Heat. Heat and sweat was the name of the game during this time of the year. This was summer, and it was a very unpleasant being outside. For some odd reason, the heat had skyrocketed compared to the previous years of Celestia’s reign. Maybe she’s just giddy over her sister’s return, which had transpired over a year ago. But were not interested in them right now. We're more interested in a particular town south of Canterlot, and the ones who resided there.
The Elements of Harmony; who have saved Equestria three times over, resided within those wooden houses and dirt roads. It is by far the quirkiest and weirdest place in Equestria, but only because of what transpires between these six mares.
Twilight Sparkle: A busybody, Protege to Princess Celestia, Analytical, Well-learned mare. She leads the Elements; and bears the title, Element of Magic. Lavender fur decorates her body; while a deep-purple, almost like ink, mane rests on her head. A shade of purple and a tint of pink highlighted her hair, resting somewhere over her forehead. Her hair rested in bangs, nearly covering the short horn on her head. She had recently been made an alicorn, which is a combination of all three types of pony.
Earth Pony, Pegasus and Unicorn. Her bones are as durable as an Earther, but she also has the wings of a Pegasus and the magic of a Unicorn. Even more so, since she’s now known as Princess Twilight Sparkle. But she only makes up one-sixth of the group...
Rarity: A mare of unparalleled Beauty, Elegance, Grace, Manners, Class and Poise. With traits like these, may ponies assume that she would be stuck up like the other snobs in Canterlot. That’s horribly untrue; as a matter of fact, Rarity is the complete opposite of such stereotypes. She is the most generous mare in Equestria, by far, and has shown such generosity a million times over. She cut off her own tail in order to help a distressed sea-serpent, claiming his miffed moustache a “crime against fabulosity.”
A beautiful white coat, brushed and cared for almost every day at the hooves of experts, shone brightly in both the light of the sun and moon. Her mane was an amethyst, perfectly shaped and coiffed into spirals that bounced with every step. Three diamond-shaped diamonds adorned her flank, quite contrary to Twilight Sparkle’s six pointed stars. Blue eyes, as pristine and clear as any river in existence took hold of any stallion’s heart at the point of contact. Eyelashes, which are clearly fake, protrude from the sides of her eyes like butterfly wings. Sky-blue eyeshadow did its job well, pronouncing her eyes and other colors against the rather plain white background of her coat. She was the Element of Generosity.
The two mares conversed with each other underneath an umbrella, flexed open to shield them from the rays of the sun. Summer had hit with full force, causing the normal seventy-degree weather to skyrocket, nearly hitting the high nineties. Rarity had an oriental style fan flapping furiously at her face, surrounded in her magical glow of blue as she tried to beat the heat even further. She also had on a ludicrously large sunhat and purple shades, concealing her dazzling eyes in the hopes of lessening the overbearing heat on her.
“Twilight,” She called, earning the lavender mare’s attention, “Although I appreciate you coming from Canterlot, coming here in this type of weather is absolutely dangerous! Why, imagine if you tire yourself out from using magic? You could pass out or-” With a ring of some chimes, Rarity’s mouth was zipped shut. Her eyes widened in panic, then settled for bemusement at her predicament.
Twilight smiled sheepishly while she adjusted her tiara with her cutie mark on it, simultaneously removing the spell from Rarity’s mouth, “Sorry Rarity, it’s just that I came down here for some important news regarding your order from last week,” Twilight’s horn shimmered briefly before a scroll with a gold horseshoe emblem sealing it, appeared from the air in front of her face. She levitated it over to the seamstress, who was very careful in her work. The fact that this was the first time she’s received criticism since Fluttershy’s rant at her boutique, unnerved her greatly.
Well...more like made her wary of foul play. She had never been one to be given critique, everypony either being too nervous or too uncaring to say anything. The translucent lavender-aura was replaced with a sky-blue, before Rarity undid the seal with a butter knife and began reading it, “...The ensemble...tight around the chest...runs a little high,” She said quietly, thinking nopony could hear her. Twilight already knew what the letter entailed, for it ahd come right from Princess Celestia herself.
Princess Celestia had asked Twilight over a week ago if she could get Rarity to make her a dress; but this wasn’t an ordinary dress...this was the dress. More acutely; it was a dress she adorn for the Summer Sun Festival, which is one of the most celebrated events in Equestria. The dress had been thought up regular haute couture style, making it an easy order for Rarity’s skill and prowess as an expert seamstress. Even though she worked on the dress for hours, staying up late at night and even hallucinating due to sleep deprivation, Rarity had finished the dress after the third day. A total of two days had passed since she sent the dress to Princess Celestia, making her believe that everything was alright.
“Why, I can’t believe I missed that,” The chic mare exclaimed in disbelief, “Princess Celestia deserves better than a dress that rides high! Oh, the shame and scandal that could’ve happened would’ve ruined me!” She wailed, slapping her head into the green metal table. She was legitimately crying, and Twilight wasn’t about to let a close friend beat herself up.
“Rarity, come on,” Twilight said in forced optimism, “It can't be that bad.” Big mistake.
“BUT IT IS THAT BA-HA-HA-HAD!!!” Rarity wailed from her face down position, tears comically rolling off the sides of the green metal table like mini waterfalls. Twilight’s ears flickered towards the familiar sound of approaching hooves, her head following the direction her ears had turned. A familiar face, one she wholeheartedly welcomed during this predicament with Rarity. That familiar face was nopony but Ponyville’s number one partier...
Pinkie Pie: Bubbly, Sporadic, Hyperactive, Optimistic, Random, Joyous and Fun. She was...pink. As in, her coat was a bubblegum pink while her hair was a shade of that same color. Blue eyes completed the package, but they weren’t as lustrous and full of class like Rarity’s. They did, however, radiate an unfathomable mirth that would find joy even in the End Days. Such was the heart of pinkie Pie, the mare who could make anyone smile. Which is why she’s the Element of Laughter.
The pink mare bounded over to them in hops, her eyes closed and a silver tray balancing two tall cylindrical cups of glistening lemonade on her back. How she kept such things in place while hopping over to her friends, can only be summed up by a phrase everypony uses when Pinkie does something inexplicable. It’s just...Pinkie Pie. And with that, any questions are immediately thrown to the wind.
After every hop, a sound like a tiny spring popping resonated. It was entrancing but random, which pretty much sums up Pinkie Pie’s behavior as a whole. Twilight waved as another one of her best friends hopped towards her.
“Hey Pinkie Pie,” Twilight greeted happily as Pinkie stopped at their table abruptly, “How’re you doing?” Pinkie Pie slid the tray off her back with practiced ease, beaming all the while as the drinks and tray aligned themselves perfectly on top of the table.
“I’m A-Okay, B.P.F.F,” (Ah, that stands for Best Princess Friend Forever.) Pinkie responded cheerfully as she gripped Twilight up in a bone breaking hug, causing her to wince from the sudden case of scoliosis she developed. After a minute, the hug was broken and Twilight applied some healing magic to her back, trying to right the spine that was unceremoniously bent into an ‘S’. With a satisfying crack of her back, twilight was back in business, “Oops! Sorry about that, Twilight! It’s good to see you by the way! I haven't heard from you since you left from Canterlot. Do you know how long it’s been!? Huh!? Do ya’!?” Pinkie yelled, invading Twilight’s personal space by shoving her pink maw into her cheek.
Twilight winced at the deafening volume Pinkie was using as such a close range, before reaching up with a hoof and pushing her away with it. Rubbing her right ear out, Twilight grimaced as Pinkie aurally assaulted her again with a sharp gasp.
“Ohmygosh! Rarity!? Why’re you all mopey-dopey!?” Pinkie asked as she was quickly beside Rarity, faster than the eye can follow. She looked on the verge of tears herself, just from looking at Rarity for about two seconds.
“OH PINKIE,” Rarity wailed as she wrapped Pinkie up in a hug that made her wince, “I’VE BEEN TOLD OFF BY CELESTIA HERSELF!!! MY CAREER AS A SEAMSTRESS IS GONE...” She snorted three times in a high-pitched childish manner, “...IT’S ALL GONE!!!” She buried her face in Pinkie’s bosom as those words left. Pinkie stroked her mane comfortingly.
“There there, Rarity. Like my Granny used to tell me...”
“Here we go...” Twilight thought as she rolled her eyes, Pinkie Pie oblivious to her rude gesture.
“You’ve gotta learn to smile for yourself! Even when meenie-weeny-reality wants to put you down! Actually, I remember a song she taught me about this! Do you want to hear it!?” Pinkie asked excitedly. Rarity immediately pulled herself away from Pinkie’s grasp, straightening her disheveled mane with a fancy purple brush she had pulled from nowhere.
“I appreciate the offer; Pinkie, but I’m afraid I must decline. I have to get going now, so feel free to talk it up with Twilight! Thanks for cheering me up, it is what you do best!” Rarity said through a force smile as she readjusted her outrageously big sunglasses and stood up from the table, half-trotting half-galloping away from Sugarcube Corner and her friends.
“Oh that was low, Rarity. REALLY~, low!” Twilight fumed inwardly as she watched the chic mare turn a corner quickly, disappearing from sight altogether. After a heavy sigh, Twilight slowly turned her head just to come eye-to-eye with a pair of blue ones. She jumped back in fright, yelping all the while.
“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight exclaimed through haggard breaths, “You almost gave me a hernia!” Twilight scolded, making Pinkie giggle as she slid the silver serving tray onto her back.
“Oh Twilight, you say the funniest things sometimes,” Pinkie responded with a boop of her hoof on Twilight’s nose, making the well-learned mare fall off the chair because Pinkie miscalculated the amount of strength she put into it.
“OOF!!!” Yelled Twilight as her rump made contact with the cobblestone walkway. She threw an irritated glance at Pinkie, who responded by smiling sheepishly. Pinkie then dashed away. leaving a pink cloud in her exact shape afterwards and leaving Twilight alone.
“She didn’t have to run away,” Twilight trailed off as she grasped the glass of lemonade with her magic and pulled it towards her lips, wrapping them around the white stray as she drunk nearly a fourth of the medium-size beverage, “Speaking of running away, I wonder how Fluttershy is doing?”
Fluttershy was; in this very moment, running away. Nipping at the butter-yellow pegasus’s heels were a pack of timberwolves who had caught her near one of their pups in the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy’s eyes were wide in panic as she fought the urge to give into her weariness, for she had been running away from the wolves for almost five whole minutes. Adrenaline had played a huge part in aiding her escape, but even her inner reserve of stamina was beginning to tire out.
“Oh Fluttershy, you just had to nurse that little pup,” Scolded Fluttershy, thinking to herself as her hooves carried her a couple more feet. A couple more feet...
...Until a root caught her left front-hoof.
“Woah!” Fluttershy said in surprise, falling onto her face.
BARK!!! BARK-BARK!!!
Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak as she smelt the rancid breath of a timberwolf, meaning it was near her face and probably readying itself to strike. Her hooves covered her head as she tried to appear small and helpless, just like she did in every situation that involved her being encroached upon. Her stomach lurched as she felt the wooden teeth dig into her neck slowly, as if taste-testing her to make sure that she was an adequate meal.
As the teeth removed themselves from her neck, Fluttershy burst into tears as she felt the paws of many wolves surround her body. The smell was amplified tenfold now, driving her to the point of unconsciousness.
RAWWWRRR!!!
The wolf that had raised its head to deliver the killing strike stopped, mouth around Fluttershy’s neck opened wide. The other wolves turned their attention to the entrance of the Everfree, growling in anger at whatever just roared at them. By the sound of the anger in its roar, the animal wanted a fight. Who were the timberwolves to refuse such an offer?
Idiots...that’s who.
A white speck; hidden in one of the bushes near the path, called out in ‘psst’ noises. It was a mystery on how the wolves didn't hear him, for his teeth did little in the way of helping him be sneaky with his calls. He prayed that his owner would stop cowering and crying, that she would turn around to look at him before the timberwolves...realize..they’ve been...had...
The bunny’s face became one of horror as the parrot was taken from the green shrub at the end of the path. He had been instructed to copy a bear’s roar, in the hopes of startling and distracting the timberwolves from harming Fluttershy. A sickening crunch caused the bunny’s face to whiten as the parrot exploded into a cacophony of blood and feathers.
Looking around frantically, the bunny decided that he had run out of options with the death of Jeffrey. Seeing no better time like the present, he fervently hopped out of his hiding place and bounded for Fluttershy's tail faster than a speeding ray of magic. With a frantic super hop, the bunny had successfully landed in Fluttershy’s tail.
The owner of the tail’s face flushed as she quickly stood up, thinking that one of the wolves had tried mounting her. Now that she was all worked up and standing, the bunny had to grab onto a couple strands of her tail. Feeling the intrusion, Fluttershy inclined her head to peer at the many bubblegum-colored strands of her tail.
It was a brief flash, but she could have sworn that Angel had somehow gotten mixed up in there. If that was true, she would have to find some way out of this predicament in order to safeguard her favorite pet’s life.
She would never dare hurt the wolves, for they were animals and she cared for animals like no other did. It’s what marked her as the kindest mare in Ponyville...and also non-violent. She was; after all, the Element of Kindness. It only made sense that she would try to find a peaceful resolution to all of this. That motion was quickly scrapped, however, when she became surround by the timberwolves again.
They snarled and snapped their jaws at her, the sound likened to mousetraps going off. A scared squeal that started off low and echoed off highly came out of Fluttershy’s mouth, even though her mouth remained closed the entire time. She had become fear locked in place, shaking like a leaf in a wind current as the stalking predators began to close the circle off. Which means, they got closer and closer with each time they circled her.
Angel; seeing the distress on his owner’s features, had began thinking of a plan voraciously. He hungered for some sort of idea; some sort of machination that would end up saving her, no matter what the cost. Then; in a burst of genius, Angel pounded a paw with a fist with a huge smile on his face. It was a risky plan, but he would rather the danger fall on him then on his owner.
Plus; he couldn’t just let her die protecting him, not like she did. It would tear him up and spit him out, his pride becoming nothing but leftovers from the bowels of guilt and suffering. Not again, not on his watch!
Angel sucked in a large amount of oxygen as he jumped off the back of Fluttershy, hopping as fast as his feet and legs could carry him into the recesses of the Everfree Forest. The wolves perked up, seeing the fleeing prey. With their predatory instincts revved up, the wolves barreled past the comatose Fluttershy and went after the small bunny.
When the last of the leaves rustled from the chase, Fluttershy shook her head madly and began muttering to herself. Panic and hysteria gripped her voice, causing her to speak and think a mile a minute, “Oh my, Fluttershy you have to go after him! You can’t just let Angel get chased by a pack of timberwolves, especially when he ran into the Everfree Forest! Who knows what else is stalking them from the trees!? Hold on Angel,” Fluttershy shook her head again, a look of confidence becoming plastered to her face, “Momma’s coming!” With that, she turned and followed them into the forest.
Angel was on his last legs, his pants turning into wheezes as his tempo and quickness became sluggish instantly. There was simply nowhere left to go. He had succeeded in outrunning the timberwolves, but his reward was bittersweet. In front of him was a mountain, but its height was uncertain, for the trees were too thick with vines to gaze upwards.
A cave mouth; sealed with various sized boulders, froze Angel in place. He knew all too well what this place was and how it was connected to him. For the briefest of seconds, he saw the pink bow around a faceless bunny, caressing a lump on her midsection with a white paw. She was staring; or what felt like staring, at Angel who began to back up in shock and fear.
She’s not supposed to be here! Why...Why is she here!?
Angel’s sudden backpedaling walked him right into the snout of a timberwolf, who promptly growled at the contact. Angel jumped out of his fur; literally, out it back on and hoped towards the faceless image of Her. His mind was torn on whether to keep advancing towards Her, or be eaten by the lone timberwolf who had found him. He couldn’t do this; couldn’t face her! Not after what he did two years ago. He just wasn’t prepared for this.
He stopped right before he reached Her, staring into the featureless face of his past lover. He could see her hazel eyes; their gaze locked lovingly in his as he snuggled close to her on that cold winter’s night, doing his best at keeping his family safe. The den...Their den; was cozy around that time of the year. He had met his lover in spring; where heat played a large roll in-
WHUMP!!!
Pain flooded Angel’s senses as he was sent flying towards Her image, phasing through it almost as if she was a...ghost. Angel rised to rest upon his legs, only to wince and grab the right side of his stomach. Blood, claw marks and splinters rested over the fresh wound. The splinters dug into his exposed flesh with every breath he inhaled, causing him to wince and fall to the ground. He was losing a lot of blood, for he was already teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.
He could see the timberwolf approach with a manic look in its eye, almost as if it was laughing at Angel’s state. As the predator drew near, She turned around and extended a paw out to Angel. Sadness gripped at his heart as Her image did this, but it also made him fight to get back on his feet. Struggling profoundly, Angel wobbled onto his butt, finding that further progress will only succeed in pushing the splinters in more.
The timberwolf was no more than two strides away from Her, and five strides away from Angel’s battered frame. She didn’t even flinch as a wooded paw crushed Her underneath it, causing Angel to tear up and extend a paw in anguish.
That was the second time.
It was the second time he had failed to save Her from a timberwolf. And just like back then, he’s just as powerless now. A painful throb from his wound brought him all the way to the ground, laying on his stomach while covering his wound with a now red paw. his eyes were shut in severe concentration, waiting for the end and trying to numb the pain of his wound. Sweat formed at his brow, reminding him of the last time he saw Her.
It was in the mouth of that cave, where a timberwolf had chased her and not him like he planned. Nothing ever goes as planned. Why!? Why couldn’t it have been him instead!? She was too innocent, too pure for death. But it took her anyway, almost as if it was playing a cruel joke on him. A joke he was not fond of...but was powerless to voice his opinion.
By this time, the timberwolf had reached the battered and cut body of Angel. It began licking its chops, almost as if it was tasting the blood that had pooled around the little bunny. With a growl that sounded so hauntingly close to an evil chuckle; the timberwolf placed a wooden paw on the back of Angels head, grinding it into the dirt a little bit. Angel squealed in protest; mouth becoming instantly filled dirt, leaves and other foliage.
YIPE!!!
The pressure on top of his head was alleviated, letting him crack an eye open to see what had caused his sudden relief. The timberwolf laid motionless underneath four butter-yellow hooves, causing him to crack a smile of gratitude before smacking his face into the dirt again. He had no energy left, his body feeling like a sack of bricks.
He heard her voice, Fluttershy’s that is. She was...calling him. By his name too, but it became as if she was speaking through the many fishbowls in her house.
“Angel! ANGEL!? Oh no, oh my, oh dear! Just hang on Angel, Momma’s gonna get you home!” He saw the ground fall away from him as Fluttershy lifted him with a hoof. After that, he found himself bleeding out upon her back. Before he passed out, however, Angel envisioned what he thought was Her. This time; she had a mouth, but still no other facial features. And with it, he heard her voice. A voice that sounded devoid of all emotion, but also had a lower echo to it. Almost as if there were two voices speaking simultaneously.
“Come Angel, it’s time to come home...” She held out a paw, to which he tried reaching for in the real world before passing out completely.
Warmth? Yes, it was warm to Angel as his eyes fluttered open. Once they were open, he scanned the dimly lit living room, confirming that he had not died. It was a miracle that he hadn’t, but Fluttershy was always good at taking care of animals. In fact, this wasn’t the first time that she had saved him from a fatality.
The room was littered with candles, giving the room an earthy scent and atmosphere. he tried sitting up in the fruit-basket-turned-hospital-cot that he had been placed in, but quickly screamed in pain as his wound throbbed severely. It felt as if someone had held a branding iron against his side, while stuffing little wedges of lemon inside his wound. Flopping back down, he panted as he saw Fluttershy run into the room with a worried look on her face.
The poor girl. She looked like she hadn’t got a wink of sleep for...however long he had been knocked out. Her mane was a frizzy mess, highlighting the black bags underneath her eyes. Not only that; but her steps seemed shaky and uncoordinated, as if she had learn to walk only yesterday.
He watched with lidded eyes as Fluttershy drew near, carrying in her mouth a first aid kit and some capped off syringes. Angel cringed at this; for he knew that she would stick him with one if not two of those needles before she left his side again, possibly returning to take care of the other 549 animals she had under her care.
Placing the medical supplies next to his cot on the ground, Fluttershy laid down herself and smiled warmly and tiredly at him. Angel frowned, knowing that under that forced smile was an angry mare. He knew, based on the years as her favorite pet, what she was thinking on the inside. She was, however, too shy and too good-natured to say how she felt without fear of rebuttal.
That’s not necessarily bad, but it becomes a problem when ponies start calling you a living doormat. But that’s not important right now. What is important, is how Angel is going to convey how he feels to Fluttershy.
Seeing Her in the Everfree was in no way normal, for She had never manifested Herself before him. Angel didn’t know how to feel, and he was thinking about it intently as Fluttershy looked him over. Seeing that he was deep in thought, Fluttershy cleared her throat cutely.
Angel glanced at her from the side of his eye, waiting for her to say something. Fluttershy gave another forced smile before removing the lime-green sheet that was around his body. He allowed this, cooperating with her in order to move the rather comfortable sheet. Once exposed to the rather cold temperature of the room, Angel let out an involuntary shiver.
“I’ll be done in a minute Angel. I just have to change your bandages and apply some ointment.” Said Fluttershy as she set about opening the white box with a red cross on it, rummaging through different sized tubes of ointment and bandages. Finding a roll of gauze, Fluttershy grabbed a pair of scissors with her mouth and indicated for Angel to turn his body to the right. He did so reluctantly, still wary for any sign of those syringes he saw earlier.
He felt her teeth two minutes later, pulling on the surgical tape that held the used gauze to his body. The tearing sound ended at long last, alerting Angel that she was now undressing his bandages for real. Curiosity getting the best of him, he turned his head in order to look at the damage the timberwolf had caused him back at the sealed cave.
His mouth nearly shattered on the floor when he saw three claw marks that went up his whole side, covering pieces of his leg and arm on the left side of his body. The wounds were stitched closed, almost making him queasy. He was reminded of a patchwork doll, like the one of a certain purple dragon she kept under her bed. That and other things that he doesn’t want to think about right now.
“Alright Angel; Momma’s gonna apply some ointment then wrap you back up, okay?” Fluttershy asked timidly, making Angel want to turn around and slap her. Why wasn’t she being honest with her feelings? He knows that any sensible pony would be upset at their pet for risking his/her life in such a drastic fashion, so why wasn’t she angry?
He then noticed the burning sensation along the length of his cut as Fluttershy touched it, causing him to hiss in agony. That feeling of pain dissipated when she applied the cooling and healing salve to the wound, making him give a sigh of relief. The gauze was applied only seconds later, covering his whole body save his feet, paws and head. Looking over his new mummified body, Angel gave a snort of disappointment at his covered tail.
“That should do it! Now, you should get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. You gave me a heart attack back there, but I’m glad I got to you in time,” There was that forced smile again, causing Angel to narrow his eyes angrily. Fluttershy noticed his glare and gulped, thinking she harmed him during his redressing session, “I didn’t hurt you, did I? Are you feeling alright, Angel?” Genuine concern graced her voice.
Angel snapped a white paw to a box of crayons next to a couple pieces of scrap parchment. Catching on quickly, Fluttershy went and grabbed his desired materials sheepishly, almost as if she would anger Celestia with retrieving them. But she grabbed them anyway, the paper in her mouth while the crayons rested on her back. She returned to his bedside, offering him the materials. Angel snatched them without a second thought, beginning a crude sentence with purple crayon.
He held it up to her and smacked the paper for emphasis. Fluttershy shook her head with that same forced smile from earlier, “Oh Angel Bunny, I’m not angry at you! That’s not even remotely the truth.” She laughed nervously as Angel growled and slapped the paper harder thrice more.
Fluttershy flinched at each slap, as if she was the one getting slapped and not the paper. After that, Angel whistled to bring her attention to another sentence.
Her eyes went wide at what it said as she stuttered in disbelief, “Why Angel, of course I love you! There’s not a doubt in my heart about that, not one!” Fluttershy exclaimed, reaching out a hoof to rub his head. He slapped it away with another angry glare, causing Fluttershy to grin sheepishly. He was getting real tired of her act and it was beginning to show through his actions.
An image of Her flashed into his mind; Her hazel eyes brimming with tears as She was pulled into that cave in the Everfree, a black wooden paw wrapping over Her mouth to stop a scream of protest. The blue eyes of that timberwolf now haunted him constantly, and Angel swore he could see them in every shadow around the room. How...hungry and malicious, those eyes were!
Angel winced as if he had been shot, clutching at his head in pain as he tried to eject that gruesome image from his head. After seeing that, he couldn’t force himself to be angry if he tried. Instead, he settled for depression and sadness. His whole face became downcast, making Fluttershy grimace in worry.
“Angel? When you were on my back, you reached out for somepony...W-will you tell me who it was?” Fluttershy asked, suddenly remembering that he had done that. Angel went wide-eyed for a couple of seconds, before going back to his face of defeat. Taking some crayons, he began painting a picture of a burrow on a hill. The sun was bright, little splotched of blue alerting Fluttershy to a beautiful and crystal clear day.
She nodded in understanding, sitting down as Angel set to work on another picture.
This time, he had illustrated the inside of the burrow quite nicely. A single rug adorned the floor, as well as a doe and another rabbit. She knew it was a doe, based on the pink bow wrapped around her right ear present-style. She had white fur like her mate, but her eyes were hazel and she seemed just a little bit smaller. These two took up the middle of the burrow, next to some candles against the wall.
He slapped at the bunny without a bow, then pointed at himself with the same paw. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide in comprehension, looking at Angel with a flabbergasted expression.
“That’s you!?” She asked incredulously, Angel nodding with a neutral expression on his face. Fluttershy then looked back at the picture and pointed a hoof quizzically at the other bunny, making Angel grimace as he knew the inevitability of the following question.
“Who’s this,” Fluttershy asked with her other hoof on her chin, “She doesn’t look like one of the bunnies that live here. Is she somepo-...bunny special to you?” Angel sighed, knowing that he wouldn't make it through this explanation without breaking down. As much as he didn’t want to explain, he knew that keeping it from her will only serve to cause tension in their relationship.
Picking up another piece of paper, Angel began drawing out a more detailed picture of them both. He looked the same as he did now, but the doe seemed much more timid. He even drew her cowering behind one of her ears. He then put names to the illustrations, Fluttershy sounding out the name of the doe slowly.
“Se-ra-phim? Seraphim,” She asked Angel hopefully, to which he nodded at the correct pronunciation, “It’s a pretty name! Was she your sister?” Angel shook his head quickly, making Fluttershy scrounge her face up in thought.
“Was she....” She trailed off, Angel watching her with undivided attention, “Your mother,” She asked as if this was some sort of game, her growing smile being the opposite of Angel’s growing frown, “Your aunt!? Oo, oo, Your niece!?” With every wrong answer, Angel became more and more agitated.
Giving a squeal of rage, Angel quickly drew a large circle around her stomach. But as he did this, he felt a stray tear roll down his right cheek. Then one down his left as he blinked...
...Then another...
...And another...
“Angel,” Fluttershy tried weakly as he held the picture up, fighting off his tears as best as he could, “Angel are you alright!?” She tried coaxing him back down and taking the paper away from him, earning her a slap from the paper as he practically shoved it in her face. She was about to reprimand him for hitting her, but became silent and wide-eyed as the implication of her round belly finally sank in.
“She’s...Seraphim’s pregnant!? Oh, where is she!? Do you need to go see her!?” Fluttershy asked frantically, packing up her first aid materials. Angel couldn’t feel the tears streaming down his face anymore, his eyes becoming numb from the wet onslaught already.
He grabbed yet another piece of paper, taking the longest with this one than any of his previous ones.
“Where is she!? A doe giving birth without support is-” Fluttershy interrupted herself as she noticed the paper quivering. Looking behind it, her heart fell in her chest as she noticed Angel’s sorrowful expression towards the picture he just drew.
It doesn’t take a genius to know what a cave-in plus a pregnant doe equaled...
Fluttershy felt tears of her own beginning to surface, her inward thoughts of being cross with Angel earlier eroding away to make room for sadness. He balled up the paper and threw it behind him. Fluttershy felt herself crying freely now, her eyes becoming red as she sniffed every now and then. But amidst her tears, her brain was trying to piece together how a pregnant doe would have gotten into a cave right before a cave-in. How could that have happened? Wasn’t Angel with her?
“H-,” She choked on a sob, “How did she end up there?” She sniffed hard as Angel gave a few sobs before trying to rub the tears out of his eyes.
Why couldn’t he stop the tears!? Why does it hurt so bad!?
A couple of roaming tears found their way onto his next illustration, showing both him and Seraphim hopping along the top of their hill on a windy day. The picture was broken up like a comic book, and the last two panels pictured a strong gust of wind blowing Seraphim’s bow into the Everfree Forest.
Angel flipped it over and drew quickly, trying to avoid getting tears on the paper. Once this side was also done, he showcased it to Fluttershy. The first panel had them holding paws as they hopped into the forest together, cautious for predators and her bow. Seraphim looked at Angel in the second panel and placed a paw over her bulbous stomach, “I’m scared,” Fluttershy read.
( But Angel heard Seraphim’s voice instead. The flashback came to him like a movie; the pair hopping through the dark forest in the hopes of finding the misplaced pink bow that separated her from other does. They had traversed deeply into the foliage, looking for any sign of pink against the monotonous grey, brown and green of the Everfree Forest.
He tightened his grip around his doe’s paw, letting her know that she would be protected no matter what happened. He looked back at Seraphim and gave her an assuring smile, making her smile in return as the two came to a small mountain-face cave. It was fairly tall, maybe ten feet tall. That’s still massive compared to the bunnie's heights.
A bright flash caught Angel’s attention as he spotted the bow around a stick inside the cave. Smiling, he let go of Seraphim’s paw and bounced quickly to the black branch in the cave.
Seraphim let out a whine of protest, but quickly felt a smile surge at him finding her bow on a stick. She gave him a thumbs up; to which he bowed at like a maestro, before turning back around and grabbing the bow. He had turned around to walk back to his lover, hoping the bow would untie itself as he did so. Unfortunately, he had no such luck as he was quickly jerked by the arms and landed on his rear roughly.
Seraphim brought a paw to her mouth to suppress a chuckle, but let it out after seeing Angel begin to grow angry at her bow and began tugging on the branch itself.
Angel was pissed off. He was known for his short temper, and this little twig was slowly making its way up his, “GONNA FRICKIN DESTROY” list. The stubborn earthen limb began snapping, letting Angel know that victory would soon be his. After much turmoil, the limb finally snapped off loudly, releasing the pink treasure bound to its form.
Seraphim clapped as Angel held the ribbon over his head Braveheart style, standing on top of the twig that had caused him so much grief. he then beckoned her over, to which she complied instantly, bouncing her way into his arms. Angel wasted no time in tying the bow around her right ear. She nuzzled him in thanks, earning herself a kiss from her mate.
They shared it for a while, standing right in the middle of the cave.
They didn’t even notice the large timberwolf slowly rise from his shadowed position right behind them. It growled with all the venom and anger it could muster, causing the kissing couple to stop what they were doing and look at it in fear. This timberwolf was different, as far as timberwolves were concerned.
Instead of the normal brown and green, this timberwolf had blue eyes; leaves and black bark for a body. It also stood taller than your average timberwolf by at least a foot, and also having a bigger body build. It took some time remembering its name, but Angel silently mouthed them both in the real world and in his flashback.
“Basketville...” He breathed out as the wolf opened its mouth, the blue cloud of paralyzing agents seeping into the air. Angel wasted no time in grabbing his lover’s paw and hightailing it out of there, only increasing their speed when he heard the paws of the infamous timberwolf giving chase. They departed back towards their burrow, bobbing into the bushes and confusing the hunter with their acute turns and bounds. After a while of this, they finally reached their burrow and leaped into the hole.
Angel wrapped his body around her’s, but kept enough room between his stomach and her’s in order to safeguard the unborn warren she was carrying. He felt the wind leave his body as his back smacked upon the unforgiving earth, making him wheeze as Seraphim quickly got off of his body and checked him over for serious injury. He sat up s;pw;y, brushing his white coat off as he gave Seraphim an O.K sign with a paw, letting her know that he felt fine.
She wrapped him up in bone-crushing hug, smacking his mouth with her lips as tears rolled down her face. Seraphim was happy that he had kept his promise of keeping her safe, no matter what danger there was. But during their joyous celebration, the mates couldn't notice the soft tendrils of blue smog drifting in from the entrance to their burrow...)
“ANGEL!!!” Fluttershy uncharacteristically yelled, making him do a double take and stop crying. her face was the definition of worry and sadness, as she was practically in his bed with how close she was to his face.
He gave a deep sigh as he noticed the many drawings on his lap. detailing his flashback in superb detail. he wasn’t an artist, but to him the detail was enough to be understood. His heart felt misplaced, or like it had been stabbed multiple times by icicles.
He had no idea where that flashback came from, but he wished that it didn’t come at all. He couldn’t focus on reality, his mind wrapped around the scene he had skipped by waking up. It was heartbreaking, how she begged for him to run as Seraphim was...was...
The pain was too much, he just wanted it to end. Seraphim had never haunted him, had never swore to remain with him even in death. So why? Why was she appearing now? Nothing made sense, and as his face scrounged up in confusion, Fluttershy could tell that something was still eating at him.
She didn’t want to push, however, since too much emotional strain could probably open his wounds again. Wiping her face with a napkin she had acquired during Angel’s brainfreeze drawing frenzy, she quickly wiped her eyes then blew her nose as she turned to leave. Angel noticed this and thanked Celestia that she was finally leaving.
Soon, it was nothing but him, his drawings and his thoughts in the dimly lit room. Although slumber gripped at his eyes, his brain was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out how he could get in contact with his dead mate. He formulated times that Fluttershy would be away, so that he could sneak out of the house and do some research on how to contact the dead.
He could always ask the zebra in the Everfree, but he quickly shook that idea away. Zecora and Angel couldn’t stand each other. When they met for the first time, Zecora had shoved a carrot into his mouth against his will, to which he promptly removed and shoved it into one of her mouths. Angel allowed himself an evil snicker at the surprised face she made when her backdoor suddenly had an overdose of beta carotene. Ever since then, they absolutely wanted nothing to do with each other. He prefered to stay in Fluttershy’s mane when she visited Zecora, opting to stay out of their conversation altogether.
Angel then thought about the many books in Twilight’s Library. A well-learned mare like herself would no doubt have a book about spiritual clairvoyance, since she has pretty much everything ‘cept for Star Swirl the Bearded’s scrolls.
And so, it was decided that during feeding time tomorrow; he would sneak off into the bustling town of Ponyville in order to find some way of communication with Seraphim. A foolproof plan with little to no room for miscalculated errors...
...Right?
