Roadtrip In Equestria

The first thing Gabriel felt when he woke up was a horrible ache running through his body and a nasty taste in his mouth. However, he also noticed that his headache had disappeared, but there was no doubt that he was ill. He could also feel that he was in bed. Could it be possible that...?

He slowly opened his eyes, dreading what he was about to see. He saw that he was in a rather warm-looking room. The ceiling was green, and the walls were covered with blue wallpaper. The floor, meanwhile, was strewn with beige tiles, and there was a large curtain to his left that hid the rest of the room. He was indeed in a bed that was, as in Twilight, a little too small. What's more, his clothes had apparently been removed and he was dressed in a green nightgown, but his underpants had been left on.

He noticed a white pony with light pink hair and tail standing in a corner, tidying up a cupboard. Her mark was a white cross with a red heart inside, accompanied by four small red hearts at each corner. She was also wearing a white hat with the same design on it. “Well... Okay. I must be in a hospital. And her, I'd put my money on that she's a nurse...”

Gabriel sighed. For a moment he had thought he would wake up in his own world. That he'd really had an accident and that all this was just a strange coma dream. But he hadn't. The pony in front of him proved that he was still in the enchanted world of talking ponies.

At that moment he had a strong urge to sneeze, and he couldn't hold back. “Ha... Haaa.... A TCHOUM!”

That was enough for the nurse to turn around and see him. “Ho, you're awake! Hold on, I'll help you...” She handed him a handkerchief, which Gabriel immediately grabbed to dry himself off. Once he'd done that, he wanted to thank her, but all that came out of his mouth was a hoarse sound. His throat was quite sore. The nurse saw him and poured a white liquid from a small brown bottle into a spoon, which she handed to him, saying. “Here, this is syrup for a sore throat. It should give you some relief.”

Gabriel grabbed the spoon and drank the syrup, which tasted quite pleasant. After a few seconds he was able to speak again, saying “Thank you... thank you very much”.

“I'm just doing my job!” The pony replied with a smile, before placing the bottle and spoon on a bedside table next to the bed. “I'll put this here in case you need it again. But don't abuse it, it's not a drink!”

“Yes... yes of course...” Gabriel lay back, trying to soothe his aches and pains. “What the... What happened?”

The nurse thought for a moment before answering, “Well, apparently you fainted in the Everfree Forest and Princess Celestia brought you here with her magic...”

“I... I fainted? For how long?”

“Only a little over an hour...”

“But... why? What happened to me?”

The unsure-looking nurse replied, “Look... I know you must have a lot of questions. I'll go and tell the Doctor that you've woken up, and he'll probably be able to answer them better than I can...”

With that, she turned and left through a door directly opposite. Gabriel rubbed his face to get rid of the gunk in his eyes and noticed that there was also his phone and wallet on the bedside table. He instinctively reached for his phone and wanted to open it, but remembered that he had turned it off completely to save battery power. So he found himself staring at his reflection on the small black screen. Even then, he could see he was white, and it certainly didn't look good.

He put his phone back down when he heard footsteps in the corridor, and saw the nurse returning, accompanied by a pale yellow unicorn, with brown hair and a cardiogram mark. He was also wearing a white coat with a tie. “Hello, Mr. Couset, how are you feeling?”

“Er... Well, I've got aches and pains all over, I've got a sore throat and I'm feeling pretty weak. But otherwise I'm fine...”

“I see, let me see your temperature...” He took out a thermometer and put it to his ear. Gabriel didn't protest. He took it out again and said. “You still have a fever of 40°C. I must admit, I'm not used to treating... What was the name again?”

The nurse whispered a few words in his ear, then he resumed, “Ah yes, humans! But I suppose it's not normal for you to have such a high temperature either...”

Gabriel merely nodded from top to bottom in response, to which the doctor replied, “Well, I guess you'll have to stay here for a little while longer...”

“But... what...” Gabriel had to interrupt his sentence, having to cough several times before resuming, “is happening to me?”

“I'm afraid you've caught the pony flu...”

“The... the pony flu?”

“Yes, it's a fairly common illness, but it was discovered a long time ago. At the time, ponies suffered greatly from this disease, but their immune systems eventually adapted and developed specific antibodies, which were passed on from generation to generation. Today, ponies can still get the disease, but they recover much more quickly... And then, vaccines were invented.” He then picked up an index card and began to read what was written on it, continuing, “You, however, I understand you come from a very distant country, don't you?”

Gabriel laughed lightly, coughing half-heartedly as he replied; “Yes, that's the least we can say...”

“Well, according to our analyses, your body didn't have any of the specific antibodies required to deal with this virus, which infected you just this morning.”

“I...” (coughs) “I caught it this morning? But I didn't have any symptoms this morning!”

“Yes, but that's because the disease hadn't yet developed and was asymptomatic. It then developed very quickly in your body, and you must certainly have caught a slight headache after a while.”

“That was... actually the case, yes”

“Afterwards, you must have had a moment of weakness, and the virus took advantage of this to attack your body. As your body was totally unprepared, that explains why you fainted momentarily, even though it's quite exceptional, I must admit.”

“Alright... I see doctor, thank you for the explanation” Gabriel had to blow his nose before resuming: ”Is it... is it serious?”

The doctor smiled and said, “If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much. Your condition has stabilized, and you already seem to be on the right track to recovery, although in your case it may take a little longer...”

“How long?” asked Gabriel before rubbing his face again.

The doctor rubbed his chin and said, “Well... a week, I'd say. Maybe two, until your body gets used to it. I'll also need to prescribe some medication to speed up the process.”

“Okay... thank you doctor, thank you for everything...”

“It's been a pleasure helping you! Now I'll have to leave you to it. I still have other patients to see. Good evening and get well soon! ”

“Thanks again doctor!” Gabriel shouted as best he could as the doctor walked out the door.

The nurse then turned to him and said, “There are some people who'd like to visit you. Do you feel up to receiving them?”

“Er... Yes, yes of course...”

The nurse went out and said, “I'll fetch them...”

Only a few seconds later, the 6 now-familiar ponies entered the room, along with Princess Celestia, and Spike of course. Gabriel barely had time to say a word before he felt a pink embrace around him and a high-pitched voice saying: “Gabriel! I'm so glad you're all right! We were all so worried about you!”

“Uh, it's nice of you to worry about me Pinkie, but I'm still sick right now...”

Pinkie Pie released him, saying, “Yes, I'm really sorry, I hope it's not too serious...”

“It's okay, it's just the flu apparently...” He looked at the others in the room before asking. “You've all come to visit me? That's... really cool of you, thanks...”

Twilight spoke up, saying “We were all really worried about you! When you fainted in the forest, we did everything we could to get you here!”

“Yes, I'm... I'm really grateful. It was you, Princess, who had carried me, wasn't it?”

“I only did my duty...” She replied. “I'm also glad to hear that you're not in critical condition. I hope you recover quickly.”

Gabriel smiled in return, before saying “Thank you, that's really kind...” He coughed again, then made a much less cheerful face “And... by the way, about the portal, um...”

Celestia also looked slightly mournful as she replied, “I'm... afraid I don't know any more about its origin than you do, I'm really sorry...”

Gabriel lowered his head, saying simply, “Ho...”

“But, while you were away, I was able to contact Canterlot's top magic experts by message. Some of them are already on their way to collect samples from your place of appearance for analysis.”

“Is it... is it true? Are you going to find a way to bring me back?”

“I... I'd be lying to you if I said I was certain... But I seriously think there's a good chance, yes. If we can figure out how the portal that brought you here works, it must surely be possible to recreate one to your world...”

“If you say so...”

“I know all this must be really hard for you to accept. If you need anything, whether it's a listening ear, or anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me.”

“Thank you, you're already doing...” (Another cough) “...so much for me.... If anything, it's me who should be telling you that... I just have one question, if there really is a way to get me home, how long will it take to find it?”

“It's... it's really hard to say. Months, maybe even years? I'm sorry to have to tell you like this....”

Gabriel felt as if he were breaking down. “Years?” Even though he'd expected an answer like that, it still came as a shock.

Celestia placed a hoof on Gabriel's shoulder, while saying, “Perhaps these words won't mean much to you, but.... Never give up hope. Even in the most hopeless situations, there's always a way out...”

Gabriel simply smiled at her, tears forming in his eyes. The Princess took a step back before declaring, “I'm afraid I must return to Canterlot now. I'll let you know as soon as we know more for you. In the meantime, be well!”

“Thank you, to you too...”

The nurse addressed everyone, saying, “Gabriel needs to rest now, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave...”

All the ponies left the room, saying goodbye to Gabriel. He said, “Thank you, thank you... for everything... Goodbye..." waving his hand.

Finally, all that remained was the nurse, who asked, “Is there anything you need?”

“No... no thanks, I'm fine...”

“All right, I'll be off then. If you have any problems, just press the bell above the bed to call me or one of my colleagues”

“Okay, that's fine...” She then left the room and Gabriel was left alone with himself. He tried to control his breathing a few times, repeating to himself that all would be well, before bursting into tears.

He cried for at least a good 5 minutes, before stopping, having run out of tears. He grabbed a few tissues to dry himself, trying to calm down, when he heard a voice say, “Are you all right?”

“Wha... What? Who spoke?” Gabriel asked, rather surprised.

“Uh... it's me! I'm right here!” The voice sounded like it was coming from behind the curtain. Gabriel raised an eyebrow and pulled himself up with all his might to reach for the curtain. When he managed to grab it, he towed it aside with a jerk, revealing what was behind it.

There was another bed, in which was a Pegasus pony Gabriel had never seen before. She was gray, with blond hair and tail, and had a mark composed of several bubbles. She also had her right wing and left leg in a cast. “You... you've been here all this time?”

“Er... yes?” Replied the pegasus. Gabriel looked him in the eye and noticed another rather interesting detail, to say the least. She was squinting. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly, but yes, she was squinting all right.

Gabriel lay back, thinking to himself: “A squinting pony? Well, why shouldn't ponies have disabilities too? They can catch the fucking flu, after all...”

“Is everything all right?” resumed the stranger.

Gabriel turned over in his bed so he could look at her. She seemed genuinely worried about him, like all the other ponies he'd met. “I... I don't think we can say everything's fine, no...”

“Why?”

“Well, I'm stuck in a completely unknown world full of talking ponies and I have no fucking idea if I'm going to be able to go home or see my loved ones again.... And what's more, I'm sick as a dog.”

“Ho..., I see, I'm really sorry for you, it's true that it can't be fun...”

“Thanks...” Gabriel had to cough several times before continuing “And, uh... you, what happened to you?”

The gray pegasus gave an embarrassed look as she replied, “Actually... I had to deliver a package for someone who was quite urgent, and I started flying a little too fast...” She glanced at her broken wing. “I guess I didn't master my landing very well...”

“Oh yeah, shit, I'm sorry, I hope it didn't hurt too much...”

“Actually, it did, quite a bit... But luckily I crashed right in front of Rose, Lily and Daisy, and they took me straight to hospital, and then they put me on some medicine that made me go to sleep and then when I woke up I was in a cast.”

“Okay... I see. When did this happen?”

“Uh... three days ago now.”

“And... it's getting better?” Gabriel asked before coughing again.

“Yes, it's getting better, but the doctor said I'd have to stay in hospital for a few more days... And what's your illness?”

“I've got, er... Pony flu, apparently. The doc says I'll be bedridden for a week or two...”

“Ah yes, the pony flu... I caught it once, and it wasn't much fun... But the syrup they give for coughs is really good!”

Gabriel laughed slightly at her remark, smiling back “Yes... it is.”

The pegasus smiled back and held out his good arm, saying: “By the way, I'm Ditzy Doo. But all my friends call me Derpy!”

Gabriel leaned over once more to shake his hoof. “And I'm Gabriel Couset. But my friends call me Gaby. Nice to meet you.”

“Me too, you seem like a great...” Derpy paused in his sentence, asking instead, “But wait... you're not a pony!”

“I was wondering when you were going to ask me... Indeed I'm not a pony.”

“But... what are you then?”

“Well, a human, quite simply...”

“A human? That's a funny word, human! Like the other word you said earlier... Fuck! What does that mean?”

“Uh, nothing, it's just a human expression...”

“Is that right? I like that word! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Stop saying that, please, it sounds weird on you...”

Their conversation was interrupted by another pony entering the room. She was yellow with blue hair, and the same brand as the other nurse. She was pushing a cart with two trays of food. “To the table!”

She set one tray down for Gabriel and another for Derpy. “Ho, uh... thank you...” said Gabriel.

The tray contained just a glass of water, as well as a strange green puree and a reddish-colored jelly. “Here's the medicine you need to take,” said the nurse, dropping several pills onto the tray. “Take them at the same time as your meal. And no fuss, I'll know if you haven't taken one!”

“Yeah... okay, noted” The nurse left with a satisfied look on her face. Gabriel attacked his meal, even though he didn't really have much of an appetite. He had to admit it was far from his favorite meal, but then, it was better than what they served at the hospital he knew.

His room-mate didn't seem to be enjoying the meal either. “Ugh... The food is really the worst thing here! Can't wait to get out of here and eat a good muffin!”

“Yeah, you said it...” Gabriel replied, chewing “Say, I was wondering, since you were here earlier, how come we didn't hear you?”

“Ho...” Derpy was also chewing, “I was actually taking a nap... It was your crying that woke me up... I actually thought you were laughing at first, and I thought we must have told you a good joke, but then I thought it was still a weird laugh, so that's why I asked if you were okay...”

”... I woke you up? I'm sorry...”

“No, it's okay, I sleep too much anyway...”

“Yeah, well, speaking of sleeping, I think I'll be going to bed soon...” Gabriel says as he finishes his glass of water.

“What? But it's not that late...”

“Yeah, I know, but... I'm exhausted. I didn't sleep too well last night, and my illness isn't helping... I'll just wait for the nurse to come back and ask her something...”

The nurse returned a few minutes later to collect the trays, and Gabriel asked, “Um... excuse me, could I have another glass of water please?”

“Um, yes, of course...” The nurse left and returned shortly afterwards with a full glass of water, which she handed to Gabriel.

“Thank you,” he said. He turned to Derpy and said, “I always need a glass of water next to me when I sleep...”

“Ha, okay. Well, good night Gaby, I'm glad I had a chat with you.”

“Yes, me too Derpy. See you tomorrow I guess” And with that, his whole body commanding him, he engulfed himself under his comforter and closed his eyes. Normally, he would still have had trouble sleeping, especially knowing he was going to be here for a while, if not forever. But fatigue and illness got the better of him, and he drifted off to sleep like a rock.