A Warm Welcome
Ash stood in a massive wasteland. To his left, nothing but rocks, dust, and the horizon. His right was equally bare.
The ground he stood was cracked and dry, its monotonous features broken only by the smooth white rocks that decorated the desert.
Dark ominous clouds filled the sky, blocking out the sun or moon and stars. Ash couldn't tell day from night here. Blue lightning flashed and thunder rumbled but rain refused to fall on the accursed land.
Ash looked up. The clouds were forming together, becoming a growing spiral. As it grew, Ash could feel himself being sucked into the vacuum.
Ash turned, trying to escape the black cyclone but tripped on one of the strange stones. As Ash picked himself up, he got a good look at the hindering rock.
The smooth white stone stared back with blank eye sockets and a toothy grin. Ash had stumbled on a Human skull, small enough to be held with a single hand. A child’s skull…
Ash quickly crawled away only to run into another, this one big enough for an adult. Ash recoiled in horror, finding himself surrounded by the remains of people had once lived here. This wasteland had once been the home to many and Ash knew it had also once been his.
The skeletal heads seemed to chant, “Your fault, your fault.” Ash covered his ears, his head, but could not hide from their accusations, from his own guilt.
A distant roar thundered over the tempest…
Ash opened his eyes and immediately shut them, regretting the action. Bright light had filled his vision and Ash had to blink several times before his sensitive eyes had adjusted.
Ash was in a small bed, his legs dangling from the edge. The all too small bedspread barely covered his chest, though his gigantic beard and hair seemed to work fine as a blanket.
The Human lifted a hand to his head and found it bandaged. He groaned at the touch, his forehead still tender. He turned his head to get a better look at his surroundings.
He was in a quaint little cottage, small and cozy. All around were little habitats for small critters and birds, all who were staring intensely at the Human, wary of his presence.
Darlene would have been at home here. Ash's thoughts drifted to the Elvish druid and her love for animals. He tried not to remember her as how she appeared the last time he saw her. As a corpse...
Ash quickly shook his head, attempting to drive those thoughts and memories away. He cried out in pain as the movement caused him great discomfort. Ash grabbed his head in a vain attempt to stop the room from spinning.
"Oh my, you shouldn't try to move."
Ash jumped at the sound of the soft voice, smashing his head against the cottage's support beam with a loud thud. After leaving quite an impressive imprint in the hard wood, Ash fell back, unconscious and with a second bump growing atop his head.
Fluttershy watched in horror as the strange creature knocked itself out, startling several animals out of their little homes.
"Oh Fluttershy, you're such a loud-mouth," the yellow Pegasus scolded herself quietly as she searched for extra bandages.
*****
Ash groaned, lifting his hand to head, tenderly touching his wounds. Fresh bandages had replaced the old ones, he noticed.
Slowly, he opened an eye and directly in front of him was a little yellow pony, staring at him.
Ash shouted in surprise. The pony screamed in fright and hid herself behind a table, her pink tail peaking out. The pony stuck her head out, only to withdraw quickly back to the safety of the table.
Curiosity got the better of Ash as he shifted himself to get a better look at the pony. He failed to recognize the size of the little bed he resided and found himself face first on the floor.
Fluttershy's concern override her fear and the yellow Pegasus quick approached the Human, who was groaning softly into the ground. With great effort, the little pony managed to push Ash onto his side.
"Oh, are you hurt? I don't think you're ready to move around yet."
Ash stared at the pony in bewilderment. He knew these ponies were intelligent to the point of having emotions and thoughts but being able to speak? And in a dialect he was to understand.
Fluttershy took Ash's look of disbelief as a sign of confusion.
Oh, maybe it doesn't understand me.
The little yellow began making small cooing noises, nuzzling Ash gently. Ash blinked, confused.
"It's alright, no one's going to hurt you."
She trying to comfort me. Ash realized. And she was succeeding. The mage was becoming calmer and more relaxed. Confusion was replaced by bubbly optimism. A smile reached Ash's face for the first time in over a thousand years.
With a shaky hand, Ash reached out to the Pegasus. Hesitantly, she sniffed at it and rub her face against it. Ash stroked Fluttershy's mane; it was softer than any material he had felt before. The Pegasus was like nothing he had ever encountered before, not even similar to the winged horses the Sethiopian Pegasus Knights and Valkyries rode.
"You're a cute one, aren't you?"
"Eep!"
The little yellow Pegasus squeaked in panic and dove behind the table. Ash cursed his idiocy and got to his knees, slowly crawling over to the shaking pony.
"Hey, hey, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," Ash tried coaxing the pony out of her hiding place with his softest voice. She stuck her head out, staring intensely at the Human with big blue eyes.
"Don't worry, I mean no harm." With a shaky hand, Ash reached out to the Pegasus. Fluttershy popped out from her shelter and approached the Human.
"Oh my, I've always talked to my animal friends but they never spoke back. This is so exciting."
Ash blinked, take back by the shy pony's sudden assertive nature. Fluttershy placed both hooves on his chest, giving each other a good look of the other.
"Uh, do you mind getting off me?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry. You should be resting right now."
Ash got to his feet and hit his head against the ceiling. He knelt, clutching his head with both hands.
"Are you alright?" asked the little yellow pony. Concern had filled her voice.
"Ye-yeah," Ash managed to say slowly as he forced himself toward the bed. With Fluttershy's help, he got into the bed and laid down, hoping to control his dizziness.
"There," Fluttershy said as she placed a checkered quilt over Ash's body. Again, it was much too small for an adult Human.
"So, uh."
"I'm Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy," Ash felt silly as the name rolled off his tongue. "So Fluttershy, can you tell me where I am?"
"Well," Fluttershy thought carefully, "you're in my cottage right now."
"I meant the country, world, kingdom, whatever I'm in," Ash was getting a little frustrated but was, with great effort, holding himself from directing his frustration at the poor Pegasus.
"Oh, well this is Equestria."
"Equestria?" The name was unfamiliar yet somehow appropriate. "Where's that?"
"I think I should Twilight Sparkle explain. She much smarter than me."
"Twilight Sparkle," Ash repeated. Are all the natives' names this ridiculous? "When do we meet?"
"Maybe tomorrow. You're in no condition to be moving about."
"I'm fine, really." Ash attempted to lift himself up but was pushed back by two yellow hooves.
"No, you're not. You need to rest right now. Twilight isn't going anywhere so you can ask all your questions tomorrow."
Fluttershy surprised both Ash and herself. "I'm sorry," she quickly added.
Ash sighed. "Fine, but do have anything to eat? I'm starved." As if on cue, his stomach chose that moment to rumble. Ash blushed furiously.
"Oh, I have some apples right now but if can't eat those, maybe I can find something else."
Ash stared at the bowl of red fruit presented. "They'll be fine, thanks."
"Okay, if you need me, I'll be downstairs."
As Fluttershy left, Ash picked up an apple, examining it.
When was the last time I had an apple? Or any fresh food? Ash sighed. On the majority of their quest, he and his party had eaten mainly dried meat and preserved fruit. The rare occasion was visiting the Dwarven capital. He began to salivate at the memory of roasted boar and duck and all those potatoes.
Releasing another sigh, Ash looked at the apple; it would have to do.
Ash took a bite and immediately spit it out. As he clawed at his tongue, he found a clump of white hair as a result of taking an accidental bite of his cumbersome beard. Or hair; both were so long and intermixed that Ash had difficult discerning between the two. With a sigh, Ash took another bite, this making sure it was out of the apple and not out of his own hair.
The fruit was delicious. Sweet as candy. And just as sticky Ash concluded as juice ran into his beard. Ash laid back, stroking the white mass of hair; there had been a time long ago when Ash had once dreamed of having such a long and white beard, like his master. In his mind, it made him look wise and powerful. Now he just felt old.
Wished I had mirror. Maybe...
Cosmetic magic was not his expertise, Ash knew, but he had seen Matilda perform such spells dozens of times.
Can't be too difficult...
*****
"Well, hello Applejack, how wonderful of you stop by."
The orange farm pony stood outside with a large steaming apple pie.
"Howdy, Fluttershy. Jus' thought I'd make sure you're alright, takin' care of the monster and all."
"Oh, I'm fine, and the creature is no trouble at all. Why, he's actually really nice."
Applejack chuckled. "Sugarcube, you think all critters are nice."
"Oh, but he really is," the Pegasus asserted. "He's just very shy, I think, but I got him to talk a bit."
"Is he shier than- wait, did ya jus' say ya got him to talk?"
"Oh yes, he talks just like another pony. Not at all like a parrot. Maybe you should stay and-"
Fluttershy was interrupted by an explosion from upstairs, followed by a shout and a stream of obscenities that caused Fluttershy to turn bright red.
"Looks like it can talk," Applejack noted, inviting herself in. "Could stand ta learn a few manners, though."
*****
Cursing, Ash beat away the last of the flames. Despite the noise, the blast was relatively small. The room was still intact, though all of the Human's roommates left quickly to the safety of downstairs.
The explosion managed to burn away a significant portion of Ash's beard and hair, leaving both at a bearable size, though the edges were singed and at many points one side was longer than the other. Burnt white hair cover the floor and the bitter smell floated and spread throughout the area. Ash got up to open a window only to once again smash his head against the ceiling.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay?"
Ash turned. Fluttershy stood before him, her face filled with concern. Behind her stood another pony, one that was orange and wore a strange hat. Unlike Fluttershy, this pony had no wings to speak of but Ash could tell this pony was filled with strength. The orange pony glared at the Human, her eyes filled with mistrust.
"I, uh, I can explain."
"Oh, you poor dear. Look, you're shedding."
"I was- wait, what?"
"Oh no, are you sick? Is that smell smoke?" Fluttershy gasped. "Maybe you're a type of phoenix. Don't worry, soon you'll rise from ashes as a beautiful bird."
"I'm not a phoenix. And I feel-"
"Say 'ah'."
"Whaahh-!" Ash choked as the little Pegasus jammed a thermometer down his throat. Fluttershy gently push him back into bed and covered him once again with the checkered quilt.
"This blanket is much too small and with your fur falling out, you'll freeze. Oh, what should I do?" Fluttershy tapped her hoof against her chin thoughtfully, ignorant of Ash's vain attempt to communicate with his hands. The thermometer had gone too far; the Human was beginning to turn blue.
"Why don't ya go see if Twilight knows anything about this thing," the orange pony in the hat spoke up. "Maybe she's gotta book in that library of her's."
"Of course, Twilight must know something," her friend exclaimed, yanking out the thermometer. Ash gagged and choked. "I'm sure she had book on phoenixes after what happened to Philomeena."
Fluttershy studied the thermometer. "Doesn't look like you have a fever, but you still need plenty of rest. Applejack, could you watch him while I get Twilight. That is, if you're not to busy or anything..."
"Don't worry about a thing. This thing ain't goin' anywhere." Applejack glared at the Human. "Am I right?"
"Yes ma'am," Ash squeaked weakly. He rubbed his neck furiously with his hand. Color slowly returned to his face.
"I won't be gone long," and with that Fluttershy left, leaving Ash with the orange pony, whom still glared at the Human with mistrust.
"So," Ash said, attempting to start a conversation. "Applejack, huh."
"Darn tootin'."
"You wouldn't happen to be an apple farmer, would you?"
"Mah business ain't none of your business."
Ash sighed and looked out the window. Applejack did the same.
Both Earth Pony and Human shared the same thought:
Fluttershy, please hurry.