My Little Forerunner: Friendship is Didactic

The road towards the creature's settlement was one of the brightest, most cheerful sights The Didact had seen in a long time. Birds and butterflies were fluttering through the gentle breeze. Again he looked up and saw a bright, clear blue sky. He squirrels and other woodland creatures scurried across the ground and trees, but were fast to run for cover when he approached, which was completely understandable. He would have stopped and admired the scenery more, but the pain kept reminding him that he needed to get to that hospital. At times he felt light-headed, even dizzy, and had to lean on a tree for support. He knew he still had plenty of time before he would pass out though.

On the way toward the town known as Ponyville, the creature, apparently named Rainbow Dash, had many questions for The Didact. He first tried to keep conversation to a minimum, trying hard not to reveal too much about the Forerunners or the Prometheans. He particularly restrained from telling her of his mission. Likewise, he tried to get information out of her about her people, and she was much more open than he was, especially after he explained that his people had no quarrel with hers. Their conversation distracted him from his pain and wooziness.

Apparently, her race was called the ponies, which were divided amongst three sub-races; earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, such as herself. The Didact recognized a few of these names from mythology from many years ago. Their society seemed to function as any civilized, intelligent, egalitarian society. Every pony had jobs and worked for a living. Rainbow's job was clearing the skies as part of what was called the weather patrol.

She also told him about unicorns, and how they have the power to levitate objects just as he can, only they call the ability magic, and they could use it to perform other feats. Interesting.

He remembered to thank her as well for saving him earlier.

Finally, they approached the border of a quaint, simple looking town, downright primitive from a Forerunner's point of view.

"So what?" Rainbow asked. "We're just gonna waltz into town and head up to the hospital?"

"Yes." The Didact replied dryly.

"You're not- like worried about every pony staring or mobing you or... or panicking or anything?"

"My wound gives me reason to ignore such a trivial concern. From what you have told me, I have nothing to fear from your people."

"I mean this is kind of a big thing. Every pony is going to want to know about you! You're about to become pretty famous, buddy. Or worse... you might cause a bit of a panic."

"Well allow me to warn you right now: If any of you plan on threatening me in any way, be prepared to face my power. You have witnessed only a small droplet of what I am capable of."

"And let me warn you, Buster!" She snapped back, "You're not the only guy with super powers and magic! We got some pretty tough ponies around here too!"

The Didact glared at her. "I still have my doubts that any of you could match me. Now onward we go." He marched off into the town.

"Great," Rainbow muttered to herself, "this guy is Trixie all over again. Maybe Twilight can teach him a lesson later."

As they marched through the town towards the hospital, there indeed were several ponies who stopped and stared at or ran away from the huge hulking creature in glowing armor. Many ran away into their homes and locked the doors. Rainbow was reminded of the panic everypony was thrust into when Zecora use to come into town before they came to know her. None of them tried to stop or bother him though, nor did he pay them any mind.

His wound was still hurting greatly. He began to feel his blood seeping down in his armor, dripping down his leg. He needed to find this hospital soon.

They passed by one cafe, and at one outdoor table, Doctor Whooves and his lovely assistant, Ditzy Doo, were finishing a delicious lunch. The waiter was about to come out to give the check, but when The Didact passed them by, the waiter ran back inside and slammed the door shut.

The stallion and the pegasus looked up from their conversation at the figure passing them by.

"Good lord!" The Doctor exclaimed when The Didact had passed. "What was that?"

"Hey don't look at me, you're the sci-fi guy, aren't you?" Ditzy shrugged.

"That doesn't necessarily mean I know EVERY alien that pops up," The Doctor countered. "Why, I don't even know if that IS an alien! Don't know what it is actually. Doesn't look familiar."

"Well , Rainbow Dash is with him, so he can't be dangerous," Ditzy observed, smiling. Her smile soon faded away though. She was clearly still frightened by the creature.

"Still, I say we should investigate this creature. It seems they are heading toward the hospital. And... is he limping? Oh dear he must be injured."

"I'm sure he's fine," Ditzy replied. "Rainbow and the people at the hospital will take care of him."

The Doctor then got up from his chair and walked into the cafe. "I'll pay our bill, then we can chuck over to the hospital, talk with Rainbow, then see what the fuss over this fellow is."

Finally they made it to a large white building with a sign of a red cross up front. The Didact was barely able to squeeze in through the narrow door without crashing through the walls. Rainbow came in behind him.

The ponies who were waiting around in the waiting room turned away from their conversations and magazines and again stared at the giant.

The Didact marched up to the front desk and looked down at the receptionist.

"I am bleeding terribly," He said to her. "I ask for treatment."

The receptionist, a green earth pony, shrunk down and whimpered at first, before finally nodding. Shaking, she slowly reached over and took hold of a microphone, pushed a button near it, and said "Bleeding emergency, Nurse Tenderheart to the front desk." She then turned back to The Didact and said, "If you'll just hold on one moment please, sir."

"Thank you," The Didact replied.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS ALL GAWKIN' AT?" Rainbow snapped out at every pony in the waiting room. Immediatly, they all snapped back to their own business, clearly having difficulty ignoring the alien.

As soon as she was done, a blue earth pony with a green mane walked in from the halls.

"Hello sir," She said. "I am Nurse Tenderheart. If you'll please come with me, we'll get you patched up." Her voice was soothing and compassionate, but she was frowning. She was again afraid of him, but still cared enough to help him.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Rainbow said to him before he followed the nurse. "I'm gonna go get some more help and maybe clear up the panic you caused."

"Very well," He nodded. And with that, Rainbow was off through the doors.

The Didact had expected this world to be shocked by his visit, to be fearful, and for many to question him (he was surprised he had not been swarmed by any press associates yet). In all honesty though, he could care less. He knew that once these ponies learned he had no interest in them, they would leave him alone. All he wanted was to find a way off this planet so he could carry on with his mission. Perhaps during his fifteen minutes of fame, he would meet someone who could help him leave. And if they tried anything to harm him or keep him longer, he would not hesitate to obliterate them.

Rainbow thought it best not to let tell anyone to come out of their homes until she was sure that The Didact was safe. Instead, she decided to go to Twilight's. She would know what to do.

Twilight was in the library reading through another book the Princess had assigned to her when Rainbow suddenly burst through the door, startling her.

"Twilight!" She exclaimed, "You're not gonna believe this!"

"What?" Twilight spun around, afraid of Rainbow's news. "What is it?"

"An alien crashed just out of town, I saved him, and now he's in the hospital!"

Twilight just gave her a blank look. "You're right. I don't believe that." She muttered.

"I'm serious! No joke!" Rainbow snapped. "Just trust me on this! I'm going to go get the others! Think maybe you can get the Princess down here? She's gonna wanna meet this guy."

"Ah, Rainbow Dash, we finally caught up to you!" A new British voice chimed in. The girls turned to face Doctor Whooves and Ditzy enter the library.

"Oh, hey there Doc, Derpy," Twilight greeted the new guests.

"I take it you're all interested in our visitor, eh?" The Doctor asked. "What's the story with this fellow, Rainbow? Is he dangerous?"

Before she replied, Rainbow turned back to Twilight. "See, I told you there's an alien here!"

Twilight huffed and rolled her eyes. She could not believe she was about to do this. "You better not be pulling my leg here, Rainbow."

"I'm not! I swear on my mom's grave that's the truth!" Rainbow shouted. "Meet us all at the hospital when the Princess gets here." And with that, she bolted out the door.

"Spike," Twilight called up to their room, "Come down here. Time to take a letter."

"And I gotta warn ya," Rainbow's head peaked back in quick. "This guy is UUUUUG-LY!"

"We're coming too, I guess," Ditzy added.

"Oh yes, I'm quite eager to meet this fellow," The Doctor nodded.

"Sure, no prob," Rainbow smiled. "Come on, let's go get the others!"

The Didact sat on the bench, which barely supported his weight. His armor had been removed, exposing his muscly build, and most of his upper body had been bandaged up.

"Well, Mister-um, Didact, was it?" the blue pony, Nurse Tenderheart asked.

"Yes?" The Didact responded.

"Well, first of all, you ARE aware of how different our anatomy and chemistry is, our two species right?"

The Didact gave her an unamused glare. She had to be joking. "Yes, I am aware," he said curtly.

"And so I was not sure exactly how to treat your wound. You said it was from a grenade, right?"

"Yes."

"Well we cleaned your wound as best we could, bandaged you up as best we could, and you stopped bleeding, so I say we made some progress. I'm not sure how your people heal or anything."

"If your bandages hold up, I believe I will heal in a week." He hoped that their species measured weeks in a smilier time scale.

"That's good to hear. We also have some painkiller pills here for you if you'd like." She gestured the small canister of pills on the counter. Other than that, there's not much else we can do for you."

"This is plenty," The Didact insisted. "You have my gratitude. I'm afraid I don't have any currency with me now to pay the price of your service."

"Oh don't worry about that," she smiled. "We've already taken care of that."

"What do you mean?" The Didact raised an eye.

"Well, let me rephrase that. You have a few visitors, and one of them paid your bill."

"It must have been Rainbow Dash," The Didact stated.

"Is there anything else you need?"

The Didact swallowed a lump in his throat, and suddenly realized how dry it felt and how parched he was.

"I would appreciate a glass of water, if it is not too much trouble," He replied.

Nurse Tenderheart left the room and returned within a minute, pushing a cart with a pitcher of water.

"I assumed one small cup would not be enough for you," She said, letting out a small chuckle.

The Didact did not even smile at her joke. He simply said "Thank you," and reached for the pitcher, which to him was the size of a normal glass, and held it too his lips and took a long sip. The water was cold and refreshing. It had been so long since he had enjoyed such a refreshing beverage. Every gulp seemed soothing to him.

After that one slow sip, he had finished his drink, and set the pitcher down on the cart again.

"Anything else?" Tenderheart asked.

"No. I am quite comfortable now. Thank you."

"Alright. Just sign here then." The nurse held up a clipboard which The Didact signed, being careful not to break anything with his massive hands or brute strength.

"And now your visitors would like to see you." She headed toward the door and opened it. Into the room flooded several more ponies, one of which was Rainbow Dash. The Didact remembered Rainbow talking about some of her friends on the way over. He remembered there were five of them, but then who were this brown stallion and grey pagasis? And what was wrong with the latter's eyes?

While others were the same height, one of them caught The Didact's eye. She was much taller than the others, almost up to his shoulders if he were to stand up, white with her mane flowing like a river.

"See, told ya he was real!" Rainbow snickered to her friends. They all stared at him wide-eyed.

"Thank you for caring for him, Nurse Tenderheart," The large white pony spoke to the blue pony. "You may go now."

"Yes, of course." The nurse bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

The remaining ponies were silent for a moment, possibly waiting for the white mare to speak. The Didact figured she was their leader, their matriarch.

"Hello there," She said at last after clearing her throat. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. What shall we call you?"

"I am The Didact, leader of the Prometheans and Forerunner pioneer and military leader."

A few eyes seemed to widen at the word 'military'.

"Rainbow Dash told us how you were wounded," The Princess continued. "Are you feeling alright now?"

"Yes. I am doing fine now."

"May I ask why you have come here?" She continued.

"It was not intentional," He replied. "I was aboard my ship, over another planet. ...An accident struck, and I fell off into a slip space rupture. It brought me here, it seems." He decided not to bring up his assault on Planet Earth. "You have been quite hospitable to me thus far, and I am grateful for that. Now I request only some means of transportation so that I may return to my people and carry on my mission."

"S-so, you're not going to wipe us out?" Asked the yellow pegasus timidly, "or enslave us?"

"No," he replied. "My people have no quarrel with yours. We were not even aware of you before today."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Exclaimed the Pink pony. She was so loud and so enthusiastic that in the tense atmosphere she startled everyone. She bounced right up beside the Didact on the bench.

"We should have a party to welcome you to Ponyville!" She went on, "I mean everypony was so scared when you came in, and a party is just what they need to get to know you better. And maybe you can invite your people and we can have a bigger party! Perfect thing to unite our two species in peace and friendship! And I bet you're a really nice guy! I can't wait to get to know you better!" She was speaking so fast, The Didact could barely understand her, and could only give her a confused, uncomfortable look.

On his other side, the purple unicorn slid up beside him. "I'm really excited to meet you too," She started. "I always knew aliens were real! I knew we couldn't be the only planet in the whole universe with intelligent life! I mean there have been a few other encounters with Aliens in Equestria, but not a lot of facts are kept on them, and none have ever happened in my lifetime! Rainbow Dash was telling me how you seem like a smart guy, and you can do magic too? That's incredible! And I'd love to hear about your people too! We could learn so much from each other!"

"Yes, indeed!" The brown stallion exclaimed. "You are clearly centuries ahead of us in terms of technology. We are now in the middle of a collision between two vastly different universes! I have encountered a few aliens in my time, but none as strange as you! You must tell us your biology and history! And might I ask what this slip-space is?"

"Alright! That's enough! All of you!" Princess Celestia shouted sternly. Pausing from their questions, the three of them turned back and backed away from the Didact.

"Right. Sorry, Princess," The purple mare said apologetically. She turned to the Didact and said "Sorry sir."

"Not at all," The Didact raised a hand, trying to signal her to be at ease.

After another pause of uncomfortable silence, the grey pegasus hovered up to the Didact. "Oh here," She said. She held out a basket in her hooves. "We brought you these as a peace offering."

The basket was filled with several small morsels of different shades of gold and brown.

"Am I to presume this is food?" The Didact asked.

"Um, yeah," The pegasus replied, clearly disturbed by his question. "You're people don't have muffins? Wow! You don't know what you're missing!"

He may as well try one. The Didact picked up one gold-looking muffin, and held it in between his index finger and thumb. He looked it over a minute before the pegasus spoke again as she fluttered to the ground.

"Take off the wrapper at the bottom before you eat it," She said.

The Didact peeled the thin paper from the muffin, tossed it into the waste basket beside him, and popped the muffin into his mouth.

It was very sweet and chewy. He savored every bite, swishing the morsel around in his mouth as it mixed with his saliva and became mush.

"That was a corn muffin," the pegasus smiled. "Good pick!"

Finally, the Didact swallowed. He could not recall the last time he had eaten. After being kept in that prison on Requiem for all those eons, one would think he would be hungrier than he actually was.

"These are quite delicious," He said to the pegasus. "Thank you." He took the basket from her hooves and set it down beside him. He picked up another one, this one with little brown chunks peaking through the top.

"As I was saying before," he continued as he peeled off the wrapper, "I need some form of transportation to regroup with my legion. Do any of you have such a method I could use?"

The ponies all glanced at each other nervously before Celestia answered. "I'm sorry. We don't. We have never attempted to travel through space. With the extent of my magic, the most I can do is send you to the moon, and I don't think that would do you much good."

The Didact looked to the floor, clearly disappointed. Of course, just my luck, he thought sulkily. I am stranded amongst a race that has not mastered space travel.

"But I'm sure if we really tried, we could figure out SOME way to get you home," the purple unicorn smiled.

"Yes," The brown stallion added. "Either with unicorn magic or with the use of science and technology. I would be happy to assist you anyway I can."

This got the Didact's hopes up some.

"Especially with your help!" The unicorn added. "I'm sure with your knowledge we'll have space travel down in no time!"

"I'd like to invite you to stay in Canterlot Palace with me and my sister," Celestia added. "We will tend to you and help you return home anyway we can."

"But you'll be sure to come visit us here in Ponyville sometime so we can have that party I was talking about, right?" The pink pony asked.

"And tell us all about your people?" The purple added.

The Didact thought for a moment. On one hand, if he were to go with this princess to her palace, he would likely have more access to whatever resources he may need to construct a shuttle, or at the very least a beacon or transmitter to contact the Prometheans. He had guessed that the blow from that grenade damaged his rig.

He looked again at the brown stallion. He seemed to be a creature of science, and The Didact had a good feeling about him. He was usually not one to be picky, but he thought it best if he could stay with this stallion.

"If it is alright," He spoke, "I would like to stay here in this town with-" He gestured the brown stallion, waiting a moment for a name.

"I am The Doctor," he replied. "Doctor Whooves, some call me, at your service."

"A pleasure to meet you," The Didact said. "A pleasure to meet all of you, actually."

There was a mixture of expressions amongst the rest of the ponies; some looked excited while others looked scared or nervous.

"If that is what you desire," Celestia nodded. She then gestured the purple unicorn. "This is my student, Twilight Sparkle. If you ever need anything, including if you would like to contact me, please consult her."

Twilight looked up at the princess nervously, but her mentor smiled back, giving a reassuring look, mostly likely telling her without words that she had faith in her student to deal with The Didact.

Celestia finally turned back to The Didact. "Well then, if there's nothing else I can do for you at the moment, I will leave you in the capable hooves of my student, her friends, and The Doctor."

And with that, she turned and left the room.

The Didact felt a small sense of joy and security swell inside him. These ponies were being such excellent use for him. Returning to the Prometheans would be no problem at all.