“So let me get this straight.” Angel deadpanned. “You’re not Fluttershy.”
They were now in the kitchen, not-Fluttershy having calmed down after a short-yet-eventful freakout.
“Yes! I keep telling you, I am a guy! A human! not some… some girly horse!” she- he said, his intonation not fitting his body’s voice. “And my name is David, for God’s sake.”
Angel had decided not to ask who this god guy is, instead opting for a more productive “Ehhhh…”
“Great, and I broke the rabbit.” David short-temperedly said, rolling his eyes.
“Look,” Angel began, “This situation is clearly above both of our heads.”
“Figured that one out all by yourself?”
“And as much as I appreciate sarcasm, it won’t advance us.” Angel annoyedly replied.
David sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Yes, I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just… too much, you know?” he said, throwing his new hooves up in exasperation. “I mean, my whole body is odd, I’m probably in some weird, parallel universe or whatever, and it’s just… a lot…” David trailed off, letting his arms fall by his side. “And now I’m rambling to a rabbit…”
Angel couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the inter-dimensional intruder. He placed a paw to his head, thinking of their next course of action.
“We can go to Twilight, I guess. Apparently, she always knows what to do.” He half muttered.
“That’s a stupid name,” replied David.
“Yeah, and Fluttershy is so much better.”
“Not her, remember?”
“...Fair point.” Angel admitted.” A short pause filled the room as its occupants collected their thoughts.
David sighed. “Who is this Twilight person, anyway?”
“Well, she’s your- she's Fluttershy’s friend. I heard from Flutters that she’s the smart type; books, magic, all that stuff… you know the kind."
David looked down in contemplation, caressing his pink hair with inexperienced hooves. "It's worth a shot, I guess." he shrugged. "Guess we'll go right now. The sooner I'm done with this mess, the better."
As he struggled to get out of his seat, David glanced at Angel. "And by the way, you can call me Dave."
***
Closing the door was a challenge, yet I managed to overcome it using my -blergh- newly acquired snout. Of course, I was a bit wary about going to this pony-town, but I suppose I do not have a choice in the matter.
Now we were on our way to the nearby settlement, slowly nearing us; I could just barely see some colorful specks between the buildings.
Oddly enough, the town is quite far from my current abode. How did this Fluttershy manage to get her house's utilities this far?
I took a look at the passenger nestled between my newly acquired wings, and, in an attempt to dispel the awkward silence surrounding us, asked a quick question.
"So, how come I understand you? And for that matter, do all ponies understand rabbits?"
Angel rubbed a paw behind his head. "Well, Fluttershy's special talent is animal care and the likes, and I guess a part of it is speaking to animals; it must have carried on to you, somehow."
He stared at the advancing road ahead. "And no, Flutters is the only pony able to communicate with me."
"Oh. I'm not even going to question how this works."
"Yeah, I don't understand pony magic myself."
His language was interesting; I could hear it wasn't English, but somehow, I just automatically understood it. I can just imagine how useful this power is.
Just as I was about to continue our conversation, I suddenly stopped; shocked, I looked ahead from my position at the town's entrance.
Ponies. Ponies everywhere.
Although I knew this was coming, it had still managed to surprise me. Those tiny specks had grown into brightly colored beings, trotting, galloping, and flying around. That last one had given me another pause; perhaps those wings aren't just decorations.
There were ponies of all kinds- some with bony protrusions on their forehead, which I could only assume were horns of some kind; some were like me, equipped with wings clearly too small for flight; and some were the vanilla package- a pony and nothing more.
It seems I have stumbled upon a market, seeing as there were vendors everywhere, selling all kinds of goods. I dumbfoundedly stared at one such merchant, a “normal” pony with a bright yellow coat and a golden mane who was selling carrots. They were currently haggling with another pony, a minty blue -for a lack of a better word- unicorn.
As I watched, the unicorn deposited some golden coins on the vendor’s desk, and, to my increasing astonishment, a few carrots floated up in a blue glow, following after the leaving pony.
I couldn’t help but feel, for the second time today, my mouth slowly opening in shock. “what the fuck…”
“David! Snap out of it!” a small nudge from the passenger above me returned me to the present.
“Sorry. It’s just a lot to take in…” I murmured. Sighing, I turned my head towards my companion. “Well, lead the way, buddy.”
“Just head forwards.” he pointed towards a store featuring a generic open sign. “And don’t call me buddy.”
“Sure, sure.”
I was cautious of walking through the market, with Its large concentration of weird, pastel horses; though it seems I do not have a choice in the matter. Seriously, who placed the market right at the town’s entrance?
We walked in silence, -well, I walked- the busy chatter of the marketplace more than enough for my ears. It had all seemed so alien to me; as a city resident, It was rare to see such friendly gatherings between what seemed to be essentially strangers. …Of course, the fact that everyone were ponies did not help.
I was so engrossed in my feeling of alienation that I almost didn’t notice a friendly cry coming from a nearby stall. “Hey there, sugarcube!”
I snapped my head in surprise at the unexpected noise. Was she talking to me? I thought as I took in who called out to me. Not too far from me stood an orange pony, -”standard" one, that is- wearing a cowboy hat, of all things. based on the voice, I could deduce it’s a female, accented with a southern touch. She was manning a stand, surrounded by bags of bright red apples on all sides. Most worryingly, though, she was looking right at me- with a slowly diminishing grin, I might add.
“Y’all okay, Fluttershy? You're staring…” Shit! Why haven’t I thought about someone recognizing me!? trying to hide my internal berating, I slowly approached the orange mare.
“Oh, hello…” -a quick whisper came from above- “...Applejack.” my anxiety did not help stop a stifled snort at the name.
She subtly shook her head. “Ya came for some groceries?” she chummily asked, “Y’know ‘m always willing to sell at a discount for a friend.”
“Oh, no, I’m just on my way to… Twi-height.” I awkwardly smiled, trying to ignore the angry nudge on my back.
"Really? Then why didn't you go through the side entrance, like ya’ usually do?”
“Huh.” I deadpanned. “I must have forgotten in my rush.” I snarled, slightly turning my head towards my rabbit companion in contempt. “Speaking of rush, I really do have to go…”
Applejack’s brow furrowed. “Gal, you really ain’t like yourself today. Are ya’ sure you're alright?”
Damnit. The girl that I possessed just had to have good friends, I thought. In an attempt to cover up my bitterness I hummed, fully on edge; “No need to worry about me. Though yes, I’m not at my… full capacity; that’s the reason I’m going to Twilight, really.” I chattered nervously.
Applejack’s expression softened. “Well, if you say so… s’pose you can care for yourself. Though you can always come to me if you need, y’know.” She kindly said.
“Erm, thanks for the offer…?” I clumsily said and turned around, towards what I supposed was Twilight’s residence’s direction. I quickly resumed my hike at a hurried pace; I was not used to having such… affectionate friends.
I had not gotten far before the weight above me shifted as Angel moved closer to my head. “You are aware I don’t know the way, right?”
I spun around. “Hey Applejack, I think I might take you up on that offer!”
***
The first few steps outside the market were in complete, awkward silence. To me, at least; it seems Applejack does not mind being in her “friend’s” company. Well, I didn’t have much to complain- I mean, more silence is less time having to pose as someone else.
Unfortunately, the quiet was not to stay.
“So, sugarcube… can ah’ ask what is this, eh, plight o’ yours?” questioned the hatted mare.
“Oh dear…” I mumbled under my breath.
Applejack threw her forehoof onto my shoulder In what I could only assume was meant as reassurance. How she could do so while walking was a mystery to my bipedal mind. “Hey, no need to tell me if ya’ ain’t feelin’ it; I understand.”
Hrm… Well, lying -or hiding the truth- would not get me anywhere, would it? Plus, she’ll probably know it anyway, seeing as she’s Fluttershy’s friend. Better get done with it now.
“No, No; it’s okay. I’ll tell you.” I shyly said. Just as I was about to continue, however, a nudge on my neck made me stop and look back, toward my admittedly forgotten passenger.
“Are you sure about this? Once you tell her, you can’t take it back,” he said, perhaps somewhat worriedly so.
“Trust me. She’ll probably learn of it soon, anyway.” I replied.
Angel seemed ready to object, but he admitted defeat. “Your choice, I guess.” He shrugged. “Welp, looks like you’ve got it covered. I’ma go back home and make me a salad or something…” he said and hopped off.
“Take care!” I called as I watched him hop away.
Sighing, I turned to Applejack, who was patiently waiting. “Done talking with your rabbit buddy?”
“Yeah. About that… thing you asked about…” I trailed off, sitting down on the dirt road. “...Well, you better sit down.”
“Heh, trust me, I can take it.” She confidently said.
I winced. “You see…” I began, “I’m not Fluttershy.”
Applejack’s rump had fallen to the floor, her wide eyes staring right at me.
“You're… what?”
I shrugged. “Told ya it’s big.”
She seemed zoned out, lost in thought. I stared expectantly at her and awaited her reaction. Honestly, she was much less freaked out than I had originally guessed; I suppose living in a magical world would make you used to seeing weird stuff.
She shook her head and got up. “Okay; we need to get to Twilight, ASAP,” she spoke seriously.
I stood up and nodded my head. “All right. I’ll fill you in while we walk.”
***
“And then I woke up. Here.”
We were on our way now, jogging at a swift pace I had not gotten used to yet; though a few small stumbles were the least of my problems right now. I had just finished recapping my last few hours to Applejack- Frankly, I was getting sick of explaining what a human is today.
“Hoo-wee, that sure is something…” the accented mare responded to my tale.
“You’re telling me.”
"Well, ya' ain't got ta' worry nothin'. I'm sure Twi will getcha back home lickety-split!"
I silently thanked her for the reassurance, even if it did nothing to quell my worries. "So… how close are we?" I questioned, trying not to sound too impatient.
"We've got some time; few minutes, I reckon."
I slightly turned my head towards her, still keeping half an eye on the road- hey, I was getting better at it!
"Hey, I just realized I barely know a thing about you," I spoke in an attempt to be friendly. Admittedly, that is not something I do often enough.
"Heh," she snorted, "Ain't much to talk about, really. Ah’ farm apples; It’s the family business, ya’ see.”
Applejack farms apples? that can’t be a coincidence…
“Surely your whole life can’t be just about apples, right?” I rhetorically questioned.
“You’d be surprised.” she rolled her eyes. “But yeah, ah’ do plenty o’ stuff. Guess ah’ got ma’ small group of friends, and together we just… Ah dono’, hang out, I guess.” she shrugged, continuing to surprise me with just how expressive a pony's body could be while moving.
“Sounds pretty peaceful.”
“Ah' wouldn’t say that, but life sure does have its quiet times.”
We trotted in silence for a few moments, the only sound being the whip of the wind and the occasional chatter of a nearby passerby. In a somewhat uncharacteristic feeling for me, I had felt some need to dispel the silence, but luckily, Applejack took the first move.
“Sooo… I only heard about your more recent ventures; what’s yo’ life usually like?”
“Eh, my life is boring. I just study and meet up with friends, that’s it.” I sighed. “Frankly, even though I’m scared shitless right now, I’m still glad for the break in the monotony.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Ya’ always use harsh language like that?”
“Pfft, that’s harsh for you?” I joked. “I’ll have you know my language is considered squeaky clean! In respect to some other guys I know, at least…”
The farmer shivered slightly. “Brrr, It’s real odd to hear Fluttershy talk like that.” Recovering, she looked at me. “I was wonderin’... Well, how’s it feel to… Ya’ know… be like that, and all?”
I turned my head down, staring at the moving ground in contemplation. “I don’t know… I’ve just been tuning it out, I guess.” I looked back at her, “But it sure does feel odd. I mean, I’m not used to walking around on all fours, or having a feminine voice; and don't even get me started on those wings.”
“Ah can imagine. if I’d sprout wings overnight, I’d prob’ly freak out real bad.” The hatted mare responded.
Suddenly, her eyes grew open a tad more. “Wait a minute… Ya’ said you're ain’t used to a girly voice…” she trailed off, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. “Does that mean you’re not… Ya’ know…”
I grimaced as I inhaled sharply. “Yep. Though, to be honest, this change less bothers me than freaking changing species."
Applejack nodded, still a bit awkward. “This I can understand, sugarcube.”
Suddenly, Applejack slowed down, coming to a swift yet elegant stop. Seeing as I did not have the best reflexes or control over my body, I had managed to step on my hoof the wrong way.
A few seconds later I was lying on my back, watching the clouds, as Applejack entered my view.
"Oh! So sorry, Dave." she said, offering a hoof, "Should've told you I was gonna slow down…"
"Don't sweat it." I muttered as I accepted her help and stood up. "Why'd we stop anyway?"
"Cause' we're here! That there is Twi's house!" she said, pointing forwards.
"What, behind that tree?" I said as I leaned to the side, searching for the accursed building, which was apparently obscured by a large oak tree.
"Wha'- no, it's the tree!"
Confused, I took a look at the oak tree. Upon closer inspection, it was clear it served as a building of some kind, with a door, windows, and even a balcony. A sign was placed beside the door, displaying an open book.
"Huh." I mumbled. How did they even manage to keep the tree alive? Then I remembered where I was. Duh.
"Yep. This here's golden oaks library, Ponyville's prized establishment!" spoke Applejack with pride. "Y'see, Twilight's the librarian, so she lives here, where she works."
A brief moment of silence passed over us as I stared at the anomalous house. Eventually, though, I recovered. “Well, shall we?” I questioned, nodding towards the tree-house.
“Let’s git.” the orange mare said and trotted over to the door, with me following right behind, anxiously anticipating the coming conversation.
Hopefully this Twilight will take it well…