Through Despair and Hope

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Dr. Graymane’s Report
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15 (Improved)
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20

Chapter 1

Yet another day of farm work had come and gone at Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was setting and Applejack had put the last of the tools in the barn when she heard Winona barking. The barking persisted as Applejack left the barn and shut the door. Wanting to see what had her dog so excited, she trotted over to where she heard the noise.

Cresting a small hill, Applejack saw Winona barking at a young colt, who was pressed up against an apple tree and frantically trying to shush the dog.

“Winona!” called Applejack as she moved toward the two, “Heel!”

Winona obeyed faithfully. Applejack then turned her attention to the colt, whose eyes were now fixed on her.

He was a unicorn, likely no older than Applebloom. His coat was copper-colored while his mane and tail were a silvery gray. No cutie mark. The CMC would undoubtedly try to recruit him if they ever crossed paths. Applejack’s brow furrowed in concern as she noticed how thin the colt looked. She was positive that his ribs were visible, to say nothing of the scratch marks and bruises all over him. Who or what had done that to him?

The colt’s eyes were frantically darting up and down Applejack’s body, no doubt frightened by how much bigger she was than him. Foals were easily scared, after all, and this one’s looks meant he likely panicked quicker than most.

Applejack contained her rising anger at whoever had hurt the poor colt in front of her. She needed him to trust her.

“Howdy,” Applejack said with reassuring smile, “Ah’m Applejack. What’s your name?”

The colt didn’t say anything. He started breathing heavily and a look of utter horror was on his face. Foals were not supposed to be that scared of adults. The abuse theory was becoming more and more credible.

“Ya ain’t in any trouble,” Applejack said gently, slowly moving closer. “Did ya want an apple?” she asked, gesturing to the tree. “Ya must be mighty hungry.”

The colt ignored her. Instead, he took several deep breaths and looked down at his hoofs, mumbling something about no hue-mens, whatever that meant, and being trapped.

Many questions ran through Applejack’s mind. Had this colt ran away from home and was scared to tell anypony? If that was it, why would he have ran off? Were his parents the ones responsible for all the marks on him? Were they even alive?

Just then, the colt started to chuckle. Applejack frowned slightly. She knew that foals could be silly, but the state he was in was not a laughing matter by any stretch of the imagination. The chuckle quickly turned into laughter as he lifted his head. Applejack found herself more and more confused by this colt.

“What’re ya laughin’ about?” she asked.

“Everything!” he answered, laughing all the while. “You, me, this world, my life! Might as well laugh, right? That’s all that’s left to do, isn’t it? There’s nothing else! There’s nothing! Nothing!”

Applejack was not sure what to make of the colt’s raving, but none of the conclusions she reached were good. One thing was clear, however. He needed serious help and fast.

He kept laughing, but the laughter quickly turned into crying. “Gone,” he sobbed, “Nothing left.”

Applejack quickly pulled the crying colt into a hug. “It’s alright,” she said, “You’re gonna be alright.” She could feel the brief shake of his head. She continued to hold him as he wept into her barrel, shushing him soothingly. “It’s alright,” she repeated, “It’s alright.” She did not know how long she held the poor colt until he had cried himself to sleep.

Applejack gently hoisted the colt onto her back and carried him into the house. Granny Smith was in the family room with Applebloom, with Big Mac likely in his own room.

“Ah need some help gettin’ the spare room ready,” Applejack declared. All eyes darted to the sleeping foal on her back.

“Who’s that, Applejack?” Applebloom asked.

“Ah don’t know,” she replied, “Winona found him by one of the trees.”

Granny had moved closer and was looking the colt over. “Ah ain’t never seen a young’un so beat up. Poor little thang looks half-starved, too. Was he asleep when y’all found him?”

“He was awake when we found him. Ah think he was tryin’ to get an apple, ‘cause he was right scared when he saw me.”

“He was tryin’ to steal our apples?” Applebloom asked, sounding confused.

“Only ‘cause he was awful hungry and too scared to ask,” Granny explained. “You run along off to bed now and maybe ya can play with him in the mornin’.”

“But-”

“No buts. Your sis and I gotta talk.”

“Yes’m.”

As Applebloom went to bed, the two adults carried their guest upstairs to the spare room.

“How’d ya get him to sleep?” asked Granny.

Applejack quickly related everything she knew about the colt up to that point. “He kept cryin’ ‘till he fell asleep,” she finished.

Granny sighed heavily. “Ah don’t rightly know what to make of him. Ah just hope he’s got good family out there somewhere.”

“Me too, Granny. Ah can’t bear to think of what coulda happened to make him act like that.”

“I reckon we should get him to the hospital tomorrow. Let him sleep now.”

“I dunno, Granny. Seein’ me scared him right to death. A hospital’s sure to scare him worse.”

“Ah figured that, but that colt needs a doctor and maybe one of them counselors too if he’s ever gonna get all better. Sure, we know some things about takin’ care of young’uns, but we ain’t miracle workers, Applejack.”

Applejack’s green eyes wandered over to the sleeping colt. She had to admit her grandmother was right. “Alright,” she relented, “Ah’ll take him there in the mornin’, but somepony else is gonna have to take Applebloom to school.”

“Ah’ll ask Big Mac,” said Granny. “Ah’d better get my blanket.”

“What fer?”

“Somepony had better stay with him tonight. If Ah figure right, he’s liable to have nightmares.”

Applejack’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t considered that. Foals could have bad dreams over the smallest of things. A scared colt who had probably lost his parents and suffered abuse was likely to have nothing but bad dreams.

“Ah’ll watch him,” she declared.

“You sure?” asked Granny.

“Ah think Ah’m the only one he won’t get scared seeing when he wakes up, ‘specially if he has a nightmare. He don’t know anypony else.”

Granny smiled slightly. “Alright,” she said, “But if ya need help, just holler.”

“Ah will.”

Applejack went to her own room to get a blanket and pillows, then carried them on her back to the guest room. She set down the pillows to use as a makeshift bed, then laid down near the sleeping colt. A great deal of worry plagued her as sleep slowly came.

Author's Note

I apologize for the poor cover art. The free app I used to make it didn’t have an option for fillies/colts.

I hope I have everyone in character while also making sure they act rationally.

Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 2

Applejack awoke to several loud thuds in quick succession, followed by pained yelling and swearing. Quickly looking over, she saw that the colt’s bed was empty. Her body moved automatically as she dashed out of the bedroom. Reaching the stairwell, she saw the colt lying at the bottom, yelling in pain and anger while slamming his head into the floor.

“I HATE THIS!” he shouted. “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

Applejack rushed downstairs and was at the colt’s side in an instant. His coat was slightly damp with sweat. He almost certainly had a nightmare, though it thankfully wasn’t bad enough to make him cry out. He probably got out of bed because he was trying to get some food and then leave.

“Quit hurtin’ yourself!” Applejack exclaimed, putting a hoof between the colt’s head and the floor. “Fallin’ down some stairs can happen to anypony. Beatin’ yourself up about it ain’t gonna help.” Horror crept into Applejack’s thoughts as she wondered whether the colt himself was responsible for any of the marks on his body.

“What do you know?” the colt snapped, “You’re not stuck in this weak, useless, pathetic little body! You’ve never had everyone and everything you cared about ripped away from you with no chance of getting it back! You’re not trapped in some alien world with no way to go home! You have everything! I have NOTHING!”

Needless to say, the colt’s shouting had woke up the rest of the household. Everypony had left their respective rooms and were now staring at the panting colt sitting at Applejack’s hooves. They had all heard enough, some more than others. Not all of what the unstable colt said made sense to them, but they were each able to draw terrifying conclusions. Either his family was dead, or he had been foalnapped and escaped but didn’t know the way home. Possibly both.

Applejack wrapped her forelegs around the colt, hugging him tightly. Applebloom hurried down the stairs and followed suit. The colt tensed in their embrace. From the sound of his breathing, he was trying very hard not to cry.

“It’s okay to cry, sugar cube,” whispered Applejack, “Nopony’s gonna make fun of ya. Just let it out.”

The colt took a deep breath before pulling back, prompting the sisters to let go of him. The look on his face was one of weariness and defeat. It was a look that nopony should wear, much less a foal. “Thanks for putting up with me,” he said, “I have to go now.”

The colt turned to leave, slightly limping from his fall, but Applejack moved into his way.

“Ah can’t let ya do that,” she said. “Ya look like ya haven’t eaten in days and you’re all beat up. Ya need food and a doctor.”

“Food and a doctor won’t bring my life back. Nothing will.”

So his family was dead, then. Nothing could raise the dead, after all. That didn’t explain what had happened to his body, however. Did somepony abuse him after his family died, either foalnappers or relatives, and he ran away? Did he hurt himself on purpose? Applejack forced those questions to the back of her mind. This colt needed reassurance and comfort.

“Ya can’t think like that, sugar cube,” she said. “Ah know losin’ your folks is hard, but ya can’t go on like this. Your family would want ya to be strong for ‘em.”

The colt glared at her. “You don’t know anything about them.”

“Maybe not, but ah do know that nopony would want their colt to go without food or hurt himself. They’d want somepony to look after him if they were gone. Isn’t there anypony out there who can take care of ya? Any aunts or uncles?”

The colt’s glare disappeared and he looked at the floor. “No,” he answered, “No one. They’re all gone, along with everything else that mattered.” He looked up. “Besides, I can take care of myself just fine.”

Applejack felt a mixture of pity and frustration as she gestured to the colt’s body. “Ya call this ‘just fine?’ If ya keep goin’ on like this, you’re gonna die!”

Applebloom gasped and silence filled the room as the mare and colt stared at each other. The staring persisted as Big Mac moved to usher Applebloom out of the room. The filly knew better than to protest as she was led away. Granny Smith looked at Applejack, then to the colt, silently asking if her granddaughter wanted her there. Applejack shook her head ever so slightly. Granny nodded, then left the room.

Normally, Applejack would never have been so blunt with a foal, but she needed this one to understand what he was doing to himself. He was tearing himself apart and Applejack couldn’t stand to see it. It pained her that the colt might start crying again because of her words, but that was a small price to pay for his well-being. Instead of crying, however, he bowed his head and sighed.

“I don’t belong here,” he said, anger replaced with emptiness. “Please let me go.”

“Ah can’t. Ya need help, and ah’d be a terrible pony if ah didn’t help somepony who needed mah help.”

“You can’t help me.”

“Ah can if ya let me.”

He shook his head. “You can’t. Just leave me alone.”

Applejack moved closer. “Ya don’t need to be alone. Let me and mah family help ya. We can get ya to a doctor so ya can get better. Applebloom can help ya make friends your age. We can help ya find somepony take ya in. Ya won’t be alone, and then ya won’t be so sad anymore. That’s the honest truth.”

The colt shut his eyes tightly and grit his teeth as he held back a sniffle. “I don’t want a doctor or new friends,” he said, voice breaking, “I want my life back.” A sob escaped him as Applejack embraced him. “There’s n-n-nothing for me here,” he choked out.

She began to rock him back and forth. “Shhhhhhhhhhh. It’s goin’ to be alright.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

“You’re gonna get better. Ah promise.”

The sobs were no longer suppressed. “Please let me go,” he begged, “Let me die.”

Applejack’s heart broke at those words. She had no idea what to say that might convince the poor colt he needed to keep on living. She held him close as he wept and fought the urge to cry herself. She had to be strong for his sake, but she alone couldn’t help him. Silently, she vowed to get him all the help he needed. This foal would heal. She and her friends would make sure of it.

Author's Note

I can’t promise consistent chapter updates, but I do have a plan concerning where to take this story.

I’ve tried to lengthen this chapter to give readers more time to process things. Commenter Mr. Nopony was kind enough to point out that things were moving a little too quickly, so I hope I’ve fixed that.

I welcome any and all constructive criticism.

Chapter 3

After the colt had finally finished crying, Applejack managed to coax him into the kitchen, which was somewhat difficult because he had sprained a foreleg from his fall down the stairs. Granny was waiting there with a bowl of applesauce and a cup of water. Big Mac had gone to take Applebloom to school.

“He’s gonna need more food than that, Granny,” said Applejack, “He must be starved.”

“Ah know,” said Granny, “But if we give him too much food, he’ll get sick.”

“Food overdose,” the colt noted dryly, “Not a bad way to die.”

“Don’t say stuff like that!” Applejack pleaded.

The colt sighed. “Whatever.” He looked up at one of the chairs, which was a little big for him. He then looked back at Applejack. “You’re kidding, right?”

Applejack had to help the colt climb onto the chair, lightly shoving him from behind with her muzzle. He sat down and looked dejectedly at his food.

“Best eat up now, young’un.” Granny said with a gentle smile. “Ah don’t think ya ever told us your name.”

The colt briefly looked up. “Ben.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the peculiar name. Of course, the source of the colt’s name was the least of their concerns, so she put it aside for the moment.

“Well, Ben,” said Granny, “Ya gotta get some food in ya so ya can feel better. When you’re all better, we’ll see about havin’ some of mah apple pie. Won’t that be good?”

“Sure,” Ben answered emptily, returning his attention to the bowl of applesauce and the spoon beside it. “How am I supposed to hold the spoon?” he asked.

Applejack’s brow furrowed in confusion. Everypony at that age knew how to grip things. Had his parents raised him differently because he was a unicorn? Was he taught to rely solely on magic for the most basic of tasks? If that was true, why would he have asked how to grip the spoon instead of just lifting it with magic? Did he think it was rude to use magic in front of earth ponies or pegasi? So many more questions and no answers.

“Ya can use your magic, sugar cube,” Applejack encouraged, “We don’t mind.”

Ben’s head jerked up, eyes wide with confusion. “My what?”

Applejack’s eyes widened in pure shock. Not knowing how to hold things could be explained away as a bizarre upbringing or, she shuddered at the thought, being without parents or even teachers for a very long time. Not knowing about magic? Even small foals learned at least a little about magic, regardless of race. How could anypony, much less a unicorn, not know about magic? For a unicorn, that had to be like not knowing how to breathe! Who was this colt and what had happened to him?

Granny was equally surprised. “Ben,” she said slowly, “Every unicorn’s got magic. Ya didn’t know that?”

Ben raised a hoof to his head, feeling around until he touched his horn. His breath hitched, as if he hadn’t known the horn was there. Had nopony ever told him he was a unicorn? Had he never looked in a mirror? He could have lost his memory, but he would’ve forgotten his family if that was the case. Applejack felt a headache coming on from confusion and worry.

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Ben, waving his uninjured foreleg, “Back up. Magic? Like lifting stuff with your mind, teleporting, turning things into other things, that kind of magic?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” replied Applejack, giving a slightly relieved sigh. So he did know about magic. Even so, how could he not have learned it? Had he never gone to school? Just how long had he been alone?

Ben hummed, eyes darting to and fro in thought. He then nodded. “Yes,” he said, a wide grin slowly forming on his face, “Yes, that’s it! That’s it!” He now looked positively giddy.

While Applejack was happy to see Ben actually smiling with the kind of giddiness a normal colt his age would have, she was still very confused. Nevertheless, she had to make sure he stayed happy. She would not break her vow.

“What is it, Ben?” she asked.

“Magic!” he replied, grinning in a manner that bordered on unhinged, “All I need to do is find the right spell or whatever it is, then I can get my body back and go home! Where’s the nearest wizard?”

Applejack blinked. Get his body back? Go home? Maybe his family wasn’t actually dead, but he had still been foalnapped and somehow escaped. It would explain some of his bruises, as horrifying a thought as that was. The comment about his body, however, made no sense. Was he talking about healing himself? He had said something about his body being weak earlier. Was it related to the nonsensical rant about an alien world? Did an alien world refer to him not growing up around ponies? That could explain why he was so surprised to learn he was a unicorn. Unfortunately, that painted a horrifying picture of “adoptive parents” not telling him what he was. Combined with the possibility of foalnappers and/or abusers to explain Ben’s marred body, it was clear that the poor colt had suffered greatly. Applejack did not know how she could help, and she hated feeling so helpless in such a delicate situation. This was beyond her. She needed to ask her friends for advice and set Ben up with a counselor.

“Now, just a minute,” said Granny. She took control of the situation, but she was just as confused as Applejack. “Ya ain’t goin’ nowhere else ‘till ya’ve had somethin’ to eat and gone to the doctor.”

“No time for that!” Ben declared, jumping out of the chair. He winced in pain the second his hoof hit the floor.

Applejack, disturbed by the fact that the clearly starving Ben would deliberately put off eating, moved to block his path. She would later muse that Ben had been channeling Twilight at the time, which would have been cute coming from a foal if said foal was not starving.

“You’re nearly coat and bones!” she exclaimed, “Ya need to eat!”

To Applejack’s frustration, Ben waved a foreleg in dismissal. “I’ll eat when I get home. Right now, I need to talk to the local wizard or mage or whatever you call them so they can open a portal and/or teleport me back!”

Applejack’s heart went out to Ben on account of his clear desperation to return home, but he needed to understand that his health took precedence. It pained her greatly to see him blatantly disregard his own wellbeing. His declaration that he wanted to die still rang in her ears. Furthermore, if his “family” was responsible for his not knowing basic facts of life, she wasn’t sure it was best for him to return home, wherever that was. She was treading a fine line, trying to keep him happy while also making sure he was healthy. Bargaining was needed.

“Ah’ll talk to my friend Twilight about gettin’ ya home, but only if ya eat your breakfast and go to the doctor.”

Ben’s giddy smile became a scowl and he growled. “Fine, but I’m holding you to that.”

He tried climbing back up onto the chair, once again needing assistance. He looked down at the bowl of applesauce, then at the spoon, then back at the bowl. Without warning, he scooped up the bowl with both forelegs and brought it to his lips, greedily drinking it in a manner that reminded the two mares how hungry he truly was. He lowered the bowl to allow himself time to swallow before repeating the process until the applesauce was gone. He was about to jump out of the chair again when Applejack stopped him.

“Ya didn’t drink your water,” she said, making a point to talk to him about table manners later. She was no Rarity, but she still had some standards, thank you very much.

He carefully took the cup between his forelegs and drank until it was empty. “Alright, time’s wasting. Where can I find this Twilight?”

“Hospital first,” Applejack said firmly. It was good to see Ben so excited and not dwelling on what he’d gone through, but his health was most important.

Ben groaned and jumped down from the chair, hind legs first and keeping his injured foreleg off the floor. “Fine, let’s just get this over with. Where’s the hospital?”

“Hold on, now,” said Granny, “Applejack’s gotta eat too, ya know.”

“Just give me directions and I can find my own way there instead of wasting everyone’s time.”

They would have to ask him later why he used “everyone” instead of “everypony.” Another question that needed answering.

“Ya ain’t wastin’ our time, sugar cube,” said Applejack, “We’re happy to help ya. We’ll be at the hospital ‘fore ya know it.”

His eyes narrowed in a way that might have been considered threatening to a foal. To the adults, however, it was more cute than threatening. He soon turned away and grimaced with childish impatience.

“The sooner I can get out of here, the better.”

Author's Note

Well, we can’t have Ben moping the whole time, now can we? Trust me, as someone who’s experienced depression, I can tell you it’s not a constant feeling. It comes and goes. Keeping busy is a good distraction.

Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 4

Once breakfast had been taken care of, Ben and Applejack headed off to the hospital. Due to Ben’s injury from his fall, Applejack decided to carry him on her back. The colt had protested such an arrangement, but the mare insisted, not wanting his foreleg to worsen.

As they walked through Ponyville, the majority of the town’s residents were going through their morning routines. Shops were opening up, ponies were coming and going, pegasi were moving clouds to ensure a clear sky. Another fine day in the little town.

“Woah,” breathed Ben.

Turning to observe out of the corner of her eye, Applejack could see Ben gazing with wide-eyed wonder at the sights and sounds all around him. She smiled. Ben actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

“What in the world is that?”

Ben pointed at a building that appeared to be made out of candy.

“That’s Sugarcube Corner,” Applejack explained, “That’s where mah friend Pinkie lives. She loves throwin’ parties and bakin’ all kinds of sweets for everypony!”

“Is she a witch?”

“What? No! Why, Pinkie’s one of the sweetest ponies you’ll ever meet!”

Ben sighed. “That was a joke.”

“Oh.”

Ben’s sense of humor clearly needed work, but at least he was making jokes.

“So, where does Twilight live?” he asked.

“She lives at the Golden Oaks Library,” Applejack answered, “It’s built into a tree. Ya can’t miss it.”

“A treehouse library, huh? Neat. And you’ll tell her about me, right?”

“As soon as mah work for today is done, Ah’ll talk to Twilight. Ah promise.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ponyville General was thankfully not very busy that morning as Applejack entered, Ben still on her back. Given the overall state Ben was in, Applejack decided to bring him into the hospital through the emergency entrance. Her intent was to ensure he received treatment as soon as possible.

A nurse came up to them, took one look at Ben, and gasped. “I need a gurney over here!” she commanded, spurning several ponies into action. It did not take long for a gurney to be wheeled over. One of the staff members, a unicorn, used magic to lift Ben off Applejack’s back and onto the gurney.

“What the-!” Ben yelled, likely from the suddenness of it all.

The nurses quickly wheeled Ben off somewhere else, likely an examination room, while the one who first saw him, an earth pony, stopped to talk to Applejack.

“Can you tell me what happened to him?” she asked.

“Ah don’t know,” Applejack answered sadly, “He was like that when Ah found him. He hurt his foreleg earlier this mornin’ when he fell down the stairs.”

“Was he conscious when you found him?”

“Yep. Scared to death, too.”

“When did you find him?”

“Just last night.”

“Why did you wait until now to bring him here?”

“He was so scared when Ah saw him, Ah didn’t want to make it worse. Hay, he tried to leave before Ah woke up.”

“Was that when he fell down the stairs?”

“Yep. Woke up the whole house.”

“I see. Is there anything else we need to know about him?”

There was plenty they needed to know about him, but Applejack had few concrete answers. She told the nurse everything she could. Ben’s family was either dead or missing, he could’ve been abused and/or foalnapped, he was ignorant of very basic facts, he was underweight, and he didn’t seem to care about his own wellbeing at all. What little information Applejack could give was far from comforting.

“We’ll start checking our records and looking out for any missing foal reports from Ponyville and the neighboring cities,” said the nurse after Applejack finished. “You should be able to visit him later today. From what you’ve told me, it might help him to see a familiar face, even if he hasn’t know you for very long.”

“Are ya gonna get him a counselor?” Applejack asked.

“Definitely.”

“What’s gonna happen to him if nopony can find his family?”

“If his family doesn’t come forward by the time he’s deemed fit for release, or if his family is unfit to raise him, he’ll have to stay at an orphanage or with a registered foster parent.”

Fear seized Applejack as she thought of what Ben would do if they couldn’t find his parents. She could remember the glee in his eyes when he thought of using magic to get home. What would he do if he had no home to go to? The words “Let me die” returned to the forefront of her mind. Even if he had a home, was it the right one for him? He knew so little, as if his parents had either refused to teach him or he had been separated from them for a very long time. In addition, all those bruises did little to ease Applejack’s worry.

“Are you okay?”

The question shook her from her thoughts. She looked at the nurse. “Yeah,” she said, “Yeah, Ah just...” she sighed. “Ah just hope he’s gonna be alright.”

“So do I,” said the nurse, “So do I.”

Applejack left the hospital, intent on getting through the day’s chores. Once those were done, she would assemble her friends together to help Ben. Unfortunately, her mind was plagued with worry as she started walking back to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hi, Applejack!”

“Aah!”

It was Pinkie Pie, who managed to appear right next to Applejack without warning. “Why so glum?” asked the overly enthusiastic mare.

Applejack sighed. “Ah can’t tell ya right now, Pinkie, but as long as you’re here, can ya tell the other Elements to meet up later today? It’s real important and Ah need y’all’s help.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie affirmed, “Say, did you know there’s somepony new in town?”

Applejack’s eyes widened.

“I knew ‘cause my hoof was being twitchy but-”

“Pinkie, wait!”

“Hm?”

“Yeah, Ah do know there’s somepony new in town. That’s actually what Ah need y’all’s help with.”

“Oooh, do you want to plan a super-duper ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for him?”

Applejack was about to reject the idea, but stopped. Pinkie’s parties were a very good way to socialize. It would be a perfect opportunity for Ben to meet a few foals his age. Of course, they would have to clear it with the nurses, but it just might help.

“Well, not a super-duper party,” she began, “But maybe a small party. Ah need help, though.”

Pinkie gave the widest of grins.

Nurse Silverheart sat in a chair across from the bruised and now bandaged colt she had been assigned to watch. Like everypony else who had access to his medical report, she was greatly concerned. Up until that morning, he apparently hadn’t eaten anything for at least four days. Adding the current lack of family, the marks on his body, reported tendency to self-harm, and suicidal thoughts, Silverheart was surprised he wasn’t crying his eyes out. Instead, he was silent. Very atypical behavior for a child. Now it was her responsibility to watch over him and make sure he didn’t hurt himself, or worse.

The colt in question, Ben, was sitting up in his bed. An IV had been inserted into his uninjured foreleg in order to provide him with the proper nutrients. He was staring at his assigned nurse. Specifically, his eyes would keep moving to and from her own eyes and her wings.

“Excuse me,” he said eventually, “Silverheart, right? I don’t mean to sound rude, but are you a pegasus?”

She nodded. “That’s right, sweetie,” she answered with a wide smile and a sweet voice reserved for foals.

He frowned at her. “Please drop the condescending tone and talk normal.”

Silverheart turned her wide smile into a more professional one, fighting the urge to scowl. Medical workers received enough disrespect from unruly adult patients, and here she was being criticized by a child. Fortunately, the lives she helped save made everything worth it, especially when it was children being saved. She could stand a little backtalk, especially from a traumatized colt who probably didn’t know better.

“Is this better?” she asked in her normal voice.

“Much better, thank you,” he replied, frown now gone. “Anyway, I was wondering how you guys can fly. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your wings look a little too small to lift your full body weight.”

Having read the medical file, Silverheart knew that Ben was ignorant of things most foals would have learned in school by that age. While it was saddening that he was uneducated, it was also good that he was not afraid to ask questions.

“Pegasi can use their natural magic to fly and walk on the clouds,” she answered.

Ben’s eyes widened. “You can walk on clouds?”

Silverheart nodded. “Mhm. There’s actually a city up in the clouds called Cloudsdale.”

“Are you serious?”

She giggled. “Yes, I’m serious.”

“Woah! That’s so weird! Pretty intriguing, though. Anyway, are your eyes silver? I wasn’t sure.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ve never seen eyes that color before. Is that where you got your name from? Eyes are windows of the heart and all that?”

“Windows to the soul, actually, but yes. What about you, Ben? Where did your name come from?”

A simple question, but one that could give insight regarding Ben’s family. Having strange names might make them easier to find. Assuming, of course, they were still alive.

“Well, Ben is actually short for Benjamin,” he answered. “I’m named after my great grandfather.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” said Silverheart, wondering where Ben’s great grandfather could have gotten such a strange name, “Is that your full name?”

Ben chuckled slightly. “No, my full name is Benjamin Lewis Walker, but everyone just calls me Ben.”

“That’s... a very unique name.” Quite the mouthful, in Silverheart’s honest opinion. Not remotely pony-like, save for Walker at the end. Of course, she had always heard another noun precede “walker” in a name. Names like Cloudwalker or Skywalker were fairly common among pagasi, after all. She had never heard Walker used as a stand-alone name. A strange name for a strange colt.

Ben shrugged. “Not really,” he said, “I mean, Walker isn’t a very common last name where I come from, but there’s at least a million Bens.”

A million? A child’s exaggeration, no doubt. Perhaps he simply came from a large city. “Where do you come from?”

Ben looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was hesitant to say anything else. Not a good sign.

“Well, I guess there’s no harm in telling you,” he said after a few seconds. “I was hoping to just tell the resident magic expert about this, but you’ve got your own magic, so here goes. I’m not actually from around here. By here, I mean this universe.”

“What?”

“I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. I only got this body, which is a small child’s for some reason, a few days ago. I’m not sure what happened, but I do remember falling into a hole, probably a portal of some kind. The next thing I knew, there I was, a twenty-two year old human, in the middle of a forest in this little colt’s body. It took me forever to learn how to walk; kept tripping over rocks and stuff. That’s how I got these bruises. I’m still working out the kinks there, which is why I fell down that stairwell this morning. I got these scratches running through some thorns, trying to get away from a weird wooden wolf thing.

“I was pretty relieved when I finally managed to find Applejack’s farm, since that meant civilization. I thought there’d be humans, but I was wrong. No humans, just ponies. That was when I figured out I was trapped in an alternate reality. Scared me out of my wits. I thought for sure I’d never see my family again, different universe with talking technicolor ponies instead of humans and all, but then I found out about magic. Luckily, I got turned into a unicorn, which apparently means I can do magic, and that means I just need to figure out what spell to use to get back to my universe and my original body. The sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can figure out magic. The sooner I figure out magic, the sooner I go home and let everyone know I’m okay. Capeesh?”

Silverheart blinked. She blinked again. Her mind took several seconds to fully comprehend what Ben had just told her. “Uh, that’s quite a story,” she said lamely.

“Yeah, it sounds crazy, right? Still true, though. I mean, this looks like a world where, like, a good chunk of the population can fly or straight up teleport, so going to another dimension really isn’t that big of a stretch.”

Silverheart was caught completely off guard. She had no idea what to say to the colt in front of her. Ben was completely certain that his story was true, but it was all so fantastic. What even was a human, anyway? His name was not very pony-like and there were basic facts he hadn’t known, but to come from another universe entirely? It was unheard of. Unthinkable. Impossible.

“Um, I need to speak with Doctor Graymane,” she said, rising from her chair, “Press that red button if you need anything.”

He immediately glared at her. “What, you think I’m making this up? If you don’t believe me, have a wizard look at my memories or something!”

Silverheart headed for the door, not knowing what else to do. What she did know was that somepony needed to hear about this. Hopefully, the counselor being assigned to the poor colt could make sense of it all.

“It’s freaking magic!” Ben angrily called out, “Literally anything is possible!”

The door closed and Silverheart bolted for the doctor’s office.

Author's Note

And now it’s time for Misunderstandings with Ponies, the part of the story where the transformed human tells Ponies he’s from another universe and they misunderstand.

As always, constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 5

Doctor Graymane considered himself a calm and professional pony. His job demanded such a disposition. After all, it would be completely counterproductive to a patient’s mental wellbeing if he or his colleagues panicked in any way. Thus, the good doctor expected the same professionalism from the rest of the hospital staff. The only reason for ever displaying strong emotion in their line of work would be if the situation was extremely serious.

When Nurse Silverheart burst into his office with a worried look on her face, he kept his cool. Concern was valid under certain circumstances. Panic was absurd.

“Is there a problem?” he asked calmly.

Silverheart took a moment to catch her breath before answering. She had obviously rushed to the office. Either the matter was urgent or she was overreacting.

“It’s Ben,” said Silverheart.

Ben. The unicorn colt with a strange name. Brought in earlier that morning. Treated for malnourishment as well as numerous scratches and bruises, the most recent being on his right foreleg. He was also reported to have self-harmed and expressed suicidal thoughts. The hospital was already working on finding his family and bringing in a counselor. The poor foal would undoubtedly need as much help as possible.

“What happened?” asked Doctor Graymane.

“Medically, he’s on the mend,” Silverheart replied, still worried. “But something’s come up that puts his mental state even further into question.”

As if the self-harming wasn’t enough to do that. Seeing such a thing in a foal was downright heartbreaking. Graymane remained calm. “What do you mean?”

Silverheart was silent for a moment, obviously searching for the right words. Not a good sign.

“He’s delusional,” she finally answered.

Delusional? Or playing pretend? Graymane hoped it was the latter, even if that meant Silverheart was merely overreacting. The alternative was something beyond their capacity to help, and Graymane loathed being unable to help a patient.

“Elaborate,” he requested, grabbing a pen. It would not do to forget any details.

Silverheart proceeded to recount what the patient had told her. It seemed the patient had fantasies of being human and having a human family. An odd fantasy for a unicorn to have. The question remained as to whether the fantasies were mere pretend or actual delusion potentially brought on by loss and/or trauma. Further investigation was needed.

“I’ll go and interview him,” Graymane declared, rising from his desk.

It did not take long for the two to reach Ben’s room. The door was slightly ajar. Graymane looked at Silverheart.

“I closed the door when I left,” the nurse said worriedly.

They opened the door further and neither were relieved by what they saw. The bed was empty and the IV tube was on the floor, still emptying its contents. No sign of Ben.

Silverheart went to the bathroom door and knocked. “Ben?” No answer. “Ben, are you in there?” Silence. She opened the door and saw that nopony was inside.

“Get all available staff to sweep the hospital,” Graymane ordered, “If we can’t find him anywhere here, we’ll have to organize an official search party. I’ll start with all rooms on this floor. You get help.”

Silverheart nodded, then cantered out of the room and down the hallway.

Now alone, Doctor Graymane let his calm demeanor crack ever so slightly. He could only hope his patient had not done anything drastic. He looked over and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the window was closed. It seemed that Ben had thankfully not considered jumping. Hopefully, it would stay that way. For now, a multitude of rooms needed to be checked and a damaged colt needed saving from himself.

Silverheart was quick to scramble the staff and the hospital was placed on alert. Per Doctor Graymane’s instructions, everypony kept their eyes peeled for whoever remotely resembled Ben’s description. They meticulously searched each room, but could not find their quarry.

By pure luck, one of the nurses, a trainee by the name of Green Herb, was alerted by noise coming from a stairwell, followed by a cry of agony. Rushing over, she opened the door and gasped. There lay the bruised colt, trying with all his little might to get on his hooves. Green reached Ben’s side right as the colt collapsed unconscious. Green, a unicorn, carefully lifted Ben up with her magic and carried him to the closest meeting area designated for the search.

“I’ve found him!” she cried, “I’ve found him!”

Ben was brought to a different part of the hospital and treated for a concussion. In addition, his left hind fetlock was twisted. Fortunately, there were no broken bones, much to everypony’s relief. Unfortunately, everypony was greatly concerned by Ben’s run. Foals were naturally frightened by hospitals. There was nothing natural, however, about running away with such recklessness that further injuries were sustained. A foal was not that paranoid unless something had happened to them. Something that made them distrustful of adults.

Silverheart was once again assigned to look after Ben. A twenty-four hour watch had been placed on the colt. Under no circumstances was Silverheart to let Ben out of her sight unless another assigned watcher came to take over for her.

Silverheart was only slightly relieved when Ben eventually woke up, the effects of the administered sedative having worn off. His eyes roamed the room before eventually settling on her. Ben’s new room had no window, but there were a number of childish decorations meant to provide a calming atmosphere.

“How are you feeling?” Silverheart asked.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Ben asked, frowning sadly.

“I-”

His frown deepened into a grimace. “You told them I’m crazy, didn’t you?”

“No, I did-”

“Oh, really? Then why aren’t there windows in this room, huh? I don’t know much about hospitals, but I’m pretty sure every room is supposed to have windows! This isn’t the hospital, it’s the fricking NUTHOUSE!”

Ben did not say “fricking,” but Silverheart decided against scolding his foul language. There were more pressing matters to deal with, such as calming Ben down.

Ben tried to get up, undoubtedly to try and run, but Silverheart rushed to his bedside.

“Ben,” she said as gently as possible, “I promise that you’re not in an asylum or a mental hospital of any kind.” She would have to make a note of his apparent fear of such things. Had his previous guardians threatened to send him to one? Too many questions to be answered later.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” he demanded. “I’m not some dumb kid who’ll believe any lie you tell them! If I’m not in a nuthouse, why aren’t there windows? Trying to keep the crazy kid out of sight and mind? Is inter-dimensional travel too big for your tiny little brain to comprehend, even though your world has MAGIC? What part of ‘find a unicorn to look at my memories’ did you not understand? Because I have memories, damn you! Twenty-two years worth of memories! Human memories! I have a family! A mom and a dad! Brothers and sisters! I’M GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE AND SEE THEM AGAIN IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!”

Ben panted heavily as his eyes watered. He growled and forced back the tears. “Gotta get back,” he whispered, “Gotta get back.”

Silverheart debated what to tell Ben. He was very observant and that made him clever. She needed to say something to quell his fear, but the truth was a bit too close to what his paranoia had conjured. On the other hoof, lying would only increase his distrust of adults. From what he had said, adults had lied to him before. Eventually, she reached a decision.

“Your room doesn’t have windows because we were scared you might try to jump out of one,” she said. “We care about you and we don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore.”

Ben opened his mouth to retort, but caught himself. He closed his mouth and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Are you saying I’m on suicide watch?” he asked.

Silverheart hesitated. A normal colt would not have any idea what that was.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Ben surmised, “Say ‘no’ and I’ll just assume you’re lying.”

She sighed. “Something like that, yes. We have to watch over you to make sure you don’t hurt yourself or... anything else. We want you to live your life.”

“But you still don’t believe me,” he countered, “This body, this life, isn’t mine. I need to figure out magic so I can have some way to get home. The longer I waste time here, the longer my family is worried sick about me. Heck, I don’t even know if time flows the same in both worlds. A few hours here could be anything from a few seconds to a millennia in my world. I can worry about my health later, when I’m with my family again. The only things keeping me from learning magic and getting home are you and the doctors wasting my time!”

Silverheart was grieved by Ben’s clear desperation to be with his family. He said that his family was human, which meant they might not be real. What made him think his family was human? Was his real family dead and he made up a human one to cope? There was a tiny possibility he was telling the truth, but that did not explain how he was a unicorn. Even changelings could only partially transform into another species, and medical scans proved that Ben was a full-blooded unicorn. His story made no sense. The big question was why he did not know how to use his magic. A question for another time. The priority was to convince him that staying healthy was not a waste of time.

Silverheart placed a hoof on Ben’s wither. “Ben, have you heard the phrase ‘A healthy body is a healthy mind?’”

“Yeah. What’s that got to do with...” His brow briefly furrowed, then unfurrowed as realization hit. “Oh. You’re saying I can’t do magic effectively unless I’m completely healthy?”

She nodded. “That’s right. For unicorns, using magic is physically taxing. Depending on the spell used and how much practice they’ve had, magic can be exhausting. The more tired or hurt you are, the harder it is to concentrate and cast spells.”

Ben hummed. “Well, I guess that makes sense. Okay, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to rest up for a little while. Don’t want to botch a spell and tear myself in half or anything. Still doesn’t change the fact that you don’t believe me, though. How do I know you’re not just going to keep me here because you think I’m crazy?”

“I promise you’ll only stay here until you’re physically fit enough to be released. This is a hospital, not a prison. You don’t have to be afraid of anypony here.”

“But you still think I’m crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy.”

“I find that hard to believe. Even if you guys don’t keep me here, how do I know you won’t send some kind of warning to any magic teachers out there to keep them from teaching me?”

The nurse felt her heart break at how little trust this lost child had in adults. “I swear we would never do anything to stunt your education like that.”

Ben scoffed. “Talk is cheap. People make promises they can’t or won’t keep all the time. I’ll believe you when I actually start learning.”

Silverheart did not know how to respond. What did one say to a child who didn’t trust adults? How did one earn such a child’s trust? She could only reach around and embrace him to provide some semblance of reassurance. The poor colt needed help, and she alone could not provide it.

Author's Note

Well, this one took awhile. I apologize if any details are confusing. If anyone reading doesn’t understand what’s going on, review or message me and I’ll try to fix it.

I actually need a bit of help from you guys. I’m debating with myself as to whom Ben should stay with once he’s released from the hospital. I know Applejack found him first and she seems the type to help a foal, but part of me says she’s not the logical choice. Yes, she could provide a stable and caring home, but she can’t teach him magic. Twilight and Rarity are the only unicorns of the Main 6, and I somehow doubt either are very qualified for foster care. Twilight would just have Ben do chores with Spike and Rarity probably has her hooves full with her full-time job and Sweetie Belle. Are there any other canonical unicorns in Ponyville? Should I use an OC? I could really use some input on this matter.

In any case, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 6

Applejack’s mind was elsewhere for almost the entire time she did her chores that day. Her focus had been split between farm work and how Ben was doing. She wanted to help the colt, but did not know how. Her resolve did not waver, however, which was why she had asked Pinkie to assemble their friends. Surely, the six of them together could find a way to help Ben.

A rhythmic knocking on the front door put Applejack’s thoughts on standby. Pinkie, no doubt. Opening the door confirmed Applejack’s guess.

“Hi, Applejack!” greeted Pinkie, “I brought everypony!”

The four remaining Elements of Harmony stood behind Pinkie. Applejack promptly ushered them all inside.

“Ah’m much obliged y’all came,” said Applejack as they moved into the living room. “Ah need y’all’s help.”

“Anytime,” said Rainbow, “Pinkie said something about you planning a party? Not exactly your style.”

“Whatever is the occasion, darling?” asked Rarity.

“There’s somepony new in town and Applejack wants to have a little Welcome to Ponyville party!” Pinkie explained. “It’s gotta be small, but really special, and that’s what she needs our help with!”

Applejack sighed. “That ain’t quite it, Pinkie. Yeah, I’d like to have a party for ‘im, but there’s a lot more to it.”

“Him?” Rainbow asked with a smirk.

“He’s a little colt,” Applejack clarified, shooting a quick glare at Rainbow. “His name’s Ben.”

“Oh,” said Rainbow, slightly embarrassed. “Weird name.”

Twilight spoke up. “You want to throw a party for a colt? Is he a relative?”

“No. Ah ain’t rightly sure his family’s still around.”

Fluttershy gasped and put a hoof to her mouth. Pinkie’s mane slightly deflated. The others frowned in concern.

“Ah found him in the orchard last night,” Applejack continued. “He was nearly coat and bones; had bruises and scratches all over ‘im. When he saw me, he got scared right to death. He started mumblin’ a lot, then he was laughin’ and ramblin’ about havin’ nothin’ left. Next thing Ah knew, he was cryin’ his eyes out.”

“Oh, the poor dear,” Fluttershy said mournfully.

Applejack proceeded to tell them everything about her time with Ben. How he fell down the stairs that morning and started hurting himself. She highlighted Ben’s rant about his family being taken away from him. Everypony was horrified when she recalled Ben saying everything that mattered to him was gone.

By the time Applejack finished telling them how Ben had asked her to let him die as he cried in her forelegs, everypony was shaken. Pinkie’s face was devoid of its trademarked smile and her mane was straight. Fluttershy openly wept. Rarity held back her own tears. Rainbow and Twilight tried to console Fluttershy, but it was clear that they weren’t doing so well either. Applejack herself wanted to cry, but fought it. She needed to be stronger than that. She refused to break her promise.

The farm pony pressed on, relating that Ben didn’t seem to know he had magic or even that he was a unicorn. Everypony’s sadness shifted to confusion as she recounted Ben’s sudden excitement. Ben’s goal to get his body back and go home baffled them.

“Ah dropped ‘im off at the hospital this mornin,’” Applejack finished.

“One minute he’s saying everypony he loves is gone, the next he’s talking about going home?” asked Rainbow. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Perhaps he was separated from his family and he thinks there’s a spell for finding them?” Rarity suggested. “As you know, I can find gems as my special talent. Who’s to say there isn’t something similar for family members?”

“Ah thought of that,” replied Applejack, “But what did he mean by gettin’ his body back?”

“Maybe he got turned into a unicorn,” suggested Pinkie, whose mane was slowly regaining its curls.

“I’m positive that there’s a spell for finding ponies,” mused Twilight. “I’ve never heard of a spell that can turn somepony else into a completely different pony, though. I’m not sure what he’s talking about.”

“You gave me wings that one time,” Rarity recalled.

“Yeah, but all I did was add a few extra limbs and they were only temporary. Ben makes it sound like he was permanently transformed into a unicorn. You can change coat and mane color with the right spell, but it’s impossible to give somepony a horn, much less a permanent one.”

“Are ya sure, Twilight?” Applejack asked. “We’ve run into a lot of stuff we thought was impossible.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Well, theoretically, the princesses might be able to do it, but they’d never do something like that to a colt.”

“Do you think Ben still has anypony out there?” Fluttershy asked softly. “How can he have a home to go back to if he said his family’s… gone?”

“Ah wish Ah knew for sure,” Applejack said dejectedly.

“I think Rarity might be onto something,” said Twilight. “You said that he said his family was ‘ripped away’ from him. That could imply they’re dead, but what if he actually meant that he was separated from them somehow?”

“How somehow?” asked Pinkie.

“Like Ah said, he was real skinny and bruised all over when Ah found ‘im,” Applejack said worriedly. “Ah think he might’ve been foalnapped.”

Everypony else reacted with fear and sadness at Applejack’s theory.

“It explains almost everything,” Twilight lamented. “The bruises, how skinny he looked, the fact that he was so scared, the… things he said about himself.”

“How long has been away from his family?” sniffled Fluttershy. “A month? Years? The poor, helpless little colt.”

Rainbow fumed in anger. “If I ever get my hooves on the monsters that did this to him…”

“Later, darling,” said Rarity. “Right now, we have a colt that needs our help. Why don’t we go visit him at the hospital? I’m sure he needs some cheering up.”

“We’ll have a Get Well Soon party!” Pinkie proclaimed, mane now back to normal. “That’ll cheer him up!”

“Ah was going to go check on ‘im and bring Applebloom with me,” said Applejack. “Figure Ben needs some friends his age.”

“I’ll bring Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity. “Scootaloo can come too, of course.”

“While we’re there, maybe Ben can explain what he meant when he was talking about his body,” said Twilight.

“Ah’m sure he will. Ya know, he was just dyin’ to meet ya as soon as Ah told him about ya. He’s mighty eager to learn magic and Ah think he wants ya to teach ‘im.”

Twilight’s face turned a light red. “Me? Teach? But I’m nopony special. Definitely not a teacher. There’s got to be some better qualified magic tutors in Ponyville.”

“Nopony believes you, Twilight,” Rainbow said with a teasing smile.

“Ah didn’t say ya had to teach anypony. Ah just want ya to meet ‘im is all.”

“Oh. Well, I’d be happy to give him some books for beginners.”

Applejack nodded with a smile. “Ah’m sure he’d like that.”

“To the hospital!” declared Pinkie.

After fetching the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the nine headed for the hospital. Upon arriving, the group could not help noticing some semblance of tension among the staff, though they did not know why. They walked up to the front desk and were welcomed by a unicorn nurse. Her name tag read “Amethyst Stone.”

“Hello,” she greeted, “Are you visiting or here for an appointment?”

“We’re here to see Ben,” replied Applejack, “The little unicorn colt?’”

Amethyst tensed.

“Somethin’ wrong? Is he alright?”

“Well,” the nurse said hesitantly, “The hospital was put on alert earlier today because Ben tried to run away.” Applejack was about to speak, but the nurse continued. “We managed to find him, but he got a concussion and sprained a fetlock. I believe they had to move him.”

“Move ‘im where?”

Amethyst looked at the three fillies standing nearby, who stared up in curiosity. She then turned back to the adults, unsure of what to say in front of the children. “Um, I’m not assigned to Ben, so I can’t say for certain, but I believe he was moved… somewhere he could be observed more closely. Doctor Graymane wanted to make sure he couldn’t run away again or hurt himself any further.”

“So, can we see him?” asked Twilight.

“You’ll have to ask Doctor Graymane. I’ll page him now.”

A short time later, the doctor arrived. Introductions were exchanged, followed by Applejack asking whether they could visit Ben.

“I’m afraid not,” said Graymane. “After what happened today, he’s to be under close surveillance for at least twenty-four hours. Furthermore, given what we know, I don’t think it would be good for him to be in a room with so many adults. It might overwhelm him. Hopefully, you can see him tomorrow, but only after he’s had at least one session with a counselor and there haven’t been any more incidents. In addition, he can’t meet all of you at once unless his counselor clears it.

Naturally, everypony was disappointed by the news. The adults grew all the more worried about Ben. The foals, however, did not fully grasp the situation.

“What’s a counselor?” asked Scootaloo, “And how come Ben needs one?”

“A counselor is a special kind of doctor,” Graymane explained, taking the question in stride. “They’re good at helping sad or angry ponies feel better.”

“Oh.”

Rainbow moved over to the three fillies. “Why don’t you guys go out and play?” she suggested. “We’re just gonna talk about boring adult stuff in here.”

Without hesitation, the crusaders headed out the door.

“Any idea why Ben tried to run?” asked Applejack, getting back to the matter at hoof.

“The most logical explanation is that he’s paranoid,” Graymane replied. “I believe he’s worried that we might hurt him, which raises questions about his background.”

A moment of silence passed as looks were exchanged. The doctor and the six mares silently pondered the implications. Applejack’s theory fit, and that grieved them all.

“What about his family?” asked Rarity.

“Nopony’s come forward yet. We’ll have to reach out to neighboring areas. Even if he has family, an investigation will have to be held by foal services.”

“You think his own family might be responsible for his bruises?” Rainbow asked, an edge in her tone.

“According to Ben himself, the bruises were from tripping and falling over too many times.”

“He did fall earlier this mornin,’” Applejack commented, hoping against hope that the injuries were purely accidental. Perhaps he hadn’t been foalnapped, but the chances of that were slim at best.

“He could very well just be accident prone,” the doctor conceded. “However, it’s also entirely possible that he’s trying to cover for somepony else.” Graymane decided against mentioning Ben’s delusions. He was already treading the line of how much he could reveal about his patient. That could always come later, provided the mares in front of him were cleared by Ben’s counselor.

“Why would he want to protect somepony who hurt ‘im?” asked Applejack, worried and confused.

“There are a number of factors, none of which are my area of expertise. It could be anything from fear of punishment to an unhealthy attachment.” Another possibility was that Ben had tricked himself into thinking his injuries were caused by clumsiness as a means of repressing traumatic memories.

Rainbow sighed heavily, righteous anger giving way to sadness. “He’s gonna get all the help he can, right?” she asked the doctor.

“Absolutely,” came the reply.

“How long before he sees a counselor?” asked Rarity.

“As soon as the surveillance period ends. Come back tomorrow. There isn’t anything you can do for him right now.”

The six left the hospital feeling emotionally drained and somewhat powerless.

“I hope Ben will be alright,” Fluttershy said sadly.

“He will be,” declared Applejack, filled with determination. She had made a promise and she was going to keep it.

Author's Note

This chapter was a real pain to write. I don’t know how much doctors are allowed to reveal about patients, so I hope I kept it realistic. Feel free to correct me if I did it wrong.

Dr. Graymane’s Report

Author's Note

I feel the need to clarify a few things, since not everyone reads the comments section. As my profile states, I haven’t seen a single episode of the show. My knowledge is very limited as a result. I don’t know the full limits of MLP’s magic system.

I do know that Twilight and nobody else turned into an alicorn for some reason. This story takes place before that happened, so she’s still a unicorn. I also know that Discord has nigh-unlimited power, but I think his inclusion in this particular story muddies the water because he could probably send Ben back with a finger snap. This breaks dramatic tension, in my opinion.

I apologize if my story feels clunky because of my limited knowledge and unclear timeline. I’m well aware that my writing is far from perfect and I want to improve. I’m trying to make this story as self-contained and character-driven as possible. Please let me know whether or not I have failed in this regard.

Lastly, I hope you all enjoy this report. I wasn’t comfortable putting this in an actual chapter and couldn’t think of a way to include a scene of Ben trying to eat without it feeling clunky or forced. I might try to include that in a flashback, but I fear the story’s pacing is slow as is.

Dr. Graymane’s Report

Patient: Benjamin Lewis Walker (M)

Characteristics: Unicorn colt; gold eyes; copper coat; silver mane; allegedly nine to ten years old; below average weight for assumed age due to lack of nourishment.

Known relatives/guardians: None. Biological family not yet located, possibly deceased.

Report: Patient brought in by Miss Applejack Apple at 8:07 AM with numerous bruises and scratch marks. No discernible signs of sexual trauma. Bruises sustained prior to admittance either accidental in accordance with patient’s story, the results of abuse, or self-inflicted (likely one of the latter two). Scratch marks most likely caused by thorns, as told by patient. Description of “wooden wolf thing” matches that of timberwolves, implying a journey through Everfree Forest. Given reason for being in Everfree unreliable, influenced by delusions. Expresses great eagerness to learn magic and be reunited with family. Denies knowing how to use magic or how to grasp objects with hoofs. Suffers from delusions of being human and an adult. Seeks to present himself as older, likely as a defense mechanism. Attempted to flee hospital, apparently from fear of being held indefinitely. Accidentally sustained concussion and sprained fetlock during runaway attempt. Was placed under close surveillance for twenty-four hour period. Highly observant, capable of paying attention and reaching deductions beyond normal age capabilities. Wary of assigned nurses and hospital staff almost to the point of hostility. Believes staff thinks he is “crazy” and rebuffs nurses attempts at reassurance to the contrary. Claims that “people” lie and “make promises they can’t or won’t keep all the time.” Distrustful of adults, saying he is “not some dumb kid who’ll believe any lie” told by adults. Refused offer to be fed when given food, saying it was humiliating and cursed his own body under his breath. Demanded to be taught how to properly grip eating utensils. Became increasingly frustrated with inability to grip following several failed attempts. Calmed down and was happy after eventual success. Refuses offers of assistance with using toilet or bathing.

Diagnosis: Patient most likely foal trafficking victim, as evidenced by wariness and distrust of adults in addition to desperation for familial contact. Lack of knowledge concerning basic facts and inability to perform either magic or certain motor skills indicative of extreme, deliberate neglect befitting traffickers. Delusions surrounding human fantasy likely created to suppress extreme trauma inflicted by captors. Delusion of human family fits patient’s view of himself as human.

Alternate Theory: Runaway, abused and neglected by biological family. Developed distrust of adults as a result. Fantasizes himself and family being human to create idealized life and escape memories of abuse.

Treatment: Bed rest for several days. Patient must be given nutrients to regain healthy amount of body weight. Recommend frequent meetings with foal counselor, beginning as soon as possible. To be referred to foal counselor Dr. Warm Light.

-Dr. Dusty Graymane

Chapter 7

Doctor Warm Light meticulously read through the report on her new patient. Ben was clearly a troubled little colt and helping him would not be an easy task. Given enough time and gentle treatment, however, he could grow to trust adults again. His “delusions,” as Doctor Graymane put it, were another matter entirely. Benjamin Lewis Walker was more than likely not his real name. If Warm Light’s hypothesis was correct, “Benjamin” and his make-believe human family were part of an alter ego created by the colt to erase traumatic memories. Unfortunately, the alter ego repressed all memories of being a pony, including basic knowledge. If Ben’s biological family was found, seeing them could possibly trigger a related memory. If he had been living happily with them, a pleasant memory would surface and go a long way to bringing out the real him. If they were the ones who abused him, however, seeing them would surely make his situation worse, causing him to retreat even further into the Ben persona. There was also the issue of whether or not his family was even alive. Ben could only give the names he created for his human family members, so finding his real family would be very difficult.

The most concrete fact of the matter was that Ben was almost completely paranoid around adults. So far, the only adult he was reported to have been entirely comfortable around was Miss Apple, the pony who found him and brought him to the hospital. Dr. Light made a note to speak with the mare later. For the moment, she needed to meet with Ben.

Doctor Light went to Ben’s new room and opened the door. Since his surveillance period was over, the colt was once again in a room with windows, which ought to have assuaged some of his fears of being in a prison or asylum. The colt in question turned his attention to her with an almost bored expression. He immediately brightened up the second he noticed her horn.

“Finally!” he exclaimed, grinning, “It’s about time they sent a unicorn! So, how does this work?” He pointed up to his horn. “Do I just concentrate and feel the magic in the air? Say an incantation? Clap my hands, er, hooves?”

The psychologist put on her best smile. Ben likely assumed she was there to teach him magic. While that was not her primary purpose, a few lessons in basic control could definitely help him. Perhaps a memory would surface. At the very least, it could get him to trust her, if only a little.

“Hello, Ben,” she said brightly, “I’m Doctor Light. I’ve heard you’re very eager to learn.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” he replied with a brief chuckle. No hint of wariness and he was being very casual. That was good. “So, what do we start with?” he asked, “Light? Telekinesis? Portals, maybe?”

Doctor Light pulled up a nearby chair and sat down, setting aside her saddlebags. “Let’s start with basic telekinesis, okay?” Focusing her magic, the psychologist’s horn glowed white. A pen floated out of the bag, covered in the same white aura as the horn. She moved the pen over to Ben’s bed as the colt stared in wide-eyed wonder. “Now you try,” she said, setting the pen on the bed.

Ben looked up at her, then down at the pen, then back up. “But how do I do it?”

“Well, first you have to know what spell you’re going to cast,” Warm Light explained. She got up and walked over to a nearby shelf where children’s books were kept. “Let’s see if we can find something that’ll help you.” She checked each individual book before eventually finding what she was looking for. “Here it is. Basic Spells for Little Fillies and Colts.” She telekinetically held up the book so Ben could see it. The colt frowned. “What’s the matter?” she asked, setting the book in front of him.

Ben sighed, looking a bit downcast. “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?”

“Magic can take a lot of time to learn,” she answered, returning to the chair. “If you struggle a little, that doesn’t make you any less special than everypony else.”

“I don’t care what you ponies think about me.” His tone became slightly angry, as if he was putting up a brave front. He probably didn’t want anypony to think he was weak or helpless. “The problem is time. I don’t know how much I have, but I know I can’t rush something like this, no matter how much I want to.”

“Why are you worried about time?” Warm Light asked. She knew about Ben’s desire to “return home” via magic, having read the report, but she needed to see his reaction. A report written after the fact could only describe so much.

“None of your business!” he snapped. “I need to learn magic ASAP and that’s all you need to know!” With that, he took the book in his hooves and tried to open it. He struggled to get a good enough grip on the front cover to open it and growled. “Stupid hooves!”

“You shouldn’t say that about yourself,” Warm Light chided gently.

“I’ll say whatever the flak I want about this damned body!” Ben retorted. He had not said “flak.”

It seemed that Ben suffered from a low opinion of himself, particularly regarding his body. The doctor did not want to think about what might have caused it. Had the human alter ego reinforced that self-loathing? She wanted to correct his language, which he likely picked up from his abusers, but that could come later.

“Why are you cursing your own body?” she asked.

“Because it’s not-” he cut himself off. “I said it’s none of your business!”

He shoved the book towards her. It almost fell off the bed, but she caught it with magic. She turned the pages to the first spell, telekinesis, and floated the book back over. He said nothing, but his eyes roamed over the page repeatedly.

She noted that Ben had closed himself off, deflecting her previous questions about him. He had been “honest” with Nurse Silverheart, as he genuinely believed he was telling the truth, but the nurse’s response, though well-intended, made him panic. He probably viewed the watch he had been put under as some sort of punishment. The lack of windows may have triggered a memory from his true self, causing Ben to put up barriers. She would have to approach the matter delicately, as he had no reason to trust her. For the moment, she simply had to watch while he learned.

Eventually, Ben looked up from the book and his eyes settled on the pen. He took a deep breath and focused on the object. The pen remained where it was. His horn began to glow a golden light that matched the color of his eyes. The pen did not move. His eyes narrowed into a glare and he bared his teeth. He snarled in frustration, the emotion fueling his magic. Slowly, the same golden glow enveloped the pen. It rolled a centimeter or two. He lifted his head, eyes never leaving the pen.

Suddenly, Ben’s horn flashed. The pen rocketed to the ceiling, bounced off, and fell back down to the bed. At the same time, various objects in the room rattled while others briefly rose then fell.

The colt rubbed his head with a hoof and groaned in pain. His horn ceased to glow as he laid back on the pillow. “What happened?” he panted.

Warm Light could barely believe it, yet everything that just occurred lined up perfectly. “You had a magic surge,” she said. Such a thing was not normal for somepony Ben’s age and the only possible explanation was extreme lack of magic use. That meant he had rarely if ever used magic in his life.

Ben groaned again. “Don’t know what that is. So tired all of a sudden…”

Warm Light had to take a moment to come up with a reassuring explanation that wouldn’t damage Ben’s already fragile self-esteem. Unfortunately, by the time the right words came to her, Ben was already asleep from exhaustion.

Seeing that she would not get anywhere with Ben for now, she decided to conclude their session. It was time to pay a visit to Sweet Apple Acres.

Author's Note

Special thanks to Rocinante for giving me the idea for Dr. Light’s diagnosis.

Chapter 8

Applejack’s daily chores were once again finished. She was about to head for the hospital to ask about Ben when somepony knocked on her door. Opening it, she was greeted by a white unicorn mare with a mane the color of sunset.

“Hello,” the mare greeted, “I’m Doctor Warm Light. Are you Miss Applejack Apple?”

Applejack nodded. “Just call me Applejack.” She shook hooves with Doctor Light. “Is this about Ben?”

“Yes, actually. May I come in?”

“Sure, sure. Come on in.”

Applejack led Warm Light into the living room. “Ya want anythang? Cider? Fritters?”

“No, thank you.” Doctor Light took a seat. “I’m Ben’s counselor. I was hoping you could answer a few questions about him?”

Applejack took the opposite seat. “‘Fraid Ah don’t know much about ‘im. Ah’ll help best Ah can, though.”

“That’s all I ask. He needs a great deal of help.”

“Did somethin’ happen?” Applejack asked, worried for the little colt. Ben had tried to run from the hospital, so there was no telling what else he might’ve tried to do.

“Nothing bad has happened,” Warm Light reassured. “He was resting when I left. Back to the matter at hoof, I would like to hear your direct account of Ben’s time spent with you. I know you gave the story to the hospital staff, but I want to make sure there are no stones left unturned. Any detail could be very important.”

Applejack agreed to recall what had happened that night and the following morning. If it could help a troubled child, she would provide as much help as possible. She proceeded to give her best account of the events, making sure to include as much as she possibly could. As she spoke, Doctor Light held out a notepad a periodically wrote in it.

“And Ah left ‘im at the hospital,” Applejack finished. “Mah friends and Ah tried ta visit yesterday, but Doctor Graymane said he had ta be watched on account o’ tryin’ ta run off. Is he doin’ alright?”

“Physically, he’ll be back on his hooves in no time,” Warm Light answered, setting down the notepad. “Psychologically, there’s no telling when or if he will fully recover.”

Applejack sighed and looked at the floor in silent lament. “Have y’all found any o’ his kin?”

“Not so far. That’s part of the reason why I’m here.”

Applejack raised her head and eyebrows, looking quizzically at the counselor.

“I have several theories about Ben’s past and psychological state,” Warm Light explained. “From what I’ve gathered, I’m positive that he does not trust adults. What caused that distrust is still conjecture at this point, but abuse is extremely likely. So far, he has refused to appear vulnerable in front of anypony except you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. He let his guard down around you by crying, which is a big display of vulnerability. Not only that, but he let you hold him as he cried. He trusts you, Applejack.”

The farm mare smiled, feeling a surge of joy on Ben’s behalf. With the joy, however, came confusion. “But why would he trust me?”

“My best guess is that you subconsciously remind him of somepony from his past who showed him unconditional love and affection. Whether that was a parent or somepony else, I don’t know. The point is that you are in the best position to help him regain his trust in adults until we find his biological family.”

Determination took root in Applejack’s heart. “How can Ah help?”

“Would you be willing to temporarily foster Ben?”

Applejack was not fully prepared for such a request. Yes, she had plenty of experience trying to be the best big sister she could be for Applebloom, but this was something else entirely. Warm Light had basically asked her to become Ben’s mother. Even if such an arrangement was temporary, the task was monumental. Was she ready for that kind of responsibility? Doubt attempted to worm its way in. “Ah swear Ah wanna help Ben, but I don’t know how ta take care of a young’un who’s been hurt like that. Ah don’t wanna make him worse.”

“I would be visiting frequently to talk to him. You could give me updates on his behavior and I could give you advice. If you do accept this, the best thing you can do for Ben while he’s in your care is to be there for him. It won’t be easy. There may be times when he’ll do bad things or throw fits purely to get your attention because he craves recognition and/or affection. You’ll need to be patient with him if that happens. He might wake up screaming from a nightmare. I don’t need to tell you what to do then. You already know that he’ll lash out whenever he feels helpless. Through all that, you need to be there for him.” Warm Light looked Applejack straight in the eye. “Are you willing to do that? Nopony would blame you if you refused.”

Applejack did not doubt that taking care of Ben would be difficult. Even watching him for less than twenty-four hours had tested her. Ben’s abrasive behavior would’ve certainly gotten him in trouble if he was a normal colt. To Applejack, Ben’s actions only served to remind her of how hurt he was. Any frustration she might’ve felt was greatly outweighed by her compassion. This would be a challenge, but she refused to back down. She still remembered the silent vow she made when she held him. An Apple did not break a promise. Doubt was crushed and resolve took its place.

“Ah’ll do it,” she declared.

Warm Light smiled in relief. “Thank you.”

“There anythin’ important Ah need ta know ‘bout Ben?”

Warm Light’s smile vanished. She sighed heavily. “You’ll definitely need to know this since you’re taking care of him. You of course remember Ben talking about his family being gone, only to later say he had to get home.”

“Yep.”

“Are you familiar with the concept of alter egos?”

“Nope.”

What followed was Warm Light’s complex theory regarding Ben’s mental state. According to her, “Ben” was an alter ego the colt created to suppress painful memories, leaving behind a subconscious distrust of adults. His drive to get home might be a twisted way of coping with his parents’ deaths, assuming that they were no longer living. If that wasn’t bad enough, Ben had fooled himself into thinking he was some kind of mythical creature called a human trapped in a little pony’s body.

Applejack could hardly believe her ears. She and her friends had dealt with some strange things, but this was unlike anything she had ever imagined. “What… What happened to that colt?” she asked aloud, more to herself than anypony else. “What coulda made him try and forget his whole life? What kinda rotten, vile, evil monster did that to ‘im?”

“I don’t know,” Warm Light replied. “Whatever it is, he got away. It’s our job to heal him the best we can. That’s all anypony can do.”

Applejack’s face hardened. “Whatever did that to ‘im could still be out there, torturin’ little fillies and colts fer fun! We’ve gotta find it and buck it ta Tartarus!”

“You have no clue where to start,” Warm Light said calmly. “The only pony who could tell us about his tormentors is Ben, and he’s nowhere near ready to talk about it, especially when he’s actively repressing the experience.”

Applejack took a deep breath, chiding herself for getting carried away. Ben badly needed her help, and she was going to help him. “Ah’ll take care of ‘im,” she declared. “Nopony’s gonna hurt ‘im no more.”

Warm Light nodded. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

Applejack brought the six of us together yesterday to help her with a very serious problem. A unicorn colt had wandered into Sweet Apple Acres the night before she talked to us. The colt in question claimed his family was gone and that he had no way of getting back to them. Later on, the colt, who goes by Ben, said that he wanted to get home to his family by using magic. We were very confused by this, since Ben had basically contradicted himself. As a result, we have no real way of knowing whether or not his parents are alive.

According to Applejack, Ben doesn’t seem to have any real knowledge of magic despite being a unicorn. We think he might’ve been foalnapped when he was really little, which would explain his lack of magical knowledge. Foalnappers wouldn’t want to give their prisoners a means to get away. How Ben might’ve escaped is anypony’s guess.

I’m sure that Ponyville General Hospital has already started searching for Ben’s family and I hope they’ll find somepony related to Ben. In the meantime, my friends and I, especially Applejack, really want to help Ben however we can, but I don’t know how to help. How can we help a colt who’s been hurt like that? What if his family’s dead? What then? How can we help him get better? I need your help.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait. I had to reevaluate which direction this story was going. Surely, Celestia would sense some kind of magic disturbance if dimensions were crossed, right? On the other hand, there’s apparently a portal that takes ponies to a high school AU FanFiction universe and Celestia can’t sense when that portal is used. This series is weird.

I apologize if anyone seems OOC. Evidently, Twilight practically worships Celestia, so I thought it made sense for her to ask advice on something this serious.

I couldn’t figure out whether to call my OC Warm Light, Doctor Light, or just Light. I mean, Sweetie Belle is always called by her full name, but then you have names like Scootaloo with no apparent surname. I can’t even with these pony names.

Finally, I would’ve gone into more detail about Warm Light’s alter ego theory, but I already did that in a previous chapter. No sense repeatedly telling the readers what they already know, right? I’m already treading the line with everyone having to relay information to others.

Chapter 9

The Apple family was enjoying a delicious dinner when Granny Smith spoke up. “Somethin’ on your mind, Applejack?” she asked.

Applejack, who was very lost in thought if her lack of appetite was any indication, stirred. She looked to her grandmother. “Uh, yeah, how’d ya guess?”

“You was starin’ off inta space.”

“I was?”

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.

“Somethin’ wrong, sis?” asked Applebloom.

“Nope,” Applejack answered quickly. “Well, nothin’ wrong with me, anyways.”

“You been thinkin’ ‘bout that poor little colt?” asked Granny.

Applejack sighed. “Yep. Ah’ve been meaning ta talk ta y’all ‘bout ‘im.” Granny motioned for her to continue. “Ya see, Ben’s counselor came over today and told me how… troubled he was.”

“Is he gonna be alright?” asked Applebloom.

“Ah don’t rightly know, and it’s eatin’ me up inside.”

“Just let that counselor do her work and Ah’ll bet Ben’s be just fine,” Granny said confidently.

“That’s kinda the problem, though,” said Applejack, looking rather uneasy.

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Well… after tellin’ me ‘bout Ben, she asked if Ah could let ‘im live with us for awhile.”

There was a brief silence as everypony processed Applejack’s words. Applebloom, who was about to bite into her salad, held her fork still and her eyebrows shot up. Big Mac, ever the reserved one, raised a single eyebrow. Granny merely smiled encouragingly at her granddaughter. “And?” she asked, “Wha’d ya say?”

“Ah said yes,” Applejack answered.

Applebloom set her fork down, having recovered from the initial shock. “Does that mean we’re a… what’s that word?”

“We ain’t adoptin’ Ben,” Granny clarified with a smile, “He’ll just be living with us ‘till the authorities can find his kin.”

Applebloom was confused. “Ah thought he said he didn’t have none.”

“He might’ve forgotten about somepony or maybe there’s kin out there he just never met.”

“Oh.”

Granny returned her attention to Applejack. “When are we s’posed ta bring him home?”

“He’ll be released from the hospital in the mornin,” Applejack answered, still uneasy.

“We’ll have a room ready for ‘im by then,” declared Granny. The old mare took note of Applejack’s lingering worry, but waited until dinner was over and the others had left the room before broaching the subject. “What else is worryin’ ya?” she asked.

Applejack was not surprised by her grandmother’s insight. She let out a heavy sigh and told Granny what Warm Light had told her regarding Ben’s condition. “Ah want ta help Ben, but Ah just don’t know how,” she finished. “Ah can’t bear ta think o’ what might’a happened to ‘im ta make ‘im like that. Ya remember what he said the other day.” She hung her head.

Granny nodded, solemnly recalling how distraught the colt was on that morning. She hummed in thought. “Well, ta tell ya the truth, Ah ain’t never seen nothin’ like this before, ‘specially not in a colt. It ain’t right, what happened ta the poor feller. Way Ah figure, the child’s starvin’ fer love. He likely ain’t had much of it. I reckon we oughta love ‘im best we can. ‘Twixt you and that counselor helpin’ ‘im, he’ll pull through alright.” She smiled in that reassuring way reserved for her family.

Applejack lifted her head and smiled back. “Yeah… I reckon so. Thanks, Granny.”

“Anytime, sugarcube, anytime.”

“Ah swear, Ah ain’t never signed so many papers in all mah life.”

Applejack had just finished signing all the necessary documentation for fostering Ben. She had tried her best to read through all of it before signing, but sadly could not understand half of what was written. Her special talent was apples, not bureaucracy.

“How soon can we pick up the little feller?” asked Granny Smith. She had come along to help greet Ben and take him home. She was also there to support her granddaughter. Applebloom was at school, but had been told to welcome Ben when she came home. Big Mac had to tend to the farm.

“Very soon,” replied Doctor Light. “They’re releasing him as we speak.”

“We’ll take good care of ‘im,” Applejack declared.

“I’m sure you will,” Light replied, “But if you need help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Applejack nodded firmly.

Nurse Redheart soon came in with Ben, who was sitting in a wheelchair and trying not to fall asleep. Other than his drowsiness, he looked a great deal healthier now. There were no visible scratch marks on him and the bruises were beginning to fade. The colt lifted his head and waved weakly at the Apples. “Hey,” he greeted with a yawn.

“What’s got ya all tuckered out?” asked Applejack.

Ben rapidly shook his head in an effort to wake up. “Spell casting,” he replied before gesturing to the nurse. “Buzzkill here interrupted my studies.”

“Ben,” Light admonished gently, “It’s rude to call other ponies names.”

“It’s rude to take away someone’s book while they’re reading and practicing magic, yet here we are.”

Redheart sighed heavily. “You were exhausting yourself trying to master that spell. Any longer and you would’ve passed out.” Ben was about to retort, but was forced to yawn. “My point exactly.”

“Whatever,” Ben said dismissively. He turned his attention to Doctor Light. “So, why am I here, again? The nurse might’ve said something about letting me out, but I’m a little too drowsy to remember.”

The psychiatrist smiled brightly. “Well, you remember the Apple family, don’t you?” She gestured to the gathered ponies.

Ben’s eyes darted to and from each pony. “Faces? Yes. Names? No.”

“That’s alright,” said Applejack. She and Granny Smith reintroduced themselves to Ben.

The colt blinked, then rubbed his forehead as he mumbled something about names under his breath. “Are you guys visiting?” he asked when the rubbing was done. “I’m really busy, so we’ll have to keep this brief.”

“Actually,” said Doctor Light, “You’re going to be staying with them for a little while.”

Ben’s eyes briefly widened. “What? What for?”

Applejack had to keep herself from wincing. She did not want to upset Ben by taking him in, but if she was the counselor’s choice, then so be it.

Doctor Light smiled, assuming control of the situation. “Well, you can’t just live at the hospital, silly.”

“We’ll give ya a nice roof over yer head and help ya with anythin’ ya need,” Applejack added, hoping to quell any fears Ben might’ve had. “We’d love ta have ya at Sweet Apple Acres, Ben.”

Ben looked away, eyes narrowed in thought. He hummed.

“Are you okay?” asked Doctor Light.

Ben frowned and let out a sigh. “Alright, listen, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the free room and board, but I don’t…” he groaned, “How do I put this? Okay, I know that you think that I’m some helpless little child.” He held up a hoof before the adults could reply. “Technically, that’s true.” He pointed to himself. “I mean, look at me. Now, I’ll bet you have laws that say I have to stay with an adult or family of some kind because I’m physically and therefore legally a minor. Am I right so far?”

If Doctor Light was surprised by Ben’s knowledge, she did not show it. Instead, she simply nodded. “You’re a very smart colt, Ben. We have those laws because we want all the fillies and colts in the world, including you, to be safe and happy. The Apples could make you very happy if you give them the chance.”

Ben’s frown deepened, much to everypony’s concern. “I’ll be ‘very happy’ when I can see my real family again and let them know I’m alright. I’ll be ‘very happy’ when I’m back where I belong.”

“Ya ain’t gonna be livin’ with us forever,” said Granny, trying to reassure the colt. “It’s just ‘till Warm Light and her friends can find yer kin. Why, you’ll be back with yer folks ‘fore ya know it!”

“Except she won’t find them, which means I’ll basically be a permanent resident unless I’m here long enough to become an adult again or I manage to create a portal home.”

“What makes you think we won’t be able find your family?” Light asked. She knew that she’d be unable to find Ben’s fantasy family, but she was trying to get him to open up. Any descriptions he might give could reflect some features from his real family. Obviously, his real family wasn’t human, but they could have the same mane or eye color.

Ben’s frown became a full glare, directed at the counselor. “I’d tell you, but you’ll just think I’m crazy and I’d rather not live in a nuthouse, thank you very much!”

The farm ponies, not knowing how to respond to such paranoia, mentally applauded Doctor Light, who did not even flinch as she raised a placating hoof. “That’s alright,” she said with the utmost gentleness, “You don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to.”

Ben took a deep breath. “Good. Now, as I was saying, I have to stay with a family of some kind because it’s the law. I seriously doubt you can make an exception for me, so I have no choice but to play ball. I’m guessing I have to go back to school too?”

“You don’t want to learn new things and get smarter?”

Ben scoffed. “The only thing I need to learn right now is magic. Everything else is useless to me.”

Every foal at that age assumed school was useless, thought Applejack. At least Ben was showing some semblance of normalcy. It was a start.

“What makes you think everything else is useless?” asked Doctor Light.

“Because Magic is the only thing that can get me home. Can knowing this world’s history get me home sooner?” Ben’s voice adopted a condescending edge. “No? Yeah, I didn’t think so! Plus, I’ll bet I’m already better than everyone else my ‘age’ at everything except history, geography, and magic.” The condescension was now gone, but Ben was clearly frustrated. “I don’t need elementary school, I need a magic teacher. Magic is the only thing that can get me home, which means I don’t need anything else. School will just keep me from learning more magic and that’s going to keep me from going home sooner.”

Doctor Light opened her mouth to speak, but Ben sharply cut her off.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be separated from your family, not knowing how they’re taking it? Suppose you had a way to go back to them, but everyone else does everything to hold you back?” His hoofs started shaking. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to do everything in my power to get back to my own world and I’m not gonna let anything stop me! And if you think for one second that I’m going to get attached to anyone here or let anyone replace my real family, YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN!”

Nopony responded to Ben’s rant as he breathed heavily in anger. He rubbed at his eyes, trying not to cry. “Damned stupid body,” he cursed, more at himself than anypony else.

Part of Applejack wanted to scold Ben for yelling, cussing, and carrying on, but another part wanted to comfort him and tell him everything was going to be okay. Behind that wall of hostility and anger the colt put up was a hurt and scared little child who just wanted to see his family again. Thus, Applejack’s gentler side won out. Almost simultaneously, both she and Doctor Light reached out to hug Ben.

The colt tried to pull away from the two mares, but they held firm, offering whatever comfort they could. “Leave me alone,” he demanded weakly.

“Shh,” soothed Doctor Light, “It’s going to be alright.”

“No, it’s not,” Ben protested. He started to sniffle. “I don’t belong here.”

Applejack held him closer. “Ah swear we’d never try’n replace you’re family, Ben. We just wanna help.”

“You can’t. You’ll just- You don’t understand. I’m not a colt. I’m not. I’m not a colt. I’ve gotta get outta here. Gotta get home.” The sniffling turned into sobbing. “You-you-you’ll treat me l-like a crazy kid!”

Doctor Light moved aside to let Applejack fully embrace Ben. “Nopony thinks you’re crazy,” said the farm mare as she started stroking his mane.

“You’re trying to stop me,” he sniveled, “I wanna go home!”

Applejack kept hugging him. For her, nothing else existed in that moment save her and the broken child held against her barrel.

Dear Twilight,

I am more than happy to help this colt find his family. That said, there is little I can do to speed up the search. I am not omnipotent, you know. However, I shall ask Luna to visit Ben in his dreams. I’m sure she can help him with his grief, as well as get a picture-perfect description of his family. That ought to aid in the search. In the meantime, I have the utmost confidence that you and your friends will find a way to help him. Simply remember the magic that is friendship.

Princess Celestia

Author's Note

I am so sorry for the delay. My job has gotten very demanding and stressful. I’ve been using video games to relax, which means I haven’t been giving myself time to work on this. Still, I hope you guys continue to enjoy this story. I can’t promise regular updates, but I’ll do my best to see this story through to the end.

Chapter 10

After what seemed like an eternity, Ben eventually calmed down and was officially released from the hospital. Though Applejack was relieved that Ben had - for the moment - stopped crying, she was still worried. Ben looked very crestfallen and hadn’t said a word since they broke the hug. When Applejack had asked whether he wanted to walk or be carried, his response was a noncommittal hum. He followed Applejack and Granny Smith out of the hospital, albeit slowly and with dejected resignation.

As the three ponies walked through Ponyville, the two mares agreed to have Ben walk between them, lest he stop without warning and get himself lost. This proved to be the right choice when Ben abruptly stopped walking. His eyes zeroed in on the nearby Golden Oaks Library and his expression became determined rather than somber.

“Do ya want a book, sugarcube?” asked Applejack, knowing what his response would be.

“I need any and all beginners’ textbooks on magic,” Ben replied quickly. “Oh, and I think you mentioned your friend Twilight owns the place? She’s the expert in magic, right?”

“That’s right,” Applejack answered. “Let’s head over there and ya can get a book. Ah’ll interduce ya ta Twilight.”

“Perfect,” said Ben.

Ben’s pace became an eager trot as the three of them headed to the library. Applejack and Granny looked at each other as they followed the colt. Granny smiled at her granddaughter. “He’s gonna be fine,” she assured.

“Ah sure hope so,” Applejack said with a sigh.

Applejack had to open the library door for Ben, as the colt could not reach the handle. A bell rang as the door opened. The library was, as usual, well-organized with books on tall shelves that reached the ceiling.

“Pretty homey-looking for a library,” Ben commented.

“It oughta be. We live here.”

The trio turned to the source of the voice. “Hi,” said the small purple dragon, “I’m Spike.” He held out a claw to the small colt. “You must be Ben.”

Ben’s mouth hung open as he stared at Spike.

“Ben,” Applejack chastised, “It ain’t polite ta stare.”

Ben blinked. “Right, sorry, I just, are you some kind of dragon?”

Spike smiled. “Yep!”

“Woah,” Ben said slowly, “A bona fide dragon. Never thought I’d see one, but then again I’ve seen a lot of those things lately.”

“Dragons?”

“No, things I never thought I’d see.” Ben’s brow furrowed. “Wait a sec, how do you know my name?”

“Oh, I live here with Twilight. She and some of our friends tried to visit you in the hospital, but the doctor said no because, um…”

“Was that while I was on suicide watch?”

Spike winced. “Yeah.”

“Oh. Why did they try to visit?”

“Ah asked ‘em to,” answered Applejack.

“What for?”

“We just wanted ta see how you were doin’.”

Ben frowned and his eyes narrowed. “I’ll be just fine when I can finally get out of here. I don’t need your misplaced pity.”

The ponies and dragon frowned in concern and sadness. “We just want ta help,” said Applejack.

“You can help by giving me the necessary materials to learn magic and leaving me alone.” He turned to Spike. “I need your best textbooks on the basics of magic. If Twilight’s in, I need to talk to her about a particular branch of magic.”

“Alright,” Spike said hesitantly. He started off toward a section of the library but turned around to face Ben. “It’s not good to be alone all the time,” he said, “If somepony wants to help you, I think you should let them help.”

Ben scoffed. “Whatever.”

“TWILIGHT!” called Spike, “Applejack and Granny Smith are here with Ben!”

“Ow,” Ben said with a wince. He briefly rubbed his ear.

It wasn’t long before Twilight came downstairs. “Hi, everypony,” she greeted before focusing on the colt in front of her. “Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” She held out a hoof.

“Ben Walker,” said the colt, clasping the offered hoof with his own and shaking it. “I’ll never get used to this hoof grip mumbo jumbo,” he said after letting go. “Feels weird.”

“Well, you’ve only recently started using your hooves,” said Twilight. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”

Ben sighed. “Just get me some beginner’s textbooks on magic.”

“Okay!” Twilight turned and went off to collect the books. The ponies could hear the telltale sound of rummaging about and a few books hitting the floor. A moment later, Twilight returned holding a large stack of books via magic. Ben watched in fascination as the stack hovered above the ground, wrapped in Twilight’s pink aura.

“Did you bring saddlebags?” Twilight asked.

Applejack cringed guiltily. “Aw, shucks,” she lamented, “Ah forgot about saddlebags. He’ll need ‘em fer school, too. Ah’d better go buy some.”

“Ah can take care o’ that,” declared Granny, “Y’all just wait here and Ah’ll be back before ya know it.” Granny started out the door before Applejack could so much as protest.

An awkward silence followed and Applejack could not fully contain her rising stress and nervousness. How careless could she have been to have forgotten something as basic for a little colt as saddlebags? What else would she forget?

“Anyway,” said Ben, either oblivious or simply ignoring Applejack’s worries, “Twilight, what do you know about teleportation?”

“Well, that’s kind of advanced for somepony your age,” said Twilight.

“I know, but I’d like to learn as much as possible. Knowledge is power, after all.”

Applejack knew that Ben wanted to try and use teleportation to get “home,” wherever that was. She was hardly an expert on magic, but was positive that teleportation could be extremely dangerous. At the same time, she knew how much this meant to him. She could hardly deny him happiness, even if he was delusional. She would have to talk to Twilight about supervising Ben’s guaranteed experimenting later.

Twilight launched into a lengthy lecture about the intricacies of vanishing from one place and reappearing in a different place, better known as teleportation. Most of what Twilight said went over Applejack’s head. Ben had the same problem if the look on his face was anything to go by. “And that’s how teleportation works,” Twilight finished.

Ben could only muster a weak “uhhh…”

Twilight gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Like I said, it’s kind of advanced for somepony your age. You can’t rush magic, you know.” Ben became downcast. “But don’t worry! You’ll get it when the time comes. You just need to keep learning, that’s all.”

Ben slowly nodded. “Keep learning,” he murmured, “Just keep learning.”

The door to the library opened, accompanied by the ringing bell. Granny Smith had returned with saddlebags. “Let’s get these on ya,” she told Ben. She proceeded to help him put on and secure the saddlebags. They proceeded to fill them with the borrowed books.

“Huh,” said Ben, looking at the bags, “Kinda feels like a backpack, but the weight is distributed more to the middle than my shoulders.”

“I’ve never heard of a backpack before,” said Twilight, “What is it?”

“Think saddlebags, but the stuff you carry is actually on your back and hangs from the shoulders.”

Twilight gave Applejack a questioning look. The farm pony could only shrug, as neither knew what the colt was talking about. How could anypony carry something that hung from the shoulders? They would trip way too easily. Also, how could something be on your back and hang from your shoulders at the same time? It was likely connected to Ben’s human fantasy. Either that, or it was simply normal colt imagination.

“Well,” said Ben, “I’ve got a lot of studying to do, so let’s get going.” He turned and started out the door.

“Hold it,” said Granny.

“Hm?”

“Ain’t you forgettin’ somethin’?”

Ben looked at his saddlebags in confusion. “I’m positive I’ve got all the books here.”

“Not that,” corrected Granny, “Ain’t there somethin’ ya wanna say to Miss Twilight?”

Applejack mentally kicked herself. She should’ve been to one to tell Ben to mind his manners. Sadly, she had forgotten, just as she had forgotten the saddlebags.

Ben remained confused for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly. He frowned and shut his eyes as he let out a sigh. He brought a hoof up to his nose as he bowed his head slightly. He looked as if he had just smelled something foul.

“Ben!” scolded Applejack, “That ain’t nice!”

Ben lifted his head, lowering his hoof. “What?”

“Apologize ta Twilight fer bein’ rude.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Applejack’s anger rose. In the back of her mind, she knew this likely wasn’t the right way to handle the situation given Ben’s background, but she was running on instinct. She couldn’t let such blatant rudeness go without consequences. She glared at Ben. “You watch yer mouth!”

Ben glared right back, adding a growl for good measure. “Shut up! I’m sick of you idiots treating me like a fricking child!” He had said a much harsher word than “fricking.” Twilight gasped.

“That’s it!” yelled Applejack. She stormed up to Ben and grabbed him by the ear. She practically dragged the struggling colt to the bathroom, scolding him all the while for his deplorable behavior. Ben refused to listen and let out an orchard’s worth of obscenities that left all within earshot blushing.

“Oh my,” breathed Twilight once the door slammed shut, “I’d never heard most of those words.” She turned to Granny. “Are they going to be okay?”

Loud swearing from Ben could be heard through the door. Granny winced. “Poor fella ain’t been raised right. Ah know he needs lots o’ love, but we can’t let him go ‘round cussin’ like that and bein’ rude ta everypony.”

“I guess not. I just hope Ben can, well, get better.” Twilight mentally shuddered as she recalled that Ben had been on suicide watch.

“Ah do too, but Applejack’s gonna need some help.”

“We’ll help.”

“Ah know ya will.”

Ben’s muffled shouting persisted and Twilight made a note to buy soap. Applejack had her work cut out for her.

Author's Note

Caretakers and guardians are not perfect. They can and will make mistakes, as shown here.

I probably owe you guys an explanation for the delay. You see, my father recently put a bunch of restrictions on my mobile devices and now it won't let me access my story or profile. I've been trying to change things around as best I can to circumvent that problem. The only device I can use to access this story sends random screenshots to my father, which means he'll probably see this, demand an explanation, demean me, then do who knows what. So, if you don't see an update to this story again, you'll know why.

Chapter 11

Applejack held Ben firmly over the sink with one hoof and kept the bar of soap in his mouth with the other. Ben tried to struggle, but it was futile against the adult earth pony.

“Are ya ready ta apologize?” Applejack asked sternly. Ben glared at her with murder in his eyes. “Don’t give me that look,” she said. “You were the one cussin’ and carryin’ on and now ya gotta take the consequences. Ya shouldn’t ha’ been so rude, neither. Granny was askin’ ya ta tell Twilight thank you fer givin’ ya them books and ya went and held yer nose at her like she was some smelly piece o’ trash!”

Ben’s glare lessened and an unmistakable “hnn?” escaped his mouth.

“Whaddaya mean ‘huh?’”

Ben glared again and gestured to the soap.

“You gonna start cussin’ again if Ah take this out?”

Ben kept glaring but slowly shook his head.

“Alright, but Ah don’t want ya cussin’ anymore, ya hear?”

Ben nodded. Applejack removed the soap and the colt dove his head under the faucet. He ran the water all throughout his mouth, spitting and making disgusted noises in the process. “Now, what’d ya say ‘huh’ fer?” Applejack asked when he was done rinsing.

“Because I wasn’t holding my nose at Twilight,” Ben replied, still angry. “I have a habit of pinching the bridge of my nose whenever I’m mildly frustrated. The habit carried over into this body even though I can’t do it without fingers and this stupid muzzle doesn’t even have a bridge!”

Applejack felt a pit in her stomach. She thought he was being rude when he was just acting under the influence of his delusions. The whole conflict could’ve been easily avoided if she had just kept her temper. Yes, Ben had started cursing, but that was only because she had gotten mad at him first. She felt so ashamed. Some foster parent she was, making one mistake after another.

Oblivious to Applejack’s guilty conscience, Ben started ranting. “I can’t even properly express myself anymore! I’m nowhere close to getting home even though I have magic, which should let me change reality on a whim, but I can’t hardly lift a rock!” Ben’s voice broke and he started rubbing furiously at his eyes. “And if that wasn’t enough, I’m not even in the right body! At least if I was an adult pony, I wouldn’t have to deal with foster care and pitying looks and all that other crap, but no! I’m in the body of some helpless little colt and everyone’s treating me like one even though I’m not and I can’t stop crying and everyone’s holding me back and I hate my life and I just want to go HOME!”

Applejack failed to keep a tear of her own from leaking out as Ben broke down again, knowing that this was her fault. “Oh, Ben,” she sniffled, “Ah’m so sorry.” She reached out and hugged the colt, but he tried to pull away. “Ah’m sorry,” she choked out, holding him closer, “Ah’m sorry.” Ben tried to resist the embrace, but he eventually put his little forelegs around Applejack’s neck. The mare and colt held each other in the library bathroom and cried as one apologized repeatedly.

When the two broke apart, they exited the bathroom and noticed that Granny had left the library. Twilight was likely in her own room. Spike had his snout in a comic book, but waved when he saw them walk by. Ben gave a brief wave in return before they exited the library.

“Ah’m awful sorry,” said Applejack as they walked down the street. “Ah shouldn’t ha’ started yellin’ at ya like that.”

Ben sighed. “Yeah, I was being a bit of a jackass too.” Applejack stiffened, which Ben seemed to notice. He sighed. “Most everyone talks like that where I come from.”

Worry and even more guilt shot through Applejack like an arrow. Yet another reminder of Ben’s terrible life and she had just gone and made things worse. “That don’t sound like a very nice place,” she said carefully.

Ben shrugged. “It’s a cruel world, but it’s home. My home.”

Applejack did not know what to say. How could anypony be attached to a place that was cruel? What made Ben the way he was?

“You know, I’m curious,” Ben commented.

“‘Bout what?” asked Applejack.

“I figured I’d be put with some foster family, but I was kinda wondering why they put me with you specifically. Did you volunteer or something?”

“Ah was asked to.”

“Okay.”

“Why’re ya wonderin’?” Was he hoping to be put with somepony else? Had she completely broken her promise to help by doing what she did?

“It’s just a little odd that the first per— uh… local I met here is the same one picked to watch me.”

Applejack recalled Warm Light’s reasons for choosing her. How it was possible that she reminded Ben of his mother, or at least somepony who had shown him kindness. She had failed in that regard. She would have to tell the counselor about the incident and hope they found somepony better to take care of Ben.

The two ponies continued their walk back to Sweet Apple Acres in silence. The mare dreaded the inevitable talk with Warm Light, but it was for the best.

When Applejack and Ben made it to the farm, the mare took the colt upstairs to his new room, which Granny had fixed up in their absence. She helped Ben take off his saddlebags and he took out the books. He tried to get into the bed, but Applejack had to help him up. Once on the comfortable mattress, he opened a book and began reading. His body language made it very clear that he wanted to be left alone. Applejack obliged and headed outside. There was still work to be done, after all. Her brief stint as a foster mother would not change that. She avoided Granny’s gaze on the way out.

Applejack spent the next few hours trying her best to focus on her work and put Ben out of mind. She was going to fess up to Warm Light and Ben would be taken someplace better by the end of the day. Nevertheless, she was still plagued by her guilt. This in turn greatly affected her ability to focus. Big Mac was quick to take notice.

“Somethin’ on yer mind?” he asked.

“What makes ya think that?” asked Applejack, her depression plain as day.

“Ya look like somepony just told ya Winona died.” As if to emphasize Big Mac’s point, Winona walked up and started licking Applejack’s face.

After taking a moment to calm her beloved dog down, Applejack turned to face her brother. “Ah done messed up somethin’ terrible,” she began. She proceeded to explain what had happened. “Ah’m the worst foster parent ever,” she lamented, “Punishin’ a hurt little colt over a stupid misunderstandin’.”

“Ain’t no sense beatin’ yerself up over it,” said Big Mac.

“Ain’t you heard a word Ah just said? Ben’s a right wreck and Ah just made it worse!”

“Everypony messes up.”

“This ain’t some little mistake that can be fixed later, Big Mac! Ah didn’t forget ta kiss ‘im goodnight or anythin’ small like that! Ah hurt ‘im! Ah can’t just take that back!”

“So what’re ya gonna do?”

Applejack sighed, hanging her head. “Ah’m gonna have ta tell Warm Light about it. Tell her the truth so she can find somepony who’ll take care of Ben ten times better than me.”

Big Mac did not reply at first, but he did place a hoof across his sister’s withers. “You oughta tell the counselor ‘bout what happened,” he said, “But Ah don’t think ya should give up.”

“Ah have to. Ah can’t take care of Ben if Ah go messin’ up like this.”

“Taint no reason ta give up. Ah don’t know much about that counselin’ stuff, but Ah figure that Warm Light’ll tell ya the same thang.”

“Ah doubt it.”

“Figured. Now, come on. We still got work ta do.”

Author's Note

Well, I’m back on a device that won’t send out screenshots. I had to change my username, though, because my old one was triggering some arbitrary blocker. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named still doesn’t know I write on here I intend to keep it that way.

I was going to have Ben and Applejack arguing for an extended period, but that felt like I was needlessly dragging along the conflict and it reminded me of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object: they surrender. This is not the end of all conflict, as Ben is still an emotional wreck with an obsession and Applejack doesn’t really know how to help. It seems they both need a bit of cheering up. :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 12

“Hi, Applejack!”

Pinkie had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres just in time for the day’s work to be finished. Applejack had a very good idea of what had brought her to the farm. “Howdy, Pinkie,” she greeted.

“So, I remembered what you said the other day about Ben’s Welcome to Ponyville party and I was feeling tingly on the middle hair in the back of my mane, so I didn’t invite everypony in Ponyville because Ben sounds kinda shy and instead I just invited the Elements of Harmony and Spike and all the schoolfillies and schoolcolts and their parents and Cheerilee and Doctor Warm Light!” She started pulling party items out of the pocket dimension that was her mane and began to set up. “The tingling said the party should be out here. Can we have the party out here? Can we?”

Applejack blinked. “Uh… sure.”

“Okie Dokie Loki!” Pinkie resumed her party preparations with vigor. Applejack, on the other hoof, began preparing herself for the coming talk with Doctor Light. The farm mare could not bear the thought of failing anypony, but she had failed Ben. Anypony could attest that failure felt terrible, but admitting it was even worse. Nevertheless, Applejack would not cower away from what needed to be done. She went into the house, not yet fully prepared to face the mare who entrusted her with a foal.

Granny was quick to notice Applejack’s downcast mood. “Big Mac said you was feelin’ low,” she told her, “Mind tellin’ me what’s got ya so down? Ya ain’t worryin’ about Ben, are ya?”

Applejack sighed. “Ah shouldn’t ha’ used the soap on Ben,” she lamented, “That whole thang with his nose was just some bad habit he’d picked up. Didn’t mean nothin’ by it, and Ah went and punished ‘im for it.”

“You was punishin’ him fer his awful mouth,” Granny reminded, “Ain’t nopony decent enjoys disciplinin’ foals, but they gotta learn.”

“But Ah should’a been more patient with ‘im,” Applejack insisted. “If’n Ah hadn’t started yellin’, he likely wouldn’t ha’ started cussin’. Ah shudder ta think o’ where and how he even heard some o’ them words. Hay, Ah should’a remembered he hadn’t had the best life before Ah found ‘im. What if Ah somehow reminded him o’ the varmints that hurt ‘im?”

Granny took a moment to contemplate Applejack’s words. “Ah don’t rightly know what Ben’s gone through, and Ah know there ain’t no easy cure-all with parentin’. The way Ah figure, ya can’t let one bad day get ya down, no matter the job. If’n ya can’t get all the apples in one buck, ya just keep on buckin’ away ‘till it’s done.”

Applejack’s expression lifted, if only a little. “Ah get what yer sayin’, Granny, and yer makin’ sense, but it ain’t up ta me. Ah still have ta talk ta Warm Light about what happened. She’ll likely take Ben someplace else.”

“Well, you’ll buck that tree when ya get to it,” Granny reassured. “Fer now, ya best be checkin’ on the young’un. He’s been in his room and Ah ain’t heard nary a peep out of ‘im.”

Applejack nodded and started up the stairs. When she reached Ben’s room, she hesitated at the door. Just as Granny had said, she couldn’t hear anything from inside. Was he taking a nap? Had he tried to run away? Slowly, Applejack opened the door, hoping to see him on the other side. To her great relief, Ben was right where she had left him. He was sprawled over the bed with a textbook and several small objects in front of him, sound asleep with his face firmly planted in the book. Applejack was strongly reminded of Twilight. It was very cute, but it also meant Ben had likely exhausted himself studying and practicing his magic. Applejack decided to let Ben sleep, at least until Pinkie was ready to start the party. Hopefully, the festivities and meeting new foals would help cheer him up.

Applejack left the sleeping colt and headed outside. By that point, more of her friends had arrived, including the Elements and Spike. The ponies and dragon exchanged greetings and it was clear that they were all wondering about Ben.

“So, how are you and the little colt getting along?” asked Rarity.

Applejack winced. Twilight and Spike looked uncomfortable.

“Oh, dear,” said Rarity. “Whatever is the problem?”

“Ben’s got a huge potty mouth,” Spike interjected. “It was so bad I wish Twilight could erase those words from my memory.”

“Even if I could modify somepony’s memories, there is no way I would do something so incredibly dangerous!” Twilight declared. “I might completely destroy somepony’s identity or turn their brain into a vegetable or-”

“Calm yourself, darling,” said Rarity, “We all know you wouldn’t do that.”

“Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Rainbow commented.

“Ah was way too hard on ‘im,” said Applejack, hanging her head. “Ah messed up big time and now the poor colt’s likely scared to death of me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” said Twilight, trying to reassure her friend. “He doesn’t act scared around you, does he?”

“Well, no…”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” said Rarity. “Besides, you have us to help with anything you might need.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow chimed in, “I’ll bet he’ll be right as rain when Pinkie’s done cheering him up with this party. I’ll be more than happy to do some flying to liven things up a little. Foals love that kinda stuff.”

“Thanks, y’all,” Applejack said with a slight smile, “But Ah still need ta make up fer what Ah done. Best way ta do that is talk ta Warm Light. Ah’d best go find her.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” asked Twilight.

“Thanks, but Ah oughta do this mahself.”

“If you’re sure…”

“It’s mah mistake, so Ah gotta own up to it.”

Applejack did not have to wait long for Doctor Light to show up. Steeling herself, she made her way over to the counselor.

“Hello, Applejack,” greeted Doctor Light. Her bright smile diminished once she saw the farmer’s guilt-ridden expression. “Did something happen?” she asked.

Applejack related every detail of the incident and the events surrounding it, leaving no tree unbucked. “He’s up in his room sleepin’ right now,” she finished. “You can take ‘im away as soon as the party’s over.”

Doctor Light’s expression looked complicated to say the least, as if she were attempting to appear friendly and gentle while simultaneously struggling to contain righteous anger. She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t think I need to tell you how badly this might affect him,” she said calmly. “He may very well have cried himself to sleep as soon as you left the room. I’m sure you’ve learned from your colossal mistake, but I can’t stress this enough: there cannot, I repeat, cannot, be any physical punishments. We still don’t know exactly how he was treated in the past and this will very likely extend how long it will take for him to eventually break out of his alter ego. In other circumstances, I would probably take him out of your hooves this instant. However, there’s a problem.”

“What’s that?” Applejack asked, feeling completely miserable.

“I’ve talked to several other registered foster parents in Ponyville. So far, none of them have been willing to take Ben in on account of his condition. They’re too scared of slipping up or getting mad at his ‘weird’ delusions. One of them, and I won’t say who, said that Ben should be in a mental institution.”

Applejack gasped. “But that— that’d break ‘im!” she protested.

“I know,” Light replied. “At Ben’s age, he needs to be loved. That’s why I asked you to take care of him in the first place. I knew you cared. It’s because I know you still care, so much that you’ve clearly been hard on yourself over this, that I’m going to continue letting Ben stay here.”

Applejack was shocked. “But Ah really messed up! Ya said so yerself! Ah couldn’t live with mahself if Ah were to mess up like that again!”

“Then you have plenty of incentive to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Nopony’s perfect and that includes parents. Mistakes can and will be made. What matters is that you learn from that mistake, apologize for it, and keep moving forward. You’ve already apologized to Ben, which may mean more to him than you might think. Now you need to move forward. For Ben’s sake.”

Applejack slowly nodded. “Alright. Ah swear Ah’ll do my best. That’s a promise.”

“That’s all I ask,” said Doctor Light. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, there’s a party about to start and the guest of honor isn’t here yet.”

Applejack gave a slight smile. “Ah’ll go fetch ‘im.”

Author's Note

Well, my graduate school quarter starts soon. Needless to say, that’s going to affect when I can work on the story. Classes take priority, you understand.

Fun fact, I originally had Pinkie say “a few chapters ago” instead of “the other day,” but I decided that it felt too forced.

Anyways, next chapter is Ben’s Welcome to Ponyville party. Who will he meet? Will he get along with anyone? Is Pinkie’s mere existence going to blow his mind? I don’t know, I haven’t written it yet.

Chapter 13

Ben was still asleep when Applejack walked into his undecorated room. She carefully approached the bed and nudged him gently. “Ben,” she said, “Time ta wake up.”

The colt moaned in response, as foals often did when refusing to wake. Applejack nudged him again and repeated herself. He stirred and blearily opened his eyes. Disappointment crossed his face the second he noticed Applejack. He sighed. “How long have I been out?”

“Ah don’t know fer sure,” Applejack answered, as she did not know when Ben had fallen asleep. “Probably not too long. Day ain’t over yet.”

Ben looked out the nearby window and saw that the sun was still out. “Okay, I can get in a few more hours of study. Thanks for the wake-up.”

“How long have ya been doin’ that?” she asked. She knew the answer, but wanted it straight from the colt.

“Basically until I conked out,” he answered. “Apparently, magic practice is basically a workout but without the rapid heartbeat and the urge to lie down is on steroids.”

Applejack did not know what a steroid was, but decided she was better off not knowing. It was likely more of Ben’s imagination at work, anyway. “Why don’t ya take a little break?” she suggested, “Come on outside and romp around a bit.”

“I just had a break. You woke me up from it.”

“Readin’s good fer ya and all that, but so’s being outside. The sun’s still shinin’ and Applebloom’s comin’ home from school. Why don’t y’all head out and play a bit?”

Ben sighed and moved a hoof toward his face. It was about to touch his nose, a terrible reminder for Applejack, but he stopped. He briefly stared at his hoof, then lowered it with a grimace. “I don’t have time to play. I wouldn’t get along with the kids, anyway.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Applejack asked, hoping to get Ben to open up about his past. If he could remember something, it would help his true self come out.

“Kids are loud, annoying, and stupid.”

“That ain’t very nice, Ben.”

“It’s true. All they ever think about is play time and meal time and they don’t give a crap about anyone but themselves. I know I look the part for some stupid reason, but I am the exact opposite of a child. There’s no way I’d get along with any of them. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

Applejack felt confused by Ben’s strong dislike of ponies his own age. Had he been bullied? Did he just hate foals because he thought that was how an adult would think about them? Given how much Ben tried to present himself as older, that did not paint a good picture of the adults in his life. He definitely needed to socialize, however. Even the farm mare knew it was unhealthy for somepony, especially a foal, to be that introverted. She had to get him to the party for his own good, but she didn’t want to force him. It was time to change tactics.

“Do ya like cake?” she asked.

Ben, who had resumed reading, lifted his head. “Cake?” Applejack nodded. “Uh, yeah, who doesn’t?”

She smiled. “Well, a friend o’ mine made ya one. Why don’t ya come down and try some?”

Ben opened his mouth, but his stomach answered before he could. “I guess I’d better eat something,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “Maybe some legit food to go with the cake.”

Success! “Just come on down, then.” With any luck, Ben would enjoy himself with other foals and worry about his obsession later. Applejack would likely need to report what he had said about children to Doctor Light and see what she would make of it.

Applejack patiently led Ben downstairs. The colt was very hesitant and moved slowly, being very careful where he set each hoof. He was tense the entire time, but Applejack stayed at his side, ready to catch him if he fell. Eventually, they reached the bottom. Ben followed Applejack to the front door. “Where are you taking me?” He asked warily. “The kitchen’s that way.”

“The cake’s outside,” Applejack explained.

Ben blinked. “As in it hasn’t arrived yet and you want to stand outside and wait for your friend to get here?”

“Nope, she’s here already. She’s waitin’ fer ya.”

“Oooookay. You know what? Let’s just hurry this up.”

Applejack opened the door and the two were greeted by a small crowd of ponies. “SURPRISE!” they all shouted. Tables had been set up, boasting snacks and refreshments. On the center table was a large chocolate cake with Ben’s name on it. Above the crowd hung a banner that read “Welcome to Ponyville, Ben!”

Ben’s jaw dropped, completely taken aback by the site. Had nopony ever thrown a party for him? “Uhhh…” was all he could say. Pinkie zipped up beside him. “Hi!” she said, “You must be Ben! I’m Pinkie Pie! Were you surprised by my party? Were you? Were you?” She started bouncing up and down. Standard Pinkie fare for Applejack, but she wondered if her pink friend’s antics were overwhelming the poor colt.

Ben started gesturing everywhere with his hoof. “Uh, what’s… all this about?”

“It’s a party, silly!” Pinkie answered. “It’s a party for you!”

“Well, I got that, but it’s not my birthday or anything.”

“But you’re new!”

“Huh?”

“Everypony new in Ponyville gets their very own ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ Party! You’re new, so you get a party! Do you like chocolate?”

“Uh, sure. Everyone likes chocolate.”

“Yay!” Pinkie vanished for a split second, only to come back with a big slice of cake and a fork on a paper plate. “Look!” She rotated the plate to display the frosted top of the piece. “It’s a ‘B’ for Ben!”

The colt blinked, looking a little lost. “Thanks.” He looked around. “Could you bring it to that table over there? I’d rather not eat on the ground.”

“Yuppers!” Pinkie affirmed. She and Applejack accompanied Ben to the table. Pinkie waited until Ben had sat down before holding out the piece of cake once more. “Eat up!”

Ben narrowed his eyes in focus and his magical aura surrounded the plate. Slowly and shakily, the plate moved out of Pinkie’s hooves and hovered over to Ben. He let the plate carefully descend to the table. Letting out a breath and briefly rubbing his forehead, he took the fork in his hoof and started eating.

“Do you like it?” asked Pinkie, moving right next to Ben’s face.

“GAH!” Ben leaped backwards and fell on the ground. “What have you got against personal space, huh?”

“Nothing, what’d it ever do to me?”

Ben got up and returned to his cake, mumbling all the while in a tone that Applejack could only call murderous. The mare wisely decided to pull Pinkie away from Ben. “Where are we going?” asked the party pony.

Applejack dragged Pinkie over to where the rest of her friends had gathered. Doctor Light was there, too.

“Is Ben alright?” asked Fluttershy.

“Ah dunno,” said Applejack. “Ah had ta coax ‘im out here by mentionin’ food and even then, he only came out of his room ‘cause he was hungry. He didn’t want ta quit studyin’. Ah talked to ‘im about playin’ with other colts and fillies his age, but he said he don’t like young’uns.”

“Maybe he’s shy because other foals bullied him,” Fluttershy suggested meekly.

“I kinda had trouble socializing at that age, too,” said Twilight. “He’s definitely the studious type.”

“It could be a combination of those,” said Doctor Light. “Did he explain why he dislikes other foals?”

“He thinks they’re stupid,” Applejack replied.

“Harsh,” said Rainbow.

“Why would he say something like that?” asked Rarity. “He doesn’t think he’s better than other foals, does he?”

“No,” said Doctor Light. “Quite the opposite, actually. He has a very low opinion of himself, most likely an inferiority complex.”

“What’s that?” asked Applejack.

“It means he constantly feels weak and/or inadequate compared to everypony else. We know that he only recently began to learn magic when he should have started much younger. Combine that with an abusive past and his observed behavior so far, it makes perfect sense.”

Applejack thought back to Ben’s every action that she could remember. She recalled how he deliberately hurt himself over such a simple mistake as falling down the stairs. How sullen he was, to the point of not wanting to live anymore. He had no idea how to even hold something in his hoof. She remembered how he had brightened up once he learned about magic. He had clearly been treated horribly, which was why he had made up a family that he was now desperate to “go home” to.

“So, he’s insulting other foals to feel better about himself?” Twilight asked.

“Not necessarily,” said Doctor Light. “Applejack, did you ask Ben why he thinks foals are dumb?”

“He said they were selfish and don’t think about nothin’ but eatin’ and playin’. Ya think he might’a been bullied?”

“Maybe. Most foals care about those things because they aren’t given much else to care about. They aren’t given big responsibilities and they just assume their parents will be there to take care of them until they grow up. It’s possible that Ben was bullied and nopony in his age group helped him out of fear, which he took to be selfishness. However, it’s also possible that he was saddled with too much responsibility for his age and is now taking out his resentment onto others. Either way, it’s clear that he wants to be seen as an adult. The very idea of acting his age is unbearable to him, but the best way for him to heal is to be given a normal childhood. He’ll resist every step of the way, but he needs to be loved. He needs to be shown how much you care about him. Slowly, he’ll open to you, giving you more trust. Eventually, he’ll be able to accept himself and live his life like any colt should.”

Applejack would not deny that she felt overwhelmed by the monumental task set before her, but her resolve would not waver. She was most dependable pony in Equestria and she was not about to fail this colt. Not again. “Ah’ll do mah best,” she declared.

“And we’ll be there to help all the way,” said Twilight, standing by her friend. The remaining four Elements of Harmony moved closer to Applejack, showing their support.

Doctor Light smiled. “I think it’s safe to say that Ben is in good hoofs.”

Shouting could suddenly be heard from nearby. The mares snapped their heads in the direction the commotion was coming from. That’s was Ben’s voice and he was cursing up a storm. Applejack’s hooves moved automatically as she silently cursed herself for leaving Ben alone.

Author's Note

And the misunderstandings just keep on coming. Yes, I technically ended this on a cliffhanger, but that was because I want to cover the upcoming incident from another character’s perspective. I figured that switching POVs mid-chapter broke the flow.

Classes start tomorrow and this quarter is looking to be a doozy.

Chapter 14

Few, if any, of the fillies and colts invited to the Welcome to Ponyville party knew what to make of the new colt. Most whispered among themselves as they watched Ben eat alone. Some wondered why he was with the Apple Family. Others wanted to know how he got such a strange name. A few decided he was probably no fun because he was by himself. To three particular fillies, however, Ben was their mission.

The trio that was the Cutie Mark Crusaders made Ben their mission for two simple reasons. The first and most obvious was that, like them, he had no cutie mark. Having friends with the same predicament would be perfect for him. The second was that they knew he needed friends. Applebloom had been there the morning Ben ranted about having no family and told her fellow Crusaders such. While empathy was not their strong point, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took pity on Ben and agreed with Applebloom to make him a Crusader. Furthermore, Scootaloo pointed out that if they succeeded in helping Ben, they might get cutie marks in cheering up ponies, just like those counselors Doctor Graymane told them about. Thus, their mission was clear.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS COUNSELORS YAY!”

Determined to spread friendship and get their marks, the three fillies approached Ben with smiles on their faces. Such smiles were well-known and feared by the denizens of Ponyville, for they were a perfect indication that Crusader shenanigans were about to occur. The fillies bore no malice behind their grins, but the ponies around them usually took warning at the sight. One could never be too careful.

The Crusaders moved to sit at the table as Ben was finishing up his piece of cake. To the observant eye, Ben was in a hurry. The Crusaders were not known for being observant, however.

“Hi!” said Scootaloo.

“Hello,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Howdy,” said Applebloom.

Ben’s eyes darted to each of the three fillies. “Hey,” he greeted, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else. The fillies collectively concluded that he was shy. Nothing a little cheering up couldn’t fix.

“Remember me?” asked Applebloom.

“Face? Yes. Name? No. Something apple-related, right?”

“Ah’m Applebloom,” declared the earth pony.

“I’m Sweetie Belle,” said the unicorn.

“And I’m Scootaloo,” said the pegasus.

“AND WE’RE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” they chorused.

Ben winced and instinctively covered his ears. “Ow.”

“Just like you, we don’t have our cutie marks yet,” Scootaloo explained.

“Your what?”

“Our cutie marks.”

“What the heck’s a cutie mark?”

The three friends felt their collective jaws drop and eyes widen in complete incredulity. “You don’t know what a cutie mark is?” Sweetie Belle asked, not quite believing her ears.

“No, and I don’t care.”

“You should care!” Scootaloo exclaimed with great passion. “Your cutie mark shows what your special talent is! Don’t you want to be talented at anything?”

Ben looked confused, but then his eyebrows raised in a way that reminded Sweetie Belle of Rarity whenever she remembered something important. “Wait a sec, you mean to tell me that everyone gets a tattoo on their a— butts just to tell everyone else what their job is?”

“What’s a tattoo?”

“A picture you get painted onto your body, which is exactly what the rest of you have on your butts!”

“Ya can’t paint on a cutie mark!” Applebloom protested, “It’ll appear when ya figure out yer talent!” This colt wasn’t making any sense at all.

“What do you mean it’ll appear? You just wake up one morning with some magic tattoo on your ass?” Sweetie gasped at such blatantly filthy language. The other two flinched. Ben was no longer paying attention to them, however, and was now ranting at nopony in particular. “What kind of BULL[$#@] is that? How the [] are you supposed to know what you’re good at based on a [] picture? Like, say your picture was a water droplet; does that mean you’re a swimmer, a plumber, or a f&%’$ fireman? NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY [g#&)&*] [f@$;’f] SENSE! WHY DOES THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE RUN ON BULL[S*&$]?

“BEN!”

Applejack had arrived with her friends and one other mare that none of the Crusaders recognized. All eyes were now on the seven adults and Ben as Applejack looked conflicted. She clearly wanted to scold, as she would do whenever she caught her sister saying bad words, but she was also holding herself back for reasons Applebloom couldn’t fathom.

Ben groaned. “Oh, it’s you.” He pointed to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Don’t even get me started on whatever the heck you can do. I mean, seriously, how do you move clouds? They’re not supposed to be solid objects! They’re GASEOUS! HOW? THIS IS BULLS@#($!”

The mare Applebloom didn’t recognize stepped forward. “Ben, you shouldn’t say things like that,” she admonished patiently.

“F&+@ you!” Everypony gasped. “F&+@ magic! F&+@ this universe and whatever magical bull$+&# got me here in the first place!”

Most of the adults clearly wanted to scold Ben for being so rude. The mare, likely Ben’s counselor, kept calm. “I think you should go to your room,” she declared.

Ben threw his front hooves in the air, briefly balancing on his hind legs. “Fine by me! I didn’t want to be out here anyway!” Ben turned and headed back to the house with the counselor following close behind. He found himself struggling to get inside. “Great!” he yelled, slamming a hoof into the ground. “Can’t even open a damn DOOR!” The counselor opened it for him and he stormed in with a growl. The mare followed and closed the door behind them, leaving the stunned adults and children to ponder what they had just heard as more shouting came from inside the house.

Applejack let out a deep sigh and started toward the door. Feeling a hoof on her shoulder, she turned to see Twilight. The unicorn said nothing, but the question was plainly written on her face: “Do you want us to go in with you?” Applejack shook her head. She hated to admit it, but there was little, if anything, her friends could do to help.

Applejack entered the house as Doctor Light was trying to talk to Ben. “You need to calm down,” the counselor admonished.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN? You try and be in my shoes, why don’t you? Put yourself in my exact situation and we’ll see just how [@#/*& calm you are then!”

“I can’t know your situation if you don’t tell me,” Warm Light said evenly. “I know it hurts, but we need you to tell us what happened to you, even if somepony else told you to keep it a secret.”

“Told me to-? What?”

“It’s okay, Ben. Nopony’s going to hurt you again.”

“What the f&*/# are you talking about? Hurt me again? The f&*# is that supposed to-?” Ben stopped and his eyes widened, so much so they almost seemed to pop out of his head. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just hold the phone for a sec. You think I’ve been abused? Is that what that hurt me again spiel was?” He glared. “Well, I’ve got news for you, Sherlock, Mom and Dad never did anything like that! Not to me or any of my siblings!”

Applejack was confused. Was Ben being defensive, or was this all a big misunderstanding? She hoped it was the latter, but even if his parents weren’t abusive, that confirmed he had been foalnapped. Unless, of course, these were those false memories created by the alter ego Warm Light mentioned. Too many questions.

“I’m not accusing your mom or your dad,” said Warm Light.

“None of my other relatives, either!” Ben snapped. “They never beat me or touched me or anything you’re thinking about, got it?”

Warm Light raised one hoof placatingly. “I believe you,” she said gently, “But what happened to you?”

“I’m stuck here, that’s what’s happened!”

“You were taken from your family?”

“My family and everything else that mattered to me!”

Applejack tensed. Ben had all but confirmed that somepony had foalnapped him. Warm Light obviously recognized this, because she pressed. “Can you tell me who took you?”

Ben was silent for a moment, then he slammed a hoof against his face. Hard. Applejack and Warm Light were at his side in a second. “Please don’t hurt yerself,” Applejack pleaded as Warm Light pulled his hoof away from his face.

Ben growled, half in pain and half in anger. “No one took me,” he declared, “I don’t know how I got here. I can’t remember.”

“You’re sure?” asked Warm Light, neither she nor Applejack fully believing the colt.

“Yes, I’m sure!”

“What’s the last thing you remember before you got here?”

Ben groaned in exasperation. “I blacked out, okay?”

“Whaddaya mean?” Applejack asked. Had he been slipped a sleeping pill and taken in his sleep? Did somepony hit him in the head?

Ben put his hoof over his nose. “I was celebrating with my friends and I passed out. Next thing I know, I’m stuck in a forest, looking like *this,* and having the mother of all hangovers! That’s all I can remember! I have no clue how I got here or why everything looks like an acid trip! And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m being treated like a child by TALKING PONIES!”

He started toward the stairs. Applejack moved to intercept, but Warm Light stopped her and the two mares watched as Ben slowly made his way upstairs to his room. “Either his friends were a bad influence, or his parents were neglectful,” said Warm Light as soon as they heard the door close, “Possibly both.”

Applejack shook her head. “Drinkin’ at his age. Who’d be dumb enough ta give alcohol ta foals?”

“I’m not sure stupidity is the issue,” Warm Light said sadly. “It’s possible that an adult deliberately gave Ben and his friends illicit things to build up trust. They may have also pressured the foals, telling them they wouldn’t be cool if they didn’t participate. They got them drunk, then took them away.”

“But how did Ben wind up in tha Everfree?”

“I don’t know. Whether he actually doesn’t remember or is too afraid to talk about it is unclear. I can only guess how he could’ve escaped.”

Applejack gazed over to the top of the stairs. “Ya want me ta check on him?”

“No, he wants to be alone right now. I know leaving him in his room may not be the best idea, but at the same time, we don’t want to smother him.”

“Should Ah let ‘im work on his magic?”

“Yes. Right now, that’s the only thing keeping him going. We can’t take that away from him. He hasn’t made any friends yet or grown to trust anypony fully. Until that happens, he will be completely focused on his goal.”

“If he’s like that, how’s he supposed ta make friends?”

“He needs a few gentle nudges in the right direction. As you can see, he’s going to resist at first. He’s put up barriers and it’s going to be hard for him to trust anypony, but he needs to be around ponies so he can learn to trust again. I’d like to put him school as soon as possible, but I’m worried that some of the other foals will laugh at him because of his ignorance.”

Applejack nodded, knowing a thing or two about bullies. “Any word about his parents?”

“No. Even if they’re found, an investigation would have to be conducted.”

“None o’ this make much sense ta me. Ben’s been hurt, but Ah can’t figure out who done it. His parents? Foalnappers? Both?”

Warm Light sighed. “Honestly, this is confusing to me too. Nevertheless, I’m going to continue to help Ben to the best of my ability.”

“So’m Ah, counselor, so’m Ah.”

Author's Note

Good grief, this was hard to write. I hope it makes sense. I was going to have Ben encounter cliché bully character #3976 aka Diamond Tiara and cuss her out, because there is no way he’d put up with her. Of course, this felt hackneyed, so I had him rant about the irrationality of cutie marks instead.

Chapter 15 (Improved)

Author's Note

The previous version of this chapter was rushed and I realized that I was padding the story. Sorry about that. I hope you guys like this new version.

Chapter 15 (Improved)

As princesss of the night and mistress of dreams, Luna was quite devoted to her responsibilities. How she had missed being able to move the moon and rescue her little ponies from bad dreams. Thus, when asked by her dear sister Celestia to seek out a certain troubled colt in the dream realm, she was more than willing to oblige. Having been separated from her own family for a thousand years, it pained her to hear of such a thing happening to a pony, especially since they clearly didn’t deserve it. Having heard that the Pony in question was a mere foal, she simply could not refuse to help. One of many steps towards atonement for her actions.

Luna began her search among the residents of Ponyville. Sensing a disturbance from several ponies, she moved to lend her aid. The first bad dream she encountered was that of a little green filly with a black mane, who was running away from her food, which had somehow gained sentience and was trying to eat ponies. Slightly amusing to an adult, perhaps, but it was clearly terrifying to the filly. Luna stepped into the dream and disintegrated the mutant meal monstrosity with a look. Turning, she gazed down at the filly. “Thou’rt safe now, my little pony. Dream peacefully.” The dreamscape changed into a flowery meadow as Luna moved onward, leaving the filly in a far more cheerful dream environment.

Luna continued her search for the colt called Ben, moving from pony to pony and putting a stop to any nightmares she found. Some dreams she encountered were rather exciting, such as one a small pegasus filly was having about flying with the Element-bearer Rainbow Dash; one of them was wearing a bat costume for some reason, but dreams could be strange like that. Other dreams were quite romantic, but Luna did not tarry for those, believing them to be far too personal. There were, of course, some very surreal ones as well. One in particular involved a glass of milk, shouting, and a muscular stallion with a great mustache.

Eventually, the princess reached Sweet Apple Acres, home to the Element of Honesty, Applejack. Luna saw pleasant dreams from all the inhabitants save one. This dream belonged to a unicorn colt whose coat was a lighter orange than Applejack’s and his mane was silver. In the dream, the colt in question was slowly wading through a thick substance of some sort, trying to reach a strange bipedal creature. Upon closer examination, Luna recognized it as the species from the other world her sister showed her. Human, if she remembered correctly. Why would a colt be dreaming about a creature that, in this world, only existed in myth? Curious, she continued to observe.

The colt struggled to move through the muck and attempted to reach the human with his hoof. The human did not respond. “Come! On!” yelled the colt, pulling himself through the liquid and sinking. Luna sensed desperation and frustration. “Do something, body!” the colt yelled at the human. Very strange, Luna thought.

The human’s body suddenly began to shift. Sensing the beginnings of a nightmare, Luna prepared to intervene. The body shrank and crouched onto four limbs. It’s skin and mane changed color. The clothes it wore faded away. Its eyes grew to the size of a pony’s. In fact, the human had transformed into a pony, one identical to the colt.

“No!” cried the colt, half in anger and half in grief. “No! No! No! No!” The viscous liquid trapping him was now gone and he ran at his duplicate body. He raised a hoof and struck the doppelgänger. It turned to mist, only to reform into the copy. The colt struck again, only for his hoof to pass through it.

“Face it,” said the duplicate, which spoke in an adult’s voice, “There’s no way out.”

“LIAR!” screamed the colt, continuing his attack, “I’ll find a way, do you hear me? I’ll find a way!”

Luna did not need her powers to feel the anguish rolling off the child. She did not fully understand this dream, but it was time to put an end to his torment. In a burst of blue light, the doppelgänger vanished and she made her presence known. The colt cried out, having been taken by surprise, and fell backwards.

“Fear not, my little pony!” Luna declared, “Your nightmare is at an end!” The colt blinked, staring at her in confusion. “We saw that thou wast in distress and acted,” she continued, “For it is our duty.”

The little pony was still visibly confused. “Uh, who’re you supposed to be?”

It was Luna’s turn to blink. Had so little time passed since her return that there were yet ponies who did not know her? Still, this was a foal, so perhaps a bit of ignorance was to be expected. It was likely that he simply did not recognize her. “I am Princess Luna,” she declared, “Raiser of the Moon and Mistress of Dreams. Our powers permit us to enter the dream realm and save you and anypony else from nightmares, that all Equestria may sleep peacefully. Might we ask of thy name, little colt?”

The colt in question stood silent and Luna patiently waited for him to take in what she had said. It was not the first time her little ponies were hesitant to speak in her presence. “Well,” he said slowly, “My name’s Ben.” He looked around the starry expanse that was now all around them. “Are we in my head right now?”

So, thought Luna, this was the one about whom Twilight Sparkle had written. She pitied the poor thing, being separated from his true family, but what had caused such a peculiar dream? “In a way,” she explained. “We are inside the dream dimension and thy dream was produced by thy mind.”

Ben hummed, once again taking a moment to process. “Is there a way to show memories in here?”

“Indeed,” Affirmed Luna, “It is possible for somepony to relive memories through dreaming.”

Ben started to smile. “Can you show me one of my memories?” He seemed very excited all of a sudden.

“Tis ye who must provide the memory, if thou canst concentrate.”

Ben’s smile widened into a borderline unhinged grin. “YES!” he shouted, “YES! YEHEHES! HAHA!” He briefly held up a hoof. “Okay, gimme a sec, I gotta focus.” He shut his eyes and his face scrunched up in concentration.

The dreamscape shifted and bright lights shone above the two ponies. Rows of chairs appeared around them. In front of the chairs appeared a stage with a podium. In each chair a human was seated. More humans stood in a column near the stage. The ones at and near the stage all wore black robes and tasseled caps. The imagery reminded Luna of a ceremony that had been invented in her absence. Perhaps this was the human equivalent, and Luna now had a vague idea as to why this unicorn colt’s memories featured humans.

“That’s me!” Ben exclaimed joyfully, pointing to one of the robed humans, who was identical to the one in his nightmare, “I’m that human and this memory you’re seeing is my college graduation ceremony! There’s no way I could just imagine something this vivid!” He then pointed to the crowd of seated humans. “Mom and Dad and almost all my siblings are there in the audience! Abby, that’s my older sister, couldn’t come on account of med school. Demanding schedule and being in another state and all. Anyway, I’m not from this universe and I need a spell to get me back home. You’re basically Cthulhu, so you can definitely handle that, right?” Ben’s grin was an odd mix of determination and desperation. There was no doubt that Ben was, in fact, a human.

“My sister and I know of the human world,” said Luna. “We are unaware of any spell that can send somepony to another world, but there are portals for such a purpose.”

Ben was completely ecstatic, his whole body shaking with excitement. “Sweet! Point me to the nearest portal and I’m outta here!”

“Patience,” Luna cautioned, “Ye shall hear from my sister and I on the morrow. Rest assured, we shall do all in our power to return thee to thy family.”

A loud squeak escaped Ben’s lips and he lunged, wrapping his small legs around the tall Alicorn as much as he could. Luna found herself chuckling at his newfound joy. “Thank you!” he cried, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Thou’rt most welcome,” Luna replied. “We must now leave thee, for there are many ponies in need of pleasant dreams.”

Ben chuckled and let go of her. “Right, right, of course. See you tomorrow, Cthulhu!”

“Luna.”

“Sorry!”

The princess of the moon left the human and proceeded through the dream dimension. Celestia definitely needed to know about this. She would also have to ask if her sister knew anything about this Cuthooloo that Ben kept mentioning.

Chapter 16

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Chapter 17

A few days had passed since the reveal that Ben was an adult human in a colt’s body. That had to be one of the most bizarre days of Twilight’s life. It was utterly mind-boggling to learn that there were other universes out there and that Ben was from one of them, to say nothing of the fact that he was of a species long thought to be myth. She had read theories on the subject, of course, but witnessing such a thing was unprecedented. The fact that Ben was somehow turned into a pony, and a small colt no less, made the whole affair all the more inconceivable.

So far, the small detachment of royal guards dispatched by the princesses had not yet found anything in the Everfree Forest. It had occurred to Twilight that it would be a very good idea to ask Zecora if she had ever came across a portal in the forest. If anypony knew anything about the Everfree, it was her. It was for that very reason that Twilight now stood at the door of Zecora’s hut.

The unicorn gently rapped on the door. It did not take long for Zecora to answer. “Why hello, Twilight,” greeted the zebra. “Is everything alright?”

“Actually, Zecora, I was hoping you could help me. It’s very important.”

“Say no more, my unicorn friend,” Zecora replied. “Please, step into my den. Did somepony touch poison joke again?” She ushered Twilight into the hut.

“No, nopony’s touched any poison joke. Have you ever seen any portals or anything remotely resembling a portal anywhere in the Everfree?”

Zecora looked contemplative for a moment, undoubtedly trying to recall something. Her expression soon brightened. “Ah, yes! I remember now! I will show you, if you allow.”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Perfect! Let’s go!”

“Follow me and you will find the right tree.”

Zecora led Twilight deeper into the forest until they came to a withered tree. Many of it’s branches had fallen and most of the trunk had rotted away. At the base of the tree was an opening that vaguely resembled a doorway, though it did not seem to lead anywhere save the inside of the trunk.

“See?” said Zecora, “Here is the tree.”

Twilight’s horn glowed as she cast detection spells. “Well, there is some residual magic here, but nowhere near enough for an active portal. You’re sure this is the place?”

“Tut tut! The portal for ten moons is shut.”

“Oh.” Twilight found herself cringing at the news. Ben was not going to be happy about this. She could hardly blame him, as she had no idea what it would be like to be completely cut off from all her friends and family on top of turning into a different species. For a pony who thrived on the magic of friendship, such a fate was the stuff of nightmares.

“My friend, you look quite down. Please, tell me why you’re wearing a frown.”

Twilight gave a detailed explanation, saying that a creature from another universe had stumbled through the portal, transformed into a pony, and was now seeking to get back home. “And now he has to wait ten moons before he can leave,” she finished.

Zecora nodded solemnly. “I know that being far from home is hard. Give this Ben my kind regards.”

“I will. Thanks, Zecora. I’m going to check the area for magical activity, if that’s alright.”

Zecora consented and left Twilight to her research.

After spending some time magically poking and prodding at the dead tree, Twilight returned to Ponyville. She had been out longer than she thought, as the sun was now setting. She made her way to Sweet Apple Acres and knocked on the door. Big Mac answered and let her in. Ben was, as usual, upstairs in his room.

Ever since the revelation of Ben’s true age and species, his presence at Sweet Apple Acres had become decidedly awkward. Applejack had informed the family and they, like her, found it difficult to reconcile the truth with the fact that Ben was in the body of a colt. They were at a bit of a loss for what to do. Ben, in turn, left them alone as much as possible, though he made it a point to be polite.

Twilight went up to Ben’s room and opened the door. He was sitting on the bed, perusing one of the books on magic he’d rented. He would’ve returned them early after Princess Luna first came forward, but instead chose to keep them “just in case.”

Ben looked up and smiled when he saw Twilight. “Hey,” he greeted, getting off the bed to face her. “Find anything?”

The hopeful look on his face did not help to alleviate Twilight’s unease of giving him the news. “Well, yes and no,” she answered.

Just as predicted, Ben’s smile became a frown, one that bore disappointment and confusion. “What do you mean ‘yes and no?’”

“I mean that we’ve found a portal, but it’s closed and won’t reopen for ten moons.”

“Isn’t there a way to open it now?”

“If there was, we would’ve used it. I’m sorry.”

Ben hung his head. “Of course,” he muttered angrily. He took a deep breath and raised his head back up. “How long is a lunar cycle here?”

“50 days.”

Ben’s eyes widened in what could only be called panic. “WHAT?”

Twilight’s ears flattened, positive that all of Ponyville heard Ben’s reaction. “Yes,” she replied once her ears stopped ringing. “There are fifty days in a month and twenty months in a year, totaling one thousand days per year.”

Ben’s eyes darted to and fro as he mumbled under his breath. He began to pace back and forth. Twilight briefly wondered if this was what she looked like when facing a puzzle. Eventually, he stopped. “That’s why I’m so little here!” Ben declared with all the air of somepony who just made a scientific breakthrough. “Years are longer, which means you age slower!”

Twilight nodded. “That would make sense. How long is a year in your universe?”

“Three hundred and sixty-five days. Thirty to thirty-one days in a month except February, which has twenty-eight, twelve months in a year except on a leap year, which has three hundred and sixty-six days because February has twenty-nine days then. I’m still the same age in my universe, but the total number of days of my life don’t add up to as many years here. That’s why I’m technically a child.”

“That’s very strange,” said Twilight. Strange, yet also very fascinating. A world with an uneven number of days where the humans aged very rapidly. There was so much she and Ben could learn from each other.

“Wait,” Ben said, panic setting in once more. “Ten moons, ten months, FIVE HUNDRED DAYS? I’M GOING TO BE STUCK HERE FOR FIVE HUNDRED DAYS? THAT’S OVER A YEAR AND A HALF!” He was pacing again. “Does time even flow the same way between universes? What if I’m declared legally dead back home? What’s going to happen to my family if I’m gone without a trace for almost two years? I don’t think Dad could take it! Don’t even get me started on Mom! What the hell are they gonna think when I finally show up? How am I gonna explain this? ‘Hi, Mom and Dad, sorry I didn’t call or write for over a year and half, but I’ve been stuck in another universe full of magical talking ponies because I somehow stumbled through an invisible portal after drinking myself stupid! But hey! At least I’ll never touch alcohol again for as long as I live! No, I’m not crazy! Mom, stop crying! I’m alive! I know I was gone for five hundred f&$*g days, but I’m alive!”

By now, Ben was hyperventilating. “I can’t wait that long! I’ve gotta get back now!”

Twilight couldn’t bear to see somepony in such a state. She would likely have done the same in his position. She put a firm hoof on Ben’s wither to stop his pacing. “Ben, listen to me! I don’t know how, but I promise I’ll try to find a way for you to get home as soon as possible.” Ben nodded rapidly and tried to slow his breathing. “Deep breaths,” urged Twilight, taking a few of her own in order to give Ben a rhythm. Eventually, Ben was able to breath at the same pace as Twilight.

“Thanks,” he breathed. “We can figure this out. We have to.”

“I know you want to get back, but I’m not sure how much help you could be,” Twilight said with the utmost generousness. “You’re not as caught up on magic as other ponies.”

“Maybe not,” Ben conceded, “But I can provide a fresh perspective. I might see something you don’t. I’ve been studying.” He gestured to the books.

“How far have you gotten?”

“I think I have the basics down for telekinesis, so I’ve moved on to teleportation.”

“That’s very advanced.”

“If I was your average kid, I’d be taking it slow, but we don’t have time. I have to get back to family by any means necessary.”

“I understand that, but you could seriously hurt yourself, or worse.”

“Yeah, that figures. That’s why I’ve only studied and haven’t tried it yet. I haven’t fully figured it out yet and I don’t want to tear myself in half.”

“Okay, good. Furthermore, there’s no guarantee you can just teleport yourself to another universe entirely.”

“But for the teleportation to work, you need a clear picture of where you’re teleporting to, right? The only reason nobody’s teleported to another universe is that they don’t know where they’re going. I know exactly where I want to go, so theoretically I should get there without much problem.”

“You might know where you’re going, but the farther you teleport, the more magical energy you consume. You haven’t been using magic for very long and you don’t have a cutie mark for magic, which means you don’t have that much energy. Teleporting to a different universe could easily put you in a coma or even kill you, not to mention that you might stay a unicorn if you teleport to your world instead of using a portal.”

Ben frowned in sadness and frustration. “Alright, Twilight. What do you suggest we do?”

“Well, Princess Luna mentioned that there was another portal in Canterlot that will open much sooner. You could take that one.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know where that one leads. Plus, it’s still a lot of time I’m away from my family and the longer I’m away from them, the bigger the chance of them holding a funeral because they can’t find me. There’s got to be another way.”

“I’ll send a letter to Princess Celestia. She might know how to reopen the portal. I’ll research what I can while I wait for a reply.”

“Okay. I’ll just… keep reading what I’ve got here, I guess. Thanks, Twilight.” Ben turned away and picked up a book, hanging his head in dejection.

Twilight gave a sad smile. “You’re welcome.”

Author's Note

Zecora is a hard one to write, but I think I managed.

I can’t believe we’ve hit a hundred favorites. Thank you all so very much.

This has been fun, but we’re nearing the endgame. How do you think it will end?

Chapter 18

“Spike, take a letter,” ordered Twilight.

“You got it,” said her number one assistant, who quickly acquired the paper and quill.

Twilight cleared her throat and began to dictate.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Having asked for help from Zecora, who knows far more about the Everfree Forest than I do, we have found a portal within the forest. It must be the exact same portal that Ben came from. Unfortunately, the portal is currently closed and, according to Zecora, will not open for ten moons. I relayed this news to Ben and I’m afraid he didn’t take it very well. It turns out that ten moons in our world is equivalent to 1.37 years in his. This explains why he is in the body of a colt here despite being an adult there. It’s very fascinating.

Back to the matter at hoof, do you know if there is any way to reopen a portal early? Given the time difference between our two universes, Ben is desperate to return home to his family. I’m worried that he might do something drastic if we can’t solve the problem as soon as possible. He agreed to wait for the Canterlot portal to open, but what if that doesn’t send him home? I don’t know what he’ll do then. He definitely doesn’t want to wait the full ten moons for the Everfree portal. He even suggested inter-dimensional teleportation to go home, which might work, but is extremely dangerous for obvious reasons. If there is anything I’m missing that might be able to help him, please tell me.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Spike rolled up the paper and sent it to the princess with green fire, as he had done countless times before.

“Now we wait,” Twilight said with a hint of apprehension.

A short time later, Spike belched out the reply.

Dear Twilight,

I do not know of any safe means to prematurely open a portal. I must confess, however, that my knowledge on the subject is limited. Fortunately, I have access to various tomes unavailable to the public that might shed light on this matter. I shall send a few of these to you shortly. Needless to say, they are for your eyes only.

Concerning Ben, I completely understand the pain of being separated from loved ones. Being away from Luna for so long was unbearable. Not a day went by that I didn’t long to have her back sooner, but what the Elements did could not be undone. I suggest that you talk with Ben and get to know him. I’m sure that you two can learn a great deal from each other. While friendship is not infallible, I believe that being Ben’s friend could dissuade him from taking drastic measures. You will need to check up on him frequently, I think. I have the utmost confidence in you.

Princess Celestia

Spike sighed, having finished reading the letter to Twilight. “I’ll make the all-nighter preparations.”

“Thanks, Spike.”

When morning came, the Apple family rose with the sun. Once breakfast was prepared, Applejack called Ben downstairs. There was no response.

“Ya’d best go fetch ‘im,” said Granny.

Applejack sighed. She dreaded having to talk to Ben, given recent events. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and headed up the stairs. She knocked on his bedroom door, but all she could hear from the other side was a groan. Ben had probably gone and pulled a Twilight again. Applejack opened the door and, as she predicted, Ben was splayed out on the bed, open books all around him. Applejack found herself sighing again. Ben was one determined colt. No, not a colt, she chided herself. Ben was a human. An adult human.

The farmer prodded at the transformed human. “Ben,” she said, “Ya need ta wake up.”

Ben stirred and opened his eyes. “Morning, Applejack,” he said with a yawn.

“Mornin’,” she replied, “Breakfast is ready.”

“Kay.” Ben stretched over the bed, reminding Applejack of a cat. “Be right down.”

“Alright.” Hoping to avoid the ensuing awkwardness, Applejack left the room. It wasn’t long before Ben followed after, looking bleary-eyed.

Everypony and Ben sat down to breakfast. The family conversed with one another, but did not know what to say to Ben, who hastily ate his food.

“Careful now,” warned Granny, “You’re liable ta choke, eatin’ so fast.”

Ben took a moment to finish chewing and swallowing. “Sorry. In a hurry.”

“What fer? Ain’t the princesses gonna git ya home?”

Ben sighed. “That’s just it. There’s a portal inside the Evergreen Forest-”

“Ya mean the Everfree?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, ya said ‘evergreen.’ The Everfree’s the forest ya came outta.”

“Oh. Well, anyway, the portal won’t open for ten months, or moons. That’s only about half a year to you guys, but it’s over a full year back home.”

The Apples’ were greatly surprised, their eyebrows reaching up to their manes. Applebloom was the first to recover. “How’s that work?” she asked.

“Different planetary rotation and revolution speeds, different flow of time, different aging process, and a whole lot of other stuff,” replied Ben, “That’s why I look like a child. I’ve aged into adulthood at home, but the equivalent amount of days here makes me this age because your years and aging are both slower.”

“So Ah’d be full grown in your world?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“But Ah wouldn’t have a cutie mark.”

“No. Anyway, I’m going to have to wait a long time for that portal to reopen. Mom and Dad will probably think I’m dead by then if they don’t already. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to explain what happened when I finally get back.”

Applejack felt a surge of pity for the colt, no, human. His talk about time and technically being the same age as an actual colt had only muddied the issue further. Regardless, it was clear that he missed his family and Applejack wished she could help. Alas, she could neither cast spells nor open portals. “What’re ya gonna do?” she asked.

Ben let out a deep sigh and put on a determined face. “Twilight and I need to figure out a way for me to get home sooner.”

“Well,” said Applejack, “If anypony can help ya with magic, it’s Twilight.”

“Thanks,” Ben replied, “I’d better get back to studying and see what I can find.” He rose from the table. “Thanks for breakfast, it was delicious.”

“Wait!” said Applebloom, “If yer tryin’ ta learn stuff, why don’t ya go ta school?”

“Because I doubt your school teaches anything related to the multiverse or inter-dimensional travel.”

“Ah guess not, but there’s other stuff ya might be missin’ if ya just read books all day. Miss Cheerilee’s a great teacher and recess is fun with me an’ mah friends. Readin’ books all the time ain’t no fun. Don’t ya ever have fun?”

“Fun isn’t going to bring me home.”

Applejack stepped forward. Ben was right that going to school wouldn’t help him, but he was going to run himself ragged at the rate he was going. Applejack knew very well that Ben exhausting himself wouldn’t help either. Having had personal experience with such stubbornness, she decided to help him. “What mah sister’s tryin’ ta say is that ya gotta rest once in a while.”

“In what universe- Nevermind, I just answered my own question. How does going to school constitute rest?”

“It don’t, and nopony ever said it did. That ain’t what we’re gittin’ at. What Applebloom’s sayin’ is that ya can’t go wrackin’ yer brains over this all day and all night. Ya need ta rest sometime.”

“The more time I spend studying, the closer I’ll get to my goal. Why would I delay that?”

“Ya ain’t gonna get any closer if ya go an’ wear yourself out.”

Ben growled. “I don’t have time for this.” His horn glowed and he shut his eyes. He grit his teeth as though he were in pain before vanishing in a flash of light. The Apples then heard a loud thud from Ben’s room.

It was Applejack’s turn to growl. Even she knew that teleporting could be dangerous and that human colt had gone and done it without any practical instruction or supervision to prevent accidents. She ran up the stairs, fully intent on giving Ben a piece of her mind for doing something so stupid. Flinging the door open, she saw him lying unconscious on the floor. Rushing to his side, she checked for any signs of injury that could’ve come from a misteleport, as Twilight called it. Sure enough, there was a gash on the side of Ben’s head that looked as if it had split open. Blood poured freely from the wound. Burying her frustrations with a worried gasp, she hoisted Ben onto her back and ran back down the stairs.

“Big Mac!” she called out. “Ah need a bandage and fast!”

Her brother ran over to the medicine cabinet and quickly came back with a bandage. “What happened?” he asked.

“He must’a messed up teleportin’ or used too much magic. I don’t know fer sure, so Ah better git ‘im ta the hospital.”

Big Mac nodded. “Eyup.”

Once the bandage was on, Applejack galloped off toward the hospital. Colt or no colt, Ben wasn’t dying on her watch.

Author's Note

I’m sorry for the delay, but this was an absolute pain to write. Let me know what I did wrong and what I did right in the comments.

Chapter 19

Applejack galloped through Ponyville as fast as she could. She paid no attention to the townsponies around her, many of whom were shocked and concerned at the sight of the bandaged colt on her back. She did not stop until she reached the hospital and burst through the emergency room doors, skidding to a halt at the reception desk.

The nurse at the desk immediately understood before Applejack could say anything. She pressed a button on the intercom. “We have a bandaged and unconscious unicorn colt at the emergency entrance!” she announced, “Bloodied bandage indicative of head trauma! Send nurses and a gurney stat!” She grabbed a notepad and turned to Applejack. “Cause of injury?”

“He teleported ‘imself and passed out.”

The reception nurse wrote down on the notepad at a speed Applejack had no idea was possible for an earth pony. “How long ago?”

“A few minutes. We patched ‘im up and Ah brought ‘im here as soon as it happened.”

“Good. Has he shown any signs of consciousness since?”

“Nope.”

A set of double doors on the left opened and several nurses entered with a gurney. “Don’t worry, ma’am,” said one, a pegasus stallion, “We’ve got him.” They lifted Ben off Applejack’s back and set him on the gurney. The receptionist tore the note from her notepad and gave it to a nurse. The medical team proceeded to wheel Ben off to treatment, the double doors closing behind them.

For a brief moment, Applejack did not move. She did not speak. The only sound she made was her own breathing. Would Ben be alright? She looked down at her hooves. She had gotten blood on them from dressing Ben’s wound. Most of it had come off during the run, but a little still clung to her. Ben would be fine, right? Right?

“Ma’am?”

Applejack felt a hoof on her wither. It was the receptionist. “Yeah?” asked the farm mare.

“I was asking if you’d like to sit down,” the receptionist answered.

Sit down? She had no way of knowing if somepony was going to live or die and she was asked to sit down? How could she possibly sit down when a life was on the line? No, she thought, she had to know what Ben’s chances were. She had to talk to somepony. Somepony who knew what would happen if a colt tried teleporting. Somepony who knew a great deal about magic. Somepony she knew.

Applejack turned and ran out of the hospital. She had to talk to Twilight.

It did not take long for Applejack to reach the Golden Oaks Library. Her worry for Ben’s well-being lent itself to frantic knocking on the front door.

“I’m coming!” called Spike from inside. He opened the door. “Oh. Hi, Applejack.”

“Is Twilight home? Ah gotta talk to ‘er right now!”

Spike understood the clear urgency in Applejack’s voice and quickly ushered her inside. “She’s up in her room reading,” he said.

“Thanks, Spike,” she acknowledged. With that, she bounded up the stairs.

Applejack reached Twilight’s room and flung the door open. “Twilight!” she called.

The mare in question was reading at a nearby table. She jumped at the sudden noise. “Applejack?” she asked, “What is it?”

“It’s Ben! He tried teleportin’ and musta messed up cause he was out cold and bleedin’ from his head as soon as he did it!”

“He WHAT?” Twilight shrieked. “And he was bleeding? You’re positive?” Her tone and the look on her face were nothing short of horrified. Not a good sign, thought Applejack.

“Sure as the day is long, Ah swear there was blood! Me and Big Mac bandaged ‘im and Ah took ‘im to the hospital. He hasn’t woke up yet.”

Twilight began pacing around the room. “Oh, no! This is bad! This is very, very bad!”

“Is he gonna be alright?” asked Applejack, fearing the worst.

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered, “When a unicorn uses too much magical energy, they become physically exhausted and typically pass out, but if they cast a spell without having enough magical energy, then the spell has to draw from another source to compensate.”

“What source?”

Twilight inhaled sharply through her teeth, as if she were afraid to say it. “Life energy. In Ben’s case, his teleport spell used his own blood to power it.”

Applejack immediately understood her friend’s horror, for she now felt it as well. “Do ya think he’ll pull through?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“I don’t know,” said Twilight, “It’s definitely possible, especially when he’s being given some of the best medical treatment in Equestria. Ponyville has one of the best hospitals, after all.”

Applejack nodded, grasping that small bit of reassurance as if her own life depended on it. If anypony could nurse Ben back to health, it was the doctors and nurses of Ponyville General. “Ah’d better go check on ‘im.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Applejack made no objection, glad that Twilight was with her. There was always the possibility of bad news from the hospital staff and she would possibly need somepony there with her in case that happened.

The two mares went into the emergency entrance, the atmosphere of which had calmed in Applejack’s absence.

The receptionist recognized the farm mare. “Hello again,” she greeted, “You left in a hurry.”

“Sorry about that,” said Applejack, “Ah had tell mah friend what happened.”

“Are either of you family to this colt?”

“Ah’m his foster mother.” This was true, but it felt strange to say. Ben was the same age as a colt and she had taken him in as a foster child, but he was considered an adult in his world. Given how Ben had been behaving, Applejack found herself wondering what the average adult human was like.

“I see,” said the receptionist, “Well, an official diagnosis hasn’t come through yet. I’m afraid you’ll have to take a seat.”

“How long before we know?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. These things vary from patient to patient, but I’m positive your little colt will be just fine.”

Applejack wanted to protest that Ben wasn’t her colt, but bit it back. She had admitted to being his foster mother and the reception nurse was only trying to reassure her. She moved to a nearby chair and sat down. Twilight sat beside her.

Applejack didn’t know how long they waited, but eventually Doctor Graymane stepped through the doors. The two friends rose to greet him.

The good doctor looked rather haggard, which Applejack took to mean that thing were bleak. “Ladies,” he greeted with stoic professionalism, “You’re both here about Ben, I assume.”

“Well, she is,” said Twilight, “I’m just here for emotional support.”

“Twilight told me ‘bout what might’a happened ta Ben when he teleported,” said Applejack, getting straight to the point. “Is he gonna pull through?”

Doctor Graymane’s face gave nothing away. “I believe so.”

Applejack’s relief was more visible than sunlight as a smile formed on her face. Now she just had to talk to the idiot about almost killing himself and scaring everypony half to death. “Well, can we see ‘im?”

“Yes, but there’s something you need to know. No unicorn that age has enough power to successfully teleport without draining themselves completely and drawing from life energy to complete the spell, as Miss Sparkle has already told you. Ben, unfortunately, doesn’t even have the same amount of magical energy as his peers, likely from lack of use. As a result, the spell fed off more of his blood than it would’ve a normal colt’s. That’s why he was bleeding so much.”

Applejack’s smile vanished. “But ya said he’d pull through.”

“Eventually, with proper medical attention, he will.”

“What do ya mean ‘eventually?’ Is he gonna be alright or ain’t he?”

“He will be, but the sheer strain the teleport spell put on his body has caused it to effectively shut down. He’s now in a coma. I can’t say for certain when he’ll wake up.”

Author's Note

I honestly didn’t think this would come out so soon after the previous one. Inspiration is weird like that.

For the record, I’m not putting Ben in a coma just so he can conveniently wake up ten moons later in time for the portal to open. That would be cheating.

There won’t be a new chapter until 2022. I’m taking a short break. With that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Chapter 20

Applejack stood by the bed where Ben lay, Twilight at her side. Ben’s head had a fresh bandage and his face was covered by a mask that supplied him oxygen. A drip had been inserted through which he would be fed until he awakened. A catheter had also been inserted, as is was unknown when he would wake up. Ben did not move. The rise and fall of his barrel was nearly imperceptible. Were it not for the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor, the two would have thought him dead.

Applejack stared at the half-dead colt lying there. She did not know what to do or even think. She wanted to scream at Ben for doing something so stupid. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to smack some sense into him. She wanted to tell him not to worry. She wanted to buck him right back to where he came from. She wanted to let him cry over her wither. She felt fury. She felt pity. She raged. She understood.

“Are you okay?”

Applejack felt Twilight’s hoof on her wither and slowly tore her eyes away from Ben. Twilight’s face wore that look of concern she always had whenever she knew her friends needed her.

Applejack bowed her head with a heavy sigh. “Ah don’t rightly know, Twilight.” She closed her eyes. “Ah don’t rightly know.”

Twilight reached over and pulled her into a side-hug. “He’ll wake up. I know he will.”

“Ah know, but what if he tries that again? He’s awful desperate, Twilight. Why else would he do somethin’ so dumb? Ah’m supposed ta help ‘im, but Ah don’t know how. He ain’t gonna listen, so how’m Ah supposed ta keep ‘im from hurtin’ ‘imself like this again?”

Twilight did not answer at first. She took a moment to ponder her friend’s question. “I don’t know if he’ll learn from this or not,” she replied, “The best thing I can think of is to remind him of what will happen if he does something this dangerous again. If a foal puts their hoof on a hot stove, they don’t do it again, right? Ben’s supposed to be an adult, so he’s got to have that kind of common sense.”

“But he’s basically a colt here,” Applejack pointed out, “And he ain’t exactly been makin’ smart choices. Ah have no idea what he’s gonna do when he wakes up.”

It was Twilight’s turn to sigh. “I don’t really know either. Hopefully, he’ll wake up in time for the portal in Canterlot to reopen. If that one can send him home, I’d hate for him to miss it. He’s already upset enough as it is. Missing an opportunity to go home to his family like that would break his heart, or worse.”

Ben’s utter despair from when Applejack first met him came unbidden to the farm mare’s mind. She had heard of ponies taking their own lives, but never understood why. Perhaps that was because she always had family who loved her dearly. Dread filled her at the thought of what Ben might do when he eventually recovered. Surely he wouldn’t do something like that if he knew there was still a way to go home. Right?

Applejack and Twilight eventually left the hospital. They still had responsibilities and sitting in a room staring at Ben wasn’t doing anypony any good. Twilight returned to the library to continue her research. Applejack went back to the farm to finish her chores. It wasn’t fair to Big Mac to keep foisting her work onto him because she kept having to take care of Ben.

It took only a few minutes to reach Sweet Apple Acres and Applejack went to find her brother. She found Big Mac in the barn, moving a few hay bales up into the loft.

“Want some help?” she asked.

“Eeyup,” he answered.

With the two earth ponies working together, all of the hay was soon secure in the loft, waiting to be taking down for food or some other purpose later. Applejack found herself smiling in contentment. Few things were more satisfying than a job well done.

“Ah reckon that about does it,” she declared.

“Eeyup.”

Applejack’s smile disappeared. “Ah’m sorry Ah ain’t been much help lately, Big Mac. Been too distracted thinkin’ about Ben an’ tryin’ ta take care of ‘im.”

“Ah understand,” said Big Mac, “How is he? That gash looked pretty bad.”

Applejack hung her head. “He’s in a coma. The doctors don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

Big Mac silently took in the news. There was little he could say that had not already been said. “You alright?” he asked.

Applejack’s response was a sound akin to a weary sigh and an aggressive snort as she raised her head. “Ah don’t know! Ah’m worried what he’s gonna do when he wakes up and Ah wanna buck ‘im inta next week fer bein’ such an idjit! Ah know he misses his family. Hay, Ah’d likely do the same thing if Ah were him, but supposin’ he tries this again? Supposin’ he… he…” She stomped with one hoof before taking a breath to calm herself. “Ya were there the mornin’ he got here, Big Mac. Ya heard what he said.”

Her brother nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

“Ah can’t let him do that,” Applejack continued, “Not on mah watch. Ah just don’t know how ta stop ‘im. Twilight’s the one who knows all that stuff about magic and Ah’ll bet mah hat she told ‘im how dangerous it were, but Ben just up and tried anyway! How’m Ah supposed ta keep ‘im from doing this ta ‘imself?”

Big Mac put a hoof on her wither as she took several deep breaths. “Maybe ya ain’t supposed ta,” he said after several minutes of silence.

Applejack’s eyes went wide in sheer incredulity. “WHAT?” she shouted, eyes narrowing in anger. “Are you sayin’ that colt-? human-? You sayin’ Ben ain’t mah responsibility? You telling me ta give up?”

“Enope.”

“Then what the hay do ya mean?”

“Well, ain’t he supposed ta have a counselor? Ah ain’t an expert, but maybe she can stop ‘im from gettin’ hurt again.”

Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Ever since they learned that Ben was simultaneously an adult and a child, it hadn’t occurred to Applejack to contact Warm Light. Since Ben wasn’t actually abused or suppressing memories, everypony had simply assumed that there was no need for counseling. However, if Ben was willing to take drastic measures to leave, then perhaps he did need Warm Light’s help.

Applejack grinned and hugged her brother. “Big Mac, yer a genius!”

“Eeyup.”

“Ah‘ll head fer the hospital and see if they can tell me where she lives so Ah can talk to ‘er.”

Filled with determination, Applejack took off at a gallop. Ben needed help and he was going to get it.

Author's Note

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

To be honest, haven’t had much motivation to write. I fear that putting Ben in a coma may have been a mistake. I knew the character was desperate enough to try teleporting and therefore I wanted consequences. He’ll wake up, but the problem is what the other characters will do in the interim without it feeling like filler. I’m open to suggestions.