The Legend Of The Lonely Ladybug

A Home To A Stranger

Twilight, Applejack and Faith passed a gardener who was hydrating potted plants under an opened sun canopy while fillies played with a hula hoop a distance away. It was a rather ordinary day in Ponyville except for a searing heat that descended upon them as they made progress through town on their way to see the hastily acquired apartment that Applejack had told Pinkie was responsible for.

“Looks like Princess Celestia is working overtime today. This heat is robbing mah liquids. Ah haven’t pulled enough carriages lately," the work horse said from under a deep breath while pulling her cart and wiped sweat forming on her forehead.

“The infamous goddess of Canterlot,” Faith asked curiously, seemingly having learned about the name before.

“Yes, Faith. Maybe you’ll get to meet her and her sister someday," Twilight said to him.

The pegasus shrugged half-heartedly.

“I don’t think a powerful being like her really cares too much about lesser creatures like me," Faith mumbled after showing visible doubt at Twilight's certain sounding pep talk which made her glance at him.

“Don’t swallow till it drops, Faith," the unicorn told him, "She is much more than just a typical ruler. Princess Celestia cares about all living beings. Trust me, I'm her student."

When Faith had met the six mares the preceding night he had already felt confused about the unicorn's strangely obtrusive willingness to help him. The revelation regarding her profession made it sound slightly more sensible yet peculiar. Instead of asking her more the stallion turned silent again to watch Applejack who stubbornly pushed on with her load, more sweat soaking the mare's strained face.

“May I share the load?”

“Thank ya but I think I’ll manage," Applejack spoke.

While it added a nuisance the heat wasn't affecting her motivation nor strength for she had been accustomed to work in such conditions. Nevertheless forced to stop with a look of momentary annoyance by Faith who suddenly blocked her path, the farm mare saw him return a stare like a kitten begging for a toy.

“You just gave me two free pies, Applejack," Faith continued his polite approach, having gotten to an overly assistive mood, "It’s the least that I can do as a favor. Please.”

Eventually giving in, Applejack grinned from impression. “Okay, Faith. Just look out for bumps in the road. It’s a heavy load," she said before getting out of the harness. "And don’t stress yaself too much,” she added thoughtfully as Faith immediately took her place.

After strapping himself he started pulling, clenching his teeth, limbs shaking as he yanked slowly. The wagon wasn't budging. After a moment Applejack was shaking her head, wondering whether it was a good idea to give the pegasus the reigns after all.

“Are ya sure ya can manage, Faith," she asked concernedly.

The wagon finally nudged forwards to slowly gather speed. Faith had still not given up, focusing his energy to the task.

“This is not………….just a matter of……..…….simple muscle mass," he managed to utter from behind closed teeth, puffing, “It’s……..………also the matter of…….………muscle control.”

The pegasus was embracing the task openly. Although not equalling the pace of Applejack, the wagon now moved at decent speed. Showing effort in pulling it, Faith managed the load, gaining smiles of approval from Twilight and the work horse.

"Lookin' promisin', handsome! If ya teach yaself just right we might hire ya to work at Sweet Apple Acres," the work horse nodded with a short chuckle.

Some distance away Pinkie Pie had appeared, smiling her usual over-the-top cheery grin and bouncing up and down like a rubber ball as she approached. Twilight, Faith and Applejack instantly halted their own advance at the moment of seeing her.

“Pinkie! Where have you been? You left without telling us last night," Twilight sternly barked at her friend who pranced over to hop in place in front of the three ponies.

“Sorry, Twilight. I got so ecstatic in planning Faith’s party that I couldn’t wait to start the preparations," Pinkie explained so fast that the words almost merged with each other.

”Pinkie,” came simultaneously from both mares who shared the same narrow eyes of disapproval.

"What," Pinkie asked with the same happy posterior, "Faith needs some cheering up after his long time in Everfree.”

“Don’t ya think it’s a bit too early----------," Applejack began to ask before Pinkie cut her off, focus shifted to Faith who had stopped pulling the wagon.

“Hi, Faith! Nice to see you exercising already. Wanna come see your party place,” Pinkie's voice enquired with fast forward speed.

“Pinkie! He hasn’t settled in yet,” Twilight contrasted in annoyed resistance.

“Nonsense, Twilight," Pinkie replied happily, "Every pony needs to have their own welcome party as soon as they move in. It's my special gift.”

Already she had jumped next to Faith. Very few in Equestria equalled the sheer mental energy of Pinkie Pie, something which he was finding disturbing.

“Let Twilight and Applejack handle the wagon, Faith. Relax, you’re gonna have so much fun," Pinkie's meshed quick-speech babbled.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of," Faith uttered after barely keeping up with her intentions. He was still too slow, already yanked off the harness.

"What----------?!” Faith exclaimed as Pinkie literally carried him away.

Twilight ran after them, more annoyance tangible when she shouted.

“Pinkie! Wait for us!”

Somewhere ahead they heard their friend call out to them. “Just turn left from the next intersection! It’s the house right next to the big green one. Can’t miss it," she instructed them.

“Help!!” Faith's panicky scream followed.

Applejack strapped herself to the harness to join Twilight, apple products tumbling around the wagon as they gave chase. After passing the roads using the given directions they came upon to the porch of a vintage styled olive green house. The work horse removed her harness and walked towards the front door to spot a custom made banner with pink letters reading “Welcome Ladybug Faith!” suspended just above the doorway. As they approached their ears were picking up sounds of music from inside.

“Pinkie Pie is going to scare him away before he gets any chance to find himself a suitable state of mind in Ponyville," Twilight growled.

“That’s our typical Pinkie. Always rushing to things," Applejack replied, "Come on, sugarcube, let’s go save Faith.”

***

Inside the building’s brightly decorated lobby was a group of ponies invited by Pinkie, having gathered around her and Faith who was quietly shaking.

“Oh, this pony is so cute!", a mare laughed warmly.

The now all anticipative Pinkie nudged Faith's side. “Go on, Faith. Say hi to everyone!”, she encouraged him.

“Uh………hi," Faith managed to mumble at the party guests.

“Hi, Faith!”, a loud answer came from the crowd which to his ears sounded like an explosion.

A chatty stallion with a moustache walked over.

“Welcome to Ponyville, Faith! Hope you enjoy your stay with us," the stallion said, shaking hooves with the green pegasus who simply went along quietly, "You will have plenty of friends before you even know it," the stallion continued, blinking an eye at him.

Treating it as an awkward situation, Faith was giving everyone around him a fake smile, constantly evading eye contact until a slap to his butt added a severe shock that made him leap a distance off the floor with a sudden yelp. Behind him the moustached stallion was moving on to chat with other party guests. He had mistaken Faith for a mare and was expressing his own playful antics.

Before Faith recovered Pinkie Pie landed on the table that he was standing next to and exclaimed anxiously “What are we waiting for," she gave a shout, "Let’s get the party started.”

Popping a vinyl disc to the record play and bringing down the needle, Pinkie rocked her hips in sync with the provocative fast tempo music that started to play. She leapt off the table to slide through the floor on her belly using the forward momentum and came to a halt to roll back to her hooves in a wide spirouette, starting to dance. Looking at it, the rest of the party group was inspired to get drawn in to the same activity.

Faith stood frozen and simply stared at what was happening, feeling clueless about how he should correspond without sticking out too much. Sneakily the pink earth mare popped up behind him, having changed positions in a blink of an eye. “Come on, Faith! Don’t just stand there like a statue. Have some fun.”

Faith found himself grabbed again. “I’ll teach you to dance," Pinkie told him and yanked the stallion closer to take both of his hooves into her own, rocking herself to every direction. Witnessing it first hoof, Faith noticed a warm sensation spreading to both of his cheeks to realize that he was blushing.

“I call this move the Axle Twist," Pinkie said with a giggle, her dance partner swallowing quietly. In an instant Faith's point of view rotated like crazy. Pinkie had started to spin him in place like a thrombi, balancing his head with her hoof like a rotating basketball placed upside down.

“Pinkie Pie! Please stop! I’m getting queasy!”, Faith's increasingly anxious voice shouted from the middle of the turmoil which made her release him. Faith stopped spinning, dropping half-way to the floor as his eyes still went on in circles around the sockets. Shaking his head to regain his bearings, Faith found himself completely disoriented.

“Sorry, Faith!", Pinkie giggled, "You’re going to need more dancing lessons till you get to really appreciate it.” Noticing his state, she moved a hoof side to side in front of Faith’s vision. “Hello? Earth calling Faith. How many hooves?”

What Faith himself heard was a doubled voice.

"Come enjoy some sweets," Pinkie said, already pulling him away from the dance floor. After reaching the coffee table she took a cream cake from among the offerings and stuffed it in her face to chew loudly and swallow the treat.

“Yum yum! Strawberry cream cupcakes," Pinkie slobbered, "Try one, Faith! They’re really good. Freshly baked. I made them myself.”

Without waiting she grabbed and placed another one right in front of Faith’s snout. Still disoriented, the stallion turned ill from seeing the cream on top in addition to Pinkie's still messy face. The stallion's cheeks bulged outwards, a hoof covering up the lips as he tried to hold back the apple pie still within his stomach from exiting through his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Faith. I shouldn’t have used the Axle Spin on you so soon," Pinkie uttered, slightly embarrassed when she licked her face clean.

At that moment Twilight and Applejack entered the lobby.

“Told you two it wasn’t hard to find," Pinkie called out once spotting her companions who came upon the coffee table.

“What are you up to, Pinkie?” the unicorn chuckled with a head shake.

“What? I just figured he’d need an apartment during his stay," Pinkie uttered in return.

“That’s……..kind of what we had in mind too if you had just waited a little," Twilight told her amusedly.

“Well, because of the acts of a certain hard working mare he now has one ahead of time!", Pinkie revolted, already next to Faith as she pranced up and down, her quick speech making a comeback.

“You have got to see your living quarters. The rent has been paid to the house owner and I’ve done some decorating for you. C’mon!”

Again she yanked him away to head up the stairs. Twilight and Applejack followed their trail. “Pinkie Pie!” the mares called out simultaneously.

***

Pinkie slammed the apartment door open and pushed Faith through, landing to her knees with open limbs to present the space.

“Ta-daa! So what do you think, Faith?”

Faith wasn't about to answer, instead staring ahead with utter horror in his eyes. Behind them Twilight and Applejack galloped through the door, coming to a screeching halt after seeing the apartment with their own reaction not very far from that of his. What they were looking at was a two-space apartment with walls a mix of pink and red color, all pink furniture, huge plush teddy bears littering one corner and a basket full of candy placed on the table, the ceiling crown above the desk wrapped in pink confetti. The bed at the far back had been piled with pink heart pillows. Opening right behind that was a large open window with pink curtains, sunlight filtering from between them.

What Pinkie Pie had arranged worked well for a party pony who preferred an all-pink color palette. All except for one setback; Faith was not an experienced party pony nor accustomed to all-pink. As he stared at the room in the same frozen state the stallion found his other eyelid throbbing.

“Really?” Twilight uttered with an extremely slow exclaim.

Applejack was now holding a hoof in front of her mouth, looking like she had seen a really good comedy.

“Oh dear Pinkie," the farm mare chuckled.

“I’d like to see you do better,” Pinkie exclaimed bitterly, annoyed at the feedback her work had stimulated.

Faith's sobbing broke the following momentary silence.

“Don’t you like it?” the party mare asked worriedly as the sobbing continued.

“It’s………..fine!”, Faith replied, the white lie obvious from underneath.

Changing spaces, Pinkie now appeared between Twilight and Applejack to blow a raspberry next to their ears “See? I knew he’d like it," she revolted, almost sinking through the floor to zip back by Faith's side with a rediculous smirk.

By now Twilight's face got a playfully devious look as she moved deeper into the apartment. “Don’t worry, Faith. I’ll handle this," she tells the stallion, full of determination.

Aside Pinkie's eyes widened.

Strange things started happening in the apartment when Twilight's magic got to work; the pink furniture changed color, the confetti unwrapping itself and flying away. The plush toys at the back began to float and glide out of the window with the heart pillows. With a gasp Pinkie leapt forward to tackle one of the teddy bears in mid-air and brought it down, hugging it as she did.

Despite her best effort the plush teddy disappeared to thin air in her grip. The pink pony's face sunk with a deep exhale. “Gimme a break," she uttered from behind a drooping cotton candy mane.

The changes went on, furniture realigning itself with new pillows appearing on the bed. After everything else settled down one single pink heart pillow set down among the new ones.Twilight was grinning joyfully at Pinkie who rolled her eyes from noticing the small touch.

“Jeez! Thanks, Twilight," the earth mare thanked with heavy sarcasm and crossed hooves.

“Just so Faith remembers that we do care about him," the unicorn replied and glanced at the wall that shifted colors, the shades of pink and red turning to green and purple. "There. Already much better," Twilight noted, sounding satisfied after finishing the task.

Accepting defeat, Pinkie slinked over to the bed to flop down on, burying her head under the one sole heart pillow.

Having underestimated some of Twilight's capabilities until seeing them in action, Faith stared at the new apartment with a hanging mouth. It looked like a different room.

"Well?" the mare unicorn asked, snapping him awake.

"I suppose it will do," the stallion uttered back.

"Now that you have moved into your apartment I suppose we can finally leave you to enjoy some well deserved solitude," Twilight said before taking a sharp look at the feminine stallion. "But before we go there is something important for you to know first," she told in seriousness, simultaneously coming closer to where Faith stood, "Don't try to sneak away from Ponyville. I will be watching you by ways that you possibly can't grasp with two of my assistants for back-up day and night. You are within my reach and as long that is the case I will stop all of your escape attempts the same way I have done before. Will you promise that you won't run away?"

Faith listened with an eye roll, a deep breath leaving his lungs. He had understood.

"Yes, Twilight. I promise to stay put," he admitted reluctantly.

"You have spent a long time alone and aren't used to staying in a town full of ponie who you don't know against your will," his mentor spoke, calmness having returned back to her voice, "I know it feels strange. But I wish for you to trust me and my friends. We are doing this for your good from our own free wills. If we work together you will find a better life again."

Faith appeared to not like what she was saying, staring out of the window absently like he was trying to escape an upcoming consequence.

"Come on, girls. Faith wants some peace," Twilight expressed as she went for the door.

Before she and Applejack had gotten anywhere near leaving Pinkie jumped out of the bed and came after them.

"Wait!"

The exclaim of the other mare halted Twilight at the door as Pinkie reached her and Applejack. "The party is still going on downstairs," she babbled, "I arranged one more surprise for Faith."

"Well, spill the beans, Pinkie," Twilight said curiously, already facing away from the door.

"There's a photographer waiting to get a group picture of us so Faith can always recall his bachelor days in Ponyville," Pinkie explained eagerly.

Behind her back Faith turned pale, having overheard. Before he could conceal it a loud gasp exposed his reaction to the others.

"Something wrong, Faith?", Applejack asked the pegasus, ready to assist him.

Faith quickly changed tactic. "Nothing, I've been through a lot last night and today," he replied with best attempt to make himself look tired. The horse moved over to the table and sat down near it, looking towards the floor. "I think I should rest a little."

"But the party-----," Pinkie's argument started going before Twilight's voice put an early end to it.

"Faith has a point, Pinkie," the unicorn stated, "A photo session can wait for another day."

The earth pony shrugged in disappointment, her face taking a new incline as she waved a front hoof in a fit of frustration with bent down brows. "Butterfly’s buttocks! Oh well, we could always have another party later." Shrugging yet again, she trailed after Twilight and Applejack who themselves were already at the door.

"Rest good, handsome. I'll bring you more pies," the work horse told before closing the door.

Faith remained by the table, hearing the others leave and now by himself in the two-space apartment.

***

Downstairs the group of ponies was still partying, dancing and enjoying sweets. Pinkie passed by everyone, face hanging as she headed over to the table housing the record player. The music cut off as her hoof lifted the needle off the vinyl record. The party crowd reacted in surprise as Pinkie gave them her full attention.

"Party's over," she exclaimed half-heartedly, "Faith is resting upstairs and wishes to be by himself. I'm so sorry about this, everypony."

A small uproar of protests answered the statement. To Pinkie it was a sign of reduced party hours spent with friends and colleagues.

In due time the crowd had accepted the early end to the party and exited the building’s front door, some of them satisfied by the little treats they had enjoyed, others let down by an abrupt stop to their fun time, none more than Pinkie Pie herself who stood at the doorway, personally giving farewells to the party guests. The photographer she had mentioned was among them, a stallion with a fashioned grace wearing shades and a costly looking jacket, a masculine colleaque of Photo Finish.

“All this valuable time wasted when I could have spent it taking photographs of something better," the stallion grumbled with a smooth accent, sounding rather unhappy.

“I’m so sorry about this, mister Flash Hoofer! Could we try again a bit later?” the pink mare called after him.

”There won’t be a next time, miss Pie," she heard a displeased shout answer a distance away, "Find somepony else!”

Her eyes watered, shoulders sagging, Pinkie's bitter disappointment having received the cherry on top of it's icing. The banner hanging above flopped down and covered her body like a cape when she pulled at the rope used to suspend it. The party mare stared at the floor, almost imitating Faith with her current state. Twilight and Applejack passed this sight as they exited the front door, the last mares to leave the house.

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange?”, Twilight asked AJ, the work horse returning a confused look.

“What? Something about Faith?" the other mare uttered.

”The reason he has been hiding," Twilight continued sceptically, "It feels a little too elaborate to be just because of his lost memory. It isn't the reason for why he avoids social contact and it's still unclear why he was hiding in Everfree Forest. We need more information.”

“Twilight," the work horse stated defensively, "Hasn’t he been through enough?”

Applejack shrugged at her companion who grinned at seeing her protective stance for their guest. By now the farm mare had gotten to appreciate Faith's respectfulness towards others, a trait well hidden by his shyness while still held in high standards at Ponyville.

“Don’t worry, Applejack. We won’t force him to do confessions," Twilight comforted, "With enough time I believe he’ll warm up enough to openly speak with us. He’s a good pony.”

As they came upon the road Pinkie Pie walked up behind her friends, her cheery attitude on a vacation, the party banner still acting as her personal cape.

"Don't be sad, Pinkie. There's always the next party," Twilight comforted with a giggle.

"It's not that, Twi," the pink earth pony replied quietly, the cotton candy hair hiding part of her drooping facial features, "I think it's the first time that I have failed to give somepony a good party."

"Don't give up on that just yet," her lavender friend pep talked, "He hasn't left Ponyville."

Twilight was glancing at Faith's third floor window that faced the street way above, the green pegasus seen watching the town from behind it. He moved out of view upon noticing the mares as well as the unicorn's observing eyes, the last thing seen being the curtains as he pulled them over the window.

“I have a theory about what is bothering him so much," Twilight told the others before looking back at the apartment in her thoughts, “It concerns his former mental ordeal.”

***