Bacon sat on one of the benches at the nearby park, putting down the bags of groceries which he had purchased earlier, next to his feet. The trip to the grocery store was uneventful, pretty simple really. Bacon searched through one of the grocery bags and pulled out a bottle of soda, opening it and taking a long sip. He glanced at his watch, it was only two in the afternoon. He wanted to take a break before heading back, he wasn't in any rush, and Aunt Flora only needed the groceries for dinner.
Bacon looked around the park, it was rather empty, with only a few people here and there, either reading books, having a walk, or sitting on the benches, phone in hand. Bacon took another sip and let his thoughts began to wander about, staring lazily at the clouds.
He haven't been back at Canterlot for a long time. Last time he was here was before his mother died. When his family was one. Happier times those days were, now, only a distant memory. Despite not being back in Canterlot for more than seven years, he was quite surprised to see that he still remembered certain locations, like this park for example. The trees were much larger now, flowers grew everywhere, and the small lake still remained the same.
Even the fauna hasn't changed much. Bacon remembered the days where he and his younger sister will run about the park, chasing squirrels or stalking butterflies. Their parents would be near one of the larger trees, for shade, sitting on a picnic blanket, chatting away happily with Aunt Flora, and laughing at the jokes told by Uncle Benedict. Bacon allowed himself a small smile. Yes, those days were just blissful.
Bacon emptied his bottle of soda, and was about to start looking for a nearby trash can, when something caught his eye. Something white, and fluffy. It was running towards Bacon. His eyes narrowed, trying to make out what it was. As the running, white, fluffy thing got closer and closer, Bacon saw that it was a small bunny, and it was running away from a bunch of angry squirrels, which were giving chase.
The bunny darted here and there, trying to shake off the pursuing squirrels. But the squirrels were as equally nimble and fast as the bunny, following its every move. The bunny ran faster, and spotted Bacon looking at them, a bottle of empty soda in his hand. The bunny also saw the groceries bags next to Bacon's feet, and made a desperate mad dash for it.
Bacon stood up from his seat in surprise as the white bunny jumped straight into one the grocery bags. The squirrels saw Bacon, and stopped in their tracks. They glared at Bacon and the bunny, which poked its head out and spit out its tongue, mocking them. The squirrels left and headed back to one of the trees, grumbling angrily. The bunny laughed as the squirrels left, and pulled out a carrot from the grocery bag, licking its lips.
"Hey! Don't you dare touch that carrot!" Bacon made a grab for the bunny, and pulled it out by the ears. The bunny was still holding onto the carrot, shaking one its paws angrily at Bacon. "This carrot isn't for you, little dude." Upon closer inspection, Bacon noticed that the bunny was wearing a pink collar, which had the words 'Angel' engraved on its silver nameplate. He recalled hearing the name from Sunset Shimmer.
"So you're Angel huh?" Bacon said, placing Angel down beside him on the bench. "Your owner is looking for you." Angel wiggled its nose at Bacon, and began munching on the carrot, ignoring him. "Fluttershy was it?" Angel stopped munching at the sound of the name, and stared at Bacon, its eyes widening. "She's worried about you."
Angel suddenly dropped the carrot and began pointing at its nameplate, hopping up and down. Bacon leaned over and read Angel's nameplate, 'Angel' and underneath it-- with words so tiny that Bacon had to strain his eyes just to read it-- 'If found, please bring him over to the animal shelter'.
"Why isn't there a phone number?" Bacon asked Angel, before realizing that bunnies don't usually run around and strike up a conversation with random people. "Never mind." Angel hopped over and began tugging on Bacon's shirt sleeve, still pointing at its nameplate. "I don't really know where the animal shelter is buddy." Angel let go, looking crestfallen. Bacon suddenly came up with an idea. "Wait, I know someone who know where this animal shelter is." Angel's eyes brighten, and a look of hope came on his face.
Bacon picked up the carrot that was lying next to Angel, and handed it to him. "This carrot is yours, but you have to follow me." Angel took the carrot and hopped onto Bacon's shoulder. "Luckily your small, or else I'm gonna have to stuff you in the bags." he pointed at the grocery bags. Angel made some unintelligible noises, and munched on the carrot. Bacon grabbed the grocery bags and left the park, with Angel munching on the carrot happily on his shoulder.
*******
Bacon unlocked the door and entered the house, heading straight for the kitchen to set the grocery bags on the table. "Aunt Flora?" he called out, "Uncle Ben?"
"Over here Bacon!" a voice called from outside. Bacon headed out and found Aunt Flora tending the small garden, a small water spray bottle in her hand. "You're back pretty late." she said, looking at the sky.
"Had some trouble." Bacon mumbled. On their way back, Angel suddenly jumped straight into the grocery bag with carrots and ripped a hole at the bottom, causing the contents to fall out and rolled all over the streets. Bacon had to make a second trip back to the grocery store to repurchase the goods. "I brought you a fluffy guest." He said, and pointed at his shoulder.
Aunt Flora stared at Angel with confusion for a moment and suddenly let out a laugh. "My, my, isn't that Angel?" she put down the water spray bottle and walked over to Bacon. Angel jumped straight into her arms, "Its been a while since I seen you, little bunny." she said and began tickling Angel's tummy.
"You know this monster?" Bacon asked, still mad at Angel's earlier misbehaviour. Angel stick its tongue out at Bacon. "Why you little--"
"Now, now Bacon, I'm sure Angel was just feeling scared and insecure." Aunt Flora peered at Bacon, "Why is Angel with you anyway?" she asked.
Bacon told her about the incident at the park. When he finished, Aunt Flora laughed. "You sure showed those squirrels didn't you?" she asked, and began massaging Angel's head. One of Angel's leg began thumping lightly in her arms.
"Anyway, that's why I was hoping if you know the phone number for the animal shelter." Bacon said.
"I do, let me see what I can do." Aunt Flora headed back into the house, Angel still cradled in her arms. Bacon followed her inside.
Aunt Flora put Angel on the kitchen table, who immediately dove into one of the grocery bags, searching for more carrots. "Oh no you don't!" Bacon said, and quickly went over to pull Angel out. Aunt Flora picked up the house phone's receiver and began dialling the animal shelter. After a moment, she set the receiver down. "Seems like no one is picking up." she said.
"Busy?" Bacon asked, wrestling a carrot with Angel.
"There was a dial tone, just no one picking up." Aunt Flora said, attempting to make the call again. "Maybe you can just head over there, I can give you directions." she set the receiver down and went to find a piece of paper. "Fluttershy must be worried sick, poor child."
"Do you know this Fluttershy?" Bacon asked.
"Why, yes I do." Aunt Flora said, scribbling the address of the animal shelter down. "I used to babysit her when she was much younger, you know." she handed the paper to Bacon. "Now, I suggest you hurry along, Fluttershy is most likely to be there. And do hurry back before dinner." she said, patting Angel on the head. "Today's weather forecast say that it will be raining quite heavily soon."
Bacon stared out at the clear skies. "Really? Doesn't seems like it." he said.
"The weather here can be strange, Bacon," Aunt Flora said "Just please try to hurry back before evening."
Bacon nodded, "I will Aunt Flora, don't worry." he turned to Angel. "Lets go, you little devil." Angel grabbed another carrot, hopped onto Bacon's shoulder and waved a furry paw goodbye at Aunt Flora. Aunt Flora chuckled softly as Bacon and Angel began bickering at each other, heading for the door. She shook her head. "Those two are going to be the best of friends one day." she said quietly to herself, smiling.
*******
The sky was getting darker, with clouds slowly surrounding them. Bacon hasten his steps, Angel clinging tightly on his shirt. The animal shelter was in view, just across the street. He passed a group of three girls, to deeply engage in their conversation to notice him, he manage to catch a few of their words.
"Nothing we can do--" a girl wearing a light brown stetson hat, was saying.
"We have to try harder--" said the other, with indigo coloured hair.
"We need more pair of eyes on the lookout--" the rainbow-haired girl was saying.
All three of them passed Bacon without giving him a second glance, which was very much welcomed, since Bacon had been getting queer looks from people with Angel on his shoulder. He crossed the street and entered the animal shelter. His nose was immediately greeted by the smell of dogs and cats. His eyes widened in amazement as he saw that none of the animals were in cages, in fact, they were roaming about freely. A small black dachshund came running towards Bacon as he closed the glass doors, its tail wagging wildly left and right, placing its paws on Bacon's jeans.
"Hey there, little fella." Bacon squatted down and patted the dachshund on the head. The dog gave a happy bark, and suddenly more animals came rushing towards him, all wanting to be petted. "Woah!" Bacon quickly stood back up as the animals surrounded him, the dogs with their tails wagging, the cats with their mewing and a goat with its bleating.
Bacon tried his best to give as many pets as he could to the animals, but they seem to be endless. He looked around the animal shelter, hoping to find someone to aid him. He turned to Angel, who was gripping tightly on Bacon's shirt, afraid that he might fall down into the sea of animals. The animals were bumping against each other, searching for Bacon's hand. "What now?" he asked. Angel only shrugged in reply.
Bacon carefully made his way towards the counter, watching his steps as not to accidentally step on any creature's tail or foot. There was no one behind the counter, only a yellow backpack with three butterflies sewn into it. Angel gave a small squeak and hopped down from Bacon's shoulder to the backpack. Angel pointed at the backpack and then back to him.
"That's your owner's bag?" Bacon asked, beginning to wonder to himself why does he keep on asking the bunny questions.
Angel nodded, wiggled his nose, and began sniffing the air. He caught a scent and hopped back up onto Bacon's shoulder. He pointed to a small room, pulling on Bacon's ear. Bacon followed the bunny's direction and headed for the room. The room was located at the far end of the animal shelter, between a vending machine and a used scratching post. Bacon gently made his way through the animals.
The door had a sign with the words 'Staff Room' written on it. Bacon knocked on the door. "Hello?" he knocked again. "Anyone inside?". Silence. Bacon waited for a moment, and knocked his knuckles on the wooden door again. Still silent, except for the animals. He huffed, and reached for the doorknob.
Just as he fingers were about to reach the doorknob, the door opened inwards, but only a crack. A cyan-coloured eye stared at him through the crack. "Umm, who is it?" a quiet voice asked. Bacon moved his head to get a better view.
"Er--hi!" Bacon said, making a small wave with his hand. "Are you by any chance Fluttershy?"
The door opened a little more. "I am," Fluttershy replied, stepping into view. Bacon could only stare at the girl before him, his mouth ajar. In one glance, Bacon could tell that she had been crying, and extremely cute. A wisp of her pale grayish rose hair was floating in front of her face. Her eyes were red and watery. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue paper. "Can I...can I help you with something?" she asked shyly.
"I...I er..." Bacon was lost for words. He gave his head a quick shake, and cleared his throat. "I believe he belongs to you?" He pointed at Angel.
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Angel?! ANGEL!!" she cried with joy. Angel the bunny leaped into her opened arms and Fluttershy hugged him lovingly. "Oh, Angel where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you the whole day!" she held Angel up and studied him. "Are you all right? Are you hurt? Oh, I miss you so much Angel, I thought I have lost you!" and she hugged him again.
Bacon smiled at the sight of Fluttershy, who was half smiling, half crying. She was hugging onto Angel so tightly that Angel tried to wiggle his way out, gasping for air.
"Oh, thank you! thank you! thank you!" Fluttershy said, happily smiling at Bacon. "Thank you so much for bringing Angel back to me!"
"Glad I could help." Bacon said, hands in his pockets, grinning.
"But where did you find him?" Fluttershy asked, hey eyes filled with curiosity. "How did you even know he was mine?"
Bacon told Fluttershy the whole story, from Sunset Shimmer telling him about the missing bunny, to the squirrels in the park, and to Aunt Flora sending him here.
"You know Aunt Flora?" Fluttershy asked, when Bacon finished. They were both seated inside the staff room, with a glass of water in front of Bacon. Angel had left Fluttershy's embrace and was munching away happily on a small bowl of vegetables, occasionally growling at the goat to keep it from getting nearer. Some of the animals had joined Bacon and Fluttershy at the table. A white persian cat was resting on Fluttershy's lap, and a golden retriever slept next to her legs.
"She and Uncle Benedict are my relatives." Bacon said, petting a white pit bull. "We tried calling earlier, but no one picked up the phone."
"Oh! Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Fluttershy said "I was in the staff room. I didn't realize the phone was ringing."
"Don't worry about it." Bacon motioned at the animals "What's with the animals here anyway? Why aren't they in cages?"
"Oh, we don't have cages here in the animal shelter." Fluttershy said, scratching the persian cat behind the ears. "We let them wander anywhere they want to, as long as they are inside."
"But isn't it difficult?" Bacon asked, "To take care of all these animals alone?"
Fluttershy nodded, "That's why I've been looking for volunteers to help me here." She pointed to a huge stack of flyers. "But I haven't had any luck." she said quietly.
They continued to chat, unaware that the clouds outside were getting thicker and darker. Soon, rain begin to fall, a light drizzle at first, but then it got heavier, and heavier. When the sound of heavy rain was heard above them, Bacon glanced at his watch, it was nearing eight pm. Aunt Flora and Uncle Benedict will start to worry. "Uh-oh, Its pretty late." he said as he stood up. "I gotta go Fluttershy." Fluttershy did not reply. "Fluttershy?" he looked over.
Fluttershy had her ears covered with her hands, her eyes shut tight. Bacon stared at her as Angel hopped onto her lap and patted her arm softly. "Fluttershy?" Bacon asked again, approaching her. Fluttershy slowly looked up, saw Bacon staring at her, and blushed.
"Oh! I-I'm sorry." Fluttershy reluctantly uncovered her ears. "Y-you said y-you were l-l-leaving?" her voice was shaking. Bacon gave her a concerned look.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yes I'm perfec--Eep!" Fluttershy squealed when lightning suddenly flashed from the nearby window. She quickly covered her ears and buried her head underneath the table. A roar of thunder followed the lightning a few moments later. The animals in the animal shelter quickly ran into the staff room, cowering underneath the table. All except Angel and Bacon.
Fluttershy poked her head out from underneath the table. "I-I-I'm fine!" she cried, her eyes still shut. "I'll be fine." Another flash of lightning. This time, Fluttershy got up from her chair and joined the animals below the table. Bacon shook his head as another loud roar of thunder came. He knelt down. Fluttershy was sitting on the floor, her head between her knees, ears still covered.
"Are you scared of lightning?" Bacon asked softly. Fluttershy nodded, "You know, there is nothing scary about lightning as long as your indoors."
"Yes there is!" Fluttershy whispered loudly. "What if the lightning caused a fire? Lightnings are very very scary, and I don't like the sound of thunder either!" She squealed as lightning flashed again. Bacon chuckled. "There is nothing funny about this!"
"I'm sorry," Bacon said, still chuckling. "Well if it makes you fe--" the power suddenly went out and they were instantly shrouded in darkness. Bacon felt something soft grabbed his arm tightly, causing him to sit down. He also felt something fluffy on the top of his head, shivering. The dogs started to whine.
Bacon struggled with his free arm to grab his cellphone from his pocket, after a moment, he managed to pull it out. He searched for the flash light app and activate it, filling the room with light.
The animals were all huddled against him now, a few cats have leaped onto his lap, and the fluffy thing on his head was Angel, who had jumped onto his head. Bacon let out a sigh. Something else was trembling beside him. He shone the light to his grabbed arm and was startled to see Fluttershy hugging on his arm tightly, her face buried on his shoulder.
"Er...Fluttershy?" Bacon said, gently tapping Fluttershy on the head. Thunder continued to rumble. Fluttershy hugged his arm tighter.
"Please stay." she whimpered softly. "I'm scared of a lot of things. And darkness is one of them."
Bacon couldn't help it, he chuckled. "You and the animals too." he placed his cellphone on the table, making sure the app was still on. He petted Angel on the head. "You know, my younger sister is scared of a lot of things too."
"You have a sister?" Fluttershy asked quietly, looking up at him. Bacon nodded.
"Yup, and she too, is scared of lightning and thunder and darkness." Bacon said, "She always come to find me or dad whenever it starts to rain, asking us to make the terrible sounds of thunder to go away."
"And did you?" Fluttershy asked
"Of course not, Neither of us could do that" Bacon said grinning. "In the end she always slept beside me, asking me to protect her, should the thunder decide to team up with the lightning to kidnap her."
"And did you?" Fluttershy asked again, staring at him.
Bacon looked away, a sad smile on his face. "Always."
Their stomach suddenly growled, and they both laughed. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning." Fluttershy said, "I was so worried about Angel, that I did not have the appetite."
"I only had a bottle of soda for lunch, so that makes two of us." The sound of rain was getting lighter now, and the rumble of thunder much more distant. Yet, they were still in the dark, with only Bacon's cellphone for light, with Fluttershy still clinging onto his arm.
"I don't suppose you have anything around here that us humans can eat?" he asked jokingly. Fluttershy gave a tiny smile, and shook her head.
"Well, then I suppose, this will have to do." he dug into his pockets, and pulled two candies out. He offered one to Fluttershy.
"Candy?"