In the Garden of the Lord
Jesus knelt in the temple garden, deep in prayer. The Passover had only been a few hours earlier, and soon Judas would arrive with the guards. This would be his last chance to pray in private before he was taken away, and he didn't intend to waste it. His prayers weren't so much a string of thoughts, though, as a single phrase, repeated fervently over and over.
"Father, please give me strength for the coming trials, and any comfort you can offer in my time of need."
"Um, excuse me," said a soft, female voice directly behind him, "Am I interrupting?"
Jesus didn't jump, despite the sudden appearance of another person, and instead stood smoothly and turned to face his visitor. Instead of the young woman he excepted, however, he instead found himself looking at a soft yellow Pegasus with a pink mane and tail, like the Roman myths, except it only came up to his waist. She (it was obviously female) looked up at him through her lashes, and said, "Oh, I guess I was. Sorry for bothering you." She turned and started to walk away.
"Wait." She stopped. While Jesus had hoped his prayer would be answered, he hadn't expected it to happen like this. However, that didn't mean he was going to squander the opportunity. "Come, sit with me," he said, placing himself on the ground.
"Um, okay," she murmured, sitting next to him, not quite touching him. She fidgeted in place, making it obvious she was nervous.
"What is your name?" Asked Jesus, after the silence stretched for a bit.
"I'm, Fluttershy," she whispered.
"Fluttershy," Jesus rolled the word around in his mouth, "A fine name, for a fine creature." She blushed, and hid behind her mane, causing Jesus to chuckle softly. "My name is Jesus, of Nazareth."
"Nazareth? What's that?" Fluttershy asked.
"It is my home village, the place I grew up," Jesus replied.
"Ah," said Fluttershy. Silence prevailed.
"So," Jesus finally said, "You seem to be a long way from home, may I ask how you came to be here?" He already knew, mostly, but explaining would help her relax.
"Well, Twilight Sparkle,"Fluttershy said, "a friend of mine, invited me and my other friends over to her house to show off some new spell she'd invented. However, when she tried to activate it, something went wrong, and the next thing I know, I'm out under the stars in a unfamiliar forest. And then I met you." She paused, "Um, what kind of creature are you?"
"I am a human," Jesus answered, "Have you never seen one before?"
"No, I haven't," She said looking him in the eye for the first time during their conversation, "Are you a rare animal?"
Jesus smiled, containing his laughter. "No, humans are not rare, and no, we're not animals, although I could understand why you might think that, given you've never met one before."
She squeaked. "How did you know that?" She asked as she jerked away from him, then winced as her wing contorted. Looking closer, Jesus saw that her wing was missing several feathers and had been placed in a makeshift splint.
"Are you hurt?" Jesus asked, ignoring her question for the moment.
She nodded fearfully, then squeaked again as he reached out and gently laid his hand upon her wing. With a quick prayer under his breath, the bones knit themselves back together and new feathers grew in to replace the old. Fluttershy stared at her wing in awe, carefully extending it and giving a few experimental flaps, causing the last of the bandages to fall off. "How did you do that?" she whispered, unable to tear her gaze from the newly restored limb.
"For the same reason I knew you hadn't met a human before," he explained plainly, "You see, I not just a human. I'm also the Son of God."
"God? What's a god?" asked Fluttershy, clearly mystified. Jesus grinned, seeing a perfect opportunity to do what he had been sent to do: teach.
"God, my Father, is the creator of all things. He made the earth, the sun, and the stars," Jesus gestured to the sky overhead, "And all living plants and animals, including me," he gestured at himself, "and you," he poked her nose, causing her to giggle and scrunch her face up.
"Wow, he made the animals I care for? I had no idea somepony like that existed. I bet he's loved by everypony," Fluttershy said happily, although her smile faded as she took in Jesus's somber expression. "He is loved, isn't he?"
"That, my dear, is a long story," Jesus finally said, "Going back to the dawn of creation itself."
"Well, I'd like to know," She stated firmly.
"Very well," Jesus said, smiling gently. And with that, he told her the story of the beginning, of Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman, and how they ate the forbidden fruit and lost paradise as a consequence. He told her of Noah, and the great flood, and the first rainbow, which caused her to start in surprise. He told her of Abraham, and Moses, and the Prophets, and the story of Israel, which she drank in with all the focus and rapt attention of a young child. Finally, he told her of his travels, the works he had done, and what would happen when he left this clearing. She did not react well to that information. At all.
"THEY'RE GOING TO WHAT!?" she shouted, "You've got to get out of here before they come!" She grabbed his sleeve in her teeth and tried to drag him into the forest.
Jesus sighed, chuckled, and remained exactly where he was. "It was always going to happen this way, Fluttershy. There's no point in trying to run."
"THEY'RE GOING TO TORTURE YOU!" she all but screamed, letting go of his sleeve to stare him directly in the face. "And I won't allow it! You're coming with me, and that's final!"
Jesus held her gaze for a long, tense second, before he opened his mouth and laughed, long, hard, deep belly laughs. It had been a long time since he'd laughed like that, and the experience was refreshing. Fluttershy quailed under his voice, confused as to why her Stare hadn't worked.
Once Jesus's laughing fit had subsided, she asked, with tears in her eyes, "Why? Why does somepony have to suffer, and why does it have to be you?"
Jesus thought for a moment before he answered her. "This world is imperfect," he began, "Lucifer, the Fallen, is the ruler here, and his corruption taints all living things. Through my pain, and my death, those who believe in me will be able to purge that taint from themselves, and in doing so obtain eternal life. I was chosen by my father to be the best vessel for this change, and I have faith that if a better way had existed, he would have chosen that instead."
"Then why doesn't he just remove this Lucifer entirely?" Fluttershy asked stubbornly, "He obviously has the power to do it."
"Because my Father loves all his creations, even those that oppose him. He still hopes that the Devil will repent of his actions and return to his side, and become the greatest of the Angels once again. After the punishment has been dealt there could be no redemption. That is also why he allows his people to not love him. It is better that they follow because they chose, than that they are forced."
"And you are the best way to bring this to pass?" Jesus nodded. Fluttershy sat, hard, as various emotions battled for supremacy on her face, before settling on acceptance, if sad acceptance. "...Is there anything I can do before you, you know..."
"Well," Jesus said, "I was wondering if maybe I could scratch your ears?"
Fluttershy blushed, but nodded, and lay down on the grass. Jesus joined her, and laid his hand upon her head. As he scratched, he felt her soul, and simply enjoyed her presence. Not only did she actually have a soul, despite not being a human, but he'd never seen one this pure, even among those most faithful to him. And so he prayed, and scratched, and Fluttershy nuzzled into his hand as he did so. They lost track of time there in the starlit clearing together, until Jesus abruptly stopped, and stood. "I believe it will be time for you to go soon," he said.
Fluttershy looked up at him in confusion, and mild disappointment that the scratching was over, before her attention was caught by a ripping sound at the edge of the forest. A hole appeared in the world, one that quickly grew large enough for her to step through. "I guess this is goodbye, then," she said. "It was nice meeting you, Jesus."
"Likewise Fluttershy," he replied, smiling down at her. "Although, before you go, I have one last request," he reached into his robes, and pulled out a book that hadn't been there a few seconds previously, one that frankly, shouldn't exist at all yet. It was completely unmarked, save for a golden inlaid cross on the cover. "Spread my teachings in your world. Bring the joy of knowing my Father to your friends and family. If you have faith in Him, he will help you on your path. When you follow him, and by extension me, his will give you various gifts, including the gift of healing. I can tell you have an interest in that one in particular."
Fluttershy nodded her assent, both at his statement and to his request, and took the book in her mouth. She nuzzled his leg in farewell, since her mouth was full and she couldn't say goodbye, and he rubbed her ears one last time, whispering a quick prayer that the Holy Spirit would bless her as it would bless his disciples. Fluttershy turned, walked across the clearing, and stepped into the portal, which snapped shut behind her, leaving no trace that it ever existed. Jesus sighed, sent a quick thank-you to his Father for answering his prayer, and went to go wake his lazy disciples up.
Elsewhere
"Fluttershy, you're back!" Upon exiting the portal, Fluttershy was immediately swamped by her friends, all of whom were clamoring for her attention. She couldn't make out any one voice over the cacophony, but the joy at her return was obvious. Eventually, they separated, and Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, her eyes glued on the book still in Fluttershy's mouth.
"Fluttershy where did you get that?" She exclaimed, "It's a book, a book from another world. Oh, the stories it could tell!"
Fluttershy transferred the tome from her mouth to her hoof, smiling as she gazed down at it. "I know. Follow me, everypony" she walked past her friends towards the central table. "We've got a lot to talk about."
