An Equestrian Rogue

Thorne sat back in his cell, idly perusing the newspaper that had been slipped inside. It had been a few hours. It was likely getting close to midnight. Yet life still carried on outside of the bars. He had been released from his shackles while he was in his mental fortress. He had stayed there until he was sure he had a plan that was workable. The problem was, as with all plans, all-too-often did life decide to throw wrenches into them. But that is what he lived for. That’s what the pendant around his neck was meant to represent. He thrived in the chaos.

He focused on the newspaper instead of letting his mind wander yet again. ‘Apparently I can read the text of this world. I wonder if I can even write in it…’

“Friendship is magic and should be taught to all… Princess Twilight's School of Friendship noted as a huge success...” he read aloud to no one in particular. “Wonder if they’d let me enroll. I could use some friends.”

That got a snicker from Summer. Thorne merely peered up from the newspaper and smirked. “You’re far more easy-going than your stick-up-the-rear sister. How are you holding up, Summer Flowers?”

“I’m right here you know,” Spring Showers responded. “And we shouldn’t be acknowledging him! Protocol, Summer! He’s a prisoner at the moment! For all we know, some hostile entity!”

“Yes, because villains can really belt out songs about the navy,” Summer remarked with a sassy tone.

Thorne raised an eyebrow. “Mmm, you’d be surprised.”

“See! He basically just admitted to being a villain!”

The human behind the bars scoffed. “Because that would be the intelligent thing to do,” his tone now full of sass. It elicited a giggle from the easy-going stallion. “Am I going to get an answer to my question, however?”

Spring looked to Summer and shook her head violently to tell him ‘no’. Summer, instead, sighed. “I’m happy to be back ashore. Maybe I’ll get to go see my special stallion and surprise him!”

“Oh ho,” Thorne remarked with intrigue dripping from the vowels. ‘Ha, had him pegged!’ “So open and out there… I applaud it. I hope you do get some quality time with your partner.” He made sure to phrase ‘quality time’ with enough emphasis to make the stallion blush.

Spring, however, turned slightly. “You almost sounded like such things are scandalous.”

“Aren’t they? Or is sex and whom you choose to bed less guarded in this world? Where I hail from, it’s not entirely accepted that same-sex love even exists. Depends on the region of the world you hail from. Some are persecuted for it.” Thorne said flatly. “And then there is the issue of humanity being prudish. It’s certainly not something you can just talk about over brunch. Well, again, it depends on the region and culture.”

Summer had his ears fall as he heard the word ‘persecuted’. Spring simply huffed. “Humans are weird. There are certainly some around here that are prudes, but it’s generally accepted that love is love. What ponies do in their privacy is on them. It’s natural and a part of life.”

Thorne smiled. “Of course. Good to know.” He went quiet a moment before a truly devious grin went across his face. “So good to know, in fact, Miss Spring Showers, would you care to go to dinner with me after this debacle is done with? I’ve no idea how I’ll pay for it, but as a gentleman, I would be honored.”

‘Three, two, one…’

There came a lot of stuttering and tripping over words as an outraged mare just looked back between the bars, her brother, and the wall she stood in front of. Thorne could see the blush creeping all over her muzzle. “Out of the question!” She responded finally after what felt like an eternity. It was all Thorne could do to keep himself from busting out in laughter. He kept that smirk on his face. Spring’s brother, however, looked like he was about to wet himself with how funny he had found his sister’s embarrassed stammering.

“Suit yourself,” Thorne replied as he got up and folded the newspaper to set it aside. “I believe I’ll catch some sleep.”

Spring snorted. “That would be best.”

Thorne climbed into the provided bed. It was small and stiff but he had slept on far worse. He’d drift off for a nap and see what this magical scan had in store.

Dawn cracked in through the singular window that gave a glimpse to the outside world. The sunlight held Thorne in contempt as it beamed directly over his eyes, piercing his eyelids like lances. He shifted in annoyance to try and block it out, yet when he rolled over, all he felt was the heat of the morning sun digging into the back of his skull. With a huff he arose and rubbed his face.

“And I’m telling you, the press demands to know!”

He heard an unrecognized male voice well beyond his vision and his cell that seemed intent on arguing with the two guards. Sometime during the night, Spring and Summer had been swapped out with the gold armored variety.

“The press can demand all it wants, but this is a matter of security. After the medical examination and given the all clear, you can write a book about him for all I care,” another unseen male voice responded.

“When is that scan due, by the way?” Thorne shouted. “Not to interrupt a passionate discussion over book rights, but I’d like to get on with this. And I’ll have to ask for no flash photography at the moment. I look positively dreadful.” There was a hint of snark in his tone.

The two guards at his cell door looked at each other, nodded in some understood way, and turned around to face the man. One opened the cell while the other went inside, branding those familiar shackles in his unicorn magic. Thorne rolled his eyes and brought his wrists together. “Suppose we’ll do it now then, excellent.” He remarked as they went clamping on his extremities.

“We were allowing you to sleep,” the unicorn guardsman grunted. “But since you seem awake for it and the doctor is in, then we can get this over and done with.” His voice sounded irritated.

Thorne probably sounded just as irritated and he didn’t blame the stallion. The two looked to one another once again and began to lead the human out of the cell. Once outside, Thorne went looking for the voice of the ‘press’.

Standing near the front entrance, just outside the hallway that led down into the isolation tank he resided in, a stunningly dressed stallion stood, pen and paper floating in a magical aura. He was taking notes at a pace that caused the notepad to start smoking. Thorne didn’t pay him much mind in the looks department, but he did admire the suit he wore. A simple but elegant brown jacket thrown over a plain white dress shirt. He had his badge pinned to his lapel and another badge in his hat.

‘I’ll need to find out where he got that suit. Looks rather well made.’

Turning his attention away, Thorne followed after his escorts as they went into a designated medical room. It was cleaner, brighter, and more sanitary than the aid room upon The Deep Blue. It looked more professional, which gave Thorne a sense of security. It was a feeling that quickly vanished as he stepped inside. He had a knot of worry in his stomach--one that had been there since he set off on this journey. And it grew as more pressure was weighted upon him.

“Good morning, mister Thorne,” a brash-but-womanly voice called out. “I just got done speaking with Doctor Cheer Heart. After she got a hold of you, she informed me of some initial work she had done for you as far as healing and seeing to your well being. I am Doctor Ray.”

Without thinking, Thorne responded with a cynical, “Please tell me your first name isn’t ‘X’.”

The doctor blinked and shook her head. “No. It’s actually ‘Red’.”

It was Thorne’s turn to blink. Though it became clear as a red magical aura emitted from the horn of the mare. “Ah,” the human said as he walked farther into the room and sat down on the provided medical bed.

‘Do they even know what an X-ray is?... Does radiation exist in this world? Or is it a different type…?’

Thorne quickly pushed those thoughts aside as the mare started speaking again. “So, I will be performing a scan over your body to get an understanding of your biology. I’ll be checking for any abnormalities that could be dangerous to you or others. And once we’re done, I’ll be sending this report to the Princesses. Understood?”

“Mhm. Makes sense. A strange creature is now intruding upon their lands, it would be best to be informed of it--and any medical condition it might spread. I assure you, however, I am clean. But do go ahead.”

‘Moment of truth.’

“Very well. Please disrobe, lie back, and be still. This should only take a few minutes.”

Thorne complied, standing and letting the toga fall off him with a simple tug of a knot. He sat back down and lied back, shifting to get comfortable on the cold examination table. He inhaled deeply and put his arms to his side. He gave one last glance to the doorway. The door had been shut but he knew those two guards were standing right outside. He went back to stare at the ceiling for a lingering moment. Again the feeling came. He wouldn’t allow it to become physical fear. His eyes closed as he felt a magical red aura beginning to wash over him.

He could hear the doctor straining her breathing slightly as she started with the top of his head and began to move her horn over his body. He didn’t have his eyes open, but he would see the bright red orb that went over his face as she slowly moved down. He did his best to not have any thoughts go through his head out of fear of her being able to read his mind.

Instead, he lied perfectly still and focused entirely on listening to his own breathing. He found it increasingly difficult, however, as she neared his chest. His heart rate began to increase of its own accord and sent him focusing on it instead of his breath. He was fighting a war against it and his mind--a war on two fronts that was maddening. He began to hear a ringing in his ears. Without realizing it, he had tensed up.

He didn’t know how long he had been there. All he knew was that the infernal ringing in his ears was getting louder, spurred on by the ever increasing beating of his heart. He fought every instinct that tried to preserve his well-being. He knew he was done for, but he wasn’t going to let those thoughts rise to the surface. He merely had to accept it. More and more the knots in his stomach twisted into tight bundles.

“Thorne?”

He snapped his eyes open. Everything began to recede. “Hmm? Huh?” He asked swiftly, eyes darting about the ceiling.

“We’re done. And nothing on the illness front. Though you were looking a little green there as that happened, but I assume that’s the constipation.”

“Constipation?”

“Mhm. I’ve got a little something for that here. But first, a question. Do you know there are foreign objects in your body?”

His heart leapt into his throat. “Foreign objects?” He took a deep breath, giving him a moment to think. “You mean the metal in my body, right?”

“Yes. It’s not a metal we have here I don’t believe… But you’ve got several pieces of it that seem attached at various places throughout your body. What do they do?”

“They hold me together, doc,” Thorne replied, “I’ve suffered several fractures and broken bones.” He reached up and tapped the top-right of his skull. “Even had a fracture up here that needed a small plate.”

He then extended his left hand. “And of course, I’ve got a metal stump to serve as a connector into my arm here. I’m sure you noticed a few wires where this thing connects.”

The doctor levitated a pen and began making notes in the file. “I see… And I take it those wires help you control your grip and act as a sort of sensitivity detection?”

“Very astute. It’s not as fragile as living tissue on my other hand, but it allows me to at least feel weight and pressure on my fingertips. It’s a dull sensation, but it’s better than nothing. And it allows for a more agile and varied response in motor function.” Thorne demonstrated, wriggling his fingers back and forth in a semi-fluid motion. “It’s a modern miracle back on my world. Science had just begun to delve into the depths of limb replacement on this level. It took a lot of time, money, and research, but was well worth it in the end. Though… being in this world, I’m cut off from a supply of parts and energy that is needed to keep it running.”

The doctor gave a sad look at that, setting her pen down on the file. “I’m sure you could find somepony out there who can machine the parts for it. It likely won’t be out of the same material, however. I don’t know if that’s a big difference or not. As far as energy, I can’t really help there. I’ve heard of crystals holding energy, but you’d need to go to the Crystal Empire to really get a grasp on such things.”

Thorne smiled. “Well that’s a place to start. But first, I think I need that medicine you were talking about, a new wardrobe for everyday where, and some shoes. There was a well-dressed stallion with the press outside and I wanted to question him as to where he got his clothing.”

“Of course. I think that covers everything. You’re probably about to be hounded by the press regardless. Information leaked about you the moment the report came in, so it’s to be expected.”

Thorne smiled. “It brings me much joy to know that the news cycle here is as feisty as it is back home. So nothing wrong with me? Nothing out of the ordinary?” Thorne pressed the doctor, wondering if she was keeping something from him. He stood and began to gather his toga.

“Nope!” She said with a smile. “Clean bill of health. You’ve got a strong heart, strong body… your pulse was quick, but I account for nerves. Your immune system is a bit weary from being out in the desert with so little food and water, but should be fine in a few days. Doctor Heart did a good job healing your surface wounds. And once I give you something for that constipation, you should be feeling back to one-hundred percent.”

Thorne gave a factual sigh of relief. “That takes a lot off my shoulders, doctor. You’ve no idea. So… Am I going to be let loose?”

“I imagine so. No real reason to keep you. Though I’m sure those royal guards will keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t get a summons to Canterlot in the coming week.”

“Canterlot, hmm? I take it I would be meeting with royalty?” Thorne questioned, tying his toga back together with a simple knot at the waist. “Then I should be in top condition and with a good bit of clothing.” Thorne then let out a sigh. “I’ll need to scrounge up some bits.”

“I’m sure you’ll find some generous folk out there,” the doctor responded as she gathered up the file. “But for now, you’re free to go. At least until that press stallion gets a hold of you.” She gave him a playful look before opening the door to head out. Thorne simply returned the smile and nodded.

He looked to the guards. ‘Royal guards, hmm? Interesting.’ “Alright lads, all clear from the doc! I believe I will be taking my leave.”

The two guards looked at one another and then to the tall human, giving a nod. With that, Thorne stepped further down the hall. With a deep exhale, he felt the boots of the world giving his neck a reprieve.

‘Looks like I won’t need to put on a show. Always a shame when a play gets cancelled. But I know the stage will be waiting until next time.’