//------------------------------// // Welcome to Ponyville, Cyr-Part 1 // Story: My Little Behemoth: Friendship is more than Food // by Kishin //------------------------------// At first, Fluttershy thought the hummingbird was mistaken. Of course that fallen log wasn't a pony, it was just extremely mishapen and strangely symmetrical. Though it was quite life-like, with its splayed roots almost looking like limbs. Oh that hummingbird had SUCH an imagination, there was no way that the log was an animal. And plus there are giant holes in the roots and- Well, those roots do look awfully like hooves, and the only time that she saw that many holes in a set of hooves was during the Royal Wedding...oh, that didn't end well. "Ummm, did I hear that right?" Fluttershy confirmed with the hummingbird. It nodded. Applejack interrupted, "Wait. It means the pony that helped me get in all of these apples for applebuck season? Well ah'll be. I have ta personally thank him for doing all this. Where is he?" "He says it isn't a pony," Fluttershy said with disbelief. She almost squeaked when the "fallen log" had two parts on each side of it's ventral "face" lift up. Iridescent orange slits from its front glowed in the early dawn lighting. Fluttershy hesitantly pointed a shaking hoof at the mass. "And he says it's right over there." The orange slits grew wider into two luminescent circles. Definitely not a log. "Ummmm, Fluttershy? Are you seeing this?" Applejack said as she slowly trotted backwards. "Oh....my...." Fluttershy's eyes grew as large as dinner plates. "Fluttershy! Get away from it!" The black mass rose up slowly and its form became apparant to both Fluttershy, hooves frozen in fear and shrinking to the ground as the hummingbird's newly-acquired "friend" got up, and Applejack, tugging at Fluttershy's tail with her teeth and urging her pegasus friend to move away. Fluttershy could hardly believe it. As the beastly creature stood up, she could recognize most of its features with a Changeling's, except for, of course, its very elevated height. It's eyes, however, were different. They teemed with intelligence and strife, and not a shadow of maliciousness hung in them. It had the daunting, tired eyes of an elder, but a horrific armor-like coat of a monster (and the glyph carvings on its body didn't help with its image). She was snapped out of her hybrid trance of terror and curiosity by a furious tug on her tail. She finally noticed Applejack's efforts to escape from the creature. And that's when it spoke kindly in a crackling, low call. "Hello?" Applejack never expected it to speak. She had been so used to the whole perception, especially during the antics she is involved in as a fellow Element, that somepony or thing with a leviathan or alien appearance was usually a monster out to wreak havoc across Equestria, or spread eternal chaos and darkness, or gobble-up her friends and family. She tripped on a root underneath the large apple tree they were presiding under in sheer shock that a "monster" could greet them so kindly in such a manner, especially since it looked like an overgrown Changeling. But, she was caught from falling onto the ground by one of its holed-hooves. "Are you alright? I thought the Princesses were requiring you to receive rest?" "Ya....just saved me from fallin'. And you were the one tha' the Princesses told to help me out with the apple-bucking?" The large Changeling seemed confused. "Well, why would I let any pony fall on their face? Seems rather sadistic to just watch them fall without a care." "And yes. I managed to finish retrieving your apples by the end of the night. I hope you are quite satisfied." Fluttershy managed to say, "So, you're not going to attack us and steal all of our love?" "Of course not. I'm surprised that one of the Princesses' pupils haven't alerted you all to my presence. I believe her name was Twilight Sparkle? Celestia informed me that my arrival would be told to your townsponies to prevent....panic." He gestured a hoof to Fluttershy's and Applejack's general location. There was a pause, as both of the ponies tried to recover from the awkwardness of the situation, as they had treated one of their guests based solely on his appearance. It was Fluttershy that first broke the silence. "Well...thank you anyway. You managed to save my dear birds friends from timberwolves! You're just like the hummingbird described. You're not so bad. But I'm sorry for thinking that you were going to hurt me and my friends." "And Ah'm sorry, too. It was mighty indecent of me for treating you like a monster when I was already told that you helped me out in a rather difficult time. I can never pay you back for what you've done to help mah family." Applejack tipped her hat in embarrassment. The orange earth mare's voice was unwavering and strong. The yellow pegasus' expression oozed with sincerity. Cyr's non-existant heart almost shattered. Though not at first, they were truly grateful. "You both are quite welcome. I am happy to see that I've done something to help others," he cracked a warm grin. Applejack replied, "Stay here as long as ya want, partner. Ah'll be right back after Ah have a nice, long chat with Twi." "Thank you. But the Princesses told me to inform them when my task was complete. Could you mention that to Ms. Sparkle?" "Can do." With a rousing wave, Applejack looked awkwardly back, still embarrassed by the fact that she had almost wanted to buck Cyr into the Everfree Forest not a few minutes ago, and trotted into town. Fluttershy, after a looking at Applejack walk in the rising red-orange sunlight, looked over to the still-present hummingbird and said to him, "Come on little fellow. I need to get all of you guys fed and cleaned." The hummingbird reluctantly shook his head. "What? You want to stay with him?" She directed a hoof at the Behemoth. She was soon abashed at what she implied about Cyr. "Not that anything is wrong with you...." "No offense taken." Cyr rumbled. "My young feathery friend, you have done enough today. I have no experience in caretaking animals, but this delicate, youthful pegasus does. It would be for the best if you go with her." The hummingbird squeaked a sad tune and downcast its head. "But don't be so gloomy. I'll come visit you soon. After the Princesses arrive again, I'll be sure to see you all." The hummingbird sped towards the Behemoth and nuzzled his cheek. It flew away with an energetic pattern, dancing in the cool morning air. Along his journey back home, he passed by a carrot-orange maned earth pony that had trekked down the dirt road coursing through Sweet Apple Acre. The light orange-tinged earth pony mare soon came across the wagonloads of apple barrels and she immediately saw Fluttershy, desperately trying to hoof-comb her messy, frizzled mane, talking to somepony she couldn't see. A patch of air shimmered in the direction that Fluttershy was talking to. That's funny. From a distance she saw a tall stallion with a black coat next to Fluttershy. She swore she saw Fluttershy speaking to somepony. Fluttershy, noticing the distant pattering of hooves on the road, turned and saw the earth pony. She greeted her, "Why hello there, Carrot Top!" She waved her hoof over to the pegasus mare, "Hey Fluttershy! Have you seen AJ around? I kinda needed to ask her about the new crop taxes that the Canterlot nobles are starting to fling at us this year." "She went back into town, but I'll be sure to tell her when she comes back." "Gee thanks, Flutters! So....who were ya talking to? Is he hot?" giggled Carrot Top. Fluttershy blushed furiously, "No no no no. He's just a....friend." "Really? Well, I want to meet him. A friend of your's is a-" On the right side of Carrot Top's vision, the seemingly empty space next to Fluttershy fluctuated between a shimmering image of the landscape and the tree, and a dark black obstruction. The rumbling voice was....familiar. "Nice to see you again." This time she could see his more opaque form, unperturbed by his invisibility spell. Carrot Top looked up to see an even more familiar face, this time with a nostalgiac smile present. She stammered, "Is that really you? You're not some other giant bug-pony that saved my flank back in Canterlot?" He chuckled, "Well, I hope so. Because I've never properly introduced myself back there." "My name is Cyr. How has your life been so far, little one?" Twilight shut the library door behind her, with an exasperated sigh. "Spike? You there?" The purple baby dragon, cleaning up their bedroom, answered back as he jumped down from the stair-steps, "Yeah, I'm coming. Tough day?" "Like you wouldn't believe." "I know what would cheer you up. I'll heat up some mint tea for ya," Spike said as he entered casually into the kitchen. "Thanks, Number One Assistant! You're a lifesaver!" Almost immediately after Twilight collapsed into a lavishly cushioned chair, the door opened, and Applejack trotted into the library. "Twi, I need ta ask ya something. Why didn't ya tell me about our guest?" Twilight uprighted herself back onto the floor. "I'm sorry, AJ. Only after the princesses decided to leave your farm, did they send a letter to me to tell everypony in Ponyville. The Canterlot nobles weren't exactly excited about their decision to free a megolithic Changeling into the countryside. So they're coming back, I guess, to.....modify his sentence." "Sentence? What do ya mean?" Twilight cringed at having released the detail, but finally decided to speak. "Remember the Canterlot Wedding?" "Yeah. Did it take part in anything that happened there?" "Maybe...." "But it seemed so nice! I don't know how a pony-" "He's not a pony." "Whatever! How could he be a...a...criminal? He didn't seem like the type, if you catch mah drift." Twilight shrugged, "Circumstances, I guess. Celestia and Luna obviously have enough faith in him not to imprison him for the rest of his existence. But can you believe he's actually 417 years old? I can't wait to meet him! The knowledge that he must have, and I've heard that he could even perform pretty advanced magic. He can even cast himself invisible! Nopony has ever successfully developed a disillusionment spell before!" Applejack sighed in partial frustration, "Twi, yer getting off topic. How did the folks in Ponyville react. Ah know that some of our friends, and myself, can accept him, but what about the others? Ya were just getting back from the assembly, right?" Twilight facehoofed and exhaled deeply. "Heh. Well, about that....."