Chapter 3: Animal Caretaker (Revised)

For the second time within the span of forty eight hours, Strider was woken up by a beam of light from the nearby star. He blinked a few times to get the drowsiness out of his system, before he got into a sitting position next to a nearby tree.

The trooper took in his new surroundings, now with the illumination of the massive stars light. There were several different species of critters rustling about, ranging from singing birds to the occasional fox and even a few grizzly bears.

Most of the wildlife seemed to be surrounding the cottage he had spotted before, making him assume it was a little rest stop for them of some sorts. There were also several makeshift homes and dens for the animals, along with a few ponds and fields of the brightest green grass he had ever seen.

The cottage itself definitely matched the local wildlife’s habitats, with massive bundles of leaves forming the shape of a large hedge on top of the buildings roof. The walls were made up of pale tan wood, and the front door was a painted red door that seemed to be in two pieces that could open separately.

With a grunt, Strider got up from where he had been resting and began advancing towards the cottage with a still fairly present limp. He could hear a small stream flowing under a bridge leading up to the front door which also had a few ducks swimming around directly on the water level.

“Hopefully whoever owns this place has a long ranged transmitter, or at least knows where the nearest town is.” Strider thought to himself as he reached the door.

He knocked on the hard wood door and waited. After a few seconds, he could hear what sounded like footsteps approaching the other side of the door. Not long after did it swing inwards, exposing the person who likely owned the place.

Strider was about to say something but stopped when he realized that the creature didn’t look at all like anything he had ever encountered or even heard of from his brothers. It had the shape of an equine species, (mostly like a pony due to the short muzzle and large eyes) with yellow fur covering its body. It had a very long pink mane which slightly covered one of it's cyan eyes. Four hooves froze up as it looked up at his helmet.

Strider was quick to recover from the shock at seeing such a strange and very colorful creature, breaking the silence with a greeting.

"Hello, I was wondering---" He couldn't finish in time before the pony squeaked and shut the door. "--if you knew what planet i'm on..." He finished, before sighing. The only creature he had encountered that didn't want him as a snack was terrified of him, great...

Strider looked down at his armor, and then the blaster he was gripping in his left hand. Guess they had never seen a real clone trooper before. His mind drifted back to what the gunship’s nav computer had claimed, but quickly pushed it aside, he had other things to deal with right now.

He knocked on the door again, but this time the pony didn’t respond. Which was what he had assumed, so he simply cleared his throat and spoke through the wood.

"Sorry if the armor startled you," Strider said, "All I want is to simply talk, my ship crashed in the forest back there. I promise I have no intentions of harming you.”

The sound of movement that he now knew were hooves slowly returned, followed by the wooden door squeaking open a crack. It was just barely wide enough for him to see an eye from inside.

"promise? The pony mumbled.

"Sorry, couldn't hear you. Could you say that louder?" Strider asked.

"Promise?" The pony repeated. At least it spoke Galactic Basic.

"I promise." Strider claimed, setting down the DC-15A in front of the door to show he was being honest.

The door creaked open a little more, revealing more of the pony again. Strider noticed something that he didn't before about the pony. It had wings on its back, like a pegasus from old folklore he read in the G.A.R’s archives while he was stationed there. It also had a mark on its flanks of three pink butterflies.

"Wh-who are you?" The pony asked, it's tone sounding female and fairly shaken.

"I'm CT 3719, but I prefer the name Strider. I serve in the Grand Army of the Republic, or G.A.R. for short." Strider explained.

"A-Army?" The pony stuttered, her eyes widening.

"You don't know about the Clone Wars?" Strider asked.

The pony shook her head. How did she not know about the war right above her planet? Speaking of planets, Strider reminded himself to focus on the current problem.

"What's the name of this planet?" He asked.

"E-Equus. The land you crashed in is Equestria." She exclaimed.

"Equus? Equestria? Never in my days have I heard those names before." Strider said out loud, more to himself than the pony. "I'll have to check later. What's your name?"

The pony opened the door a little more, letting more of her face come into view. "Fluttershy." She said, her voice a little less shaky. "W-would you like to come inside?"

"If it's fine with you, but i'm not sure if it's exactly my height." Strider pointed out, putting a finger over the top of the doorway which was easily at eye level.

"O-Oh, don't worry, it looks smaller on the outside." Fluttershy claimed, before opening the door the rest of the way and entering. Strider picked up the DC-15A, before ducking under the door frame and followed Fluttershy inside.

The interior of the cottage seemed to be a standard living quarters, with two couches in the back with bookshelves behind them. There was a stone furnace against the right wall which had a few framed pictures on it and a handful of logs next to it.

There were several structures that served as places for animals to sleep in, play on, or walk atop. It was like the whole building was some sort of old jungle gym that younglings played on, except scaled much smaller for tinier creatures.

"Cozy place." Strider said, standing back up fully. The ceiling wasn't as low as he thought but it was still low enough that if he jumped, he would likely break into the upper floor.

"I wanted a nice area for all of my animal friends to be able to explore and play in." Fluttershy explained.

"So are you an animal caretaker? Or just like animals a lot?" Strider asked.

"Both actually. Animals have always helped me out through rough times and I want to help any animals who need it."

"That's quite kind of you." Strider pointed out.

"A little kindness never hurts," Fluttershy claimed. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure, it's been a long time since i've had something like tea." Strider stated, eyeing a green chair.

"Um, do you have a preference for what kind of tea?" Fluttershy asked, halting in front of an empty door frame that most likely led to a kitchen.

"That would be a no, just pick one you're comfortable with." Strider said, walking over to the green chair.

Fluttershy walked through the doorway and into the kitchen, vanishing from sight. Therefore, leaving Strider alone to sit down on the green chair and look over what had happened after the crash.

How did the ship even crash? The last thing he remembered was fleeing with a squad of troopers towards a planet's moon when they, along with the other Gunships, were shot down by an attacking Separatist command ship. How the Gunship didn't just explode from being struck by one of those canons was unknown to Strider. Did the ship even get hit? He couldn't tell due to the state the ship was left in after the crash. Yet again, it was still mostly intact, maybe an E.M.P. went off or something and---

Strider halted his trail of thought when he spotted a snow white bunny watching him from a basket he hadn't noticed before. The bunny was watching him intently, a look of uncertainty across its face.

"Uh… hi?"

The bunny didn't react. Instead, its eyes locked with the DC-15A that was currently lying against the chair Strider was sitting in.

Realizing this, Strider quickly picked the blaster up and switched its safety on, before setting it on the top shelf of a bookshelf behind him. The last thing he needed was a bunny playing with a Republic blaster in a house likely full of other animals, not to mention vases and picture frames.

The bunny frowned, before hopping away into another room. Right as the bunny left Striders sight, Fluttershy returned to the room, a tray with tea cups resting on her back. She set the tray down on a table between the chair Strider was sitting on and a nearby sofa.

"So, w-what happened to have you end up at my doorstep?" Fluttershy asked, taking her own seat on the sofa.

"Well, if I am to answer that question," Strider reached up to his helmet and took it off, exposing his face to the pony. "Then I think you should know about the Clone Wars."

Author's Note

Wow, I wasn't expecting this story to show up under the popular list on the second day I published it. Thanks!