A Long Way from Home
A butter yellow pegasus mare with a cotton candy pink mane gracefully walked through a meadow, enjoying a beautiful summer day in Ponyville. 'Oh, it's just so nice out today,' she mused, 'maybe I could-' Her thoughts were cut short when she spotted a deep, royal blue unicorn stallion with pitch black hair and a comet cutie mark right in the middle of her path. She let out a small "Eep!" and slowly backed away a few steps. His chest was slowly rising and falling, and it was obvious he was taking a nap. His eyes sluggishly slid open and Fluttershy hid her face in her mane.
The stallion jumped back when he saw the pegasus standing in front of him and abruptly fell flat on his face after losing his balance. He shakily got back to his feet and blinked a few times.
Fluttershy peeked out from behind her hair at the now awake and alert pony, giggling softly about his clumsiness. 'Maybe he's afraid,' she pondered, 'I know I would be if someone startled me like that.' Having decided that the least she could do would be to introduce herself, the mare slowly worked up a voice. "Um, excuse me, I mean, I'm not usually so bold, but I was just wondering if, you know, you didn't mind... would you be so kind as to, um, tell me your name? I'm Fluttershy."
He blinked at the soft voice, almost too quiet to hear at the end, and quickly went to introduce himself. "I'm, uh, Nato. It's... nice to meet you, Fluttershy."
She looked down at the ground, played with the grass, and tried her best to make polite, if quiet, conversation. "So, um, are you new around here?"
He glanced around, jaw still hanging slightly open in shock at the raw beauty of the landscape. The sky, picture perfect, carried in it a sun that he could only call beautiful and kind. The grass seemed to smile and wave at him, its sweet scent drifting through his mind, while the dirt felt like a cozy blanket after a long day of work. 'Heh, even the dirt here is warm and welcoming,' he thought to himself. He returned his deep indigo eyes to the mare and sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you could say that. To be honest, I'm really glad that the first pony I've met is so kind."
Nato smiled warmly, and Fluttershy wondered if being so forward was as bad as she thought. "So, um, since you're new here and all, would you like me to take you into town? One of my friends just loves meeting new ponies. Well, that is, if you're okay with it..."
"That would be wonderful, thank you." He didn't know how to get home or even how he got here, but he was sure that if he stuck with the locals, something would come up.
A pair of yellow eyes carefully studied the new unicorn arrival from the edge of the Everfree Forest. As the pair paced away, the eyes retreated back into the forest.
Pinkie Pie, bubblegum mane bouncing with her down Ponyville's main avenue, puzzled herself with the absence of Fluttershy. 'She said she would be here around noon. But where is she?' Just as the thought crossed her mind, Pinkie spotted the elusive pegasus making her way into town. Oh ho! What was this? At the sight of the new unicorn, Pinkie gasped and rushed off.
Fluttershy glanced around the square, hoping to find the party-loving pony where they had planned to chat. She didn't spend time with Pinkie much, and she had vowed to change that after all that had happened in the course of maybe a few years since Twilight Sparkle had made residence in the library. Thinking that she might have some idea as to where Pinkie happened off to, she set off to find the party pony's partner in pranks, Rainbow Dash, who would most likely be out practicing her latest trick to get into the Wonderbolts.
Just as she was about to turn and search for the rainbow-maned trickster, a familiar voice sounded from behind her. "Boy howdy, Fluttershy, looks like y'all done gone and made a new friend. Care to introduce?" She jumped at the noise at first, then shied around to face the orange-coated apple farmer.
"Oh, hi Applejack. Well um, you see, this is, uh..." Fluttershy could feel herself shrinking back, face flushing with pink embarrassment, when the unicorn took over and saved her the trouble.
"Nato," he stated evenly, in a voice neither too deep nor too shrill, as he lifted a hoof for a shake. Not one to turn down her manners, Applejack obliged, startled at how firm the grip really was. 'Not a frilly frou-frou unicorn, then.' "Well, nice to meet ya partner. The name's Applejack." The Stetson-wearing cowpony glanced around before resuming. "I was actually on my way to see if Rarity could fix up Applebloom's bow." At this, she extracted a stark red bow, torn in multiple places and smudged in at least three different kinds of dirt and tree sap. "The last thing those three fillies did ended up a little badly for this piece of work."
"Well," Fluttershy conceded, "I was about to look for Dash, but I suppose I'd better introduce our newcomer to everyone. He doesn't know his way around, I'm sure, and it would be so mean to just leave him here." The two mares started off, and Nato made haste to follow behind. He really couldn't seem to remember a thing about before. Maybe just going with the flow would help things along. He certainly enjoyed the thought of meeting more ponies.
Applejack glanced back toward the stallion before leaning in to Fluttershy and whispering in her ear. "I'm mighty glad your makin' good friends with our guest and all, but be careful, sugarcube. Something just seems fishy about this. I'm not too sure, but I think something bigger's going on here." The earth pony gave her friend a resolute nod, and the pair refocused on their goal: the Carousel Boutique.
As the trio came up on the fashonista's dress shop, Nato's mind started to clear from the morning's thick fog. The scene had become even more beautiful, even more perfect than before. It stirred up feelings within him, almost as if he had seen a place like this before, but the thought escaped him just as the orange mare rapped on the door of their destination.
Her carefully curled violet mane shifting just a tiny bit as she used her magic to prepare to set the final gem in her latest order, Rarity called out to the taps on her door. "Be with you in a moment, darling!" With pinpoint accuracy, the single ruby completed a work done mostly in various blues and greens, and gems of their respective colors. Carefully adjusting her glasses, she whisked open the door, a smile gracing her lips as she greeted two of her friends. "Welcome to Carousel - oh! Fluttershy, Applejack, what a pleasant surprise! Not getting into trouble, are we?" Rarity winked, inviting them in and about to shut the door when she caught a glimpse of the stallion that had apparently accompanied them. She stepped aside to allow him in. When the door closed shut, the designer showed them all to seats and started a pot of tea.
Nato looked around at the sitting room, eyes pausing on dress designs that seemed to beam fashion. He didn't know much, but it was almost blatantly obvious that this unicorn knew what she was doing. Other than the magnificent fabrics, the room itself just breathed order. Every little thing seemed to be placed just so, and he could only speculate that one of the reasons she seemed to be so successful was that her shop radiated professionalism. It twinged a string deep inside his heart, reminding him of somepony - he almost teared up when he couldn't remember precisely who.
Applejack was the first to speak up. "First things first, I moseyed my way on down here because of this," - Rarity gasped at the sight of the absolutely devastated bow - "and I was wonderin' if'n you could fix her up."
Still taken aback by the completely dreadful state of the cloth, Rarity paused before finally answering. "Oh, well yes, of course. Just... let me get some water first." She filled a washbasin with water, and gingerly magicked the bow into it to soak. "So, I take it you also wanted to show me someone?" She gestured over to Nato.
Fluttershy perked up. "Oh yes, well, you see, this morning I was on my way to get a new bucket because the other one, um, broke, and I stumbled across Nato here. I figured that I just had to show him around, seeing as he looked really lost and didn't seem to be from around here." The pegasus was smiling gently, in a way that just melted away any tension in the room.
Rarity nodded, taking in the details, pouring everypony a cup of tea. "Well, I'm not surprised that you did that, it being the right thing to do. And I am very grateful that you decided to show up with him when you did! You see, I've had an order for a tuxedo on hiatus for a while, and I just couldn't make it happen. But this fellow," she gestured at Nato, "gave me the -perfect- idea!" Remembering that she never actually introduced herself, the unicorn curtsied. "Oh my, it seems I've forgotten my manners! I'm Rarity, destined to be the greatest fashion designer in all of Equestria!"
Nato cracked a smile at the pose Rarity was now making, one hoof stretched toward the sky in a grandiose manner. Then the rest of the words came crashing down, lowering his smile into a thin line. Equestria. The name hit him like a brick wall, bringing back the name of his home, Requinnta, and he realized how far away he actually was. Deciding that it would be best not to mention exactly how far away he was, or that he remembered where he was from, he moved to go for a peaceful exit. His stomach conveniently grumbled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, really. But I've been wondering, is there any place where I could get something to eat?"
All three of the girls chuckled, but Applejack was the only one to offer information. "Well, I could take you to Sweet Apple Acres. We've got some of the best apples you could ever find. It ain't too terribly far. Maybe on the way we could show you around a bit more.
"I love the idea."
"Oh, it wouldn't be trouble if I stayed and worked on this tux, would it?" Rarity's eyes brimmed with innovation and she just couldn't keep it all cooped up without them passing.
The stallion chuckled. "Don't worry yourself. I'm not like royalty or anything. By all means, continue. I'd love to see the finished product later on, seeing as I've never inspired someone to make clothing before." 'At least not that I can remember,' he added mentally.
Rarity fluttered for just a moment before leading the way to the door. "It was so wonderful of you all to visit. I always love seeing my friends... and new ponies." She chuckled, those last words perhaps carrying a bit more meaning than anyone realized.
"Bye, sugarcube."
"Goodbye, Rarity."
"It was a pleasure meeting you."
The three ponies stepped out into the early afternoon sun, setting out for their next stop. The Ponyville library, where a certain lavender unicorn and her baby dragon assistant were most likely busy keeping up the treasure trove of books.
When the sun dipped below its apex in the sky, Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes open and stretched, yawning loudly and rising to her hooves. She then shook her violently ruffled rainbow mane back into place, flapping her wings a few times before taking off from the small cumulus that she took an afternoon nap on.
The cyan pegasus cruised lazily through the air, doing a few loops and rolls on her way to ask Ponyville's resident unicorn librarian about some of the finer points of cloud formation – although she decided long ago to generally avoid books, she had a good feeling that it would be a good idea to find out if her latest idea for a trick carried weighty consequences.
As her wings carried her lower to the ground, Dash recognized a pair of her friends, one wearing her practically trademarked hat, and sped up, ready to meet them maybe a few dozen yards from the library. However, she altered course and dove when she noticed a dark blue figure behind them.
"Applejack! Fluttershy! Look out, he's right behind you!" The two named ponies turned their head to the voice, but before Nato had a chance to even be shocked a rainbow blur slammed into his side, knocking him unconscious from sheer force.
Cyan hooves beat away at the blacked out unicorn as their owner pounded out words between punches. "Who. Do you think. You are. Trying to mess. With my. FRIENDS!" The blows became furious as Applejack spoke up after seeing a certain pegasus with her head in a bush.
"Rainbow." The punches continued as the orange pony trotted up to her friend. "Rainbow!" The pony being called didn't even notice the voice until a pair of hooves yanked her away from the stranger. "RAINBOW DASH! That is ENOUGH! He ain't no creep, he was just lagging behind us. Fluttershy met him in the morning and was bein' kind, showing him around and all!"
She took a breath and looked over at the nearly bloodied stallion, lucky enough that his bruises and the small cuts wouldn't be too obvious. "And I'm not sure, but I think you've gone and made him feel very UN-welcome here in Ponyville. What were you thinkin' anyway? When was the last time a creep like the kind you thought he was came into town, no, all of Equestria? People like that just don't show up here. It ain't their bushel of apples."
Rainbow Dash, spent of adrenaline and now fully realizing what she just did in anger, stepped back and looked at her hooves, a few streaks of red sitting there, staring back at her. Blood. What did I just do? She continued to backtrack before spinning and breaking into a full gallop as she extended her wings and took off in flight.
The farm pony sprinted after her, stopping when she took to the air. "Consarnit, Rainbow! Where do you think you're goin'?" Her words died in the air as she turned back around to go retrieve Fluttershy. Darn Rainbow, always going all overzealous and whatnot. Even as she thought about it, Rainbow's sheer devotion to protecting her friends warmed the earth pony's heart. Fluttershy still had her head stuck in a bush as Applejack put a foreleg around her. "It's okay, sugarcube. Nothin' to worry about, there wasn't no creep."
Her form trembling as she slid her head out of the bushes and her eyes coming to rest on the prone form of Nato, Fluttershy gasped. "Um... d-did..."
A bubbly voice, coming from a pink pony who seemed to have materialized a few feet away, provided the answer. "Yepperooski! Our little Dashie went in and FWOOSH KABAM, then came around with a SWOOSH, and ended it all by playing the drums on that guy! Too bad he wasn't really a meanie-mean-pants, or that would've been just SUPER DUPER HEROICY!" Pinkie Pie looked off to the sunset, suddenly a thoughtful look on her face. "And we were planning his party for sunset, too. Sorry guys!"
"Awwwww..." The crowd of ponies behind her sighed in unison. Wait, what? Applejack nearly jumped into the air when she noticed that a crowd with probably everypony in Ponyville standing behind the cotton candy maned partyhorse. As she turned her head toward Pinkie, the crowd began to disperse and go home, undoubtedly for their dinner.
With the ponies gone, Pinkie Pie trotted straight to Nato. "He... he is going to be okay, right?" She looked him over, the bruises and scrapes becoming more apparent. "Gosh... Dashie really did a number on him." Suddenly, she perked up once more, smiling widely. "I know! Once we get him help and he wakes up I could throw a combo Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-Glad-You're-Better party!" She bounced off, already in her own party planning world as Applejack just stared, agape.
"Did... did I just see her go from... nevermind." She continued to rattle her brains for any answer other than 'It's just Pinkie being Pinkie,' but failed. Noticing that Fluttershy already ran off, presumably to get bandages, she trotted up to the library door and knocked...
…just as Twilight Sparkle opened her door.
After sorting out a mess and staunching Twilight's new nosebleed, Applejack shared the details of Dash's little endeavor, ending with the librarian standing next to the unconscious unicorn, absolutely flabbergasted. The orange earth pony waved her foreleg in front of the lavender unicorn. "Equestria to Twilight Sparkle. Return to base. I need you to help me carry him." She shook herself back to reality and nodded, using her magic to gingerly lift Nato onto the strong country pony's back.
"Easy does it... SPIKE!" The purple dragon snapped into the doorway when called by his friend, shortly afterward scooping his jaw up from the ground. "Spike, I need you to fetch a bucket of water. Warm, preferably, but not hot. Get a clean rag too. Hurry!" In his style, Spike snapped a sharp salute and ran off into the depths of the great tree, followed by the sound of a running tap. The two mares followed slowly, Twilight breaking off to fetch some cushions for them to set Nato on.
Fluttershy rushed into her cottage, quickly moving to where she knew her first aid supplies would be. As a white bunny bounced up, she spoke clearly without stopping her search. "I'm sorry Angel, but I really need to be here as short as possible. Could you fetch the antibiotics for me?" He quickly saluted and bounded off.
She found the bandages she was searching for just as Angel hopped up with a bottle carried in his mouth. Fluttershy nuzzled him before taking the bottle and starting to head out the door. "Thank you. Remind me to get a special treat for you later." The white ball of fur ushered her out, shutting the door behind her and making a mental note in his head.
As she raced back to the library, Fluttershy hoped dearly that Nato would be okay. It didn't look bad, but sometimes... No, don't even think like that. She forced the thoughts out of her head by speeding up, hoping to get back as soon as possible.
Applejack was right... I had no reason to assume the worst from the start... Rainbow Dash streaked through the air and plowed right into a cloud, staying there and shoving her face into the unjustly fluffy surface. I could've hurt somepony really bad... just because I went overboard. All that anger...
Even being loyal wasn't enough of an explanation. When she suspected Twilight of being a spy, she didn't just take her out in one hit, she confronted her. Why didn't I just defend them instead of attacking him? Afterward, Applejack defended him almost like... a friend. I just outright knocked him unconscious!
Tears began to form in her eyes as the thoughts reached their inevitable conclusion and she began to voice them aloud. "What... what if h-he..." At this, her eyes shrunk in horror. "No, no nononono! I didn't hit him THAT hard... did I?"
She considered the image in her head. At top speed, she could easily shatter a ribcage, and maybe... "NO!" After vigorously shaking her head, the tear-stricken cyan pegasus wiped her eyes and flew as fast as she could back to the library. No matter what, that stallion was going to be A-okay, because she decided that it wouldn't happen otherwise.