//------------------------------// // The Meeting at the Library // Story: Pod BOY: My Little Tony // by Krazy Stargazer //------------------------------// ~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile: In Ponyville Library ~~~~~~~~~ Ponyville was a modest little town with all the charm and comforts a small community could provide. Although even it had its share of oddities. For one was their rather unique library, for you see it was a library cut within the confined of a rather large oak tree. Thus garnering the name of the "Golden Oak Library". Within this establishment was an elderly pony with rather large glasses named Ms. Decimal. For nearly as long as any Ponyvillian could recall she had always been the town's librarian, indeed hardly anyone could remember a time she wasn't. Ms. Decimal took great pride in her occupation and even in her old age, the library was always in tip-top shape. She had dutifully served the town for many years and was quite proud of her accomplishment. However, today the elderly librarian looked wistfully at a photo of a luxurious vacation spot. Ms. Decimal did love her job, however, she was reaching up there in age, and she was beginning to consider just finding a nice place to settle for retirement. Just then the familiar chime of a customer rang out. Ms. Decimal had to adjust her glasses at the sight before her. It was Fluttershy. This must have been quite the occasion for the poor dearie didn't much venture into town. "Hello, Fluttershy. What brings you in today?" "Oh uhm...research...Ms. Decimal ma'am" Fluttershy explained in a whisper barely audible for most ponies. "I'm sorry dearie my hearing isn't what it use to be. Come again?" "I'm here...to...err read about exotic animals ma'am" Fluttershy stated with just a tiny bit more volume. Ms. Decimal frowned. She hadn't heard what the timid young pegasus had said at all. She was about to say as much when suddenly the doorbell chimed again, alerting to the presence of another customer. This time it was a mint green unicorn, however, she sported a rather large backpack and seemed rather excitable. "Ah! Finally, maybe now I'll get answers!" The unicorn declared triumphantly. The sudden outburst sent a terrified Fluttershy scrambling for cover. Unfortunately, said cover happened to have been a bookcase which toppled over, spilling its contents and nearly burying the pegasus in its wordy contents. "Woa! Hold On! I've got ya!" The green unicorn said and leaped into action, immediately began to dig the pegasus out of the avalanche of books. There was a tense moment of silence and Ms. Decimal briefly entertained the notion of diving in after them, but then both of them emerged from the books gasping for breath. "Geeze! And they say words can't hurt you!" The green unicorn quipped "Oh I'm Lyra by the way." "I'm...uhm...I'm Fluttershy" the timid pegesi replied. If she were a turtle she'd no doubt have retreated to her shell. "Hey, come again? I didn't hear you" Lyra asked. "You'll find that our dear Fluttershy can be...most shy around strangers." Ms. Decimal explained, "The poor dearie has a hard time speaking louder than a mouse to most ponies until she can get to know them." No sooner had Ms. Decimal spoke, Fluttershy had quickly recovered and hid a couple bookcases away carefully eyeing Lyra from a safe distance. "Oh, I see. Well than..uhm it was nice to meet you. I've got some research to do!" Lyra declared proudly waving at the cowering pegasi. Fluttershy let out a little squeak and hid again behind the bookcase. However, the mention of research had gotten Ms. Decimal's attention. "Oh? What kind? If I may so inquire" Ms. Decimal asked. "I'm looking for any instances of any "strange" creatures or "phenomena" around Ponyville!" Lyra declared with gusto. "Shhh...I understand you're a bit excited dearie, but this is a library do try to keep an inside voice." Lyra blushed deeply "Err...right sorry." "Now dearie what exactly are you looking for specifically?" Ms. Decimal inquired. Taking care to manage her voice this time Lyra responded "Well...I'm looking for any information on the strange lightning I've heard of coming from this town...or any information on "strange creatures"?" Ms. Decimal pondered for a moment and smiled in recognition "Why dearie I believe the Everfree forest is just what you're looking for." "The Everfree forest?" The name seemed to ring a bell, but Lyra couldn't quite remember where she had heard it, "You gotta forgive me Miss Librarian lady, I'm not all that familiar with the local geography just yet. Yet, the name sounds familiar..." Ms. Decimal adjusted her glasses before continuing "Then allow me to elaborate dearie. You see the Everfree Forrest is a bit of a local oddity. The clouds move of there own accord, there are a number of strange wild beasts that also inhabit the region. There are a great number of dangers if one were to attempt to venture into the Everfree that is to be certain." Lyra's eyes lit up in recognition. She remembered hearing about a strange forest where unnatural phenomena occurred, although she had only glanced over the subject. She wished she had studied the topic more before heading off on her expedition. Lyra sat down, digesting the info being given to her. She certainly would not have thought that such a dangerous place was so close to such a ordinary looking town. "So chances are that any mysterious phenomena are in this so-called Everfree Forrest right? So that should be my first investigation point!" "Well...dearie the forest is quite dangerous, it would be best to bring another pony with you, specifically somepony who knows the area very well." "I see..." "So tell me, dearie, what exactly are you looking into. Usually, I wouldn't pry but..." "Nah, it's alright. Well, truth be told I'm a Human Hunter!" Lyra declared proudly. Ms. Decimal looked rather surprised. "Humans? Why I thought they were just stories to tell young foals?" "Ah, so you've heard about them?" Lyra asked excitedly. "Indeed. Ponies now days don't seem to pay much attention to the legends of old, but back in the day, Humans were quite the tall tale. Much like the legendary Nightmare Moon, once there was even scholarly debate as to whether or not the legends could have had a basis in actual history" Ms. Decimal said with a light chuckle "Yet, nowadays it seems ponies have more pressing matters than debating the validity of old legends." "Well, maybe those legends do have a basis in truth!" Lyra declared "That's why I'm here to uncover the truth behind the mysterious species". Ms. Decimal let out a gentle titter of laughter, "This young one certainly is passionate" she thought to herself. As a librarian, she felt it was her duty to help foster that passion. "So dearie if I am to infer correctly you believe there may be a human here in Ponyville?" "Errr...not exactly" Lyra admitted, "Humans are usually heralded by strange phenomena, and I heard that there was a strange lightning storm near the area so...here I am." "Indeed..." Ms. Decimal said nodding in agreement "Still this is quite the undertaking to look for a legend. If I may ask what inspired you to look so thoroughly into this? Surely there are other things a strapping, young unicorn such as yourself could be doing with their precocious time?" "Well my actual job is as a musician, the lyre is my specialty...Human Hunting is just sort of a hobby I suppose..." "Well dearie you've certainly gone out of your way for a so-called "hobby" but to see such passion and determination in one so young is awe-inspiring." "Hehe, thanks...to be honest, it was another friend of mine who inspired me to come here," Lyra explained. "Oh, how so?" Ms. Decimal inquired. "I have a friend back in Canterlot, she's a bit of a bookworm, but she never laughed at my interest in Humans. She was just as interested in old legends as me! Although she's way more clever than me if I'm being honest with myself" Lyra admitted blushing. "Well dearie you certainly have courage coming out here on your own just to look up a legend," Ms. Decimal said kindly "Back to the matter at hand, It sounds like your legendary Human might be somewhere in the Everfree Forrest, yet for that, you'd need a guide..." "I see...are you offering or..." "Ohhoho no dearie. I'm afraid these fragile old bones wouldn't be much use to you" Ms. Decimal pointed out. "Oh right err...sorry" "No need to apologize. Yet, you will need some young blood to help you on your little crusade..." "Will any local's be willing to guide me?" Lyra inquired "Unlikely," Ms. Decimal said in a dubious tone "most ponies around here keep well clear of the Everfree." "So...I'll go it alone then I suppose?" Lyra declared. Ms. Decimal shook her head disapprovingly "No, no dearie. The Forrest isn't something any pony can just walk into willy-nilly. Especially if you don't know the area..." "So what should I do?" Lyra asked. No sooner did she ask did she hear a slight muffling noise. It was Fluttershy who was slightly peaking from her hiding spot behind a bookcase. "I errr...I uhmmm...I live near the Everfree..." Fluttershy explained "I overheard your investigation...and uhm...I think we can work something out?" Lyra was rather dumbfounded. The yellow pegasus seemed as timid as a mouse, not just moments before. Yet, here she was offering to take her to one of the most mysterious and dangerous places in Equestria. "Err...not to be rude...Fluttershy was it? But the Everfree Forrest may be a bit too dangerous for you." At this Ms. Decimal stepped in, "Actually, she has an animal care shelter of sorts, near the Everfree. Now, that I think about it...Fluttershy may be one of the most knowledgeable ponies about both the Everfree and exotic animals." "Is...I mean is that true?" Lyra said dumbfounded. Fluttershy let out a timid nod. "I..uhm...I take care of many different kinds of animals, from squirrels to bunnies, to birdies..." "Indeed our dear Fluttershy is quite the animal enthusiast; why I remember when she was just a filly, oh how she would go on about her animal friends, not a day would pass that she wasn't looking up a book for a new creature she just had to care for." Ms. Decimal said with a nostalgic gleam. Fluttershy blushed "Well...taking care of animals is my special talent." "Quite right Fluttershy quite right" Ms. Decimal agreed, oblivious to Fluttershy's flushed face "Well if you two are all settled I have other chores to attend to. It sure is lucky you two meet I think you two will get along famously." With that, the Ponyville Librarian left to begin cleaning up the bookcases that had been toppled over previously. Fluttershy (bless her heart) had made a noble attempt but lacked Ms. Decimal's discerning grace regarding the Dewey Decimal System. Thus leaving the Human Hunter and Ponyville's resident animal caretaker to their own devices. Lyra gave Fluttershy a good hard look, before extending a hoof in friendship. "Hey, I'm sorry if I spooked ya earlier. I was just so excited you see, I'm currently on an investigation and I got a really good feeling about it!" "Uhm...about the "Human" creature right? I didn't mean to pry...but well you were speaking rather loudly..." "Yea I guess I did...do you know about Humans?" Lyra inquired hopefully. Fluttershy thought for a moment "I...I don't believe so. Yet, the way you talk about them seems familiar." "AH well, you see Human's have many stories, and legends across Equestrian history. Stories of them and their fascinating abilities." "Oh...I see" Fluttershy replied, "Uhm Lyra if you don't mind what exactly are Humans?" "Well, Humans are visitors from...another place you see, and when ever they come to Equestria weird weather phenomena follows." "Like the reverse lightning you mentioned?" Lyra's ears perked up in excitement "Yes! Exactly!" "I see...does anyone know what Humans looked like?" Fluttershy asked. "Sources vary, but a few consistencies are that they are bipedal like Minotaurs..." Lyra elaborated. "Or Diamond Dogs?" Fluttershy added. "Yes. They were naked with the exception of some fur on their heads," "Naked? Oh my. Don't they get cold?" "Maybe. That's not really an issue for Humans though they have tons of contraptions and gadgets. I'm sure keeping warm isn't an issue for them. Humans are said to be master craftsman building contraptions that are as tough as Dragons!" Fluttershy whimpered a bit "Uhm they sound sort of scary..." Seeing her expression Lyra toned down a bit "I mean, Humans have also have been said to help ponies throughout history." "Really?" "Yea. It's mostly speculation but some legends have attributed the introduction of agriculture or electricity to ponykind. Admittedly these are probably fictitious accounts. Yet sometimes there can be a glimmer of truth too old legends you know?" Fluttershy nodded, it made a certain amount of sense "Can you tell me more?" Lyra positively beamed and continued her lecture. It would continue like that for a while. Lyra showing of her expertise in her knowledge of the mysterious Humans, and Fluttershy listening intently. She only asked the occasional question as she allowed Lyra to do most of the talking. Lyra spoke with the passion of a pony who was truly passionate about something. like a foal discovering their special talent, or Rainbow Dash talking about the Wonderbolts. However, Fluttershy paid attention to it all. Slowly the pieces began to churn in Fluttershy's head. These human creatures seemed to share a lot in common with Tony. Although she thought perhaps Lyra may simply be embellishing certain aspects, there was no doubt that her descriptions of Humans were strikingly similar to Tony. Fluttershy would have so kept this all in mind when she met back up with Rainbow Dash. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash stood in-font of the alien pod dumbfounded. It's true she had come into the forest for answers but nothing could have prepared her for this. "Okay Rainbow Dash just think. I mean you just found out that you adopted an alien. One who's species is aparently gone. And that Tony may just be the last of his kind!" The enormity of the situation hit her even harder. For a minute she panicked, and couldn't catch her breath. Maybe she should tell somepony important what was going on. Surely their were other ponies a hundred times more ready to handle the situation better than her right? For the briefest moment Rainbow entertained the notion of just, giving Tony away. Then a new fear hit her. A familiar fear. What would other ponies think of Tony? Even if she came forward and explained the whole situation how could Rainbow be sure that Tony would be safe? Rainbow had just seen a plea first hand from one of Tony's kind that he was important. She wasn't the scholarly type but even she knew that an alien was an important discovery. What if some egghead wanted to open him up like some sick science experiment? Rainbow nearly vomited at the idea. "Nopony is gonna hurt my Little Tony" she vowed. More than being an alien, or being important, Tony was just a kid. He deserved to be raised and loved just like any young foal. Rainbow admitted to herself that she probably wouldn't have been the first pony that would come to mind to take care of an alien, but she decided that she would have to be good enough. Besides, she had Fluttershy to help out, and that bunny to keep Tony company too. With renewed vigor Rainbow Dash decided to inspect the pod a bit more hoping to uncover some more secrets. She poked and prodded the pod for a bit. She clicked the same spot that the floating orb had disintegrated into and the message played again. No noticeable difference, the same bipedal alien, with the same desperate message. Rainbow was kind of annoyed. You'd think the aliens would have some kind of instruction book on raising their young but no such luck. She poked around the bottom compartment of the pod and suddenly heard a 'click'. A compartment opened up. "Finally we're getting somewhere." Rainbow said with a grin. As she looked at it's contents however she was left rather confused. It was filled with all sorts of trinkets and doodads, the purpose of which Rainbow couldn't even begin to decipher. "Oh great. Looks like Tony's folks were a bunch of eggheads." Rainbow said with a dejected sigh. She decided to take out a long cylinder looking thing, and a red bobble. Rainbow kind of stared at them hoping something would happen. When that inevitability didn't work she fiddled with them for a bit. Then she realized something, the red boble and the cylander seemed to have connecting points. Curious to this development she tries clicking the two doodads togeather and was rewarded to see them fixate themselves togeather. "Ha! This egghead stuff ain't so hard!" Rainbow declared triumphantly. The new contraption looked familiar though. "Huh sort of looks like a cannon or something" As soon as she mentioned that she heard a high-pitch whining noise, coming from the contraption. The red doodad began to glow brighter, then before Rainbow could react their was a blast of red light form the cylinder. "Gah!" Rainbow yelped in surprised just as she dodged just in time for the beam to miss her. "What in Tarturas was that!?" There was smoke coming from the nozzle of the contraption and it seemed to have "calmed down". Rainbow checked herself to make sure she was still in one piece, aside than a slight singe on her wings she figured she'd manage. She also looked at the trajectory of the beam and found a small burnt imprint on the tree. "Huh. Guess Tony's buddies came prepared for a fight. I wonder why they left it in the same compartment with a baby though." Rainbow thought about it for a second. It made no sense to give a cannon to an infant. It was possible that somepony was suppose to accompany Tony. The she eyed the cannon for a minute and fiddled with it again managing to 'un-click' it. The cannon disassembled and she placed it back in the Pod. She grabbed some of its other contents and fiddled with them. She did this for a while finding components, clicking them together into various shapes, and then un-clicking them. For most of the other components she couldn't figure out their function. One appeared to be a cradle though, another seemed to be a pot. Rainbow figured that there must have been a dozen ways to attach these 'doodads' but Celestia help her she she wasn't an egghead. "This stuff doesn't look all that helpful. Probably best to leave it here. I should head back to the cottage and pick up Tony. I wonder how Fluttershy is doing?" With that she began the trek back to the cottage eager to tell Fluttershy what she had discovered. ~~~~~ Meanwhile ~~~~~ Fluttershy and Lyra had a long discussion about Humans, and various other cryptids. Fluttershy in turn told Lyra about the native wild life and the Everfree Forrest. However, Fluttershy made sure to not mention Tony. Lyra seemed like a good pony however, Fluttershy's instincts told her not to revel Tony to anypony just yet. Plus that decision should be Dashie's. Fluttershy however, began to notice how late it was getting and knew it was about time to get going back to her cottage. "uhm...Lyra it's been a pleasure talking with you but I really should head home now." "Oh sorry! My blabbing probably took up your whole day! My bad." Lyra said embarrassed. "Oh it's no issue. It's been fascinating talking with you." Fluttershy said with a smile. "Yea, I meet somepony earlier today I can bunk with. If you wanna meet up later I'll probably be hitting up the library so I'll be seeing ya Fluttershy!" and with that the mint green unicorn trotted off. Fluttershy too began to flutter home. ~~~~~~~~ Elsewhere, and Meanwhile ~~~~~~~~ Three mysterious forces looked at their screens with grave expressions. "This is unexpected." said on booming male voice. "Maybe, maybe not. We should have accounted for this in our computations" countered a stoic voice. "Well we have to deal with it now. How long do we have?" asked a female voice. "Time is of no consequence, however this is a situation that needs to be remedied posthaste." "Perhaps, however I am intrigued by this set of computations. I suggest we see how this iteration goes" "So we're all in agreement? This iteration will play out?" said the female voice. The other two figures nodded. "Very well motion carried. Let us see how our dear 'Tony' preforms."