Winston the Atlas Beetle

by Material Defender

Acclimatization!

It was strange, to be sure. Winston sat in the library treehouse as the five ponies, minus Spike, who was busy trying to file books, and Pinkie, who was off to plan the party, since Twilight interrupted him earlier, were eagerly talking among themselves, peppering him with the occasional question in between about where he came from, and what the others of his kind were like. He'd taken to answering them as simply as he could, but apparently, another sentient race such as a beetle was something that confounded even Twilight.

The guards had taken up positions outside of Twilight's treehouse, Winston had noticed. That was fantastic, it was like he had his own little bodyguard detail now! Well, he was certainly capable of holding his own, but having a little help couldn't hurt, right?

Being around the same size, if not a bit smaller, than the ponies had made it that much easier for him to fit in. He could easily sit down on their cushions and walk through their doorways, and even eat their own food, though it was just the fruit; he couldn't possibly imagine eating grass or hay.

And then there was that strange bout of memories he had. It would appear that he had some strange accumulation of memories, like some weird understanding about his own species as well as being mixed in with what he definitely knew as general human knowledge, things like culture, politics, locations, people, times... and it was all in that little armored head of his. And then he still had to grapple with the words here. He was a beetle. His caretaker was a human. And these were ponies. Yes, he'd have to remember that. At least it would seem that ponies share the same general cultural standards like back in the old world.

And here he was, sipping away on a straw, ingesting apple juice. It had pleased him that he could ingest alternate versions of his sustenance. The tiny little hole that he opened up in his carapace led directly to his mouth, which was quite fortunate for the straw. Then again, he was kind of glad that the ponies didn't have to see what his mouth actually looked like... not that he'd know, since he hadn't see it, either.

"So, Winston, do you... have any family?" Twilight asked him.

"Hmm? Why, I cannot seem to recall of any... Most of our species tend to prefer solitude. It does not affect us in the way it affects other living beings."

"Ah, I see. But... doesn't it get lonely at times?"

He stopped sipping on his straw, then thought for a moment. "I suppose so. Nothing dreadfully terrible, of course. But we Atlas beetles like to have our alone time." He went back to drinking.

"Oh, do you think you could tell us about your species courtship rituals?" Rarity asked.

He stopped for a moment, engulfing the conversation in silence. "We are a fairly stubborn and headstrong species, Lady Rarity... I do not think it would do you much... good... to learn about how we find proper life partners." He coughed. "It is best for a lady such as yourself to simply concern yourself with matters pertaining to yourself," he quickly ended.

"Oh, please, darling, don't be a drama king, I'm sure it can't be that bad, coming from such a gentlecolt such as yourself."

"Very well." He emptied his drink before sliding the cup slightly forward on the desk. "We find... a partner."

"Yes, and...?"

"If we find the female in the presence of another male, we fight to the death for her in a battle of honor, and to truly show which one of us is the right partner for the female."

"Oh... well... that's certainly... interesting?" The thought of colts willing to fight to the death over a mare certainly was a morbid thought to entertain, though it certainly wasn't impossible to happen if they were out of their minds well enough.

"Well, that was how they did it in the old days," he said. "I am the first of my kind to venture beyond the dusty old box of tradition! Well, and aside from that, I do believe that I am the first of my kind capable of... bluntly speaking, thinking."

"Really? Where did you come from, then? How did you get here?" Twilight asked.

"I don't remember, Miss Twilight. One moment, I was simply back at home, sitting in my log home and minding my own business, when I recall a giant white orb rolling towards me. Then it glowed really bright, and then I was brought here, and suddenly, I was much larger than I was previously, and then I could think! Now, this thinking stuff is quite astounding, if I do say so myself. I can understand how much people like to think."

"So you couldn't think before you arrived here?"

"Indeed. My intelligence quota was equal to that of a rock, I believe. A little bit above, actually, I can't flatter the rock that much. Well, I guess that's changed since I've arrived here. Now, I do believe I've entertained enough of your questions. What say you answer some of mine?"

"Sure," Twilight smiled. "What would you like to know, Winston?"

"Those guards out there," he said. "Who do they work for? I don't recall villages being able to arm town guards with shining gold armor."

"Oh, those are Princess Celestia's royal guards. She's the ruler of the land of Equestria."

"Incredible! Royalty!" he exclaimed, earning a few laughs from the ponies. "We should do well to seek out audience with her this instant! As the first of my kind and self-proclaimed lord, I must report my patronage to her immediately! Oh, this will be a problem, royalty usually have such horrid waiting times, perhaps we could schedule an appointment in advance so we--"

"Don't worry about it, Winston," Dash said. "Twiilght's an egghead, and not just any egghead, she's Princess Celestia's personal egghead student!"

Twilight gave Dash a look before returning her happy gaze to Winston. "What Dash said is true. I am Celestia's personal student. If you want, I can get you an audience any time you wish."

"Such leniency from a monarch," he muttered. "Practically unheard of from where I come from."

"Oh-oh... um, it's not a... monarch... Princess Celestia rules with her sister, Princess Luna," Fluttershy said, her voice barely discernible despite sitting next to Winston.

"Luna, you say? Do your esteemed princesses have an affiliation with cosmic bodies, by any chance?"

"Of course they do, sugarcube! Celestia raises the sun, and Luna raises the moon!" Applejack said.

"What? They can raise entire cosmic bodies? What manner of sorcery is this?" Winston asked. "From where I originated, the sun and moon saw fit to rotate themselves just fine! Did your world's cosmic bodies perhaps have an accident that made left them incapable of performing their functions? Hit their heads, perhaps?"

"Uh... well, no, it's just always been like that. The Princesses are over a thousand years old, at the very least," Twilight interjected.

"Now that I must call shenanigans to, Miss Twilight!" He stood up on his cushion, causing Fluttershy and Rarity, who were both sitting next to him, to jump back a moment. "Such longevity is absolutely unheard of in my world! Well, that is, unless you're a tree... but that's out of the question! How could one of an equine species have such long lifespans?"

"Uh, honestly, Winston, we don't really know," Dash said. "I guess you can say it's just always been like that. There are some books that Twilight had in her library talking all about how they showed up."

"Very well, then, I shall peruse these books later at my leisure."

"Uh... can you even read Equestrian?" Applejack asked.

"Well, write something, and we shall see," Winston responded. Twilight merely grabbed a scroll and quill from across the room and wrote down something on it, before sliding it over to Winston to see.

All the ponies looked at him in anticipation. "Well?" Dash asked.

"It says 'Winston'. I think you would do better to write something that I cannot easily recognize," Winston said.

"Oh, I got this," Dash said, giggling as she pulled the scroll over, writing something on it. She slid it back towards him.

"...'Rainbow Dash is the most awesomest, coolest, and fastest pegasus in Equestria'..." he said. All the ponies looked at Dash.

"What? It totally worked. He can read, see?" she said. "So now he can spend some time reading through all those boring books you have. You should totally give him the Daring Do series, everypony loves those!"

"Dash, he said he wanted to know about our history, so I'm sure--" Twilight began.

There was a loud crash through the roof as a pile of wood and branches hit the ground. Winston immediately jumped to his claws and raised his head towards the clump of wood, leaves, and branches.

"Aha! An intruder has appeared, most likely a common rabble thief! Stand back, my dear ponies, I shall deal with this! Stand, fool, and prepare for Winston the Atlas beetle to send you to your maker!" he shouted.

"Wait, hold on!" Dash said. "Derpy, is that you?"

"Uh, yeah... sorry, Dash," said the grey mare. She poked her head out of the pile, her mane covered in leaves and branches.

"That was certainly the flying accident, my dear pony," Winston said. "Say... are your eyes always like that?"

"Yeah. It's just something that I've always had."

"Hmm. Do be careful next time. Such property damage would most likely tarnish your reputation. What is the nature of your occupation, Miss Derpy?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm the mailmare! I deliver the mail!" she grinned.

"Mailmare, yes? Quite interesting to see that you ponies have a post system." Every little thing he learned about this new land intrigued him even more.

"Yep, we do!" Derpy's grin faded. "Oh, no! I'm late for my route! Gotta go!" She bolted through the hole she had made in the roof.

"That was interesting," Winston said. "I suppose there are a number of ponies that have a multitude of occupations, Miss Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "Yep. Most ponies usually stick with a job that suits their cutie mark, though. Oh, that's the mark on their flank."

"I see." Winston would have turned his head to see if he had a cutie mark, but it would appear that he couldn't do that. If he were a human, he might have been able to. But he wasn't, so he would have to make do with his limited scope of sight.

"It doesn't look like beetles have any cutie marks," Spike said, walking up behind him. "You don't seem to have anything around at all, actually. Your whole shell is just one color!"

"Yes, my dear Spike. That is how beetles are supposed to look," Winston said flatly. "And what of you? You are a dragon. I am sure you do not have a cutie mark, either."

"Oh. Well, that's true, I guess."

"Okay, enough chit-chat!" Twilight said. "Spike, take a letter!" The dragon grabbed another quill and scroll nearby.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today, we had heard a scream coming from the Everfree Forest, and asked that you dispatch guards to help us investigate. It turns out that it was actually a creature from the forest getting kicked all the way to the Swayback Mountains! Can you believe that? And it turns out that a beetle, Winston--

"Lord Winston Atlas," Winston corrected.

--Lord Winston Atlas turned out to be the one who did so. He can even speak! He has shown himself to be harmless, and wishes to join pony society! Please reply back soon.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Spike rolled up the scroll and away it went with a puff of green fire.

"What?!" Winston said. "That's how you send official documentation? Why has this not become the standard for your land? Such a means to deliver post would be absolutely revolutionary! Smoke-mail! Well, it would be called something different from that, to be sure, but just think of how amazing it would be!"

"As far we know, sugarcube," Applejack said, "Spike's the only one who can do that. And those letters go straight to the Princess herself! Unless Equestria suddenly finds itself with more dragons, I don't think that's gonna happen."

"Dragons are uncommon here?"

"Of course, dear," Rarity replied. "Dragons are usually such an uncouth bunch, after all. Spike here is a delightful exception." Spike blushed. "The rest you will most definitely not want to meet," she quickly ended.

"Very well. I shall take your word on the brutishness of these dragons, Miss Rarity. What else shall we attend to?"

Spike burped as another letter appeared before him. "Well, that was fast," he said. He opened up the scroll and cleared his throat.

To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

I would wish to speak with this Lord Winston Atlas at his earliest convenience in Canterlot. Please send me a letter when you are able to so that I may arrange for a carriage ride for our new friend.

Your proud mentor,

Princess Celestia

"Egads!" Winston exclaimed. "To think that royalty wishes to speak with me, a lowly beetle? I am most humbled. Perhaps it would have something to do with the embellishment of my own title? I wonder if she will respond in a most unkind manner to my appearance."

"Aw, shucks, it's alright, sugarcube," Applejack said. "The Princess don't bite. She's a very nice pony up close, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Should we venture forth immediately?" Winston asked. "I see no reason to tarry on my first-ever appearance before the Princess--"

Pinkie smashed through the roof, making another hole in the ceiling. "Ow... oh, hiya, Mr. Winston! I almost have your party all set up now! I was just testing out my new party cannon. It's going to be a blast! Everypony in Ponyville is going to be there! I mean, who doesn't want to meet a totally new beetle like you! Don't worry, I'll have as much fruit as you can possibly eat, so don't feel bad about splurging! I'm really sad that you can't eat cupcakes, because everyone loves cupcakes, but I guess there are just some things out that can't really eat cupcakes, so maybe we should try pies? How about pies, Mr. Winston? Are pies okay for--"

"Alright, Pinkie, we get it! He'll be at the party, okay?" Dash said.

"Okie dokie lokie!" She jumped to her feet and hopped off as streamers seemingly fell on the ground from out of nowhere.

"Perhaps I should become accustomed to being in Ponyville first..." Winston said. The ponies, and Spike, simply nodded.

---

Winston hadn't anticipated the number of ponies that had actually arrived at the party, which took place within Town Hall. Lots and lots of pastel colored ponies, all meandering about and having jovial casual conversation.

On the honor of the royal crown, he could not have things go wrong tonight. Yes, he would make sure that events proceeded along as swimmingly as possible. On his own word, Lord Winston Atlas would most certainly not appear the fool tonight! At least if things went wrong in the physical sense, he could easily outmatch any pony in Equestria. Of that, he was most certainly sure.

He pondered over his next series of actions as he vacuumed in a piece of apple into his mouth. The apples here were most certainly not lacking in any sense, for certain. He wondered if Applejack had something to do with these apples, what with the apple relevance being in her namesake and all.

"Okay, beetle of the hour, your time is coming up!" Dash whispered to him. "Ready for your big introduction?"

"No. This is actually quite the most terrifying situation I've been in so far. Well, aside from 'so far' being 'since this morning', that is."

"Don't sweat it, Winston. I'm sure everypony will like you!"

"I would hope so." He sucked in another piece of apple. Dash raised an eyebrow at his strange method of eating before shaking her head and returning to the rest of the party, grabbing a mug of cider on her way back towards the crowd.

Winston tuned out the sounds of the party, and aside from a question from a pony or two, most tended to just stare at him from afar. They seemed to know that the party was for him, but were too wary of the strange insect to actually socialize with him. Understandable, he thought to himself. If anything, they most likely had been able to piece two and two together and realized that he had either dealt with the monster from the forest or, the more likely situation, that he actually is the monster from the forest.

"Hey, everypony! Let's all give a big Ponyville welcome to our newest resident, Winston!" Pinkie shouted. Winston had to resist the urge to correct her by giving his title and surname, but fought against making himself look like an arrogant fool. The crowd stomped their hooves into the ground. It must be their form of clapping, Winston thought. "Come on up, you big beetle! Introduce yourself!"

"Huh? Oh, certainly!" His claws clacked across the wooden floor as he made his way up to the stage. Pinkie had to adjust the microphone to his height, though, earning a few light-hearted chuckles from the crowd. "Hello, denizens of Ponyville! My name is Winston! I know many of you have heard the commotion in the woods today. Fear not, that was merely a monster that I promptly dealt with! You all must also be curious as to what I consume for my diet! Unfortunately for you all, I do not eat meat, but fruit and tree sap instead! That is all!"

Winston walked down the stairs into a crowd of lively ponies, all bursting with questions after learning that he wasn't some sort of bloodthirsty beast just watching all the ponies in the room so he could make a move.

"Wow, so you're an actual talking beetle? I've never seen one before!"

"How did you fight the monster in the Everfree? How big was it?'

"Can you fly?"

Winston's head turned as he was barraged with questions, trying to answer them all. "Yes, I am talking beetle! I kicked the monster in the Everfree to the Swayback Mountains, and it was a chimera, so perhaps you could chance a guess to the creature's size. And, yes, I can fly!"

They let out an excited murmur after the last part. "Can you show us?"

"Very well. Stand back!" The ponies cleared out in a circle behind him as Winston opened his shell, revealing his powerful insectoid wings. He began to flap as the ponies watched in wonder as he lifted off the ground. His wings were certainly a lot more powerful then he had remembered them. Trying to maintain his float required barely any effort on his part.

"Wow!" shouted Pinkie. "I didn't know you could fly, too!" She giggled. "Maybe we need another party!"

"That shan't be needed, Miss Pinkie!" he shouted, the buzz of his wings earning the attention of all in the room. "I do believe one party is adequate for my needs!" He began to descend to the ground as the ponies, despite some of them also holding the ability to fly, stood in amazement at him. They quickly closed in around him again as Winston could see the Twilight and Fluttershy looking at him from afar, wearing faces indicative that they weren't exactly envious of his situation.

"Alright, alright, give him some space!" Dash said, pushing through. The ponies began to disperse as they continued their amiable discussion over Ponyville's newest arrival. "Sheesh, I haven't ever seen any new pony in town get that much attention before... but then again, you aren't a pony." She laughed.

"I appreciate you aid, Miss Dash. Being beleaguered by the attentions of a whole town... certainly not what I expected. Still, though, I do believe I sold my introduction fairly well."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short, darling." Rarity had walked over, holding a cup of red liquid. "You were absolutely marvelous. And to think that I finally have another pony--ah, beetle, as outstanding as yourself. When we finally visit Canterlot, allow me to show you only the most finest establishments in the city. I have feeling that you'd enjoy it." She hiccuped a little. "Oh, dear, I believe the alcohol is getting to me."

"You serve alcohol at these parties?" Winston asked. That would explain why he hadn't seen Spike around...

"Oh, don't fret yourself, dear. It's only just a party, after all, what good would it be without proper *hic* refreshments?"

"Uh, Rarity, I think you drank too much," Dash said. "And normally I don't drink that much, especially when I have work the next day." So it was a weekday, then. Winston noticed as groups of ponies began to leave the party, most likely preparing to turn in for the night for their daily tasks the next day.

"Oh, don't be so *hic* ridiculous, Rainbow darling... *hic*" Rarity looked into her cup, scowling when it was no longer filled. "Everypony should learn to *hic* enjoy themselves once in a while, don't you *hic* agree?"

"Oh, dear," Winston said. "It appears that she has been wholly inebriated."

"Aw, hay," Dash said. "I have to bolt. I have to wake up early tomorrow so I can move the clouds before they end up ruining AJ's harvest. See you soon, Winston!" She walked to the door, giving a short wave to Winston, before flapping her wings and taking off.

"Well, I'll be," Applejack snorted, observing tipsy mess that was Rarity. "I ain't seen her like this for a while, especially not since that time after the Grand Gallopin' Gala."

"Oh, Winston dear," Rarity sang. "Could you be a gentlecolt and *hic* fetch me some more, please?" Winston would have accepted... except for the fact that she was facing towards the wall waving her cup around in the air... and talking to a table lamp.

"It would appear that our dearest Rarity is perhaps not sound in mind as of this moment," Winston said. "As the first act of goodwill as Lord Winston Atlas, I shall escort dear Rarity back to her home!"

"Oh, shucks, sugarcube, that's mighty nice of ya," Applejack said, before leaning close to him. "Just be careful around her when she's like that, she can get a bit... snooty. Her place is the Carousel Boutique. You'll know when you see, it's practically the largest tent building in the entire town."

"Oh, that. I do believe I know what building it is."

"Just be careful, she kinda likes to talk a lot when she's a little tipsy," Applejack laughed.

"I've suffered through worse," Winston responded, remembering the insufferable eccentricity of the collector, mindlessly rambling on in that proper tongue of his berating his servants and endlessly recalling his tales of "adventure" (it wasn't really an adventure when you hire hundreds of workers to do it for you) in East India.

Pinkie Pie was running around the room... and then the walls... and then the ceiling, cleaning up the mess that the party had left behind. Winston seemed to be repeatedly shocked by some newfangled capability of hers every single time he'd seen her. Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy quickly gave their thanks to Pinkie for the party before leaving the Town Hall.

Rarity was still mumbling at the wall when Winston approached. "Miss Rarity..."

"...and that was when I suggested that *hic* she use a completely different fabric, so--oh, dear, hello, Winston! I didn't notice *hic* you there! I... was I just talking... to the wall?"

He chuckled. "Yes, you were. I do believe now would be a proper time to return home, Lady Rarity." He bowed before her. "Please allow me to do so."

"Oh, so gentlecolt-ly," she giggled, before eliciting another hiccup. "Please lead the way, Lord Winston."

---

This was Winston's first sentient grasping of the night sky. It was beautiful. It was serene. Calm. Peaceful. So many things. He walked slowly towards the strange tent-like building that was called the Carousel Boutique. Rarity must be the purveyor of many cloth goods within Ponyville, though he did question the reasoning why ponies even wore clothing when they were nude most of the time. Given, he didn't wear clothing either, but he wasn't naked: he was just wearing his carapace.

The trek to the entrance was still quite away, though, and Winston had to stop between bouts of steps to help Rarity stay on her feet. She seemed to be off in her own little world, mumbling things about Canterlot this, clothing that, about gems and elements and friendship and many other things.

"Well, well, look what we have here." Hooligans. Just what he didn't need to end this night. The two earth stallions walked out of an alleyway from the buildings on his left, seeing Winston and the alcohol-dazed Rarity. "Looks like we have a good pick tonight."

"Leave now and you might all live to see the sun in the morning," Winston said. Lord or not, he wasn't about to let these cretins lay a single hoof on Lady Rarity. He gently pushed her away as she looked confusedly between the ponies and Winston.

"We'll see about that, you talkin' bug. Get him!" The two earth ponies charged him, running to his sides and turned their backs, attempting to buck him. Winston immediately clamped his claws into the ground for the impending impact, but he feared not: his species was trained for this. Brutal close combat with direct force was the only way that males fought, after all.

The hooves gave a small clack as they hit his carapace, leaving no dent and having no effect on Winston whatsoever.

"Huh--what? Damn, he's tough..." said one of them, backing off, then turning to kick him again. Their repeated attempts only felt like Winston was being shaken by someone with a very lax grip. Pitiful at best, laughable at worst. They eventually stopped trying to kick him as Winston simply lifted one of the ponies up with his horn and slammed him down on to the ground.

If they could have seen Winston's smile, then they would have turned tail and ran at that moment. The thrown pony groggily got to his feet, his mind spinning from the force at which Winston had tossed him into the ground.

"My honor demands that I should fight you both to the death! But I think for your sakes, and Lady Rarity's, I think beating you senseless will do just fine." He waved his head towards the air repeatedly, preparing to engage in glorious battle with his horn, ready to defend his and Lady Rarity's honor, to the death if need be.

But deciding against that, he issued a final warning. "You have slighted my honor and have expressed direct harm towards one of my friends! Leave now, and hope I do not find you again. For if I do, it will be the second, and last, time."

He stamped his claw into the ground, preparing to charge should the idiots not heed his warning.

"O-okay!" said one of them, looking to his pal. "This bug's serious business, man, we gotta skip town!" They began running off for Ponyville's north exit, as Rarity walked up to Winston.

"My goodness, I don't think I've ever *hic* seen a pony as crass and as lordly as yourself simultaneously," she laughed. "Thank you for that. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't *hic* been around."

Winston merely chuckled. "As if I could let such a slight leave a stain on your grace and honor, Lady Rarity."

"Oh, there you go again, with your *hic* pleasantries. I feel very fortunate to have made your acquaintance, Lord Winston. I sincerely hope that our friendship, as with the other residents of Ponyville, will be prosperous and *hic long-lasting." She giggled. "Oh, I haven't said something like that for such a long time."

"You are drunk, Lady Rarity. Please, let us continue to your home."

---

It took quite a while for Winston to get Rarity into her bed. She wasn't complying, and had only resorted to giving drunken compliments to Winston for just so happening to be in the right place at the right time. Though it was something that he didn't like to consider: what would have really happened if he hadn't been around? Would one of her friends have escorted her home? Would she have gone back by herself?

There was something rotten in the state of Equestria. Winston didn't like it, and as much as the town had been nice, there appeared to be some... uncouth elements, as well. He would have to see about resolving such villainy in his spare time. Perhaps that should be a topic of discussion when he visited the Princess.

But now was the time for rest, walking downstairs to the living room that Rarity had so tastefully furnished. Thankfully, he didn't need beds much like ponies did, since all he needed to sleep was a cushion. He lay the thoughts to sleep and let his dreams take him as he sat down, closing his eyes.

Comments

[bookplayer]

I love this story, and I'm so glad to see it updated! It deserves way more attention then it's gotten.

Keep up the good work!

[celelorien]

Genius, pure genius. I love that Rarity totally digs his gentlecoltly behavior. Gentlebuggy? Either way I am quite excited for the meeting with Celestia. Should be interesting, to say the least.

[Brother Malachai]

Rarity, you're drunk, go to bed.

BTW, would someone plz tell me what HiE is?

[AShadyDetective]

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