Chapter 17: The Winner is…
There was an intense silence in the air. The dust slowly began to settle as the shadowy image of a pony pileup became visible. All the other ponies moaned and groaned as they rubbed their head trying to shake away the dizziness. Twilight, Celestia and Luna stared with their mouths wide agape at the incredible sight, with their horns still lit.
Somewhere beneath that pile of ponies was Alex, the weight of all of them having knocked the wind out him. Unsure of which of them had their magic locked on Alex, the two monarchs and Twilight simultaneously lifted Alex off the ground, pushing away the ponies above him. As soon as he was in view, everyone’s eyes widened with more surprise and disbelief.
Somepony was clinging tightly around Alex’s torso!
Somepony had succeeded in getting to him first before Twilight and the princesses’. Once they got a better view of the lucky pony, Celestia smiled and cleared her throat.
“The hunt is over! The winner is… FLUTTERSHY!”
“Aaaaw…” the other ponies groaned with disappointment.
“YAY!” cheered Pinkie Pie.
“I… I did it?” Fluttershy blinked with surprise as she beheld Alex wrapped around her hooves. A big, cheerful smile appeared on her face and she lifted herself, and Alex, off the ground and hovered in air while she snuggled him. “I… I did it! I’m so happy! Finally I have you! You’re safe now!” she cried.
Alex didn’t really share her happiness much as she was hugging him too tight. He was as limp as a rag doll as he was being hugged and squeezed by an excited Fluttershy. He knew what was going to happen now, and he wasn’t really that excited about it.
“Congratulation Fluttershy!” said Celestia. The others came over and gave their congratulations as well, albeit some with disappointment in their voice. Still, seeing it was Fluttershy, they didn’t have the heart to upset her with their defeats.
“Oh thank you! Thank you all!” said Fluttershy softly. She lowered herself and Alex back on the ground.
“Well, this has been quite an eventful day my little ponies.” said Celestia. “I trust you’ll take good care of Alex, Fluttershy?”
“Oh I will. I will! I promise!” said Fluttershy. Despite how cute this moment was, Alex just wasn’t in the mood. “Oh you poor thing, you must be utterly exhausted from all this. We really should get you home, cleaned up and in a nice, warm bed.” She then looked at the princess. “If… if it’s okay?”
“Of course.” nodded Celestia.
Fluttershy didn’t waste time getting him back on his feet. Still feeling a bit woozy, Alex staggered around trying to find his balance. “Oh my… Easy there Alex.” Fluttershy was immediately by his side and supported him. “You’re in no condition to walk. Here… Get on.” She gestured him to get on her back. Alex was a bit hesitant to get on, considering how small she was compared to him. But her warm and gentle smile eventually won him over.
He slowly and carefully mounted her. To his relief she didn’t seem to be bothered by his weight, although he did imagine himself looking rather silly on the back of a small pony.
“Now you just relax and I’ll take us home. And don’t worry. I’m not going to fly or anything. We’re just going to take it nice and slow.” She then began to sing as she headed for home. “Lalal-La-La~! Lalal-La-La~!”
Alex just sat there and felt utterly embarrassed. He tried his best to keep his legs up from the ground, but sitting on Fluttershy was like sitting on a small bike made for girls with its training wheels still on. He snuck a glance back and could see the ponies being unable to contain their giggles and laughter. Rainbow practically burst with laughter with Pinkie Pie joining in. Even the whole forest seemed to snicker and roll over laughing.
‘Yup… I’ve really hit a new low…’
As soon as they both were out of view, the ponies dried their eyes and collected themselves. With nothing else to do or say the girls headed for home, leaving Celestia alone with Luna.
Celestia glanced down at her sister and noticed the sadness in her eyes. “Don’t worry about Alex, Luna.” She smiled. “He couldn’t be in better hooves.”
Luna just pouted her lips. “He should be in my caring hooves…”
*****
“COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”
The sound of a rooster crowed as Celestia’s sun rose and shinned its warm morning light on Fluttershy’s cottage. It spread its rays on her chicken coop, her shed and her cute little animal shelter, stirring them all up from their quiet sleep.
The sun’s rays entered the window of Fluttershy’s bedroom. And with yet another crow from her roster, she woke up and yawned. Opening her eyes, she was suddenly met by a familiar face.
“Oh! Good morning Angel!” said Fluttershy as she was greeted by Angel Bunny who hopped on her bed. Fully awake, she got up from her bed, opened her window and breathed in the fresh morning air. “Good morning everyone~!” she sang, earning a lot of chirps from birds nearby wishing her a good morning as well. “Good morning Mr. Roster. Good morning chickens.” The roster and chickens clucked cheerfully back.
After taking a quick shower and freshening up, she quickly cantered down the stairs and grabbed a saddlebag that hung packed and ready on a nearby chair. She also made a quick stop in the kitchen and made ready a basket with goods. Once ready, she then stepped out her front door and was met by Angel again, as well as several more critters and animals wishing her a good morning.
“Good morning everyone!” A tiny mouse came forward and presented her with a flower. “For me? Oh thank you.” She gently rubbed the head of the mouse. “I’m very happy to see you all. But now I just need wish somepony else a very good morning.” She trotted past her animal friends and headed for the new habitat that had been erected some few days ago. It was surrounded by a large wooden fence, complete with barbwire and several signs telling ponies besides Fluttershy to keep away.
There was even a large roof net covering the entire habitat, meant specifically to keep flying beasts and pegasi out. Bells, wires and various alarm systems surrounded the whole fence. If anypony had the nerve or audacity to enter the habitat without Fluttershy’s permission, would have her to deal with. It even said so on a plaque by the entrance, which itself was equipped with large lock pads to keep anypony out.
Inside the habitat beyond the fence was a peaceful little house, built for Fluttershy’s newest and most precious of her non-pony occupants…
*****
Alex yawned as he felt the sun’s rays hit him and he slowly rose up from his bed of hay-filled matress. He’d had a wonderful sleep. Or rather he WOULD’VE had a wonderful sleep if the animals nearby weren’t such heavy sleepers. He tiredly rubbed his eyes and met the beautiful sunrise that shined behind the tall fence and nearly blinded him.
He sighed. ‘This wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have me fenced in like this. Not that I’m complaining, but I really wish she didn’t see me as an endangered animal in constant need of protection.’ He sighed some more. ‘Then again… I am the only human here in Equestria…’
He stood up from his bed and made his way to his ‘bathroom’. It was just a bowl filled with water and a bar of soap beside it. Of course he didn’t stink or look dirty. He DID take baths in a tub.
Or rather, Fluttershy gave him a bath in a tub. For some reason she preferred giving him a bath rather than have himself do it. Alex didn’t really know whether she didn’t trust him to clean himself properly or that she was afraid he’d drown… ‘She needs to understand I can take care of myself. I don’t need protect-’
BUMP!
‘-ion… Ugh…’ Alex painfully groaned as he collected himself after tripping over his own legs and falling face first.
After splashing soap-water on to his face and drying himself off, Alex went outside, stretched and breathed in the fresh clean air while listening to the sounds of happily chirping birds. He had to admit, despite his habitat resembled that of a prison-camp, it was rather peaceful and relaxing.
“Good morning Alex.” Alex looked and saw Fluttershy by the entrance to his habitat from the other side of the fence wearing a saddlebag. “Had a good night sleep?”
“Yes… I had.” he lied. “Good morning Fluttershy. That time again?”
“If by ‘time’ you mean your early morning check-up? Then yes! If… if it’s okay, I mean..?” she blushed. Alex had to roll his eyes. While it had barely been a week, she was always being polite and asking him permission every time she wanted him to do something, despite the fact that she now technically ‘owned’ him. He wondered if she asked her animals just as nicely?
“Sure. Although I am in good health…”
“I’m sure you are Alex. But I have make absolutely sure that my human is happy, content and most importantly, healthy. It won’t take long.”
As Fluttershy was about to enter, she reached for a large red switch. Pulling on it, there’s was a sudden spark of electricity and the sound of something powering down was heard. Alex thought an electrified fence with 20 000 Volts seemed a bit much, but somehow there seemed to be no point in arguing with her.
A series of clicks were heard as Fluttershy unlocked the numerous locks she had on the door and let herself in before instantly closing it and locking it up again. Each time took five minutes and once she was finally done she picked up the basket and trotted over. In the basket there was an selection of edibles; a loaf of bread, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce butter and fruit, along with a bottle of water and some apple juice.
“Here you go. Your breakfast.” Alex took the basket and went inside while she followed him. Once inside, she observed the state of his house and was quite amazed. “It’s nice to see you’re keeping things neat and tidy.”
“Yeah well… Can’t live like a pig, now can I?” Alex snickered. He secretly hoped that by being tidy and more civilized, she would at least see him as a person and thus give him some freedom of space.
Fluttershy giggled, relieved that he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. “No, of course-” Suddenly she gasped. “Heavens! What happened to your face?”
Alex felt his face and felt his swollen nose. “It’s nothing Fluttershy. I just tripped…”
“Tripped? You poor dear!” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a band aide. “Here! ‘Mommy’ will make it all better…” She gently placed the band aide on his nose. “There!”
“Thanks Fluttershy…” Alex said nasally. He wasn’t too thrilled on being treated like an injured child.
“Now we just need to see if you’re in good health. Um… Would you mind…” she blushed. “…lift off your sweater?”
Being compliant, Alex sat down on the sofa as Fluttershy began to examine him. She checked his temperature and listened to his heart. She was very thorough in her progress, making absolute sure he wasn’t suffering any form of Equestrian ailment.
It had only been a few days since Alex moved into his new home. First night was pretty hard. While Fluttershy was happy to have him safe and sound, he wasn’t really sharing her sense of happiness. While he didn’t need to run from crazy ponies anymore, he still felt like a prisoner, unable to go or do anything without her knowing.
He felt like a spoiled rich kid being pampered by an overzealous and overprotective waiter. Fluttershy gave him warm food, toys and even, on one occasion, read him a bedtime story. The only times he actually smiled and felt really happy was when she let him out for walks around her cottage. Of course, it only lasted ten minutes and she was always nearby keeping two eyes on him. As much as he wanted to just run away and leave it all behind, he really didn’t have much choice. She caught him and he had to live up to this unless face the consequences for breaking the rules.
Not to mention he wouldn’t be able to get pretty far due to her wings and her ‘Stare’. And then there were her animals. At times he would see them patrolling around the fence like soldiers on guard-duty. They even wore helmets for some reason…
Even inside his habitat, Alex wanted to escape so badly. He knew he couldn’t climb the fence for obvious reasons, and trying to smooth-talk her did virtually nothing. At times he got so frustrated he wanted to lash out and tell her how unfair she was. While he was afraid she would get mad, he was more afraid she would cry.
“Everything seems to be fine. You’re in good health. Although you should try and get some more sleep. You don’t look too well around the eyes.”
’Gee, I wonder why that is..?’ he thought sarcastically. “Sure Fluttershy. Thank you I will. You’re a good doctor. Or vet…” he smiled politely, or though rather forced.
Fluttershy blushed and smiled back. “Thank you Alex.” She picked up her medical equipment, packed up her saddlebag and was about to leave. “Oh! Um… Before I go, is there anything you want? New water? Clean sheets? If you had an accident last night I’ll be happy to-”
“NO!” Alex exclaimed, making Fluttershy jump for a bit. “I mean, no Fluttershy. It’s okay. I’m fine.” Relieved, Fluttershy smiled and turned to leave. “Except… There is however one thing…”
She stopped. “Yes?”
Alex thought for a moment. “Um… My freedom? Squee!”
Fluttershy smiled weakly and shook her head. “Oh Alex… We’ve talked about this. You know I can’t do that. You have to stay here where it’s safe.”
“I know, but couldn’t you at least remove the fence? I’ve been very good and I’m not going to run away or anything.”
“I know you won’t Alex and I really wish I could do that, but this fence keeps you safe from anypony outside who wants to come in and bother you. I want you to have peace of mind and not to worry about anything. It’s just going to be you and me. No ponies to experiment on you or stuff you in crates. Put you on a leash and make you their pet or turn you into a pony… Hm… Although I have to admit, that last part was rather strange…” She trotted towards the entrance, unlocked it and stepped outside.
“Don’t worry Alex. With me around I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” With that, she closed the door, locked all the locks in an instant and turned the power back on, causing much of the fence to spark with electricity. “I swear on it!”
“Great…” said Alex weakly as he slumped down on his garden chair and looked at the electrified fence. Somehow Fluttershy had weird sense of kindess… “I’ll just sit here and be safe then…”
*****
After putting away her saddlebag and having herself a good breakfast, Fluttershy exited through the door of her cottage and closed it. She was going to Ponyville to buy supplies and more food for herself, Alex and of course her animals. Before she could leave however, she stopped and looked at Angel.
“Keep a good eye on Alex, will you Angel Bunny?” Angel made a salute. Fluttershy giggled and rubbed his head. “I know I won’t have to worry about Alex when you’re here. I won’t be gone too long…”
As she was about to leave, she suddenly saw Twilight coming up the road and towards the cottage with a saddlebag.
“Hi Fluttershy!”
“Oh! Hi Twilight! What brings you here this morning?”
“Well…” Twilight nervously scratched her head. Fluttershy could see that Twilight’s saddlebag was filled with various books and writing quills.
“Are you doing some studying Twilight?”
“Actually… Yes. And I was wondering if I could… see Alex?” she smiled. Fluttershy looked at her curiously. “You see, I still need to do some research about Alex, his origins and the world he came from... It would benefit Equestria greatly. Also, the princess might be impressed with my findings.”
“Oh… I don’t know Twilight… I promised Alex that I would keep him safe and undisturbed. I’m afraid I can’t...”
“Please Fluttershy? I know he’s your responsibility Fluttershy, but there’s a lot we can still learn from him. I promise I won’t be a bother.”
“Oh Twilight… I don’t know…”
“Please Fluttershy? How about I just stand outside the fence and quietly observe him. I promise I won’t bother him.”
Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Well… I suppose that’ll be alright…”
“Great! Thanks!” Twilight immediately passed her and headed for the habitat.
“But wait… I-”
“Hey Sugarcube!” Fluttershy and suddenly saw Applejack approach her, along with her brother Big Mac who was pulling a large cart that was all covered up.
“Applejack? Big Mac? What brings you here?”
“We jus’ came by n’ wondered if we could see Alex. Ya see, we kinda feel bad fer all that chasin’ around we did, tryin’ to nab ‘im n’ all. So we figured we’d give ‘im a little peaceofferin’.” She gestured behind Big Mac who pulled away the coverings and saw a cart filled with all manner of apple related food. On top was even Granny Smith, who waved down at them. “We even brought Granny Smith along so she could meet Alex in person, as well as have ‘im taste some of her good ol’ home cookin’.” She reached into the cart and pulled out a fresh baked apple pie. Fluttershy smelled it and it made her mouth water.
“Oh… That’s a nice thought but…”
“But what Sugarcube?”
“Well… That is I… I don’t think you can feed him right now. He’s just had breakfast and he really needs to be-”
“Ain’t no problem Sugarcube! We’ll join ‘im and have ourselves a feast!”
“Darn tootin’!” said Granny Smith.
“Eeyup!” replied Big Mac.
“But… but-”
“SURPRISE!”
“Squeak!” Fluttershy nearly fell over after being startled by Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out of the apple pie.
“Funny... Ah’ don’t recall adding THAT ingredient…” said Granny Smith looking rather puzzled. The real question on everypony’s mind was how Pinkie was able fit in it.
“Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?” cried Fluttershy as she got up. “And please not so loud. You’re scaring the other animals…”
“Sorry Fluttershy! *Giggle-Snort!* I just figured I’d come by and give Alex his House Warming Party.”
“Um… His House Warming Party?”
“Sure! That’s his new house isn’t it?” She pointed at the habitat. “Now that he’s got himself a new home, he now needs a good old fashion House Warming Party to get more settled in.”
“Um… Pinkie? I don’t think…”
“Say Pinkie? Any chance ya’ll can use any of our food fer this here House Warmin’ Party?” asked Applejack.
“We haven’t agreed…”
“Sure! More food, the better!”
“NO!” yelled Fluttershy suddenly, causing the others to look at her rather confused. “Uh… Sorry! What I mean is… We can’t have a party…”
“WHAT!?!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Why not?”
“Alex just got up. And I don’t he’s ready to meet anypony else after that horrible ordeal last time. The last thing he needs is being bothered by more ponies. He really needs to be… alone..?” Fluttershy trailed off as she spotted Rarity humming as she gracefully trotting past them with a saddlebag of various sewing equipment. “Rarity?”
Realizing Fluttershy had noticed her, Rarity stopped. “Oh hey Fluttershy! I hope you don’t mind me coming here unannounced, but I simply need to see Alexander.”
“For what..?”
“Hey! What about the party?” cried Pinkie as she and Applejack were suddenly being ignored.
“You see darling, last time a saw him his clothes were in such a terrible state after all that running around in the woods. I simply had to come over and patch them up.”
Fluttershy was starting to get a little bit annoyed. There were too many ponies now and she had worked hard to make sure Alex would be alone. “That’s really nice of you Rarity but…”
“Hey Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy looked up and saw that Rainbow Dash had arrived. “Rainbow Dash! Are you here too?”
“Of course! I’ve been feeling a bit bored lately, so I decided to pay you and Alex a visit. Do think I can play with him? I brought a ball we could kick around.” She showed her a soccer ball she was carrying.
“That… very thoughtful of you Rainbow Dash, but Alex really doesn’t-”
“He’s over here everypony!” Fluttershy turned her head at the sound a new voice and saw more ponies arriving. This time it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with Miss Cheerilee and their entire class.
“Jus’ wait til ya’ll see ‘im. Then ya will know we weren’t lyin’.”said Applebloom.
Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. “Wha..?”
“HEY FLUTTERSHY!” said the girls cheerfully in unison.
“Um… Hi girls..?”
“Come on everypony. Let’s go see the human!” shouted Scootaloo as she, the Crusaders and all the children galloped over to the habitat.
“GIRLS! What’s going-?”
“Hi Miss Fluttershy.”
“Miss Cheerilee? What’s happening? Why are you all here?” Fluttershy then gasped. “Is Suzie the Hamster sick?”
“Suzie is fine Miss Fluttershy.” said Cheerilee. “You see, the girls have been talking non-stop about this human you’ve been keeping here to the entire class and so after much persuasion and puppydog-eyes, I ‘decided’ to bring the whole class out to see him. I’m sorry if we caught you at a bad time, but surely you knew we were coming? You did get my letter, didn’t you?”
“L-Letter..?” Fluttershy glanced at her mailbox and noticed there was a lot of mail in it. She had been so busy tending to Alex she had completely forgotten to check her mail these past days. She galloped over and immediately sorted through them. Sure enough, Miss Cheerilee had sent her a letter. “I… Um…”
“Don’t worry Miss Fluttershy. It’s only for today. I’ll make sure the children behave and don’t rile up the human. Now children! Behave yourselves and don’t get too close.” yelled Cheerilee as she quickly cantered over to the habitat.
“Well! I guess we get to have our party after all!” said Pinkie cheerfully and skipped after. “Hey everypony! Wait up!”
“Uh… Ya okay Fluttershy?” asked Applejack concerned as Fluttershy seemed to be acting strange.
“Okay..?” Fluttershy’s eye twitched and her mane seemed to get ruffled up by the sheer stress of seeing so many ponies on her property. “Um… Do I look okay?”
*****
“Now careful children! Don’t get too close to the fence.” said Cheerilee as she tried to keep the children from getting to close the electric fence. “Besides that human could bite you!”
Alex woke to the commotion outside his habitat and saw to his surprise all the little ponies as they regarded him with such curious eyes. He sighed. It appeared that his fear of becoming a zoo attraction wasn’t that far off.
“That’s the human that caused so much trouble in Ponyville?” asked a young colt.
“Look at those things where his hooves ought to be. Those are weird.” said a young filly. “I don’t see any fangs or claws.”
“Don’t let that fool ya!” said another colt. “I’ll bet that if he gets the chance, he could eat us!”
Alex had to mentally laugh. Apparently these foals hadn’t been given the right information regarding his dietary habits. Still, they were young and innocent so he didn’t feel offended by any of that.
“Hmph! I don’t see what all the fuzz is about. It doesn’t look all that special.” said another filly with a rather obnoxious tone in her voice.
Alex’s smile faded as he for some reason felt that one was trouble. She was a pink earth pony and had a tiara on both her head and flank. Beside her was a dark grey earth pony filly with a silver spoon on her flank and probably in her mouth.
“Why isn’t it doing anything?”
“It’s just sitting there.” said the dark grey one.
“HEY HUMAN! DO SOMETHING! ENTERTAIN US!” yelled the pink one.
“Stop that Diamond Tiara!” said Sweetie Belle.
“What? We’re just telling it to do something.”
“It’s not an ‘it’, it’s a ‘he’!” said Scootaloo while glaring at her. “And if Alex is going to do anything, it will not be for you or Silver Spoon.” Diamond Tiara just looked away, along with Silver Spoon.
“Hmph!”
Alex just tuned it all out and ignored them as he sat quietly in his chair. Despite all the noise, he knew they couldn’t get to him. With any luck they would probably find him too boring and go away. He was however curious about what the Mane Six were doing.
He noticed Twilight was just sitting there alone and was taking notes. Whatever she was writing, it seemed to be a lot despite the fact that he was doing nothing of interest. The Apple Family was busy setting up tables while handing out food to some of the children that were hungry.
By the entrance to his habitat were Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were looking rather impatient as Pinkie was busy trying to pull the door open, despite the fact that it was locked up tight and it opened the other way.
“Ugh… What’s keeping Fluttershy?” groaned Rainbow Dash. “I’m wasting valuable playtime!” She then glanced in. “Nice place he’s got. But what’s with all this top security? For that matter, how can she even afford all this?”
“Just look at those clothes!” Rarity nearly screamed. “He really needs a new change of wardrobe. A mere patchwork simply won’t do!” She rushed towards the entrance and pulled Pinkie away. “Move aside!” She began to push, pull and even gnaw at the locks in hopes that she could break them with her teeth. “Ow… Oh… Where’s Spikey Wikey when you need him..?”
“There you are Fluttershy!” said Rainbow as Fluttershy and Applejack finally arrived. “What’s with all this tight security? I tried flying in and I nearly got my tail singed.”
“Yeah Fluttershy! How am I supposed to give his House Warming Party if I can’t get in?”
“Um... It’s for his… protection?”
“Protection?!” exclaimed Rarity. “Goodness darling, protection from what? It's only us here! For Celestia’s sake, hurry up and unlock this horrid door so I can go in and fix his clothes!” demanded Rarity.
“AND GIVE HIM HIS PARTY!!!” added Pinkie.
“Please everypony! Just calm down…”
“Miss Fluttershy!” A young colt suddenly appeared beside her and was tugging her mane to get her attention. Soon more flocked around her. “Tell us how you caught this human. I bet he must’ve been really scary.”
“He’s not…”
“You weren’t scared, were you Miss Fluttershy.” asked a young filly. “I would’ve been really scared if I saw him walking around. You caught him with that ‘Stare’ of yours, right?”
“I…”
“Of course she did! He must be really dangerous!”
“He isn’t…”
“I bet if she didn’t use her ‘Stare’, he’d probably eaten her!” said a young colt with an English accent.
“Eat?! You misunderstand! He’s not…”
“Come on! Do something!” Diamond Tiara’s yelling suddenly caught Fluttershy’s attention as she saw her and her friend still yelling at Alex.
“Do I have to make daddy pay to make you move? Come on already!” With her patience finally running dry, Diamond Tiara reached for a rock on the ground and tossed it at Alex, hitting him the head.
KLONK!
Fluttershy gasped as the rock hit him.
“Ouch! HEY!” exclaimed Alex and rubbed his head. It didn’t hurt that much, but now it was starting to get ugly.
“Come on you stupid human. Entertain us!”
“DIAMOND TIARA! That was uncalled for!” yelled Scootaloo.
“So what? He’s a human. He probably doesn’t have any real feelings.”
“ENOUGH!!!”
Everypony suddenly froze at Fluttershy’s yell. The children all looked at her and saw the menacing glare in her eyes. They all gulped and backed away from the fence, including the Mane Six.
Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and stomped towards Diamond Tiara with a frightening look of anger in her eyes. Silver Spoon practically fled the scene, leaving a quivering Diamond Tiara to fend for herself as Fluttershy loomed over her. “How dare you…?”
Diamond Tiara gulped. “I… I…”
“HOW DARE YOU?!”
“I’m- I’m sorry!”
“Throwing rocks at poor and helpless Alex? Have you no shame? I ought to tell your father!” Diamond Tiara cringed at the sound of that. She was daddy’s perfect little filly. Fluttershy then eyed Silver Spoon who tried to hide behind some of her classmates. “Shame on you! Shame on you both!” She then turned towards the others. “Shame on all of you! I’ve tried my best to keep Alex safe from you all and you just come over here and bother him with your noise and silly lies?” Everypony looked both ashamed and confused. Fluttershy eyed Diamond Tiara again. “And you! You really should learn to treat others with more respect. How would you like it if somepony threw rocks at you?”
“We… We didn’t mean it.” Squeaked Silver Spoon as she shoved forward by the others. “We just wanted him to do something…”
“Besides…” Diamond Tiara squeaked. “It was just a tiny rock. It’s not like he really felt that. He’s just a dumb animal, isn’t he? Isn’t that why he’s in that cage?”
“That’s not a cage and he’s not an animal! He’s…” Fluttershy’s then looked at Alex and her eyes suddenly widened as realization hit her. “He’s not an animal…”
~~*~~
Fluttershy suddenly had a glimpse of the future. Her future!
She saw herself as an old mare now, still tending to her animals like she always did. She then saw herself trotting over to Alex’s habitat, only now she didn’t recognize it anymore. Her cute little habitat that was meant to protect Alex, was now transformed into a huge black fortress, decorated with landmines covering the ground outside. Spotlights were flashing everywhere and a vicious-looking Orthros was guarding the front door. Its two heads snarled as her elderly self approached.
“It’s okay. It’s just ‘mommy’.” said the elderly Fluttershy. The Orthros then panted happily, waged its tail and stepped aside as she let herself in. Inside the darkness of Alex’s fortified habitat was his little house, now looking rather colorless and dilapidated. “Alex? Alex dear? It’s time for your bath honey…”
The door to the house opened and a shadowy figure stepped out. Alex was now a grey and tired old man.
“Here Alex!” She flew over and held his arm. “Let me help you. Let me protect like I promised I always would.”
“Hi Fluttershy…” said Alex in his weak old-timey voice. “How’s the world? I can’t seem to remember the last time I saw it… Is the grass still green? Fluttershy? Fluttershy?”
~~*~~
“Fluttershy?”
Twilight’s voice woke Fluttershy from her trance and she shook away that terrible look of fear at the vision she just saw. She now realized she had made a mistake.
“Fluttershy are you okay?” asked Twilight concerned as Fluttershy’s eyes were now starting to well up. “You kinda zoned out for a moment-”
“No…”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?” Suddenly, Fluttershy rushed past everypony and galloped over to the entrance. “Fluttershy?”
She stopped to a halt by the entrance and grabbed a cord that was hidden behind the some bushes with her teeth. She pulled the plug and the electrical power surrounding the fence suddenly shut down. She removed all the locks and tore the door wide open.
“Alex! Come out! Come out at once!” Alex was utterly surprised by this action. He didn’t really like the tone in Fluttershy’s voice and was rather hesitant to comply. “I said come out! You’re free!” Realizing she was acting irrational, she began to sob and softened her voice. “I’m sorry… Please… Come out…”
After hearing her sweet loving voice, Alex slowly walked towards Fluttershy and out of his habitat. He felt Fluttershy gently take his hand with her hoof and led him towards the others. The Mane Six watched carefully at them and wondered what was going on. Pinkie Pie however seemed too focused on the cord. The children, except for the Crusaders, quickly backed away in concern. “He’s loose! To me children!” said Cheerilee almost in a panic.
“No! You don’t need to be afraid. Alex is not dangerous. He never was!” She then threw herself around his neck and cried as she hugged him. “I’m SO sorry Alex! I only wanted to protect you! I didn’t want to hurt you!”
Alex was confused. With no other way of expressing himself he suddenly found himself just hugging her back. “It’s okay Fluttershy..?”
“No! It’s not okay! I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting you, but instead I had you locked up like a prisoner. I denied you your freedom because I was afraid to lose you and that ponies would hurt you. But instead, I was the one that hurt you, by keeping you here against your will. I’m so sorry Alex! I’m so SO sorry!” she sobbed and drenched his shoulder with tears.
“I… I forgive you Fluttershy.” He gently pulled her away from him and looked her in the eyes. “I forgive you. You thought you were protecting me and I understand that. I appreciate everything you’ve done-” He felt a tug on his leg and suddenly saw Angels pulling on his pants with a frown on his face. “-what you and your animal friends have done, but you have to understand that I’m not like Angel or any of your animals. I’m more like you, in a way... And while I am the only human in Equestria, that doesn’t make me the last of my kind. Whatever this world throws at me, I can handle it.”
“Wise words truly spoken!”
Everypony turned their heads and saw Celestia along with Luna as they approached Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Princess!” said Twilight as she stepped forward and bowed. Everypony else did the same and bowed before them.
“Hello Twilight. Greetings everypony!”
“Your Highness!” Fluttershy pulled away from Alex and tearfully approached them. “I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated Alex. If you’ve come to punish me then that is what I deserve.”
Celestia just smiled and calmed her. “I’m not going to punish you Fluttershy. In truth, you’ve been very good to Alex.”
“Not too good…” Fluttershy uttered. “I’ve kept him here against will and tried to keep the world away from him.”
“You gave him a home, food, lots of attention and care. And you stood up for him when he needed you. What you have realized is that not all beings, sentient or otherwise, need to be locked away for their own good. They have the right to remain free just like you and your animal friends. That’s a true act of kindness.”
“You’re right Princess! You’re right!” Fluttershy wiped away her tears and turned towards Alex. “Oh Alex! I’ve been such a cruel pony! You must hate me!”
Alex was quite taken back by that. Sure her methods of keeping him safe were a bit over the top, but she had been far from cruel. “Woah! Woah!! Fluttershy, you’re being too hard on yourself! You’re not a cruel pony and I don’t hate you! Come here!” He pulled Fluttershy in and gave her a hug. “It’s alright Fluttershy. It’s alright.”
Fluttershy tearfully smiled and hugged him back. All the ponies around them smiled and some cried tears of their own at this emotional sight, right before Pinkie suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“ENOUGH WITH ALL THIS SAPPY STUFF! IT’S TIME FOR A PARTY!!!” She pulled a device out of her mane and pushed a red button. And with that, the entire placed exploded in confetti and streamers as cheerful party music suddenly started playing. She had used the electricity and turned the entire habitat into a Party House! Everypony, without bothering to ask how or when, started laughing and dancing to the beat. Even the animals joined in. “Now it’s no longer just a House Warming Party! It’s a ‘ALEX FORGIVES FLUTTERSHY’ PARTY!”
“I’m glad you don’t hate me Alex.” said Fluttershy while wiping away a tear. “But I suppose you’ll be moving out now…”
“Who says I’m moving out? I wouldn’t dream of looking for something else, not after all that trouble you and your animals went through building it.”
“You… you really like it?”
“Sure.” Of course, Alex couldn’t really say no as he had noticed Angel standing behind him with a wrench behind his back and giving him a rather uncomfortable glare that made him sweat. “However, there are some things I’d like to change if that’s okay..?”
“Anything! Just name it.”
*****
Twilight never received her Hoofbel prize. Yet in spite of this, it didn’t stop her from learning more about Alex and where he came from. She visited him regularly and he would tell her all he knew about his world and its workings. She in turn would teach him all about Equestria and gave him free access to her library any time he wanted to borrow a book. She apologized for the hard time she, Spike and her friends had put him through and she especially apologized for hurting his feelings.
Using her magic for much better use, it didn’t take long before they both eventually became good friends.
Alex managed to pay Applejack back for the apples he ate by helping her out with some odd jobs around the farm. While she never got the chance to make a fortune out of him, she was impressed with his working skills. She apologized for her behavior and even wanted to hire him as a farm hand.
She even went as far as practically making him a part of the Apple Family.
Pinkie Pie never got to throw Alex his ‘Good Bye Human’ party. Instead she threw him a ‘Welcome Human’ party and it turned out to be a huge success. She apologized for her behavior and was happy to see Alex getting along with the other ponies and that they in turn got along with him.
Even though she had lost her pet, Rarity never gave up on her creativity. In an attempt to salvage her ruined dress, she unexpectedly created a design so unique and so retro that it became the talk around Canterlot. Needless to say, her dress earned her more than enough Bits to repair her boutique and buy more supplies.
Seeing that Alex had been responsible for ruining her dress in the first place, she gave him his share of the profit for the trouble she put him through. She even offered him a time at the spa as a sign of good will.
Rainbow Dash forgave Alex for the troubles he had caused her, just as long as he forgave her for acting like a real jerk. She felt really bad about her behavior and promised to never bully him again. She even went as far as wanting him to punch her just to make things even. Alex didn’t punch her, but instead forgave her and pranked her with a buzzer he had borrowed from Pinkie Pie.
Surprisingly enough, their wild chase had actually inspired her with some ideas for some new moves in which to impress the Wonderbolts with during their visit.
The CMC would visit Alex often, to play with him and tell him about their adventures in crusading for their cutie marks. They still didn’t earn any, but always remained in high spirit (much to the painful chagrin of Alex’s ears). At times they even invited him to join in and help them, often resulting in hilarious hijinks.
They apologized for the jar treatment they gave him, and Alex just found them too adorable to stay mad at for that.
While it did take a while, Alex eventually forgave Luna for bringing him to Equestria. Luna made it her solemn vow to watch over Alex and to make sure nopony and nothing threatened him. On occasion she would visit Alex in his dreams as often as she could and through his creative mind, they had many grand and fun adventures together.
With the magical tether binding Alex to the mirror gone, Celestia eventually admitted to herself that humanity probably wasn’t ready for her and her ponies just yet. Still, when she told Alex about her true intentions, he did feel rather embarrassed after that. Still, that didn’t mean all was lost. She continued her work on the mirror, and with new notes based on Luna’s actions, she believed the answer to cross the barrier safely was very close…
In return for him being a good sport in letting her and her ponies hunt him, Celestia let Alex ride her and he had her parade through both Canterlot and Ponyville, earning a lot of surprised looks from her subjects.
*****
*YAWN!*
Alex woke to the sound of birds chirping through his window as a new day was upon him. He jumped out of bed and opened the window of house, which was now moved a bit closer to Ponyville. Applejack and her brother had been kind enough to help with moving the house from Fluttershy’s property and found a good spot for him to settle. Along with a few minor additions to its interior, his house practically became a palace fit for a king.
Not to mention he could now finally sleep soundly at night.
Breathing in the morning air, he then headed for his actual bathroom with his own bathtub. After a quick and early morning shower, he jumped into his new attire Rarity had made for him and had himself a hearty breakfast before bravely facing the world outside.
As he stepped out for his morning walk, he was immediately greeted by ponies who didn’t chase him, but now wished him good morning, smiling and waving their hooves as Alex waved back. While there were many random faces that met him every morning, there was always a mint green unicorn sitting upright on a bench who greeted him more so than the others. She even wanted to shake his hands every time and seemed to blush when he did.
After a quick stroll through Ponyville, Alex headed out into the woods. It didn’t take long for him to reach Fluttershy’s cottage. He could already see her mingling with her animal friends, tending to the wounded and singing with them.
“Good morning Fluttershy!”
“Oh! Good morning Alex!” She quite literally dropped everything and flew over giving him a hug. “How are you today?”
“I’m quite well Fluttershy, thank you.”
“You want to come in? Have some tea? Or do want to help me feed and tend to the animals? They’ve really missed you.” Alex noticed that some animals did start to flock around him and nuzzle his legs. A bird even landed on his shoulder.
“Thanks, but it depends if I really can today. Just yesterday Applejack asked me if I could help her and her brother out on the farm today. Twilight asked if I could come over so she could learn more about my world. Pinkie Pie invited me over to Sugarcube Corner to bake and eat some cupcakes, though I’m not sure if that’s what she wanted... She had weird look… Anyway, then Rarity asked if I could come to her boutique and help her out with some new fashion ideas. Rainbow Dash asked if I would like to have a wrestling match with her. Even the Crusaders asked if I wanted to play with them today and help them earn cutie marks.”
“Oh… I see…” Fluttershy suddenly looked sad.
“Even Princess Luna appeared in my dreams and asked if I wanted to play a game with her. And Princess Celestia wrote me a letter telling me she had made some progress…”
“I guess that means you’ll be very busy today… It’s a shame… My animals and I really wanted to spend some time with you today. They rarely get to see you and I only see once or twice a week.” She dropped her head low and slowly trotted away. “But it was nice of you to come over and visit me before you go to Applejack. I won’t take any more of your time, so I guess-”
Alex then suddenly laughed. “Fluttershy… I said they asked me, I didn’t say I agreed.” Her ears perked and she threw him a surprised look. “The reason I came over is because I’ve decided to spend some time with you today.”
“Really?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, aside from everypony else, you’re the only one who never seems to ask me.”
Fluttershy blushed. She was still too embarrassed from her actions earlier and was too shy to ask him, afraid that he’d say no. She shed a small tear before giving him another hug. “Thank you Alex!” Once she released him, she took his hand and led him to her cottage. “How about we get inside and have some tea before we start? You can tell me all about how you’ve been doing in Ponyville.”
“Sounds great Fluttershy.”
She opened the door and let him inside. “Oh! By the way, I have another visitor. He just popped in to say hello.”
“A visitor? One of the mares from town? Or perhaps a colt-friend?” Alex joked, making Fluttershy blush slightly.
“He’s not a pony…”
“Not a pony? Who is it? Is he one of your animal friends? What is he? A deer?” Fluttershy shook her head. “Is he an owl? A lion? A hawk? Ooh! Ooh! He’s a dragon?” Fluttershy shook her head some more. “Then what is he? He can’t be a human?”
“Human? While I’m definitely a lot of things, I don’t think I have anything like that on me…”
Alex turned towards the new voice and saw a weird chaotic-looking creature right in front of him, looking at him with bright yellow eyes. It had one tooth, long white beard and its body was composed of all manner of creatures. Alex froze up as it floated towards him and reached out its paw.
“Alex... This is Discord.”
“Why hello there! Fluttershy’s told me a lot about you!”
*SHRIEK!*
THE END