//------------------------------// // Kindness and Honesty // Story: Just Who Should I Be? // by ElementOfHope //------------------------------// Getting used to walking on four legs, or hooves, isn't as bad as i thought it'd be. Although it does sometimes throw me for a loop when I think about the order in which my hooves should walk. Overall, being a pony isn't that strange. I still have black hair and I even have a tail the same color. The color of my eyes and body seem a little strange but it's nothing I can't get over. Walking down the dirt road I thought to myself on what I should do next. "Okay, Alan, let's take a deep breath and see the situation we're in." I thought back as far as I could remember, but for some reason I couldn't remember exactly how it was I got to this, Equestria. All I remember were bits and pieces but the most vivid memory was a woman's scream and the after that I was here. Memory can sometimes be an odd thing, especially when it doesn't tell you the important stuff. Lost in thought I almost didn't notice the tree I was passing by...or maybe I should be saying house. I couldn't believe my eyes. There were bird houses on various branches with birds actually in them and many other animals I had only ever seen pictures of before like bears, buzzards, falcons, turtles, and toucan. "So is this a hotel for animals?" I said aloud looking around. I didn't get a response from any of the animals except for a few glares. Maybe animals like these can't talk then. Just as i was about to walk away I heard something. It sounded like humming. "Maybe it's another pony, " I said looking around for where the pony might be. The humming got a little closer but I still couldn't see who it was. "What in the wide world is going...on?" My eyes met with a pair of blue eyes that belonged to the pony above me...WHO WAS FLYING. She was a light yellow pony with a bright pink mane that was long and flowing. In an instant the pony that was flying dropped the basket she was holding in her mouth and without warning closed her wings. "Eek!" she screamed as she fell. Thankfully I was close enough to catch her as best I could...and by "catch" I mean use my back to break her fall. "Ow!" I said standing up after she lifted herself from my back. "That wasn't too fun...hey, are you okay there?" I asked. "Um...well...I" She said drawing a circle on the ground with her hoof obviously trying to avoid eye contact. The silence that followed was very awkward indeed. If I hadn't said anything i'm sure I would have been stuck there for hours. "Sooo, what's your name?" She looked up at me a little with one eye while the other hid behind her flowing pink mane. "Um...my name is Alan." Faintly I thought I heard her say something but there was no possible way I could have made it out. If I was going to get her to say something then I would need to do a lot more of the talking for now. "Can we please talk? I want to know if you're okay. I don't really know you but i'm still worried." I said trying to get through to her. She again looked up at me but this time with a look more of astonishment rather than fear or embarressement. "Are...you really worried?" she finally said. "Yes I am." I said smiling because now it seemed like she was starting to talk to me. A long silence again made itself known until finally she said. "My name is Fluttershy." she said now looking at me with both eyes. "It's...um...nice to meet you Alan." "Fluttershy? That's an interesting name." I said happy to hear her speaking. "Oh, you dropped your basket." I motioned to the basket that now lied on the ground. "Oh no! The apple I bought Angel is all ruined now!" she picked up the apple which now had a bruise on the side. "It doesn't look that bad. Maybe you could..." Oh no no no, that won't do. I have to make sure that Angel's food is good enough for him to eat." "..and because of this you're going to get Angel another apple?" "Yes." she said now smiling again. "Now if you'll excuse me..." She opened her wings back up again for take off "Wait!" I said without thinking. She turned to look at me. Her head tilted a bit with a curious look on her face. "What is it Mr. Alan?" "Um, Alan is just fine..." "Okay then i'll call you Alan. What is it?" "Well I need to go into town too and I thought since we're going the same way..." "Oh did you want to have a traveling buddy?" "Well...yeah...If you don't mind." "No problem at all. It's the least i can do since you saved me." _________________________________________________________________________________________________ "...And that's my job here in Ponyville." We had already been walking for a few minutes and already she opened up to me a lot. "So you take care of all the animals by yourself? That's amazing!" "Well, it's not that amazing," she said looking bashfull. "I just love taking care of animals. That's why i have this Cutie mark." "Cutie Mark?" I thought to myself. "So what is your special...oh!" She said after taking a quick glance at my body. "You don't have your Cutie mark yet?" "Cutie mark? What's that?" I asked confused. "What? How could you not know what a Cutie mark is? It's..." Before she could finish a loud voice sounded from a ways away. "Fresh, sweet, and delicious apples for sale! Only 5 bits each!" The voice said. "Oh that must be Applejack. Um... I'll be right back, so can you please wait right here?" "Sure thing Fluttershy, just don't take too long." I said. "Okay, be right back." and with that she flew off. "I wonder if she will really come back to the pony she just met..." I thought to myself remembering a similar promise...that ended in me waiting alone for hours until I finally realized what happened. "No...Maybe this time will be different." I said aloud. Now that i wasn't absorbed in my thought or a conversation with Fluttershy I took a look around. I almost passed out because we were already in town and I didn't notice until just now. Everywhere I looked there were ponies, ponies, and more ponies! It was a big pony community. To see such a sight with my own eyes was a lot to take in. A few hours ago if someone told me there was a town made by ponies for ponies I would recommend that person see "professional" help. Looking at all of the diverse ponies I now noticed they weren't all the same kind. Some had wings like Fluttershy, some had horns, and others didn't have either one but what was really different amongst the ponies was actually what was located near their tales. It was a sort of symbol and each ony seemed to all have one. No two were alike. "Maybe this is that Cutie mark thing Fluttershy was talking about. If I remember right, though, she said I didn't have one." sure enough on closer inspection it was true. I had no Cutie mark. "I wonder why that is. Is it because I'm not really a pony?" I thought to myself. "I wonder..." "So you must be Alan. Is that right." nearly jumping out of my skin I turned to face the pony that startled me. She was orange and had a blond mane and tail. Her eyes were emerald green and upon her head rested a light brown hat that looked all too familiar to me. With a quick glance I also noticed that her mark was three apples. I wonder what these marks mean anyway. "Right, my name is Alan. How did you know that, miss...?" "Applejack," she held out her hoof which i then shook. I guess shaking hooves and hands are the same thing no matter where you are. "It's a pleasure to meet'cha. I know your name cause it was Fluttershy who told me." she motioned to Fluttershy who was now to her immidiate right. "Lemme be the first to welcome you here to our lil old Ponyvile. Any friend of Fluttershy is a friend of mine especially since you helped her out." "Friend? Well I wouldn't exactly say that but..." "Oh now don't start gettin all flustered. Having lots ah friends is a good thing." I wondered about that. "R-right." i said not nearly finding the right words. "By the way Alan, would you mind answering a few questions for me and Fluttershy here?" "Um...I guess that would be fine." "Okay then. So where are ya from Alan, oh and while yer at it, could ya tell me what yer doin in Ponyvile too?" My heart nearly stopped. Applejack just asked me the most difficult question right off the bat. I don't want to lie to her but I really don't know how she would react when she finds out I'm not really a pony. I was fine telling Zecora but she lives alone and was the first to really know that I was distraught. Out here in Ponyvile i bet everyone practically knows everyone. If I told Applejack then what if she thinks i'm some sort of monster...and worse, what if Fluttershy thinks the same thing. "Well, Alan?" Applejack said tapping her hoof. "I'm from very far out of town....uh, much farther than i'm sure you've ever been. I came here to meet someone so I should probably be going.." "Are you telling me the whole truth?" She said now staring deep into my eyes. The more she did the more guilty I felt for lying to her even if it was just stretching the truth. I glanced at Fluttershy. She too looked a kittle disapointed at me as she looked away a little, I barely knew these ponies but something told me that they weren't asking because they were suspicious. I think they asked because they knew something was off. "I'm sorry," I said now ashamed at myself, "I wasn't telling you the whole truth at all." I felt even worse. "Now look Sugarcube, yer among friends here. It's fine to keep personal things to yerself but we're just here to help you and ta do that we need you to be honest with us. We'll forgive you for lyin' but you gotta help us help you, okay?" Applejack...I wish there were more like you where i came from. "Okay," taking in a deep breath I finally willed myself to speak. "The truth is that i really am from really far out of town but much farther than that even." "How far?" "I...can't really say...please don't ask okay?" "All right then. So why are you here then?" "I'm here because i want to get back home and i was told that if I was to have any chance of doing that then I should talk to somepony named Twilight Sparkle." "Well ya got here on yer own hooves. Why can't cha just walk back?" "It's not a place you can walk to, okay? I just don't know what to do...first I wake up in that forest and then I find out..." "Forest? Do you mean the Everfree forest?" "Yeah, that's where i met Zecora after I woke up." "So you mean to say that you woke up far away from home in the forest?" said Fluttershy who now began to get involved in the conversation. "That's exactly right." Both of the mares fell silent. There was a lot i didn't tell them so this story has more holes than swiss cheese. I barrely believe myself, it won't suprise me that they don't either. "Well then," Applejack said to break the silence. "I reckon we should get cha ta Twilight then! What do you think Fluttershy?" "Oh yes, if i was lost then I would want to get home as soon as possible too." she said smiling at Applejack. "So then you two are going to help me?" "Ah course we are. You're a friend ta both of us so that means we whenever either of us are in trouble then we do our best to help each other out." "...but my story, there's no way you could help me just from that." "No, we really can Alan. You said you want to get back home right? So that's exactly what's gonna happen. We also understand there are things ya can't tell us too, as long as you try not to keep too much frm us." Applejack said tilting her hat a little "...I don't know what to say..." never before have I been shown such kindness and understanding before. "How about "thank you" then." Fluttershy said suprising me at how forward she was being. "Heheh, you right. Thank you Applejack and Fluttershy. I know now that i don't have to do everything alone." i could feel tears surfacing but I forced them back. "Not untill it's over..." I thought. "Well we better get a move on. Twi's house isn't that far from here." Noticing that I was still in a daze Applejack said, "Ya comin' or what?" "Oh! Right" I said snapping out of it. Fluttershy giggled a bit when she saw me jump and that made me half smile. Together now Applejack and Fluttershy, we made our way to the library to find Twilight Sparkle. Upon arrival though we found that in the door of the library that was also a tree too was a note. To my friends who read this, Something has come up in Canterlot and the princess wanted to see me immidiately. Rarity is also coming with me too. We should be back later in the day tomorrow. -Twilight Sparkle