Ponyville was in sight, or at least it looked like the town Fluttershy described in her letters, there was a massive oak tree that doubled as the town library, as well as Princess Twilight's home, a little ways to the right of that there was a school house where the children learned their lessons, and beyond that there was a humongous apple farm that stretched for hundreds of acres. While those three landmarks served to cement her belief that this was Ponyville, it wasn't until Red Wood gazed eye on the famous Sugar Cube Corners that this town's identity was beyond reproach, the establishment truly was everything Fluttershy said it was, Ponies of all ages came in and out ad nauseum, and the sweet smell of pastries, cakes and other baked goods could reach Red Wood, despite her being more than half a mile away. Smiling happily beneath her iron helmet, Red Wood proceeded towards Ponyville, her pace ever quickening as she pondered over all the new experiences she was about to face, and all the exciting Ponies she was bound to meet, and hopefully befriend. Red Wood's trot soon evolved into a full blown run, her steel and leather, lamellar armor provided little resistance to her speed, and even the titanic kanebo she had slung over her back may as well have been made of air for its weight didn't encumber her in the slightest. Giggling to herself uncontrollably, Red Wood came charging into Ponyville with the speed, power, and finesse of a freight train, the ground shook with every trot she made, buildings nearly jumped off of their foundations, and young and old Ponies alike were knocked off their feet as if they were jumping on a trampoline.
"Greeting and salutations citizens of Ponyville, my name is Red Wood, and I can't wait to get to know each and every one of you," Red Wood said cheerfully, albeit it a tad muffled since she still had her iron helmet on; an iron helmet that had the effigy of frightening, demonic pony face etched into it.
For a moment there was absolute silence, until Pinkie Pie had to scream at the top of her lungs, and get the crowd thinking the wrong idea. Before Red Wood knew what was happening, Ponies were scampering away like ants before an ant eater, children cried, parents panicked, and many more were just running every which way like chickens with their heads chopped off; it was chaos worthy of Discord himself.
"Wait, no, don't run, I mean you no harm," Red Wood tried to explain, but the damage had been done, and nothing she could say would convince anypony otherwise. "Oh, not again."
Red Wood couldn't believe it, in less than a heart beat she just totally screwed up her chance to make the best impression she could, to show others from another town that she wasn't some kind of monster, but no, just like before, and every other time after that, she turns it all into a train wreck. Sighing deeply, Red Wood fought back the urge to cry, and instead calmly turned back the way she came with her head held low. However just as she reached the city limits a voiced called out to her, it was faint, but Red Wood could still make it out to be Fluttershy's, and as quick as a whip, Red Wood turned on the balls of her feet to meet her friend face to face. Unfortunately, since she was still wearing her demonic pony helmet, when Red Wood turned to face Fluttershy, the latter was frightened to such a degree that she went all stiff, and fell down to the ground like a sand bag. Quickly reaching out and catching the falling Fluttershy with her left fore hoof, Red Wood immediately removed her helmet, the house size piece of steel and iron crashing down onto the ground with enough force to cause a minor tremor, and completely obliterate a small cluster of trees, unfortunate enough to be beneath the helmet as it smashed onto the ground.
"Sweet henrietta, Fluttershy are you okay!?" Red Wood asked, her orange eyes shouted wide open, and unknowingly bit down on her lower lip.
"Yeah, sorry, but that mask is really scary," Fluttershy said, her face all a fluster from embarrassment.
"Mask?" Red Wood retorted, as she gazed down at her discarded helmet. "Oh, you mean my helmet...Hmm, perhaps that explains why everypony reacted the way they did."
"Actually this tends to happen a lot now that you mention it," Fluttershy said, as she rubbed the back of her head, and nervously chuckled with a matching expression.
"Oh? Do tell," Red Wood said, as she gently placed Fluttershy on her shoulder, so as to pick up her helmet more easily.
"Well about a year ago there was this stampede of bunnies, bunnies mind you, and everypony ran around as if it were the end of the world; one mare flat out fainted," Fluttershy said laughing under her breath as she recalled the incident.
"I see, doesn't take much to rile this town up, huh?" Red Wood inquired, as she too had a laugh, imagining just what a bunny stampede even looked like.
"Not in the slightest," Fluttershy replied, a tad embarrassed at how easy it was to admit such a shameful fact. "Though at the same time, you have to admit that your attire is quite foreign, borderline monstrous. No offense."
"None taken, and I concur," Red Wood replied as she took a long hard look at herself, and just flustered at her lack of foresight. "In this era of piece it certainly would be scary to see a giant, armored figure just waltzing into a town as if it were natural. Please forgive my ignorance."
"It's okay, no harm meant," Fluttershy said with a smiling expression. "But perhaps you would do well to just take off your armor, or at the very least not wear your helmet."
"That would be for the best," Red Wood agreed cheerfully. "So, now that we've met up, what did you have in mind for us today?"
"Oh yes," Fluttershy recalling the whole reason Red Wood was here. "Well I guess the first order of business is getting you settled in. Follow me to my cottage, please, and we will work out your accommodations for the week."
Red Wood nodded in agreement, as Fluttershy flew prompting Red Wood to follow, like a moth seeking a flame, down a road that bypassed Ponyville, so as to let things cool off before they attempted to greet the towns folk again. The walk to Fluttershy's humble abode was quite short, given the long strides of Red Wood, and Fluttershy fluttering on the breeze. Despite its size the cottage was rustically charming, a perfect unity of contemporary and old style architecture, using the very environment in the aesthetics, and overall feel of the structure, radiating a welcoming aura for any weary soul. However for all the positives, the cottage was still small, even for normal ponies, but for Red Wood it was a veritable doll house; not to say that she was expecting a roof to sleep under, no she was more than contempt to have Equestria's starry skies serve as her roof. In any event the house was still very beautiful to gaze at, and she hoped that Fluttershy wouldn't feel bad about not being able to offer proper lodging as she would to any other of her friends.
Following Fluttershy around her house into the backyard, Red Wood was greeted with a zoo of sorts, animals of every kind, from tall to small, reptile to mammal, swimmer to land walker, and everything else in between.
"Awwww, how cute!" Red Wood said, as she walked up to a fully grown, brown bear, and then proceeded to hug it and pet it as if it were some teddy bear; the bear had no idea of how to respond to this.
"Do you like animals? " Fluttershy asked with stars in her eyes.
"Oh I love animals! Especially big ones like Elephants, Whales, Sphinxes, Dragons, Timberwolves, and, of course, Ursa Majors!" Red Wood happily said, as she hugged the confused bear ever more tightly.
"I'm glad to hear that, because this, I'm afraid is where you will have to sleep during your visit. I'm sorry," Fluttershy said with a shammed expression.
"Now, now none of that. I'm larger than the average house, so I will take what I can get, and beside..." Red Wood said as she let go of the bear, who immediately high tailed it out there, then pulled out a large wool blanket she kept folded under her armor, and then lay it out beside Fluttershy's house. "I'm no stranger to sleeping outside, it is quite soothing believe it or not."
"If it doesn't bother you, feel free to make yourself at home," Fluttershy said raising her head up, bearing a smiling grin. "So, are you hungry? Thirsty? Or maybe you would like to rest after your long journey?"
"A nap does sound good, if you don't mind that is?" Red Wood replied, honestly feeling exhausted.
"Not at all, I'll be inside getting dinner ready. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask," Fluttershy retorted, as she disappeared into her house.
Alone again, Red Wood wasted no time in taking off her armor, and resting it alongside her helmet and kanebo. Once free of her steel and leather armor, Red Wood's radiant alabaster, crystal coat glistened in the afternoon Sun, her teal mane and tail flowed elegantly with the curve of her body, and further emphasized her beauty; a beauty not widely known due to her constant wearing of her armor. Taking a moment to allow the cool spring breeze to brush across her exposed body, Red Wood preformed a few mild stretches, and then rested upon her comfy, wool blanket, sleep immediately whisking her off from the conscious world. From her kitchen window, Fluttershy could see Red Wood sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world, and that brought a smile to Fluttershy, it also made her totally anxious, she had so much in store for Red Wood that she wondered if seven days and nights was enough to get through it all.
"An yet, that's all she brought?" Fluttershy pondered out loud, as she noticed that Red Wood only had four items to her name, her armor, her helmet, her kanebo, and her blanket; nothing else. "Hmm, I wonder if she even has a nice outfit to wear, or anything other than that clunky and heavy armor?"
These questions and more flooded Fluttershy's mind, and she couldn't help but muse what Red Wood's story was. Why she seemed to live so simply, not that that was a bad thing, but this seemed quite extreme. An the more she pondered on it all, the more she grew concerned about her friend, and perhaps that beneath that calm, innocent surface, there was something sad and dark.
"No," Fluttershy firmly said out loud. "That's her business, and whatever is, or isn't wrong with her isn't for me to know. All I need to know is that she is a friend visiting, and I am her humble hostess. If she does bring something up then we'll talk about it then, but not before. Now then, enough day dreaming, dinner won't cook itself."
An just like that, she pushed all those questions to the back of her mind, and got back to preparing supper.
Day 2 Part 1: Not A Charity
Fluttershy, with the assistance of Big Macintosh, had just finished cooking up Red Wood's breakfast, which was no mean feat in any stretch of the imagination. In fact to even cook the food she first had to have a massive fire pit built on her property, along with custom grill grates, skillet, and appropriate utensils; all of which was constructed by the Apple Family, a whole two weeks before the initial visit as a matter of fact. Now, it goes without saying that even with the Apple Family offering her a generous discount for the labor, the overall job was still quite taxing on the purse, and Fluttershy still had to procure food to feed Red Wood for the latter's visit, but fortunately that expense was covered for her. Three days before Red Wood arrived a fleet of deliver carts came a knocking at Fluttershy's doorstep, each cart carrying giant size food, drinks, and even other necessities like cups, spoons, plates, forks, knives, and the appropriate tools required to clean such massive chain and utensils. Fluttershy was beyond surprised, and when the deliver pony handed her the invoice, he also gave her a set of letters, all of them from the First Crystal Queen, Zenith Alembic; Red Wood's former employer when she served under the former's rule as the White Wall of the Crystal Empire.
The first letter read as such;
Dear Ms. Fluttershy,
I hope that these items assist greatly in your hostess duties, and please do not hesitate to request anything else you may be lacking in order to make my former guardian as comfortable as possible; she is really lucky to have a friend like you.
Sincerely, Zenith Alembic.
P.S. The second letter is for Red Wood, and the third letter is for you. I recommend you read the third letter before giving the second to Red Wood.
When she read the third letter, Fluttershy was a tad confused, but thought nothing of it, "Perhaps this will make sense after Red Wood reads the second letter," Fluttershy rationalized. In any event, she was truly thankful for Zenith's assistance, and thinking back, she knew that none of this could be possible otherwise; she owes her a lot. As soon as Big Macintosh masterfully placed the eggs, bacon, and hay fries on the massive plate, Fluttershy went to the backyard to wake Red Wood, and inform her that breakfast was ready. However, when Fluttershy reached Red Wood she was greeted by a cute, and comical, spectacle, for Red Wood held in her hooves the same brown bear from the other day, this time really like a teddy bear. Seems in some manner Red Wood grabbed the poor creature late last night, and has held him close to her, cuddling him like a foal would their favorite stuffed toy, and any attempt to flee was meet with a sudden tightening of the embrace; Fluttershy quietly snickered, and wished she had a camera.
The brown bear gazed into Fluttershy's eyes, as if saying, "Help me," as he struggled in vain to escape Red Wood's iron clad grip, and after some more laughing, Fluttershy did. Not quite sure how to go about it, Fluttershy opted to tickle Red Wood's nose with her wings, which proved effective, for with each light graze Red Wood stirred ever so, until at last one of her eyes cracked open lazily.
"I'm sorry, but it is time to get up Red Wood....um, if that is okay with you, I mean," Fluttershy said timidly, as Red Wood's eyes opened in full, and she let out a loud yawn that could have been confused with a fog horn.
"Good morning, Fluttershy," Red Wood said sluggishly, as she rose up, still holding the brown bear, though sadly not with the same strong grip, for before she reached her complete height she dropped the poor creature. "Whoops, sorry Mr. Bear."
The bear however didn't seem to care, for the very moment he was out of her grip he made it his mission to get out of range of Red Wood's reach as fast as possible.
"Odd, what's eating him?" Red Wood inquired, the bear's reaction perplexing her.
"Who knows?" Fluttershy retorted with a slight chuckle. "Anyway, breakfast is ready, you'd best hurry before it gets cold."
"Understood, you mind if I freshen up a little first...If that is okay, of course," Red Wood said shyly.
"That's no problem at all," Fluttershy said, as she directed Red Wood to a colossal stone basin filled with fresh water, flanked by a pair of soft, crimson, cotton towels, a humongous bar of soap, a tree size hairbrush, and a massive tooth brush with a tube of toothpaste. "Once you're ready just follow a ways back."
"I have to say, I'm amazed at how prepared you are, this all must have costed a pretty bit," Red Wood said splashing water on her face as she lathered up the soap.
"Well I can't take all the credit, Queen Zenith assisted in procuring the majority of the items," Fluttershy said blushing in embarrassment.
"Her majesty did that? Really?" Red Wood said with a mouthful of toothpaste. "That was incredibly generous of her. I assume she sent some letters along with the invoice? Was there one meant for me?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Fluttershy said a tad bewildered by Red Wood's spot on observation.
"May I see it, please?" Red Wood asked as she brushed her mane, Fluttershy marveling at its shimmering beauty and radiance.
"I'll fetch it after breakfast," Fluttershy promised.
"I appreciate it, all of it for that matter," Red Wood said giving herself a quick once over, and feeling satisfied, followed Fluttershy a few yards back from her house to small clearing where Big Macintosh had the food all laid out. "Wow! What a spread! Roc eggs over easy with a side of bacon and hay fries, and is that...No way, it can't be...It is! Honey pickled peaches, score!"
Red Wood was so thrilled she could do a back flip, fortunately she didn't, but man was she happy. Big Macintosh, though not showing it, was amazed by Red Wood's size, but even more so by her personality, it was more childish than he expected, and yet still radiated a level of maturity he had to respect.
"Excuse me, but are you the chief?" Red Wood asked staring at Big Macintosh with a curious expression.
"Yep," Big Macintosh replied with a smile.
"I am most thankful. My name is Red Wood, and you are?" Red Wood inquired.
"Big Macintosh, but my friends call me Big Mac," Big Macintosh replied.
"Nice to make your acquaintance, Big Macintosh," Red Wood said, awkwardly offering her massive right hoof for a shake.
"Likewise, but you can call me Big Mac," Big Macintosh retorted, hoof bumping Red Wood rather than attempting to shake her huge hoof.
"I...I can? Is that really okay?" Red Wood asked, to which Big Macintosh nodded as a response. "Does that make use friends then?"
"Yep," Big Macintosh said. "Now dig in 'fore it gets cold."
"Oh right, sorry," Red Wood said, snapping back to attention.
Sitting down before her plate, Red Wood thanked Fluttershy and Big Macintosh one final time then partook in the delicious spread, and in every way it was more exquisite than she could have hoped for. Baring the pickled peaches, all the food was decimated infinitely faster than it took to prepare, and while the daunting task of cleaning the mess was no lost to them it was well worth it to see the beaming expression Red Wood gave once she finished. Collecting all the dirty dishes in a wagon, Big Macintosh pulled them towards a larger wooden bucket filled with water and soap, and when they dropped the dishes inside, Fluttershy commenced scrubbing them clean with a set of brushes attached to her hooves; it was arguably more fun than she had originally anticipated. Though Red Wood really wanted to assist, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh did not accept, saying that she was a guest, and guests aren't expected to do chores. Once the dishes were all clean and dried, Big Macintosh bid them goodbye, and while Red Wood was sad to see him leave so soon, she didn't dwell on that feeling and instead said, "Hope to see you again."
"So, may I see that letter now, if that is okay?" Red Wood asked Fluttershy after waving goodbye to Big Macintosh.
"Of course, follow me," Fluttershy said as she lead them back to her house, and stepped inside to fetch the letter. "Here you go."
"Um, I'm sorry, but could you open it for me, please?" Red Wood said with a flustered expression.
"Oh right," Fluttershy replied, realizing just how silly she was, as she torn open the envelope.
Upon ripping it open a sharp pop followed as a magenta array manifested on the envelope, and in a blinding flash of violet light the letter shot out of its container an grew to the size of a ship's sail. Thanking Fluttershy for undoing the magic binding, Red Wood took the large letter, and skimmed through it, all the while nodding her head in an agreeable fashion.
"Um, if you don't mind my asking, and it is totally okay if you do, but what does that letter say exactly?" Fluttershy said immediately cringing as soon as she finished saying her sentence, half expecting Red Wood to object.
"Hmm? Oh sure, it is nothing really all that exciting, just a bill," Red Wood said casually, but Fluttershy was completely confused by this statement.
"Bill? For what? From whom?" Fluttershy asked truly bewildered.
"From her majesty of course, and it is for all the items she sent. Comes up to a little over three thousand bits," Red Wood said, again super casually, as if three thousand bits wasn't a large sum in the slightest. "I'll be sure to pay her immediately upon my return to the Crystal Empire. Still though, it was so nice of her to remember the bill this time, I just hate badgering her for it every time."
"But wait, you mean you actually pay for things that are meant as gifts?" Fluttershy queried, this concept so foreign it was practically other worldly.
"Of course, this isn't a charity, and in all honesty I could, and I should, have bought all these items myself, but I knew her majesty wouldn't have approved of me throwing out my back carting it all here from the Crystal Empire," Red Wood said passionately, as she rolled up the letter, and laid it beside her helmet. "If one has the means to acquire something then they shouldn't rely on others to do it for them. Such acts should be reserved for the truly needed, don't you agree?"
"To a point, but you shouldn't view gift giving as simply a charity. It is a way for one to express their care for another in a manner words cannot always describe," Fluttershy said, causing Red Wood to now adopt a perplexed expression.
"I don't know, I mean it sounds logical, but at the same time contradicting," Red Wood said as she tried to wrap her head around this point of view. "If one cannot put their feelings into words, how can a simple item illustrate that? I'm sorry, but it sounds flawed to me."
"It's okay, you don't have to understand it right away, but do keep it in mind when we go to town later. You might be surprised by what you see," Fluttershy said with a tender smile, but immediately frowned when she saw Red Wood cock her head to the side, her eyes almost looking like they were about to cry. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did."
"No, no, it is nothing you did, it's just...it's just...You think the town will be all that happy to see me after yesterday?" Red Wood said, as the memories of her previous encounter with Ponyville came rushing back. "Everypony was terrified of me, and I can't really blame them. I mean just look at me, I'm taller than most houses, and stronger than any train. I wouldn't be surprised if they even called me a monster."
"Now you stop right there!" Fluttershy shouted uncharacteristically, as she shot up to meet Red Wood eye to eye. "You are no monster, and I never want to her that word pass your lips again. You got that?"
"Yes ma'am," Red Wood quickly retorted with a salute, and nervous expression.
"Good, and don't worry about the town. Me and the others will make sure that they see nothing but your positive qualities," Fluttershy said as she hugged Red Wood's right cheek.
"Thanks Fluttershy, you really are kind," Red Wood replied, as she gently rested her left hoof over Fluttershy; her own way of reciprocating the hug.
"I'm always here for a friend," Fluttershy said with a soft and soothing tone. "However, just to be on the safe side, let's leave the helmet."
"Deal," Red Wood said with a slight snicker, as she kicked her blanket over the intimidating helmet.