Point taken.
Have some more blow-by-blow.
Episode 12 (Call of the Cutey)
This one, oddly enough, starts out with Garrick attending class with the rest of the school fillies. Reason being that a good amount of social studies is covered in addition to Equish. However, Garrick can turn the tables when they get into more academic topics like mathematics - probably to the point where Cheerilee is left gobsmacked. Probably something about Fibonacci Numbers and how Snails picks up on them right away.
Of course, we get into the whole cutey mark thing. Garrick is quick to point out that humans do not gain cutey marks and this did not stop humans from becoming a force to be reckoned with. To wit, he goes on about the many things he is quite good at. When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon start heckling him, he is quick to turn on the two and ask what the meanings behind their cutey marks are.
Afterwards, Garrick stands aside from Applebloom's quandary, but he does go to DT's and SS's parents about the fillies teasing 'Blank Flanks'. (Wondering if their parents would give him the brush-off or take him seriously.)
Once Applebloom has been through the wringer and met up with Sweetiebell and Scootaloo, Garrick will step in as an assistant to the three. Validation: as a being that doesn't gain a cutey mark, he is uniquely qualified to help find that 'hidden talent' every pony has. In reality, he's going to be making sure their antics don't get out of hand.
Episode 20 (Green Isn't Your Color)
Derailment time! A pack of Timber Wolves chases Garrick into Ponyville Park - it is only then when he has the room to work with that Garrick draws First Cut and let's them have it. The problem? He's wearing a Rarity-Original summer-weight travelers cloak with a pair of his own sturdy cotton cargo pants and a heavy cotton long-sleeve shirt (I'm a Texan - the heat don't bother me much - it's the dirt that gets mixed in with the sweat that does... and the damn mosquitoes) along with his trusty Navy boots.
The image that Garrick presents while battling the timber wolves is so striking that Photo Finish goes on a picture-snapping frenzy! Of course, when she declares that she must have Garrick, he politely declines. However, she persists by sending other photographers his way. Garrick finally gives, saying that he will agree to do photo shoots, but only the ones that he agrees to. In other words, Photofinish can't push him around willy-nilly.
The end result is that Garrick becomes known across Equestria, but the story behind the human remains a mystery for the populace.
Episode 10 (Swarm of the Century)Batten down the hatches! Parasprites are a'comin! Garrick goes out of his way to help Pinky Pie gather the needed instruments and the invasion of pests is more or less headed off before critical damage can be done to the town. Garrick and Katherine discover by a bizarre accident that the critters, when eaten by Garrick, provide him witch magical energy. Pinky Pie winds up leading the entire swarm down his gullet, and they later advise the Princess of how to deal with the infestation in Fillydelphia.
Gilda: "Wow, you humans really can eat anything!"Garrick: *BUUUUURRRP!*
Now I come to realize that I have yet to actually post any story-bits here. Whoopsie.
Well, that changes now, starting with me reposting the original first bit I posted in the other thread.
Pain.
My whole body ached.
I didn't want to open my eyes, but I knew I had to. I had no idea
what had happened and I needed to assess my situation.
Slowly,
I cracked them open. To my relief, the light outside was bright, but
no more painful than normal. I squinted, groaning from the pain of
flexing my facial muscles – even those were sore, dammit! Within
seconds, though, my eyes began to adapt and I was able to start
taking in the details.
I was in some sort
of room... it was like an old hospital. I slowly turned my head to
the side and saw a day-lit window with a cast-iron radiator under the
sill. An armoire sat against near the corner and there was a door
right in front of the bed. Next to me was another bed, empty, and
just past that was an open door leading to a hallway beyond. The bed
was an old looking sort – all porcelain-coated metal and in a plain
white color.
In fact, everything
in the room was white.
Why wouldn't it be?
In hospitals, like most ordnance bunkers, everything is white so you
can better see the contaminants when they appear.
So I had been
receiving medical care. Which meant that I was under someone's care.
I felt around a bit, shifting my arms and legs, even though they
burned from soreness.
I was not
restrained, which is a very good sign.
I noticed that my
left arm felt particularly pained. I looked down and grimaced as I
saw an IV line taped to my wrist, the thick needle embedded deeply
into my arm.
I hate these things
with a pink and purple passion, but I knew better than to mess with
it. On the other hand, though, that didn't mean I couldn't get
someone to see about pulling it out for me. I looked around some
more and saw a night stand by my side with what looked like an old AM
radio... and a silver bell with a black handle, standing upright on
the nightstand.
I groped for it
clumsily, almost knocked it over, but I got my hand around the handle
just before I could push it over the edge and then gave it a shake.
The clear, ringing tone was a bit louder than I expected, but I knew
this to be a welcome thing.
I heard a gasp at
the door and automatically turned to the sound. All I caught was the
blurring of blue hair as it disappeared down the hall.
Was it just my
imagination or did I hear hoof-beats? Probably just the acoustics.
Whatever had
happened, I hoped that answers were waiting for me. I was already
starting to feel anxious. I know that Dr. Clay had attacked, but I
somehow felt that he was unsuccessful. Even so, I was worried for my
ladies and my adoptive family.
The clip-clopping
sound got my attention and I turned to the door, anxiously waiting...
A small, white
equine figure entered the room. It had a white coat and a pink mane.
PINK!? And even stranger was she was wearing an old-fashioned
nurse's cap.
She then made some
sort of sound... she was talking to me! It was very strange and
fluid sounding, almost like the elvish language from Tolkein's Lord
of the Rings series.
And then I saw the mark on the equine's flank – a red cross with
small, pink hearts at the corners, pointing inwards.
Nurse Redheart.
My Little Pony.
I had crossed dimensional boundaries once more... and the reason for
my anxiety fell into place as I felt myself consumed by an
all-powerful sense of sorrow and emptiness.
I tried to hold it back, but it was impossible. My breath caught in
my throat and I held the outcry back, letting it out only as a faint,
high-pitch wheeze as my eyes teared up against my will.
Dimly,
I heard worried and distraught sounding noises from Redheart and I
felt her hooves gently probing at my face the way a mother tries to
comfort a weeping child. The expression was clear here: Oh
my goodness! What's wrong!? Can you tell me where it hurts!?
I had to check my C-Space. I needed to know that was working still!
Oh dear sweet Tsunami please tell me I still had Katherine!!!
I made a frantic shucking motion over my left arm. Get this IV
out of me, NOW!
Nurse Redheart got the message and I heard her call out to someone,
followed by a series of receding hoof-beats. While I waited,
Redheart tried to reassure and comfort me. I was so sorely tempted
to just grab her and wrap her up in my arms. Oh Goddess, why!?
Why do I lose everything like this!?
A frantic set of approaching hoof-beats came, followed by what
sounded like a collision with the unoccupied hospital bed. A few
excited imprecations later, Redheart was by my side once more and
said something to me. I think it was something along the lines of
bracing myself.
Carefully, she removed the medical tape. The stinging pull on my
skin didn't hold a candle to the pain in my heart, though. Then the
gentle pressure at the puncture site, followed by the dull ache of
the needle being removed. Quickly and deftly a bandage was tied
around it.
Redheart then made a probing, comforting sound. There now, is
that better?
Gently, I pushed her aside as I pulled up my blanket to wipe my tears
away. She didn't struggle and allowed me my movement as I brought my
C-pod into view.
Placement
doesn't really matter, as long as I don't hurt anyone or anything, I
thought as I hurriedly entered a set of relative coordinates and
bearings. I struck the execute key, and just like that, the most
welcome sight in all of Equestria appeared at my bedside. I almost
broke out into fresh tears, even as Redheart and whoever else was
present whinnied in shock.
Sorry, Redheart.
I have to do this. I then
keyed the emergency escape and I was sucked, feet first, out of the
hospital bed, taking the blanket with me.
Just like that, they were gone... or rather I was. The sudden
movement was replaced by the familiar feeling of low gravity as I
drifted to the common area of my C-Space. As my feet touched the
floor, gravity gently increased, pulling me down to the ground in a
boneless heap.
Garrick! Please
hurry!
“katherine,” I groaned as I painfully levered myself up.
We must complete
the bond, Garrick!
“I'm coming, sweetheart” I wheezed as I began to limp to the
stairs and pull my way up. “I'm coming baby girl.”
Katherine said no more as I limped my way down the hall to my Garden
Room. She knew I was doing everything I could to get there, and she
wasn't going to rush me needlessly.
As I pushed my way past the door into the garden, the scents of wood,
earth, and sweet flower fragrance filled my sinuses and I stumbled
towards my beloved tree, collapsing almost right on top of her.
“katherine,” I whispered sorrowfully. “i'm so sorry...”
A
single leaf dropped from the little sapling, the edge of the leaf
glinting oddly in the light as it did so. I looked where it landed
and saw that the edges of the leaf had a coating of crystallized sap.
You can use it
to prick your finger, Garrick. Make the pact and our bond will be
complete. You need me and I need you.
I nodded my head and picked up the razor-sharp little leaf, and then
harshly nicked the index finger of my left hand, causing it to bleed
freely. I then grasped Katherine's tiny trunk gently, yet firmly,
making sure my wounded fingertip had solid contact.
The words then came into my mind, and I spoke them out loud.
“I, Garrick Grimm, just as the First Emperor did on the First Day,
hear your voice, Katherine of the Second Generation of Tsunami-no-Ki,
progenitor of all trees of Jurai. I swear to care for you in all my
days, until I am no longer able to. In return, I accept your gifts
of power and long life. And now, I shall seal this pact with my own
life force. Accept this blood sacrifice, Katherine, and forever be
at my side.”
As with Bizen did with Yuki, Katherine now extended thin, vine-like
tendrils around my left wrist, wrapping them around my C-Pod's
wristband and framing the bezel screen.
I, Katherine of
the Second Generation of Tsunami-no-ki, do accept your blood
sacrifice. I grant you this Master Key to me so you may effectively
command me and my power wherever you may be. And through my Water of
Life, I shall grant you long life and youth until the day you die.
Go, my bondmate, and partake of the water now. But know that this is
your baptism and you shall be forever changed.
I then went to the pool of crystal clear water that surrounded my
tree's planter, and without hesitation I dipped my hands deeply into
the water and brought the sparkling treasure to my lips.
I have never tasted water that was so good. The cool liquid swam
down my throat leaving a path of refreshment all the way to the
bottom.
That didn't last long, though.
Not even a second later, that cool feeling turned to a burning that
expanded from my guts to my limbs and all the way to the tips of my
fingers and toes. I wanted to cry out, but I would not let myself.
To do so would sully the memory of my beautiful little Yuki as I held
her close to me, comforting her as she endured the very same fire as
it burned through her veins.
I don't know how long it took. Minutes, hours, days... it didn't
really matter. All that did matter was that it eventually subsided.
I dared to put my hand in the water and take another sip... once more
there was that blissful, wondrous sense of refreshment, but no
burning came of it.
Afterward, I simply laid there, basking in the warmth of the
artificial sunlight and the cool of the earth beneath me. There was
something else, as well. A sort of gentle and steady hum...
Katherine.
I'm here,
Gar-kun. Whenever you need me, no matter where you are. I will
always be there for you. You won't be alone.
It was like a kick to the gut and the tears came once more. “But...
my family... Katherine, they're gone!” I pretty much lost it
there, breaking down into wracking sobs. It was was worse than my
arrival at the Masaki residence. It was that and my mother's funeral
all in one.
There was a sound next to me. Something purple, with a sorrowfully
sympathetic expression. There was a bright glow, and then a deep and
dreamless sleep.
I woke up to the sting of half-dried tear tracks on my face. I felt
the ache of sorrow and depression gnawing in my chest.
Hello heartbreak, my old friend, I thought to myself
sorrowfully.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out in a sigh, trying not
to start crying again. I was in no more pain. No soreness, no
stiffness. I was in perfectly good health – fat lot of good that
did me.
So, I simply turned over to my shoulder and pulled the blankets
tightly around me, barely even registering the fact I was nude
underneath them.
I then blinked at what I was confronted with: a canary-yellow pegasus
pony with a carnation-pink mane and tail. And she was looking at me
with frightened looking seafoam-green eyes.
You
guys are gonna love this! Dark-blue hair and emerald-green eyes –
a perfect mix between you two!
I couldn't stop the memory from coming. My Hikari! Will I ever
get to see her beautiful eyes!? I broke down right there and
then. This was just so unfair. It didn't matter if I was amongst
the most friendly people you could ever wish to meet.
My family was gone and I may never see them again!
I felt a soft pressure on my shoulder and I knew it was Fluttershy,
uncertain yet trying to comfort me, whispering sweet and loving
sounding words in a tongue so alien and yet so beautiful. And that
just made the hurt so much sharper.
I carefully turned away from her, knowing that the cold shoulder
treatment on its own would be enough to send the poor pegasus pony
into a tailspin of worry. I am sorry, Fluttershy... I am so
sorry.
Regardless, she stayed where she was at, softly rubbing my back and
cooing gently to me.
Eventually, someone else came into the room and there was a softly
spoken conversation. It was another filly, probably one of the Mane
6. It sounded like Twilight. Fluttershy's voice was fraught with
barely contained sorrow. She undoubtedly had no idea why I was so
sad, but my sorrow was obviously contagious despite the unknowing.
Oh if only you knew! You would not be able to contain your self.
“Garrick,” said Twilight's voice suddenly as I felt a hoof at my
shoulder once more.
My eyes shot open as I gave Twilight a shocked look. Twilight was
giving me a look filled with giddy hope.
“You name Garrick, yes?” she said slowly, her tongue not used to
forming the sounds and somewhat misshaping them. “I Twilight
Sparkle. I help you.”
“How did you learn my language so quickly?” I asked quietly, my
curiosity momentarily overriding my sorrow.
“You tree teach me,” she replied excitedly. “Scared me, but
she very nice. Why you so sad? You seem healthy – no problem
now.”
I felt my face scrunch up as I fought back the tears. “My
family... is gone.”
“Gone? Gone where?”
Dammit, please
don't make me go through this.
“No... I was taken away from my family... I can't go back! I can't
see them again! I won't get to see my children born!”
There it was. Horror. She finally had some inkling, some idea of
what I was going through, disconnected as she was. I didn't think
for a moment that she could even wrap her mind around this, but she
at least had some idea now.
“But... we can find way back!”
“No. You won't. Not even the Goddesses could discern how I
arrived in their world the first time. Goddesses, Twilight! More
powerful than your Princesses altogether.”
Twilight took an uncertain step backwards. “... How you know?”
I gave Twilight a sharp look. “How good are you at reading
English?”
She tilted her head. “I think I okay.”
I nodded and pulled up the holo-book function – this was a
modification of the manual utility that I came up with and Washu
coded up with glee. It was eBooks taken to their most logical
conclusion – the best of both worlds: absolute-fidelity digital
storage combined with holographic representation of the printed
materials. My entire library had been scanned into my C-pod, plus a
few other interesting things. Like Washu's thesis on
Interdimensional Transfictionality. I pulled up the entire journal
of notes with the thesis as an introduction and it appeared as a
composition book in my hand.
Twilight gasped and Fluttershy squeaked.
“This book is not real,” I said. “It is made of light and
force-fields projected by the device on my wrist using a tiny hole in
space. It will only work inside the walls of this room – it will
disappear if you try to leave with it.”
“What is in book?” asked Twilight with trepidation.
“The reason why I know all about you,” I said. “As well as how
I got here. You can try and find a way home for me, but I don't
think you will do any better than someone that makes Princess
Celestia look like a child by comparison.”
“What!?” cried out Twilight in shock.
I have to admit, that made me crack a small, grim smile.
“Washu Hakubi, the woman that wrote that book, is more than
twenty-thousand years old. Trust me, Celestia is like a child
compared to her.”
Twilight gave me a suspicious look, but took the book anyhow and
began to read. With the lavender unicorn occupied, I sighed and
pulled up the music app and summoned up the wireless ear buds,
stuffing them into my ears and putting on some music to help me cope.
I knew that once Twilight got into that book she wouldn't be
satisfied until she read it cover-to-cover several times.
That was fine by me. I had nothing but time.
Nothing at all but time.
Depression makes me sleepy. I dozed off at some point and was woken
by Twilight gently prodding me with a hoof.
“Sorry,” she said, offering me the book. I took it numbly and
she continued, “This book... strange. I not want believe... but it
make sense perfect. You... have real book?”
I shook my head. “No. You will have to transcribe it.”
Twilight nodded. “Okay. You come with.” She then looked over
at the side of my bed and I followed her gaze.
Oh... I never
did dismiss my door. Oops.
“That door... go to you home?”
I sighed. “Yeah. That's my home now, I guess.”
“You move it?”
“Yes. I can.”
“Good. You come to library. Live there with me.”
“I suppose so,” I said listlessly. I sat up slowly and looked
around. The hospital room hadn't changed at all. Fluttershy was
gone and Twilight was alone with me. With a sigh, I dismissed the
book, then I slowly got to my feet, pulling the bed sheet with me and
wrapping it around my waist.
Twilight gave me an odd look, but decided not to question it. As I
went to the door to my C-Space she followed. I gave her a stern look
at that.
Twilight had the decency to blush. “I... curious. Not look close
before.”
I sighed. “Whatever. Don't touch anything.”
“I no foal!” she cried out in idignation.
I snorted at that. “No. You're a scientist. You're curious. And
I have many very interesting items inside... some of which may not
like magic very much. So, until I know how your magic affects my
things... no touching.”
Twilight grumbled something in her native tongue, but didn't seem to
really disagree.
We entered my C-space and I went straight to the clothes racks I had
setup by my bed. It was only after I had set up my C-space that I
realized that I had made a very stereotypical-male type of mistake: I
forgot the closet.
So, rather than fret over it, I simply made use of the closet
organizers I had and set them up as an open-air clothes storage. It
actually seems to work rather well.
I took a look at Twilight and saw that she was staring intently at
me.
I sighed, “Whatever,” and let the bed sheet fall as I began by
picking out some underwear. This is a foregone conclusion for me.
If a person is not gonna give a shit about my modesty, then I just
won't give a shit about it either.
“You body strange,” said Twilight.
“My species is called 'Human'.” I said. “We are descended from
tree-dwelling apes that evolved to live on savannahs – big grassy
plains.” I then tapped the side of my head. “Excellent sense of
balance inside the inner-ear to compensate for not having a tail.
Excellent range of motion in our spines and our major joints. Good
eyesight, good depth perception, good hearing, very sensitive skin –
enough to detect air currents. Okay sense of smell... but we don't
track by smell. We simply learned how to pay attention to small
details.”
Twilight made an excited noise. “You is hunters!”
I nodded. “We're the best on our planet. We dominated the entire
world with our special hunting method: outlasting prey.”
Twilight tilted her head. “What you mean?”
“How long can a pony run for?” I asked.
She frowned at that. “Only few hour. Why?”
I grinned. It was not a nice one. “Humans may not be the fastest
runners on our planet. There are many that are much faster... but
nothing outlasts us. A human in peak fitness can run from sun-up to
sun-down... and then some.”
Twilight's eyes widened in shock. “No way!”
My grin got a bit wider. “Oh yes. In fact, I bet I can beat
Applejack running from Ponyville to Canterlot, easy. Sure, she may
get the lead at first, but I'll beat her by maintaining a steady pace
that she can't keep up with.”
“Wait,” said Twilight suddenly as she gave me a queer look.
“Open mouth?”
I obliged her by opening my mouth wide. One thing I am grateful for
was that Washu saw to the full restoration of my teeth.
“Your teeth... not really like carnivore.”
“Humans are omnivorous,” I said. “You see, we were not only
hunters, but gatherers as well. Males typically hunted and females
typically gathered. Eventually we developed agriculture and things
went from there. Our history is pretty messy.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I think that constant.”
I had picked out what I would be wearing. Jeans, long-sleeved black
T-shirt, and my ever trustworthy Navy boots – still good thanks to
only being gently worn over the years. I then raised an arm and
inspected my state of cleanliness. I did smell a bit ripe... but not
too badly. It was as though I had bathed yesterday but forgot to put
on deodorant.
“How long have I been here?”
“You here five day. Spend most time sleep and heal. Thought you
dead – you make big hole in ground.”
I winced at that. I must have fallen from some incredible height or
something. The only thing that saved me was the durability
enhancements Washu gave me – the monomolecular carbon
reinforcements improving my all-around toughness, the lingering
medical nanomachines to quickly repair critical damage, and the
anti-shock treatment to my neurochemical system to prevent any trauma
from killing me outright and blunt the more negative affects of
shock.
It was a horrible thought, but at the time I kinda wished that I
didn't have those enhancements. It meant that I was still alive to
suffer this new loss. I felt it would have been so much more
merciful for me to have died on arrival to this foreign world.
At least now I
had some kind of baseline for survivability to really compare with,
I thought grimly to myself. Not that I'm going to go
looking for my death, but it is going to be very hard to find a
reason to keep going after this.
“You... okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle tentatively.
“No,” I replied honestly.
“Can... help?”
I gave her a look. “Can you?”
Put on the spot like that, Twilight looked down at the floor and
shuffled her hooves.
“I... not know how. You arrive... make strange energy. But no
magic. Book help me understand... but not know how send back.
Maybe... be friend?”
I sighed. “No. I'll answer your questions. But I would not like
to have any friends right now.”
Twilight gave me a bewildered look. “Why?”
“Because...
I may end up going to another world again against my will. Even if
you do help me by becoming my friend, I'll simply end up losing you,
too.” She gave me a mystified look at that and I sighed. “I
need to bathe real quick. Give me about ten minutes... You can look
around, but do not touch anything.”
Twilight grumbled once more and I took that as grudging acceptance.
I went to the bathroom, taking my clothes with me.
It all felt so surreal. Part of me felt like I should be home...
like if I walked out the door right now, I'd be gut-checked by Yuki
and reassured that this was all some terrible nightmare.
I've had nightmares in the past. They were nothing special. Just
bad feelings – somehow the idea that it was all a dream hovered in
the background, just far enough out of reach to keep me from dreaming
more lucidly.
But
now... Goddess, I could only wish this were a dream.
That thought, though, brought something to mind as I scrubbed myself
down.
Katherine? How
are you holding up?
I'm doing good,
Gar-kun. And I have great news!
What is it?
I thought, daring to raise my hopes.
I still have my
connection to Tsunami-sama! I'm still getting energy from her!
I sighed, relieved. It had been something that I hadn't even dared
to think about – that if Katherine had lost her connection to
Tsunami, then that she would inevitably lose her sapience and become
a normal tree. The worst part is that it would not have been unlike
losing someone to Alzheimer’s Disease... I was glad I did not have
to see it, but I could still imagine it... every day, Katherine's
usually vibrant voice getting slower, her words clumsier, until
finally... silence.
At the same time, though, I was dismayed because there was still no
word about going back home... not that I really expected it.
You should make
friends here, Gar-kun, said
Katherine with uncharacteristic soberness.
I
sighed. I don't want new friends... I want my family.
Besides, if I make new friends and we jump again...
I didn't need to finish the thought.
Katherine
made a mental sigh. This is going to be a very lonely
existence, isn't it?
I'm sorry...
just... keep me posted.
I will.
I
rinsed and dried off, then got dressed. When I exited the bath, I
found Twilight surrounded by books from my library. I sighed at
that, but didn't feel any real ire. Twilight was simply doing what
she does best – getting lost in a library. As I approached I saw
that she had a reasonable cross section of my library. Some math and
physics text books, a couple of automotive repair manuals, several
science fiction novels by Anne McCaffery and Diane Duane (she was
currently reading So You Want to Be a Wizard),
a few mangas and graphic novels... but what caught my eye instantly
was my copy of The Hite Report
sitting off to the side.
I was just glad she hadn't started reading that already!
Twilight made some sound of dismay in her native tongue as picked up
the book and tucked it under my arm.
“Trust me, you're not ready for this one by a long shot.”
She gave me a challenging look. “What it about?”
I gave her a nasty grin. “A research report on the sexual habits
and preferences of human females.”
Twilight blushed a bit. “But... why that bad to know?”
“Twilight. We humans have sex for simple pleasure.”
Twilight's blush turned radioactive. “For... pleasure?” She
then blinked and said, “You right, I not ready.”
With a satisfied nod, I went and shelved the book.
“You may borrow the rest of those books, but I'd like them back in
a fortnight.”
Suddenly, I was glomped. I looked down and saw Twilight Sparkle had
her forelegs wrapped firmly around me waist while she squealed
something joyously in her own language. She then stopped and looked
up at me. I simply sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. Twilight
chuckled nervously and let go of me, settling back onto all four of
her hooves.
“You ready?” she asked.
“I just need my shoes,” I replied as I picked up my navy boots
from the chair I'd left them on.
“Looks heavy,” said Twilight eying the footwear.
“A bit,” I allowed. “You ponies have hooves. Humans simply
adapted and invented. These are tough, durable, and give good
protection. There is even steel inside the tips to protect the most
vulnerable parts of my feet.”
“What that?”
“My toes,” I replied, holding a socked foot up and wiggling the
appendages. “They're actually fairly important. Over the course
of human evolution, they've gone from being prehensile limbs to
serving the sole purpose of accurately and evenly distributing
weight, thereby improving our overall agility.”
“That why you not need tail!” said Twilight excitedly. “Amazing!
Human like no other creature on world!”
“Yeah yeah,” I grumbled as I tied my boots. “Humans are
awesome, I get it. Now let's get going. I'd like to get this all
over with.”
Hope you guys enjoy this. It's actually pretty tough to write at times because Garrick's loss really is depressing to think about. He'll get a bit better once he starts getting messages from home, though.
Have some more blow-by-blow.
Episode 12 (Call of the Cutey)
This one, oddly enough, starts out with Garrick attending class with the rest of the school fillies. Reason being that a good amount of social studies is covered in addition to Equish. However, Garrick can turn the tables when they get into more academic topics like mathematics - probably to the point where Cheerilee is left gobsmacked. Probably something about Fibonacci Numbers and how Snails picks up on them right away.
Of course, we get into the whole cutey mark thing. Garrick is quick to point out that humans do not gain cutey marks and this did not stop humans from becoming a force to be reckoned with. To wit, he goes on about the many things he is quite good at. When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon start heckling him, he is quick to turn on the two and ask what the meanings behind their cutey marks are.
Afterwards, Garrick stands aside from Applebloom's quandary, but he does go to DT's and SS's parents about the fillies teasing 'Blank Flanks'. (Wondering if their parents would give him the brush-off or take him seriously.)
Once Applebloom has been through the wringer and met up with Sweetiebell and Scootaloo, Garrick will step in as an assistant to the three. Validation: as a being that doesn't gain a cutey mark, he is uniquely qualified to help find that 'hidden talent' every pony has. In reality, he's going to be making sure their antics don't get out of hand.
Episode 20 (Green Isn't Your Color)
Derailment time! A pack of Timber Wolves chases Garrick into Ponyville Park - it is only then when he has the room to work with that Garrick draws First Cut and let's them have it. The problem? He's wearing a Rarity-Original summer-weight travelers cloak with a pair of his own sturdy cotton cargo pants and a heavy cotton long-sleeve shirt (I'm a Texan - the heat don't bother me much - it's the dirt that gets mixed in with the sweat that does... and the damn mosquitoes) along with his trusty Navy boots.
The image that Garrick presents while battling the timber wolves is so striking that Photo Finish goes on a picture-snapping frenzy! Of course, when she declares that she must have Garrick, he politely declines. However, she persists by sending other photographers his way. Garrick finally gives, saying that he will agree to do photo shoots, but only the ones that he agrees to. In other words, Photofinish can't push him around willy-nilly.
The end result is that Garrick becomes known across Equestria, but the story behind the human remains a mystery for the populace.
Episode 10 (Swarm of the Century)Batten down the hatches! Parasprites are a'comin! Garrick goes out of his way to help Pinky Pie gather the needed instruments and the invasion of pests is more or less headed off before critical damage can be done to the town. Garrick and Katherine discover by a bizarre accident that the critters, when eaten by Garrick, provide him witch magical energy. Pinky Pie winds up leading the entire swarm down his gullet, and they later advise the Princess of how to deal with the infestation in Fillydelphia.
Gilda: "Wow, you humans really can eat anything!"Garrick: *BUUUUURRRP!*
Now I come to realize that I have yet to actually post any story-bits here. Whoopsie.
Well, that changes now, starting with me reposting the original first bit I posted in the other thread.
Pain.
My whole body ached.
I didn't want to open my eyes, but I knew I had to. I had no idea
what had happened and I needed to assess my situation.
Slowly,
I cracked them open. To my relief, the light outside was bright, but
no more painful than normal. I squinted, groaning from the pain of
flexing my facial muscles – even those were sore, dammit! Within
seconds, though, my eyes began to adapt and I was able to start
taking in the details.
I was in some sort
of room... it was like an old hospital. I slowly turned my head to
the side and saw a day-lit window with a cast-iron radiator under the
sill. An armoire sat against near the corner and there was a door
right in front of the bed. Next to me was another bed, empty, and
just past that was an open door leading to a hallway beyond. The bed
was an old looking sort – all porcelain-coated metal and in a plain
white color.
In fact, everything
in the room was white.
Why wouldn't it be?
In hospitals, like most ordnance bunkers, everything is white so you
can better see the contaminants when they appear.
So I had been
receiving medical care. Which meant that I was under someone's care.
I felt around a bit, shifting my arms and legs, even though they
burned from soreness.
I was not
restrained, which is a very good sign.
I noticed that my
left arm felt particularly pained. I looked down and grimaced as I
saw an IV line taped to my wrist, the thick needle embedded deeply
into my arm.
I hate these things
with a pink and purple passion, but I knew better than to mess with
it. On the other hand, though, that didn't mean I couldn't get
someone to see about pulling it out for me. I looked around some
more and saw a night stand by my side with what looked like an old AM
radio... and a silver bell with a black handle, standing upright on
the nightstand.
I groped for it
clumsily, almost knocked it over, but I got my hand around the handle
just before I could push it over the edge and then gave it a shake.
The clear, ringing tone was a bit louder than I expected, but I knew
this to be a welcome thing.
I heard a gasp at
the door and automatically turned to the sound. All I caught was the
blurring of blue hair as it disappeared down the hall.
Was it just my
imagination or did I hear hoof-beats? Probably just the acoustics.
Whatever had
happened, I hoped that answers were waiting for me. I was already
starting to feel anxious. I know that Dr. Clay had attacked, but I
somehow felt that he was unsuccessful. Even so, I was worried for my
ladies and my adoptive family.
The clip-clopping
sound got my attention and I turned to the door, anxiously waiting...
A small, white
equine figure entered the room. It had a white coat and a pink mane.
PINK!? And even stranger was she was wearing an old-fashioned
nurse's cap.
She then made some
sort of sound... she was talking to me! It was very strange and
fluid sounding, almost like the elvish language from Tolkein's Lord
of the Rings series.
And then I saw the mark on the equine's flank – a red cross with
small, pink hearts at the corners, pointing inwards.
Nurse Redheart.
My Little Pony.
I had crossed dimensional boundaries once more... and the reason for
my anxiety fell into place as I felt myself consumed by an
all-powerful sense of sorrow and emptiness.
I tried to hold it back, but it was impossible. My breath caught in
my throat and I held the outcry back, letting it out only as a faint,
high-pitch wheeze as my eyes teared up against my will.
Dimly,
I heard worried and distraught sounding noises from Redheart and I
felt her hooves gently probing at my face the way a mother tries to
comfort a weeping child. The expression was clear here: Oh
my goodness! What's wrong!? Can you tell me where it hurts!?
I had to check my C-Space. I needed to know that was working still!
Oh dear sweet Tsunami please tell me I still had Katherine!!!
I made a frantic shucking motion over my left arm. Get this IV
out of me, NOW!
Nurse Redheart got the message and I heard her call out to someone,
followed by a series of receding hoof-beats. While I waited,
Redheart tried to reassure and comfort me. I was so sorely tempted
to just grab her and wrap her up in my arms. Oh Goddess, why!?
Why do I lose everything like this!?
A frantic set of approaching hoof-beats came, followed by what
sounded like a collision with the unoccupied hospital bed. A few
excited imprecations later, Redheart was by my side once more and
said something to me. I think it was something along the lines of
bracing myself.
Carefully, she removed the medical tape. The stinging pull on my
skin didn't hold a candle to the pain in my heart, though. Then the
gentle pressure at the puncture site, followed by the dull ache of
the needle being removed. Quickly and deftly a bandage was tied
around it.
Redheart then made a probing, comforting sound. There now, is
that better?
Gently, I pushed her aside as I pulled up my blanket to wipe my tears
away. She didn't struggle and allowed me my movement as I brought my
C-pod into view.
Placement
doesn't really matter, as long as I don't hurt anyone or anything, I
thought as I hurriedly entered a set of relative coordinates and
bearings. I struck the execute key, and just like that, the most
welcome sight in all of Equestria appeared at my bedside. I almost
broke out into fresh tears, even as Redheart and whoever else was
present whinnied in shock.
Sorry, Redheart.
I have to do this. I then
keyed the emergency escape and I was sucked, feet first, out of the
hospital bed, taking the blanket with me.
Just like that, they were gone... or rather I was. The sudden
movement was replaced by the familiar feeling of low gravity as I
drifted to the common area of my C-Space. As my feet touched the
floor, gravity gently increased, pulling me down to the ground in a
boneless heap.
Garrick! Please
hurry!
“katherine,” I groaned as I painfully levered myself up.
We must complete
the bond, Garrick!
“I'm coming, sweetheart” I wheezed as I began to limp to the
stairs and pull my way up. “I'm coming baby girl.”
Katherine said no more as I limped my way down the hall to my Garden
Room. She knew I was doing everything I could to get there, and she
wasn't going to rush me needlessly.
As I pushed my way past the door into the garden, the scents of wood,
earth, and sweet flower fragrance filled my sinuses and I stumbled
towards my beloved tree, collapsing almost right on top of her.
“katherine,” I whispered sorrowfully. “i'm so sorry...”
A
single leaf dropped from the little sapling, the edge of the leaf
glinting oddly in the light as it did so. I looked where it landed
and saw that the edges of the leaf had a coating of crystallized sap.
You can use it
to prick your finger, Garrick. Make the pact and our bond will be
complete. You need me and I need you.
I nodded my head and picked up the razor-sharp little leaf, and then
harshly nicked the index finger of my left hand, causing it to bleed
freely. I then grasped Katherine's tiny trunk gently, yet firmly,
making sure my wounded fingertip had solid contact.
The words then came into my mind, and I spoke them out loud.
“I, Garrick Grimm, just as the First Emperor did on the First Day,
hear your voice, Katherine of the Second Generation of Tsunami-no-Ki,
progenitor of all trees of Jurai. I swear to care for you in all my
days, until I am no longer able to. In return, I accept your gifts
of power and long life. And now, I shall seal this pact with my own
life force. Accept this blood sacrifice, Katherine, and forever be
at my side.”
As with Bizen did with Yuki, Katherine now extended thin, vine-like
tendrils around my left wrist, wrapping them around my C-Pod's
wristband and framing the bezel screen.
I, Katherine of
the Second Generation of Tsunami-no-ki, do accept your blood
sacrifice. I grant you this Master Key to me so you may effectively
command me and my power wherever you may be. And through my Water of
Life, I shall grant you long life and youth until the day you die.
Go, my bondmate, and partake of the water now. But know that this is
your baptism and you shall be forever changed.
I then went to the pool of crystal clear water that surrounded my
tree's planter, and without hesitation I dipped my hands deeply into
the water and brought the sparkling treasure to my lips.
I have never tasted water that was so good. The cool liquid swam
down my throat leaving a path of refreshment all the way to the
bottom.
That didn't last long, though.
Not even a second later, that cool feeling turned to a burning that
expanded from my guts to my limbs and all the way to the tips of my
fingers and toes. I wanted to cry out, but I would not let myself.
To do so would sully the memory of my beautiful little Yuki as I held
her close to me, comforting her as she endured the very same fire as
it burned through her veins.
I don't know how long it took. Minutes, hours, days... it didn't
really matter. All that did matter was that it eventually subsided.
I dared to put my hand in the water and take another sip... once more
there was that blissful, wondrous sense of refreshment, but no
burning came of it.
Afterward, I simply laid there, basking in the warmth of the
artificial sunlight and the cool of the earth beneath me. There was
something else, as well. A sort of gentle and steady hum...
Katherine.
I'm here,
Gar-kun. Whenever you need me, no matter where you are. I will
always be there for you. You won't be alone.
It was like a kick to the gut and the tears came once more. “But...
my family... Katherine, they're gone!” I pretty much lost it
there, breaking down into wracking sobs. It was was worse than my
arrival at the Masaki residence. It was that and my mother's funeral
all in one.
There was a sound next to me. Something purple, with a sorrowfully
sympathetic expression. There was a bright glow, and then a deep and
dreamless sleep.
I woke up to the sting of half-dried tear tracks on my face. I felt
the ache of sorrow and depression gnawing in my chest.
Hello heartbreak, my old friend, I thought to myself
sorrowfully.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out in a sigh, trying not
to start crying again. I was in no more pain. No soreness, no
stiffness. I was in perfectly good health – fat lot of good that
did me.
So, I simply turned over to my shoulder and pulled the blankets
tightly around me, barely even registering the fact I was nude
underneath them.
I then blinked at what I was confronted with: a canary-yellow pegasus
pony with a carnation-pink mane and tail. And she was looking at me
with frightened looking seafoam-green eyes.
You
guys are gonna love this! Dark-blue hair and emerald-green eyes –
a perfect mix between you two!
I couldn't stop the memory from coming. My Hikari! Will I ever
get to see her beautiful eyes!? I broke down right there and
then. This was just so unfair. It didn't matter if I was amongst
the most friendly people you could ever wish to meet.
My family was gone and I may never see them again!
I felt a soft pressure on my shoulder and I knew it was Fluttershy,
uncertain yet trying to comfort me, whispering sweet and loving
sounding words in a tongue so alien and yet so beautiful. And that
just made the hurt so much sharper.
I carefully turned away from her, knowing that the cold shoulder
treatment on its own would be enough to send the poor pegasus pony
into a tailspin of worry. I am sorry, Fluttershy... I am so
sorry.
Regardless, she stayed where she was at, softly rubbing my back and
cooing gently to me.
Eventually, someone else came into the room and there was a softly
spoken conversation. It was another filly, probably one of the Mane
6. It sounded like Twilight. Fluttershy's voice was fraught with
barely contained sorrow. She undoubtedly had no idea why I was so
sad, but my sorrow was obviously contagious despite the unknowing.
Oh if only you knew! You would not be able to contain your self.
“Garrick,” said Twilight's voice suddenly as I felt a hoof at my
shoulder once more.
My eyes shot open as I gave Twilight a shocked look. Twilight was
giving me a look filled with giddy hope.
“You name Garrick, yes?” she said slowly, her tongue not used to
forming the sounds and somewhat misshaping them. “I Twilight
Sparkle. I help you.”
“How did you learn my language so quickly?” I asked quietly, my
curiosity momentarily overriding my sorrow.
“You tree teach me,” she replied excitedly. “Scared me, but
she very nice. Why you so sad? You seem healthy – no problem
now.”
I felt my face scrunch up as I fought back the tears. “My
family... is gone.”
“Gone? Gone where?”
Dammit, please
don't make me go through this.
“No... I was taken away from my family... I can't go back! I can't
see them again! I won't get to see my children born!”
There it was. Horror. She finally had some inkling, some idea of
what I was going through, disconnected as she was. I didn't think
for a moment that she could even wrap her mind around this, but she
at least had some idea now.
“But... we can find way back!”
“No. You won't. Not even the Goddesses could discern how I
arrived in their world the first time. Goddesses, Twilight! More
powerful than your Princesses altogether.”
Twilight took an uncertain step backwards. “... How you know?”
I gave Twilight a sharp look. “How good are you at reading
English?”
She tilted her head. “I think I okay.”
I nodded and pulled up the holo-book function – this was a
modification of the manual utility that I came up with and Washu
coded up with glee. It was eBooks taken to their most logical
conclusion – the best of both worlds: absolute-fidelity digital
storage combined with holographic representation of the printed
materials. My entire library had been scanned into my C-pod, plus a
few other interesting things. Like Washu's thesis on
Interdimensional Transfictionality. I pulled up the entire journal
of notes with the thesis as an introduction and it appeared as a
composition book in my hand.
Twilight gasped and Fluttershy squeaked.
“This book is not real,” I said. “It is made of light and
force-fields projected by the device on my wrist using a tiny hole in
space. It will only work inside the walls of this room – it will
disappear if you try to leave with it.”
“What is in book?” asked Twilight with trepidation.
“The reason why I know all about you,” I said. “As well as how
I got here. You can try and find a way home for me, but I don't
think you will do any better than someone that makes Princess
Celestia look like a child by comparison.”
“What!?” cried out Twilight in shock.
I have to admit, that made me crack a small, grim smile.
“Washu Hakubi, the woman that wrote that book, is more than
twenty-thousand years old. Trust me, Celestia is like a child
compared to her.”
Twilight gave me a suspicious look, but took the book anyhow and
began to read. With the lavender unicorn occupied, I sighed and
pulled up the music app and summoned up the wireless ear buds,
stuffing them into my ears and putting on some music to help me cope.
I knew that once Twilight got into that book she wouldn't be
satisfied until she read it cover-to-cover several times.
That was fine by me. I had nothing but time.
Nothing at all but time.
Depression makes me sleepy. I dozed off at some point and was woken
by Twilight gently prodding me with a hoof.
“Sorry,” she said, offering me the book. I took it numbly and
she continued, “This book... strange. I not want believe... but it
make sense perfect. You... have real book?”
I shook my head. “No. You will have to transcribe it.”
Twilight nodded. “Okay. You come with.” She then looked over
at the side of my bed and I followed her gaze.
Oh... I never
did dismiss my door. Oops.
“That door... go to you home?”
I sighed. “Yeah. That's my home now, I guess.”
“You move it?”
“Yes. I can.”
“Good. You come to library. Live there with me.”
“I suppose so,” I said listlessly. I sat up slowly and looked
around. The hospital room hadn't changed at all. Fluttershy was
gone and Twilight was alone with me. With a sigh, I dismissed the
book, then I slowly got to my feet, pulling the bed sheet with me and
wrapping it around my waist.
Twilight gave me an odd look, but decided not to question it. As I
went to the door to my C-Space she followed. I gave her a stern look
at that.
Twilight had the decency to blush. “I... curious. Not look close
before.”
I sighed. “Whatever. Don't touch anything.”
“I no foal!” she cried out in idignation.
I snorted at that. “No. You're a scientist. You're curious. And
I have many very interesting items inside... some of which may not
like magic very much. So, until I know how your magic affects my
things... no touching.”
Twilight grumbled something in her native tongue, but didn't seem to
really disagree.
We entered my C-space and I went straight to the clothes racks I had
setup by my bed. It was only after I had set up my C-space that I
realized that I had made a very stereotypical-male type of mistake: I
forgot the closet.
So, rather than fret over it, I simply made use of the closet
organizers I had and set them up as an open-air clothes storage. It
actually seems to work rather well.
I took a look at Twilight and saw that she was staring intently at
me.
I sighed, “Whatever,” and let the bed sheet fall as I began by
picking out some underwear. This is a foregone conclusion for me.
If a person is not gonna give a shit about my modesty, then I just
won't give a shit about it either.
“You body strange,” said Twilight.
“My species is called 'Human'.” I said. “We are descended from
tree-dwelling apes that evolved to live on savannahs – big grassy
plains.” I then tapped the side of my head. “Excellent sense of
balance inside the inner-ear to compensate for not having a tail.
Excellent range of motion in our spines and our major joints. Good
eyesight, good depth perception, good hearing, very sensitive skin –
enough to detect air currents. Okay sense of smell... but we don't
track by smell. We simply learned how to pay attention to small
details.”
Twilight made an excited noise. “You is hunters!”
I nodded. “We're the best on our planet. We dominated the entire
world with our special hunting method: outlasting prey.”
Twilight tilted her head. “What you mean?”
“How long can a pony run for?” I asked.
She frowned at that. “Only few hour. Why?”
I grinned. It was not a nice one. “Humans may not be the fastest
runners on our planet. There are many that are much faster... but
nothing outlasts us. A human in peak fitness can run from sun-up to
sun-down... and then some.”
Twilight's eyes widened in shock. “No way!”
My grin got a bit wider. “Oh yes. In fact, I bet I can beat
Applejack running from Ponyville to Canterlot, easy. Sure, she may
get the lead at first, but I'll beat her by maintaining a steady pace
that she can't keep up with.”
“Wait,” said Twilight suddenly as she gave me a queer look.
“Open mouth?”
I obliged her by opening my mouth wide. One thing I am grateful for
was that Washu saw to the full restoration of my teeth.
“Your teeth... not really like carnivore.”
“Humans are omnivorous,” I said. “You see, we were not only
hunters, but gatherers as well. Males typically hunted and females
typically gathered. Eventually we developed agriculture and things
went from there. Our history is pretty messy.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I think that constant.”
I had picked out what I would be wearing. Jeans, long-sleeved black
T-shirt, and my ever trustworthy Navy boots – still good thanks to
only being gently worn over the years. I then raised an arm and
inspected my state of cleanliness. I did smell a bit ripe... but not
too badly. It was as though I had bathed yesterday but forgot to put
on deodorant.
“How long have I been here?”
“You here five day. Spend most time sleep and heal. Thought you
dead – you make big hole in ground.”
I winced at that. I must have fallen from some incredible height or
something. The only thing that saved me was the durability
enhancements Washu gave me – the monomolecular carbon
reinforcements improving my all-around toughness, the lingering
medical nanomachines to quickly repair critical damage, and the
anti-shock treatment to my neurochemical system to prevent any trauma
from killing me outright and blunt the more negative affects of
shock.
It was a horrible thought, but at the time I kinda wished that I
didn't have those enhancements. It meant that I was still alive to
suffer this new loss. I felt it would have been so much more
merciful for me to have died on arrival to this foreign world.
At least now I
had some kind of baseline for survivability to really compare with,
I thought grimly to myself. Not that I'm going to go
looking for my death, but it is going to be very hard to find a
reason to keep going after this.
“You... okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle tentatively.
“No,” I replied honestly.
“Can... help?”
I gave her a look. “Can you?”
Put on the spot like that, Twilight looked down at the floor and
shuffled her hooves.
“I... not know how. You arrive... make strange energy. But no
magic. Book help me understand... but not know how send back.
Maybe... be friend?”
I sighed. “No. I'll answer your questions. But I would not like
to have any friends right now.”
Twilight gave me a bewildered look. “Why?”
“Because...
I may end up going to another world again against my will. Even if
you do help me by becoming my friend, I'll simply end up losing you,
too.” She gave me a mystified look at that and I sighed. “I
need to bathe real quick. Give me about ten minutes... You can look
around, but do not touch anything.”
Twilight grumbled once more and I took that as grudging acceptance.
I went to the bathroom, taking my clothes with me.
It all felt so surreal. Part of me felt like I should be home...
like if I walked out the door right now, I'd be gut-checked by Yuki
and reassured that this was all some terrible nightmare.
I've had nightmares in the past. They were nothing special. Just
bad feelings – somehow the idea that it was all a dream hovered in
the background, just far enough out of reach to keep me from dreaming
more lucidly.
But
now... Goddess, I could only wish this were a dream.
That thought, though, brought something to mind as I scrubbed myself
down.
Katherine? How
are you holding up?
I'm doing good,
Gar-kun. And I have great news!
What is it?
I thought, daring to raise my hopes.
I still have my
connection to Tsunami-sama! I'm still getting energy from her!
I sighed, relieved. It had been something that I hadn't even dared
to think about – that if Katherine had lost her connection to
Tsunami, then that she would inevitably lose her sapience and become
a normal tree. The worst part is that it would not have been unlike
losing someone to Alzheimer’s Disease... I was glad I did not have
to see it, but I could still imagine it... every day, Katherine's
usually vibrant voice getting slower, her words clumsier, until
finally... silence.
At the same time, though, I was dismayed because there was still no
word about going back home... not that I really expected it.
You should make
friends here, Gar-kun, said
Katherine with uncharacteristic soberness.
I
sighed. I don't want new friends... I want my family.
Besides, if I make new friends and we jump again...
I didn't need to finish the thought.
Katherine
made a mental sigh. This is going to be a very lonely
existence, isn't it?
I'm sorry...
just... keep me posted.
I will.
I
rinsed and dried off, then got dressed. When I exited the bath, I
found Twilight surrounded by books from my library. I sighed at
that, but didn't feel any real ire. Twilight was simply doing what
she does best – getting lost in a library. As I approached I saw
that she had a reasonable cross section of my library. Some math and
physics text books, a couple of automotive repair manuals, several
science fiction novels by Anne McCaffery and Diane Duane (she was
currently reading So You Want to Be a Wizard),
a few mangas and graphic novels... but what caught my eye instantly
was my copy of The Hite Report
sitting off to the side.
I was just glad she hadn't started reading that already!
Twilight made some sound of dismay in her native tongue as picked up
the book and tucked it under my arm.
“Trust me, you're not ready for this one by a long shot.”
She gave me a challenging look. “What it about?”
I gave her a nasty grin. “A research report on the sexual habits
and preferences of human females.”
Twilight blushed a bit. “But... why that bad to know?”
“Twilight. We humans have sex for simple pleasure.”
Twilight's blush turned radioactive. “For... pleasure?” She
then blinked and said, “You right, I not ready.”
With a satisfied nod, I went and shelved the book.
“You may borrow the rest of those books, but I'd like them back in
a fortnight.”
Suddenly, I was glomped. I looked down and saw Twilight Sparkle had
her forelegs wrapped firmly around me waist while she squealed
something joyously in her own language. She then stopped and looked
up at me. I simply sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. Twilight
chuckled nervously and let go of me, settling back onto all four of
her hooves.
“You ready?” she asked.
“I just need my shoes,” I replied as I picked up my navy boots
from the chair I'd left them on.
“Looks heavy,” said Twilight eying the footwear.
“A bit,” I allowed. “You ponies have hooves. Humans simply
adapted and invented. These are tough, durable, and give good
protection. There is even steel inside the tips to protect the most
vulnerable parts of my feet.”
“What that?”
“My toes,” I replied, holding a socked foot up and wiggling the
appendages. “They're actually fairly important. Over the course
of human evolution, they've gone from being prehensile limbs to
serving the sole purpose of accurately and evenly distributing
weight, thereby improving our overall agility.”
“That why you not need tail!” said Twilight excitedly. “Amazing!
Human like no other creature on world!”
“Yeah yeah,” I grumbled as I tied my boots. “Humans are
awesome, I get it. Now let's get going. I'd like to get this all
over with.”
Hope you guys enjoy this. It's actually pretty tough to write at times because Garrick's loss really is depressing to think about. He'll get a bit better once he starts getting messages from home, though.