//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - The Kindness of a Stranger // Story: A Light in the Darkness // by DarkSunWolf //------------------------------// Light broke its way through the thick canopies of the trees as Fluttershy was tending to her animals in the forest. Unfortunately, for her, the animals that she was taking care of were in the Everfree Forest, further implementing the fear of such a strange place in her delicate mind. That was in the past however, and after meeting Zecora, she actually felt curious about the forest. To her it was a mysterious serenity. After all who knows what kind of animals she might encounter? She was busy helping an injured possum who had fallen from a tree. The possum had broken one of its legs. “Alright Mr. Possum I’m all done!” After patching the creature up, Fluttershy fixed together a little comical wheelchair for the mammal that even it loved. With a smile that could melt anyone’s heart she helped the possum in the chair and escorted it out of the forest; crawling along the ground and pushing the chair with her nose. When they reached the outside of the forest, the possum began to push itself home while Fluttershy waved a hoof goodbye. “Take care! Feel better!” she said to the possum as it rolled itself away. Gaily and gracefully she pranced back into the forest only to be stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh my, something’s not right here….” She said fearfully, peering at the source of worry in the sky. Numerous vultures were flying in the air, circling over something that they intended to devour. With much apprehension, Fluttershy edged herself to the source of her concern. After following the scavengers in the air for a short time, Fluttershy was greeted with a sight that was both awe inspiring and worrying. “A-a-a-an alicorn!” she stuttered, searching for words that could describe what she was seeing. There, right in front of her, lay an unconscious white alicorn. It was no ordinary alicorn though; on its forelegs were strange “growths” of fur and it looked like they were surging with power. The alicorn had magnificent crimson markings circling all over its body; they were glowing faintly, as if they were in danger of dying out. The alicorn, spread out along the ground, looked weak for its appearance; even though Fluttershy had never seen it before she thought that it could’ve looked more imposing. “You poor thing!” she said, crouching down to put a hoof to its head. The alicorn was warm. VERY warm. “Let’s get you to my cottage, you may be sick!” With that said Fluttershy got back up and looked at the alicorn. How could she get the alicorn out of the forest? Alicorns are large and carrying it was out of the question. Then she remembered, “My medicine wagon!” Squeeing with joy she skipped back to where she last left her wagon. Whenever she went to the forest she brought her wagon carrying all of the necessary supplies she may need when helping her animal friends. She decided to use it as an improvised stretcher. Huffing and puffing she finally managed to put the unconscious patient on the wagon. “Let’s get you to shelter!” she said under her breath. She then attached the wagon to herself and began the long walk back home. -------------------------------------- Confusion. That’s what Amaterasu felt when she woke up in Fluttershy’s cottage, a place completely alien to her. She looked over the cottage, wondering who could live here and more importantly, where was she? She was covered by a blanket, and had an ice pack on her head (which had completely melted) and a thermometer in her mouth. After idling about for a couple of seconds Amaterasu attempted locomotion when she realized that she was not in her original body. Planting all four legs on the ground proved to be a difficult task, as she wobbled to maintain her balance. After she did find her balance she was now faced with an even more difficult task: walking. She struggled to put one hoof in front of the other until she was able to walk, crudely but it still was walking. Feeling experimental, Amaterasu began to move all parts of her new body, from her legs to her…..wings? Amaterasu then brought the wing to her face. She had wings! Gazing over the newfound appendage, she questioned how to use it. She flapped the wing and the tips of the feathers knocked over a small vase. It shattered on the floor. She cringed when the noise echoed throughout the cottage, stirring a few birds that were in their birdhouse. Surprisingly no one came down to investigate the source of the noise. Amaterasu looked at the mess. Surely someone will notice. With her foreleg she pushed the fragments of the vase underneath a nearby rug. She then inconspicuously walked away from the scene of the crime; bumping into a nearby mirror. She looked at the mirror and was dumbfounded. Somehow she had turned into a pony! She stood on her hind legs in shock when she lost her balance and fell on the mirror, bringing it down with her. Now, in a state of panic, Amaterasu rebounded back up and ran to the door. She had to get out of here and find out where she was! Then she reached the front door and stopped. A door. A wolf trapped in a pony’s body. How could she open it? She was barely able to walk properly, what chance could she have in opening the door with her hooves? Amaterasu looked at the door intensely. “Perseverance Amaterasu”, she thought. With all the confidence she could muster, she placed both hooves on the door; struggling to find a means of actually opening it. It’s strange, normally in Nippon, Amaterasu was able to get through doors with ease, provided that they were not guarded by a psychotic, demonic lock. Here, in this strange world, opening a door for her was like fighting in the Kamui Devil Gate Trials; it was just excruciatingly hard. Amaterasu was beginning to lose her patience. She turned around and bucked at the door; not moving an inch. She then backed up from the door, giving herself plenty of room between her and this block like wall. She hobbled forward and, with all of her speed and might, rammed the door. Unfortunately things didn’t go according to plan. Her horn skewered through the door and it was trapped. The door still remained how it was before, standing mockingly stalwart. Wait, she had a horn too? “Great” she thought, “What else will this world throw at me?!” She then heard footsteps behind her followed by a barely audible voice. “Oh my……. Glad to see you are awake….but……is escape necessary? That… is…. if you want to stay…….” -------------------------------------- Fluttershy helped the befuddled, chagrin alicorn out of the door. When she was free, the yellow pegasus began to explain what had happened to her. “I found you out in the Everfree Forest unconscious. I was afraid that you were hurt or sick so I took you here and laid you to rest. I had to rest as well because you are quite the heavy pony!” said the little pegasus, occasionally making eye contact with Amaterasu. Amaterasu huffed, the pony was digressing from what she really wanted to know. “Oh! I’m sorry for being rude! I haven’t even introduced myself! I’m Fluttershy…………” Amaterasu perked her ears. What was her name? She couldn’t hear the pony at all. Amaterasu moved closer to the pegasus, gently tapping her and signaling with her hoof to speak louder. Fluttershy apprehensively stepped backward and tried introducing herself again, “I’m Fluttershy…..” Amaterasu had heard her this time. At least she spoke louder. She then acknowledged Fluttershy that she had heard her name. Fluttershy looked at Amaterasu with awe. “Are you from Ponyville? It doesn’t seem like it, I’ve never seen a pony like you!” Fluttershy looked at Amaterasu all over. Her eyes widened when her gaze set itself upon her flank. “Yo-you-your cutie mark! What is it? It looks exactly like Zecora’s!” Amaterasu looked stunned. Cutie mark? What could that be? She looked down at her flank and sure enough there was a mark. It was bright red like her crimson markings, but it entangled and twisted itself into the shape of the sun. She suddenly thought of Kazegami. Did he have a cutie mark? Did he feel like she did when he was moving around? She quickly pushed the thoughts out of her head, she didn’t want to think too hard. Fluttershy then stopped speaking. She looked at Amaterasu. “Can you speak? I haven’t heard you speak since I’ve helped you out of my door!” Amaterasu knew she wasn’t able to speak, but Fluttershy is a pony. Perhaps she could understand her barking? Amaterasu stepped forward and opened her mouth. A bark like neigh emanated from her throat. She then closed her mouth tight and glowed bright red. The sound she had produced was both awkward and incredibly hilarious. Fluttershy grinned a little. “Well I guess that answers my question. Do you know how to write? Maybe you can write your name” suggested Fluttershy. She walked over to a nearby drawer with parchment and a quill on top. She took the quill in her mouth, dipped it in ink, then walked back to Amaterasu and placed the parchment on a table. She handed Amaterasu the quill, ink dripping on the floor. The droplets moved towards Amaterasu, rerouting her mind to her own self. She shook her head no at the quill; her mind set on her tail. Amaterasu closed her eyes and focused; perspiration shedding due to her concentration. Amaterasu never needed to concentrate to siphon her powers. Now, with her in a new body and world, it’s as if something is holding her back; waiting in the dark to finally burn out the sun. Ink began materializing into the air as it gently floated towards the parchment, writing very slowly and precisely her name. Fluttershy, mouth on the floor, was speechless. “You know magic? I have never seen a spell like that! In fact, I don’t think my friend Twilight has even seen a spell like yours!” Amaterasu was a little stricken back; the ink had come from the power of the Celestial Brush, not this “magic” Fluttershy spoke of. Fluttershy looked at what Amaterasu had written. Upon reading the parchment she looked baffled. “Um….if you mind me asking……..what is this?” she asked, hoping that it isn’t related to some voodoo zebra logic. Amaterasu then looked at what she wrote. She had written her name in Japanese kanji. The thought of adjusting to this new world slithered its way up her spine, making her shudder. It was as if she was reborn yet again, but from a different statue. One that in every way, shape, and form, made her uncomfortable. Fluttershy waved a hoof in Amaterasu’s face; snapping her back to reality. Once again Amaterasu’s lack of attention overcame Fluttershy’s question. Even in this land, Amaterasu’s personality remained strong. At least she was still herself. She wondered if her attention span could possibly become a problem, but then disregarded the thought and returned to Fluttershy’s fascination of the hieroglyphic like writing. “Is this your name in your language?” Fluttershy asked, eagerly. Amaterasu nodded with approval; looking at Fluttershy as if they were connected telepathically. “I think we should visit my friend Twilight, she’s bound to know what this writing could mean! She could even help you speak!” The word ‘speak’ made her ears ring. Speech? Amaterasu found it relatively easy to communicate back in Nippon, usually everyone she came in contact with knew what she was trying to say. The thought of her speaking their native tongue made her ponder. Did she even have a voice? And if she did what would she sound like? Surely better than trotting around barking and neighing at the same time. Now that would be embarrassing. She decided to give the friend Fluttershy mentioned a chance. She looked back at Fluttershy and nodded eagerly. “Alright! Let’s head to Twilight’s! I’ll lead the way! That is if you’ll let me…….” Fluttershy trotted to the skewered door and opened it with a pull of a rope. “So that’s how they do it”, Amaterasu thought. The door opened and Equestrian sunlight poured through and beamed Amaterasu in the face. The sunlight seemed strangely familiar yet utterly foreign. -------------------------------------- Sunlight. Sweet sunlight thought Amaterasu, stepping out of Fluttershy’s cottage. She had learned how to walk better as a pony. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? She spread open her wings and sunbathed, instantly feeling revitalized. A past thought then shattered the feeling. What about that beast? Is it destroying Nippon? Was Chibiterasu safe? She closed her wings and paced back and forth, immersed in a torrent of thoughts. She then remembered the dark magic hitting her reflectors, sending them everywhere. She tried calling for each reflector. Only one answered her plea - Divine Retribution. Her glaives and rosaries did not appear either. Panicking, Amaterasu tried using brush techniques; all of them failing. She looked at the sun and tried to manipulate it. Something prevented her from doing so. Whatever it was, it was immensely powerful and she did not want to anger it. She was weakened by the fight with the monster; a mere shell of her former self. Fluttershy looked back at Amaterasu. “Are you coming? I hope I’m not doing anything wrong….” Amaterasu looked up at the pegasus, somehow feeling comforted. She straightened her posture and walked along with Fluttershy. After a few minutes of trotting they eventually reached a large town. “Welcome to Ponyville!” Fluttershy remarked. Numerous ponies trotted to and fro, taking care of anything they had to do. Amaterasu was amazed. She looked everywhere; her gaze setting upon the unique architecture, the peace and harmony of everypony, and the sheer size of the town. She saw a Sugarcube Corner, a Carousel Boutique, and a very large tree jutting out into the sky. Amaterasu felt that the tree may be where Twilight would live. The town was enormous; every time Amaterasu believed that the “tour” was over another sight to behold left her mind blown. She was overwhelmed. Fluttershy peered back at Amaterasu only to find her sitting on her flanks, mouth wide open in amazement. Fluttershy giggled and pulled Amaterasu by her tail towards the large tree. A world so colorful, so pure, so whimsical was presented before Amaterasu. She loved every moment of it. It was different from Nippon, she thought, but by the goddesses it was amazing! Amaterasu, being towed by Fluttershy, looked up in the sky. Pegasus ponies flew carelessly through the air, removing any clouds that would obscure this gorgeous day. She saw one pony in particular with crossed eyes flying oddly. Fluttershy’s motherly voice broke her attention on the ponies in the sky. “Here we are!” Amaterasu looked up at the tree before her. It was large, but certainly not Konohana large. She got up and began to walk to the entrance. She knew that from here on, whatever this world had to throw at her, it would challenge her ability to adapt. She began to open the door when the thought of her son struck her once again. But it wasn’t a worrying thought. It was a thought that told her “Mommy I’m ok but are you?” She stepped into the tree house and shed one single sentimental tear.