//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Fluttershy's Bad "Hare" Day // by Pegasus Rescue Brigade //------------------------------// Angel sighed as he stopped for the twelfth time, glancing over his shoulder. “I knew that this was gonna take all day…” he mumbled. The white rabbit stood at the top of a grassy hill near Fluttershy’s home, waiting impatiently for his much, much slower companion to catch up. Fluttershy continued to hop awkwardly along, completely unable to keep up with him. “You make this look easy,” she panted as she finally reached the spot where Angel waited. “It is easy,” Angel said. “We could get where we’re going a lot faster if you could run like a normal rabbit, you little klutz.” Fluttershy frowned. “Sorry. I’m trying my best.” Angel softened a bit. “Well, I guess we’re not in a huge hurry or anything,” he admitted. “I’m sure I’d be stumblin’ over myself too if I suddenly turned into a pony. How do you walk on those long legs, anyway? And with that droopy tail, it’s a wonder you don’t trip and fall all over yourself…” Angel continued to mutter to himself about the anatomical inferiority of ponies as he scampered on ahead. Fluttershy couldn’t help but glance around in wonder as she followed her guide. Although she had walked this same pathway literally every day, her new diminutive size gave the entire area a new feel. The trees which she often flew above to feed the baby birds now loomed as tall, unassailable skyscrapers before her. The hollow log on the roadside appeared as a cavern, its interior coated with vibrant green moss and crowned with colorful mushrooms as big as her head. Rocks and branches were no longer roadside debris; at this size, they seemed big enough and permanent enough to be landmarks themselves. Fluttershy was so distracted, she bumped right into Angel as he paused to examine the way forward from another lush hillside. He didn’t seem to notice; instead, he shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked out over Ponyville, which was now within sight. “Alright, kid,” Angel began. “Let me give you a couple of tips about gettin’ around in town.” Fluttershy blinked. “But Angel, um… I visit Ponyville every day. I already know my way around.” Angel shook his head. “I don’t think you understand,” he said. “I’m not talking about finding your way. Ponyville’s a friendly, peaceful little town to you ponies, but to the rest of us, it’s more dangerous than you might think.” “Danger? In Ponyville?” Fluttershy gasped. “What could possibly be dangerous about Ponyville? It’s one of the quietest, safest towns in all of Equestria!” “I know,” Angel deadpanned. “Believe me, animals who have to live around Canterlot or Manehattan got it a lot worse than we do. But even Ponyville’s no paradise to critters like us.” “How so?” Fluttershy questioned. “Well, it depends where you’re headed,” Angel said coolly. “A lot of ponies don’t notice a rabbit or squirrel running by on the more crowded streets. We gotta be real careful if we don’t wanna get stepped on or knocked around. And then there’s the marketplace; some ponies don’t take kindly to the presence of hungry little animals lurking around the stalls, so if you’re not sneaky, you’ll end up getting chased away or have something thrown at you.” “That’s terrible!” Fluttershy replied. “I’ll make sure to give a stern talking-to to anypony I see harassing you and your little friends once I’ve turned back to my old self.” “There’re other dangers, too,” Angel continued. “Sometimes, especially near the schoolhouse, you gotta be on the lookout for fillies that wanna catch you and dress you up like a doll. Why, just last week one of my boys came back to the den covered in lipstick and decked out in a little checkered bonnet and matching apron. It’s an ordeal, let me tell you. I stay away from fillies when I can.” Fluttershy giggled. “I’m not sure if I’d call that last one danger,” she admitted. “Whatever. It’s an inconvenience, at least,” Angel said. “Not to mention humiliating.” “Why do we need to go into town, anyway?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t most of the bunnies live outside of it?” “I told you, we’re going to see a knowledgeable acquaintance of mine,” Angel repeated. “Considering how oblivious all your pony friends are, he’s probably your only chance of getting this little problem fixed quickly. Otherwise, you’re gonna have to wait until one of your friends notices you’re missing, and I doubt you wanna wait that long.” Angel looked back toward the cluster of buildings. “This acquaintance lives right in the heart of town, so we’re gonna have to head right on inside. You ready?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I… guess so…” “Good. We’ll try to take the easiest roads possible. It’s best to just stay out of the way of the ponies in general.” Angel marched down the hill and into an alley between two houses, with Fluttershy tailing him closely. She glanced up and the wood and straw buildings; they seemed now like impenetrable walls surrounding her. Fluttershy marveled at how different even a simple walkway in Ponyville seemed through the tiny eyes of a rabbit. The two travelers made their way along the narrowest, least crowded streets of the town. Occasionally, when it came time to cross a busier thoroughfare, Angel would point out the entrance to a concealed tunnel the rabbits had dug. Several such hidden passageways were scattered around town, and Fluttershy quickly realized that the animals had developed a whole network of shortcuts to avoid being under foot whenever possible. Nevertheless, it was a long and tiring walk. The afternoon passed quickly and the sun was beginning to set as the two reached the center of town. “It’s not far now,” Angel coaxed, as his companion struggled to keep up. “Just another street or two.” Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them prepared to cross the next road, when their path was suddenly crossed by a familiar white and purple unicorn. “Hey! That’s Rarity!” Fluttershy gasped. “Maybe she’ll recognize me!” Fluttershy turned and began to follow Rarity, perpendicular to the direction Angel had been leading her. “Don’t go that way, kid!” Angel called. “She’s heading into the market! We gotta stay out of there until closing time, at least.” “Don’t worry, Angel,” Fluttershy called back. “I’m sure Rarity won’t let anything happen to me; I’m her best friend!” Angel groaned and quickly followed his optimistic but oblivious friend into the market. Fluttershy peeked around the corner of a building into the wide plaza, where a few ponies were doing some last-minute shopping before the sun went down. She spied Rarity, trotting in the direction of the apple stand, where Applejack appeared to be preparing to pack up her wares for the day. Fluttershy hopped into the plaza and under the cover of a nearby cart to watch. “Good evening, Applejack,” Rarity greeted. “Could I pick up a few apples before you close for the night? I promised Sweetie Belle I’d bake a cobbler for her, since she and her friends actually managed to stay out of the way while I completed a big order this afternoon.” “Sure thing, Rarity,” Applejack said. “Since you’re comin’ so late, some of the best ones are gone, but there’re still some mighty fine ones here. I wouldn’t sell anythin’ that I wouldn’t eat myself.” Applejack placed some apples into a bag, while Rarity continued to make light conversation. “I haven’t seen Fluttershy at all today,” the unicorn commented. “Has she already left for vacation?” “Yes ma’am, early this mornin’,” Applejack answered. “RD says she should be arrivin’ in Las Pegasus by now. I stopped by this mornin’ to feed her critters.” “Oh, that’s right, I’m scheduled to do that tomorrow,” Rarity realized. “I mustn’t forget; thank you for reminding me, Applejack.” “A fair word of warnin’” Applejack replied. “Them critters are every bit as feisty when it comes to food as Fluttershy made ‘em out to be. They dove right in to it the second it left my hooves. And this one critter didn’t wanna’ eat at all; I think it was worried about Fluttershy. The poor thing was even dressin’ up like her to get its point across. I let her know that Fluttershy is coming back in a week, but I dunno if she took the hint.” Rarity chuckled. “A rabbit that looks like Fluttershy! That must have been entertaining to see.” Seeing her chance to get noticed, Fluttershy exited from her hiding place and bounded toward her friends. “Well, speak of the devil,” Applejack proclaimed. “Here comes the little varmint now.” The two ponies stared at the pink and yellow rabbit in front of them as she gestured wildly. Rarity broke into a grin. “I have to give her some credit,” the unicorn giggled. “She really does bear a stunning resemblance to Fluttershy! How charming! The only thing she’s got wrong is the personality; Fluttershy would never be this excited or hyper.” Fluttershy stopped immediately and blinked in surprise. Rarity smiled. “Now don’t you worry, dear. I’ll be coming by to feed you all tomorrow. You’d best be getting home before it gets too late.” Applejack finished packing up the spare Apples, and she and Rarity departed from the stand. “Wait! Rarity! It’s me!” Fluttershy called, although she knew it was fruitless. She hopped out into the open marketplace to follow her friends. “Look out, kid!” Before Fluttershy could move, she was tackled full force by Angel, and the two of them rolled out of the way and instant before a heavy wooden cart rolled along the spot where Fluttershy had stood a moment before. The cart’s oblivious owner whistled contently, having never seen the small, furry obstruction he had almost hit. “I knew I was gonna have to save your life before this day was over,” Angel muttered, as Fluttershy stared in shock at the receding cart. “I told you to be careful! Another second and you would’ve been road kill.” “I’m sorry!” Fluttershy squeaked. “I was distracted. Rarity was-” “Kid, I told you before,” Angel interrupted, “At this stage, the ponies are effectively worthless. If you want to get out of this, you need to start listening to what I say, got it? I’m taking the time and effort to help you out, so I expect a little cooperation, capice? “Yes, Angel. I’ll listen from now on.” “Good,” Angel said curtly. “Come on, our destination is just a few blocks away.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The moon was beginning to rise, and Fluttershy was beginning to wonder how much further Angel’s acquaintance’s home could possibly be, when her guide stopped abruptly and motioned to a gigantic oak in front of them. Fluttershy looked up and the massive tree. The silhouette was familiar; balconies and interior chambers were built onto the sides. Candlelight flickered in the windows, providing illumination for the unicorn that often studied there. “Twilight’s Library,” Fluttershy stated, surprised. “No, really?” asked Angel sarcastically. He pointed to the uppermost balcony, where the outline of Twilight was visible, peering into one of her telescopes. “Looks like the mare’s busy, which means it should be easier for us to do what we need to do without interruption.” Angel darted around the back of the tree-home, and squeezed himself into a small space beneath one of its roots. Fluttershy struggled to force herself into the small space, and found herself in a tunnel, almost pitch black and barely high enough for her to stand in. “Haven’t had to use this tunnel in a while…” Angel mumbled to himself as he crept forward. “Let’s hope my acquaintance is home; it would be a shame if we came all this way just to wait around for him.” Fluttershy said nothing, as she was focusing on not bumping into the walls of the incredibly tight tunnel. A few yards later, Angel stopped suddenly, unable to progress. A solid, wooden plank blocked the path. “Crud,” he grumbled. “We’re under the library staircase, but it looks like that lazy baby dragon finally fixed the broken step. That’s a shame; it’s going to make it much harder to get in there.” Turning to Fluttershy briefly, he pointed to a miniscule division between some of the boards that surrounded them, through which a tiny flicker of light trickled through. “That plank is loose,” he stated. “It’s difficult, but if we both push, I think we can bend it just enough to slip through the opening between the steps. Don’t ask me how we’re gonna get back in here though. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Angel leaned against the flexible spot in the step and began to heave against it with his shoulder. “Come on, ‘Shy! Help me out!” “Oh, um… okay,” Fluttershy squeaked. She too began to push against the board, but her additional support seemed to have no effect. “Not like that,” Angel groaned. “There ain’t any strength in those arms. You gotta lean against it and push with your legs.” Fluttershy repositioned herself and pressed against the wall with all the strength her powerful rabbit legs would allow. A few seconds passed, and the space between the front and side of the step began to widen. After a moment, it was just wide enough for a rabbit to squeeze through. “Now for the tricky part,” Angel puffed. “The second we let the pressure off this thing, that hole’s gonna snap closed again. We gotta stop pushing on this thing and jump through at exactly the same time.” Fluttershy gulped. “We’re going on three. Got it?” “Got it.” Angel crouched, preparing to leap, and checked to make sure Fluttershy had done the same. “Ready? One… two…” Nervous tension caused Fluttershy to jump too early. She barreled into Angel and the two of them toppled through of the opening, which snapped shut loudly an instant later. “Oops.” Angel pushed the other rabbit off himself and stood up. “Man kid, you’re really trying to get us both killed today, aren’t you?” Fluttershy attempted to respond, but Angel covered her mouth with a paw. “Quiet. Let’s just find who we’re looking for. The quicker we do that, the quicker we get out of here.” Cautiously, Angel hopped forward from the shadow of the stairs and into the wide main chamber of the Ponyville library. Fluttershy followed behind, glancing around nervously. The usually comfortable and inviting library seemed positively eerie today. Moonlight stretched across the wooden floor in long, ornate patterns as it shone through the windows. A few books, placed haphazardly about, were illuminated by the half-melted candles. Dead silence hung in the air, as the library’s only residents were two stories above on the outer balcony. Angel placed his paws on his hips. “Well, this figures,” he grumbled. “Looks like he ain’t here. Wonderful.” Fluttershy’s sensitive ears detected the tiniest rustle high above her. She turned slowly around and peered up to the top level of the highest bookshelf. The meager light entering the room was unable to reach the furthest corners of the room, but Fluttershy was sure she could see a faint glinting in the blackness. Two glints actually, like a pair of eyes… “Angel,” she whispered. “I think… I think somepon-… excuse me, somebunny is up there.” Angel turned around and squinted up at the shelf, but the darkness remained absolute. He shook his head. “You’re seeing things, kid. Now, since the guy we’re looking for isn’t here, we need to find another way out.” Angel began snooping around the front door in hopes of finding a means of escape, but Fluttershy couldn’t help but continue to stare at the gloomy bookshelf. Her eyes strained against the darkness, and eventually, an outline began to appear. Suddenly, with alarming speed, the silhouetted shape leapt from the upper shelf, spreading a pair of wings wide as it careened downward, directly towards Fluttershy, its talons outstretched. Fluttershy yelped and fell to the floor, cowering as she waited for the inevitable evisceration by a monstrous bird that was obviously only a fraction of a second from reaching her. But no horrible, violent death came. Instead, the sound of talons clicking gently to the wooden floor a few inches away reached Fluttershy’s ears. She continued to tremble on the floor, terrified of what was to come. “Well, it’s about time you showed yourself, Feathers,” came Angel’s voice. “You had me convinced you weren’t even here.” Fluttershy felt a soft tap as Angel gently poked her side with his foot. “Get up, kid,” he said. “Nobunny’s gonna hurt you.” Finally, Fluttershy worked up the courage to lift her face off the floor. She stared up curiously into the beady black eyes of the large, brown bird perched in front of her. “’Shy, you’ve met Owloysius, right?” Angel asked. “Oh!” Fluttershy gasped, finally recognizing the newcomer that had intimidated her. “Yes… yes I have. Hello, Mr. Owloysius.” Owloysius clacked his beak. “Hello, my friend,” he said in a calm, benevolent voice. “You’re considerably smaller than the last time I saw you, but I see you’re still the same pony you’ve always been behind the new exterior.” “You recognize me?” Fluttershy asked, slightly shocked. Owloysius chuckled. “Of course, of course. The truly observant use more than just appearance to determine one’s identity. It’s quite clear that you are Lady Twilight’s friend, Fluttershy.” “Yeah, you’re a real master of perception,” Angel said uninterestedly. “Anyway, we need some help, Feathers. We seem to have run into a little problem with some plant identification.” “Now, now, Mr. Angel, you needn’t be so hasty,” Owloysius hooted. “Your friend here looks a trifle confused; perhaps we should get to know each other a bit before we dive right into business.” Owloysius turned to Fluttershy. “My apologies. Mr. Angel can be so forward now and then. I suppose it comes with his occupation.” From behind Fluttershy, Angel frantically moved his paw in front of his neck, sending the old owl a silent plea. Owloysius took the hint and quickly changed the subject. “Now, Fluttershy,” he continued calmly. “I can’t help but notice that you suddenly seem to be a different species then you were when I last saw you. How did all that happen?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I… I have no idea, really,” she squeaked. “Angel thought we should come to you to get some answers about that.” Owloysius hooted quietly. “My young friend, I am in fact quite the scholar, but I admit that I know nothing about a pony abruptly transforming into a rabbit.” “I figured as much,” Angel cut in. “What ‘Shy seems to be forgetting is that we’re not here to ask you how that happened. We’re just here to see if you can identify a plant for us.” “Oh yes, the flower!” Fluttershy remembered. She pulled out the flower petal that she had tucked away that morning. “This is our only clue,” she said, showing the petal to Owloysius. “It was found in my teacup, and I’m not sure what type of plant it is.” Owloysius leaned forward to closely examine the mysterious purple petal, and his eyes widened. “I think I may know what this is,” he admitted. “But I cannot be sure without referencing one of the texts here. Allow me to do a quick bit of research.” The two rabbits watched as the owl fluttered up to one of the bookshelves. Clutching one tome in each of his talons, he moved the battered old books to the table, and went to retrieve a few more. “Do you know where all the books in the library are shelved?” Fluttershy asked curiously. Owloysius chuckled heartily as he retrieved a few more books. “Why, of course! I am an assistant to Lady Twilight, after all. Young master Spike and I both perform regular reshelving duties for her, and, as it is the night shift right now, I have free reign of the library, as it were. Unfortunately for young master Spike, his additional duties do not permit him to do much reading, but I have plenty of time for it. Long nights in this place have allowed me to become quite the learned owl.” “Which works out for us,” Angel said. “Hard to come by somebunny with that kind of knowledge around here.” He smirked. “Even harder to come by an owl that’s not planning to eat us.” “Hoo, yes,” Owloysius mumbled as he paged through one of the botany texts. “I found that the natural, and often powerful, craving for the meat of… small creatures… distracted me quite significantly from my scholarly endeavors. So I simply swore off meat entirely, and after a long enough time of denial, the instinct faded. Now, no longer gripped by the more primal dietary urges of my species, I can focus entirely on the pursuit of knowledge together with lady Twilight.” Fluttershy was duly impressed, and a little relieved, at Owloycius’ self-control. “Wow, I had no idea,” she breathed. “I guess Twilight feeds you a pony diet, then?” “Essentially, though with a bit of protein supplementation she orders from some pharmacy in Canterlot,” Owloysius added. “Health issues and whatnot.” He began to page through the botany book more quickly. “But enough about me. We’d probably best get down to business before we’re interrupted by-” “Uncle Owly! Uncle Owly!” Owloysius sighed and placed a wing over his face. “…Too late…” Fluttershy watched in wonder as a tiny, fiery orange bird descended from the upper story of the treehouse, flapping his tiny wings frantically to stay airborne. “Is that a phoenix?” she asked excitedly. “Why, I haven’t seen a phoenix since the incident with Philomena!” “Yes,” said Owloysius dully. “Young master Spike recently acquired a pet phoenix. He has taken up a role as my… apprentice, in a sense.” The tiny phoenix landed in front of Fluttershy; it was even smaller than she was. “Hiya!” the little bird chirped. “I’m Peewee! Uncle Owly’s number-one assistant!” Fluttershy giggled at the little phoenix’s enthusiasm. Angel just rolled his eyes. “Hello Peewee, I’m Fluttershy,” Fluttershy greeted, smiling and extending a paw toward the young bird. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Peewee placed his wing in Fluttershy’s waiting paw. “Fluttershy, huh?” he asked. “That’s a weird name for a rabbit.” “That’s because I’m actually a pony,” Fluttershy explained. Peewee stared at Fluttershy for a long time, before turning to Owloysius. “Uncle Owly? Are you sure that book you showed me about animals was accurate?” “Yes, Peewee,” Owloysius said tiredly. “What she means is that she was a pony, but she turned into a rabbit.” Peewee brightened. “Oh! Well that makes perfect sense!” “Peewee, listen,” Owloysius commanded. “I’m trying to help our guests here with an important problem. I need you to stay out of the way while I identify a certain plant.” In frustration, the owl slammed yet another book shut. “If only I could find the entry for this flower! Which book is it in?” Peewee hovered next to the desk, staring for a second at the purple petal lying there. “Uncle Owly! Isn’t there an entry about that flower in ‘An Equestrian Herbalist’s Guide to Temperate Valley Plants?’” Owloysius stared at Peewee in shock for a moment, before fluttering over to the shelf and retrieving the aforementioned book. He snapped his beak appreciatively as he set it on the desk. “Peewee, I dare say I haven’t been giving you enough credit! You’ve been studying more than I thought, haven’t you?” Peewee puffed himself up with pride. “I told you I was working on it, Uncle Owly. Master Spike’s been showing me all sorts of things.” “Yes, yes, the kid’s a good student,” Angel grumbled. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, Feathers, can we actually get to talking about what we came here for in the first place?” “Oh, yes,” Fluttershy added. “Now that you have the book you need, could you please identify that flower?” Owloysius nodded, and opened the herbalist’s guide. After flipping through the pages for a few moments, he came to the very entry he had been looking for, and with just one quick, comparative glance between the illustration and the provided petal, confirmed his suspicions. “As I thought,” Owloysius said. “The petal you brought to me is from a plant I’m sure you’re familiar with; an enchanted flower known as Heart’s Desire.” “I knew it looked familiar!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I keep some Heart’s Desire set aside for use in some medicines for my animal friends. It shouldn’t have wound up in my tea, though.” “Any ideas how it did?” Owloysius asked curiously. “Well, I do keep it in the same cabinet as the herbs for my tea,” Fluttershy admitted. “But I definitely told Rainbow Dash not to use any of the plants up on the top shelf; most of those are medicinal and not suited for putting in tea.” Angel crossed his arms. “Well, that’s simple enough,” he concluded. “Rainbow, being hyper as she is, was probably zipping around your kitchen making a racket, and didn’t hear your warning about the plants. The wrong thing winds up in your tea, and next thing you know, you’re a rabbit.” Owloysius hooted playfully. “Not so fast, Mr. Angel. It’s not that simple. There’s no inherent quality of Heart’s Desire that would cause such a transformation without reason. We need more information before we make any assumptions about this plant’s connections to Fluttershy’s unusual situation.” Owloysius glanced through the information printed in the book once again. “In order for Heart’s Desire to have a direct effect, it needs to act on a strong internal desire of the creature that ingests it.” “That’s stupid,” Angel pointed out. “I don’t think ‘Shy was going around wishing she was a rabbit.” Fluttershy blushed a little. “That’s true…” she said. “But… I did wish for a way to get to know my animal friends on a more personal level. I just didn’t have such a… drastic solution to that desire in mind.” Angel buried is face in his paws. “So this is all Rainbow’s fault then. She gave you tea spiked with a magical plant, and now you’re stuck like this.” “Don’t blame Rainbow,” Fluttershy replied, defending her friend. “It was just an innocent misunderstanding, I’m sure. I know she didn’t mean to put anything bad in my tea.” Owloysius suddenly looked intrigued. “It occurs to me,” he began pensively, “that perhaps the tea is the reason the Heart’s Desire produced such a drastic response. If you had just ingested a petal or two, you probably would have met with a lesser effect, such as an ability to talk to us animals, without becoming one yourself. But the hot water of the tea likely drew all the active magical ingredients from all the petals, creating a drink concentrated enough to produce an effect that met your wish completely. After all, what better way could there be to become familiar with the life of your little animal friends then to become one yourself? I’d say the Heart’s Desire performed its job well, even if the effect was not quite what you were expecting.” “Riveting,” Angel said, yawning dramatically to show his true feelings. “Now, here’s a question. What’s the antidote?” Owloysius looked troubled. “I’m afraid the antidote varies depending on the effects of the flower. It will require quite a bit of additional research.” Fluttershy swallowed. “Um… how much research, exactly?” “I’m not sure,” Owloysius said. “So, I’ll tell you what; why don’t you two come back tomorrow night, and we’ll talk some more. I should have something to tell you by then.” “Tomorrow?” Angel sighed. “That means at least one more day looking after Fluttershy. I can hardly wait.” He glanced at the window. “Do you think you could give us a lift out of here? It was pretty difficult getting in.” “Of course,” Owloysius agreed. “I wish you two the best of luck, and hopefully, I shall see you tomorrow evening.” The owl floated down and gently clutched the two rabbits in each of his talons, carrying them out the window and onto a soft tuft of grass outside. He then turned and fluttered back into the library. “Peewee,” Owloysius instructed. “Please reshelve all these botany texts, save for the herbalists’ guide. I need to get out a few more books on rare natural cures.” “Yes sir!” Peewee chirped. Without another word, the two birds got to work on their research project. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Another day,” Angel mumbled. “Well, it ain’t worth it to scramble all the way back to your place, just to come back here tomorrow night. We’ll need to stay somewhere nearby in the meantime.” “Then where do we stay?” Fluttershy asked. Angel grinned. “’Shy, I think you’re gonna like this; you and I should spend tomorrow in the bunny city!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “There’s… there’s a bunny city?” “Yep,” said Angel proudly. “Huge underground chambers, and a complex network of tunnels, underground just outside of Ponyville. A whole lot of critters live down there, but the rabbits run the show, which is nothing out of the ordinary around here.” He chuckled. “We weren’t gonna have any time to visit, but now that I see I won’t be turning you back to your pony self real quick, we have time to spend a day there.” Fluttershy imagined a society composed entirely of her little animal friends; the thought made her giddy. “We’ll head there tomorrow, first thing in the morning,” Angel said. “As for tonight… well, it’s a nice night, ain’t it?” He flopped down of the patch of high grass, reclining with his front paws behind his head. “Get some sleep, kid.” Fluttershy carefully settled down in the grass near Angel, and gazed at the moon in thought. A bunny city! That’s something I’d give almost anything to see. If I’m getting a chance to meet my animal friends and see how they live… maybe spending a few days as a rabbit won’t be such a bad thing after all… Fluttershy yawned and snuggled into the grass, and soon, she was sleeping peacefully beside Angel.