The Visit

Fluttershy nearly dropped her basket when she noticed the crumpled body in the high grass. Cautiously, she trotted over to it, and once she was within reach, put the basket down and outstretched her arm to the unconscious form.
It was cold.

Tears sprang to her eyes in both fear and sadness as she pressed her gentle hoof deeper into the cadaver, praying to Celestia that this poor colt would stir. She cried renewed tears of joy when he at last groaned, then shifted.
With a drawn-out "ow", the stranger struggled onto his haunches and sat, dazed. Fluttershy was in his periphery at first, but this changed when she noticed his wing.

A lot of tears were going to be shed this day.

The clear rivers created a meander as her cheeks lifted to voice a quiet gasp. "Your wing..."

The colt tensed, spied the mangled, twisted wing, then tried his best to smile. "Don't worry, miss," he said. His voice was as polite and youthful as it was brittle with pain. Flames of Tartarus shot through every inch of his body with every breath he took. "These wings are mostly illusory. See?"

With a wave of his horn, the leathery appendages disintegrated, and with a second wave they returned unscathed to his sides. Then he made them disappear again. The repair eased the pain but depleted his magic reserves, and he collapsed. Fluttershy raced to bear him up on her back, but he was too tall, and she crumpled under the weight.

"Mister?" she whispered. The colt's eyelids rose lazily. The fact that he was still responsive gave her hope. Wings buzzing, she rose off the ground. "Wait here!"

Unable to do much more, he did. Fluttershy returned with a rolled leaf filled with water from a nearby river.

"Mister?" she called again. His eyes opened faster this time. Overjoyed, she nursed the stranger as delicately as she could, then waited to see if that was enough to help him to his hooves. It wasn't, so she had to make two more trips. By the third leaf-full, he could sit again.

"Thank you," he croaked.

"Can you walk?"

The unicorn, unsure of the truth, merely nodded.

"I think I can help you," she explained slowly, "But I can't take all of your weight. My cottage is only a few yards from here. Do you think you can make it?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to try?"

He nodded again.

It took a great effort, but before he could collapse again and she could catch frostbite from lugging his body, they made it inside the animal shelter. Relieved, they disengaged and fell to the floor.

"Don't worry," Fluttershy assured him after a well-deserved rest. "I'll take care of you."

The reply she received was the best kind—a trusting smile. Tearing up for what might have been the fourth time that day, she raced for her first aid kit.

It took two hours, but the colt was finally patched up. Broken wing aside, his left side was covered in scratches caked with dirt and small rocks, and he looked like he hadn't eaten in days. With Mr. Bear's help, she was able to carry him into one of the guest rooms to relax. Fluttershy, yawning at the sight of him, decided this was a great opportunity to rest as well. Happily, she settled into her own bed and slept the afternoon away.

Angel woke her again that evening, foot thumping impatiently against her head. After lightly chastising the incorrigible rabbit she made her way downstairs to make dinner, but not before checking on her newest addition. He was still asleep. Good.

She was to last to eat, as usual, but if everyone was satisfied she could have some time to think, and she would need all the time she could get right now.

Her first thought was of her friends. The stranger was a unicorn, so Twilight and Rarity's expertise could come in handy if there was a horn injury she had missed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash's combined strength could lift him like a twig and make transportation a breeze if he was still sluggish. And Pinkie Pie…

She smiled and swallowed another spoonful of broth.

After what she could only assume was a nasty crash, she was sure her new guest would need every Pinkie-patented party trick in the book!

She finished her soup and began washing up. The matter was settled, then. She would go right after breakfast and see who's available. Regardless of who it was, she was sure they were going to be a great help.

Fluttershy woke early the next morning thanks to her nap. Grateful for the extra hour or two in her schedule, she made an impressive breakfast for her and her guest, then tiptoed upstairs to let him know.

To her surprise, her guest was wide awake and...rather busy with something. So busy, in fact, he didn't even notice her come in until it was too late. Fluttershy, as kind as she was, pretended not to notice.

"Breakfast is ready," she chirped.

"Thank you, miss," he whispered.

Then she shut the door and went back to the breakfast nook. The colt appeared twenty minutes later. Without a sound, he slid into the seat opposite hers and began to eat. Fluttershy noted that he decided to forgo magic and use his hooves instead and that his table manners were sublime, save his dour nature.

"I'm sorry," he said at last.

Fluttershy wouldn't hear another word, even though it wasn't exactly a welcome surprise. "Don't be sorry," she argued. "It's perfectly natural for a colt your age."

His cheeks were red. "I put up a forcefield!" he said quickly. "I could never forgive myself if I defiled your sheets!"

"That was very considerate of you. Thank you."

"It's the least I could do." Brightened, he continued to eat and Fluttershy could finally drink in the sight of her new guest. His ash-grey coat reached to the end of his cuticles, where they feathered out above darker grey hooves. Under better circumstances, she mused, his shoulder-length mane parted evenly and as black as Luna's night (it even had a pale white moon—er, streak—on one side!) would be perfectly combed, and his matching tail would be preened to perfection. Shining sky blue eyes watched his meal closely, dulled somewhat by lingering pain.

Fluttershy suddenly remembered her first observation. "I see you aren't using your horn. Is it injured?"

"Overworked, but not injured. I'm fairly sure of that."

"I have a couple of unicorn friends that could help you if you think it is injured. In fact, I was going to invite all of my friends over later on today so they could help me help you."

"That's very kind of you, miss."

"Fluttershy."

"Miss Fluttershy."

She was going to correct him again, but figured it wasn't doing any harm. He was just being polite.

The unicorn hadn't eaten much, but it was more than she expected. Smiling, she cleared off the table. Her guest helped.

"Thank you...oh dear, I never asked for your name. I'm sorry."

"My name is Frances."

"Thank you, Frances."

Frances crawled back into bed once the kitchen was clean and Fluttershy slipped into town. She figured Twilight Sparkle was the best person to see first about this issue since she was most likely to have extensive knowledge of magical accidents and horn injuries.

Unfortunately, she was far more concerned with his current lodgings: “Fluttershy, if he suffered as bad a crash as you described, why didn’t you take him to the hospital?”

The pegasus cowed under her friend’s glare. “I...uh...It looked bad at first, and he couldn’t walk very far. Celestia knows what might have happened if I just sat around waiting for help, so I took matters into my own hooves and it turned out not to be so bad.”

Twilight still wasn’t crazy about her friend’s course of action, but she did make a good point. A Good Samaritan is always better than an absent physician. “Well, I’m glad he’s in good hooves. Now, you say you didn’t observe any injuries?”

“Not to his horn, no. He said he was overworked, and he looked exhausted. He must have been wielding some powerful magic because he used illusory wings.”

"How interesting..." the princess mused, then promised to visit at around two.

In fact, all the girls did. Fluttershy was so glad! At first, she was afraid of being a bother, especially since she knew life can get pretty busy early in the day, but once she had several nods of approval she was over the moon with confidence! She was going to help this stranger! She was going to give him the best darn help she ever gave!
She paused to blush at her pottymouth, then continued her walk back home. By the time she arrived there was only an hour left before her friends arrived.

"I'm home, every—Oh, my!”
Frances was sitting in the living room with all the curtains drawn. He wasn't moving and didn't react to her intrusion. Fluttershy ventured further in.

"Frances?"

Now he turned around. "Good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy." His voice was stronger now and even in the dark, she noticed he moved with relative ease towards her. "How was your trip?"

"Good..." she began, then trailed off. "I hope you managed well by yourself."

"I've been doing very well, thanks to you. I was able to come down here after my nap and meditate for a while."
Meditation. An innocent self-healing exercise. Calm down, Fluttershy…

"I can see that! I'm so glad you're feeling better, but do you mind if I open a window or two?"

"Not at all."

As she fiddled with the cord, she let Frances know that all five of her friends would arrive soon. He was glad to hear it, then excused himself to make sure he looked presentable. She let him go, then prepared some tea and refreshments.

Twilight and the girls decided to arrive as a group to Fluttershy's home at two on the dot. The pegasus was happy to receive them.

"I'm very excited to meet your guest, Fluttershy," Twilight began, echoing the silent desires of the group. "Based on what you told me, I'll be honored to help in any way I can. Though I am curious about those illusory wings you described to me..."

"Is he still sluggish?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"No, he's improved considerably. In fact, he just went upstairs to make himself look presentable. Something about him suggests he's used to being neat and clean."

Rarity squished her cheeks together. "Oh, the poor dear, crash landing in the Everfree like that! He really must be out of his element! As soon as you deem him well enough, I am going to whisk him away to the spa!"

"So what's keepin' the lil' critter?" Applejack queried, staring at the staircase. She ate her words as soon as she noticed a hoof on the top step. The others heard it and quieted.

"Do you need help coming down?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," the voice called back, "Thank you!"

Frances descended in his own time. Once on level ground he strode across the living room and stood before the crowd. Upon seeing Princess Twilight, he bowed. "Your Highness." Then he took a step back and bowed again. "Ladies."

At that moment, everyone finally understood why Twilight didn't exactly cherish the social cues that followed her ascension. To be honored in such a way after being little more than the common mare for most of one's life brought on a maelstrom of emotions that was as exciting as it was terrifying. Even Rarity, who secretly pined for such respect, was floored by the gesture.

"You have friends in such high places, Miss Fluttershy," he noted, then sat beside her. Fluttershy poured him some tea, which he took by hoof.

That finally snapped everyone out of thier reverie.

"Hello...um..."

"Frances," Fluttershy whispered to Twilight.

"Hello, Frances. Fluttershy told us you were injured not too long ago. I might not be a physician, but I am familiar with several kinds of horn related injuries and if I notice anything out of the ordinary I would like to help."

"Of course."

The Princess of Friendship took a cautious step forward, not only because she wanted to be gentle in her assessment, but because she felt a vaguely threatening aura emanate from the colt. She decided sitting three paces away was a safe enough distance without being rude. "Now, can you share with us how you ended up in the Everfree?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Frances rubbed a foreleg. "I was messing about with magic that was a bit too advanced for me and it blew me clear out of my own world and into this one."

Fluttershy gasped. "I didn't know you were stranded here! I would have gotten the girls sooner!"

"That's alright, Miss Fluttershy. If I am to be stranded, I'm glad to be stranded with you."

Fluttershy gasped again. Something about this filly just tugged on her heartstrings... As she excused herself to grab a tissue, Twilight continued her interrogation.

"I see. Interdimensional travel does carry certain risks and unforeseen consequences. I'll come back to that. I notice you're using your hooves. Nothing wrong with that, though most unicorns tend to prefer to use magic while eating and drinking."

"As do I, Your Highness, but I feel it's wiser to save my strength until I can get back home."

"Ah. Fluttershy did mention you were exhausted and you said your horn was overworked. Have you experienced any headaches?"

"Not since yesterday."

"How severe was it?"

"A mild throb in the back of my head. Went away by morning."

"That's a good sign. Could I examine your horn?"

Frances lowered his head. Twilight couldn't find anything of note.

"Have you practiced any magic since the accident?"

"No."

"Do you mind lifting your teacup?"

"How high?"

"Above your head."

Frances did as he was told with little effort. He even put it down again as if it was made of thin glass instead of hardened porcelain.

"That's also a very good sign. The good news is I don't believe anything is wrong with your horn. If you want to continue saving your strength, then I think that is a wise decision."

"Thank you, Princess."

Fluttershy smiled and hugged him. Frances tensed, then accepted the hug with increasing fervor. By the time she released him, Applejack had stepped into his presence.

"Heard you were sluggish, partner. In fact, Ah had taken two days away from the farm to bear you up." She gave him a once over. "With the way you moved today Ah'm fixin' to conclude that's no longer true, but don't overexert yourself, ya hear? Ah'm going to stay anyway, but Ah'm only goin' to help if you need me."

Frances nodded, then frowned.

"What's wrong, hon?"

"You remind me of my marefriend." He gave a small, sad chuckle. "You kind of look like her too. I'm really far from home, aren't I?"

Pinkie Pie, in a gait that was unnatural for her usually exuberant self, approached Frances, sat before him, and smiled. Her back was itchy and her ears were twitchy a few moments ago and what looked like a new tactic for the party pony was actually mind-numbing fear. Something was wrong here, but she couldn't say what. Oh well. When in doubt, giggle at the ghostie.

"Chin up, Frances," she soothed. She was bold enough to literally lift his chin up. His ears were still stuck fast to the sides of his head. "You're in a tough spot now, but you'll get home soon. It's like you said: If you gotta be stranded, at least you're stranded with Fluttershy. With all of us."

Finally, Frances smiled, and some of her apprehension subsided. Maybe he was secretly defensive. Maybe he came from a place where kindness was a ruse instead of a driving force of the universe. He chuckled, and this spurred a great, innocent laugh from the pink mare. "There ya go!"

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "We can always count on you, Pinkie!" She hovered above her partner-in-crime and grinned, sticking out a hoof. "Rainbow Dash. I took off to help you too. Heard you had wings and figured if AJ could help you on the ground I could help you in the sky!"

Frances beamed. "Thank you, Miss Dash."

Rainbow Dash scoffed playfully. "Call me Rainbow."

"Of course."

Finally, Rarity stepped up to the plate. Holding out a hoof, she stated that Frances was a very polite gentlecolt. Frances thanked her, then received the hoof and kissed it lightly. Rarity nearly swooned. "Oh, that marefriend of yours is one lucky filly! Just for that, I want to give you a home makeover right now! May I, Fluttershy?"

"Only if he's up to it."

Frances' ears had been pricked since he heard the words 'home makeover'. Nodding enthusiastically, he stood and flicked his tail. Rarity squealed and rushed out of the cottage.

"I'll be back with my special soaps!"

Twilight laughed and stood. "I guess that's as good a stopping point as any. We hope you recover soon, Frances. Don't hesitate to ask any of us for help."

"I won't, Your Highness."

The guests parted ways once they were outside Fluttershy's home. The blinding white of the early afternoon sun had mellowed into a warm bright yellow, warming the backs of Pinkie Pie and Twilight, who walked back to their homes together. Twilight was proud of Pinkie's discretion at first, but when her deflated mood lasted longer than the situation called for, it worried her. "Is everything alright?"

Pinkie walked even slower. "My Pinkie-Sense was tingling around Frances. I think...I think something's wrong."

They reached the castle. Twilight invited her in. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed."

"I don't want to make assumptions, not again. But an itchy back and a twitchy ear don't lie!"

"Of course. I sensed an aura of danger around him too, despite his polite manner. It feels subdued, so I don't think there's anything to worry about, and yet..."

Pinkie froze. "You don't think he would hurt Fluttershy, do you?" she asked, frightened by the very idea.

Twilight had to be honest. "I can't see why he would, but I can't see why he wouldn't either." She put an arm around her friend. "Look, we can't make assumptions, right? He could be good, he could be bad, he could be bad looking for good, or good for the sake of being bad. We just don't know, and right now it's not our place to ask. The good news is, regardless of the truth, we promised to help, which means we can keep an eye on him."

Pinkie nodded resolutely. "I think I might start doing just that."

"Easy, Pinkie. Don't do anything you might regret. Frances is just another pony that needs some cheering up."

Pinkie took a breath. Grateful for Twilight's guidance, she thanked her and returned to her shift at Sugarcube Corner. Her instincts burned to run back to Fluttershy, but the princess had a point. It was better for everyone if she had some time to cool down.

Back at the cottage, Fluttershy was preparing a proper lunch for herself. She didn't want to help Rarity on an empty stomach, after all. Frances was wandering around the living room, observing the animals that inhabited the habitats she built into the walls and ceilings. One particular guest caught his eye as it scampered into a hole in the lower wainscoting.

"Miss Fluttershy?" he called.

The pegasus glided into the room. "Yes?"

He pointed at the mouse hole. "You have vermin in your wall. I could take care of them for you, if you want." He crouched down. "I'm in the mood for a snack."

Before he could do anything else, Fluttershy rubbed his ear. "Actually, Frances, Mr. Mouse and his family are guests here, just like you. Please don't hurt them."

He stood. "Ah. Sorry, Mr. Mouse."

"If you're hungry, I can get you a snack."

"Perhaps later. I don't want to trouble you before Miss Rarity arrives."

She beckoned him into the kitchen. "It'll be quick."

Fluttershy offered him an apple, which was the opposite of what he really wanted, but thanked her for it anyway. In the meantime, she was glad she had convinced him to eat something rather than someone. She was no stranger to carnivorous animals, of course, but a pony willing to eat mice—

Frances opened his mouth, exposing for the first time a sharp pair of fangs. When they pierced the apple she half expected them to drain it dry, but instead, they sliced cleanly into the flesh and pulled it into his mouth. Fluttershy fought the urge to stare.

A pony with the biological equipment to eat mice was something she never encountered.

When he made it to the core Rarity returned to Fluttershy's home with a trunk of beauty supplies riding behind her in a wagon. Fluttershy hastily ate a carrot before joining the fashionista and her guest in the upstairs bathroom.

The home spa treatment was a rousing success. Frances loved being pampered and Rarity loved pampering, especially when it gave her the opportunity to show off all of her beauty gadgets. She also noticed Frances was a bit more loose-lipped after the bath, and tried to use that as an opportunity to learn more about him.

"I see you don't get to do this very often," she said as she massaged shampoo into his mane.

"Hardly," Frances agreed. "Never enough time. Never enough resources."

"Oh no?"

"No..."

Rarity didn't reply. It was an old salespony trick. The less you said, the more your customer revealed.

"But a hooficure now and then never harmed anypony, did it?"

Rarity couldn't agree more, but was discouraged by his subtle evasion. He was a sly devil, but she would get him. She just needed to keep at it. Focus on him, not his past.

While she was brushing his tail she found a new opening. "I see you're a lover of the finer things in life," she commented, pointing at his cutie mark. A trio of red diamond-shaped gemstones rested above a broken silver crown.

"I used to belong to a noble family," he replied. "Actually, I'm sure a few of us might still be alive, but since I can never speak to them again, they might as well be dead."

Rarity stopped brushing. She didn't reply to this either, but largely because she didn't know what to say. (Thank goodness Fluttershy was in her bedroom...) Finally, after an eternity of silence, she muttered, "I'm sorry," and stopped prying. She regained most of her excitement by the end of the night, but she left somber.

Author's Note

Feedback is welcome!