Previously on 'OH GREAT NOW WE'RE HIGH OR SOMETHING' Quest::
>Rainbow Dash distracted the giant spider, allow you and the others to get outside.
>The spider hits her with webbing, dropping her to the ground.
>Applejack ran to help her.
>You threw rocks to distract it, which caused it then to chase you.
>Kitted it all across town and eventually back to the Everfree Forrest.
>LOTS OF RUNNING.
>Eventually lost it and ran into Zecora.
>Spider found you again.
>Zecora lead you to a flower patch of Poison Joke.
>Followed a safe path with her across the flower patch.
>Spider charged in through the flowers, until it eventually shrank down to a normal spider size.
>Was going to go with Zecora to her home, but realized you were covered in flower pollen.
>STARTED TO TRIP THE FUCK OUT and passed out.
You are a human with no memory who found himself in Equestria. With no name, you have named yourself Rusty Shackleford. Right now, you have just woken up in a bed in a dark room.
You get up and look yourself over. As you do, the lights come on.
Everything seems to be where it should be from what you see. Ten fingers, ten toes. Also you're not naked; you're in a pair of pajamas.
You look around your room. It's the same as it's always been; carpeted floor, large metal desk in the corner, small dresser, simple bed. It's a little spartan, but it has everything you need.
You go over to the little bathroom and clean up. You also take the time to look at yourself in the mirror. Looking good like always, though you might want to shave soon.
You then get dressed over at your dresser, putting on some casual clothes. You don't need to work today.
You also check you wallet. You see that you need to get some cash. But everything else is where it should be.
There’s a knock at your door.
You give yourself a pinch. Ow. Why did you even do that?
You go over and answer the door. It's your friend. He wants to know if you're free to have breakfast. You tell him you can't today, you are busy. He tells you shouldn’t work so much, that you should take time to enjoy yourself. You tell him you know, but this is important.
You invite your friend in and go over to your desk. There’s some things you want to get done.
You sit at your desk, talking with your friend as you work.
He jokes about how you spend your day off. You explain that this is what you like to do and that it's important. He just shrugs.
Suddenly the lights turn red and a siren blares. You and your friend look at each other.
"That can't be good."
You and your friend go out into the hallway. There’s a lot of people out here now, all of them confused and concerned. You talk with your neighbors, but they don’t seem to know what's going either. You go back to you friend. He couldn't find any info either.
There's a sudden flash of light and you fall down. A lot of people are screaming.
You wake up.
You're now lying in a bed much to small for you in a cozy wood hut. There’s a lot of masks on the walls you can see, as well as a bunch of bottles. Something smells really good.
You check yourself again, but as soon as you try to get up, you're overcome by vertigo and nearly pass out again and lay back down. The room is spinning.
You stay down and feel around. You feel OK and everything is where it should be. Your shirt is off, but you see it hanging near the window next to you. It looks like it was cleaned. You can also feel your burnt leg. There’s a new bandage on it and it feels better.
"He-" You start to call out, but your throat is so dry. It takes you a minute to clear it. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Oh good, you are awake" You hear Zecora's somewhat familiar voice. The little zebra comes into the small room through a doorway with beads on strings. She's carrying a tray with a steaming wood bowl and sets it down on the table next to the bed. "There’s some food that I just baked."
You take the little bowl. Carefully, you look and see that it's some kind of light soup. It smells good and is invitingly warm in your hands.
"What is this?" You ask.
"Shhh," Zecora says. "Eat. You are still weak."
She takes her hoof and pushes the food closer to your mouth. You don’t seem to have a choice in the matter, so you gently gulp some down. It's really good, some kind of vegetable stew. You drink it all.
You finish off the bowl and Zecora takes it from you, placing it back on the tray.
"How long have I been out?" You ask. "And Ponyville, is the town OK? And what did that flow-"
"Shh, calm yourself my weary friend." Zecora pushes you down on the bed with her hooves, making you lie back down. "Rest assured, thing are on the mend."
Zecora explains to you that you've been unconscious for a little over a day. She brought you back to her home and helped you get better. From what she can tell, Ponyville is OK, though it has been hard for her to visit there lately.
Zecora also explains to you about the Poison Joke and its strange properties. She tells you it had a very odd effect on you. Nothing physically changed about you, but you were asleep for a long time, tossing and turning.
"I had the weirdest dream." You tells Zecora about the dream you just had, as well as the one you had when you at Pinkie's. She listens to your recollection with great interest.
"Hmmm, those are strange dreams indeed. Thought it is best if you take heed." Zecora explains to you that dreams are considered very important with her people and that they usually carry significant meaning. She doesn’t know what yours could mean, but she tells you it might be good for you to take time to examine them yourself.
Huh," You say, thinking all this over. "Well, thank Zecora, you've helped me so much. When do you think I'll be well enough to leave? I'm worried about everyone in Ponyville."
"A few more hours would be best." Zecora pulls up your blanket over you. "To get better, you need your rest."
You lay back down in the little bed. Zecora smiles at you and leaves, taking the empty bowl with her. You rest. And think.
You've been wandering around Ponyville for what's been about three or four days now. But before that? Nothing. Every time you think of it, you just draw a blank. You don’t have the smallest inkling of your own identity, where you're from, your past. Just nothing.
And there’s something else. You have this feeling that’s been crawling around the back of your head, this little hunch that you don’t understand, telling you something isn’t right. Of course, you've only encountered problems since you've been here but... there’s something just WRONG going on.
Is it all these ponies? They seem like good people and most are helping you. Or is it all these weird dreams you keep having? They just give you the creeps. But you think there might be something to what Zecora said about dreams being important.
You reflect about this for a few hours, without really coming up with anything significant. You must have fallen asleep at some point, cause next thing you know Zecora is next to you, gently shaking you awake.
She asks if you're well. You sit up and you're head doesn’t immediately spin off, so you think you are.
You get all the way up and put on you shirt, now clean. You're feeling better, but damn do you ache. Your joints and muscles are stiff and sore. But hey, at least you can get up now.
"Zecora," You ask as you walk out of her little hut. "Do you know the best way back to Ponyville?"
"Of course, there is a trail." She says, nodding. She points he hoof over to a dirt path clear of plants going back towards the forest. "So long as you follow it, you can't fail."
"Thank you, Zecora. You've helped me so much." You then take you hand and pet her on the head without thinking. You're not sure why you did that.
Zecora is taken aback by the gesture at first, but then smiles and rubs against it.
"Thank you again, Zecora." You say. "But, if I'm not feeling well later, is there something I should take?"
Zecora thinks for a moment, goes back into her house and comes back with a little bag, giving it you. Its full of little green leafs. She explains that you can chew them for strength.
You take the little bag, thank Zecora again and make your way, you hope, back to town.
Not long after, Zecora's hut is no longer in view. The path you're on is really rough, but is better then the rough brush and is going in a straight line, so you continue on. After what feels like a quarter hour of walking, you hear someone yelling. You try to listen to it closely. You think someone is calling your name.
Carefully, you continue along, heading towards the shouting, giving you case of deja vu. As you get closer, you can clearly hear a familiar voice shouting your name.
"Rusty! Ruuuusty!"
You think it's that one pony you met and partied with briefly, Rainbow Dash. Her shouting is coming around somewhere above you, above the tree canopy.
"Hello?" You call out. "Hey, I'm here! Hello!"
"Rusty?" Rainbow Dash's head suddenly appears above you, poking through from the top of the tree canopy. As soon as she sees you, she lights up. "It is you!"
She quickly floats down from the branches and lands next to you, giving you a big pony hug... and then quickly pushes you away from her.
"It's good to see your OK." She says, looking away from you.
"Uhh... thanks?" You say, a little confused.
"No, thank you." Dash says, turning back to you. Is she... blushing? Can ponies blush? "With the spider. That jerk got a lucky shot in, but you drew it away. Thanks."
"Oh, no problem. Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, thanks to you!" Rainbow Dash says, jabbing you in the side with her hoof. Ow. "That spider didn’t do a lot of damage and no one else was hurt besides me. You're a real hero, you know? Driving the monster out of town by yourself."
"No problem." You say again.
"Come on, let's head back to town." Dash says, gesturing down the path. "Everyone will want to know you're OK. And you can tell me what happened with the spider."