I had just finished up the second page in my new journal, using my new hoof to close the tome and sliding the pencil into the small space between the spine and cover, when the doctor walked... trotted, sorry, trotted in, assailing me with a wide beam of yellow magic from his horn.

"Well miss Cross, your wounds seem fully healed and you have no internal injuries to speak of. You did have a few very minor infections near some of your wounds,but they've been dealt with. The pony who brought you in is waiting for you in the lobby."

I nodded,placing the journal on the bedside table for now as I carefully stretched, groaning softly as my legs twitched slightly. I flipped the sheets down toward the foot of the bed and carefully got off onto all fours. I suppose it should have felt weird, but I guess the portal affected my mind slightly as well, it felt natural, like I had been moving about like this my whole life. Anyway, the doctor brought in a pair of saddlebags and strapped them lightly around my waist with his magic. Imagine my surprise when I went to place my new journal in one side and found all my weapons, along with all the ammo I had been carrying, were shrunken and secured inside. I quickly placed the journal in the other side, which held my old journal from Yamatai and Sam's video camera, before pulling my handgun and holster from the left side satchel.

It took a bit of work, but I managed to convert the holster from a waist mounted one to a shoulder mount where I could quickly draw and holster the weapon with my mouth.

Thankfully all my guns were cleaned, at least on the outside, so I wasn't getting a mouthful of mud and blood every time I bit down on the grip.

To the doctors credit, he waited patiently while I did all this, it wasn't until I had affixed my bow and quiver that I looked at him and gave him a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm just glad all my equipment made the journey with me."

"That's quite alright, we get patients who like to prepare themselves before leaving their room all the time." He smiled at me.

"Well in any case, I believe we've kept my rescuer waiting long enough. After you doctor." I gestured to the door.

"Rescuer?" He chuckled. "You make it sound like she saved you from a pack of timberwolves or a manticore. It looked to me like you'd just been lost in the wilderness for a few days."

I stumbled a bit at that. 'A few days...' I'd been on Yamatai for only a few days and had nearly been killed close to three dozen times. And despite the apparent tameness of the world it was still dangerous enough that injuries like mine were considered indicative of a few days in the wilderness. What kind of fauna were out there? I felt a small twinge of excitement and fear at the thought of finding out, maybe Sam's camera would have a use after all.

"Pardon doctor,but do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the area I'm in?"

"Not at all. Though I'm not sure what I could tell you that a Trottingham Scholar like yourself wouldn't already know. And please, my name is Well Wishes." He chuckled.

"My head is still a bit fuzzy I guess." I lied, I figured it would end up better in the long run if I played along and pretended I was a native of this world. "Would you mind telling me more about the local fauna in this area Dr. Wishes?"

"Not at all." He smiled as we continued down a flight of stairs. "I already mentioned Timberwolves and Manticores, but we are close to a bog that is a nesting ground for a Hydra in spring, and the gates of Tartarus are within two hundred kilometers of the town outskirts so on the odd occasion a Windigo escapes we'll have Cerberus bounding through town after it. The mountains nearby are a favored rest stop for Dragon's on their migration back to their homeland and there is a dragon exile living in a cave near the western edge of the Everfree forest."

My mind reeled at how casually he discussed some of these creatures. Hydra's, Manticores, Cerberus and Dragons? All these creatures are myths back home. Yet here they are as real as the sun and moon. It really drove home an old saying I've been told before. "Every myth and legend has a grain of truth to it." I spoke aloud.

"Very true." Dr. Wishes responded. "The only legend we've yet to find proof for are the Elements of Harmony used to banish the mad alicorn, Nightmare Moon, to the moon."

"The Mare in the Moon?" I asked instinctively. I'd heard the legends of the Man in the moon in several tongues, it seemed natural that this world would have a similar legend.

Dr. Wishes nodded, his short, white mane bobbing against his red fur. "Exactly. I'm surprised you knew of it honestly. It's a mostly forgotten myth by now."

I smiled sheepishly. "Well I know of it, there are texts that allude to it, but I've yet to find one that actually tells the whole story behind it."

"Why don't you tell me what you know then and I'll fill in the blanks as best I can." He offered.

I looked about in a panic. An actress I was not. Still an idea struck me. "Well it was a long time ago when I heard of it, I can scarcely remember the books I read that told the pieces."

Dr. Wishes nodded understandingly and cleared his throat. "My version might not be the same, but oral retelling tends to do that. Let's see..." He tilted his head in thought, no doubt digging up the fable from his memory. "Long long ago, in the magical land of Equestria there lived three princesses..."