Chapter One: A Day of Sunshine
It was a crisp spring morning in Ponyville.
The sun had been up for nigh and hour, most residents in the hamlets centre were rising to begin their work for the day; merchants were preparing their stalls and businesses, farming ponies were hoisting and moving the equipment they would need for the day.
Even the young of the hamlet were early to rise, running around the streets, having fun before being corralled into the school house by their teacher for a day of needed (yet boring) learning. Of course the young of Ponyville spent their time half-listening to their aging teacher and the rest gossiping, carving their cuie marks into their desks and looking out the classrooms windows.
A few kilometres outside Ponyville, somewhere south of Sweet Apple Acres, a small Pegasus mare in her garden worked away in the early morning light; gathering the herbs and flowers from various plots into small bunches from her garden. It was easy work however the repeated motions and slowly rising heat made her miss the basket beside her a few times, knocking a roll of thick twine onto the nearest flower bed. The white Pegasus huffed out a sigh, wiping her brow under her wide brimmed hat and looked at the soft green grass she kneeled on, the sun already evaporating the dew drops that remained from the cool night.
Once she had gathered several bundles of herbs and sweet smelling flowers, the mare bowed her head and placed the shears on the ground. Reaching past the basket beside her, she grabbed the twine in her mouth and used her hooves to tie the bundles into certain sizes-- leaving excess twine to hang from hooks when she dried them in her home.
Vvvvvooooooooooooooooooooooorp.
A flash of green in her peripherals an acidic toned green, a flickering light off the windows above her. The little mare stared pensively at the windows, daring them to show a hint of tart green. Her ears swiveled as the odd sound travelled on the wind somewhere over her shoulder.
Glancing at her dear dog Lolo, she was relieved that he wasn’t bothered by anything. In fact he was quite content lying under an Oleander bush and ignore mostly everything.
Clucking her tongue at the peculiarity of it all, the mare winced.
Her tongue felt papery in her mouth, glancing to her side she spotted a bucket she kept out for her aging pet Labrador cross to drink from. Debating whether or not hygiene was issue, or whether the local ponies would gossip about her further, which was idiotic to contemplate due to her isolation to the main settlement of Ponyville: her closest neighbors being the Apple Family Residents.
She sighed and rose to her hooves with a begrudged groan-- her tail swishing the grass from her rear legs. Placing her tools in a small saddlebag, she hiked the bag over her back and lifted the basket in between her teeth and walked toward the only entrance to her freestanding cottage home. Entering her home, she turned right into a cozy kitchen and placed the basket on the table and removed her saddlebags-- placing it on the floor near the doorway.
Busying herself, the mare took a series of old Zapapple jam jars and filled them with bunches of flowers and specific amounts of water and returned them to the window above the sink opposite the doorway. She sighed and rolled her shoulders taking the basket in her teeth stretching out her wings. Flapping her wings, the mare launched herself into the air and fluttered beside a rafter and proceeded to sling the herbs bunches along a series of hooks.
Finishing within moments, the mare went back outside and sniffed the air.
Turning her head she licked her lips and trotted over to a large patch of chives. Unable to help herself she bent her head down and sniffed the zesty herb and huffed out a sigh.
Squeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak.
A long ear trembling sound rattled the mare; she tripped forward into the patch of herbs and landed in a heap on her back between herbs and roses bushes with her feathers clutched against her sides and with her plaited tail wrapped around a thorny rose bush. “Featherbrain!” she cried out softly, struggling to free her tail from the mess, as rolling over would certainly rip out her hair and scratch areas she didn’t want to get thorns near.
Her luck had ensued to get her in a tangle after three seconds of heart beating surprise.
“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to startle you so.” a dignified voice exclaimed to her, the gate creaking again which preceded soft clack of footsteps against the stone pathway between her home and gate, “Let me help you free.”
The mare was unable to move most of her body-- let alone her hoof to see who the owner of the voice was just nodded meekly. She felt an odd sensation, whoever was untangling her tail and mane had fingers… which was very odd to the mare. In her life she had met various creatures: Gryphons, Minotaur’s, various other creatures with claws and fingers. However, these fingers felt different-- as if they weren’t covered in fur or scales.
“There we go darling,” the voice crooned, “Your hair and tail are free. Do you need help escaping from your botanical prison?”
“No, I c-can do it,” the mare reassured the voice, her own voice wavering as she slowly rolled over and opened her wings as wide as she dared, “Please stand back.” ‘Lucky me to have trimmed the roses, otherwise I would be stuck.’ the mare chided herself as she snapped her wings downwards-- propelling herself up from the ground in one stroke, scattering leaves and dirt in her wake.
Shaking her body free of dirt and plant matter, she landed on the edge of the flower and herb bed pushing her mane from her eyes. “Thank you for helping me, but why-” Looking at who had helped her, the mare’s words died on her lips.
She was unsure of what she was looking at.
The creature she was looking at stood on two legs like a Minotaur. Glancing downwards she saw that the creature had hands like a Minotaur’s-- but with more fingers. Tilting her head, she glanced further upwards; the creature was almost hairless, only sporting a greyish blue mane on its head.
Shaking her thoughts from her head, the mare felt cogs turn in her head as she realised what she was looking at. A voice from her early foalhood crept into her head, a chipper and tomboyish voice reminding her of fun, games, books and music;
“Don’t ever forget about those amazing creatures little Fire. I don’t care what anypony says, I know they are real and one day I will meet one and show everybody that Lyra Heartstrings isn’t a crazy kook of a mare!”
‘A human…' the mare’s eyes widened at the thought, looking up under her mane she looked into what she was certain was a human, into their dark eyes. “I’m s-sorry, you just startled me.”
The human, whomever he was smiled slightly and shook his head, “Please, I must apologize dear miss,” he looked over his shoulder to the gate under the trellis, “I had not announced my presence and caused you distress.” His face turned back to the mare’s, “I have caused you and your lovely garden problems.”
The mare shook her head, stomping her hoof down she shook her head, “If you were at my gate, then you must have been there for a reason. I should have been paying attention for any visitor I may have.”
“Ah, well dear little,” the human paused, observing her for a moment which caused the Pegasus to ruffle her feathers at the gaze, “mare. I was hoping for directions to a merchant who sells roses.” Looking around the garden he spies the roses by his side and smiles, “These would do wonderfully, however I did see you were tending these earlier and would be remise if I took something you had diligently maintained.”
Blinking with embarrassment at the compliment, the mare shrugged, “The roses are still a few days from blooming proper,” she nodded her head towards the north over her shoulder, indicating up the road and past the lake to Ponyville, “I could show you miss Roseluck’s flower stall. She has the best flowers this side of Equestria.”
Albeit slowly, the human nodded. Whether this was out of a concept of thinking his options over, or whether he thought it best to show that he was thinking over her words was anyone’s guess, “That would be delightful miss…?”
The mare blinked once again and eeped, “Oh dear, I did not mention my name did I?” she held out her hoof and smiled and happy grin, “I am Scarlett Fire,” at this point her aging dog had wandered out from under the Oleander and had come over to his mistresses side and sniffed the human. Which the mare took as a good sign, as Lolo generally growled at anyone new who wandered into his domain.
“A pleasure to meet you miss Scarlett Fire,” Taking her outstretched hoof, the human bent and brought it to his mouth and kissed it chastely, “I am ‘Dandy’ Richard Sanchez.”
Scarlett Fire, a slight shade of pink on her cheeks titled her head, “W-well, I will just get my saddlebags shall I?” she stuttered, and trotted back into her cottage with Dandy by her side. Offering him a seat in her living room and a beverage, she excused herself to clean herself up and retrieved a cleaner set of saddlebags from her bedroom.
Within ten minutes, the two were exiting from the cottage, locking the door behind them and bid Lolo goodbye.
The pair walked the distance in no time; however the mare found it difficult to start a conversation with Dandy as she was unsure what Humans even did. Of course she knew myths and mythos because of Lyra, but on a whole she did not want to insult or offend the man-- as she realised that the human had an interesting scent not unlike a stallion. This was ill suited logic on her part, as she had met mares who smelt muskier than the hardest working stallion around.
Entering the main hub of the hamlet, the mare was thankful to see that it was a lull in the market economics that morning: it had taken the pair around thirty-five minutes to even get to the market in the first place. Scarlett Fire had a sneaking suspicion that Dandy Rick was slowing down for her sake, even on four legs she still had to trot a little faster to keep up with his stride.
Approaching Roseluck’s stand, Scarlett Fire’s ear swept back as she noticed many-- if not all eyes of the market were on her and Dandy Rick. Of course, she knew he was an oddity. Even in the twelve years since Nightmare Moon had re-emerged in Equestria, many strange beasts, monsters, twisted monarchs and villains had attempted to take over the nation-- and to a greater extent the world. Yet a human was something she had never heard of.
Ignoring the whispers and stares, Scarlett Fire introduced her elegant (due to how he conducted his movements and indeed his fancy purple coat) companion to Roseluck, “Rosie, this gentlecolt, er… gentlemen,” she corrected herself with an apologetic smile, “would like several roses.”
The older mare looked from the Pegasus to the strange creature before her with a raised brow.
“Enough to dry for tea, if that is alright my dear lady,” Dandy Rick added, with a glistening debonair grin.
Roseluck, not missing a beat, moved her hoof over a large selection of roses: a selection that was perfect for drying to make potpourri and tea s, “I have a few different species to choose from, each have their own benefits and cons,” Pointing to a yellow rose, she smiled, “This lovely rose makes a buttery tea, however is not big on taste.” Her two-toned mane brushed over her eyes, reaching over the cart she held it over a group of white and pink roses, “These lovelies make a very sweet tea, perfect to have with a savoury treat such as oat cakes or carrot loaf.”
Dandy’s eyes sparkled as he looked over the mares wares, he inspected each rose with tenderness and stopped when her lanced over a viciously spiked breed of rose. Gingerly, he picked up a single rose in his forefinger and thumb, “This rose,” he smelt the bud, inhaling the scent from the violet petals, “Is quite lovely.”
Roseluck’s green eyes almost glowed with joy, “Ah, that is quite the specimen,” she grinned, “Very few really appreciate the Draconian Night. The rose makes such a delicious tea, terribly bitter, yet the effect is akin to what a Unicorn feels with precision magic on the most intricate of muscles.”
“It’s not dangerous is it?” Scarlett Fire piped up, her ears flattening against her skull as the man and mare looked to her, “I-I mean, is it unhealthy or w-will it hurt Dandy?”
The yellow earth pony mare waved her hoof downwards, “Anyone is fine as long as the flower is only drunk or eaten as an extract.”
Looking delighted at the choice of flowers, Dandy sorted through the flowers; in the end choosing a bouquet of the sweet smelling pink roses and a large bouquet of the Draconian Nights. Scarlett Fire had realised by this point that Dandy, being human most likely had no local currency. When it came to purchasing the roses, she paid the fee and smiled as Dandy look severely distraught at the very idea that he wasn’t paying for them.
Over the next hour, the pair wandered around the square of commerce, Scarlett Fire showing Dandy various shops and local points on interest and apologized over and over when she tripped over her hooves whenever she trotted faster to keep up with him.
It was a little past noon when the pair returned to Scarlett Fire’s cottage where they sat in her kitchen at the four seated table. Dandy Rick being the gentleman he was, offered to help her make lunch, expressing the desire to repay her kindness. She refused and countered that she was repaying his kindness for helping free her from her entrapment in her garden. This disagreement… of sorts, continued as they prepared a salad from the vegetables in the mare’s well stocked fridge.
After lunch the pair cleaned up and sat down in the living room, drinking a simple tea from Scarlett Fire’s homeland, discussing a little bit about their respective races. The hours passed and soon the time turned into late afternoon, a soft glow from the lowering of the sun casting long shadows around and inside the cottage.
Admitting that their time had come to an end, Scarlett Fire carried the tea cups and pot back into her kitchen and placed the tray on the counter. She turned around and smiled at Dandy, a shy smile she rarely showed people.
A smile for when she was truly content and happy.
“Dandy, how did you even get here?” she asked, tilting her head to the side and fluttered her wings as they exited her home and into the rapidly cooling garden, “You certainly did not fly here.” She joked and tapped her forehead as they walked out of the garden and up a small hill towards a tree, “And you are not magical like a unicorn.”
The human before her shook his head, a sign of his mirth, “I came here by my own violation dear Scarlett Fire.” He reached into his royal purple coat, retrieving a sleek device nearly the length of a loaf of bread. Eying the white coloured object, the small mare observed that there were several dials, a trigger mechanism and a strange bell jar-like container encasing leaping bolts of plasma energy inside.
“W-what is that?” she whispered, her tone low and quite, almost reverent in view of such and odd unexplainable device.
“A device I created to travel between dimensions,” he explained, with no self-absorbed greed in his tone; however pride was practically dripping from every word he spoke, “I travel to enjoy life, captivate tea and journey to delightful places such as Equestria.”
Scarlett Fire’s ears perked up, her heart rate spread up, her eyes widened, “Other dimensions?” her mind spun at the possibility, “As in other planets?” he nodded with a smile to confirm her question, the mare stopped at sat under the tree, sitting on the swing attached to the strong branches above.
Seeing her distress, Dandy sat nearby on a small bench, “Other worlds are a possibility, however what was you other question?”
“Other…” she hesitated, looking down again; thinking her line of thought was foolish, “N-never mind, it is silly to contemplate.” She, she was a grown mare that couldn’t express her curiosity at the plausible possibility of other realities.
Dandy gingerly placed a hand under her chin and hoisted her head up, understanding her curiosity and anxiety, “Go ahead and ask darling. There are no wrong questions, just wrong answers.”
The little mare coughed shyly and looked up, her blue eyes looking into Dandy’s, “Are there… I mean scientifically speaking there is the possibility of other realities. Are there,” she stammered and breathed out then in, “Are you from another reality Dandy?”
The man seemed almost overjoyed at her question.
He removed his hand from her chin and turned to look at the sky: which was slowly turning orange, with streaks of bright pink merging with the blue. “Yes, there are other realities out there.” He stated with finality. Looking from the corner of his eye, his chocolate eyes burned warmly as he smiled, “I am not from this reality. You have a Rick here already, CSUN-22120 I believe his name is.”
Scarlett Fire blinked in surprise, “W-wait. Where are you from then?” she stammered and flicked her tail, “I thought your name was Dandy?”
Almost with a wry smile, Dandy-- Rick turns to Scarlett Fire and pouts, “My name is Rick Sanchez darling, however, I as well as a number of other Richards from similar dimensions have been called Dandy due to our habits and natures.”
As if the very name almost gave her a heart attack, the mare stumbled off the swing and apologised her grievance, “I had no idea I was calling you in such informality!” stressing herself out, the mare was almost in tears over her sheer stupidity.
Taking the mare gently, Dandy put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, “Calm down darling, you were unaware of my name, unaware of human naming methods.”
“I-I, oh dear, I was so inconsiderate! Why would I assume that the first name you gave me was your name?” she stressed, her wings fluttering and fluffing out in distress, “I could have realised that human names would not work like pony names.”
Dandy soothed Scarlett Fire as she fretted over her stupidity for a few moments and visibly relaxed, her wings folding against her side again as she calmed down.
As day turned to twilight and as twilight faded into night, fireflies came out and illuminated the sky as the human and mare continued to converse. The stars themselves a chandelier of lights twinkling above, speaking with their own code of life and essence burning billions of kilometres away.
By this time the pair rose to their full heights and stretched out their limbs, easing the lethargy away. Rick Sanchez looked down at the mare; who barely reached his collar bone, as she opened her wings, stretching out the ligaments and joints. Watching her closely, he watched her feathers arc open and tilt ever-so-slightly as she opened them to their full size.
This went on for a few moments before the Pegasus realised that the human was watching her, she looked up, under her lashes and blushed a deep red, ‘Oh dear, oh dear!’ her mind shouted at her, ‘Does he think I was… oh no!’ her mind chanted over and over then broke to a stop as Dandy did nothing to her reaction, beyond a creased brow.
“Are you… alright miss Fire?” Dandy spoke slowly, “Do your wings hurt? I didn’t notice any misalignment or bent primary feathers when I aided you earlier.” He asked while he pondered over what he knew of avian creatures and horses, ‘Was she…? No, even if she possesses bird wings, she is an evolved sentient being. She is just cold, the poor dear.’
She squeaked and shook her head, then looked around at anything but him, “Nothing at all, just um… cold?” she offered weakly, clearly not wanting to talk about what had just occurred.
Taking the hint Dandy smiled warmly at her as he drew his portal gun, “Then I must be going, as you should return home and get warm.” The still red mare, nodded and agreed, “And miss Fire?”
“Yes Mister Sanchez?” she replied, unsure of how to openly address him, as confusing as human names were.
He seemed to beam wider at such a distinction; he activated the portal gun, bringing a glowing green portal into existence at the base of the hill, “Please call me Dandy.”
Scarlett Fire blinked and nodded her head, “I shall,” she called, her words carried on the wind.
With that he stepped into the portal.
A moment later the portal dissipated and showed no remnant to have ever been there.
The little white mare smiled and whispered to herself, “Goodbye Dandy.”
Chapter Two: Lunch is my Forte
On the seventh day since the circumstance of Dandy and Scarlett Fire’s meeting, little had changed; the town set to a particular and efficient pace, the farmers preparing the soil for sowing for crops and the merchants opening their stalls and places of business.
Scarlett Fire was no different, having worked on her chores about her home the day before; she had dealt with the most pressing issues of clearing her homestead of stray branches and correcting her garden from the previous night’s winds. Thankfully, her garden was protected by a head-high hedge that encompassed the front of her house and garden.
The little mare was sitting below the willow on the hill, looking upwards at the swing that was now tangled on the largest limb. She did wonder how that had happened-- as the storms wind was not that powerful to move the heavy wooden seat. Shaking her head as she got to her hooves, she was quite sure that it had been the work of a pony who wanted to jump off the swing at full speed.
Opening her snowy wings, Scarlett Fire took off from the ground and landed on the branch, shifting her wings to keep what little balance she possessed. With a groan, she used her front hooves to dislodge the heavy board and thick ropes from around the branch. As she worked the wind started to pick again, whipping the mare’s mane and tail about like strand of copper and chocolate syrup being poured into the sundae of her hide.
Harrumphing, the mare ginned as the board shifted, the thick rope loosening as she moved it over a raised nub-- most likely a tree branch, long since removed. Turning to the side the mare pushed the board with her nose, opening her wings for balance; she leant down and pushed again-
Whooooooooooooosh
A strong gust of wind blew through the air, knocking the Pegasus backwards as she finally loosened the board and ropes. Tumbling over the branch with the freed lumber and rope, Scarlett Fire squeaked as she twisted and became tangled in what she had freed.
The mare now hung upside down, her entire body facing her cottage, her form enraptured by the thick ropes. Wiggling, she could not free anything, let along move her tail from her bindings, “Oh pony plops…” she murmured, the single limb dangling downwards, nearly touching the ground.
Scarlett Fire closed her eyes, contemplating her predicament and her options. There was a possibility that another Pegasus may see her quandary and help her get free. There was a small chance that one of her neighbors would visit her soon enough or see her from the road or lake. She sighed and shook her head, how could she be so foolish?
Opening her eyes, she looked to her home and wondered if Lolo would understand her plight.
“H-hello? Somepony, help?” she called out, feeling rather foolish doing so.
Silence greeted the forlorn mare.
Neither a sound nor acknowledgement of any kind to note that anypony or anyone had heard her cry for help. The mare waited a few more minutes before trying again and was pleasantly surprised when her geriatric dog plodded slowly up the hill. He stopped in front or her, observed her for a moment with his large honey-brown eyes: as if to contemplate how his mistress had got into such a state. Lolo reared upwards on his rear legs, he licked her cheek and returned to a sitting position giving his mistress a sad glance.
“As welcome as your affection is Lolo, I do not think there is much either of us can do about this.” the mare sighed, rubbing her now wet face clear of dog spit. She sighed as she watched her dear companion move and lay down in the shade of the bench and watched her with a tilt of his head.
The pair stayed as they were for a good ten minutes, idly staring at one another then huffing softly at the situation. Nopony or anyone for that matter would like being confined as she was more so to a Pegasus having their wings trapped was a sense of dread and fear.
“I guess I could try calling out again.” Scarlett Fire sighed, not really talking to Lolo as he seemed to have drifted to sleep some minutes ago, “Hello, can somepony, anypony help me?” the mare said loudly, rocking her body from side to side, wondering if the motion might attract someponies attention.
“Miss Fire? Oh dear, do not thrash around so much, dear. Let me see if I can help…” a familiar voice called out to her.
“NnnneeeeH?” the mare exclaimed, wriggling her wings, disliking the feeling of being tangled, “Daaaaaaaaandy, please help me.”
He steps around her, taking careful stock of the situation. He places a hand on her haunch, the best place to stabilize her in this position and unwraps the rope as quickly as he can. “You are doing wonderfully Miss Fire. Stay calm just a moment longer, and I shall have you out of here.” Dandy spoke softly, reassuring her as his hands moved quickly.
While this was happening, Lolo had once again wandered off to do whatever he did to occupy his time, leaving the two alone under the willow.
From either embarrassment or blood pooling in her head the mare watches her friend, “O-okay Dandy,” she squeaks, her tail flipping between her rear legs as her coat was tinged a soft pink.
The man in question got the mess of rope pretty much under control in two seconds flat, and then knelt down, “Alright, one last step. Brace your hooves on the ground and push up,” he asked the mare, “I will pull the swing away when you do, allowing you to free yourself.”
She nods, pushing her fore hooves down against the grass, putting her weight on the lower part of her body.
Dandy places his hands deftly on her stomach and sweeps the swing away. He controls her fall to the ground, “Sorry about that, dear.” He apologizes as the mare lands on her hooves, he himself getting to his feet.
Sitting on the ground, the Pegasus mare nods slightly and looks up at Dandy, “It’s alright, I should have been conscious of the wind today,” she blushes, her tail tucking between her rear legs, “I shouldn’t cause anypony-” she catches herself, “anyone such problems.”
Dandy shakes his head, “It is no trouble, Miss Fire.” He states and looks from the swing to the mare, “Are you alright? You did not get hurt at all did you?”
Looking herself over, the mare shakes her head, hiding her face under her mane. She wasn’t hurt, but she was certainly embarrassed that she had been entrenched by a swing, of being found in such a way and mostly by where Dandy had touched her while helping her free. “I-I am well Dandy.”
Unsure, the tall human looked her over: taking in her stilted posture, downward gaze, and worried he had done something to offend her. He may have been a well-travelled and cultured man, he was not that familiar with the species social conventions, but it was not that hard to imagine what he had done wrong. He put his hands behind his back. “I-- er, that is… I am glad that you are alright.” He cleared his throat, “I came to see how your roses were blooming.”
Scarlett Fire’s ears perked up, “My roses?” her eyes widened slightly as she rose to her hooves, “They are doing wonderfully since you first saw them,” she started to trot down the hill, waiting for Dandy, her tail flipping back up above her rump, “If you want you can eat some petals. They won’t be fully blooming for at least another few days.”
Understanding the delicate time of nature, Dandy shook his head as he followed suit, “Ah, well I came with another idea in mind, my dear Miss Fire.”
He mare tilted her head as they entered her garden-- she, holding the gate open for Dandy then following him through. “Oh? What would the idea be?” she asked politely, smiling as she noticed Lolo was where she expected him to be, under the Oleander bush taking a nap.
With a charming smile and flourish, Dandy lifted a picnic basket from nowhere, or perhaps from one of his many pockets, “A lunch provided for you, as partway thank you for your kindness last week.”
The odd pair sat in Scarlett Fire’s cosy kitchen, the morning light coming in through the windows warming the small space to a comfortable temperature. The small white coated mare busied herself, gathering a few various kitchen implements and spices for her visitor who sat at the table—clearly amused by her sweetness and dedication to a guest in her home.
Placing a bowl of fresh water near the door for Lolo, the mare came to a halt and sat herself in the chair opposite Dandy and offered asked if he would like to have lunch ‘Or was it brunch?’ the mare thought, in the living room. The pale blue haired man smiled, picking up the majority of the items on the table with ease and strength the mare did not expect and made his way to the living room.
Scarlett Fire picked up the small tray with the salt and pepper shakers, cups and ice jug and followed with a perplexed look on her face. She saw Dandy was sitting comfortably on her blue sofa, the food laid out on her coffee table and casually awaiting her arrival with a thoughtful smile on his face. That made her the more confused at the man, he appeared to be in his early sixties-- yet moved and had the strength of a stallion half his age, or even her age.
Taking the seat near Dandy, as to give him room and talk face-to-face, Scarlett Fire placed the tray on the small open space on her coffee table. Beholding the selection of food before her: delicately crafted and cut sandwiches made from various vegetables, several bottles of ice-cold juices and a small selection of fresh fruit glistening in a small ice tureen-- the mare practically drooled. Glancing up at Dandy, she tilted her head, “This is all too much,” she motioned to the food, “I mean this must cover the cost of the flowers.”
Dandy shook his head, placing a hand under his chin, “Dear Miss Fire, this meal is a mere pittance of what I am giving you in gratitude,” he explained, offering her the plate of sandwiches, “Your kindness should not be amounted to a fiscal sum.”
The mare graciously took a sandwich of celery, spring onions and mayonnaise and another of tomato, cucumber and parsley, “That is absurd,” she countered, embarrassed by such praise, “You are as kind as I, if not more so.”
Returning the plate to the coffee table before him, Dandy took a selection of sandwiches for himself and laughed in a manner that sounded like fluttering velvet to the mare’s ears, “Miss Fire, you are quite sure of your unimportant demeanor in the world.”
The mare sighed and put her plate down, “I don’t see the point to be so understanding of me when the concerns of others about me are validated. If not for the wrong reasons, they are somewhat right as to why they hate me.” The mare turned her head and looked to the wall beside her, up at a wall of several framed pictures.
Following her gaze, Dandy saw four framed photos on the wall in diamond pattern: the top most was of Scarlett Fire as a filly with a charcoal black Pegasus mare with a flowing mane and ice blue eyes, standing together in a field of flowers. The right photo was of Scarlett Fire, still quite young as the first photo, together with colts and fillies around a fire-- all much lankier and wilder manes than her.
Continuing to the left, was a group picture of his host and what seemed to be an assortment of friends, a pink spotted mare with bright eyes gleaming behind glasses hugging Scarlett Fire. On her other side was a brown coated unicorn mare, pouting melodramatically at the attention the Pegasus was giving to an older Pegasus mare with a straw coloured mane. Beside her was a green gem coated unicorn with a cheesy grin, her horn glowing yellow with magic it was evident she was taking the photo. The final photo on the left was of a family of ponies, coated in the warmer tones in the spectrum, the mare in the middle sporting a cowpony hat atop her head. She seemed to ask Dandy to be honest with his hostess.
“The second photo,” the mare before him explained, “I told you before where my family came from yes?” Dandy nodded, agreeing with her, “Austailia,” she turned her head back to the photograph, “A hundred and fifty of years ago, my father’s family came from Braytain Empire before that, scattered all over from other countries too within the empires realm and reach. From Coltsland, Haylanders, Prance and Germaney.”
Dandy quirked an eyebrow, pondering the names of such places, they were too similar to the names of Earth cities and capitals to just be a coincidence. Perhaps he should look into that matter at a later date, it piqued his curiosity again. “So your bloodline comes from all across Equestria?” he queried, honestly curious at where she was going with the conversation.
The mare shook her head, “No. My whole blood line is from Braytain.” She responded as Dandy offered her a glass of orange juice, “Even from my mother’s family line, just Prance and Greater Braytain.”
Quirking and eyebrow, “Then how is Austailia and Braytain a part of Equestria?”
The mare smiled coyly at this question, “Frankly, neither is part of Equestria. The oddity is that the Braytish Empire is older than Equestria itself. Equestria is a relatively new country, the Princesses themselves are long-standing.” The mare pondered over her juice and smiled sadly, “Their reigns have gone for so long, that few even pay a mind to research to as why Equestria even exists…”
Curiosity be a thing of reoccurrence for the gentlemen scientist, he asked her the very question the demanded to be asked, “Why does Equestria exist?”
Her sapphire eyes seemed to glow softly with appreciation for the chance to share knowledge, “Officially, Equestria was founded by three groups of ponies-- the arrogant pegasi, the stubborn earth ponies and the self-indulgent unicorns.”
“Is it wise to reprimand and demean your own kind?” Dandy asked, surprised at the mare’s change of manner. He was honestly surprised at the small mare’s sudden acidic tone and ruffled feathers.
Her ears flattened against her skull, “The leaders were self-involved, foolish glory seekers!” Scarlett Fire stated, “They nearly killed their people and their faithful servants. If the servants were not thoughtful and enduring, then they would have died and Equestria would not have been founded at all!” The mare cried, her forehead creasing, “The entire country was formed on an idea of unity that was circumstance due to their crusaders lack of insight.”
Dandy set his cup down, seeing the mare’s distress, “So, the country you reside in, was formed because of sheer luck?” thinking carefully he beamed, “Where I was born or to say, where I grew up, was founded due to someone lucky enough to find it.” He explained carefully, “The first group was so ill prepared they brought little in the way of food and tools when they beached in the new land.”
Scarlett Fire blinked, “How can anyone be that irresponsible?”
Dandy almost chuckled at the little mare’s shock, “They were so ill prepared, that they brought numerous crates of shoes instead of more of something useful, such as grain stores or animals.”
Pondering this, the mare shook her head and sighed, calming herself over such thoughts, “We are all but fools and every culture is different of course.” She murmured and nodded to the third framed photo again. “This is certainly true with the Indigenous inhabitants of Austailia.”
Taking a grape from the tureen Dandy raised an eyebrow, “How so?”
This made her pause.
The mare stopped for a moment and pulled the sandwich on her plate apart, exposing the tomato, parsley and cucumber, “You have seen that ponies eat oats, hay, fruits, nuts and vegetables-- a largely vegetarian diet.”
Nodding, Dandy took a sip of juice, “Yes, I had observed that when we ate together the first day we met and indeed what you could buy in the commerce area of Ponyville.” Which was correct, Dandy had not seen any meat for sale anywhere. He had seen milk; cheeses, eggs, butter-- all animal byproducts which gave him concern, wondering whether or not if the bovines and chickens were sentient as well.
As it would be odd and embarrassing to ask a cow for a gallon of milk.
Motioning to the coffee table, “This is why I brought a selection of vegetarian options for you, Miss Fire.” Dandy explained, “I did not wish to offend you with meat. I m-mean to say,” he flustered, “I do eat meat, however, I did not know if- mmf?” he stopped part way through his sentence as the mare before him had raised hoof to his lips.
The older gentlemen blushed a slight pink, raising an eyebrow at the mare as she silently pleaded with him to allow her to speak her mind. Dandy nodded his consent to listen and wait while she said her portion.
The mare shifted in her seat and sighed dejectedly, moving her hoof back to her side, “The native ponies of Austailia are different from Equestria. If anything, some Braytish countries, Saddle Arabia and Zebrakiah Empire understand what it means to be different as I do.”
“Miss Fire,” whatever do you mean?”
Unable to look him in the eyes, the mare looked at the tureen of fruit as she spoke, “I was raised for half my youth in Austailia-- it was where I was born. I visited Equestria when I was a small filly, to see my mother’s sister who lived in Ponyville at the time.” She spoke with clarity and sorrow, “Austailians in Austailia are not as lucky as Equestrians, who ‘tame’ nature to their whims and joy. The Austailians, unable to do such crafting and manipulation of the natural world were mostly nomadic by seasons.”
“Did they all roam? Or were some in villages in more rudimentary and hardy areas?” Dandy asked, intrigued about the anthropological aspects of the young mare’s homeland.
The mare nodded slowly, “In old times there were some villages, some temporary, others stone huts near the seas, or carved from rock in the many remotes valley’s dotting the rugged and dangerous landscape.” She smiled whimsically, “Most have more modern homes now.” She pondered for a moment before continuing, “The tribes were-- are so hardy and tough. Surviving more than most ponies will in a life time, they had to adapt, like other cultures around the world.”
“Such as Zebrakiah and Saddle Arabia?” Dandy presented, referring to her earlier remark, “What did these nations do that your homeland did?” he asked, genuinely curious.
Scarlett Fire looked almost regretful at ever mentioning her homeland, that the very topic made her depressed, ashamed and prideful in one breath. “When I moved to Equestria with my family,” she sighed and looked down, “I was bullied horrendously for the fact of survival as a filly, my own brother hated me because I was such a monster to him.” She whispered softly and looked up into Dandy’s dark eyes, “All because I ate meat.”
This confession made Dandy falter for a second, his cup stopped a few centimetres from his lips, spilling a few drops down the side of the cup. ‘A pony can eat meat?’ he wondered, ‘Is that physically possible? It must have upset her digestive system something awful as a foal.’
The mare across from him sat in silence, her mane covering her eyes, awaiting retribution or horrible words that were sure to come. She had heard them all-- monster, flesh eater, savage, beast, demoness. Everything under Celestia’s sun and Luna’s moon, she had heard every comment, slur, hateful remark and derogatory term for what she was.
“Miss Fire?” Dandy spoke softly, his hand reaching out for her, she flinched and looked up at him, tears threatening to overflow from her eyes, “There is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Scarlett Fire trembled, hunching her shoulders in shame, “I am just a disgusting, flesh eating beast.”
The sympathetic man moved from the couch to the chair, sitting on the arm rest beside the shaking mare, “Do not be foolish. You are not a beast, nor are you disgusting.”
Ignoring his soft tone and kind words, the mare shook her head harder, her feathers bristling with shame, grief and self-hatred, “I-I am so horrible. M-my brother was right, I bring shame to our family.” She sobbed, bowing her head, “What kind of pony ever eats meat?”
“A pony who was willing to survive a harsh place as you did.” Dandy stated, placing an arm around her shaking frame, “You were willing to be yourself and accept another’s culture, knowing what it was. So let me ask you dear Miss Fire, did the animals suffer?” she shook her head, “Did you torture them, or other ponies?” again, she shook her head, “Did anyone force anyone to eat?” the little Pegasus shook her head again.
“No one was forced to eat any meat,” she sniffled, “So many ate what ponies here do, meat was something for the harder times, in winter o-or the end of year celebrations.”
Dandy smiled softly, rubbing the mare’s back, “So, you ate meat once a month?” he asked, already knowing what her answer was.
Almost laughing, the mare shook her head softly, her mane bouncing, “N-no, once a year.” She replied, “My family are farmers and lived closer to pony towns and cities, but we were friends with indigenous families for as long as anypony can remember.”
He had her now, “So, just the celebration you were invited to, you never went out of your way to hurt anyone. Pardon me, anypony?”
The mare sniffled, tearing in silence; she looked up at Dandy and smiled, understanding what he meant and what he was doing. Instead of answering him, she hesitantly hugged the human, who smiled softly in return at the display of affection and hugged the mare. Slowly, Scarlett Fire regained her composure and self-worth, that she wasn’t horrible or disgusting for ever eating meat.
For a while the pair stayed like this, Dandy unwilling to let a crying individual go in a time of need, Scarlett Fire unwilling because she could see just how alone Dandy felt when she looked into his eyes. After a while, they felt at ease enough to let go and separate to their previous distance apart and finish lunch as they were.
For a time that seemed so full and unending, the grandfather clock behind Scarlett Fire struck eleven am, signaling they had indeed had a few hours of brunch and should be doing productive things instead of gossiping like old mares sitting on a veranda on a summer’s afternoon.
While the pair cleaned up their brunch as well as dividing the leftovers between them, (Dandy would later return in the afternoon when the mare is out, leaving the food in Scarlett Fire’s fridge much to her dismay) and put the dishes and cups in the sink to be washed at a later time.
When it came time for the mare and the man to part, they were sitting on the bench in the garden.
Yawning softly, Scarlett Fire covered her mouth with a hoof.
Dandy smirked, eyeing the mare’s scrunched up face, “I must say Miss Fire, you have an adorable yawning face.”
Said mare, opened her eyes, well struggled to as yawning made it difficult to do, “I-I, ahh,” she yawned again and blinked her now watery eyes, “I do not.”
The purple coated wearing gentlemen chuckled softly, “Quite.”
Scarlett Fire pouted shyly, raising herself to her full height-- which was pointless to do on a bench, “I’ll have you know, I am not a little filly with a cute face.” She indicated, in a grave manner, her face as serious as her words.
Admittedly, Dandy was quite sure the mare could not be any cuter when she was cross in such a childish manner, of course he would not tell her that. He decided instead, to humor her, “Pray tell, as rude as it is to ask a lady-- how old are you Miss Fire?”
“Mister Dandy, as rude as that is, I shall answer your question,” the mare met his calm gaze with a golden smile worth all the roses Dandy could dry and brew into tea, “I turned twenty-four this passing Summer. Well Winter in Equestria.”
Raising an eyebrow, Dandy was quite shocked at the mare’s answer, as she looked barely eighteen let alone twenty-four. Then again, he had not measured Equestria’s rotation around the local star for estimation of the planet’s year. Recomposing himself, he tapped his chin in mock thought, “Ah, so you never had a growth spurt Miss Fire?”
The mare blushed and ruffled her wings, “You, my dear Dandy, are the Devil himself.”
Chuckling as only he could, Dandy shook his head, “No, I met the devil; he has dark hair, his voice is not as dignified as mine.”
Scarlett Fire had the most deadpanned look on her face, as if she could not accept what Dandy had just confessed, whether genuine or not, “I… what?” studying the human’s face, her large blue eyes narrowed as she shook her head in defeat, “You are a very odd man.”
Dandy smiled, happy he had given her joy, or at least distracted her from her troubles, past or present, “An odd man, who enjoys your delightful company.”
“With a smile she closed her eyes, “I enjoy your company too.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the peace and quiet. Contemplating that he should leave soon, Dandy felt a bump against his shoulder. He looked down at the mare, who had certainly become tired from everything shed had experienced that morning had fallen asleep and was slumped against his side. She was breathing softly, her mane fluttering softly near her mouth.
Easing her off his shoulder, Dandy moved around her side and lifted her into his arms and against his chest. Not surprising, she was light for the most part-- perhaps due to her Pegasus bones being lighter than a normal ponies. Dandy held the little mare close to his chest as he walked, ascertaining where the mare’s bedroom was to place the mare in her bed to rest. Glancing around the house, he determined which room was her bedroom by the dimension of the house he had seen.
On the first try, he found a medium sized bedroom, decorated with soft blues and wooded furniture. Somewhat stumbling over a round rug towards the spacious single bed, Dandy with some minor difficulty of moving the blankets and sheet back laid Scarlett Fire on the bed. Pulling the covers over the mare, he smiled as she rolled over, facing him. With a smile, Dandy brushed her mane back. Scarlett Fire murmured in her sleep and frowned. The human chuckled, amused by the Pegasus’s demeanor.
“Dandy…” she whispered, her eyes half open, she reached out to him taking his hand in her hoof with a sleepy smile, “D-dandy?”
Dandy gaped, startled by the mare’s affection, “Y-yes, Miss Fire?”
Whether because of fatigue, PTSD of deep seated guilt and self-hatred, or genuine affection, she nuzzled Richard’s hand, “Thank you Dandy,” she looked groggily into his startled face, “Thank you for being there,” she yawns softly, her eyes closing, drawing her back to sleep, “F-for being aah… a friend t-to mwuuee…”she murmurs, her words fading into sleep.
“I am glad to be your friend Scarlett Fire.” He replied and he stood there for moment, watching if the mare had fallen back asleep. Once he was certain she was indeed asleep, he stood up, removing his hand gently from her hoof. He walked across the room to her door and shut it halfway, looking back at the curled up mare with a smirk.
“You are very strange my dear.”