[MLP] Persona: CYOA by TVR (6/16/2016)

 

 

...

......

.........

...You've come to your senses...

 

"Ah, so you have finally awoken."

 

Startled, you whip your head towards the unfamiliar voice. In the back of your mind, you notice the motion feels a little off.

 

"Oh, I apologize. I did not mean to startle you, young one," the voice is coming from a short old man with bug-eyes, an impossibly large grin, and even more improbable nose. For a split second, you mistake him for an avian. "Welcome, my friend, to the Velvet Room."

 

Velvet Room...?

 

You take a moment to scan your surroundings. Everything in the room is some shade of blue, giving the odd room a calming aura.

 

If you can even call it a room. The whole space is walled in by intricately designed metal bars, and the outside looks like an elevator shaft. And it looks like you're actually moving UP. What...?

 

"It's quite a treat for you to be here, young lady. Normally only those who sign a contract are allowed in here, but fate appears to have other plans," he pauses, "Then again, that norm seems to be broken a lot lately, so perhaps that is NOT normal any longer," another pause, then he chuckles, "but even then, they are still humans when it happens. You are an exception of the exceptions. Intriguing."

 

Most of what he said kind of flies over your head, but the last part catches your attention. What did he mean by you being an excep-

 

You have been idly looking around the Velvet Room up to this point, and you just now notice a mirror to your left. You see something... bright... it's clashing with the blue interior design. Your turn your whole head, the motion feeling a little alien once again, and lean forward, the motion a little alien as well, and gaze into the tall mirror.

 

You see a candy colored horse staring back at you.

 

You blink. It blinks.

 

You breathe in. It breathes in.

 

You wave your hoof. It waves it- wait, hoof?

 

...

 

You scream. It screams.

 

After a few minutes of senseless screaming, you finally manage to calm yourself down, and that's only after you convince yourself that you are dreaming. I mean, seriously, this room, man. Who would build a giant fully-furnished elevator room that never stops going up? How tall IS this building? Is it some sort of express elevator to the moon or something?

 

A beautiful woman standing next the old man's chair wearing a blue uniform and cute matching hat responds to you, seemingly having read your mind, "Yes, the Velvet Room is appearing to you in the dream world. It is the best way for us to contact those who have not signed the contract."

 

As if on cue, the old man snaps his gloved fingers, and a pristine white sheet of paper pops into existence on top of the table that is sitting between you and him.

 

And now there's magic. CLEARLY A DREAM.

 

"So," she continues, "if you are done expelling your fears from yourself, if you could please sign your name here, then we shall continue."

 

...what the hell, why not?

 

Trembling, you reach out with your new horse leg towards the pen that appeared with the contract. You try not to think too much about the new limb.

 

Unfortunately, you realize the immediate downsides of losing hands.

 

Scrunching up your... muzzle, you frustratingly try to grab the pen with your hoof multiple times, and then fail multiple times to succeed.

 

Groaning loudly, you decide to give up your dignity and just grab the pen with your teeth. Unsanitary, but necessary.

 

You position yourself over the paper, ready to sign your full name onto it... and wait...

 

You realize something.

 

You can't remember your own name...

 

...

 

OR YOUR OWN ANYTHING.

 

The screams come back with a vengeance.

 

"Oh dear," the old man sympathetically comments, "it appears you require some assistance. Here, allow me." You fail to notice the man snapping his fingers again, this time a pair of purple dice appearing on the table. They spin around fast, a blue mist swirling around them.

 

The dice spins about and around on the tabletop. In your panicked haze, you see the pair of dice suddenly stop, and before you can make out which numbers they were, they vanish in cloud of blue smoke.

 

The smoke wafts towards you and your... muzzle, and you can't help but cough, the cough interrupting a good shriek.

 

Voices fill your head... it's hard to make out all they are saying... but you think they are... names, if you can call them that. They're not like any names you've heard before.

 

...some of them are pretty dumb... others, just weird... but...

 

...one name manages to stand out.

 

It's so alien, compared to the average name norm of where you're from, but it just rolls right off your tongue, even if you're certain it's not your REAL real name.

 

 

You don't even notice yourself signing your name on the mysterious contract, even though it's with your mouth.

 

The old man nods in satisfaction, "Oh, that's nice, it is. Thank you, Miss Platinum. Can I call you Miss Platinum?" With another snap of the fingers, the mysterious contract and the infernal pen disappear without a single trace. "Let's get down to business, then."

 

You look far too deep into what the old man meant by "business". First, ominous thoughts crept into your brain... the train of thought went down a dark track...

 

It isn't long before the train pulls into "Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow Station".

 

You decide to scream again. The same voices that filled your head before agree. Then you fully realize you are hearing voices in your head at all.

 

Screaming louder seems like a proper choice.

 

The old man sighs, the manic grin fading away into a displeased frown, while his assistant rolls her eyes.

 

You are a disturbing and loud pony.

 

The old man attempts to explain things to you in a calm manner, but just don't give a single shit. You keep screaming anyway.

 

Igor... Fool Arcana... tarot cards... fate... personas... you barely register any of it. You only have a singular goal: destroy your vocal cords as much as possible. Hopefully, it'll cause you to wake up from this peaceful nightmare.

 

Finally, the beautiful assistant lady gives up and throws a tarot card at you. You vaguely register the funny looking hobo on it before a bright white light flashes in your eyes.

 

You would have made a surprised sound from it, but you're too busy acting like a pussy to make it.

 

In the whiteness, you hear one last thing from the old man, though his voice has a reverberating and far-away quality to it:

 

"Until we meet again."

 

Oh, HELL no.

 

 

 

 

...

 

...your head hurts...

 

...

 

...that damn sun isn't helping at all...

 

...

 

You roll over onto your belly in a feeble attempt to block out the cursed star, only to get a face-full of dirt and rock.

 

With a quiet "bleh", you lift up your head, confused. This isn't a your bed...

 

Wait... you can't seem to remember what your bed even looked like.

 

Or if you even had one at all.

 

The floodgates in your mind open, and you jump to your feet. Wait, you don't have feet... those are HOOVES.

 

OH GOD NO.

 

You can't bring yourself to scream anymore, due to the fact that all that comes out is a scratchy rasp. You run around in circles on your four legs, panicked beyond belief.

 

That courage stat doesn't seem to be going up any time soon.

 

Through the fear, you gather enough cognitive thought together to bring yourself to find something reflective. As it just so happens, there's a decently sized puddle a few feet in front of you. You decide to rush over.

 

In the reflection, you see the same candy colored pony from before, only with 30% more dirt-on-face than last time you met.

 

The pony is teal green, with amber hair- er, mane, and striking red eyes. Looking over your shoulder with surprising ease, you discover your long tail is the same color. Damn these horses and their owl necks. You notice you have a white highlight running through your mane and tail. You wonder if that's natural.

 

Speaking of natural...

 

You chance a peak under yourself. You discover you're female.

 

You don't know if you're relieved or not, as that amnesia bullshit isn't even letting you know if you were a boy or a girl before.

 

Absolutely nothing about yourself or your past life is in your memory banks. All you have is vague references and general knowledge. You can't even remember the name of your old species.

 

You are so confused right now, you probably wouldn't even care about what those voices would suggest. You're mind is reeling too much to care about panicking like a little bitch anymore.

 

You feel as though you have been frozen in time and space for nearly 24 hours. You look up... it's only noon.

 

 

 

 

Luckily, the voices are not total jerks. They're just unstable. They seem friendly enough. They tell you to walk down the path.

 

You get faint notions of burning things up, but they fade quickly. Perhaps it's a good thing you suck at building fires... or at least you assume so.

 

And that word keeps popping up again...

 

 

You don't know what they mean, but... you feel as though that word is important.

 

In any case, you travel down the forest path, hoping you're not just going deeper in.

 

 

 

 

The treeline has gotten thicker, as has the foliage. Wild flora gradually encroaches on the ever thinning dirt path the further you go. You've definitely been going deeper in.

 

You feel as though a low "bwahhh" is appropriate. You don't understand the reference anymore though, so you refrain from doing so.

 

At this point, the only logical thing to do is turn back. There is no point to walking deeper. The air has an ominous feel to it, and you're kinda scared right now. Maybe if you turn back, you might find civilization. Maybe even other colorful equines like you.

 

But... a part of you is unsure about just turning around. You don't know why.

 

You're tired of not knowing things.

 

You want to get out if this forest. You have no idea where you are, and you need help. But you have no sense of direction in your current spot. Perhaps if you climbed that tree over there, you might find something.

 

You unsteadily trot over to the tree. When you reach it, you begin to climb.

 

It's a long and arduous process. You can barely walk on four legs, let alone climb a tree with them. But you persevere. You're determined to get out of here.

 

You reach a high branch. After you steady yourself, you scan the area. One upside to being this horse creature, you noticed, is that your gigantic eyes are better at perceiving things than you thought possible. It's pretty cool, in all honesty.

 

You can see the edge of the woods, but not beyond that. You edge farther away from the trunk of the tree.

 

You think you see something outside the forest. You scoot further down the branch.

 

You see rooftops. Multiple. Yes!

 

You scoot even farther. You clearly see a town in the distance. You become filled with excitement at the process of finding help. You're tired, hungry, and parched. Not to mention your throat still hurts.

 

(crick)

 

...? You hear snapping below you.

 

(crickkkkCRACK)

 

Too late, you realize your folly in scoot so far down the high tree branch. You fall a ways down, your momentum occasionally halted by errant tree branches hitting you in your downwards path...

 

You crash into a thick bush.

 

After a few silent seconds, you slowly pick yourself up. You're aching all over, and you think you cut your forehead, as it feels unnaturally warm up there. Swell.

 

You crawl out of the foliage. Alarm bells are going off in the back of your empty head when you see the shape of the leaves. You vaguely remember something about it, but you're too dazed to care at the moment.

 

You shake your hind legs to get the leaves and dirt off, and rub your sore head, not looking forward to the nasty bump that's sure to come on the back of it.

 

 

You jump. They don't sound like normal whispering, but they also don't sound anything like the odd voices.

 

It's a singular, more melodic whisper. It feels like it was aimed towards you for some reason. And it sounded like it came from behind you.

 

You slowly turn around.

 

Standing in the middle of a clearing, is a giant white double-door. It's also glowing, as if it wasn't mysterious enough.

 

You cautiously walk towards it.

 

It's just... STANDING THERE. It's not connected to anything. The door is all that is in the clearing aside from tall grass.

 

You're just a couple of feet away from it now. You stare at it...

 

The voice returns.

 

 

You gasp. The door pulsates. Your vision is blurring.

 

 

Your head hurts, like something is trying to claw it's way out of there. You wobble back and forth. Everything is spinning...

 

You want to touch the door...

 

The odd voices are shouting at you. They are begging you to back off, and het away from the door. They're also shouting about island soda for some reason.

 

But... you choose to ignore them, and yourself, in a sense. Your hoof slowly reaches out to the mystery door...

 

A loud roar fills the clearing.

 

You stop, back in control of your body. You quickly shuffle backwards away from the door. You stumble and fall to your butt.

 

Another loud roar, closer this time.

 

You whip your head around, trying to find the source...

 

OH HELL NO.

 

A HYDRA? A FUCKING HYDRA?! WHY?! HOW?! WHAT?!

 

And it's staring right at you.

 

Your brain has just completely shut down. You don't know what to do anymore. What CAN you do?

 

You tell the hydra to eat your pussy. It looks mildly taken aback. In it's brief shock from hearing you insult it, you take the opportunity to climb up on the hydra's back.

 

There is something wrong with you.

 

It recovers quickly however, and it tries to throw you off it's back by shaking violently.

 

You cling on and ride it like a bucking bronco. You give out a resounding whoop.

 

 

It roars in rage, done messing around. One of it's many heads turns towards you, brandishing it many teeth, all of them looking sharper than swords.

 

You blanch, your initial adrenaline spike having worn off. The voices tell you to stop messing around and run. You comply.

 

Narrowly, you dodge the head rocketing towards you, and it ends up biting it's own back. The beast cries in pain.

 

You try to gallop off of the back of the hydra. You're still not used to this body though, so you aren't going as fast as you could.

 

You reach the tail, the tip of it resting on the ground. There's only one way down.

 

You cry "yabba dabba doo!" as you go down, as it only seems right. The reference is still not coming to you.

 

Unfortunately, the beast is smarter than you anticipated. The tail lifts off of the ground with you still on it, and with unreal speed, it catapults you into the treeline.

 

(SMACK)

 

You crash into another tree. You hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Bones have surely been broken in the process, and your leg is bent at an odd angle.

 

Everything is going dark... the world goes silent.

 

Blearily, you see the giant feet of the hyrda stalking towards you. You're too battered to care. You just hope he makes it quick...

 

You faintly hear a boom, like a jet breaking the sound barrier, and you can feel vibrations under you.

 

The hydra stumbles back, and you can see rainbows in the corner of your vision. Pretty...

 

...you black out.

 

 

 

 

"Ah, welcome back."

 

...is that...?

 

You shake your head. Taking in the surroundings, you discover you are back in the blue elevator room again. That means...

 

In front of you is the old man sitting behind a blue-clothed table, and his pretty assistant beside him.

 

You feel screams building back up in your throat.

 

The assistant holds up a hand. "Now WAIT. I advise you to LISTEN. We are trying to help you, but we are unable to do so if you just scream like a little girl the whole time!"

 

You shut your mouth.

 

The old man chuckles, "Now Annabelle, you must understand. This lady has been through a lot in a short span of time. She is lost and confused, and does not know who she is," he offers his hand to shake, "We are here to give our services and support."

 

You shake his hand with your hoof while she sighs, "Of course, master. My apologies to you both."

 

You take a deep breath to calm yourself. You decide to listen...

 

"I am Igor," the man begins, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." You nod. "Right now, you are in the world of dreams. Asleep in the real world, while others look after you." He chuckles, "It was rather brave of you to stand up to that monster."

 

Your face heats up. You don't really know what you were thinking.

 

"It is rather curious that you did so. Almost as if it wasn't completely your own choice?" His fingers steeple, "do you hear voices in your head? Do these voices aid you in decision-making?"

 

You are taken aback.

 

His smile somehow widens. "Yes, I thought you did. They are strange beings from another realm who watch over this one. They do not have faces, or names. We call them, "Anonymous". They are representations of our inner secrets and desires. They are a part of us all."

 

That's not creepy.

 

He seems lost in thought. "A girl of the Fool Arcana... who is not only an entirely different species, but has the ability to communicate with the other side of the proverbial coin... truly, you are a unique soul."

 

Something about the "Fool Arcana" bit doesn't sit entirely right with you. You frown.

 

Igor slides a tarot card towards you. To your surprise, it looks like the same one from last night. The funny-looking hobo is walking on one side of the card, while a domino mask of some sort is on the other.

 

"When I refer to you as "The Fool", I do not mean it in a derogatory manner. The Fool is symbolic. It represents the beginning of a journey. It also represents great potential."

 

There is a zero on the bottom of the card.

 

"The number zero. It is empty, yet teeming with power at the same time. Ones of the Fool Arcana are a rarity, if I may reiterate. For someone of your power to be thrown into another world... perhaps fate is trying to tell us something?"

 

Your head is spinning...

 

"Regardless, we are here now, in this new world. We would not be here for no reason, so we must wait and see..." You notice a whole deck of cards lying on the table. "Of course, you cannot get to the bottom of this mystery on your own. You must create and strengthen bonds with others. It is the way of life: to be strong for others, so that they can be strong for you. Anonymous shall aid you in these decisions, but it is ultimately up to you to maintain those bonds."

 

The deck of cards vanishes in blue smoke, leaving behind a single blue cloth with a key attached. You take the key.

 

 

That key will allow you to meet with us again of your own accord. Perhaps you do not know, but in the dream realm, we are vulnerable. I feel as though someone is watching us, and I prefer to chat with those who have a contract." He nods sagely. "When we next meet, you will have need of our services. Then, you will see a new benefit to these bonds." He waves to you.

 

"Until then..."

 

Everything goes white...

 

 

 

 

...

......

.........

...everything hurts.

 

The sun shines into your closed eyes, making the prospect of sleep a non-existent one. You blearily open one.

 

You're inside a building this time. Most things are white, the air smells funny, and your limbs feel really stiff.

 

You look over at limbs. They're not only still pony limbs, but now two of them are hung up in casts. Lovely.

 

It is now beyond doubt that this is not a dream, but in fact real. The fact that you fell into that bush of poison ivy earlier is just one of many instances of reality smacking you in the face.

 

You don't know how to feel about that.

 

The door to your left opens. It's a nurse. A pony nurse, just like you... but a nurse. She's carrying a tray of hospital food in her mouth. The nurse seems surprised that you're conscious.

 

She sets down the tray on a table beside you, and smiles that standard hospital smile. "Hello, miss. I'm glad to see you're awake now. You've been out for a couple of days, now."

 

A couple of what?!

 

"Yes, I'm sorry to say that you've been in a coma for a little while. The date is April 20th, 2 A.N. now."

 

You're flabbergasted. As if things weren't messing with your head enough, now you have to deal a different date and time as well.

 

Wait.

 

2 A.N.?

 

"Luckily, our local hero, Rainbow Dash found you running away from a hydra while she was flying near the Everfree Forest. She took you straight to Ponyville Hospital after she saw your state." She smiles. "After she performed a Sonic Rainboom right into the creature's face, of course. She's a brave pony like that."

 

Most of what the nice pony nurse said didn't really make much sense to you, but you at least deduced from both what Igor said last night and the jargon the nurse just used that you've gotta be in another world entirely.

 

Some questions are in order...

 

 

 

 

The voices... Anonymous... Anonymouses? Anonymi? Anonymice?

 

You decide Anons are fine for now...

 

The different anons are all very eccentric, you realize. The nonsense they're spouting in there makes it difficult to think, but eventually, you cobble together enough coherent thought to ask a question.

 

You also hear them talking about someone named "OP". You don't know who that is, but he sounds like a faggot.

 

 

The nurse doesn't even blink. "Oh, did you not hear me at first? I'm sorry, you're at Ponyville Hospital. Have you heard of Ponyville before? It's still a small town in the middle of Equestria, but having a local princess does wonders for tourism!"

 

 

She looks at you funny. "Um... you... you DO KNOW where Equestria is, right?"

 

You don't. Not the slightest clue.

 

But... you have amnesia... perhaps you can use that to your advantage.

 

 

She looks shocked, and sympathetic for you. "Oh, you poor dear! We should get that looked at right away! I'll call for the doctor..." she looks ready to leave.

 

You have too many questions to just let her go now...

 

You tell the nurse to wait.

 

"H-huh? Is something wrong?" she asks worriedly.

 

You query about your condition.

 

"Oh... u-um, your body took some serious damage from that hydra. You broke multiple bones, including your legs and a few ribs. But we were relieved to see it was nothing us and a few weeks couldn't fix. There wasn't any internal bleeding either, which was good," she tilts her head, her face still displaying an uneasy expression, "but you will be pretty much bed-ridden for a week here until your bones mend some more."

 

Just a week? Maybe these pony bones are more resilient? Or maybe they just heal quickly.

 

"I would contact your job, since you can't really go anywhere for a while."

 

You blink.

 

She gasps, "Oh dear, you can't remember your old job?...... what a about family?.... friends?..... anypony?"

 

Your head slumps.

 

"I...I'm sorry. I'm new here, and I'm not very experienced at saying all the right things yet..."

 

She looks a little upset...

 

You tell the nice nurse not to worry about it.

 

She smiles a little, "Um, thanks. Um... m-my name is Soft Sew, by the way, so you don't have to keep calling me nurse."

 

You tell her your name.

 

"Star Platinum? Oh, that's a nice name. I'm glad you at least remember that." Her face brightens, your kind words having made her feel much better about herself.

 

 

"Is there anything else you wish to know?"

 

You ask if there is anything to read. She smirks for half a second, as if recalling a joke only she knew, "Oh, well, we have some reading material for patients. We have newspapers, novels, history books, and all kinds of magazines. Is there anything that catches your fancy?"

 

You ponder this for a minute. Eventually, you decide on a history book about... "Equestria", was it? And a newspaper. And a fashion magazine.

 

It's a new world. Better to not to have outdated or off fashion choices here, lest you attract unwanted attention.

 

She nods, and trots off. You sigh, not looking forward to spending a week in a stiff hospital bed.

 

A few minutes later, she comes back with what you asked for, with another book in addition to the stack.

 

You quirk an eyebrow.

 

"Have you ever read any "Daring Do" books before? They are great novels, in my opinion. Lots of ponies love it."

 

You have never even heard of it before. You shake your head.

 

She winks, "Well, wouldn't want to bore yourself to death, now would you? Especially after all that work we did on you." She trots back over to the door. "I'm going to fetch the doctor now. Go ahead and press that button over there if you need me at all, dear." She gestures over to a red button by your bed, then trots off.

 

You lie back. Hopefully that doctor won't take too long...

 

You decide to peruse through the large book with a unicorn head on it, titled "Equestrian History and Legends". Amazingly, you can read the alien language with surprising ease, despite the fact that this looks nothing like your old language.

 

The doctor comes in. He's a brownish-yellow stallion with a doctor's coat and glasses on. "Good afternoon, Miss Platinum. Good to see you're up."

 

He walks over to your side, a clipboard floating beside him.

 

...huh?

 

The clipboard and pen are surrounded in a cobalt blue aura just... floating there.

 

Goddammit, world...

 

"My name is Doctor Horse. I'm here to check your vitals."

 

As he's doing so, you notice something on his forehead. It looks like a really nasty bump at first, but...

 

You look down at the closed history book in your lap, or more specifically, the unicorn on it. You look back up at the doctor. You look back down. Back up. Back down. Back up again.

 

No way.

 

 

He looks over at you. "Well, yes. Aren't you a unicorn as well?"

 

Whut.

 

You reach a non-broken hoof up to your forehead. Sure enough, you something hard and conical jutting out from it. How the hell did you miss that before?

 

 

Doctor Horse gives you an odd look. Perhaps you shouldn't have said that out loud.

 

 

Quick, you need an alibi...

 

You decide to see if you were an actor at all in your past life.

 

Putting on the saddest, poutiest face you can manage, you tell the doctor that all you can really remember is your name. It isn't very hard to look sad. You are legitimately upset at the prospect of never finding out if there's a way back.

 

He sighs, "Yes, Nurse Sew told me about your condition. I think it may have come from the concussion you suffered when you smashed into a tree. Do you remember anything before that?"

 

Your first memory is of waking up in that scary forest, then wandering around, climbing up a tree, falling down the tree...

 

That door...

 

That couldn't have been real, what happened by the white door. You must have been hallucinating.

 

You tell Doctor Horse that you remember having a strange dream before waking up in the hospital, but that's it. Not entirely true, but you don't think you should tell everyone you're an amnesiac alien in a pony's body. You wouldn't want to freak anyone out.

 

The doc bites the inside of his cheek, "Odd..."

 

He seems lost in thought. You think he's not telling you something...

 

You ask him if something's wrong.

 

He looks at you for a second, looking as though he's weighing the consequences.

 

"As far as we know... there don't seem to be any records of you in our possession."

 

You blanch. You forgot about this prospect.

 

"Now of course, this could just mean that our records are out of date, which means we have to cross-reference ours with other facilities in Equestria." He adjusts his glasses, "it's going to be a bit of a hassle, but it's no big deal This is our job, after all."

 

You wonder how long it will take them to figure out that you don't have any records...

 

Before long, the doctor finishes his examinations, and leaves. Having been in the middle of a fascinating legend about two sisters at the beginning of the recorded history, you spend the rest of the day reading it, hoping it will take your mind off of the inevitable revelation...

 

 

 

 

You've spent the night at the hospital...

 

You learned some basic knowledge about Equestria yesterday, mainly that unicorns can use magic (which explains how Doctor Horse was levitating that clipboard around yesterday), a kind of pony you hadn't seen yet, the pegasi, can fly and manipulate weather to their liking, and earth ponies are inherently strong and are in tune with nature. It's all so fantastical to you, yet it's reality here.

 

You spent most of today lethargicly eating the meals that are brought to you, while you watch TV.

 

You're thankful that this world is more advanced than you worried. As far as you know, your old species reveled in how advanced it was, so at leas that's one less culture-shock you'll have to endure.

 

Unfortunately, there's nothing good on at the moment. Which sucks a little. You're halfway through an old game show rerun you don't care about when you switch off the TV.

 

Now you are bored. And stuck in a hospital bed.

 

Your gaze lazily drifts over to the four books on your bedside stand.

 

You fascinating as old history is in this world, you are in the mood for something more modern. The newspaper should be a great choice in that respect. You won't be so behind everyone else newswise.

 

On the other hand... hoof, the fashion magazine has plenty of modern news in it. You wouldn't want to be behind everyone else in that regard either.

 

You look at the fourth book the nurse brought. Daring Do, was it? Looking at the cover, you see an amber pegasus with a monochrome mane swinging on a vine away from danger. She has a smirk on her face. That seems like fun.

 

Between the three books, you don't know what to choose...

 

You can always check tomorrow's paper. You pick up the adventure novel. It's the first one in the series, thankfully.

 

You crack it open, reading about Daring's plight in the jungle.

 

Ouch. Broken wing? You feel sympathy for her from your hospital bed.

 

The book is really good...

 

 

 

 

 

You hardly notice the passage of time as you read the gripping novel. If you really are stuck here for the time being, you're glad these books will be around.

 

Dinner is okay. It's hospital though, so that much is expected. You don't remember if you were carnivorous at all before, but you think you can get used to not eating meat. This is an equine body, after all.

 

You continue reading "the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" under the light of the bedside lamp until your eyes grow heavy...

 

 

 

 

You've finished the book.

 

You meant to read the magazine and the paper, but you found yourself unable to put down the novel until you saw Daring win the day. Spoilers: she did.

 

You find yourself looking forward to the next book in the series.

 

 

 

 

You're about to flip to another, hopefully more interesting channel when someone... sorry, somePONY walks in. You mute the television.

 

You do a double-take.

 

It's a purple pony with a purple mane and tail, and purple eyes. The overwhelming color-scheme of purple isn't what's so shocking, however.

 

It's the fact that she's a goddamn alicorn.

 

You read briefly about alicorns the other day, but you knew that A: They were considered royalty, and B: You don't fuck with them.

 

She smiles warmly as she greets you, "Hi! Are you feeling okay?" You nod. "Great. I came by because my friend here wanted to say hi too."

 

Her friend? But it's only her-

 

"Dang wheelchairs. Somepony left a bunch of them for me to trip over out there! Can you believe that?!" a voice shouts from outside the room.

 

When she walks in, you do another double-take.

 

She has rainbow hair. How does that work? No way that's natural...

 

"Hey kid, nice to meet ya. I'm Rainbow Dash, you're savior and big hero." She looks really proud of herself, her sky-blue chest puffing out, "no need to thank me..."

 

There is a pause. You think you're supposed to thank her anyway...

 

"Well, jeez, I did say there was no need..." Rainbow mutters.

 

The alicorn whaps her upside the head. "We're not here so that you can boost your ego, you know!"

 

"We're not?" The alicorn glares at her, "Hey, hey, I'm kidding, okay? Dang..."

 

The alicorn sighs with exasperation. "ANYWAY, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Pleasure to meet you."

 

"PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle." The pegasus stage-whispers from her side, a devilish grin on her face.

 

"Not that that MATTERS... MOSTLY." Dash only smirks at Twilight.

 

You assume that they're good friends, despite the antagonism.

 

"But... she does have a point, bringing up the fact that I'm... (ahem)... ya know..."

 

Huh...?

 

Princess Twilight rubs the back of her neck, saying, “I was hoping not to rush into this, but… well, I guess we can skip pleasantries…” She takes a deep breath, “So far we haven’t found any documents on you, Star Platinum. As far as we can tell, you just popped into existence a few days ago. Which I know can’t true.” She looks you right in the eyes, serious, “You claim to have retrograde amnesia, there are no documents on you that we know of, you were found in the middle of the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous parts of Equestria, suffering from hydra wounds, and nopony has come up at all within the week you’ve been in the hospital claiming they knew you.”

 

“You’re a living enigma. I don’t get it…” Twilight steps back, clearly perturbed.

 

There is an uncomfortable silence.

 

“…soooo,” Rainbow speaks up, “did you just come here so that you could make Star here feel bad, or…?”

 

“Oh, no, that’s not entirely why I am here.” She clears her throat again, “Since there is nothing about you on record here in Equestria, not even a passport or receipt, we can only assume one thing: that you’re an illegal alien.”

 

You gulp.

 

“Normally, under these circumstances, this would either mean you get deported back to your home country, or you face prison time here.”

 

Sweat trickles down your face.

 

“The rules are harsh, but necessary. And yet… they seem… unfair to you.”

 

 

“You’re about to be punished for a crime you don’t even remember committing… or if you even committed it willingly or not. It’s not right, I don’t think.” She inhales deeply, “So that’s why I submitted your student application to my school.”

 

…

 

…what?

 

"Whoa whoa whoa, you did WHAT now, Twi?" Rainbow exclaims from across the room, "And you guys tell ME I make too impulsive decisions?! That's messed up!"

 

"You know why I did it! Her only other alternative is spending her time rotting in some dirty dungeon for years and years! And look at that face!" She gazes at you like an empty canvass, "Doesn't that face just scream, 'Oh please, Twilight! I hunger for knowledge that was callously swiped away from me! Won't you teach me? Please?' You expect me to deny a pony her Celestia-given right to learn about Clover's Compendium of Conundrums?!"

 

You haven't the slightest clue how to respond to that.

 

"Geeeez, Twi. I get it. The egghead feels sorry for the emptyhead. You don't have to scream."

 

"I'M NOT SCREAMING!"

 

She's definitely screaming. You wish she would calm down and explain what she means by "her school" and what that means for you... other than it's the only thing keeping you from jail.

 

Despite the fact that she called you an "emptyhead" (which is a totally dumb nickname, FYI), you side with Rainbow: there is no need for shouting. You also wonder if these laws are entirely legal

 

You ask Twilight to calm down and to hoof you over a lawbook.

 

She looks at you funny, but complies, needing the space anyway. She trots off.

 

Rainbow watches her go, then turns to you with a smile, "She's kind of always like this, but she's cool." She sigh, "Okay, so maybe I was being a little big-headed when I flew all the way over here just so that you would shower me with praise, so sorry about that.

 

You accept her apology.

 

"You're probably wondering what Twilight means when she talks about her school, huh?" You nod, "Well, a little while ago, Twilight met this unicorn, Starlight Glimmer. Starlight wasn't the nicest of ponies when we first met her, but after Twi went up against her a couple times, Twi got her to back down and surrender. But instead of throwing her into some dank dungeon, or exiling her or something, Twilight took Starlight in as her student. You with me?"

 

You nod again. Dash continues, "So after a little while of that, Twi got to thinking, 'hmm, maybe there are other ponies out there that could use my guidance', so she had her castle remodeling a bit so it became like a school... or university, I guess. She's been accepting applications from all over Equestria for a little while now."

 

You ask her what kind of school this is that she's talking about.

 

"Oh, I'm not an expert on this stuff. You'll have to ask Twi. But, she's offering classes on magic, history, science, geography, you name it. She's been hiring so many teachers, they probably had to make up subjects as they went! I mean, what's 'Algebra'? I never heard of it, and that doesn't sound like any subject I've ever had to learn!"

 

You decide to just let that one slide.

 

"Starlight seems to be onboard with it, especially since it means she gets more oppurtunities make new friends and stuff."

 

Rainbow Dash keeps mentioning this "Starlight Glimmer" character. You ask her about it.

 

"Oh, well, I know she kind of sounds like a beyotch, but she's nice now. She's kinda geeky like Twilight, so that kind of made that student-teacher match-up one made in Elysium." She smirks, "I hope you're just as much of a nerd as they are, or else you'll probably be pretty lost whenever they start chatting with each other."

 

"Nerd?" Twilight's voice sounds from just outside the doorway. She trots in, an amused smirk on her face, "Were you talking about me?"

 

"Whaaaaat? Psh, no."

 

The princess rolls her eyes. "Okay, sure Rainbow. Here." She levitates a thick book over to the edge of your bed, just out of hoof's reach. "This is a set of Equestria's current laws on immigration."

 

Rainbow looks a little sick, "Geez, that's a lot of legal jargon..."

 

An awkward silence descends on the room. "Um... are you going to pick it up, or...?" Another pause. "...you forgot how to use magic, didn't you?"

 

...

 

That's right...

 

Strange how being a mystical creature capable of magic and levitation can slip your mind.

 

You squint your eyes at the giant lawbook, concentrating on trying to figure out how to use that infernal horn of yours...

 

You politely tell the anons to shut the fuck up, because you're concentrating, and that you most certainly do NOT need help.

 

Your head shakes. Your eyeballs bulge out. You can feel your pupils shrinking. It's like your head is about to explode.

 

 

You bellow at the top of your lungs to focus your inner power. You don't care that the pegasus and alicorn are slowly backing away from you, you're about to use the fucking FORCE. OR THE CLOSEST THING TO IT.

 

 

(FLASH)

 

The becomes enveloped in white...

 

You blink wildly, spots still dancing in your eyes...

 

"Whoa! Twilight, look at that!"

 

What? What is Rainbow telling about..?

 

Whoa...

 

The lawbook, instead of being magically levitated... was frozen solid in a large chunk of ice.

 

Oops.

 

"...Well, you're certainly going to need some practice yet," Twilight chimes in.

 

Great, you don't just suck, you're dangerous.

 

"Good thing Twi got you a good education set up for ya, huh? You would've been totally lost without us!" She flaps her impossibly small wings, and hovers off of the ground, stretching around in midair, "Well, hate to dash, but I got weather duty managing tonight. I need to get out of here. See ya guys later!"

 

Faster than you can blink, she disappears out of the room, leaving behind nothing but a rainbow contrail.

 

Twilight rolls her eyes again, "You get used to it." She sighs, "Sorry for going a little crazy back there. I just couldn't stand the thought of letting a lost soul going by me like that when there was something I could do."

 

You waving your hoof to show you don't mind.

 

She smiles warmly, "Did Rainbow Dash explain anything to you?"

 

You tell her about the school and Starlight Glimmer.

 

"Yeah, um, it's a school I founded for ponies in need of my teachings. It is fronted by other, more logical subjects, like science and magic study, but... what it's really there for, is to teach ponies about the true magic of friendship."

 

You have a vagina, and you still think that was just too girly and cheesy a thing to say.

 

"Yeah, I know. It's a little corny, but... it's how I got these." She gives her magnificently purple wings a flap, "It's my duty, and desire, to help others. But, a couple of us going halfway across the country for a couple of days at a time then leaving isn't going to solve that much. An institution right here in Ponyville will really help that."

 

You don't understand why her and her chairponies have to leave town a bunch in the "name of friendship", but you get the gist of it.

 

Twilight pats your unbroken hind leg. "Get some rest, okay? And... I'm sorry about stronglegging you into this."

 

How do you reply this... situation? You're not even sure...

 

You smile at her, telling her not to worry about, and that you appreciate her offer.

 

Her face brightens, "Thanks. At least this way, we can get you back up to speed on how the world works, right?"

 

Yeah...

 

You find yourself kind of looking forward to it... kinda.

 

You are about to ask her about various things, but she's already halfway out the door. She is a princess, she probably has more important things to do than play 20 questions with an amnesiac. You wave goodbye.

 

"See you in a few days, Star!"

 

...

 

It's quiet...

 

...

 

You feel lonely...

 

...

 

...maybe some terrible Jockey Beach might make you feel better about yourself.

 

...ugh...

 

You press the red button, hoping you're not bothering Nurse Soft Sew.

 

A few moments pass, then the clean white coated brunette earth pony comes in. "Oh, you called?" You nod. "What is it you need?"

 

You pause.

 

 

She blinks, "Er, no. I'm not at the moment. Why do you ask?" she questions slowly.

 

You sigh.

 

 

She blushes, "O-oh, well, I didn't know you were feeling so down. Um..." she trots over to a chair opposite the bed, and sits down, "Uh... what did... what did you want to talk about...?"

 

You ask her where she came from.

 

"Well... um..." her face is red, "Well, when my mother loved my daddy very much-"

 

You shake your hooves frantically.

 

"Oh... um... I'm sorry, you weren't talking about that..." she's covering her face with her hooves, "Augh... sorry."

 

She takes a deep breath, "I'm from Fillydelphia. I, uh, got my medical degree there... and, um... then I came here, because I wasn't that big a fan of the big city... I liked quiet places like this more... like where my grandparents live. I always loved going to see them in the summer, because I could get away from the loud and rude city and just... I dunno, it felt freeing..."

 

She still seems a little uncomfortable...

 

You ask her about what's been going on lately.

 

"...Um, there's, uh, some students coming here to town to partake in some early classes at the princess' Castle of Friendship. Some of them, including Princess Twilight, are even calling it Friendship High."

 

Friendship High...?

 

She fidgets, "Uh... um... don't... don't tell the princess I ever said this, but... I think that her school... kind of has a silly name..."

 

 

Soft Sew seems relieved you agree with her.

 

You ask her about what she likes about working here, now that she's more comfortable around you.

 

"Oh, really? U-um, when I found out a few months ago that Ponyville Hospital was looking for ponies of my talent, I-I just couldn't pass it up!" Her eyes twinkle a bit, "Oh, the staff is just so nice here, and it's just so quiet here." She pauses awkwardly, "W-well, other than the occasional monster attack or unnatural catastrophe, it's very quiet."

 

...dude, what?

 

She rubs her left foreleg with her right, "Um, when you live... really close to the Everfree Forest... um, things tend to... happen. Not so good things, a lot of the time." She sighs, "It's the biggest downside to living here, honestly. Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder if a chimera might one day waltz into town and eat us in our sleep..." she trails off.

 

...you pull the covers over yourself a little tighter.

 

"But... whenever that happens, I like to listen to the chirp of the crickets, and the hoot hoot of the owls. It calms my fears right away." Soft Sew smiles wistfully to herself.

 

...