Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts


Young Love

Ray had come to a conclusion about his situation. After his chat with Skalos and he’d turned to work in the farm solitarily, he’d been pestered by a nagging thought in the form of a tiny brown bird on his shoulder.  Conveniently enough, Otolo resided on the shoulder that held his new spear, adding little weight on it, but a much larger weight on his thoughts.  He glanced at the little bird as he thought this, but for once, it wasn’t out of some sort of fear for her leaving or her pecking at him without warning.  This time, it was out of relief for what she stood for.  
She was Equestrian, but at the same time, she was no different from the little brown birds he would see hopping around the branches in the trees lining some neighborhoods in Pittsburgh.  In fact, she was no different at all, save maybe for a little more sentience than them in her attitudes and actions.  In fact, he was hesitant to call her an animal, much like the ponies around him nowadays.  It was one of the things on his mind.  What an animal was in this world, and what wasn’t.  He had always categorized animals as non-human beings, as living creatures, not speaking beings with sentience.  
Now, however, eight ounce birds and foot and a half foot tall ponies were completely shattering his philosophies.  The ponies were non-human, obviously, but they also spake, acted, and created buildings and a society.  They were a washed pure version of humans, put into the body of a miniature, multicolored horse.  They even spoke the same language he did, and he didn’t doubt that there had to be some sort of variants that were similar to other languages on Earth.  He had no concrete evidence, but it was clear enough that there was some similarity in the construct of Earth and Equestria.
The birds here too were as sentient as him, as he could tell through Otolo’s actions.  Although she could be some sort of outlier, Ray doubted it due to the basic nature of this world compared to Earth.  Otolo acted, and even spoke, in a manner, which was one of the basic signs of sentience, at least, according to human standards.  No, not even human standards, but Earth standards.  
It was then, with that thought, that he realized where he’d been wrong this entire time.  He was measuring this world up through the eyes of someone who thought they knew enough because they’d seen some somewhere else.  He had laughed at that, not bitterly, but at the actual humor of it.  Had he really been so stupid?  Apparently so, because he was just now realizing why everything these past few days had been destructive to him.  Besides the obvious reason of being displaced, he had resisted the change, even as he accepted the new environment.  He was an infant again, he realized, and that was where he had to start.  At the beginning of the end.  
Otolo had twittered at him confusedly, questioning his sanity.  He smiled at the little brown bird, holding the now extremely weighty spear up confidently.  
“I am completely insane, Ohs,” he told her cheerfully.  “No need to worry at all.”
Cocking her head to the side, she gave a short chirp, again asking him what exactly it was all about.  
Simply shaking his head as he bent over and picked up a half-log, he answered with as much cheer, “I just realized what an idiot I am, that’s all.”  Otolo gave a smart little chirp, insultingly calling out that she had already known that.  Mock scoffing, he retaliated, telling her, “Alright then, get off my shoulder.”
Giving him a sharp, cheeky chirp, she fluttered off his shoulder.  As she did so, however, he heard something else fluttering.  Turning towards the sound, he saw nothing but the neat rows of trees.  Confused he glanced around, but saw nothing through the trees.  
He was distracted when suddenly a weight landed on his head.  His vision was blocked when a little head bobbed down between his eyes, causing them to cross.  Otolo let out another chirp with at least an equal amount of chirp as the earlier, before giving him a peck between his eyes.  Yelping at the sharp, slight pain, he raised a hand to his head, dropping the half-log on his foot.  Luckily enough, the apple wood was less dense, and had been dropped from only thigh height, which meant he wasn’t hurt by it.  However, that didn’t stop another yelp from escaping him, this one of surprise.  
Collapsing his hand over the bird on his head, he chuckled in victory, saying, “And now you’re caught.  Congratulations Ohs, you really must’ve thought this through.”  Otolo struggled feebly against his grip, flailing around through his hair.  Ray was slightly concerned that the bird would try to pull his hair, or get tangled in it, as a kicking leg nearly did.  Before he could warn Otolo, though, something shot around the tree in front of them, and collided with Ray’s chest.

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Ray let out an unholy symphony of words that Fluttershy had never heard together as they both went to the ground.  Fluttershy hadn't seen him as she had weaved her way between trees, most likely due to the fact that she was going across the lanes of trees, while he had been up the rows.  Thus, the resulting flurry of limbs, language, and embarrassment.  
She leapt off of his chest quickly, flying into the air beside Otolo, holding her hooves to her mouth.  Oh no.  she hadn’t hurt him, had she?  Staring at Ray’s grimacing face, she bit her lip in concern as he looked over to his arm with an especially pained look.  Oh no… She dared to glance at the limb, a panicked whimper preparing to escape her enclosed mouth.  Peeking timidly at it, she dropped her hooves from her face in surprise, unable to quite comprehend what she was looking at.
At first she thought that she was staring at his protruding bone, but reality gratefully set in.  She realized thankfully that she wasn’t staring at his bone, but at some long piece of metal that he grasped.  It was some sort of spear, she knew, as her eyes canned the sharpened tip of it, but nothing like what the guards held.  For one, it was quite visibly lethal, sharp enough that she already was having cursed thoughts of it accidentally cutting Ray or anypony else.  Secondly, though, was its overall strange, and rather disfigured, build.  It was indescribable to her eyes, only as some strange, scary, three-bladed tool of the unthinkable.  This must’ve been the spear AJ had told her about, strange hook and all.
Was this what Twilight had given him?  Was this what was keeping him from conversing with the Apples?  She gulped heavily, staring at it, unblinking.  It terrified her, seeing something like that.  It was longer than her from tail to snout.  It could be used to spit roast me, she thought, suddenly finding her body trembling terribly.  She trembled so much that she was forced to land, eyes still locked on the lethal death stick.  It jerked up suddenly, causing her to let out a short yelp, stumbling back to her haunches.  
“Hey, Fluttershy,” Ray practically yelled at her, causing her to jump to her hoove swiftly.  Oh her heart.  Her poor, frightened, bursting heart.  Knowing this human boy wasn’t healthy for it.
“Y-y-y-yes,” she finally answered meekly, tearing her eyes away from the weapon and to his face.  Concern-laced amusement was etched into his expression, along with a good sense of surprise at seeing her.
“Um, what’re you doing here,” he asked slowly, standing up fully.  Wow, he was tall.  Why hadn’t she ever noticed his ginormous stature like this before?  
“I was looking for you,” she answered quietly.
He smiled at her with an expression she had only seen from Pinkie Pie, the dopey, joke-you-aren’t-understanding look.  “Well, I’m right here,” he responded cheerfully, spreading his arms wide as if to present himself.  “Why?”  
dFluttershy blushed as an alternate meaning of what could be entered her head.  Stupid adult mind thinking, she thought to herself, ducking her chin to keep from making eye contact after such a nasty thought.  
“Um, n-nothing,” she defaulted to, although she knew he didn’t believe it.  Amending, she added, “Well, I-I mean, I w-was just making sure th-that you were, y-you know, okay after that little trip to Twilight’s.  I mean, Applejack t-told me you were a bit… weird when I arrived here, and I mean, with you not being anywhere like you would, and leaving Canterlot so early, I was concerned.”
“Well that’s nice,” Ray mentioned.  “I’m fine though.  I think I finally, finally understand everything I’ve been doing wrong here.”
Fluttershy looked back up to Ray’s face, twisting her head in confusion and lifting her ear to make sure she was hearing right.  “Well, whaddya mean,” she asked slowly.  
Presenting his wrist to her, the scab from his own blade still visible on it.  He winced as she looked at it, pained by the reminder of only a few nights ago.  Sweet Celestia, was it only that long ago?  It seemed that this human also had the ability to slow time down along with being so unhealthy.  
“Well, I finally realized that I had been seeing things all wrong,” he exclaimed proudly, breaking her terrible thoughtline.  “I was looking at them like this was still Earth, like I still knew something.  But this sure as he- heck isn’t Earth.  This is Equestria, which I know nothing about.  As such, I’m an infant all over again.  I was just reborn into this world, and have no knowledge at all about any of it.  So why do I have any right to be mad at it.  I just came here!  I can be mad at Twilight for bringing me here, sad that I don’t have my old world, but at the same time, I finally realized something.
“I get to relearn everything I loved all over again.  I get this world’s version of a family, I get to learn this world’s version of friendship, and make my own friends with it, but most importantly, I get to learn this world’s version of living.  At least, until I need to go off and defend it.  I accepted my fate not too long ago, that I was stuck here, but I just learned that no, I’m not stuck here.  I’m not human with horses.  I’m human and horses!  I live here now, am a piece of it now, and can help it continue.  So why not have a heckuva time while I’m at it?”
Suddenly, very energetically, he lifted Fluttershy off of the ground with his free hand, and hugged her tightly.  She squeaked, blushing furiously as he reached around her and gave her a pat on her back, in between her wings.  Thankful that his head was tucked by hers instead of staring at her beet red face, she slowly accepted the tight embrace, joining in as she wrapped her hooves around his back.  A smile crept its way across her face, and soon she was nuzzling his neck softly.  
A tiny, fluttering weight landed on her head, and she quickly recognized it as Otolo joining in by landing on her head and adding in her own nuzzle.  Though she doubted the little bird knew exactly what was going on, she knew the intelligent bird knew how to help.  Fluttershy let out a pleasant little sigh as the seconds stretched into minutes. 
Eventually, though, Ray pulled back, the brightest smile Fluttershy had ever seen on anyponies face beaming down on her.  
“I’m glad you were the one to find me,” he softly told her, leaning his head down to press it against her own.  
Fluttershy had a sharp intake of breath, unprepared for the movement, but luckily, he stopped when their foreheads connected.  His eyes were closed gently, but hers were wide open, locked on his lips.  Why did he have to do this to her!  Oh gosh.  Why did her heart have to be so loud.  Ray must have surely heard it by now.  Oh please no.  Why were his lips so close?  Were they moving  closer?!?
Her eyes shot between his mouth and eyes, over and over and over again, until her eyes were sore.  How could eyes be sore?  Wait, was this what her parents meant when they called each other an eye sore?  Oh no, wait, did that mean, oh gosh, oh sweet, sweet Celestia.  What was wrong with her?
Frighteningly, though, she wanted to lean in, to close the gap.  To make contact, lip to lip.  She wanted it, to connect them together.  She could practically feel them, his lips on hers.
 But something held her back, something that was roughly three times her height, had a white goatee, and a sense of humor that always brightened her day.  And that something made her instantly pull away from Ray, gasping profusely from having held her breath for so long.  
Ray’s eyes opened wide with surprise as she fled backwards, Otolo leaping off her head and into the air.  Ray opened his mouth to say something, but shut it as Fluttershy whimpered pathetically.  He turned his head oddly, giving her a sideways look with a small frown.  Fluttershy covered her entire face with her hooves, her ashamed blush failing to hide from his eyes.
“You alright,” he asked, sounding as meek as she felt.  He seemed just as embarrassed too suddenly, though he didn’t seem to be blushing.  She couldn’t really see through her hooves.  
“Y-y-y-yea-ye-n-no,” she stammered out, shivering midair.  “I-i-i-i-i… I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to do that.  That was rude,” she confessed disparagingly, dropping her hooves and gaze to the ground below.  “I didn’t mean to be so… mean.”
“No no no,” Ray intervened, his hand suddenly appearing on her chin, lifting it up.  She almost wanted to turn away, to fly away from everything swifter than Rainbow Dash could ever match, but his insistence kept her in place.  “I overstepped my bounds.  No need to be sorry for something that you didn’t enact.  I’m sorry for… being so upfront?  Um, presumptuous.  Risque?”
Fluttershy instantly turned red at the last word, coughing in embarrassment, and she could see that Ray was blushing too.  However, despite the awkward atmosphere, she reprimanded him lightly, saying, “It’s not, it’s not that at all, it’s just that… I don’t know, I have no idea what the hay I’m doing, or what you’re doing, but… I like it, and don't want it to stop.  But, I don’t want to enhance it.”
Fluttershy wished she hadn’t added the last line, grimacing and looking away from him.  His hand though, still resting on her chin, turned her face back to his, a small, gentle, honest smile on his face.  He nodded slowly, muttering in an understanding, almost happy tone, “I understand.” 
Straightening up, he gave her a bright smile, one rivaling the one he had given her earlier.  She returned it meekly, pushing her hoof into his hand.  “Friends?”
“Perfect,” he responded softly.  
Fluttershy flew closer to the human boy, wrapping her forelegs around his neck in a friendly embrace, smiling.  A few seconds later though, she pulled away, leaving his arms willingly and happily, and without any embarrassment.  There was a brief moment when they made eye contact, and the smiles deepened.
Forgetting everything, her nervousness, her worries, Discord, Twilight, the invasion, she felt really and truly happy, joyous even.  
Chuckling slightly, Ray looked over to his spear.  “I guess I failed Skalos’ little challenge thing.”  He threw it to the ground before rubbing his shoulders.  “Not that I mind though.  I don’t think he exactly knows what it’s like to be a bipedal, holding a heavy spear in one hand for over six hours.”
Fluttershy quirked her head in curiosity.  She was about to ask who Skalos was, why he had a spear, all of those questions interrupted by their moments, when a sudden sharp scream split the air.  Glancing towards the farmhouse, then back to Ray, she saw momentary hesitation before he sprinted off.  Fluttershy followed him instantaneously.

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Ray took off, Fluttershy right beside him as they raced towards the source of the shriek.  Another once pierced the air as they neared enough to the farm to see the barn itself.  A secondary sound filled air more deeply here, the sound of feminine yelling.  
At first, Ray thought it was commanding and panicked, but as he passed into the gate, he recognized it as angry and demanding.  The closer he got to the barn -slowing slightly as he realized it wasn’t a direct emergency- the more he could hear from the yelling.  For instance, he could hear Applejack going hoarse with rage and the amount of yelling she had done, and he could hear Apple Bloom trying, and failing, to defend herself.  There was a third voice though, one that was recognizably prepubescent male, one he hadn’t heard before.
He and Fluttershy exchanged glances before approaching the wide open barn doors.  They didn’t have the chance to enter, however, as an orange and purple blur shot out of the doors, racing across the dirt path and out of the gate.  Applejack shot out of the barn right after it, followed swiftly by Apple Bloom, both of their yelling overlapping each other in an incoherent jumble.  Apple Bloom stopped when she noticed the human and pegasus duo watching in confusion and slight entertainment.  For some reason, she blushed instantly, ducking her head and tucking her tail between her legs in shame, or something close enough to it.
Her silence, though, allowed Ray tol pick up Applejack’s loud, and rather disturbing, rrant.  “I swear to every apple-pickin’, dog-breathin, Celestia-lovin’ tree in this orchid that if’n I ev’r see ya on this farm again, I’ll skin yer scruffin’ hide, tan it, an’ make a hat out of it, and feed yer remains to th’ pigs!!  If ya ev’r even dare ta find my sister after school, I’ll send ya straight ta Tartarus with an Apple buck to th’ face, ya hear?!  Don’t even think about her, or I’ll… DANG YOU DON”T GO NEAR MY SISTER OR YOU’LL REGRET EVERY SECOND OF BEIN’ BORN!!”
The blur, who Ray now saw was some colt, was long gone, leaving Applejack with nobody to yell at but the shamed filly behind her.  Rearing around so quickly Ray was sure she’d snapped her neck, he saw the full force of the farmer mare’s glare.  It was sharp, flaming cold, and focused precisely on her younger sister, deadly slits training their lethal gaze on the littler Apple.
Apple Bloom, still looking at the ground, had sat down and tucked her tail around her front, as if forming a protective shield.  Bravely daring to look into the glare, she opened her mouth to speak.
“Just try ta defend yerself, little missy,” Applejack growled darkly.
“I really, really… like him,” the little filly attempted.
Applejack’s glare somehow sharpened.  “I don’t give a hoof about if ya like him!  Th’ hay did ya think you were doin’?!  ‘I’ll just give him a mooch in th’ barn, and it’ll be a really good time, and maybe he’ll ask me ta go with him to th’ fifth grade prom’?  ‘Cause that tomfoolery ain’t somethin’ I’ll stand for at all around here!  What were ya tryin’ ta do?  Hide from me?  ‘Cause the barn ain’t the best place in th’ world to do it! Ya didn’t even have the decency ta try ta hide how eager ya were.  Like a doe in th’ spring, I say.  A doe in th’ spring!  It was disgustin’!  Ya were just… makin’ out with some colt in th’ hay, yer tongue an’ hooves an’- an’- an’-”
“Applejack,” Ray exclaimed.  The mare turned sharply to him, glare ever present at his outrageous act of interrupting her spiel.  Ray almost flinched away from it, but quickly spoke up more.  “I think you’re being a bit too-”
“Ya wanna go, mister,” Applejack asked dangerously, and Ray quickly realized it was probably bad for his sake that he’d drawn attention to himself with the angry mare.  “I haven’t seen hide or hoof of ya fer hours, and suddenly ya show up with some sort of authority?  Ya been ignorin’ yer family all day, an’ then ya just turn up like yer th’ stallion in charge?!  Well I got news fer ya, Ray!  I’m in charge around here, and whachya’ve been doin’ t’day ain’t acceptable by any measure.  Any measure at all.  So, I don’t think it’d be very wise of ya to interject with the matters of my sister.”
“She’s my sister too now,” Ray responded, slightly hurt by the mare’s words.  He realized, however, that this was exactly what he was like whenever he’d caught someone, anyone, in his own family on Earth, attacking another.  So, wisely, he left it like that. 
Applejack took a moment to reconsider her words, staring at the ground as she did so.  Ray made eye contact with Apple Bloom and mouthed ‘run’ to her, gesturing behind him and Fluttershy.  She did so, running right past him and straight into the orchard.  Applejack didn’t give chase, just maintained a heavy glare at their retreating sister, yelling out, “We aren’t done discussin’ this!”
She turned her glare back to Ray, before letting out a deep sigh, dropping most of the anger.  Taking in a deep breath, she asked sternly, “So why did ya disappear like that t’day?  Somethin’ ta do with Twilight an’ the minotaurs an’ whatnot.”
“Yeah,” Ray affirmed, rubbing the back of his head with hand, finally brushing a leaf that had been in his hair out.  It also served to help stretch out his aching arm.  Oh, right.  “Um, I forgot my spear.  I dropped it in my hurry to find out why there was screaming.  I’ll tell you on the way to get it.”
Both Fluttershy and Applejack nodded in understanding, the three of them turning to the orchard.  He began to explain in full where he and Twilight had gone the day before, the experience in Tartarus.  He saw them both shiver at the mention of the dreadful place, and having experienced (and knowing they’d experienced) the place, he didn’t blame them.  They walked through the orchard as he explained what Twilight had told him, and his introduction to Skalos.  He didn’t have time, or need, to describe the Fallen as they rounded a tree and came face-to-face with him.
The two mares cried out in surprise while Ray simply smiled at him.  The stallion didn’t return the sentiment, however, holding up the spear he’d dropped.  
“That was rather careless of you,” the Fallen commented while handing over the weapon to its owner.  “And quite disrespectful,” he added with a mouthful of disdain.  Ray cringed as he realized what he’d done earlier was probably not the best reaction, as Skalos proposed, “How were you going to fight anything without it?  With your fists?”
Looking over the mares, he quit his berating of Ray and greeted them.  “Good evening to the two of you,” he said evenly, his milky eyes glancing back and forth between the two of them.  They both stared back, Applejack in a mix of awe and confusion, and Fluttershy with fear and, strangely enough, curiosity.  Since when had he been so good at reading emotions, Ray wondered to himself.  
“Ray, uh, didn’t tell us you were a, um, ghost,” Applejack responded, her eyes scanning the slightly translucent stallion.  
Skalos smiled an empty smile, before stating, “I am no ghost.  Quite real, at least, physically.  Dead, yes, but still living.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy muttered.  “He’s worse than Zecora.”
“Who,” Ray asked.  Skalos gave him a short glance, before looking towards the direction of the tangled forest.
“I was going to introduce you to her, seeing as she’s the best source for potions and medicines involving combat,” he answered before either of the two mares could.  “It was going to be something for a little later, when you actually were hurt.  Being able to see each other in your element would allow a better trust to build, but alas, I might not wait for that time.”
“Well, um, my name’s Applejack, if’n it pleases ya,” the respective mare introduced, holding out a hoof for a shake.
Taking the extended hoof, Skalos shook it, responding uniformly, “I know.”  Looking between the three of them, he added with finality, “I know you all.”
The sun had begun setting in the distance when the three had first gone to retrieve Ray’s spear, but now darkness was closing in swiftly, along with a night chill.  Now, with the receding light, Skalos’ luminosity had begun to appear, glowing softly in the shaded dark.  His milky eyes were locked somewhere behind Ray, but he spoke on.
“I’ve worked a long time with Twilight, so I’ve known about you for a while now.  I wished to meet you, any of you, but the constraints of Tartarus would not allow, and besides, my showing would indicate something we don’t want ponies to know of, yet.  And I don’t think Twilight wanted to mention me to you, for obvious reasons.  No matter.  There isn’t much time left in the light, so I’ll let you be for today, Ray, but remember to come at the same time tomorrow.” 
Ray nodded in understanding, and with the confirmation, Skalos backed away, turning and leaving the orchard.  The two ponies and human watched him fade into the darkness silently, before they, too, turned away.  Some time during it all, Otolo had reclaimed her perch on his shoulder.  He smiled at the little bird and gave her an affectionate rub on the head as they approached the farmhouse once again.  
Once they had reached the house, the darkness had almost completely enclosed the Acres, leaving Ray to have to squint to make out anything.  Beside him, Applejack sighed, looking towards the orchard.  
“I’m gonna hafta go out there an’ find Apple Bloom now,” she muttered dejectedly.  “If she didn’t just run of ta Scootaloo’s or Sweetie Belle’s ta hide from me.” 
“I can check Rarity’s on my way home,” Ray offered.  “Just, don’t take it too hard on her.  She’s still young, right.  Could be just a simple mistake.”
Applejack tightened her jaw as she opened the door to the house, the light from inside flooding out to show it.  “Yeah, well before, it was just hoof holdin’, a few hugs, an’ I suspected a peck on th’ cheek here an’ there.  But then there’s this, an’ I’m findin’ myself worried that I’m gonna be an auntie real soon.”
“Oh, I doubt they’d that far, Applejack,” Fluttershy interceded.  “If it concerns you, though, I can also go check in at Scootaloo’s house.  It has been a while since I’ve seen her or her aunts.  It’d be nice to have a short chat anyways.  What’s the colt’s name, by the way?  I might be able to check there, if you want.”
“Th’ colt’s name’s Tender Taps,” Applejack answered.  “My sister has had a crush on him since she was nine.  Didn’t think it’d get to this point, though, seein’ as it was just a schoolpony crush.  Anyway, I appreciate th’ sentiment, both of ya.  I’m gonna need some cider after this kind a’ day.  Take care!”
The orange mare gave a short wave as she entered her house, the door shutting behind her.  An awkward silence filled the air between the two remaining friends before Otolo began twittering in a long chain.  Complete darkness had settled in, so Ray couldn’t see either the pegasus or the bird, but he got a feeling they were conversing in some way.  Fluttershy giggled shortly at a lingering line of chirps and whistles, and from the tone of it, there was a blush to go along with it.  
Ray rubbed his arms to warm them up, forgetting he held a spear in hand until one of the blades, the one opposite of the hook, brushed his hair.  Inhaling sharply, he let out a slow sigh of relief that he hadn't just accidentally skinned off his own scalp.  He needed to learn this whole thing a lot better if he were ever going to fight in the war.
“Otolo tells me you were telling her all about me,” Fluttershy coyly mentioned suddenly, a hoof brushing against his arm.
“Oh, I do hope she left out the part where I said I hated you for how mean and bossy you were,” he responded with equal coyness.  Fluttershy giggled softly, but once again, silence fell between them.  
Sighing contentedly, Ray spoke softly, “I think I’ll go home now.”
“Oh, okay then.  Good night.”
“Good night, Fluttershy.”