23 hours post rescue

You wake up from your impromptu nap, feeling much less groggy and much more alert. This also affords you the chance to finally realize exactly what is going on. You're definitely not on Earth. You're probably not even in the same dimension. This proposes several problems, the one at the forefront being: How do you get home. Tossing the blanket off your legs, you climb out of the hospital bed and very shakily make your way to the door that doesn't lead out of the hospital room, which ends up being a bathroom. Feeling for a light switch, you find nothing, and peek back out into the main room. Here you notice the same thing. Almost all the light is coming from the parts of the window that the curtains are not drawn over. The ceiling is startlingly bare, neither a light fixture nor a fan to see. Which can only mean one thing, that this place doesn't have electricity of any kind. You smack your forehead twice, and amazingly, a small, ethereal flame appears in what you had assumed to be a decorative wall mount. This bathes the bathroom in a warm, yellow light, showing the modest interior. The room contains what you surmise to be the small horse equivalent to a toilet, along with a sink and mirror.

"So they have running water... But the lights are all Clappers? This is just so..." Your voice trails off as you hobble over to the mirror, finally getting a look at yourself after who knows how long. You're quite unshaven, partly from lack of grooming back home and your extended bed rest. Your skin is quite pale, owing to late nights and days sheltered indoors, not to hide from poor weather conditions, but rather to escape into video games and alcohol. Your hair is long, unkempt, though normally tied back in a bun, or ponytail if you're feeling particularly lax. The dirty yellow coloring brings back memories of your mother, who shares both your hair and eye color. This brings a new wave of emotions, as you now realize your mom probably has no idea where you've gone. Compounding panic sets in, and with your back pressed against the door, you sink to the ground, falling into a spiraling, tunneling headspace. Its impossible to breathe, your heart is racing, everything is going to shit there's so much wrong its-

*Knock, knock, knock*

Three quick knocks break you from the impending panic attack, and as you attempt to catch your breath, and calm your racing heart, you hear the same hoofsteps as yesterday. The nurse calls out to you, stepping farther into the room.

"Mr. Morris? Are you in here?" She calls. You make an effort to grab the door knob, pulling yourself up slowly, feeling the energy that was sapped from you by the earlier shot of adrenaline. As you open the door, youre greeted by the nurse, and her seemingly trademark paper hat. Judging by her surprised face, she wasnt expecting you to be up and about.
"Oh! There you are! I should’ve probably guessed you'd be in here, since you weren't in bed but..." She trails off sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with a foreleg. You sigh, opening the door fully and slowly stepping past her, falling into the chair still at your bedside.

"Sorry for that i was just... Curious. The lights here are different from back home so i wasn't exactly prepared for it." You half-admit. You've dealt with enough nurses and doctors in the past to know that telling them what's really wrong will just get you doped up or worse. Better to lie than get seen as just another crazy. She nods, walking over to you and setting a hoof on your knee reassuringly.

"I understand. Judging by your appearance you're definitely not from around here. We've done the best we can considering your unique physiology, but bringing you up to speed with how things here in Equestria work was going to have to wait for you to recover more." She replies chipperly, taking her hoof off your knee and sitting on the ground in front of you. "How are you feeling, if i may? Physically." She then asks, a small smile on her face.

"Good enough to drag my bum leg around at least. Never broken a bone before so getting used to this" You gesture at the cast still on your leg, "has been a bit of an experience. Overall though, a lot better than when i first woke up." As if on cue, your stomach growls loudly, causing a blush to creep up your neck, which also elicits a giggle from the nurse.

"You know, i was just about to ask if you felt up to trying to eat anything. Give me a minute and ill see what i can snag from the kitchen, ok?" She doesn't wait for your answer, standing up and trotting over to the door, stopping just as she opens it. "I did also note down your assumed dietary requirements. We don't normally stock any um... Meat, but i know the kitchen has a wonderful potato soup today." At your nod of acceptance, she exits the room, leaving you to your thoughts once more. The small conversation was distraction enough to help you calm down, and you lean back in the chair, which is much comfier in comparison to the bed. It also affords you the chance to take stock of your current situation. You're currently in a hospital, not on Earth, and are being cared for by tiny, talking horses. Everything after the crash is fuzzy, and all you can remember is waking up earlier today, before the first visit from Nurse... Redheart, she said. Finally, you're practically starving, and also your mouth is dry as well. You turn to the table, which has a seemingly new pitcher and glass on it, along with a small vase of what look to be Tulips. Not your favorite flower, that would be Lavender, but still nice. You grab the pitcher and glass, your grip much steadier compared to last time, and fill the glass, drinking it down and having a second one, just for good measure.

After drinking your fill, you push yourself up from the chair, wobbling unsteadily over to the bookshelf on the far wall. Maybe when Nurse Redheart is here again you can ask for crutches. Or a cane. Possibly some Vicodin. Not that you're in pain of course, but more for the aesthetic. Standing in front of the shelf, you look down at the small collection of books arranged on the top. Grabbing one at random, the cover reads "Equestrian History For Displaced Bipeds". You cock an eyebrow, rubbing your eyes. Now the cover simply reads "Equestrian History, Standardized Edition." Shrugging and assuming the nurse would be back at some point, you decide to settle in and read up on your new, though hopefully temporary, home.

Author's Note

The title doesn't have any meaning, I've just been playing through Half-Life 2 and watching Pyrocynicals video on Entropy Zero again. Anyway, if you're reading this, thanks :)

-V