> "I'm Catbug!"
>  by Thought Prism
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Fluttershy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a warm and sunny morning in Ponyville. Birds were singing, squirrels frolicked playfully among the trees, and a gentle breeze danced through the daisies. Fluttershy was humming to herself as she flew all around her little homestead, feeding each of her animal friends a nutritious breakfast. Most received generous helpings of seeds and berries from her saddlebags, while some were given fresh fish. She tried her best not to scold the more ornery critters too much as they jostled for the tastiest morsels from their respective bowls. All in all, it was a calm, ordinary day for her, which were exactly the type that Fluttershy liked the most.

That is, until a bright, blue light flashed behind her out of nowhere. She screamed, though you couldn't tell from the volume. If you blinked, you would have missed her dash back to her house in order to hide behind the door.

Cautiously, she raised her head high enough to peek through the small window. She could see that all the bird and the bees, plus the bear, were gazing curiously at a new arrival, who was standing at the edge of the garden. Much to her continued surprise, Fluttershy did not recognize the two-toned animal that was now beginning to paw at her flowers. Curiosity overcame fear, and she slowly opened the door, trotting slowly towards the new creature. Still, she kept her head down at an angle, her mane partially obscuring her vision.

The other animals didn't seem to worried about the situation as she approached her new guest; they had already returned to eating. Soon, she was standing next to it. Slowly, she lifted her head. 

What she beheld was perhaps the most adorable thing she had seen in her entire life. The animal had the body of a cat, but with bright, sky blue fur, a pudgy physique, stumpy little legs, and a bright red ladybug shell.

Unable to contain herself, she squee'd in delight as she dove for the thing, nuzzling its belly with her cheek. "Oh, Princess Celestia! You. Are. So. CUTE!"

The strange beetle-cat turned to look at her, displaying a quizzical expression with it's beady, white eyes. "A talking horsey?"

Fluttershy gasped. Not only could he talk, but he had the most indescribably adorable voice! It was like a young colt's, high pitched. She found the way he slurred his 'R's and 'L's such that they almost sounded like 'W's to be especially endearing.

She put him down and stepped back a bit. "You can talk?" she asked, double-checking that her way with animals hadn't just spontaneously evolved in functionality somehow.

He giggled, standing up on his hind legs. "Yeah! But, how can you talk? Only Beth's horse does that, and he has, like, mind powers now, or something." He glanced towards the cottage, blinking a few times. "Also, where am I? This place seems way different than the See-Through Zone."

"Well, I don't know about any of that, but this is Ponyville. It's a great place, with many wonderful ponies."

"That sounds nice! You seem nice too! I'm Catbug! What's your name?"

She smiled ear-to-ear. "My name is Fluttershy." She was now officially smitten by Catbug's charms at this point. "I take care of the woodland animals here. Why don't you come inside so I can get you something to eat."

He jumped and raised his arms. "O-kay!"

After the pegasus led Catbug inside, he started scampering around, smiling and giggling as he looked over every nook and cranny of the room. The small birds chirped at him from their perches, and mice peeked out from their little homes along the walls to see what all the fuss was about. Catbug had settled next to a scratching post, and began clawing at its surface with mock ferocity.

"I can see you're having fun. What would you like to eat, Catbug?"

He stopped playing and turned to answer. "I like soft tacos!"

Oh no, Fluttershy thought. She had never heard of 'soft tacos' before. She really didn't want to disappoint him. "Umm... I'm sorry, but I don't have soft tacos right now..."

"It's ok, I can get my own food!" He then proceeded to turn to the nearest mouse. Hissing aggressively, he arched his back and pounced at the critter, who's eyes could be seen widening with shock as Catbug sailed through the air.

She just barely managed to intercept him in time, blocking the strike with her hooves. "What are you thinking, Catbug?! These animals are our friends, and we do not eat our friends!" The rodent nodded frantically and rushed back into it's mouse-hole. 

Catbug's face sank. "But why not?"

When pouting, he somehow looked even cuter. Fluttershy had to maintain an utmost level of focus just to stay mad at him. "Why not? Because eating your friends is not a nice thing to do!"

Now he looked confused. "But I saw some otters eating fish outside just now. How come that's ok?"

Fluttershy had not expected this. Most ponies didn't ever seem to question that aspect of her caretaking, let alone notice. "Oh... umm... well," she stammered, shrinking in on herself with each word. Catbug eyed her expectantly. She took a deep breath. "So, the thing is... fish are pretty stupid. And not very sociable either, I've tried conversing with them many times. I don't really mind if any get eaten. It's still not very kind to them, but that's just the way life is for carnivores."

"I get it!" he replied, gleefully. "Let's go catch some!" With that, he was already running outside towards the creek. 

Appreciating his accepting, youthful nature, Fluttershy smiled to herself as she cantered over to the closet to obtain her fishing supplies. But just as she was about to pass through the threshold, she was stopped by a familiar white face.

Angel Bunny was standing in the door, with a scowl on his face. He gestured to Catbug, who was already splashing around in the river, and stamped his foot angrily.

"Oh, Angel, there's no need to be jealous of Catbug," she said, stroking his chin, "I love all my friends, and no one could ever replace you, sweetie." His expression softened a bit as Fluttershy moved past him. 

Outside, Catbug was laughing to himself as he tried to snag a swimming morsel, only to miss repeatedly. He waded up her as she approached, dripping clear water onto the grass.

He started bobbing up and down as he watched her pull a decently sized wooden net out of her saddlebag. "What's that?"

"It's a net, for catching fish."

"How does it work?" He shuffled forward, and poked at the webbing. "Looks kinda flimsy."

"It's supposed to be flexible, so the fish get trapped inside. Then, you can scoop them out of the water."

"And they fall for that?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Wow, fish really are dumb! I should let Danny know, then he won't have to use that big zapping thingie to catch them anymore!"

She declined to press for further details, afraid to hear a more accurate working description of the 'thingie' in question. So, she simply smiled and set out to nab something for Catbug to eat. A few practiced scoops later, she had obtained a flopping grey morsel.

She passed him the fish, and he gulped it down after chewing thoroughly. "Yum!" he exclaimed, rubbing his tummy. "Thanks, Fluttershy!"

"You're very welcome, Catbug," she replied, giggling with a hoof to her mouth.

Suddenly, Angel rocketed through the air, dropkicking him in the face. "Hey!" Catbug exclaimed, looking around at the other animals as Angel landed, just minding their own business. "Who throws bunnies at people?"

Fluttershy flew over and pointed at the offending mammal. "Angel! What was I just telling you earlier? Catbug is simply one more friend among many! You'll always be my number one pet, but that doesn't mean you can bully the others!" Out of patience, she shot him a look of disapproval and shooed him back into the cottage.

She sighed, turning to Catbug, who was rubbing his nose. "I'm so sorry about that, Catbug. Angel can be a bit needy at times. Are you alright?"

"Everything is O-Kay!" he confirmed cheerfully.

Still, she felt bad for the both of them, perhaps she could keep the two apart for a while. "I know! How about we go into town? You can see all of my pony friends! I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

"Sure!"
> Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy, wishing to show her new friend Catbug around town, gestured towards him with a wing. "Come on, little guy. Do you want to ride on my back? It's a tad far."

"No thanks!" he replied, immediately before the shell on his back hinged open. With a soft buzz, he rose slowly into the air on translucent wings.

"Oh!" she said, slightly ashamed of herself.  "I should have figured you could fly, what with the ladybug shell on your back and all."

"It's ok, let's go!"

Wishing to keep him company, Fluttershy took off herself. The pegasus at Catbug's side, they flew leisurely above the path in the direction of Ponyville. The two passed a few mares along the way, some of whom spared the new arrival a curious upwards glance. He waved at each and every pony, grinning affectionately.

As they entered the outskirts of town, the pair was almost immediately intercepted by Pinkie Pie, as she sprung up below them. "Hi Flutters!" she blurted out, the mare in question flinching a bit as she bounced up and down. Then, noticing Catbug, she somehow tilted her head completely upside down. "And who's this adorable critter?"

He landed in front of Pinkie, giggling. "I'm Catbug! Who are you? You're funny!"

Pinkie gasped, mouth agape. The speed at which she was bouncing slowly increased until she was practically vibrating. Soon after, she shot off into the distance, leaving behind a cloud of dust and a confused mammal-insect.

"That was my close friend, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy explained. "Knowing her, she's probably already planning a 'welcome to Ponyville' party for you."

"A party? For me? Yay!" he exclaimed, jumping with arms outstretched. "I wanna go help her!"

"Oh no, Catbug, Pinkie would want it to be a surprise. I was thinking we could take you to meet Twilight first, clear up some things." He didn't need to know that there was an incredibly small part of her mind which feared he could be dangerous somehow, not unlike the Parasprites. She shuddered.

His cheerful reply of "Okay!" showed no indication that he had discerned any of this.

Catbug gawked every which way at the various ponies going about their business as they soared over the small town. The two landed at the front gate of Twilight's castle, gleaming purple in the sunlight.

His eyes traced upwards over the structure. "It's so shiny! And big! Your friend must be super rich."

"Well, she is a princess."

"Really? I've never met a princess before. Unless you count about half of Wallow's doll collection."

Fluttershy pulled on the huge door, smiling at his quip. "Let's not keep her waiting, then."

Catbug hovered inside, marveling at the crystalline architecture as she trotted after him. She poked her head into each room they passed, calling out for Twilight as she did so. Fluttershy found her friend in the library, of course, head buried in a rather large tome which was floating next to her face.

She called out to her about a dozen times, but the alicorn was completely oblivious to the quiet cries. It was Catbug landing on top of her desk which snapped Twilight out of her reverie. She yelped audibly, dropping the book as she backpedaled away.

"H-How did you get in here?"

Fluttershy stepped into the room. "I brought him here to meet you. He popped in out of nowhere this morning outside my house."

Twilight looked at her quizzically before turning back to Catbug, who was smiling and waving at her. "Hiii!"

She smiled almost instantly. "It's very nice to met you. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"I'm Catbug! It's nice to meet you too!"

"This adorable scamp seems to be from somewhere far away, from what he was saying earlier," Fluttershy continued. "And investigations are more your thing than mine, Twilight." 

Then, turning to Catbug, "Now, be nice to Twilight while I'm gone, ok? I'm going back home to check on Angel and the others."

"Ok! Bye Fluttershy!" 

After watching her go, he turned back to see that Twilight was staring expectantly at him, quill and parchment floating at the ready for note-taking purposes. Catbug didn't think to question the magic. He'd seen stuff way crazier in his time.

"So, first things first, what exactly are you?" Twilight asked.

"I'm Catbug. I said that already."

"No, what I mean is, what species do you belong to?"

"Catbug."

"Not that. When you're with other's like you, what is the group called?"

"I'm a Bravest Warrior!" he proclaimed.

She groaned. "That's... it isn't... what... bah." Twilight had begun pacing around, mumbling to herself. Completing a full circle, she noticed Catbug pawing at the book she had been reading. When she stopped moving, he turned to look.

"My turn for a question! What's this thing?" he asked. "It seems broken."

"Wait... you've never seen a book before?"

Catbug shook his head. Had Twilight possessed the mental fortitude of Rarity, she would have fainted. Instead, she went ballistic. "How is that even possible? Books are the essential gateways to knowledge, the very foundation of learning itself! A life without books is practically unfathomable, unreasonable it its mere suggestion! Can you even read? Oh, Celestia, please have mercy on this poor, poor creature! How will-"

"Hey!" Catbug interrupted. "I can read! I just don't use these flimsy paper things." He plopped down on top of the book, pointing a paw at some of the text. "See, this part is about... Chee-mahrahs or something."

Chimeras, Twilight corrected in her head. "Wait a minute. If you don't read books, then what do you read? Letters? Newspapers?"

Catbug stood back up, only to plop down on his haunches. "We have computers. You can search for stuff by punching the letter buttons, and then the words pop up on the screen! But this thing doesn't have buttons, or a screen. How do you get the words to change?"

Pondering the implications of what had just been said, Twilight's eyes brightened considerably, living up to her name. "Really? That's amazing! Just think, a whole library at my hooftips! How does it work?"

"Umm... I think you need something called an Internet. And I dunno what that is."

"Oh," she said, sunken, as she had never heard the term before either. "Ok then, let's start from the beginning. Where are you from, Catbug?"

"I live on Neo-Mars in the Bravest Warriors' invisible hideout!"

"Neo-Mars?  Where is that? And who are these 'Bravest Warriors' you keep talking about?"

"It's a planet. And the Bravest Warriors are my friends. We go all over space helping people!"

Twilight gasped, scribbling vigorously. "So... you're an alien?" she practically shouted. "Did they beam you down here from a mothership to act as an emissary to Equestria?"

Catbug scratched his chin in thought. Then, his belly for good measure. "Danny says I'm extra-mansional or something! That's good, right?"

Extra-dimensional, Twilight inferred with shock. She launched herself into the air, looping around to grab Catbug in her hooves. "This is so exciting, so unprecedented! Well, ok, not that unprecedented, as I've done this before, but still! I'm actually talking with a being from a Completely. Different. UNIVERSE!"

"It is good! Yay!"

"Yay indeed, Catbug! How did you get here? Did you use a mirror portal?"

"I jumped," he said, squirming out of Twilight's hooves to hover in front of her. "It happens sometimes, though I usually end up in the See-Through Zone."

"See-Though Zone? Is that another dimension?"

He nodded. "It's kinda like your castle, princess, all purple and crystally. Only with more monsters."

"That's terrible!" she exclaimed, reaching out to hug him again. "Are you alright? Can't you control when these 'jumps' happen?"

"Nope! But I'm alright, you ponies are all super nice! You all remind me of that one toy Wallow used to have, the Pony Lords Battle Aquarium!"

Before Twilight could question Catbug further on the matter, which was disturbing in its implications, she heard a 'thud' from outside the castle, followed by vibrations which caused some of the books to shift slightly. "Oh, great. Now what?"
> Rainbow Dash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and Catbug raced outside to investigate the disturbance they had just heard. Upon exiting the castle, the two glanced around for anything amiss, Twilight more urgently so. Soon, they noticed one very colorful pegasus sitting at the base of the outer wall.

At first, Twilight stifled a gasp as she saw the protrusion on Rainbow Dash's forehead. But, after closer inspection, it was merely a cartoonishly large bump, rather than the horn she had initially feared.

She rolled her eyes. "Rainbow Dash, you just crashed into my house again, didn't you?"

The mare in question stood up with an uncharacteristic slowness, nursing her injury with a forehoof. "Yeah," she replied with only a hint of remorse. "I was practicing this new--"

"That's terrible! Are you ok?" interrupted Catbug, who was now tearing up and clinging to Rainbow's other front leg.

For an instant, as she processed the new being before her, her pupils dilated. "I'm cool, little dude." After pushing him off and turning back to Twilight, she continued. "So, I'm working on this new trick called Volt Tackle, where I barrel right through a storm cloud and pick up a wicked charge. Turns out it's kinda hard to see where you're going when you're on lightning," she added sheepishly.

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm pretty sure that expression only applies to fire and probation, Dash."

"Eh, close enough," she said with a shrug. Then, she craned her neck around to check on where she had hit. "Whew, it doesn't look cracked. I don't have to fix anything this time!"

Twilight smiled. "Except for that trick of yours, that is."

"I just need some more practice is all. Once it's ready, the Wonderbolts will definitely put me on the team!"

After twilight's reply nod, they both just stood there for a few seconds, fidgeting. 

No longer able to contain her emotions, Rainbow immediately dove for Catbug, squeezing him tightly. "Ohmygosh, you're like the cuteness version of me! I'm the one-and-only Rainbow Dash, who are you, squirt?"

Catbug was about to reply, but was cut off. "This little tyke is Catbug, Fluttershy found him this morning," informed Twilight. "He's from another dimension, and likely exceeds Professor Peachy Keen Eye's postulated maximum for cuteness!"

"I'm still cute! Yay!" he exclaimed.

This prompted a delighted squeal from Rainbow Dash. "That's so cool! What's it like outside Equestria? Super awesome, I bet."

Catbug nodded exactly seven times. "I'm a Bravest Warrior! We go on adventures all over the place!"

Her eyes widened. "Woah! You can fight too? I know, we should totally go spar right now!" 

Catbug pressed his paws together and rocked back and forth. "I dunno, Beth always says that I--"

But alas, Catbug didn't get to finish before Rainbow plopped him down onto her back and rocketed off into the distance.


* * * 


As the pair landed at the dojo, Catbug took a few seconds to stop screaming joyfully, as well as lower his arms. Rainbow pulled the door open to the familiar wooded structure and practically galloped inside. She placed Catbug on the floor and rushed off into a side room, returning wearing a white gi and jet-black belt.

"You know, I've been looking for a disciple to pass my sick skills onto for a while," Rainbow Dash stated.  "Applebloom didn't really pick up the moves very well, but you seem prepared, Catbug."

"Umm, actually, I don't do much fighting," he replied reluctantly.

Dash leaped into the air. "Huh?! I've never heard of a warrior who couldn't fight! Isn't that, like, the definition?"

"My friends say that I'm best at moral support. It's like cheering, only less work!"

She cracked a smile. "Well, yeah, that's a given for you, but doesn't it ever bug you that they don't let you pull their weight? No pun intended."

Catbug shook his head. "Not really. This one time the other day, they let me lead a mission, but when I got back, they all looked disappointed for some reason."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked "Why? What did you do?"

"That's exactly what I said!" he noted, downtrodden. "I thought I did a great job helping everybody. I got a guy his ice cream, put this other's guy's turtles into a giant pie crust, got a--"

Before Catbug could finish, Rainbow's eyes widened in shock. "YOU BAKED TURTLES INTO A PIE? THAT'S TERRIBLE!" she grabbed Catbug in her hooves and began shaking him roughly. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T EAT IT. PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T EAT IT!"

Catbug looked both dizzy and surprised. "What? No! They were hungry, and couldn't climb into the pan all by themselves!"

She let go, breathing a sigh of relief. "Then why didn't your friends like what you did? It sounds like you were being a nice guy."

"They said I was supposed to do something with these weird science sticks they gave me, but I didn't know how they worked."

"Ugh, they wanted to make you do egghead stuff? That's boring. If I teach you to fight, you won't get roped in to that sort of chore anymore! Sounds good, right?"

"O-Kay!"



	

[Cue Training Montage Music]

Rainbow dash turned to Catbug. "Ok, now watch this. Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!" She launched herself into a flying spin kick. Colliding the blow with a wooden pony cutout, it fell to splinters. "Now you try."

With a high-pitched 'Yaaah' Catbug followed suit. Except his kick looked more like a headbutt, and the wood didn't even look scratched.

Rainbow facehoofed.





"Ok, let's try this," Dash said, handing Catbug a pair of blue foam gloves shaped like minotaur hands. After she slipped red ones over her hooves, she made a 'come hither' gesture.

Catbug managed a few steps, but the gloves were heavy, and he tripped and fell, letting out an 'oof'.





"Now for wing-ups! Let's go!" she shouted as she dropped into her workout.

Catbug, lying on his back, strained to open his shell even once. When he finally did, they caused him to roll over his face. He plopped onto his stomach, giggling.





Catbug stood patiently outside, waiting for Rainbow Dash to return. When she did, she was high above him, pushing a swollen, black cloud.

She spun around and bucked the cloud. "Time for some heavy downpour endurance training!"

But before the deluge of water could pelt him, he hissed adorably and leapt out of the way.





"Come on, Catbug, push it! I know you can hit harder than that!" encouraged Rainbow.

They were inside Bon-Bon's candy warehouse/basement, both whaling on large slabs of taffy hanging from the ceiling on chains. Catbug hovered in the air wearing a stern expression, his blows barely fazing the colossal confectionary. Rainbow's, meanwhile, was covered in many deep, hoof-shaped dents. 

It was then that a very angry Bon-Bon elected to enter, stomping loudly. "OH HAY NO! NOT AGAIN!"

Overwhelming dread crept its way onto Dash's face, eyes shifting frantically between Catbug and Bon-Bon. "Crudbaskets! Gogogogogo!"

[End Music]





The two figures knelt low to the ground, panting heavily. "I think we finally lost her," stated the pegasus. "Maybe this wasn't my best idea."

Catbug shook his head. "Are you kidding? That was really fun, Rainbow Dash!"

Rising to her full height, she laughed heartily. "Yeah it was! But still, I feel bad about the whole thing. How about I take you someplace slightly less fun to meet one of my other friends to make it up to you?"

"Sure!"

	

	
> Rarity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Catbug marveled in the sight before him. He and Rainbow were now standing in front of a lavishly decorated structure. It was reminiscent of some of the old carnival rides he had the privilege of playing on a while back, a multitier thing painted in all manner of blues and purples, complete with gold-trim window blinds. 

He turned his inquisitive gaze to Dash. "What is this fancy place?"

Rather than answer, she simple smiled and pushed open the door. "Rares! I've got a new friend here to meet you! He actually thinks your place is fancy!" she shouted through the threshold.

Inside, Rarity was busy threading bronze wire through a straw hat she was working on. Upon hearing her friend's sudden outburst, she quietly muttered 'well I never' under her breath before plastering a mostly genuine smile on her face in anticipation. As she trotted over to the entrance, the buisnessmare introduction she usually led with upon meeting potential customers melted away before it reached her lips. For, you see, she been expecting Rainbow Dash's friend to be a pony. And who could blame her? 

So, when her mascara-framed eyes drifted towards the smiling creature who stood on her doorstep, she could barely maintain her composure.

Catbug's smile transitioned into an O-shape as he met Rarity's gaze. "Wow, you're super pretty!"

Rarity began giggling uncontrollably. She waved a hoof at him. "Oh, you're one to talk, you darling. I'm Rarity, by the way. To who do I owe the pleasure?"

Catbug blinked, confused. "Is that bad? Do you need an accountant?"

More chuckles. Wherever did Rainbow Dash find such a charmer? "You sweet little thing, I'm asking for your name, silly."

"Oh, ok! I'm Catbug!"

"Quite appropriate, if I do say so myself! I so love seeing new faces around here! Please, come in, come in!" Rarity gestured.

Rolling her eyes at the pleasantries, Rainbow Dash poked Catbug in the shoulder affectionately and shot off into the sky.

After waving bye to Rainbow, Catbug gladly accepted the offer, scampering into the boutique.

After gently magiking the door closed, Rarity watched as Catbug marveled excitedly at the numerous outfits on display, 'ooing' and 'ahing' as he did. "So, Catbug, what do you think of my humble boutique?"

He stopped pawing at a green dress to answer. "It's great! All these clothes are cool!"

"Of course they are, dear, they're for the fall line."

"What does being cool have to do with falling?"

"Well Autumn weather simply demands-- you know what, never mind. Anyway, I never would have pegged you as the cultured type. What about my work speaks to you?" Then, recalling Catbug's apparent tendency to take things at face value, she amended "Why do you like my outfits?"

He took to the air, bobbing up and down in front of Rarity. "No one I know ever wears anything this exciting and... unique! It seems like my friends only have one or two outfits. And their metal mission suits all look the same to me, just in different colors."

Rarity gasped. "Why, that's simply a travesty! How dare those you've befriended subject you to such cruel wardrobe repetition! I know, I'll make you an accessory so dazzling that they'll be forced to see the error of their ways!" she exclaimed, pointing dramatically towards the ceiling.

"Really?" he asked, smile widening. Then, abruptly, it flipped around into a frown as he dropped down to the floor. "Oh. But I need money to get stuff, and don't have any. I just spent all my allowance on blueberry honey sticks."

Rarity wrapped a hoof around him. "Nonsense! It's no trouble at all, dear. Anything for a friend; I am the Element of Generosity after all."

Somewhere, in the chaos between worlds, Discord snorted.

"Wow, thanks!" Catbug exclaimed, lunging in to glomp her leg.

"You're most welcome." Smiling, Rarity pried her new friend off, switching gears to designer mode. She paced around Catbug, taking in his features. "Hmm... there isn't much I could make that would be able to accommodate your wings, perhaps a hat or tie would be to your liking?" she inquired.

"I like hats!" he replied.

"A hat it is then. I'll get started right away! Wait there, please."

Catbug obligingly stood in place, swinging his arms back and forth, as Rarity levitated over a tape measure from atop her workstation. He flinched a bit as the diameter of his head was taken, citing ticklishness.

With that out of the way, Rarity stepped over to said workstation, scissors hovering near her head. 

Catbug stared at her expectantly. "Can I help, Rarity?"

"But of course, Catbug." There's no way he could possibly be more destructive than Sweetie Belle, she thought. "Go pick out a color of silk you like, the bolts are in the storeroom over there," she said, pointing a hoof in the appropriate direction.

"O-Kay!" He then flew out of sight.

Rarity began carefully measuring out the circular swatch of thick, grey felt which would eventually become the interior of the piece. As she cut out the shape, Catbug returned, appearing in her peripheral vision. Turning, she was met by an expectant face partially hidden behind a box of yellow buttons.

"Those are buttons, dear. We need silk. You know, soft, thin, wrapped around a tube? They should be near the back wall."

"Ooooh, got it." he said, retreating away once more.

She had just finished stitching the base together when he returned once more, this time holding a spool of ribbon.

"Not quite. The silk bolts are much larger, they're on a shelf to the left of where that ribbon was."

Nodding, Catbug repeated the process. Rarity had affixed the brim by the time he came back, holding a large roll of yellow fabric in all four paws as he hovered in place.

Rarity shrugged. "Fine, we'll use velvet instead. Why not? Now then, could you be a doll and go grab some of that ribbon from before in a different color?" 

"Sure!"

Soon after, Catbug landed on her head, which prompted a small yelp. He was dangling a deep blue ribbon in front of Rarity's eyes.

After calming herself down from the mild shock, her eyes trained onto what he had brought. "Why, what a marvelous choice, Catbug! This color matches your spots almost perfectly!"

He giggled, jumping down onto the table. "Yay! I get to be pretty too!"

This prompted a round of full-blown laughter from Rarity. "Ha ha, you certainly do." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "While I put on the finishing touches, why don't you go meet Opal upstairs? She's my pet pussycat; I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly." Or, then again, maybe not, she thought. Opal wasn't always the best at warming up to new faces.

Catbug's eyes widened. "You have a kitty? Why didn't you say so?!" With that, he left Rarity in the dust, careening up the stairs. Or, he would have, if Rarity had allowed for dust to accumulate in her precious abode.

As he burst through the door leading to the posh master bedroom, Catbug immediately focused on the snowy feline perched daintily on the bed. Opal met his expectant stare with one of poorly concealed indifference. This expression did not change as Catbug landed adjacent to her.

"Are you Opal?" he asked. "My name is Catbug, hello!"

In reply, the cat raised her chin diagonally upwards in a rather snooty manner.

"It's ok, I'm Rarity's friend. That means I'm also your friend!"

Suddenly, Opal hissed at him. Since Catbug was fluent in Felan, he understood her response as: 'go away, the horse is my servant'.

Appalled, he proclaimed "That's no way to talk about someone!"

It was at this point that Opal elected to slash Catbug across the face with her claws. They weren't very sharp due to frequent pampering, but the act took its toll anyway. Catbug screamed, backpedalling over the edge of the bed while clutching his head.

Hearing the cry, Rarity whipped her head around just in time to see a prone Catbug bouncing down the stairs. Once he hit the waxed floor, he slid all over the place on his back like a living hockey puck, wailing all the while. The out-of-control character ricocheted off of about six separate pieces of furniture before Rarity managed to process what was happening. 

She stopped his erratic motion with her magic, sighing. "Perhaps that wasn't my best idea." 
> Applejack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity sighed. "Again, I'm so terribly sorry about Opal, Catbug."

He batted a paw. "It's ok!"

"Now then, do you remember the directions to Applejack's I just gave you?"

Catbug nodded, smiling.

"Excellent! You go run along now, darling. Enjoy yourself, and don't bother her too much, alright? I'll certainly be finished in time for your party tonight! Why, I haven't seen Pinkie so excited in ages!"

"Ok! Bye, Miss Rarity!" He waved enthusiastically.

"Goodbye, Catbug, dear."

With that, he buzzed through the entrance, climbing into the air above Ponyville. Scanning back and forth, he found the road Rarity had instructed him to follow. As he did so, Catbug hummed a little tune to himself bobbing his head. He was about halfway across town when something bumped into his back.

Perplexed, he stopped to hover in place. Turning around, he caught a glimpse of a grey pegasus wearing large saddlebags, grinning sheepishly as she flew away backwards.

After a quick shrug, not one to pursue fleeing strangers, he continued onwards through the sky to the vast patch of green treetops now visible in the distance. Spying a wooden gate, he descended towards it, excited to meet this 'Applejack'.

After landing on the soft grass, he took a moment to sniff around. Mouth watering, he did, in fact, confirm that this was an apple orchard. Or, at least, a place with a bunch of yummy apples.

However, just as he was about to fly up to the nearest tree to pluck a ripe one for himself, his ears twitched, perceiving the sound of multiple hoofsteps behind him. Afraid to be caught in the act of taking food without prior approval, he hid himself in the tree and waited.

As he sat on a branch, Catbug gazed in the general direction of the sound as it slowly increased in volume. Soon, he was able to identify the source: three ponies, smaller than those he had met previously. Noticing the specific traits of one in particular, he leapt downwards to greet them.

All three stopped moving and flinched visibly as he approached. One of them screamed.

Turning to his target, he greeted her. "Hi, I'm Catbug! Are you Applejack?"

Immediately, their expressions returned to normal, pacified by the sound of his adorable voice. The filly in question blinked twice, then shook her head. "Uh, no. I'm Scootaloo."

Catbug tilted his head to the left. "Really? But you're where Rarity said you'd be. And you're orange."

The yellow one giggled. "Close, but not quite. Ah'm Applebloom, Applejack's sister. My fam'ly does live here on the farm, though."

"I'm Sweetie Belle, by the way," chimed the white one.

"How could you even get us mixed up like that, whoever-you-are?" asked Scootaloo, frowning. "Not sure what you're supposed to be, but I'm a pegasus, and a filly at that."

Now, Catbug was even more confused. "What are those?"

Sweetie Belle gasped. "You don't know what a pegasus is? How in Equestria does that work?"

"Equestria? Is that where we are?" Catbug paused. "Sorry, I just got here this morning." 

"Now wait a minute," said Applebloom, coming to a realization, "Are ya meanin' to say that ya'll aren't from Equestria?"

"Yeah!" he confirmed, smiling. "Twilight says I'm from whole 'nother universe! I've already made lots of new friends, but I still don't really know about this place."

As this new information sunk in, the three fillies all had the same idea, turning to face eachother. Slowly, excited grins crept onto their faces. Then, as one, they shouted "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CULTURAL AMBASSADORS, YAY!"


*  *  *


Catbug then found himself being unceremoniously dragged out to a small, well-made treehouse in the middle of the orchard.  The Crusaders had told him to wait, and that if he did, the three of them would educate him on all the joys of ponykind. So, that was what he did. As they scrambled all over, gathering supplies, he sat on his butt, rocking slowly back and forth. He rambled on about all the stuff he'd learned and done today, so they knew what to present him.

After about twenty minutes, the fillies were ready. They had assembled in front of him, with Applebloom on the left and the others on the right. A crude, free-standing presentation book, the kind with pages that flipped over, stood on the hardwood floor between them. Catbug's eyes widened in anticipation.

"Are you ready?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Uh-huh!"

With that, she flipped over the first page, revealing a crude sketch of the three. "The first thing you need to know about Equestria is that it's filled with ponies. They come in three types. I'm a unicorn," she stated, pointing to her picture. "Unicorns have horns. They can use magic to do all sorts of stuff."

She then demonstrated this fact by grabbing a small crayon in her green aura, lifting in into the air in front of Catbug, face contorted into an expression of concentration.

When he began clapping his paws loudly at the display of skill, Sweetie jolted, dropping the object with a blush.

"Ah'm an earth pony," continued Applebloom. "We're stronger that other ponies, an' can grow crops real good too."

"And I'm a pegasus," finished Scootaloo. "We have wings," she said, stretching them out for Catbug to observe. "Pegasi can fly, but I can't quite yet."

Sweetie flipped to the next page, which showed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rearing up on their hind legs. "Equestria is a nation of ponies, run by the princesses."

"They're special!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "They get wings AND horns!"

"Celestia, on the left there," pointed Applebloom, "raises the sun ev'ry mornin' with her magic, an' Luna raises the moon. You already met Twilight, she's the princess o' friendship!"

A small, cyan hand shot up.

"Yes, Catbug?" she asked.

"That's not how the sun works. I've been to space. The sun, and all the other stars, don't really move. The planets are what move in, uh, orbits!"

Eyebrows were raised. Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Maybe where you're from, but here, the sun moves."

"I dunno. Still seems fishy." Mmm, fish, he thought to himself.

Moving on, Applebloom jumped topics. "Ponies here get Cutie Marks once they find their special talents, and they use 'em to earn bits fer buyin' food 'n whatnot. We've been tryin' to find ours for a while now. There're as many things to do as there are ponies!"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "You've already met a bunch of ponies around Ponyville, so I'm sure you've figured that out."

"Oh!" interrupted Scootaloo. "That reminds me, could you get Rainbow Dash to sign this for me? You can never have too many autographs!"

Catbug suddenly found a small poster had been shoved in his face. It depicted Rainbow in an overdramatic pose, framed by explosions. The caption read: 'She's the fastest thing alive!'.

He smiled. "Sure, Scootaloo!"

She sqee'd with delight, prancing about. 

Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Ponyville is only one of many places to go 'round the country. There's Canterlot, where the Princesses live. It's all clean and shiny, and the ponies are a tad high-strung."

"Then there's Cloudsdale!" added Scootaloo. "That's where they run the weather, and the whole city is made of clouds! It even moves! Not to mention that Rainbow Dash grew up there!"

Catbug raised his hand again.

"Yeah?"

"How do they build things out of clouds?" he asked, confused once more. "They go 'poof' when you touch them."

"Oh, right. Only a pegasus can touch clouds. Probably should have mentioned that."

He 'Mmmed' in understanding. "Gotcha."

There was a long and awkward silence. Sweetie Belle inhaled. "Anyway, we'd be here all day if we tried to cover everything at once, though."

"Yeah," agreed Applebloom, nodding. "It's better to learn through experience!"

"This weekend, we could totally show you around!" proclaimed Scootaloo. "Maybe you could even come crusading with us!"

Catbug stood up. "That sounds like fun! Let's do that!"

"That does sound fun! Though, not nearly as fun as your super-duper-califragilisticexpialidocious party is going to be!"

All four heads in the room wheeled upwards in a heartbeat, attention drawn by the sudden addition of a bubbly new voice to the room. There, somehow hanging upside-down from the ceiling, was Pinkie Pie, an enormous grin plastered on her face.
	 
> Pinkie Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Hi, Pinkie Pie!" greeted Catbug.

"Hi, Catbug! I'm so glad you remembered me!" Pinkie beamed. To make the rest of the conversation go more smoothly, she dismounted the ceiling with a triple, duel-axis spin flip, landing directly in front of him.

Suddenly, the crusaders were all holding signs. Applebloom's had a '10', Sweetie Belle's had an '9', and Scootaloo's had a picture of Rainbow Dash's head following two less-than symbols. Neither of them noticed. 

"The party's just about to get pumping!" she continued, leaning her head down right in front of his face. "It was gonna be a surprise but it looked like you were taking a while and I was just soooo excited to get to know you better and show you to all the ponies and make you cupcakes and play games and- "

Catbug cut her off with a paw to the muzzle, grinning. "Then let's go party already!"

Pinkie giggled. "Love the enthusiasm! Hop on, I'll have us at Sugarcube Corner in a jiffy!"

He obliged, and one wing-assisted leap later he was nestled comfortably inside her curly mane. 

As Pinkie Pie sped off out the door and into the distance, a joyful 'wheee' was heard, progressively lowering in volume.

The crusaders collectively shrugged, and trotted off after them.


*  *  *


Catbug couldn't help but gasp as the pair arrived at a pastry-shaped building. The sounds of numerous talking ponies could be heard from inside, along with some familiar-sounding music. The smell of sugar-laden confections wafted out the windows, causing him to begin salivating.

Pinkie slammed the doors open, causing the partygoers to stop what they were doing. "Hay, everypony! Catbug's here! Please welcome him to Ponyville with lots of laughs and smiles, ok?"

This announcement was met with cheers all around. Many ponies trotted up to say their hellos to the guest of honor. Catbug took it all in stride, hovering into the air while sending replies and waves to those that did. 

Among the crowd were four ponies that he recognized. He flew up to them. "What have you all been doing?"

"Twilight was just talking about egghead stuff with Fluttershy," informed Rainbow Dash, the only other being in the bakery currently flying.

"It's not 'egghead stuff'!" whined Twilight. "It's a groundbreaking discussion regarding extra-equestrian biology!"

Fluttershy nodded almost imperceptibly. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Umm... Catbug? Would it be ok if you could let Twilight run some tests on you later?" asked Fluttershy, shifting away. "It's important to her, but if you aren't up for it then that's ok..."

"Sure! Why not?"

She was about to provide an answer to that question, but was cut off by Rarity, who abruptly moved in front of her to place something onto Catbug. She held up a mirror, showing slight nervousness.

Catbug stared at his reflection. Upon his head was a classy-looking, yellow and blue bowler hat, complete with ear holes. D'awws were uttered all around in response to the display of adorableness. 

"It's awesome! Thanks!" he proclaimed.

Rarity perked up. "I'm ever so glad you like it, darling, but no thanks are necessary. Just knowing that my work brought a smile to your face is enough for me."

"But that's my job!" exclaimed Pinkie.

After a brief pause spent registering the information, the mares all burst into a fit of chuckles, soon joined by Catbug. 

It was only when the sound died down slightly did Catbug notice the orange mare in the cowboy hat who had stopped laughing. "Anyhow, Ah reckon it's 'bout time Ah introduced myself. Name's Applejack!" she said, extending a hoof.

Catbug dropped down to shake it. "It's nice to actually meet you, Applejack!"

"Thanks, sugarcube. So, how--"

But alas, it was not to be. Catbug had noticed something shiny on the other end of the room, and buzzed off over the ponies at the buffet tables to find out what it was. He was at a party, so it had to be fun, right?

As Applejack groaned, Rainbow Dash covered her mouth with her hooves, clearly to cover up the sly grin on her face. Pinkie just pronked on after him, oblivious and excited.

Soon, Catbug arrived at a mesmerizing display. A white unicorn wearing violet goggles was playing the techno music that reverberated throughout the place with a large machine. She was banging her head, hooves raised. Giggling, he imitated the motions as he listened.

"Aren't her wubs the just the best?" asked Pinkie. "But still," she continued, interrupting herself, "they would be even better with cupcakes!"

Turning to Pinkie, Catbug saw that she had procured a large tray of multicolored cupcakes. It was somehow being held aloft by the curl in her mane, directly above her huge grin.

He eagerly grabbed one, and shoved his face into the frosting almost immediately. As he nom-ed on it, Pinkie deftly pushed back his hat before it got hit by the gobs of food being thrown about. She'd ruined one too many articles of clothing herself that way.

Catbug licked his lips once he was finished. "Yum!"

"Yay! I'm so happy that you're happy!" she said. Then, turning her head 450 degrees, she asked "you want one Vinyl?"

You could hardly tell through the goggles, but her eyes narrowed.

Pinkie blinked. "Oopsies, my bad. Would you like a delicious, hoofmade cupcake, DJ PON-3?"

She smiled, lifting a green one off of the tray with her magic as she continued spinning records.

When Pinkie saw that her friend was satisfied, she twisted back only to find that Catbug had left again. However, her tapping right hoof and itchy ears told her that he could be found in the kitchen.

Pinkie zipped over there, only to find that Catbug was now watching Berry Punch play a game that she hadn't set up for the party. Berry bounced a white ball off of the counter. A group of rowdy stallions holding drinks shouted cheers as the ball splashed into a plastic cup and the mare consumed its contents. Catbug had joined them.

Her eyes narrowed as she reached over to yank him down in a protective hug. "Now what do we have here?" Pinkie asked the group menacingly. They all fell silent. "There are foals at this event, you guys! Shame on you! Break it up; my annual off-the-wall boozefest isn't until next week!"

Catbug looked upon Pinkie with confusion as Berry and the others hung their heads and trotted slowly away.

"It's ok!" reassured Pinkie as she nuzzled Catbug against her chest. "There are lost of other fun, foal-friendly games we can play, like pin-the-tail-on-the-pony, beanbag toss, or even Mare-io Party! Though, that last one tends to suck the magic right out of you."

"That first one sounds like fun," he stated.

"Splenderific!" 

With that, the pair set off over to the front. Progress was slow, as multiple ponies elected to glomp Catbug as he passed by their hooves. He most certainly didn't mind the attention, it was his party after all, but some curious glances were shot his way when a certain accessorized pink filly elected to give him an impromptu belly rub.

When they did come to the poster of the tail-less pony on the inside wall, the Crusaders were already there. Pinkie smiled as she watched Applebloom spin Scootaloo around, paper tail held in her teeth. But when Scootaloo took some shaky steps forward and poked the tail directly into the image's eye, Pinkie heard sniffles.

However, it wasn't coming from the filly. Pinkie gasped. "Catbug? What's wrong?"

His nose was scrunched up, paws on his cheeks. "Wh... Why would you flatten and dis-remember a pony like that? That's not fun at all."

"What? Oh, nonononono, that's not a real pony, Catbug! It's just a picture, see?" she said, ripping the poster off the wall.

Catbug blinked, and his returning normal expression caused the mare to sigh in relief. 

"Okie-dokey, so that's out. Let's go play something else then!"

Catbug shook his head.

Pinkie's body stiffened. "Huh? No games? Catbug, that just doesn't work! It's not a party without party games, and without them, you can't have the double-fun-stuffed Pinkie party experience!"

"But, there's plenty of ways to have fun without games!" he countered. "All you need is imagination! Watch."

Inspired, Catbug flew over to the snack table under Pinkie's intensely curious gaze. He picked out a lone banana, and then plucked a single, large leaf of lettuce out of the salad bowl.

When he returned, he sat on the floor in front of Pinkie and cleared his throat.

"Hi Beth. It's me, Chris, your friend!" he said while moving the banana up and down in his right hand.

"Hi, Chris," he continued in a more high-pitched voice, now moving the lettuce in his left.

"Just dropped by to get my courage and let you know that I love you," said banana Chris.

"Ok," replied lettuce Beth.

Dramatic pause. "Well?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Chris, I've known for a while. I'm actually in love with Impossibear."

"What? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Catbug screamed melodramatically as he peeled the banana.

A few ponies who had witnessed the impromptu performance stomped their hooves in applause as he stood up and bowed. One let out a hearty "YEAH!"

Pinkie took a deep breath as she realized the full implications of the glorious display she had just witnessed. Immediately, she prostrated herself before him, hooves outstretched. "Teach me your ways of abstract amusement, o wise and venerable master."

Catbug giggled. "Oh, it's easy, Pinkie! All you have to do is--"

However, Catbug paused. Suddenly, his pupils widened dramatically, covering his entire corneas. Raising his arms to his sides, he screamed again, this time in utter terror. There was a blinding flash of blue light, and when it had faded, there was neither eye nor ear of Catbug or his new hat.

With the sound of a record scratch, all was silent within Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie dropped to her knees, doing her best impression of the final line from Catbug's play.

As a veritable waterfall of tears cascaded down her face, Pinkie felt a hoof on her shoulder. Ceasing her sobs, she met eyes with Fluttershy, who wore a soft smile. Pinkie's other besties were huddled behind her.

"I know this is odd coming from me, but don't worry about Catbug. That's how he came here in the first place. It's really sad to see him go, but he should be back home with his family where he belongs," Fluttershy reassured.

"But what about all my experiments? Such an opportunity, wasted!" exclaimed Twilight.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "At least y'all got to talk to him."

*Insert studio audience laughter as camera fades to black*