Tree Antlers
Fluttershy began the day as she always did. She got out of bed, fed her animals, brushed her mane, brushed her animals, then went into the Everfree to spot some new animals to take care of. It was an extremely simple routine that she'd grown accustomed too.
What she wasn't used to was seeing a staggering elk in a small clearing. Sure, she'd seen elk before. Some with a sprained hoof, or a hurting eye. What she wasn't used to was the fact that this elk had no antlers. Well, he did. He had one massive antler one one side of his head, making him hard to catch his balance.
"Oh, dear." She said, no pun intended. "Are you alright?"
The elk stared at her for a second, then started to run off in the other direction.
"Wait! Come back!" She called after it, dodging trees and branches as she followed close behind. She knew she could fly, and it would be a lot easier to catch the poor elk, but, she was scared it would scare it even more somehow.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" She added. "Just help with that--wait, don't go there!" She was too late on her warning. The bulky elk moved for a tree that split into two and jumped through it. His balance went wildly off track, and his last antler came off with a loud clop.
Fluttershy skidded to a halt. "Oh, my." She mused, looking at the antler that lay on the ground. "Wait! You lost your antler!" She called again. But the elk was long gone. Fluttershy just had to hope it would be around again soon. She took the antler and flew above the trees, so she could find her way home. She would just hold on to this antler until then.
Fluttershy woke up the next morning and did her daily routine. But she discovered as she was brushing her mane that something was blocking her brush. It didn't hurt her, it was just blocking the flow of her brush. She reached up and poked it with her hoof. Hard and sturdy. Just like that elk's antler.
"Oh, no!" She cried as what she was thinking was slowly becoming a reality. She rushed over to her mirror and noticed a small wooded stick sprouting out of her head, right between her ears. Make that two wooded sticks.
I'm growing antlers! She thought excitedly. She knew it was weird, which is why she didn't tell anypony, but, she always wanted antlers. To be a unique individual. She would certainly get attention, and she'd LOVE that!! Judging by the rate of how fast these antlers were growing, (they were at the height of her ears now) she'd be able to prance around and show them off at noon.
Devil Cottontail seemed to sense what she was thinking, because he went over and thumped her on the leg. She looked at him, a quizzical look in her eye. Devil shook his cream colored bunny head, knowing that this would lead to disaster.
"Oh, Devil, your so cute!" Fluttershy said, misreading his message. Her antlers were three times the height of her ears now. "Now, I got to go get ready if I want everypony to notice me!" She half skipped, half walked up the stairs to her room. As she was getting on her gala dress, her antlers grew so they touched her ceiling, but she hardly noticed.
Stepping out of her room 15 minutes later, she went over to the banister. "How do I look?" She asked all the animals that were there. All the animals looked up to see Fluttershy's dress, and her new-found antlers bending back against the ceiling. Devil dropped a carrot he was holding in surprise.
"Judging by your reactions, my outfit is a show stopper!" She cried excitedly. "Bye, sweet animals. I'll be back in two hours." She said as she walked outside. Her antlers kept stretching towards the sky.
Everypony stopped and stared as Fluttershy walked to town square. They ooo'd, aaa'd, and some even seemed speechless at her ever-growing antlers. Some ponies didn't like them, screamed, and ran away.
"That pegasus isn't a Pegasus!" a pony called out. "She's a...a PEGALOPE!" At this comment, many ponies started to get frightened and run away as well. This isn't what Fluttershy wanted. "Pegalopes are extremely harmful!" The same pony continued. "In fact, she's probably waiting to kill us all right now!!"
"No! That's not what I'm planning to do at all!" Fluttershy shot back. "I just want attention. I mean, how often do you see a pegasus with antlers?" She asked, turning to the side. Suddenly, one of her antlers shot out and almost bashed a good five or ten ponies on the head. They gasped and quickly dodged the small tree that was growing out of her head.
The other antler did the same, and severely damaged somepony's house. Surprised at what just happened, Fluttershy didn't dare move, afraid that, if she did move, it would somehow trigger her antlers to strike again.
"See? Pegalopes have self-deflecting antlers!" The pony cried. "They can use there mind to make the antlers bend or grow whenever they please! As you can see, this pegalope is obviously a planning to take over Ponyville. Otherwise, she would have told her antlers to stop growing!"
Fluttershy looked up, and saw her antlers almost as tall as the house she was standing next too. If not, taller. She tried to tell her antlers to stop growing, and it worked. That just proved that random pony right even more.
"We should probably all leave before she plans to kill us all!" Random pony finished. Everypony agreed and left with the one random pony. She could see her friends near the back, talking and shooting worried looks towards her.
"Guys! Wait! Come back!" She called. Her friends, startled, ran ahead and disapeered into the crowd. Fluttershy flew home, crying. Nopony wanted to be with her, because of the stupid antlers.
"I wish I never got these stupid things." She said, sitting down. "Antlers are a waste of anypony's life."
"Well, that's hurtful." A voice echoed around her.
Frightened, she looked around, then sighed. "Just come out in the open, Discord." She said. "I don't really have time today."
Discord appeared before her, staring down, and looking confused. "Well, I was going to surprise you." Discord said. "But, apparently, you already surprised me."
Fluttershy stood up. "What do you mean?"
"Well..." Discord chuckled. "I mean," he teleported to the top of her antlers. "IT'S NOT LIKE ANYPONY ELSE HAS THESE!" He shouted. Fluttershy barley heard him. He teleported a little lower, so she could hear him better, binoculars in hand and wearing a large, florescent, orange coat. "You can get some excellent bird watching done in these.
"Discord, please get out." Fluttershy said. "I'm not in the mood."
"Not in the mood?!" Discord asked. "Well, I figured I could at least stop the problem I started, but, if your not in the mood--" He purposely cut off, and turned around, as if about to leave.
"Wait!" Fluttershy said. "What do you mean, 'stop the problem you started'?" She asked.
Discord turned back to her, his mitch-matched arms crossed over his chest. "Exactly what I said."
Fluttershy flew over to him, staggering a bit under the additional weight. "Discord, why did you do this?" She asked.
"Fine, you drive a hard bargain." Discord said. In a flash of light, a floating projector, a chair with a stunned Fluttershy in it, and a washed-out bed sheet appeared. "This is the reason your antlers are here, dear Fluttershy." Discord said, appearing beside her.
Fluttershy looked confused as she looked at Discord, then the sheet, then back again. "Because of an old bed sheet?" She asked.
"No!" Discord replied, almost agitated. "I mean, no. Just...watch and listen." He corrected himself as the film started. And old fashion '5, 4, 3, 2, 1' appeared.
It was after the Gala and I was trying to find a way to make it up to you. Discord began, as a black-and-white video showing Discord in his house, with a confused, slightly puzzled expression on his face bounced wildly. Then, I figured I could maybe try to get into your thoughts to see what you liked the most. Fluttershy shot up abruptly, and blushed, but Discord didn't seem to notice.
I saw loads of animals in your thoughts. And many copies of your friends. You must really care for them. It showed Discord opining doors to different memories. That explains why she was having so many dreams the other night. But she knew Discord was avoiding the obvious. Then, I saw the antler dream, so, I decided to put it into real life.
The film ended with a short click.
"That's why those are there." He finished. "And if you don't like antlers anymore, I think we shouldn't have you be upset." With a snap of his lion paw, her tree-sized antlers and his one antler disapeered.
"Oh, thank you, Discord!" Fluttershy said, looking up and relived to not see two trees sticking from her head. She flew over and hugged him. After a second, she retreated, suddenly looking sad. "One pony called me a pegalope, driving the crowd away from me..."
Discord scoffed. "Oh, yes, that pony was quite rude, wasn't she?" He had a suggestive tone.
"What did you do?" Fluttershy asked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing much, I mean. I just sent them into another dimension, is all." He concluded with a wave of his claw. "Nothing to worry about."
"This is a HUGE thing to worry about, Discord!" Fluttershy objected. "Go get that pony out and return her right now!"
Discord sighed. "Fine." He said, looking to the side. "Can I at least get them out just as soon as the stories over?"
Fluttershy looked confused. "What story?"
"Oh, never mind." Discord said. He opened up the portal that he supposedly sent the other pony through and disapeered. Two seconds later, he came back out holding a pony who looked like she'd seen a ghost with his tail.
"Now, what did you and I chat about just before I sent you through?" Discord asked the shaken mare.
The mare, obviously stunned, moved her mouth, but no words came out.
"I don't think she can hear you." Discord said, tightening his grip a tad.
"S-s-sorry I m-made th-the rumor-r about-y you being a pega-pega-pegal-l-l-ope-e. The poor mare stuttered.
"It's OK." Fluttershy said. "I know you didn't mean it."
Discord tossed the mare to the side, bored already. "Yes, just, run along now,." He said under his breath. It reminded him greatly of when he let that mail pony loose in his dimension, and wondered if he was still there.
Fluttershy gasped. "Discord! Where did your antler go?"
"Your just now noticing?" He asked. "Oh, I had that antler gone when I took away yours."
"Well, why?" Fluttershy asked.
"Because. It's quite simple. Those antlers made you upset, so, I figured, if I had any type of relation to those antlers, you wouldn't like me." He finished by turning his head slightly, pretending to be slightly offended.
"No, Discord." Fluttershy explained. "I didn't like those antlers because they weren't something that was naturally a part of me, and it drove everypony away. I don't mind if you keep your antler. It's a part of you, and it doesn't drive anypony away."
"Oh." He said, quite stunned. He thought for sure that she would agree with him. Without another word, and a snap of his paw, he made his antler appear again. "There. Now were both happy." He told Fluttershy. "Now, I believe we are late for our Tuesday tea...?"