A Talk
It was a bright, sunny day in the kingdom of Equestria; the slight breeze that carried over the hills and through the forests was a pleasantly warm cool one. The pegasi had just finished clearing the cloudy skies following a week-long gloomy period, if only to have the occasional rain shower give the fields and forests much-needed water. It was a perfect day to be outside, enjoying the beauty of nature in its fullest.
However, one pony in particular was having a particular problem convincing herself it was such a beautiful day. You see, poor Fluttershy loved the outdoors and the animals that inhabited them, but she was always afraid of going outside when there were a lot of other ponies out there. Of course, when she was going to meet her friends, or going somewhere with her friends, she did not mind it as much, but the mere thought of there being so many other ponies out there with her still gave her significant pause.
“What do you think, Angel Bunny?” the yellow Pegasus asked her diminutive housemate. He technically did live with inside the house, after all, though he didn't pay any rent. How could he? He was a bunny, after all.
The white bunny, tired of his owner’s almost unceasingly inability to make decisions for herself and stick to them, simply pointed at the door with a weary expression on his face. He'd done this so many times over the course of his life, he felt as though it was ingrained into his psyche.
“Oh, I guess it is a nice day outside, but I know I have a lot of work to do,” the yellow mare said softly as she walked back and forth in front of her door. “The clothes need to be brought in from the line, I need to buy some carrots for-,”
She was interrupted by Angel pushing her none-too-gently out of the door and locking it behind her. Sighing, Fluttershy rose to her hooves, dusted her wings off and set off, her pace as slow and measured as a scaredy-pony as her was comfortable with. “I guess I’ll go for that walk after all,” she muttered, wishing she didn’t let her pet/companion push her around as much as she did. She was improving, learning from her friends to stand up for herself, but it was still a long road to go down before she was as confident and assertive as her friends were.
It did not take long for her to lose sight of her home on her walk, but that stopped bothering after a few minutes. In fact, her pace began to become far more relaxed, and her mind became at ease. Yes, it was indeed a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the breeze was pleasant, and the birds…
“Huh?” Fluttershy said to herself, wondering why several birds were flying so close together and in the same direction. Now, she knew all about migratory patterns and flocking movements, but this seemed rather… strange, even to her. It was almost as if they were being summoned by some other-worldly force. Soon enough, several deer passed her by, as did a few squirrels and a very vibrant fox.
“Where are you all going?” she asked, calling out as she began to pick up the pace. More and more birds were flittering past her, traveling in tight groups as they flew towards their mysterious destination. All sorts of creatures passed and kept pace with the pony, even as she increased her speed. Was there danger from the direction they were coming from? Was this some sort of accidental spell of Twilight’s making them all attracted to some unknown point? Had the Great Prince of the forest had a son?
All these thoughts continued to swirl in Fluttershy’s head as she hurried along. She passed a bear, a family of raccoons, and other animals as she continued down the road. She even ran past a few other ponies, all transfixed by the sight of the hurrying animals and the Pegasus running with them. Had they just been moving towards the yellow mare’s house, there might not have been any worry, but seeing as all these creatures were heading towards something undetermined, some ponies began to worry slightly. These same ponies soon ran off to tell Twilight Sparkle what they were seeing.
Turning around some bushes, Fluttershy came upon a sight she’d never have expected. In a great menagerie of the animals living around Ponyville, sat two strange-looking creatures. Both were leaning against the wide trunk of an aged oak tree, the leaves shading them from the light of the sun. They looked nothing like ponies; in fact, they looked nothing like anything the diminutive pony had ever seen before.
They were like monkeys, only entirely bipedal, sort of like flamingos, and yet… they were not furry like a monkey. In fact, the only place they seemed to have fur was on the tops of their heads, though one had what Fluttershy likened to a neatly-trimmed beard. They wore clothes, something the pony found to be odd, as clothes were rarely worn in Equestria except for special occasions. One wore robes of a gleaming white, comparable to Celestia’s pelt on the best of her days, with a rope belt tied around its waist. The one next to that one wore a tattered-looking robe of brown, one likely stitched together from various bits of other, old clothes.
They sat together, like the best of friends, though they rarely talked to one another. Mostly, they seemed to be talking to the animals nearest them, smiling and waving their odd-looking hooves. One of the foxes lay next to the tattered-robed one, and surprisingly, a pair of otters lay by the other. Fluttershy was able to discern these two strange creatures must have been male, judging from the depths of their voices and such.
Then the bearded one saw her, and a curious emotion flickered across its face. Recognition? Intrigue? Happiness? Why would he feel any of those upon seeing her? More importantly, should she run away? They didn’t seem dangerous, but she didn’t know what they were, and maybe Twilight-
“Come, little one,” the bearded one said, his voice soft and without any sort of command. It was a request, and though she didn’t know why, the sound of his voice made her feel… at peace. “Come now, you have nothing to fear.”
Almost unbidden, Fluttershy’s hooves began to move her closer towards the two creatures. The one in the tattered-looking looked from her, with a curious glance, to his companion beside him. He whispered something to him, but the bearded one, his skin tone a bit darker than the tattered one’s, simply replied with a nod and a whisper of his own.
Stopping a few feet from the two of them, Fluttershy sat down and looked at them. For what felt like an eternity, and yet what was likely just a few seconds, she just stared at them until her mind caught up with her. In an instant, a flurry of questions erupted within her brain, and for a split second, her mouth refused to work.
“What… what are you?” she asked softly. They weren't ponies, after all, and they didn't look like any of the animals she had ever seen in a book.
“I’ve never quite heard a question put like that,” the tattered one said to his companion. He turned back to the pony, smiling in a friendly manner. He seemed… tired, as if he were feeling older than he appeared. “We are people.”
“People? What are people?” the pony asked, confused. She’d never heard of something called “people” before.
“We are not exactly what you might call natives of this place,” the bearded one said. “We are from far away, a world you would likely both love and fear, which is why we left it behind. I must say, Fluttershy, this is a very beautiful place.”
“How… how do you know m-my name?’ the Pegasus asked, her eyes going wide. They were from a world both scary and beautiful? Were they from somewhere near Manehattan?
“My father told me,” the bearded one said. “He told me much of this place. I just never guessed you, of all ponies, would be the one to be the one to meet us.”
“How… how does your father know of Equestria? Is he from a far-away country?” Fluttershy was intrigued, as well as a bit mystified, as to how these two… people, as they called themselves, seemed to know of Equestria. She’d never heard of any country in the world having “people” before, but then again, the world was a big place.
“You… might say that,” the bearded one said. “I wish to introduce my friend, Francis. We are simple travelers in these lands, and likely won’t stay for much longer.”
“Hello,” the one called Francis said. “Is your world like this all over, Fluttershy?”
“Like what?” the pony asked.
“Peaceful,” Francis said softly, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the tree. “I’ve never seen such a place with such vibrant beauty and such tranquility.” A small chickadee landed on his shoulder and softly whistled a tune. “Or such friendly animals,” he added with a soft laugh, watching as the little bird flew to perch on his outstretched...
“Yes, though I would like to say some places are more than others. What do you call those?” the pony asked, scooting forward a little bit to look at what the chickadee was perched on.
“Hands,” the one without a name said softly. “These are fingers, little pony,” he said, wiggling his for good measure.
Fluttershy looked at what he called hands, instantly drawn to what seemed to be… holes in them. The area around the holes looked rather red, as if chafed, but it wasn’t an open wound of any kind. “What happened to you?” she asked softly, pointing at the people’s hands.
The white-robed one looked down at his hands and sighed. “These were my penance for others, so that they may be forgiven by my father,” he said softly. “I will spare you the details, little Fluttershy; it is a tale I do not wish for you to know.”
“Why is that?” the small pony asked, scooting forward a bit more.
“It belongs to another place, to another time; it would not make sense to your world, and I do not wish for something like that to be known about in this world,” he said in reply.
Fluttershy could sense sadness in his words, sadness she had only heard once before, when Princess Celestia told them of when she had to banish Luna to the moon. It was a grief brought on not by what had been done to themselves, but by knowing the actions of others were done in ignorance and the pain themselves felt after the deed was done. Princess Celestia had been terribly distraught by her sister’s fall and imposed exile; had this person had to do something similar, something involving the wounds on his hands?
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Fluttershy unsure as to why they were here. In fact, she realized, that would make a great question.
“Why are you here?” she asked softly.
The two people looked at one another, and with a nod from the bearded one, the tattered-looking one looked back to Fluttershy. “My friend has brought me to this place, if only for a moment, so that I may experience a small moment of peace before we move on,” he said.
“Move on? Where to?” the pegasus asked. His tone was odd to her, almost as if he were both sad and happy at the same time.
“Other places, many far away, and some closer than we can imagine,” he said. “I have lived a very full life, Fluttershy, and the road ahead is longer than I could have imagined. I am glad to have come here, for in its core I feel a peace and tranquility I have not felt in a very long time.”
“Then why leave?” the pegasus asked, scooting forward once more until her hooves were mere inches from their outstretched... lower hands. Those seemed different from the ones with fingers; the little digits were somewhat pudgy and short.
“It is not our place to stay here for too long,” the bearded one said. “There are others out there with whom we must speak, and not all of them are as friendly or kind as you.”
“Kind?” the pegasus asked. “Why would they not be kind?”
“It is in your nature, Fluttershy, to be kind to all, even the strangest of strangers. It is a gift you have that few others ever will,” the bearded one said as the two people rose to their feet. Suddenly, they seemed so much larger, standing taller than any pony, even Celestia. Yet... to Fluttershy, they were no more menacing than when she had first seen them; in fact, they seemed less strange now, as if she had known them for a much longer time than she had.
“Will I ever see you again?” she asked, suddenly unsure as to why she didn’t want them to leave. They were friendly, kind, and seemed incredibly interesting; perhaps she could introduce them to Twilight? Surely she would want to know of these strange and wondrous people.
“I cannot speak for my friend, but we will likely never cross paths again,” the tattered-looking one said as several birds landed on his shoulders and nuzzled against his neck. “It will be a shame to never again meet someone so innocent and kind, but I am glad to have met you, young Fluttershy.”
“Come now, Francis, it is time for us to leave,” the bearded one said, a sudden light shining through the leaves of the tree they stood under. It was not sunlight, as it was far too opaque of a light, and yet... Fluttershy was not scared of it. She didn’t want them to go, but in her heart she knew they would leave whether she wanted them to stay or not.
“Your kindness if a gift to the world, Fluttershy,” the bearded one added as the light enshrouded both him and the one called Francis. “It will change many lives, including your own. Peace be with you, my friend.”
With that, the two vanished, the light disappearing along with them. The animals slowly dispersed, many of the smaller ones looking almost forlornly at the spot where Francis had gone. Fluttershy, unsure of what to do, simply went over to where they sat and lay down in the matted-down grass, feeling the remnants of their body heat. It was not every day that you met two strangers that told you that your gift could change the world, after all.
Or became your friends in so short a time.
Author's Note
Just a little thing I wished to write after reading about a certain saint. I'm guessing those among you who have learned about the history of the Catholic church know who this man is, yes? The identity of the other is pretty obvious too.
