As instructed, two of Luna’s Guards were flying low over the area between the border of the Everfree and the outskirts of Ponyville.
“See anything?” asked one.
“Nothing worth noting ma’am,” replied the other. They flew in silence for a few more minutes, when all of a sudden they both noticed what sounded like trees being sawn down. They halted and looked at one another, and then scanned the area, trying to pinpoint the source.
Corporal Sable, the senior of the two, nudged her companion and pointed at a cloud house about a hundred feet away.
“Look there, Private. It’s coming from that pegasus’ house,” she said.
“What could it be, Corporal?”
“I don’t know, and I doubt it has anything to do with our mission, but we’d best investigate. Somepony could be in trouble.” They quickly closed the distance and hovered at the front door. From this range the noise was unbearable, so they both took a moment and covered their sensitive ears!
“Auugh, what is that?!” cried Private Nocturne.
“Come on, we’re going in!” yelled the Corporal. Two kicks from her powerful back legs and they were through the door. They both located the origin and the Corporal said, “Through there!” as she pointed ahead. They both raced forward and kicked open the door of…a bedroom? Before them, lying on her back, was a certain rainbow colored pegasus. The sound of their entering caused her snoring to falter and halt as she drowsily sat up.
“Zzz—what? Who?” She looked sleepily around, and her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the two Guards staring at her in shock.
“What the heck are you two doing in my house?!”
Corporal Sable was the first to recover. “Ahem. We apologize, citizen. We heard a frightening noise and thought somepony needed help. Turns out it was you snoring.”
Rainbow Dash turned red in the face. “What are you talking about?! I don’t snore!”
The two Guards exchanged glances, and then Sable said, “Very sorry for the misunderstanding. We’ll be on our way.”
“Hang on!” said Dash. “What are Night Guards doing in Ponyville?”
“I’m afraid that’s classified, citizen.”
Rainbow got to her feet. “Oh, no you don’t! You don’t bust into my house, call me ‘citizen’, then leave without an explanation! Don’t you know who I am? I’m Rainbow Dash! Now tell me what’s going on!”
Private Nocturne’s eyes widened. “You’re Rainbow Dash? The Rainbow Dash?!”
Somewhat mollified at his tone, Dash replied, “So you have heard of me. Good, that should make this easy. I want answers!”
Corporal Sable shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Dash. Our orders are very specific, and they come straight from Her Highnesses Luna and Twilight.”
“Twilight? Now we’re talking. Where is she?”
“Princess Twilight is currently at the Apple Family Farm, or she was an hour ago,” said Sable.
“Fine,” said Dash, “I’ll just ask her.” As she flew through her house and surveyed the wreckage of her doors, she turned to them and said, “Somepony is paying for this damage. What are your names?”
The senior bat pony swallowed, and then said, “I am Corporal Sable, and this is Private Nocturne.”
“Sable. Nocturne. Good to know.” She then turned and flew off in the direction of the farm. The two watched her recede into the distance.
“Think we’ll be in trouble, Corporal?”
The Corporal sighed. “Our intentions were good, Private, but I don’t know. Let’s get back to the mission.”
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As she made her way to the farm, Rainbow’s keen eyesight noticed other pairs of Guards in the distance.
“Something really big must be going on,” she said to herself. She looked down and saw she was nearing a familiar cottage. “I’d better let Fluttershy know what’s happening.” With that, she flew down and alighted at her friend’s door.
“Fluttershy! Open up!” said Dash as she hammered at the entrance…
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This truly is a fascinating creature.
Fluttershy and Char-Elles had been speaking to one another for about an hour or so. In that time they’d learned many things about each other, and the worlds from which they came. This… “hue-mon” had said many things that surprised her, and vice versa. Some of the words did not translate well, like ‘phone’ or ‘TV’, but she understood most of what he was saying. He, in turn, seemed most fascinated by ordinary things like her wings.
“Yes, I can fly with them, but…I’m not a very good flier.”
He made a request.
“Okay…but you’ll see.” Spreading her wings, she slowly flapped them and hovered in place, flew up to the ceiling and then she landed. The hue-mon’s eyes got big, and he smiled and clapped those “hands”. Fluttershy blushed.
“Thank you, you’re too kind, but that really wasn’t impressive. Wait until you see my friend Rainbow Dash!”
He asked a question.
“Soon, I think. We’ll be meeting all my friends, and maybe Twilight can find a way to get you home. She’s the smartest pony I know.”
He looked skeptical, if she was reading his expression correctly, and then asked another question.
“No, she’s an Alicorn, not a unicorn, and her use of magic is much better than a unicorn’s. She’ll be able to help you.”
Here he muttered something that sounded like the word “impossible.” She sighed. In the course of their conversation, this was the one point at which they’d kept getting stuck: the hue-mon did not seem to be accepting the fact that magic existed here. She could not imagine a place without magic, as he insisted was the case on… “Earth.” But now it was time to get some help. They’d spent enough time talking, and she was just about to suggest they go into Ponyville and find Twilight when there came a loud hammering on her door. Even before she heard the voice, she knew which pony it was.
“Fluttershy! Open up!”
The hue-mon looked startled, and she hastily assured him that it was okay, that’s just one of the friends she’d been talking about. She went to her door and opened it.
“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Dash. “I thought you should know Luna’s Guards are all over the place, looking for something I think.” She started to walk in when Fluttershy stopped her.
“I…I think I know what they’re looking for. Or actually, who they’re looking for. But please, Dash…stay calm,” she added as she swung the door wide.
“Stay calm? What for? You hiding something…” she trailed off as she looked through her doorway and saw what was seated on the couch. She just stared, as a creature she’d never seen before…smiled nervously at her and waved.
(Three…
Two…
One…)
“Gaaahhh!! What is that?!” cried Dash.
“Please Dash! I asked you to stay calm!”
She pointed and yelled, “What is that thing? And what’s it doing in your house?!”
The creature had stumbled to its feet and backed away at her outburst.
“His name is Char-Elles, and he’s a hue-mon! He’s a friend!”
Rainbow looked at her as if she’d lost her senses. “A ‘friend?’ How can you be friends with…that?”
“Just…just please stop yelling. I can explain if you’ll let me,” pleaded Fluttershy. She placed a hoof on one of her shoulders.
Rainbow stiffened but didn’t pull away. She also couldn’t stop staring at the… “hoo-mon”. After a few tense moments, she finally spoke.
“Alright, Fluttershy…I’ll listen. But,” and here she pointed again, “that thing better keep its distance, or I’ll buck it through a wall!”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I should have known I’d get a reaction like this. The Fluttershy and I had been having a nice conversation, considering the circumstances. When the loud knocking came to the door, and the voice had yelled, the hairs on the back of my neck had stood up for some reason. She told me everything was fine, it was just her friend ‘Rainbow Dash’. She had then gone to the door, spoken for a few moments and then swung the door open. I then saw the one she’d described standing there, staring in at me. I tried smiling and waving, and there was a pause just long enough for me to think everything would be alright. It wouldn’t.
When she started yelling and pointing, I got up and backed away. I couldn’t understand her words, but her tone was crystal clear: she saw me as a threat. As I watched her reaction and read her expression, I realized something else: she didn’t just see me as a threat, she saw me as a monster. That…hurt.
Fluttershy spoke softly to her, while the other pegasus kept staring at me. I backed away a little more at the next outburst. I could tell this one would never accept me.
Even though the situation was tense, I noticed I could not understand Fluttershy when she wasn’t speaking directly to me. That was weird, but I reasoned it must be some of that “magic” she had mentioned. I still wasn’t ready to accept it, but it was getting harder to deny its existence. Fluttershy eventually turned and addressed me.
Please, Char-Elles…have a seat. It will be alright.
I took my time and slowly approached the couch again, then resumed my seat. The other pegasus never took her eyes off me as she backed up and sat as far away from me as she could.
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“Okay, Fluttershy: start talking,” said Dash.