Falling is such a strange sensation. Sure, it varies based on the person. Sure, it's never PLEASANT... Mostly. But it doesn't stop it from being strange. Personally, falling invokes a sense of equilibrium. I can feel the blood rush to my head and scramble my insides, yet I still feel the weightlessness of free-fall. Perfect balance.
Which is why I am struggling how to process that I'M FALLING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE. And rather quickly at that.
I searched my memories twenty times over, and each time it led back to something that literally couldn't be possible.
In fact I should be dead if said memories were to be believed.
It... Also doesn't help that the air around me sounds like it's on fire.
Okay, yeah, now I'm panicking. Am I panicking? I think I'm panicking.
'NO! No. Focus. How long till you hit the ground?'
'Like, thirty seconds at most?! You know we're WELL beyond what SHOULD be terminal velocity, right?!'
'Trust me, you'll be fine! Besides, we don't know how durable our new body is!'
Right. New body. Forgot about that. Here's hoping I still can't feel pain.
I waited with bated breath as the ground hurtled towar- no, as I hurtled to the ground. I braced for impact, fully expecting to be in great amounts of pain.
And I braced.
...And braced...
"...Okay where's the- *GAH*" There it was.
I felt the impact. Oh boy did I feel the impact. I could feel as the crater formed around me, I could hear the shrapnel of obliterated trees. There's this small, tiny part of my mind that wishes I could see what in the hell was happening, but I couldn't. Not anymore, anyways. Good news though! Still can't feel pain.
I sluggishly crawled my way out of the crater I had undoubtedly created, idly noting that I had paws now. Also that I at least seemed uninjured. Not that it surprised me at this point.
So. I bet you're wondering how exactly I've ended up in the middle of nowhere falling from the sky. Well. It all started about ninety three seconds ago, when I bought something at Comic con.
"Let's see here... Cash, check. Key, check. Full costume, che- wait, no, missing the mask."
Today was finally the day. My first con, my costume finally finished, and an abundance of cash due to far too much overtime. My costume had been a project that had taken, - oh I don't know, a year and a half? Two years? Something like that - to complete. To make up for the costs, I'd been surviving off the bare minimum, but I couldn't care less. It was done!
Made of Faux fur, synthetic ivory (that took far too long to get my mitts on) and a little bit of leather to keep everything together, it looked just like an Absol.
Sort of.
See, this was an Absol of my OWN design. Sure, it's a bit of a pallet swap, but it's mine. The fur was black as soot and I'd painted my face to look as white as I could get it. The claws and the horn itself were also white, if a shade lighter than what I'd managed to make my skin. Instead of the horn being just the crescent curve, it also doubled as a mask, what with part of the horn having 'overgrown' my eyes. I used that as a reason to tweak the typing as well, so instead of Dark type, this particular Absol is ghost and psychic. I didn't have the mask fully attached, so I could still see if need be by quickly lifting it or taking it off.
Not all of my time had gone into making this thing, though. Part of the process was walking around blindfolded to build up some situational awareness, so I could actually put up the illusion that I was semi-confident in my ability to move with the mask still on. That led to some awkward moments of colliding with inanimate objects, but it was effective. I can now semi-accurately pick out things within a one and a half foot radius around me while the mask's on.
Enough about that.
So here I stand, overlooking (not really) the various stalls and booths set up for random ass merchandise, browsing for something I'd been meaning to grab. In particular, I was looking for a mega stone. It didn't have to be Absolite, I could make do with any mega stone, seeing as we never get to glimpse how any of them actually look. Right this second, I'm looking around with my mask slid up just far enough to reveal my eyes, showing their red contact lenses, to scan over some of the more out of the way locales.
'See anything yet?'
'Nope. Not a thing. Seriously, we've passed three pokémon merch stalls, and not a single one had a mega stone. It's not even that hard to make one, surely.'
Right, that's another thing. When I was a kid, I never managed to mesh well with others my age. In fact if it wasn't my temper acting up, it was another kid in the process of bullying me. As a defense mechanism slash escape, I... Developed another consciousness. No idea how, no idea why, but it happened. And it's the single best thing to ever happen to me.
Lemme preface this next bit by saying, I'm a guy. Not confused about that, not disappointed with that, it's just what I am and I couldn't care less. So imagine my surprise when I first spoke with this second consciousness, only to find out that they are unequivocally female. Not that it's an issue, just surprising. But ever since that day, all those thirteen years ago, they have managed to keep me grounded, both mentally and socially. She's like a sister I never had, nor realized I needed.
...Okay, there may be a debate running on whether or not having something in your head that talks back to you is mentally stable and/or healthy, but I digress.
'Okay, seriously, we've been to every damn stall in this place, how does NO-ONE have a-'
"Well, that's not something you see every day. What's an Absol like you doing here?"
The sudden, and eerily familiar voice caused me stop in place.
'Was that-'
'Sounded like it.'
I slowly raised my mask off my eyes to catch a glimpse at whoever called out at me, and my suspicions were instantly confirmed. Standing not too far away, behind a counter, was none other than Handsome Jack.
Well, okay, not literally him I suppose, but the voice was spot on, and the cosplay was perfect. I couldn't hope to do that no matter how hard I-
'He wasn't there.'
'Excuse you?'
'He literally wasn't there. There wasn't even a stall here.'
That certainly rang a couple of alarms, but maybe we just missed him. Honestly wouldn't put it past us.
"You gonna just stand there staring? Starting to creep me out here, kiddo." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the 'kiddo' remark. I'm twenty, damnit! "I've got wares, you've probably got cash, so how about it, cupcake?" He idly waved at the aforementioned wares, a couple of which instantly caught my eye.
"Son of a bitch, you actually have a mega stone!" It was decided, I was going to that stall, and I was buying the mega stone. Consequence be damned.
"Ah, this old thing? Found it a couple years back, never could find anyone gullible enough to- *cough* interested enough to buy it." He smirked at me. Cheeky git. "Tell ya what, seeing as you're an Absol yourself, and this is... At least I think it's Absolite, not entirely sure, I'll throw in this mega bracelet for-" He hesitated. Calculations? Probably. "One-ten."
I stumbled. no ifs, ands or buts about it, I straight up stumbled. Luckily enough I caught myself by the edge of the stall, but it was close. "One-ten. As in, one hundred and ten." My mouth was practically watering at that price. A lot of the other merch around here was FAR more expensive than that.
He merely raised a brow, before shrugging at me. "Yeah? Look snowflake, you want 'em or not?"
I matched his earlier smirk with my own. "Seriously? You can literally see me drooling over them here and you considered the possibility that I didn't want them?" I practically threw the cash at him, before snapping up both the stone and bracelet. Immediately, I slipped the bracelet onto my left arm, and socketed the stone into a handy little slot I found on the side. I nearly missed the shit-eating grin that the Jack lookalike had plastered onto his face. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing much. Enjoy your trip! Oh, and say hi to Sunbutt for me, wouldja? She owes me a cake. Damn she-devil..."
I stared at him like he'd gone crazy.
"Red flag?"
'...Red flag.'
Didn't even get a chance to make a break for it. The moment I made to try and move, the ground ate me. Wish I was kidding, literally swallowed up by the ground. Everything went black, yadda yadda, FALLING. There- there was no in-between.
'So. Uh... Status check?'
No response.
'Skyla? You there?'
'...Have you even taken a moment to check yourself over before asking me? Also, please don't panic when you do.'
'I mean... Earlier it felt like I had paws, and I'm fairly sure my mask is now fused to my f-... Oh.'
'Yeah.'
I can feel my eyes moving, so I wasn't technically blind. Okay, good start. I brought one of my... One of my new paws up to try and remove my mask, which wouldn't budge, so I still can't see either way. I could feel the paw come into contact with the mas- horn, so it was a part of me. My paw trailed down to my teeth, felt sharp, so my mouth now has completely carnivorous canines. Further back, I felt fur. not the faux fur I used for my costume, but actual fur. Wonderful. On a whim, I shifted my right paw over to my left... I guess, foreleg, and felt the telltale sign of... Wait, rock? So I guess I kept my mega bracelet. Shift to the right a little- yep, there's the mega stone. My nails felt longer, so I guess I have claws too? Would make sense, I included them into the cos-...
'I take it that it just clicked?'
'...Be real with me Skyla...'
'Yes, we're an Absol. Specifically, your Absol.'
'...'
'...Braig? You alright?'
'Just... Just processing that.'
'So would now be a bad time for me to add that from as far as I can tell, you're female now?'
'Please tell me you're kidding.'
' 'Fraid not.'
'So. I'm in the middle of nowhere, I'm an Absol, I've been genderswapped... Sounds like a bad fanfic if I've ever heard one. What next, I'm in Equestria?-'
'Something's coming.'
I could feel my left ear flick towards something, which is surreal cause apparently Absol has fox-like ears hidden under all that fur, but I couldn't miss the telltale sound of something moving through foliage. The moment the sound registered, my nose realized it was supposed to function, and I really, really wish it didn't.
It smells like rotting fruit, on top of rotting flesh, on top of sawdust. Why sawdust? Who knows! Unfortunately, the only thing that even came close to that description is something that I should not be able to smell. Ever. And yet here it was.
'You know I was kidding when I said Equestria, right? So why can I smell timberwolves?'
'MOVE NOW, CRISIS LATER!'
I took off sprinting to my right, hoping my new quadrupedal form came with the instincts necessary to allow my flight response to actually respond.
It didn't.
I tripped immediately.
I landed badly on my left shoulder, allowing me to rediscover the oh so unpleasant sensation of a painless dislocation. The paw-falls were approaching slowly, meaning the timberwolves probably wanted to relish in the hunt.
'Any more ideas, genius?!'
Apparently the wolves got impatient, as I heard a snarl, followed by what I assumed was a lunge. At least that's what I was banking on.
I rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding the wolf whose breath was far too close for my liking, and not because it stunk. One of its pals decided to try and follow it up, and I was still recovering from the roll, so all I could do was raise my right leg and block. Mere moments later, the wolf was upon me, teeth sunk deep into my arm.
'Have I ever thanked the forces that be for making me incapable of feeling pain?'
'Yes. All the time... Are you gonna do anything about this, or...?'
An idle thought crossed my mind, and I found myself smiling despite the situation.
'I'm an Absol, right?'
'...Aye, what's your point?'
Instead of answering, which I'm sure will piss off Skyla, I concentrated inwards. Particularly focusing on my teeth. If I was an Absol...
I jerked forwards with my teeth bared, and I felt them harden as if into steel. The results were instantaneous, a whimper of pain and a series of yelps sounded out around me as I slammed my new fangs into the timberwolfs' neck. I kept my jaw locked down onto it as my mouth started to fill with... sap. Tree sap. Blegh. Apparently it was enough to dissuade the other timberwolves, as I heard them scramble over each other and run back into the forest. The wolf I managed to catch struggled in my grip, but apparently Absol has a pretty strong jaw. It died in my grasp, and fell to pieces. Not long after, it dissolved. It took me a moment to wrap my head around what happened.
'Braig. You good?'
"Heh... Hehe..."
No. I was not 'good'.
"I can't walk. Even if it doesn't hurt, I'm still injured."
'That's not what's eating you and you know it. What's wrong?'
Apparently I was having none of it today.
"What do you think? It may have been a timberwolf, but I still killed!"
'...'
Woops.
It took longer than I'd have liked to center myself, but after a few ~~dozen~~ deep breaths, I managed it. If there is a single person who never deserves to be on the receiving end of my relatively short temper, it's Skyla.
"Sorry."
'Just- get up, would you? If there are timberwolves, then we're in the Everfree. Which means we need to try and find Ponyville.'
I silently judged which leg is technically the most injured, and decided that I couldn't risk putting much weight on my dislocated shoulder. So, right leg it is. Slowly, and awkwardly, I managed to situate myself on three legs, and found a way to walk. Picking a random direction, I set off in search of Ponyville. God that felt weird to say.
'So, I take it you tried using Bite back there?'
"Tried? You mean succeeded."
'True. You think you got your whole moveset, or a regular Absol one, or just Bite?'
"Don't have a cl-"
My words died in my throat as we heard something a ways ahead of us. It sounded like talking. Between two individuals. Both of which we could recognize. A tired, blood-drained, and extremely happy smile crawled its way onto my face.
"...Are we even looking for again?" It was faint, but it sounded nasally, and semi-sarcastic.
"The squirrels told me that there was an injured creature out here. Oh, I'm s-so worried, what if it was attacked by t-timberwolves? W-what if we're too late and it-" Even quieter, stutters alot, sounds like a goddess, yep, I know who's approaching.
'RD and Flutters, dead ahead. Ready to meet our saviors?'
'Do you even have the strength to get there? You've lost alot of blood.'
'Eh... Probably not. Does it matter?'
'As long as you grab their attention, then not really.'
Dredging up what last scraps of strength I had left, I picked up my abysmally slow pace to try and make a generous amount of noise.
" Woah, woah, calm down! I'm sure it just tripped and sprained a paw or... Something. Nothing to get worked up about." There was Rainbow again. So close now. Just up ahea-
As I pushed past what I guessed was a tree, I caught my back leg on a vine, which subsequently tripped me and sent me face first onto what felt like a worn dirt road. Although the chorused gasp let me know that I had succeeded in my impromptu mission of 'get noticed by a third of the elements of harmony'. With a content smile, I let the full embrace of unconsciousness envelope me as the blood loss finally overtook me.
-View change: Rainbow Dash-
"That's... Not what I expected."
And it isn't. Wait, what even is this thing? Black fur, has a horn, no eyes? No, covered by the... Horn, mask, thing. Wicked claws, weird tail. Does this thing even have ears?
"Oh, goodness! It's hurt real bad!" Right. Flutters is here. She has a point though, that leg looks pretty badly-
"OH BUCK! The hay happened to it?!" I joined her in a single beat of my wings, because of course I did, as she started to check its... Honestly pretty terrible injuries. Even I could see that shoulder looked out of place.
"Dislocated shoulder, bite wound; torn; possibly infected, teeth are covered in- hrm." She flinched. Why'd she flinch? What about its teeth?
"Fluttershy? C'mon, don't leave me in the dark here."
"I-it must have gotten in a fight with a timberwolf..." A timberwolf, huh? Ouch. "And it- it seems to have won"
"...Wait, whaddya mean, it won?" This thing won against a timberwolf in that state?
"I-its teeth, they're covered in sap, but the bite marks on it's foreleg match that of a timberwolf. I-i think it tried to d-defend itself by biting the timberwolf."
...Say what?!
"That's so awesome." Oh, crap, quick, damage control! "Uh- I mean, not as awesome as me, but, you know-"
"Rainbow Dash, it's just me, it's fine."
"...Alright, alright." She has a point.
"C-can you help me get it back to my cottage? It's heavier than it looks."
"Huh?" Shy's tryin to pick it up. Back to- "Oh! Right, sure. Budge up, I got this." And~ LIF- "Oof, okay, you weren't kidding, huh?"
This thing weighs almost as much as Applejack. Heh, she would so buck me over a mountain if she heard me say that.
Took me a moment, but I finally managed to get it up onto my back. Can't fly in this position, but I can make do. For now.
...But seriously, what is this thing?! It looks so cool!
-Current View: Braig-
My eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar sensation of weightlessness. It wasn't the same as free-fall, instead it was as if gravity had vanished as a concept. Unfortunately, my eyes opening meant literally nothing.
"Stupid god-damn horn-mask!" I grabbed at the mask, with the intent of tearing it off of my face.
And it came off. With no resistance. It- it just detached.
"...Kayyy...?"
I took that moment to look over myself, only to 'acquire' a headache as I realized I was back in my original body, hands and all. As I turned my gaze away from myself, All that greeted me was a muted shade of light blue as far as the eye could see. It seemed to be pulsing, almost like what I'd consider an illusion being maintained by something and having a poor job done of it.
"Skyla, you there?"
"Behind you."
Behind me. Okay, then this entire area must be a mental construct, cause Skyla definitely can't manifest in the real world. That and I distinctly remember being quadrupedal before I fell unconsci- RIGHT. I fell unconscious. I must still technically be unconscious then.
I swiveled in place to get a good look at my eternal companion, as it's always fun to see what form she decides to take.
"...God-damnit Skyla."
Sat in front of me, with a big-ass grin on her face, was none other than Rikku. Or, specifically, the Rikku from Final Fantasy X.
" (So Braig, Like the look? Picked it just for you!)" She started giggling up a storm. Trust her to make light of what should be a relatively tense situation.
" (Aren't you supposed to be the serious one? no?)"
...
""* ("We need a life.")
"So now that that's out of our systems..." I glanced at our new surroundings, still thoroughly confused, though a little less stressed. "What do you suppose this is?"
"No idea. Whatever it is, it's... Dull."
"And bright."
"And unnerving."
We sat there in silence, combing the scene with our eyes, looking for a single thing out of place. And yet, no matter where we looked, everything was uniform. No structures, seemingly no floor despite us sitting down, nothing but the same shade of blue. Everywhere. I wasn't convinced that this was of my design.
"So whaddya think made this?" I stood up and stretched. It's a nice thing to do, even if you're not technically a physical entity at the time.
"Considering where we guessed we were before blacking out, combined with the fact that neither of us made this, something magical?"
"Magic, huh?..." This could be troublesome. Convoluted?... Strange. It's gonna be strange. "So how do you-"
"LOOK OUT!"
I immediately stepped back towards Sky-kku (Rikla?) as a veritable spiders nest of cracks started spreading through the wall of blue. As the, for want of a better term, sky-box started to fall away, something extremely quiet made its way into our ears.
"...Please... Stop him..."
Before either of us could comment, everything started to fade out. It didn't take long for the both of us to end up unconscious once again.
I awoke to the sound of hushed conversation. The words weren't quite registering yet, so odds are my mind kicked in before my body.
'Let's see what the damage is...'
I'm laying on my front, so good start I guess. The tuft of fur around an Absols neck is really soft to rest on apparently. my left arm- er, foreleg, feels nigh on impossible to move, so it must still be dislocated. Whatever it is I'm laying on is incredibly comfy though. My right foreleg seems a little more restricted than I remember. A quick exploration with my teeth revealed bandages.
'Wait, bandages?'
I shifted my right paw to explore whatever the hell I was currently laying on, and the more I found the more I was certain it was a sofa. So wherever I was, it seemed to be someones home. There was no stopping the small smile that made its way onto my face. I decided to focus on my hearing.
"-'m sorry, but I don't know what to tell you. I've never seen anything like it!" That one sounds well read. Twilight maybe?
"Aw, c'mon egghead, you're the one who's supposed to know this stuff!" Rainbow. Kay.
"N-no, it's okay. I-I guess I can talk to her when she wakes up. I should h-hopefully learn everything I need. Sorry I wasted your time, Twilight." And that was Fluttershy.
'So I'm either at the Everfree-adjacent cottage or the library. Good to know!'
If some of the background noise was anything to go by, I'm probably at the cottage. Those definitely sound like animals.
'You gonna stop pretending to be unconscious and say hi?'
'Yeah I probably should. Well, here goes... Everything, I guess.'
With much difficulty, I pushed myself up and off the sofa using only my right side. Nothing hurt per-say, but a neglected injury is still bad, and I could feel the bone in my left shoulder was still completely out of place. My grunts of frustration must have had the desired effect, 'cause almost immediately, my ears were assaulted by a trio of gasps.
"It's awake! That was fast. When did you say you found it?" Yeah, okay, that was definitely Twilight.
"I found her a little over two hours ago." Oof, Sassyshy makes an appearance. Had that one coming, Sparkle. I decided to speak up before things got out of hand. Hoof? I mean, I am in Equestria now.
"Wher-" I immediately started coughing. Apparently tree sap of all things doesn't help a sore and dry throat. Each cough felt as if a damn cactuar had made residence and it decided to spam thousand needles. I suppose if it was any consolation, I felt a presence on my left in the blink of a proverbial eye.
"Here." I felt a glass be pressed to my mouth, so I assumed, hoped, prayed and begged for it to be water. And in answer to everything, that's exactly what it was. I greedily guzzled the whole lot and steadied my breathing.
"Thanks. I suppose biting a timberwolf wasn't the smartest idea."
All minor sounds of movement stopped dead. I guess they weren't expecting me to speak.
"Did- did it just talk?" Okay, the whole 'it' thing is getting annoying real fast. I turned my head in the general direction of who I assumed to be the bookish mare.
"How'd you like it if I called you an 'it'?" In my frustration, I stupidly placed the majority of my weight onto my left fore-leg, only to be met with shifting bone. I immediately sat down and grabbed it, dreading what I had to do next. Especially with these three in the room with me. "Here goes..."
Apparently my statement caught RD's attention. "Here goes what?"
I felt my lips pull down into a frown. Couldn't blame them. This is gonna suck.
"This."
In a couple of swift movements, I pulled and pushed my fore-leg to set the bone back in place. Thank every deity in existence that it was a clean separation.
The sound disgusted me, despite the painless resettling, as the crunching and clicking echoed in the silence.
Wait. Silence? Seems even the resident animals found that disturbing.
I tested my leg, and results came back positive so that's a start. Still felt a little stiff, but I could at least move about now. I felt my damn ear twitch again (never gonna get used to that) when I heard Rainbow start chuckling, followed quickly by the sound of... somebody- pony hitting the floor?
"Oh. Oh dear." That was Fluttershy... But...
"What happened?" I wish I could see.
"Oh! Uhm. Twilight fainted. I don't think she... Fully expected that." I heard RDs laughter double it's intensity. Glad someones having fun.
"Sorry. I probably should have warned you all." I made a point of lightly running a claw along my new permanent blindfold. "Where am I, anyway?" I'd already figured I'm at Fluttershys cottage, but wouldn't hurt to be sure. There was a beat of nothing but laughter, but the question managed to get through.
"Uhm, This is my home. It's next to the... The Everfree. Ponyville isn't too far..."
'...I don't think she expected me to be sapient. I feel like if I actually was an animal this would be going smoother.'
'Nobody present except for us two expected that, cut them some slack. Gonna introduce yourself?'
'Yeah, yeah...'
With a quick clear of the throat, I stood and turned towards their general direction. Rainbow's laughter died down, and if my ears are to be believed, Twilight is trying to climb to her hooves. So, I have their attention.
'Should I go the whole way, introduce myself as an Absol and just get it over with?'
'Eh... Knowing Twilight, if you introduced yourself as a transformed human, you'd be experimented on in some fashion.'
'She'd do that anyways. Probably an unknown species.'
'Fair point. Flutters would have been interested too if it weren't for your sapience.'
'What about Spike though? She seemed pretty interested in him.'
'...Then I guess we pray?'
A sigh forced itself from my lungs at that before I could stop it. Placing my left paw on my... I wanna say 'chest' but I'm unsure if that applies, I bowed my head.
"Thanks for the help. I'm Braig." Good enough. I think. Maybe.
"Heh, good to meet you Braig. The name's Rainbow Dash, that's Fluttershy on your left, and the one that fainted just now is Twilight Sparkle."
"How was I supposed to know she was going to reset her own bones?! It's completely insane!"
"Hm. I guess that's a lot coming from you, huh Twi?"
Thank god they changed the subject. I don't know how to explain my being in the Everfree.
"Come on, I'm not THAT bad."
...
"...Right?"
"...So, Braig, what were you doing in the Everfree of all places?" Damnit Dash!
'Lie through my teeth or tell the truth?'
'Just bite the damn bullet. Maybe half and half?'
Here goes. "I wish I knew how to answer that question. One minute I'm with my-" I quickly racked my brain, are Absols foxes or wolves? Or both? My guess is on foxes. "-Skulk, the next, I'm in that damn forest surrounded by timberwolves." I scuffed the ground with the back of my paw. "Though if I had to guess, my bet would be on magic."
So, not entirely true, but not completely false. Kinda banking on gullibility here. And it worked! Or, at least it seemed like it did, if Fluttershy was anyone to go by.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. You must be devastated being separated from your family." I can work with that.
"Honestly? Not so much. My unique, eh... Disposition, compared to the rest left me a little ostracized. Not completely, but I don't have that much of an attachment." A paw made it's way to the back of my head. "Still kinda sucks though."
I heard Twilight hum to herself. Just what is she thinking?
"Do all of your kind look like that? I wouldn't mind helping you search for them."
Oh. Okay then.
"Aside from general body shape, I barely look like the rest. A normal Absol has white fur, and either a black or red horn and tail." I tapped my mask with a claw. Which I immediately regretted, as it's still attached to me and gave me a headache.
Super sensitive apparently.
"They also don't have this blasted thing covering their eyes, but I didn't want to have it removed in case it did some permanent damage to my mind. Just tapping it like I did just now hurt more than enough to dissuade that." I hear scratching. She's writing this down isn't she? "Are you seriously writing down everything I'm saying?"
Without missing a beat, she gave her reply. "Of course! I don't want to miss or forget anything you say. Every minor detail could help with the search! You called yourself an... 'Absol'?"
"...I did, yes."
I should put a kibosh on this now.
"Seriously, Twilight, it's fine." I turned my head off to the side. "To be honest, I was considering leaving anyway. Maybe only two would have noticed, and even then, they hardly liked me. Whatever brought me here probably did me a favor."
'You know, even I'm starting to believe all this.'
'Yeah, well... You know me...'
I let out a sigh as my situation finally started to settle in. Here I am, a species nopony has heard of before, with no known place of origin, pretty much completely blind, with nothing to my name except my mega-set. I had nowhere to stay except to go back out into the Everfree, or at a stretch maybe Whitetail.
I was screwed in almost every sense of the word.
Almost.
'Just suck it up and ask for help, damnit.'
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I turned my head to the ground.
"Is there... Any chance I could trouble any of you to help me out?" I rubbed my neck idly. I haven't ever been good at asking others. "I'm afraid that if I go back into the Everfree, or hell, even Whitetail Woods, my inability to see would get me killed within the week."
"Hmm..."
Oh? Twilight hummed. Will this actually work?
"What do you think, Rainbow? She did destroy a timberwolf..."
"You're kidding, right? That just makes her even cooler! I mean, not as cool as me, but still pretty darn cool!"
"Fluttershy?"
"I don't mind."
"Well... Okay..."
'...Is this actually gonna work?'
'Maybe. Hey, maybe the universe... multiverse?... Whatever, is cutting us a break.'
"Hm~... I'd suggest just staying here, but it looks like Fluttershy's over capacity as it is. The library is a public area, and I don't have any spare space, so that's not an option... I could ask Rarity if you could stay at the Boutique, but as generous as she is, I doubt she'd say yes. The cakes struggle for space so Pinkie is out of the question not that I'd want to subject you to that every day. Everypony has their limits, and she'd reach them fast!. Rainbow's house is an automatic no-"
"Hey! Whaddya mean by that?!"
"Cloud house."
"Oh... Right... Continue."
I could feel the eyeroll. "That would leave... Hey, Rainbow Dash, does Applejack still have that guest room open?"
"I think so. Need me to go check?"
"Yes, that would be very helpful. Thank you Rainbow."
In an instant, the air around me shifted as I felt the speedster blitz past me. All well and good, except...
"I... expected more resistance to the idea." Surprisingly enough, it was Fluttershy that answered me.
"Oh, I've known Dashie for a long time now. She's very good at judging the character of others. If she trusts you, then so do I."
'Is it weird that I heard the smile?'
'Not in the least.'
'Okay good.'
My musings were cut short by a... semi-polite cough from Twilight. I turned my head to give her my full attention.
"While we wait for Rainbow to get back... How did you manage to bite a timberwolf to its... untimely destruction?"
"That... Is a fair question. One moment."
I pulled my lips(?) back to give a full view of my teeth, and focused on them as I did back in the forest. Like before, I could feel them changing, becoming stronger. Only this time I wasn't biting down on the neck of a dark monster.
Seriously, the hell is wrong with Equestrian wildlife?!
"Ooh! Fascinating!" I heard a resurgence of the scratching from earlier, meaning more notes. "And is this a form of magic unique to your kind?"
"Uh... I guess?"
Why can I hear twinkling?
"Could I study you and your abilities?! With the things we could discover, I could change the outlook on magic in all of Equestria!"
I slowly inched my head back from where I could feel Twilight in my immediate vicinity. "Maybe once I've settled? Still coming to terms with... All this."
"Ah. Of course, sorry. It's just, from what I could sense, while it wasn't much, was completely unique compared to a normal spell. I'm sorry that my excitement got the better of me." A sheepish chuckle followed immediately. Guess calling her out on it was a good idea. "Would it be too much to ask to use a scanning spell to see what I can find? Nothing too intense, just to establish a baseline."
"...I feel like I'm gonna regret this, but sure. Go ahead."
-View change: Rainbow Dash-
"Hrng-... Ahhh... Nothin' beats flying!"
Still though, this whole day has been an adventure. I mean, it started normal. Then out of nowhere some squirrels come running up to Flutters, she gallops off to the Everfree, we find... what'd Braig call herself? An Absol? Whatever,
they were injured, then Twilight shows up, even she doesn't recognize it... Today's been strange. Not the strangest though. That goes to the Parasprites.
"Not that much further now... I should make a pit stop. I'm sure they can wait a couple minutes." I touched down at my house, and briefly checked the mail.
"Bill, spam, spam, bill... Ugh, taxes. Competition flyer, Spa- wait what?"
An invitation for the Young Flyers Competition in Cloudsdale. Next week. They want me to compete.
"...Ah, ponyfeathers..."
'Okay, calm down, CALM DOWN! You're the fastest flyer in Equestria! It'll be no problem.'
"...Right?"
I stared at the invitation in my hoof for a few seconds.
...
"I'll deal with this later."
I quickly slipped into my home, grabbed a bottle of water from my ice-box and set the mail on the table, before heading back towards S.A.A. I have things to do, after all.
Obviously it's not cause I'm nervous. 'Course not. I mean, I'm me.
A couple minutes of flight and BAM! Sweet Apple Acres. Now if I were a betting pony, I'd say AJ would be working the farm... And I am a betting pony.
Almost on demand, I heard the completely obvious sound of a tree being bucked way harder than most ponies are capable of, meaning I've found her. I sped in the direction I heard the sound, and sure enough, there she was.
"Hey! AJ!" I flew down to ground level, keeping in a hover as I made my way over.
"Howdy Rainbow!" She caught herself mid kick. May~ have mistimed that. Ah well.
"So uh... hear me out for a second would ya?"
I don't like that look she's giving me. What'd I say?
"...What's it this time, Dash?"
Oh. Right.
"Hey, I said I was sorry about that! Gimme a break. Look, this isn't about me, alright? It's a favor for Twilight and Fluttershy."
"Ah'm listenin'."
"So, a group of squirrels came by while I was helping Fluttershy with something and told her that something had been injured in the Everfree. As you can probably imagine, Fluttershy being how she is, jumped at the chance to help. I followed her in, safety in numbers and all that, and we found the thing that'd been injured."
"'Kay, I follow so far. How's it doin'?" So far so good.
"She had a dislocated shoulder and bite wounds on her right foreleg."
AJs' eyes became plates at that.
"After a bit of first aid and rest, she's mostly healed, bu~t we didn't know enough about her to safely reset the bone."
"So she's still layin' there with an outta place shoulder?! That's gotta be painful."
...Eh...
"Well..."
"...Well, what? Spill it, RD."
"...When she woke up, she almost immediately reset the shoulder herself. Barely even felt it if her face was anything to go off of."
"...Come again?"
"Agh, getting sidetracked. Anyway, after all that, we find out that she's just as sentient as a pony! Apparently she thinks she's been magicked from her home."
"Consarn-it, it's always somethin' or other magical. How's she doin' now then?"
"That's why I'm here."
"Kay... What're ya askin'?"
"Is your guest room still open?"
"It is. Y'all need it fer the new mare in town then?"
"Yes! Exactly."
That went better than expected.
"What about Rarity? Don't she got any room to spare?"
...Or maybe not.
"We kinda figured that Rarity wouldn't appreciate having her space invaded like that."
"True... Golden Oaks's cramped, S.C.C is too small, plus pinkie pie, Fluttershy only has animals and from what yer've said she ain't no animal, and unless she's a pegasus too she can't stay with you..."
Okay, Twilight said this exact thing. Not quite word for word, but close enough.
"Did y'all even think about askin' some o' the other folks around town? Bon Bon, Octavia, or even Time Turner?"
Oh. Something new.
"You realize how awkward that talk would be, right? Showing up on their front door to ask for them to help somepony they don't even know after so long of not actually seeing them? Besides, they don't have guest rooms and don't live alone. You at least have a guest room."
"Alright, alright... She can use the guest room, but let her know it ain't gonna be free housin'. You tell her she's expected to at least help out around the farm."
Sounds... Mostly reasonable, but...
"That... Might be a problem."
"Ah hell... Why's that?"
"She's blind."
She raised an eyebrow. C'mon, you'd know if i'm lying, AJ, show me a little trust why don'tcha.
"Really?"
"Well, you try seeing with a blindfold permanently attached to your face. She may as well not even have eyes. I don't even know if she does have eyes..."
AJ stayed quiet for a while after that. Probably considering whether or not to let her stay even though she can't work.
"...Shoot, why am ah this darn soft... Alright, she can stay."
Success! I put on my best smirk.
"Thanks, AJ. I'll let 'em know the good news."
"Yeah, ah'll get the room ready. Go on, Get!"
Heh. Never change, AJ.
"See ya later!"
A quick swig of water from my bottle later, and I'm off back to Fluttershy. Should take me four minutes at this pace. I tossed the bottle through my open window on the way past (which landed straight in my ice-box, like a boss!... I probably should have closed it earlier. It's closed now though!).
But... Something's been bugging me.
Don't get me wrong, Braig seems cool and all, but, something just seems... off. I mean, I'm no AJ but even I could tell she was lying. Or, at least not saying everything she could. But, the injuries were sure as hay real, and her excuses for not staying in one of the forests were believable. It's just the little things. Like, how she slightly bobs her head to the side when she's quiet, like she's responding to something, even though nopony said anything. And don't even get me started on the stunt with the shoulder! Nopony would be able to do that so easily!
...Though I guess she isn't a pony... Is that important? It definitely sounds important.
Oh screw it I'm probably just being paranoid again. Downside of unwavering loyalty, unknowns freak the Tartarus outta me.
Ah, there's the cottage. But it's only been, like, two and a half minutes at most. Guess I set off faster than I thought.
I wonder what's going on in there? Knowing Twi, she's probably mid experiment... Maybe I'll just poke my head in the window, see if the coast is clear.
I edged forwards a smidge and peeked around the windowfra-
"GOD DAMN BLEEDING HELL, WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Uhhh... G-... Good thing I decided to check. What's going on?! Was- was that Braig?!
"Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!"
"N-No, no, don't- don't apologize, but holy CRAP that felt terrible."
Good thing they left the window open. Lets me do something like this!
"Spell gone wrong? You're slipping, Twi!"
-View change: Braig-
Flashback: thirty seconds
"-...And you felt nothing from that, not even a pinch?"
"Like I told you, I can't feel pain. I understand that your spell was supposed to help see how my nervous system works, but apparently all pain signals get cut off somewhere along the line."
What I wouldn't be telling her is that a pain signal originating from inside my brain would... possibly hurt? I mean, I can get headaches, but is that really the same thing? Agh, who knows, I've never been able to test it.
"Interesting... Well, this is the last spell I'd like to test. It's intent is to locate your Wellspring."
"Wellspring?"
"Where your magic resides. All ponies have them regardless of tribe, even if an earth pony's Wellspring is further integrated into their bodies, same for a pegasus' wings."
"Right... Go ahead."
I heard the slight pulsating of her magic again, only this time I felt a warm embrace cover my entire being. It seemed content to stay there for now.
"This might feel slightly uncomfortable, but nopony has had an extremely bad experience from this spell before."
'...Well that was ominous.'
Almost immediately I felt the magic seep its way under my skin, suffusing my body with the same warmth from before.
But then something... Shifted.
All at once, my cells seemed to come alive, vibrating and pulsing with incredible amounts of energy. Feels kind of like an extreme adrenaline rush.
If only that could have lasted.
I started writhing as the pulsating grew more violent, the vibrations more erratic, my entire body felt like it was trying to split apart.
And it gets worse.
With the words tearing themselves from my throat, I said the first thing I could think.
"GOD DAMN BLEEDING HELL, WHAT WAS THAT?!"
The pulses and jitters gave way to a sickly slithering, It felt as though my cells had been transformed into restless eels on a sugar high, sending jolts through my body, with snakes carving tunnels in place of veins, everything feels wrong. It had to stop. It needs to stop, make it stop, MAKE IT ST-
In an instant the feeling vanished, replaced by the chill of the now cold by comparison cottage. From the feel of it I'd started hyperventilating, so I made that my first priority to sort.
After my breathing had calmed down, my ears decided to tune back into reality.
"-rry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!"
Well, I mean...
Actually, no, I got nothin' for this.
"N-" My voice caught. "No, no, don't apologize, but holy CRAP that felt terrible."
'And I never want to feel it again.'
'Same. Next time she casts a spell on us I'm gonna turn my attention inwards, see if I can figure anything out. Maybe I can find out how to use this body's newfound abilities. And help with her research.'
'You're... taking all of this extremely well.'
'Eheh... Well, this is sort of a dream come true. I mean, aren't you happy to be in Equestria?'
'I've yet to be convinced this isn't some kind of fever dream, and I'll just wake up in a day or two in hospital or something.'
'Would a fever dream have made us-'
Our internal conversation was thankfully cut short, by the unmistakable tomboy- (colt?) -ish voice of a certain chromatic speedster.
Seriously, Rainbow is queen of perfect timing.
"Spell gone wrong? You're slipping, Twi!"
"W-well, it didn't... Go wrong per say. I mean, that reaction was unlike anything I could have predicted, but the results were somewhat along the lines of what I expected. Only..."
Oh boy. "Only?"
I heard a hoof scuffing the ground. "Only I couldn't find a wellspring. Well- Okay, so I did find a wellspring, but it's unlike anything I've seen."
'Progress?'
'I guess?'
To hell with it. "How so, Twilight?"
"There isn't any wellspring in one concentrated area like a pony. It seems to be ingrained into your entire being." She took a deep breath. "Whereas a Unicorn would have a wellspring ingrained in their lungs, a Pegasus' in their hearts, and an Earth Pony's would be in their stomachs, yours is just... Everywhere."
Huh. Didn't know that's how that worked. Yay knowledge! "So, is that a problem? I'm not dying or anything, right?"
A strangled, slash startled noise found its way to my ears. I gotta remember, these ponies are squeamish to the Nth degree. Although it seems Dash didn't have that bad of a reaction.
"W-well..."
...Mhm. Because that tells me a whole-
"Not as far as I can tell. It should be fine considering you've lived this long with it."
Thankyou.
"Well, if-" I cut myself off with a yawn. Unconsciousness doesn't count as rest. "If that's everything, I'd like to go to sleep. Can't exactly do so here though, don't wanna get in Fluttershy's way."
"Sorry, I'd feel very uncomfortable if you stayed..."
"Nah, couldn't expect you to house me. Given what you said about where this cottage actually is, you're a bit of a recluse?" I mean, I knew the answer to that already, but they don't know that.
"M-mhm..."
"Well there ya go."
From what little spacial information I've managed to gather via the ever so slight movement I'd done away from the sofa, I headed in what I figured was the vague direction of the door.
Except there was one glaring issue.
"I uh... Could- could someone help me get to... Wherever it was I'm staying?"
A round of giggling assaulted my hearing. Thanks.
"Y- heheheh..." Words, Dash. Use them. "Yeah I'll take you there. Going by ground should take us about half an hour. We're headed to Sweet Apple Acres, so you can stay with Applejack."
"Cool. Thanks, by the way. I'm... still kind of surprised this is even happening."
"It's no problem, Braig. We hope you enjoy your time in Ponyville!"
"I'm sure I will!"
I started my walk to the door again, only this time a wing draped itself across my back, subtly nudging me in the right direction. I idly waved back at where I assume Fluttershy and Twilight were before crossing the threshold.
'Well this went smoother than expected, all things considered.'
'You mean other than the magical mishap just now?'
'You know what I mean ya git.'
I shook my head at her antics. Still, I'm honestly confused as to how I've managed to adjust to quadrupedal movement so quickly. It doesn't feel nearly as awkward as when I first arrived.
But, you know what? I don't care! I'm tired, I want proper sleep, existentialism can wait.
So apparently being a blind man-... sorry, Absol with the eyes of an entire town being upon you makes your skin crawl. Who knew.
As you could probably imagine, I'm now a being completely unknown by the general population of ponyville. So they stared. And stared. Throughout the whole process. Though there isn't any knowing precisely when I arrived so they might not have met Zecora yet.
'A thought occurs.'
'Oh?'
'...What the bloody hell is gonna happen to the timeline now that we exist in it? If it goes exactly how it did in the show, I can only play off knowing the future as an Absol thing for so long before they get suspicious.'
'...That is a very good point. I guess we can assume some story beats will play out the same, but we probably can't expect everything to happen how we remember it.
'Yeah, probably not.'
Not that it rightly matters a damn. This is my life now, and honestly? It doesn't really matter what happens, it'll probably be a darn sight better than my old one.
...At least as soon as the WHISPERS STOP! My god these ponies have no manners.
"What is that thing?"-
"Think it's dangerous?"-
"Maybe we should notify the Princesses?"-
"It is with Rainbow Dash..."-
"Maybe it's trying to deceive her?"-
"I don't trust it."-
All their words caused me to sigh. It's barely been ten minutes and already I have the distrust of the entire damn town. I decided to whisper to Rainbow.
"Haven't they all learnt the meaning of discretion? Seriously, I'd probably hear them even if I were deaf."
Rainbow chuckled lightly under her breath as my words reached her.
"Yeah, sorry about them. After the whole thing with Zecora, a Zebra who lives in the Everfree, me and the girls are a little more accepting of strange ponies, or, I guess, creatures, but the rest of the town is still a little... Nervous."
"Nah, I totally get it. Completely unfamiliar with little to no resemblance to any of them I'd bet."
"No kidding! You look like some kind of... Of... Wolf, fox, unicorn hybrid. Thing. Mm."
I started wracking my brain for what I believe I currently look like, and, honestly? Can't say I disagree. Absols are weird.
Raising my voice back to a normal level, purely for the ponies around me, I made some inquiries.
"So, where are we actually going? I heard mention of Applejack but I don't know a thing about Ponyville." LIES! I know plenty about Ponyville. Just, well, they don't- you know what? you get the idea by now.
"Oh! Right, right. So, Applejack helps run the farm Sweet Apple Acres. S.A.A for short though. That's where you'll be staying, assuming you don't get on her bad side, obviously."
"Ah. I take it she'll want me to help out?" Would be nice to keep in shape. Or, get into shape in the first place... The life of a cosplaying loner doesn't make for a healthy lifestyle.
"That's kinda up in the air right now. I told her you were blind, so she might go easy on-"
"Nope."
"Eh?"
I shook my head lightly, I should have realized they'd try something like this. Too nice for their own good, probably.
"I'm not gonna freeload. She better be expecting a diligent worker, blind or no."
The feeling of her wing on my back vanished, and the sounds of her hooves on the dirt road ceased. The seemingly ever-present whispers of the nearby townsfo- *cough* townsponies (never gonna get used to that) also stopped dead. Apparently they could hear us.
Good.
"If she has a problem with that, then tough on her cause I'll just find a way to make some cash and pay her back anyways."
Then entire town was quiet at this point. Eerily so, considering I still felt their eyes on me. Seriously, quit it, the lot of you!
Said silence was apparently fragile enough to be shattered by chuckling, soon followed by full out laughter. I felt Dash's presence at my side again soon after, apparently getting over the shock of it pretty quickly.
"W- we-hell, if that's the case then I guess you won't have any problems. I'm sure AJ could find something for you to do. Hay, she can find uses for me after all."
"Meaning?"
"Uh- I mean, agh... You know what? Nevermind."
"No, no, I wanna hear this." This is fun!
"Quit it! I said no."
"Come on, not even a hint?"
"NO!"
"Fair enough."
"I said N- wait, huh?" Pfft, alright then.
"I said fair enough."
"...Thanks."
"No problem."
Our journey continued in relative silence by that point. Wasn't quite an awkward silence, but it wasn't particularly comfortable either. This went on for... Oh, I dunno, I wanna say about twenty minutes, before the silence was again broken by the chromatic speedster. At least, I assume she's chromatic, kinda going off memory here.
"Say, can I ask you something?"
"Uh... Sure, go ahead." This could be interesting.
"So, I got invited to compete in the Best Young Flyers competition happening up in Cloudsdale, and... Well, I kinda wanted an outsiders opinion on if I should join or not."
This... Huh, this is not what I was expecting. I mean, she's the self proclaimed 'best flyer in Equestria', why wouldn't she just jump at the opportunity? Unless... Oh, I remember now. Despite the bluster she has self-esteem issues. I always forget about that. Alright, let's play this cool.
"Well. That depends, do you think you fly well? Worse than the rest, or better than the best?"
"Did- did you just rhyme that on purpose?"
"Not important."
She shut up after that, apparently pondering on an answer.
"...I like to think I'm the best but... Don't tell the others but to be honest I'm pretty sure there's some pegasus, or maybe even multiple pegasi out there that could out-fly me any day. Not taking into account the Wonderbolts of course, I mean, I'd be hard pressed to beat THE ultimate flying team."
"While that may be true, It's not like they're gonna be competing against you, right?"
"Well, no, they wouldn't, but- but they're going to be some of the judges for the whole thing. What if I mess up? Clip a wing on a random cloud during a trick, mess up the line, anything like that?"
"Dash, level with me here, does it matter whether or not you win?"
"N-no, not really I guess." She's shuffling her hooves next to me, apparently she's still torn. Time for the final nail.
"Well there you go then. Join the competition, have some fun, do your best, and let whatever happens, well, happen. Way~ less stress that way." I smirked in her general direction. "Who cares about being the best, when you can feel like the best."
"...You know what? Yeah! Screw it, who needs first place?" A miniature beat of silence. Fun little things. Seven incredibly random thoughts can run through someones head in that time, you know? "Still, there's a trick I've been working at on and off for a few years now but I can't seem to get it right, and I'd like to at least show that one trick off if I do go."
She's talking about the Sonic Rainboom I'd bet. She'll pull it off when it matters.
"Maybe you just haven't found the right state of mind, or the right motivation. You never know, one day out of the blue something'll just click and BAM! The trick's perfected."
"Heh, yeah. Maybe. Still, I- oh."
Oh? Oh what? Damnit I wish I could see.
"We're here. I completely missed it. That doesn't happen often."
"We're where?! Still can't see, Rainbow Dash."
"Oh! Sorry! We're at S.A.A."
"Wait, already? With it being a farm I expected it to be further out."
"Same here, we must have set a higher pace than we thought, huh?"
"No kidding."
"Stay here, I'll get AJ."
Another gust of near-gale-force winds heralded the departure of one Rainbow Dash, So I just sat down and listened to the area around me. The whispers and shuffling of the townsponies had apparently disappeared a while ago, now it was just the gentle swaying of leaves in the wind. I could smell the apples ripening with perfect clarity.
'I could get used to this.'
'Yeah... Way better than the sounds and smells of a city, eh?'
'No doubt. I stand by what I said earlier, this is gonna be a darn sight better than before.'
-View change: Rainbow Dash-
It really didn't take long to find AJ again, so now I'm leading (dragging) her over to the front of the farm. Which became far more difficult as soon as she got into eye-shot of Braig.
"Seriously, AJ? She's not- *oof* not gonna hurt you, so stop dragging- agh- your hooves already!"
"Yer kiddin', right?! Ah was expectin' a gal dern mare, not- not a... Whatever tha hay THAT thing is!"
"Hey! That's my new friend you're talking about there, AJ! Sure she's a bit... Different, but so was Zecora!"
AHA! That worked. She's moving on her own now. She doesn't have to be too excited about it though. Seriously, I bet the snails at Shy's place move faster than that.
"Move your rump AJ, ya slowpoke!"
Honestly, I just wanna get Braig settled in- Why's AJ glaring at me?... Again?...
"What did I do this time."
"Did y'all jes call me a 'slowpoke'?"
...Why me...
"Ah'll show you slowpoke!"
"Later! Get your dang revenge later. Look, Braig over there is exhausted, still partially injured, and, more than likely, hungry. So worry about my insults AFTER she's settled in?"
"...Alright. But Jes because Ah technic'ly agreed ta this already. Hell, purdy sure granny smith ain't gonna care none. Prolly won't even be able ta tell, heh."
Jeez. Element of Honesty, sure, but more stubborn than a mule. Which to be fair, is a LOT when coming from me.
Still, I hope Braig makes a good first impression.
Wait wait wait, why do I care so much about this? We literally JUST met... I wouldn't be surprised if it was to do with my element at this rate.
And why am I even worrying? It's Braig, she'll be fine.
-View change: Braig-
My musings were again interrupted by the telltale sound of hooves upon the earth. I suppose I'm gonna be hearing that far more often than regular shoes, all things considered. Although in a world like this, I guess they'd be irregular shoes. This is gonna do my head in.
'Calm down, you're overthinking again.'
'Right, right. Okay, so this is either Rainbow or AJ.'
'Heavier hooves, probably AJ, or possibly even Big Mac if he spotted us first.''
Without turning my head, I lightly waved a paw in the general direction of the approaching pony. Hopefully my appearance doesn't put them off too bad.
"Uh... Howdy. Y'all the mare ah was expectin'?" Female, relatively middle aged sounding, country, yeah this is AJ.
"That'd be me. Has Rainbow Dash explained what's going on?"
"Yeah, yeah she has. Still, ah won't let you in so easily, gotta know ah kin trust y'all around mah family."
"Yeah that's totally fair. I'd probably do something similar if I still had mine around."
"Uh- oh. Sorry, did somethin' happen to 'em?" A bit extreme of an assumption, but understandable given how I said it I guess.
"No! No, nothing like that. Just separated, they're fine."
"Ah, good..."
The quiet that settled over us then? Definitely awkward. no ifs, ands or buts about it. Still though. Could be worse. I mean, she isn't trying to buck me through a wall, so, small victories.
"So, you're Applejack then?"
"Yup, that's me. Ah had this whole plan fer if we ever had a pony need a place ta stay in Ponyville, but uh... Y'all bein' blind an all kinda threw that ta the wolves."
"Ah, let me guess, work in exchange for shelter?"
"W-well, yeah, that's about right." I can work with this. I mean, I'd already started training myself before this whole thing.
Something I'd noticed a little while ago, the transformation into an Absol had actually fast-tracked that a bit. Before, I could, well, feel a five foot area around me, but now? It seems to have jumped up to eleven, maybe twelve feet, which is rather significant. That combined with the seemingly enhanced hearing and sense of smell, I'm starting to suspect my 'blindness' isn't going to hinder me all that much.
"If that's all you were gonna request of me for a room, I'd be happy to work, blind or not."
"N-nah ah couldn't-"
"Ahp! Don't. Don't go there, it's no problem. Honestly, I'd appreciate the work, would get me used to actually being blind. This wasn't a 'from birth' kind of thing."
"Well, If that's how ya feel, who am ah ta refuse? We'll see if there ain't nothin' fer ya ta do around all ah this."
"Thank you Applejack."
"Well, shall we get y'all settled in?"
"Yeah, please."
"...Huh, Dash never gave me yer name now that ah think on it."
"She didn't? Nevermind, it's Braig."
"Well... Good to meet ya Braig. Ya don't seem a bad sort. Yer've been tellin' the truth far as ah can tell, too, so yer welcome ta stay."
"Thanks. This means a lot to me, Applejack, I hope you realise that."
"No worries. Here, les get ya inside."
I followed her heavy-set presence as she headed back to her home, idly waving to Rainbow Dash as she went to leave and let somepony know. Probably Twilight, who is absolutely gonna end up writing to Celesti-.... Ah.
'Finally realized, eh? Yeah, that could be a problem in the future, unless Absols already exist in Equestria.'
'That'd be one HELL of a coincidence if they do, so I doubt it.'
My ears tuned back into reality to hear Applejack again, talking to... A miniature, squeaky Applejack? Wait, no, what am I thinking that's probably Apple Bloom. Big Mac and Granny Smith are over on the left, I can hear one of their hooves on the wood. Probably Big Macs, heavier than AJ's at least. from what I can hear, Apple Bloom is bombarding her sister with questions, mostly about me, most of which again based on Cutie Marks of all things. I'd probably judge Bloom for that but she's still a filly, I can let it slide. I quietly (somehow, I mean I have claws) came up on Applejacks left and whispered to her.
"Just give me the directions, I can find my way. This seems like it's gonna take a while."
"Right. Stairs er straight on, All the way up, third on yer right."
"Got it, thanks. Oh, and uh... Good luck with them, eh?"
"Go on, Get. Ah'll head up after ah deal with her."
My fast-tracked training (I guess) made finding the room a far sight easier than I expected. Once I was in, it became rather easy to tell that, while basic, my new room was set up for comfort and convenience. Everything was in reach of the bed for the most part, which included a dresser, a smaller table at the foot of the bed, a closet (for some reason. Clothes are a rarity in Equestria as far as I'm aware, but I'm sure I can use it for something.), not much else was exactly necessary either.
Laying down in the bed, I started to marvel at how I could lay down as if I were human still. Something about Equestrian biology made movement far more fluid than the animals back on Earth. You wouldn't see a wolf, fox, or a hybrid of both casually laying on it's back with a leg over it's face and the other flush to it's side, but that's exactly what I'm doing. My new... I guess, mane, acted as a stop-gap preventing me from slamming my horn down onto the bed, while also doubling as a pillow. I could even hear Skyla babbling in the background, but the words weren't registering. I was far too tired to even try, although I didn't miss Applejack poking her head around the door to check up on me (stupid sensitive ears). Apparently my posture looked exhausted enough for her to not say whatever she entered for.
As I lay there, trapped in my thoughts, I swiftly fell asleep.
