My little Okama : Cross-dressing is Magic

by RaptorJesus

Mission Oh Come My Way!

The return trip to Ponyville went without a hitch, although flying all the way from the meadow to town at full speed took its toll on the pegasus' stamina. However, Rainbow Dash quickly understood that leading her friends to "it" would take way too long...

...Except if we cut through the forest instead of walking around it.

It could be dangerous, but they couldn’t afford to waste any time. To come back fast enough, they would have to wander deep inside the forest, and to leave the main path, the one which leaded to Zecora’s home and, further away, the ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters.
Fluttershy once explained her that most of the creatures there were nocturnal, so they shouldn’t encounter anything too deadly… But the smell of the creature’s blood may be a problem on the way back. She shuddered at the thought – if she wanted things to go smoothly, she had to bring Fluttershy with them, which was easier said than done: it would take a lot of tact and patience to get the timorous mare to travel across the forest, and she was short on both.

Still, she had to try. She didn’t know how long the creature would survive its injuries, but she was sure that every minute would count.

What if it is already dead?

She stopped right on her tracks at the thought.

What if I abandoned it there, lost, alone, to die without anypony by its side?!

She banished the thought to a foreign part of her mind, and pushed even harder on her wings. She didn’t take the time to stretch them before taking off, and now the pain was difficultly bearable. She had no time to rest and tried to shrug it off, thinking she’ll have more than enough time to rest them while explaining the situation to her friends. If anything, her fear strengthened her will: sore wings are nothing a good nap can’t cure, and she had to come back before that creature di- ...before something bad happened.
Seriously, if it’s dead when we come back, I’ll KILL IT!

Why was she so worried about that weirdo anyway? She didn’t even know its species!
She never saw anything like that before, but then again she wasn’t an expert in fauna; the few animals she knew were birds or flying insects, the kind she could meet in-flight or during her mandatory daily nap. She never really bothered to learn about the earth-dwelling species, and she barely listened to Fluttershy when she went into one of her lecture on how cute and incredible her critters could be – a fact she slowly began to regret since this little incident. They never really had much in common, but maybe they could find something?

Maybe I could get myself a pet… Hey, maybe it could make a cool pet? ...Yeah, fat chance.

And yet, for some reason, she felt entitled with its survival. It was her duty to save it. There wasn’t any town or even a road close to its position, so she was most certainly the only pony to know the dire situation it was in. She was its only hope.

And I won’t let it down, no matter what!!

She finally reached Fluttershy’s cottage, but decided to go find Twilight first: she hated to admit it, but the unicorn mare, for all her awkwardness, was much better than her when it came to handle this kind of situation. She doubted she could persuade Fluttershy to come along without her “little egghead’s” help.

It didn’t matter much, anyway, as they would have to pass near the yellow-coated mare’s cottage on their way to the dying creature. Rainbow Dash never really understood why somepony terrified of her own shadow would live so close to the creepiest place in Equestria, but right now this proximity could save them a few precious minutes.

With great speed, the cyan-coated pegasus flew to the hollowed-out oak tree that sheltered her friend’s library and home. As usual, she dashed inside through an open window.
And as usual, she knocked over a shelf, letting its content collapse on her in an avalanche of books. Seriously, next time, I gotta use the bucking door.

---

The situation was grim. A small group of bystanders formed around the two parties. The tension was palpable.
A single drop of sweat fell from the negotiator’s forehead. If she failed to defuse the situation, the hostages may get hurt, and she wouldn’t let this happen. Fluttershy was, for once, ready to stand her ground.

Facing her, Angel Bunny, Fluttershy’s pet and domestic abuse given flesh, was standing in front of Mr. Mouse’s pint-sized house entrance, holding said mouse on the ground before him. The little demon (how ironic) was a fierce opponent, decided not to back up until his exigencies where filled. He had even planned against the Stare, as he was sure the collateral damage on the mouse would be too great for his mistress to dare to use her ace.

It would be a long afternoon…

---

Twilight finally got rid of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When Applejack knocked at her door, she had to muster all her mental strength to keep her composure and stay as amiable as possible with her orange-coated friend. She wasn’t really angry at her, but she was on the verge of another of her legendaries nervous breakdown, and she felt like spending even a single more minute in their company would send her over the edge.

The latest incident implying Spike’s tail and an army of magically-summoned rat traps was still all too clear in her memory. It took her a full basket of sapphire to get the baby dragon to leave the basement he locked himself in, and even mentioning rat traps in front of him would now earn you a quick trip to Celestia. It was interesting to know his magical fire could transport a living pony, from a strictly scientific point of view, especially when you know the usual hour of the Royal bath…Ahem.

Now that she was alone with her number one assistant, they could get to clean the mess the fillies left behind them. The room looked like somepony offered Pinkie a whole coffeepot and let her loose. The thought sent a chill down the unicorn’s spine.
Last time Pinkie got a cup, she was declared by the local insurance company a "trotting act of Harmony" and an "Equine Earthquake" whose destructions didn't fell under their jurisdiction... Thankfully, the party pony didn't like the taste, and never drank another cup. Yet.

Note to self: Tonight, pray Celestia that Pinkie NEVER changes her mind.

She was still lost in recollection when a rainbow-colored bolt came through the room’s open window and crashed into the only shelf that was still mostly untouched – sending its content to the floor.

“Oh, come on!” Spike whined, anger clear in his voice. His expression was torn between absolute despair and fast-paced snorts of frustration. Put out, too tired to get angry anymore, he exiled himself to the bedroom, mumbling some guacamole-themed profanities while going up the stairs. He slammed the door behind him, as their unexpected guest finally managed to emerge from the mess of books on top of her.

“Rainbow, how many time did I tell you not to come through my win-“
“No time for that!” Rainbow Dash interrupted before bolting in front of her. “Twilight, you must come with me! Its life depends on it!”
“…Its?” The lavender unicorn asked, puzzled by the pegasus’ statement. She expected her to explain how her latest trick backfired spectacularly, but her friend's agitation and panicked voice indicated that something much worse happened. The cyan pegasus wasn’t one to panic easily; she would usually dismiss any issue she had as “not awesome enough to be worth it anyway”.

“Rainbow, calm down and explain me everything in detail. What is ‘it’ and what should I do?”

Rainbow Dash had expected her studious friend to ask for an explanation, so she prepared a short summary on the way. As fast as she could, she described the creature and its injuries, trying to be precise enough for the unicorn to figure it out. Twilight was listening carefully, using her magic to take notes on a piece of scroll lying on her desk. She winced as Rainbow depicted, in rather nauseating details, the creature’s condition: the bandages, the bleeding, the open wounds, that strange purple goo on his abdomen…
Purple goo? …Maybe some kind of ointment it used, trying to heal itself? Or …some kind of poison? I should take Super Naturals with me, it may help…

After a short silence, Twilight finally asked the pegasus mare about one particular detail that caught her attention.
“You said it had…hands?”
“Yup.”
“But that means she…”
“…will follow it everywhere until she gets it, yup,” completed Dash.
“…poor thing...”
“I know…”
They exchanged a sorry glance…and exploded in laughter. It did marvel on their nerves, the gravity of the situation lifting long enough for Twilight to get her saddlebags ready, filling them with various, potentially useful books such has Rare Creatures of Equestria or What the Hay was That: An Illustrated Guide. She added another one about medical spells and anti-poisons for good measure, and she was ready to leave.

Before stepping out, she shouted her instructions to Spike, knowing full well he was listening through the bedroom’s door.
“Spike! Please send a report about the situation to the Princess, and tell her I’ll bring her that creature once it recovered.” She paused for a second and sighed “You should maybe suggest her to send a medical team to Ponyville…I really don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

Spike’s head was visible behind the half-opened door. “Hmm…You’re sure it’s not dangerous or something?” He was a bit scared at the perspective of his number one owner (number two being, of course, Rarity) traveling across the Everfree “Dude-That’s-Creepy” Forest to find an unknown injured monster.
The lavender mare knew that, but time was against them. No time to try and comfort him. She simply nodded at him with a reassuring smile and left the library, with the slight help of Rainbow Dash pushing her out from behind.

---

Bon Clay was still lying in the meadow. His condition was slowly deteriorating. At one point, he began to shake, assaulted by an incredibly high fever. The shaking didn’t do him any good – it re-opened more wounds, and if nothing was done quickly, he would probably bleed to death even before the toxins killed him – which wouldn’t take much longer anyway.
The once blessed sunlight itself was now working against him, burning his skin and making him sweat profusely. If the bleeding and the poisoning weren’t enough, now he was getting dehydrated. Even breathing became every minute harder than the last, his throat long since dried out and occluded at times by blood or bile.

Inside, the transvestite mind was trying to wrap itself around what was happening.
How can I be dying if I’m already dead?! That's just so damn unfair!

He couldn’t work it out. When he saw his surroundings earlier, it seemed obvious he was in the afterlife, but the all-to-physical pain that was nibbling through his body discarded this theory the hard way.
Or maybe was he mistaken? He expected this place to be the fabled Okama Fields, but maybe…maybe…was it Hell? How could he truly believe an assassin, a deceiver, a coward like him would be granted to walk the promised land?

No.

It was not time to think like that. He had to fight. To stay alive. To hold on and believe for a miracle to happen! Help will come, sooner or later, Bon Clay! Don’t disappoint them!

A pained cough shook his whole being, after what he vomited almost a gallon of bile and blood intertwined.

Although, sooner would be great…

Mugi-chan…

---

Twilight and Rainbow quickly reached Fluttershy’s cottage. The cyan-coated mare had shared her fear that the creature may try to attack them, and the lavender unicorn agreed that it would be more prudent to go fetch their gentle friend. Fluttershy was the greatest animal expert in Ponyville, maybe even in all of Equestria (although she wouldn’t ever admit it), her help was vital to this rescue.

Twilight knocked.

Inside, they could hear a small “Eep”, indicating the pegasus was home. “I-Um. I-I’m a little busy he-here…Pl-please come back later…” said a small voice.
“Fluttershy? Are you all right? What’s happening there, where are all your animals?” Twilight asked, concern evident in her voice.

Looking around her, Rainbow Dash realized that the place was indeed uncharacteristically calm. Not a single bird singing, no squirrels in the trees, not even one (cute little) bunny… Suddenly the complete silence became oppressing, uncanny. There was definitely something wrong going on here. We don’t have the time for this!
“Fluttershy! I found a creature far from town! It was hurt and alone! It needs your help!”

“Ooh…Oh my…I-I…give me a moment…” her voice was pained – it sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Fluttershy? Please tell us what’s the matter!” pressed the unicorn. Something was happening in there, but wh-

She remembered what Rarity told her in the morning.

“It’s Angel again, isn’t it?”

No answer.

“Flutters! Please! We really gotta go!” Rainbow Dash insisted. The dark thought from earlier crept back in her mind. Whatever it was that bothered her friend, it couldn’t be more important than that creature's life, especially for her!

“Please, Fluttershy! We must hurry! We need to get across Everfree Forest if we want to come in time to save it! We can’t waste much more time here!” pushed Twilight, almost pleading.

At the mention of the Everfree Forest, a frantic, yet incredibly timid shout could be heard inside. The silence returned for a handful seconds, which seemed to last hours. Finally, a little voice came from inside. An apologetic voice.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash snapped.

---

An animal needed her. A poor, lonely, injured creature needed her. She couldn’t spend more time here, and Mr. Mouse understood that well. But Angel Bunny was there, stubborn as ever. Once he was angry, there were only two possible outcomes: he got what he wanted, or…

She was at the brim of tears.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” said sheepishly the pegasus, looking at Mr. Mouse. He faced her and saluted like a true soldier, ready to fulfill his duty and face his fate. Not the same could be said of Angel, sweating profusely, still hoping she wouldn’t dare to do that.

And at first, he was right. But one last cry came from the front door.
“IF WE DON’T HURRY IT’S GONNA DIE! IT’LL DIE, ALONE! WE MUST GO, NOW! …Please, Flutters!” The pain in Rainbow Dash's voice was more than Fluttershy could bear.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath…And Stared down at them. “YOU ARE NEVER, EVER THREATENING ONE OF MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT AGAIN, UNDERSTOOD, ANGEL?!”

The bunny, shaking like a leaf, nodded quickly, a terrified look on its face. Mr. Mouse wasn’t doing much better, but struggled to keep his salute, encouraging the sorrowful pegasus to keep going.

Five minutes later, after checking Mr. Mouse state and getting herself ready, she was at the door with her friends, ready to go. After a quick summary of the situation, they went full speed in the direction of the Everfree Forest. And she didn’t flinch.

I'm coming little friend! Don't worry, we'll save you!

---

Celestia be blessed, the travel through the forest went surprisingly smoothly, without any major incident. They were now in the meadow she first met it.

Rainbow Dash opened her wings and elevated a few meters above the ground – just enough to see it lying in the tall grass. Thankfully, it didn’t move.

…Actually, it didn’t move much…

…It wasn’t moving, at all.

“GIRLS! Quick! Follow me!” she dashed in its direction, and landed right next to it. She sighed in relief when she heard the loud breathing coming from the creature. “It’s still alive!”
She had to repress a urge to hug it, in fear it might made the situation even worse, somehow.

The other two finally caught up, and stared at the thing in front of them. It was just like Rainbow Dash described it: tall, slim, with a weird face and even weirder legs. It was wearing magenta trousers and-

Fluttershy rushed by its side when she saw the blood-covered bandages. She took its temperature with her hoof.
“He’s burning hot! He’s very, very sick!”

“What IS it, anyway?!” Rainbow Dash asked eagerly.

“I-I don’t know! I never saw anything like him! He-he must some kind of ape, but I never saw one like that before!”

Twilight had already checked and re-checked her books. “It’s…It’s not from Equestria. None of my books speak of a creature like that!”
She didn’t know if she should panic or enjoy meeting such a thing. It was unknown, how much was there to learn from it? Nothing, if we don’t save him first.

She snapped back into reality and checked the last book she brought. It was filled with a wide array of medical spells, from high-level bone-repairing spells to rather simple healing spells. Medical spells, however, were very complex in general and needed a deep knowledge of anatomy to be pulled off, knowledge she lacked for this particular creature. It could be dangerous, but they didn't have much of a choice. She never used these spells on somepony before, much less on a completely alien creature unconscious in the middle of nowhere!

“Twilight? I think we should do something about the bleeding, or he will die very soon! Also, I…I think he was poisoned. That’s probably linked to that purple goo there,” she pointed at the spot on his abdomen, not quite touching it with her hoof. “Finally, spending so much time under the sun without protection (she pointed at his face, showing there was barely any hair to protect it.) caused an insulation and a benign dehydration,” Fluttershy paused, still in full veterinary-mode. She turned to Twilight, a concerned look on her face.
“He won’t hold on much longer, and we can’t move him. Do you have any spell to stop the bleeding and cure or at least slow down the poison? Rainbow, fly to the river or a nearby cloud and bring back as much water as possible. We must help him rehydrate, wash the wounds and calm the fever. Then, we’ll be able to move him to Ponyville.”

The other two followed her orders without a word – when Fluttershy was bold enough to give you order, you didn’t discussed them. She was an expert, and even if she didn’t know the creature either, her knowledge in the field made her the most apt a taking the decisions.

Rainbow was already gone, taking a towel from Fluttershy’s saddlebag to get water. She would have to go back and forth between the river and their patient, as the cloud she had used earlier had been destroyed by her sudden departure, but it was still better than going all the way back to Ponyville to get a bucket. The river wasn’t that far away, so it wouldn’t take much time.

Twilight was casting the first spell. She decided that the best course of action would be to try and cure the poison first, to make sure it didn't degrade it-his (Fluttershy was insistent on the term) state further. It would be best to get that done first, and then using separate, easier spells to close his wounds.
She didn't know what the poison was, so she went for broad-spectrum antidote that she poured with as much magic as she could, hoping the additional energy would make it more effective.
Her horn was glowing, and soon the creature whole body was surrounded by a similar magenta glow. The light intensified, and in a flash, it was over.

Fluttershy inspected him carefully. It seemed his respiration was less painful, less interrupted. The purple ooze had been replaced by greenish smears, which indicated that he had been contaminated by more than one poison, and that at least one of them resisted Twilight's spell. More than one poison...What happened to you, you poor thing?
She meticulously took the bandages off, exposing the scarred skin, almost devoid of hair too. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There was half a dozen fresh bite marks, signs of concussions from a huge blunt object… He probably had been caught in the middle of a terrible fight.

“Hmm…Fluttershy? I can only close the wounds, I don’t think I can safely heal broken ribs or things like that…” pointed Twilight, worried and a bit sickened at the sight of the creature’s torso.
“It’s ok Twilight…Uh, I mean, we just need to stabilize him enough for you to move him with your magic…If that’s alright with you….”
“Of course, don’t worry about that…Look, Rainbow is back!”

Indeed, Rainbow Dash was approaching with a now drenched towel on her back, right between her wings. She landed next to Fluttershy, who immediately took the towel and gave her the blood-soaked bandages.

“Could you please wash them in the river? I-I don’t think I took enough bandages for him…sorry…”

“Don’t worry your little head about that! I’m on it!” the cyan-coated pegasus took off carefully, and headed back to the river. Meanwhile, her yellow counterpart was precociously lifting her new friend’s head, making sure his neck wasn’t damaged. She held it in place with her wing, and rose the towel over his face with both hooves.

Gently, in an almost motherly fashion, she pressed the towel on his lips, getting a few drops of water inside his mouth. Slowly, she repeated the same motion, over and over, before placing the towel on his forehead and putting his head back on the ground.

“…Arigato…”

Startled, she jumped a few feet away. She came back just as fast when she understood what was happening. He woke up.

“…Omae...Arigato...Honto ni arigato…”
“Sshhh, don’t exhaust yourself. You’re still very weak, you should just sleep while we take care of your injuries…poor thing…”
“…Arigato…Watashi wa...anata no...fusai ni imasu…” ("Thank you, I am in your debt")
Although she didn't understand his words, the meaning behind them wasn't lost on her, causing the meek pegasus to blush profusely.
“N-no need, I-I mean, we just did what was right. Sleep now, you need to save your energy.”

The pegasus hummed a sweet melody to guide him to Luna’s realm.

♪ Hush now, ♫quiet now,
It’s time to lay your sleepy head, ♫
♫ Hush now, quiet now, ♪
It’s time to go to bed… ♪

…A…Arigato!

A single tear dropped down his cheek has he fell back into slumber.

---

Princess Celestia, Co-Ruler of Equestria, Goddess of the Sun and, for some reason completely unrelated to her personal tastes, Saint Patron of Bakers, was relaxing in the Royal Gardens.

For a thousand years, it would have been unthinkable to take some time for her like this, simply enjoying the warmth of her sun and the beauty of Equestria. But since her dear sister was brought back to her, she could enjoy a few hours off, Luna taking care of about a fifth of the daily workload, with the objective of sharing equally in a year or two. Luna was quick to catch up on the laws – she did write most of the original ones, back in the days.
She couldn’t ever thank enough her wonderful student Twilight Sparkle and her friends, bringing back both her little Lulu and a country she hadn’t been able to enjoy for much too long.

“Well, look at that, when you speak of the devil…” she smiled tenderly, watching a familiar puff of green smoke floating to her. In a pop, a scroll appeared slightly above her head, falling to the floor before her.

Ever since the incident implying her protégé almost impaling herself on the alicorn’s humongous horn in the middle of the Royal baths, the Sun Goddess instinctively took a few step back every time she heard that popping sound – which got the Canterlot Elite thinking she had taken a sudden dislike for champagne. Thankfully, none of them jumped to the logical conclusion as to why a mare would suddenly avoid champagne... Or at least, none of them dared to voice it! Maybe I could have some fun with that, she thought mischievously.

She picked up the scroll using her magic, and opened it delicately – she didn’t forget that one time Pinkie put a pinch of pepper inside. She immediately recognized Spike’s crooked claw-writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,
Spike here. How his H.R.H. doing?

Rainbow Dash came to fetch Twilight earlier in the afternoon, in full panic-mode. She found some weird creature far from Ponyville…Apparently it’s a tall, almost hairless thing – and it got hands! (And she heard it sing, too!) From what she said, it’s in VERY bad shape, so they went with Fluttershy to take care of it. They suggested you sent a medical team here, just in case.

Twilight wants to bring it to Canterlot once it’s healed, if it’s really some kind of unknown creature like Rainbow said (she’s not really an expert in this field…Actually, scratch that, she wouldn't tell Winona and Opalescence apart if it wasn't for that damn cat all-consuming killing intent...Maybe I should slow down on the mangas, don't you think?). I guess she thought you would know what it is – or you would want to meet it anyway.

(Also, Rainbow said it looked strong, and even if I’m sure Fluttershy can take care of that…I may be a teeny-tiny bit worried that it tries to attack them…)

Your buddy,
Spike

She read the letter twice, making sure she understood fully each word. A creature with hands, that sings? That’s…new… She was staring at the sky, a hoof to her chin, making an effort to remember if she ever saw anything like that in her long life.
When nothing came to her mind, she let out a frustrated sigh. She took pride in knowing every single species that roamed under her Sun, being at least able to identify them. So…What was that?

She pondered the matter of the medical team – of course, saving the creature’s life was a priority, but what exactly could they do to help a completely unknown being that Twilight wouldn’t have done by the time they got there? She knew her protégé was the kind to massively underestimate herself, despite her accomplishments – defeating Nightmare Moon was no small achievement, and neither were facing a Dragon or an Ursa Minor.

And managing to make Luna drop the Royal Canterlot Voice is nothing short of a miracle.

She laughed at the thought, thinking how the Night Princess’ servants complained that after making them half-deaf she wasn’t speaking loud enough for them anymore, much to their distress. A good Hearing spell later and they were finally able to hold a conversation at a reasonable volume again.

She decided it may be wiser not to send anypony – if that was indeed a member of a new species, she would like to meet it before rumors spread. She knew Twilight and her friend Fluttershy (who proved to live up to her Cutie Mark, except maybe for the whole Philomena debacle) could take care of that thing just as well as anypony else she could send.
If there was any issue, they could fetch the zebra apothecary (or maybe druidess? She didn’t know much about her, outside of Twilight’s letters and her sister’s vague description of her magics) Zecora to help them.

Maybe I should go and help them too?

It was true she had plenty of free time on her hooves – apart from setting the Sun, which she could do from anywhere in the kingdom, she was done for the day – and she was quite curious about that creature… However, she had no idea where it was and it would probably take an hour or two to bring it back to Ponyville, so she might as well take the time to warn her sister…
Suddenly, it occurred to her. Something that should have been obvious, really.

How exactly am I supposed to leave the castle and go all the way to the library without causing a ruckus?

She remembered the Royal baths incident and a playful, yet slightly disturbing grin crept on her face.

I wonder if it works both ways?

---

The small group was traversing the Everfree Forest. Twilight was leading the way, levitating the sleeping creature right behind her. Fluttershy was floating above them, still inspecting his condition, holding the wet towel against his head and sterilizing wounds that Twilight didn't close to save energy for the travel. Rainbow Dash was flying in circles around the others, looking for eventual predators drawn by the smell of his blood.

Sure enough, a pack of timberwolves followed them, hidden behind the dark trees of the forest. Slowly, silent as an army of ghosts, they surrounded the unusual group, their mouths already dripping and their tongues hanging out.

“TIMBERWOLVES!” Rainbow Dash shouted, noticing too late the hungry beasts. She wanted to get down and catch Twilight, before flying away as fast as she could, Fluttershy on her toes. But what would happen of their new friend? He was too heavy for them to give him a lift, and the unicorn was already losing her focus on the levitation spell!

The leader of the pack came out first, standing right in front of the group. It was a darkened, colossal timberwolf covered in scars from past encounters. Its joints had been polished by years of friction and unlike most of his kind, no branch grew on its back, as they all broke long ago during some especially violent fights. Its yellowish eyes, glowing in a sickening fashion, were placed upon the ponies. They trespassed on its territory, a crime of lese-majesty for these beasts.
Wordlessly, it judged them, and found them to be rather appetizing.

It pronounced its merciless, dog-eat-dog verdict.

Its thundering howl was the cue the younger predators were waiting for. Jumping all at once from their hide, they formed a perfect circle around the ponies and the blood-covered creature, which was now lying on the ground. The only path to liberty was the sky, but how?

“Wh-wh-what are we going to do?!” Fluttershy was terrified, lying on the ground next to her patient, wings locked up in fear.

Behind her, Twilight was sweating profusely, trying to keep as many wolves as possible in her field of vision. “I- I can’t fight them all! I’m worn out from healing that thing!”

“C-c-can’t you t-teleport us?”

“I would barely be able to teleport us past them! That wouldn’t help at all! How are we supposed to outrun them with a dead weight?!”

“Then…Leave him here.”

They both turned in shock at Rainbow Dash. They didn't expect the Element of Loyalty, of all ponies, to suggest this.

“Twilight! You teleport with Fluttershy! I brought you in this mess; I won’t let you get hurt! Run as fast as you can, I’ll bring him with me!” The cyan-coated pegasus didn’t betray her element – torn between her loyalty to her friends and her devotion to the creature, she chose to help both as best as she could.

“N-No! We can’t do that! You can’t lift him! An-and they will catch us! Th-they….They are going to eat us!” Fluttershy was crying, trying her best not to run away. Not even the Stare could help here, with that many wolves.

”Kakurete” ("Hide")

“Wh-What?” The yellow-coated mare looked in turn at Twilight and Rainbow, but they were just as dumbfounded as she was. Who said that?

”Kakurete kudasai” ("Please, hide")

“Wh-what does- EEEEP!” Fluttershy almost passed out when she understood where the high-pitched, yet masculine voice was coming from. Their friend was awake.

”Anata ga...shina nai deshou! Okama ga...sore o... YURUSANAI DAROU!” ("You will not die! No Okama would allow that!" )

As the Okama stood, the wolves stopped dead on their track. They knew dying animals were the most dangerous preys, fighting with the last of their strength, to the bitter end, focusing solely on killing and maiming as many of its assailers as possible.

“Leader...Dore? Oshiete.” He could barely see his surroundings: vague spots of colors sat next to him – probably his saviors – and dark, gnarling masses crowded round them, carefully stepping toward the group.

“Leader...?"
"The big one in front of you! But…You can’t fight in this state! You can hardly stand!” Twilight was in the middle of an internal crisis. What shall she do? She had to act, fast, before he tried anything stup- Where is he going?! What the hay is he DOING?!!

The creature was standing in front of the biggest wolf, struggling to stay conscious, gradually striking what seemed to be a fighting stance. He tried to lift his right hind leg, but almost lost his balance. He tried again with his left one and managed to hold the pose.

“What are you doing?! RUN!”
“Y-y-you’re not-“
“GET THE HAY OUTTA THERE, YOU FEATHERBRAIN!”

The three ponies were too frightened to move. The wolves were waiting for an opening to charge and tear them to shreds. Any movement could be their last. And if it wasn’t bad enough, the creature they had so much trouble saving was going to be devoured in front of them.

“Okama Kenpo!”

The alpha male took a step forward, watching carefully the bipedal creature. It didn’t even flinch. Taking it as a sign of weakness, it leaped on its prey, all claws and teeth out.

“Dodge!” None of the ponies dared to watch what was coming next.

“Swan…ARABESQUE!”

The timberwolf, already in the air, couldn’t evade the kick. Bon Clay’s leg hit square in the jaw, a raspy wood crackle resounding in the forest as the animal yelped in pain. Propelled by the impact, it crashed in a tree a few meters away, its neck snapping loudly against the trunk.
The other wolves took a few step back, shaken by the sight. The leader of the pack was down, in a single hit.

“HE DID IT! HE DID IT! WHOHOOOO!” Fluttershy was shouting at the top of her lungs, bouncing gleefully on place, while her friends were staring, thunderstruck, at their savior.
Twilight was the first one to snap out of it. “Did…Did he just?”
“Kick a timberwolf to death?…Somehow, yeah…” the cyan pegasus’ mouth was still hanging, slightly open.

“To..To death? Oh…Oh my…” Fluttershy rushed at the timberwolf, passing by the creature as he started turning around to face the other wolves.

“Impel Down no Okotte ookami ni kurabete, anata wa kawaii koinuda! PREPARE YOURSELVES!” ("Compared to the mad wolves of Impel Down, you're cute puppies!")
He screamed at them, resuming his stance. He wouldn’t be able to fight them, of course. He was now completely blind, and it wouldn’t be long before he collapsed on the floor. He felt his feet turning to stone, his hands heavy like lead.
Thankfully, the young, inexperienced wolves didn’t notice his weakness and ran away as fast as their wooden limbs would allow them to.

The newfound silence was broken by a soft weeping. Fluttershy, her head sitting on the old beast’s torso, sadly confirmed its death.
“Hmm, Fluttershy? You know that thing tried to eat us, right?” Rainbow Dash was used to her friend’s endless compassion, but that was too much.

”It was gonna make ponyburgers outta us, for Pete’s sake!”

“I know…but…still…”

“Hmm…Girls?”
Before the rainbow-maned mare could point out the ridicule of the situation some more, Twilight showed with her hoof the spot where the creature was standing.

His earlier injuries caught up with him, his consciousness slipping again. He flashed them a content smile, taking a good half of his visage. Then, his grin still wide, he fell face-first to the ground.

Twilight’s horn lit up a bit, and soon the unconscious creature was floating next to her.
“Let’s go girls, before I pass out too.” she suggested, panting faintly.

Both pegasii nodded silently, and they resumed their march.

---

The ponies finally reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. They decided to make a halt at Fluttershy’s cottage, so that Twilight could rest a bit. Fluttershy took the opportunity to change the “Okama’s” bandages and clean the wounds he managed to re-re-open using some peroxide.

According to Rainbow Dash, “Kenpo refer to martial arts, so Okama Kenpo means Okama’s martial art, therefore he probably is an 'Okama'!…whatever that is”.

“You got that straight out of a Daring Do book, didn’t you?” Twilight eyed her suspiciously, munching on a daisy sandwich. She was resting in Fluttershy’s couch, trying to rebuild some of her magic’ reserves as fast as possible.

“Yeah, of course I read one of your boring books, egghead.”

Twilight didn’t pay heed to her friend’s comment. I’ll get her soon enough…
Her focus returned to her sandwich. It occurred earlier to the mare that it would be a bit tricky to get that…”Okama” all the way to the library without getting the attention of half the town. After a little discussion with the girls, they decided she should teleport herself back to the library with the creature and wait there for the pegasi before warning the Princess about their return.

“Um…Twilight? Are you ready? I did everything I could there…” The meek pegasus asked sheepishly, with her usual apologetic tone. The "Okama" was still in really bad shape, but at least he wasn't bleeding anymore and his fever had reduced to more manageable levels. He should live, and that alone made Fluttershy's heart...aflutter.

“Well…I’m not in top condition, but that’ll do. I really can’t wait anymore to show him to the Princess, I just want to know what he actually is!” She rose from the couch, walking to the still-unconscious creature.

“I told you it was an Okama!”

“Oh, but I don’t put your expertise –she soaked that word with so much sarcasm it could melt a rock- in doubt, Rainbow. I just want to know more about him!”

“But…um…What if the Princess doesn’t know what he is either? I-I mean, she probably knows, she knows so many things, but what if?” Fluttershy eyed the Okama sadly, panic starting to take hold of her. “You saw how strong he was? What…What if he’s super dangerous and the Princess banishes him? What if he’s the last of his kind? What i-“

“Fluttershy, calm down. He thanked us and saved our lives, I don’t think he’s going to eat us, and there’s no reason for the Princess to banish him. I think…Maybe? She wouldn’t do that! Or…Maybe she would?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the two panicked mares.

“…I’ll bring you both flowers once you died of a stress-induced heart attack…Seriously gals, calm down! Let’s bring him to the library and call the Princess, she will know what to do.”

They both took a deep breath and visibly calmed down. Finally, Twilight spoke, a hint of surprise in her voice.

“Rainbow…When exactly did you become the voice of reason?”

“About the same time as you started nibbling on Flutters’ hoof.”

Both mares stared at her a few seconds before looking down.
They were indeed nibbling on each other hoof. They immediately took them out of the other’s reach, blushing hard enough to give a soft red glow to the whole room.

Twilight barely managed to compose herself before speaking again.

“…Right. Let’s never talk of that ever again. Ever. Meet me at the library as soon as possible!”

With that said, Twilight stood over the creature as her horn glowed in the usual magenta light. A small *pop* and they both disappeared.

Fluttershy kept her eyes locked on the spot the “Okama” was laying a second earlier. She managed, with some trouble, to get rid of her blush.

“I think we should go now…If that’s ok with you.” she turned to face Rainbow Dash, but the cyan-coated pegasus had already left, leaving the door of her cottage swinging open. “Oh. Oh my…”

She quickly readied herself and headed for Ponyville’s library.

---

Twilight reappeared in the middle of her library’s main room. She found herself muzzle to muzzle with Pinkie Pie. Startled, she fell backwards, landing between the legs of the Okama.

“You all-righty Twilight? I don't think you're supposed to be on your back like that. You’re a pony, you know, not a fainting goat! Oh, wait, you’re not part-fainting goat, are you? I never met a fainting goat before! I always wanted to prank one! But only once, it would be mean to pick up on- OH! What is this?! WHO is this?! CanIthrowhimawelcomeparty?!”

“PINKIIIIE!”

“Yes Twilight?” the pink pony was looking at her quizzically, her eyes glittering in boundless joy, completely oblivious to her friend’s exasperation.

“Ughh…Listen ok? I’m all right, I’m NOT part-fainting goat, I don’t know yet who or what he is and you’ll have to wait for the party – right now we’re going to call Princess Celestia to see if she knows something about him or if she could at least heal him completely, so that he’ll explain us who he is. Got that?”

“Yup! I have until tomorrow to plan the party!” she said cheerfully as Twilight’s right hoof met with her own forehead at neck-breaking speed.

Spike entered the room; leaving the kitchen with a “light summer snack” (It was his way to shorten “Enough ice cream to give Celestia a brain freeze” into an innocent phrase).

As soon as he saw Twilight, he let out a sigh of relief, finally rid of his concern. He also somehow managed to put the ice cream back in the freezer without actually breaking eye contact, which was a Pinkie Pie-level abuse of the laws of nature – not that anypony cared much for those anymore, apart from a poor, poor lavender unicorn.

“Twilight! I was so worried! Princess Celestia didn’t answer your letter about him, before you ask.” He was pointing as the huge….guy?...laying senseless in the middle of the room. It looks like a he…But it wears more make-up than Señora Rarity… Ugh, just what kind of weirdo did she brought here?!

He was snapped out of his internal monologue by his big sister’s voice.
“Spike! Sorry for worrying you, but we’ve got a big matter in our hooves. We need to arrange him some kind of bed, I don’t think he should rest on the floor in his state…”

“Okie dokie lokie! Done!”

The unicorn turned to face Pinkie Pie. She had arranged a bunch of flour bags to make some kind of mattress, long enough for the creature to lay on.
“…Where do these bags come from? You kept them in your mane or something?” Twilight was suspecting Pinkie to be hiding a Bag of Infinite Holding in her mane, but never managed to actually find it. Or to prove such a thing exists.
She was pretty uncomfortable to admit it, but she wouldn’t have been surprised at all if the hyperactive mare just “pinkied” them out of thin air.

“Of course not you silly! I keep bags of flour in everypony’s house, in case of baking emergency!”

“…Obviously…” She was a bit scared at the thought that she may hide OTHERS things in her house without her knowledge. I’ll have to fit “Complete library double-check” in tomorrow’s schedule… “…Did you hide anything else here?”

“Well,Duh. I have to be ready for ANY situation ANYWHERE, you know!”

Ok, make that a triple check.

The door slammed open as Rainbow Dash entered the library, followed closely by Applejack and Rarity. The cyan-coated pegasus thought it would be a good idea to bring them along. Fluttershy’s head perked in when Rarity went to close it.

“Well…Everypony is here…Spike! Warn Princess Celestia that we’re ready here!”

“Ready for what, dear? I’m sorry, but nopony took time to explain me what was going on.” When Rainbow came to fetch her, Rarity followed immediately out of habit. Carrousel Boutique was pretty calm today, so she could deal with the weekly oddity…Or have a nice tea party with the girls. It’s NEVER the tea party… She sighed.

“Ah’m with Rare on this one. Just what’s goin’ on gals? Ah was told somepony needed some mighty lots of ‘elp” Applejack wasn’t even sure of this much – Rainbow Dash more or less mumbled a few words before dragging her here.

Twilight silently pointed at the creature, now resting on Pinkie’s hoof-made mattress. Both mares gasped, their jaws hanging a bit.

“What in tarnation?!”

“Are…Are these hands?” Rarity’s eyes literally lit up and her lips locked in a very un-ladylike grin, making her virtually indiscernible from a Nightmare Night pumpkin – save for the color. “I’ll finally be able to get another of those delicious massages! And not from one of these dirty monkeys with their dirty fingers they put…There”
The unicorn shuddered at the thought. She spent a full week in her bathtub trying to “wash the stain” after that little incident.

“Well, it will probably take some time for the Princess to come here, so I’ll explain you everything in detail. You see-“

Comments

[HIEfan]

I just can't wait to see what will happen next!

[Clemerl]

HE LIIIVVEEEES!!

[RaptorJesus]

621791

That would have been a bit lame to kill him now, right? xD
Although, knowing is penchant for heroic sacrifices, who knows how long he will survives? I don't. Yet.

[Diabolic Gnome]

608864 I know when i saw that i was so happy

[ElijahBleu]

621833this is great i need more

[Barbecue Sauce]

And it is so, that Bentham remains best pony.

[Diabolic Gnome]

I love this story

[Dash Is Best Pony]

I miss Bon Kurei, that amazing, amazing okama. I hope he returns in the One Piece story at some point, he's an awesome character.

Also: That scene with the hostages....

[Gytrash]

MFW this entire story
dl.dropbox.com/u/38493835/MLP/Fluttershylaughingguy.png

[RaptorJesus]

623780 Thanks, I was wondering if it wasn't too much :p
Now I know I won't have to restrain my fucked-up imagination \o/

Two words: Welcome. Party.

[Diabolic Gnome]

ya did good kid the rewrite is better

[DerpedRainbow]

1546356 rewrite? You mean I missed the original by two hours!?!

[Nataniel]

The room looked like somepony offered Pinkie a whole coffeepot and let her loose. The thought sent a chill down the unicorn’s spine.
Last time Pinkie got a cup, she was declared by the local insurance company a "trotting act of Harmony" and an "Equine Earthquake" whose destructions didn't fell under their jurisdiction... Thankfully, the party pony didn't like the taste, and never drank another cup. Yet.

Trigun reference?