//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: First Contact 
// Story: A Huragok in Equestria 
// by Zoura3025 
//------------------------------//

Though the edges of Sweet Apple Acres did not play host to the cryptic mire that was the Everfree Forest, Applejack still prepared herself for the occasional eventuality that something might come creeping out of the forests just beyond the farm’s edge. After all, a prepared mind was a level one, and some days Applejack felt as though she was the only level-headed one amongst her friends. Not that that made her love them any less, of course; it was just another component of their group’s dynamic.

It was a quiet autumn afternoon. The farm pony was working on some late harvesting towards the edge of the farm, putting in a bit of extra work. Not for any particular reason; she just had a bit of extra pep in her step today, and wanted to put that energy into something productive.
However, Applejack thought she saw something as she trotted to her next tree, sitting just beyond the fence. On further inspection, it seemed to be looking at her, though she didn’t see any particularly noticeable eyes at a distance.
“What in the hay…?” Applejack murmured, starting to approach; slowly, of course. Applejack knew better than to charge at a wild animal without permission.

Surprisingly, however, the creature slowly floated towards her. The closing distance allowed Applejack to get a better look at the creature, and was surprised at just how alien it was.
It appeared to be a sort of soft blue worm thing, with three pairs of small eyes that ran along its head and neck. Its body was partially enclosed in what looked dark black metal shell inside a bundle of navy blue bloons, with small stray patterns of electricity occasionally flickering just beneath the surface. In addition to its head and tail, the creature had four small, tendril-y limbs, capped off with a pink feathery appendage.



Applejack had never seen such a creature in her life, and halted her approach as she stared at it, taking it all in. It appeared honestly and truly alien to her, and truthfully, it rattled her a bit. Usually, alien-looking creatures tended to be dangerous.
However, the strange alien floated just a bit closer, and its shell deflated just a bit, allowing it to sink closer to the ground. It was quite a sizeable creature, too; it would’ve surpassed Big McIntosh in height by two heads or so, even without floating some foot or so off the ground.
Her ear twitched as the alien… Whistled? Trilled? At her. An odd sort of song; the pitch of a bird, the length and stability of a whale.

“Ah’m sorry, I didn’t get a lick o’ that,” She admitted, as if expecting the creature to understand her.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, it actually seemed to, letting out a small, sorrowful whistle as it shrank and sank more, its tail nearly dragging on the ground now.
Applejack bit her lip and stepped forward. “Hey now, y’all don’t need to be sad,” She said gently, “I ain’t too good at interpreting.” She gently brushed the creature’s head with a hoof, avoiding the spots that seemed to be eyes.
The creature looked at her, its eyes lidded in an unfamiliar, but somehow still recognizable pattern. Sorrow, with a hint of fear and confusion. It now held up one of its pink feelers, which split in two and quickly began twisting and folding to sign something.

Again, Applejack lacked the necessary knowledge to interpret this. It did, however, make the creature a bit easier to handle. Applejack could see it was at least trying to communicate, and it seemed to understand her. She only wished she could understand it in return.
Then, an idea crossed her mind. More specifically, a certain pony.
“Ah know!” She chirped, surprising the alien from the sudden noise. It clicked distressedly, lurching away from her.
“Ah, sorry. Ah jus' think Ah know somepony who can help,” Applejack explained, “Ah got a friend named Fluttershy who’s mighty good at talkin’ t’ critters like you; I’ll take ya to her.”
The alien tilted its head and whistled softly, but drifted a bit closer to Applejack.

Applejack smiled reassuringly at the alien. “She’ll sort it out,” She promised, “C’mon, follow me.” She turned and trotted with some haste towards Ponyville; Fluttershy’s cottage was on the other side of town, and Applejack didn’t feel like spending her whole day walking.
The alien followed her, swelling as it returned to its floating height. It did not, however, float with much urgency, more drifting after her than anything.
Applejack sighed impatiently. “Alright, this’ gonna take forever with you mopin’ along like that,” She said gently.
The alien shrank a little, sinking towards the ground again. Applejack couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
“Tell ya what: You grab on, and I’ll run us both over, alright?” Applejack invited.

The creature looked at her curiously, slowly flitting forth. Applejack turned to the side to give the creature a shot at her torso.
The alien looked at her curiously for a moment, but eventually perched on her back, two of its tendrils dexterously wrapping around her torso. It was an odd, and slightly unpleasant feeling, but Applejack ignored it. “Alright, you hold on tight now,” She said, beginning to pick up to a sprint.
The creature clung to her back tightly as she ran towards Ponyville. Applejack was surprised at how light it was; were it any lighter, it felt like it would be lifting her off the ground.
Naturally, Applejack caught a few looks, but she ignored them. Her priority was figuring out just what the heck this thing was.

Fluttershy squeaked as she heard a knock on her cottage’s door. She wasn’t expecting company today, so such a disturbance shook her some. Despite this, she took a breath and walked to the door; it would be rude not to answer, after all.
She blinked as she opened the door to see Applejack, with some sort of creature she didn’t recognize tied around her back. Fluttershy tilted her head a bit.
“Hi Applejack,” Fluttershy greeted quietly.
“You got a minute, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, “My, err… Friend, and I, could use your help.”
The odd creature poked its wormy little head over Applejack’s hat and whistled softly. It sounded a bit like bird song to Fluttershy, but she didn’t recognize it as any bird she’d ever been serenaded by. Despite this, she found the way it peeked over at her endearing, and caught a small smile on her face.

“Come in; I’ve never seen an animal like that before, but I’ll do my best,” Fluttershy offered gently.
Applejack walked in, looking up at the creature. “You can let go now,” She said.
The creature unwrapped its limbs and kicked the door closed with its tail, but didn’t actually leave its perch on Applejack’s back.
Fluttershy giggled a bit. “I think they like you,” She said gently.
Applejack smiled awkwardly. “I hope it’s not like that thing ducks do. Wouldn’t want it stalkin’ me all over the place,” She remarked.
“Imprinting?” Fluttershy asked, “I don’t think this is imprinting. They don’t look very young, you can see it in the scars on their cheeks.”

Applejack attempted to crane her neck to get a good look. Sure enough, there were some small scars riddling its neck and tail; it looked like a mixture of burns and holes.
The creature did eventually float from Applejack’s back, sitting very lightly on its tail tip; like a ballerina standing on the very tip of their hoof.
Fluttershy approached the alien slowly. “Now… If I ask you a question, can you answer it slowly for me?” She asked gently.
The creature nodded a bit, and gave a small whistle.
Fluttershy thought hard. It was an affirmative answer, for sure, but it still lacked any sort of familiarity. “Okay… Let’s start simple: What are you?” Fluttershy asked.

The creature whistled a bit and wiggled its four feelers. Fluttershy still failed to glean any meaningful information from the noise. “You’re… A worker?” Fluttershy asked.
One of the creature’s feelers briefly wobbled to indicate so-so, and its others mimicked the act of using a wrench to tighten something.
“You’re a plumber,” Applejack supposed.
The creature, again, wobbled a feeler, imitating working with a hammer, then a drill, then went back to the unusual waggling motion.
“I think we’re close… What sort of pony does all those things?” Fluttershy asked.
“A handystallion?” Applejack asked.

The creature shook its head and briefly looked around, eyes settling on the coasters and teacups on the table. It very particularly stacked them, teacup-then-coaster, to form a tower.
“That’s some fine engineerin’ skill you got there,” Applejack remarked.
The alien’s eyes went as wide as they could go, and it nodded fervently.
“Oh! You’re an engineer,” Fluttershy reasoned.
The creature, again, nodded fervently, its eyes happily turned up as it trilled in joy. It carefully unstacked its tower, and floated back over to the two mares, now sitting attentively before Fluttershy.

“Okay, so you’re an engineer,” Fluttershy said softly, “Are you hurt?” She asked, opting for questions that could be answered more simply.
The creature shook its head, and Fluttershy sighed softly in relief. “Okay,” She replied gently, “Are you lost?”
The creature’s eyes turned a bit sorrowful again, and it let out a small whine as it nodded. Fluttershy gently stroked its head. “I’m sorry…” She said gently, before turning to Applejack, “Do you remember where you found them?”
Applejack nodded. “O’ course, I came right over. Found it sittin’ on the edge of the farm,” She replied.
Fluttershy turned back to the alien as she nodded.

“Do you remember where you came from?” Fluttershy asked gently.
The creature trembled a bit, its head retreating into its balloonlike shell some as said shell deflated some, causing the alien to sink slightly.
“It’s okay… You don’t have to talk about it,” Fluttershy promised, giving the alien the gentlest smile she could.
The creature nodded a bit and relaxed itself, looking at her with an apologetic expression and trilling softly.
“A nicer question, then,” Fluttershy thought aloud, “Are you hungry?” She asked.
The alien nodded, perking up a bit.
Fluttershy smiled. “You come show me what you want to eat, okay?” She said gently.

The alien followed Fluttershy to the kitchen, and she opened some of the pantry for the alien to look through. It rummaged around some, it shook its head and, again, trilled apologetically.
“You don’t want anything?” Fluttershy asked, frowning a bit, “I’m sorry… You must eat differently than the animals around here.”
The alien nodded a little, and whistled again.
Applejack thought for a moment. “Maybe Pinkie’d have an idea. She has hunches ‘bout things like this; hunches that ain’t disoften right,” She reasoned.
Fluttershy nodded a bit. “That sounds like a good idea,” She replied softly, “Come with us, okay?”

The alien nodded and followed the two mares out the door, perching on Applejack’s back as they got outside.
Applejack chuckled. “What am I, your personal rickshaw?” She asked.
The alien trilled a little and used its feelers to motion one object moving away from the other.
“It might be tired,” Fluttershy reasoned, “It’s lost and you only just found it, so who knows how long it’s been out there, hungry and alone?” Fluttershy shivered a little at the thought.
Applejack just nodded a bit. “Spare me the guilt trip,” She huffed gently, “You just hold on, now.”
The alien again gripped her center, and the three headed off towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Given that they were going to a place in town, now, looks were unavoidable. Many sets of eyes fell upon the creature, though it didn’t seem to mind.
It was getting late, and Sugar Cube Corner was just past its main rush of the evening, so when the three walked in, it was fairly quiet.
Pinkie grinned excitedly as she saw her two friends, and her grin only seemed to widen further as she saw the alien creature poking over Applejack’s hat. She zipped over to greet them, but squeaked as a thin pane of scintillating blue light appeared between them, the pink pony skidding to a stop just in time to avoid colliding with it.

The alien had a scared look on its face, and one of its feelers had curled into a blue orb, which was projecting the pane via a thin arc of electricity.
“Hey now,” Applejack said, “Pinkie’s not a problem. You just relax a bit.”
“I’m sorry!” Pinkie yipped, “I didn’t mean to scare you, big guy!”
The alien maintained the pane for a bit longer, until Fluttershy gazed gently at it and cooed softly: “It’s okay, we’re not in danger.”
The alien hesitated, but eventually, its feeler uncurled, dispersing the wall of light.
Pinkie Pie attempted to ease herself back a bit, seeing that the alien seemed skittish. “So who’s your new friend?” She asked.

“Well, we don’t know much yet,” Fluttershy admitted, “But they’re an engineer, and they’re very lost… We’re trying to find them something to eat.”
Pinkie’s smile returned. “Something to eat? Well heck, we’ve got too much to eat around here!” She giggled, turning and bouncing toward the counter.
Applejack and Fluttershy followed her in, walking towards the counter as Pinkie hopped behind the back.
The alien looked around, whistling softly in thought. All six of its eyes darted around, scanning the room’s interior with intrigue.
Fluttershy smiled a little. “Look at now curious they are…” She said quietly.

Applejack smiled. “Come look at some food, you,” She remarked, lightly gesturing towards the glass case containing all manner of confectioneries that Pinkie was now standing behind.
The alien slid off of Applejack’s back and dipped down to the floor, moving to the case. It eyed over all the assorted treats with intrigue, before one of its feelers lightly poked the glass in front of a colourfully decorated cake.
Pinkie smiled. “Cake?” She asked with a small giggle, “Applejack, are you sure you didn’t just find a foal with a sweet tooth at the edge of the farm?”
Applejack shrugged. “Doesn’t look like any foal I’ve ever seen b’fore,” She remarked.
Pinkie just shrugged a little and took the cake out of the stand, cutting a large slice and setting it on a plate.

The alien eyed the cake slice and wobbled one of its tendrils as if it were a wavy ocean.
Pinkie tilted. “Huh?” She asked.
Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Maybe they want something to drink?” She asked, “I know some ponies who can’t eat a whole slice of cake without some milk or something.”
Pinkie nodded. “Oh, duh! Of course!” She remarked, walking to the fridge, grabbing out a jug of milk, and pouring the alien a glass.
The alien looked ponderously on the small spread for a moment, then deeper into the kitchen.
“Whatcha looking for, big guy?” Pinkie asked.
The alien scanned the room for a minute, until it perked up. It pointed to the cake and milk with one feeler split into two digits, and pointed at the blender with another.

“You want the cake blended?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head.
The alien nodded and whistled softly.
It didn’t exactly sit right with Pinkie Pie as a baker to sog down a piece of cake with milk and then blend it, but Pinkie wanted to make up for the rough introduction she’d had with the alien. She brought the cake over, dumped the milk in, and blended the cake until it was pureed, quietly whispering, “Oh, cake forgive me…”
She then brought back the glass of pureed cake and set it before the alien.
The alien floated up and leaned down, the tip of its face dipping into the pasty puree and beginning to… Eat? Drink? Consume it, at any rate; the sugary fluid slowly drained as the alien dipped its face further into the bowl to follow after it.

Fluttershy blinked. “I wonder if it’s the sugar,” She supposed, “Some creatures need a lot of energy to live.”
“Ah reckon Ah’d get tired too if I had to float around all the time,” Applejack supposed.
Pinkie smiled at the alien as it finished its meal, lightly scraping the glass clean with its snout. “Was that good?” She asked softly.
The alien nodded and trilled happily.
“Well, at least we found something it can eat,” Fluttershy supposed, “Maybe it should stay with you for the evening, Pinkie, just in case it gets hungry again.”
Applejack smiled. “Here’d be a better place for it than the farm, at least,” She remarked, “Wouldn’t want it gettin’ knocked around when I’m buckin’ trees.”

Fluttershy stepped forward and gently patted one of the alien’s balloonish parts. “Are you okay with staying here with Pinkie?” She asked softly.
The alien briefly looked between the two mares. Pinkie offered an awkward smile.
Then, the alien nodded, floating gracefully over the counter and sitting next to Pinkie.
Fluttershy smiled happily. “I’ll come back to check on you in the morning, okay?” She promised, “Then maybe we can take you to Twilight; she might have some ideas to help us communicate better.”
The alien trilled contently at this plan of action, and Pinkie lightly patted its side. “I’ll take good care of them, don’t worry,” Pinkie insisted, “Maybe I’ll mix up some more cake soup for them before bed.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Okay,” She replied gently, “Good night, the three of you,” She bade softly as she prepared to leave.
Applejack smiled. “Night y’all,” She replied, following Fluttershy out the door.
Pinkie looked at the alien as the two mares left. “Alright… Well, first things first: Are you still hungry?” Pinkie asked.
The alien shook its head and trilled softly.
“Okay, that’s good…” Pinkie trailed off in thought, “I’ve still got some baking to do, so you find yourself somewhere comfy, okay?” She suggested.
The alien nodded silently, and carefully floated over the kitchen, having a look around.

Pinkie got to work mixing together some batters she wanted to sit overnight; sourdough starter in particular. She hummed softly as she worked, but frowned a bit as she got to the proofer. The machine hadn’t been working correctly; it always seemed to be over- or under-proofing things.
The alien seemed to notice her frustration and lightly levitated over, whistling.
“Huh?” Pinkie asked, “Oh, it’s okay. I’m just trying to figure out how to set the proofer… Darn thing’s being messing with me and the Cakes for a while now.”
The alien lightly nudged her aside and sank to the floor before the machine, its feelers reaching out and branching into dozens of fine little fibers, sneaking into the machine to fix it.

Pinkie watched with wide eyed intrigue, trying to play along with the creature’s thoughtful whistling.
“...Uh-huh… Okay… I see…” Pinkie said softly, “Can you fix it?”
The alien trilled contently and nodded, scooching a bit closer to the machine.
After a few minutes, the alien’s tendrils receded from the machine, neatly coming bath together in their feathery shapes as it turned the dial of the proofer to on.
“Well… Nopony else’s fixed it yet, so let’s see if your try works,” Pinkie supposed, setting her starters in the proofer and closing the door.

The alien whistled softly, one of its feelers sparking.
Pinkie squeaked a bit from the small, sudden crackle of electricity, jumping back.
The alien began to make a motion that mimicked giggling, a soft whistle accompanying every small bob of its head.
Pinky huffed and placed her hooves on her hips. “Hey! I said sorry,” She reasoned, before starting to giggle along, “...Okay, it was kind of funny.”
The alien lightly pointed to the machine and made another small spark of electricity with its feeler.
“Oh… That’s what was wrong with the proofer,” Pinkie thought aloud, “We really need to teach you how to speak so you can say that without scaring the fluff out of my tail.”

The alien whistled and nodded in agreement.
Pinkie smiled a bit. “I think Rainbow would like you if you’re a prankster like that,” She remarked softly.
The alien nudged a bit closer to Pinkie Pie, head tilted curiously.
“Rainbow? Oh, she’s one of our other friends. I can introduce you tomorrow after you go see Twilight,” Pinkie explained with a small smile.
The alien whistled contently at this answer, its little eyes all happily turned up.
Pinkie giggled and lightly patted the creature’s head. “D’aww, you’re not so bad,” Pinkie said, “You’re just as bubbly as a bundle of balloons, aren’t you?”
The alien trilled happily and shuffled a bit closer.

After a few moments of gently rubbing the alien’s head, Pinkie stood up. “Alright, I’ve still got until moon-up to watch the counter,” She said gently.
The alien nodded and trilled softly, following Pinkie over to the register.
A few late customers came in, gawking at the alien that was now lazily floating just behind the counter.
“Uh… New help from far away, Pinkie?” Asked a unicorn mare.
“I’m just taking care of them for my friend!” Pinkie excused, “They like the sugary stuff here.”
The unicorn chuckled a bit. “Well, now, who wouldn’t?” They asked with a jovial laugh.
Pinkie giggled along with them.
The alien quietly looked at the unicorn with its six curious eyes, tilting its head, intrigued.
The unicorn smiled gently at the creature, setting down an extra bit on the counter. “Oh, alright, fine. Those eyes are worth a spare bit,” They chuckled.

Pinkie smiled at the alien once the unicorn had left. “Look at you! First you fix the proofer, now you’re good for business,” Pinkie said contently, “I think someone’s earned another bowl of cake soup before bed.”
The alien trilled contently and lightly bounced in the air.
Pinkie giggled at the endearing display, getting another slice of cake and some more milk and blending it all together for her new friend, bringing it over, this time in a bowl.
The alien contently leaned down and slurped up the pureed cake, whistling softly in appreciation.
Pinkie gently rubbed the alien’s head as it drank. “There you go… Fill up before we go to bed, okay?” She said gently.
The alien quickly finished their bowl of ‘cake soup’ and trilled contently, watching as Pinkie locked up for the night.

Pinkie then led the alien up the stairs to her room, helping them inside.
The alien looked around the warm room and whistled softly.
Pinkie giggled. “I haven’t had a friend over for a sleepover in ages,” She said, “Make yourself comfy, okay?” She invited.
The alien floated to the middle of the room, sank slightly, and closed their eyes, very quickly entering what at least seemed to be a resting state.
Pinkie blinked a little. “...Or just fall asleep in the middle of the room,” She supposed softly.
She carefully walked to her bed, taking an extra blanket from it and lightly tossing it over the alien. The alien whistled softly, but didn’t move or open their eyes, sinking just a bit from the weight of the blanket settling on them.
“Good night, new friend,” Pinkie hummed contently, sliding into her bed and closing her eyes.