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... All you need...

I awoke the next day to a rambunctious amount of noise. It almost seemed like I was back in the human world. After attempting vainly to sleep for a few moments, I rose from my soft bedding and walked over to the window.

The outside of the small home I was residing in was teeming with ponies of all sorts of colors and types. The riot of bright colors hurt my eyes, causing me to shy away from the window. I could hear voices rising outside, including the voices of my caregivers.

"Who did you find this time?"

"Why won't you tell us his name or his home?"

"What does he want from us?"

"When is he leaving?!"

I winced slightly at the questions, waiting for the storm to pass.

"We found him outside of the forest, severely dehydrated and unconscious. Would you have us leave him there?"

The doctor who found me had a voice that commanded instant silence with the crowd. I chanced another look outside, and saw the crowd had settled down and were staring at him silently. Clearing his throat slightly, the brown stallion continued.

"We live in Equestria. A land of friendship, and kindness. And yes, our village has suffered from outsiders. But none of them were ponyfolk. His mind is in turmoil, likely due to amnesia, but he is not dangerous. I could tell as much from my scan while he was unconscious. If none of you can trust my judgement, then speak now."

There was some whispering, but none spoke up, so I guess they were fine with me being here. The next voice I heard was from the motherly mare, whose soft voice cut through the whispering instantly.

"I had the pleasure of speaking with him last night, when he woke up. He exhibited signs of shyness, and kindness, along with having a very polite attitude. I am unsure how much the amnesia is affecting him, as I know he is hiding something. However, as my husband said, his mind is in turmoil. But I trust he isn't bad, but he more than likely is misunderstood."

Oh, so I was currently in the home of a doctor, AND a therapist... Perfect... My least favorite kinds of people on Earth, are the ones I meet first in Equestria...

The whispering heated up again, and a couple questions rang out from the crowd.

"If his mind is not right, how can you trust him?"

"What if he is insane, out to hurt us?"

"As I stated before, he is kind, and gentle. His mind may not be completely healed, but I know how his personality is already. He is not dangerous. He is extreme however. His emotions are in ranges I have not seen often, and usually those ranges are limited to that emotion in that pony. His mind is shattered, with parts of his past sealed tightly, even to himself. He has had a hard life. But he hasn't yet given in to despair."

Well, she was wrong on the last one... I did make a machine that had a good probability of killing me...

"He did recently try a suicidal experiment, so I'm guessing he has a penchant for science."

OK, now she's scaring me. GET OUTTA MY HEAD!!!

The crowd resumed murmuring for awhile before dispersing. Almost immediately after, the door opened and my hosts walked in. They seemed surprised to see me awake, but concern was also present.

"So, how much did you hear," the doctor asked.

"Enough to gather that this town is either on rough times, or has been recently, and that I have been evaluated more than physically since I arrived. By the way, I've been meaning to ask your names."

"Excuse our poor manners, both for intruding without permission, and for not introducing ourselves properly. My name is Soothe Belle, and my husband is Solar Splint. I do apologize for intruding on your mind, but as you gathered, our town has had some rough times recently."

"No, I understand. You are right about my emotions however. But I must confess, I did lie to you both. I've been hiding one very large piece of information, mostly out of fear."

As they raised their eyebrows in confusion, I began to relate my story to them, starting with my small invention. At first they seemed to be merely listening out of politeness, but soon they wore looks of sheer disbelief. When I was finished, they both looked at each other meaningfully before speaking.

"So, you say your name is Kotushk, and that you were born a... uh... human?"

"Yes, Mr. Splint."

"Do you remember where your machine is?"

"Offhand, not exactly. But if I could perhaps find the bluejay that led me out of that forest, he could lead me back."

"Very well, I shall lead you to the forest."

Rising from his sitting position, Solar Splint headed out of the door after giving his wife a kiss, also whispering in her ear. She nodded, and stepped back as I followed him outside. The village they lived in was smaller than Ponyville, with only a few small houses surrounding a fountain in the center. Leading me through the crowds, I noticed that Splint kept his eyes resolutely forward, barely speaking to me. I felt shame creeping into my mood, and noticed that other ponies were giving me a wide berth and mistrustful looks. Great. An outcast already.

After a couple hours of silent walking, we finally arrived at the forest I had stumbled out of. Looking around, I couldn't find the bluejay, so I called out to it, feeling slightly foolish. My foolishness faded as the exact bird flitted from a tree, landing on my shoulders again. Solar Splint reacted with mild surprise, seeming to be skeptical about my claims. I asked the bird if it could show me back to where I first entered the forest, and it began to direct me once more.

After stumbling through the underbrush for about an hour, I finally reached my destination with a sore ear. Looking out of the forest and over the clear field, I could see my machine in the distance, glimmering slightly in the afternoon sun. Looking back to Solar, I noticed his face was registering shock. I suppose disbelief was easy to bear for me, I wasn't trusted in the human world too often either.

Leading the way over to my invention, I began to explain it as well as I could. His attention was divided between listening to me, and studying the machine itself.

As I was explaining the machine to him, I walked inside of it to show the interior. While inside, I was about to push the button that would erase the coding, and initiate the self destruct countdown. Before my hoof even connected with the button, the machine started up by itself, and the door sealed shut. Shortly after, the voice I installed announced that the emergency procedure to return home was in progress...

I don't even remember putting that feature in. Oh crap...