Master of All Trades
A Stranger in Familiar Lands
In the magical land of Equestria, pony folk lived happily and peacefully under the ever loving watch of their beloved princesses Celestia and Luna. Nothing happened in the land that the Princesses were unaware of.
But one fateful day, a strange stallion, aimlessly roaming the lands of Equestria, wondered into the small town known as Ponyville. His presence went completely unnoticed by the Princesses.
The stallion had a rusty-red coat with brilliant green hair streaked through with bright orange highlights, but it was ragged and unkempt covering his ears and most of his forehead. He wore a dirty brown cloak that covered his body from the elements, but he kept the hood down in order to keep his senses clear for any sounds or sight of trouble.
He was tired, hungry, scared, and extremely lonely, wanting nothing more than to stop and rest. Alas, he knew that was not an option and he continued to ramble through the dense forest that he currently trekked through.
Finally, once his fatigue finally had caught up to him and he could no longer place one hoof in front of the other, he collapsed...vulnerable to anything that resided within the forest.
The day began to grow dark as dusk fell, and a mare that was coming home from an errand in a nearby town saw the unconscious stallion and brought him to her home. There he awoke, rejuvenated and feeling better than he had in months, but dreaded that that feeling was not going to last.
As always, he couldn't remember dreaming about anything, but he knew that something was very different about that night.
The stallion sat up quickly, remembering his collapse in the forest, and scared out of his mind that he was now inside of a small cottage in a soft bed that was not his own. Worriedly, his head whipped about, trying to see just where he was.
The cottage was cozy and smelled of pine and cedar wood, very relaxing and homey. He tried to recall anything that happened during the night, but his exhausted and addled mind couldn't hobble together any memories of being moved or captured.
Suddenly, his ears quirked straight up when he heard a soft, feminine humming coming from a door to his right.
The door quietly swung open, revealing a yellow coated pegasus mare with a soft, pink mane holding a bowl in her mouth that steamed enticingly and smelled delicious.
"Oh, you're awake. I'm glad; I saw you in the Everfree Forest and you looked in really bad shape so I brought you here," the mare said in a soft voice after setting the bowl down on a nearby table.
The stallion remained quiet and turned away shyly, not at all expecting to be near such a cute mare. But his heart settled down when he realized that the circumstances were not at all what he feared they were.
The mare looked away shyly as well, causing an awkward silence between the two.
After a few minutes the stallion spoke just as softly as the mare, "Thank you Miss. I hope I didn't intrude too much."
"Oh, not at all; you just needed somepony's help and I was glad to help. Um... If you don't mind me asking: What's your...," the mare's voice trailed off to such a soft whisper, the stallion couldn't hear what she said.
"I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said," the stallion said.
"Um, well... I wanted to ask for your name," the mare said shyly, once again trailing to a very soft whisper. Luckily for her, the stallion was able to catch her meaning.
"Oh, um... My name is Joat Mon. What's yours?" Joat asked the mare.
The mare bashfully kicked at the ground before answering, "I'm Fluttershy. It's very nice to meet you," Fluttershy said with a small smile.
Joat pushed the covers off himself and stood up from the bed, he still had his cloak on, "It's nice to meet you too, and I don't want to be rude but it's best if I left; it's not safe for me here." He had no idea why he felt so compelled to show her his kinder side after the terrible ordeals he went through while running away. There were many valid reasons for him not to trust anypony and to show them nothing of his etiquette.
"Uh...okay, but I want you to eat this first before you go. You look like you haven't eaten in days," Fluttershy gestured to the bowl on the table.
Joat smiled and walked to the table just as a knocking sounded from the other room.
"Oh, excuse me; I have to get the door," Fluttershy left the room leaving Joat by himself.
He was mildly put off by the pegasus mare's selfless kindness, wondering if she was trying to set him or delay him to turn him over to who was pursuing him, but he didn't complain once he began eating the soup she had brought him. It was delicious and brought back much needed strength to his body.
He finished the bowl just as he saw a silhouette pass by the door, "Uhhh Fluttershy, who is this strange fella?"
Joat whipped his head around and gazed at another mare, this time with an orange coat, blonde hair, and a cowpony hat.
Fluttershy appeared next to the strange mare while Joat tucked his head down in concern and worry, immediate suspicions arising and more that he assumed were correct about why Fluttershy was helping him. "This is Joat Mon; I found him unconscious in the forest."
"Uh-huh, listen sugar cube, it's not safe to bring a stranger into your home like that. What if he was dangerous, I reckon that'd be very likely considerin' his shady appearance," the orange mare said walking close to Joat.
"What's your business here in Ponyville stranger?" She asked with a stern expression.
"I-I... was t-traveling... got lost... Uh, I'm sorry," Joat said trying to avoid looking at the mare. For some odd reason, he couldn't really formulate a good lie for her when they would come through his lips so easily with others.
"Applejack? I don't think it's very nice to scare him like that," Fluttershy said.
"I'm really sorry,... Uhhh I'll be leaving now," Joat tried to shimmy between the two and leave the room before Applejack put a hoof on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy's right; I shouldn't be so mean to somepony just 'cause they look different. Would you mind tellin' me your name again?" Applejack asked, this time with a reassuring smile.
"I'm Joat Mon," Joat responded, returning the smile.
"I say, that's a mighty strange name for a pony; where ya from?" Applejack asked.
Joat remained silent and stared at the ground, obviously uncomfortable with the question.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I suppose it don't really matter any how," Applejack's face broke into a broad smile, "but lemme be one o' the first to welcome ya to Ponyville!"
"Thank you Applejack, but I really do have to get going. Thank you Fluttershy for your hospitality," Joat smiled at the two and continued towards the front door.
"Hold on there partner, whatch'in such a hurry for?" Applejack asked with concern apparent in her eyes.
"Well, there are some ponies looking for me, and I don't want them to find me," Joat continued walking and left the house with Applejack and Fluttershy close behind, it wasn't until the moment he stepped out of the cottage that he realized the truth was just told, something he swore wouldn't leave him.
"You're not a fugitive are you?" Fluttershy gasped.
Joat sighed shakily, "In a way I am." Why couldn't he lie to these two?
Applejack stepped in front of Joat blocking his path, the stern expression returning to her face, "I knew you were trouble, I reckon I should tell the authorities."
Joat's eyes widened and he crouched in fear, trembling violently, "I-I-It's not what you think! I haven't done anything wrong, honest!"
"Ain't no way you can be a fugitive unless you done somethin' wrong," Applejack leaned back on her haunches and crossed her forelegs, determined to get answers.
Joat continued to quake in terror and clenched his eyes tight before bursting forward at an incredible speed revealing wings from underneath his cloak.
"Git back here!" Applejack started running after him, Fluttershy close behind, but they quickly lost sight of him as he flew onward.
He flew aimlessly into a town that was busy with ponies walking to and fro, attracting a lot of attention from every pony.
His path led him through a busy marketplace and in the path of numerous ponies who gasped in fright, cursed his obliviousness, or shook their hooves angrily at him with angry grumbles.
Not paying any attention to where he was, he burst through a doorway leading inside a random house and shut the door behind him. The only real thing he picked up about this place was that it was in a giant tree.
He took a quick second to catch his breath before losing it again to gasp in awe at what he saw. He had flown into a library that was inside of the large tree.
In an instant, he forgot that he was being chased and walked further into the depths of the bibliographic wonder land.
"I dont see what your so excited about, there's only a few books in here that are actually interesting," a scratchy mare's voice said from above him.
Looking up, Joat saw a cyan colored pegasus mare with a rainbow for a mane hovering above him with her nose deep in a book.
But his fear didn't resurface, "I really like reading though, so it's all exciting to me!" Joat exclaimed.
The mare closed the book and drifted down to Joat's level, "Another egg head huh? Just like Twilight... Oh well, at least I can kinda relate to the excitement I had when i found out she had all of the Daring Do books."
Joat gasped excitedly, "All of the Daring Do books are here?!"
The mare smirked, "Whatcha know about Daring Do?"
Joat returned the smirk, "Only that she's the most awesome, bravest, smartest, and best adventurer ever!"
"Rainbow Dash? Who are you talking too?" Another mare's voice said from behind Joat.
He turned to see a purple unicorn with darker people hair containing a single pink streak within climbing down a flight of stairs.
"Just another cool pegasus who's discovered the best adventurer ever," Rainbow Dash put a friendly elbow into Joat's ribs.
"Oh really? You like Daring Do too?" The new mare asked Joat.
"I sure do! Do you really have the whole collection here?" Joat asked excitedly.
"I do, I'm Twilight Sparkle and I'm in charge of this library, were you interested in where the books are located?" Twilight asked with a friendly smile.
"I'm Joat Mon, and I would be very interested," Joat bounced slightly in anticipation.
"Here, this is the first one," Rainbow Dash dropped the book in front of Joat, "and I'll show you where the rest are after that."
Joat happily opened the book and began to read when Twilight spoke up, "I've never heard of a name like your's before. Where are you from?"
Distracted, Joat replied, "I'm from Colton, but I ran away because everypony there doesn't like me because I'm different-," Joat cut himself off realizing he had said too much.
Twilight and Rainbow both gasped, "Oh my gosh, that's awful. Don't you miss your home?" Twilight asked.
Tears formed in Joat's eyes, "No, they wanna lock me away, so no pony will find out about my secret," he sniffed, unsure why he was telling this to two ponies he didn't know, "I don't have a home."
"That's so mean! Those dirt bags deserve a kick in the tail," Rainbow said in an angry tone.
"I'm so sorry Joat, but you're welcome here in Ponyville, regardless of who you are, we'll be your home," Twilight said putting a hoof over Joat's shoulders.
Joat looked up at Twilight, shocked at hearing such kindness coming from a pony that doesn't even know who he was.
He was about to say something before he was tackled roughly to the ground, "I got ya you good fer nothin' scoundrel!"
"Applejack! What in Celestia's Name are you doing!?" Twilight shouted.
"This fellah's a wanted fugitive Twi, but I got here in the knick o' time before he could pull any funny business," Applejack pinned Joat to the ground while he covered his head with his hooves, trembling in fear.
Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack off Joat, "Cool it cowgirl, you don't know the whole story! He's not in trouble for anything! But the town he's from has trouble with accepting who he is!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
Joat once again explained his story to Applejack and Fluttershy, not revealing his secret but letting them know that he was harmless and only wanted to stay away from the ponies that were hunting for him in order to lock him away. Applejack was quick to apologize and try her best to make amends, but Joat only smiled and reassured her that she was only protecting her friends and that she was forgiven. Twilight was about to offer him a place to stay at her house when a loud knocking sounded at her door.
"I'm coming," Twilight announced walking to the door.
On the other side were two unicorn stallions dressed in a cloak similar to Joat's, "We're looking for a run away criminal that was seen heading in this direction. Have you seen a red stallion with a green and orange mane pass through here?"
"No I haven't," Twilight lied, "But I hope you find whoever you're looking for," Twilight offered a polite smile and attempted to close the door before a brown aura lifted her back into the library.
"Then would you care to explain what he's doing behind you?" One of the stallions asked. Joat was standing in the far corner on shaking legs, terrified out of his mind. He knew he was caught again, and he knew that once again he was going to have to battle the Tarturas that they had in store for him. After all, what did these four mares have to lose and why would they stick up for him anyway?
"No! Why don't you two bozos take off and stop treating our friend so mean!?" Rainbow Dash said angrily.
I'm their friend? Thought Joat. His mind went blank, never once thinking something like this would ever happen, not since he abandoned his only friend in Colton.
"He's coming with us no matter what," a small anti-magic ring covered in an orange glow flew past the mares and latched itself onto Joat's horn that was revealed from his wild mane, "because he doesn't belong anywhere in this land," one of the stallions said.
The girls all gasped seeing that Joat possessed both wings and a unicorn horn making him an alicorn, a creature so rare that only three others were known to exist.
"You're wrong," said Fluttershy.
"Because Joat does belong here," growled Rainbow Dash.
"And we won't let y'all," continued Applejack.
"Take our friend from his home!" Twilight finished with her horn glowing blindingly bright. She ripped the ring from Joat's horn and broke it while shoving the other two stallions away scaring them off with a super charge to her horn that caused her entire library to light up and her eyes to glow with immense power and magical skill.
The stallions gawked for the entirety of a heartbeat before jumping up and hoofing out of Ponyville as fast as their legs could move.
"Thank you all so much," Joat sniffled, "you have no idea how much this means to me."
"We couldn't let them take you; so what if you're an alicorn? It doesn't give them a right to treat you so harshly," Twilight said while the others muttered their agreement.
"Thank you again, but I'm afraid you're kinda mistaken; it's not because I'm an alicorn," Joat said with a small hint of fear. He decided right there, that he would try once again in placing faith in others.
"Whaddya mean darlin'," Applejack asked confused.
Joat gave the girls one look of mixed fear and worry before biting onto his cloak and pulling it off.
They all gasped in earnest at what they saw; upon the flank of everypony in the room, was a mark on their haunches called a Cutie Mark that represented the talent of the pony it belonged to.
Young fillies and colts flanks were usually bare of any Mark because they had yet to discover what their true talent was and it was not unusual to see a colt or filly with a Blank Flank as it was called, but what was displayed before them was unheard of and not believed to be possible.
Joat was a full grown stallion...with no Cutie Mark.
This Document was not intentionally uploaded; This was due to TheGlitchInTheMatrix
