Chapter IX. - Entrance: Part Three
Fluttershy
Angel lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been trying to get some rest for the past two hours, but the din of what seemed to be every animal in Ponyville had been ensuring a sleepless night so far.
Whines, grunts, squawks, shouts, clicks, chirps, hisses and chirrups had been sounding off since the storm began last night, and not a single minute had gone by where there was silence.
Finally frustrated beyond what he could tolerate, he jumped down off his bed and ran, zigzagging through squirrels, other rabbits, skunks, badgers, flamingoes, hawks, eagles, sparrows, mice, rats, bees, ladybugs, beetles, otters, iguanas, dogs, cats and turtles. Finally reaching the center of the mass of loud, squirming animals, he pushed his way through and rapped irritably at the yellow hoof that stood before him.
. . . .
Fluttershy stood surrounded by animals of all shapes and sizes, in her element and happy as could be, if not somewhat exhausted. Since the storm of the century that had rolled in through Ponyville, every animal in the area that either lived in the ground or had no home of their own had flocked to her cottage on the edge of the forest.
Currently, she was attempting to console a frightened young bat with a phobia of lightning. She chanced a look around at the multitude of animals who lined up for food, sleep arrangements, or consolation from the storm.
Fluttershy jumped slightly as she felt a hard tapping on her left rear leg, and looked down to find a very impatient Angel at her feet. He tapped his large, white foot in frustration.
“Oh, my! Angel. What’s wrong?” she cooed to the snowy rabbit.
Angel, lacking the essential communication tool of speech, pantomimed sleep while at the same time grabbing his ears deliberately. I want to go to sleep, all these animals are too loud! he dramatized.
“Oh, well, I mean…” Fluttershy started, looking around. There certainly was an awful lot of noise in the room. It suddenly dawned on her: caught up in those who sought help, she realized that she had been neglecting the animals that really needed their sleep. The poor creatures stood or sat around, looking bored and listless, while the other animals crowded around Fluttershy, seeking attention.
Oh, dear... Fluttershy thought, looking at the scene before her.
“I’m sorry, Angel. I’ll fix this, I promise I will, okay?” she said kindly to the rabbit.
Angel rolled his eyes, and tapped a foot impatiently. Go on.
Fluttershy nodded, and turned to address the animals before her:
“Ex-excuse me!” she said, weakly. Her voice was instantly lost in the din
.
Angel shook his head and nudged Fluttershy again. Fluttershy stepped it up one more notch.
“Excuse me! Everyone!” she said, only slightly more emphasis in her voice. That, too, washed away to the roar of noise in the room.
Finally, Fluttershy planted her hooves solid on the ground. No more Miss Nice Pony! she thought, and drew in a breath for the mother of all shouts. She filled her lungs with air as deep as she could, ready to release it with all the effort they would give. She reached the breaking point, and prepared to let loose everything she had.
Suddenly, the door opened, bringing in a chill wind and silencing every animal in the room. All eyes turned to the door.
Fluttershy, just about to release everything she had built up, coughed delicately at the interruption.
In walked a very wet and very ecstatic Twilight. Following her was a not-so-pleased but just as wet Rarity. They stopped at the multitude of animals that had turned to watch them enter.
“Er, Fluttershy, we’ve been knocking, but I don’t think you heard us. So we sort of, came in,” Twilight said, still staring at and obviously unnerved by all the eyes that were watching her.
“Oh, girls. I’m glad to see you. I was hoping to get some help with all these poor animals,” Fluttershy said, exasperation in her voice as she indicated with a hoof around her.
“Oh sure, Fluttershy. We’d love to help you!” A played-out groan sounded from behind Twilight, who ignored it. “Then we need you to come with us to go meet somepony!”
“Well, okay Twilight. I’d love to meet somepony, I suppose,” Fluttershy said apprehensively. She proceeded to wade through the mass of animals that had surrounded her, and helped her friends with their raincoats.
. . . .
Some twenty minutes later, three figures- two with hoods, and one carrying a large umbrella- left from the cottage.
“So, Twilight, who am I meeting?” Fluttershy asked of her friend. A pause hung in the conversation for several moments.
“Well, I can’t tell you, exactly. You’ll just have to meet him,” Twilight replied, voice growing enigmatic. “But you’ll love him. Won’t she, Rarity?”
“Hm? Oh, yes,” Rarity said, distracted by a murky puddle that menaced her from the side of the pathway. “He really is an amazing, er, pony,” she said again, vaguely. Fluttershy saw Twilight nudge the white unicorn in the dim light of the rainy night.
“You’ll see, Fluttershy, don’t worry.”
“Well, okay Twilight,” Fluttershy said, not sure what to think of her friend’s mannerisms.
The three turned south at the sign that indicated Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, and The Everfree Forest, respectively.
“Where are we going?” Fluttershy asked attentively.
“To go get Applejack, of course,” Twilight said, turning to Fluttershy with a grin.
Applejack
With the rain came life. Nopony knew this better than Applejack, who trudged inside, returning from the barn, covered in mud. But of course, too much rain could lead to just as much destruction as creation.
And this was what she was truly worried about. The flood of water that dumped down from the sky had been washing away the topsoil of the new saplings. Doing her best to save the valuable earth, she had practically been wrestling the dirt from the rain with Big Macintosh since last night. Finally assured that their levees would hold, the pair had returned to the house.
Exhausted, Applejack shed her filthy boots and raincoat and hobbled into the bathroom, turning on the shower. She let the bathroom steam up, and took a deep breath. She could already feel the tension leaving her body as it was replaced by the comforting mist. Hopping in the hot shower, she let it melt away stress.
. . . .
After toweling off and getting Applebloom to braid her long mane for bed, Applejack sat up in her room, reading her favorite book, "Wild West Legends." She sat next to the window, letting the sound of the rain against the pane relax her. Suddenly, her eye caught three hooded figures entering the gate at the outskirts of the farm.
Setting down her book, Applejack stood up, stretching, and clambered downstairs to see who was coming to the farm so late.
Well, only ‘bout seven pm, she added mentally as she glanced at the clock in the entryway, But still later than the norm.
She cracked open the door to watch as three ponies walked up to her door. As they got closer, she picked out one of them carrying a large, gilded umbrella that sat shining with rare stones in the light of the windows.
“Rarity? An’ Twilight, an’ Fluttershy. What are you three doin’ here so late?” she asked in a maternal tone as they approached the house. "An' Twi, why in Equestria don'tcha have a raincoat on!?"
“Applejack, go get your raincoat on! We want you to come meet a friend of ours,” Twilight announced obliviously through a large grin. “Oh, and grab some apples, if you can. Any kind will do.”
“Well, uh... Ah dunno, Twi, it’s been a long day. Does it need to be now?” Applejack said, rather confused.
“Yes, of course Applejack! Everypony else has already met him, save for you and Fluttershy. Come on, you’ll love him, I promise,” Twilight appealed.
“But Ah jus’ got changed an’ showered an’ all. Does it halfta be now?” she asked again, impatiently, shaking her head to show her braided mane to them.
At this, Rarity scoffed.
“My goodness, Applejack, worried about your mane, hm? Not something I’d expect from you, of all ponies. I mean, even I’m out here now, braving this simply dreadful rain,” the elegant pony boasted in an all-together snooty tone, doing her best to not remember the dripping mess of her mane. Applejack’s face darkened.
“Ah don’ think so, sugarcube. Ah’ll be right out,” she said determinedly and slammed the door behind her.
. . . .
Four friends trudged through the thick rain, making their way back to the library. As they arrived, Twilight stopped them and went inside alone.
Applejack and Fluttershy glanced at each other, unsure of what was going on. After a few moments, Twilight popped her head outside the door and nodded for them all to come in. The three filed inside, stashing their wet coats in the closet. Applejack glanced around as Rarity stood behind them.
The only pony they saw was the back half of Rainbow Dash, who was standing at the entryway to the kitchen, facing away from them. A conversation was being held in the kitchen separate from what was going on in the entryway. A lot of laughter was heard as well.
“Alright, Twi, what in Equestria’s goin’ on here?” Applejack said once again, dumbfounded. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
“Okay girls, this is gonna be weird. But bear with me here!” Twilight said, as Spike appeared at the top of the stairs to look down on what was going on. She called Rainbow Dash over, who turned around and walked over between Fluttershy and Applejack, smiling just as widely as her friend. Twilight turned back in the direction of the kitchen.
“Okay Ento, Pinkie, you guys come in,” Twilight called. After a few moments, in skipped Pinkie, and following her closely was a dark creature, the likes of which neither Applejack nor Fluttershy had seen before.
Fluttershy yelped out an ear-splitting screech, and ducked behind Rainbow Dash for cover. Applejack stood strong, but quivered as she felt tendrils of black fear creep into her mind. The creature stopped, and lowered his head as he saw the pair’s reactions.
Fluttershy lay cowering uncontrollably behind Dash, but Applejack forced herself to stay calm.
If none of mah friends are ahfraid of whatever that is, then there ain’t no reason Ah ought to be either, Applejack reassured herself. Right? She took a cautious step forward, and said in a none-too steady voice,
“Well h-hello, m-mah name’s A-Applejack. Pleasure to m-meet you.”
The creature smiled, revealing a mouthful of wickedly sharp teeth.
“I’ve heard quite a lot about you from your friends, Applejack. My name is Ento, Ento'Ba”
. . . .
Though it took time for the shock to wear off, Ento and Applejack clicked rather well. Their bold and endearing personalities were alike, and neither of them had much problem getting to know one another.
Fluttershy was, on the other hoof, a serious challenge. After managing to scrape her off the floor, the gang had to make sure she didn't bolt straight out the door. Rainbow Dash was especially careful, as she remembered the way the yellow pegasus had reacted to her forcing Fluttershy to attend the dragon migration last year.
After some time, though, the little pink-maned pegasus learned to find in Ento the little bit of kindness that she showed to everypony. She still winced a great deal every time the Ekina smiled, however.
All six ponies, along with Spike and Ento, eventually found themselves sitting around the large table in the kitchen, laughing aloud at stories and jokes, and sharing tales and thoughts. Connection came easily between the six ponies and their alien guest: such was a testament to the true power of friendship that the six were famous for.
After Ento brought up the notion of kuta, Applejack’s keen knowledge for the earth and its living things was piqued, and so Ento went on in lengthy detail about the kuta and its properties. By the end of his extensive speech, everypony had learned that kuta seeds cured upset stomach, the skin could be used to disinfect wounds and make soaps, and the stem, dried and crushed, was a potent sneezing powder. Pinkie Pie, a connoisseur of fine practical jokes, begged Ento for some root. Much to her disappointment, though, Ento had none with him.
He did, however, have plenty of leftover kuta soup, which Twilight politely declined. Eventually, everypony else had also decided to politely decline it in the future as well. Only Spike asked for seconds, and ate everypony else’s extra soup as well.
Applejack, feeling as though her livelihood were threatened, went on about how beneficial the apple was. Even Ento grew jealous of its natural flexibility, and decided to try some of the apples she had brought along with her.
He found the apples to be incredibly bitter and foul, and promptly decided to decline any future offers of the nauseating fruit as well.
“Well what does a kuta fruit taste like to you?” Rainbow Dash asked, curious. At this, Ento pondered an answer.
“If I had to say, it has a simply brilliant sweet, almost ambrosia-like flavor, far opposite of the apples you ponies love. I don’t see how you can eat such bitter fruit, but I can’t judge.”
To this, everypony else laughed grandly, much to Ento’s embarrassed confusion.
Life was good, here in the kitchen, in the library, in Ponyville, in Equestria. Ento found himself laughing along with these ponies, and hadn’t ever felt such ecstasy as this before.
Outside, the storm roared angrily, as lightning flailed and thunder screamed nature’s fury.