Blank Slate

Note to self, learn how to use hooves before trying to eat again.

After consuming my meal, which mostly involved me placing my hooves onto the tray to hold it still before eating like some animal, Blossom was there with a rag, yes a rag, to clean my muzzle with. As much as I don't want to be treated as a foal, the alternative isn't much better. However, during my meal, there was even more yelling from somewhere in this place, so Stalwart left to deal with it. So it was just Blossom and I alone in the room, who looked at me nervously while picking up my tray as we watched each other in silence.

"Okay... Blossom was it?" I asked, causing the mare to freeze up a moment before she placed the tray down before bowing.

"Yes Your Majesty, is there something you desire?" Blossom replied as she kept her face low to the ground as I grimaced at the honorific.

"Well, first you can stop calling me 'Your Majesty'. I haven't been crowned queen or anything like that, so I think it is rather silly for you to address me as such," I said, causing Blossom to jerk her head up to look at me in shock.

"But Your Majesty, you're an alicorn! Everypony should be paying you proper respect at all times!" Blossom argued as I let out a sigh until an idea sparked in my mind.

"Look, I'm just unused to such things, so how about we keep things informal so I can be more comfortable with all this? How about you just call me by my name, and if anyone, I mean anypony, has an issue with it, I'll clear the matter with them?" I offered with a smile, albeit a forced one.

With a conflicted expression, Blossom replied, "Okay, I'll refer to you by your name, Lady Misty."

Ehhh... close enough, I thought to myself as I felt my left eyelid twitching a bit. "Okay, moving on, as you can probably tell, I'm not used to my body, so how about you get me some things that I can use with my hooves to get some practice with them?"

Nodding, Blossom said, "As you command, Lady Misty," as she took the tray and trotted out of the room, allowing a moment alone. Waiting a few seconds to make sure she was gone, I crawled out of my bedsheets, coming to the edge as I stared at the ground.

"Okay, you got this," I muttered to myself as I lowered my forehooves to the ground before pushing off the bed with my rear ones, only to regret it as I tipped over and landed on my face. Well, more my muzzle, but close enough as I stare at the stone floor before me before giving out a grunt. Planting my hooves onto the ground, I slowly pushed myself, and after nearly losing my balance, got myself into a standing position before I realized something. Wait, what happened to my headache? I guess alicorns do recover from illnesses fast. Wait, Twilight didn't in the show, so maybe it just occurs in this world? Wait, questions later, figure out to walk now before I end up being carried around.

Placing one hoof forward, I then moved one rear hoof afterward, as I started to move around the bed at first. I would like to say that I was about to get to the other side, but I would be lying to myself, especially after falling over four times with a few curses. But I made it and on my way back the door opened, Blossom entered with a box on her back as she said, "Alright Lady Mi—what are you doing out of bed‽"

Putting on an awkward smile I replied, "Ummm... sorry, I just wanted to figure out how to walk by myself."

"Just... Lady Misty, you could have waited and I could have helped you to learn to walk," Blossom said with a slight frown, though that raised an issue.

"Wait, quick question. Why are you so accepting of an alicorn that apparently had a different life and a different form?" I asked with a tilt of my head. It was odd how she and Stalwart were so accepting of all this.

Letting out a sigh as she placed the box down, Blossom answered, "Because it ultimately doesn't matter. You're an alicorn, destined to uplift ponies to a new age of progress. You could have been a minotaur or a dragon before you became an alicorn, it wouldn't make a difference. Your past doesn't matter to us, it is the present and future that you will grant us that matters."

"I see... thanks for answering that," I uttered, wondering if that was sage advice or just fanatical thinking. Hard to say for certain till I see more than just two ponies, so the possibility of being in a cult was still on the table for me.

"I'm glad to be of service Lady Misty. Now, do you want to use the objects I brought for you?" Blossom said as she took out of the box a wooden cube, a round stone, and a spoon.

Slowly lowering onto my rear, I responded, "Yeah, best to get at it cause I think that it would be faster to learn how to use my hooves instead of using magic to take care of things," as I placed my hooves on the cube and dragged it towards me before trying, in several attempts, to latch onto it with my hooves.

Blossom remained quiet as I went about this, as I focused on my hooves with each try, trying to get a feeling from them, until after the tenth try Blossom finally said, "You're going to need to concentrate on your magic in your hooves, Lady Misty."

"Yeah... might need some more advice than just that, never had magic before," I replied as I had the tip of my tongue out the side of my mouth as I kept my concentration on the cube.

"Well, how about you close your eyes out and feel your hooves? I'll try to guide you," Blossom proposed, causing me to glance at her briefly before nodding as I closed my eyes. "Now, focus on your hooves, try to feel them out fully. You can feel their physical presence but try to sense past that. If you didn't have magic before, try to sense anything you have never felt before and latch onto that. Once you have a hold of them, focus on attaching them to the object you want to hold, and then you should have it."

Following those instructions, I would feel at my hooves, first being reminded of my lack of fingers from the hardness of the hoof itself, I kept trying to sense something, until I felt this unnatural presence in my hooves. It was also something that I could start to sense throughout my body, so I guess this was my magic as I narrowed my focus back on my hooves. I would then move them around the block, and willed the force onto the block. Opening my eyes, I watched as I lifted the block, smiling for a bit till I had it an inch above the ground before I lost my grip and it fell to the ground.

Clapping her hooves with a genuine smile, Blossom declared, "Congratulations Lady Misty, not only have you started to master your use of your hooves, you also started to use your magic."

"Thank you... but be honest, I'm betting foals would be able to pick things up, right?" I countered as I don't consider this to be that much of an accomplishment.

Her smile faltered a bit before she replied, "Yes, but they were born with it, so it was a natural thing for them to do, while you're just coming onto it. If you think about it, being able to partly do it on your first day awake is comparable to them, so don't be too hard on yourself."

"Heh, thanks, I did ne—" I started to reply till I heard a crash from outside my room, drawing attention towards my door as I heard a feminine voice shouting.

"I don't care! I was the Royal Chancellor of the Queen, and now I'm just a fleshy furry thing! If you're not going to give me a straight answer I will find someone who will!"

"But you don't understand if you ju—" said the voice of Stalwart as my door slammed open, where I saw a furious alicorn with an orange mane and yellow eyes glaring at me, with her size and coat color being a near match to my own.

"You! You look important, restore me to my body and return me to my home, and maybe my queen won't declare war on such an offense!" the alicorn growled out as Stalwart tried to get in front of him only for her to shove him inside. Trotting in, I noticed that she too wasn't used to this form, but she certainly was doing a better job of walking around than I was.

"Errr... I really think you have the wrong pony... Stalwart, where you able to explain what is going on fo—" I started to say until the alicorn came over and slapped my face hard enough to jerk it to one side as Blossom let out a shocked gasp.

"I don't want answers from some peon! I demand action from someone who holds real authority, and since you are the largest one here, you have the authority to set things right befo—" the alicorn said until I stuffed a hoof in her mouth.

"Look, I am in the same boat as you are! But since you don't want to listen, then listen to this! These ponies have nothing to do with how we ended up here or why our bodies have changed. But they see us as their supposed saviors for their kind and are meant to lead them out of the dark age they are currently in. So how about instead of running around in utter rage, and instead calm down and try to make good of this situation. There is nothing they can do to send you back or anything, I already asked, so just put a damper on that temper of yours!" I roared into her face before pulling my hoof out and stomping it down.

The newcomer just glared at me in return, before narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head at me before looking at Stalwart, asking, "Is what she said true, peon?"

"Yes... your majesty. What she said is true... you are meant to lead ponykind to a new golden age," Stalwart answered slowly as he had chosen his words carefully to placate this short-fused alicorn.

Humming to herself for a bit before turning her attention towards me, the mare gave a quick nod as she said, "My apologies then. I was just... caught off guard with the change in environment and my form. Losing one set of limbs was quite upsetting to me, leaving me quite irrational. I didn't intend any harm when I slapped you, I was just acting on my baser instincts."

Rubbing my cheek as things seemed to be cooling down, I replied, "It is alright, just... try to keep your cool if anything rather shocking happens to you. I have a feeling that this may just be the tip of the iceberg."

"Very well then, but let me give you a proper introduction first. I am the Royal Chancellor of the Queen of the Ninth Hive," the alicorn said as she stood up straight, though she swayed a bit as she tried to maintain her balance.

"Umm... okay... but would you mind giving me your name?" I asked as I glanced at Stalwart, who just gave me a confused shrug.

Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "What are you talking about? That is my name."

"Wait... your name is just... the title of your position?" I replied while recalling that she mentioned losing one set of limbs. I was starting to think perhaps my other 'alicorn kin' had origins from other species, which may just make things more confusing and perhaps even more weird than it was now.

"Yes... are you saying your name is not of your title?" the 'chancellor' asked with a frown.

"Yes... well... I'm fairly certain that we didn't even originate from the same species..." I answered, causing her frown to deepen.

"That is... I would say surprising but given everything so far that would be an understatement. Still, I may have lost my position, but this elevation to a shared leadership role with you may turn out to be a rather fortuitous opportunity for me," the 'chancellor' responded before turning her head towards Stalwart. "Peon, you will aid me in the naming conventions of your world so I can find one that I deem worthy of my newfound position."

Looking like he was withholding a sigh, Stalwart bowed as he said, "As you command, Your Majesty, but I must regrettably inform you, you are not only ruling beside Her Majesty Misty here but alongside four other alicorns who you will meet in due time."

Frowning, the 'chancellor' said, "Oh, that is rather... unusual for there to be six rulers, but I will adapt. Now take me to my room, I wish to learn more about my... shell-less form," as she stepped out of the room, with Stalwart grimacing before following suit and shutting my door.

With us being alone, I would look at Blossom as I asked, "I have to know, was I the first one to awaken?"

"Yes Lady Misty, you were the first to arise from slumber. Do you need any medical attention to your cheek?"

"No... though I rather hope that this doesn't become a reoccurring thing."