Courier in Equestria: Intro, part 5

 

 

>You are Anon.

 

>Day 16, Equestria.

>A silent ringing in the back of your head awakens you, one of you implants designed to help regulate your sleep.

>You open your eyes, and are greeted with darkness.

>You failed to factor in the fact that this planet seems to have a longer day/night cycle than yours.

>Nevertheless, you've had enough sleep.

>You pull yourself up, allowing your eyes to adjust to the low amount of light.

>Since you had the time, you figured you might as well go over the local language here.

>You had not been focused on learning it's nuances and speaking it.

>Escaping from a hive of Changelings was far more important.

>You spend an hour figuring out how to properly construct the syntax.

>It was one thing learning another language on Earth.

>It was an entirely different thing learning a language made by another species, on another planet.

>Even with your augmented intelligence, it was going to take a while to perfect.

>But you at least were able to communicate.

>And that's a start.

 

 

>Your stomach growls, and you're reminded why.

>You spent the entirety of yesterday running, walking, or shooting.

>All of which required energy from your internal battery, which ran off of caloric energy.

>You remember the berries, mushrooms, and other flora you picked yesterday, and decide to test them, and see what was edible, and what was not.

>You take small bites of everything you gathered.

>Apparently the small, red, tough berries were delicious, and high in sugar.

>They reminded you of cranberries.

>You leave the edible food, as well as a bottle of water, by your mint-colored companion, who was still recovering from her injuries.

>You, however, needed more meat.

>Your body could not survive off eating berries and veggies all day.

>The morning hours of the day are spent bagging larger game.

>Mostly predators.

>You encountered one very peculiar animal that seemed to have the head of a chicken, and the body of a snake.

>You travel back to your camp, game on your back, and begin gathering more wood for a cooking fire.

>This time you know which flora taste good, and can be used to season meats.

 

>You rekindle the fire, and check on your companion.

>Her injuries were healing slowly, but there was no sign of infection.

>No overly inflamed tissue, and no adverse reaction to your stitching and medical instruments.

>Good.

>However, this creature needed to eat and drink.

>You'd need to use the limited amount of painkillers you have, and wait for the sedative to wear off.

>The fire has, by now, grown to where you want it to.

>You again clean the meat off the animals, and set it on cooking sticks by the fire.

>You watch the sunrise, taking in the beauty.

>After wasting 15 minutes doing so, you begin to ready your companion to be awakened.

>You administer a low dose of painkillers, enough to dull the worst of it, and wait for the sedatives to wear off.

>The sedatives you used have roughly a 18 hour half life in the body, meaning the person normally wakes up in 24 hours.

>However, you had to scale it down for the smaller size of your companion.

>Still, it shouldn't be long.

>You wait another hour, and your companion has not stirred.

>Shrugging, you begin digging into your meal.

>After finishing, you once again bury the remains, and go to wash your hands and face in the river.

 

 

>As you're returning, your companion begins to stir.

>Finally.

>You take a non-threatening posture, kneeling on one knee, a few feet away from her.

>She grumbles, and immediately grimaces.

>She looks at you, and... What may be... Thankfulness...? Confusion..? Appears on her face.

>"What happened? I remember falling, and I remember feeling... Horrible. I felt like I was being cut open after I fell down."

>Oh shit. You operated on her while she was conscious!

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were awake. I had to remove the pieces of rock in your chest."

>She looks down, and sees the part of her chest that was shaved, and stitched.

>"Why... Will... Will this heal?

"Yes, don't worry. I sterilized it before I began, and you don't look like you got infected. You should make a full recovery."

>A relieved expression comes over her face.

>"Thank you. I'm sorry I was so useless back there, I could've..."

"No, don't worry about it. We both got out of there alive, and that's all that matters."

"Here. I got you something to eat and drink."

>With that, you hand the various edible flora and water to her.

>She manages a weak "Thank you," Before eating.

 

 

>"My chest... hurts."

"Yes, when you fell you fractured some of your ribs. You should avoid hitting them, or taking breaths that are too large."

>She nods, and takes another bite of the food you collected.

>She swallows, and asks, "Where are you from?"

>You didn't quite know how to answer this.

>Did her kind even comprehend the concepts of other worlds?

>Well, might as well tell her.

>If she doesn't understand, you can rephrase it.

"I came here from another world."

>"Like, across the sea?"

"No. Your world, your planet, is but one of many that exist. I come from another planet entirely."

>She slumps back, and thinks on what you've said.

>"How? How can the wanderers in the sky be home to life?"

>Oh, of course. They must not even comprehend the concept of planets, yet. They must think of the planets they see as wandering stars.

>But if she didn't even comprehend the concept of planets...

"My world... is like yours. But it is so far away from here, it could not be reached by normal means."

>You hope that is sufficient explanation.

 

 

>She picks up another... Hoof-full...? of berries, and eats them.

>"Well, I owe you. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure. I was going to break out anyway, eventually. I just had nowhere to go. I thought you might have somewhere we can retreat to, somewhere safe. Can I ask where you come from?

>She smiles, and says "I come from a town called P0nyville. It's in a big empire of a bunch of cities."

>Sounds good. Sounds somewhat safe.

>"Everything feels... Dull."

"That's the painkillers. They dull sensation. If you were not on them, you'd be in a lot of pain."

>"Thank you, then. How long will I need them?"

"Probably another day. The stimpacks I injected you with will make you heal faster than normal."

>"Stimpacks?

>You take the remaining packs out of your jacket, and show them to her. The strange liquid inside swirls in the glass container.

"They're made from some plants I have back on my planet that make you heal faster if injected into the blood. They work on species on my planet, and I'm glad they work on you. They don't to the same degree on you as they do on me, but they still work."

>She nods, and drinks a long drink from the bottle, drinking about half of it.

>You put the packs back in your jacket.

 

>"When can we leave? I'm anxious to get home. Celestia will also want to meet you. I think she'd like you."

"Who?"

>"She's the ruler of our empire. She's very nice, and she occasionally comes to my town. She has a student there. You'll want to to meet her too. I'd bet she'd love learning about where you come from."

>That... Actually sounds like a good plan.

>Meeting with, and gaining trust with, the student of the ruler would be a great help to your plans.

"I think I'd like that,"

>You say, smiling at her.

>She smiles back.

>At least smiling is a universal gesture here.

>"I don't feel like I can move. Do you want me to walk? I can try."

"No, don't bother. I can carry you to where we need to go. I just need to know where to head."

>"Well, we've already gone farther up this river than we should."

"What do you mean?"

>"We're on the edge of the everfree forest. It's dangerous in there. We should've gone around it, to the west."

>"But since we're already here, we can try going right through it. It would be far quicker."

 

 

"Are there any more Changelings in there?"

>"No, but there are timber wolves, wraiths, the occasional dr.."

"Yeah. Are they as bad as Changelings?"

>"After seeing what you were able to do to those Changelings, mister, I don't think they'd be much trouble."

"Then we need to go. Are you ready to travel?"

>She looks around, then looks at you and nods.

"Then just let me gather my things, and we'll be off."

>You refill your bottles, and briefly boil the water you gather.

>You inject her with another stimpack, to speed along with tissue regeneration, and to help with the pain.

>After that, you put out the fire, and gather your things.

>"What exactly do those things do?"

"Well, they can help replace lost blood. They also accelerate tissue regeneration, can clot wounds, and help solidify and heal fractures."

>You pick her up, her wincing as you do, and begin heading upstream.

"So, just follow the river?"

>"Ye... Ow, Yes. It'll lead to Apple Acres. From there we can get back to Ponyville.

"Very well."

 

 

>You start your journey upstream.

>"Do you have a name, mister?"

"I did, once. Now everyone calls me Anonymous."

>"Can I call you Anon? That sound very hard to pronounce."

"Sure!"

>You chuckle, and ask,

"I assume you have a name as well?"

>"Lyra. Like my instrument."

>So, it was an instrument on her ass.

"Is that what that tattoo is? Of a lyre?"

>"It's not a tattoo! It's a cutie mark!"

>Huh. How odd.

"What's the difference?"

>"Tattoos are surgically applied. Cutie marks appear by magic!"

>Magic?

>Well, many of the inhabitants of this world did exhibit strange abilities.

>It would be logical for a primitive species to call such things magic.

 

 

"So, these marks just show up?"

>"Yes. When someone is old enough, and they've found what their special talent is, a cutie mark will appear, saying what they're good at!"

>"I'm good at playing many instruments, but especially the Lyre."

>Their civilization had culture, it seems.

>This civilization was sounding better all the time.

>"So, what about your arm? You have metal in it?"

>She sounded very shy... Or was it hesitation? Hard to tell... About your arm.

> Perhaps she was trying to avoid offending you.

"I'm what's called a cyborg. A person who has had technology implanted into their body to help them do things."

>"Like what? Like use that magic shooting thing you're carrying?"

>You chuckle once more.

"Yes. It is called a laser rifle. It uses energy from my body to shoot beams."

"I can also heal very quickly, am very strong, and can do a thousand other things with my implants."

>"Can you use other kinds of magic?"

>You consider the question for a moment, before answering.

"Yes, but probably not in the way that people on this planet can."

>She contemplates that last phrase for a few moments.

>"Is that how you learned my language?"

>You visibly grimace, remembering how you did learn it.

"No. That Changeling Queen forced knowledge of her language into my brain. Yours was similar enough that I could figure out the rest."

>After that, she falls silent. Possibly asleep.

 

 

>Your first few hours trekking through the forest are without event, for the most part.

>The creatures of this forest fear a hulking monster such as you, it seems.

>At six foot four, you towered over pretty much everything here.

>She stirs for a moment, observing the land around her.

>"We should be almost through. I'm glad you're here, I wouldn't feel safe on my own in here."

"Mmmmm."

>You hum, in acknowledgement. Your attention was focused on green shifting lights you saw in the corner of your vision.

>Your rifle sat on your back in it's holster, still tied to your power supply.

>And you couldn't just drop your friend.

>You decided to risk moving forward.

>Hopefully whatever was stalking you would realize that an attack would be futile.

>Another quarter of a mile proves to be uneventful, and the trees are getting less gruesome in appearance.

>The lights at the edge of your vision have disappeared.

>Must have run off.

 

 

>As you walk beside the river, your companion chimes in again.

>"We should be almost out."

>"And thank you again. I never would've made it out, if you were not there."

>You smile, and say,

"Again, you're welcome. Do your people have a hospital in P0nyville? Somewhere you can rest and recuperate?"

>"Yes, th... Ow... There's one on the far side of town."

"Then we're going there first. Do you have any idea how the inhabitants will react to me?"

>"I've never known them to get angry or hostile at anyp0ny. We've had non-p0nies come through the town before. They certainly were not as friendly as you, and they were accepted. I don't see why they wouldn't react well to you. Especially after rescuing me."

>You hope that her words hold true.

>You had no desire to start conflict among a peaceful species.

>The changelings, however...

 

 

>Your pipboy unreliable for time, uncalibrated for this planet's day/night cycle, you had to use the position of the sun for estimation of the time.

>It should be around 3:00.

>You notice the trees thinning out, and you see, in the distance, orderly rows of trees.

>Quite a large number of them, as well.

>Your companion has nodded off to sleep again. Unsurprising.

>You didn't want to wake her up anyways.

>The locals could be asked for directions, hopefully.

>Among the trees, you spot a small, orange p0ny.

>It was kicking trees.

>And from such, the apples were falling out of the tree, into pre-placed baskets.

>Smart.

>She notices you coming, now that you've cleared the forest.

>She looks pretty alarmed.

>The p0ny looks ready to high-tail it out of there, but then she notices you're holding another p0ny in your arms.

>Her fear appears to switch to concern for your companion.

"Wake up, Lyra. We're here."

>You nudge her as you say this, and she sirs.

>She yawns, and yelps at the pain of moving.

>By this time the orange p0ny is nearing you.

>Fortunately, Lyra's ready with a response when the orange one begins to talk.

 

 

>"Now look here, ya big creature, let mah friend.."

>"Applejack, no ne- Ow... no need to be alarmed. This is my friend."

>"Ya look hurt, you better get t..."

"The hospital, yes. Where is it?"

>She stares at you, unsure of what to do or say.

>"Applejack, please. Trust him, he got me out of a huge mess."

>"Well, then why are ya covered in stitches? What happened tuh your face?"

"I'll explain later, if you're that curious. But can we make sure she's taken care of proper, first?"

>She shifts in her stance, to one less standoffish.

>A good sign.

>"Fine. Fallow me."

>You follow her around the outskirts of the town, undoubtedly to avoid letting the whole town see you.

>Ass you pass by the town, even at a distance, it looked...

>Whimsical.

>Colorful.

>Comforting.

>You'd never seen such vibrant colors in your life.

>The architecture was relatively well designed, even though the building materials ranged from brick, to stone, to metal, to straw, to wood.

>It was... Fascinating, at the least.

 

 

>You follow this... "Applejack"... to a large, square building. It looked similar to the old world hospitals your world had.

>You take her inside, ducking the doors, ignoring the odd looks that everyone gave you.

>The roof was oddly low.

>You had to tilt your head sideways to even stand upright inside.

>At least no violent responses yet, that's promising.

>She ran up to the counter, saying,

>"We need ah doctor, please! Mah friend is hurt."

>The p0ny behind the counter stared at you as you knelt.

>She lacked a horn, like Applejack did.

>How interesting.

>You showed her your injured companion.

"She's got a fractured sternum, several fractured ribs, and had some lacerations and blood loss. I patched her up, she should be fine with some rest and time."

>"All... All right."

>She p0ny behind the counter was obviously intimidated.

>Your bloodied, scarred appearance wasn't helping.

>She vanished from the room, swiftly going to get, what you presume, is help.

>She comes through a door on the side of the room, followed by two horned p0nies propelling a very small bed.

 

 

>"Can you set her down?"

>You do so, and the two horned p0nies depart through the doors.

>"Do you... uh... Want us to take a look at you? You look..."

"I'm fine. I'll patch up my own injuries."

>She looks relieved.

>She obviously didn't want to have to care for you, but she still extended the kindness of asking nonetheless.

>How polite.

>You head back out, followed by Applejack.

>As the doors close behind the both of you, Applejack speaks up.

>"Ah'm awfully sorry about how I didn't trust ya. Ah was just concerned for mah friend."

"It's understandable. Don't apologize."

>You both linger in silence for a while, neither of you wishing to break it.

>She works up the nerve to, first.

>"So... What are ya? I've never seen a creature like you. You're taller than a minotour, and your shoulder..."

"I'm... Human. I'm not from around here.

>Telling her about concepts of other planets would likely only confuse her.

>She seemed like the hard working, simple folk that worked the ranches and farms back in the NCR.

 

 

>Respectable, certainly.

>"Well, ah gotta get back to work. Ah guess ya can come with. Any friend of Lyra's is ah friend ah mine."

"That would be... Welcome. Thank you."

>She sets off, back towards the farm.

>You follow her, observing more of the landscape.

>Your imposing figure, dressed in black leather and dark, stained, and ripped cloth was in stark contrast to everything here.

>"So, where did ya find 'er?"

"Inside of a Changeling hive. They had captured me as well. I broke out and freed her as well. Since my home is very far away, I was hoping that her people would accept me here."

>"Well, Ah'd be more than happy to house ya. Lyra's been mah friend for a long time. What happened to your shoulder, and why'd there ah wire comin' out of it?"

"My people are very good with technology and machines."

>"So ya put it intah yourselves? Seems mighty odd to me."

"Perhaps. But my arm was broken, a long time ago. I couldn't heal it, or repair the bone. So I made myself a new one."

>"Why not just get a unic... Well, magic-y Human to look at it?"

"We don't have magic. At least, not like you'd understand it."

>She pondered on that one for a while.

>"Well, Ah don't even know your name. And if you're gonna be stayin' with us, Ah'd like tah know it."

 

 

"Anonymous. But you can call me Anon."

>"Very well Ahnon. Ah suppose I can introduce ya to mah kin, just try not to frighten them."

>You chuckled at that.

"No worries. I'd like to go wash myself in the river that runs through your orchard, if it's all right with you.

>"That'd be a good idea. Try to clean yourself off ah tad, and I'll tell them to expect ah visitor."

>You split off once you reached the gate, heading towards the river.

>You disrobed, putting your things by one of the trees.

>Washing yourself, and your clothes, off, you notice your right arm.

>The skin had begun setting in, and some of it was already dead.

>You checked further down your arm.

>It seems the burns and scrapes cut enough blood vessels that some of the skin and muscle was dying.

>Wonderful.

>You were not willing to risk infection to the rest of you.

>Grimacing, you cut and pull the skin from your arm off, exposing the raw metal and silicon beneath.

>You take a good look at your arm.

>The inside of it had not been seen for a while.

>You marvel at it's architecture.

>It was a far sight better looking than many of the robots in your world.

>You buried the remains of the skin, disgusted the whole time, a fair way away from the water, not wanting the rot to foul it.

 

 

>You quickly check up on the rest of your injuries, making sure that the rest of them were healing well.

>The wiring connecting your rifle to the circuitry in your arm you disconnect as well.

>Your internal battery was, once again, going to need recharging after all you've been through.

>After doing that, you attempt to clean up your duster, washing the muck, blood, and green goop off of it.

>You also make sure to wash the dried plasm off of yourself, as well.

>You also cleaned off your arm, removing the blood and residual flesh off of it.

>You make a few notes in your pip-boy about the day, and put everything back on.

>Hopefully you could make a good impression on Applejack's "kin", as she put it.

>As you walk towards the house, you re-calibrate your pip-boy's time keeping mechanism, modifying it for this planet's.

>Well, you've been here for 11 days of this world, it seems.

>Longer days.

>The house comes within sight.

>You hope your arm wouldn't set them off.

>Too late for regrets, you suppose.

>You head towards the house, glad you could finally afford to let your guard down.