Land of Equines

by Daddy Joe


Butterflies in the Stomach

Butterflies in the Stomach
November 7th, 2012


My eyes began to open. I looked around the room to see if anyone was awake, but everything was quiet. Even Winona was still asleep. Slowly, I rose off the couch and looked at the clock that read six twenty-one. I then stretched my muscles to get them all adjusted for the day, gazing out the window. The sky was a beautiful light blue with a shine of orange on the horizon. My gaze was then broken by a sound that came from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to find Applejack making her own breakfast.

"Hello, Applejack." I said.

"G'mornin, Caleb." she replied "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Mmmm, yeah. I actually feel pretty well rested." I replied.

"Good. Hungry for some breakfast?" she offered.

"You don't mind?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll throw two more pancakes on if you'd like." Applejack said.

"Then sure. I'd like some, please." I said.

"Alrighty then." Applejack said.

I then took a seat at the dining room table and waited for my pancakes. While waiting, Ponyville came to my mind.

"Hey, Applejack. You said you had directions to Ponyville?" I asked from the other room.

"Uhhh, yep. I got a map in this drawer here." Applejack replied.

A short while later, Applejack entered the room with two plates of fresh made pancakes. She settled one plate in front to me and the other to my left. Applejack then pulled out a chair, sat next to me, unrolled a map and placed it flat on the table.

"Alright, so we're here," she pointed at a barn that read Sweet Apple Acres. "If you head back to the entrance, take a left, and follow that path for about one mile. It's a straight shot and you should make it to Ponyville."

"Sounds easy as can be." I said as I munched on my pancake.

"Or as I would say, easy as apple pie." Applejack quipped.

"Ahhhhhhhh." I responded to the joke, causing us both to chuckle.

As we continued to feast on our pancakes, Applejack informed me of another pony that lived not far from Sweet Apple Acres.

" And, Caleb, if you take the first right while you're following the path to Ponyville, It'll lead you to a good friend of mine." Applejack said.

"Who would that be?" I asked.

"Her name is Fluttershy." she revealed.

"Okay.... So, if your name is Applejack and you affiliate with Apples.... then is Fluttershy supposed to be a really shy pony?" I asked.

"She does live up to her name. But if you get on her good side, you'll find out she's a real kind-hearted soul." Applejack said.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said.

After both of us were finished with our food, it was time to part ways for now.

"Here, Caleb. Keep that map for yourself. We've got another copy upstairs." Applejack said.

"Thanks. This'll come in handy. I really do owe you and your family for what you guys did for me, especially since you've all never seen a h." I said.

"Aw shucks, Caleb. You really don't have to do that." Applejack said.

"I will find a way to repay you guys somehow." I insisted.

"Oh, okay." Applejack replied

"But anyways, thanks again for your hospitality here and I hope to see you and your family again in the future." I said as I extended my arm for a handshake.

"Likewise, Caleb. Good luck out there." Applejack said as she leaned her hoof into my hand.

I grasped her hoof and shook it. With that, I opened the door and left the farmhouse.

The air was very cool and crisp, considering it was a fall morning, but I knew it would warm up later during the day. As I came to exit of Sweet Apple Acres, I took a left and continued my journey to Ponyville.

Walking for about maybe half a mile, I came across that right turn that led to Applejack's friend named Fluttershy. I thought wether if it was worth the time or not, but I decided I wanted to see what this pony was all about and continued down the alternate route. The abundance of apple trees decreased and the area became more forested again. Sorta caused me to keep my guard up for the Timberwolves once again.

When it seemed like forever, I made it to the end of the alternate route. I inspected the area for any structures, but didn't see anything but vegetation. Remembering I had a map, I pulled it out and looked for my current location. Once I found my location, I realized that I had to take a left and go further down the path. I also noticed that Fluttershy's house is relatively close to Ponyville, so it's win-win situation for me.

Following my directions eventually paid off because I discovered a cottage that looked more like a huge ground erosion that formed into a house. There was also a little land formed bridge that went over a small stream and the front yard had bird houses posted all over the place.

"Perhaps Fluttershy is a bird fanatic or something."

Tucking the map into my jean pocket, I proceeded to walk over the small bridge and onto the winding pathway that led to the front door. I lightly knocked on the door and nobody answered at first. Suddenly, the door began to open slowly. I looked down and saw a pony with a yellow coat and a pink mane. I only caught this glimpse for about two seconds before I heard a high pitched squeal and the door slammed shut. I quickly tried to reassure Fluttershy that I meant no harm.

"Hey, don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you." I said in the most chillest voice I could muster.

"Oh. Um.... please come back another time, Mr. Ape." she replied on the other side of the door.

"Well at least she got ape right instead of monkey." I noted to myself.

"Look, I know I may seem scary at first, but I'm really a good.... individual. Trust me." I said

"A-A-Are you sure?" Fluttershy stuttered, softly.

"Of course. You can even ask your friend Applejack and she would agree." I said

That statement was good enough for her to slowly open the door again. When the door fully opened, there stood a pony with a yellow coat, long light pink mane and another one of those flank tattoos that depicted three butterflies. Fluttershy hid half her face behind her long mane and remained silent while looking at the ground. I then crouched down to her height and greeted myself.

"Hi there. My name is Caleb. I take it you're Fluttershy?" I asked.

"Um.... yes my name is Fluttershy." Fluttershy said shyly off into silence.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear what you said there." I said

"I said my name is Fluttershy." she said again as quiet as before.

It suddenly became silent and I didn't say a single word in response. Fluttershy emitted a little squeak of shyness as the awkward silence continued. Luckily, the rabbit of anti-awkwardness came along.

"I see you have a rabbit. I used to have a rabbit too." I said

"You like animals, too?" Fluttershy asked in a more lively tone.

"Sure. I love all kinds of animals. Dogs are one of my favorites actually." I said

"Um, would you like to come in?" Fluttershy asked in a normal tone of voice, but still keeping that softness in her voice with it.

"I thought you'd never ask." I accepted the offer.

"Please come in. Excuse me for being so uninviting." Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry about it. I would be scared too if I were you and saw something like me." I said.

I walked inside the cottage and it looked like a pretty nice place to live in. Reminded me a lot of a cabin interior for some reason.

"Wow. Nice place you got here." I said as I examined the interior.

"Why thank you, sir." Fluttershy replied

"You can call me Caleb." I said with a chuckle.

"Okay. Would you like some tea?" she asked

"Sure. That would be nice." I said

Fluttershy then headed into another room to fetch me and her some tea. I sat in a chair while I waited. While I waited, a small, white rabbit hopped over to me and gave me an unforgiving glare. I reached out to pet the rabbit, but it swiped its foot in response. I quickly retracted my arm away from the rabbit.

"Oh yeah, tough guy?" I teased.

The rabbit stuck its tongue out at me in response and turned it self away from me.

"Fine. Be that way, you little turd." I said.

Shortly after that ordeal, Fluttershy came back into the room with two cups of tea on a metal tray and set them on a small table.

"Fluttershy, is this rabbit supposed to be spoiled or something?" I asked

"Oh what did he do this time?" she asked with slightly raised voice.

"Nothing serious. All he did was swipe my hand when I tried to pet him and stuck his tongue at me." I answered

"Angel! Don't be so rude to our guest!" Fluttershy scolded in a surprisingly dominant tone. "All he wanted to do was pet you." she said as she carefully lifted him up with her forelegs.

"You mind if I pet him?" I asked

"Go right ahead." Fluttershy responded

Angel squinted his or hers eyes as I gently patted the head. Angel only responded by crossing it's arms and giving a stubborn look.

"See? Wasn't that nice?" Fluttershy asked Angel.

Angel responded by just hopping away into another room.

"So sorry about that. He's just a little cranky this early in the morning." Fluttershy informed

"Eh, it's alright." I said.

"So what brings you here, Caleb?" Fluttershy asked, kindly.

"Your friend, Applejack, told me about you and gave me directions to your place. I also thought it would be nice to have another friend here." I explained

"Well if you'd like, I'll be your next friend." Fluttershy offered.

"Sweet! That was easier than " I said, enthusiastically.

"Did you just arrive here in Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked.

"Actually, I haven't even been to Ponyville yet. I took a little detour route to your place and I plan on heading to Ponyville next. Is there anybody like me there?" I asked.

"You mean anypony?" she asked

"No, I mean anybody. Wait.... Is that how you guys refer other ponies as?" I asked, skeptically.

"Why of course. And anybody must be how you refer to your kind." Fluttershy corresponded.

"Shoot. Looks like I'll have to learn new phrases." I remarked.

"Don't worry about that. There's actually not many different phrases, I believe." Fluttershy said.

"That's good. So everybody would change to everypony, right?" I asked.

"Mmm-hmm." she replied.

"And somebody would change to somepony?" I asked again.

"Correct." Fluttershy said with a giggle.

"Alright, I think I got this." I said.

"But no, there's nobody else like you in Ponyville. Just ponies." Fluttershy answered my original question.

"You mean nopony?" I corrected.

"Well look at me. Now I'm the one messing up the terms." Fluttershy said.

"Now you know how I feel." I said.

I then took a swig of the tea and my eyes went wide.

"What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's hot!" I exclaimed, spitting the tea back in the cup.

"I'm so sorry about that! I forgot to tell you to blow." Fluttershy said as she blew towards her tea.

I imitated her actions and blew at mine to cool the tea down. I took another sip and it turned it to be pretty good.

"What kind of tea is this?" I asked

"Green tea." she replied.

I looked down into the cup and saw the green liquid in the cup.

"Oh, duh."

"Did you say you once had a rabbit?" Fluttershy asked.

"Ah, yes. His name was Thumper. I named him that because of how rabbits will occasionally thump their feet on the ground." I explained.

"I see. Very cute name!" Fluttershy said.

"Thanks. He lived for about fourteen years and was a good little snowball." I said

"Oh my, how sad." she consoled.

"Yeah.... I wasn't really sad when he died, I just couldn't believe he was gone. But I moved on after a day or two." I said.

"I don't think I could ever recover if Angel were to pass on." Fluttershy admitted.

"Hmm." I hummed.

My eye contact with Fluttershy was broken when I noticed a moving figure in my peripheral vision. I turned my head and found out it was a weasel.

"Is that another pet of yours?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. His name is Freddy." Fluttershy said.

Freddy took one look at both of us, scratched his head, and went on his way into another room. Suddenly, a little hummingbird flew into my view.

"Gah!" I shouted.

The hummingbird darted to left and then the right as it rapidly flapped its wings before quickly flying away. Fluttershy giggled to the scene.

"What's with all the animals in the house, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked.

"Believe it or not, I take care of almost every animal specie that is known to ponykind." Fluttershy replied.

"You're kidding me, right?" I said in disbelief.

"See for yourself." Fluttershy said before whistling with her hoof.

I looked around for any changes and all of these animals emerged out of nowhere. For example, mice came out of the holes at the bottom of the walls, birds flew out of the indoor birdhouses, squirrels climbed down from the ceiling, two hedgehogs entered the living room from another, and even an actual monkey came from downstairs.

"How do you live with all of them?" I asked.

"It pretty interesting actual. When I was just a little filly, I discovered this unexpected talent that allowed me to understand what animals were saying." Fluttershy said.

"Ask that squirrel what he thinks about me." I requested.

"Okay then. Excuse me little squirrel, what is your opinion of Caleb here?" Fluttershy asked the squirrel.

The squirrel must've understood what she said because it started to emit little squeaks in response.

"Oh, he's really not that bad. He's actually very nice." Fluttershy said to the squirrel.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"Well.... he thinks that you're a little bit intimidating." Fluttershy said.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," I said, amazed. "Hmmmm. Okay. Do you have any acorns or nuts?" I asked Fluttershy.

"I see what you're going for. Here." she said, giving me an acorn.

I rose from my chair and walked towards the squirrel that clung to the wall. I presented it to the squirrel and its eyes darted at me and the acorn I rose my eyebrows, indicating the squirrel to take it. The squirrel quickly snatched it from my hand and smiled. Yes, a squirrel made a facial gesture that a human is capable of doing. It then scaled up the wall to store the nut somewhere.

"See? You don't need much charisma to get an animal on your side." Fluttershy said.

"I guess so," I agreed. "Fluttershy, I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll get going now." I said.

"That's alright. You must have a big day ahead of you if you're going to Ponyville." Fluttershy said.

I really wanted to stay a little longer and I probably could've, but I just wanted to get on with my day and finally get to Ponyville before the day ends again.

"You bet. Wanna tag along with me?" I asked.

"I would love to, but I still have to feed all the animals before I can do anything else." Fluttershy said.

"I understand. Applejack was right when she said you were kind hearted." I complimented.

"It's in my element." Fluttershy replied.

"Okay then. I'll see you around if I do." I farewelled.

"Bye now, Caleb." said Fluttershy.

"Bye." I responded with a wave.