A Friend From The Outside
“I’m… alive?”
Rubbing his head, he struggled his way to his feet, but the pain searing through his knees, arms and back nearly caused him to fall back to the ground before he could find his balance. Looking down at his fur, he saw the marks that had been left behind before he had woken up, which included several burn marks and cuts, decorating his body with scabs from his last battle. Before he got too carried away thinking about how he got them, however, he quickly looked around at his surroundings to find that not only was he alive, he was in some kind of forest that he didn’t recognize.
“Or did I die and this is just some kind of afterlife?” With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his head and said, “Doesn’t matter now, does it? Well, I guess that just means I should start looking around for something to eat. If I’m not dead, I sure as hell don’t want to starve to death.”
He wanted to believe that he could be done with all the trials that he faced when he was alive, but with each step he took, he felt a stinging pain in his wounds, quickly reminding him that this was a mortal body. It was strange, though, seeing as how the moment before he died (or rather thought he died), he believed that he had sacrificed himself in order to save his own world, and if he was still alive, did that mean he lost? Was Genko still alive? Had he won?
Upon brushing back some foliage in search for anything edible (that hopefully also wasn’t poisonous), he found a large cave that seemed to be desolate of any life, but for all he knew, Genko could have been sent to the exact same place as him. Just to be sure, he unsheathed his swords and made small steps, both to gauge his surroundings as well as due to the excruciating pain he felt in his kneecaps, keeping him from moving any faster. The cave seemed to be empty, but it was also dark, meaning that if someone or something found him first, he would be dead before he knew what hit him.
With a gulp, he took his first step into the cave, but just as soon as he did so, he heard a shrill voice shouting, “STOOOOP!”
Out of instinct alone, he turned on his heels and swung his sword backwards, pointing it at a shadowy figure that stood behind him, glaring it down with his fierce gaze. “Who are you?” he asked, although to the shadowy figure it probably sounded more like, “Kryct et dvis?” while spoken in his native tongue. He didn’t know what language they spoke wherever he was, but at least he knew that putting a sword at someone’s neck was a pretty clear indication that he was going to be the one calling the shots here.
“Oh! Ummm… Dwye cis Fluttershy?”
She spoke his language! He couldn’t have been far from home!
“You can understand me?!”
“Well… um… sort of,” the voice replied. “I deal with a lot of animals who speak a lot of different languages. I guess I can just catch on to new ones at this point.”
Feng didn’t understand how talking to animals could help someone understand an entirely new language, but shaking his head, he pointed his swords again, shouting, “Where am I? What is this place?”
Finally, stepping out of the shadows, he finally got a good look at her face, which seemed to be some kind of equine with yellow fur, a pink mane and a pair of feathery wings. “Well… um… you see… You were about to walk into that cave, and I had to stop you before you got too far in.”
Lowering his swords hesitantly, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s in this cave?”
“The ursa major. It’s the most terrifying thing in all of Equestria!”
Equestria? Great... So this wasn’t home after all. “Not more terrifying than me,” he replied, but just as soon as he turned to head back into the cave, he immediately stumbled forward, gripping his shoulder which seemed to burn even worse than before.
“Oh, my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, putting her hooves to her mouth. “It looks like you’re hurt all over! Come with me to my cottage. I’ll get you fixed up in no time.”
He still didn’t know whether or not he could trust this girl, but then again, he probably couldn’t trust whatever was in that cave either. If this girl was offering to treat his wounds as well as put a roof over his head, there was little point in him scavenging across some weird forest in a place that he now knew was somewhere he’d never even heard of.
Taking the yellow pegasus’s lead, he followed her to a place just outside the forest with a small house in the shape of a tree, surrounded by birdhouses, rabbit holes and a small stream underneath the path to her doorstep. Then, after entering inside, he saw even more birdhouses, not to mention all the rodents scurrying past their feet, which he nearly stepped on by accident (if not out of instinct). It was cozy to say the least, and after the past couple of days he’d spent fighting, he needed something cozy right about now.
“You just wait right here,” Fluttershy said, walking into her kitchen. “I’m going to get some bandages. Is there anything you’d like me to cook for you while I’m thinking about it?”
“Do you have anything with meat?”
Fluttershy froze, trying to find a way to answer his question without being rude to her guest. “Umm… No, I-I-I don’t think I have anything like that. I guess I’ve just run out of furry friends to put in a stew heheh...”
As soon as she said those words, however, a small white rabbit bounced its way over to the guest sitting on the couch, tilting its head to the side as it observed the stranger.
“Hey, Fluttershy! I found one!”
“NO!!” The wolf on the couch jumped slightly in surprise, but Fluttershy quickly recomposed herself, doing her best to once again take on the image of the affable caretaker. “I mean, Angel bunny isn’t on the menu.”
Leaning back with his paws behind his head, he said, “Angel bunny? That’s a cute little name he’s got there.”
“Come to think of it… I don’t think I’ve had the chance to learn your name yet.”
“Feng Lei,” the wolf replied, “or… at least that’s who I used to be. After that last battle, I’m not sure if I even exist anymore.”
Fluttershy turned towards her rabbit as if it could somehow interpret what he was saying better than she could, but with the shrug of its shoulders, Fluttershy turned back towards Feng and asked, “What do you mean? What happened?”
“Genko happened. Have you ever heard of him?”
The pegasus shook her head. “Can’t say that I have. Was he a friend of yours?”
“A friend?! Do you know of any terrifying dragons that you would call a friend?”
“Yes--I mean--No--I mean… C-could you rephrase that question?”
Feng lifted an eyebrow at the yellow pegasus, who was grinning awkwardly from ear to ear while sweat ran down her fur, but continued with his story regardless. “Anyway, the two of us were fighting for dominance between our two empires when I unleashed this spell that was supposed to kill me.”
Fluttershy gasped, raising her hooves up to her mouth in surprise. “Oh, no! Why would you do something like that?!”
“I was just trying to protect my race. My spell was supposed to take him with me to the afterlife, but if I’m here, does that mean he’s still alive somewhere? Did I bring him here with me?”
“You hold that thought. I’ll be right back.” As Fluttershy disappeared into the kitchen, Feng immediately brought his attention down to the rabbit staring up at him from the floor, and from the looks of it, it didn’t seem to enjoy having to share its space with a foreign guest. Folding its paws over its tiny belly, it glared at Feng and blew a raspberry, to which Feng responded by flashing his sharp teeth, making the rabbit suddenly faint backwards onto the floor. “OK! I’m back! How would you like some--Oh, my goodness!”
Feng turned his attention to his side, where he saw Fluttershy hovering into the room with a first aid pack in one hoof and basket of fruits in the other, but just as soon as she fluttered into the room, she saw Angel bunny lying on the floor, completely motionless. Once Feng noticed where her attention was, though, all he could do was flash her a sheepish grin, once again showing off his sharp teeth while chuckling awkwardly.
“Uhh…” he began, scratching his head. “He was like that when I got here?”
Before Fluttershy could panic any further, however, Angel weakly lifted up his shoulders, shook his head and bounced away angrily, leaving Fluttershy and Feng alone once again. “Oh, I’m sorry about Angel. He can be such a bad bunny sometimes. Oh! And I brought you some nice fruits in case you’re hungry.”
“Oh… yay… fruit…” Feng did his best to sound excited, but he could barely mask his lack of enthusiasm as he hesitantly took a bite out of a pear, his eyes watering from the overwhelming flavor and lack of sustenance. As he began to eat, however, Fluttershy immediately opened up her first aid kit and began wrapping gauze around Feng’s wounded shoulder. “Careful with my shoulderblades. They get sensitive around cute girls.”
Fluttershy stopped on the spot, but looking around the room, she appeared to be at war with herself, as if continuing to wrap bandages over his shoulder would be confirming his compliment. Instead, though, rather than do anything, she put her hooves over her face to hide the redness of her cheeks, dropping the gauze to the floor and stuttering as she spoke.
“I’m s-sorry if I made your shoulders sensitive--or... not sensitive? But then I wouldn’t have any reason to apologize. Although I am really sorry for… um… not making your shoulders weak? Or… You need more fruit.”
“Wait! No! I have plenty of fruit! Aaaaand you’re already in the kitchen.” Feng slumped his shoulders, feeling a twinge of pain, making him regret even further trying to be playful with someone who probably couldn’t even tie her own shoes without getting scared…
...Wait. Do they even wear shoes here?
“Sorry for the wait!” Fluttershy said, floating in a bushel of apples, making Feng cry silently on the inside. “Now, why don’t you chow down on some of these while I go back to fixing up those owies.”
“Fluttershy, I’m a wandering vigilante warrior. I don’t get owies.”
“Oh, everypony gets owies from time to time. My friend Rainbow Dash is as tough as they get, but the other day, she hurt her wing so bad that she could barely talk.”
Feng tried not to scoff at the idea of someone named Rainbow Dash being the toughest pony this world had to offer, but for all he knew, hurting a wing was the most painful thing imaginable. “So, speaking of your friends,” Feng began, trying to talk as much as he could so he wouldn’t have to eat any more fruit, “what’s your story?”
Fluttershy, though, who was halfway through taping up Feng’s left arm at this point, raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Like your life story! What do you do here? Who do you talk to? What are your hobbies? How many monsters have you killed?” Fluttershy gasped again, but before she could overreact like last time, Feng put up his paw in defense, saying, “Kidding! Kidding!”
“Well… I’d prefer not to think of it as killing anypony, but there was this evil unicorn named King Sombra who--”
Feng shot up in his seat. “What the hell?! I was joking! Have you really killed someone?!”
“No! I mean--yes--I mean… FRUIT!”
Before Fluttershy could hightail her way back to the kitchen, however, Feng grabbed her by the tail, silently breathing a sigh of relief as he reeled her back into the conversation. “OK, that was a bad question. What about your friends? Do you have anyone else besides this Rainbow Dash kid?”
“Well, I have my friend Discord come over every once in a while for tea parties, but I would say my closest friends would be Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Twilight and I used to be really close too, but then she started mentoring somepony who… let’s just say she’s not the most friendly of ponies.”
Feng’s plan was working. As he continued to drive the conversation further, Fluttershy became lost in her speech, working the gauze around the other wounds on his body and completely forgetting about the fruit basket that he was discreetly hiding under the table. “So who’s this Twilight pony, and why is she mentoring someone you hate so much?”
“I wouldn’t say I hate her, but--”
“But you’d rather not be at the same wedding that she’s at.”
“...That’s one way to put it.”
“And her name is?”
Fluttershy padded down the last of her remaining gauze, rolling it over his arm as she took a seat next to him on the couch. “Her name is Chrysalis. Princess Celestia asked Twilight to teach her about friendship, but… she’s having a little bit of trouble catching on.”
“How so?”
“Weeeelll…” The yellow mare put a hoof to her chin as she thought deeply, although from the way she seemed to talk about this girl, he could only assume that Fluttershy was looking for the most vivid examples. “There was that when Twilight tried bringing her into town so that she could practice self-introductions.”
“OK, and how did that end up?”
Fluttershy looked away, no doubt harboring unwanted memories. “She kinda… turned herself into Rainbow Dash and tricked me into thinking Twilight was sick so I could take her home while Chrysalis tried to take over Ponyville.” As she ended her long-winded sentence with a sheepish grin, all Feng could do was shake his head as he tried to make sense of what Fluttershy had just told him.
“Wait… Ponies can change into other ponies?”
“Oh, no! Chrysalis isn’t a pony. She’s a changeling.”
“Ohhhhh! Right! A changeling! Because that makes so much more sense.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement before Feng’s sarcastic smile turned into a scowl, making Fluttershy shrink in embarrassment. “Oh, you’re right. Sorry. A changeling is basically like a bug pony that can turn into anything it wants.”
As things started to make more sense, Feng wrapped his newly bandaged arms around the back of his head like a pillow while resting one leg on top of the other. “So you have ponies and changelings and some terrifying monster called the ursa major here? What else does this place have?”
“Let’s see… We have yaks and griffons and manticores and dragons and--”
As Fluttershy went on, Feng clicked his tongue, turning his head away as he suddenly remembered a pressing matter he knew he was ignoring. “This place has dragons too, huh?”
“Oh, that’s right. You mentioned a dragon that you didn’t like earlier, didn’t you?”
“‘Didn’t like’ is putting it softly.” Then, uncrossing his legs, he slumped over with his chin in his paw and an elbow on his knee. “Genko tried to kill me! He wanted to take over my world! Can you imagine what life would be like here if he managed to get the dragons on his side?”
Fluttershy shuddered, but quickly regained her composure with a soft smile. “I’m scared just thinking about it, but I’m sure we’d be fine.” Feng raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but Fluttershy carried on regardless. “As long as my friends and I are here, we’d be able to stop anycreature who tried to hurt my friends, and that includes you!”
“What?” Feng was now sitting back in his chair, looking Fluttershy directly into the eyes with a stern stare. “Don’t get me wrong here. I’m sure that your friends are very capable ponies, but I sincerely doubt that they’d be able to step up against someone like Genko. Also, what’s this stuff about me being your friend too?”
“Umm… Th-that’s what I thought we were.”
Feng scoffed. “I don’t need friends from this place, especially since I should be finding my way back home, just in case Genko is still there.”
“Hmm. It sure sounds like you could use a friend right about now.”
Feng looked down at the pony with a scornful eye, but rather than return his fierce gaze, Fluttershy looked up at him with a kind, caring smile, ignoring any of the hostility that he was showing her. He had been raised his whole life to put his emotions to the side, to be tough, to only be concerned with himself without needing help from anybody else. At the same time, though, he had no idea if there was any for sure way for him to get back home, and even if there was a way back home, he had no idea how he was supposed to do it. If he was stranded here forever, or worse, if he was stranded here with Genko hiding in the background somewhere, he knew that he would need as much camaraderie as he could get, even if it meant dropping his tough guy act for a little while.
With a sigh, Feng slumped over his knees and said, “You really don’t give up, do you?”
“Not if somebody needs my help,” Fluttershy replied, rubbing Feng’s back.
“I don’t need help… But… Until I can find a way out of this world, I guess I’ll need to get used to the idea of having friends here.” Fluttershy’s face lit up, but before she could get too happy, Feng lifted up his paws as if to block her friendliness. “But if you start singing out of nowhere, I’m not joining you. Is that clear?”
The yellow pegasus smirked, making Feng’s heart drop into his stomach a little bit. “We’ll see.”
The both of them suddenly began to laugh, which honestly wasn’t something that Feng had experienced much of over the past couple of years. All that time he had spent as a mercenary may have made him into the wolf that he was today, but he would be lying if he said that he didn’t miss all the times he could genuinely laugh and be happy. He didn’t know how long he would have to spend here in Equestria or if he would ever be able to make it back home, but even if he was stuck here forever, at least he knew that he had something here that he didn’t have before…
...A friend.
