I walk slowly and drowsily to my bed. My arms hang limply by my sides; both my arms are swung outwards as I flop downwards towards my mattress. I feel the warm blankets coating my chest and the grungy odor of regular use penetrates my nose. I let out a well-deserved sigh as the tension in my limbs is released.
It’s so good to finally have some good rest, especially after a long day of work. I shuffle my body deeper into the covers. Restaurant work isn’t all sunshine and rainbows after all.
Shortly after laying down I feel a cold chill across my spine, my body trembles for only a second. What was that? I didn’t leave the air conditioning on again, did I? Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Ignoring the cold, I instead attempt to curl into a ball in the middle of my bed.
A few minutes pass and suddenly a chilling breeze cuts the air, my muscles shiver as goosebumps form on them. And photos of my loving mother and contently smiling father bang against my walls.
Alarmed I raise my head to scout out the source, and am shocked to find a brightly glowing teal orb floating in the center of the room, and I find that the breeze is actually going towards the object in question. Why is there a freezing teal ball in my room? Is it some kind of alien object? My face scrunches up in a frown at the thought.
Instead of leaving time for me to piece out this question the object starts to pick up speed. The orb suddenly becomes a bright white, and the suction power becomes greater still. I find myself being pulled towards it. “What the fuck.” Shocked, all I can do is watch as my body is pulled inwards and then…
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All I know is pain.
If pain was a truck, I got hit by it, and in the worst possible way.
The truth is though, I have no idea if even that could be this painful.
Maybe that’s just an exaggeration?
Obviously it could be worse, after all only my neck is sore, and my legs, and my head and…
Fine me, I get it. I am surely really, really sore and if nothing else yesterday's work must be getting to me.
Oddly enough, I feel as if I’m wearing an itchy wool coat that is covering my entire body. Did I use mom’s quilt again to sleep? Because damn, this is itchy as hell and my soreness sure isn’t helping. Mentally grumbling in a mix of nostalgia and annoyance, I open my eyes and shift them downwards. Instead of finding a patchy quilt like I expected, I instead find a much more unlikely surprise.
A large blob of orange red has appeared in my vision and underneath it sat a rough carpet of green moist grass Odd this isn’t anything like my mother’s quilt, and this isn’t anything like my bed. Moving my arms to examine the orange object covering me I find two stumps of the same color swing into my vision instead. What the heck is this? Is this orange stuff part of some itchy full body suit? And why am I resting on grass?
I try moving my fingers inside of the stumpy glove but find no give within the fabric. A matter a fact, I don’t feel my fingers at all! I should at least be able to feel them. Peculiar. I try wiggling my toes shortly after but find the same effect occurring there as well.
Opting to instead look at my surrounding I find myself in a thinly forested area, a small dirt path winds through and I see ponies wandering about in the distance, their coats covered in diverse rainbow of colors. What? Ponies?! I must be dreaming.
This shock nearly broke me out of my thoughts. I forced my sore legs to cooperate and found myself in a clumsy sitting position. I found my limbs to be moving oddly as if I had another joint.Does that mean I’m one of those ponies?
Examining my hands more intensely, I noticed a definite hoof structure. Is that why I couldn’t feel my toes or fingers, because of my pony limbs? But if I were dreaming how could I be so sore? And why is there so much detail?
That’s when it hit me. I knew only one way to know for certain if this was a dream. I brought my right arm upwards and brought it down on my head with full force.
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“Doctor the patient in room 243 has awoken” a crisp, distinctly feminine, voice calls out.
“G’way” I mumble incomprehensibly.
“Don’t worry sir, the doctor will be here soon to brief you on your condition.” the voice ensures me.
I hear series of pounding steps, and a door creak. After a short pause a professional sounding voice states “Thank you Nurse Redheart. Can you wait here and get their information after I brief them on their condition?”
“Yes Dr. Fixer.” states the feminine voice.
I groggily open my eyes for the doctor, only to find myself witness to a thoroughly confusing sight: A large blue coated and gray haired horned pony with a floating folder to its side. What? But wasn’t that just a dream?
“Sir when you arrived you had a depressed skull fracture above the frontal cortex of your brain.” Pulling an X-ray out the folder he pointed a hoof at it. “Luckily however, you did not have any internal hemorrhaging and the cracks in your cranium were all sealed via magical healing. If it wasn’t for a nearby pegasus that brought you here, you may not have survived.”
This all came at a shock, a unicorn doctor just told me that I almost died from cracking my skull? “Doctor, I think you may need to check my head again, because you just like a pony to me.”
“Of course I am a pony, what else would I be? A Griffin, or donkey?” Even head injures don’t make you lose that much sanity. Do they? What if this is real?
He turns back towards the door and gives a small laugh at his joke, turning his neck to look at me. “Don’t worry we made sure to test you properly, otherwise we wouldn’t be professionals now would we? Nurse Redheart will answer all of your questions if you have any, and as a matter of fact she has some questions for you too.” Putting the X-ray back into the folder he cobbles out entirely leaving a soft shutting sound in his wake.
Another pony comes into view “Hello sir, you have been unconscious for 2 days since the accident.” Giving a kind smile, she says “We haven’t been able to find any information about who you are. So if you would be so kind to give us your name we would appreciate it.”
Huh? My name? “Uhh… My name is Nick miss, Nick Grenwald.”
“Grenwald huh? It is unusual for a pony to have a griffin name, much less an earth pony.” she states.
I frown at the last part, “What do you mean I’m an earth pony?”
“You are an earth pony, Mr. Grenwald.” rolling her eyes she explains “If you don’t have any more...” she snorts, “questions then you should be free to go.” I didn't have to pay?
“How much do I have to pay for my hospital visit?” I ask confused.
“Oh don’t worry about that Mr. Grenwald. The crown covers payment for all emergency medical visits.” she runs a hoof through her hair “That means that you won’t have to pay a single bit as it has been already paid for. Any other questions?”
“I was just wondering… where am I exactly?”
“Ponyville hospital.”
I wince at this. Ponyville?! Even my mind couldn’t make up stuff like this.
“Not from around here?” she asks seemingly noticing my discomfort.
“Something like that…” I look downwards towards my orange red hooves. A lock of teal hair falls into view from my sudden shift. I need to see a mirror.
“One last thing… can I see a mirror before I leave?” I state in a distraught tone.
“Sure you can.” she walks back outside for a moment comes back soon after. This time with a hand mirror, in which I see my horse face
Damn… I really am one of them or I’ve gone insane.I let out a drawn out sigh. This is going to be a long day either way.
