I remain locked in a state of silence as I stare wide-eyed at the three winged unicorns before me, my eyes flicking back and forth between them as they seem to look at me with uncertainty. Waking up with a hospital is usually the point where someone realises that everything is alright, that they're no longer in any danger or will hopefully returning back to their normal life in no time. Although that is usually the case, waking up in a hospital surrounded by ponies will throw a spanner in the works.

"Becky, isn't it?" The towering white pony asks as her eyes glance over my bandage. "I wish that this meeting could have taken place under better circumstances. How are you feeling?"

I cock a brow in confusion as I sit up and lean back against the headrest of the bed, clinging onto the bed sheets which shrouds my body and holding it tight to my flesh. "I'm okay?" I respond with uncertainty. The fact that I'm speaking to a pony makes me question if my response is true or if something is seriously wrong with my head. "How do you know my name?"

"We found a card with your name on it, along with your badge." The smaller framed purple pony responds. "All of your things are in the next room, along with your friend's."

My eyes slowly drift from side to side as I scan the three forms in front of me. "I'm sorry, but who are you all?"

"I am Princess Celestia," The tallest responds with such a gracious tone, akin more to a caring mother than a figure in a high position of power. Celestia tilts her head to her left, pointing towards the midnight blue pony who has yet to say a single word, "This is my sister, Princess Luna." Finally, she turns her gaze to the purple pony to her right, "And this is Princess Twilight."

"But why am I here? Where am I?"

"You are in Equestria," Luna answers as she looks down at me. "It is unclear as to why you are here or how you came to be. Tell me, what do you recall before finding yourself in Equestria."

I close my eyes, lowering my head as I recall the moments leading up to the crash. "I was at work with Matthew. We were responding to a call during a storm... and I think a strange lightning bolt either hit us or hit close enough to our car that it affected us in some way. Our car went over the side of the road and... that is all I can remember."

"Car?" Twilight asks as she steps to the side of my bed. "Do you mean the carriage that was found in the woods?"

"The one in the top of the tree. Yeah." My eyes drift over to Matthew in the opposite bed as I let out a shallow sigh. "Not his best piece of driving."

"We will have to try and determine the nature of this storm which brought you to Equestria," Celestia states as she moves towards the mare who was the first to find me in the woods. "Once we ascertain its source, we may be able to find a way to send you home?"

Scoffing, I swing my legs over the side of the bed as I keep my body covered. "How hard can it be? Just give me a map and help me get to my car. Failing that, I just need a phone."

The three royals exchange glances. "Just where do you believe Equestria is?" Luna asks. "Where is it you are from?"

"I have never heard of Equestria. Never even knew it existed," I respond. "And I'm from Shropshire." I find my hopes rapidly sinking as the Princesses fail to respond and instead look at me with blank expressions. "England? Island just off of mainland Europe? Fish and chips, cups of tea, castles?"

"...There is no Shropshire, England or Europe in the known world."

My heart sinks as I stare at the expressions of the ponies around me. "How can that be? This can't be possible."

"I'm afraid that it is a mystery. We can endeavour to assist you in attempting to discover how it is you came to be here," Luna assures me as she joins her sister. "Efforts will be made to try to find a way to send you and your friend home, once he fully recovers. For now, we shall make arrangements to ensure that you aren't left stranded in Equestria without anywhere to stay."

"You're welcome to stay with me here in town," Twilight chirps with a sheepish smile. "My home is not too far from the hospital, so you won't be too far from your friend at any time. It also makes sense that you're nearby while I try to learn how to send to home."

"I... thank you," I lower my head respectfully to the Princesses, uncertain as to how I'm supposed to act in front of royalty.

"When you're feeling ready, we can return to the woods to retrieve your car. We'll be able to store it somewhere secure."

I turn my head towards Matthew as I slowly climb to my feet, my hands clinging the bed sheets close to the body. "Can I please have some time with Matthew before we leave? I want to make sure he's okay."

"Of course," Celestia replies with a respectful bow. "Take as much time as you need with your friend. You're more than welcome to come and go as you please to visit him. Please don't hesitate to come to us if you have any concerns or worries."

With a nod of her head, the guards who were posted around the room quickly leave their posts and exit the room before being followed by the three Princesses. I remain stationary as my eyes drift towards Matthew, the occasional sounds of the suction and pumps of his ventilator filling an otherwise silent room. Timidly, I step across the cold floor and come to a stop alongside his bed. Sorrow soon begins to overwhelm me as I look down at him, my eyes beginning to tear up as I perch myself cautiously on the edge of the bed.

Matthew has always acted as a mentor through my career in the Police, guiding me throughout my integration with the team and the choices I've been forced to make. He's been there to back me up when shit has hit the fan, physically putting himself in harm's way to keep me and the others under his supervision safe. Our shift has always been a large family, and it is safe to say that Matthew was at the head of the table. He was always there for us, to be our guides and to help us in both our professional role and personal lives.

Extending my arm, I reach out and delicately place my hand on his, my thumb gliding back and forth over the back of his hand. In a situation like this, he would have undoubtedly stepped forward and taken the lead. He'd be the one to guide us while I'd likely be the one slinking away and unable to cope. Yet here we are. I'm going to have to step up and make sure that we're safe and try to find a way to get back home or to at least send a message. I need to stay strong, for both of us.

After having stayed with Matthew for some time, I was finally able to muster the motivation to leave the room and to try and recover our vehicle to see if I could get it working again. Matthew would have been more suitable for the job of trying to get the car running again; I never had much of an interest in figuring out how they worked apart from physically driving them. I gathered up my freshly cleaned uniform and got dressed back into my full uniform. Although I should be safe, I felt uneasy leaving all of my equipment unsupervised, particularly those which could be dangerous such as my taser and PAVA.

I joined up with Twilight at the entrance of the hospital and soon left to go back to the woods where I was found by the guard. We were joined by the guard, Sergeant Starfall, since I was uncertain as to where we were going. Thankfully for me, the hospital was located on the outskirts of the nearby settlement so that we could divert around the town so that I wouldn't have every pony staring and pointing at the alien.

It didn't take us too long to reach the entrance to the woods and with our armoured guide, we were quickly led down a series of side paths through the towering trees. I mainly walked in silence as we continued our journey as I didn't want to demoralize myself further by asking questions to make me realise how royally fucked my situation may be. My ears picked up the conversation between Twilight and Starfall ahead of me as the Princess seemed eager to ask any question that popped into her head.

Not wanting to be heavily interrogated shortly after getting back on my feet, I figure the best thing to do is to go on the offensive and ask some questions of my own. "Princess, what exactly are you? I've never heard of a unicorn mixed with a pegasus."

Twilight looks back to me, slowing her pace to match mine. "I'm an alicorn. Alicorn's possess the traits of the three races of ponies. Earth pony strength, the magical ability of a unicorn and the capability of flight that pegasi possess. And, please, call me Twilight. You don't have to address me formally."

"And there are three Princesses? I don't understand why I was met by the Princesses of Equestria."

"There are in fact four Princesses," Twilight corrects me. "Princess Cadence is currently in the Crystal Empire. As for why you were met by the Princesses, Luna and Celestia are the heads of the Equestrian Government and have been for their rule over the last two thousand years."

"Well, Luna was a one thousand year rule, followed by an equally long 'break' before returning," Starfall remarks in a joking tone of voice.

Scoffing, I shake my head as I step over an outstretched tree root. "They have been alive for over two thousand years?"

"They have been at the head of the Equestrian government since the founding of Equestria," Twilight states enthusiastically. "Equestria was founded following the migration of the three pony tribes to find a new home to avoid the deteriorating conditions in their own nations. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns came to Equestria and learned to maintain friendship and cooperation amongst one another to found the basis for Equestria. Early into its founding, it was agreed that the two alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna should be at the head of the government."

"Yet there are four Princesses. Are you one of their children?"

Laughing nervously, Twilight quickly corrects me. "No. Neither of them have any children of their own. I have my own parents. Though, Celestia has been a mentor to me through most of my life."

Raising my hand, I point towards the markings on Twilight's flank. "What about those? What are they and why does everyone have them?"

"They're our cutie marks. They develop on a pony as they learn their special talent and is unique to them."

"I'm surprised you don't know about them," Starfall says as she briefly lifts a hoof to my right hip. "You've got one of your own... though Matthew didn't have one."

"I've been wanting to ask you about that," Twilight continues. "Is it genetic amongst humans? Do only females develop their cutie marks?"

Self-consciously, I press the palm of my hand over the side of my hip as my cheeks heat up. "I'm more concerned about the fact that you've seen me naked. And it's not a 'cutie mark'. It's a tattoo. I got it while I was at university. Matthew doesn't have one because he obviously didn't want a tattoo. That's it. There is no genetics at play."

"Oh..." Starfall remarks sheepishly as she smiles weakly. "Well, it's a pretty tattoo."

"...I'm just gonna pretend that a group of ponies haven't seen me naked." Peeling my hand away from the tattoo in question, I try to avoid eye contact as I look straight ahead as I recall getting my tattoo. It was a red rose in full bloom surrounded by a series of black tribal markings, making out the outline of a dragon which was styled in such a way that it was guarding the rose. I got the tattoo while I was studying my degree in university after my grandmother died. She always used to say that I was 'as sweet as a rose and as fierce as a dragon.'

"Then may I ask you about your equipment?" Twilight enquires as her eyes drift between my stab vest and utility belt, likely in an attempt to move the conversation away from awkward territory.

"I guess," I respond with a weak shrug. "What do you want to know?"

"I suppose the best place to start is simply what you have and its purpose."

"Most of it is fairly basic. Baton, handcuffs, first aid pouch, PAVA, radio-"

"-PAVA?" Starfall interrupts.

I tap my right hand on the small canister in question which sits along my right hip. "It's an incapacitant spray, designed to disorientate the target. I can't remember the science behind it, but I remember that it attacks the receptors in the eyes. It causes it to feel as though it's burning and it stings like a bitch."

I think back to my initial training when I was exposed to a weakened concentration of the spray. I was made to inhale sharply from a sealed container which held a rag soaked with PAVA. What followed immediately was a heavy coughing fit as my eyes quickly began to burn and water. The sensation felt as though I had taken a handful of chilli peppers, ground them up and shoved them straight up my nose.

"And your radio?" Starfall asks once again. "How can you carry one? They're oversized and aren't that effective."

"You have radios?" I question as I glance between the pair.

"They're still in their infancy," Twilight answers. "As Starfall said, they're usually rather cumbersome and the likelihood of getting a signal anywhere in Equestria other than a major city with the relevant equipment is minimal at best. They were designed in the Griffin Empire and have only been within the civilian market in Equestria in the last couple of years."

Bringing my hand up, I tap the Sepura radio which is affixed to the left side of my chest. "Well, this is my radio. It's digitally encrypted so you can only get access to the channels with one of the radios from the emergency services. There is also another one in the car which gets a better signal. I imagine there would be no way to get a signal on your comm channels and I won't have any signal to any of mine. So it seems that I'm lugging around technology which is fairly useless at this stage."

"And what is that?" Twilight asks as she points her horn towards the yellow taser affixed to my armour. "I have never seen anything like it before. What is its purpose?"

"It's my taser. It's a weapon designed to incapacitate the target by firing two metal prongs into the body. It then delivers a 50,000-volt shock directly into the body which causes the muscles to spasm and for you to lose control of the body. It can also 'dry stun' which means I can press it against someone and deliver a slightly weaker charge while it's in contact with them without firing."

"That seems fairly sophisticated."

"Yeah, and I've only got two shots," I reply with a scoff. "Then I also need to keep it charged which may prove difficult here. So, I'm not exactly keen on using it. I've only ever had to actually fire it once."

"You make your job sound interesting," Starfall remarks with a slight grin. "It sure beats guard duty in the quiet towns."

"It has its moments where things are dull, though those are few and far in between. Usually, it's hectic." Bringing my hand up, I adjust my vest as it clings tightly to my body. "I'll often be sent from job to job in emergencies and rarely get a moment to relax. With the taser, I'm guaranteed to get sent to the more... lively of incidents."

"Can you elaborate?" Twilight questions in an attempt to steer me to continue.

"...I don't particularly want to talk too much about work. Maybe in time, I'll happily share some stories with you. Lord knows I've got plenty of them." Rubbing my head, I glance towards Starfall. "How far away are we?"

Starfall increases her speed, moving ahead of me as we advance through an opening in the trees. "It's just through here. Hopefully, the others will have gotten it out of the tree by now."

"I never would have thought we'd get ourselves in a Jurassic Park moment; stuck up a tree," I mutter under my breath.

As we step through the clearing, we quickly step over the dirt path where I was found by the ponies. Moving amongst the natural foliage, I come to a stop in an open section of woodland to find that the car has already been lowered from the tree as a group on ten unicorn guards stand around it and begin to examine the alien machinery in front of them. A quick glance to my side reveals Twilight who seems to be staring at it in awe and excitement, as though she had just come across the worlds greatest discovery.

Clearing my throat to get the attention of the guards, they all pivot on the spot to face me before stepping away from the damaged vehicle and giving me a clear passage to it. Stepping past them, I come to a stop alongside the driver side door and look over the damaged bodywork. In the light of day, the damage to the bodywork becomes more clear as the reflective strips and paint have been scratched and peeled away in various places.

Reaching into the pocket of my stab vest, I take out the car keys which were amongst Matthew's property and enter through the unlocked door into the driver's seat. Looking around the interior, I take the vehicle out of gear and put it in neutral before applying the handbrake which has been left off, likely on account of it not being necessary with the car lodged in a tree.

As Twilight steps alongside the open door, I place the key into the ignition and compress the clutch before trying to start the engine. Much to my irritation, my efforts are in vain as the car makes no attempt to start and remains in total silence, indicating that the battery to the engine is dead. Just to make sure, I lean over the central console and try activating the various lights on the car's light bar, only to be met with further disappointment as they fail to function, confirming that the battery is flat.

Rocking my head back, I smack it against the headrest of the seat as I hiss under my breath. "Just my fucking luck." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I release a shallow groan before reaching into the footwell and reaching for the bonnet release catch. "I think the battery has gone."

"The battery?" Twilight and Starfall ask in unison.

"Yeah. The battery," I repeat as I exit the vehicle and move towards the front. Reaching under the bonnet, my hand shuffles from side to side until I find the locking catch and release the bonnet fully and raise it over the engine. Locking it open, I play the role of every movie cliche and stare at the engine block, not actually knowing what I'm looking for. "If you have no juice in the battery then it'll fail to start."

"Any chance you've got another?" Starfall questions as she moves towards the boot and peers through the rear window into the boot.

"We don't carry spares. I doubt that this world has car batteries so I think I may be fucked on that end." Following the unicorn, I join her at the boot and open it up to examine the contents which have been thrown around.

The first thing I grab is the two black kit bags which belong to myself and Matthew, each carrying our own personal items, paperwork, hi-vis coats, headwear and anything else of our own we thought would be useful. Next, I pull out a weighty black case which closely resembles a suitcase, an emblem engraved onto the centre of a scorpion to illustrate that the box contains a stinger kit.

Digging further through the various pieces of equipment which have been catapulted around, I dig out a basic first aid kit and the fire extinguisher before placing them on the ground by my feet. Next, are the fairly basic and sub-par traffic cones and road closure signs which serve little to no purpose. Once they're moved out of the way, I rest my hand on a bright red handheld metal ram with two protruding handles positioned at the centre and towards the rear: the 'big red key'.

Finally, is a large open crate which contains various miscellaneous items which have a more practical use. Digging through the contents, I pull free a sealed cardboard box which holds an E.E.K. Next comes various assorted paper and plastic evidence bags, followed by Police tape, latex gloves, scene logs, lights for the traffic cones, a crowbar and a tape measure.

With all of the kit now resting on the floor behind the car. I sit in the opening and rub my eyes. "What the hell am I gonna do with all of this? It's practically got no use here, especially when the car won't work to take it anywhere. The only thing that may be of use to me is the first aid kit."

Looking at the equipment, my eyes widen as I watch a magenta aura quickly envelops everything I had laid out. Rapidly moving out of the way of the boot, I watch as everything is effortless places back inside in an organised fashion, positioning the larger items towards the rear while leaving the smaller and easier carried items closer to the opening. As everything is carefully placed, I glance towards Twilight as the identical glow which canvasses her own horn quickly disappears.

"Perhaps there is a way to provide a charge to the battery," Twilight suggests as her magic reaches out and closes the boot. "If it requires electricity then all we need to do is determine the storage capacity it can withstand in order to provide sufficient current."

"And how do we do that?" I ask sceptically. "I doubt you have a jump start kit and some jumper cables..." I stop in my train of thought as I look over the car. As I look at the car, the memory of having to bump start a car in the past comes into mind. In theory, a car with a flat battery can be started while left in gear and pushed with the clutch pressed in, gradually releasing the clutch can allow the engine to restart. It may not be a permanent solution if there is further damage to the battery itself, but it is an immediate fix to the problem.

Quickly moving towards the open driver's door, I tap the roof of the car as I look back towards the gathered guards. "Fancy giving me a push?"

All of the guards look amongst themselves with confused expressions before one from the crowd speaks out, "A push?"

"Yeah. I can bump start it. If you all can push me from behind, I can steer it away from any trees and try to get it started." I move into the driver's seat as I leave the door open, adjusting the rear view mirror so that I can see through the rear window to the group of ponies behind me. As they seem to begrudgingly move behind the car, I compress the clutch and put the car into second gear as I stick the key into the 'on' position. Releasing the handbrake, I lean out of the door towards the ponies. "When you're ready."

Instead of pushing it the conventional way which I was expecting, the entire body of the car is wrapped in a variety of colours as their magical energy fully covers the exterior of the car. To my surprise, the car begins quickly pushed along to travel at a steady 10mph as it bumps over the uneven surface of the woodland.

I find myself having to use a considerable amount of strength to adjust the steering wheel without the power steering in order to avoid natural obstructions such as trees, potholes and small rocks. Once the vehicle has been rolling for a short while, I begin to ease the clutch up in order to try and complete the bumps start.

The car suddenly jolts as the engine comes to life, my foot simultaneously pressing the clutch all of the way in as I put the car into neutral. "That's it!" I shout out of the open door as their magic quickly dissipates. The car comes to a stop as I press my foot on the accelerator in quick succession, revving the engine in order to help charge the battery further.

Clapping my hands against the steering wheel a number of times, I find myself unable to refrain from laughing as relief runs over me at the fact that I've finally had some luck with the car starting once again. Applying the handbrake, I turn on my seat so that the legs are out of the car as Twilight and Starfall approach me. "She lives!" I exclaim in excitement. "Thank god the battery wasn't fried. It must have just drained all of the power."

"So... what exactly is it?" Starfall asks as she paces around the vehicle.

"It's a car. It uses fuel in order to power a combustion engine. I don't know the technical sides of cars, short of checking the oil and topping up the fluid levels." Stepping out of the car, I slap the room as I look to Twilight. "This particular car is a Vauxhall Astra. It's not the greatest car in the world, but it gets you around quick enough. That's all I really need in a car. If it gets me from A to B, then I'm happy."

"What fuel does it use?"

"Diesel." I quickly notice Twilight's confused expression. "You don't have diesel?"

"No. I have never heard of diesel, nor have I seen any reference to it in any of my books."

"So that means I've only got whatever is left in the tank," I say with a shallow sigh. "Great... just my luck."

"Would you be able to provide me with a sample of diesel?" I look at Twilight with a confused expression plastered on my face. "Though we may not have your conventional diesel, there could be an alternative chemical substance in Equestria which uses the same chemical properties."

"So you could have a substitute?"

"In theory." Twilight smiles at me as she steps around the car, "We can't expect everything in our worlds to have the same names. Just because we don't have something by that name, doesn't mean that it has not already been manufactured in another name."

As I climb back inside, I lean over the centre and open the passenger door. "Where are going? I'll need one of you to give me directions once we get out of these woods."

At Twilight and Starfall exchange concerned looks with one another, they begin to cautiously step towards the open door. "Are you sure that it is safe to operate?" Twilight asks. "Especially given the circumstances we found it in-"

"-Literally stuck in a tree," Starfall finishes.

"If you wanna walk back then go ahead," I say as I close the driver door. "But I'm gonna be driving this back into town, one way or another. I ain't leaving this in the middle of the woods. You'll have to pull on the handle on the back door to get it open. I can't do it from inside. Now, where am I going?"

Sceptically, the pair decide to take me up on my offer of a lift with Twilight getting into the front and Starfall in the rear seat. Not being able to use the seats as they were designed to, I find myself chuckling as the way they're sitting closely resemble that of a dog. Putting on my own seatbelt they quickly mirror my actions as they secure their own.

With the car back and all of the equipment recovered, I at least have everything back in my control. The next priority would be to give Twilight samples of diesel so I can hopefully find this worlds equivalent in order to gain access to more fuel in the near future. I'll also try to help Twilight as much as I can in order to figure out how to get Matthew and me home. For now, I just want to get my head down and keep out of the way. No doubt driving through town will freak the locals out.

Author's Note

Police Glossary:

• POLAC: Police Accident - This relates to a car crash which involves a Police vehicle.

As this story progresses, more characters will be introduced and have roles in the future.
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