sweet.’ Looking up from the clipboard she’s somehow holding in one hoof while she walks, she gives me a gentle smile as she notices I’m awake. “Well hello there, little one. I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.” “Ha… Hello.” I manage to squeak. ‘Ah hell, if the lack of a Cutie Mark didn’t prove it, that voice sure as hell did…’ “Do you remember where you are? How you got here?” Redheart questioned, keeping the same compassionate smile on her face. “H… hos… hospital.” I struggle to reply. ‘What the hell is up with that? Why is it so hard to speak? I kinda figured I was young again, but I didn’t think I was that young.’ “Ah… I. Fff. Feel. Fffall.” “It’s ok, sweetie, don’t force it. Why don’t we keep it to yes or no questions, how’s that sound?” Redheart suggests, a slight bit of concern showing through her calm, compassionate mask. “K” I force out, growing frustrated with my inability to force even the simplest of words out. “Judging by your injuries, we assumed that you fell from somewhere. Do you remember where you fell from?” ‘Yeah, I fell down a flight of stairs and apparently knocked myself into another reality.’ Knowing the nurse would never believe a tale like that, I simply shook my head no. “You said you remember falling though, do you remember anything before that, or just the fall?” ‘Nothing you’d believe.’ Again I shake my head. “Do you know how old you are? Until we find some way to identify you, we can only assume based on your size. We were thinking you were between 8 and 10, does that sound right?” ‘God, I hope I’m not that young.’ I shrug, ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ By this point, Redhearts smile has all but fallen, a concerned frown forcing it’s way onto her face. “Name?” ‘If I’m my OC like I think I am…’ I nod my head. “Duh. Dree. Eem. We. Ver.” ‘Jimmeny Cricket this shiz is getting redonculous.’ “Dream Weaver?” Redheart asks, a small smile returning to her face. ‘I hope so.’ I nod in response. “Well, at least now we have something to work with! Now, before I pass what we learned on to the nice ponies trying to find your parents, how about I go over your injuries with you?” Redheart asks, her cheerful demeanor returning. ‘If I’m as young as you supposedly think I am, I don’t know how you’d expect me to really understand any medical terms, but go ahead.’ I snark in my head, nodding in response. “Alright sweetie, you have a hairline fracture on your right metacarpal, that’s your front right cannon, bone, as well as a full break in your front left metacarpal bone and humerus. You also dislocated your left wing, as well as slightly fracturing the shoulder joint. For these injuries you will need to keep your wing in its sling, and your right foreleg wrapped for about a week and those will be fine. As for your left foreleg, that will need to stay in it cast and sling for at least 3 weeks.” ‘About what I expected, recovery time. Didn’t think I had quite that many injuries though. At least there’s no head injury on this “side”’ I nod to let her know I understand so far. At this, Redheart takes on a slightly worried expression again. “As for your head.” ‘Aw shit, I jinxed it.’ “You hit your head pretty hard in that fall. The unicorn doctors did all they could to help, but you have some slight damage to your frontal lobe, more specifically the Broca’s area. That’s the part of your brain that controls speech production.” ‘And I did just take Psychology this semester, so I know exactly where this is going.’ My expression must have given away what I was thinking, because no sooner had that thought gone through my head, than Redheart’s expression became even more somber. “The doctor said it was possible that you would have trouble speaking properly once you woke up. He also said there was a chance your brain could heal the rest of the way on its own, but more than likely you will have a speech impediment for the rest of your life.” ‘Well, shit… That’s kinda dark for happy little horsie world. And she just told an 8 year old flat out like that? The hell Redheart?’ Forcing a smile Redheart continued. “Don’t worry though, sweetie, once we find your parents we can help you get set up with someone that might be able to help. I need to go drop these notes off with the doctor and check on the other patients. If you need anything, just hit the call button on the side of your bed.” With one last fake smile, Redheart turned and hurried out the door. ‘Has Equestria ever heard of using a bit of tact? Like seriously, a trained professional nurse just came in here and delivered a diagnosis to a supposed 8 year old… Like that.' Laying back in bed, I decided to occupy myself with something else. ‘Fukit, not even gunna think about it right now. This is all some kind of dream. Some kind of long, repetitive dream.’ Glancing out the window, I saw that the sun was climbing high in the sky. ‘Did… Did she seriously not bring breakfast either? From the looks of the sun, its getting close to noon, and no one brought breakfast? I’m supposed to be 8! Are the ponies seriously going to forget to bring a child food?!’ Not long after my mental tangent, a blue earth pony mare with a green mane and a Cutie Mark identical to Redheart’s pushed a cart into the room. “Alright dearie, I hope you’re hungry! Lunch today consists of a fresh garden salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of Sweet Apple Acres apple sauce, and a nice big glass of milk to help those bones of yours heal!” She lifted the lid with an extremely enthusiastic smile to reveal a spread of everything she mentioned, plus a few more things. ‘Is that Jell-O with fruit in it? Oh, I hope it’s pears. I haven’t had pears in ages!’ Noticing me eyeballing the jell-o, the nurse slid it to the back of the tray as she set it in front of me. “Now now dearie, if you want dessert you gotta make sure you clear your plate first!” ‘But the salad has tomatoes in it.’ I mentally pouted ‘Hey wait, and it has onions in it, too. I thought equines can’t eat tomatoes or onions? Well, she da nurse, I’m sure she knows better than me.’ I start devouring the salad before I notice I’m using my right wing like a hand to hold the fork. ‘Pegasus wings are prehensile?! Bad ass!’ I get most of the way through the salad before I realise something ‘Wait a minute… I hate tomatoes. And onions. Yet I just wolfed that salad down like it wasn’t shit. What?’ Shaking the thought from my head, I finish the rest of my meal. ‘I’ve got more important things to worry about than my sudden taste for foods I used to hate. Like the fact that I’m, you know, a friggin pony! And not just a pony, but a little colt!.’ Picking up the empty tray and putting it back on the food cart, the nurse turns to leave. “Well dearie, I’m Nurse Tenderheart, and the pony you met early is Nurse Redheart. We are both on this floor, so if you need anything don’t be afraid to hit that call button, okay?” With one last smile, the nurse, now identified as Tenderheart, turns and leaves the room. ‘Well alone again, wonder if there is anything to do in here. Maybe I can get them to bring me a book.’ Looking around the room, I spot a book sitting on the table next to my bed. ‘Hello there! What do we have here?’ With a bit of stretching, I manage to reach the book and bring it over to me. ‘“Music Theory for Computer Musicians” What? This is the book I was reading in the hospital. The real hospital. How do I have it here, too? Is it because this is some kind of hallucination? Is it just just filling the world in with things I already know?’ Flipping through the book, I notice something is off. ‘But wait, I haven’t finished this book, so how is the entire thing here? If my mind was just filling the world with familiar things, wouldn’t it only put the parts of this book I’ve already read? Screw it, I’m giving myself a headache. Imma just go ahead and pick up where I left off, and read till I’m human again.’ After a few hours of reading, Tenderheart returns with another cart of food, and after I clean my plate, she leaves me to my book. Not to long after eating, I find it hard to keep my eyes open, and the slowly darkening sky clues me in to just how late it’s getting. Putting my book aside, I find a comfortable position and snuggle in, waiting as sleep slowly overtakes me.
Is this a dream? (New version)Author's Note And now, I present to you... (insert drum roll here) the re imagined chapter 1! The real world side of things haven't changed very much at all, the only things I changed were grammar and the wording of a few sentences I didn't care much for. The pony side of things, however... very few things about the pony side of things are the same. He still has the same injuries, and... that's about where the similarities end. Besides that, it has been completely rewritten. As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! Is this a dream? (New version) I sighed as I made my way to my car. It had been another long night of hours laying in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, only to finally get to sleep a couple hours before I had to be up for work. That's not too terribly unusual for me, between depression and anxiety, I'm no stranger to long nights of my overactive mind wreaking havoc on my psyche, but lately it had been getting worse. Add the stress of finals to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. As I unlocked my car and sat down, I couldn't help but lean back and take a moment to think. ‘Well, I was late to work today… Again. And I could barely stay awake in my algebra class today. Pretty sure I missed half the lecture just trying to find ways to keep my eyes open.’ Buckling my seatbelt, I put my foot on the clutch and put my car in neutral before pushing the button on the center console to start it. ‘At least I'm interning with my brother-in-law’s philanthropic group, so I don't need to be too worried about being fired. Although if I don't pick it up and make sure I pass my classes there may be a problem…’ Frowning slightly, I switched my radio to Bluetooth before shifting into first gear and pulling away. ‘I mean I don't think he’d fire me… The whole deal was I go back to school, and as long as I'm passing my classes he makes sure I have a place to stay and I don't go hungry.’ Driving farther up the driveway, I find a place to turn around to head out the front driveway. The “office” I work in is more of a renovated barn on my brother-in-law’s parent’s property, although from looking at it you could never tell. Although a bit short for me, standing at 6’2”, it's nicer on the inside the some houses I've been in. Hell, it's nicer than some places I've lived in. The office itself sits back behind the main barn of the property, and has easy access to both the front main drive, and the rear driveway that goes past the tractor barn. As I turn around, I notice some of the girls from the barn out taking a lesson, so I stop to watch for a minute. ‘It's been awhile since I've been on a horse. I kinda miss it… Maybe I should ask if I could get on one of the horses sometime? Nah, that would probably be weird… Pretty sure most of the people that ride here are still in high school. What would they think of some random 25 year old guy asking if he can go riding with them?’ Chuckling at the thought, I finish turning my car around and head out the front driveway. After checking both ways, I pull out of the driveway and start heading towards my apartment. ‘Well, just because I don't think he would be too pissed if I'm late, doesn't mean I should push my luck. He's really helping me out, and it would be terrible of me to take advantage of him like that.’ As I continue down the road, I feel my eyes getting heavy as sleep tries to overtake me. ‘Ugh, again? My brain is perfectly ok with me going to sleep while behind the wheel of a moving car, but as soon as my ass hits the bed it's like nope, not tired! What the actual fuck, brain? Good thing I live close to where I work, I can just take a nap or some shit when I get home.’ Pulling into my apartment, I parked my car and headed up, ready for a nap. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘4 o'clock in the morning… It is 4 o'clock in the fucking morning… And I'm still awake?’ Groaning in exacerbation, I rolled over and grabbed my phone. ‘Maybe some fan fiction will help? Usually reading makes me tired.’ Scrolling through my “read later” list, I try to decide on a fic that will help put me to sleep. ‘I don't want it to be something too interesting, because then I'll be up all night reading, again… Although some of these I don't even know what possessed me to add them to the list. I mean the premise for some of these just sounds terrible! Oh well, this one looks boring enough to help me pass out.’ My reading material picked, I switched the browser to reader mode and started reading. ‘Ok, this actually isn't too bad so far. The story started well, isn't too excessive, there aren't random things happening for no reason. The grammar doesn't make it look like it was written by a 3rd grader even! I mean, I know my grammar isn't amazing, but damn! Some of the stuff I've read is almost painful to read. The worst part is as bad as the grammar can be on some fan fictions, the story itself can be so captivating! And now I'm on a tangent, where was I again? Ah yes, I was just getting to the part where the OC helps the mane six get the elements and… Oh look, there's seven elements now… It's one of those… Well, I'll give it a chance, it's written pretty well so far, so hopefully it's not another one of those “my OC is a Mary Sue and knows the exact way to solve every problem ever” story. Those are so overdone.’ Looking at the time, I realize it's now going on 5 and I'm still awake. ‘Ugh, damnit! It's been almost an hour and I haven't even finished one chapter. Brain, stop, let me sleep, or let me concentrate on my reading. No more tangents!’ Deciding to try sleep again, I lock my phone and roll over. Finally getting comfortable, I close my eyes… Just to hear the alarm on my phone start going off. Picking up my phone, I see the time is 8:50 in the morning. “What the hell, it was just five” I grumble to myself, hitting snooze and rolling back over. I close my eyes again and lay there for a second before it hits me. “Shit!” I bolt up and grab my phone, seeing it's now 8:52. “I've gotta be at work in 8 minutes and I haven't even showered yet, damn it!” Hitting play on my phone, I put some music on, and ten minutes later I emerge from the bathroom showered, teeth brushed, and ready to go to work. “Shoes, shoes, where the fuck did I put my shoes…” Finding my shoes tucked under the couch, I throw them on and grab my keys, phone, and wallet. Checking the time as I ran to my car, I notice it's already 9:10. “Well, late again dumb ass, good job!” Hopping in my car, I pulled out and hauled ass towards work, not even bothering to put my radio on. ‘Today's going to suck…’ “I'm so glad it's Friday.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2pm rolls around, and after struggling to stay awake through English Comp, I'm finally done class for the week. After collecting my books and putting them in my bag, I start making my way towards the stairs. ‘I'm glad none of my classes are on the ground floor. I think all the walking I do on campus and the stairs are the only reason I don't weigh as much as I probably should…’ As I near the steps, another wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and I once again feel my eyes getting heavy. ‘Woah, while driving is bad enough, but now I can't even walk without wanting to pass out? Maybe I should… Maybe I… See… Doctor…’ As I take the first few steps, my vision slowly tunnels in as everything starts going black, and I see is the stairs rising to meet me,the world around me going into slow motion. As my head's about to hit the steps, I hear and feel a deafening boom sweep through me as I am blinded by a bright polychromatic light. The light clears, and moments before darkness fully envelopes my vision, I see green rapidly rising to meet me. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pain. As I awaken, all I can feel is pain. I lay on the ground for a while, eyes closed tight, trying to make sense of anything through the pain. I slowly open my eyes, taking time to let them adjust to the light. Once my eyes are fully open, the first thing I notice is I'm outside. I try to raise my head, but the pain stops me, so I set it back down while I try to talk stock of the situation. ‘Ok, I was in school, leaving class, then what? I remember getting up, heading down the hallway and getting to the stairwell… Stairs! I remember falling down the stairs! So then how did I get outside?’ Hearing noise nearby, I struggle to finally raise my head and take a look around. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying in a grassy field, what looks like woods to my left. As I start panning vision to the right, I see a colorful blob moving in the distance. ‘Alright, someone must be nearby! Now to try and get their attention’ Struggling to keep my head up, I take as deep a breath as I can manage and yell. “Haaaaa!!” ‘Well, that was supposed to be help, but as long as they can hear it.’ After a brief coughing fit, I yell again. “Hhaaaaa!!” I let out a relieved breath and lay my head back down as I see the colored blob start moving closer. ‘Well that was annoying, but at least they heard me, I hope.' After what felt like hours to my pain addled brain, I finally hear a voice. “Hello, is somepony there?” A rather young, posh sounding voice called out. ‘Somepony… What?’ “Hello,” the voice called out again, now beginning to move in my direction. “Anypony?” I opened my mouth to answer, but just before I called out the colored blob slowly came into focus, revealing a small, white unicorn with a purple mane and tail, levitating a half of a large rock behind her. ‘No way… No freakin way…’ Stunned by what I was seeing, my voice died in my throat. ‘I can’t be seeing this… This can not be real…’ The small unicorn slowly made her way towards me, and just when she was about to turn around and continue on her way, she finally took notice of me. “Ah, there you are. Excuse me, but would you happen to the one calling for…” Her words slowly trailed off, before her sentence ended with a large gasp. ‘There is no freakin way that this is happening.’ The pony, whom at this point was looking more and more familiar, dropped the rock she was carrying with a solid thud and galloped to me as fast as her legs could carry her. ‘I have to be dreaming or something.’ “Oh dear, are you alright?” she began fretting over me. “Oh, what are you asking for, Rarity, look at him! Of course he isn’t alright.” ‘I died or something. I'm in a coma. This isn't real. This can't be real! I refuse to believe it.’ I was brought back to awareness when the pony crouched down in front of me and locked eyes with me. “Can you hear me, darling?” To stunned to answer, I simply nodded my head. As I nodded, fresh waves of pain shot through my body, causing me to screw my eyes shut and clench my teeth. When the pain lessened and I once again opened my eyes, the unicorn had stood back up and was giving me a pitying look. “Oh dear, and I’m guessing you can’t stand, can you?” ‘No shit, Sherlock.’ “No, of course he can’t. Why would you even ask that, look at him!” She chided herself. Biting her bottom lip, her face scrunched up in concentration for a moment before her horn was enveloped in a light blue glow. “But maybe I can lift him…” Feeling a warm, tingling sensation envelope my body, I opened my mouth to protest, but all that left my mouth was a pained groan. The tingling sensation intensified, before it was replaced with the feeling of something pushing in on me from all sides. As soon as pressure was put on my body, everything exploded into waves of white hot agony and I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing but a strangled gasp left my throat. The pressure subsided, and my pain addled mind began to slowly drift in and out of consciousness. After what felt like days, my senses slowly began to clear up again, and I noticed the unicorn was no longer standing in front of me. My eyes wandered as far as they could without my head moving, and I saw that while the rock half she had been carrying was still here, she was nowhere in sight. ‘If that was who I think it was, she may have just solidified her position as worst pony, because god did that hurt! Looking on the bright side, I can now replace broken ribs as the most painful injury I’ve ever experienced.' I allow my eyes to wander the horizon, attempting to catch sight of anything moving in the distance. ‘I sure as hell hope she went to go get help…’ My eyes began to feel heavy, and I slowly began to drift off. Just before my eyes fully closed, another surge of pain went through my body, jolting me to full wakefulness. ‘And I sure as hell hope she hurries…’ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The sun had reached its zenith and had begun making its way towards the horizon when the sound of rapid hoofsteps making their way towards me alerted me to the presence of multiple ponies. “And you’re sure he’s here?” I heard a deep, smooth voice ask. “Yes, yes,” a familiar voice answered back. “I left my gems with him, and my horn is telling me they’re down in those bushes.” ‘She did go to get help! I take it back, you aren’t worst pony, you’re best pony! Trixie be damned!’ The thunder of hoofsteps drew closer, before the small white unicorn enter my field of view, followed closely by a large, brown stallion in a white doctor’s coat. Following behind him where two earth pony mares with a stretcher slung between them. One was light blue with a red mane and medical cross cutie mark, while the other was white with a pink mane and a cutie mark of a heart with a bandage on it. ‘And they brought the cavalry, yay!’ “Ok, there’s my stone…” Her eyes drifted from the stone towards me, and she seemed to almost overlook me before her eyes locked onto mine. Pointing a hoof in my direction, she looked over her shoulder and called out. “And there he is, doctor!” The doctor looked towards me, and, although he was looking almost directly at me, didn’t seem to see me. “Where, all I see is a bush, I don’t see… Oh dear.” Finally noticing me, the doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, before his eyes dilated to the size of pinpricks. “Nurses! Over here, quickly! Bring the stretcher!” The doctor galloped towards me, and slid to a stop just short of me. Crouching down, the horn on his forehead I had failed to notice before lit up, and a small ball of light floated out of it. Looking me directly in the eyes, the doctor shined the light directly onto my face, blinding me and causing my head to pulse with pain. Letting the light fade away, the doctor pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and began talking while writing. “Patient appears to be a young pegasus colt, light green coat with a two tone green mane.” The doctor looked up from his notepad and craned his neck to look behind me. “Cutie mark is of a blue feather quill in a black inkwell, no birthmarks or scars to use as identifying marks.” ‘Young pegasus colt… wuht?’ The two earth ponies brought the stretcher over and set it down in front of me. The doctor’s horn lit again, and I felt a warm tingling once again envelope me. ‘Oh no…. Please don’t try to move me…’ The tingling intensified, but rather than the feeling of pressure I was expecting, it instead morphed into what I could only describe as a feeling of ‘my entire body just fell asleep’. “Patient exhibits signs of a mild concussion, however a full body scan has ruled out any neck injuries, so it should be safe to move him.” ‘And here comes the pain.’ The doctor’s horn lit up and a pale white glow encompassed my body. I screwed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth in anticipation of the pain, however rather than mind numbing agony, I momentarily felt weightless as the ground moved away from my body, and then moments later I felt the rough fabric of the stretcher meet my stomach. ‘Huh, no pain…’ The two earth ponies moved to either end of the stretcher and crouched down, hooking the bars protruding from each end into some type of specially designed saddle they were both wearing “List of injuries to include two broken forelegs, what appears to be a dislocated left shoulder and wing, as well as multiple contusions and lacerations covering his neck, chest, and stomach. A more in depth scan will need to be performed at the hospital to check for further injuries.” The doctor then flipped his notebook closed and stuffed it in his coat pocket before moving around the stretcher and approaching the pony I now was sure was filly Rarity. “I appreciate you coming to get us, young filly, but you should get home now. It isn’t safe to be out this far from town by yourself, especially with all those gems. Diamond Dog country isn’t far, and they tend to wander pretty close to town.” “But what about the colt?” Rarity asked, looking around the doctor at me. “Is he going to be alright?” “We’ll do the best we can, but you getting us so fast was a big help. Why don’t you take your rock and head home, in a day or two you should be able to visit him if you’re still worried about him.” “Well, ok, if you say he’ll be ok…” Rarity’s face scrunched up in concentration once more, and with a grunt, the rock full of gems shakily rose into the air. Casting me one last glance, she turned and trotted off, the rock slowly following behind her. “Such strong levitation, at her age?” The doctor chuckled before shaking his head. “Either she has a gem talent, or she’s going to be one hay of a mage when she grows up. That’s the only way a filly her size could lift a rock that big…” Clearing her throat, the nurse hitched to the front of the stretcher spoke up. “Um, doctor… the colt?” Snapping back to attention, the doctor turned around and trotted over. “Ah, yes, let’s get him to the hospital, shall we?” ‘Jeez, speak so casually about it, why don’t ya? Prick’ “Let’s get going, but careful you don’t jostle him on the way. Don’t want to aggravate any of his injuries.” ‘Sure, now pretend you care. You know what, you’re new worst pony. I know I said filly Rarity was, but she redeemed herself. You? I don’t like you. You’re worst pony now.’ I fixed the best glare I could manage on the back of the doctor’s head as the nurses cantered along beside him. ‘And then you tell Rarity that it's “dangerous to be out here alone”, yet you make her walk home by herself. And you don’t even introduce yourself? I don’t even care what your name is, I just want to know who to put down as worst pony. You probably don’t even have one, or it’s probably something like “backround pony number five-thousand and sixty-eight”. You aren’t important enough for a name.' My thoughts finally caught up to me and I could only blink in surprise at what I was thinking. ‘Wow, I am being a complete dick. What is up with that?’ As the nurses cantered along, the surprisingly gentle ride started lulling me to sleep, and I felt my eyes begin to grow heavy. ‘This is a surprisingly smooth ride… I wonder how they do it.' My eyes slowly drifted closed, and with one final thought I faded from consciousness. ‘Eh, it’s probably magic…’
Is this real life? (New Version)Author's Note And here we have the "new and improved" (at least in my opinion) chapter 2! As of writing out the AN (about 1:15 pm EST) The third chapter is well underway! Current length is 1k words, and while I only pan for 3-4k, my chapters have been getting longer and longer recently (I'm looking at you, 10k word crossover chapter) so it may end up being longer than that. I make no promises, but I intend to have the chapter out sometime tonight, as I am on quite the roll writing right now! As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! Is this real life? (New Version) My eyes snapped open as I woke up. The steady sound of a heart monitor the only sound that greeted me. As I lay there, my surroundings slowly came into focus as I once again took stock of my situation. ‘Ok, heart monitor, from the smell and the look of the room, I'm in the hospital. But was I really in the hospital? That had to be a dream… But it felt so real! The clean smell of the air, the feel of the grass, and the other ponies as they lifted me. The pain…’ Lifting my head, I looked myself over, finding my left arm done up in a sling. ‘Ok, so, left arm in a sling, probably broken.’ lifting my right arm, I looked it over. ‘And I have hands. Ok, so that obviously was a dream. Just a very… vivid one I guess.’ Before I had a chance to check myself over any further, the door opened as a nurse walked in to check on me. “Oh, you're awake? Give me just a minute, I'll go fetch a doctor.” After a quick once over, the nurse left, closing the door behind her. Laying my head back, I started thinking over my apparent dream. ‘What was up with that weird dream, and why did it feel so real? I mean when Rarity tried to lift me it actually hurt! A lot! And what did it mean? I mean I'm no stranger to the HiE section of FiMfiction. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I didn't entertain a fantasy of going there myself!’ Before I could go any further with that train of thought, it was promptly derailed as the door opened and a doctor came walking in. “Good to see you're awake, you took quite the spill you know?” The doctor said. “You took quite a blow to the head, so we were a bit worried.” “Wh-” I started, having to pause to clear my throat. “What happened?” “Well, according to the students who witnessed your fall, they said you passed out while going down the stairs at school. You hit your head and shoulder on the steps while falling. Along with a minor contusion on your frontal lobe from the impact, you also broke your collarbone and fractured the radius bone in your left arm. As for why you passed out, while doing an MRI on the confusion caused by the fall, we noticed that there was a reduced amount of Hypocretin-1 in your cerebral cortex. Tell me, have you been having trouble staying asleep? Or perhaps getting sleepy or falling asleep at random times during the day?” Thinking back, I nodded. “Yeah, it's been been getting worse lately, but for the last month I haven't been able to stay asleep at night, and during the day I tend to get really tired. That's actually the last thing I remember in the hall. I was getting ready to go down the steps and just got extremely tired, then nothing.” “Interesting,” the doctor stated, writing down what I told him “Well that pretty much confirms what we were thinking. Judging from what we found in the MRI, as well as what you just told me, it would appear you are narcoleptic. We'd like to run some more tests, just to be sure, and we'd also like to keep you overnight for observation. Head injuries aren't something you want to take a chance with.” “Ok, yeah. Whatever you have to do.” I responded despondently. As the doctor started going over the procedure for the additional tests, I zoned out to think on what had happened. ‘Was that all a just a dream though? It felt so real… Then again, the injuries I suffered when I fell were similar to the ones I had in that… whatever it was. Was it a hallucination? I think I remember hearing somewhere that narcoleptics tend to hallucinate. I think. Maybe? Maybe I should ask the doc about that.’ Turning to question the doctor, I realized I was alone in the room. ‘Huh, I really do need to not zone out when someone is telling me something important…’ With the doctor gone, and nothing to keep me occupied, I lost myself in thought again. Thoughts of everything from the repercussions of my injuries and my condition on my daily life, to what abilities from different characters in different games would be applicable in different situations. You know, normal stuff. At some point my dad came by, having left work and driven two hours from Hershey after he heard I was in the hospital. Giving him the keys to my apartment, I told him he could stay there tonight if he wanted, so long as he brought me something to read. About an hour later, and countless scenarios later, my dad returned with a stack of books from my apartment, including the music theory book I had recently picked up, and after a short visit, and multiple assurances I was ok, he left me to my reading. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, with only the nurse stopping by to bring me dinner, and the doctor taking me for a few more tests. The sun was on it’s way towards the horizon, when another bout of drowsiness hit. As hard as I tried to continue my reading and power through it, I could see the darkness encroaching on my vision. I closed my eyes to attempt to blink the sleep from them, and when I opened them... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The hospital room looked completely different. When I closed my eyes, I was in an off-white room, a small television in the corner, and windows with the shades partially drawn to my left. When I opened them, I found myself in a manilla room, a dry erase board to the left with notes jotted on them. The window, which had been on my left, barely blocking the rays of the setting sun, was now to my right, allowing an unobstructed view of the sunrise. Looking myself over, I saw my left arm still in a sling as well as a cast. Lifting my right arm, I saw it wrapped in some type of ace bandage. I also noticed that both of my arms were now green, and ended in… ‘Hooves? So I’m a pony again?’ Giving myself a more thorough look, I saw that I was indeed in the body of a little green pony again. Shifting to try and get a better look at myself, I rolled to the left and instantly regretted it. I felt something get trapped between me and the bed, followed by a searing pain originating from my back, around where my shoulder blades would be. ‘Ok, that didn’t exactly tickle.’ Gritting my teeth in pain, I rolled back to my right and looked over my left should to try and figure out what I just laid on. ‘Wings? That’s right, that doctor said I was a pegasus. And it’s in a sling… Did they say something about a wing when they brought me in? I know I heard something about a break, and maybe a dislocation?’ Lifting the sheets, I decided to check myself out while I was still alone. ‘Going off my coloring, and the fact that I’m a pegasus, I’m going to go ahead and assume that I’m my OC. Which means that my Cutie Mark should be… Yep, there it is, quill in an ink well. Given the facts, it’s pretty safe to assume I’m Dream Weaver.’ Laying back in bed and exhaling, I drop the covers just as the door opens. Looking up, I see a very familiar white earth pony with a pink mane walk into the room. ‘Nurse Redheart? No, her cutie mark is different… Well, Rarity was a filly, so maybe this is Redheart’s mom?’ Looking up from the clipboard she’s somehow holding in one hoof while she walks, she gives me a gentle smile as she notices I’m awake. “Well hello there, little one. I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.” “Ha… Hello.” I manage to squeak. “My name is Nurse Heart Patch, but you can just call me Nurse Heart. I was one of the ponies that brought you in yesterday, do you remember that?” ‘Heart Patch… Really? Seems a little unoriginal.’ I smiled and gave her a nod in response. ‘I wonder if Nurse is part of her name, or just her title…’ “Do you remember where you are? How you got here?” Nurse Heart questioned, keeping the same compassionate smile on her face. “H… hos… hospital.” I struggle to reply. ‘What the hell is up with that? Why is it so hard to speak? I kinda figured I was young again, but I didn’t think I was that young.’ “Ah… I. Fff. Feel. Fffall.” “It’s ok, sweetie, don’t force it. Why don’t we keep it to yes or no questions, how’s that sound?” Nurse Heart suggests, a slight bit of concern showing through her calm, compassionate mask. “K.” I force out, growing frustrated with my inability to force even the simplest of words out. “Judging by your injuries, we assumed that you fell from somewhere. Do you remember where you fell from?” ‘Yeah, I fell down a flight of stairs and apparently knocked myself into another reality.’ Knowing the nurse would never believe a tale like that, I simply shook my head no. “You said you remember falling though, do you remember anything before that, or just the fall?” ‘Nothing you’d believe.’ Again I shake my head. “Do you know how old you are? Until we find some way to identify you, we can only assume based on your size. We were thinking you were between 8 and 10, does that sound right?” ‘God, I hope I’m not that young.’ I shrug, ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ By this point, Heart Patch’s smile has all but fallen, a concerned frown forcing it’s way onto her face. “Name?” ‘If I’m my OC like I think I am…’ I nod my head. “Duh. Dree. Eem. We. Ver.” ‘Jimmeny Cricket this shiz is getting redonculous.’ “Dream Weaver?” Nurse Heart asks, a small smile returning to her face. ‘I hope so.’ I nod in response. “Well, at least now we have something to work with! Now, before I pass what we learned on to the nice ponies trying to find your parents, how about I go over your injuries with you?” Heart Patch asks, her cheerful demeanor returning. ‘If I’m as young as you supposedly think I am, I don’t know how you’d expect me to really understand any medical terms, but go ahead.’ I snark in my head, nodding in response. “Alright sweetie, you have a hairline fracture on your right metacarpal, that’s your front right cannon, bone, as well as a full break in your front left metacarpal bone and humerus. You also dislocated your left wing, as well as slightly fracturing the shoulder joint. For these injuries you will need to keep your wing in its sling, and your right foreleg wrapped for about a week and those will be fine. As for your left foreleg, that will need to stay in it cast and sling for at least 3 weeks.” ‘About what I expected, recovery time. Didn’t think I had quite that many injuries though. At least there’s no head injury on this “side”’ I nod to let her know I understand so far. At this, Heart Patch takes on a slightly worried expression again. “As for your head.” ‘Aw shit, I jinxed it.’ “You hit your head pretty hard in that fall. The unicorn doctors did all they could to help, but you have some slight damage to your frontal lobe, more specifically the Broca’s area. That’s the part of your brain that controls speech production.” ‘And I did just take Psychology this semester, so I know exactly where this is going.’ My expression must have given away what I was thinking, because no sooner had that thought gone through my head, than Heart’s expression became even more somber. “The doctor said it was possible that you would have trouble speaking properly once you woke up. He also said there was a chance your brain could heal the rest of the way on its own, but more than likely you will have a speech impediment for the rest of your life.” ‘Well, shit… That’s kinda dark for happy little horse world. And she just told an 8 year old flat out like that? The hell?’ Forcing a smile Heart Patch continued. “Don’t worry though, sweetie, once we find your parents we can help you get set up with somepony that might be able to help. I need to go drop these notes off with the doctor and check on the other patients. If you need anything, just hit the call button on the side of your bed.” With one last fake smile, Heart Patch turned and hurried out the door. ‘Has Equestria ever heard of a bit of tact? Like seriously, a trained professional nurse just came in here and delivered a diagnosis to a supposed eight year old… Like that.' Laying back in bed, I decided to occupy myself with something else. ‘Fuckit, not even gunna think about it right now. This is all some kind of dream. Some kind of long, repetitive dream.’ Glancing out the window, I saw that the sun was climbing high in the sky. ‘Did… Did she seriously not bring breakfast either? From the looks of the sun, its getting close to noon, and no one brought breakfast? I’m supposed to be eight! Are the ponies seriously going to forget to bring a child food?!’ Not long after my mental tangent, the blue earth pony with the red mane pushed a cart into the room. “Alright dearie, I hope you’re hungry! Lunch today consists of a fresh garden salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of Sweet Apple Acres apple sauce, and a nice big glass of milk to help those bones of yours heal!” She lifted the lid with an extremely enthusiastic smile to reveal a spread of everything she mentioned, plus a few more things. ‘Is that Jell-O with fruit in it? Oh, I hope it’s pears. I haven’t had pears in ages!’ Noticing me eyeballing the jell-o, the nurse slid it to the back of the tray as she set it in front of me. “Now now dearie, if you want dessert you gotta make sure you clear your plate first!” ‘But the salad has tomatoes in it.’ I mentally pouted. ‘Hey wait, and it has onions in it, too. I thought equines can’t eat tomatoes or onions? Well, she da nurse, I’m sure she knows better than me.’ I start devouring the salad before I notice I’m using my right wing like a hand to hold the fork. ‘Pegasus wings are prehensile?! Bad ass!’ I get most of the way through the salad before I realize something. ‘Wait a minute… I hate tomatoes. And onions. Yet I just wolfed that salad down like it wasn’t shit. What?’ Shaking the thought from my head, I finish the rest of my meal. ‘I’ve got more important things to worry about than my sudden taste for foods I used to hate. Like the fact that I’m, you know, a friggin pony! And not just a pony, but a little colt!.’ Picking up the empty tray and putting it back on the food cart, the nurse turns to leave. “Well dearie, I’m Nurse Life Star, and the pony you met early is Nurse Heart Patch. We are both on this floor, so if you need anything don’t be afraid to hit that call button, okay?” With one last smile, the nurse, now identified as Life Star, turns and leaves the room. ‘Well alone again, wonder if there is anything to do in here. Maybe I can get them to bring me a book.’ Looking around the room, I spot a book sitting on the table next to my bed. ‘Well hello there! What do we have here?’ With a bit of stretching, I manage to reach the book and bring it over to me. ’”The Hardy Colts: The Tower of Treasure”? Seriously? A Hardy Boys book? What are these things doing here?' Flipping open the book, I skimmed through first few pages. ‘I haven’t read this particular Hardy Boys book, but it reads just like the real ones... except with ponies.’ Propping the book up, I started reading and was halfway through the first chapter before something occurred to me. ‘Wait… If I’ve never read this one in real life, then how am I reading it now? I thought you can’t read books in dreams, period, much less ones you’ve never actually read…’ With a snort, I shook my head and went back to reading. ‘Screw it, who cares. I don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I may as well take any entertainment I can find.' After a few hours of reading, Tenderheart returns with another cart of food, and after I clean my plate, she leaves me to my book. Not to long after eating, I find it hard to keep my eyes open, and the slowly darkening sky clues me in to just how late it’s getting. Putting my book aside, I find a comfortable position and snuggle in, waiting as sleep slowly overtakes me.
Escape this realityAuthor's Note For those of you that didn't see the blog post the other day, a decent portion of this chapter was rewritten after I initially finished it. It originally started with about a 500 word summary of the events of the first section, was only 3,200 words long, and started at "‘Well, this is a first…’" I apologize that this took a few days longer than planned to release, but as I said in the blog, I wasn't happy with the original version, so I held off until I was happy with it. Now that Chapter 3 is done, I will be working on a chapter for my crossover fic before I come back to this one. As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out. If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like! "Speech bubble." 'Thought bubble.' Whiteboard messages. Escape this reality On the morning of my second “day” as a pony, I awoke to a surprise. As I lay in bed, attempting to wipe the sleep from my eyes, my ears perked as the door clicked open, and a cart loaded with books rolled into the room, followed closely by Heart and Star. Not noticing I was awake yet, they both began noisily trying to shush each other. “Quietly now Heart, we don’t wanna wake the poor colt. He needs his sleep to recover.” Star whispered, bumping the cart into the bed with her inattentiveness. “Quiet me? Quiet you!” Heart replied, trying her best to stay quiet. “You’re the one pushing that noisy cart around, ramming it into things.” “My cart isn’t the one making all the noise,” Star shot back. “It’s you and those massive hooves of yours. I don’t care what your parents say, one of them has to be part Clydesdale for you to end up with stompers like those.” “Stompers?!” Heart gasped. “Well, my hooves may be big, but at least they aren’t flat like yours! Tell me, how much has the hospital taken out of your paycheck for property damage this month alone?” Star shot Heart a death glare and opened her mouth to retort, but froze when she saw me awake and watching them. ‘Aww, there goes my morning entertainment.’ “O-oh, good morning little one,” Star stammered, quick to recover. “How are you this morning?” Realizing Star wasn’t talking to her, Heart whipped around and put on her best fake smile. “Good morning indeed! Are you ready for breakfast?” ‘Food would have been better with the show, not after.’ Smiling at the nurses, I nodded my head. “G… good, ya… yours?” “We’re doing great, dearie, thank you for asking!” Star beamed, pushing her cart into the corner of the room. “And your morning is about to get much better. We noticed you enjoyed that “Hardy Colts” book I left here, correct?” ‘So that was her book, was it?’ I nodded before reaching out with a wing and grabbing it. Holding it up to her, I gave her the cutest look I could muster. “Ah-I fi-finished. More?” Star took the book in her forehoof and walked it over to the cart. “Oh, you want more, do you? Well, you’re in luck. I just so happened to bring my entire collection in for you, all fifty-eight books!” ‘So… many… books!’ I could feel drool drip out of the corner of my mouth and lifted a foreleg to wipe it away. “Somepony looks excited,” Heart teased. “He looks almost as excited as you get over those books, Star.” “They aren’t ‘just books’, Heart. We’ve been over this before! They are, in fact, one of the best series of books ever written. So much better than that ‘Daring Do’ book you’ve been fawning over lately. These books are classics.” While the two mares were arguing over which book was better, I struggled to try and reach the cart of books. Hooking my good wing on the headboard, I leaned out over the edge of the bed, stretching for the cart. ‘Almost… there…’ “And what, exactly, do you think you’re doing, young colt?” ‘Busted...’ Looking up, I saw both of the nurses with amused expressions on their faces. “I think this one might like books more than you do, Star,” Heart laughed. “A colt after my own heart,” Star joked, sitting on her haunches and holding her hooves over her chest. After having a laugh at her own joke, she stood up and took one of the books in her mouth. “Now, I’ll give you the next book in the series, but you’ve got to promise to eat your breakfast, ok? You need the nutrients to help you heal.” Once I nodded in agreement, Star handed me the book, and I propped it up against the tray they had brought in to put my food on. ‘Huh, when did that get there?’ Using my good foreleg to hold the book open, I picked up the silverware with my wing and dug in as soon as Heart set the tray down. Rolling the food cart to the door Star and Heart both gave cheery goodbyes, telling me to call one of them when I was ready for the next book. ‘The Hardy Colts: Identity Thief.’ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ When lunchtime rolled around, Star stopped by with my second surprise of the day. “Oh Dream, There seems to be this cute young filly her wanting to see you,” Star called out in a sing-song voice. Tucking a scrap of paper in the book to keep my place, I looked up to see Star holding the door open for Rarity, with two ponies I recognized as her parents behind her. Setting my book aside, I gave her a friendly smile and a wave. “Hello there, Dream Weaver was it?” Rarity asked. Receiving a nod in response, she smiled before continuing. “It is very nice to meet you, my name is Rarity Belle, but you may call me Rarity.” ‘I see she was even a stickler for manners as a filly.’ “N-nice to me… meet you, Ra-rarity.” “I say, are you ok?” Rarity asked, giving me an inquisitive look. “Is there something stuck in your throat? If you need, I can get you a drink.” “Rarity!” Her mother snapped. Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but her mom turned to me and started talking. “I’m so sorry about that, sweetie. It seems that Rarity,” She shot her another look. “Seems to have forgotten that the nurse had told her you were having some difficulties.” I simply attempted to restrain my laughter and waved it off. “It’s ok.” ‘Your reaction to her question was worth any hard feelings caused by it.’ “No, it wasn’t ok!” Rarity snapped, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe I could be so… so inconsiderate like that! It was so… so… uncouth of me.” ‘Wow, big words for such a little pony.’ Her dad walked over and gave her a comforting pat on the back, rolling his eyes. “Honey, have you been reading that dictionary again? We’ve told you before, you don’t have to talk like one of those fancy city ponies to make your outfit look better, you can do that perfectly fine just the way you are. You even got the cutie mark to prove it.” Upon mention of her cutie mark she instantly cheered up, and in the blink of an eye was standing on her hind legs, forelegs resting on my bed as she talked excitedly about her new mark. “Oh, that’s right, I didn’t have my cutie mark last time you saw me!” She angled herself to give me a better view of her flank and had I not been elevated above her in a bed, I’m fairly certain she would be sticking it in my face right now. “I just got it yesterday by making the most amazing costumes ever for the schools summer play.” Rarity went on and on, describing to me the dresses she made in excruciating detail. At some point while she was talking, her parents had gone to sit in chairs in the corner of the room, her father going through the books Star had left me earlier. “...and Don’t even get me started on the outfits I’ve designed since. I had so many gems left over that I just had to do something with them. Of course, I’m going to have to make them last for a while… Mom and dad grounded me for going to get that geode.” “And for good reason, too, young lady,” her dad cut in. “You got that rock from the Gem Fido foothills, that’s diamond dog territory. They don’t care how old you are, they catch you on their land, they will kidnap you and put you to work in their mines.” “But daddy,” Rarity whined. “I didn’t want to go there, my horn…” “I don’t want to hear it, young lady, you’re grounded and that’s that. If you want to keep arguing we can make it two weeks.” “Yes daddy,” Rarity sighed. Perking back up, Rarity gave me another bright smile. “But if I hadn’t been out there in the first place, I don’t think anypony would have found poor Dream Weaver here. He was so far out, and his coat blended in so well with the bush he was in. Even the doctor had trouble seeing him, and I was pointing right at him.” “...which is why you're only grounded one week instead of the four I had wanted.” Her dad grumbled. “Four weeks?!” Rarity gasped, putting a foreleg to her head like she was going to faint. “Why that would be the worst possible thing!” ‘Oh my god, she did it as a filly, too!’ “Now now, dear, it’s not that bad." Rarity's mom chided, rolling her eyes at her daughter's antics. "You’ve still got a month of summer vacation once your time is up.” “Still isn’t fair…” Rarity pouted. “And I just feel so terrible right now, here I am talking up a storm, and you can’t even talk back. How are we supposed to hold a proper conversation like this?” Before I could attempt to answer, Heart walked into the room with what looked like a dry erase board in her mouth. “I think I may have just what he needs.” ‘I still don’t understand how these ponies can talk so well with things in their mouths.’ “I noticed our little friend here is quite skilled with using his wing for manipulating silverware, so I decided to dig out one of our dry erase boards so he could write his answers to us.” “Oh, that is a wonderful idea.” Rarity’s mom complimented, before shooting Rarity a sly look. “You hear that, Rarity? You can finally have a conversation with that colt you wouldn’t stop bugging us about.” “Mom,” Rarity whined. ‘I know she saved my “life” and all, but if she keeps whining like that she won’t be best pony anymore.’ “Colts are gross. I only wanted to check on him because he was really hurt when I found him.” “Aww, that’s cute,” Heart gushed. “Does somepony have themselves a little crush?” While she had a light blush before, Rarity’s entire head turned red at this, and I had to stick a hoof in my mouth to keep from laughing at her. “I do not!” Rarity protested, her voice becoming more high pitched and squeaky. “Of course you don’t, sweetie,” Heart chuckled. “I’ll leave you two to talk, I’ve got a few more patients to check on before lunch.” Giving Rarity a few minutes to compose herself, I decided to mess with the dry erase board. Picking up the board, I searched the bed for the marker, before discovering it sitting in a little clip on the top of the board. Pulling the marker out, I noted that it was one of the ones with the eraser on the cap. ‘Huh, convenient…’ Although it took a little practice holding the marker so that my feathers wouldn’t get in the way, I managed to write my first message and held the board out for Rarity to read. The blush finally mostly gone from her face, Rarity turned to read the message I had written her. Thank you for saving me. “Thank you for… oh, darling, it was no problem at all. You were a pony in need of help, I couldn’t just leave you there.” Still, you saved my life, so thanks. “I wouldn’t go that far… I’m sure somepony would have found you out there. In fact, I’m sure you’re parents were out there looking for you, and they’re just waiting at home to hear if somepony found you.” There was an awkward silence for a few moments before I scrawled a new message on my board to try and get the conversation started again. So, you were telling me about your new cutie mark? “Ahh, yes, my cutie mark!” Rarity turned to the side to show off said mark. “Oh, I was so happy when I finally got it! Ok, so, I had signed up to help with the costumes for our school's summer play…” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rarity and I passed most of the rest of the day talking, but when Star showed up to drop off dinner, Rarity’s parents told her it was time to leave. With a quick hug, and a promise to be back in a few days, Rarity and her parents left to get their own dinner. The rest of the week passed without much of interest happening. But the night of my sixth “day” in Equestria, something interesting finally happened... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘Well, this is a first…’ While normally I would fall asleep at night in the human world and wake up to morning in the pony world, today was different. Today, I had fallen asleep in the middle of the day, passed out at my desk working. When I woke up, it was the middle of the night, and I was a pony. Taking a look around the room, I took a moment to ponder my situation. ‘Ok, so apparently if it’s daylight on Earth, it’s night time here. It was quarter after ten in the mourning last I saw before I passed out, so here it should be…’ Finally spotting a clock on the wall, I squinted, struggling to read it in the dark. ‘Ten twenty-three at night? Alright, so it looks like there is a twelve-hour difference between the time here and the time back home. That’s either very convenient or the messed up part of my brain producing this hallucination just decided to invert the time for simplicity sake… Either way, I should really be asleep right now. Or would it be awake?’ Laying back down, I scrunched my face up in thought, oblivious to the sound of hoofsteps and the clinking of armor echoing down the hallway. ‘I should be asleep here, and awake in human land. But if this isn’t real, then wouldn’t I already be asleep? But if that was the case, then I should really be awake right now…’ I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound harsh whispering directly outside my door. “... are you doing? It’s the middle of the night, and the patients need their sleep!” I recognized the voice of the doctor that had originally brought me in. “What business do you have, causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night.” “I’m sorry, sir.” A very deep, very official sounding voice answered back. “My partner and I were given orders to make sure the colt’s room is secure, and to post ourselves at his door so that only hospital staff may enter.” ‘Hold on, what?’ “What, but why? It’s late, you couldn’t have done this in the morning?” The doctor asked. “No, sir, it could not have waited. I am not at liberty to answer any of your questions, however, my C.O. should be arriving shortly to fill you in.” ‘C.O.? Not at liberty to discuss? From the way he’s talking, he must be a guard or something.’ The door to the room clicked open, and a large white unicorn stallion clad in gold armor walked into the room. His horn gave off a pale yellow light, and I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. After a few moments of silence, I slowly open my eyes and saw that the unicorn was now looking at the window, which was engulfed in the same pale yellow light his horn gave off. Casting one more glance my way, the light from his horn extinguished and he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Sitting up, I inspected the window, attempting to figure out what he had done. ‘Based on the armor, I’d say that was a Royal Guard. But what is he doing here, and what was he doing the window?’ Hearing voices in the hall again, I leaned forward as far as I could and strained my ears, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. “...t’s going on here?” I heard the doctor ask again. ‘Is he still buggin’ that guard, or did another one show up?’ “I apologize for the abrupt intrusion, sir,” An authoritative sounding voice answered, this one female. “But we made a discovery while looking for the colt’s parents, and we had to act fast to assure his safety.” “Discovery about his parents? So you found them then?” “Yes, we found them, however...” The guard hesitated. “That’s wonderful, I’m sure they have been worried sick about him! Tell me, when will they be here?” “Well, that’s part of the problem… They won’t.” “What? What do you mean they won’t be here? What kind of parents would leave their colt injured in the hospital like this?” The doctor asked, beginning to raise his voice. There was silence for nearly a full minute before the guard responded. “His parents were found dead in their home. An investigation was performed due to signs of foul play. It was discovered that they were both murdered, execution style and the time of death was determined to be the morning the colt was found. We have reason to believe that the colt’s “accident” was anything but and that he was fleeing from whoever killed his parents.” There was a loud thump right outside the door, followed by a long period of silence. ‘So, what? “My” parents were killed in some sort of mob hit, and they think I managed to survive somehow?’ Laying back in bed, I allowed my mind to wander. ‘But what are the guards for, do they think someone will come back and try again?’ As I lay in bed, scenarios of mob ponies busting through my window and guards storming through the door to fight them off ran through my head, I heard talking outside the door once more. “So the guards, they’re…” “We don’t think anypony knows he survived, but we were ordered to station guards here, just in case.” The guard answered, preempting the doctor’s question. “And what about the colt… Do we tell him? What’s going to happen to him?” “I think, for now, it’s best if we keep him here, under guard, and allow him to recover,” the guard paused once again, before continuing with a bit of hesitance in her voice. “As for telling him… It may be best if we just let him think we’re still looking. I know, I don’t like it either, but it may be better to leave him ignorant, rather than having a scared colt locked in a room, in his condition, jumping at shadows.” “What about the funeral…” The guard gave out a long, drawn out sigh before answering. “Both parents came from small families and were only foals. The mother’s parents are listed as deceased, and the father’s family disowned him. From what we’ve been able to gather, the father had quite the gambling problem, and made a habit of betting money he didn’t have. We’re thinking he owed too much to the wrong pony, and they came to collect. Attempts have been made to contact any of their more distant relatives, but so far we haven’t had any luck. If we can’t reach any of them, then they will just be given a burial without a ceremony.” “So we just leave him in the dark? Lie to him, let him think his parents are still out there? Doesn’t that seem a bit cruel to you?” “I know it isn’t the best solution, but it’s the safest one we could think of. Besides, even if I could think of anything better, I don’t have the authority to do anything. The Princess has involved herself in this case, and she is adamant that the colt’s safety be our highest priority.” The ponies had begun raising their voices again, and noise from the room next door alerted them to the fact that they were waking the patients. I heard the doctor sigh, followed by the sounds of hoofsteps moving away from my door. “Let us finish this conversation in my office, we’re disturbing the patients.” A second quartet of hoofsteps, preceded by the light clanking of armor, alerted me to the departure of the guard. Allowing myself to relax once more, I attempted to process everything I had just heard. ‘Ok, review time… “My” parents, or rather, the parents of the colt whose place I took are dead. Not only that, some type of pony mafia may be after him. Me? They’re after Dream Weaver, whose place I took, but they don’t know that. But then if I took his place, that would mean this would have to be real, and I essentially killed him...’ Shaking my head, I attempted to refocus. ‘No, bad! Don’t think like that! This isn’t real, it’s just one big hallucination. You didn’t take anyone’s place, and you sure as hell didn’t kill them to do so!’ I rolled around on the bed, attempting to get comfortable. ‘But if this isn’t real, how do I explain the pain? It sure feels real… The injuries here are exactly the same as the ones I got in real life,' I winced as I put pressure on my injured wing. ‘That doesn’t explain the wing, though… I know I didn’t hurt my back at all.’ Finally finding a comfortable position, I settled in and attempted to fall asleep. ‘There’s no way this can be real, though. This kind of stuff only happens in bad fanfiction!' I let out a yawn as my eyes begin to drift closed. ‘This is all just some kind of… of a weird dream brought on by my narcolepsy, that’s all…’ With that final thought, I drift off to sleep. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The following “morning” in the pony world, the doctor came to my room to check on my recovery. “Good morning, Dream, my name is Doctor Mender,” the doctor greeted me upon entering the room. “Did you sleep well last night?” ‘Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m asleep right now, but sure.’ I nodded my head in response. “That’s good, bed rest and nutritious foods are exactly what you need for a speedy recovery. Now, I’ve come to check on how you’re healing, and depending on the results I may get to take your wing out of that sling today.” Doctor Mender’s horn lit up as he walked around the side of my bed, encasing the covers in the same aura and pulling them back.”Just lay back and relax, I’m going to do a few scans to make sure everything is healing properly.” I did as he asked and laid back in the bed, doing my best to relax. The doctor’s horn was enveloped with a brown aura, and moments later the same aura encased my body, bringing with it a familiar tingling sensation and tinting everything brown. “Now, you might feel a bit of tingling.” That was all the warning I had before my entire body once again felt like it fell asleep. The sensation only lasted a few seconds before it stopped, my body still encased in his brown aura. “Everything seems to be healing up just fine. I’m going to do one more scan of each break individually, and after that, I should be able to remove your wing sling.” The tingling sensation picked up again, and then I felt each individual body part “fall asleep” for a few seconds each. Doctor mender frowned for a moment and did one more series of scans before pulling a notepad out of his pocket, his aura fading from around me. “Well, it seems you’re recovering quite quickly. Quite quickly indeed…” Doctor Mender tucked his notepad back in his coat pocket before his horn and my right foreleg. I watched as the bandage slowly unraveled itself from my leg, before rolling itself up and floating over to a trash bin. “The fractures in your wing and right foreleg are almost completely healed, and the breaks in your left foreleg are healing quite nicely. I’ve scheduled you for another set of scans in ten days. if the results come back as good as today’s, we will be removing the cast and setting you up for physical therapy.” ‘Physical therapy?’ Noticing the confused look on my face, Doctor Mender quickly explained himself. “With injuries such as these, it is important to strengthen the muscles, to compensate for both the degradation resulting from lack of use, and for the weakness of the bone as it takes its time to fully recover. Lean forward please.” Doctor Mender paused from his explanation to remove the sling and wraps on my left wing. “As I just stated, once your bones are fully mended, they will still be weak for a time as they fully heal. You’ll want to avoid putting too much strain on them to prevent re-injury. Fan out your wings for me, please.” I did my best to fan out my wings as he asked. As I flexed them, the left one started to burn and the right one refused to move the way I wanted it to. ‘Strange, I can easily use my wing to eat and write, but I can hardly flex them?' I frowned at my wing before getting an idea. I easily reached for the book on my bedside table and grabbed it. Holding the book in my left wing, I was able to open it up and leaf through the pages. ‘So they seem to act in place of my arms when I want to grab anything, but when it comes to basic movements they just do their own thing?’ “Interesting…” Doctor Mender was watching me carefully, taking notes in his notepad. “You seem to struggle with movements that are fairly simple, and quite important for flight control, but yet you have an amazing amount of precision when it comes to manipulating things with them.” His eyes drifted to my exposed flank. “It may have something to do with your special talent…” Doctor Mender added a few more notes to his notepad before tucking it in his pocket in heading for the door. “Just a reminder, I’ll be back in ten days time for another scan, and from there we will work out your rehabilitation. In the meantime, I’ll have the nurse stop by with a few wing exercises that you can get started on now. Just remember, any pain or strain and you stop immediately and let one of the nurses know, understood?” I nodded my head in response, not bothering to write a response to him. “Then I will be by in a few days to check in on you.” Not waiting for a response, Doctor mender opened the door with a flick of his horn and walked out. As soon as the door closed behind him, I blew a raspberry at him before reaching down to grab the covers he never bothered to return to me. ‘He’s an… interesting pony. I’m having trouble getting a lock on his personality. The nurses are both very cheerful, seem to love foals, and bicker like a married couple. The doctor… he’s acting nice and friendly one moment, then completely blowing you off the next.’ Reaching my wing over, I grabbed my book and opened to my bookmark. ‘Ah well, it's no big deal. Hopefully this… whatever it is, won’t last too much longer, and then I won’t have to deal with them anymore. I’ll miss the nurses, they’re nice, but that doctor? Meh.’
Is this a dream? (Old Version)Author's Note ~~So i sat down to finish chapter 1 of my other story, Altruism, and couldn't make words. So I opened a new Docs page and started typing and this ended up happening! I wrote this all in one sitting, and besides a quick read through of my own, didn't have anyone edit it. SO if anyone finds anything wrong please do not hesitate to inform me, it would be very much appreciated!~~ To those of you reading this for the first time, you will notice the first two chapters of this story exist twice, in both an (Old Version) format and a (New Version) format. The reason for this is I have decided to change a major point in this story, and change it from a "just for fun to get the ideas out of my head" story, into a "just for fun, but with an actual story to be told" type of thing. I will fully admit, the direction it is taking has been done before, more specifically by Fresnor and Tangent, however I've decided to write my own spin on that particular trope. I won't confirm or deny if this story will be a 7th element story (despite the jokes I may make about them, some of them are quite enjoyable), but of those types of stories are your cup of tea, I suggest checking out Fres's and Tangent's stories. If you are reading this and don't agree with the re imagining, I'm sorry that you feel that way and hope that you find what you're looking for in another story, but I will push forward regardless. To those of you reading this and sticking around, I appreciate the support and hope that I won't disappoint! "Speech bubble." 'Thought Bubble.' Is this a dream? (Old Version) I sighed as I made my way to my car. It had been another long night of hours laying in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, only to finally get to sleep a couple hours before I had to be up for work. That's not too terribly unusual for me, between depression and anxiety, I'm no stranger to long nights of my overactive mind wreaking havoc on my psyche, but lately it had been getting worse. Add the stress of finals to the mix and you got a recipe for a good time. As I unlocked my car and sat down, I couldn't help but lean back and take a moment to think. ‘Well, I was late to work today… Again. And I could barely stay awake in my algebra class today. Pretty sure I missed half the lecture just trying to find ways to keep my eyes open.’ Buckling my seatbelt, I put my foot on the clutch and put my car in neutral before pushing the button on the center console to start it. ‘Well, at least I'm interning with my brother in law’s philanthropic group, so I don't need to be too worried about being fired. Although if I don't pick it up and make sure I pass my classes there may be a problem…’ Frowning slightly, I switched my radio to Bluetooth before shifting into first gear and pulling pulling away. ‘I mean I don't think he’d fire me… The whole deal was I go back to school, and as long as I'm passing my classes he makes sure I have a place to stay and I don't go hungry.’ Driving farther up the driveway, I find a place to turn around to head out the front driveway. The “office” I work in is more of a renovated barn on my brother in law’s parent’s property, although from looking at it you could never tell. Although a bit short for me, standing at 6’2”, it's nicer on the inside the some houses I've been in. Hell, it's nicer than some places I've lived in. The office itself sits back behind the main barn of the property, and has easy access to both the front main drive, and the rear driveway that goes to the tractor barn. As I turn around, I notice some of the girls from the barn out taking a lesson, so I stop to watch for a minute. ‘It's been awhile since I've been on a horse. I kinda miss it… Maybe I should ask if I could get on one of the horses sometime? Nah, that would probably be weird… Pretty sure most of the people that ride here are still in high school. What would they think of some random 25 year old guy asking if he can go riding with them?’ Chuckling at the thought, I finish turning my car around and head out the front driveway. After checking both ways, I pull out of the driveway and start heading towards my apartment. ‘Well just because I don't think he would be too pissed if I'm late, doesn't mean I should push my luck. He's really helping me out and it would be terrible of me to take advantage of him like that.’ As I continue down the road, I feel my eyes getting heavy again as sleep tries to overtake me again. ‘Ugh, again? My brain is perfectly ok with me going to sleep while behind the wheel of a car doing 50, but as soon as my ass hits the bed it's like nope, not tired! What the actual fuck brain? Good thing I live close to where I work, I can just take a nap or some shit when I get home.’ Pulling into my apartment, I parked my car and headed up, ready for a nap. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ‘4 o'clock in the morning… It is 4 o'clock in the fucking morning… And I'm still awake?’ Groaning in exacerbation, I rolled over and grabbed my phone phone. ‘Maybe some fan fiction will help? Usually reading makes me tired.’ Scrolling through my “read later” list, I try to decide on a fic that will help put me to sleep. ‘I don't want it to be something too interesting, because then I'll be up all night reading, again… Although some of these I don't even know what possessed me to add them to the list. I mean the premise for some of these just sounds terrible! Oh well, this one looks boring enough to help me pass out.’ My reading material picked, I switched the browser to reader mode and started reading. ‘Ok, this actually isn't too bad so far. The story started well, isn't too excessive, there aren't random things happening for no reason. The grammar doesn't make it look like it was written by a 3rd grader even! I mean I know my grammar isn't amazing, but damn! Some of the stuff I've read is almost painful to read. The worst part is as bad as the grammar can be on some fan fictions, the story itself can be so captivating! And now I'm on a tangent, where was I again? Ah yes, I was just getting to the part where the OC helps the mane 6 get the elements and… Oh look, there's 7 elements now… It's one of those… Well, I'll give it a chance, it's written pretty well so far, so hopefully it's not another one of those “my OC is a Mary Sue and knows the exact way to solve every problem ever” story. Those are so overdone.’ Looking at the time, I realize it's now going on 5 and I'm still awake. ‘Ugh, damnit! It's been almost an hour and I haven't even finished one chapter. Brain, stop, let me sleep, or let me concentrate on my reading. No more tangents!’ Deciding to try sleep again, I lock my phone and roll over. Finally getting comfortable, I close my eyes… Just to hear my alarm on my phone start going off. Picking up my phone, I see the time is 8:50 in the morning. “What the hell, it was just 5” I grumble to myself, hitting snooze and rolling back over. I close my eyes again and lay there for a second, before it hits me. “Shit!” I bolt up, grabbing my phone and seeing it's now 8:52. “I've gotta be at work in 8 minutes and I haven't even showered yet, damnit!” Hitting play on my phone, I put some music on, and 10 minutes later I emerge from the bathroom, showered, teeth brushed and ready to go to work. “Shoes, shoes, where the fuck did I put my shoes…” Finding my shoes tucked under the couch, I throw them on and grab my keys, phone, and wallet. Checking the time as I ran to my car, I notice it's already 9:10. “Well, late again dumb ass, good job!” Hopping in my car, I pulled out and balled ass towards work, not even bothering to put my radio on. ‘Today's going to suck…’ “I'm so glad it's Friday.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2pm rolls around, and after struggling to stay awake through English Comp, I'm finally done class for the week. After collecting my books and putting them in my bag, I start making my way towards the stairs. ‘I'm glad none of my classes are on the ground floor. I think all the walking I do on campus and the stairs are the only reason I don't weigh as much as I probably should…’ As I near the steps, another wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and I once again feel my eyes getting heavy. ‘Woah, while driving is bad enough, but now I can't even walk without wanting to pass out? Maybe I should… Maybe I… See… Doctor…’ As I take the first few steps, my vision slowly tunnels in as everything starts going black, and the last thing I see is the stairs rising to meet me before everything goes black. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Pain. As I awaken, all I can feel is pain. I lay on the ground for a while, eyes closed tight, trying to make sense of anything through the pain. I slowly open my eyes, taking time to let them adjust to the light. Once my eyes are fully open, the first thing I notice is I'm outside. I try to raise my head, but the pain stops me, so I set it back down while I try to talk stock of the situation. ‘Ok, I was in school, leaving class, then what? I remember getting up, heading down the hallway and getting to the stairwell… Stairs! I remember falling down the stairs! So then how did I get outside?’ Hearing noise nearby, I struggle to finally raise my head and take a look around. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying in a grassy field, what looks like woods to my left. As I start panning vision to the right, I see a few colorful blobs moving in the distance. ‘Alright, someone must be nearby! Now to try and get their attention’ Struggling to keep my head up, I take as deep a breath as I can manage and yell. “Haaaaa!!” ‘Well, that was supposed to be help, but as long as they can hear it.’ After a brief coughing fit, I yell again. “Hhaaaaa!!” I let out a relieved breath and lay my head back down as I see the colored blobs start moving closer. 'That was annoying, but at least they heard me, I hope.' After what felt like hours to my pain addled brain, I finally started to hear voices. “I'm tellin’ ya girls, I heard something!” A very young sounding girl yelled out. "Are ya sure Scoots, Ah didn't hear nothin’” Another young girl called out. ‘Wait… Scoots? And why do those voices sound familiar?’ “Oh my gosh, girls, there's somepony over there, and they look hurt!” A third voice calls out, this one higher and squeakier than the other two. ‘Somepony… What?’ “Ah see ‘em, over here Scoots!” The second voice yells out. ‘No way… No freakin way…’ The sound of multiple footsteps gets closer until the legs of three very familiar fillies enters my line of sight. “Oh no, he looks bad,” The third voice, now identified as Sweetie Belle, says. “he's really hurt, we need to get him help!” ‘There is no freakin way that this is happening, I have to be dreaming or something.' “Scoots, you're the fastest of us three, you go ‘n’ get some help, me an’ Sweetie will keep an eye on ‘im. Ok?” Applebloom said, taking control of the situation. “Got it!” Scootaloo yelled back, already running for her scooter. ‘I died or something. I'm in a coma. This isn't real. This can't be real’ “Is he still alive?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I can't tell if he's breathing or not” “Ah think so, it looks like he is, but Ah don't wanna move him, iffin he's hurt you should leave ‘im be so you don't make the injury worse. His eyes are open though.” Crouching down, Applebloom looked me in the eyes. “Hey, you still alive?” “Uhhh” I groaned out, only response I seemed capable of. ‘Ok, this is getting worrying. I know I'm hurt, and from the way things feel, pretty bad. But why am I having so much trouble talking?’ “Well, he's alive at least, and from the sounds of things he can at least hear us” Applebloom said, standing up straight and looking in the direction Scootaloo took of in. “Ah sure hope she hurries, he's in purty bad shape.” We waited a few minutes longer, Applebloom occasionally checking to see if I was still awake. Eventually, the sound of hoofsteps drew our attention, and shifting my head a bit, I was able to see a small orange blob approaching fast, a slightly larger brown blob with it. “There she is!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “And she brought… The Doctor?” Sure enough, as the blobs cleared up, Scootaloo and Doctor Whooves took their places. ‘Heh, she called him The Doctor. Ya know, if I wasn't in so much pain, this would be pretty awesome.' “Oh dear,” I heard The Doctor start “he looks pretty bad. What happened here?” ‘Thank you, Captain Obvious!’ “Ah don't know, Scootaloo said she heard yelling coming from over here, so we came over her to look and found him like this. Please Doctor, you gotta help him!” Applebloom pleaded. ‘Huh, that's nice of her.’ “Well I don't know what you expect me to do, I'm a science doctor, not a medical doctor.” ‘Well shit.’ Crouching down to look me in the eye, The Doctor continued. “Excuse me young colt. Can you hear me? You seem to have been in some type of accident, and we need to get you to a hospital. I'm going to have to move you, so this may hurt a bit, ok?” ‘Young colt, the hell? And did he say they're gunna move me? This is gunna hurt…’ “Uhhhh” was all I could answer. “Ok then, Scootaloo was it?” The Doctor asked “Bring that wagon of yours over here, we are going to load him into it.” “Are ya sure we should be doin’ that?” Applebloom cut in.” Applejack always told me if somepony is hurt, and you don't know what it is that's hurt, you could make it worse iffin ya move them.” “While that is normally true, and quite good advice at that, I fear that time is of the essence for him, and we need to get him to a hospital fast.” As The Doctor finished, Scootaloo came rolling over with her wagon, and The Doctor prepared to load me in. “Alright girls,” The Doctor instructed “I am going to pick him up now. Scootaloo, try and keep the wagon steady. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle? You two help me to keep him as steady as possible.” With a nod for confirmation from the crusaders, they all got in position and ready to lift me. “On the count of three, girls. Ready? 1. 2. 3!” At three The Doctor, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle all hoisted me into the back of the wagon, while Scootaloo held it steady. As they secured me in the cart, all I could do was groan in pain. ‘Sweet Celestia of Equestria that hurt! Also did I really just think that?’ After making sure I was in good, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle climbed into the open front and back of the wagon and held me. Once she was sure they were in, Scootaloo took off. “You girls get him to the Hospital in Ponyville! I'll be right behind you!” The Doctor called after them, the thunder of his hooves drawing farther away. The ride to Ponyville was anything but pleasant. As the scenery zoomed by, every little bump we hit sent a spike of pain through my body. After what felt like hours, the view of trees gave way to colorful, thatched roof houses, and plenty of worried looking ponies. As we zoomed through town, I'm pretty sure I heard someone yelling, but the girls kept going regardless. As we crashed through the hospital doors, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, almost throwing me from the wagon. “Nurse Redheart, quick!” Applebloom yelled, hopping from the wagon. “We found this colt out by the White Tale Woods, and he's hurt real bad!” As Nurse Redheart ran from behind the counter to get a doctor, the doors burst open again. “Applebloom!” The worried voice of Applejack called out. “What in tarnation is goin’ on! Ah see y'all three go tearin’ through Ponyville and bustin’ through the hospital doors! What's wrong? Who's hurt?!” Running around the wagon, Applebloom jumped into Applejack’s waiting forelegs. “Ah’m ok, Applejack, honest. We found this here colt out by the White Tale Woods, and he was really hurt, so Doctor Whooves helped us load him into the wagon so we could bring ‘im here.” Before Applejack could respond, the doors to the back of the hospital burst open and a doctor and a few nurses came rushing out, pushing a stretcher. Taking me in his magic, the doctor lifted me out of the wagon and onto the stretcher, while listing off my visible injuries. “Patient has multiple lacerations covering his body, contusions covering his neck, chest and stomach. Both forelegs appear to be broken, with a possible dislocation of the left shoulder. Left wing appears to be dislocated. Judging by the location and severity of his injuries he appears to have fallen from quite high.” ‘Well shit, that don't sound too good. Hopefully pony medicine is as good as all the fics make it seem…’ As they pushed me through the hospital, one of the unicorn nurses floated a needle over and stuck it in my foreleg. “Now sweetie, this is going to ease the pain and make you go to sleep, ok?” She no sooner finished the sentence as the room slowly faded to black.
