Fluttershy opened her eyes just a bit and squinted around the dark bedroom of her cottage. Surely, it had to be morning by now, yet no bright, welcoming rays of sun adorned the floor today. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes and stood up, glancing at the clock up on the bedside table.
Oh my, it’s already mid-morning, she realized. Then why is it so dark?
Fluttershy scampered over to the rabbit hole in the corner of the room leading to Angel’s home. After a short clamber down the earthy slope, she reached her friend’s living quarters. The white rabbit remained asleep, sprawled on his wide makeshift bed.
“Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy called as she entered. “Come on Angel, we slept in. We need to go looking for the next ingredient!”
Angel rolled out of bed and onto the dirt floor. “Alright,” he groaned as he sat up. “Let’s get it out of the way. The lake’s only about a mile from here, right?”
“Yes,” said Fluttershy. “It shouldn’t take us very long to get there.”
“Then let’s go right now,” Angel said. “You said we’re already behind schedule. Let’s go get this thing as quickly as we can, and then we can go bug Feathers about the location of the last one. Hopefully that studious old windbag has found something by now about that mushroom.”
The two rabbits exited Fluttershy’s home, and it quickly became apparent why the morning was so dark and dreary. A think blanket of clouds covered the entire sky; only a few rays of direct sunlight poked through around town, and pegasi could be seen in the distance, rapidly closing those spaces up with additional fluffy wisps.
“What’s up with the cloud cover?” Angel asked. “Are the pegasi cookin’ up some inclement weather?”
The memory hit Fluttershy instantly. “Rainbow Dash said there would be a storm this week!” she remembered aloud. “I had completely forgotten about it.”
Angel looked uncertainly at the sky. “Well… let’s get moving. Maybe if we’re quick, we can get to the lake and get the water lily before the weather gets bad. Then it won’t matter if we have to spend the rest of the day cooped up underground.”
He sped off over a grassy hill. “Try to keep up, ‘Shy!” he called. “The faster we get there, the better!”
Fluttershy had relatively little difficulty keeping up with her guide this time; she was finally getting the hang of her new bunny body. Briefly, she wondered if she would have to relearn her movements once she became a pony again.
A quarter of an hour passed, and the sky continued to darken. A faint, distant rumble of thunder indicated the storm was beginning on the far side of Ponyville. A few moments later, the two rabbits crested a ridge and gazed down at the glimmering surface of the lake, a still almost a half mile away down the slope. A small stream, burbling up from one of the many springs that were so common in the area, snaked down the steep slope before emptying itself into the body of water at the bottom.
“See? We’re almost there. Piece of cake,” Angel said. He stepped forward to begin down the slope.
“Psst! Hey, boss!”
Angel and Fluttershy turned to see the two familiar faces of a certain pair of brown rabbits poking out of another nearby rabbit hole.
“Morning, boys,” Angel called. “We’re a little busy right now. I’ll talk with you later, okay?”
One of the Buttons shook his head. “Boss, it’s pretty urgent. We really need to see you right now.”
Angel sighed, glancing at the sky, at the lake, and finally back to the Buttons. “Alright, give me a second,” he said.
Angel turned to Fluttershy. “Kid, why don’t you get started heading down there?” he suggested. “I just gotta discuss business with the Buttons for a minute, and then I’ll be along too.”
“I should go… by myself?” Fluttershy asked, slightly nervous at the prospect of exploring without Angel’s guidance.
“Kid, it’s the lake,” Angel said. “You’ve been there hundreds of times. Go down the hill, see if there are any lilies washed up on the beach, and if there is, grab it and come back.”
“And if there aren’t any?” Fluttershy asked.
“Then wait for me or something,” Angel replied. “Like I said, I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Fluttershy nodded, and carefully started down the hillside while Angel ducked into the hole to have a quick discussion with his henchmen.
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“Alright, everypony!” Rainbow Dash called over the roaring wind. “You’re doing great so far! Now we need to direct the winds east, and get the rest of the rainclouds started. I want this whole town getting soaked within ten minutes! Are we clear?”
A pack of pegasi nodded their heads, rapidly scattering to manage the storm. Once Rainbow was satisfied, she turned tail and blasted away through the turbulent skies. She smiled to herself, enjoying the exhilaration of the flight despite the harsh conditions. Within a few moments, she hovered over the fields on the outskirts of the Everfree. The silhouette of the accursed forest loomed on the horizon, with Fluttershy’s cottage situated placidly just beyond its borders. The rain team hadn’t reached this part of the storm’s range yet, so Rainbow decided to give them a little help.
I hope Fluttershy’s critters are smart enough to stay indoors, the mare thought to herself, because there’s gonna be one heck of a downpour!
Rainbow tightened her muscles, and then delivered a monumental kick to a nearby cloud, which immediately began to empty its contents onto the landscape below. It also crashed into the next cloud, which bumped the next, setting off a chain reaction of torrential rains onto the plains. Rainbow admired her handiwork, and with a curt nod, she sped off to check on the thunder team.
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Fluttershy was about half way down the hill when the first big drop of rain splashed down on her head. She glanced nervously to the sky, and immediately regretted it as another drop splashed into her eye. Blinking away the water, Fluttershy glanced around in surprise as more rain splattered down, coating the rocks around her.
The storm worsened faster than any she could remember. Soon, her view of the lake was completely obscured by sheets of pounding rain. Soaked and quickly panicking, Fluttershy decided she had to abandon her mission, and return to the top of the hill to seek shelter in the animal dens below. Treading carefully on the loose mud and slippery rocks, she began to ascend the slope.
“Angel,” Fluttershy called. “Are you there? If you are, then we need to turn back, the storm is getting too strong!”
Fluttershy was unable to see her friend; perhaps he was still underground with the Button brothers? He struggled to reach the top of the hill again so she could find him.
A loud crack of thunder overhead startled Fluttershy, causing her to misstep and tumble onto a muddy slope, dangerously close to the stream. With a little yelp, she managed to grab onto a small stone lodged in the soil.
The rain intensified still more, pummeling Fluttershy and everything around her. Unable to get her footing on the mud, she could do nothing but hang onto the stone. With growing anxiety, the stranded rabbit realized her situation had gone from inconvenient and uncomfortable to outright dangerous in a heartbeat.
“Angel!” she cried. “Somebunny! Anybunny! Help!”
A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky above her, followed almost immediately by a tremendous boom. The vibration began to dislodge the tiny stone she clung to.
I’m going to get swept away! Fluttershy realized. I’ll be thrown into the stream and pulled down to the lake! I’ll drown for sure!
Once again, Fluttershy screamed for help, hoping against hope that Angel would appear to save her life yet again. But the slope remained devoid of other creatures. Fluttershy cried out in dismay as a tremendous gust of wind battered her, finally yanking the rock from the earth. Unable to get any purchase on the mud beneath her, she could do nothing to prevent herself from finally being pulled into the stream. The rain and wind had increased its flow exponentially, and with a final terrified scream, Fluttershy was submerged and carried down the hillside by the torrent.
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“This better be good, boys,” Angel grumbled once he and the Button brothers had found a suitable private room to talk. “You two know I’m still trying to fix the situation with the Main Mare.”
“Sorry to interrupt, boss,” one of the Buttons replied. “But we have a crucial piece of information regarding the Big Job; we needed to speak with you immediately, due to a possible need for emergency re-strategizing.”
“Re-strategizing?” Angel asked quizzically. “Great, what’s gone wrong now?”
“There’s been a change of plans regarding the departure of the Apple family,” the other Button said.
“They’re not leaving on Tuesday?” Angel asked. “Well, that’s simple to fix; we move the date to the day they are leaving.”
“That’s not it, boss,” the first Button said. “The Apples are still leaving on Tuesday, and that’s still the only day that they’ll all be away from the farm simultaneously in the foreseeable future. The problem is they seem to have grown wise to our tricks from the past. Our scouts have confirmed the Apples’ plan to leave Winona behind to guard the orchard during their absence.”
“Winona!?” Angel yelled. “That insufferable self-righteous collie is going to be hanging around!? She’s worse than the ponies are!”
Furious, Angel kicked a stone down the tunnel, clenching his fists as he turned back to the Buttons, both of whom seemed intimidated by their superior’s rage.
“R-right, boss. Winona,” one of the Buttons said quietly. “So we… we figured that would call for a change of plans…”
“It sure does!” said Angel exasperatedly. “This isn’t going to be a simple collection mission anymore. Now that we’re dealing with an opposing party, we’re going to need to coordinate the heist at a far more intricate level than we would have before. We’ll need sentries, decoys, and careful, precise, and well-timed division of labor between a number of small raiding parties. And I still wouldn’t be surprised if that stupid dog manages to catch one or two of the troops.”
Angel shook his head. “I really don’t have the time to deal with coordinating this whole thing,” he complained. “Look, boys, let me go and help ‘Shy find what she’s looking for. It should only take an hour or so, and then I’ll be back. In the meantime, you guys need to go gather some of the other commanding officers. Meet me in the cottage as soon as possible, and we’ll start reorganizing the game plan for Tuesday.”
The Buttons saluted, and disappeared deeper into the tunnels. Mumbling to himself about bad luck and stupid dogs, Angel sprinted in the other direction, back toward the tunnel entrance. When he finally reached the opening, he skidded to a halt, staring in shock.
“What the…?”
Angel couldn’t see more than a few feet beyond the exit of the den; a deluge of pouring rain blocked the way. Cautiously, he poked his head out into the gale, and was immediately whipped by the powerful winds.
“Hey kid!” he called, hoping Fluttershy had had the sense to turn back when the storm began. “Where are you?”
Listening intently, Angel believed he could hear Fluttershy’s voice, although it was at quite a distance. As he struggled to hear more, however, it vanished. Unsure if he was imagining things, Angel ducked back into the rabbit hole.
I’m not dumb enough to go out in that, he thought, and ‘Shy isn’t dumb enough to try to continue to head for the lake. I’m sure she probably just found shelter somewhere. If she still ain’t back after the rain lets up, I’ll go looking for her.
He started down the tunnels leading back to the cottage. Of course, this is a stroke of luck on my part; maybe I can actually get a little work done while she’s gone.
Believing his luck had finally changed, Angel turned his thoughts from Fluttershy and began to mull over all the possibilities and consequences that now came into play regarding the Big Job.
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Fluttershy had no idea which way was up or down; all she could do was gasp for breath each time she was hurled above the surface of the choppy water, but she knew this might become impossible once she actually fell into the lake.
She couldn’t see a thing; water splashed everywhere around her, and even when she was tossed briefly to the surface, the rain greeted her instead. Cold wind, rushing water, and her own feeble squeaks of terror were the only things she could hear.
After what seemed like an eternity, the castaway rabbit found herself free-falling. At last the stream had ejected her, and being unable to control her speed or direction, she tumbled into the lake.
Battered and half-conscious, Fluttershy sank into the depths. At least the raging winds and waves had vanished now; instead, they were replaced by oppressive dark water on every side. Fluttershy made a small effort to find the surface, but her aching limbs and disoriented mind made such a task impossible.
This is it, Fluttershy thought to herself, unable to hold her breath much longer. I’m going to drown right here. My friends will never even know what happened to me; I disappeared to Las Pegasus and never returned, as far as they know…
Darkness began to creep around the edges of Fluttershy’s already cloudy vision, and she prepared herself to succumb to the grip of the lake. A large, blurry shape appeared in her view, and she struggled to see what it was.
“Well, hey!” said the shape cheerfully. “I recognize this rabbit! How ya doing, Fluttershy?”
The strange shape finally got close enough for Fluttershy to make out what it was; the familiar reptilian silhouette betrayed the identity of the little alligator in front of her.
“Gummy!” Fluttershy tried to say. Instead, only a large bubble came out. Fluttershy clapped her paws over her mouth, not wanting to waste what little oxygen she had left.
“What was that?” Gummy asked. “Oh, I forgot. You mammals can’t talk underwater. I wonder why that is? Or for that matter, why can I talk underwater when I’m still an air breather? That makes even less sense. Indeed, I wonder why there are different species with different qualities at all? If we were all the same kind of creature, that would make things more straightforward. But I guess that could get boring too. Maybe the universe has some kind of anti-boredom mechanism driving evolution? What do you think, Fluttershy?”
Struggling to maintain consciousness, Fluttershy waved her arms and pointed to the surface desperately.
“Oh yeah,” said Gummy vaguely. “You mammals need air a lot more often than I do, don’t you? Want me to take you to the surface or something?”
Fluttershy would have responded with a fervent ‘yes’, but she had passed out.
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Suddenly, the raging sounds of the storm returned. Unsure of where she was, but completely aware that there was once again air present, Fluttershy began coughing and gasping violently.
“You okay up there, miss?” Gummy asked. “I brought you to the surface. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Th-thank you!” Fluttershy managed between coughs. “Gummy, you saved my life!”
“Did I?” Gummy asked, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain. “Well, how about that.”
Gummy fell silent. Fluttershy assumed he had dipped into one of his famous philosophical reveries, despite the fact that he was floating in a wild, unsettled lake in the middle of a violent thunderstorm with a rabbit clinging to his back. She briefly admired how fully he could become lost in thought, despite his surroundings.
“Gummy!” Fluttershy said as loudly as she could, gripping Gummy’s scaly hide as a wave crashed over her. “I hate to bother you, but we are kind of in the middle of a bad storm here. Could you take me to the shore please?”
“Sure thing, miss,” said Gummy. He began to paddle towards the shore, showing little concern for the terrible weather conditions. Fluttershy struggled to hold onto her little savior’s back.
“I can’t help but wonder something,” Gummy began as he paddled along. “What were you doing out here anyway? I don’t know too many rabbits who like to be out in these conditions.”
He paused. “Heck, I don’t know too many of any animal that like to be out in these conditions.”
“I wasn’t trying to wind up in the lake,” Fluttershy said, shivering as a gust of wind threatened to overturn them. “I tried to turn back as soon as the weather got bad, but I wound up in the stream by accident. Originally, I was just trying to come down here to find a pink water lily.”
“A pink water lily?” Gummy asked. “You know who might be able to help you find one of those? My friend Jim.”
“Jim?” Fluttershy asked. “That’s… kind on an unusual name for an animal. What kind of creature is he?”
Gummy stopped paddling, blinking a few times in confusion. “I have no idea,” he said finally. “He’s blue, though. Does that help?”
“Blue?” Fluttershy was becoming increasingly confused. “I’m not sure I can think of any blue animals. Why do you think this Jim can help us find a pink water lily?”
“Jim knows everything about the lake,” Gummy said. “For that matter, Jim probably knows everything about everything. I love to come here to visit him; he’s one of the only creatures who really understands me. The rabbits are cool and all, but they just don’t have the capacity for the mysteries of the universe that Jim and I do.”
The shore finally came into view, but Fluttershy was beginning to have second thoughts about abandoning her mission. She had found a stable position for holding onto Gummy, and she was hesitant to surrender her search so easily, considering her remaining time before the effects of the Heart’s Desire became permanent was rapidly dwindling. She decided to question Gummy further.
“Gummy, wait.”
Gummy stopped. “Yes, miss?”
“This is probably a bad idea,” Fluttershy squeaked, “But… do you think Jim is around here? I really need to find a pink water lily soon, and if I can’t look for it today because of the rain… well, I don’t want to think about what will happen if I don’t find it in time…”
“It’s raining?” Gummy asked vaguely. He looked from side to side, and then up at the sky, which was instantly illuminated with another brilliant lightning bolt.
“Ah, so it is. Sure, we can search for Jim, if you don’t mind riding a little longer.”
Fluttershy considered it. In truth, it was a dangerous and foolhardy thing to attempt, but her adventure to collect the parts of the cure would be forwarded enormously if she could get a pink lily today. Angel would probably be thrilled as well; Fluttershy knew he desperately wanted to get back to his job coordinating the rabbit city. She would do this for him, as well as for herself.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said finally.
“And go we shall!” Gummy announced, abruptly turning around just a few meters from the shoreline and heading back into open water. “I’m sure Jim will be happy to have visitors.”
Fluttershy just hunkered down on the alligator’s back and waited, while Gummy navigated across the rough surface of the lake.
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An hour passed, in which Fluttershy did little save for clinging to the back of her courteous ride. Gummy spoke very little; he just continued to travel out into the center of the lake. Soaked to the bone and very cold, Fluttershy finally spoke up.
“G-Gummy?” she stuttered, her teeth chattering fiercely. “Are w-we almost th-th-there? I thought we’d have c-crossed the whole lake b-b-by now…”
“Oh yeah, sorry,” said Gummy. “I zoned out for a bit there. Like, uh… forty-five minutes or so…”
Fluttershy, who hadn’t been able to tell that Gummy wasn’t swimming due to the chaotic rise and fall of the water, just sighed.
“But never mind that, I think we’re here!” Gummy announced. “We’re gonna need to dive to find Jim, though. Can you hold your breath?”
“Not for very l-long,” Fluttershy admitted. “Maybe I can give you some kind of s-signal when I need to go up for air?”
“Sure, just bop me on the top of the head,” Gummy suggested. “I’m not sure Jim can come to the surface though, so I’ll have to do all the talking.”
“That’s… fine…” said Fluttershy nervously.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and wrapped her paws tightly around Gummy’s neck before the alligator dove beneath the surface, replacing the sounds of the tumultuous surface with the quiet of the depths once again.
“Jim!” Gummy called. “Jim, it’s Gummy. I could use your help, old friend!”
Jim did not appear. After Gummy called a few more times, he was forced to take Fluttershy back to the surface.
For ten more minutes, the unusual duo engaged in a series of dives, but each time, there was no sign of the mysterious Jim. The process was beginning to take its toll on Fluttershy.
“Maybe we should give up, Gummy,” she suggested. “Jim’s not here, and I don’t think this is good for my health.”
“Alright, just one more try,” Gummy insisted. “Then we can go.”
They disappeared beneath the waves yet again. “Jim!” Gummy called. “Come out, friend, I really need your help for something!”
There was silence and stillness for a few more seconds. Just as Gummy was about to surface, a gigantic shape shot out of the depths, coming to a stop right in front of the alligator.
Fluttershy’s eyes went wide with fear, as she stared into the glowing yellow pair of eyes, with angry red pupils, sported by the other creature. The newcomer was nearly the size of a fully grown pony, with bright blue skin and a collection of long tentacles.
It’s… a squid? Fluttershy realized.
“Ah, Jim!” said Gummy gleefully. “I was worried you weren’t going to show up.”
“Hello, Gummy,” Jim said in a deep voice that echoed mysteriously through the water. “My friend, you seem to have a passenger on your back.”
Jim’s large eye swiveled to examined Fluttershy more closely. The squid recoiled suddenly in fear.
“Ahhhhh! It’s a demon!” Jim cried, expelling a cloud of ink into the water. “Flee, Gummy! Before it eats your soul!”
Gummy waved away the cloud of ink with one arm. “No Jim, it’s not a demon. It’s just a mammal.”
“Ahhhhh! It’s a mammal!” Jim cried. He waved his tentacles in fear for a few seconds, but stopped abruptly after a moment and looked sheepishly at Gummy.
“Uhh… what’s a mammal?”
Fluttershy rapped on Gummy’s head. “Excuse me, Jim,” the alligator said. “I shall return momentarily. My passenger needs air.”
A moment later, Fluttershy was thrust back into the storm above.
“A squid!?” Fluttershy gasped. “Jim is a squid!? I didn’t know there were any squid in this lake!”
“Jim’s the only one I know of,” Gummy said. “He claims he fell out of a flying exotic-animal-delivery truck right as it was passing over the lake. Now he is the keeper of all the lake’s secrets.”
Fluttershy sighed. “And are you sure he can help us find a pink water lily?” she asked.
“No, but I don’t have any better ideas,” Gummy admitted. “There’s no harm in asking, right?”
“I guess not,” Fluttershy admitted. “Go ahead.”
They dipped below the water, and Fluttershy stared down apprehensively at the creature waiting below the surface.
“Jim, this is Fluttershy,” Gummy said. “She’s a pal of mine. You wouldn’t believe what these mammals will talk about. She’s got me thinking about all sorts of new things.”
“Very interesting,” said Jim, who seemed to have forgotten his previous fear of Fluttershy entirely. “But why did you bring her here, Gummy?”
“She needs to find one of those pink water lilies,” Gummy explained. “But there’s a bit of rough weather up above, so it’s a bit difficult. Do you know where we could find one?”
“Oh, that’s easy!” Jim said. “The wind currents are causing all the lily pads to gather at one part of the lake today. Just follow me, I’ll take you right to them!”
“Great,” Gummy said. “We need to follow from the surface though. You know, the need for air and all that.”
“Ah yes, air,” Jim said wistfully. “Have you ever thought about air, Gummy? You need it to survive, but you can’t even see it. What’s up with that?”
“Oh believe me, I think about air all the time,” said Gummy sincerely.
More out of a desire to end the useless conversation than the need for air, Fluttershy rapped on Gummy’s head.
“We’ll follow from above then,” Gummy said, darting to the surface with his passenger.
Fluttershy watched the large shadow beneath the waves begin to recede, and Gummy quickly paddled after it.
“Should only be a few minutes’ ride, miss,” Gummy assured her. “Your pink lily is just ahead.”
“I hope Jim knows what he’s doing,” Fluttershy mumbled.
“Of course he does! He’s Jim!” Gummy insisted. “He’s never steered me wrong before!”
Fluttershy said nothing. There was nothing to do but hope Gummy was right.
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Storm duty always got Rainbow Dash really riled up. There was something about the ability to create weather this powerful that never failed to fill her with pride. She flew through the turbulent skies at incredible speeds, her coat completely soaked with cold rain. Thunder crashed all around her, only adding to her adrenalin rush.
Rainbow hovered in place over the lake, going over all her storm duties in her head.
Let’s see, the rain is almost done, the winds have all been properly redirected, so now the lake just needs a routine vertical mixing…
The bold pegasus swooped over the lake’s surface, turning in rapid circles to create a small whirlwind. She watched in satisfaction as the swirling currents met the water, beginning the reaction that would soon cause a cyclone.
Once she was certain that her actions were successful, she rocketed away to meet with the other pegasi and begin the storm shutdown procedures.
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“There,” said Gummy, indicating a mass of plants in the distance. “Those are the lilies. I told you Jim would lead us right to them!”
He dove beneath the waves again, where Jim floated, patiently waiting.
“Excellent work, Jim!” Gummy said. “Now all we need is a pink one from the pile, and we can go.”
“That should be easy,” Jim said. “There are dozens of pink ones up there. Just go up and grab a… uh-oh…”
“What’s wrong?” Gummy asked.
“The currents are changing,” Jim said solemnly. “Can you not feel it? A water cyclone is coming!”
For the first time in Fluttershy’s life, she witnessed a look of concern cross Gummy’s face. “A cyclone? Is it nearby?”
“It’s coming this way,” said Jim anxiously. “Quickly, to the surface!”
Gummy and Fluttershy emerged into the air, while Jim floated just beneath. Sure enough, a pocket of whirling air was beginning to pull up the lake water into a small but vicious funnel. The water lilies, floating nearby, were quickly pulled into the miniature storm and shredded into fine pieces.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy wailed, watching lily after lily be destroyed before her eyes. “Gummy, we have to get one before they’re all gone!”
“We can’t,” Gummy deadpanned. “If we go near that we’ll be sucked up and hurled into the sky.”
“But if all the lilies are destroyed,” Fluttershy gasped, “I won’t be able to complete the cure in time! I have to get one, now!”
A burble came from beneath the surface; Gummy dove briefly to listen.
“What was that, Jim?”
“I’m gonna do it,” said Jim. “If the lady needs a flower that badly, I’m going to get her a flower. I am nothing if not a gentlesquid to a lady in need.”
Before either Gummy or Fluttershy could object, the large squid had turned and jetted through the water to the base of the cyclone.
“What’s he doing?” Fluttershy asked as she and Gummy resurfaced. “He hardly knows me! Why is he risking his life to get a hold of the lily?”
“Jim has his priorities straighter than most of us could ever dream to have them,” Gummy mumbled cryptically. “His sense of duty is something that should inspire us all.”
Fluttershy decided against responding to that.
Despite the pounding rain and thunder still roaring overhead, Fluttershy could only concentrate on the small patch of remaining lilies being drawn toward the destructive cyclone, and the dark shape beneath the water making a beeline for them. Jim burst from the water, wrapping a tentacle around one of the very last lilies to keep it safe from harm. He careened through the air and disappeared directly into the oncoming cyclone.
“Jim!” Fluttershy and Gummy cried in unison.
Jim was hurled out the top of the cyclone. He sailed through the air, crying out in sheer excitement.
“That’s right Jim! Live the dream!” Gummy called to his airborne friend.
A bolt of lightning coursed through the sky, intercepting the squid in midair. For a brief, defining moment, Jim’s eyes shone with wonder and his body radiated a glorious light.
And then he exploded into a million pieces.
The light in the sky faded, and the small cyclone died down and disappeared, but not before ripping up every single pink water lily. Gummy and Fluttershy took no heed of these details, however. They were transfixed, their eyes upon the spot where Jim had been a few moments before.
“…Lucky Jim,” Gummy said finally. “He always said one day he’d achieve a higher state of consciousness and be taken from us by a glorious light in the sky. I just never thought he’d actually do it.”
Gummy sighed serenely. “I hope one day I can be like him…”
Turning a sickly shade of green, Fluttershy looked at the tiny bits of squid raining down from the sky and wished very much that she could erase all memory of what she had just witnessed. She nearly leapt off Gummy in shock when an entire tentacle slapped down upon the water right next to them, the tip uncurling to reveal a single, undamaged flower.
“See?” said Gummy. “Jim always delivers.”
Fluttershy had absolutely no idea how such an event had occurred, but, after a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and carefully plucked the flower from the severed tentacle before it sank.
“Hey, look, the storm’s finally starting to let up,” Gummy observed. “By the time we get back to shore, the rain will probably have almost completely stopped.”
Gummy began paddling to shore, oblivious to the shell-shocked disposition of his companion. Fluttershy gazed at her prize, deciding it best to try not to think about anything that had happened today.
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“Okay, let’s recap,” Angel said. “So, we’re sending team seven around the north perimeter during this phase, while another pair of decoys lead Winona into the southwest sector.” He pointed to the spot on the makeshift map of Sweet Apple Acres to emphasize his point. “After that, we move on to phase five. Is this all still strategically plausible, professor?”
Angel turned to the professor, a grey rabbit with white markings that looked a bit like glasses around his eyes, and front teeth that were far too big even for the average rabbit. The professor scratched his head as he surveyed Angel’s map, scribbling details in a tiny, rabbit-sized notebook with his tiny, rabbit-sized pen.
“I think so,” the professor answered finally. “But only as long as we can be certain that Winona will be led in this direction. Since this phase requires the safety of a larger pack of rabbits than some of the earlier parts of the heist, I recommend a second set of decoys to ensure Winona is kept off the trail. What do you think, boys?”
The professor turned to the Buttons, who were also present at the strategy meeting. The twins nodded their heads in unison.
“Great,” said Angel. “Now, after that, we move on to-”
“Angel!” called a voice from the rabbit hole.
The four rabbits gathered in the cottage turned to see Gummy emerging from the tunnels, with Fluttershy draped over his back. Angel hastily folded up the map and handed it to the professor.
“I brought you a present,” Gummy said, tilting his body a bit and dumping Fluttershy onto the floor.
“There you are, ‘Shy,” Angel said. “Man, that was some storm. Were you hiding with Gummy all day?”
“Not exactly,” said Fluttershy, getting to her feet and wringing out her sodden ears.
Angel looked Fluttershy over. “Sheesh, kid. You look like a wreck. What the heck happened to you today?”
“It’s a long story,” Fluttershy said. “I ended up getting swept into the lake.”
“And then I saved her life!” Gummy said proudly. “And then we went on an epic adventure and Jim achieved a higher level of being!”
“Who’s Jim?” Angel asked.
“Please don’t mention Jim,” Fluttershy pleaded, feeling slightly ill again. “What matters is we found this.” She showed Angel the lily she had worked so hard to collect.
A broad grin crossed Angel’s face. “Kid, you are something else!” he said. “I can’t believe you managed to get one of these, even during the storm.”
Angel picked up the flower and deposited it near the bed next to the sapphire. He also grabbed a towel and brought it over to Fluttershy, who was still soaked.
“So, what have you been doing all day?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, the weather was too bad for me to find you,” Angel admitted. “So I was just having a little talk with a few of the boys here.”
Fluttershy looked at the other three rabbits present. Her eyes moved from the Buttons to the rabbit she hadn’t yet met.
“Oh, yeah,” Angel started. “And that’s-”
“Snuggles!” said Fluttershy excitedly, recognizing the rabbit she occasionally encountered in her yard.
“Professor Snuggles,” the professor corrected her. “I am Angel’s key strategizing agent. Any of his… erm… operations are usually not attempted until I have been consulted.”
“The four of us were just talking about a, uh… a plan for a new housing wing in the tunnels,” Angel lied. “I was just about to come and find you, now that the rain’s letting up, but I see I don’t need to.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Does this mean we can go talk to Owloysius tonight about the third ingredient?”
“Sure, kid,” Angel said. “Why don’t you get warmed up and get a little something to eat first. We’ll go once it gets dark.”
Angel turned. “Oh, and Gummy, thanks for bringing the kid back to-”
But Gummy had vanished. Angel just shrugged.
“Anyway, ‘Shy, give me a second to see the boys off.”
Fluttershy snuggled up in the large towel, and Angel and his associates proceeded into the tunnel. The Buttons disappeared further down the hole, but the professor stayed behind.
“Capo, if I may point something out,” Professor Snuggles began. “The time to act is fast approaching, and we still have a lot of planning to do. I’m beginning to wonder if it will continue to be possible to keep our intentions hidden from your friend Fluttershy.”
“Relax, professor,” Angel said. “The kid has got almost everything she needs to become a pony again. If old Feathers at the library comes through for us, we’ll have the cure by tomorrow.”
“I certainly hope so,” Professor Snuggles said ominously. “We cannot complete the strategic planning without a brief scouting mission to Sweet Apple Acres, and the Buttons and I cannot relay instructions to your troops in time unless we have a few days to prepare them! Tomorrow is already Sunday, so if we don’t perform the final scouting run tomorrow, we will be unable to manage the heist on Tuesday.”
“Alright, don’t worry,” Angel replied. “I’ll figure something out. Tomorrow morning, you, me, and the Buttons will head up to Sweet Apple Acres. And I’ll find some way to keep the kid busy, I promise.”
Professor Snuggles crossed his arms. “I hope you know what you’re doing, capo,” he said as he turned to go. “I’m beginning to think that, if Fluttershy’s condition doesn’t change, you’ll be too distracted to finish preparations properly.”
“What are you talking about!?” Angel snarled. “Of course the Big Job comes first! I’m trying to keep the Main Mare ignorant because it benefits us to do so!”
Professor Snuggles nodded, still not looking at Angel.
“Let’s hope your actions match your words, capo.”
The Professor disappeared down the tunnel, leaving an infuriated Angel standing alone in the dark.