As Fluttershy walked away from her cottage, Michael smiled. At last, she was out of his hair and he could force the others to make him his favorite salad. As de facto boss, they had to follow his orders. Moreover, with Angel gone...
"Michael! What is this I hear?"
Crap. He had returned early.
A white rabbit with a palpable air of authority hopped up to Mike. The two of them looked almost identical to the eyes of ponies, but rabbits could easily tell each other apart with help from subtle vocal traits. It was plain to see that Angel was hopping mad.
"Thought you could keep this a secret from me, huh? I'm glad I got back early, if this is how you act every time I'm not around. What have you been doing, Mike?"
Mike swallowed. "They're lying! They're jealous that Fluttershy put me in your place while you were visiting your family."
Angel slapped him. "You and I both know that they'll have their turns. And you'll never get another if I have anything to say about it."
It was hard to tell what hurt more, the slap, or the punishment. "Like you're any better", Mike replied. "You do stuff like what I did too".
"Not nearly as severe as what you did. It's called tough love, and I help Fluttershy whenever she needs it. You must have the blackest, most shriveled heart in Equestria to be so cruel to her".
"She made me a salad she knew I wouldn't like."
"Is a missing cherry such a big problem? Besides, after what she went through to get it, you should be thankful she got you it at all."
Mike racked his brains for more ways to justify his actions. "She kept calling me by your name!"
"Yes, to comfort herself. Her self esteem issues are bad enough with me around, but without me to back her up, they're even more crippling."
Damn. He had a counter for every argument. "Well, maybe if you hadn't left, I wouldn't have done what I did. You have no one to blame but yourself."
By this point, Angel was so angry that there might as well have been fire shooing out of his mouth. "I was visiting my kids and ex-wife! You've never been this much of a problem before! You always were a discipline problem, but if I knew what you'd do with some authority, I'd have left you on potato peeling duty!"
He gave Mike a solid kick to the stomach and crotch, bowling him over, and continued on his tirade. "You are the most despicable, unkind, rude, cruel bastard of a bunny I have ever had the displeasure to meet. I should beat you to within an inch of your life! If you are so mean, so heartless as to bully Fluttershy, you ought to be used as a speedbag for Rainbow Dash! If I ever hear about anything like this again..."
At this point, his voice became dangerously calm, and he got a sadistic grin on his face. "I'll take you to Ponyville Library and have Spike scorch your fur off."
Mike responded lamely, "I know for a fact that you and Spike hate each other."
"I'm sure I can persuade him to do it. He doesn't want poor Fluttershy to be abused any more than I do. Then, after that, I'll have Twilight use you as a guinea pig for her research on nerve endings".
At this point, one could hear a pin drop.
"You're on drain duty until further notice. And during that time, you are restricted to a diet of gruel and water. Now, get on it before I scratch your eye out"
Mike hopped away.
"Where is Fluttershy, anyway?" Angel asked Terry the badger.
"She's going to an assertiveness seminar hosted by Iron Will".
"The self-help guru?" Terry nodded yes. "Excellent. Maybe after that, she'll be able to discipline problem cases like this. Then my workload will be a lot lighter." He cast an eye over to Mike. "Keep an eye on him. And if he becomes a problem, you are authorized to use corporal punishment".
Terry waddled over to Mike. His work done, Angel hopped over to his bed for a nap. He passed a copy of Animal Care for Dummies, and thought to himself Maybe after this, Fluttershy will be able to take care of herself.
With pride in Fluttershy and satisfaction in himself, Angel went to sleep to rest from his long journey home.
Fin
One week later
Angel was very proud of Fluttershy. In just one week, she had turned from a quivering jelly, into a pony with a velvet touch and a steel core. True, she still had a number of issues to work through, but she had made considerable progress. More important, she knew the difference between asserting oneself and being a jerk. With Mike's punishment, the other animals knew not to mess with Fluttershy. However, Fluttershy could now give discipline herself rather than relying on Angel.
Angel saw Michael limping by, exhausted from his work. He had tried to sneak some food and shirk his work, but a few scratches from Terry were enough to stop it. Angel decided that he had made his point. Moreover, with Fluttershy's unquestionable new inner strength, it would be extremely hard for any one of her animals to take advantage of her. She was planning on ending Mike's punishment shortly, because justice must be tempered with mercy. However, he was no longer to make unreasonable demands, nor would he knock something before he tried it. His problematic behavior had essentially been zapped.
Through trial and error, Fluttershy had learned proper assertiveness. She was acting horribly before, so much so that she had Angel tie her to a chair. Angel had a newfound respect for Iron Will. If he could help Fluttershy, he could help anyone. He just wished the guy would tone down his advice's tone a little bit. Then again, what could be expected from someone like him? Besides, it got results.
Ecstatic at the new Fluttershy, Angel beamed. He planned on giving Fluttershy a present for making so much progress. He decided he should make it himself. After all, he now had a lot more free time.
With these thoughts, Angel relaxed in his hammock, and continued to write the letter to his ex-wife about the progress that had been made. Maria and his children would be very happy to see what changes had been made. His girlfriend, Catherine, already was.
After finishing the letter, Angel gave it to Soren, a barn owl. Soren began to fly off to deliver the letter, and Angel relaxed. letting the sun wash over him.
End of Story
