Coyote in Equestria

by Coyotek4

Chapter 9: Let Nature Take Its Course

A steady shower falls over the western outskirts of Ponyville. From the edge of the city proper, a coyote watches the rain fall. He needs no umbrella, though.

Fluttershy, returning home from a day trip for pet supplies, notices the coyote seemingly lost in thought. “Hello there, Coyotek. What are you doing out here?”

The coyote sighs before responding. “It just isn’t natural.”

“What isn’t natural?”

The coyote sticks a paw out in front of him. It proceeds to get doused in rainwater, as if he were at a faucet. He retracts his paw and continues his thought.

“I’ve been sitting here for 30 minutes. That rain’s been falling all this time, in one place. Never moving towards town, never moving away. I can sit here, literally a paw’s distance away from the downpour, secure in the knowledge that I won’t get wet.”

“Well … what’s so unusual about that?”

“That’s just not how weather works where I’m from. Clouds physically move on their own. They don’t rely on sentient creatures to perform their duties … I wouldn’t expect you or anyone else around here to understand; you all grow up with this being the norm.”

“But how could you plan for outdoor events or activities if you couldn’t control the weather?”

“You didn’t. You made plans, and adjusted for the weather if necessary. Admittedly, there wasn’t so much to ‘plan’ where I came from, but still …”

“Well that sounds awful. What if we had a charity auction to benefit woodland creatures, and it rained on the evening we planned it? All that time and effort, for nothing? Oh, those poor animals.”

“Uh, forget about the animals for a minute, the point I’m trying to make is—“

“How can I forget about those poor animals? Who takes care of them, huh?”

Twilight approaches from behind and sees her agitated friend. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?”

“Coyotek has no concern for the plight of defenseless chipmunks and squirrels!”

“What?” The coyote pleads innocence to Twilight. “I was only commenting on the weather. Fluttershy’s the one who got lost in her own hypothetical situation.”

Fluttershy shakes her head and regains her composure. “Sorry. I just didn’t like the thought of neglecting all those cute critters, all due to bad weather.”

“OK, clearly I missed some key part of the conversation. Could someone fill me in.”

Before the coyote can respond, the downpour abruptly stops. A vibrant rainbow forms in the sky, bringing smiles to the faces of nearby ponies who are otherwise going about their business.

“THIS is what I’m talking about,” the coyote grouses. “Rain turns on and off here like a light switch.”

“What’s a ‘light switch’?” Twilight asks.

“Sorry, forgot where I was. My point is, I can’t get used to physical beings controlling the weather.”

“You make it sound like it’s so fantastic.”

“It IS!” the coyote insists.

“Not to anypony I know,” Twilight admits, “but what’s so wrong with that? You’re saying you’d prefer sudden thunderstorms, or even tornados?”

“No, I’m not saying that. It’s just … it’s just not real to me. Believe me, I’m happy if forces of nature are not a problem in this world; from what I’ve heard, there’s enough to worry about from time to time. But for someone who’s used to seeing the sun rise and set on its own, to have the seasons change as a natural order of the cosmos … it’s jarring.”

The coyote sighs again, as Twilight offers a suggestion. “Well if you feel so strongly about such things, you could always return to the Everfree forest. Zecora has made that place her home, and she seems content.”

“I remember what that first night was like; I’m not about to create a living trying to dodge strange creatures while I forage for food.”

Twilight’s frustration cannot be contained. “Then I really don’t know how to help. It’s not like the weather ponies here are going to just stop working, or that Princesses Celestia and Luna are going to stop raising and setting the sun and moon.”

“I know,” the coyote responds meekly, “and I am sorry if I come off as irritating. I suppose all I’d like is … well, a taste. Of what nature is capable of, without anypony’s assistance.”

“Well, why not take a walk through the forest in the morning. You can leave before nightfall, and maybe the trek will help clear your conscience.”

Hey, now there’s a thought! “Yeah … I like that idea. Long walk through the woods, get back before dark, get a chance to return to the nature I’m used to. That’s a great idea. Thanks, Twilight.”

Fluttershy, listening in on the entire conversation, finally speaks. “Well if you’d like some company, I could join you in that walk.”

“I’d love the company; thank you, Fluttershy. Twilight, would you be interested?”

“Sorry, I can’t make it. But maybe Spike would like to tag along.”

“That sounds great. Well, we’ll meet at your place tomorrow morning, then.”

* * * *

Daybreak comes to Ponyville, and a trio make their way from Fluttershy’s cottage into the Everfree Forest. One has more of a story to tell than the others.

“… so there we were, the scepter within reach. Just me, Ember, Garble, Twilight and Rarity. Then Garble made a move towards our friends, but then Ember stopped Garble and allowed me to grab the scepter first.”

“Wow,” Fluttershy replies. “that is such an incredible story. I would love to have been there, but … actually, no, I’m glad I wasn’t. All those big, mean dragons.”

“You stared down a dragon and got him to leave a nearby mountain, remember?”

“Well, yes, but I don’t know if that would work on every dragon. Some of the ones you’ve described in your tales—“

“Oh please, you could have Garble wrapped around your hoof if you wanted to.”

“I don’t think I would want to, after the way you described him. He sounds horrible.”

“Hey Coyotek,” Spike notes, “you’ve been awfully quiet since we started this hike.”

“I’ve just been taking in your stories about your time with the dragons. Is there any relation between those stories and the statue of you in the Crystal Empire?”

“Nah, that’s a whole other story.”

“Oh, I would love to hear that story,” Fluttershy remarks. “I’ve never heard the details from Twilight before.”

“Well, remember that I followed Twilight into Sombra’s castle. We then …” Before Spike can continue, a small shower begins to fall on the trio.

“Oh dear, maybe we should turn around and try this again tomorrow.”

The coyote turns to Fluttershy. “Why? For a little rain?”

Spike points to the sky. “I don’t think it’s going to be ‘little’ for long. The skies are getting really dark. It might get dangerous.”

“Why don’t we just go back to my place? I’ll put on some tea, and we can wait out the storm and try again later. This is just unfortunate timing.”

The coyote is incredulous, bordering on the fanatical. “ ‘Unfortunate’? I think it’s great. This is what I’m talking about! Rain comes down, because nature dictates that it does, not some weather pegasus.”

Spike and Fluttershy look at each other through the raindrops. Spike then turns to the coyote. “Maybe downpours weren’t common where you came from, but I’d rather not catch a cold hanging around out here.”

“Fine then. Be that way.” The coyote turns away from the others and bolts into the woods.

“Wait,” Spike calls out, “you shouldn’t be heading deeper in there on your own!” His words are heeded only by the trees.

“I could fly up and try to track him.”

“The forest is too thick for you to see anything from above, and the rain’s coming down harder now. We should get out of here.”

“And leave Coyotek alone? In the Everfree Forest?”

By now, the shower has turned into a steady downpour. Thunder can be heard.

“We go after him now, we may need others to find us. Look, Zecora isn’t too far from here; let’s just wait with her until this blows over, then try to find him.”

Fluttershy reluctantly agrees, and the two turn around and head back the way they came.

* * * *

OK, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

The skies grow dark as the coyote runs down a narrow path. The storm is relentless, and thunder booms from the sky at regular intervals. One bolt of lightning hits a tree, causing a spark but no fire, as the area is saturated from the heavy rain.

Soon, the path widens into a circular clearing. The dirt in the clearing has long since turned to mud, and small rocks dot the area. Must be some sort of campground. Well, no better place to go now than right here.

As the rain continues to fall, the coyote is resolute in his desire to wait things out. He paces around the clearing, pausing periodically to shake the water from his face. An hours’ time feels like an eternity, but eventually the rain eases. The darkness once again gives way to the sun, shining down from the sky … and a faint rainbow forms.

The view excites the coyote. That’s what I wanted to see. Such beauty. Pure, natural beauty.

“Was it worth it?” The voice from a tree behind him causes the coyote to spin around. He eyes a vulture perching in the branches.

“You!”

“I have a name, you know.”

“Sorry, I never asked.”

The vulture flies down from his branch and lands next to the coyote. “It’s Vultor. So … was it worth hanging out in the downpour?”

The coyote turns back to the rainbow, which is already fading away to nothingness. “I think so. It may not be as rich or long-lasting as all the other rainbows in this world, but it’s not manufactured. I feel like I can appreciate this one more than anyone else in this world, knowing how it was formed.”

“ ‘Tek, do you even know how rainbows are usually formed?”

The coyote chuckles. “No, not really. I guess these aren’t natural to where we came from, either. And I only saw a couple while on that remote planet we were fighting on.”

By this point, the rainbow has disappeared completely. The coyote turns back to the vulture.

“You were right, I guess. There really isn’t anything for us to return to, is there.”

“Sense of duty, perhaps?” the vulture suggests. “Not that I felt much loyalty to a group that I knew for all of, what, a couple days? I was brought out of my protoform not long before we went through that rift, but in the time I was around, there was little to get excited over. Working for a megalomaniac, bent on world domination. That type of individual never succeeds over the long run.”

“What about the camaraderie one forms with those you work with. I was only with Optimus, Cheetor, and the other maximals for a brief time, but I felt like I made real connections.”

“Fair enough,” the vulture replies, “but what about the connections you’ve made here? Are those any different?”

“They feel different. Back there, I was part of a group with a purpose. A focus. Here, I’m with others who honestly care about my well-being, but there’s no sense of priority or urgency to work off of. I have total freedom here, but I don’t know what to do with it.”

“I hear you.” The vulture sighs before continuing. “I’ve flown around much of this world now. I’ve witnessed lands of dragons and gryphons, ponies in both cities and small towns, climates ranging from icy mountains to deserts … but there’s little for me here, either. It’s peaceful and serene, but there’s little challenge here.”

The coyote is surprised by the comments. “So what are you saying, that you would want to return now?”

“Oh, definitely not! I’ll take peaceful and purposeless over violent and purposeless any day. And while you may have fond memories of colleagues, I don’t share that sentiment. All of them were crazy. Especially that spider-guy, Tarantulas; if I never see that one again, it’ll be too soon.”

“I must admit to not knowing the predacons as well as you. What’s so special about this ‘Tarantulas’?”

“The guy was just mad. Mad scientist. Mad lust for power. I could tell from the moment I got to the predacon base that he had his own agenda. I don’t know what, and will probably never know now, but that was one being that couldn’t be trusted. Even more so than Megatron himself.” The vulture then laughs before continuing, “Not our problem now, is he.”

“I suppose not,” the coyote replies. By now, daylight begins to fade from the area. “Well, I should probably start heading back. I’ve been in this forest once after dark, and don’t have any desire to do so again.”

“I’m off too, then. There’s still much learn from this place.”

“You could stay in Ponyville. The two of us are strangers here; we might do well to stick together.”

“Sorry, but Ponyville is not where I belong. I don’t know where I do belong, but I’ll find something. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well, I guess this is ‘goodbye’ again. Take care … friend.”

The vulture smiles. “See you around, bud.” He then shoots off into the sky, flying off to parts unknown.

As long as he’s in this world, I guess I’m not alone. The coyote leaves the clearing, on his way out of the forest.