A Very LongTime Ago

A pony walking turned his head and saw the 3 misfits. He let off a horrified scream the let the town know.

“MONSTERS!!” He screamed and pointed. The ponies in the square laughed casually and slowly turned their head to look where he was pointing.

“Its evil incarnate!” One screamed.

“They’ll destroy us all!” Another jumped.

“Guys calm down!” One green mare said. “They’re probably just REALLY deformed apes.” She said with a reassuring smile.

“Oh that’s OK then.” They all sounded off.

The green, talking horse thing trotted up to them. It had a short green mane with a white stripe through it and a tooth tattoo on its butt. “Hello friends.”

“Um…hi…” John looked down. She was just above waist height.

“Does it hurt being so ugly?!” A yellow colt yelped as he threw a rock. Kane caught it in his hand before it hit anyone and gave the pony the death stare.

“Never mind! You guys cool with me!” He quickly ran away.

“Ignore him. Everyone else does.” The green pony said with a smile. “Here, let’s get you to the local doctor. Maybe he can fix up your wounds, and hopefully your hideous faces.” She smiled again.

“Wait wait wait!” Miguel held his hand up.

“What is it?”

“Pinch me.” He said flatly. The green mare looked at him funny and bit his arm. “Ow! Darn it, not a dream.”

“Miguel, you already twisted your arm. Doesn’t that hurt enough to tell you it’s not a dream?” John asked, disappointed.

“Nope! I can’t even feel it.” He answered with a triumphant grin. “Oh wait…”

They all walked to the hospital. The 3 friends looked in utter shock, and slight fear at everything around them. Where were they? What were these freaks of nature around them? Would they ever see home again? Their questions were answered with stares and glares. With threats and thrown stones. Screams of “get out of our town, ya freaks!”. Actually, that doesn’t answer their questions at all. In fact, it added more. What’s wrong with these things? What side of whose bed did THEY wake up on?

“Hi there, nurse.” The green mare greeted the pink pony trotting around the lobby.

“Oh hello Crest.” The nurse said. The nurse then looked at the 3 humans. Her eyes widened and she stepped back. “F-f-friends of y-yours?”

“Yep.” She flicked John with her tail and shot him a look.

“Oh! Um…yeah. Best friends! We um…we hang out ALL the time!” He stuttered, looking to the nurse for approval.

“Well, I guess they can’t be that bad then.” She eyed them nervously.

The nurse…pony thing led them to the back of the lobby and kicked a door open with her back hoof.

“Doctor, you have some...uh, patients.”  She called to him.

“Coming, my sweet cherry blossom.” He sung as he trotted down the hall. His gaze drifted from the nurse, to Crest, and then to the three ugly things behind her. His pace slowed and his eyes widened. “Ahem…Cherry Blossom, you know the…vet is down the road, right?”

“Yes but--”

“But nothing. These are my friends, not pets.” Crest intervened.

“Why is she the only decent thing we’ve met since we got here?” Kane whispered to John.

The doctor let out a sign. “Come, this say.” He said, defeated.

The brown pony led them down a hall, past 4 or 5 big rooms with comfy looking beds, and arrived at a small one, with one low-to-the-ground bed, in the way back of the hallway.

“Here you go.” He told them.

“This room is so small…” Miguel looked at it in confusion. “Two of us would barley fit in that bed…”

“What’s wrong with the room back there?” John pointed his thumb behind him. Its direction was at a empty, spacious room with about eight smaller beds.

“Yes, well, that one is…” The stallion stammered.

“Too close to the other patients?” Kane asked.

“No no no! Not that! It’s…um…”

“Too close to the other patients!” Crest gasped.

“You know what, that room is fine. We’ll take it.” John huffed. He turned and yanked Kane the other direction, almost making his friend fall over. Miguel turned, looked at the doctor, and followed his friends.

They all sat down on separate beds. The doctor stepped in, looking cautiously at the other patients watching him, and quickly closed the door.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” He asked, wearing a fake smile.

“Really?” Kane looked at him funny.

“Riiiight. So, we’ll have Nurse Fixeruper fix you up and you’ll be on your merry ways!” He told them gleefully and left the room, Nurse Cherry Blossom following him.

There was a awkward silence.

“I think he likes us.” John said.

A few minutes later, which felt like hours for the three friends burning in pain, a short, blue unicorn with a red cross on her butt walked in. She looked at the wounds, not scared off by the appearances of the three men in front of her.

“Let’s get you boys patched up, shall we?” She smiled. A real one.

Her horn glowed and so did John face. Slowly, his cuts started to close. After about ten seconds, they were more like lines now. You know a scar, but not a scar….

Next was Miguel. His arm started to glow blue as well. Slowly the bruises disappeared. Snapping noises were heard as it moved back into place. He winced in pain slightly. Over the years, they had trained themselves to be resilient to pain so they could continue to work under the worst pressures. Hard to believe, but it happened. Soon all that was left on his arm were some lines where you could tell the skin was pulled and torn.

After that, Kane’s legs started to glow. The color returned to them. The cuts closed, the gashes turned into lines, the blood seemed to disappear. All was well aside from some throbbing pain, but at that point he would have been grateful to just have a broken leg.

“All better now?” She asked.

The three Masquerade Vigis looked at her in astonishment. After everything, unicorn they could handle. The healing, they were grateful for but THIS? Not being terrified of them? It blew them away. Since they got there, they had only met one nice pony.

“T-thank you.” Miguel blurted out.

The Nurse smiled and left, leaving the door wide open.

“She’s my favorite…” Crest melted into a warm smile.

Kane got up and stretched his legs. John followed, cracking his neck.

“I almost want to twist my arm again…” Miguel said. Kane nodded.

“So…what now?” Kane asked.

“Well, why don’t you guys sneak out the window so you don’t catch those nasty looks again, and I’ll pay upfront?” Crest asked.

“We couldn’t.” Miguel said.

“We could.” John grabbed his shirt collar, Kane’s ear and pulled them in the direction of the window.

“At least take some money!” Kane tossed a wadded up five dollar bill on the floor as he was chucked out the window. To pony, it would be about a one story fall. To a human, it wasn’t really all that much. More like just tripping and falling down. Except, you know, out a window…and not tripping.

John tossed Miguel and soon followed them. They all ran down the side of the building and darted for the back allies. They had nothing to hide, but they didn’t want more rocks thrown at them. Come to think of it, how did ponies even throw rocks?

Crest looked at the bill on the floor and raised a eyebrow. “What’s this thing?” She sniffed it, eyed it carefully, and took it into her mouth. It tasted good. She continued chewing and swallowed. “Wow thanks guys.” She smiled and trotted down the hall.