Chapter 3: Endangered Species
“Oh dear! I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you alright?”
Alex said nothing. He just sat there on the ground and stared at the yellow pony with pink mane and tail, with his mouth hanging wide open in utter disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. She had WINGS! She had wings and she was flying! Well… ‘Hovering’ would probably have been the more accurate word. He had seen ponies with and without horns, but never did he imagine there would be flying ponies too. He didn’t know whether to act amazed or terrified.
“Um… Excuse me… But are you okay?” She asked him again, becoming a bit worried. Alex finally snapped out of it.
“Fine! I’m fine… It’s just…” He couldn’t help it. It was all becoming too much. “You’re flying!”
“Of course…” She smiled. “I’m a pegasus. My name is Fluttershy. What’s yours?”
“Alex…” He slowly got up on his feet and started to walk around her, regarding her from all sides. He still couldn’t fathom that before him was a pony with wings, only a few inches above the ground, defying gravity as if it was nothing. He then spotted three butterflies on her flank. He started to wonder if this had some kind of meaning. “You said you’re a pegasus?”
“Yes..?” She answered. She was a bit more nervous now. This strange creature was regarding her closely and looking at her as if he had never seen a pegasus before. Although she was glad that he wasn’t frightened of her, she began to wonder if she should be afraid of him. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking… What are you? I’ve never seen an animal like you before…”
Alex calmed down his excitement and faced Fluttershy. “I’m a human. I come from…” He thought for a moment, remembering how his previous meetings went. “…from a place far, far… far away.”
“Oh! Then you must be tired. I thought you looked tired. You must have been through a lot.”
‘You have no idea!’ Alex thought sarcastically.
“You must need a place to rest.” She landed on the ground. “Come. My cottage isn’t far. You can rest there while I make you something to eat. You must be famished too.”
She led the way as they walked through the woods. Alex couldn’t believe how relaxing it suddenly was. This pegasus was incredibly nice. Way nicer than Twilight or Applejack. While he harbored no ill will towards either of them, he just didn’t like what they had planned for him.
One thing Alex noticed on their way was birds that seemed to suddenly follow them. He heard a gentle humming emitting from Fluttershy as the birds flew beside her and chirped happily to her tune. He then noticed bunnies and squirrels flock beside her, hoping along and paying Alex no heed or fear. It soon became quite clear to him that this pony had a thing for animals.
*****
It didn’t take long before they finally reached Fluttershy’s cottage. It was a small but pleasant little cottage that seemed to be one with nature. Close by he saw a little henhouse, and on the other side he saw what he could only describe as a petting zoo.
“I see you like animals.”
“Oh yes. I love all animals. I take care of them and treat them if they’re lost, injured or hungry. It’s my special talent.” She said smiling. Alex couldn’t help but smile back. He wondered though if Fluttershy really saw him as a lost animal. It wouldn’t be too surprising considering where he was, but as long as she wasn’t chasing him, he was quite content with her hospitality.
She opened the door to her cottage and welcomed Alex inside. He was quite taken back by all the animals that were already inside. Rabbits, squirrels, bunnies and mice of various size flocked around them, some with delight in seeing Fluttershy again and others with curiosity over her new friend.
“Angel…” She addressed the white bunny in front of her. “…everyone, this is Alex. He’s a human and he’ll be staying with us for a while.” She smiled as she presented him for her friends. Alex hadn’t quite agreed upon if he was going to stay long. His biggest desire was to find a way back home. But, as long as he was here, he might as well make himself comfortable. He was rather tired and hungry from earlier. “This way Alex.”
Alex found himself being escorted to the kitchen and found a chair ready by a small table. Fluttershy pulled up the chair and waited till he sat down. She then hovered over to an oven and put a kettle ready to make some tea. While the water was boiling, she sat down across from him. Angel hopped on the table with two plates; one for Alex and one for Fluttershy.
“Thank you Angel.” Fluttershy said as the bunny saluted and hopped off to join the others. “I hope you like tea. I also have some muffins in the cabinet. You do like muffins, right? If you don’t… mind me asking..?”
Alex couldn’t help but stare at her. She was too polite. Anyone (or anypony) that nice just had to be. And seeing how insecure she acted, he could understand why her name was Fluttershy. He smiled as he answered back. “I like muffins. Yes please.”
She trotted over to the cabinet and placed a muffin on both their plates. As he was about to enjoy his muffin, Alex suddenly noticed that Fluttershy was regarding him very closely.
“Yes?”
“You said you were a human…” She began. “I don’t think I’ve ever-”
“-Seen one like me?” Alex finished her sentence. “Sigh! Somehow I knew that you were going to say that.”
“I’m sorry…” Fluttershy blushed shamefully.
“No! No, it’s not like that!” Alex got nervous. He had to be careful as she seemed to be very emotionally fragile. “It’s just that I’m new here. And so far it’s been really stressful...”
“Oh my! What happened?”
“I don’t know…” Alex said deflated. “I was minding my own business, when I suddenly wound up here and, before I met you, got chased by ponies that wanted to catch me for some reason.”
“That’s awful!” she exclaimed softly. “Why in the world would anypony want to do that? You don’t look like you’d cause trouble.”
“It’s more because of what I am.” He became more relaxed now. “Apparently, there is no other human like me here.”
“No others like you?” She looked at Angel with concern before turning to Alex. “Are… Are you all alone?”
“Afraid so…” he continued. “I didn’t even want to come here, but somehow I ended up here and I’ve never felt so alone.”
“You poor thing...” Fluttershy bent down and whispered something in Angel’s ear. Angel then darted out of the cottage, along with several other animals, leaving her and Alex alone. “But don’t you have family? Aren’t they here? Did they send you away? Why didn’t they come with you?”
“They couldn’t… They didn’t… I don’t think anyone knows I’m gone. I don’t even know if I’ll ever get back.”
“Get… back?”
He swallowed nervously as he decided to risk it. “The truth is Miss Fluttershy… I’m the only human in this whole world. I’m an alien!”
“A- Alien?” Fluttershy stuttered in shock as her eyes went wide.
Alex cringed when he realized what he had just said. If Fluttershy was anything like Twilight or Applejack, she would try and hold him until more ponies came by, or worse. He cursed himself for his honesty and was about to get up and leave before she got any wild ideas. Then suddenly he noticed that she was sobbing.
“How awful…” she sobbed. Alex was now confused. He half expected her to suddenly come after him, but instead she just sat there and wept.
Suddenly she got up and dashed towards him. Alex was about to make a leap for the door until he was caught in her warm embrace. “All alone in the world, with no home and no friends… Sob! Oh you poor thing…” As Fluttershy tearfully hugged him, Alex just sat there blushing and looking rather dumbfounded. “Don’t you worry…” She dried her tears. “You can stay here with me. I’ll help you anyway I can.” She gently released him and trotted over to the kitchen counter.
Alex was speechless. ‘Finally!’ he thought to himself. At last he had found a pony that was actually concerned for him and not interested in exploiting him or turning him in to some government lab. He drew a sigh of great relief as he held up his muffin. He could finally rest easy knowing that…
SWOOP!
Before he had a chance to bite down on the muffin, Fluttershy suddenly swiped it from his hand.
“One plain muffin? How thoughtless of me!” she said.
“Hey! I was gonna enjoy-”
BANG!
“…that?”
A large plate with all manner of cakes, muffins, bread and fruit was suddenly placed on the table before him. He had never seen such a spread. Alex was utterly speechless.
“Here! You just eat up. I’ll be right outside.” she said as she darted out of the kitchen. Alex just sat there looking at the plate and the mountain of food before him. He didn’t even notice she was gone as he sat there drooling and instinctively reached for a cupcake. He was about to take a bite, when Fluttershy suddenly reappeared and gently tapped on his shoulder.
“Ehm… Excuse me… But could you please stand up for a moment?” Alex stood up and watched as Fluttershy pulled out a measuring tape. She hovered around him, measuring his height and the length of his arms. “Do you always wear clothes?” she asked once she was finished.
“Yeah, it keeps me warm. I don’t have any…” before he could finish, Fluttershy had once again left the kitchen. “…fur.” Alex shrugged as he sat back down to eat. Just then he felt a new tap on his shoulder.
“Ehm… I’m sorry, but what do humans normally eat? Fruit? Vegetables? Meat? I can easily supply the first two…”
“It’s okay. I do eat fruits and vegetables. I also eat meat, but if it’s a problem I don’t…” Before he could finish, Fluttershy had disappeared once again. “…mind?”
Alex scratched his head and started to grow suspicious. First she was being overly nice to him. Then she wanted to measure him. Then she asked what he used to eat. All this was probably quite normal if he was going to stay for a while. When you are the host, you should always make sure the guest is comfortable...
“I’m really, really sorry…” He felt Fluttershy’s hoof on his shoulder again. “But do you have any illnesses that I should be aware off? Any allergies or other inherent diseases..?”
“Not that I know of…” This was starting to get personal and creepy. “A bit of allergy during winter but…” Fluttershy dashed off again.
This was getting weirder and weirder. Alex had heard of generous hospitality, but now it was getting ridiculous. Alex got off his chair and moved towards the kitchen window. He could now hear sounds of tools being used on wood. Nails being hammered, boards being sawed and… cement being churned?
He peered out the window and gawked as he saw all of Fluttershy’s animals, with Angel wearing a hardhat as their acting foreman, busily building what Alex could only faintly describe as a habitat.
“Oh! Careful now little one’s…” Alex’s eyes shifted as he heard Fluttershy’s voice. Sitting by a large tree stump, she was busily supervising the progress, all the while making notes and changes to her blueprints as Angel hopped to her side. “Angel, make sure the bunnies dig the well deep enough, and tell the beavers to clear the trees in this area. We need more boards for the house he’ll live in…”
‘Live in?!’ Was she talking about Alex? Was she building him a house? Alex then remembered the petting zoo, her talent and her treatment of animals. He stepped back in horror. Fluttershy was actually building him a natural habitat! At first he was worried that she would exploit him like Twilight and Applejack, but now it seemed that she wasn’t going to do anything of the sort. Instead she was going to quite literally shield him from the world.
He would be living in his makeshift house, complete with everything he would possibly need; A bed for the dark cold nights, a living room for him to relax, a lawn for him to tend and exercise on and a restroom for his… private uses. And every now and then Fluttershy would come and practically ‘mother’ him by bringing him his favorite foods and making sure he was well and comfortable, while ponies, young and old, observed him from outside an enclosed barbwire fence that kept him tightly secured and locked inside. Like a zoo animal.
Alex shook his head. No, this was just ridiculous speculation! While all the questions and the secret building was suspicious, she was too nice to ever…
“It’s coming along nicely Angel. Alex will love it. Do you suppose we have enough barbwire?”
…AAAANNND with that, Alex decided it was time for him to leave. “Sorry Miss Fluttershy. I know why you are doing this, but I enjoy my freedom too much…”
He slowly tiptoed towards the front door, reached for the knob and was about to dash out when Fluttershy suddenly appeared behind him.
“Excuse me… But, um… …where are you going?”
“Fluttershy!” Alex froze, turned around, swallowed and backed against the door as Fluttershy slowly stepped towards him. “I… I was just going out. I’m really grateful for your hospitality and all, but I really think I should get going…”
"But you can’t leave!” Fluttershy protested. “You are an endangered species! You must stay here where I can protect you!”
“Endangered species?”
“Why yes! You said so yourself. You’re all alone. And I can’t let you go out there by yourself. You need a place to stay. Somewhere safe, where nopony can harm you and where I can always keep an eye on you.” She pulled him into a hug and gently stroked his hair. "Forever and always..."
Despite the sweet and cheerful sound in her voice, this really didn't sit well with Alex. He’d rather take his chances in this strange world than being pampered for the rest of his life.
“Um… Thanks Fluttershy. This is very kind of you…” he said nervously, removing her hooves around him and pushing her gently away. “But I REALLY should be going now.” He was about to reach for the door knob when her wings suddenly flared up.
“Oh, but I INSIST…” her voice suddenly seemed to change tone. Just then, Alex saw it. Those eyes…
Fluttershy began to glare at him and it made him uneasy. Trying to break away, he found he was unable to. Those sweet, yet intimidating eyes seemed to stare into his very soul and he was completely frozen in place. Alex had to distract her somehow, fast…
“I don’t want to do this Alex. But if you won’t listen to reason-”
“GASP! Oh no! One of the bunnies had an accident! It’s got a nail in its paw!” he exclaimed.
“DOUBLE GASP! Oh no!” Fluttershy squeaked in horror. She broke eye contact and flew out the kitchen window. “Hang on! I’m coming!”
Alex saw his chance and dashed out the front door and into the woods. That felt surprisingly easy. She believed him, even when he was nowhere near a window at the time. He knew it would be a matter of time before she realized her mistake. His only hope was that she wasn’t the relentless chasing type...
“That critter oughta be aroun’ here somewhere!”
…unlike a certain cowpony he just recently met. Alex came to a screeching halt and looked passed the bushes and trees ahead of him. Walking in from the opposite direction was Applejack, along with her brother Big Mac and a small dog leading the way.
“Come along now Big Mac! We gotta get movin’ if we aims to catch that varmint! Search Winona! Search!”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac uttered as he trotted along after her with a large crate on his back.
Alex immediately turned and headed back the way he came, putting a good distance away from the Apple siblings. As he did, Applejack’s dog Winona’s ears suddenly perked up and she smelled the air. She suddenly dashed off into the woods and barked excitedly.
“Winona’s caught the scent! Come on, Big Mac!” Applejack exclaimed and galloped after Winona, with Big Mac following close behind.
Alex could hear the bark of Applejack’s dog as it closed in on him. He knew he could never outrun a dog on foot, but he was determined not to end up as Applejack’s little traveling ‘Freak Show’. Just then, something yellow and pink blocked his path, locking eyes with him.
“There you are! I was so worried! You really scared me you know…” Fluttershy sounded more angered than concerned as she trotted up to Alex, her eyes firmly fixed on him. Alex tried to look away, but again found he was unable to. “…saying my bunnies were hurt and all that. I’m sure you just imagined it and I forgive you, but that is no reason for you to-”
As she was scolding him, Alex felt cold sweat running down his forehead and chills down his spine. He had lost all control over his body. Whatever she was using, it was working and he felt obedient and compliant. He would willingly follow her back to the cottage the moment she would tell him to…
Just then, Winona popped out of the bushes, barking cheerfully as she had found Alex. This broke Fluttershy’s concentration and she jumped a bit as the dog excitedly jumped around him.
“Winona? What are you...?” she said, only to discover that Winona wasn’t paying her any attention. “I’m sorry but I’m…” She tried to reason. “I’m talking to Alex here and… And you are…” Winona completely ignored her as she barked at Alex, trying to keep him in place as he slowly regained control and cringed at the sight of her. “Stop that Winona! You’re scaring him!” she half whispered. But Winona kept barking at him.
“STOP THAT!”
Fluttershy’s sudden yell finally earned Winona’s attention as she stopped and looked into her eyes. Winona whimpered as she was utterly frozen in place, with her ears dropped and her tail firmly between her legs. If Alex didn’t know better, he could’ve sworn the dog was sweating. Through the fur!
“Listen Winona…” she began, her eyes still locked on the nervous dog. “…You’re scaring Alex. And you shouldn’t be out here all alone. Applejack must be worried sick. Shame on you!” Winona’s ears dropped even lower as she whimpered shamefully. “Now be a good girl and go home!” Without hesitation, Winona ran off, passing the Apple siblings as they now where only a few meters away beyond the thick bushes, ignoring them completely.
“What in tarnation..?” Applejack and her brother’s eyes widened as they watched their dog suddenly turn tail and run back to the farm. “Winona! What’s gotten into ya? Get back here, consarnit!” She galloped after Winona with Big Mac following close behind. Hearing the shouts, Fluttershy peered out of the bushes just in time to see Applejack and her brother run after Winona.
“Oh my…” she quietly muttered in her now sweet and regretful voice. “I guess she was walking her dog... Oh Fluttershy, you’re such a featherhead!” She closed her eyes and sighed. Her infamous ‘Stare’, while effective, did have its disadvantages.
“I better go and apologize…” As much as she wanted to go and set things right, she then remembered she had to tend to Alex first and… Alex! She had completely forgotten about him! She turned around to find that he was already gone. She quickly flew up just above the tree line and spotted him as he ran down a narrow path. “Hey wait!” she silently yelled. “You… You can’t just…” Her lips trembled as anger started to build up inside her.
“You’re… COMING BACK WITH ME!!!”
*****
Alex ran as fast he could with the yellow pegasus closing in on him. He quickly darted behind a tree and hid as Fluttershy flew by, with beaming anger in her eyes. Having shaken her off, Alex took a detour through the woods until something white and fluffy blocked his path.
Angel had joined the hunt and stood defiantly in his way, glaring at him while waving his paws in a fighting pose. Alex just stood there and looked at the tiny bunny. Angel grinned triumphantly as he saw that Alex wasn’t moving, realizing that the human had met his match...
“You’re kidding? You’re kidding, right?”
Angel’s triumphant smile faded as he realized that Alex wasn’t at all intimidated by him. He seized his fighting stance and his ears dropped as Alex moved over to him and picked him up. He looked at Alex with a sheepish smile on his face. Alex smiled back as he couldn’t help but to find the bunny amusingly cute. Just then, he heard Fluttershy calling from the bushes behind him.
“Angel? Did you see him? Is he there?”
Alex had to lose her somehow. Then he looked at Angel, who grew slightly worried as Alex got an idea.
“Angel?” Fluttershy emerged from the nearby bushes. “Angel, are you… GASP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Fluttershy ‘s heart skipped with fear as she saw Alex standing next to a cliff, holding Angel over the edge by his ears.
“One more step and bunny-girl goes over the edge!” Alex threatened. He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Angel frowning at him. “Ops! Sorry…”
“Don’t hurt my little Angel! Please! Just come back with me… We’ll… We’ll work something out…” She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. Alex couldn’t bear to see a sweet mare like that cry, but neither did he want to spend his life in a cage (no matter how cozy it was).
“Sorry Fluttershy… But you only have one choice. CHOOSE!” Alex suddenly let go of Angel, sending him plummeting down. Fluttershy wasted no time and sped towards the cliff, ignoring Alex as he dodged her and dashed off into the woods. She reached the cliff and saw Angel hanging by a root that stuck out of the cliff face.
“ANGEL! Hang on!” She reached down her hoof and tried to grab Angel as the root was starting to break. “I got you Angel! Hang on! You’re not going to fall!” Angel stretched out his paw, trying to reach her hoof. Fluttershy, trying to overcome her fear of heights, stretched herself further down, trying to reach her precious bunny. Hoof and paw were only a few inches away before the root broke.
SNAP!
“Got you!” yelled Fluttershy as hoof and paw made contact at the very last second. “I got you Angel! I won’t let go..!” She tried to pull Angel up, only to discover she didn’t have the strength. She could feel Angel’s paw beginning to slip from her hoof. “Angel!” Angel solemnly looked into Fluttershy’s teary eyes as he suddenly let go…
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Fluttershy covered her tear soaked eyes as she whimpered in despair for her poor bunny. “Oh Angel… Sob! My poor sweet little-”
TOCK!
She felt a small pebble hit her on the head. She looked over the edge and saw Angel standing at the bottom, tapping his foot and looking up at her with a frown on his face. The ‘cliff’ was nothing more than a short five foot drop, which Angel easily survived. Fluttershy’s cheeks were red with embarrassment.
“Oh… Eh hehe, Opsie… Squee!”
Angel just rolled his eyes.
*****
Alex ran and ran, covering quite the distance before finally coming to a complete stop. After making certain that he was not being followed, he breathed a great sigh of relief.
While he was safe for the time being, he wasn’t too thrilled about his current situation. Now four ponies were after him, and one of them practically had nature itself on her side! Feeling no longer safe in the woods, Alex glanced towards Ponyville, which was now only a few yards away. “Guess there’s no choice…” he muttered as he slowly moved towards town.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Ponyville, a pink pony suddenly felt a twitch…