Mission to the Pony Planet

by ersmiller

14 AJ & FS - Part1: "It's a Nice Place to Live..."

09:03AM

“Hey!” Applejack called, trotting into the palace of friendship, “Anybody here?”

There was no reply.

“Ah, sorry ah’m late. Some things, uh, well, some things happened. But ah know where to find Twi now. Hello?”

Still no reply.

“Dagnabbit!”

Faced with silence in the palace foyer, Applejack sighed and looked around noticing an open door that she didn’t recall being opened before. She stepped through and tried again. “Hello?”

“Hello? Is that Applejack?” a voice came from further within and Applejack continued after.

She found an unmanned—unponied?—receptionist’s desk followed by a hallway lined with bookcases leading to a wider room filled with many more bookcases. “Hello?” she called back.

“Down here, AJ.”

She looked down to see a staircase to a lower floor with more bookcases, reading nooks, and study tables. Glancing up revealed another staircase to more bookcases. “Sure is Twilight’s palace after all,” Applejack commented to herself.

Next to an old fashioned library card catalog, and wiggling under a pair of saddlebags to get it on her back, was a mare with a familiar hairstyle and color scheme. “Miss Cheerilee?” she asked, carefully walking down the stairs.

“Oh, you know you don’t have to call me Miss, Applejack,” replied Cheerilee with a worn smile.

“Sorry, Ma’am. Just bein’ respectful of my elders.”

“AJ, we’re almost the same age.”

“We are?”

Cheerilee’s ears folded back and the edges of her mouth crinkled all so slightly. “I used to be classmates with Rarity. We were only a grade ahead of you.”

“Oh!” popped Applejack. “That’s um, that’s interesting.”

“ ‘Interesting’?”

“It’s even Spring here.”

“Yes? Winter Wrap Up was a few weeks ago.”

“ ‘Winter Wrap Up’?”

Cheerilee paused, her head tilting slightly. “Are you feeling alright? Is something going around? Is that why Twilight started Spring break early?”

“What? Going around?”

“Fluttershy was also acting strange.”

“Fluttershy was here?” Applejack’s face and ears perked up.

“Yes. Almost two hours ago?

Applejack’s face and ears drooped. “Oh.”

“Yes, I suggested she go home and take a nap. Poor dear needed me to tell her where she lived. I considered walking her there but she took flight.”

“So, she went home?”

“She headed off in that direction," Cheerilee paused with a slight cringe, "eventually.”

“You know, maybe ah should go make sure she’s feeling alright.”

Cheerilee smiled. “That might be a great idea. I can go with you, I was just leaving myself.” She patted the book-shaped bundle in her saddlebags. "Just need to check these out."

“Oh don’t worry yourself, none. Ah’ll be sure she’s taken care of.”

“Alright, AJ. Go and make sure she rests if she needs it.”

“Will do!” Applejack smiled back.

Cheerilee continued to smile as well.

Applejack blinked.

So did Cheerilee. “You need me to tell you where she lives don't you?”

Applejack chuckled nervously.

*** *** ***

07:20 AM

Without any better ideas, Fluttershy had left the palace following Miss Cheerilee’s directions. She blushed, thinking back to how confused Miss Cheerilee seemed and how awkward the conversation had been.

Where’s the bridge?
Where’s the Everfree Forest?
Wrong way? I thought you said East.
The sun rises WHERE?

She headed east, away from the rising sun, and kept a look out for any familiar and friendly-looking ponies on the way. However, it was the same situation as before. Some familiar ponies, many friendly-looking ponies, but few who were alone, making Fluttershy nervous about randomly trotting up and talking to them. Especially after what happened with Miss Cheerilee, Mr. Cranky Doodle, and … Robert.

Being mostly open spaces, she had taken to the air again, more confident in her wings than before, now that there was little risk of planting herself into the side of a building or other object.

She was enjoying the feeling of flight. Not only was she a pony now, but one with feathered wings. Pony and bird in one. It gave her a warm fuzzy feeling. Doubly so when feeling the wind through both her feathers and her fur.

Wanting to keep from going too high, she focused on staying about as high as the second story of the few buildings that had them in this part of town. At least, until she ran out of buildings. Without an easy marker of altitude, Fluttershy erred on the side of safety and kept even lower near the ground. So much so that she nearly didn’t clear the sudden appearance of the bridge she was looking for, accidentally kicking the safety rail and recovering at the last second.

She trotted the rest of the way.

It was such a pretty town now that she slowed down and took in the sights. Green fields, so many flowers, animal life everywhere.

Getting closer to the forest edge, the birds greeted her in song as they passed overhead, bunnies poked their heads out of their burrows to cutely wiggle their noses at her, and squirrels chittered and even waved happily at her.

Everything about this world was amazing.

She didn’t notice the rustling in the bushes ahead of her.

*** *** ***

09:09 AM

“Well that was awkward,” Applejack mumbled on her way through Cheerliee’s instructions to Fluttershy’s cottage after parting from her just outside the palace.

A brisk trot carried her over cobblestone and dirt paths, letting her feel the life around her through their connections within the earth. No longer rushing as fast as she could allowed her to really take in her surroundings. The sights, the sounds, and smells, and how it all felt. It truly was a world run by magic at every literal step.

Pegasus ponies flew about pushing clouds around!

Unicorn ponies carried all sorts of trinkets in the air around them!

Earth ponies tended fields of healthy crops with no signs of pesticides or other chemicals! Even manure was rarely used. Seemed there was little need with earth pony magic.

Her path only just skirted around the edge of the marketplace, so she didn’t get much of a feel for the town itself, mostly just the world in general. She did spy a few signs and banners, however. Even a few familiar-looking ponies.

Quite a few mobile booths were also along the edge, seemingly a farmers’ market of crops, flowers, and other local goods. Thinking back, Applejack recalled a similar booth in her pony family’s barn ready to be set up for sales.

From the path, she could also see a few other staples of a town. Restaurants, hospital, bank, parks.

“Uh, ‘Quills and sofas’? Well, ah suppose that's not the strangest thing I've seen.”

One pony, looking just like Mrs. Cake, tended to flowers planted just outside what looked like a building shaped like a giant cupcake. “Is that the Sweet Shoppe here? Might try looking for the others there if’n ah can’t find Fluttershy at ponyshy’s home. Pinkie at least is bound to pass by there at least once today. Ah wonder what she and the others have all been up to today. It’s been hours now.”

Passing over a bridge, Applejack left the town proper and found herself heading toward a forest. The Everfree, according to Cheerilee. “Can’t believe it’s so close to town here. Back home it takes a few hours on the road to get to our Everfree.”

Mulling it over some more, Applejack frowned. “Best stay out of there. If ah remember correctly, Sunset mentioned the Everfree forest is a bad place to be in this world.”

Applejack’s frown didn’t lighten up as she felt the trail ahead of her weave but still mostly point toward that forest. “Fluttershy really lives out here?”

There were few other buildings in the area. Animals seemed to be all around, though.

And … were they staring at her?

“Something ain’t right here.”

*** *** ***

07:27 AM

A cottage came into Fluttershy’s view.

Home sweet home, apparently. The cottage did match Cheerilee’s description of her pony counterpart’s home at least.

It was …

…

Everything she had always dreamed about.

A cute little cottage just out of town beside a charming forest, a bridge over a relaxing little stream, surrounded by adorable animals, all under a beautiful sky.

And she was one of them. A pony/bird hybrid animal herself!

She just stood there a moment taking it all in and sighed, inhaling crisp, clear air.

Trotting closer, she saw fencing for various animals, a chicken coop, feed bowls and troughs, pet houses, animal toys. It was her own little paradise of littler paradises for animals.

She giggled to herself and trotted over the bridge, nearing the front door, then giggled again waving to the critters who popped out of their homes to greet her. “Hello, little ones,” she greeted back.

Finally at the cottage’s door, she stopped and took a deep breath, then reached for the door that may or may not have been locked. “Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope. Please be open.”

She stopped once she realized she didn’t know how to open a door with her hooves. “Oh, dear.”

While looking down at her hooves to try and figure out a solution, a much, much smaller door down below opened and a small bunny hopped out.

“Ah! Oh! Hello there … A-Angel? Is that you?”

The little bunny looked up at her with an expression that began as surprise but quickly turned to confusion, then suspicion.

The nuance escaped Fluttershy’s elation.

“Oh my goodness! Angel Bunny! It really is you isn’t it!”

Without a single thought about how to do so with her pony body, Fluttershy easily swooped down and scooped the little bunny up into her forelegs and used her wings to keep to a hover to more easily pet his pwecious wittle bunny ears.

Angel Bunny remained still, letting the whole thing play out with an unamused expression on his face.

Shortly after Fluttershy began giggling again, the pwecious wittle bunny decided he had had enough and began to bark out some tiny squeaks of protest.

Squeak

“Oh, what’s that, Angel?" Fluttershy asked the bunny she had clutched to her chest.

Squeak*queak*Squeak

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Angel wriggled in Fluttershy’s grasp, freed a foot, and thumped one of her forelegs a few times.

“Oh, you want to get put down?”

In reply, Fluttershy got another squeak and a few more thumps.

“Okay. Here you go, Angel.”

Once on the ground, Angel took a hop away and looked back up at the yellow pegasus mare.

He knew not only was Fluttershy supposed to be in Canterlot, but also something seemed off about her in general. Perhaps his intel was correct after all. He passed a glance over at a bush where the tip of a mint green unicorn horn wasn't fully hidden.

This would have to be tested.

An evil glint appeared in his eyes.

Thoroughly.

Comments

[Diokno44]

Mint green...oh dear

[Gyro Pony]

Fluttershy is indeed enjoying her pony/bird form, isn't she ?

[TL_One]

Lyra of S.M.I.L.E. is on the case?

[Darth Arcaneus]

(Insert Jaws theme music.)

[shadowfalcon76]

Oh, when the actual Mane Six show back up, if the Humane Five are still around, things will have gotten from bad to worse. This also begs the question: have the Student Six all gone back home for Spring Break, or are they hanging out in Ponyville? If the latter, then Ocellus might be having to put some work in, either sussing out rumors of other Changelings about, or trying to quell any fears that Ponyville's being invaded.

[Scyphi]

Great...the machinations of Angel Bunny is probably the last thing everybody needs happening...

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

You know, I'm in the middle of reading this chapter and passed over yet another mention of Quills and Sofas, and how weird that combination that is, and it hit me.

That combination isn't even remotely odd. It seems odd because we keep relating the two products based on their purpose. One is a writing implement like a pen, the other is a piece of relaxing furniture.

But what happens if you view the objects from the material supply side?

A quill is a feather. A sofa is a crafted piece of furniture covered in cushions.

What do you fill a cushion with in the old days?

Quills and Sofas: A furniture store that has to be supplied with a lot of feathers, so why not tack a side-product onto it?

[Moonlight Tome]

9517785

........

FCKING
GENIUS!!!!!

[Killjoy1221]

9517785
Then how can they always be out of quils, but always want to sell me a sofa?!

[moonlark]

“AJ, we’re almost the same age.”

But not the same age as this AJ lol