I started to hear the beep of a heart monitor, I was in a hospital like from the 70s, but the beds were very low; perhaps because the beings of this world were not tall. I growled under my breath in the absence of a television.
Then I heard a male voice say. "Hi boy, I'm glad you woke up. How are you feeling?"
I looked towards the origin and saw a small quadruped creature in a doctor's gown. This one had some equine characteristics, but it didn't look like a land horse. The strange stallion was a kind of gray unicorn with dark mane and big green eyes.
Where the hell I am? I started banging my head against the wall, probably still passed out on the ship or in the Area 51 hospital.
"he pony stopped me, enveloping me in an unknown energy similar to what I saw before passing out in that desert. "Hey hey don't do that...calm down or you will hurt yourself more."
"I just want to wake up from this stupid dream."
"I can assure you that you are not dreaming. This is as real as you and me," he interrupted me. I realized this when I felt pain from the blows.
"Well... luckily you breathe oxygen and your anatomy is not that different from ours, otherwise we couldn't help you here," said the miniature horse.
"So what did they do...? You have a lot to tell me," I looked at the pony.
"We managed to repair all the damage caused by the metal bar. You came here on the verge of death. We had to revive it and connect it to a life support, it lost almost 3 liters of blood..."
"Oh my god... So are there others of my kind here?" I said confused, a planet of thinking ponies that spoke my own language had never been discovered. This could be a secret genetic project.
"I don't know your species. Fortunately, the one who found you was a princess, someone capable of providing you with such a large amount of blood..."
"Like what...! They're going to kill me, you idiots!" I yelled exalted. This talking horse was just talking nonsense.
"Hey, hey, let me finish explaining..." exclaimed the pony.
"Shh okay," I nodded annoyed. I really didn't feel that bad except for a little headache. If it was incompatible blood, I would have already died.
"To begin with we are ponies, horses are our ancestors.
Alicorn princesses possess ancient magic in their bodies that provides them with biological advantages. Its blood can superficially adapt to the needs of its host, whenever the recipient requires erythrocytes.
"They also have regenerative capacity, therefore, she recovered the three liters that she donated to you in a few minutes, it is not for nothing that an Alicorn is immortal," explained the pony doctor.
"Magic, immortality...? Don't mess with me. I understand that you don't want to share your technology, but..."
"No, none of that. Magic is a cosmic force that every creature in this world has and can control to some degree. What you don't possess...?" The pony interrupted me.
"No."
"So where the hell did you come from?" He said puzzled.
"I am human, where I come from, magic is considered fictional.
"One second, why didn't they tell you where they found me?" I said curious.
Before the doctor opened his mouth, a white mare with pink mane, blue eyes and a nurse's hat entered the room. She was the least abnormal pony I have ever seen. "Doctor the princess is here, she wants to see the creature."
"Thank you Redheart, tell her that she can enter... you can withdraw. "
The nurse nodded and left the room without paying attention to me.
"Is it the princess who rescued me?" I said nervously
"Yes, she said would come when could," said the pony.
"No no no... let her go, I'm not in the mood. Tell her... I'm still asleep," I said exalted. A simple thank you would not be enough for a princess. What I didn't want was to become more involved with royalty, that meant a delay.
"Why not? She won't do anything to you, you don't know how worried I was about you," he said seriously.
"I don't care... I'm not here to bow. Tell her you're bathing me or cleaning my butt... Something!" I said desperately.
"Hahaha... Really, friend? Would you rather be silly than talk to the princess; who surely comes with the best intention?"
"You know what? You've already convinced me... Okay, let her through," I sighed with resignation, It would be rude not to thank at least, even though I still risked potential diplomatic or legal problems and didn't want to waste my time.
Did the doctor let in an alicorn orange mare with blue eyes and brown with fluorescent blue mane that was fluttering without wind? God... what the fuck is this?
She was taller than the other ponies, but I was better than her. At first glance, she didn't look evil. Something I barely noticed were the strange drawings on the back of the ponies.
The pony princess smiled when she saw me awake. "Hello... how good you woke up... Can you understand me?"
"I understand you perfectly," I simply nodded. The princess opened her eyes in surprise, she did not expect that either.
"Welcome to Equestria... I am Princess Tempora, one of the 5 rulers of this world and responsible for maintaining balance and continuity of time."
So that was what was going on, I did not know what to say, this mare claimed to manipulate time and without advanced technology. That explained his hourglass tattoo.
"I understand that you are confused," she said.
"And that you say it, I think that the least "strange" of this place is you...
"By the way, thank you very much for rescuing me and helping me, although at first I did not take it very well. I hope I didn't cause any inconvenience..." I thanked her. I will not lie, but the idea that I had royal blood running through my veins raised my pride. That donation was strong proof of the humility of the royalty of this world.
"Don't thank me, who would I be to let you die," she smiled warmly.
"But if you control time, you will surely witness the death of millions of beings. What is special about me?" I said puzzled.
"Simple, you have crashed into my kingdom; it is isolated from the rest of this world, so there is no risk of paradox," the princess explained to me.
"Oh, I understand... I guess you want to know who I am and how I ended up here, right?" I raised an eyebrow.
She just nodded her head. I told her a few things about myself and how I got into an accident.
She gave me a compassionate expression upon hearing my story, she was also surprised by the technological wonders that humans possess. It was unthinkable that anyone could travel through space-time and between dimensions without the use of powerful and complicated spells.
She told me that she had taken my boat to her castle and that she did not move anything.
"Okay, but I suggest you isolate it somewhere bombproof. The slightest instability of the reactor could cause the ship to explode violently," I warned her. She just widened her eyes, before disappearing in a green flash.
"What the hell did she do? Teleport?" I asked curiously. These alien ponies were full of surprises.
"That's right, unicorns can teleport," said the doctor.
"With magic, right?" I growled
"Yes, magic," said the doctor.
The fact that these ponies didn't have the artifacts to be able to have those abilities made me feel useless. At least I had my ship, that's why I also wanted to repair it.
Suddenly, that headache worsened.
"What's wrong, Roy?" Asked the concerned doctor.
"My head is killing me! I screamed, the worst migraine I have ever felt. I also vomited a little, the doctor barely managed to avoid the projectile.
"Your heart rate accelerates. I will give him something for nausea and pain and I will order an MRI and an EEG to rule out possible trauma, "said the doctor, still concerned.
The medicine stopped the nausea and relieved the pain, but it was still quite strong. The nurse from before helped to move the bed.
.
.
The princess was already there when I returned, her face expressing extreme concern.
Before she could ask me, the doctor called her. That bothered me, any details about me should be communicated to me first.
They both entered again. The princess was dejected.
"Young Roy, I have bad news for you. Tests reveal that her body exhibits a severe sensitivity to radiation from unicorn magic. You must return to your world when you are discharged. Equestria can be deadly for you, "explained the doctor.
"Shit... and my ship doesn't work..." I growled desperately. It was definitely nothing against these ponies, yet another problem. Then I remembered my uniform.
"One minute, where's my suit?" I said seriously.
"I took him to a close friend. What was her name...? Charity I think... She is a very good seamstress and will leave your clothes as new," said the princess.
"I doubt it, my uniform is made of very specific materials... although perhaps a hole will not be a big problem," I said skeptically.
"It is a special suit that protects me from all kinds of radiation. I want to see if it also works with magic," I explained.
"That is impossible, there is no material capable of repelling magic radiation," the doctor shook his head.
"We'll see about that, remember I don't belong here," I said mockingly.
"Regardless of your suit, you must protect yourself.
"My kingdom is isolated from Equestria and ancient magic is stable and harmless. If you want, you can stay in my castle as long as you need," the princess smiled warmly.
"What if I say no?" I raised an eyebrow, I had to make sure they didn't fool me. Being in a world full of kind and benevolent beings seemed too good to be true.
"No, I'm not going to charge you or hinder you. We're not like that here," she said nervously.
These ponies if they had good intentions, there was no lie in their words.
The princess anxiously awaited my response, tried to hide a slight tremor in her paws.
"Yes, why not".
"Fantastic!" She exclaimed happily.
Spend the next two weeks in the hospital. I was visited by several very friendly ponies who claimed to be Princess Tempora's first best friends, but that pink mare with a cotton candy mane made me mad.
Another was the pony named Rarity and not Charity; whoever left my outfit like new, the seams were not noticeable. She used a special spell to create the necessary cloth for another.
As I believed, the suit was also effective against unstable magic. That really surprised the doctor.
The strangest visitor of all was a mint colored pony and her cream colored friend. They knew details about my species that I had not told anyone. They were amazed by my human anecdotes.
I finished signing my discharge documents. The princess was waiting for me at the door. She looked me up and down with some intrigue, possibly due to my height.
"Hi Roy, how are you?" She smiled and extended her helmet.
"Better than ever, Your Highness," I said, shaking him.
The princess told me that the town was called Ponyville. This one was like from the Middle Ages, with wooden houses, straw and ponies moving carts; Very primitive compared to the hospital.
"Hey princess, we better go to a less crowded place..." I was getting uncomfortable by all eyes on us.
"Okay... but don't hesitate to tell me by name..." she smiled.
"Ok, Tempora," I nodded.
"If you remembered!" She said happy.
"Ah, speaking of which, your friend Rarity wanted to hit me for calling her Charity," I said amused.
"Hihi... sorry, I just don't have a very good memory..." she laughed.
"It would be the last straw if you forgot my name," I said mockingly.
In minutes we reached the entrance of a forest on the outskirts of the town. Tempora illuminated her horn, opening a portal to that desert. This was a lot in one day
"Is the desert of my accident another dimension?" I said confused, I believed it was a distant place or a natural satellite of this world.
"Not precisely, my kingdom belongs to an alternate cycle of time to this universe," she explained.
"One second... if you possess that ability, could you help me return to my world?"
She seemed to ponder my idea. "It is possible, but I never tried to travel to a dimension independent of this. It will be very difficult, but I will try."
"Better not, you already did a lot for me saving me... I'll do it alone," I shook my head.
"By no means, the last thing I want is to leave someone alone. I won't make that mistake again," she said with some melancholy.
"Hey what's up?" I said something worried about his sudden change in mood.
"No, nothing... but I really want to help you," she said nervously.
"Okay, but please don't try too hard," I said seriously.
She nodded her head. "Well... now that I remember, my friend Dr. Whooves is the smartest pony in Equestria. He could help you with something."
"Mmm... I feel like I've already heard from him. You guys have strange names..."
"And what's wrong with it?" She looked at me confused.
"It's my human opinion... I'm not saying they're ugly, but their names seem to have been taken from children's shows," I said amused.
"You mean human foals?"
"Huh yes." I nodded weakly.
She didn't answer, just looked away.
"Well, regardless of that pony's IQ, there will be a lot to teach him. The advantage is that I always wanted to be a teacher," I broke the silence.
"Hehe... yeah," she laughed.
We return to town. What a bummer all the ponies look at me with their stupid faces.
"Hello human! Where are you going?" That mint green pony screamed on my back, making us gasp in shock.
"Lyra, learn to behave now! He is still trying to assimilate his situation," said Tempora exalted.
"Sorry princess," Lyra said embarrassed.
"But if you promise to control yourself, you can come with us...", she recovered her smile.
"Motherfucker..." I mumbled inaudibly, I didn't want that green mare to start bothering me.
"Yessss!" Lyra screamed with joy, hitting the ground with her helmets.
We arrived at the house of Dr. Whooves, a brown stallion with blue eyes and a tattoo similar to Tempora's.
"Hello, princess! What brings you here?" He let us pass. The interior was full of interesting scientific equipment, but nothing I have not seen before.
"Hello doctor... I want to introduce you to young Roy..."
"You are the human Lyra talks about, right?"
"Huh... yes," I nodded.
"Valla, you are just as she described them."
"Yes, very handsome," Lyra rolled bedroom eyes. There are the consequences for remaining silent, now I hold on
I just kept my distance. That happened to me to shut up, I had to complain out loud.
"I am here because I need your help. Tempora recommended you," I said.
"Oh seriously?" He said, feeling flattered.
"Yes, but that's not the point. His ship was damaged and he needs an assistant to repair it. And what better than one of the best science ponies in Equestria," Tempora explained.
"Ohhhh, your civilization must be advanced, I would like to help you, but..." he sighed.
"There are no excuses... I will teach you what is necessary. And believe me, I am patient even with my slower students," I said cheekily.
"Hehehe... the next few days will be very interesting," everyone laughed.
"No no no... I wanted us to start today, if you're interested," I said. If he was as I thought, he shouldn't reject this offer.
"Of course I have time; or if necessary, here my server will provide it to me," he pointed out to Tempora, making her laugh.
"Well, say no more. What is the most advanced scientific knowledge you have?"
"The most recent discovery is the Ponirac equation."
"Mmmm... you are still a child, you have a lot to learn," I said seriously. These ponies had a pirated copy of famous scientists.
"Yes... the problem is that we turn to science when magic doesn't give us an explanation," he said disappointed. Updating it would be slow and difficult, but he who does not risk does not win.
"Well, I know what to start with," I said with a smile.
"I am all ears," he smiled. They all sat down on the floor.
"Me too! I want to know everything about you!" Lyra screamed. I ran my hand over my face. That mare was worse than the pink pony.
"I agree with Lyra," Tempora smiled warmly at me. My countenance changed upon hearing it.
I cleaned a blackboard. We thoroughly went over relativity, some quantum physics, and part of how my ship's propulsion system works. I tried to use my field theory teacher's pedagogical technique and it was definitely worth it.
Dr. Whooves made great progress; while Tempora understood some of the problems related to space-time.
On the other hand, no matter the universe, donkeys will always exist. Lyra was snoring and moaning loudly on the floor. The noise was very unpleasant, like a wet dream.
They both applauded with joy. Maybe that is something simple, but this was the first time that I was not trampled with insults and ridicule after exposing something in public, a fleeting tear escaped me. But despite this, I motioned for them to stop, I didn't want them to wake Lyra up.
"What's wrong, Roy?" Tempora said curiously. Damn, what I didn't want was for someone to notice.
"No, nothing, nothing..." I replied in a neutral tone, drying my eyes. She just nodded, not quite convinced by my answer.
Then Lyra began to babble while she slept. She said every stupidity, some of them disturbing. "Come on Roy... harder... harder... Ah ahh..."
"Hahahahahahahaha..." Whooves and Tempora laughed out loud.
"Hey, you son of a bitch doctor ... where's the bathroom?" I asked him several times. Not even the insult made him react.
I had to choose between going out to a tree or looking for it myself. The bathroom was for babies, the tree was even less worse.
.
.
"Well, I already said everything I had to say. I look forward to another session," the doctor stopped laughing.
"Well, I plan to show you my ship tomorrow; so get psyched, because I'm going to be very grumpy, huh..." I clarified. He gave a shriek of excitement.
"I'll leave Lyra there... Until tomorrow," Tempora and I said goodbye and left just before she woke up.
"Is it night already...!? So how long is the day here?" I yelled stunned.
"24 hours," Tempora replied. This planet was the lost twin of earth or something.
"Oh... we also have a 24 hour day. We did waste time."
"Not precisely, we only lost 2,395,449 hours," she said.
Such precision was only comparable to an atomic clock. "And what was that?"
"Time and I have been connected since the appearance of ponies in this world," she explained. I saved myself from asking her age by remembering what the doctor told me.
"Wow...", that was all I could say.
"We better go or Lyra will catch up..." she said amused.
"Hehe... and for you to say, that damn pony is an animal."
We go through the portal again. I was able to see that beautiful castle on the horizon again, at night it looked even better.
I realized that Tempora was holding back a laugh. "What is grace?"
Then I felt a weight on my back. One of those flying "snakes" was right behind me, making me scream in fear.
"Hehehe... relax, it won't do anything to you... Hey, I think it's yours, Roy"; she pointed to an object in the creature's muzzle.
"That's my laser gun," I said in surprise, putting the gun on my belt. "What creatures are those?"
"I really don't remember the name..." she said embarrassed.
"I know some exercises that cure even amnesia, if you want I can show you," I said mockingly.
"Coming from you, they will surely work. Now tell me, what is that object for? She asked curiously.
"This pistol shoots a concentrated beam of light that serves to cut, heat things, and defend itself," I explained, adjusting it and firing at the ground. The laser crystallized the sand.
"Artisan glass over a thousand degrees," I pointed out the still hot pieces.
"You guys do magic your way..." she said with a yawn, "we better go to the castle, I'm tired already."
"And how am I supposed to go up?"
"Easy," Tempora levitated me with her magic.
"Whoa... this is not like a jet pack," I said uncertainly. Getting up off the ground without the feeling of propulsion scared me.
"Easy, just enjoy it, I won't let you fall," she smiled.
"Okay, but if I die I will go after you hahaha..." I said amused.
"That's the spirit, Roy!" She exclaimed with joy, spreading her wings wide.
That change surprised me. Adding that to her body and her pretty glass eyes made her look like an angel.
"How beautiful are your wings...", oh no, I said stupid, I expected a good slap. "Sorry... I said it without... without thinking..."
"Huh...? Well, I... thanks for the compliment..." she said sheepishly, blushing and looking back, but I saw out of the corner of my eye that she was smiling. Ufff... that was close.
I looked around when I reached a certain height, I could appreciate the beauty of the violet tone of the night sky. This planet easily overshadowed Earth's atmosphere.
Then I noticed that Tempora was looking at me with a malicious smile. Then he turned off his magic, letting me fall.
"No no no... Tempora...! Mommy...!" I screamed scared. I had to wait for the sand to cushion my fall.
She stopped my fall a few meters from the ground. "Hahaha... you should have seen your scared foal face..." she said mockingly.
"You're going to pay me dearly..." I gasped.
"I thought you would like it," She said with a pout.
"I would have enjoyed it if I hadn't been in danger of dying... again," I said annoyed.
"Ok, I won't do that anymore, but I don't promise you anything..." she said playfully. I just swallowed hard.
I whistled when I saw the castle up close. I looked at that curious blue fluid. "What the hell is that liquid?"
"They are the sands of time, if you look closely you can see every moment of Equestria reflected," she explained.
Even the movies were hacked by these ponies, they knew nothing of Copyright.
"Not even the best CIA agents could perform this wonder. How can you not be traumatized by this?" I said curious. She spied on hundreds of ponies simultaneously, some in somewhat disturbing scenes.
"It's been my duty since I was a filly, not that I had many options..." she said wistfully.
"Tempora, what's up? Can you tell me" I said worried.
"Nothing... we better get in..." she said sadly.
It was the second time that she did this, so pretty that she smiled and despite her great joke, she was very kind. Well, maybe one day she would have the confidence to tell me things.
No matter the species, women will always be an enigma. "Okay, I won't insist... you're free to tell me whenever you want."
She softened a little when I said that.
Change of perspective.
I'm glad Roy was patient with me, of course he wanted to tell him all about me, but I couldn't. He was the first in thousands of years to be my company in this empty castle and I didn't want to disturb him with my trivial problems. Just thinking about how silly I was in the past made my stomach churn.
I opened the doors and turned on the lights with my magic. Roy looked inside like a foal that had just received a gift.
A photo of me caught his attention. "What intimidating wings did you have before? They looked like knives."
"I've had them for as long as I can remember," I said simply.
"And what happened to them?" He said curious
"They no longer had a useful life," that was one of the reasons; therefore I did not lie to him.
"Yes sure..." Roy nodded unconvinced, he was anything but dumb. I checked it in the class he gave; something I admired about him.
I started to feel very tired, I yawned repeatedly. Roy realized this immediately and asked me to continue tomorrow.
"Come... let me take you to... to a room," I said between yawns, I had already cleaned a place for him, I hope he felt comfortable.
He was very happy with the room, he assured that he had never slept in such a luxurious bed, then he gave me a hug. I gladly reciprocated, I had not felt one since my first encounter with the elements of harmony. "Seriously thanks, good night," he said, pulling away from me.
"Good night, if you need anything, my room is on the right."
This day was, I don't know... very complicated but very good. He came out of the hospital well, gave us an unforgettable class and, although I understood almost nothing, I enjoyed it.
I wanted him to enjoy the first day with me and I made a little joke that did not go very well. I should have thought of his fear; If I had an accident like that, I would also have hated that game.
That compliment he gave me really paralyzed me with surprise, he also blushed at what he said. I have not been able to understand his motive; but I really liked that he told me, it gave me a new feeling, only comparable to friendship. I will ask Twilight about this, maybe she knows I felt and still feel. Anyway, I'm going to sleep, maybe tomorrow will be a good day.