Chapter 1: "Hello little one"
Chapter 1: "Hello little one"
At the first glimpse of Celestia's rising sun on any day, Fluttershy's cottage came to life. A single bird climbed out of its nest box and stared out of a nearby window, watching as the first rays shone across the land, and as the great orb of light crested the horizon, it began to sing its song. Today, as with any other day, it chose a light and calming melody which rang out across the slumbering room. Before long, the solitary bird was joined by its feathered friends and the dawn chorus began. Eventually, the tune reached its crescendo and with it bought the rise of other creatures of Fluttershy's home. First, the timid mice emerged from their holes, stretching in the new day's light. After this came the chipmunks and rabbits, minus one particularly grumpy bunny, who pulled his ears down in disgust. Soon after, the stirring critters were joined by badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, even snakes, which began to add to the growing clamor within the small room.
It was to this chaotic yet surprisingly soothing noise that Fluttershy awoke. With a smile and a content sigh, she snuggled down into her covers, quite happy to listen to the noise of her animal friends for a little longer before beginning her working day as Ponyville's official animal support pony.
After a good few minutes of lying under her butterfly pattern duvet, she began her own personal 'dawn chorus'. Very much like the first bird, she rose from her bed and looked to her open window. A cooling breeze blew in, causing the little amount of the dust in the air to dance in the shaft of dawn's light. As she stretched out her dainty wing, she began to sing a gentle melody of notes with very little in the way of order or pattern, but still, the atmosphere surrounding Fluttershy was as thick and as sweet as a pot of golden syrup. With a flutter of her wings she alighted from the bed, slipping from under the duvet, and began to drift lazily around the room, working out any loose feathers or stiff joints. A few laps later and she landed in front of her dresser. She let her hoof run over the aged wood and traced the outline of swallows, which dipped and dived across the sky of shining mahogany. The dresser belonged to her late mother and had been passed down through several generations, yet every morning, Fluttershy rubbed the antique carvings thinking about those who had touched them before her. Continuing her song, she looked up to the mirror and began to brush her flowing hair.
After finishing getting ready for the day and having a small breakfast Flutershy began her rounds. Shaking a large bag of 'Big Mac's special nuggets for animals', a special mix that suited nearly all animals which the farmhand had mixed up for her work, she addressed the living room as a whole, silencing the din.
"Good morning little ones. I hope you all had a nice night, but you must all be so hungry, hmm? Who is hungry here then?"
In a whirlwind of spastic movements, the variety of creatures scurried, flapped and slithered to one of the feeding stations that were dotted randomly around the room. Taking her time, she moved from station to station, pouring a decent sized portion from the bag into each one. It took her quite a while to shift the bag around the room and when she was done she couldn't help but fall back onto her rump and take several deep breaths. Once she was feeling less flustered, she moved onto her next task of checking on the few injured and unwell animals who had found themselves under her care. Luckily for her as well as the animals, it was just the one for today. Fluttershy stepped carefully through the hordes of animals until she reached a small fox with a carefully bandaged leg, eating alone at an out of the way feed station.
"Hello there Mr Fox. Would you mind if I take a look at your leg?"
She spoke slowly and softly, soothing the creature with her airy voice. It backed away from the feed station and turned to her, lifting its leg and pawing onto her foreleg.
"Oh you're a good boy aren't you. Now hold still."
She gently unwound the bandages and moved the leg around checking for any inflammation or swelling.
"It's looking much better now, just be careful and you'll be back to normal in no time."
Fluttershy left the fox to get back to its food and moved to grab the food for the animals which lived outside of her cottage in the pens or roaming free in her gardens. Hefting the bag onto her shoulders and balancing it with her wings she made her way to the front door and opened it. She took a deep breath of the cool autumns air and looked around. With a cry of dismay, she let the bag slide of her back and onto the floor with a heavy thump.
"Oh no..."
Sat just beyond her doorstop was a battered cardboard box, patched with stains and marks of wear, soaked through from the rains of last night. Various slats were hastily cut into the sides, straw and hay dangling limply from them. Scrawled across the side in nearly illegible mouth writing was the words 'please help' capped of with exclamation points. Stapled to the box was a soggy piece of paper covered in the same mouth writing, the ink still running along the page dripping into the murky puddle around the pulped up box.
"Oh no no no, ponies shouldn't dump pets! Not ever!"
Fluttershy spoke to herself in a hushed whisper, her words spoken with a mixture of anger and sadness. She cautiously trotted towards the box as to not startle whatever creature was inside. Faint whining and scuffling could be heard from amongst the hay and straw as something moved within. Reaching the box and peering over the edge, she could see nothing except for the damp straw. She reached a hoof in to search for the creature, but pulled back when something within clicked rapidly and two large teal eyes peered from around a clump of straw, piercing her with a warning gaze. Letting out an almost silent gasp, Fluttershy moved back from the edge of the box not taking her eyes of the rim in case the 'thing' came leaping for her.
"W-w-what are you?"
In response, more clicking and rustling came from within and the box sagged slightly as the cardboard continued to disintegrated from the rain. With this movement, the note dislodged itself from the box and swirled once in the air before landing, writing side up, at Fluttershy's fore-hooves. Bending down, she began to read.
Please, be calm yellow pony. Please excuse my poor Equish We did not wish to do this to you, but we had to for her sake. My partner and I are Changelings, unaffiliated with the hive which attacked your city, but your ponies did not see the differences. We've been living just outside your town for a good few years, but now we must flee. We've been exposed. Your ponies are hunting us, they will most likely hurt us when they catch us and cart us off to your prison. We could not let that happen to her. she is only 8 days old, she does not know what is going on and what has happened with changelings in your country. We couldn't risk her by taking her with us. We've seen you look after your animals, you're a kind pony and you care well for your creatures. We need you to take her. We are sorry for this burden, but your kind has left us no choice. She is called Chitter and she will respond to that name when you use it. She is our pup you care for her as you care for any pony foal, but she will not need milk, just vegetation. She will not harm you unless you seem like a threat to her. she will not suck out your love. only certain changelings can and those that do clump together into their own hives, like the one that attacked your city, it is dangerous as it causes their limbs to rot and horns to distort. It is sad for me, but she will not remember me for long. she is running on instincts alone, but if you care for her, eventually she will learn that you're her mother figure. Again, I am sorry yellow pony. But you will have to take her in. She won't last long without care and I know that we won't be coming back. It's not possible anymore. Please yellow pony. I ask you: please look after my little Chitter
To my little Chitter. Mommy loves you. Daddy loves you. We're so sorry this happened.
"A C-changeling?"
Memory's came flooding back. A sea of black bodies and cavernous eyes, rotten hooves grinding into the floor, green flames bursting across the sky. Fluttershy dropped the letter unceremoniously in the dirt and backpedaled several paces. Panic stricken she breathed heavily eyes flitting around searching for some way out.
"I can't take in a changeling, they're evil! S-she'll feast on my love and... and scare my animals and she'll-"
Fluttershy paused mid rant. A strange sound echoed off the house wall behind her and struck a nerve with the cowering pegasus. A panicked mewling was coming from the box mixed in with the sound of panicked sobbing. It sounded as if a kitten was calling for its mother. Warily, Fluttershy took a few steps half expecting the noise to be replaced with angry clicks once again, however the calling and crying persisted. As before she reached the box and peered over the edge. Sat on the sopping straw, a changeling pup was glancing up at the edge of the box crying out with all it's might for its mother. Even with its back to her, Fluttershy could still make out the tears that beaded on its black and shiny, plush-like fur. The fear that gripped Fluttershy seeped away as she watched the 'evil' and 'vicious' creature shiver on the cold straw as helpless as a pony of the same age. All thoughts of hiding or fleeing were lost to the pegasus staring in awe at the little Changeling, instead her mind could only take her down the track of protecting the little thing.
"Hello, little one."
The pup whirled around to face Fluttershy, then hissed loudly. The fear came flooding back into her within a second, but this time Fluttershy did not back of. While the little pup was hissing and baring it's gums, as if it already had the fangs that would come in later life, It still looked terrified. In its deep teal eyes, there was mock aggression, but all Fluttershy could see was paralysing fear and confusion.
"Ch-Chitter?"
Instantly, the hissing stopped. Fluttershy, smiled down at the pup with as much kindness as she could force into her expression.
"Are you okay, Chitter?"
Chitter cocked her head to one side in confusion at the strange yellow creature. It looked like one of the fire stick bringers that had come to her hive. They had held sharp shiny things and had chased her parents from their square hive. but this one looked kind and safe, not angry. It reminded her of her mommy. With a cautious step, Chitter walked towards the creature.
Fluttershy slowly reached her hoof into the box and rested it in front of the little pup. Chitter approached slowly, but steadily, being surprisingly sure footed for such a young creature. When she reached Fluttershy's hoof, she sat down and examined it. Bending her head down, she gave the hoof a sniff. It smelled of earth, of food and warmth. Chitter looked down to her own small hoof. Lifting it slowly, she lightly placed it onto Fluttershy's. Chitter liked the feel of the hoof it was warm and gentle with her. It didn't look like it would hold any sharp things or fire sticks. With a content hum, Chitter rocked herself forwards and wrapped her forelegs around the hoof and nuzzled her still damp cheek into it.
"Lets get you warm and dry, little one."
With that, Fluttershy lifted the pup out of the damp box and cradled it in her Forelegs. With a few gentle flaps. She carried the dainty thing back to her cottage and into its life with a new mother.
