One major advantage, Peppermill would admit if asked, about pretty much having nothing but the cutie mark on your flank to your name was it made moving around simple. As a result being given a rather nice offer to stay somewhere else required little to no advance preparation. This was what allowed the grey colt the chance to experience something far different than living on a farm (or a restaurant, for that matter).
“Are you…sure Fluttershy…is okay with…this?” he questioned Applejack for the seemingly millionth time that morning. He and the mare were inside one of the upstairs bedrooms of Sweet Apple Acres, once a guest room but now his official bedroom, as the colt brushed aside some loose strands of black mane over his eyes.
“Yes sugarcube. She is more than happy to let you stay with her for a few days.” answered Applejack. “I reckon a city colt like you might learn something, being around all of them critters she has.”
“And…chickens.”
“Yes, and chickens…” chuckled Applejack. This flightless fowl was, for all purposes, the main reason for this change of scenery for the colt. It had only been a week ago that Peppermill had the opportunity to meet his very first cow. This had started a crusade of sorts for Peppermill, who was determined to fill in the gaps in his knowledge of food and cuisine. If not for himself, then in memory of his late parents, for whom he gained his love of cooking.
It was Applejack that had approached him and explained about Fluttershy and her unofficial sanctuary for animals, domestic and wild. She had also added the tantalizing fact that the yellow Pegasus was one of the few ponies in the immediate area who owned chickens. Mind you, Fluttershy insisted that it wasn’t a case of ownership and more of a mutual arrangement. Either way, it would prove to be a major learning experience for the young chef.
Of course, one might argue that it could be a learning experience of another sort for Fluttershy.
***
“Oh dear…I’m positive I put it here.” This was the muffled comment coming from a closet in Fluttershy’s cozy cottage. The front half of her body was deep inside the space, while her rear stuck out into the living room. An occasional flick of her tail and flutter of her yellow wings betrayed her frustration to the numerous small animals gathered in the room. Most, if not all, of them were busy doing their own thing and paying little attention to their guardian. The only creature showing anything resembling interest was the white rabbit known as Angel.
The bunny in question sat in the middle of the room, thumping a foot impatiently on the floor. Fluttershy had been spending far too much time fretting over this coming visitor and not nearly enough on him, as far as he was concerned.
“Did I put it under here…or maybe…ah!” The rare exclamation from the soft-spoken mare was enough for some of the gather critters to faintly glance in her direction, but not much else. After a momentary struggle, the mare dragged a small box out of the closet by one flap in her mouth. One pulled into the center of the room, she opened it up fully revealing a large folded quilt. She removed the quilt and spread it over the floor. It was rather plain, being a deep blue rectangle of fabric and stuffing. But as far as the mare was concerned, it’s color was the only important factor.
“Blue is good for colts, right?” she asked out loud.
She got no answer, unless you counted the face palm from Angel.
***
The walk to Fluttershy’s cottage from Sweet Apple Acres was rather lengthy, given they were literally on opposite sides of Ponyville. This gave Applejack the time she desired to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. Ever since Peppermill had appeared in her life, she had developed a incredibly deep bond with him. She felt a connection to the colt, recognizing a parallel in their lives: the loss of parents. But the painful fact that Peppermill had no pony while she still had a strong family to rely on made her heart ache.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were getting motherly with him. This was a comment from, of all ponies, Big Macintosh that had struck the mare like a thunderbolt. Applejack was far too invested in the running of Sweet Apple Acres to concern herself at this time of her life for a relationship and all the things it could lead to. But she also could not deny that the desire to protect and care for this colt was powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it made the very idea of letting him go even into the care of a trusted friend make her stomach churn.
“…and make sure you are on yer best behaviour. Fluttershy ain’t much for loud noises and excitement, so don’t go botherin’ her with musical numbers and such.”
“I…don’t sing.” Applejack had been talking almost non-stop for the entire trip, laying down a rather impressive list of ‘do this, don’t do that”. Peppermill found himself a but annoyed at this, feeling that the orange mare seemed not to have much faith in his behaviour. He suspected it had to do with a story he had been told by the Cutie Mark Crusaders involving a previous sleepover that had resulted in chicken chasing and ponies being turned to stone. While he certainly was not the adventurous type, he still was not impressed by the silent implications.
“Well, I reckon as long as you listen to Fluttershy you’ll be just fine.”
“I…know I’ll be…fine. But…what about Fluttershy?”
“What do ya mean sugarcube?”
“Well…she didn’t…seem all…that sure…about this. I…don’t want…to make her…do something…she doesn’t want to.”
“In all due respect sugarcube, sometimes you shouldn’t take ‘um…maybe…ifin that’s okay with you’ too serious-like with that gal. She’s might sound like she’s not sure, but I know she will be happy to have ya.”
“I…guess so.” Not completely convinced, but not willing to set Applejack back onto a rant, the colt remained silent for the remained of the trip. Fortunately having to endure the constant orders from the orange mare made time go by quickly, and soon they reached their destination. Sitting just outside of the Everfree Forest was a cozy cottage surrounded by all sorts of gambolling and flitting critters.
“Wow…I’ve never seen…so many…animals…in one…place.”
“Eyup.” grinned Applejack as she and the colt approached the door to the cottage. Applejack knocked with a forehoof. “Fluttershy? It’s me an’ Peppermill…” The door swung open, revealing a bored looking Angel holding it open. Beyond him was a rather puzzling sight.
“Oh, um…just a minute…” In the middle of the room was Fluttershy, hovering over a large box trying (and failing) to stuff a large blue quilt into it. The yellow mare had been trying for the last half an hour to stuff the blanket into the box, but was having no luck. She was now pouncing on top of it with all four hooves, but it always managed to spill out over the sides. For some reason Peppermill had a vivid memory of watching a pot of pasta sauce boiling over onto the stove back in the kitchens of his home in what seemed ages ago.
“Um, would you believe I pulled this quilt out of this box a few minute ago?” asked Fluttershy sheepishly. All Applejack could do was put a hoof to her face, while Peppermill cocked his head in puzzlement.
***
“I…think you’ll…like this. Fresh herbs…always make…a big difference.” Once the initial awkwardness had passed, and Applejack had finally tore herself away from his side, Peppermill had settled into the familiar role of ‘guest with benefits’. In his mind, it was fundamentally wrong to accept the generosity of another without reciprocating in kind. And since the colt’s bread and butter (and Celestia only knew how much amusement he got out of that particular figure of speech) was cooking, it was pretty much a given he would be making dinner for the two of them.
“This is very kind of you Peppermill.” admitted Fluttershy, watching the colt move about the kitchen with a grace and confidence that she envied. “But you don’t have to go to all this trouble. After all, you are only staying here for a few days.”
“Just saying…’thank you…for letting me…meet your chickens’…won’t cut it. Besides, if I didn’t…get a chance…to cook…at least once…I’d go…batty. Um…no offence.” This comment was directs to a small house-like contraction in a darker corner of the kitchen where three big eared bats peered sniffing at the smells coming from the stove.
“The chickens, yes…” Peppermill had been stirring a pot of what was to be a sauce for a plate of pasta (the image of the boiling sauce from earlier in the day having brought on a craving) when his brain registered the hitch in Fluttershy’s already halting speech. He slowly turned to face her, the wooden spoon still clenched in his mouth. Whether it was the questioning look or the tomato red drips falling onto her clean kitchen floor, the yellow Pegasus gave one of her normal squeaks and shrank away. But she did manage to pull herself together enough to explain.
“Well, you see a couple of days before Applejack came to me about all this I got…well, more like I was given…a rooster.”
“A…rooster. That’s…a male chicken, right?”
“Yes. Well, this rooster wasn’t given to me because I needed one. He was given…well, because…”
“Yes?”
“Because…”
“Yes?”
“Well, he seems to have a little bit of a problem with…um…males.”
“Roosters…are…territorial?”
“No, well yes a little, but that’s not what I mean…” squirmed Fluttershy. “It seems Alphonse, the rooster that is, used to belong to another farm in the area. But then he started acting out and they asked me to see if I could help.”
“I’m…not sure…I follow. Besides, I’m…just a kid. I…doubt a rooster…would see me…as a threat.”
“I really hope so. But just to make sure I am going to have to ask that you do everything I say when we see the brood tomorrow.” The pastel Pegasus tried to sound firm, but it was clear she needed a bit more practise. Fortunately Peppermill was far more relieved that she wasn’t going to change their plans too dramatically. He gave a nod and went back to his sauce, while Fluttershy silently scolded herself. Nothing will go wrong, nothing will go wrong, dear Celestia I hope nothing goes wrong.
***
The next morning came, and Fluttershy woke up from a reasonably sound sleep. Reasonable, until she heard the unmistakable crow of the rooster outside her cottage. Her blue eyes snapped open as a stab of panic pierced her brain. It took a few minutes of deep breathing to focus herself enough to crawl out of her bed. The fact that she was in her own bed and not on the small couch downstairs was part of the trouble. Her mind went back a few hours…
“So…where am I…going to…sleep, Fluttershy?” The evening meal had come and gone and the grey colt had watched with genuine fascination as the yellow Pegasus had tended to the soon-to-be-sleeping and nocturnal critters with equal care and attention. The most the city-born pony knew of animals was dogs, cats, the occasional squirrel and the dreaded crows that his father would curse about when they got into the garbage bins outside the back of the restaurant. But the sheer variety of creatures that seemed to go in and out of Fluttershy’s cottage amazed him. Add to this the fact that all of them clearly held the shy pony in high regard made him feel rather proud to know her.
“Oh, you’ll be sleeping in my bed.” explained the mare as she waved goodbye to some small birds as they flew out the window.
“Your…bed?”
“I’ll be sleeping on that, down here.” She motioned to a small couch where Angel was currently holding court over some other small animals. The colt peered at the couch, then glanced upwards seemingly through the ceiling to where he vaguely assumed the bed was.
“Hmm…no, I…don’t think so.”
“Pardon?” blinked Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy…there is…no way…I am going…to make you…give up your…own bed…just for me.” Peppermill approached the couch and once Angel grudgingly hopped off, hopped onto it himself. “I fit…just fine…here.”
“Um…” Fluttershy bit her bottom lip unhappily, seemingly torn between wanting to extend her famous kindness regardless and bending to the will of yet another pony.
“Fluttershy…it’ll be…fine. I…promise.” insisted Peppermill. “Besides…being this…close to the…kitchen…will make it…that much easier…come the morning. I can…get a head start…on breakfast.”
“Breakfast…” murmured Fluttershy. While she wasn’t the type to gush, she had thoroughly enjoyed having somepony make her a meal for once, and Peppermill’s cooking was on a level beyond anything she could do herself. As selfish as it appeared, she had been looking forward to a few high class meals without having to lift a hoof. Now fully awake, and her trepidation of dealing with the colt’s chicken fixation momentarily forgotten, she crept downstairs.
The first thing she noticed was the silence. Sure, it tended to be rather quiet in her abode at the best of times but she would of expected some sort of noise of the colt being in her modest kitchen. Instead, it was silence that met her as she carefully went down the stairs. Not to mention the lack of delicious aromas wafting through the house. Willing herself not to be overly concerned, she crept towards the couch where Peppermill had spent the night.
She found herself smiling softly at the sight of a colt-sized lump under a small blanket on the couch (she had decided to give the large blue blanket from earlier as a gift, and Peppermill had settled on the simple yellow sheet that rested over the back of it). She stepped lightly to one end of the couch and whispered.
“Peppermill? It’s morning.” When she got no real response, she frown and peered harder. She gave a small knicker at the realization that hit her. What she had assumed was Peppermill dark mane sticking out from one end of the couch was, in fact, his tail. She crossed around to the opposite side of the make-shift bed, and her smile widened. Just peeking out from under the blanket was a grey snout, snoring softly. The mare gently lifted the blanket a little bit and murmured in his ear. “Peppermill?”
The colt gave a mumble, and his dark eyes blinked awake. Waking up to a pretty blue-eyed mare was not something the young colt was familiar with (green eyes and freckles was something else entirely). So one could reasonably forgive Peppermill for being a little confused.
“…Applejack?”
“No, it’s Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy…right…” The colt blinked a few more times. “Wait…is it…morning?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…”
“…?”
“Huh…I…rarely…sleep in. This couch…is surprisingly…comfy.” Peppermill yawned and rolled over, managing not to fall in a heap on the floor. “I’m sorry…about that. I was planning…on breakfast.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble. I usually tend to make sure all my little friends are ok before I eat in the morning. As soon as I finish in here we can go out to the henhouse.” Peppermill, still half-asleep merely nodded his agreement. It was rather impressive to watch the yellow Pegasus work her own special magic: it made the colt think back to some of the fairy tale stories his mother would read to him way back when.
The various critters that tended to use Fluttershy’s living room for their own use all began to stir, and the Pegasus tended to each and every one of them. She was so kind, so caring, so motherly…
…
…
…
Peppermill was grateful that her attention was elsewhere, because she probably would of been concerned by the sudden paling of the colt’s cheeks as a powerful flood of memories began to overwhelm him. The overpowering urge to get out of the house grew too much, and he quickly but silently crept into the kitchen and into the backyard.
Once outside in the crisp morning air, Peppermill felt better. He hadn’t felt this emotional in a long time and it bothered him. He silently made a note to look into this at a later date, for at present he had something far more interesting to deal with. Sitting before him was a chicken coop (he knew this was the right term for it because he had researched it with Twilight Sparkle) Essentially a specifically chosen area of space enclosed in a wire fence just high enough to keep the fowl it was intended to contain from escaping. A long wooden water trough sat along one side of the square area, but the dominating feature was the coop itself.
Huh…I guess…Applejack was right…about chickens…not needing…anything fancy. It appeared to be a small, squat building with a ramp leading into a chicken-sized doorway. It wasn’t until he heard the soft clucking from inside that his expression brightened. The problem was that he could clearly hear his goal, but he couldn’t see any chickens in the yard.
“No…rooster…” he rasped quietly, looking all around. Deciding that he could afford to try and get a closer look without Fluttershy around, he carefully approached the locked gate to the yard. He pulled open the latch with his mouth, opened the gate just enough to squeeze in and locked it behind him. Applejack…would be proud.
As the colt pondered his next move, a feathery figure perched on top of the coop stirred. It’s black feathers allowed it to blend in just enough the roof of the structure that only somepony actually looking for it would of seen it. It peered down at the intruder with beady eyes and an expression of distaste and hatred that only an avian could manage with a beak.
“I think…I can fit…my head…in there.” announced Peppermill to the empty air. He took a step towards the coop.
There was a squawk…
…a sudden chill up the colt’s spine…
…a cloud of black feathers…
…a silent scream…
***
“There you go Mr and Mrs Sparrow, this should fill you little one’s tummies…” Fluttershy had placed a small amount of cooked, un-sauced pasta onto the window sill. While it was not worms, she knew that it would do just as well for the growing chicks that nested just outside the cottage.
The fact that she had never been able to stomach the thought of handling worms in her mouth notwithstanding.
“Ok Peppermill, I’m finished.” she announced. But when she turned around, she discovered she was the only pony in the room. She was about to consider a search when she felt a tug at her mane. Looking down she found Angel emphatically pointing to the kitchen. Raising an eyebrow, she went inside the kitchen to find…nothing. She was about to politely thank Angel for his ‘help’ when he tugged harder and began to thump on the back door with a foot.
“He went outside? Oh dear…” Fluttershy’s initial panic was heightened when the unmistakable crowing of a rooster erupted from outside. With a yelp of distress the Pegasus bolted out the door. She raced straight for the chicken coop, but stopped suddenly in utter confusion at the sight before her.
A few of her hens were peeking out of the henhouse, while two familiar members of her flock were outside. Her best egg producer Elizabeak stood clucking crossly at a mid-sized black rooster. Alphonse, the rooster, strutted up and down the length of the overturned water trough radiating smugness. There was no sign of Peppermill, which was enough to add another layer of panic to the mare. It was only when she got closer that she spotted something familiar peeking out from under the wooden trough.
It was the tip of a black pony’s tail.
With a quick flap of her wings the mare hopped over the fence towards the gathering brood. Alphonse immediately took off to one corner of the yard while Elizabeak tilted her head Fluttershy and clucked softly. The mare carefully pushed at the upturned trough with a fore hoof.
“Peppermill?” Sure enough, huddled under the trough was a very wet colt. She slowly pulled himself out into the open, his legs and belly covered in mud and shivering. Fluttershy was about to embrace him and apologize profusely when she noticed something…off. It took only a moment for her to realize that the trembling from Peppermill was not from the chilly water. It was the shaking of anger. The colt’s dark eyes blazed as he glared at the rooster across the yard.
“Stupid…rooster…” snarled the colt.
“Buc-kaw!” replied Alphonse. Before Fluttershy (or Elizabeak, for that matter) could respond, pony and chicken charged one another and began to wrestle. The chickens in the coop immediately ducked back inside while Elizabeak huffed in exasperation. Fluttershy was still as a stone, watching the two animals battle it out. A slow build up of annoyance grew in her as colt and rooster brawled in front of her. Finally, her last nerve frayed, she spoke.
“Enough!”
To any other pony or critter, it was a normal speaking voice. But to those who knew Fluttershy, it was the equivalent of a scream. Peppermill and Alphonse, who second ago were locked in a angry clutch, now held each other in shock as the mare loomed over them. Her blue eyes blazed down on them, and it felt like it was piercing straight through them.
“The…Stare?” whimpered Peppermill (he had heard stories from Applebloom and her friends about this ability the shy Pegasus mare used in situations like this, but words did not give it justice when you were on the receiving end of it).
“Cluck…” squeaked Alphonse, pretty much the same thoughts running through his head with Applebloom being replaced by Elizabeak.
“I am ashamed at both of you! Alphonse, you know fully well you can’t just go after someone just because they are male. You don’t have to constantly try to prove yourself, and you don’t need top protect your hens from threats that aren’t there. If you keep this up no chicken is going to want to be around you and you’ll be lonely.” The rooster in question could only give a tiny chirp, unable to tear his gaze off of the blue eyes burning into him.
“And you!” Fluttershy now turned her attention onto Peppermill, who blanched. “I told you very clearly that you were not to go to the chicken coop without me. I know you were anxious and wanted to see them, but that is now excuse to disobey. You wouldn’t be all muddy and scratched up if you had listened.” peppermill didn’t dare take his gaze away from the mare, so he assumed that she was being honest about the scratches.
“Now, I want you two to apologize to each other right now!” Colt and rooster pried each other off of themselves, and stood morosely before each other. Finally Alphonse gave a series of clucks that Peppermill assumed was the chicken version of ‘I’m sorry’.
“I’m…sorry.” conceded Peppermill, kicking at some gravel in the yard.
“Now…” Fluttershy’s voice returned to it’s normal soft self. “I suppose it wasn’t the best of introductions, but I guess it’s better late than never. Peppermill, this is Elizabeak. She is the best egg layer I know.”
***
The rest of the day went remarkably smooth as Fluttershy allowed Peppermill to ask her anything he wanted to know about chickens and their eggs. It seemed rather straight forward and not as fascinating as it as seemed at first glance. It wasn’t that the colt was ignorant; he knew that eggs were the way chickens were born and that it usually took a male and a female to get to the end result. Still, it might have been a bit better if there was more to it.
Still, he was satisfied with the answers he got. Plus he had some fun letting a number of fluffy balls of feathers crawl around and on him. Even a solemn colt like him was unable to stop smiling as he and the little chicks romped around the yard under the watchful eyes of Elizabeak and Fluttershy. Even Alphonse, who after have the Stare burned into him, managed to be sociable. Eventually the time came when the growling of empty bellies brought the playing to a close.
“I hope this helped you with your questions.” murmured Fluttershy as she escorted the colt back to her cottage.
“Yes…I can…honestly say…I learned something…new.” admitted Peppermill. “And…I’m very…appreciative…of everything…you’ve done for me.”
“Well, I’m very happy. I do have to ask though, what do you plan on doing next? I mean, surely you must have other questions about food to ask.”
“Hmmm…no. I think…I’m good…for now. I’d rather…think about…what I am…going to make…us for lunch. Anything…without eggs though. At least…for a little while.”