For the second time that day he woke up, though much more pleasantly this time.
His eyes creaked open and he let out a blissful sigh that transitioned into a yawn. He shifted on the cushions and breathed deeply of a pleasant, floral scent in the air. The humming blanket he's under was warm and cozy as he tried to drift back to sleep.
Lucidity struck him like a truck. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.
A flurry of small creatures flew off of him and onto the couch and floor amidst a flurry of annoyed squeaks and chitters. A few of the more tenaciously slumbering animals remained on his legs and lap, Raj's consciousness being outside their sphere of concerns.
He surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings, hyperventilating. He didn't remember where he was, why he was there, or even what day of the week it is. He put a palm on his head and swung his legs off the edge of the couch, dislodging the last of the critters that were sleeping on him.
A small rabbit looked up at him from the coffee table, its tiny forelegs crossed and something like a glare knitted across his brow.
He stared at it for a second and a flood of images spilled across his brain all at once. Car. Knife. Chimera. Zecora. Pony. Fish. Blood. Pony. Fluttershy. Dog. Equestria. Home.
“Right, right. I'm in Equestria.” He lets out a shuddering breath and tried to calm the roar of blood in his ears. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. His gaze shifted over to the framed windows and he saw the sun coming in at a different angle, several hours difference at least.
“God, what was in that tea?” He grabbed the empty teacup and sniffed it, trying in vain to detect whatever substance put him out like that. If there was any chemical there, he couldn't detect it.
He stood up on stiff legs and wandered across the room, looking for his host. The only sign of her he saw was a plate of eggs and tomato slices set next to a trough of water. A note sat under the plate. The writing was short but he couldn't make anything out of it anyway. Raj got the impression that the food was for him, but was leery of anything else that Fluttershy might be offering. He decided to avoid it and kept walking through the small cottage.
The backdoor had been left open, likely to accommodate the dozens of small animals that were practically underfoot. He got the urge to just leave right there and even set a foot out the door before he stopped himself. He knew nothing about these ponies, but he got the feeling that Fluttershy would go looking for him.
He scratched at his head and his nails grated along heavy stitching. He suddenly remembered the head-wound he suffered that morning.
After an awkward few minutes spent searching the house he managed to find a bathroom and ducked into it. He instinctively reached for a light-switch and immediately cursed himself. He eventually put hands on what felt like an old kerosene lamp and got it lit. He jumped at the sight of a giant, mangy beast out of the corner of his eye. He made it all the way to a ready stance before he realized it was his reflection.
Raj relaxed and chuckled in embarrassment, bending and spreading his hair to get a look at the cut. It was closed up and clean with no seepage or crusting. He counted eight stitches in a neat line flush to his skin. He was impressed she managed that with mouth and hoof. Satisfied, he took a good look at himself.
Four months of hardscrabble living had given him a reflection he barely recognized. His features were pinched from starvation and his eyes were bagged and shot through. His attempts at cleanliness had all but failed; a thin patina of grime shaded his already dark skin and his normally smooth hair had gone lank and greasy. He tried to even it out with his hand and only then noticed his long, cracked nails. He sniffed and wondered what he smelled like, then realized that he was better off not knowing.
He muttered to nobody “God, I look like crap.” He ran fingers through the thick mat of hair covering his face and grimaced when a small parasite dislodged and fell into the tiny sink. “No, I am crap.”
Thankfully, the basin was full and he splashed water on his face, blinking and shivering at the sudden cold. He slurped some, swished, spat, and then swallowed some down. Refreshed he then looked around the little room.
It was surprisingly similar to a human restroom, just sized and intended for small horses. Wall mirror, medicine cabinet filled with bottles he couldn't understand, bowl of dried flowers, cleaning stuff, oddly large tub, even a toilet. It was not unlike a gravity-fed squat toilet from Earth, he noted, but with places to put four limbs. He briefly considered using it but was unsure it would hold up to a creature of his size.
As he stepped out of the little lavatory he picked up a loud, tittering laugh. A moment later he heard the door creak open and the sounds clarifed.
Rajrishi rounded the corner and saw Fluttershy smiling and chatting with another pony behind her. At first he thought it was the same one he saved in the woods, but he then realized the coat's a lighter shade of purple, lavender if he didn't miss his guess, and her mane was a pink-streaked blue with a slender, twisting horn poking through it.
She caught sight of him and her eyes widened, large eyes widening in curiosity. “Oh, wow, you were right!” She tittered in excitement for a second and said in a whisper “Is he, uh, safe?” Fluttershy gave a short nod and the purple unicorn grinned wide and stepped closer to get a look at him “It seems similar to certain breeds of ape! Does it have a name?”
“Of course. Rajrishi,” She gestured a hoof toward him, surprising him with her flexibility, “this is Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Rajrishi.”
“Charmed.” He waved lazily
Twilight smiled and lashed her tail. “Oh my, it really can talk!” She stepped forward and spoke very slowly, drawing out each syllable “Can you understand me?”
Raj cocked an eyebrow. “Um, yeah.”
“Oh wow, you were right! A non-hoofed species that knows Celestial tongue, this is incredible!” She clapped her hooves together in excitement.
He shrugged “Thanks?”
“Simian bone structure, clothing seems hoof-made.” Twilight murmured to herself, leaning closer to his arm for a better look. “Hmm, very thin coat, likely doesn't insulate much.” She ran a hoof along his skin.
“Hey!” He jerked his arm back “Watch it.”
“Oooh, high sensitivity to touch. Indicates strong nerve function and low amount of insulating fat.” She stepped around his back, studying his legs.
Raj looked at Fluttershy with a glare “You mind telling me what's going on here?”
Fluttershy ignored the glare and spoke softly “Twilight is going to look you over to see if she knows what you are.”
“Is that so?” He said while Twilight studied his hand with unnerving intensity.
Fluttershy nodded “Yup, she's the smartest pony in Equestria. If she can't find out what you are then nopony can.”
“I told you what I am, I'm a human.”
“Right, but that doesn't tell me anything about you. What you eat, what you need, how to take care of you.”
He looked very surprised at that. “I... I don't really need anybody to take care of me and would you please stop that!” He directed the second part at Twilight, who was in the process of toying with his wrist.
Twilight stepped back and smiled nervously. “Okay, I should be writing this down anyway.”
Raj turned to look at Fluttershy but snapped back when a magenta glow suffuses Twilight's horn and a similarly glowing book and pencil glided out of her bag. The notebook flipped open and the pencil started to scribble on the floating pad.
Both ponies said something to him, but he ignored it, instead staring at the magicked items floating in the air. He pointed at them and asked “What's this?”
“Hmm?” Twilight's eyes flicked to the spell she's working. “Oh, I'm just taking some notes. Don't mind me.”
“I know what you're doing, but why-how is it hovering?”
“Um, a simple levitation spell?” She simpered “Well, if you want to get into specifics its a multi-thread levitation spell combined with an auto-scribe spell. Its a simple enough thing to manage, but maybe a little complex for some Unicorns. I actually run a workshop on teaching how to multi-thread once a month. Its amazing how useful something like two spells at once can-”
Raj cut at the air with his hand “No, wait, wait, spells? So this is magic?”
“Um, yes? Yes it is.”
Raj looked chagrined “Like, magic-magic?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Yes, magic-magic, something that all creatures do to a-” She stopped mid sentence, realization dawning in her eyes “Ohhh, you've never seen horn magic before!”
“Um, no I haven't.” Raj drooped a bit, feeling embarrassed for a reason he couldn't pin down. “I knew it existed, I'd been told about it, but this,” He gestured to the floating pad and pencil “this is new to me.”
“Never... seen... horn magic.” She scribbled that phrase and underlined it. “Alright, that should give me an idea of where to start on figuring out where it's from Fluttershy. Probably somewhere south where it's typically warmer, maybe Zebrica or Saddle Arabia judging from the dark skin.”
“That's great Twilight.”
She tucked her notebook in the saddlebag “I'd like to take some samples, but I have enough to get started. I won't be able to offer any input until I do some research, but I think I have everything I need to learn where Rajrishi comes from and what it is.”
“How long do you think it'll take?”
Twilight shrugged “Shouldn't be long, it is rather distinctive. There couldn't be that many species of lingual bipeds without tails.” She chuckled, the very notion of such a creature funny to her. “I should get to that actually. Bye Fluttershy.” She swiveled and trotted out the door, shutting it with a burst of magenta magic.
Raj watched her go and scowled. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Fluttershy when she took to the air, hovering directly in front of his face. “Stay here a minute, I'll be right back.” Before he could answer she flapped over to her pantry and started rooting through the cupboards inside. He watched her heap a bowl with fruits and vegetables and flap it over to him. She set it down and nosed it closer to him. “Alright, eat up!”
He gave the bowl and the Pegasus an appraising look before saying “What is this?”
“Apple quarters, diced carrots, sliced cucumbers and a shredded head of lettuce.” she went crestfallen for a moment “You do like those, right? I can get some nuts or something for you if you don't.”
“No, its not, its not that. I'm just a little leery about, y'know, food from you.”
Fluttershy's face shifted with worry and she said “Why?”
“Well, you don't have a good track record with that. I mean, that tea was spiked with something. Had to have been.”
Her eyes darted back and forth furtively. “Um, what tea?”
He looked at her wryly and gestured to the table “The tea you gave me this morning. I had some of that and I was out like a light.”
Fluttershy took a nervous step back, biting her lower lip. “I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.”
“I'm won't be mad Fluttershy.” He said evenly.
She worried at the floorboard with a hoof and stutters “You-you promise?”
“Of course.” He sat and rummaged in the bowl. It was a half truth, but he didn't think she needed that clarification.
“Oh, okay. It was just a little sleepweed juice. Perfectly safe and natural.”
“Glad to hear it.” He took a bite out of an apple chunk, chewed, and widened his eyes. “Wow, that's really good.”
Fluttershy smiled and settled to the ground, legs curled up underneath her. “I'm glad you like it.” Raj held a piece out to her and she plucked it from his fingers.
“So why'd you slip me that stuff anyway?” he asked between bits of carrot.
“Well, most of my animal friends get fidgety or angry when I have to help them, and that can hurt them even worse. So I just give them something to help them sleep. Its safer for everypony.
Raj nodded his head slightly. “Makes sense. I imagine its pretty hard to put a cast on a badger or something when he's in pain from a broken leg.”
Fluttershy's eyes drifted down. “I don't like to do it, but I don't really have a choice.
“There's just one problem though.” He said while wiping his hand on his shirt.
“What's that?”
“I'm not an animal.” He pulled himself to his feet. “I should go.”
“Oh, um, but-”
“Thank you for the tea Miss Fluttershy.” He turned on a heel and strode toward the backdoor.
Fluttershy rose to her hooves and said “But you didn't finish your food.”
“I had my fill, thank you.” He swung the top half of the split-door wide and moved into the backyard.
She trotted after him “B-but I've already made up a bed for you to use. Its next to the chicken-coop.”
“I already have somewhere to stay, thank you.”
She sputtered “But, but I-”
He cut her off tersely, not even turning to look “Thank you Miss Fluttershy. Your help has been appreciated.”
She followed after him a few more steps, spitting out half formed excuses to keep him before her eyes widened and she zipped back into her cottage.
Raj watched her go and grunted, resuming his pace.
He was just about to plunge back into the Everfree when a feathery ruffle and a light thud of hooves sounded behind him. He heard a meek voice say “Um, hi again.”
Raj sighed, placing a hand on a nearby tree. “Fluttershy, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I do not need your help. I am doing quite fine on my own and I do not want the aid of a-” He cut himself off as he turned around, seeing Fluttershy standing there with his staff in her mouth, her head cocked shyly.
She gently set it on the ground and said “Um, you forgot your stick.”
He wanted to smack himself, hard. With his knife broken, the Ironoak staff was the best weapon he had and a useful tool besides. Forgetting that was incredibly boneheaded. He settled on running his fingers through his hair and said “That's, wow, I completely forgot about that thing.”
“I'm sorry.” her head drooped “You've made it clear you want to be left alone, but I saw that you didn't have your thing and I didn't know if you didn't want it anymore, or if-”
He stopped her with an upraised hand “Stop, it's fine Fluttershy.” He stepped forward and knelt, grabbing the staff. “This thing is important and I'm glad you reminded me of it. Thank you.”
“Oh, good. You're very welcome then.” She smiled sweetly, her wings fluffing a bit. Raj nodded and started walking again. He made it a handful of steps before Fluttershy cantered up next to him. “Um, maybe you should come back to the cottage and make sure you didn't forget anything else?” She spoke with a wide grin tinged with hope. “And maybe while you're at it we could see about getting you a nice bath and maybe a trim for all that fur.” She tilted her head at the thick tangle of hair bobbing on his back.
His face went dour for a second and he said “Fluttershy, I am not baby bird or a raccoon or something, okay? It is not your job to take care of me.”
“That's not, um, that's not-”
He pointed his staff at her “Do not try that.”
“Well, um,” she rubbed at her foreleg with a hoof and looked to the side “Well, if you have something against being one of my animal friends, maybe you'd like to, if you don't mind, be just a normal one?”
Raj raised an eyebrow “A normal what?”
“A, um, normal friend?” she asked with a painfully demure smile.
Rajrishi sighed, his eyes going soft. “Oh Fluttershy, no.”
Her smile disappeared and she wilted into the ground. “Oh...um... okay.”
“I'm grateful for what you've done, but that changes nothing. I'm going to be leaving, soon I hope, and when that chance arrives I won't have time to say anything or to do anything. I'll just be... gone. And I don't want anybody, any friends, wondering after me.”
He leaned against a tree, settling his shoulder against it. “I'm not an animal you need to take care of or another Pony you can shower with kindness. I'm just...” He bit his lip, thinking “I'm just a thing in the woods. Something it would be best for you to forget about.”
Fluttershy went stock still, staring up with painfully wide eyes. For a moment Raj thought she might actually listen to him when she shot up and broke into a gallop, leaping up at him and slamming her weight into him. Her forelegs wrapped around his stomach, locking in a tight hug. He stumbled back wide-eyed and said “Gah! What-”
“I don't believe that for a second,” she said, her voice muffled by his chest. “not a single second. Nopony deserves to be forgotten Rajrishi, no matter what.” Her head tilted up and she locked gazes with him, a sparkling line of moisture under each eye “Even if they're only here for a little while.”
He lost his balance and dropped to his knees. “Fluttershy...”
“I hope you change your mind, and you're welcome back if you do, but even if you won't accept my help, even if the only thing I can give you to make you feel better is a hug, well then I'll make sure its the biggest, nicest hug I can give!” She squeezed a bit harder and swept her wings in for more contact.
He lifted an arm, hesitated, and then clutched the shivering pony. She needed this, not him. That's what he told himself. It was to make her feel better.
He wasn't the first one to let go though.