An irritating headache.
No, that would be an understatement. My head felt as if somepony had drilled into the back of my skull with a jackhammer. Despite how it saved me from my nightmare last night, the light was just grueling to look at. My ornamental hotel prison looked fuzzy and unfocused; the walls blending in various shades of bright yellow. If it was not for my headache, I might have been able to admire the soothing palette.
As I recall, when I first woke up in this room yesterday, I had not a single memory of my life prior to imprisonment. My name is Intimus - and that was all I had. As far as the room was concerned, there was no way out. The front door was bolted shut, and not even a dozen bucks with all my strength were able to break it. In my moment of vulnerability, I had resorted to screaming for help and banging on the oak-colored door. The windows could be opened, but any hopes of escaping through them were crushed when I saw nothing but mist below me. Apparently, the luxury hotel I was staying in was among the scattered skyscrapers that managed to pierce through a massive smog that enveloped the entire city to the horizon. If my room was high enough to break through the layers, then a drop to the ground would spell certain death - and I was not THAT desperate to escape. At the moment, my only focus was closing the blinds over the windows that allowed this glaring light in.
Alright, time to test out my hindlegs. After propping myself up like a seal on my forelegs, I called on the muscles in my other pair of legs. Immediately, the fire in my cutie mark raged at full strength for just a second. All I could do was clench my teeth and wait for the fierce flames in my lower body to die down. Afterwards, I collapsed onto my side with a gasp. The fire in my flank dissipated instantly, thankfully.
“Okay. Let’s try that again” my voice sounded raspy and dry. It served as a reminder that I had not drank a thing for almost a whole day.
Repeating my actions from before, I placed my weight onto my forelegs and raised my upper body first. After a moment of uncertainty, I shifted some weight onto my hindlegs. A burning sensation overtook my lower body, but by now it was just a feeble flame compared to the inferno I suffered last night. Now, I could at least stand and turn towards the window...
Bad idea! The sun seared my eyes and prompted me to sidestep out of the barrage. Once I was within the shadows, my vision returned to its hazy perception. The sunbeams that I both cherished and despised fell harmlessly on the upturned blankets and the bed. Luckily, the curtains were directly next to me. Grasping the wand tilt in my teeth (you know, the twisty thing), I pulled the blind over the window and denied the sunrise any entry into my prison. A persistent, meager blot of light spilled onto the floor under the curtains. Now, the room was bearable to look at.
Well, I suppose I should give my jailer credit for at least placing me in the most pleasant prison possible. The carpet floor was a moderate green, like the leaves of an apple tree. The room could be comparable to half the interior of a barn, and two and a half of me stacked one on top of the other could have probably reached the ceiling. The bed appeared to be an island in the sea of shades of green with its sharply dissimilar, red covers. It was propped against the wall behind me and only a couple of steps from the wide-pane windows. Across from the foot of the bed lied an oak brown desk inscribed with exotic patterns only a pony with an eye for art would be able to appreciate. A matted chair of the same texture awaited a worthy patron to occupy its seat.
My vision finally cleared when I approached the desk. A modest cup of black coffee steamed next to a thick sandwich stuffed with dual layered lettuce, pure white blossoms, and thick stems belonging to fresh cut daisies held together by two broad slices of whole wheat bread. The delicious aroma from the meal before me already won my stomach over, but I was hesitant to concede to the demands of my body.
When I woke up in this room yesterday, the same sandwich was prepared in the same manner. It seems that somepony had prepared a replica while I slept. I avoided eating the previous day out of a hunch that the sandwich contained a sedative. I opted out of drinking the coffee as well; however, the lack of any water overnight had already taken a toll on me. I knew that I would not have the strength to even pull myself out of sleep if I did not hydrate myself. No point ignoring my arid throat now.
Leaning my forelegs on the desk, I grasped the cup with both hooves and drank half of my ration of coffee for the day in one continuous gulp. The thermal beverage washed down my esophagus, repairing the desert-like state of my body. If the light had been my savior, coffee was my salvation. After shakily lowering the cup, I fell to the floor and coughed up the heavenly liquid that managed to enter my lungs.
I must have laid there for a long time, relishing in the beverage that nearly drowned me in my desperate moment of thirst. No matter how much I wanted to stay curled up like a foal on the carpet, I had to give my hunger attention as well. After a struggle to my hooves with half a pint of black coffee brewing in my insides, I managed to prop myself up in the chair. I had to place myself against the backrest of the chair, which left my hindlegs dangling off the seat at unfamiliar angles. Who even sits like this?
Meanwhile, my forelegs got to work. I had the sandwich clasped in my hooves and took a mighty bite into an equally mighty sandwich. Wow, now this is a masterpiece! The blend of various flowers added variety as well as a rich flavor to the meal. Every chomp had a dynamic but subtle flair that knew it did not need to be compulsive to show it is mouthwatering. I was so enraptured in the delicacy that I never noticed my teeth chewing on thin air. My hooves were held up before me holding the space where my extraordinary sandwich once was. Alright, if the coffee was my salvation, then the sandwich was my liberator - at least for a short time.
All I could do at the moment was sit contently against the chair’s backrest as rusty gears began turning once more in my stomach. I gazed at the empty plate before me - a mess of shredded daisies, lettuce, and wheat bread lay strewn in front of me. Maybe I should have held back a little. Who knew when I might get hungry again? I dismissed the thought when I rubbed my bulged belly - Perhaps not for a while.
There was a written piece of paper lying in the sea of crumbs. I never caught sight of the page while I was eating! With a single stroke, my foreleg removed any remains of my sandwich off of the black ink. I raised the paper to my muzzle. The page was wrinkled and worn out around the edges. It was like somepony had tried to get rid of the paper but forgot to finish the job. I could read the author’s handwriting despite how wild the cursive got:
“It was another bright, fantastic day! Dad had to work the fields for the coming harvest, so I got to spend the day as I liked. I went to my usual spot, the best spot on the farm. The one where a pony could watch the sun rise over the mountains and shine its light on the whole town. I woke up especially early to get there in time! Even dad was still eating breakfast when I headed out the door. He never asked where I was going, but then again, he never really liked to ask me anything that did not have to do with my future...
Mom showed me this spot. I don’t remember her too well, but she must have taken me up here often. Or else how would I have remembered where the spot was? It was still dark when I got up there to the top of the tallest hill. There was another pony there.
Somepony was at my spot! When I got up there, the pony turned, and I got to their face. She was my age, and she looked at me funny. I never saw her before, and the sun was coming up soon. I did not want to share my spot with anypony else.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned her.
She did not look angry or confused. She just told me, “I’m waiting for the sun to rise. I found this place a few days after I moved here.”
She was new! I do not know how she could have found this spot, but she was not telling me it was hers. I tried to keep my voice strong like dad,
“I watch the sun here too. This is my spot.” I was starting to back away.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to take your spot.” She was not looking at me funny anymore. I could not speak, because now she looked at me sad. “Please don’t be angry! I did not know, but if you want, I can just go...” She got up and turned towards the path leading to town.
“W-wait, don’t!” My voice squeaked when I shouted. Aw, dad would be disappointed that I let my guard down. She stopped in her tracks and stared at me, waiting for me to finish. I swallowed and felt sweat on my forehead. “Y-you don’t have to go. We can both watch - the sunrise from this spot, I guess.”
“Okay!” Oh, how did she keeps changing her stare? Now, she was smiling real big and sat right down in front of me. She turned her head to look at me again with delight. “Well? Are you going to sit? The sun is coming up soon.”
I got down on my knees and shifted myself next to her. I tried to look down at the ground to avoid her stare, but she was anxious to make conversation.
“What’s your name?”
“Huh?” I stammered with a squeak. In embarrassment, I tried to clear my throat and pronounce my name like my dad would. “Oh, my name is-”
“Woah! Look, there it is!” Her eyes moved to the side very quickly. She was looking at the eastern mountains in front of us. I turned my eyes in the same direction as hers. A big orange raised itself out from behind the mountains. The sun’s rays moved across town like a blanket across a bed. It was the best part of the day, and all I could do was look at the sunrise with wide eyes. She and I must have watched the sun crawl out of its hiding place for a long time, because I felt something watery fall on my legs. I was drooling! I left my mouth open saying my name like a fool! I pulled my lips in quickly. She was not looking; she was still staring at the sun. Close call! I pulled my attention away from my drool back to the sunrise.
We both looked until the brightness was too much for us. The town was starting to wake up, which meant it was time to get back home.
“That was amazing! I don’t think there’s anything more magical than the things we see.” She was looking real hard at her hooves, as if she was trying to make the sun rise again. I nodded in agreement even though she wasn’t paying attention to me.
I started to stand on my hooves when a leg wrapped itself around mine.
“Hay! I never got to tell you my name! You cannot just go after watching the sunrise with a pony you never met before without knowing their name!” She was grinning really big now. How can anypony have such a huge smile? She let go of my leg and stood up.
“My name is Apple Fritter. Pleased to meet you!” Apple Fritter raised a leg and showed her hoof to me. I must have been staring for a while, because her eyebrow raised up and her smile fell. “Is something wrong?” I quickly shook my head and copied her movement. We connected hooves and sealed our friendship.
She broke her hoof away and patted the ground. “We should meet again tomorrow - friend! Yeah, I’ll just call you friend!” There was a yell from behind Apple Fritter. It was from a figure trotting up a pathway towards us. “Darnit. It’s for me. Sorry friend, I got to get going! Remember tomorrow!”
And just like that, she ran off to that figure on the path. I just stood there, unsure of what had happened. What I was sure of, was that I would be at this very spot tomorrow.”
There was no signature at the end of the letter. This was the writing of a colt or filly. Why was it on the desk of my prison? Apple Fritter... that was the only name I got from the whole entry. I placed it back down. Judging from the heightening contrast between the lights and the shadows, I could tell the day was changing to night. Time was running short; I was going to have a look at the rest of the hotel room before night.
There were really two parts to the hotel room: the bedroom and a narrow corridor leading from the bedroom to the door. The bathroom was accessible through this corridor next to the door. I trotted towards the threshold. There was a pale, yellow light emitting from the bathroom onto the opposite wall. As I treaded towards the entrance, I noticed that any feeling of injury in my flank was barely noticeable. Still, I could not imagine the extent of pain I would feel if the wound had been much worse.
Lost in my morbid thoughts, I did not notice the change in lighting and the change in surface underneath my hooves. Unlike the bedroom, the bathroom was brilliantly lit by a trio of ornamental lamps in the shape of lilies. It was not quite as narrow as the corridor leading here, but the bedroom was significantly wider than this. Instead of cozy carpet flooring, I was standing upon cold, marble white tiles. To my left was a bathtub equipped with a showerhead. Will I have time to take a hot shower? Based upon the rate at which the day was burning away, probably not.
To my right was a single sink dug into a marble counter with the same texture as the floor. I glanced past the silver faucet to a pony with a coat of moderate tangelo. On his flank rested a tan acoustic guitar. He had a mane the color of pale, amber yellow. It was splayed back like the scales of a dragon and popped up in a way that made it look like a crested ridge. The tail was similar in the way it spread outwards in narrow edges before retreating. The tail was short and only reached down to his knees.
The distinctive quality was the pair of eyes staring right back at me. They were a bright shade of sap green and shined in the light of the bathroom. There was a noticeable sense of imminent danger in his eyes as well a hint of curiosity as he examined me the same way I was with him. The bags under his eyes revealed that he was either insomniac or unnerved by the thought of sleep. The pony in front of me raised an eyebrow; I did the same.
The mirror gave me a full report on my condition. It was obvious from the stray hairs sticking out of my coat that I had a restless sleep. My mane was surprisingly intact, considering that it kept its shape despite the nightmare of the previous night. However, my face told the whole story. It was stained by sweat and depleted of any signs of youth. I was still in my prime, but I certainly did not feel that way. My face certainly succeeded in capturing my state of mind. A little water should fix that up.
With one hoof, I turned on the faucet. A stream of water pumped out into the bowl serving as my sink. I dunked the other hoof in the chilling water once it reached a sufficient height. With a rapid thrust, my face was soaked and left revitalized by the iciness of sink fluid. When I gazed at my counterpart in the mirror, I found that I had regained a few years back. Now the stains of sweat and the signs of old age were gone. They were replaced with drops of water creating trails behind them as gravity took its course. Luckily, my jailer left me a few thick, white towels to use.
Speaking of which, my warden must have an interesting sense of humor to trap me in a luxury hotel room. Heck, he was happy enough to provide me a divine breakfast! It was kind, but that did not mean I would take this whole thing in stride. I will be sure to give the jailer my thanks once I find a way out of here.
After drying my face off, I tossed the towel to the side of the sink. Coincidentally, there was another piece of paper resting against the wall my towel had landed in front of. The piece was flat and smooth against my hoof. Unlike the previous entry, this one was undamaged and left in perfect condition. The handwriting was a lot more uniform and easier to understand as well:
“Don’t get me wrong. I have a strong respect for doctors and all medical staff, but these guys were starting to get on my nerves. They checked my pulse, my blood, my eyes, and even my tongue for problems. I had been cleared once, why did I need to go through this useless procedure? The doctor performing the inspection is hardly as professional as the ones I have been to in the past. He was too soft. It was like he needed my consent for every single action he took. What an airhead.
“C’mon doc. You know I more than hit the requirements.” Yeah, sure it was disrespectful, yet who wanted to get a medical check-up when you had a home to get back to.
“Please, be patient. That is definitely true for your body, but we still have to run tests on your mental state.” The doctor levitated several clipboards and a pencil with his magic. He was too busy studying the results with a caramel hoof under his chin to notice when I snorted at him. Everything about him - from his condescending motions to his self-righteous tone just made me hate him more. I let myself collapse onto the table where my examinations were taking place.
When the doctor was talking about the results, I paid no attention. My mind was focused on more important things - like where to find the closest bar in town. I needed a drink to fill up this vacant feeling in my chest. Maybe then I would be able to stand talking to these ponies.”
Again, the paper provided no signature and no hint as to who the writer was. Obviously, this was a different stallion with a large selection of issues. So why would this one be left untouched? Who was leaving these pages here? These entries were just adding to the jumbled mess caused by my amnesia. It did not help that I could not even think straight with this lousy headache. Nothing made any sense here!
It was at that moment when heaviness overcame my eyes.
Oh no! Sleep was coming upon me. And sleep only meant that the nightmares would have a second chance at me!
I made my way out of the bathroom, losing balance rapidly. The bedroom was dark and dimly lit by the single lamp on the desk. My vision was blurred, and my coordination disappeared just as I reached the foot of my bed. The world was spinning faster and faster, colors and shades blending together into a brew of red, brown, and green. My hooves fell upon the cozy, disheveled covers of the bed before I lost my ability to stand. The hotel room flashed by as my legs faltered.
The last thing I could comprehend was the carpet floor hitting the side of my head before darkness overtook me once more.