Ponyville’s Tiny Librarian
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Chapter 4
Applebuck Season
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part 2
Twilight trotted along the path while looking to the sides, admiring the view as she searched for her shy friend. On the ground she could see several dens among the grass field, or rather the eyes of many heads emerging from them as several rabbits, moles and various rodents gave her a curious glance. While passing over a small wooden bridge that was rather big from her perspective, she glanced at several trees surrounding the area, noticing that she is being watched by birds, squirrels and even an eagle on top of the roof, who was hopefully not hungry. Approaching the cottage, a white bunny caught her attention as the distance between them disappeared.
Twilight stopped in her tracks at the sight of Angel glaring at her with an angry expression on his face. “Hello Angel. Have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?”
Noticing that the bunny was hitting the ground with his foot at high speed, she smiled awkwardly. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.” After seeing a confirming nod from him, she continued, “I’m trying to find Fluttershy and ask her to assist me in some of my research.” After receiving a suspicious glare, she chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her, I swear… so if you know where Fluttershy is, would you tell me? Please.”
Angel pointed in a direction with his paw as Twilight responded with a half bow and a quick, “Thank you!” before trotting in the indicated direction, only to notice that she was being followed. She quickly looked to see Angel Bunny behind her.
So far I’ve ridden on so many ponies, pegasi, Spike and even on the princesses themselves, perched on either their heads or backs. I wonder how it would feel if someone were ride me for a change, Twilight thought as she lit her horn and, to Angel’s confusion, levitated him onto her back, doing her best to place the twice her size bunny as comfortably as she could. “Hang onto me, Angel, I will get us to Fluttershy in an instant!”
***
Twilight galloped with all of the speed she could muster as she felt Angel's leg kicking her rear, though compared to everything she had endured up to this point, it barely even tickled. The little unicorn jumped over another obstacle as the bunny was cheering on her back.
“Enjoying the ride, Angel?” she asked, looking at her passenger who just nodded and pointed his paw in the direction where Fluttershy should be at this moment. Twilight nodded and jumped over a bush, landing on a path that led from Ponyville into the forest. She immediately stopped the moment she felt the earth tremble, only for a huge stampede of bunnies to capture her attention as they ran like there was no tomorrow.
Twilight didn’t flinch as she gave Angel a determined glance. “Hang on tight.” She started to jump left, right and above her assailants, evading bunnies one by one until the last one passed while hardly feeling the weight of her passenger. Wasting no time, she turned around and chased the terrified bunnies. “What’s got into them? They look terrified.”
Angel shrugged as Twilight sped up, her tiny hooves striking the ground with weak thumps. “We must stop them before they get lost in town or somepony steps on them!” Twilight shouted as she found it ironic since so many ponies were often worried that she may be stepped on if she wasn’t careful.
She lit her horn and caught every single bunny with her magic, now levitating them above her head. Even though there were at least a hundred bunnies, she resisted the pressure of their light weight with ease. “Hey Angel, think you could calm them down somehow?” Twilight asked, her passenger jumped from her back and ran in front of struggling bunnies, and with one strong whistle, every bunny looked down at him.
After noticing Angel’s paw gesture, Twilight nodded and put every bunny on the ground as he started to jump and squeal in front of them. The confusion that formed from watching Angel’s odd dance quickly turned into a thrill as every bunny saluted and formed lines of ten bunnies each, and soon Twilight could see Angel walking in front of them like a general at the head of an army, her mouth and eyes wide open from the sight. “Wow... Angel, that was amazing! I had no idea you had such leadership skills.”
Angel looked proudly at Twilight as he jumped onto her back and pointed with his paw towards the forest. Twilight giggled and played along as she walked towards it with an army of bunnies right behind her and the little officer riding on her back.
***
“Thank you so much, Twilight, you were a great help,” Fluttershy said gently as she looked down at the tiny mare and the army of bunnies standing in right behind her. The timid pegasus pointed at the formation and continued, “They are all safe thanks to you.”
Twilight shook her head. “Fluttershy, I just slowed them down. It was Angel who took control of the situation, all the praise goes to him.” She pointed at her passenger who kept sitting on her back with his paws crossed, a proud look on his face.
“I see. Thank you so much Angel, I’m very proud,” Fluttershy said, much to Angel’s amusement. “It is nice to see that you both have became such good friends.”
Twilight nodded with cheerful smile, but to her surprise, Angel jumped onto the ground and turned his back to her. “What’s wrong?”
The bunny officer didn’t respond as the little mare thought deeply for a moment.
“Well, if you don’t want us be friends... okay, we’re not friends,” Twilight said firmly as Angel turned around and faced her again, this time with a raised eyebrow. “Though I must say we make a good team. If you ever want to ride on me or need my help, just call,” Twilight said cheerfully as she raised her forehoof towards Angel while the white bunny looked at it, only to turn his head away, but before Twilight managed to put her hoof down on the ground, she noticed his paw straightening towards her. A smile quickly grew across her face as she shook it energetically, shaking the bunny as the result, with such speed that put Applejack’s welcoming hoof-shake into shame.
Angel walked away shakily and sat next to Fluttershy, who was counting bunnies. The fact that they all stood in formation made the counting incredibly fast. “Thank you so very much, cute little bunnies, now go back to your mommies,” Fluttershy said gently with one cheerful flap of her wings as she gestured with her hoof for the bunnies to go, but instead they just looked at Angel who, with a swift gesture of his paw, made them go back to their dens.
“Fluttershy, may I ask you a favour?” Twilight asked curiously.
The yellow pegasus knelt and looked at Twilight with a large smile, as gratitude and concern was clearly visible in her big blue eyes, the very sight enough for the little unicorn to feel a pleasant warmth in her heart. “Of course, Twilight. How can I help?”
Twilight climbed up on Fluttershy’s muzzle and started to explain about how she had three types of magic inside herself, adding how her friends had two, while Pinkie Pie was literally a pegasus without wings and had some reality warping power under her control. Once done with the explanation, she asked for permission to scan Fluttershy’s inner magic.
***
“Oh um… I’m not sure…” Fluttershy said hesitantly and stood up while Twilight did her best to keep her balance on her muzzle.
“Please,” Twilight pled with her forelegs held together.
“I’m sorry, but I recall…”
“Please, please, please,” Twilight pled again as she stared at Fluttershy with puppy-like eyes and a pout on her face while still sitting on her nose, her ears quickly drooped while her tail started to shake left and right at rapid speed.
Fluttershy bit her lip as she could do nothing but stare at the psychological assault of her little friend. Her heart started to beat faster and faster, threatening to escape her chest the moment Twilight’s tail moved around her neck as if it was a scarf, only to end up in between unicorn’s teeth as if she was chewing it. “Plisss…” was all that escaped from unicorn’s mouth as Fluttershy sighed, giving up to the weaponized cuteness that put her little critters’ best pleading expressions to shame.
“Alright.”
Twilight’s ears and tail shot upward as she smiled and, luckily for her, already recovered enough magic to scan Fluttershy several times before giving the timid pegasus a questioning look.
“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked with a hint of fear in her voice.
Twilight nodded and said firmly, “Fluttershy,” as her expression caused the shy pegasus to flinch. The little unicorn still anchored on pegasus’s muzzle and unfazed by the sudden jump, continued, “I cannot detect even the slightest amount of pegasus magic inside you.”
Fluttershy gulped and asked hesitantly, “W-w-what d-do you m-mean?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I can detect a weak earth pony magic signature in you and a large amount of magic from unknown origin, but no pegasus magic.”
“Oh, look what time it is, I must go and feed my critters,” Fluttershy said as she carefully grabbed Twilight by her soft tail and put her gently on the ground. With the little mare no longer on her muzzle, she walked backwards, but Twilight quickly jumped towards her head and was once again hanging onto her nose.
“Your magic resembles that of my guard, Overwatch. Are you hiding some sort of secret?”
Fluttershy trembled as sweat started to slide from her head, only to bow with a weak thump before hiding her face behind her hooves. The little unicorn rolled on the grass as she was thrown off by the impact. “Oh Twilight, please, don’t tell anypony, please…”
The little mare shook a leaf from her head and gave Fluttershy a confused stare while Angel Bunny took a defensive position in front of the scared pegasus. With half-closed eyes and determination growing across her face, she ran towards Fluttershy, reacting just in time to avoid Angel’s bodyslam as she jumped onto bunny’s head and bounced forward, landing mere centimeters in front of the pegasus’s covered head.
Hearing a weak sob, Twilight’s ears drooped and a sad smile formed on her lips as she straightened her foreleg. With a gentle touch, her tiny hoof stroke Fluttershy’s giant foreleg, only to do the same with her cheek the moment she revealed her face. “It’s alright, Fluttershy, we all have secrets we don’t want others to know.”
Fluttershy looked at Twilight with watery eyes, seeing nothing but compassion and guilt, only to see how it turned into a cheerful smile.
“Whatever you’re hiding, I’ll keep it secret. I promise I won’t tell anypony.”
“Y-you w-won’t?”
Twilight shook her head as she wiped Fluttershy’s tears with her tiny hoof. “My guard Overwatch has been my friend for over thirteen years now and I trust her with my life. And you saved me from a manticore back when I foolishly rushed to Nightmare Moon’s aid alone,” she spoke before nuzzling pegasus’s muzzle with her head, pressing herself against its soft surface while her forelegs attempted to embrace it in a hug. “Fluttershy, whatever you and Overwatch are hiding, if this is so important to keep secret, then I will respect your privacy.” She sighed and added in sad tone, “I’m really sorry for making you sad.”
Fluttershy waited for the little unicorn to release her muzzle before she sat and looked down at Twilight in disbelief, who just waved her foreleg and spoke, “If you ever decide to share your secret, I am all ears. Whatever secret it is, I won’t think any less of you.”
The moment Fluttershy’s sad smile was replaced with a warming one, Twilight looked at the farm on the horizon. “Anyway, it seems that Applejack has been causing a lot of trouble around the town and something tells me that those bunnies running towards Ponyville was the result of her helping.” Noticing Fluttershy’s nod, Twilight made a half bow. “Goodbye Fluttershy, Angel, it was fun but I have to go.”
“Wait!”
The little unicorn turned her head towards Fluttershy who smiled at her even more warmly. “Thank you very much, it means a lot to me.”
Twilight didn’t speak but instead just smiled back before galloping towards Sweet Apple Acres. I need to stop Applejack before she ends up in hospital or sends somepony else there… Now that I think about it, I hurt myself quite often. Do I really act like Applejack is now?
I'm going out on a limb here and say that Fluttershy and Overwatch either have Bat Pony magic or dragon magic. As for Pinkie in a previous chapter, it's quite obvious she has Chaos magic. Maybe even Discord's own magic.
So fluttershy is another changeling, not surprising really.
Yes.
Is Fluttershy a thestral also in this fic? O.O
General (Tyrant) Angle is not unexpected. (Probably) changeling Fluttershy is though.
I love how you're taking your twist on history from the previous two stories and showing all the consequences as applied to the episodes. Some things are just permanently changed, I simply can't wait to see what you do in the next part!
Changelings. Overwatch and Fluttershy both most likely. Fluttershy as changeling is a fairly common trope, and Overwatch as one can make some amount of sense... maybe. Celestia probably knows about Overwatch at the very least.
Honestly... I'm going to say it's Fluttershy's secret that's more unexpected. Frankly, what I'm most surprised about is that nobody's done the General Angel bit before now - seriously, the funniest part about that is that I could totally see it happening.
7134205 Hmm... yeah, I could see that. Or maybe dragon magic for irony's sake, considering Fluttershy's afraid of dragons? And I totally agree with you on the bit about Pinkie... unless, of course, chaos magic is a red herring and it's actually something completely different that will blindside us all! O_O
Somebody needs to make that into a picture.
Holy shit, Fluttershy's a changeling.
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Interesting theories, though I cannot tell which ones are correct and which aren't. Maybe even all are wrong? Who knows.
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While I cannot confirm or deny your theory, I want to ask why you aren't surpriced?
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I take your "yes" as expression of happiness or satisfaction. May I know what you find so amusing in this chapter?
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Why are you calling Angel a tyrant? I tried to portray him as a strick leader type, so I am unsure where the whole "tyrant" came to live?
7134253
This chapter still have part 3 and part 4 left though, however after that we get to Gilda's episode.
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Just the general fandom of Angle being a jerk. Nothing in particular from your writing, just fandom as a whole coloring my perception.
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To be honest, Twilight as changeling is a common trope, other main 6 members not so much.
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Congrats on being the second person who commented on Angel so far. The last comment said he was acting like a tyrant, so nice to see a positive reaction this time around.
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Theories and speculations, you just cannot help but to love them. In due time we will see who was right and who was wrong.
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I wish some artists would make such arts base on my story, but seems that it won't happen anytime soon.
Yay
Nice Angel
I'm guessing Pinkie has chaos magic, much like Discord, and Fluttershy and Overwatch are changelings (Bat pony being an alternate guess).
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Stated as similar magic to overwatch, who through various evidence is obviously a changeling makes it unsurprising that fluttershy is a changeling as well
Yup, I'm convinced at this point that Overwatch and Fluttershy are both changelings
Also,I just read the review from Celestia's Tiny Student which I found quite fair and remind me of an old fictional favorite of mine.
As a side note, it tells you on the bottom left under the Completed tag on when the story the first published. Making June 14, 2013, the day it was first aired not June 22, 2013. Not quite such why that bugged me as much as it did
So Pinkie maybe a wingless pegasus with chaos magic. I'm going to make a wild stab that she's a literal reincarnation of Surprise.
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"I wonder what was more unexpected. General Angel or Fluttershy's secret."
Yes.
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I am 50/50 on batpony and changeling for Fluttershy and Overwatch. If batpony then they are hiding it due to some kind of stigma assigned to it. Also both versions explain whole fruit-bat Flutershy thing.
As for Pinkie? Order magic - perfect opposite of discord ;D Cause its Pinkie.
7134563 Pinkie's magic is probably due to her being a descendant of some creature or someting. Maud also has abilities like it so it is probably a family trait.
7134563 Vampony battershy is cannon but queen Flutterling would also be cool
Angel, Lord General of the Bunnies.
So flutters is a changeling and pinkie is the demon spawn of discord i can get behind that.
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which is really really sad.
wish i could do art, but i have 2 left hands and no artistical talent at all whatsoever.
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A rare sight indeed.
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Thanks for pointing it out.
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I am not a fan of answers like these, they can get annoying fast.
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And the theories are pilling up. It was faster than I expected.
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That title sure suits him.
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You mean Luna's way of speach?
Overwatch can't be Thestral cause Unicorn. If Fluttershy and Overwatch are the same, then it's either changeling, draconic, or something no one is thinking about at all. I'd say best bet is Changeling, but knowing Commander... It can literally be anything. So... No theories outta me, just another good, catching chapter :)
*gives an unofficial thumbs up cause can't give a second...*
7134472 Would it matter if I was?
And that's all I'll say on that.
7134896 Money is on Changling as Overwatch often equates emotions etc as flavours. I've always assumed Overwatch was a Changling, and was waiting for it to become important... probably around a wedding.
Annnnnd Fluttershy is also a (presumed) changeling.
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Huh thought more would stand by the changeling bit what with overwatch's food and emotion analogies. But batpony could be fun too.
Im not changing my mind on pinkie though. Fucking gypsie demon spawn 4th wall breaking taffy pony.
My votes either on thesterial or changling. With Spike right there it's unlikely twi is unfamiliar with the feel of dragon magic.
I'm calling it now, they're really stones with holes in them, everybody knows that stones with holes in them are magical.
Alphonse is dead, and Edward's missing limbs have been replaced with sophisticated prosthetics called automail
Overwatch is changeling, and Fluttershy is batpony.
This part with Fluttershy was pretty touching. I'm leaning towards her and Overwatch being changelings.
About the reupdating stuff, here is the link, just so you can be sure of what it entails :
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/209448/psa-nonstory-chapter-updates
Well, it concerns things that aren't part of the stories, but we still should be cautious about reposting an existing chapter with more or less long modifications.
Hmmm most likely she is a changeling trope (hope you don´t go all heavy drama on it like other stories). If she is a thestral then I will be pleasantly surprised and tip my hat to you. Feel like you are an author who would make thestral part of equastria interesting.
Ok, so now I have a better idea of Twilight's size compared to Angel if he can ride her like a human would ride a horse.
And even if Fluttershy is a Changeling or something, like a Vampony, the Element of Kindness bonded to her so I can't see her turning on her friends. I can also see Flutterbat being a unique opportunity for Twilight to get some new data.
General Angel Bunny is awesome, I can't wait to see if he continues to work with Twilight since they're of similar size.
Why do I assume the over watch and fluttershy have changeling magic?
(*havent read comments yet*)
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Don't worry, whatever secret Flutttershy is hidding, she's too kind to do anything mean.
As for Angel, he will have some apperances, however they will be a few and between. I already used best locations for his cooperation with Twilight in Applebuck season and ticket master. While I like having Twiny cooperate with Angel, there aren't many spots for them to do so.
More cute powers, more!
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It's going to have something to do with thestrals and lunar unicorns isn't it.
It's going to be the return of Flutterbat as well as the majestic lunar unicorn OVERWATCH!!!!
Oh my gosh! She is getting self aware of her actions.
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Yes, Flutterbat and Overwatch, with the help of the lunar ponies, shall sacrifice Twiny to bring back Queen Nyx.
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LONG LIVE THE SHIELD OF EQUESTRIA!!!!!!
Sure
not
common
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all
Don't really like the idea of Fluttershy being a changeling here but I'll be waiting to see how you write it out. I'm sceptical but I trust you as an author didn't even occur to me that Fluttershy could be a Thestral because I've been on lock about Overwatch being a changeling.
Here I was thinking Fluttershy would turn out to have nothing but Earth pony magic
7134205 Nah. Bat ponies are basically mentioned in the previous story as being a result of Luna's blessing, which we can assume is non-genetic, as opposed to being a separate race.
Also you'd think Twilight would recognize dragon magic, having pretty much raised Spike.
I'm calling Changeling as the obvious choice - that's the species the author is hinting at the most. Overwatch has the same or similar magic and can't be disguised with illusion magic, Fluttershy reacted to the mention of changelings at some point in NMMTA, which this story is a sequel to...
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It's completely possible that Luna's blessing was primarily directed towards non-thestral ponies to help them work in the same environment as the actual bat ponies. Just a thought :P
7150171 Luna would probably have mentioned having "normal" bat-ponies among her ranks while explaining the blessing to Celestia, though, if this was the case.
No offense, but I don't see it being bat-pony/thestral magic.