Shadows of the Night

(Authors Note: I would like to thank Moon_Fire for the work as prereader, I truly appreciate the help.)

While walking the halls of the Ponyville hospital I noticed a few things. The first, since it was swaying in front of me (get you mind out of the gutter) was the fine doctor’s cutie mark, two scalpels in an X shape under a pony skull. Okay, clearly not Nurse Redheart. Trying not to make a big deal out of it, I asked her what it was for, as well as her name.

Turns out she, Dove Scalpel, was the local pathologist who specialized in autopsies. This was why I was found at all last night, as she was on her way to work the night shift when I fell in front of her. Since, during the day, her work would normally be looked upon as icky, as she put it, it was just easy enough to work the nights anyway.

My next questions were over why the hospital was so empty, not that that was necessarily a bad thing, and why she was so calm about my appearance.

“The hospital normally doesn’t see much activity in this small town, which is why we are technically labeled a clinic, despite all the equipment we have. We really don’t see any action until Pinkie Pie, that’s the resident, self-proclaimed, party pony of our town, throws one of her epic bashes. And for those we mostly just to do stomach pumps for any of the party goers who decided to drink and or eat too much. And as for why I’m not running around like many of the other *erherm* more excitable ponies in this town, while having slightly to do with my more macabre job duties, it’s mostly due to the fact that you look more ridiculous than dangerous. You have sparse patches of fur on your head, face, and genital, which make the hairless parts only stand out even more, and the fact that you have no sheathe over them so they just flop around is rather ridiculous, quite frankly you’re more of a joke than anything else. No offense. Though I will admit fully clothed, in that ensemble, does look a little intimidating. The way you expel that substance from your pores looks like a dark fog is trailing behind you.” She finished with a side-long glance

“Ummm, thanks.” I said, not sure how to fully interpret the fact that I looked comical and dangerous at the same time. What was I some sort of smoky jester to her?  Though I suppose I should consider myself lucky she did take me inside lest the town find me and freak out, I was really not in the mood to be tackled by an overzealous Rainbow Dash. Did I mention I don’t really like her or her showboat ways?

Once we got to the foyer, which was pretty standard, bunch of chairs, some coffee tables with magazines, you know a doctor’s office. She went behind the front desk and got the paperwork ready. Turns out there really wasn’t much to do, since Scalpel had been too afraid that anything she might have done might hurt me, coupled with the fact that I had pretty much repaired myself in front of her as she floated my body to the hospital so she had just let me rest in a bed till morning. As it turned out I had to mark a checklist that said I had spent the night there, and sign my name. With that done, she said farewell then went back down the hall, presumably to clock out with her shift being over.

Looking outside, from the shadows of the doorway, it was a pretty sunny day, looked close to noon with all the shadows nearly completely under everything. I didn’t want anyone to start a panic, and if fan fictions and the television series had taught me anything, it was that introduction to the town via the Elements of Harmony was the easiest way to do things in the town. Though I wasn’t quite sure how something like that could be set up, let alone if I really even cared to do so with such a judgmental town. Hey, it’s nice and all, but there were lots of places to see in Equestria, and I hadn’t even seen my favorite pony yet, which so happens to live in the city of Canterlot.

But before then I had to get someplace safe from public view so I could make sufficient plans. The hospital of course wouldn’t do, some foal would probably come in for a scratched knee and then set the town upon me. It seemed I could trust Scalpel to keep me a secret, doctor-patient confidentiality and all that.

I noted a copse of trees near the Everfree Forest, it was too far to shadow walk, being near the edge of town, but shadow porting could cover the distance, but there wasn’t enough darkness in this noonday sun to pull it off, I’d have to find me a dark place to call upon the shadows. I looked around the lobby, nothing really stood out till I had almost completed my circle when two words written upon a far door caught my eye, Janitor’s Closet, perfect.

Stepping over to it found it unlocked, though upon closer inspection proved there to be no lock at all, meh, peaceful town. But it would do perfectly as I closed the door and let the darkness flow around me, this time keeping my mind’s eye firmly on the copse of trees I saw.

The shift was nigh instantaneous, and had I not had my eyes tightly closed while I concentrated would have been blinded by the sudden change in light. Glad to see I seemed to have a handle on the shadow porting business, since I clearly wasn’t so inept as to have a limb fused with a tree or stone nearby, I sat down on the grass. It was rather comfortable, and despite being covered in the shade was nice and warm from the surrounding area as I attempted to think of a plan.

I sat there for what I assume was thirty minutes, I’m not very good with time I need a watch to do that, I’ll have to look into it, I feel practically naked without a wristwatch, anyway, but I just couldn’t think of anything. I was in a peaceful land of ponies, sent here by a benevolent goddess as a reward for a good deed, a world of warmth and good feelings, and to top it all off I had super powers. Practically all my desires had come true in one fell swoop.

I tried to figure out this weird feeling, a sort of lethargy, but not. I think I was feeling content, but that didn’t seem right, it felt more like my motivation was absent. But what had happened to it was the real question, but then it hit me. My frustration was gone. Looking back at my life I can’t seem to recall a time when there wasn’t some frustration of some kind or another driving me, keeping me angry at some minute thing in life that always sparked me to just keep on going, if only to get away from the feelings of light anger and hatred that they were.

Now that I was actually IN Equestria, away from all my anger, my rage, the little idiosyncrasies of life that everyone else just accepted as part of living and the human condition were just gone, and I just couldn’t seem to even care that I was just slipping away into this grey fog that seemed to be flowing into my mind. So I just laid there and watched the sun move across the leaves under the branches of my tree. Until, that was, I heard a small heart-wrenching sound. The crying of a child.

            Funny thing about my transformation seemed to have upgraded my senses, because when I looked around, in my general vicinity there was no one around, the sounds were coming from a hill just across from mine.

I couldn’t quite make out who the filly was, but the tell-tell sign of a scooter placed haphazardly further down by the road was all I needed to know, it was the orange pegasus pony Scootaloo. But that couldn’t be right, if she was crying, then her two constant companions Sweetie Belle and Applebloom should have been there to help console her of whatever had occurred. Something was off, but I couldn’t just walk on up to her and have her off worse than her already charged emotional state. Some giant two legged monster that stood easily above even full grown ponies.

That’s when a funny idea popped into my head as I popped into the shadowy boughs of the tree above her. The rustling of the leaves at my approach was enough to make her raise her head from amongst her front hooves. It was time to work some magic.

What can I say, all my negative feelings make it easy for me to empathize with others, and I’d hate to think someone was feeling like I normally do, let alone a child.

I began to rustle the tree some more, making sure to grab her attention. This time she knew where the noise came from above her, looking into the tree she called in a voice, wavering with sorrow, “Wh-Who’s there?” She then gave a little sniffle. God, I almost fell out of the tree right there, that look could crumble the stony heart of a mountain.

“What’s wrong?”

“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were making fun of me for having a blank flank again.” *sniffle* “But what are you up in a tree for mister?”

Crud, I hadn’t thought of a cover story. “Ummm, well, I was just taking a nap.”

“A nap in a tree, that’s a pretty weird place to sleep in.” She said raising a single eyebrow. Where did that come from? It was black, but her fur is orange, gyaah, idiosyncrasies later, make kid feel better first.

“It’s comfortable enough, though I won’t discredit the weird comment. Now, the real question is why aren’t any of your friends trying to make you feel better themselves? Children normally had that sort of things last time I checked.”

“Well, both Sweetie Bell and Applebloom’s sisters are going off to chase this big jerk, Griffin, that made Pinkie Pie cry and made fun of Rainbow Dash, the most awesome coolest fastest flyer in all of Equestria. So Sweetie’s with her parents, who are out of town and Applebloom is busy working on the farm while Applejack is gone, so I just couldn’t bother her.”

A griffin that made Pinkie Pie cry huh, that ain’t gonna fly. But she did say it made fun of Rainbow Dash, so this griffin can’t be all bad. But that doesn’t sound like Gilda. I wonder if I’ve ended up in the third season. At least I hope I have, it’d be kinda boring if I hadn’t considering I’ve seen everything up to the wedding episodes.

“Well I’m sorry to hear that, but how about this to make you feel better.”

I began to pull the shadows to my will and sent them down from the tree and began to form them into a clown pony. It looked pretty good, you’d be amazed at what you can do with so many shades of black and grey, though it did look pretty spectral since it was in direct sunlight. I then sent the puppet clown through a series of slapstick, shadow spritzer down the pants, and pies to the face, you know the classics. All of these antics served only to brighten the little pegasus’s mood as I ended it with the clown eating a shadow banana then walking over it to slide out of sight. Apparently this was comedy gold as Scootaloo was clutching her sides in a clear attempt to keep them from splitting. It wasn’t working.

After she finally calmed down, a process of waiting for about five minutes, of which her laughter began to infect me only increasing the time, I said, “Are you feeling better now?”

“*snicker* Yeah mister, I’m feeling a lot better, thanks” she smiled. My heart gave a lurch. This troubled me, since it doesn’t normally do that sort of thing. I hope it wasn’t a palpitation. Does this world even have AED’s?

“Glad to hear it, now, why don’t you run along and see if you can’t find something to do now that you are.”

“Sure thing” she said starting to grab her scooter, “hey, what is your name anyway mister?”

“It’s Rumor, and you have a good day.”

“Yeah, you too, even if you are a weird tree-sleeping pony” she said over the noise of her wings revving up and then blasting down the hill.

That was… nice, I thought as she disappeared into Ponyville. Though I couldn’t help but think how weird it was that that name had just slipped out my mouth like that. I was fully prepared to use my legal name, though in hindsight since I’m not on Earth I guess it’s not technically legal in all senses of the word, but, on the other hand, I’d always wanted a cool nickname.

Might as well go for it, I thought. Besides, I really would need some sleep, as much as I disliked it, I’d need to get some food soon, or else. And though I didn’t really like it, it  would really only be feasible for me to get some at night, which would have to mean stealing some. I’d need to figure out a way to make up for it, but necessity of life first over my conscience. Cause I really don’t want to deal with pitchforks and torches without the Elements to calm the townsfolk down and talking them into me not being a creature of death.

Man, this tree really is comfortable. Guess I’ll just chill here till night….*yawn*

(Author's Note Mk. 2:  If you don't get the Griffin reference  *waggles index finger* <-- that was for you

"Griffin the Griffin")