I awoke to the sight of sunlight streaming around the closed blinds of the little room I was in. For a moment I thought the preceding day had been a drug induced series of dreams. The dull ache of my side, shoulder, and knee told me otherwise. Managing myself in to an upright sitting position I saw the bandages on my side had been redressed and as well my right knee was heavily wrapped. My left arm had been rather expertly immobilized via medical tape to my chest.

I slowly took in my surroundings through the filtered daylight. I was in a room of old style rustic construction. The ceiling was a bit low for my six foot frame but not unexpected given the nature of my rescuer. The bed I was laying in was surprisingly large with plenty of room for me to splay out and seemed to be stuffed with some soft medium rather than the springs I was used to, likewise the pillow. An extinguished candle and a small nightstand completed the decor.

I kept looking around the room while flexing and moving my limbs to gauge the extent of my injuries and what my range of motion was. My bare chest showed many angry purple bruises as did what I was able to see of my legs and arms. My legs...where did my pants go? I looked down and realized the only thing preserving my modesty were my tighty whities.

Never one for immodesty I began looking for something to cover myself. My bruised back and knee ended my quest in short order when they in one voice spoke against the idea of doing anything but laying peacefully in bed. Puffing my mouth out I exhaled a long breath with a mixture of frustration and irritation. Like it or not until I was healed I was bed bound. I did not even have a book to read to pass the time.

Deciding to make the best I could of the situation I reached my hand down and tugged on the bed sheet then death rolled like an alligator until I was doing a passable impression of a burrito. Now secure in my modesty and a bit warmer, I drifted off in to a fitful sleep.

Sometime later I awoke once more, the light of the sun through the window had crept further across the floor leaving me in a slightly cooler and darker part of the room. I smiled a bit having always preferred a cool dark place to rest. It was then I noticed I wasn't alone. At some point during my slumber a chair had been brought in to the room and the little yellow pegasus was sitting upon it...knitting. I watched for some time fascinated at how she was able to manipulate the needles and yarn with just her, well I couldn't call them hooves as they seemed more flexible, and her wings.  

I wasn't sure how long I had been staring in fascination but eventually she glanced up and noticed me watching her. I was unprepared for the startled "Eeep!" nor her attempt to hide behind her flowing pink mane.

"Forgive me little one, I did not mean to startle you. I was just fascinated by your knitting."

Peeking out from under her mane she replied, "Oh um, it's quite alright, I startle easily. But why were you fascinated with my knitting? I mean I am not very good."

I quirked and eyebrow at her and held up my right hand with my fingers splayed apart, "Well, here are five reasons it fascinates me, if I could hold up my other arm right now I could show you five more."

This elicited a genuine smile and giggle from the little pegasus. It is so strange how in body shape she looked much like the equines I knew but in face she was almost human. The movement of her tail and ears, the way she wasn't making eye contact, it was clear she was nervous. I decided to try to rebreak the ice with her.

"I apologize Miss Fluttershy, when I am scared or nervous I use humor, sometimes pretty sarcastic humor at that, as a coping mechanism."

Her smile grew a bit larger and a bit more genuine, "You are nervous too? But you are so big and so tough to survive those wounds of yours. How could you be nervous?"

I smiled at her, "Little lady, I am a stranger in a strange land. I was brought here by a weird being telling me I am to be some sort of champion for a realm I have never heard of and then I am tossed through a magical portal and start falling to what should be my death." I paused.

"Yeah, I am a bit nervous. Never seen a talking pegasus before either. Well any pegasus really."

This seemed to perk her up a bit, "You have never seen...but haven't you seen ponies before?"

"I have seen ponies sure, but where I come from they are beasts, non-thinking creatures."

"Oh my...you...you really aren't from our world are you?"

"No ma'am, not unless my would suddenly sprouted cute talking pegasai and cryptically-speaking chimeras. Though the last one could have been all the acid I took."

"You drank acid?" She exclaimed with a horrified look.

I chuckled and kept a mental tally, cultural misunderstanding number one, a drug reference. Good going Bear. "No miss Fluttershy the acid I am referring to is a type of...chemical substance...that can be used recreationally or sometimes as a sacrament for those seeking enlightenment. It brings visions or hallucinations to those who partake."

She looked at me quizzically obviously not quite understanding but seemed to let the matter drop. Deciding not to let the conversation come to a standstill I continued, "So Miss Fluttershy, could you tell me about where I am?"

"Well you are in my cottage in the upstairs guest room. Just outside the forest where I found you. About ten minutes on hoof from here is the town of Ponyville. About an hour away by train is the city of Canterlot, the capital of Equestria."

"Fascinating." I quoted one of my favorite characters in scifi. "So are pegasai the dominant people in these parts?"

She shook her head, "Oh no, pegasus ponies are only about one third of the population. There are earth ponies and unicorns too. Griffons, minotaurs, and dragons can also be found in the world too. There is even a zebra living in the forest."

This was a lot for me to take in. Unicorns? Griffons? DRAGONS??

"That is...wow. I have no words. What about humans? Where are they?"

"What's a...hoo-man?"

"Human, me, my people are humans."

"I thought you said you were an ape..."

"Humans are descended from apes but we don't call ourselves that."

"I'm sorry mister Bear but I have never seen anything like you before."

My mind ground to a halt. Never. Seen. Before.

As the day progressed the little pegasus excused herself from our conversation stating she needed to feed her animals and that she would return with some food for me as well. I was grateful as my stomach was starting to remind me that my body needed protein to speed the healing process. I mulled over what I had learned from her, there being three species of ponies as the dominant race in this nation called Equestria. That the sun and moon moved at the whims of two goddess-like princesses rather than through orbital mechanics. Magic, there was true, practical, repeatable magic here. That alone fired my imagination as I began to wonder if I too could use magic now that I was here.

Eventually sleep claimed me again as my battered body went in to a low-power mode to facilitate healing. I awoke to the smell of food, delicious nutritious food. Sitting up I see Fluttershy enter the room with a bowl of some kind of heavy soup balanced on her back and a small white rabbit following her.

She sat the bowl on the bedside table and then picked up a spoon with her...hoof? I watch in fascination as this hoof-like appendage lifts the spoon out of the bowl and offered it too me after Fluttershy blew on it to cool it down.  

"How do you do that with your hoof?"

"Do what?"

"Grip things."

She gives a human-like shrug and continued to offer up the spoon. I take it and raise it to my mouth giving it a taste. It is a thick vegetable soup that would have given my grandmother a run for her money. I eagerly take the bowl and set it in my lap and begin wolfing the soup down. After a few minutes I had cleaned my plate and sat it back on the table.

Fluttershy was looking warmly at me with a hint of a smile.

"What?"

"You have soup stuck in your face fur." She said with a little giggle.

Reaching up I patted my beard and sure enough I found soup had dribbled in to it. "Um, I was saving that for latter."

Rolling her eyes she produced a napkin from under her wing and began blotting my face like I was a child. I sat there trying to manage my best "not amused" face but failed miserably at dissuading the TLC I was receiving. A moment later the little rabbit, almost forgotten, hopped up on the bed and stared at me.

Now I have seen some rabbits in my day. That is a strange thing to say but it is true. But never had I seen a rabbit giving me the evil eye. This rabbit seriously looked like he was trying to put a whammy on me.

"Um miss Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"I do believe your rabbit means me harm."

"What? No little Angel bunny would never hurt a soul, would you Angel?"

She turned to the rabbit as she spoke who reared up on its hind legs and crossed it's little forelegs in a disdainful manner before kicking my foot. It surprisingly hurt a bit.

"Angel! That was naughty!" She picked him up by the scruff and sat him in my lap. A place I wanted no violent kicking lagomorphs I assure you.

"You apologize right now mister!"

Having no place in my life for rodents who seem to not understand the concept of the relationship between predator and prey species I picked up the rabbit in my good arm and tilted it on it's back bringing it up to my chest and stroking it's belly with my bound left hand. The rabbit immediately went in to a trance as its prey-species driven biological imperative demanded. Fluttershy watched fascinated as the little rabbit seemed to relax in my arms.

"Oh wow! I have never seen Angel bunny take to someone like that before! He must really like you."

Hooves, a traditionally herd-animal prey species. I would expect the town vet to know about trancing a rabbit... Still, I didn't want to hurt the little guy and so I set him upright. After a moment he shook off the trance and looked at me with a bit of confusion. Then he looked at me very angrily. I decided to head off any further violent tendencies of his by looking him in the eye and speaking the universal word for "I am not taking your guff rabbit."

"Hasenpfeffer." I stated coldly.

The rabbit's angered look turned to one of nervousness as it backed off and hopped on to Fluttershy's back hiding behind her mane.

"Oh I am so glad you two are getting along! Little Angel bunny doesn't like strangers normally."

I chuckled inwardly, "Let's just say I have handled rabbits before. I think he can tell I am a friend to things small and furry."

I did not expect Fluttershy's eyes to widen and her expression to reach weaponized levels of adorable, "You like animals?"

I nodded, "Yes, especially cats, I have raised and fostered many over the years."

A rather disturbing grin crossed her face then she cryptically said, "Then I know just the thing to help you get better! I will be right back."

She trotted out of the room taking the empty dish and demon bunny with her. I settled back patting my rather full stomach when Fluttershy returned with a cardboard box clamped in her teeth which she promptly upended on the bed.

Have you ever been showered in kittens? Let me tell you there is nothing greater or more enjoyable that a flock of tiny kittens being dumped on your chest when you are feeling down. How can you not smile. I laid there with a wiggling mass of kitten, about eight in total, exploring Mount Bear. They ranged in all colors from orange tabbies to little tortie calicos.

In spite of myself I may have let out an unbecoming squee. Especially when a little gray one with blue eyes began using my beard as a nest. Fluttershy meanwhile is watched the whole scene play out in front of her with some kind of manic glee.

After about an hour of playing with the kittens all but one, the little one nesting in my beard, had been put back in their box to be returned to their mother cat. My little beard friend seems to grump a bit when Fluttershy tries to lift him with her wings.

"Allow me please." I say. I gently pick up the little ball of grump and notice something I have overlooked previously. He is missing his left front leg. I sat him back down on my tummy and asked, "What happened to the little guy's leg?"

"Oh him? Poor dear was born without it. I have had the most horrible time getting his mother to nurse him."

I nod sagely understanding. "Well if it is alright with you he can stay in here with me."

If a smile could light up a room this one would have burned my retinas. "Oh yes! It is no trouble! I'll go get a little sandbox for him and put it in here."

Fluttershy scampered out of the room to fetch my new friend a litter box. Meanwhile I chose to bond with the little fellow. Holding him up in one hand I looked him in the eyes and said, "Your name is now Tripod. I am your friend Bear. We are going to have grand adventures you and I, but first we sleep and grow stronger. Then we shall take over the world!"

Tripod responded in appropriate kitten fashion by giving a rather large yawn. I laid him back on my beard where he promptly nestled down and was soon giving off little kitten snores. Fluttershy came back in to the room with the promised littler box and placed it by the bed.

Glancing to the window I saw night had fallen and between my new little buddy, his purring, and my full stomach I found my eyelids growing heavy. I bid Fluttershy a good night and as she is leaving the room she said, "Tomorrow I'm going to bring my friend Twilight over. I think you should be rested enough to meet her by then. She should have lots of questions for you."

I nod sleepily and drifted off in to a realm of warm burrito bed sheets, purring kittens, and kind pegasai. Next Chapter: 03 - Freebird Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 27 Minutes