A/N: Still homeless, but writing helps as usual.

-p-

6 days ago

I could smell the various chemicals used to keep the hospital clean as I came to. The beeps of machines from down the hall might as well have been right beside me since they were so loud. This pony body's senses were better than my human one by far. The dream conversation was still on my mind as I sat up and moved my head around to relieve some pain. I guess I slept wrong. I sighed while I got out of bed, still on all fours, and tried to create a mental picture of the room within my mind. Unfortunately, my exploration didn't last long because I discovered there was an IV attached to one of my legs, like a leash.

I snorted while I paced about, countless questions racing through my head. I felt sick to my stomach; my stomach growled yet my nausea killed any desire I had to eat. I guess the transformation from omnivore to herbivore really bucks with the body. Why do I even bother trying to swear while conscious? I could hear hoofbeats coming from down the hall and heading in this direction. I tried turning towards the sound, but I smacked into a wall instead. The door opened and I could hear more than one pony.

"I told you, Doctor, she's out of bed." It was a different nurse from yesterday.

"You should not be walking about yet." The doctor said with concern in his tone.

Of course, I could not understand a word of it. I could only turn in their general direction and tilt my head, hoping they'd understand. I could hear concerned muttering and hoofsteps coming my way. I felt a limb gently wrap around my left front left and guide me forward. It was a nice gesture and something that did not need a translation. Unfortunately, for me, I became lightheaded and stumbled. A stronger set of hooves took over; it much have been the stallion. I was guided to a chair, by the feel of it but I had no idea how to sit in it. I decided to sit on the floor, much to the displeasure of the pair if their sighs were anything to go by.

"Blind and nonverbal?" The Doctor asked the nurse.

"The chart says she is blind but does not mention anything else."

I groaned while trying to think of a way to speak with them, but thought of none. I could hear another set of hooves trot into the room and thankfully, this voice I did know.

"I figured she'd be up and about; she looks more balanced today." It was one of the nurses from yesterday.

"How do you mean?" The doctor inquired.

"She could not stand at all. She is being released today from what I was told. Why is she still here?"

"I was hoping she'd tell us what happened."

"Not possible. She doesn't speak Ponish."

"What?"

I could hear an irritated groan from the nurse as she approached me. She tapped my shoulder with her hoof. I titled my head and was rewarded with another tap. I tried getting up and walking forward. I could hear the others' tones which conveyed their disapproval. I ignored them as the nurse continued to use her body to guide me out of the room and down a hall… of course, this was after she had disconnected me from the machines. She would body block if I got too close to a wall or tug me by my bandana if I was supposed to turn in a certain direction.

"Come on, dear, I know you can't understand me but I hope one day you can." I could hear the smile in her voice and gave her one of mine.

She laughed happily at that and called out to someone…eh I should say somepony. I really need to get used to that. I was decent at deciphering tones thanks to my work and personal experience but even I was not a pro at it. The nurse was talking to another and I was left to my own devices. I nodded my head, hoping to convey that I was excusing myself. I took baby steps to avoid injury. My stomach growled as I could smell something amazing; I picked up my pace and the nurse's voice grew more distant. That is until…

"Hey, where are you going?" A new voice shouted while trotting after me.

"Tea Leaf, we've been over this; she does not understand Ponish." The nurse sounded exhausted while she chased after the new voice.

"Gotta learn sometime, Summer Breeze!" The new voice reminded me of Pinkie Pie in a way.

The pair turned me around, much to my disappointment and irritation, away from the food's scent. The next thing I knew, I heard what I thought was a glass vase hit the floor. I felt a tad lightheaded and shook my head. I couldn't tell what my guide ponies' reaction to that sound would be like. They guided me to a chair and sat me down. I assumed they told me to stay put before they walked off somewhere.

"Did you see that, Breeze?"

"Yeah, maybe it was an accident, Leaf."

Tea Leaf raised a brow. "She got annoyed and her magic broke something."

Summer sighed. "She did almost drown. She's probably just having an off day. Anyways, she needs somewhere to stay for the time being. Please, Tea Leaf?"

"...We can try but I can't promise anything, Summer Breeze; we will have to take it day by day." Tea said while she walked back towards her new guest.

I could hear hoof steps walking towards me; I rose from the chair and tilted my head. Another tap on the shoulder and I was moving again. The new voice chatted about what I could assume to be different things. I didn't focus on trying to decipher the words, rather the syllables, and reviewed them in my head. Ponish was completely different from any real-world language that I had heard before. There were even some words that sounded like nothing more than noise. I must have frowned cause the pony's tone changed to one of concern.

"Hey, you ok? Um, right so I guess we should start with simple words." Tea Leaf muttered more to herself than to me.

I could feel the pony tap my right side. I tried to take a step in that direction, but she stopped me. "Right."

I titled my head and she repeated the process a few times. I guess she thought I got whatever she was trying to achieve because she switched to tapping my left shoulder. "Left."

Maybe she was trying to teach me directions? I didn't get a chance to ponder long before I could hear move behind me and nudge my flank which caused me to move forward. "Straight."

She moved once again and gently pushed on my shoulders to push me back. "Back."

She repeated all of these directions and actions several times, her voice gentle but firm. I nearly lost my balance a few times from all the nudging and pushing. I snorted to get her to stop, pawing the ground for extra measure. I could hear her giggle and gently place her hoof on my throat. I frowned in confusion, only to have her remove her hoof and gently take my hoof and place it on her throat.

"Right. Left. Straight. Back."

This was some straight Hellen Keller stuff. But, at least I knew now what she wanted. I gently took my hoof back and nodded my head in understanding. I smacked my lips, dry mouth setting in. Since we were in an empty hospital hallway, I couldn't just smell out some water. Truth be told, I didn't even know what water should smell like.

The pony started walking again. "Straight!"

"Stra!" I called out, the syllable rolling off my tongue harshly, as I moved forward.

"We all have to start somewhere." Tea said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I suppose I should get you some food and water."

I kept walking, listening intently for new instructions from the pony. She kept muttering to herself while maintaining a decent pace. I was still getting used to four feet and not able to trot yet, well not without tripping. I tried power walking, but it was much harder with four legs than two. I let out a yelp when I fell, sighing loudly while picking myself up from the floor. I could hear the pony quickly return to my side.

"Hey, easy now. I'll slow down, ok? Straight!"

Yeah, the only word I understood from that was straight. The tone was concerned, so I guess she was checking on me. In any case, I started walking again. This was a long as buck hallway. It felt like it anyway; being blind, I was not able to tell distance obviously. This was going to be a challenge. First, I had to learn which city or town I was in before I could make any major choices. I was lost in my own thoughts, just using instinct to follow my guide through the halls. I could hear many voices and hoofsteps followed by the smell of good food. I guess she took me to the cafeteria. My stomach growled and the pony chuckled while she sat me down in the closest seat. I sighed while she walked away and held my head in my front hooves. The feeling felt both unnatural and natural. I did not know how long I would be in this body; there were too many variables and limitations to even bother trying to figure it out.

"I did not know what you liked, but I got you a bit of everything." The sudden reappearance sent me flying onto the floor.

"Whoa there, I'm sorry for startling you." Why even bother trying, Ms Pony? I cannot understand you. At all.

She helped me back into the chair and tapped the plate. I guess she was telling me to eat, but how in Equestria was I supposed to eat with flat hooves? I could not remember how the characters did it. I didn't even know what type of pony I was. The pony cleared her throat to get my attention, to which I nodded. She poked my head with her hoof. I raised my limbs and followed hers, until I felt it - a horn. I'm a bucking unicorn!