A Tale to Tell

My name is Kotushk. And this is my story. It won't be incredible. I'm not a savior. I am more of a failure really. Life is hard... But it could be worse...

After taking stock of my surroundings, I began to do the only sensible thing. I began to head towards the forest. I was hoping there would be a road within it, a road leading to a town, a town giving me a sense of where I was.

I arrived in the forest about a half an hour later. The terrain had been partially hidden behind a hill, where it dropped off into a rocky wasteland before the forest began. My hooves collected rocks in the cracks, causing me to stop occasionally and fight with them to remove them. Not an easy task when you don't have fingers, I might add.

After making my way into the forest, I immediately began to regret the decision. There were two reasons I stayed home so often. One was my disdain for my own species, and the other was my complete and utter lack of direction. I was lost. Completely, and utterly, lost. I wasn't too bothered, however. All around me were creatures and sounds that kept me occupied. Songbirds flitted overhead, stopping occasionally to regale me with their tunes, while the trees blocked out a majority of sunlight. Did I ever mention that I wasn't a big fan of sunlight? Don't get me wrong, I understand the impact on my life it held, but that didn't make me like it.

After about an hour of mindless strolling, I began to attempt using some of the basic geography skills I had learned to try to leave the forest. I met limited success, until I decided to try something different. Looking up into the canopy, I asked the birds to lead me out. Imagine my surprise when a large blue jay landed on my shoulder. He chirped when I was going the right way, and nipped my ear when I wasn't. Needless to say, by the time I left the forest, my ear was numb.

The wildlife was definitely more intelligent here. I had only asked to be shown out, but they had done more than that. That blue jay had led me to a road, and I could even see a small town in the distance. Even at this distance, I could tell it wasn't Ponyville, as there was no giant tree in town. Also, by scanning the horizon, I ascertained that the mountain housing Canterlot wasn't nearby.

I began my trek along the road towards the town. The trip was arduous, and I soon felt the effects of dehydration. With no visible source of water nearby, I pushed my body to its limits, attempting in vain to hold out until I reached town. It was all for naught. Soon, dizziness overtook my senses, and my vision wavered and eventually narrowed to a small tunnel. I gasped for air, feeling as if I was in a burning building, with smoke and smog infiltrating my lungs. Giving one last pained groan, I collapsed in the middle of the road, unable to continue any farther. I could feel peace stealing into my mind. My breathing slowed, and I felt my body relaxing. My vision dimmed, flickered, and finally died.

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I awoke to the sound of simmering liquid, and gentle humming. I took a few moments to gather my wits before attempting to open my eyes. The room I woke up in was dimmed, with a small fireplace in the corner, which had a pot. The source of the simmering noise came from within it. Looking around carefully to avoid any negative feedback from my body, I soon located the source of the humming. A light green mare with a soft yellow mane was sitting on a futon, knitting something with magic. She was focused on her work, but not enough to ignore my alert state.

"Oh dear, you're finally awake, are you? You gave my husband quite a fright when he returned from chopping wood. Do you remember your name?"

Her cyan eyes were filled with kindness as she smiled at me. I shook my head at her, wincing as the motion brought a small headache to bear. I figured my human name would be quite strange here in Equestria, and decided to take an amnesiac approach to my new life. This way I could glean information of my new home without seeming too suspicious.

"That's too bad dear. Do you remember your life, or where you live?"

Once more I shook my head. I could feel my conscious gliding to the surface, and quickly squashed it back into submission.  I didn't want to lie, truly, but I also didn't want to become an instant outcast. I tried to look as dejected as possible, to allow my act to succeed. It had an instant effect, causing the mare to rise up and try to comfort me. She patted my head and crooned to me, lulling me into semi sleep.

A few minutes passed this way, and soon the pot in the fireplace began to whistle, signalling that whatever was inside was ready. She levitated it out of the hearth, and poured some of it into a bowl. The fragrance wafting into my nostrils from the bowl set my stomach growling, and I blushed slightly. Laughing slightly, she helped me upright and fed me the contents slowly. It was just a simple broth, but it was richly flavored and smooth, and despite my sore and parched throat, it caused me no discomfort.

After finishing a couple bowls of the soup, she set me back down to rest while she fetched her husband. Lying there, I realized that I had just received more mothering from a stranger in another world than I ever received from my own birth mother. My mother's main vice was smoking, and she devoted much of her money to keeping cigarettes supplied. This often came at the expense of food, and all too often I went hungry for two out of three daily meals. This was yet another reason I spent most of my time in school, to get food during breakfast and lunch.

Soon the kindly mare returned with her husband, a light brown stallion with a shock of snow white mane. His mane reminded me of Albert Einstein, and I suppressed a giggle, masking it with a cough. His voice was mellifluous, calming, and soothing. He asked me if I was in pain anywhere, to which I replied that aside from dehydration, I seemed fine. His profession was being the town doctor, and he gave me a cursory physical, declaring me fit for normal life in about three days. Both of them assured me that I was welcome to stay with them until I was ready to leave, touching my hardened heart with their kindness.

This world was truly magnificent. If I died here, I would likely do so happy.

I was drifting to sleep when a thought drifted into my mind. I had to return to my machine, and erase its existence. I couldn't chance its discovery.