It was a dark and stormy night...
Twilight Sparkle was tidying up the library for about the fiftieth time that day. There had been so little to do lately that she just didn't know what to do with herself and had resorted to menial chores as her only form of occupying her mind. She would have tried reading, but she had already read every book in the Ponyville library and was not in the mood for repeats. The fact that it was cold and stormy outside only served to add to the unicorn's frustration, as it meant that she couldn't go for a walk or gaze at the stars like she often did on restless nights. In essence, she was trapped and could find no way of escape.
“You could try writing a book,” suggested her friend Spike, who assisted her in the library.
“Spike, you know I don't have the patience or the creativity for that!” said Twilight, knocking her head against a wooden wall. “Besides, why would I even want to? Once I had written the book, I'd never read it, because I'd already know what it said!” She began to walk around in a circle, looking around for anything to keep her busy.
“Hey, Twi,” Spike said a few minutes later, “did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” she asked. They both silenced themselves and listened for any peculiar sound, but neither of them could hear anything but the rain outside.
“I could've sworn I heard somepony sneeze,” said Spike with a shrug. “I guess I was just imagining things.” They both went back to doing nothing in their own particular fashions, Twilight pacing the floor, and Spike trying to sleep.
After a while, Twilight thought she heard something.
“Spike, wake up,” she said. “I think I hear something too.” The baby dragon rubbed his eyes sleepily.
“It's probably just the wind,” he said.
“No, listen!” Again, the two hushed and listened for a sound. This time, they actually did hear something. It sounded like the chattering of a pony's teeth just outside the front door. The dragon and pony looked at each other momentarily and then quickly scrambled to open the door and see who was out there. Twilight looked down to see a white unicorn colt with a black mane and a horribly disfigured face, completely soaking wet, and shivering from the cold.
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed in shock. “How long have you been out there? Come inside quickly before you catch your death!” Shakily, he brought himself to his feet and, with a bit of help, stepped inside. Twilight quickly teleported herself upstairs, grabbed some towels from a drawer, then teleported back down again and immediately began to dry off the soaking colt. He sneezed and then sat down, apparently too weak to remain standing. “Spike, please prepare some hot tea for our guest,” the unicorn mare instructed her assistant, and the little dragon immediately ran off to put on the kettle. Twilight then returned her attention to the newcomer.
“Now then,” she said, “I am Twilight Sparkle, and I live here in the Ponyville library. If you don't mind, could you please tell me who you are and what you were doing outside on a stormy night?” The colt, who seemed to be shivering from more than just the cold, swayed a bit, trying to steady himself.
“H-hi,” he managed to say through his shaky breath. “I... I'm Jeffy.” Then he couldn't seem to hold himself upright any longer, and he was laying on the floor, quickly slipping into unconsciousness.
“Spike!” Twilight yelled. The dragon came running to see what was wrong.
“What is it, Twilight?” he asked, concerned.
“He just passed out!” she said with shock. “Help me get him upstairs to the bed.” The little dragon complied, although Twilight could see that he was nervous. She guessed that it might have had something to do with the frightening scars on the colt's – Jeffy's, she corrected herself – face. She didn't like to admit it, even to herself, but she really couldn't blame him. Those scars were making her uncomfortable too. Now, Twilight, she told herself, he can't help that his face is scarred. It's not fair to judge somepony by their appearance. I'm sure Jeffy is a very normal, very nice young colt who has just been through some terrible mishap. She nodded to herself and decided that she would do whatever she could to help him.
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“So, his name's Jeffy, and that's all you got out of him before he passed out?” Apple Jack asked with concern. “Where'd he come from?” It was morning, and Twilight had gathered her five best friends to help her figure out what to do with the mysterious unicorn colt who had collapsed at her front door the night before.
“I don't know,” replied Twilight. “I found him last night and brought him in out of the rain. Then he just collapsed. I think he has pneumonia, but I'm not sure how I'm going to get him to the hospital or even if that's a good idea. Does anypony have any ideas?”
Jeffy stirred in the bed, beginning to regain consciousness. “Mommy?” Twilight thought she heard him say, although she couldn't be sure because he was so quiet.
“Jeffy,” she said, “it's me, Twilight. You're in the Ponyville library. Do you remember anything from last night?” His eyes focused after a moment, and he was aware of six other ponies in the room, three of them standing around the bed where he lay. He recognized the purple unicorn from the night before, but the other unicorn and the earth pony were strangers.
“How're ya feelin'?” asked the orange mare with the cowboy hat. Jeffy put a hoof to his forehead and tried to sit up, only to be gently pushed back onto the pillow by Twilight.
“Don't try to get up,” she warned him. “You're really sick, and you need your rest if you're going to get better.” He started to open his mouth in protest but then thought better of it and did what she said. He nodded weakly.
Then the three mares turned to face away from him, but he saw the white unicorn with the diamonds on her ass – Why do ponies have those? he wondered – lean in closer to Twilight and whisper something to her.
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“What are you planning on doing with him until he gets better?” asked Rarity. “Surely you aren't planning on keeping him here in the library.”
“Where else is he going to go?” Twilight stated. It was really less of a question and more of a statement that the colt had nowhere else to go. “As long as he needs to be cared for and has no place else to stay, the library is open to him.”
“But Darling, doesn't he frighten you? I'm not trying to be mean, but... just look at him.”
“It's true he does look a little scary,” the librarian admitted, “but that's no reason to judge him. He's so young; what threat could he possibly be? Don't you remember the lesson we learned from Zecora about not judging a book by its cover? I think we should give Jeffy that same courtesy, don't you?”
“Twilight's right,” said Apple Jack. “I'll admit, his scarred up face does freak me out a little bit, but he is just a colt, and besides, we haven't really got to know the poor guy yet. I'll bet he's really a decent fellow if we'd just give 'im a chance.”
“Oh, I suppose you're right,” said Rarity. “I just can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable around him. I hope the poor dear doesn't take it personally.” She looked over at the bed, and her face showed her concern and pity. “And I promise I will really try not to let my discomfort show,” she added.
“So that's settled then,” said Twilight. The others looked at her questioningly. “You are going to help me take care of him, right?”
“Oh yeah, of course,” the other two both agreed. The three of them put their hooves together in the middle of them in a sign of mutual trust and teamwork, and they all smiled at each other.
On the other side of the room, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were also discussing the colt.
“I don't know about you guys,” said Rainbow Dash, “but I think those scars on his face make him look super tough and wicked cool. It's just too bad he doesn't fit that picture laying in bed sick.” Fluttershy thought that was a bit unfair.
“The poor thing just needs some tender love and care to get him back on his feet is all,” she said. “As for the scars on his face, he was probably in some terrible accident. Oh, I feel so sorry for him thinking of how much that must have hurt. We should try to be understanding about it, Dash, instead of putting labels on him before we even know him.”
“But Fluttershy,” Dash argued. “He's a unicorn. If he didn't want the scars, don't you think he could have just healed himself with magic and been pretty again?”
“Not necessarily. Twilight said healing spells can take a while to learn, and this pony looks pretty young.”
“Well, he's still obviously a badass,” the cyan pegasus stubbornly persisted.
“I think we should throw him a welcoming party!” squeaked Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at her like she was crazy, and she added "you know... when he gets better." The other two then looked at each other and shrugged. She was just being typical Pinkie Pie, they figured; they couldn't blame her for being who she was.
The pink pony trotted over for a closer look at the sleeping colt, and her eyes immediately widened.
“Oooh!” she squealed. “He's got a big --”
“Pinkie!” Twilight said in shock. She had never known her friend to behave this way before, and it was like looking at her for the first time.
“Well, he does,” Pinkie insisted, totally unashamed. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned, thinking Why do I even bother trying to talk sense with Pinkie Pie around?
Rainbow Dash snorted. “Pinkie, you are disgusting.” Pinkie giggled.
“Oh, Dashie,” she said, laying a hoof on her friend's shoulder, “you only say that because you like mares. If you liked stallions, would you not be impressed by the size of that thing?”
Ahem! Twilight interrupted her again. “Shouldn't we be focusing on a way to get him feeling better instead of on the proportions of his anatomy?” There was a collective muttered agreement from everypony in the room, including Pinkie Pie, who was finally showing some signs of embarrassment for her behavior. After a few awkward moments, Fluttershy cleared her throat.
“Umm, Twilight?” she asked shyly in typical Fluttershy fashion. “Where will he be staying while he's getting better?”
“Well,” said Twilight, “he's already here in the library, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea to move him while he's so sick.”
“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, “but Twilight, you only have one bed, and if he's sleeping in it, where will you be? On the floor?”
“My house has extra beds,” said Fluttershy. “He could stay with me once he is well enough to move there. I'd take good care of him.” Twilight Sparkle smiled.
“I know you would, Fluttershy,” she said, “and I'm sure he would be very grateful. Once he's rested for a bit, you can ask him if you want.”
“Okay,” agreed the yellow pegasus with a warm smile. “I would rather offer up one of my beds than have you be without one.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” her friend said, and she hugged her.
And so it was decided that Jeffy the unicorn colt would go to stay in the cottage of Fluttershy for the duration of his recovery. It also soon became apparent that Pinkie Pie felt responsible for keeping him entertained while he was bedridden, as she would visit often and bring balloons, sweet but healthy snacks, and other devices of cheer for him. Best of all, he thought, was that nopony seemed to fear or judge him, and nopony questioned him about his scars.