//------------------------------// // Angel Takes Flight // Story: Luminous Atonement // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// Luminous Atonement Chapter 8: Angel Takes Flight There was a tranquility in the air as Luna and her companions followed the river northward. The only sounds that could be heard were the clip-clop of hooves and the babbling brook that flowed from Ponyville out to parts unknown. Since leaving Fluttershy's cottage, none of the travelers breathed a word to each other. Princess Luna was preoccupied with the rumors getting worse and worse. She couldn't help but worry about what her fellow alicorn princesses were going through right now. Discord, meanwhile, was still wondering about Angel and his relationship with Fluttershy. In his mind, they were the living definition of the term "opposites attract." Why would a kind soul like Fluttershy let a grump like Angel guide her? It was interesting to think about, especially since it didn't make sense. He studied the bunny with interest, which of course made Angel skeptical and confused. Fluttershy was the only one of the group wearing a smile. While it was true that the situation seemed dire, she couldn't help but relax as she listened to the stream. She always loved the soothing sounds of nature. She closed her eyes and swayed her head as she walked, allowing the pleasant sounds to lull her into a state of peaceful meditation. Her only connections to reality were Angel crawling in her mane and Philomena perching on her back. Suddenly, a loud, all-too-familiar snarl shattered the tranquil atmosphere and brought Fluttershy out of her trance. Her eyes snapped open, and she was greeted with the sight of a large chasm stretching out in front of her with large jagged cliffs on each side. Clouds of smoke billowed from the cliffs, and the smell of brimstone filled the air. Fluttershy's heart started to pound, her wings fused themselves to her body, and her knees became weak. "P-p-p-princess Luna?" she stammered. "A-a-are we...?" "Yes, Fluttershy," said Luna, gesturing with her hoof. "This is the Valley of Dragons." Fluttershy squeaked in horror, falling to the ground and covering her eyes with her hooves. Philomena tried to comfort her while Angel poked his head out of his owner's mane to assess the situation. "Well, certainly took us long enough to get here," said Discord. "So what's the plan, Lunatic?" Luna shuffled towards the edge of the cliff and looked down. "It's too steep to traverse on hoof," she observed. "We're going to have to fly across." "F-f-fly?!" Fluttershy yelped. "W-we can't fly past those d-d-d-d-dragons! Wh-what if they see us?!" "I know a few spells that will keep them at bay," said Luna. "We should be fine." "Th-there's nothing 'fine' about dragons!" Fluttershy whimpered. "They're big and nasty and scary and..." "Alright, I think we get the picture," said Discord. He then turned to Luna. "Lunatic, I think Fluttershy and I should go on ahead. I'd hate to miss out on all the fun, but it looks like Fluttershy here isn't going to be budging anytime soon." Luna looked over Fluttershy's cowering form and stroked her chin with her hoof. "You might have a point," she mused. But Angel disagreed. He hopped out of Fluttershy's mane and ran right up to Discord, giving the draconequus a piece of his mind through his pantomime. "Well, that's rather rude," said Discord, aghast at the rabbit's objection. "Are you honestly saying that Fluttershy is safer flying through that gauntlet than she is with me?" Angel gave Discord a curt nod. "Okay then, smart guy. Give me one good reason why Fluttershy is safer with the dragons," said Discord, folding his mismatched arms. Angel conducted another pantomime. "Besides the fact that you don't trust me, please." Angel palmed his face and continued to argue through pantomime. "Alright, I'll grant you the whole 'facing your fears' thing, but is that really worth putting your owner's life at risk?" Angel pantomimed his response. "How the heck do you know she'll be alright?" Angel's response came almost immediately. "Alright, I get it! You don't trust me! You don't have to keep bringing that up!" "Stop it, both of you!" All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who was slowly getting to her feet. Her fear had given way to disappointment. "Listen to you two, arguing like a couple of little foals," she scolded, trotting in between the two. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." She turned to Angel and gave him a stern look. "Especially you, Angel Bunny. I understand you want to protect me, but I don't need protection from Discord. He's my friend, whether you like it or not." "Yeah," Discord chimed in, blowing a raspberry. "Don't act like you're innocent in all this, Discord," said Fluttershy, turning her head to the draconequus. "I already told you, Angel means well. You don't need to get mad at him for wanting to protect me." "I'm not mad," said Discord. "Merely, curious." Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Curious?" "Yes, curious," said Discord, making his way over to Angel and Fluttershy. "Curious as to why your little pet has to insist on being infallible. Why he claims to know what's best for you." "Well, I wouldn't say Angel is infallible," said Fluttershy. "But that doesn't mean I don't trust him. He's never steered me wrong, Discord. Not once." "Is that right?" said Discord, stroking his goatee with his talon. "Well then, let's put that to the test." "What do you mean?" "Angel here is going to lead us through the Valley of Dragons." There was a collective gasp. "Discord, this better be a cruel joke," Luna said with a snort. "Why in Equestria would we entrust our lives to a bunny rabbit?" "The same reason Fluttershy does," Discord retorted. "Angel never steered her wrong before, so why should he start now?" "Discord, you don't have to do this," said Fluttershy. "Th-this is just silly. Angel can't even fly." Discord gave Fluttershy a deadpan look. "Did you forget who you're talking to?" he asked rhetorically. "Besides, I think we should let Angel speak for himself. Well, Angel?" Angel placed a paw to his chin and began tapping his foot, mulling over the situation all the while. Finally, he gave Discord a nod. "Are you sure about that?" asked Discord slyly. "Are you so certain that Fluttershy is safer in your paws than in she is with me?" Angel nodded again, determination in his beady black eyes. "Well, if that's the way you feel about it, who am I to argue?" said Discord with a shrug. He then snapped his fingers. "Contact!" All of a sudden, Angel's long ears began rotating like helicopter blades, lifting the little bunny off of the ground. As he steadied himself, Discord donned a brown aviator helmet and a long white scarf. "Remember, Angel. We're following your lead," the Master of Chaos said, pulling down his goggles. "We await your orders." Angel looked over at Fluttershy, who still looked a bit unsure about all this. He flew up to her and gave her a reassuring pat on her muzzle. Fluttershy smiled. "A-alright. I trust you, Angel," she said timidly. She then took a deep breath and spread her wings, along with Luna, Discord, and Philomena. Angel flew out in front, looking over the ravine below. After taking a deep breath of his own, he gestured outward and flew into the ravine. On his signal, everyone else took off and followed suit, maintaining a V formation behind the little bunny. The buzzing of Angel's ears and the flurry of wings roused several dragons from their slumber. Noticing intruders in their airspace, they launched themselves into the air, roaring and snarling. "Here they come!" Luna hollered. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Fluttershy chanted, her heart beginning to race. Angel was the first to notice one of the dragons coming in close, ready to bathe them all in its flame. He made a gesture, and the formation broke apart with everyone scattering in all directions to avoid the dragon's fiery breath. Snarling, the dragon gave chase to the odd flying rabbit, snapping at him with its teeth and swiping with its claws. Angel bobbed and weaved, nimbly avoiding each attack and serving the infuriate the dragon even more. As he approached an outcropping shaped like a sewing needle, he saw his chance. Taunting the dragon into following, he flew through the needle. The dragon flew in hot pursuit, too enraged to fly strategically. Sure enough, it crashed right into the outcropping, tumbling into the valley below. *** Meanwhile, Luna and Philomena found themselves being pursued by a trio of rowdy teenage dragons. "Where ya going?!" hollered the leader of the pack. "We just wanna play with you a bit!" Luna was not in the mood to make a witty retort. Instead, she turned about to face her pursuers and shot a magical blast from her horn. The blast hit its target, sending one of the juvenile beasts into the canyon wall. "Ooh, feisty!" said the leader, licking his lips. "I like that in my meal." He then darted forward towards the lunar princess. Before he could get within striking distance, Philomena flew out from under him and raised her wings, blinding him with her brilliant plumage. "Ah! Not again!" the dragon howled, shielding his eyes and swerving straight into his partner. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" the other dragon snarled. Soon enough, the two of them forgot their prey and began fighting amongst themselves. "Idiots," Luna sighed as she flew off with Philomena close behind. Suddenly, she stopped short as an adult dragon rocketed past her field of view. It was too fast to tell, but she could've sworn that it was covered in cotton candy. "Sorry!" Discord called out from above. "I'll try to be more careful! By the way, you have bogeys coming in at three o'clock! I'll lay out the cheese dip while you tidy up!" Before Luna could ask what he meant, she heard a rather squishy sound from her right. She turned her head and saw a pair of dragons covered in gooey cheese that made them unable to stay airborne. Luna simply rolled her eyes an flew onward. *** The only one having a difficult time was Fluttershy. Several dragons flew at her from all sides, gnashing their teeth and breathing their flame. She swooped and dived frantically, paying only minimal attention to where she was going. Oftentimes she got lucky, causing two dragons to attack each other by mistake and making them forget all about her. But her luck could only hold out for so long. In her fear, she did not notice that she was flying too close to the canyon wall. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her wing, and her flight became unsteady. Opening one eye to see what the trouble was, she found that she had clipped her wing on a branch sticking out of the cliff. Instantly, she panicked. "ANGEL!" she cried out. Angel, who had problems of his own, hastily shook the two dragons chasing him before turning to Fluttershy. His eyes widened as he saw his owner trying desperately to stay airborne on an injured wing while a large green dragon snuck up from behind, aiming to cook the little pegasus with its flame. Without a second thought, the little bunny zoomed towards the attacker, kicking it right in snout. Distracted, the dragon chased after Angel, snapping at the flying rabbit with its large jaws. This act of bravery did not go unnoticed by Discord. "Well, well," he mused, slapping another dragon out of the sky with his snake tail as he watched. "You really care for her, don't you? You're even willing to risk your life. Well played, Angel. Well played. I suppose I'll give you a break." He then snapped his fingers just as the dragon chasing Angel opened its jaws one last time. Suddenly, a large carrot appeared out of nowhere, prying its jaws open. No matter what the dragon did, it couldn't get around this predicament. Distracted and confused, it crashed into the side of the cliff. At this point, the dragons felt that this exercise was not worth the effort. They flew back into the valley, with some of the stragglers having to be scared off by Luna's magic. "That should be the last of them," said the Princess of the Night. "We'll land here, and then proceed onward to Norneigh." With that, the five of them came in for a landing with Fluttershy's being the shakiest. "Are you alright, Fluttershy?" Discord asked. "I-I'll be fine," said Fluttershy. "It doesn't hurt that— oof!" Despite her words, moving her wing caused her considerable pain. Angel looked up at his owner, a guilty look on his face. "Oh, don't look so sad, Angel," said Fluttershy, petting the rabbit with her hoof. "I don't blame you for anything." Angel shook his head, and looked at Discord. The draconequus smirked. "Now you know what it feels like to be wrong," said he. "I see that you care about Fluttershy a lot, and I understand that. But there's such a thing as being overprotective, even to the point where it does more harm than good. You see what I'm getting at, right?" Angel gave Discord a solemn nod, and wrapped his arms around Fluttershy's foreleg. Fluttershy picked the little bunny up, and the two of them nuzzled noses. "It's alright, Angel," she cooed. "I know you always mean well, even when you do make mistakes. You'll always be my friend, no matter what." Angel wiped a tear from his eye and looked over at Discord. "Hmm? What is it?" Discord inquired. Angel pointed to Fluttershy's wing. "Wellllllll, I wouldn't want to make this journey too easy," Discord mused. Angel raised an eyebrow. "But for you, I'll make an exception," Discord added. "Just this once, though." He then snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy's wing was as good as new. Angel smirked and gave Discord a wink. "Hey, right back at you," said Discord with a smile and a salute. "Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, we should continue our quest," said Luna. "Norneigh should be just beyond this field. Come, let us make haste." Without waiting for acknowledgment, she trotted off to the north. Fluttershy placed Angel back in her mane and quickly followed, with Discord and Philomena not far behind.