Bunny Chaos - Alicorn Madness
Angel was angry. Really angry. How dare they treat Fluttershy like that?! Just because she was on the indecisive side, didn't mean they could push her around! The worst thing was that ponies never learned. Only today, he had watched her disappear during a conversation. The ponies she was with would speak over her, interrupt her, even outright ignore her, as if she were some tree. Well, this was going to stop!
“I'm sorry, everyone,” gasped an apologetic Fluttershy as she entered the cottage. She had been running. “I wanted to get here sooner, but Rarity really needed someone to go with her to the spa, and I just couldn't say no...”
This familiar story. Angel frowned.
“Oh, no need to be upset, Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy quickly said, seeing his displeasure. “I got something special for you,” she opened her saddlebag with a wing. “Straight from Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie spent a great deal of time preparing it, just for you.”
This was a nice surprise. Angel's frown was quickly replaced by a large smile. How could he be mad when food was involved?
“Here, you go.”
Angel extended his arms and closed his eyes. He could almost taste the treat! Was it a lettuce-orange-and-pineapple surprise? A cherry-cucumber-explosion with sprinkles? Or maybe something new he had never tasted before?
“The very first carrot-strawberry-grape special!” Fluttershy said triumphantly.
Magnificent! Angel opened his eyes, expecting to see a bowl of goodness. What he got was a piece of paper with scribbles on it. Quite the anticlimax. The promise of a delectable dream, stolen away in such cruel fashion.
“Well, you see...” Fluttershy smiled guiltily. Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead. “Pinkie wasn't exactly able to make it.” the yellow pegasus took a step back. “She got a really, really important order from Silver Spoon. And it would have been impolite for me not to let her take care of it...”
Not again! It was like every other time! Fluttershy probably wasn't even asked, she was just cut off in line, as usual. Kindness was one thing, but being taken for granted was something completely different.
Angel no longer felt hungry. Furious, he snatched the piece of paper and tore it to shreds. He then hopped out of the cottage, Fluttershy chasing him, calling out apologies. This was the sort of behaviour that made him really mad! Not at sweet Fluttershy, but rather at every other pony. He would have thought that they knew her well enough to stop picking on her. But they didn't. They did the complete opposite. Angel and her close friends would stand up for her, of course, but they couldn't be constantly by her side. Angel had tried, but, among other things, Fluttershy herself wouldn't let him, out of fear that he would get hurt.
Thunder sounded in the sky. The weather ponies were gathering clouds for a scheduled rain-shower later that day. Angel remembered Rainbow Dash mention something to that regard during her last visit. However, the thunder also reminded him of something else... something he could make use of. To do so he needed a pond of water.
There were several ponds near Ponyville, but none of them secluded enough for Angel's liking. Ultimately he settled with a puddle. After all, it was not the quantity that mattered, it was the water itself, along with some magic of his own. Making sure that no creature was watching, the rabbit jumped in and started dancing.
Water droplets rose up, freezing in mid-air as if they had suddenly rebelled against gravity. The more Angel danced, the more water rose up, until the entire puddle was hanging above his head. Now came the painful part. The bunny closed his eyes, covered his head with his ears and snapped his fingers. Like a tidal wave the water crashed down, dragging him out of Equestria and into... a bowl of water? This was both uncomfortable and embarrassing. Angel quickly jumped out , then shook violently to dry himself.
"And who do we have here?" a mocking voice asked. "The prodigal bunny returns to my house. And to what do I owe that honour?"
Even before opening his eyes, Angel knew who was addressing him. Only one being could be so annoying and full of himself at the same time - Discord.
"Don't tell me, you finally decided to take your rightful place as my heir?" the spirit of chaos asked, hoping. The small, mismatched house that they were in abruptly changed into a huge, mismatched castle with Angel seated on a massive throne. Next to him, on a throne ten times smaller, stood Discord, a giant mangled mess of a crown on his head. "I always knew you would come around. After all, you are the..." he paused. "The embodiment of fluffy chaos."
Angel's fur poofed, transforming him into a ball of fluff. Annoying, to say the least, but there was nothing that could be done. Help was needed, and the draconequus was the only beast that could provide it.
"So, how has boring, old Ponyville been? A bit more lively, I hope, now that you've found your chaos."
Angel blinked silently a few times.
"What? You mean to tell me you haven't been using your chaos?" Discord asked, distraught.
No reaction.
"You haven't even found your inner chaos?" With a snap, the castle transformed back into a small house. Both thrones were replaced by an old and rather uncomfortable couch. "Why exactly have you come then? Could it be..." sparkles formed in his eyes. "You came all this way just to see me?" He hugged the bunny tightly. "I am touched, really! I feel like the son I never had has returned."
Angel was definitely not taking that. This time he was prepared. Pushing himself backwards he provided just enough space to give the draconequus a strong kick with both legs. His expectation was that would free him from the other's grip. It did, but it also propelled him across the entire room, sticking him into the wall.
"My very rebellions, ungrateful and unthankful son." A pipe appeared in Discord's mouth as he grumbled in disapproval.
Now was the time to ask for the favour. Before the spirit of chaos could start his next joke, Angel waved his hands about wildly. That certainly got Discord's attention.
"Fluttershy?" he asked with concern. "In trouble? If anypony has laid a hoof on her I'll..." He frowned menacingly.
Continuing the pantomime, Angel explained his full concerns - Fluttershy's usual self esteem issues, her overly shy nature, and the others constantly taking advantage of that. It was surprising how easily he managed to convey the message, considering the bunny couldn't speak. Better still, Discord could understand explanations from the first time, unlike the ponies, who somehow always managed to get the most basic things wrong.
"I see," Discord said. He was being serious now. "I fear there is nothing either of us could do. Fluttershy is just being... Fluttershy. Sure, she can do something surprising with that Stare of hers, but other than that she might well paint "welcome" on her flank."
That was not the desired answer. Definitely not one Angel was willing to accept. He had seen firsthand the power of Discord's magic. There was nothing he couldn't achieve if he put his mind to it. Surely he could find a solution to this problem. Or maybe he couldn't? Thinking about it, Discord was too chaotic to come up with anything useful. Jokes - sure, those were his nature, but anything involving logic was too... tedious. Luckily, Angel was different - he had more of Equestria in him than he did chaos.
"What's that?" Discord looked at him, noting the silence. "You have some idea, do you?" A light bulb appeared above his head.
Determined Angel nodded.
"What?" the light bulb exploded. "You? YOU, have an idea? What could you possibly think of that I, god of chaos, previous ruler of Equestria and personal friend of Celestia, could not?"
Angel pointed at Discord's head. Crickets sounded, as the draconicus stood there, blank expression on his face. So much for understanding everything the first time around. Annoyed, the bunny tapped his forehead.
"I don't know if you want to share some exceedingly stupid idea, or are just being silly. What in chaos would she need my head for? It's not like... Oh," he suddenly grasped the idea. "Oooh!" overjoyed he rubbed his paws. "This seems like a wonderful idea. Too good to have come from you," a dunce cone materialized on top of Angel's head. "You probably just copied it from me somehow."
So much for Discord remaining serious.
"Of course, it would never work," he took off his horns and wings, and started juggling them. "Even if I did grant Fluttershy a horn, she wouldn't be able to do magic. Believe me, I've tried. Amusing, but hardly satisfying in the long run."
Another expected reaction. Angel had gotten to know Discord alarmingly well, and so far everything was going according to plan. The only way the trickster would give something was to prove his superiority. Asking him directly would yield no result... Unless Fluttershy was doing the asking.
Putting his fiercest face, Angel pointed at himself.
"You?" the draconequus laughed. "You think you could do better?" The outrageous nod coming from the bunny made him furious. "Oh, really? Then, how about we test that theory."
A loud poof later both were in Fluttershy's cottage. It was empty, the yellow pegasus must have gone out somewhere.
"I will grant you your wish," Discord grinned evilly. "You will have the power to transform any pony into an alicorn with the snap of your fingers," he snapped his fingers, at which point Angel sprouted wings and a horn. "There only is a teensy-weensy condition. Since you have too much of Equestria in you, you will have to hit your target with a spark of chaos." A whiteboard with pictures and diagrams appeared. "So, going through it again," Discord said in his most dreary teacher's voice. "Snap fingers, create chaos spark, hit chosen pony with chaos spark and presto - instant alicorn. Please note, that although she might look like an alicorn, a pony's own magic won't change."
The props vanished, along with Angel's wings and horn.
"You have thirteen hours to show me a confident Fluttershy that every pony respects," Discord transformed into a huge grandfather clock. "Fail and you will be punished!"
Punished? Before Angel could ask about it, the draconequus had disappeared. This was altogether expected - he never was good with long goodbyes. Still, he had provided the answer to Fluttershy’s problem. All that remained now was Angel to find her and transform her into an alicorn. After that everypony was sure to treat her with the proper respect and admiration she deserved. Where could she be, though?
Sugarcube Corner was a good place to start. At this time of day it was fairly empty. The lunch rush was over, leaving ponies to go on with their everyday chores. A group of fillies was there, chatting and enjoying strawberry cupcakes. Silver Spoon wasn't among them, unfortunately. Angel really would have liked to have a few minutes alone with her. After that she would never disrespect Fluttershy ever again.
"Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie," a soft voice came from the kitchen. "I am sorry for asking you this, but Angel bunny was really upset when he didn't get your carrot-strawberry-grape special. He even ran away from the cottage when he learned I only got the recipe..."
That was Fluttershy alright. Hurrying, Angel hopped into the kitchen.
Just as he expected, Shy was there, along with Pinkie who was busy preparing some dessert. Judging by the mess and amount of utensils, making her treats was far more difficult than she let on.
"Between you and me," Fluttershy whispered. "I don't think he likes my cooking. Each time I try to make him something he either throws it away or run off..."
That was ridiculous! Angel did no such thing! Well, he might have occasionally offered constructive criticism, but he had never said he disliked the food Fluttershy gave him! Granted, she never actually cooked... Still, she was completely wrong!
"No problem," Pinkie put a bowl of freshly cleaned carrots in the blender. "That's what I'm here for. As long as you and Angel are happy, I'm happy. Although you really should put your hoof down more often. Angel can be quite the pest sometimes."
The bunny's eyes narrowed. Was that so? A pest, was he? Well, now he would just have to show her what this 'pest' was capable of! He snapped his stubby, fur-covered fingers. A small silvery-black bundle of light appeared in his paw. This was it - the moment of truth. Now he only had to throw it at Fluttershy and...
"Darling!" an out of breath Rarity rushed into the kitchen.
As she did, the door hit Angel at the precise moment he was about to throw the chaos spark. Off course, it flew through the room missing Fluttershy completely.
"We simply must hurry," Rarity nudged Fluttershy. "Or else we'll miss our appointments at the spa. You know how crowded it is this time of week. And we can't have somepony else taking our time slots!"
"Err, yes..." Fluttershy managed to respond. "We wouldn't want to be late... I guess I'll be back once we're done, to get Angel's dessert."
"Fluttershy!" Rarity urged in her typical semi-whiny voice.
"Yes... We'll be going now. Thank you, Pinkie," Fluttershy managed to add before both of them ran out of the kitchen.
Drat, Angel Bunny grumbled. A perfect opportunity missed. Now he had to go all the way to the pony spa and try once more. Then again, that might not be a bad idea. More ponies would be able to see alicorn Fluttershy there and be sure to spread the word across Ponyville. With luck the Foal Free Press might write a story on the subject.
Grinning a devious grin, the bunny rushed out of the kitchen. Once he was gone, a very surprised Pinkie Pie emerged from behind the fridge. Unlike a moment ago she now had large pink wings and a horn on her forehead.
"I knew my desserts were divine," she said as she gently tapped her horn with a hoof. "But I never expected them to be this good. What do you think, Gummy?"
* * *
The spa was practically packed. For once Rarity hadn't exaggerated. There were ponies everywhere. One would think that princess Celestia was coming to visit. To make matters worse, there was no telling who was who. Everypony was wrapped in towels and covered in mud masks. Angel sighed. Finding Fluttershy was going to be more difficult than he had imagined.
"You know, at times he really is the sweetest bunny," a soft voice said from one of the chaise longues on the far side. That had to be Fluttershy. No other pony liked animals as much.
Sneaking over, Angel snapped his fingers and quickly threw the chaos spark. This time he did not miss. Unfortunately, as a lilac horn emerged from the pony's forehead, he soon found out he had chosen the wrong target. Good thing that everypony's eyes were covered with cucumber slices. Otherwise he might have been found out.
"I told you, darling, the water is just divine!"
There was no mistaking that voice. In all of Ponyville, only one talked like that. And if Rarity was there, Fluttershy had to be close by. Tiptoeing to the tub, Angel climbed to the edge and looked inside. Sure enough, Rarity was there. From his current angle, the bunny couldn't see Fluttershy, but that didn't matter. He snapped his fingers. The familiar chaos spark appeared. No use in throwing it this time, instead Angel gently dropped it in the water. That had to do the trick.
"Oh, Rarity," Fluttershy emerged from a nearby door. "I'm sorry, but having my hooves done will be all this time... I am really worried about Angel. What if he hasn't returned home? It was thoughtless of me not to go looking for him sooner."
"You don't know what you are missing, but alright," Rarity sighed. "Maybe next time I should bring Opal to your cottage. The both of them do get along quite splendidly."
Now that was a boldfaced lie! The snobby cat was nothing but a diva! Great to act alongside in theatrical plays, but otherwise horrible. Thinking of that, Angel made a mental note to visit Spike one of these days. The dragon had been taking forever to complete the script for their next play, and without it the Sidekick Troupe would miss their monthly performance. But that was for another time! Angel still had a Fluttershy to transform.
As fast as greased lightning, the bunny ran out of the spa. A few minutes later Rarity left the tub, for her usual massage. The moment she did, she noticed a few changes had occurred with her...
"I have wings?!?" she gasped and abruptly fainted to everypony's horror.
* * *
The way back to the cottage was surprisingly quiet. No ponies on the streets, no pegasi in the sky... It was almost as if they had gone hiding. Even Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. She must have flown directly to the cottage. Hopefully she would still be there when Angel got home. Getting her to sprout a horn turned out to be quite the challenge.
"So, how is it going, my furry friend?" Discord popped above the bunny. "Having trouble pinning the horn on the Fluttershy?" he laughed as he floated through the air. "Well I'm sure you'll manage... or not. You do remember you only have one hour left?"
One hour? Angel stopped. That couldn't be right. No way he had spent twelve hours chasing after Fluttershy. It had been noon when he started, and it certainly didn't see anywhere near evening now.
"Oh, did I forgot to mention?" Discord smiled in his most innocent expression. "When I said thirteen hours, I meant thirteen hours, more or less..."
A giant thirteen-hour pocket watch appeared. Its hands, initially showing a quarter past one, began moving forward until they reached half past twelve.
"What can I say?" the draconequus shrugged. "It's tradition. And, knowing how confident you were, it should hardly be a problem. Right?"
Before Angel could hope to answer, Discord had vanished. Leave it to him to play unfair. Half an hour wasn't much, but with luck he should be able to make it... If Fluttershy would stop moving around so much! Usually Angel had trouble getting her to go anywhere in a hurry. Why did today, of all days, have to be the exception?!
Reaching the cottage took him about five minutes, which, by Discord standards, could be anything. Providing Fluttershy was there, this was going to be Angel's last shot. He had to make it count. If he failed, she would continue to be taken for granted and he would be "punished”. The bunny cringed just thinking about it.
"Angel!" Fluttershy said the moment he entered. "Never, ever, ever, go running off like that, mister! You had me worried. What if something had happened to you? I know you are brave, but we are close to the Everfree forest and there are dangerous..."
Not leaving her to finish, Angel started hopping wildly.
"What is it, Angel?" Fluttershy asked concerned. "Is something wrong?"
The bunny started tapping his forehead.
"You have a headache?" she asked.
Angel grumbled on the inside. He had forgotten how difficult communicating with her could be. He pointed at Fluttershy.
"I have a headache?" she asked, confused. "You want to know if you have been a headache for me? Why, how could you even think such things! You never cause me any trouble, and even when you act a bit... independent, I know your heart is in the right place." She smiled, picking him up to nuzzle his face with hers.
So much for explanations... Angel snapped his fingers and immediately pushed the chaos spark into her forehead. Finally, what he had been aiming for! A delicate yellow horn shot out. Now she was an alicorn. Happy, the bunny started fidgeting.
"Did I hug you too hard?" Fluttershy panicked, instantly putting him down. Seeing the bunny smile calmed her down a bit. "Oh, you are just lively. And because you are such a good bunny, I have a surprise for you. I asked Pinkie to make that wonderful dessert, you wanted so very much. We can go to Sugarcube Corner and..."
Before she could finish, Angel had dashed to the nearest mirror. There was only one way to make her aware of her transformation. And, sure enough, she followed him there.
"What's that?" she asked looking at the mirror behind him. "What is it you want? Oh, my..."
There! Angel wiped the sweat off his forehead. It had been an exhausting experience, but definitely worth it! Now Fluttershy was the firth alicorn in Equestria. This was bound to improve her self-esteem. How could it not? When everypony starts looking at her with respect and admiration...
"This is terrible!" Fluttershy turned away from the mirror, trying to cover her horn with both hooves. "What if someone sees me like this?"
Angel arched a brow. This didn't make any sense. Why would she wish to keep this hidden? She was supposed to be happy, overjoyed. But, she didn't. Looking at her, she was the exact opposite. Just like how she didn't want ponies watch her sing. Could it be that Discord had been right all along, and that alicorn Fluttershy would be no different than regular Fluttershy? No! Angel refused to accept it! He was going to make others respect her, if that meant dragging her to the centre of Ponyville!
Somepony knocked at the door. "Fluttershy." Applejack could be heard from the outside. "We need to talk to you!"
"No!" Fluttershy screamed, rushing to bar the door. "I can't let you see me like this!"
"Fluttershy." This time it sounded like Twilight. "You don't have to worry. We know what's going on."
"You do?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Yes! That's why we've come to talk to you. Just open the door and let us explain."
Fluttershy didn't seem convinced. Beside her, Angel swallowed. He had a bad feeling about this. The miss at Sugarcube Corner, the mistake at the spa... That meant there were at two unplanned alicorns on the loose. At some point he would have to ask Discord's help again. On the bright side, those mishaps had put Fluttershy in the spotlight. Once they saw her, they wouldn't be able to ignore her ever again!
"Will you just open the door?!" Rainbow Dash shouted from the other side.
Fluttershy was still hesitating. If things went on like this she would never open the door on time. The moment had come for Angel to take action. Leaping forward, he unlatched the door and, before Fluttershy could react, swung it wide open for all to see. However, it was he who ended up surprised. Outside, the whole of Ponyville had gathered... And all of them had wings and horns.
How had this happened? Shocked, Angel let go of the door sliding aimlessly to the floor. This is not what he wanted. Even he could tell that a town full of alicorns was bound to create unimaginable chaos. It was unnatural for there to be so many. How would everypony in Equestria react? For that matter, how would those in Ponyville? From what Angel could tell, with the exception of a few foals, fillies and Pinkie Pie, most weren't happy with the sudden change. Having horns incapable of magic and wings unable to lift them from the ground proved more a nuisance than anything else.
"Oops," a minuscule version of Discord with a halo appeared next to Angel's ear. "I might have forgotten to mention that chaos sparks can jump from one pony to the next."
Angel looked at him, more concern than anger in his eyes.
"What?" Discord shrugged. "It’s not my fault you don't understand the basic principle of chaos and electricity."
Angel was feeling too upset for an argument. Discord had played a joke on him, but the fault of this entire situation was his own. He had entered the domain of chaos seeking help, he had come up with the plan, despite even the draconicus warning against it, and he had executed it, quite poorly at that.
Disheartened, the bunny ran into the cottage. His strength and eagerness had left him. The intention might have been good, but the results were catastrophic. Fluttershy was in a far worse state than ever before, and there was only Angel to blame for it!
"I told you this would never work," Discord appeared next to him. This time he was the serious, thoughtful Discord, not the trickster. "When I used to go about Equestria, making alicorns, it was not because I had the best of intentions. I think Luna is still upset at me for making her and Celestia fly about fixing things. I'll have to send her an apology gift for that sometime... Anyway, the thing is, horns and wings don't change a pony. If you really want to change Fluttershy for the better, you should change the way she thinks. Not stick a horn on her forehead," he petted the bunny gently. "Start small and be persistent, but don't go overboard. If Celestia and I have faith in Fluttershy, then why can't you?"
That was the most unexpected speech Angel had ever heard from Discord. What was more, it even made sense. Angel smiled as tears formed in his eyes.
"Well," Discord disappeared, then appeared again a few steps away. "I had to show you that if I couldn't do something, nobunny could!" he said distantly. "I am the king of chaos, after all!" He turned towards the door. "And I expect you'll ask me to fix this mess? Oh well, it’s not like you could handle chaos magic of such magnitude. You are still new to this prince business. Leave it to me. But!" he glared at the bunny menacingly. "You will still be punished! And your punishment will be explaining everything to Fluttershy. I don't want her upset with me during our weekly tea party."
Explain everything to Fluttershy. Discord really was a demon! That was by far the worst punishment Angel could imagine. In a way he deserved it, though. It goes to show, he shouldn't assume he knows everything. A good lesson to keep in mind.
"Oh, ladies," Discord's voice sounded from outside the cottage. "I take it you are here to thank me for the new look? Please, please, no autographs. I only did this because I had come to like you all so much."
Judging by the ruckus, the ponies didn't share his view. Shouts and yells followed, along with typical Discord-style explanations. He was going to find a way out of this, as usual. He always did. The question was, would Angel?
The door slammed violently.
"Ooh, that Discord!" an extremely angry Fluttershy trotted into the living room. Her recently acquired horn was gone. "Of all the things he... I... Oh, I'm so upset I don't want to think about it!"
She turned towards Angel.
"Thank you, Angel," she smiled. "If you hadn't warned me, I might have gone to Sugarcube Corner not knowing I had a horn on my forehead. And that would have been just awful."
Perfect. The bunny sighed. Leaved it to her to make a difficult situation all the more painful. No doubt about it, telling her the truth would hurt him as much as her, but it was something Angel had to do. Taking a deep breath he pointed at the couch.
Now how to begin?