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// Public Appearance (17) 
// Story: Monster 
// by BlackWing 
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Public Appearance


"Well, that could have gone better." Nightshade said as one of the nurses took Fluttershy home. The poor thing had fainted. "It was just a peck on the cheek, and she passed out." He almost started to regret doing it. "What if she hates me now, or is too embarrassed to talk to me again? What was I thinking?"  He noticed some of the other patients were looking at him strangely, and not because he was a human. Pulling his privacy curtain shut he thought, "I've got to stop talking to myself."

Twilight had spoken with Celestia, who had explained in further detail what had transpired, and why she had decided to let him stay after what he had done. Assaulting a princess may be a crime with a terrible punishment, but given what she had done to him, and that they had come out mostly unscathed, she decided that it gave her a much needed reality check.

"You mean, you made a mistake?" Twilight said, unable to believe her ears.

"My faithful student, you must learn that nopony is perfect, we ALL make mistakes, even princesses." She replied with a smile. "I almost sent an innocent creature." She corrected herself. "Human, to his death, because I wasn't willing to look at his side of the story. And in my blindness, I almost ended the life of another innocent, which he was willing to give his own to protect." 

"So princess, does that mean you have a friendship report to write?" Twilight said jokingly. Celestia returned her laugh.

"I guess I do. By the way, Lyra has informed me that the work you did together before Discord's release was what brought the human to Equestria in the first place."

"Really, that means it worked?" Twilight always thought that experiment had failed.

"Indeed, however, I must caution you to take a little more care in choosing your future projects, especially when it comes to alternate dimensions." Celestia shot her a glare. She loved her student, but she loved making her nervous even more.

"Actually, I was wondering something about that. Whenever we tried making the portal, it always seemed to move towards the Everfree forest. We could never figure out why." She inquired.

"When we were younger, Luna and myself lived there with our parents. It was the place that our parents used to send the humans to their world. The dimensional boundry became weaker because of it. It's why the forest is similar to their world." She explained.


Rarity was busy making clothes, and Pinkie Pie was busy inviting everpony in Ponyville to a 'Meet the Monster' party. Applejack had given up on trying to hold her back, and went home to scold Applebloom for not telling her sooner. Rainbow Dash finally found Scootaloo.

"Hey kiddo." She said sullenly. She still felt guilty for bushing her off for the past three years.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, why are you here, don't you have something to do, like take a nap?" She was obviously still mad.

"Listen, I talked with your.... dad, and I realized something. I'm an insensitive idiot. All that time you were hanging around I thought you were just being a bother, but I didn't understand how important I was to you, so I want to make it up to you." Dash felt a pit in her stomach.

"How?" Asked Scootaloo.

"Well, is there something you want to do? I mean, I could take you to Cloudsdale, you've never been right?"

"Really? I'd love to. Dad said he'd be okay on his own for the next two days, and I should try and have some fun. Why not?"

With that, the pair of pegasi flew off into the sky. While Rainbow didn't like flying so slowly, this wasn't about her, it was about the little orange filly who was finally getting some time with her idol.


Fluttershy woke up in her cottage, Angel bunny jumping on her head.

"Oh Angel, I'm up, I wish you wouldn't do that. Wait, Angel? How'd I get here?"

Using a series of complex and confusing charades, only decipherable by Fluttershy herself, he told her that she fainted in the hospital, and that a nurse brought her home. She began blushing all over again.

"Oh my oh my oh my oh my, a kiss, he kissed me? I mean it was only on the cheek, maybe it just means he's being friendly, but what if it means more? What if he likes me? Oh then I fainted, I'm so embarrassed, what if he doesn't like me anymore? But he said I'm cute when I'm embarrassed, oh that means he thinks I'm cute, maybe he does like me, oh my oh my oh my." She rambled to herself for several minutes. 

Maybe a kiss on the cheek is just a way humans greet friends, but he said she was cute, and it didn't feel like a 'just a friend' kiss. But they were different species. And not just between a pegasus and a unicorn or pegasus and earth pony, he wasn't even a pony! Would it work out? And what if he was regretting it because she fainted. All these questions and more ran through her mind. She worked herself into such a fit that she passed out on the couch, and Angel, giving up on trying to wake her, just pulled a blanket over her and let her sleep.

The next two days passed without incident, Celestia had returned to Canterlot to deal with all the duties she was getting behind on, while Luna stayed to address the crowd of ponies that were obviously curious. She arranged a town meeting with the mayor, so she could announce the newest resident. Rarity had already stopped by the hospital to give him his new clothes. He had just finished taking a bath, and the new clothes fit perfectly. They were made out of some unknown fabric, it was smooth and soft and durable all at the same time. It was warm, but it also breathed. He figured it must have some magic in it because there was no way any normal fabric could do all that. He also got a new cloak to replace his old one. It was sturdy, and instead of the black one he had before, Rarity had made it in white. To help shake off his 'scary image'. It made sense. In this world, everything was bright. If he was wearing something dark like his old one, he'd stick out. That's when he saw it, his old trench coat, restored to its former self.

"Rarity, you're a miracle worker. It's been with me through everything, I was almost thinking of having a funeral for it." Rarity thought it was kind of odd having a funeral for dead clothing, but at the same time, if anyone could understand the appreciation of clothing, it was her. He wouldn't wear it in town, just in the forest. After all, to him, the Everfree was still his home, although he wouldn't mind giving Ponyville a chance. In the forest, his new white cloak would get ruined, and would stick out like a sore thumb, attracting all sorts of attention. He didn't want the new one to end up like his old one.

After thanking Rarity for the cloaks, as well as several sets of socks, shirts pants, and boxer's, (Rarity found it odd that his kind kept certain areas private, but since most ponies heads came up to his waist, it would be very awkward if he bumped into anypony on accident, so she didn't question it.) he finally checked out of the hospital.

Wandering around town, many ponies ran inside their houses and hid, while others just stared. No doubt news that there was a human in Equestria had gotten around, and the fact that he had fought the princesses wasn't helping his case. Oh well, they'd probably all get over it once they had the town meeting, and Pinkie's world ending party. For the first time, he was bored. There was nothing to do, and it's not like he could go to any stores, since they all closed up as he walked by.  Looking around, he saw a large tree with a house built into it, or maybe a house with a tree growing around it? Either way, it caught his eye. Approaching it, he saw that it was labeled 'Ponyville Library', and below that 'Twilight Sparkle and Spike'

Nightshade had heard about Twilight, and how she was a bit of a book worm, but that she lived in a library, he thought that was a little extreme. Knocking on the door, he heard a male voice coming from within. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen any males anywhere. Just how rare were they?  Twilight came to the door, and her face was at his waist. She had never been this close to him standing up, and she realized just how much he towered over her. Swallowing hard, she backed up so she could see his face without straining her neck.

"Umm, hello?" She asked, somewhat afraid. After all, even though things had been sorted out with Celestia, she was still afraid of him. Offering a gentle smile, and ducking down to be less imposing, he asked.

"May I come in?"

Twilight stayed quiet, but stepped backwards to allow him entry. He carefully stepped inside, making sure not to hit his head.

"So umm.." She stumbled.

"Nightshade."

"Nightshade, what brings you here?" She really just wanted him to leave.

"Well, I got out of the hospital this morning, about an hour ago, and realized that although I lived here for two years, I know next to nothing about Equestrian culture. I mean, we speak the same language, and I know that Celestia raises the sun, Luna raises the moon, pegasi move the clouds, unicorns do magic and earth ponies farm the land, but that's about it. I don't know of any traditions other than nightmare night, and while I've heard of a few others I don't know about them in any detail. As for history, I got nothin." He said all in one breath. "I figured, since I'm going to be in Ponyville, at least for a while, I should probably know more. I stumbled across the library, and what better way to learn than by reading? I don't want to be completely ignorant when I go to the town meeting tomorrow, and I'd like to say something that doesn't make me look like a complete idiot."

Twilight was rather surprised. To her, he was just an alien, some monster who lived in the forest. The fact that he was actually interested in their culture, and wanted to prepare for his public appearance ahead of time. She was actually impressed. They spent the next couple hours, her teaching him about the ins and outs of Ponyville, and helped him write a small speech for when he had to address the people. He was just about to leave, but it was around lunch time, and his stomach began to growl. He laughed weakly, obviously embarrassed. On cue, Twilight called up to Spike, who was still asleep, for him to 'get his flank out of bed' because it was time for lunch, and that they had a guest.

He came downstairs, still half asleep, and made three salads, mostly because it was the quickest thing to throw together. He brought them into the main room, and his eyes went wide.

"M-monster!" he yelled, dropping the salads and running upstairs. Luckily, they Twilight caught them with her magic, and the two began two eat. After they ate theirs, Twilight called for spike to stop being such a chicken and come downstairs.
Reluctantly he obeyed. When he saw the white cloaked creature sitting there, he had to ask.

"What are you?"

"Well, I'm a human, name's Nightshade. Now, what are you?" He said in the same tone as Spike.

"I'm Spike, and I'm a dragon."

Nightshades eyes went wide, and he seemed a little on edge. When Twilight asked him what was wrong, he explained the legends.

"Well, in my world, there are lots of stories about dragons, most of them bad. In my world, dragons are as much a monster as I am in yours. Even the mention of dragon inspires a feeling of power and grace." Spike was obviously wary of him, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to rub his ego. Spike blushed a bit before regaining his usual sarcasm.

"That's right buster, and just so you know, I'm watching you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, now come and eat your salad." Spike sat and ate, while Twilight answered any questions he might have.

"So, I noticed, there aren't many guys around. Spike is the first male I've seen the entire time I've been here. Any reason behind that?" He asked.

"Well actually, the number of colts being born has dropped somewhat in the past two thousand years. At this point, males only make up 10-15 percent of the population." Twilight said in a teacher like tone.

"But doesn't that mean that a large number of mares are single?" He inquired.

"Well, actually, a fairly large amount of mares are what's known here as 'filly foolers'. Two mares will partner up, and while they sometimes adopt foals, they normally 'borrow' a stallion." She said.

"Ahh, well, that explains a great deal." He said, not wanting to push any further on the subject. "Well, I've been here for a while, it's about time for me to go to the town meeting. I should be on my way. Thanks again for the help Twilight, and thanks for the food Spike. I was worried I'd only be able to find hay in town."


The citizens of Ponyville had gathered near the town hall. The mayor began addressing them, saying that princess Luna would be the one handling the main introductions. She started off using her Royal Canterlot Voice, but realizing that there was a microphone and she was deafening everypony, she quieted down a bit.

"As you may know, we have a visitor here. He is a human, from another world. While he has been living in the Everfree forest up until now, this is his second time in Ponyville, and it seems as though he will be living here for a time. The first thing you must no is that while he is a human, he is NOT a monster. As you may have seen on this most recent nightmare night, he rescued three fillies from the criminal Gilda, one of which, is his adopted daughter."

Several murmurs from the crowd, and whispering. Luna cleared her throat.

"The second thing is that while my sister and I may have had a falling out with him, we have settled our differences and have decided to officially welcome him to Equestria. While he does possess a strange power, and he is different than the rest of us, he is not dangerous. We hope that you will all welcome him with open hearts as you did with me." That was quite a mouthful, but having the princess explain what happened made his job a whole lot easier.

The mayor spoke up. "Without further delay, here he is." The curtains opened, and the mayor had to push him out onto the stage, up to the mic.

"Umm, hi?" Great. Little known fact, Nightshade has crippling stage fright. Well, there goes the whole preparation.

"You can do it dad." Scootaloo piped up from the crowd. Knowing she was there made him feel a little more at ease.

"Well, my name's Nightshade, umm, I'm a human with a unique gift, and because of that I had to run away from my own people. Somehow, Lyra brought me here without knowing it about two years ago, and I've been living in the Everfree forest ever since. I adopted Scootaloo about a year ago, and I worked for Zecora gathering herbs to pay for stuff. I'm not really sure what else to say, so, I guess that's it." Not the most charismatic, but it did the job, the crowd didn't look so scared any more, and Nightshade was a lot more relaxed.


"Great! Now with that out of the way, let's partaaaaaay!" Said a bouncing pink blob.

The crowd moved into Sugarcube Corner. Now, Nightshade had never been to a party, so he felt really awkward, especially since he was the only non pony there. Not really one for the party scene, he sat contently in the corner, answering questions for anypony who came by. A certain colt with patches and a British accent came up and looked nervous, trying to ask a question. Nightshade simply replied. "No, I don't eat ponies."

That seemed to put his mind at rest. Several games took place, such as hoof wrestling, (which Nightshade lost every round, he didn't use his powers, that would be cheating.) and a pie eating contest, in which he placed second only to Pinkie Pie herself. After enjoying the party a bit, he went into the a corner and sat next to Fluttershy, who had been quiet the whole time.

"Umm, hi, mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"Umm, no, it's alright, I mean if you want to." She replied, beginning to blush.

"Listen, about that time, at the hospital. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I didn't know that it'd embarrass you so much, and cause you to faint." He said meekly.

"Oh well, it's okay. I mean, I didn't mind it was, umm..... nice." She returned. She began blushing again, and turned to meet his eyes. He began blushing too. Neither of them could figure out what it was about the other's eyes that had them so entranced. They both started blushing even more, before they looked away at the same time.

"Maybe it would be better if we stayed.." He started.

"Just friends?" She said.

"Just friends." He confirmed.

They both knew it was better that way, but neither could help feeling a little sad. They obviously had feeling for each other, but circumstance just didn't allow it. Then Fluttershy thought of something.

"Umm, do you have a place to stay? In Ponyville I mean?" She asked.

"Well, no, the cabin in the forest burned down, and while I can just sleep in a tree or something, Scootaloo can't, so we're kind of stuck. Nightshade explained.

"Well, you could stay at my cottage if you like. I could pull out a spare bed, and there's the couch. I mean, it's okay if you don't want to." Fluttershy said in her normal, timid tone.

"That'd be nice. Just for a couple of days, until I can build a new house." Nightshade backpedaled. Things were awkward enough between them, he didn't want to impose, or make it even more embarrassing for the yellow pegasus.

After the party, Nightshade, Fluttershy and Scootaloo headed to her cottage. It was small, and had a cozy feel to it. All the animals were already asleep, except for Angel, who was quite upset that Fluttershy was coming home so late, and that she had not one, but two guests. Nightshade had heard about the rabbit, and decided to save him a piece of carrot cake.
He took it greedily and shot him a look that said, "I'll take your bribe, but I'm watching you."

Having eaten far too many sweets, Nightshade and Scootaloo had energy to spare. Despite the bed and couch being the most comfortable things they had ever laid on, (being filled with light as a cloud pegasus feathers) they just couldn't get to sleep. They went outside for a bit, and he watched Scootaloo fly around. Fluttershy came out after a little while and sat next to him. It was about 2 in the morning, and neither were tired, so he decided to cheat. Calling Scootaloo over to him, he put his hand on her head, said "Nightey night," and watched as she passed out in his arms, limp.

Nightshade carried her inside and put her in bed. After heading out to dump his stamina off on the forest, (the first time he's ever given to the poor trees) he curled up on the couch, and went to sleep.

Fluttershy looked at him sleeping so peacefully, and she remembered the first time they had met, how he was a quivering wreck. She remembered how he cried on her shoulder, and wondered what kind of wounds he held deep in his heart.  He was so good with taking care of Scootaloo, and at the party he decided they should just stay friends to spare her the awkwardness. Once he was asleep, she kissed him on the forehead, more of a motherly, caring kiss than a loving one. She blushed deeply, then went off to bed herself.




Aww, well that was cute. As for anyone wondering about the shipping, this is going to be the level it's at, and it's not going to happen all that often. You don't have to worry about me turning it into a mushy romance fest. Once again, it's going to be a struggle coming to terms with emotions. I also explained a bunch of things, like why everything weird happens in the Everfree. Keep reading people.

 Well, not that the town knows he's here, he should at least be able to have some sense of normalcy, or will he? Working around town to try and get enough bits for a new, proper house, he's bound to run into a whole heap of trouble. Finally able to walk in the open, how will the school take Scootaloo having an alien for a dad? The running of the leaves is coming, and he's going to participate, after all, what better way to fit in than to take part in an annual tradition. Some heart felt moments with the Apple family, and a whole lot more. See it all in the next chapter of 'Monster'.