Monster

I was lost, in every sense of the word. I had left behind whatever was chasing me–if I hadn’t just been running from my imagination in the first place–but I ran on.

I had a vision of Celestia’s furious face loomed down on me as thunder boomed in the background. Her voice cracked like a whip across the sky, pushing past the thunder as an even stronger, deadlier beast. “ONE THOUSAND YEARS IN TARTARUS!” she decreed, and I felt myself being dragged away.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” I squealed, opening my eyes and dispelling the vision. It was a good thing too. I had been about to run into a tree. Flapping my wings in an attempt to stop, I brushed against unexpected resistance. “Huh?” I said, turning my head. I saw a bunny rabbit go flying off of my wings before I slammed into the tree.

“Oww…” I picked myself up, brushing myself off a little, before I looked for the bunny. I saw him staggering around in a daze and sighed in relief. He wasn’t hurt. I quickly rushed over to him.

“I’m so sorry! Are you ok? Are you hurt?” I inspected him for damage, but other than a little bit of dizziness, he seemed fine. He was also glaring at me. I shied back, and covered my face with my mane. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were there!” I whimpered. Great. Now I was throwing innocent bunnies around. I should just lock myself up in a room and never come out. I felt something soft wrap around my hoof and I looked down. The bunny had wrapped his arms around me and was staring up at me, eyes wide with compassion.

I looked away. “Oh, you’re so sweet. But you shouldn’t be near me. I might snap and hurt you. I’m a monster. I–Ow!”

The bunny had jumped up and slapped me on the cheek. I touched my hoof to the spot that had been slapped and stared at the bunny in shock. He stared at me in disapproval and shook his head. Then he held his arms out for a hug. I stared at him in shock. He waved his arms insistently. My eyes softened.

“Okay.”

I leaned in and hugged him. We stayed together, simply hugging for a while. Then I spoke.

“I was just so angry. He wanted me to feel bad. He wanted me to cry. But when he started hurting that poor colt, I just snapped. I wanted him to stop hurting that colt. I wanted him to stop hurting me. I don’t even feel bad for killing him. I’m a monster–Ow!”

I raised my hoof to my cheek again. The bunny hopped back and pantomimed a monster, roaring and waving its arms around like claws. He then crossed his arms across his chest while shaking his head. He finished by pointing at me.

“I’m not a monster? But–”

He then held up a hand. He lay on the floor, playing dead, before getting up and pretending to be a monster again.

“He was the monster? Well, he was pretty cruel… But did he deserve to die?”

I glanced at the rabbit to see it nodding vigorously. I gasped in shock.

“What! How could you say such a thing!”

The rabbit pantomimed the dead monster once again. He then struck a heroic pose and pointed at me.

“I’m a hero? He was a monster? I guess heroes slay monsters.”

Something felt wrong about that to me. I definitely didn’t feel very heroic. The bunny opened his arms again for another hug. Sighing, I leaned in for the hug.

“Thank you,” I said. “I'm still so confused. But I feel better, I guess. So, thank you. You’re an angel.”

A thought occurred to me.

“You know what? You need a name. Would you like for me to call you Angel?”

The bunny beamed and hugged me tighter. I smiled.

“You’ll be my very own Angel Bunny.”