Chapter 1: To Err is Human

Jack’s mind began registering one stimulus at a time. Starting with the unmistakable warmth of direct sunshine, followed by the cooling caress of a summer breeze, but wait, it wasn’t summer. Jack’s eyes snapped open in panic. He hurriedly glanced at his surroundings. He was surrounded by tall grass dotted by wildflowers that came up to his flank, (Wait what? His brain was screaming in protest of his surroundings and what he had just thought) and was waving in the subtle breeze. He got to his hooves (Again what?) and looked up to see a cloud white figure descend with several flaps of an impressive wing set. The alicorn, who he could now see was Princess Celestia  began to approach him (What the hay? Wait what’d I just say?), while looking at him expectantly. The princess inhaled as if to speak but Jack quickly cut her off with a bow and said,

“Your majesty, it is an honor. What circumstance has graced me with your company?”

But Jack realized with a start what exactly he just said, and where exactly he was, and more importantly what he exactly was. In growing horror he began to take in his new form. He possessed a white coat and a black tail with grey streaks through it. His cutie mark astonishingly was the Greek symbol “Φ”, phi, and he was wearing glasses. Great, he thought as he mentally rolled his eyes, even as pony I’m a dork. Princess Celestia cleared her throat to break the quiet, apparently being a goddess did not make you immune to awkward silences. Jack opened his mouth to apologize profusely and to ask a lot of questions, but this time the princess cut him off saying,

“Don’t worry Jack all will be answered soon enough, I must say this though, and you may want to choose a new name. I believe that your human name would not be received well in Ponyville or Equestria in general,” explained the princess. Her knowledge startled Jack.

“Why am I here? I thought I was dead?”

“A wish made by a man who has died a hero’s death is not something easily ignored. You called my name and I heard little one, welcome to Equestria Jack.”

“I-I don’t know what to say, being reborn in a new realm, someplace I’ve always wanted to live at that, is hard. It’ll take some getting used to. What do I do? Where do I go?”

“That is for you to decide little one, first though, I would proceed towards Ponyville. You are familiar with it already, and it is the closest settlement,” suggested Celestia.

“What do I do when I get there? I don’t know anypony! They’ll treat me like a freak!” exclaimed Jack, his voice rising to dangerous levels.

Princess Celestia only smirked, and as quickly as her smile appeared, did it disappear. The princess teleported in a wink of magic, that left Jack wishing he was a unicorn, or at least a Pegasus.

Jack stood up and looked around taking in the sight that was the meadow he was in. He basked in Celestia’s sunshine and began to trot in a direction he thought was Ponyville. He quickly came across a small cottage bursting to the seams with wildlife, which he assumed belonged to Fluttershy. Without thinking he casually trotted up to the cottage and saw Fluttershy helping her squirrel friends with a dance number. He came up behind her and tapped her on the withers, which sent her sailing a surprisingly far distance into the tree above them. Jack stood frozen, realizing what he just did and slowly began to look skyward. He could see Fluttershy cowering behind her mane, several stories up. He quickly became embarrassed for having startled the gentle Pegasus and tucked tail and began to back away, and she showed no indication of stopping him. He hung his head low and began to gallop down the dirt path away from the cottage to what he hoped was Ponyville.

Much to his chagrin he realized that the path led to the rolling orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. He started to trot in the gate when he heard the rhythmic whack of applebucking. He looked to his right as he trotted in looking for somepony to talk to. He heard the whinny of a stallion to his left and a mighty crack. He stood still as a statue as he watched the tree Big Macintosh had bucked snap at the base and began to fall right at him. He knew there was no dodging this tree, it was too tall and had to thick of a trunk. Jack decided that it would be best to duck in his head to avoid trauma. As the seconds stretched to millennia, he finally felt the trunk smack into his side and he felt ribs crack at the blow and his hyperventilation became labored and filled with fluid. He knew this feeling, the painfully familiar feeling of a punctured lung. He let out all the air in his lungs in a yelp of pain, knowing that may very well be the last air he tastes. He heard a deep baritone shout in horror, and felt the tree be scooped up off of him much to his discomfort, but this would be the last sensation before the darkness claimed him. His final thought before the blanket of unconsciousness suffocated the fire of his mind was, Please no, not again.

****

I woke from my night terror wailing like a banshee. Panic set in as I realized I was tied down, in a sterile white hospital room, I thrashed in panic, only to realize my hind legs weren't moving. My mind was lost, I was TRAPPED in a room, unable to move. I needed out, now. I saw somepony to direct my swirling hurricane of emotions at. I directed all the energy I had left, which I realized with a start was not a lot, into this one rant. And the pony could only look on in terror as I began to shout at her, my vision tinged red.

“Where in Celestia’s sweet Equestria am I?! Why am I tied up?! Who are you to keep a free pony tied down?! I have done nothing wrong! In fact I am the one who has been wronged! But how FITTING, proprium humani ingenii est odisse quem laeseris, it is human nature to hate a person whom you have injured! And why in Luna’s shapely flank can I not move my hind legs?!?!” I shouted with a fury that shocked even me.

I quickly shut up as a pang of guilt froze my burning rage, and I stole a glance at the pony, who I now knew was Applejack. I felt ashamed as I saw the bloodshot eyes of a pony who had been crying for a long time already. I was the first to speak up and apologize, its times like this I thought, I wish I would’ve just got wasted like a normal person.

“Look, Applejack...” I started, which elicited a curious glance from the mare, “that didn’t come out how I meant it, I’ve had terrible night terrors since I was a little colt and I’ve no idea where I am, some answers wouldn't be a-miss. Why am I tied down and why can’t I move my hind legs? What happened and where am I exactly?” I asked only now looking around the clean and bright hospital room I was trapped in, TRAPPED. But before I could suffer another crippling breakdown Applejack inhaled and began speaking in the gentle tone of her southern drawl.

“Now Ah’ll take your questions one at a time... uh?...” Applejack trailed off as she realized she didn’t know my name.

“Cato, Cato Laternsis is my name.” I lied remembering the princess’ advice.

“Cato,” Applejack smiled at the simple name, “now Ah know you’re curious, we’re curious ‘bout ya’ll as well, but the reason you’re tied down is uh… ‘cause my friend Twi’ looked into your dreams, to uh… try and get a name and maybe some family. She woke up from it just like ya’ll did, shriekin’. She wouldn’t say what she saw, but she insisted ya’ll be hogtied and she ain’t come out of her house since she took a peek at your head. And as to where ya’ll are, your in the capable hooves of Nurse Redheart at Ponyville clinic. I had Big Mac buck a dead tree to clear the soil and it snapped and fell on ya’ll. Nurse said she almost lost you a couple times but you’ll pull through, uh… mostly intact.”

I could barely hide the panic in my voice, “Mostly?  What do you mean mostly? I thought you said she was capable!” I then realized the source of Applejack’s bloodshot eyes and tears, guilt. She told Big Mac to buck that tree; she felt it was her fault. That’s why she had Twilight look at my dreams, to try and help me, and she only ended up hurting another pony. She felt this whole thing was her fault; she needed somepony to tell her it’s not her fault.

“Applejack,” I managed to stammer out, “none of this is your fault, and I don’t blame you but you need to tell me, what happened to me?”

In between sobs Applejack began to tell me, “When that tree fell, it hit ya’ll in the spine, and unless ya’ll can afford a specialist unicorn from Canterlot, ya’ll gonna be paralyzed for the rest of your life, and this is all my fault.” Applejack mumbled that last bit, but I still heard it.

Not bothering to mention I had not a bit to my name, I reached out with my right fore hoof, placing it on AJ’s withers, I had only this to say, “Applejack, none of this is your fault. I don’t blame you and never will. I’d take being paralyzed over paralyzing another pony with guilt.”

Applejack then looked up at me with her red-ringed eyes, the beginnings of an idea starting to grow and take shape. She knew just what she had to do.