Zapped to Equestria

After several uneasy steps, I was starting to got the hang of it. 'Right-front with back=left after left-front with back-right and repeat'. Unfortunately after getting down the hall there was a right turn.

The nurse and other mare turned and where walking down it with ease, I had to stop, turn (without falling over) and catch up with them. After several more turns and hallways we arrived at our destination.

The door said  'Dr. C. Cortex' as I walked in to the room and I found a bed, a couch, several bright colored pillows around the floor varying from slightly larger than a pin cushion to the size of bean bag chairs, and a desk.

"Please would you either sit on the bed or the couch and get comfortable because you will be staying still for some time for this to work properly". Dr. Cortex said to me. So I trotted over to the couch and sat down on it. I tried to get comfortable for a moment or two before I remembered 'oh yeah, i'm now a pony and shouldn't sit like Lyra.' I shifted to a laying position and got comfortable in seconds.

The Doctor, who had been watching the whole time looked at me after I had gotten situated and finally saying, "Very good  sir. Now you should feel a slight tingle and then, if all goes to plan,  start to remember some things." She said as I nodded and lay my head on the couch. She than started to move energy to her horn with a hazelnut aura.

Several moments later she started panting. Another five minutes went by and I still was sitting there waiting for the 'tingly feeling', but nothing happened.

Doctor C. finally stopped but was panting hard as she turned to look at me. "Sir do you have any residual energy from a spell of any sort? Because I cannot get through to your thoughts." She looked at me expectantly so I answered.

"Not as far as I know, but I don't think with my missing memory that I would remember if I did." I said to her.

"Well i'm unable to access your thoughts as of yet so I'll have to go and talk to somepony about this setback." I laughed after she said somepony and she walked out of the room's door. After a couple seconds I heard her start saying.

"Do you know how highly ranked this stallion must be for me to not be able to use normal magic on him? I mean I am quit highly ranked but I can barely even touch this guy with my magic." She must have been talking with someon- pony else, but what is this rank stuff she is talking about."Hold on why don't I just ask him what rank he is I mean if he is that high than he wont be able to guess anyway, right?" There was a pause for several seconds as i'm guessing she walked back to the door.

"Mr. Swirl would you be so kind as to tell me your rank?" She asked and I looked at her in confusion.

"Uh, I'm sorry but what is this 'rank' stuff your talking about? I mean I just don't get what your saying." She stared at me for several moments before asking.

"Do you really not even remember what the ranking system is?" She asked and I nodded so she sighed and continued. "Okay first off we ponies each have a certain strength that pertains to how powerful we are, and then we are ranked from most powerful to least powerful." She paused to look at me to see if I was getting all of it so I nodded again. "As of now and so as for as long as anypony (a chuckle escaped my lips) has known, our princess, Princess Celestia has been ranked number one and a short while ago Princess Luna has been ranked two. It goes on from that but they are the princesses so the next couple aren't as well known." She moved a hoof back and fourth to get her point across.

"Is there any way to just find every...pony's rank. Like a list or something?" I asked."Also how do you get ranks is it like you go do a text or something?"

"First off yes there is a list, it is a simple to get book from almost any store and you rank up by winning battles with others of only higher rank than you. It was done this way so that you couldn't rank up by defeating weaker ponies." She stopped for a moment so I asked.

"Well that is, well... odd. I thought this place was against violence?"

"Well where ever did you hear that? It's just so ridiculous to say the least." Dr. Cortex said to me. She than looked at me up and down like I've been in the nut house.

We stood there for a several awkward moments until I finally asked. "So... about this ranking book or whatever it is?"

"It's called 'The Compact Ranking System' and it is very good at what it does."

"Yes this 'Compact Ranking System' thing, do you have one around here or something so I can see what mine is than?" I gestured around the room while asking.

"Ah yes just one moment than." She walked over to the desk while mumbling, "why didn't I just use this first." She than opened the desk with her teeth and proceeded to shift through whatever was in it with her hazelnut aura. After a few seconds passed, she walked back over to me. "So let us see, your full name is Spectrum Swirl right, no middle name or anything?"

I nod to her and she starts to shuffle through the pages. I hear her say "S" after a second and she starts to shuffle through the pages again. She ends up a minute later and looks at me with a questioning look on her face. "Mr.Swirl are you positive you cannot use magic or anything of the sort?" I nod again and she looks at me for a moment. "Okay well Spectrum in here it says that you are N/A, and well, that's impossible."

I nod slowly and ask "Is that good or something?" Before she backs up a step.

She shakes her head and her mane starts to look disheveled. "That is impossible to not have a rank while being in the ranking system. It just would not work." She turned away from me and started to talk loudly to herself. "It just would not work, there aren't any loopholes or anything, which means he would have to be magically strong enough to change the book, and if he now cannot use his magic than I could easily win against him." She points a hoof half at me before saying. "I'll more than likely move up from my rank of three hundred and four to probably in to the two hundreds or lower." She exclaims.

She than turns to look straight at me with a blaze in her eyes and a frighteningly serious expression. She than proceeds to say in the same tone as the look on her face , "Spectrum Swirl, do you accept my request for a duel?"