"Zachary… Zachary can you hear me?"

The sounds of a male's voice can be heard as I was slowly regaining my consciousness, I can hear the sounds of a heart rate monitor besides me as I knew I wasn't in any old house or bedroom. No I was certainly back where it all happened and how I was able to survive the tragedy that shall not be named. Blinking once as my vision slowly went from blurry to crystal clear as I take a look around, I was back at the hospital not only that but I am in the exact same room as the one I was when I first came into Equestria. I try to sit up wanting to see if Barb was in the room but when I try to move even the slightest my head began to ring harshly, it's like if someone was blowing one of those silent dog whistles just ringing in my ear. My head, hurting like a motherfucker as I lay myself back down the doctor calming me down so I don't cause more damage towards my head as I look at him.

"Shh, it's okay buddy lay your head down right now you don't want to make it worse by worrying, your friend is sitting in a chair."

He said, motioning his head towards the left of him. Gently moving my head towards the left as I see Barb sitting on a chair, her hands rubbing against each other, she notices me looking at her. Smiling as she stands up and off her chair walking up to the side of the hospital bed she places a hand on my stomach looking at me with worry in her eyes. I look at her, giving the dragoness a gentle smile, moving my own hand over hers as I hold it gently caressing her hand as the doctor asks.

"Tell me, what was the last thing you remember?"

Hearing the doctor speak I turn my head towards him, while holding onto Barb's hand I try to remember the last thing that happened right before my head went blank. But it was complicated to explain as my head is ringing, holding onto Barb's hand a bit tighter as it was hurting so much. The doctor leaned his head a bit closer towards me seeing that there was a lump that formed behind my head when I turned my head back towards Barb. Instead of trying to continue to ask me what happened, he instead began to ask Barb as I hear him asking her.

"Barbara can you explain what happened?"

The doctor asks as he looks at her, Barb hesitated at first because she didn't want to get anyone into trouble nor did she want to get herself into any trouble. But when she looks down at me, as I look at her nodding to tell her not only as her friend also so she doesn't have to worry about my problems and she is only reporting what happened. Giving me a gentle smile she would let out a sigh of relief as she would look at the doctor explaining what happened in the best way she could.

"So, both Zach and I were having a conversation, then out of nowhere some stallion came out of nowhere and hit him across the head with a log. He thought Zach was harassing me and he wanted to make sure I was okay, he tried to hit him again but I stopped him before he could try anything else."

"And how did the stallion look like?"

The doctor asked Barb as she looks at him, giving her a brief description of the stallion who knocked me out cold. I look at both Barb and the doctor as he would look down at his clipboard as Barb continues to explain how the stallion looks like to the best of her ability. Seeing her slowly come out of her comfort zone and was able to fully explain what happened, I smile at her happy to see her personality slowly show more and more. Seeing her smile for the first time after hearing that this problem was going to he resolved before thanking the doctor.

"No, thank you Barb it's not easy taking care of someone that weighs a bit more than your own body mass."

"Hey you calling me fat, ahh fuck!"

I said trying to make light of the situation but only causing my head to hurt more, removing my hand off from Barb's and used both of my own to hold onto my head, the dragoness looking at me placing her hand on my chest gently before the doctor tells me.

"You can't stress yourself out like that Zachary you need to stay lying down. When you're capable of sitting up without having so much head pain then you can continue on with your day. But in order to make that a reality, you need to stay in bed until then."

"He will, I'll make sure he does thanks doc."

Barb answers for me as she keeps me in bed until I can stand up fully. With a nod the doctor left the room as he keeps the door open. As I lay in bed, removing my hands off my head as I felt the soft pillow against the back of my head feeling the painful lump in the back of my head after the ice pack was taken away from me. Allegedly keeping an ice pack on for so long won't do anything after the swelling stops, and apparently the lump eventually should go away. Which sounds like a load of bullshit if you ask me, it's kind of like how doctors tell you to just roll with your sore throat and hardcore cough until something real drastic happens. It was quiet for a few minutes, Barb pulled up a chair so she could sit near the bed while keeping herself close to me as dragonly possible. I look at her as she now has her focus back on her notepad once again, her spike like dreadlocks covering a part of her face. Seeing her smile as she looks so calm while she was now visibly drawing on her notepad, this honestly has to be the first time that I've seen her smile since we first met, which honestly doesn't sound like a long time since it only happened a few hours ago. But hey, at least I'm seeing her genuinely calm and happy and that's all that matters right?

Time sure does fly by when you're with someone else while you're in recovery. After speaking to one another, Barb explained to me why she's so quiet and scared of trying to open up to anyone new coming into her life. She explains that between living in this place called 'The Dragonlands' and living in the castle was a very weird tradition. Especially since Celestia cared for her when she was a baby dragon and once she was fourteen she was homeschooled because the princesses were scared if she was sent to an academy for her studies she could be lead down the wrong direction if she hung out with the wrong crowd, that and maybe a dragon going into an all pony school may not fit well with both the academy alumni and the students. This broke my heart, because not only did she have to lose her shot at going to prom or getting to see a school play for herself, she never really had a true friend in her life. But one thing did catch my attention when she explained to me her life in the castle, she used the word 'princesses', plural. Now as far as I know there's only one princess so I'm not sure if she thought there were two princesses or she must have been delusional. Gently I began to sit up on the bed as I grunt a bit, but this time my head wasn't hurting anymore, and everything felt fine until I heard somepony talking from the outside of my room.

"Is that ...thing still there?"

When I heard this I turn my head towards the direction of the voice but was faced with a closed door, Barb notices this as she looks at me wondering what was wrong with me, tilting my head to the side as I could hear a conversation coming from behind the door and it wasn't like I was hearing them whisper. I could hear them loud and clear even at the fact that the bed was a few feet away from the door.

"Zachary, you're scaring me what's wro-"

I cut off Barb with a raise of my hand trying to listen in on the conversation to the best of my ability, squinting my eyes a bit.

"Ma'am that 'thing' you speak of has a name."

"I can care unless of his name or what fucken species he is, I need to be checked up on. Aren't my problems more important that some stupid creature?"

"Ma'am all of our patients are important, whether they're a pony or not."

"Yeah, yeah cut the nurse crap just check up on that thing so you can get it out of there."

"Zach…"

"Ma'am I can't just barge in there without the word of the higher up."

"...Zach…"

"Well than all your higher up, tell him if to go in there so you can get that thing out of my room!"

"...Zach."

Coming back to reality, I can hear Barb calling my name as I turn to face her. She looks at me as she could see tears falling down my face, I also feel my hand aggressively grabbing onto the bed sheets in anger. Barb putting her notepad down stands up off her chair as she gently places her hand against my cheek, whipping the tear off my right cheek as she gently spoke to me.

"Zach, what's the matter?"

I look at her, not responding as I turn myself completely towards her my legs hanging down off the edge of the I look up at her. She could see the pain in my eyes very visible as tears kept coming down, I knew what I was going to be especially since I was a completely different species and back on earth when I attended school I was so used to hearing things said about me behind my back. In this case this was shit being talked about behind my back, but when I was able to hear it all in real time it hurts more. As I stare at Barb, she tries her best to calm me down as tears still roll down my face before I ask her.

"Where are we staying at?"

"The princess has a cottage built in the middle of the forest, she made sure to keep us away from town in case shit goes down hard."

She said as he reassures me that everything was going to be fine. Making the decision to leave now, but before I could stand up and off the bed both Barb and I heard the door to my room open as we see a nurse trot in seeing both me and Barb alone as she asks.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, actually you're right on time, Barb get your things, and you can tell that mare in the outside of the room that we'll be out of here in a few moments."

"E-excuse me?"

She said, confused as to what I was talking about though deep down she knows exactly what I was saying. Barb grabbing both her notepad, suitcase and my backpack as I grabbed my sweater walking up towards the nurse as I extended my hand out for her to give me what I had to sign in order to be released asking.

"May I have the clipboard please?"

I ask the nurse as she looks up at me, seeing my eyes are red as if I have been crying for the past few minutes. Which I was but that was beside the point, Barn holding onto my arm as the nurse asks.

"Sir, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine… just please hand me the clipboard so we can leave… we hate being a bother to you, the staff or any of your patients."

I said knowing that wasn't the case why I was mad, but I knew that if I stayed here any longer that mare is just going to keep harassing both me and Barb until she gets her way. The nurse reluctant at first gave me the clipboard as I turn it towards me, looking through the many names of the patients that were in as I see my name in the very bottom, seeing both the time and the doctor who was in charge of me as I look around seeing the clock as I wrote down the exit time and signed myself out. Giving the clipboard back to the nurse as I held onto Barb's hand walking us out of the room, only stopping when both her and I heard the voice of the mare in question.

"Ugh, finally my syphilis will kill me because they decided to tend some stupid freak."

I heard her say as I hear her trotting into the room. Barb looks at me as she saw me now visibly angry, this is the first time anyone has ever gotten me this angry and now I was about to explode onto this mare. Letting go of Barb I turn around as I walk back towards the room seeing both the mare and nurse, seeing the nurse speaking to the mare and she would explain what was wrong with her and why she came in the first place. I try my best to calmly go off on her as I took a deep breath in, see I wasn't the type to yell at someone like a made man. No I only yell when someone physically hurts me or someone I care about as I look at her walking into the room before asking.

"I'm sorry, what was that you said back there?"

I said calmly, Barb right outside of the room as both the mare and nurse look at me. That mare visibly amused as to me coming back to hear what she said.

"I called you a freak, What is your kind stupid too? Would you like me to spell out freak to you?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I believe you have the wrong creature I'm Zach-"

"I know what I called you, and I'm not afraid to say it again!"

"Ma'am, please calm down, sir, I'm going to ask you to leave."

The nurse said as she tries to break up the situation before it could get any more hectic, Barb coming into the room as she would grip onto my arm. Pulling on it gently to make me look at her, saying.

"Zach, please let's just leave while we still can."

"I'm sorry, I can't speak cumdumpster can you repeat that again, maybe it's the syphilis kicking in."

Yeah I knew I was digging myself a hole at this moment. But if I was going to make this mare know what it's like to be feared by someone like me I want her to really dig deeper as I see her stand up on her own hooves trotting up to me as she would yell out.

"I may be dying, but at least I die knowing that I had ponies who like me. You are nothing more than some stupid omnivorous freak that will kill our kind in order to get his next meal."

"Ma'am please."

She said as she tries to pull the mare away from me only making her get shoved into the floor, causing her to hit her head against the chair as she was unconscious on the floor. Both Barb and I saw this as we were in shock, the mare scoffing as she would sit back down on the bed, Barb tending to the unconscious nurse as I look at her. See looks back at me as the mare simply rolls her eyes before turning to Barb on the floor with the nurse.

"Leave her, let it eat her up so he can go back to wherever he came from and never return."

"And you still go on with it while I am in the same room."

"Of course, everypony thinks you're a freak but they don't want to say anything and just try to avoid you at any cost so they don't hurt your 'feeling', but me I keep it a hundred and I say things to others faces. Even ugly ones like your own."

She says as she just chuckles, Barb carefully picking the nurse up and off the floor as she tried to get her some help. Leaving both me and that mare alone as she looks at me smirking before ending her rant with.

"Oh what, you want to eat me? Since that's all your kind is ever good for, you're just like the griffins eating, ponies because they can't bare to live without their precious meat. Go ahead, take a nibble at your next fucken meal you stupid freak!"

She said, now this was the one thing that triggers me. The door slamming closed, locking as it causes the mare to jolt up turning her head towards me as the lights began to flicker I slowly start to walk towards her. I don't know what's becoming of me at this moment, but something inside made me do what I was about to do as I would start to talk.

"Maybe I should… I start by taking your small little head and snap your neck…"

I said, using my hands to motion towards her head moving my right hand towards the front and the left behind it quickly switching their positions creating the movement of a head being snapped. The mare staring at me as from her perspective starts to see me slowly turn insane as my eyes turn into a pitch black color, my skin slowly turning pale. Soon random objects in the room began to levitate in mid air, some of the drawers and cabinets began to open as some of the stuff inside floated along with the rest of the stuff. The mare continues to stare deep into my eyes as her own widen in complete fear, as I take a step closer towards her the objects in the air began to move in a circle around the both of us as I continue to speak.

"...then I'll take something sharp…"

I said as I raise my hand up, a scalpel flying towards my hand grabbing it in mid air as I was now standing in front of her. Seeing the mare shudder as all of the objects began to move rapidly around us. Taking her by the back of her head as I pull her towards me, she yelps as she places both her hooves on my arm looking up at me with tears in her eyes as I smile gently trailing the scalpel with the non blades end across her face as I explain in further detail.

"...I will cut out every piece of meat out of your body, and then I'll take your guts along with your pulsating heart and eat it right… in front… if your very living eyes. Is that what you want? For us to eat everything so not even your clients can recognize your dead corps?"

I said as I smile at her, she looks at me slowly opening her muzzle as she lets out a loud scream in terror. The lights going back to normal as everything in the room stops floating and all falls to the floor. My eyes turning back to normal as I look down seeing the position I was in before moving back and away from her seeing the scalpel in my hand as I feel like I know what I was going to happen if she didn't scream. Quickly burying the scalpel into my pocket as I look at the mare seeing her in fear, I try to apologise as I took a step forward before hearing her yell.

"No! Get away from me!"

Soon the doctors and nurses came in seeing a complete mess in the room as they saw me now leaning against the wall after she yelled at me. Soon they put two and two together as the doctors crowded the mare and prepared her for sedation, nurses would calm me down as they escorted me out of the room. The mare continuously screaming that I was going to kill her and why they were taking me out when she saw me just threatening her. I have no idea what happened up to this point, it was as if my mind went completely blank once I entered the room. Moments later Barb took me off the mares hooves as she took me out of the hospital, now I was in complete shock as Barb held onto me while we were heading towards the cottage. The night enveloping us with it's beautiful moon, which for some reason as a silawet of a unicorn on it. Kind of like how on Earth the moon looks like it has a shape of a bunny's head on it, don't believe me wait until the sun goes down and when there is a full moon lookup towards it's and if you squint your eyes just enough you can see the head of a bunny shaped onto the moon.

"Ma'am you need to calm down!"

"No! Nnnah, no. That thing is going to kill us all!"

The mare continues to scream in panic as she was being held down by three doctors, a nurse trotting in as she brings along with her a kart, which contains those relax injections they have when their patients are insane and they need to work with them in a more calming manner. While the doctors held her, the nurse comes up towards her grabbing a syringe full of the calming serum. Making sure the syringe works as she would see some of the serum shootout a bit before preparing to inject the mare as she continues to sperm and spit out everything from speciesist remarks and how the creature that was in here is going to kill them all.

"Please! He's going to kill us all, that ape hairless creature is going to get us all and make us…. make us… his next...meal…"

Slowly she became calm after the nurse injects her with the calming serum, her breathing slowing down as she lays back against the bed. Allowing the doctors to let hero go, all three of them out of breath the other nurses would use their magic to clean up the mess that mare made while she was calming herself down.

"Damn, that mare made a mess in here."

"I don't know dude… what if that mare is right?"

"What do you mean?"

One of the nurses asked as she looks at the doctor's, one of them looking at the mare who was now completely calm and laying in bed as the doctor continues his explanation.

"What if… nevermind."

"Oh quit it won't you!"

One of the other nurses said as both doctors and the first nurse turns towards her as she would look completely pissed at the one stallion who was become a huge speciesist.

"Just because that crazy mare said that poor innocent male was going to hurt her, now all of a sudden you're going to believe that's going to be the case, what a speciesist."

"Hey! That does make me speciesist alright, I'm just saying we cant be too sure."

The doctor said looking at the nurse after explaining why he was saying what he said. After the mess that was in the room was cleaned up, every hospital staff that was in the room head out as it was too late at night for them to start making any assumptions. Closing the door behind them as they make their way out of the hospital, lights from the hallway going off one by one for the night. Meanwhile in the room, after being tucked into her bed the mare's eyes began to open slowly, staring around the room what was as if she woke up there. Gently smiling she slowly closes her eyes again before opening them again. This time the lights start to flicker once again, but this time the creature that was attacking her wasn't around or was he?

"You poor innocent little pony.."

The sound of a sinister voice came through her ears as she sat up, looking around as she tries to find out where the voice came from, the walls slowly growing mold on them. But not like normal mold, it was black as it was growly slowly as some vines starts to grow from the sides. Moths beginning to grow out of it as they flew around in the room, this was causing the mare to freak out once again as she got out of bed moving quickly she trots quickly towards the door as she tries to escape. Gripping onto the door knob as she twists it towards the right before pulling the door open, only to he met with…

"Boo!"

Both Barb and I have made it to the cottage that was in deep inside the woods and away from town until the smoke clears off from what is inevitably going to start. After changing into something more comfortable, that being a wife beater and some baseball shorts switch I had no idea the fashionistas knew about but oh well, at least the fabric is comfortable. I was sitting in bed while Barb was in the kitchen doing something, I don't know all she told me was to stay in bed and that she was going to bring me something to calm my nerves. While I was waiting, I sit on the bed my legs crossed over one another, I sat there quiet and thinking to myself what happened back at the hospital, one exchange went from zero to a hundred really quick it was pretty weird and it still scares me on how it all happened. I mean, there I was just walking out of the room and going to enjoy my day then out of nowhere the second that mare spoke it my mind went blank and the second I come back to reality I see myself holding a scalpel up against her face. What I'm the acutal fuck is wrong with me? It was like someone else was controlling me in order to get others to see what the monster they thought I was, came before them in front of their very eyes. Granted this was just one pony and not a group of them but you know how rumors can be spread like wildfire.

"Zach…"

I hear Barb's voice as I turn my head around seeing her leaning against the doorframe, looking at me with two mugs in her hands. She watches me sitting there in deep thought, thinking exactly what she was thinking as she walks into the room, closing the door behind her as she walks up to the bed. Getting onto the bed with me as she gently sat down, giving me one of the mugs as she sat down with her own mug. I look into it as I see a brown liquid of deliciousness, the steam from the contents in the mug hitting me in the face as I smell the sweet liquid that is the hot cocoa. Now the most important question is the one that will make or break this nightly break, the crucial thing that will make me hate what is in the mug and will make me Chuck this across the room or it will make me love the one who made it for me to oblivion. I look at Barb as she looks back at me asking her the very important question.

"Did you use water ...or milk?"

"Milk."

She answers unhesitantly as I smile at her before taking a generous sip out of this delicious concoction that she has made for me on this very night. The taste of warm chocolate milk made me smile, but something else was in this mug, it wasn't just chocolate it had the taste of cinnamon and a bit of instant coffee as I removing the mug off my mouth. Smacking my lips from out hot yet delicious it was as I look at Barb, seeing her smiling at me as she did the same.

"I hope this will calm your nerves, I know after a fucked up day like today nothing helps me relax like four scoops of chocolate mix, a sprinkle of cinnamon and just a quarter teaspoon of instant coffee mixed together in some nice warm milk can get me through the night."

"Oh trust me, if it isn't the instant coffee then it'll be the four scoops of chocolate mix that will keep us up all night."

I said chuckling as I can already feel either the instant coffee or the four scoops of chocolate mix hit me. Barb giggling along with me as we chit chat with each other, talking about how we both felt when we first met. Barb explains that she felt weirded out about me yet felt comfortable because I was the only one who can really understand what it's like to have hands and be taller than your average pony. But there was something that was bothering her however and I see it in her face, I assume it was what happened back at the hospital and how I felt that room with a mare screaming in fear as I sigh.

"Look-"

"You don't need to explain yourself… I know it wasn't you that made her cry wolf… I just wish we both just left the hospital without any confrontation."

"I know…"

I said as I look away, taking another sip as I feel embarrassed for my actions. Now if that mare went out into town, she could spread the word that the freak that has arrived into their peaceful town might be the cause of their extinction. Which sounds super exaggerated and maybe problematic for when both Barb and I have to check up on the preparation for the big festival coming around some time this week. Barb looks at me as she has emptied her mug of hot cocoa, as have I as I place my mug on top of the nightstand near our bed after seeing Barb place hers there as well. Both her and I lay down in bed feeling the pillow against the back of my head as I can still feel the lump rubbing against my head. Barb on the other hand thought using my chest would be the perfect pillow as she lays head against my chest, her arm wrapping around my torso as I felt her leg clinging onto my left thigh, keeping herself close to me as possible hearing a peaceful sigh coming out of her. I smile, not wanting to make her feel awkward as I wrap my arm around her my hand gently placed on her upper arm leaning back as I spoke to myself.

"...but I know once we check on the preparations, things will get easier...I promise."

I said, staring at the ceiling for a while before slowly closing my eyes trying to go to sleep but one thing was now going to make me stay up as I hear Barb saying.

"Yeah...too bad it was pushed back to two weeks from now…"

When I heard this my eyes shot wide open, fuck so now we're going to have to deal with this kind of shit unless I can find a way to make the locals not think I am some sort of fucken murderer who is going to cause the pony race to go into mass extinction. This is going to be a fucken nightmare and something tells me that this won't be the only thing I'm going to have to deal with.

Author's Note

Now that I have reached ten of anything, I would like to say thank you to all that have supported this story thus far. It really means a lot that all of you are enjoying the art that is my storytelling. If there is something that doesn't make sense or is spelled wrong do be awesome and let me know in the comment section below. My editor and I can't catch them all, and it would mean it a lot to both me and my editor.
Thanks again and stay bloodthirsty.